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Hated it with a passion - who creates this crap?!?

I don't think this movie was made for me.

It was pretty lame, but had some redeeming qualities.

I didn't feel completely cheated by it.

It kept me interested, but I'd never watch it again.

I'm glad I saw it, but once is enough.

It's worth seeing at the theater or renting, but not owning.

It was pretty good and I may watch it again.

Loved this movie & can't wait to see it again.

I want to buy it on DVD, watch it multiple times and own props from it.

3.27.09 - Monsters vs. Aliens. (2009) Theater.
Starring:
Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett, Kiefer Sutherland, Rainn Wilson, Stephen Colbert, Paul Rudd.
  Off the bat - I was expecting the worse for this movie. I have never been a fan of the Shrek series, Kung Fu Panda or pretty much any of the offerings from the Dreamworks team - oh, and I hate Seth Rogan. But I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. It was quite entertaining even though you could predict everything that was going to happen (it was all in the trailer). The animation was very good and the 3D was amazing! This is the 3rd 3D movie I've seen now, and it really raised the standards for this technology. Makes me almost look forward to all the other 3D animated films that are coming out soon.

3.21.09 - Paul Blart - Mall Cop. (2009) Theater.
Starring: Kevin James, Keir O'Donnell, Jayma Mays, Raini Rodriguez, Shirley Knight, Stephen Rannazzisi & Peter Gerety.
  It's pretty rare for a movie to be both entertaining for small kids and their parents without being overly crude or having a bunch of double entendre - and this movie is just that. The story follows Blart, a mall cop who is quite proud of his work - even though he is teased by others around him. When the mall is taken over by a group of robbers - it's up to Blart to save the hostages the bad guys are holding. He, of course, saves the day and gets the girl. Nothing too terribly original here - but still, good clean family fun. Kudos to Adam Sandler for producing movies lately that are fun for both kids and adults.

2.20.09 - Slumdog Millionaire. (2009) Theater.
Starring: Dev Patel, Anil Kapoor, Saurabh Shukla, Rajendranath Zutshi, Jeneva Talwar & Freida Pinto.
  I heard so much praise for this movie and of the 5 Oscar noms - this looked like the only one I'd be remotely interested in seeing. After watching the Oscars afterwards and that it actually did win best picture - it's probably a safe bet I will never see the other 4. I wanted to like this movie - really, I did. I like the premise, I liked the stars, I liked learning about Indian culture - but this movie was so full of plot holes, predictability & unbelievable situations - I just can't recommend it to anyone. The final dance number at the end really had me scratching my head - did I not just watch a serious, heart wrenching drama or was it a Vince Vaughn movie?

2.7.09 - Coraline (2009) Theater.
Starring: Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French, Keith David & John Hodgman.
  This is the story of a little girl who moves into a new triplex with her mom & dad. She is frustrated by her parents lack of attention to her. On moving in day she discovers a small door in the living room that was wallpapered over. When she opens it - she sees that it's just bricked over. Later on during the night - she checks it again to discover it contains a secret passage way. She enters it only to discover that the end is a parallel universe exactly like her own world only it contains overly loving parents. She loves this new world until the real truth is discovered and she has to find her way back. This film was made with the same stop motion technique & style as Nightmare Before Christmas & James and the Giant Peach - which were both directed by Henry Selick as well. The story was very compelling but the animation, style and set work are what really sold me on this movie. I loved it!

1.27.09 - Gran Torino (2008) Theater.
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Christopher Carley, Bee Vang, Ahney Her.
  Clint is Walt Kowalski, a recently widowered Korean vet who wants to just be left alone. His old Michigan neighborhood that was once filled with young American families is quickly turning to a lower class immigrant neighborhood after the auto factories shut down. Walt is very resentful of the change. Over time he reluctantly befriends his new Hmong neighbors - taking particular interest in the teenage boy, Thao. He sees the boy trying to do good, but is constantly being tempted away by the gang life. Walt takes him under his wings and gives him the fatherly advice he never gave his own kids when they were growing up. He also finds that he has more in common with this family, with their foreign traditions, than he does with his own family. When the gang retaliates against Thao and his family for him refusing to join the gang - Walt does his best Dirty Harry and protects his new friends. There is an incredibly emotional ending that I don't want to give away.

