Movie Review - The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnasus

Quick review here...

This was Heath Ledger's last movie (he died about 1/3 of the way into filming) so they got creative and finished it out using Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law. These 3 guys actually work in the way they shot it which was very interesting. The movie itself is beautiful, very neat costumes and set designs and interesting concept. It was hard to follow at times and could have used a good bit more back story but the real beauty of this movie was Heath Ledger.

Heath is really shown off in his smallish part, you can see just how good of an actor he was, the Dark Knight really had him hitting his stride and compared to the 3 others that played him only Depp rivaled in performance. I am not a huge Ledger fan but I really began to appreciate his skill in the art of acting in this movie and look forward to seeing some of his other movies that I may have missed.

The story of the movie is also a little creep especially related to Ledger's death, you will have to watch it to find out :)

I give it a Red Box rental because it isn't the type of movie everyone will like but might just be up your ally.

Movie Review - Alice in Wonderland

I could go on for a very long time about this one. I REALLY enjoyed it! To keep it quick, I was very nervous because it is technically a sequel to the original story, normally that means FAIL. I thought they did a very good job with it though. The characters were great, a lot of CG and Mr. Depp too. Depp was not amazing in my mind, the breakout was Alice herself. She did a wonderful job. This will definitely be a buy for me when it comes out. There is no reason to see it in 3D...I hate this 3D fad, it is stupid...most of these movies are not shot to be in 3D they just "can be 3D" where something like Avatar was shot to be specifically in 3D. One of the best movies I have seen in a long time.

Movie Review - The Box

The Box had all the potential to be a great thriller/scary movie. My dear god did they screw that up. It is a very mysterious story where they could have taken it in a really interesting direction but instead it kind of went no where and eventually involved some kind of aliens and/or a government conspiracy. The thing is that by the end you still had no idea what was going on because they only explained like half of it. PLEASE DO NOT SEE THIS MOVIE.

Movie Reviw - Where the Wild Things Are

Disappointing is a good way to describe this movie. We all know that the book is probably one of the best literary works of all time so the movie had a lot to live up to. It is always a bit difficult to take a 10-20 page childrens book and turn it into a full length feature film, and this one fell short. It felt more like a commercial for kids who have ADHD than a movie. Max who is the main boy clearly has issues instead of just doing something bad and being sent to bed without dinner, he basically goes crazy and runs away. The story then goes a bit long and it does make sense but it just doesn't hold that wonderment the book did. The thing that finally turned it from "ok" to not great was when one of the wild things ripped off an arm from one of the other wild things, it just didn't seem to fit in with my memory of the book.

This brings up something that has always bothered me, is the telling of these children's classics in full length movies...they just don't do the original work justice. The only one that really has so far that I can remember is Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, but in order to make that work they basically told a different story. Not everything needs to be made into a movie, it isn't always the best idea...

If I see a smurfs movie being made I think I might die

Movie Review - Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

We watched Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs last night. Let me start this off by telling you how much I loved this book when I was younger, one of my all time favorites. So when I saw that the movie was coming out I was excited UNTIL I saw how extremely different the story was going to be. I was turned off by it and didn't think I would like it but I was wrong! It was wonderfully cute, the voice acting was spot on and it was cartoony (didn't try and be too realistic). They added enough back story to make the changes to the real story work. It is very difficult to make a book with probably less than 20 pages into a full length movie and a lot of the time it doesn't really work out but this isn't one of those, it really did work. I would definitely recommend renting it, probably not a buy unless you have kids (kids would love it) but still a nice light hearted fun movie!

