Showing posts with label ON DVD. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ON DVD. Show all posts

Monday, June 30, 2008

Vantage Point

Vantage Point, Dennis Quaid, Mathew Fox, Forrest Whitaker
The main story here is an assassination attempt on the President of the United States in Spain. There is a 23 minute window of time that is retold a dozen times from the different people in attendance at the event that this all takes place. Lots of action in this movie, and a well told story. The things is, it was like watching Ground Hog Day, but nothing funny about it. Dennis Quaid does a good job of playing a secret service agent, Mathew Fox is an agent that goes Rogue, and Forrest Whitaker is a civilian that catches most of the event on him personal video camera. If you can get past the way they tell this story, it is a pretty good movie, the ending is great, but again it is a little tough to watch.

Flawless

Flawless, Demi Moore, Michael Caine
If you like stories inspired by actual events, this is a pretty good one to watch. Mike Chandler recommended this movie, and I love a good diamond heist, so I took him up on the suggestion, and gave it a go. First off, Demi Moore looks so bad in this movie, it kind of ruined it for me from the beginning, As hot as she is, she just did not have it in this movie, she was hotter in G.I. Jane than she was in this, and in that movie she looked as much like a man as Demi could. Michael Caine, who I think is one of the greatest actors of all time, pulled off another fantastic performance. The movie itself was a little slow for the first hour, they do a great job of building up the story to make you feel as if the thieves are justified in stealing diamonds from the London Diamond Company, the worlds largest diamond supplier. They tell the story, and you think this is just another diamond heist to get rich kind of movie, until Michael Caine tricks everyone, even the audience. The story changes from heist to revenge. And then there is another plot twist that you don't see coming. The ending is a bit different than I expected as well. Overall, the movie was really good. All the action takes place in the last 20 minutes of the movie, so if you can hang with it long enough, it is worth it. Also, if you are hard of hearing, you will have to turn the volume wayyyyy up, as the characters dialogue is almost completely done in whispers, that was my biggest complaint of the movie, is it was hard to hear everything they were saying. Good Suggestion Mike, I enjoyed the movie.

The List

The List, Nobody
So, this was supposed to be a movie about Secret Societies, The movie summary had you believe that there was a Historical List of people that belonged to a society in the Carolina's, that was carried on since the Civil War. I was very interested in this, as most secret society movies are pretty good, and show a believable story line. This movie however, did not contain anything really even worth mentioning. I state this review mostly as a warning, because what this movie really is a release from some Christian Faith, I can't point it at any one faith, so we will say it is non-denominational, and told the story about how money and success are of the devil, and that you need to pray to God for a humble life full of family and friends and poverty. They really go out of their way to say that if you are rich, then it has come from the devil. This movie was so bad, and so poorly done, part of me wondered if the film creators for Cypher in the Snow, or Johnny Lingo had started production for other faiths. Yikes this movie really sucked!!

Semi-Pro

Semi-Pro, Will Ferrell, Woody Harelson
I am a huge Will Ferrrell fan, but I was not a huge fan of Semi-Pro. There could of been so much done with this movie, and I feel they missed the boat completely. I also tried to watch this movie on 3 different occasions, and fell asleep each time. I thought this was one of the worst movies that Will Ferrell has ever done. It had incredibly filthy language, that was really unnecessary, and the humor in it seemed really forced, and left you just feeling embarrassed for the people in it. Over all I would say that this movie really sucked, and wouldn't waist my time with it. It could be easily overlooked, and your life would actually be better for not watching it.

The Grand

The Grand, Woody Harrelson, Cheryl Hines, David Cross, Chris Parnell, Dennis Farina
This movie was completely unorthodox, and I absolutely loved it. I laughed from the beginning until the end. Appearances from actors you know from TV, but don't remember their real names show up throughout the movie. For instance, the teacher from Welcome Back Kotter plays a pretty significant role and he is really funny. The premise of the film is a spoof on Poker Tournaments. They walk you thru the characters and their families and what goes on behind the scenes. This movie will not win any Oscars, and was probably a straight to DVD release. But totally worth the rent. Not much more to say about this movie, but if you want a good non- thinking laugh, watch this movie!!

CHAOS THEORY

CHAOS THEORY, Ryan Reynolds, Emily Mortimer
This came in my Blockbuster selections, and I didn't remember putting it there. But it was a pleasant surprise. Great movie. Kind of a redundant story of jealousy, and relationships, but a huge plot twist that makes the movie. Ryan Reynolds plays a pretty serious role, which is good for him, because he really makes a switch from his comedy to a real life situation. It reminded me of Jim Carrey making the switch from Ace Ventura to Truman. I found myself really feeling for this guy, as his life is turned upside down, just because of a few things getting off schedule. I was completely entertained the entire movie, as it takes you on a emotional roller coaster, while you just can't help but laugh in a few places. Great Movie, worth the rent. Favorite Line in the movie is when Ryan Reynolds approaches a old acquaintance in a bar, and she asks if he is still saving the world 5 minutes at a time, and he asks her is she is still a Home Wrecking Whore? Great exchange, between 2 people. Again, Great story, a few unexpected reveals, and a pretty good ending.