12.28.08 - Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed (2008) DVD.
Starring: Ben Stein.
  In this documentary, host Ben Stein examines the claim of many professors and writers that they are being silenced, sometimes even fired, for having the audacity of even bringing up the subject of "intelligent design". They put forth that science can only go so far in explaining how life has come into being and that one possible explanation for the absolute beginning of life *may* be an intelligent designer. Opponents claim that this is really a mask for teaching religion in school. Stein gives both sides a fair chance of explaining their positions and does not use Michael Moore tactics of ambushing or clever editing to make the opponents look ridiculous or clueless. Regardless of what you may believe, it was interesting to see people get so worked up about other peoples thought and their methods used to try and shut them up.

12.27.08 - Bedtime Stories (2008) theater.
Starring: Adam Sandler, Keri Russell, Guy Pearce , Russell Brand, Richard Griffiths, Teresa Palmer, Courteney Cox.
  It's rare to find a movie that both kids and adults can enjoy. This is one of those movies. Sandler has to watch his nephew and niece for a week while his sister (Cox) goes to Arizona to look for a new job. He's never been in their life and does not know how to relate to them. He remembers as a kid he used to love hearing bedtime stories told by his father. So he, too, does this with the kids every night. The kids get involved and begin adding to the stories as well. Mysteriously & magically, the outlandish stories that they make up seem to happen to Sandler the next day in real life. He tries and use this power to his advantage by telling stories that will benefit him, but figures out it's the kids contribution to the stories that are the parts that come true. This movie has enough fantasy in it to entertain the kids - but is still somewhat grounded in reality, so the adults don't groan in it's absurdity. Sandler tones down his schtick a couple notches to deliver a funny and touching character instead of the more crude characters he typically plays.

12.25.08 - Hancock (2008) DVD.
Starring: Will Smith, Charlize Theron, Jason Bateman, Jae Head, Eddie Marsan.
  As I've mentioned in other reviews, I'm not a big fan of superhero movies - but this one had me slightly interested since I first saw the trailer last summer. Perhaps because it looked like it was a bit different than the other formulaic superhero movies and, I admit, I sort of like Will Smith. Like all superhero movies though, it starts out good, but then turns into a loud and ugly orgy of cars being thrown around the city streets. Will Smith's low-key, don't give a crap attitude was fairly different than his usual charters - and the lack of the line: "Aww Hell No!" from Smith was both shocking and refreshing! Jason Bateman was good in it - but he pretty much plays the same character he always plays. Charlize's character was meh. Overall, nothing really all that original or interesting in this movie. Oh, and enough of the superhero movies where there HAS to be cars being thrown around city streets.

12.15.08 - Get Smart (2008) DVD.
Starring: Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Dwayne Johnson, Alan Arkin, Terence Stamp.
  One of my favorite shows growing up was Get Smart. If I bought the series on DVD & watched it today, I'm sure I'd probably cringe. But I doubt I'd cringe as much as I did watching this gawd awful movie. I don't know what I was thinking when I rented this. I guess I have kind of liked Steve Carell in other movies he's done and Anne Hathaway sure is easy on the eyes (she's no Barbara Feldon though) and maybe I was hoping it wouldn't be that bad. Ugh, I was so wrong. It was loud, annoying, predictable and had zero laughs in it (not even one teeny smirk moment).

12.14.08 - Kenny (2006) DVD.
Starring: Shane Jacobson, Eve von Bibra, Ronald Jacobson, Jesse Jacobson, Chris Davis.
  This was a very humourous and touching film about Kenny, an under appreciated guy who's job it is to install & maintain portable toilets for large events. He takes a lot of pride in his job, but his family and others he comes in contact with don't share his enthusiasm for the poo business. This was a well crafted "mockumentary" and Shane Jacobson gives such a believable and enthusiastic performance as Kenny, that I am still a little shocked that it was a fictionalized story. Written by Shane & his brother Clayton, who also directed and made a small appearance in it. I look forward to seeing what else these brothers come up with.

