3 stars
Comedy/Chick Flick
Amusing movie about a taken for granted assistant (Ryan Reynolds) and his overbearing boss (Sandra Bullock) who orders him to marry her to make her a legal US citizen. I’ve seen better chick flicks, but this one has some funny moments (with the exception of the scene with a pudgy male stripper that goes on for too long). Betty White is lovable as usual as Reynolds’s grandmother. I have to say I really like Reynolds’s facial expressions; he plays a put-upon pee-on quite well. It’s OK, but best to wait for video.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
3.5
Drama/Suspense
Decent hostage movie. John Travolta stars as a train hijacker dealing with Denzel Washington as a dispatcher. If I recall correctly, Travolta has always played a cool as a cucumber sort of character; I think this is the first time I’ve seen him portray someone with a quick temper who flies off the handle easily. It’s always good to see an actor go outside his comfort zone. The movie itself is engaging, though I have seen plenty of hostage movies before – but I have not seen the original version of this remake. Hopefully in real life, the NYPD can do a better job of controlling traffic and has better driving skills! Good suspense film.
Drama/Suspense
Decent hostage movie. John Travolta stars as a train hijacker dealing with Denzel Washington as a dispatcher. If I recall correctly, Travolta has always played a cool as a cucumber sort of character; I think this is the first time I’ve seen him portray someone with a quick temper who flies off the handle easily. It’s always good to see an actor go outside his comfort zone. The movie itself is engaging, though I have seen plenty of hostage movies before – but I have not seen the original version of this remake. Hopefully in real life, the NYPD can do a better job of controlling traffic and has better driving skills! Good suspense film.
Land of the Lost (2009)
2.5 stars
Comedy
Dumb comedy starring Will Ferrell as a scientist who creates a time warp machine who goes back in time with two others (Danny McBride (Pineapple Express) and Anna Friel) for an adventure with dinosaurs, aliens, and a creepy little ape man (whom I didn’t think was funny). There is a final scene about halfway through the credits, which leaves room for a sequel. I’d suggest drinking a few beers to dumb yourself down a bit before seeing this one. I laughed a few times, but it’s probably best to wait for TV.
Comedy
Dumb comedy starring Will Ferrell as a scientist who creates a time warp machine who goes back in time with two others (Danny McBride (Pineapple Express) and Anna Friel) for an adventure with dinosaurs, aliens, and a creepy little ape man (whom I didn’t think was funny). There is a final scene about halfway through the credits, which leaves room for a sequel. I’d suggest drinking a few beers to dumb yourself down a bit before seeing this one. I laughed a few times, but it’s probably best to wait for TV.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Imagine That
3 stars
Family/Comedy
Cute film starring Eddie Murphy as a single dad trying to balance his hectic job as a financial exec and caring for his daughter for a week. His daughter (Yara Shahidi – she is adorable!) has imaginary friends who predict the stock fluctuations of the companies Murphy is investing in which leads Murphy to take an unhealthy interest in getting ahead in his company. Thomas Hayden Church (Sideways) has an odd role that I found cumbersome to watch. It’s a cute movie, but I liked “Up” much better.
Family/Comedy
Cute film starring Eddie Murphy as a single dad trying to balance his hectic job as a financial exec and caring for his daughter for a week. His daughter (Yara Shahidi – she is adorable!) has imaginary friends who predict the stock fluctuations of the companies Murphy is investing in which leads Murphy to take an unhealthy interest in getting ahead in his company. Thomas Hayden Church (Sideways) has an odd role that I found cumbersome to watch. It’s a cute movie, but I liked “Up” much better.
Easy Virtue
4 stars
Period
Great movie starring Kristen Scott Thomas as the overbearing matriarch of a fabulous English estate who alienates her husband (Colin Firth) and is aghast when her son brings home a free-spirited American wife (Jessica Biel). It becomes an amusing battle of wits between the two headstrong women. It takes place approximately in 1929 or 1930. I really liked it.
Period
Great movie starring Kristen Scott Thomas as the overbearing matriarch of a fabulous English estate who alienates her husband (Colin Firth) and is aghast when her son brings home a free-spirited American wife (Jessica Biel). It becomes an amusing battle of wits between the two headstrong women. It takes place approximately in 1929 or 1930. I really liked it.
Friday, June 12, 2009
The Hangover
3.5 stars
Comedy
Entertaining movie about 4 guys who go to Vegas for a bachelor party, only to wake up the next morning with no recollection of the night before – and with the groom missing (Justin Barth, National Treasure). Funny movie, though not the constant laugh out loud humor I associate with movies like Pineapple Express. But this is a very interesting movie as they try to unravel the many mysteries of the crazy night before – though I’m still not sure how the chicken got in their room! Thankfully there is no lewd, crude humor but there is some full frontal male nudity. Bradley Cooper (Wedding Crashers, He’s Just Not That Into You) stars along with three other lesser known actors; Ed Helms (The Daily Show); Zach Galifianakis; also Heather Graham has a role. I totally agree with another critic who likened Helm’s character to a grown-up ‘McLovin’. I really enjoyed it.