Movie Review - The Ugly Truth

Our 2nd romantic comedy of the weekend, and a much stronger showing than Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. Surprisingly rated R, and I think it helped. They pushed some boundaries and used some "bad language" and some other raunchy situations which was kind of refreshing for a romantic comedy. It wasn't the standard light hearted love story but it wasn't at all complex and groundbreaking either. Katherine Heigl is about as funny as she is in Knocked Up and Gerard Butler is great as the male chauvinist. I call this a rent and even a possible buy (red box rental first of course). Heigl was basically socially retarded because she was so into her work (I think it's because she spent so much time on the Grey's Anatomy set) and can't find a man that fits her list of 10 must haves. She tries an online dating service with no luck and then meets her new hunky neighbor. Butler basically teaches Heigl how to pick up a guy with all the guy tricks. I guess I really liked this one because they swore and talked like people actually talk, it felt more natural than some of the more proper romantic comedies. Some might say they went that way to cover up a lack of substance but as you all should know by now...NEVER go into a romantic comedy expecting Oscar worthy performances. These types of movies are specifically designed to be a movie version of a light hearted novel that would only get on the best seller list because of its humor and ease of reading. So enjoy!

Movie Review - Ghosts of Girlfriends Past

Standard romantic comedy with a "Christmas Carol" twist. No it isn't a christmas movie but it uses the ghost of ----- past, present and future. Matthew Mcconaughey plays kind of a douchey player who is anti-marriage and the main story revolves around his little brother's wedding. There are no big surprises when it comes to the relationship between Matthew and Jennifer Garner, and the best part of the movie is showing how their relationship changed from high school to present day. Garner was the only person in the movie that really called Matthew out as a douche which was also kind of funny. There were some laughs and not a lot of other emotions except for kind of hating Matthew's character. This is definitely a rent, unless you find it better than I did, if you don't rent it I don't think your life will suffer...just OK.

Movie Review - Groundhog Day

Ok this one seems like a weird thing to do but every time I catch it on TV it just makes me laugh! You all have probably heard of the movie by now, it stars Bill Murray who plays a weatherman from Pittsburgh who goes with his team to Punxsutawney PA to cover the Ground Hog Day festivities. He ends up getting stuck in a time warp where he has to relive February 2nd over and over for god knows how long. The best part is how he experiments with life from day to day, he goes from taking advantage of people to trying to kill himself with a high point of stealing the ground hog and driving off of a cliff and exploding! I find it to be a hilarious story about a guy who is a bit of an asshole and his journey to figure out how to be a good guy.

I also find it funny that we had gone to Ground Hog Day parties for so long growing up at the Measley's and we never really ended up watching this movie as a kid...instead we watched Encino Man which I think says something about Paulie Shore movies :) So a testament to our youth watch Ground Hog Day!!

Movie Review - UP

One of the most anticipated redbox rentals of the year for us was Pixar's UP. We see very few movies in the theater but this was one we really wanted to go see and never got the chance. Surprisingly we found it at redbox on our first try, which was a good omen.

The basic story is about keeping promises and at times is sad and other times happy and fun. Since it is Pixar the animation of course is wonderfully realistic (for computer generated art), even down to the growth of whiskers on the old man's face as the couple of days go by on their adventure. None of the characters were annoying, which I kind of expected the kid to be, and the various different characters together worked really well (old man, young boy, talking dogs, funny bird, crazy villain and even the house itself). Even though it technically is a kid movie the story and filming actually does make the house into its own character which actually symbolizes (I won't give it away, but its not a big secret) someone, something I think that was put in to give the adults a little more depth which is nice to see someone be able to make a great movie for kids as well as adults.

It is a sweet story and gets my full recommendation to at the very least rent (redbox, netflix, whatever) but it is worth buying in my opinion...just like almost every other Pixar movie made so far. This movie was the last of the original stories that the founders of Pixar had when they started the company (or should I say the last of the original ideas they had) so it will be interesting to see where they go next. Toy Story 3 which I feel is a mistake to make will be coming out next year and will probably see success, but I wasn't really a fan of the 2nd one so we will have to see what Pixar will come up with, I know they keep me excited!

