The X-Files: I Want to Believe is a stand-alone story in the tradition of some of the show's most acclaimed and beloved episodes, and takes the complicated relationship between Fox Mulder (Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Anderson) in unexpected directions. Mulder continues his unshakable quest for the truth, and Scully, the passionate, ferociously intelligent physician, remains inextricably tied to Mulder's pursuits.
This movie should have been called The X-Files: I Just Want You To Waste Your Money. This was horrible. It would have even been a really lame two part episode back when the show was on. There wasn't even anything alien related!?! The movie was about Russian organ harvesters. It was like I was watching an episode of Criminal Minds but it was labeled X-Files and they threw Mulder and Scully in there. Why in the blue hell they would randomly make this movie with no sort of a big payoff whatsoever years later is completely beyond me. I could see the die hard fanboys getting violent and attacking the screen after seeing this because of how downright insulting it was.
I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone. Ever. Not fans of the show. Not even people who enjoy those FBI type movies because you'll still be annoyed with the whiny, repeated banter between Mulder and Scully.
Mamma Mia!
An independent, single mother who owns a small hotel on an idyllic Greek island, Donna (Streep) is about to let go of Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), the spirited daughter she's raised alone. For Sophie's wedding, Donna has invited her two lifelong best girlfriends--practical and no-nonsense Rosie (Julie Walters) and wealthy, multi-divorcee Tanya (Christine Baranski)--from her one-time backing band, Donna and the Dynamos. But Sophie has secretly invited three guests of her own. On a quest to find the identity of her father to walk her down the aisle, she brings back three men from Donna's past to the Mediterranean paradise they visited 20 years earlier. Over 24 chaotic, magical hours, new love will bloom and old romances will be rekindled on this lush island full of possibilities. Inspired by the storytelling magic of ABBA's songs from "Dancing Queen" and "S.O.S." to "Money, Money, Money" and "Take a Chance on Me," Mamma Mia! is a celebration of mothers and daughters, old friends and new family found.
This movie was just plain annoying. I have no problem with ABBA's songs or musicals whatsoever. However, this movie just seemed so forced that it was annoying. They would just shoot in to the singing parts randomly and they were absurdly over the top. The whole thing with musicals is that you should be so into the story that you don't even care that the actors are now singing. I found myself rolling my eyes every time that they would burst in to song thinking here we go again. As for the full story being told through the songs of ABBA - again it all felt forced. When Across The Universe did this with the Beattles music, it was completely fluid and the progression of the movie benefitted royally from it. In this movie, the polar opposite happened. It seemed like they were trying to work the script around what song they wanted them to sing. To summarize again with one word . . . . . . annoying.
I really didn't like this movie, but can't really recommend whether or not to see this because I'm sure that this will be one of those 50/50 movies where half the people hate it like I did while the other half think it is the best thing since sliced bread. Hence, view at your own risk but don't say I didn't warn you.
This movie was just plain annoying. I have no problem with ABBA's songs or musicals whatsoever. However, this movie just seemed so forced that it was annoying. They would just shoot in to the singing parts randomly and they were absurdly over the top. The whole thing with musicals is that you should be so into the story that you don't even care that the actors are now singing. I found myself rolling my eyes every time that they would burst in to song thinking here we go again. As for the full story being told through the songs of ABBA - again it all felt forced. When Across The Universe did this with the Beattles music, it was completely fluid and the progression of the movie benefitted royally from it. In this movie, the polar opposite happened. It seemed like they were trying to work the script around what song they wanted them to sing. To summarize again with one word . . . . . . annoying.
I really didn't like this movie, but can't really recommend whether or not to see this because I'm sure that this will be one of those 50/50 movies where half the people hate it like I did while the other half think it is the best thing since sliced bread. Hence, view at your own risk but don't say I didn't warn you.
Space Chimps
Space Chimps is an intergalactic comedy that highlights the antics of astronaut chimps with the "wrong stuff." Ham III (Samberg), the slacker grandson of the first chimp blasted into space before manned spaceflight, joins two other astronaut chimps for a dangerous mission through a black hole to an inhabited planet. When they're stranded there, the chimps must help the inhabitants rid themselves of a tyrannical leader, and then figure out how to get back to Earth.
This was a watchable kids movie. The parts with the monkeys were actually really funny. Unfortunately, every time that they switched over to what was going on with the aliens, I felt like I was watching a Saturday morning kids cartoon. Basically - thats all this movie was. There was no reason for it to be made for the big screen. It wasn't bad by any means - it just was not an animated movie worthy of this kind of marketing.
I wouldn't recommend anyone rush to check this out in theaters. Wait for it to be watched at home where it much more digestible.
This was a watchable kids movie. The parts with the monkeys were actually really funny. Unfortunately, every time that they switched over to what was going on with the aliens, I felt like I was watching a Saturday morning kids cartoon. Basically - thats all this movie was. There was no reason for it to be made for the big screen. It wasn't bad by any means - it just was not an animated movie worthy of this kind of marketing.
I wouldn't recommend anyone rush to check this out in theaters. Wait for it to be watched at home where it much more digestible.
The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight reunites director Christopher Nolan with star Christian Bale, who returns to continue Batman's war on crime. With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) and District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), Batman sets out to destroy organized crime in Gotham for good. The triumvirate proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a rising criminal mastermind known as the Joker (Heath Ledger), who thrusts Gotham into anarchy and forces the Dark Knight ever closer to crossing the fine line between hero and vigilante.
Wow! Seriously. Wow! This movie pretty much surpassed the original Batman movie as my favorite comic book movie of all time. Never did I think anyone would be able to top Jack Nicholson as a comic book villain, but Heath Ledger made him actually seem tame. His performance as The Joker was the best bad guy performance since Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter in Silence Of The Lambs. I can't remember the last time that I so thoroughly enjoyed a performance like this. The rest of the cast was also phenomenal (even though Aaron Eckhart started out a little too over the top and then settled in excellently). Chris Nolan's development of multi-tiered levels of suspense over and over again throughout the movie was amazing and even though the movie was long at 2 and 1/2 hours - I would have gladly kept watching. This will probably be the hands down best movie of the year and is a must see by all.
I recommend that everyone see this amazingly done movie. Be warned that it really isn't for kids though. Its very violent and has a really in depth dealing with the mob storyline that will be way over most of their heads.
Wow! Seriously. Wow! This movie pretty much surpassed the original Batman movie as my favorite comic book movie of all time. Never did I think anyone would be able to top Jack Nicholson as a comic book villain, but Heath Ledger made him actually seem tame. His performance as The Joker was the best bad guy performance since Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter in Silence Of The Lambs. I can't remember the last time that I so thoroughly enjoyed a performance like this. The rest of the cast was also phenomenal (even though Aaron Eckhart started out a little too over the top and then settled in excellently). Chris Nolan's development of multi-tiered levels of suspense over and over again throughout the movie was amazing and even though the movie was long at 2 and 1/2 hours - I would have gladly kept watching. This will probably be the hands down best movie of the year and is a must see by all.
I recommend that everyone see this amazingly done movie. Be warned that it really isn't for kids though. Its very violent and has a really in depth dealing with the mob storyline that will be way over most of their heads.
Journey To The Center Of The Earth 3D
During a scientific expedition in Iceland, visionary scientist Trevor Anderson (Brendan Fraser), his nephew Sean (Josh Hutcherson) and their beautiful local guide, Hannah (Anita Briem), are unexpectedly trapped in a cave from which their only escape is to go deeper and deeper into the depths of the Earth. Traveling through never-before-seen worlds, the trio comes face-to-face with surreal and unimaginable creatures--including man-eating plants, giant flying piranha, glow birds and terrifying dinosaurs from days past. The explorers soon realize that as volcanic activity increases around them, they must find a way back to the earth's surface before it is too late.
This movie was beyond campy. At no point did you not completely know what was going to happen. Brendan Fraser did his usual overacting. However, the movie was still quite enjoyable. It was an old school adventure ride. The 3D effects definitely helped a lot. There were lots of moments where the effects were like the ones you would see at a Disney World or Universal Studios 3D ride. I think this movie could still be enjoyable without the effects though. There are some really jump out of your seat parts because of the 3D but ultimately, this is a great family film.
I'd recommend everyone checking this out. I have always been a big fan of 3D movies and this movie is one of the great examples of why.
This movie was beyond campy. At no point did you not completely know what was going to happen. Brendan Fraser did his usual overacting. However, the movie was still quite enjoyable. It was an old school adventure ride. The 3D effects definitely helped a lot. There were lots of moments where the effects were like the ones you would see at a Disney World or Universal Studios 3D ride. I think this movie could still be enjoyable without the effects though. There are some really jump out of your seat parts because of the 3D but ultimately, this is a great family film.
I'd recommend everyone checking this out. I have always been a big fan of 3D movies and this movie is one of the great examples of why.
Meet Dave
Dave Ming Chang (Eddie Murphy), newly arrived in New York City, may be the ultimate fish out of water. There's something about him that's not quite right – for starters, he seems remarkably out of place and uncomfortable in his own body. And for good reason. Dave is not a man at all, but a ship made in the image of its miniature-sized captain.
Although I found myself laughing a lot at some of the earlier scenes in this movie - this is definitely one of the dumbest movies ever made. We're talking Howard The Duck, Leonard Part 6 and The Adventures Of Pluto Nash type dumb, people! I can't even begin to understand how this movie was ever made in the first place. Did Eddie Murphy really look at the script and say "So I'll be the captain of a space ship that will also be me and I get to poop out money at one point too? Where do I sign?" Seriously? Its just ludicrous to think of the millions of dollars spent on something this ridiculous. Again - I definitely laughed at a bunch of scenes in this movie, but I laughed at scenes in the aforementioned historically dumb movies too. That doesn't mean that the movies are not eternally enshrined as Hollywood's biggest jokes.
I wouldn't recommend anyone ever seeing this. Actually, that's wrong. I do recommend that everyone see this at some point. I wouldn't go running to the theater to waste my time and money, but this is one of those movies that is so bad - everyone should check it out just to get that jaw on the floor at how dumb this movie is feeling.
Although I found myself laughing a lot at some of the earlier scenes in this movie - this is definitely one of the dumbest movies ever made. We're talking Howard The Duck, Leonard Part 6 and The Adventures Of Pluto Nash type dumb, people! I can't even begin to understand how this movie was ever made in the first place. Did Eddie Murphy really look at the script and say "So I'll be the captain of a space ship that will also be me and I get to poop out money at one point too? Where do I sign?" Seriously? Its just ludicrous to think of the millions of dollars spent on something this ridiculous. Again - I definitely laughed at a bunch of scenes in this movie, but I laughed at scenes in the aforementioned historically dumb movies too. That doesn't mean that the movies are not eternally enshrined as Hollywood's biggest jokes.
I wouldn't recommend anyone ever seeing this. Actually, that's wrong. I do recommend that everyone see this at some point. I wouldn't go running to the theater to waste my time and money, but this is one of those movies that is so bad - everyone should check it out just to get that jaw on the floor at how dumb this movie is feeling.
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
After an ancient truce existing between humankind and the invisible realm of the fantastic is broken, hell on Earth is ready to erupt. A ruthless leader who treads the world above and the one below defies his bloodline and awakens an unstoppable army of creatures. Now, it's up to the planet's toughest, roughest superhero to battle the merciless dictator and his marauders. He may be red. He may be horned. He may be misunderstood. But when you need the job done right, it's time to call in Hellboy (Ron Perlman). Along with his expanding team in the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Development--pyrokinetic girlfriend Liz (Selma Blair), aquatic empath Abe (Doug Jones) and protoplasmic mystic Johann--the BPRD will travel between the surface strata and the unseen magical one, where creatures of fantasy become corporeal. And Hellboy, a creature of two worlds who's accepted by neither, must choose between the life he knows and an unknown destiny that beckons him.
Holy disappointment, Hellboy! I was a huge fan of the first movie. I remember seeing the trailer and thinking that it looked stupid but I ended up really enjoying the movie. The trailer for this one made it look awesome and I was actually pretty excited to see it. Unfortunately, I was totally let down. They changed the whole way that the story was portrayed. In the first one - it was this top secret thing and most of the humor came from Hellboy's complaining or sarcasm. This one was for lack of a better word schlocky. I get that its a comic book adaptation but at least the first one took the story seriously. I almost felt like they were making a joke out of all these different monsters. The score had a doofy tone to it throughout the movie and that definitely didn't help at all. Abe, the fish guy, was this brilliant freak in the first movie but was reduced to being more of a goofy nerd in this one. I really don't understand why they would do all these things since the first one was really good and the villain in this one was even better than in the first one. This will probably end up being the biggest disappointment of the year for me.
I wouldn't recommend anyone checking this one out. Even though the trailer looked awesome, the director's lack of taking the material seriously totally ruins the awesome visuals that you've come to expect from Guillermo Del Toro.