11.30.08 - Kabluey (2007) DVD.
Starring: Lisa Kudrow, Scott Prendergast, Christine Taylor, Conchata Ferrell, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Chris Parnell, Teri Garr.
  Written, directed and starring Prendergast as Salman, a 32 year old loser sent out to help out his sister-in-law Leslie (Kudrow) while his brother, her husband is off in Iraq. Leslie has 2 out of control kids that Salman has to watch while she's at work. The stress becomes too much for both him and Leslie and she suggests that he leaves immediately. The problem is, he has no money. She finds him a part time job at the failing Internet company that she works for. His job is to wear a ridiculous costume of the company mascot and hand out fliers promoting the company's office space that they have available for rent. I won't give away the rest of the movie other to say that it's certainly not your typical Hollywood film. This movie is a perfect blend of comedy and drama (I think they call it melanchomedy). I loved this movie - and I want my own Kabluey costume!

11.29.08 - The Promotion (2008) DVD.
Starring: Seann William Scott, John C. Reilly, Jenna Fischer, Fred Armisen, Lili Taylor.
  Doug (Scott) is a 33 year old assistant manager of a grocery store. He has his eyes on becoming manager of a new store the company is opening up soon. His wife and him plan their new flourishing future by buying a house that they can't afford as he thinks he's a shoe in for the job. That is until Richard (Reilly) is transferred to his store from a sister store in Canada. The two take turns trying to ruin each other's reputation with the company higher-ups. This movie reminded me a lot of the cult classic "Office Space" and like it, I think it will become a favorite gem among many once it becomes a bit more well know. An excellent movie that kept me smiling and laughing throughout.

11.28.08 - Fred Claus (2007) DVD.
Starring: Vince Vaughn, Paul Giamatti, John Michael Higgins, Miranda Richardson, Rachel Weisz, Kathy Bates, Kevin Spacey.
  Santa (Giamatti) had an older brother, his name was Fred (Vaughn). All of Fred's life he lived under the shadow of his younger brother's unselfish kindness and adoration. When Fred is in desperate need of some money, he calls on his brother for a little assistance. Not being able to say no, Santa lends him the money with the stipulation that Fred must come up to the North Pole and help out with the Christmas rush. There is also a sub plot about Santa's operation being shut down and outsourced if they don't make the quota for the year. I don't think I'd be giving away anything if I tell you that the harden and bitter Fred learns the meaning of the season and saves Christmas. The movie started out pretty promising, but somewhere around the middle meandered off into predictability territory and slapstick. All in all, it was an OK movie. It's watchable for both adults (for Vaughn's banter) and the kids. On a side note, I found it a very interesting (and risky) choice that all the lead elves in the movie were played by average height actors - reduced down with CGI.

11.27.08 - Meet Bill (2007) DVD.
Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Jessica Alba, Elizabeth Banks, Logan Lerman, Holmes Osborne, Todd, Timothy Olyphant.
  Bill is a guy going through a mid-life crisis, he hates his job & recently discovered that his wife is cheating on him all the while has been given a surly teen to mentor. He tries, for some unknown reason, to win back his wife by improving himself (with the help of the teen). In the end, we're not really sure if he does indeed accomplish this, as it's unclear if he even wants to win her back anymore. The movie started out fairly funny & enjoyable - but around half way through it ran out of steam and became pretty formulaic. It may be worth the watch if you're a fan of Aaron Eckhart (which I am).

11.22.08 - Bolt (2008) theater.
Starring: John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Susie Essman, Mark Walton, Malcolm McDowell, James Lipton.
  I brought my son to this one and, honestly, was not expecting much. Most of the newer, non-Pixar toons have left me pretty unimpressed and Disney toons in generally are even worse. But this one was surprisingly good. The story was a typical "unlikely pairing of animals travelling across the country trying to find one's master", but this one had more character, spirit and GOOD jokes (not a "fart joke" to be found). The animation is getting better everyday as is the combination of cartoony & semi-realism backgrounds. The action sequence at the beginning was on par, if not better than that of Iron Man or Spiderman. During the end credits I noticed that John Lasseter was the executive producer. This may explain a lot about the quality of this film. A great toon for both kids and adults.