Comedy
Entertaining movie about 4 guys who go to Vegas for a bachelor party, only to wake up the next morning with no recollection of the night before – and with the groom missing (Justin Barth, National Treasure). Funny movie, though not the constant laugh out loud humor I associate with movies like Pineapple Express. But this is a very interesting movie as they try to unravel the many mysteries of the crazy night before – though I’m still not sure how the chicken got in their room! Thankfully there is no lewd, crude humor but there is some full frontal male nudity. Bradley Cooper (Wedding Crashers, He’s Just Not That Into You) stars along with three other lesser known actors; Ed Helms (The Daily Show); Zach Galifianakis; also Heather Graham has a role. I totally agree with another critic who likened Helm’s character to a grown-up ‘McLovin’. I really enjoyed it.
Friday, June 5, 2009
My Life In Ruins
Chick Flick
3 stars
Cute but corny. Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) stars as an unhappy tour guide in Greece. The beginning of the film is a bit tedious as the tourists on the bus are portrayed as the worst of the worst and the jokes aren’t much better. Eventually, some depth to the tourists emerges and the movie improves. Richard Dreyfus costars as one of the tourists. It wasn’t nearly as good as I had hoped, but it was passable and the scenery of the Greek ruins was beautiful.
3 stars
Cute but corny. Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) stars as an unhappy tour guide in Greece. The beginning of the film is a bit tedious as the tourists on the bus are portrayed as the worst of the worst and the jokes aren’t much better. Eventually, some depth to the tourists emerges and the movie improves. Richard Dreyfus costars as one of the tourists. It wasn’t nearly as good as I had hoped, but it was passable and the scenery of the Greek ruins was beautiful.
Brothers Bloom
2 stars
Indie/Caper
Cute but corny and forces you to take convoluted sequences for granted. This movie has been roundly panned by critics, but the previews looked appealing to me. Mark Ruffalo and Adrian Brody are the con-man title characters who try to swindle the naïve millionaire Rachel Weisz (The Mummy) by taking her on an adventure that spans several countries. Gorgeous scenery of Prague. Some scenes are silly and you just have to take for granted certain strange plot twists (like the Russian mob, for instance) that aren’t explained very well. Not terrible, but not worth the fare at the theater either.
Indie/Caper
Cute but corny and forces you to take convoluted sequences for granted. This movie has been roundly panned by critics, but the previews looked appealing to me. Mark Ruffalo and Adrian Brody are the con-man title characters who try to swindle the naïve millionaire Rachel Weisz (The Mummy) by taking her on an adventure that spans several countries. Gorgeous scenery of Prague. Some scenes are silly and you just have to take for granted certain strange plot twists (like the Russian mob, for instance) that aren’t explained very well. Not terrible, but not worth the fare at the theater either.
Gigantic
2 stars
Indie/Romance
Boring! This is an unlikely romance about a zombie-like mattress salesman (Paul Dano, Little Miss Sunshine) who somehow lands the always eccentric Zooey Deschanel (Elf - her great outfits were the highlight of this movie) whose wealthy father (John Goodman) is a mattress customer. Inexplicably, there is a crazed homeless person who stalks Dano. They never give any background or any details about this nor is the title ever explained. Ed Asner has a role as Dano’s father. Despite the good casting, this is a dull movie.
Indie/Romance
Boring! This is an unlikely romance about a zombie-like mattress salesman (Paul Dano, Little Miss Sunshine) who somehow lands the always eccentric Zooey Deschanel (Elf - her great outfits were the highlight of this movie) whose wealthy father (John Goodman) is a mattress customer. Inexplicably, there is a crazed homeless person who stalks Dano. They never give any background or any details about this nor is the title ever explained. Ed Asner has a role as Dano’s father. Despite the good casting, this is a dull movie.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Up
Family
4.5 stars
I loved, loved, LOVED this movie! In this latest Disney/Pixar computer animated film, a grumpy old man floats away in his house which is airlifted by balloons. Along for the ride is an annoying little cub scout who got carried away on the porch by accident. I love that the previews really didn’t give away any of the story, so most everything you get to see for the first time. What makes this movie special is why the old man is grumpy and why he decides to float away. This will hopefully enlighten children about their elders and why they may be grumpy in a way that I think they can understand. Of course, along the way the old man learns a few life lessons himself too. I’m a big softy and teared up a few times, hoping the little kids around me didn’t notice. Aside from the talking dogs, I think this movie actually seemed geared for adults (especially saps like me), though children will like it to. Just go see it!
4.5 stars
I loved, loved, LOVED this movie! In this latest Disney/Pixar computer animated film, a grumpy old man floats away in his house which is airlifted by balloons. Along for the ride is an annoying little cub scout who got carried away on the porch by accident. I love that the previews really didn’t give away any of the story, so most everything you get to see for the first time. What makes this movie special is why the old man is grumpy and why he decides to float away. This will hopefully enlighten children about their elders and why they may be grumpy in a way that I think they can understand. Of course, along the way the old man learns a few life lessons himself too. I’m a big softy and teared up a few times, hoping the little kids around me didn’t notice. Aside from the talking dogs, I think this movie actually seemed geared for adults (especially saps like me), though children will like it to. Just go see it!
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