Holy disappointment, Hellboy! I was a huge fan of the first movie. I remember seeing the trailer and thinking that it looked stupid but I ended up really enjoying the movie. The trailer for this one made it look awesome and I was actually pretty excited to see it. Unfortunately, I was totally let down. They changed the whole way that the story was portrayed. In the first one - it was this top secret thing and most of the humor came from Hellboy's complaining or sarcasm. This one was for lack of a better word schlocky. I get that its a comic book adaptation but at least the first one took the story seriously. I almost felt like they were making a joke out of all these different monsters. The score had a doofy tone to it throughout the movie and that definitely didn't help at all. Abe, the fish guy, was this brilliant freak in the first movie but was reduced to being more of a goofy nerd in this one. I really don't understand why they would do all these things since the first one was really good and the villain in this one was even better than in the first one. This will probably end up being the biggest disappointment of the year for me.
I wouldn't recommend anyone checking this one out. Even though the trailer looked awesome, the director's lack of taking the material seriously totally ruins the awesome visuals that you've come to expect from Guillermo Del Toro.
Hancock
There are heroes... there are superheroes... and then there's Hancock (Will Smith). With great power comes great responsibility – everyone knows that – everyone, that is, but Hancock. Edgy, conflicted, sarcastic, and misunderstood, Hancock's well-intentioned heroics might get the job done and save countless lives, but always seem to leave jaw-dropping damage in their wake. The public has finally had enough – as grateful as they are to have their local hero, the good citizens of Los Angeles are wondering what they ever did to deserve this guy. Hancock isn't the kind of man who cares what other people think – until the day that he saves the life of PR executive Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman), and the sardonic superhero begins to realize that he may have a vulnerable side after all. Facing that will be Hancock's greatest challenge yet – and a task that may prove impossible as Ray's wife, Mary (Charlize Theron), insists that he's a lost cause.
I didn't really have high expectations for this movie. I figured that it would be a visually entertaining summer popcorn movie with Will Smith who I haven't ever found to be disappointing. Turns out that is exactly what I got. This wasn't a great movie by any means. It was simple entertainment. The movie simply started with the preview I guess being the prerequisite storyline information. I found that kind of weird, but was totally able to accept it because I was getting quite a kick out of Will Smith playing a prick. Watching him curse and be confrontational towards people had me cracking up. Then, there was a major plot twist in the middle of the movie that I thought was going to send it in to a massive downward spiral, but they were even able to rebound pretty well from that by giving you the actual background of Hancock that I was hungry for at the beginning of the movie. I could totally see how someone would hate this movie if they had sky high expectations for it though.
I would recommend people checking this movie out. Just keep your hopes in check so you won't up getting disappointed.
I didn't really have high expectations for this movie. I figured that it would be a visually entertaining summer popcorn movie with Will Smith who I haven't ever found to be disappointing. Turns out that is exactly what I got. This wasn't a great movie by any means. It was simple entertainment. The movie simply started with the preview I guess being the prerequisite storyline information. I found that kind of weird, but was totally able to accept it because I was getting quite a kick out of Will Smith playing a prick. Watching him curse and be confrontational towards people had me cracking up. Then, there was a major plot twist in the middle of the movie that I thought was going to send it in to a massive downward spiral, but they were even able to rebound pretty well from that by giving you the actual background of Hancock that I was hungry for at the beginning of the movie. I could totally see how someone would hate this movie if they had sky high expectations for it though.
I would recommend people checking this movie out. Just keep your hopes in check so you won't up getting disappointed.
Wanted
25-year-old Wes (James McAvoy) was the most disaffected, cube-dwelling drone the planet had ever known. His boss chewed him out hourly, his girlfriend ignored him routinely and his life plodded on interminably. Everyone was certain this disengaged slacker would amount to nothing. There was little else for Wes to do but wile away the days and die in his slow, clock-punching rut. Until he met a woman named Fox (Angelina Jolie). After his estranged father is murdered, the deadly sexy Fox recruits Wes into the Fraternity, a secret society that trains Wes to avenge his dad's death by unlocking his dormant powers. As she teaches him how to develop lightning-quick reflexes and phenomenal agility, Wes discovers this team lives by an ancient, unbreakable code: carry out the death orders given by fate itself. With wickedly brilliant tutors--including the Fraternity's enigmatic leader, Sloan (Morgan Freeman)--Wes grows to enjoy all the strength he ever wanted. But, slowly, he begins to realize there is more to his dangerous associates than meets the eye. And as he wavers between newfound heroism and vengeance, Wes will come to learn what no one could ever teach him: he alone controls his destiny.
This movie was pure adrenaline. When I first saw the preview, I was scared that the movie would be another one of those kick ass action movies that looks awesome and then degenerates in to a pointless pile of dung a la Crank or Shoot Em Up. I was so glad to be dead wrong. This movie was straight up action from the start and had an equally great story line. Are parts of absolutely absurd and far fetched? Of course they are. However, its filmed in such a way that you are able to let go of that silliness and fully immerse in the roller coaster ride anyway. Although they are blatantly using Angelina Jolie to market this movie, the thing that really made this movie was the performance of James McAvoy. His transformation from anxiety ridden cubicle worker to nerves of steel assassin is the true backbone of this movie. The only knock that I would make against this movie is that the buzz and comparisons to The Matrix is a little too much. As awesome as the action is, some of the scenes not in slow motion are a little bit too choppy . . . . . especially the car chases. The car chases in The Matrix Reloaded and The Bourne Ultimatum were edited much better and if they wouldn't have put a little more of that in to this movie, I would stamp it a must see.
I very strongly recommend this movie for anyone looking for a kick ass adrenaline ride. It is definitely worth the trip to theaters.
This movie was pure adrenaline. When I first saw the preview, I was scared that the movie would be another one of those kick ass action movies that looks awesome and then degenerates in to a pointless pile of dung a la Crank or Shoot Em Up. I was so glad to be dead wrong. This movie was straight up action from the start and had an equally great story line. Are parts of absolutely absurd and far fetched? Of course they are. However, its filmed in such a way that you are able to let go of that silliness and fully immerse in the roller coaster ride anyway. Although they are blatantly using Angelina Jolie to market this movie, the thing that really made this movie was the performance of James McAvoy. His transformation from anxiety ridden cubicle worker to nerves of steel assassin is the true backbone of this movie. The only knock that I would make against this movie is that the buzz and comparisons to The Matrix is a little too much. As awesome as the action is, some of the scenes not in slow motion are a little bit too choppy . . . . . especially the car chases. The car chases in The Matrix Reloaded and The Bourne Ultimatum were edited much better and if they wouldn't have put a little more of that in to this movie, I would stamp it a must see.
I very strongly recommend this movie for anyone looking for a kick ass adrenaline ride. It is definitely worth the trip to theaters.
WALL-E
After hundreds of lonely years of doing what he was built for, WALL•E discovers a new purpose in life (besides collecting knick-knacks) when he meets a sleek search robot named EVE. EVE comes to realize that WALL•E has inadvertently stumbled upon the key to the planet's future, and races back to space to report her findings to the humans who have been eagerly awaiting word that it is safe to return home. Meanwhile, WALL•E chases EVE across the galaxy and sets into motion one of the most exciting and imaginative comedy adventures ever brought to the big screen. Joining WALL•E on his fantastic journey across a universe of never-before-imagined visions of the future, is a hilarious cast of characters including a pet cockroach, and a heroic team of malfunctioning misfit robots.
Lets state it for the record that Pixar really doesn't do anything bad. They have truly brought animated movies to a level of such greatness that I never imagined possible. Wall-E is no exception to this. In fact, Wall-E might be one of the greatest love stories ever told. Even though its an animated movie about robots in space - this was a truly great love story. The animation is probably the best I've ever seen. How real everything looked and the pinpoint precise movements of Wall-E on his wheel tracks was very impressive. The way that the script mocked society for getting lazier and lazier and just eating up whatever stuff is told to us was hysterical . . . . even though its so sadly true. The more I think about the fact that this movie was so well done with there being pretty much no talking outside of the words Wall-E, Eve and directive for the first hour only makes it that much more amazing.
This movie is an absolute must see by all. Its a truly amazing movie even though its animated and is probably a lock to show up on the best movies of the year list.
Lets state it for the record that Pixar really doesn't do anything bad. They have truly brought animated movies to a level of such greatness that I never imagined possible. Wall-E is no exception to this. In fact, Wall-E might be one of the greatest love stories ever told. Even though its an animated movie about robots in space - this was a truly great love story. The animation is probably the best I've ever seen. How real everything looked and the pinpoint precise movements of Wall-E on his wheel tracks was very impressive. The way that the script mocked society for getting lazier and lazier and just eating up whatever stuff is told to us was hysterical . . . . even though its so sadly true. The more I think about the fact that this movie was so well done with there being pretty much no talking outside of the words Wall-E, Eve and directive for the first hour only makes it that much more amazing.
This movie is an absolute must see by all. Its a truly amazing movie even though its animated and is probably a lock to show up on the best movies of the year list.
The Love Guru
In the comedy The Love Guru, Pitka (Mike Myers) is an American who was left at the gates of an ashram in India as a child and raised by gurus. He moves back to the U.S. to seek fame and fortune in the world of self-help and spirituality. His unorthodox methods are put to the test when he must settle a rift between Toronto Maple Leafs star hockey player Darren Roanoke (Malco) and his estranged wife. After the split, Roanoke's wife starts dating L.A. Kings star Jacques Grande (Timberlake) out of revenge, sending her husband into a major professional skid -- to the horror of the teams' owner Jane Bullard (Alba) and Coach Cherkov (Troyer). Pitka must return the couple to marital nirvana and get Roanoke back on his game so the team can break the 40-year-old "Bullard Curse" and win the Stanley Cup.
Even though I found myself laughing at various points throughout the movie - this is one of the dumbest movies I've ever seen. Essentially, Mike Myers hasn't done anything since Austin Powers (not counting the voice of Shrek) and returns to the the screen so he can do Austin Powers . . . . . with an Indian accent? Most of the funny parts were in the trailer. I did however like the various titles of his book and couldn't stop laughing when he would say hello to people by bowing and saying Marishka Hargitay. Outside of that - it was stale, rehashed, and a real shame because he's much better than this.
I wouldn't really recommend anyone checking this out. This one could definitely be waited until it hits video stores . . . . . or even cable.
Even though I found myself laughing at various points throughout the movie - this is one of the dumbest movies I've ever seen. Essentially, Mike Myers hasn't done anything since Austin Powers (not counting the voice of Shrek) and returns to the the screen so he can do Austin Powers . . . . . with an Indian accent? Most of the funny parts were in the trailer. I did however like the various titles of his book and couldn't stop laughing when he would say hello to people by bowing and saying Marishka Hargitay. Outside of that - it was stale, rehashed, and a real shame because he's much better than this.
I wouldn't really recommend anyone checking this out. This one could definitely be waited until it hits video stores . . . . . or even cable.
Get Smart
Maxwell Smart (Steve Carell) is on a mission to thwart the latest plot for world domination by the evil crime syndicate known as KAOS. When the headquarters of U.S. spy agency Control is attacked and the identities of its agents compromised, the Chief (Alan Arkin) has no choice but to promote his ever-eager analyst Maxwell Smart, who has always dreamt of working in the field alongside stalwart superstar Agent 23 (Dwayne Johnson). Smart is partnered instead with the lovely-but-lethal veteran Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway). Given little field experience and even less time, Smart--armed with nothing but a few spy-tech gadgets and his unbridled enthusiasm--must thwart the doomsday plans of KAOS head Siegfried (Terence Stamp).
This was one of those textbook summer movies. Great laughs. Great action. Simple enjoyment. Steve Carell was perfectly cast as Maxwell Smart. I am a huge fan of The Office (if you are not watching this show - you really need to start!) and he really can't do any wrong in my eyes. Anne Hathaway, Dwayne Johnson and Alan Arkin were all excellent complimentary parts to his lead. If handled right, Warner Bros could totally turn this in to a workable franchise. I found myself really looking forward to this movie as the summer approached and it didn't remotely disappoint me.
I would recommend everyone checking this movie out. Its wouldn't qualify as a must see but it is pure, simple enjoyment at the cineplex.
This was one of those textbook summer movies. Great laughs. Great action. Simple enjoyment. Steve Carell was perfectly cast as Maxwell Smart. I am a huge fan of The Office (if you are not watching this show - you really need to start!) and he really can't do any wrong in my eyes. Anne Hathaway, Dwayne Johnson and Alan Arkin were all excellent complimentary parts to his lead. If handled right, Warner Bros could totally turn this in to a workable franchise. I found myself really looking forward to this movie as the summer approached and it didn't remotely disappoint me.
I would recommend everyone checking this movie out. Its wouldn't qualify as a must see but it is pure, simple enjoyment at the cineplex.
The Happening
It begins with no clear warning. It seems to come out of nowhere. In a matter of minutes, episodes of strange, chilling deaths that defy reason and boggle the mind in their shocking destructiveness, erupt in major American cities. What is causing this sudden, total breakdown of human behavior? Is it some kind of new terrorist attack, an experiment gone wrong, a diabolical toxic weapon, an out-of-control virus? How is it being transmitted? For Philadelphia high school science teacher Elliot Moore (Wahlberg) what matters most is finding a way to escape the mysterious and deadly phenomenon. Though he and his wife Alma (Deschanel) are in the midst of a marital crisis, they hit the road, first by train, then by car, with Elliot's math teacher friend Julian (Leguizamo) and his 8 year-old daughter Jess ( Sanchez), heading for the Pennsylvania farmlands where they hope they'll be out of reach of the grisly, ever-growing attacks. Yet it soon becomes clear that no one - and nowhere - is safe.