Movie Review - Transformers 2

Rented this and finally got to see it, and I have to say I was largely disappointed. To make things short it seemed like they had 4 or more hours of actual usable movie footage but cut it down to 2 and a half hours(ish). There were so many transition pieces and parts of chases that just didn't add up, for instance: One moment in the National Air and Space Museum they step outside and they are in what appears to be the airplane bone yard in Arizona (Museum is in DC). There were also a couple of times that it seemed like Sam was in one place but he ended up being in another.

One of the really nice things about the original is that it was funny but not forced at all, and still had all the action and story. The 2nd one had the comedy shoved in your face for the majority of the movie and yea some of it was funny but not nearly as subtle as in the first one. They also added what I thought to be a Jar Jar Binks like character, the Autobot twins, they were there strictly for comic relief which was unnecessary. Also built in mostly for comic relief was the super old robot and the mini con that Megan Fox "tames", which maybe some of them would have been ok but the combination of all of these comical characters and Sam's parents was just too much when there was other more exciting story line and transitioning editing to do.

The fight scenes were inconsistent, starting with Prime dying in a fight against Starscream and Megatron (and some other baddies as well), but then when he is brought back to life he instantly is able to win a fight against the whole enemy army including the apparently epic "The Fallen" Megatron and Starscream. I was also VERY disappointed that they had a transformer that transformed into a human...if they could do that why wouldn't they do it more often, like take over the president or something? Instead of turning into a hot chick, turn into an influential character and get the Autobots destroyed so they could do whatever they wanted!

I was also surprised by the amount of swearing, I know the first one had some but this one seemed to have a lot more, which is fine with me but it may have been a bit much for parents and children.

So overall I didn't think it even compared with the first one in any way but they left it open for a third one and maybe they can redeem the series.

The Boondock Saints

Just a quickie little blurb about an interesting movie. The Boondock Saints is a movie that came out in the early 2000's and was poorly reviewed but later obtained a cult following. I recommend seeing it if you have not.

Unfortunately they have made a sequel, which is something the cult following has been dying for since they were first exposed to the original. I don't know how this sequel will do but it seemed like something that should have been left alone at 1 movie. It wasn't so much a great movie for any one reason but all of the pieces fit together with a huge help from Willem Defoe, who I don't believe is in the sequel. It also has been 10 years since the original which is just too long since to really work well. I think it comes out in theaters this weekend. I wouldn't recommend seeing the sequel but please see the original if you have not (and it is not for young children!).

Movie Review - Observe and Report

This one was a bit interesting...I originally had no interest in seeing it but saw a review that made it sound great. Well even if you hear a review from somewhere that reliably makes good reviews on movies I guess it won't every time, this being the case.

The review dubbed it as a dark version of Paul Blart Mall Cop, which was a pretty light hearted comedy, and I thought it was pretty ok. So I am thinking a dark version would be something I would really like. The review failed to say that unlike Paul Blart, this movie was not so much a comedy, it wasn't just a raunchy version of Paul Blart, it was more of a story about a chemically imbalanced mall cop and how his life revolves around mall security. You would think haha that is funny! but the main character played by Seth Rogen is just a loser and everyone sees it except him so he basically gets crapped on the whole movie and people go out of their way to make his life suck more. Unfortunately not in funny ways, more in ways that hurt him and push him further toward crazy. By the end of the movie you have laughed a couple times and the movie pushes hard for about 10 mins where there is a funny chase scene and then a very unexpected twist. The twist is the exclamation point on (insert how you felt about the movie here), either you will love it or you will hate it at that point - I didn't like it for a couple reasons but I will let you make your own decision. I would rent it if you are interested but no more than red box $1.

Movie Review - 17 Again

This was a surprising movie to me. Going in I am expecting a Freaky Friday sort of knock off, kind of cheesey and for the little kids, and I was mistaken. I really like some of the people starring in the movie including Matthew Perry, Leslie Mann and Thomas Lennon (Reno 911). I was most surprised that I really liked Zac Efron, only knowing him from High School Musical which I think is horrible, I was very pleasantly surprised. Matthew Perry plays the guy who is turned young into Zac Efron. Mike O'Donnell is the main character played by Perry and Efron, who as Lennon (Ned in the movie) puts it is on a spirit journey. Some of the funniest parts come between Efron and Mann when she can't get over how much like her husband he looks and it gets a little inappropriate which made it hilarious for me. Over all it has a nice flow and is very comical but not raunchy, so it is a good family film but not cheese-ball.