11.08.08 - Tropic Thunder (2008) DVD.
Starring: Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, Tom Cruise.
  OK, this movie has been out for a while - but I just now caught in on Pay-Per-View in my hotel room (there weren't a lot of choices). Of course, the main "gimmick" of this movie is Robert Downey Jr's character being such a dedicated actor that he surgically alters his face to portray a black man in the movie they are making in this movie. It was a very good portrayal and RDJ does it with class & humor (totally non-offensive). Unfortunately, the rest of the film is a total yawn-fest of a forgettable plot and laughless jokes. Jack Black and Ben Stiller were both annoying. Tom Cruise's "cameo" (which was at least 20 minutes or so of screen time) was mildly amusing - only because it's a departure from his usual pretty boy self, but even that gimmick got old mighty quickly.

11.03.08 - Mister Lonely (2007) DVD.
Starring: Diego Luna, Samantha Morton, Denis Lavant & James Fox.
  The latest from goofball film maker Harmony Korine. His previous works include the disturbingly pleasant Gummo, Julien Donkey Boy & Kids - all of which I admire greatly. That said, I understand that Korine's films are not for everyone. You will get a lot of WTF moments in them - but I think that's why I like them so. Mister Lonely is a story about a Michael Jackson impersonator working the streets of Paris. He meets a Marilyn Monroe impersonator who invites him back to the commune that she lives in with other impersonators (Chaplin, Stooges, Temple, Abe Lincoln, etc). Their plan is to put on the greatest show on earth. As you can guess - things don't go as planned. But that's the only thing you can guess w/ a Korine film. The rest of the story, including a completely unrelated sub-story are so seemingly random and bizarre - but again, that's the appeal (to me, at least) of his films.

11.02.08 - Changeling (2008) theater.
Starring: Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich, Michael Kelly, Jeffrey Donovan & Jason Butler Harner.
  The amazing and emotionally charged true story, taking place in 1928, of a mother's search for her lost son, the corrupt LAPD and the brutal Wineville Chicken Coop Murders. The film was 2 hours and 21 minutes in length, but felt like only half that time as the story was so moving and riveting. The period sets & costumes were outstanding (but I'm a huge sucker for the 20s & 30s). Clint Eastwood directed this and did just an incredible job with the mood, pacing & tension. I can't recommend it enough. Oh, and for the first time ever - I really found Angelina Jolie attractive and understand what all the fuss about her is.

10.31.08 - Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (2008) DVD.
Starring: Abigail Breslin, Julia Ormond, Chris O'Donnell, Stanley Tucci & Joan Cusack.
  I admit it, I wanted to see this movie ever since I first saw the trailer for it earlier this year. But, alas - I never made it to the theater (perhaps of fear that I'd get looked at strangely by others in the theater). I had to wait for the DVD release and watch it in the privacy of my own home. I quite enjoy movies set in the 30s and I find Abigail Breslin to be rather pleasant - in a totally non-perverted way (ya sicko)! I had no idea what this movie was about, but I had heard good things about it from Richard Roeper and other reviewers. It was, actually, quite good. A wholesome story that kids and adults can enjoy (as did both I and my 6 year old son). The story is set in the Depression era. Many of Kit's friend's parents end up losing their homes to the banks. When the Kittredge family face foreclosure as well - dad (O'Donnell) leaves town to find work in Chicago and mom (Ormond) takes in borders to help pay the mortgage. When the border's valuables go missing one day and some local hobo children that the Kittredge's have befriended are blamed - it's up to Kit to solve the case, clear their new friend's reputations and retrieve the valuables.

10.18.08 - W. (2008) theater.
Starring: Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Banks, Richard Dreyfuss, Thandie Newton, Jeffrey Wright & Toby Jones.
  Kudos to Oliver Stone for making a bio-pic on our president without taking the easy way out and portraying him as the complete bumbling fool the Left are always making him out to be. This is the 2nd time now, with World Trade Center being his last film, that Stone had an opportunity to put his political views into his movie and chose instead to do it pretty much straight. Of course there is some 'fudging' of the facts here and there as there, inevitably, will be in any Hollywood-ized retelling of actual history. The film is mildly interesting, but I feel like I knew the story already (as if it happened but just a few years ago - hmm). Stone played up an alleged Oedipus complex between W. and Bush Sr. as well as Bush's supposed reluctancy to be president. Brolin's portrayal as W. was spot on, as were Dreyfuss's Cheney and Jones' Rove. Newton looked great as Dr. Rice and had her mannerisms down pat. The supporting cast was pretty good too. I overheard a few "Bush haters" in the lobby afterwards grousing about the film. I'm guessing they felt cheated that Stone didn't completely rip Bush apart and actually humanized him a bit.