I lost count of how many times during The Happening I turned to WW and asked "Is this really happening?" This movie was horrible. It had a good premise, especially with terrorism paranoia being so high and the scenes where the people were going to kill themselves had a great level of suspense but outside of that everything was so beyond bad. Seriously. I couldn't believe how truly bad it was. Who the hell thought that casting Mark Wahlberg as a science teacher was legit? The acting and script were atrocious across the board. I could not have possibly cared less about the marital issues between Wahlberg and Deschannel. There was actually commentary in the script regarding hot dogs getting a bum rap. I was ready to walk out of the theater after that, but WW wanted to see how it ended . . . . . and at the risk of giving it away it pretty much didn't end. The credits just sort of came on. To put just how bad this movie really was in perspective, I'm one of the people that actually likes M. Night Shyalalalalalalalablabla's other movies. The Sixth Sense was awesome. Unbreakable was watchable (the second time since it was so misadvertised for me the first time). I liked Signs even though the ending was really lame. I loved The Village. I even was able to enjoy Lady In The Water for what it was. This thing was a giant turd though.
I wouldn't recommend anyone seeing this movie . . . . . . ever! Its a lock for the worst movies of 2008 at the end of the year.
I lost count of how many times during The Happening I turned to WW and asked "Is this really happening?" This movie was horrible. It had a good premise, especially with terrorism paranoia being so high and the scenes where the people were going to kill themselves had a great level of suspense but outside of that everything was so beyond bad. Seriously. I couldn't believe how truly bad it was. Who the hell thought that casting Mark Wahlberg as a science teacher was legit? The acting and script were atrocious across the board. I could not have possibly cared less about the marital issues between Wahlberg and Deschannel. There was actually commentary in the script regarding hot dogs getting a bum rap. I was ready to walk out of the theater after that, but WW wanted to see how it ended . . . . . and at the risk of giving it away it pretty much didn't end. The credits just sort of came on. To put just how bad this movie really was in perspective, I'm one of the people that actually likes M. Night Shyalalalalalalalablabla's other movies. The Sixth Sense was awesome. Unbreakable was watchable (the second time since it was so misadvertised for me the first time). I liked Signs even though the ending was really lame. I loved The Village. I even was able to enjoy Lady In The Water for what it was. This thing was a giant turd though.
I wouldn't recommend anyone seeing this movie . . . . . . ever! Its a lock for the worst movies of 2008 at the end of the year.
The Incredible Hulk
The Incredible Hulk is one of the most popular superheroes of all time. In this new beginning, scientist Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) desperately hunts for a cure to the gamma radiation that poisoned his cells and unleashes the unbridled force of rage within him: The Hulk. Living in the shadows--cut off from a life he knew and the woman he loves, Betty Ross (Liv Tyler)--Banner struggles to avoid the obsessive pursuit of his nemesis, General Thunderbolt Ross (William Hurt), and the military machinery that seeks to capture him and brutally exploit his power. As all three grapple with the secrets that led to The Hulk's creation, they are confronted with a monstrous new adversary known as The Abomination (Tim Roth), whose destructive strength exceeds even The Hulk's own.
This movie was everything that the other Hulk movie was supposed to be. Few movies have ever inspired more anger in me than the other Hulk. The Hulk was always one of my favorite comic book characters. I loved the show, I read the comic, and I still wore Hulk tshirts as a grown man. I was that guy. The original Hulk crushed me. I still can't believe that his big fight scene was against a rabid french f'n poodle. When I heard that they were making this - I wouldn't allow myself to get excited. I thought that it was way too soon after the giant turd that broke my heart came out. I heard that Ed Norton was going to play Bruce Banner and I still wouldn't let myself get excited. I saw the preview where Tim Roth looked like the ultimate bad ass soldier and I still wouldn't let myself get too excited. Just during the opening credits of this movie - I could tell that this was going to be exciting. This was going to be exactly what I wanted to see. The opening credits had shout outs to Nick Fury and Tony Stark and they showed you in a non-drawn out way how he had become the Hulk. It was just like the tv show used to be and the movie opened with Bruce Banner hiding out in Brazil. I felt like a ten year old kid all over again. It was awesome. I didn't even care that I didn't see the Hulk for almost the first hour or so. The cameos of Lou Ferigno and Stan Lee were awesome. The casting was top notch. Edward Norton, William Hurt and especially Tim Roth all put forth great performances. The action scenes had my jaw hanging open. As if all of that wasn't enough, there was the one final scene kind of like that one at the end of Iron Man that leaves you dying to see The Avengers. The way that they are marketing this thing three years in advance is off the charts amazing. Marvel as a production company might be the best thing that has ever happened to kick ass summer blockbusters since Spielberg in his prime.
I recommend everyone go and check this bad boy out. It is an absolute must see. Thank you so much, Marvel for making this movie and fixing the massive mistake from a couple of years ago.
This movie was everything that the other Hulk movie was supposed to be. Few movies have ever inspired more anger in me than the other Hulk. The Hulk was always one of my favorite comic book characters. I loved the show, I read the comic, and I still wore Hulk tshirts as a grown man. I was that guy. The original Hulk crushed me. I still can't believe that his big fight scene was against a rabid french f'n poodle. When I heard that they were making this - I wouldn't allow myself to get excited. I thought that it was way too soon after the giant turd that broke my heart came out. I heard that Ed Norton was going to play Bruce Banner and I still wouldn't let myself get excited. I saw the preview where Tim Roth looked like the ultimate bad ass soldier and I still wouldn't let myself get too excited. Just during the opening credits of this movie - I could tell that this was going to be exciting. This was going to be exactly what I wanted to see. The opening credits had shout outs to Nick Fury and Tony Stark and they showed you in a non-drawn out way how he had become the Hulk. It was just like the tv show used to be and the movie opened with Bruce Banner hiding out in Brazil. I felt like a ten year old kid all over again. It was awesome. I didn't even care that I didn't see the Hulk for almost the first hour or so. The cameos of Lou Ferigno and Stan Lee were awesome. The casting was top notch. Edward Norton, William Hurt and especially Tim Roth all put forth great performances. The action scenes had my jaw hanging open. As if all of that wasn't enough, there was the one final scene kind of like that one at the end of Iron Man that leaves you dying to see The Avengers. The way that they are marketing this thing three years in advance is off the charts amazing. Marvel as a production company might be the best thing that has ever happened to kick ass summer blockbusters since Spielberg in his prime.
I recommend everyone go and check this bad boy out. It is an absolute must see. Thank you so much, Marvel for making this movie and fixing the massive mistake from a couple of years ago.
You Don't Mess With The Zohan
In You Don't Mess With the Zohan, Adam Sandler stars as Zohan, an Israeli commando who fakes his own death in order to pursue his dream: becoming a hairstylist in New York.
This is one of the unfunniest movies I've ever seen. Honestly, I didn't go in to it expecting much. I kind of figured that any of the really funny moments were probably seen in the preview a couple hundred times before actually seeing it. But its Adam Sandler and even when he's lame - I usually still find myself laughing. Not this time. I actually kept count. I laughed once during the first hour of the movie. Once. The Zohan might have made a funny character on SNL where the skits are about ten minutes long, but this was just plain brutal. I couldn't even finish watching the movie and left after and hour and fifteen minutes. The only reason I even made it as long as I did is because it was like 110 degrees outside, my truck had no air conditioning, and I couldn't bare the thought of driving home in traffic sweating my a$$ off. That's how bad this piece of dung was. I needed a massive heat wave to entertain the thought of staying for the first 3/4 of the movie and I chose to face the environmental elements instead of seeing the ending.
I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone. Ever!
This is one of the unfunniest movies I've ever seen. Honestly, I didn't go in to it expecting much. I kind of figured that any of the really funny moments were probably seen in the preview a couple hundred times before actually seeing it. But its Adam Sandler and even when he's lame - I usually still find myself laughing. Not this time. I actually kept count. I laughed once during the first hour of the movie. Once. The Zohan might have made a funny character on SNL where the skits are about ten minutes long, but this was just plain brutal. I couldn't even finish watching the movie and left after and hour and fifteen minutes. The only reason I even made it as long as I did is because it was like 110 degrees outside, my truck had no air conditioning, and I couldn't bare the thought of driving home in traffic sweating my a$$ off. That's how bad this piece of dung was. I needed a massive heat wave to entertain the thought of staying for the first 3/4 of the movie and I chose to face the environmental elements instead of seeing the ending.
I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone. Ever!
Kung Fu Panda
Po (Jack Black) is the biggest fan of kung fu around... which doesn't exactly come in handy while working every day in his family's noodle shop. Unexpectedly chosen to fulfill an ancient prophecy, Po's dreams become reality when he joins the world of kung fu and studies alongside his idols, the legendary Furious Five—Tigress, Crane, Mantis, Viper and Monkey—under the leadership of their guru, Master Shifu. But before they know it, the vengeful and treacherous snow leopard Tai Lung is headed their way, and it's up to Po to defend everyone from the oncoming threat. Can he turn his dreams of becoming a kung fu master into reality? Po puts his heart — and his girth —into the task, and the unlikely hero ultimately finds that his greatest weaknesses turn out to be his greatest strengths.
I loved this movie. I don't know if its because of the fact that Po's girth played in to him being a hero and I one day hope that my girth can one day accomplish the same thing or if it was just Jack Black being the perfect voice casting for the character. I just did. The animation was awesome - especially the kung fu scenes. The voices of Dustin Hoffman as Master Shifu and Ian McShane (aka Swaringen from Deadwood) were great as the guru and villian. This is definitely one of those animated movies that the adults can enjoy just as much, if not more than, the kids.
I strongly recommend everyone checking this bad boy out. Its totally worth the trip and price of admission.
I loved this movie. I don't know if its because of the fact that Po's girth played in to him being a hero and I one day hope that my girth can one day accomplish the same thing or if it was just Jack Black being the perfect voice casting for the character. I just did. The animation was awesome - especially the kung fu scenes. The voices of Dustin Hoffman as Master Shifu and Ian McShane (aka Swaringen from Deadwood) were great as the guru and villian. This is definitely one of those animated movies that the adults can enjoy just as much, if not more than, the kids.
I strongly recommend everyone checking this bad boy out. Its totally worth the trip and price of admission.
The Strangers
The Strangers is a terrifying suspense thriller about a couple whose remote getaway becomes a place of terror when masked strangers invade. The confrontation forces Kristen and James to go far beyond what they thought themselves capable of if they hope to survive.
I find that I've been so desensitized by horror movies that they rarely are able to get to me. I find myself knowing everything thats going to happen and not really caring by the time the movie starts its climax, but WW loves horror movies so I go regardless since she goes and sees all kind of pieces of dung with me. This horror movie is one of the ones that freaked me out. I haven't been this creeped out and jumping in my seat from a movie since The Grudge. Who would have thought that having records playing in the back ground could be so freaky. I pray to god that I never see any of the masks the people were wearing or I might just pee my pants right there. I really think that the thing that got me with this movie was how they filmed key suspense parts in first person view. I felt like I was in the closet when the girl suddenly was there, you know? There were a couple of scenes like this that made me jump.
I'd strongly recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys scary movies. This is one of the best ones to come out in a long, long time.
I find that I've been so desensitized by horror movies that they rarely are able to get to me. I find myself knowing everything thats going to happen and not really caring by the time the movie starts its climax, but WW loves horror movies so I go regardless since she goes and sees all kind of pieces of dung with me. This horror movie is one of the ones that freaked me out. I haven't been this creeped out and jumping in my seat from a movie since The Grudge. Who would have thought that having records playing in the back ground could be so freaky. I pray to god that I never see any of the masks the people were wearing or I might just pee my pants right there. I really think that the thing that got me with this movie was how they filmed key suspense parts in first person view. I felt like I was in the closet when the girl suddenly was there, you know? There were a couple of scenes like this that made me jump.
I'd strongly recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys scary movies. This is one of the best ones to come out in a long, long time.
Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull
Famed archaeologist/adventurer Dr. Henry "Indiana" Jones is called back into action when he becomes entangled in a Soviet plot to uncover the secret behind a mysterious artifact known as the Crystal Skull.
Let's just get out of the way that I could totally understand die hard Indy fans being beyond disappointed with this movie. I, however, enjoyed it. I was only able to do this though by seeing it as a free standing movie with a known character instead of a continuation of the original trilogy. By doing this, I was able to watch an enjoyable summer type movie. It was definitely the worst of the four Indiana Jones movies though. It reminds me a lot of the Star Wars prequels where I enjoyed watching them the first time even with the obvious flaws, but will never be watching them over and over again like the original trilogy. The real problem with this movie is that Spielberg and Lucas simply tried to hard. They wanted to fit in as much up to date effects instead of the surprisingly simple boobie trap ones from the first three movies and it made a lot of the major scenes way over the top. They also started out the movie waaaaaaay too talkie talkie. The movie didn't really start to feel like and Indiana Jones film until Harrison Ford and Karen Allen were reunited. Once they were back together though the funny lines and banter returned. It was from that point on that I was able to simply watch the movie and not get all wrapped up in how disappointing it was when based against the Indy predecessors. I could see how that would totally ruin the movie for anyone.