The other thing that took me by surprise is Lennon, who I have loved for a long time from being in Reno 911 and The State. He plays a former super nerd, dungeons and dragons and everything, who turns out to be very rich from creating software. He is still a huge nerd and that is the best part. His house is full of movie memorabilia from Star Wars, Lord of the Rings and more. He also plays young Mike's dad when the switch happens as a disguise for the unbelievable situation. Ned meets the principal and falls in love (Jan from The Office) who turns out to be a super nerd too. It is just a nice exciting side story that really helped fill in a slow spot or 2.

I recommend checking it out, its not the best overall but it is good and has some laughs in it.

Movie Review - Watchmen

I sat myself down to enjoy this gem the other day. I had heard a lot of mixed reviews while this movie was out in theaters, some people said you had to read the graphic novel to understand it, some really enjoyed it and some thought it was just plain boring and way too long. I really enjoyed it and I have not read the graphic novel (although it is on my list now).

Watchmen is a story about the status of super heroes (in a fictional America) throughout the 1900's. It begins with a nice montage of credits and old timey super hero pictures/events. These are not your marvel or DC comic super heroes, they are something different (which the movie didn't dive deep enough in to for me), the "powers" are not clearly defined either but you kind of get the gist throughout the movie. It appears that the fictional time perioid the movie takes place in is cold warish with Richard Nixon on his 3rd or 4th term as president (again it is fictional). The super hereo's have since "retired" sort of like in The Incredibles, where it seems they were cast out in favor of more traditional methods of law enforcement.

As the movie unfolds it appears that someone is trying to kill these last remaining super heroes and the cold war is escalating "5 minutes til midnight" on the doomsday clock and not to my surprise the killing of the heroes and the escalation are intertwined. The killings re-unite some of the old gang and it is neat to see them take back to their hero days through out the movie.

The main story is told through the voice of one of the heroes, Rorschach, and the reading of a journal he has written. I don't want to spoil anymore of the story for you though. The plot unfolds in a nice way and it doesn't do it quickly (which I enjoyed). There is a surprising amount of sex and nudity (mostly of Dr. Manhattan and his glowing blue penis), which I found more funny than gross and the sex was well done. There also is a FANTASTIC sound track that really sets the mood throughout the movie, and it is nice that it is mostly older songs and not just cheesy movie music.

I really recommend seeing this movie, especially if you Redbox it for a $1. But I would say that I am way more into this type of story than a normal person, so if sci-fi/action/super hero isn't your cup of tea, you might not be able to get into it. I think I had an easier time understanding it because I am of that "type" but I will be trying to get my hands on the graphic novel to learn more. Hope you enjoy!

Movie Review - The Soloist

We watched The Soloist Saturday night, Jaime Foxx and Robert Downey Jr are the main characters. Foxx plays a former Julliard attendee whose obsession with music drives him a little crazy. Possibly a little autistic, more likely schizophrenic (hearing voices in his head). Jaime Foxx again plays this character wonderfully, he is completely beleiveable as a homeless crazy ranting incredible musician. Jr. plays a reporter who finds Foxx on the streets and decides to write about him in his human interest column for the LA Times. Throughout the movie Jr feels he has to become Foxx's protector and kind of over steps, Foxx never asking to be helped. Jr. doesn't realize that music is all Foxx wants, he wants to play it and he wants to listen to it, he doesn't care if he is homeless or whatever. Jr. does a pretty good job but nothing extraordinary, Foxx is really the highlight of the movie. One thing the movie is missing is that it never really tugged at my heart strings, it was just kind of nice to see someone take an interest in what most would have thought to be a lost cause. Renting it would be good for a nice relaxing night.