10.12.08 - SNOW ANGELS (2007) DVD.
Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Sam Rockwell, Michael Angarano, Amy Sedaris & Olivia Thirlby.
  A dark, but smartly written movie about Arthur (Angarano), a small town high school kid who is starting his first serious relationship with his high school friend (Thirlby) just as the relationships of the adults in his life are crashing all around him. The brilliant and riveting performance of Rockwell, as the estranged alcoholic husband of Authur's former baby-sitter (Beckinsale), makes this movie worth the price of admission alone. The supporting cast is just as good and the story is moving and emotionally compelling. It's stuck with me for days after watching it. Loved it!

10.11.08 - IRON MAN (2008) DVD.
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges & Gwyneth Paltrow.
  I don't need to explain this one - as it's one of them huge multi-gazillion dollar blockbuster type movies. I generally don't like super hero movies (at all) - but this one was tolerable - mostly because of Downey's performance. But in the end - it just turned into a big ol' pixel bash of ridiculous cgi characters crashing into cars and each other. Yawn!

10.10.08 - SMART PEOPLE (2008) DVD.
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Sarah Jessica Parker, Thomas Haden Church, Ellen Page & Ashton Holmes.
  I seem to remember enjoying the movie "Sideways" when in came out in 2004. Smart People was heavily compared to that movie - so I thought I'd give it a try. And with Ellen Page in it, I couldn't go wrong, right? Well, it was pretty disappointing. It's one of those "sophisticated" movies that's almost too witty and precious for it's own good. The story was so bland that I'm pretty sure I'll forget what it was in a month or sooner. Page was very disappointing playing a supposed "young Republican". The only redeeming factor to this movie was Church, who was mildly interesting and had a few humourous lines. Quaid & Parker's characters were forgettable.

10.05.08 - AN AMERICAN CAROL (2008) Theater.
Starring: Kevin P. Farley, Kelsey Grammer, Chriss Anglin, Dennis Hopper & Jon Voight.
  I'd say that this movie was a huge disappointment - but honestly, I really didn't have high expectations for it. I still went to see it, just because it's such a rarity to have a conservative themed movie. All the best "gags" were in the commercials/trailers. The whole thing reminded me of a bad 80s comedy (are there any "good" 80s comedies?). As much as I like Kelsey Grammer, I didn't really buy him as Patton. Jon Voight did a pretty good George Washington though, even if it was only a few minutes of screen time. Oh well.

09.20.08 - BURN AFTER READING (2008) Theater.
Starring: George Clooney, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton, Brad Pitt, Richard Jenkins, David Rasche & J.K. Simmons.
  First things first, I LOVE Coen movies, so I may be a bit biased. That said, this was not one of their better films. But a "not-so-great" Coen film is always 20 times better than the best movie by any other director. Though the story had typical Coen quirk, there were no real "memorable" Coen-esque characters in it. You know, a character that you would instantly recognize as being from a Coen movie. McDormand was brilliant as always, Pitt was a pleasant departure from his usual characters, Clooney was his typical smooth talking stud and Malkovich was Malkovich. I would probably put this film as 5th favorite Coen film (just after Hudsucker, Fargo, Lebowski, Raising Arizona - in that order).

09.27.08 - THE DARK KNIGHT (2008) Theater.
Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman & Morgan Freeman.
  I don't typically like big budget superhero movies, in fact - I pretty much loathe them. But since I heard SO much about this movie and how it's not your typical superhero movie, I gave it a try. Well, "they" were right on some parts - it wasn't completely typical. Mostly due, of course, to Ledger. I don't want to gush about it too much, 'cause that's what the rest of the Internet is for, but it really was an excellent performance by him. The opening bank robbery was, by far, the best part of the movie for me but the rest of the movie I could pretty much forget (and I think I already have).

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