I really don't think it matters whether or not I recommend this movie to anyone. You're not going to go and see this regardless? Come on now, people. Just be sure to keep your expectations low for it and you'll probably like it.
Let's just get out of the way that I could totally understand die hard Indy fans being beyond disappointed with this movie. I, however, enjoyed it. I was only able to do this though by seeing it as a free standing movie with a known character instead of a continuation of the original trilogy. By doing this, I was able to watch an enjoyable summer type movie. It was definitely the worst of the four Indiana Jones movies though. It reminds me a lot of the Star Wars prequels where I enjoyed watching them the first time even with the obvious flaws, but will never be watching them over and over again like the original trilogy. The real problem with this movie is that Spielberg and Lucas simply tried to hard. They wanted to fit in as much up to date effects instead of the surprisingly simple boobie trap ones from the first three movies and it made a lot of the major scenes way over the top. They also started out the movie waaaaaaay too talkie talkie. The movie didn't really start to feel like and Indiana Jones film until Harrison Ford and Karen Allen were reunited. Once they were back together though the funny lines and banter returned. It was from that point on that I was able to simply watch the movie and not get all wrapped up in how disappointing it was when based against the Indy predecessors. I could see how that would totally ruin the movie for anyone.
I really don't think it matters whether or not I recommend this movie to anyone. You're not going to go and see this regardless? Come on now, people. Just be sure to keep your expectations low for it and you'll probably like it.
The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian
The characters of C.S. Lewis' timeless fantasy come to life once again in this newest installment of the Chronicles of Narnia series, in which the Pevensie siblings are magically transported back from England to the world of Narnia, where a thrilling, perilous new adventure and an even greater test of their faith and courage awaits them. One year after the incredible events of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, the Kings and Queens of Narnia find themselves back in that faraway wondrous realm, only to discover that more than 1300 years have passed in Narnian time. During their absence, the Golden Age of Narnia has become extinct, Narnia has been conquered by the Telmarines and is now under the control of the evil King Miraz, who rules the land without mercy. The four children will soon meet an intriguing new character: Narnia's rightful heir to the throne, the young Prince Caspian, who has been forced into hiding as his uncle Miraz plots to kill him in order to place his own newborn son on the throne.
Let me start by saying that this movie was great. The story was very well done and the action scenes were amazingly choreographed. The final battle scene was honestly one of the all time bests. The only things that kept me from over the top loving this movie was that it was a good 1/2 hour too long and its marketed totally towards children and couldn't have been less of a kids movie if they tried. This didn't have the cuteness of the first one or really push the sibling care that was in the first one. This one was much more aggresive and pretty violent.
I would recommend that everyone check this out because it is a very well done fantasy epic type movie. However, it is nowhere near the family friendly movie that the first one was so be warned.
What Happens In Vegas
Two strangers awaken together to discover they've gotten married following a night of debauchery in Sin City, and one of them has won a huge jackpot after playing the other's quarter. The newlyweds devise ever-escalating schemes to undermine each other and get their hands on the money – only to find themselves falling in love amid the mutual backstabbing.
This was your standard date movie. You pretty much know every single thing that is going to happen 20 minutes before it happens. These types of movies are usually made or broken by the "sidekicks" or best friends of the main characters. Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz brought basically nothing to the movie. Their characters' friends, however, saved this movie and made it pretty watchable. Their scene stealing was the funniest part of this movie and really carried the first hour or so of this movie's humor. After that - the movie went in to serious mode and the formula factor really kicked in and I was just kind of waiting for the movie to end then.
I would lukewarmly recommend people checking this out. Its one of the better date movies to come out in a while, but thats not really saying much when you take a gander at what has come out. The big laughs at times in this one make it worth the viewing though.
This was your standard date movie. You pretty much know every single thing that is going to happen 20 minutes before it happens. These types of movies are usually made or broken by the "sidekicks" or best friends of the main characters. Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz brought basically nothing to the movie. Their characters' friends, however, saved this movie and made it pretty watchable. Their scene stealing was the funniest part of this movie and really carried the first hour or so of this movie's humor. After that - the movie went in to serious mode and the formula factor really kicked in and I was just kind of waiting for the movie to end then.
I would lukewarmly recommend people checking this out. Its one of the better date movies to come out in a while, but thats not really saying much when you take a gander at what has come out. The big laughs at times in this one make it worth the viewing though.
Speed Racer
Born to race cars, Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch) is aggressive, instinctive and, most of all, fearless. His only real competition is the memory of the brother he idolized—the legendary Rex Racer, whose death in a race has left behind a legacy that Speed is driven to fulfill. Speed is loyal to the family racing business, led by his father, Pops Racer (John Goodman), the designer of Speed’s thundering Mach 5. When Speed turns down a lucrative and tempting offer from Royalton Industries, he not only infuriates the company’s maniacal owner (Roger Allam) but uncovers a terrible secret—some of the biggest races are being fixed by a handful of ruthless moguls who manipulate the top drivers to boost profits. If Speed won’t drive for Royalton, Royalton will see to it that the Mach 5 never crosses another finish line. The only way for Speed to save his family’s business and the sport he loves is to beat Royalton at his own game. With the support of his family and his loyal girlfriend, Trixie (Christina Ricci), Speed teams with his one-time rival—the mysterious Racer X (Matthew Fox)—to win the race that had taken his brother’s life: the death-defying, cross-country rally known as The Crucible.
This movie was downright painful for the first 30 - 40 minutes. There was so much information trying to be pushed on you at once and the filming style of assualting your senses like they've never been assaulted before was definitely turning me off. I was ready to throw in the towel and go home early when they got to the cross country race part of the movie. It was as if everything took a 180. Matthew Fox as Racer X became a more prominent character at that point. The information pump slowed up and I was finally able to just enjoy what was going on up there on the screen. The race scenes slowed down a bit and were easier to follow what was going on. And I guess that my brain was able to adjust to the way that they decided to film the movie so that it would be as close to the cartoon as possible even though it was live action. From that point on - I really enjoyed the movie. Looking back, I wish that the first portion of it hadn't been so aggravating. This really would have been a kick a$$ movie if that was the case.
I would recommend people going to see this movie. Just be warned that its a little too much for the first half hour, but then it gets much better. Its rated PG so you can definitely bring the kiddies to check it out. I'm sure that they will get as big of a kick out of the younger brother and Chim-Chim (the monkey) as I did.
This movie was downright painful for the first 30 - 40 minutes. There was so much information trying to be pushed on you at once and the filming style of assualting your senses like they've never been assaulted before was definitely turning me off. I was ready to throw in the towel and go home early when they got to the cross country race part of the movie. It was as if everything took a 180. Matthew Fox as Racer X became a more prominent character at that point. The information pump slowed up and I was finally able to just enjoy what was going on up there on the screen. The race scenes slowed down a bit and were easier to follow what was going on. And I guess that my brain was able to adjust to the way that they decided to film the movie so that it would be as close to the cartoon as possible even though it was live action. From that point on - I really enjoyed the movie. Looking back, I wish that the first portion of it hadn't been so aggravating. This really would have been a kick a$$ movie if that was the case.
I would recommend people going to see this movie. Just be warned that its a little too much for the first half hour, but then it gets much better. Its rated PG so you can definitely bring the kiddies to check it out. I'm sure that they will get as big of a kick out of the younger brother and Chim-Chim (the monkey) as I did.
Made Of Honor
For Tom (Patrick Dempsey), life is good: he's sexy, successful, has great luck with the ladies, and knows he can always rely on Hannah (Michelle Monaghan), his delightful best friend and the one constant in his life. It's the perfect setup until Hannah goes overseas to Scotland on a six-week business trip... and Tom is stunned to realize how empty his life is without her. He resolves that when she gets back, he'll ask Hannah to marry him – but is floored when he learns that she has become engaged to a handsome and wealthy Scotsman and plans to move overseas. When Hannah asks Tom to be her "maid" of honor, he reluctantly agrees to fill the role... but only so he can attempt to woo Hannah and stop the wedding before it's too late.
This movie was horrible. I knew going in that it was going to be totally formula and was essentially a male version of My Best Friend's Wedding. I figured that it would be a decently watchable date movie. I was so wrong. This movie was so insanely formula that it ended up being barely watchable at all. I laughed a total of three times in the movie, I couldn't have cared less about any of the characters at all, and you would have to be a total fool to not know whats going to happen in this movie step by step before even walking in to the theater.
I wouldn't recommend anyone bothering to check this out. Its garbage. Its not even worthy as a date movie, people! Stay away.
This movie was horrible. I knew going in that it was going to be totally formula and was essentially a male version of My Best Friend's Wedding. I figured that it would be a decently watchable date movie. I was so wrong. This movie was so insanely formula that it ended up being barely watchable at all. I laughed a total of three times in the movie, I couldn't have cared less about any of the characters at all, and you would have to be a total fool to not know whats going to happen in this movie step by step before even walking in to the theater.
I wouldn't recommend anyone bothering to check this out. Its garbage. Its not even worthy as a date movie, people! Stay away.
Iron Man
Based upon Marvel's comic, Iron Man tells the story of Tony Stark, a billionaire industrialist and genius inventor who is kidnapped and forced to build a devastating weapon. Instead, using his intelligence and ingenuity, Tony builds a high-tech suit of armor and escapes captivity. Upon his return to America, Tony must come to terms with his past. When he uncovers a nefarious plot with global implications, he dons his powerful armor and vows to protect the world as Iron Man.
I was pretty skeptical when I heard they were going to do a movie based on Iron Man. Even when I saw the trailers, I was still thinking that this one would be one of the hokey comic book adaptions like the Fantastic Four and Daredevil. Thankfully, I was way off the mark. This movie was awesome. The action was great. The story was excellently crafted. The acting was great across the board. Jeff Bridges was a good villain. Gwenneth Paltrow wasn't nearly as annoying as I usually find her. As for Robert Downey Jr., him being cast as Tony Stark/Iron Man might be one of the best casting choices ever. His delivery of sarcasm and not caring in the first half of the movie was perfect and his evolution into caring and wanting to repair all the damage that he had unknowingly done with weapons building was very believable. I didn't think that Iron Man was mainstream enough of a comic book to pull it all off but I was dead wrong and this movie is on the same shelf as the first two Spider Man and original Batmans for me.
I couldn't possibly recommend this movie more if I tried. It was a truly well done movie and beyond entertaining. Go see it . . . . . . and if you are a big comic book fan - stick around until the end of the credits for something truly mind blowing.
I was pretty skeptical when I heard they were going to do a movie based on Iron Man. Even when I saw the trailers, I was still thinking that this one would be one of the hokey comic book adaptions like the Fantastic Four and Daredevil. Thankfully, I was way off the mark. This movie was awesome. The action was great. The story was excellently crafted. The acting was great across the board. Jeff Bridges was a good villain. Gwenneth Paltrow wasn't nearly as annoying as I usually find her. As for Robert Downey Jr., him being cast as Tony Stark/Iron Man might be one of the best casting choices ever. His delivery of sarcasm and not caring in the first half of the movie was perfect and his evolution into caring and wanting to repair all the damage that he had unknowingly done with weapons building was very believable. I didn't think that Iron Man was mainstream enough of a comic book to pull it all off but I was dead wrong and this movie is on the same shelf as the first two Spider Man and original Batmans for me.
I couldn't possibly recommend this movie more if I tried. It was a truly well done movie and beyond entertaining. Go see it . . . . . . and if you are a big comic book fan - stick around until the end of the credits for something truly mind blowing.
Deception
An accountant (McGregor) is introduced to a mysterious sex club known as The List by his lawyer friend (Jackman). But in this new world, he soon becomes the prime suspect in a woman's disappearance and a multi-million dollar heist.
This movie was about as suspenseful as watching paint dry. It was pretty much a remake of that movie Derailed that came out a couple of years ago with Clive Owen and Jennifer Aniston. I sat there for two hours thinking that I had seen this before. There wasn't a single moment where the audience was caught off guard. If it wasn't for McGregor and Jackman's acting abilities, this movie would have made it to the don't touch with a ten foot pole.
I wouldn't recommend anyone checking this one out. It was a pointless piece of film that was made simply to take your ten dollars.
This movie was about as suspenseful as watching paint dry. It was pretty much a remake of that movie Derailed that came out a couple of years ago with Clive Owen and Jennifer Aniston. I sat there for two hours thinking that I had seen this before. There wasn't a single moment where the audience was caught off guard. If it wasn't for McGregor and Jackman's acting abilities, this movie would have made it to the don't touch with a ten foot pole.
I wouldn't recommend anyone checking this one out. It was a pointless piece of film that was made simply to take your ten dollars.
Baby Mama
Successful and single businesswoman Kate Holbrook (Tina Fey) has long put her career ahead of a personal life. Now 37, she's finally determined to have a kid on her own. But her plan is thrown a curve ball after she discovers she has only a million-to-one chance of getting pregnant. Undaunted, the driven Kate allows South Philly working girl Angie Ostrowiski (Amy Poehler) to become her unlikely surrogate. Simple enough... After learning from the steely head (Sigourney Weaver) of their surrogacy center that Angie is pregnant, Kate goes into precision nesting mode: reading childcare books, baby-proofing the apartment and researching top pre-schools. But the executive's well-organized strategy is turned upside down when her Baby Mama shows up at her doorstep with no place to live. An unstoppable force meets an immovable object as structured Kate tries to turn vibrant Angie into the perfect expectant mom. In a comic battle of wills, they will struggle their way through preparation for the baby's arrival. And in the middle of this tug-of-war, they'll discover two kinds of family: the one you're born to and the one you make.
I've never watched 30 Rock. I don't know why. I just haven't. So, I wasn't expecting something similar to that show and just went in to this movie with moderate, at best, expectations of some good laughs and that's exactly what I got. The movie wasn't all out hilarious, most of the really funny scenes were in the commercials, and it definitely dragged a bit towards the end, but Tina Fey and Amy Poehler playing off each other produced more than enough laughs to make the movie worth watching. Amy Poehler definitely made the movie. The karaoke singing scenes were priceless.
I would recommend anyone who was interested in checking this out go ahead and do so. Its not a must see by any means, but its worth the trip to theaters.
I've never watched 30 Rock. I don't know why. I just haven't. So, I wasn't expecting something similar to that show and just went in to this movie with moderate, at best, expectations of some good laughs and that's exactly what I got. The movie wasn't all out hilarious, most of the really funny scenes were in the commercials, and it definitely dragged a bit towards the end, but Tina Fey and Amy Poehler playing off each other produced more than enough laughs to make the movie worth watching. Amy Poehler definitely made the movie. The karaoke singing scenes were priceless.
I would recommend anyone who was interested in checking this out go ahead and do so. Its not a must see by any means, but its worth the trip to theaters.
The Bank Job
A car dealer with a dodgy past and new family, Terry (Statham) has always avoided major-league scams. But when Martine (Burrows), a beautiful model from his old neighborhood, offers him a lead on a foolproof bank hit on London's Baker Street, Terry recognizes the opportunity of a lifetime. Martine targets a roomful of safe deposit boxes worth millions in cash and jewelry. But Terry and his crew don't realize the boxes also contain a treasure trove of dirty secrets - secrets that will thrust them into a deadly web of corruption and illicit scandal that spans London's criminal underworld, the highest echelons of the British government, and the Royal Family itself. This movie is based on a true story.
I had heard nothing but great things about this movie for so long that I thought for sure this would be one of those disappointing movies becuase of high expectations. Happily, my thinking was wrong. This movie was great. It took a little while to get started and was very scattered at the beginning but really came together once the actual bank job was taking place and became an awesome crime thriller during the aftermath of it all. Jason Statham has a great presence throughout the film and the rest of the actors, while unknown, also did great jobs all around.
I would strongly recommend this movie to everyone. It was definitely one of the better movies to come out this year.
I had heard nothing but great things about this movie for so long that I thought for sure this would be one of those disappointing movies becuase of high expectations. Happily, my thinking was wrong. This movie was great. It took a little while to get started and was very scattered at the beginning but really came together once the actual bank job was taking place and became an awesome crime thriller during the aftermath of it all. Jason Statham has a great presence throughout the film and the rest of the actors, while unknown, also did great jobs all around.
I would strongly recommend this movie to everyone. It was definitely one of the better movies to come out this year.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Struggling musician Peter Bretter (Jason Segel) has spent six years idolizing his girlfriend, television star Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell). But his world is rocked when she dumps him and Peter finds himself alone. After an unsuccessful bout of womanizing and an on-the-job nervous breakdown, he sees that not having Sarah may just ruin his life. To clear his head, Peter takes an impulsive trip to Oahu, where he is confronted by his worst nightmare: his ex and her tragically hip new British-rocker boyfriend, Aldous (Russell Brand), are sharing his hotel. But as he torments himself with the reality of Sarah's new life, he finds relief in a flirtation with Rachel (Mila Kunis), a resort employee whose laid-back approach tempts him to rejoin the world.
I'm somewhat on the fence about this movie. The funny scenes were absolutely hysterical. All of the characters were very well developed and played off of each other wonderfully. This applies especially to the rock star boyfriend. He was great. The movie also did an excellent job of portraying the break up emotions whether it be the victim, the supporting friends, or the dumper. It all seemed very genuine. Unfortunately, there were way too many dead spots that dragged. For every total belly laugh, there was blah stuff for a good 10 - 15 minutes. Everyone should also be forewarned about the full frontal male nudity of Jason Segel. I have been a huge fan of "How I Met Your Mother" (if you aren't watching it, people - you totally should be!) and am not sure how I'll be able to watch now fully knowing what his crotch looks like.
I would casually recommend people checking this out if they were interested. Its not a must see, nor an all out laugh fest, but it is a pretty decent watch.
I'm somewhat on the fence about this movie. The funny scenes were absolutely hysterical. All of the characters were very well developed and played off of each other wonderfully. This applies especially to the rock star boyfriend. He was great. The movie also did an excellent job of portraying the break up emotions whether it be the victim, the supporting friends, or the dumper. It all seemed very genuine. Unfortunately, there were way too many dead spots that dragged. For every total belly laugh, there was blah stuff for a good 10 - 15 minutes. Everyone should also be forewarned about the full frontal male nudity of Jason Segel. I have been a huge fan of "How I Met Your Mother" (if you aren't watching it, people - you totally should be!) and am not sure how I'll be able to watch now fully knowing what his crotch looks like.
I would casually recommend people checking this out if they were interested. Its not a must see, nor an all out laugh fest, but it is a pretty decent watch.
The Forbidden Kingdom
In The Forbidden Kingdom, American teenager Jason (Michael Angarano), who is obsessed with Hong Kong cinema and kungfu classics, finds an antique Chinese staff in a pawn shop: the legendary stick weapon of the Chinese sage and warrior, the Monkey King (Jet Li). With the lost relic in hand, Jason unexpectedly finds himself transported back to ancient China. There, he meets the drunken kung fu master, Lu Yan (Jackie Chan), an enigmatic and skillful Silent Monk (Jet Li) and a vengeance-bent kung fu beauty, Golden Sparrow (Crystal Liu Yi Fei), who lead him on his quest to return the staff to its rightful owner, the Monkey King - imprisoned in stone by the evil Jade Warlord (Collin Chou) for five hundred years. Along the way, while attempting to outmaneuver scores of Jade Warriors, Cult Killers and the deadly White Hair Demoness, Ni Chang (Li Bing Bing), Jason learns about honor, loyalty and friendship, and the true meaning of kung fu, and thus frees himself.
I loved this movie! It made me feel like I was five years old again watching kung fu movies on Saturday mornings while my mother was doing laundry. I have always loved these kinds of movies and this one was essentially like a kung fu version of The Wizard Of Oz. Before freaking out at how potentially blasphemous that statement can be - let me explain. The kid gets transported to this crazy land. He then meets three distinct personalities at seperate times and the four of them work together to travel and accomplish their mission. The camaraderie between the four main characters, especially Jackie Chan and Jet Li was awesome. The action and fight scenes were phenomenal. As you can tell from the summary above that the overall story was silly and beyond far fetched and that this movie is not a "great" movie in terms of awards or excellence, but this movie is simple enjoyment at its finest. A truly great popcorn movie.
I fully recommend that everyone check this out. Its old school, simple fun at the movie theater that I really wish they would make more of.
I loved this movie! It made me feel like I was five years old again watching kung fu movies on Saturday mornings while my mother was doing laundry. I have always loved these kinds of movies and this one was essentially like a kung fu version of The Wizard Of Oz. Before freaking out at how potentially blasphemous that statement can be - let me explain. The kid gets transported to this crazy land. He then meets three distinct personalities at seperate times and the four of them work together to travel and accomplish their mission. The camaraderie between the four main characters, especially Jackie Chan and Jet Li was awesome. The action and fight scenes were phenomenal. As you can tell from the summary above that the overall story was silly and beyond far fetched and that this movie is not a "great" movie in terms of awards or excellence, but this movie is simple enjoyment at its finest. A truly great popcorn movie.
I fully recommend that everyone check this out. Its old school, simple fun at the movie theater that I really wish they would make more of.
Leatherheads
Clooney plays Dodge Connolly, a charming, brash football hero who is determined to guide his team from bar brawls to packed stadiums. But after the players lose their sponsor and the entire league faces certain collapse, Dodge convinces a college football star to join his ragtag ranks. The captain hopes his latest move will help the struggling sport finally capture the country's attention. Welcome to the team Carter Rutherford (John Krasinski), America's favorite son. A golden-boy war hero who single-handedly forced multiple German soldiers to surrender in WWI, Carter has dashing good looks and unparalleled speed on the field. This new champ is almost too good to be true, and Lexie Littleton (Zellweger) aims to prove that's the case. A cub journalist playing in the big leagues, Lexie is a spitfire newswoman who suspects there are holes in Carter's war story. But while she digs, the two teammates start to become serious off-field rivals for her fickle affections. As the new game of pro-football becomes less like the freewheeling sport he knew and loved, Dodge must both fight to keep his guys together and to get the girl of his dreams.
I still am not sure what kind of a movie George Clooney wanted this to be. A sports movie? Not really. There was some sports stuff at the beginning and then a big game at the end with an hour and half of character drama in between while they flashed newspaper clippings on how the games were going. A slapstick comedy? Not really. It seemed to mix in some kind of Benny Hill type moments every 25 minutes and to be honest these were my favorite parts of the movie, but then they would just go away. A romantic triangle movie? Mostly. But then any time that it would get to a boiling type point, they would work in the slapstick or make the movie about questioning patriotism. Seriously. This movie was so all over the place that it was almost impossible to enjoy it even though I wanted to so badly.
I wouldn't really recommend anyone checking this out. Its not horrible, but it is a major disappointment.
I still am not sure what kind of a movie George Clooney wanted this to be. A sports movie? Not really. There was some sports stuff at the beginning and then a big game at the end with an hour and half of character drama in between while they flashed newspaper clippings on how the games were going. A slapstick comedy? Not really. It seemed to mix in some kind of Benny Hill type moments every 25 minutes and to be honest these were my favorite parts of the movie, but then they would just go away. A romantic triangle movie? Mostly. But then any time that it would get to a boiling type point, they would work in the slapstick or make the movie about questioning patriotism. Seriously. This movie was so all over the place that it was almost impossible to enjoy it even though I wanted to so badly.
I wouldn't really recommend anyone checking this out. Its not horrible, but it is a major disappointment.
88 Minutes
In 88 Minutes, Al Pacino stars as Dr. Jack Gramm, a college professor who moonlights as a forensic psychiatrist for the FBI. When Gramm receives a death threat claiming he has only 88 minutes to live, he must use all his skills and training to narrow down the possible suspects, who include a disgruntled student, a jilted former lover, and a serial killer who is already on death row, before his time runs out.
I had no clue what was going on when this movie started. It felt like I had missed the first 10 minutes or something because it hit the ground running and played catch up with character development later. I was not a big fan of this. I was getting really annoyed at the fact that it felt like I should know all these people when they had just shown up on screen for the first time. Luckily, I am a huge fan of Al Pacino and stayed interested just because of him. As time went on, and they continued to develop the characters, the movie did get better. It was your basic forensic/crime thriller movie. It was like a really good episode of CSI or Criminal Minds . . . . . with Al Pacino. Although it was very jumpy/choppy for the first half hour or so, it did end up being a pretty decent watch.
I would recommend anyone who enjoys these types of movies check this one out. Just tell yourself that it does get better if you find it kind of blah at the start.
I had no clue what was going on when this movie started. It felt like I had missed the first 10 minutes or something because it hit the ground running and played catch up with character development later. I was not a big fan of this. I was getting really annoyed at the fact that it felt like I should know all these people when they had just shown up on screen for the first time. Luckily, I am a huge fan of Al Pacino and stayed interested just because of him. As time went on, and they continued to develop the characters, the movie did get better. It was your basic forensic/crime thriller movie. It was like a really good episode of CSI or Criminal Minds . . . . . with Al Pacino. Although it was very jumpy/choppy for the first half hour or so, it did end up being a pretty decent watch.
I would recommend anyone who enjoys these types of movies check this one out. Just tell yourself that it does get better if you find it kind of blah at the start.
The Ruins
The Ruins centers on a group of friends whose leisurely Mexican holiday takes a turn for the worse when they accompany a fellow tourist on a remote archaeological dig in the jungle, where something evil lives among the ruins.
Granted, this movie was incredibly silly. That being said - it completely reaffirmed why I will never be looking to travel outside of this country. I got that same feeling I had watching Hostel where tourists can get in to some mind blowing situations in the blink of an eye and never be heard from again. I'll stick to vacationing at Disney thank you very much. Anywho, the movie was very silly like I said before, but that doesn't mean it still didn't manage to make you squirm A LOT. At the risk of ruining it for anyone - SPOILER ALERT - the "killer" in this movie is some kind of plant. This plant has overtaken this ruins site in Mexico. Once you come in contact with this plant, you are considered contaminated by the locals and they will not let you leave the area of the ruins. They will shoot you on sight. However, once you are stuck on the temple like structure, it is only a matter of time before the plant gets you. Again - the movie was totally silly, but the gore and freaking out the people go through is beyond creepy and ends up making the movie pretty watchable . . . . . . . . . and has inspired me to stay as far away from the garden as possible now.
I would recommend that anyone who had some vague interest in checking this out - go ahead and do so. Its not a good movie in terms of quality by any means, but is definitely watchable if you are in to these kinds of movies.
Granted, this movie was incredibly silly. That being said - it completely reaffirmed why I will never be looking to travel outside of this country. I got that same feeling I had watching Hostel where tourists can get in to some mind blowing situations in the blink of an eye and never be heard from again. I'll stick to vacationing at Disney thank you very much. Anywho, the movie was very silly like I said before, but that doesn't mean it still didn't manage to make you squirm A LOT. At the risk of ruining it for anyone - SPOILER ALERT - the "killer" in this movie is some kind of plant. This plant has overtaken this ruins site in Mexico. Once you come in contact with this plant, you are considered contaminated by the locals and they will not let you leave the area of the ruins. They will shoot you on sight. However, once you are stuck on the temple like structure, it is only a matter of time before the plant gets you. Again - the movie was totally silly, but the gore and freaking out the people go through is beyond creepy and ends up making the movie pretty watchable . . . . . . . . . and has inspired me to stay as far away from the garden as possible now.
I would recommend that anyone who had some vague interest in checking this out - go ahead and do so. Its not a good movie in terms of quality by any means, but is definitely watchable if you are in to these kinds of movies.
Prom Night
Donna's senior prom is supposed to be the best night of her life. After surviving a horrible tragedy, she has finally moved on and is enjoying her last year of high school. Surrounded by her best friends, she should be safe from the horrors of her past. But when the night turns deadly, there is only one person who could be responsible... a man she thought was gone forever. Now, Donna and her friends must find a way to escape the sadistic rampage of an obsessed killer, and survive a night "to die for."
This movie was absurd. I went in with bottom of the barrel expectations and this managed to go even lower than that. First of all - the movie starts with explaining how this girl saw her whole family get killed in front of her by some obsessed teacher three years ago and immediatly segways to her talking about her prom dress? What!?! I'm pretty sure that the kid would be rocking back and forth in the corner of a padded room somewhere after experiencing that, not talking trash about who's going to have a better dress. Then, there is the prom scene itself. I know its been a long time since my prom, but I'm pretty sure that it hasn't evolved in to something similar to showing up for the oscars. Seriously. These kids prom had red carpet entrances, paparazzi, and some sort of a dance floor out of a NYC club. It was ridiculous. And all of this took place in the first 30 - 40 minutes of the movie so that you are so annoyed by the time the actual scariness starts that you couldn't possibly care less. Even WW didn't enjoy this movie and she wanted to sooooooooooooooooooooo badly.
I wouldn't recommend anyone checking this movie out. It was beyond lame.
This movie was absurd. I went in with bottom of the barrel expectations and this managed to go even lower than that. First of all - the movie starts with explaining how this girl saw her whole family get killed in front of her by some obsessed teacher three years ago and immediatly segways to her talking about her prom dress? What!?! I'm pretty sure that the kid would be rocking back and forth in the corner of a padded room somewhere after experiencing that, not talking trash about who's going to have a better dress. Then, there is the prom scene itself. I know its been a long time since my prom, but I'm pretty sure that it hasn't evolved in to something similar to showing up for the oscars. Seriously. These kids prom had red carpet entrances, paparazzi, and some sort of a dance floor out of a NYC club. It was ridiculous. And all of this took place in the first 30 - 40 minutes of the movie so that you are so annoyed by the time the actual scariness starts that you couldn't possibly care less. Even WW didn't enjoy this movie and she wanted to sooooooooooooooooooooo badly.
I wouldn't recommend anyone checking this movie out. It was beyond lame.
Nim's Island
Anything can happen on Nim's Island, a magical place ruled by a young girl's imagination. It is an existence that mirrors that of her favorite literary character, Alex Rover- the world's greatest adventurer. But Alexandra, the author of the Rover books, leads a reclusive life in the big city. When Nim's father goes missing from their island, a twist of fate brings her together with Alexandra. Now, they must draw courage from their fictional hero, Alex Rover, and find strength in one another to conquer Nim's Island.
This was a cutesy movie for kids. It had its moments for the parents that have to take them but not enough to make it truly enjoyable for the adults. Abigail Breslin, who plays Nim, is a great young actor and pretty much carries the movie. I don't really know how in the blue hell Jodie Foster ended up in this and Gerard Butler has gone from the dictionary definition of bad ass in 300 to a pretty big joke of a supporting character to a 11 year old. The one really good thing that this movie accomplished from a parenting standpoint was in the first half of the movie when they conveyed reading a book and seeing it all play out in your imagination. I loved watching Stinka and her friends take this in and hope that it will stick with them. Unfortunately, the movie went on to show that the adventurer that Nim loved and worshipped in the books turned out to be a scared to leave her house author. Hopefully, this didn't put out the fire in the kids' imaginations that the beginning did such a good job of starting.
I would lukewarmly recommend parents checking this out with the kids. Its not atrocious and you could probably stick it out for your kids, but its not the most enjoyable viewing either.
This was a cutesy movie for kids. It had its moments for the parents that have to take them but not enough to make it truly enjoyable for the adults. Abigail Breslin, who plays Nim, is a great young actor and pretty much carries the movie. I don't really know how in the blue hell Jodie Foster ended up in this and Gerard Butler has gone from the dictionary definition of bad ass in 300 to a pretty big joke of a supporting character to a 11 year old. The one really good thing that this movie accomplished from a parenting standpoint was in the first half of the movie when they conveyed reading a book and seeing it all play out in your imagination. I loved watching Stinka and her friends take this in and hope that it will stick with them. Unfortunately, the movie went on to show that the adventurer that Nim loved and worshipped in the books turned out to be a scared to leave her house author. Hopefully, this didn't put out the fire in the kids' imaginations that the beginning did such a good job of starting.
I would lukewarmly recommend parents checking this out with the kids. Its not atrocious and you could probably stick it out for your kids, but its not the most enjoyable viewing either.
21
Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess) is a shy, brilliant M.I.T. student who – needing to pay school tuition – finds the answers in the cards. He is recruited to join a group of the school's most gifted students that heads to Vegas every weekend armed with fake identities and the know-how to turn the odds at blackjack in their favor. With unorthodox math professor and stats genius Micky Rosa (Kevin Spacey) leading the way, they've cracked the code. By counting cards and employing an intricate system of signals, the team can beat the casinos big time. Seduced by the money, the Vegas lifestyle, and by his smart and sexy teammate, Jill Taylor (Kate Bosworth), Ben begins to push the limits. Though counting cards isn't illegal, the stakes are high, and the challenge becomes not only keeping the numbers straight, but staying one step ahead of the casinos' menacing enforcer, Cole Williams (Laurence Fishburne).
Although this movie was beyond formula, it was very enjoyable. Kevin Spacey is a phenomenal actor and Jim Sturgess seems to be well on his way to getting to that level. Most important for me actor wise in this movie though was that Laurence Fishburne finally returned to the tough guy demeanor that he kicked ass at in The Matrix before becoming such a whiny little side kick in the two Matrix sequels. I still don't understand how people can count cards after seeing this movie even though they blatantly explain it at one point. I also still question how lame their signals to each other were when working the tables. I also don't understand how Jim Sturgess was starting to be recognized upon entry in to the different casinos even though I thought he was under different personas every time. Regardless of all these nagging issues, I still found myself totally enjoying this movie from start to end with all the twists and turns even though I pretty much saw every one of them coming.
I'd recommend people checking this bad boy out. Its a pretty good watch and worth your time.
Although this movie was beyond formula, it was very enjoyable. Kevin Spacey is a phenomenal actor and Jim Sturgess seems to be well on his way to getting to that level. Most important for me actor wise in this movie though was that Laurence Fishburne finally returned to the tough guy demeanor that he kicked ass at in The Matrix before becoming such a whiny little side kick in the two Matrix sequels. I still don't understand how people can count cards after seeing this movie even though they blatantly explain it at one point. I also still question how lame their signals to each other were when working the tables. I also don't understand how Jim Sturgess was starting to be recognized upon entry in to the different casinos even though I thought he was under different personas every time. Regardless of all these nagging issues, I still found myself totally enjoying this movie from start to end with all the twists and turns even though I pretty much saw every one of them coming.
I'd recommend people checking this bad boy out. Its a pretty good watch and worth your time.
Run, Fatboy, Run
Five years ago Dennis (Simon Pegg) was at the altar about to marry Libby (Thandie Newton), his pregnant fiancée. He got cold feet and ran for the hills and he's been going in circles ever since. When Dennis discovers Libby's hooked up with high-flying-go-getter Whit (Hank Azaria), he realizes it's now or never. He enters a marathon to show he's more than a quitter but then finds out just how much sweat, strain and tears it takes to run for 26 miles. Nobody gives him a chance but Dennis knows this is his only hope to more than a running joke.
Simon Pegg is one of the best up and coming actors in Hollywood. I've already gotten to the point where I will go see a movie just because he's in it. Shaun Of The Dead and Hot Fuzz were two of the best movies to come out over the last couple of years. I was under the thought that this movie was from the same people and was pretty disenchanted to find out it wasn't and that it was actually directed by David Schwimmer of Friends fame. However, Simon Pegg and the guy that played his best friend made this movie just as good as those other movies. There were huge laughs, a true to life character driven script and awesome supporting characters. As it all comes together at the end you find yourself unavoidably cheering for him to make it.
I fully recommend that everyone check this movie out. Its a very funny and heart warming movie that should be seen by all.
Simon Pegg is one of the best up and coming actors in Hollywood. I've already gotten to the point where I will go see a movie just because he's in it. Shaun Of The Dead and Hot Fuzz were two of the best movies to come out over the last couple of years. I was under the thought that this movie was from the same people and was pretty disenchanted to find out it wasn't and that it was actually directed by David Schwimmer of Friends fame. However, Simon Pegg and the guy that played his best friend made this movie just as good as those other movies. There were huge laughs, a true to life character driven script and awesome supporting characters. As it all comes together at the end you find yourself unavoidably cheering for him to make it.
I fully recommend that everyone check this movie out. Its a very funny and heart warming movie that should be seen by all.
Superhero Movie
The creators of The Naked Gun and Scary Movie are back with the comedy Superhero Movie. Meet Rick Riker. He's young, he's cool and he's got superpowers. Now, if he only knew how to use them... but the world is in danger and no one is safe when Zucker and the gang - headed by the hilarious cast of Drake Bell, Leslie Nielsen, Tracy Morgan, Pamela Anderson, Regina Hall and many others - take aim at some of the biggest blockbusters of our time including Spider-Man, Batman, X-Men, and Fantastic Four, to name a few.
As a big fan of spoof movies, this one is a breath of fresh air with some actual laughs when compared to the recent offerings of Date Movie, Epic Movie and Meet The Spartans. This movie was essentially a spoof of Spider-Man with a visit to the school in X-Men, a couple of Fantastic Four characters showing up in costume and the childhood death of parents a la Batman. It stuck close to the movies it was spoofing and didn't stray too far out of control. It was by no means a hysterical movie or a great movie. However, it was definitely watchable and had some pretty good laughs mixed in.
I'd recommend anyone who was interested in checking this out go ahead and do so. Its not a must see by any means, but worth the trip if its your cup o tea.
Shutter
For photographer Ben (Joshua Jackson) and his new wife Jane (Rachael Taylor), his new assignment - a lucrative fashion shoot in Tokyo - was supposed to be a kind of working honeymoon. With this exotic professional opportunity and the limitless possibilities of a new marriage, Ben and Jane arrive in Japan. But as they make their way on a mountain road leading to Mt. Fuji, their new life together comes to a crashing halt. Their car smashes into a woman standing in the middle of the road, who has materialized out of nowhere. Upon regaining consciousness after the accident, Ben and Jane cannot find any trace of the girl Jane believes she hit with the car.Shaken by the accident and by the girl's disappearance, Ben and Jane arrive in Tokyo, where Ben begins his glamorous assignment. Having worked in Japan before and fluent in the language, Ben is comfortable there, and he eagerly reunites with old friends and colleagues. Jane, a newcomer to the city, feels very much like a stranger in a strange land as she makes tentative, unsettling forays through the city. Ben, meanwhile, has discovered mysterious white blurs - eerily evocative of a human form - that have materialized on an entire day's work from the expensive photo shoot. Jane's concerns escalate as she believes the blurs in Ben's photos are the dead girl from the road, who is now seeking vengeance for them leaving her to die.
This is another one of those Japanese horror remakes a la The Grudge and The Ring. Unfortunately, this one was more in the league of One Missed Call and The Return. I didn't find myself anywhere near as creeped out as The Grudge or The Ring. I was able to pretty much figure out all the twist and turns long before they actually happened and had lost all interest in the movie less than half way through it. They really need to hold off on some of these types of movies. When there is one coming out every two to three months, they all become a big giant blur of creepy oriental woman with long black hair looking at you creepy and it loses all effect.
I wouldn't recommend anyone checking this bad boy out. Its not the worst thing I've ever seen but its pretty much just a big waste of time.
This is another one of those Japanese horror remakes a la The Grudge and The Ring. Unfortunately, this one was more in the league of One Missed Call and The Return. I didn't find myself anywhere near as creeped out as The Grudge or The Ring. I was able to pretty much figure out all the twist and turns long before they actually happened and had lost all interest in the movie less than half way through it. They really need to hold off on some of these types of movies. When there is one coming out every two to three months, they all become a big giant blur of creepy oriental woman with long black hair looking at you creepy and it loses all effect.
I wouldn't recommend anyone checking this bad boy out. Its not the worst thing I've ever seen but its pretty much just a big waste of time.
Drillbit Taylor
After being harrased by a school bully, two teenagers hire a former soldier of fortune (Owen Wilson) as a bodyguard, only to find out that he has his own agenda.
This is totally one of those movies that you've essentially seen by watching the preview. You know that the bodyguard guy is only trying to take advantage of the bullied kids and will eventually have a change of heart and actually ended up taking care of them. There was nothing special whatsoever. There were a couple of pretty good laughs, but that was pretty much it. I remember when Owen Wilson used to be totally hilarious on sight. He has fallen quite a long way. The bullied kids totally carried this movie and if it wasn't for them this would have been horrid.
I wouldn't really recommend anyone rushing to check this out. It might be worth renting, but could completely wait until cable.
This is totally one of those movies that you've essentially seen by watching the preview. You know that the bodyguard guy is only trying to take advantage of the bullied kids and will eventually have a change of heart and actually ended up taking care of them. There was nothing special whatsoever. There were a couple of pretty good laughs, but that was pretty much it. I remember when Owen Wilson used to be totally hilarious on sight. He has fallen quite a long way. The bullied kids totally carried this movie and if it wasn't for them this would have been horrid.
I wouldn't really recommend anyone rushing to check this out. It might be worth renting, but could completely wait until cable.
Horton Hears A Who
Horton Hears A Who is a film based on the beloved book by Dr. Seuss. It is about an imaginative elephant who hears a cry for help coming from a tiny speck of dust floating through the air. Suspecting there may be life on that speck and despite a surrounding community which thinks he has lost his mind, Horton is determined to help.
I enjoyed this movie a lot. That's not to say that it is in or near the ballpark of animated greats like Shrek, Finding Nemo or Aladdin. The thing that seperates those movies with this one is that the characters voices are perfectly cast for their animated counterparts. I was totally psyched about Jim Carrey and Steve Carrell voicing animated characters, but to be completely honest they didn't really bring much to the parts. Their two characters could have been voiced by anyone. That being said - this is definitely one of those animated movies where the adults aren't suffering while the kids enjoy it. There were plenty of laugh out loud moments and a lot of them were moments that were put there for us because the kids weren't laughing nearly as hard. Its a great family film with a couple of really strong messages about friendship and respect along with the laughs.
I'd recommend everyone checking this out. Its definitely worth your time. Anyone with children should go out of their way to check this bad boy out.
I enjoyed this movie a lot. That's not to say that it is in or near the ballpark of animated greats like Shrek, Finding Nemo or Aladdin. The thing that seperates those movies with this one is that the characters voices are perfectly cast for their animated counterparts. I was totally psyched about Jim Carrey and Steve Carrell voicing animated characters, but to be completely honest they didn't really bring much to the parts. Their two characters could have been voiced by anyone. That being said - this is definitely one of those animated movies where the adults aren't suffering while the kids enjoy it. There were plenty of laugh out loud moments and a lot of them were moments that were put there for us because the kids weren't laughing nearly as hard. Its a great family film with a couple of really strong messages about friendship and respect along with the laughs.
I'd recommend everyone checking this out. Its definitely worth your time. Anyone with children should go out of their way to check this bad boy out.
Doomsday
A lethal virus spreads throughout the British isles, infecting and killing millions. To contain the threat, acting authorities brutally quarantine the country as it succumbs to fear and chaos. The quarantine is successful. Three decades later, the Reaper virus violently resurfaces in a major city. An elite group of specialists, including Eden Sinclair, is urgently dispatched into the still-quarantined country to retrieve a cure by any means necessary. Shut off from the rest of the world, the unit must battle through a landscape that has become a waking nightmare.
This is one of those movies where I'm going to just blatantly talk about what happens. If you don't want to know because you plan on seeing this and don't want it spoiled - just skip to the last paragraph to see whether or not I recommend doing so.
This movie started off really good. I was shocked. It was kind of like a mix of 28 Days Later and War Of The Worlds. It was still really good when the team first went in looking for a cure. It was like a zombie movie combined with that kick a$$ scene in Aliens when they are trying to get back out of the medical area with the Aliens attacking them. The violence during all of this was totally hardcore and incredibly gory. Guilty pleasure wise - I was loving it. Then the movie started to shift in to a Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome mode and it just got totally over the top and retarded. The psycho leader guy came out to some sort of a ridiculous stage show entrance while Good Thing by the Fine Young Cannibals was playing and then his entourage danced around to the can can. Seriously. This actually happened. I had to literally pick my jaw up off the floor because of how absurd this scene was. They then cooked one of the soldiers. Again . . . . seriously. Cooked him. Over a fire. Cut off pieces of his flesh and threw paper plates out in to the crowd. Jaw once again on the floor. Somehow the soldier girl and her buddies manage to escape these crazies, get on a train, start it up and take the train to some random tunnel off in the woods. After coming out the other end of the tunnel, they literally stepped in to a scene from Gladiator. They now had to fight their way out of this and find another tunnel. This time the tunnel had bad ass sports cars, cell phones, and weapons. Please remember that none of this is made up. They then went driving around really fast until the Terrordome crazies caught up with them so that they could attempt to re-enact that car scene from that movie. The "cure" was helicoptered out of the quarantine zone but the crazy soldier girl decided to stay behind and become the leader of the terrordome people. Did you follow all of that? This was some of the silliest crap I've ever seen. However, the fact that it was so horrible along with the crazy violence/gore made me actually want to see how it ended instead of blatantly campaigning to leave early. Still . . . . it was poo.
I really wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone. Some people might feel the same way that I did and think that it was watchable based on the meter of horridness, but I couldn't ever see myself recommending this to anyone.
This is one of those movies where I'm going to just blatantly talk about what happens. If you don't want to know because you plan on seeing this and don't want it spoiled - just skip to the last paragraph to see whether or not I recommend doing so.
This movie started off really good. I was shocked. It was kind of like a mix of 28 Days Later and War Of The Worlds. It was still really good when the team first went in looking for a cure. It was like a zombie movie combined with that kick a$$ scene in Aliens when they are trying to get back out of the medical area with the Aliens attacking them. The violence during all of this was totally hardcore and incredibly gory. Guilty pleasure wise - I was loving it. Then the movie started to shift in to a Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome mode and it just got totally over the top and retarded. The psycho leader guy came out to some sort of a ridiculous stage show entrance while Good Thing by the Fine Young Cannibals was playing and then his entourage danced around to the can can. Seriously. This actually happened. I had to literally pick my jaw up off the floor because of how absurd this scene was. They then cooked one of the soldiers. Again . . . . seriously. Cooked him. Over a fire. Cut off pieces of his flesh and threw paper plates out in to the crowd. Jaw once again on the floor. Somehow the soldier girl and her buddies manage to escape these crazies, get on a train, start it up and take the train to some random tunnel off in the woods. After coming out the other end of the tunnel, they literally stepped in to a scene from Gladiator. They now had to fight their way out of this and find another tunnel. This time the tunnel had bad ass sports cars, cell phones, and weapons. Please remember that none of this is made up. They then went driving around really fast until the Terrordome crazies caught up with them so that they could attempt to re-enact that car scene from that movie. The "cure" was helicoptered out of the quarantine zone but the crazy soldier girl decided to stay behind and become the leader of the terrordome people. Did you follow all of that? This was some of the silliest crap I've ever seen. However, the fact that it was so horrible along with the crazy violence/gore made me actually want to see how it ended instead of blatantly campaigning to leave early. Still . . . . it was poo.
I really wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone. Some people might feel the same way that I did and think that it was watchable based on the meter of horridness, but I couldn't ever see myself recommending this to anyone.
10,000 B.C.
In a remote mountain tribe, the young hunter D'Leh (Steven Strait) has found his heart's passion - the beautiful Evolet (Camilla Belle). But when a band of mysterious warlords raid his village and kidnap Evolet, D'Leh leads a small group of hunters to pursue the warlords to the end of the world to save her. As they venture into unknown lands for the first time, the group discovers there are civilizations beyond their own and that mankind's reach is far greater than they ever knew. At each encounter the group is joined by other tribes who have been attacked by the slave raiders, turning D'Leh's once-small band into an army. Driven by destiny, the unlikely warriors must battle prehistoric predators while braving the harshest elements. At their heroic journey's end, they uncover a lost civilization and learn their ultimate fate lies in an empire beyond imagination, where great pyramids reach into the skies. Here they will take their stand against a tyrannical god who has brutally enslaved their own. And it is here that D'Leh finally comes to understand that he has been called to save not only Evolet but all of civilization.
This is one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. Unfortunately - it was not meant to be funny in any way. It was total garbage and I found myself laughing out loud at how absurdly ridiculous it was. My biggest problem was that they were speaking regular English. In 10,000 B.C.? As if that wasn't bad enough - the dialogue was horrible and the acting right there with it. This movie was as a fellow blogger put it the anti-Apocolypto. The only way that I made it through to the end of the movie was by telling myself that it was actually a spoof of Apocolypto and laughing about how crappy it was. Even the special effects couldn't save this movie. There were three "creature" encounters in this movie and I didn't find myself the least bit awed by the CGI animals. Roland Emmerich made Independence Day back in 96 I believe and has amounted to pretty much nothing since then.
I wouldn't reccomend anyone waste their time on this steaming turd. It was truly a waste of two hours of my life that I can never get back.
This is one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. Unfortunately - it was not meant to be funny in any way. It was total garbage and I found myself laughing out loud at how absurdly ridiculous it was. My biggest problem was that they were speaking regular English. In 10,000 B.C.? As if that wasn't bad enough - the dialogue was horrible and the acting right there with it. This movie was as a fellow blogger put it the anti-Apocolypto. The only way that I made it through to the end of the movie was by telling myself that it was actually a spoof of Apocolypto and laughing about how crappy it was. Even the special effects couldn't save this movie. There were three "creature" encounters in this movie and I didn't find myself the least bit awed by the CGI animals. Roland Emmerich made Independence Day back in 96 I believe and has amounted to pretty much nothing since then.
I wouldn't reccomend anyone waste their time on this steaming turd. It was truly a waste of two hours of my life that I can never get back.
College Road Trip
Choosing which college to attend can be the most exciting and thrilling time of a young woman's life... unless your overprotective father isn't quite ready to let you go. In the Disney family comedy, "College Road Trip," Melanie (Raven-Symone) is eagerly looking forward to her first big step towards independence when she plans a "girls only" road trip to check out prospective universities. But when her overbearing police chief father (Martin Lawrence) insists on escorting her instead, she soon finds her dream trip has turned into a hilarious nightmare adventure full of comical misfortune and turmoil.
This was a totally formula family film from Disney. Even though it was so textbook, it was still very enjoyable and had some huge laughs. Casting Raven as Martin Lawrence's daughter was brilliant and their physical/facial humor played awesomely off of each other. The younger brother and the pet pig were also very entertaining from a silly standpoint. They spare nothing at all when it comes to pulling the heartstrings at the end of this movie and anyone with children that they will have to "let go" of one day as part of the growing up process will be brought to tears.
I'd recommend people checking this one out. Its worth the trip to the theater - especially for those of you with children. Its not too often that you get a rated G family comedy nowadays.
This was a totally formula family film from Disney. Even though it was so textbook, it was still very enjoyable and had some huge laughs. Casting Raven as Martin Lawrence's daughter was brilliant and their physical/facial humor played awesomely off of each other. The younger brother and the pet pig were also very entertaining from a silly standpoint. They spare nothing at all when it comes to pulling the heartstrings at the end of this movie and anyone with children that they will have to "let go" of one day as part of the growing up process will be brought to tears.
I'd recommend people checking this one out. Its worth the trip to the theater - especially for those of you with children. Its not too often that you get a rated G family comedy nowadays.
The Other Boleyn Girl
The Other Boleyn Girl is a tale of intrigue, romance, and betrayal set against the backdrop of a defining moment in history. Two sisters, Anne (Natalie Portman) and Mary (Scarlett Johansson) Boleyn, are driven by their ambitious father and uncle to advance the family's power and status by courting the affections of the King of England (Eric Bana). Leaving behind the simplicity of country life, the girls are thrust into the dangerous and thrilling world of court life – and what began as a bid to help their family develops into a ruthless rivalry between Anne and Mary for the love of the king. Initially, Mary wins King Henry's favor and becomes his mistress, bearing him an illegitimate child. But Anne, clever, conniving, and fearless, edges aside both her sister and Henry's wife, Queen Katherine of Aragon, in her relentless pursuit of the king. Despite Mary's genuine feelings for Henry, her sister Anne has her sights set on the ultimate prize; Anne will not stop until she is Queen of England. As the Boleyn girls battle for the love of a king – one driven by ambition, the other by true affection – England is torn apart. Despite the dramatic consequences, the Boleyn girls ultimately find strength and loyalty in each other, and they remain forever connected by their bond as sisters.
I'm usually not a fan of movies like this. Honestly, I have such a hard time watching people dressed like that. How the hell did they do that? Could you imagine walking the streets around her seeing people with the frilly hats and pompous/poofy shirts and dresses that they wore back in the day? Its just plain silly, people! Now that my rant is out of the way, I ended up liking this movie alot. Bana, Johannsen and especially Portman (surprise! Star Wars didn't destroy her talents completely) all contributed great performances. The woman that played the Queen was also amazing. The story was very tight and managed to keep you interested despite all the annoying frilly costumes. Plus, its based on a true story and those always seem to be more enjoyable when done right.
I'd recommend anyone interested in checking this out go right ahead and do so. Even if the old English period pieces aren't your thing - this is still worth viewing.
I'm usually not a fan of movies like this. Honestly, I have such a hard time watching people dressed like that. How the hell did they do that? Could you imagine walking the streets around her seeing people with the frilly hats and pompous/poofy shirts and dresses that they wore back in the day? Its just plain silly, people! Now that my rant is out of the way, I ended up liking this movie alot. Bana, Johannsen and especially Portman (surprise! Star Wars didn't destroy her talents completely) all contributed great performances. The woman that played the Queen was also amazing. The story was very tight and managed to keep you interested despite all the annoying frilly costumes. Plus, its based on a true story and those always seem to be more enjoyable when done right.
I'd recommend anyone interested in checking this out go right ahead and do so. Even if the old English period pieces aren't your thing - this is still worth viewing.
U2 - 3D
For over a quarter-century, U2 has been recognized not only for their musical innovation, but for their incomparable gift for reaching millions of fans through new technologies. U2 3D is the first digital 3D, multi-camera, real-time production. Marrying advanced digital 3D imagery and 5.1 Surround Sound with the unique excitement of a live U2 concert, U2 3D takes viewers on an extraordinary cinematic journey, a quantum leap beyond traditional concert films.
This is probably one of the greatest experiences of watching something in a movie theater that I've ever had. I have always been a HUGE U2 fan and yet they are just about the only band that I have followed that I haven't seen in concert. This movie was awesome because you truly felt like you were there. The stage production that they put on was just as amazing as hearing them perform the music live and their selection of songs was perfect as far as I was concerned. This is the type of movie going experience that I would gladly do again and again if this movie wasn't playing so limited.
If you have a chance to check this out with it playing so limited - you MUST get out there and do so. It is truly phenomenal and its like seeing a concert for $15, people!
This is probably one of the greatest experiences of watching something in a movie theater that I've ever had. I have always been a HUGE U2 fan and yet they are just about the only band that I have followed that I haven't seen in concert. This movie was awesome because you truly felt like you were there. The stage production that they put on was just as amazing as hearing them perform the music live and their selection of songs was perfect as far as I was concerned. This is the type of movie going experience that I would gladly do again and again if this movie wasn't playing so limited.
If you have a chance to check this out with it playing so limited - you MUST get out there and do so. It is truly phenomenal and its like seeing a concert for $15, people!
Step Up 2 The Streets
Step Up 2 the Streets is the follow-up to Step Up. When rebellious street dancer Andie (Briana Evigan) lands at the elite Maryland School of the Arts, she finds herself fighting to fit in while also trying to hold onto her old life. When she joins forces with the school's most popular dancer Chase (Robert Hoffman) to form a crew of classmate outcasts to compete in Baltimore's underground dance battle The Streets, she ultimately finds a way to live her dream while building a bridge between her two separate worlds.
This is one of those completely formula movies. You saw the preview - you saw the movie. Regardless, I didn't go to see this for my own enjoyment. Future steppie Stinka really wanted to see it and I decided to sacrifice two hours of my life for my little buddy. She absolutely loved the movie and to be completely honest - it wasn't the worst two hours I've had to sacrifice. The choreography of the dance scenes was actually really good and there were some pretty enjoyable supporting characters in the movie, namely "Moose" - the doofy sidekick guy. He was great. This was by no means a good movie, but was a lot more watchable than I thought it would be walking in.
I'd recommend this movie to anyone that was interested in seeing it and/or enjoyed the first Step Up. Outside of those people or those of you willing to make sacrifces for the teens/pre-teens in your life - I'd recommend that you stay away from it. Those of you with younger kids be warned that there is a lot of scenes with annoying ghetto talk.
This is one of those completely formula movies. You saw the preview - you saw the movie. Regardless, I didn't go to see this for my own enjoyment. Future steppie Stinka really wanted to see it and I decided to sacrifice two hours of my life for my little buddy. She absolutely loved the movie and to be completely honest - it wasn't the worst two hours I've had to sacrifice. The choreography of the dance scenes was actually really good and there were some pretty enjoyable supporting characters in the movie, namely "Moose" - the doofy sidekick guy. He was great. This was by no means a good movie, but was a lot more watchable than I thought it would be walking in.
I'd recommend this movie to anyone that was interested in seeing it and/or enjoyed the first Step Up. Outside of those people or those of you willing to make sacrifces for the teens/pre-teens in your life - I'd recommend that you stay away from it. Those of you with younger kids be warned that there is a lot of scenes with annoying ghetto talk.
Semi-Pro
Will Ferrell stars in Semi-Pro, a comedy set in 1976 against the backdrop of the maverick ABA – a fast-paced, wild and crazy basketball league that rivaled the NBA and made a name for itself with innovations like the three-point shot and slam dunk contest. Ferrell plays Jackie Moon, a one-hit wonder who used the profits from the success of his chart-topping song "Love Me Sexy" to achieve his dream of owning a basketball team. But Moon's franchise, the Flint Michigan Tropics, is the worst team in the league and in danger of folding when the ABA announces its plans to merge with the NBA. If they want to survive, Jackie and the Tropics must now do the seemingly impossible – win.
I happen to think that Will Ferrell is the funniest man on the face of the planet. I have no idea how anyone can possibly keep a straight face while watching him. He was his usual hysterical self in this movie. Unfortunately, there wasn't much else beside him here. In movies like Anchorman, Talladega Nights and Blades Of Glory, his supporting cast is much funnier than they were in Semi-Pro and you definitely feel it at multiple times during the movie where there seems to be way too much dead space. Don't get me wrong - the laughs are HUGE at times in this movie and worth seeing for them if you enjoy Ferrell, but this is a movie that I wouldn't find myself watching over and over again like his other comedies.
I'd recommend anyone checking this movie out who was interested in seeing it. You won't be completely disappointed, but you will probably be somewhat so even with the occasional huge laughs.
I happen to think that Will Ferrell is the funniest man on the face of the planet. I have no idea how anyone can possibly keep a straight face while watching him. He was his usual hysterical self in this movie. Unfortunately, there wasn't much else beside him here. In movies like Anchorman, Talladega Nights and Blades Of Glory, his supporting cast is much funnier than they were in Semi-Pro and you definitely feel it at multiple times during the movie where there seems to be way too much dead space. Don't get me wrong - the laughs are HUGE at times in this movie and worth seeing for them if you enjoy Ferrell, but this is a movie that I wouldn't find myself watching over and over again like his other comedies.
I'd recommend anyone checking this movie out who was interested in seeing it. You won't be completely disappointed, but you will probably be somewhat so even with the occasional huge laughs.
Vantage Point
In Vantage Point, eight strangers with eight different points of view try to unlock the one truth behind an assassination attempt on the president of the United States. Thomas Barnes (Dennis Quaid) and Kent Taylor (Mathew Fox) are two Secret Service agents assigned to protect President Ashton (William Hurt) at a summit on the global war on terror. When President Ashton is shot moments after his arrival in Spain, chaos ensues and lives collide in the hunt for the assassin. In the crowd is Howard Lewis (Forest Whitaker), an American tourist who thinks he’s captured the shooter on his camcorder while videotaping the event for his kids back home. Also there, relaying the historic event to millions of TV viewers across the globe, is American TV news producer Rex Brooks (Sigourney Weaver). As they and others reveal their stories the pieces of the puzzle fall into place.
This movie was awesome. It reminded me a lot of the show Lost (GREATEST SHOW ON TV, PEOPLE!) when it first started. The first couple of episodes started telling how what was going on with each character when the plane went down. This movie had the same sort of storytelling going on. It would start at the summit and go to a certain point through someone's point of view and then fade out and go back to the summit and start from someone else's point of view. Every time they did it - the story went a little bit further. The movie was so intense though that every time it faded out I was having a bitch fit because I was dying to see where it was going to go. It ended up being totally worth the wait though to see how it all played out. The suspense in this movie was beyond perfection. This was a true edge of your seat thriller and totally matched the expectations I had for the movie from the kick a$$ trailer for it a couple months back.
I couldn't possibly recommend this movie any more. It is a must see, people! This movie totally rocked!
Definitely, Maybe
Ryan Reynolds stars as Will Hayes, a 30-something Manhattan dad in the midst of a divorce when his 10 year-old daughter, Maya (Abigail Breslin), starts to question him about his life before marriage. Maya wants to know absolutely everything about how her parents met and fell in love. Will's story begins in 1992, as a young, starry-eyed aspiring politician who moves to New York from Wisconsin in order to work on the Clinton campaign. For Maya, Will relives his past as an idealistic young man learning the ins and outs of big city politics, and recounts the history of his romantic relationships with three very different women. Will hopelessly attempts a "PG" version of his story for his daughter and changes the names so Maya has to guess who is the woman her father finally married. Is her mother Will's college sweetheart, the dependable girl next-door Emily (Elizabeth Banks)? Is she his longtime best friend and confidante, the apolitical April (Isla Fisher)? Or is she the free-spirited but ambitious journalist Summer (Rachel Weisz)? As Maya puts together the pieces of her dad's romantic puzzle, she begins to understand that love is not so simple or easy.
This was a very cute date movie. I'm a big fan of Ryan Reynolds and his delivery and facial expressions are just as good as always in this movie. I also really enjoyed the chemistry between him and Abigail Breslin as his daughter. They were awesome together. This movie kept making me think how lucky I am to have the future steppie Stinka in my life. The only real knock that I would make against this movie was that it was a tad too long. The movie was around 2 hours long and could have easily been closer to an hour and a half. Other than that, this was a really good romantic comedy with well developed and likable characters.
I'd recommend that people check this movie out. Its a good date movie.
In Bruges
For hit men Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson), Bruges could be their final destination; a difficult job has resulted in the pair being ordered right before Christmas by their London boss Harry (Ralph Fiennes) to go and cool their heels in Bruges for a couple of weeks. Very much out of place amidst the gothic architecture, canals, and cobbled streets, the two hit men fill their days living the lives of tourists. Ray, still haunted by the bloodshed in London, hates the place, while Ken, even as he keeps a fatherly eye on Ray's often profanely funny exploits, finds his mind and soul being expanded by the beauty and serenity of the city. But the longer they stay waiting for Harry's call, the more surreal their experience becomes, as they find themselves in weird encounters with locals, tourists, violent medieval art, a dwarf American actor (Jordan Prentice) shooting a European art film, Dutch prostitutes, and a potential romance for Ray in the form of Chloë (Clémence Poésy), who may have some dark secrets of her own. And when the call from Harry does finally come, Ken and Ray's vacation becomes a life-and-death struggle of comic and surprisingly emotional consequences.
Colin Farrell was hysterical in this film. His character was so completely and uncaringly obnoxious that he had me crying from laughing at certain times. The movie is very weird at times and had some pretty violent moments, but I still found it to be hysterical. Its one of those movies that doesn't necessarily have a straight story and is just about how badly things spiral out of control for these two guys and the people they meet along the way. However, Colin Farrell's interaction with these people and situations totally makes this movie.
I'd recommend everyone checking this one out although I don't think it will ever be released wide enough for you to do so.
Colin Farrell was hysterical in this film. His character was so completely and uncaringly obnoxious that he had me crying from laughing at certain times. The movie is very weird at times and had some pretty violent moments, but I still found it to be hysterical. Its one of those movies that doesn't necessarily have a straight story and is just about how badly things spiral out of control for these two guys and the people they meet along the way. However, Colin Farrell's interaction with these people and situations totally makes this movie.
I'd recommend everyone checking this one out although I don't think it will ever be released wide enough for you to do so.
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