The Good Night

The Good Night, Danny DeVito, Penelope Cruz, Gwyneth Paltrow
So, Did you know that one of the biggest exports that the USA has, comes right out of Hollywood. It is our American Made Movies. Well, I kept thinking about that as I watched this British piece of Crap movie. I watch a British film every now and then cause you never know if a good one might come along, but unless it has violence, like Snatch or Lock Stock and 2 Smoking Barrels, they all pretty much suck. I will admit, I have never watched a Monty Python movie, because that humor doesn't appeal to me very much, but I know millions of people love them, so I will excuse my opinions from those. Okay so THIS MOVIE... Well, wasn't that impressed, actually I was a bit bored. It is about a ex-musician, who is going thru a mid life crisis, and starts thinking that his dreams are windows to reality, until he tests it, and reality actually really sucks. The movie is a bit twisted, and tries to be clever with a plot twist, but everyone knows dreams are dreams, and reality is reality. I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone, except maybe for a couple of teenagers, that are looking to rent a movie just so they can make out, this would be perfect, cause you wouldn't miss a thing.

The Signal

The Signal, ALL NO NAMERS
This was a Horror film, and I am not a big fan of horror. This movie was pointless, and pretty much stupid. If you want to spend an hour and a half watching Zombie like humans kill each other with really no purpose, this is a great film, or you could clip your toe nails, and gain about the same amount of satisfaction. Stupid Movie, Mad at myself for even watching it. Total Dud, I couldn't wait to get it back in the mailbox.

There Will Be Blood

There Will Be Blood, Danial day Lewis
This was a first for me, because I hate long movies and this one was 2 1/2 hours long. However I absolutely loved this movie. There was a lot of hype surrounding this movie, and I believe it delivered. First of all Daniel Day Lewis is one of the greatest actors of our time. He makes every role he ever plays believable.He plays Daniel Plainview an Oil Prospector at the turn of the century. He is driven by greed, and doesn't feel the least bit bad about it. I loved his explanation about his competitive nature to "Henry". When his eyes opened and he said he didn't want others to succeed, -I got shivers. The religious zealot, "Eli" was a total freak, and the ending of this film, to me, is what made the movie. The film goes all out, so we could really see what kind of mad man Daniel Plainview was, and at what lengths he would go to get his point across. His famous line of, "I Drink your Milkshake!" was classic. This is the kind of movie I would want to own, as I think it is a timeless story, that was well thought out, and incredibly interesting all the way through. My warning on this film would be-That not everyone will like this movie, there are some violent scenes, some slower stretches, and it is 2 1/2 hours long. I was captivated the entire time, and would probably watch it again.

Before the Devil Knows your Dead

Before the Devil Knows Your Dead, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Marisa Tomei.
So, My Brother Dane told me to rent this movie, I am not sure if he said it was good, or weird, so I won't hold him accountable, but this is one of the most F@#*ED up movies I have seen in awhile. This is a dark tale of a robbery that goes bad, and when I say bad, not just going to get caught bad, but the wrong people die -bad, the burglary doesn't net them any profit, and sends tow brothers into a tailspin of crazy decisions that ultimately bring you to the end of the movie. The performances by Hoffman and Hawke, are both amazing. Marisa is naked in almost every scene of the movie, almost at an uncomfortable level. Then Albert Finney makes an appearance as the dad to these two idiot brothers, that are both in financial despair, thus pushing them to the heist. Twisted Movie, lots of swearing, plenty of nudity, and a really messed up plot. To top it off the movie is showed in a back track mode, so you see the burglary, then it works backwards to develop character history, then circles back to show you how it plays out afterwards. Crazy Movie, not a huge fan of the story, but if you love PSH and Ethan Hawke, it is worth the rent.

JUNO

JUNO, Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman.
This Movie breaks the Academy Awards Rule for 1 reason only. It was basically an Independent Film, as this is the first movie that Diablo Cody had written that really got any attention. I have one word that describes this movie, "Relatable". I am not sure if that is a real word or not, but it is the best word to describe what this film offers. You can totally relate to at least 1 character in this movie. You may not have been knocked up at age 16, or done the knocking up, but Diablo wins the best screenplay because she wrote this film, so that we could all identify with someone in the movie. I don't want to get all deep about this movie, because it was a comedy after all, but as far as stories go, this one followed the plot while adding real life scenarios. I laughed out load more than once, and that is a good indicator for me. Awesome movie, Paulie Bleeker is the biggest stud, in a Napoleon Dynamite way. I don't have anything bad to say about the movie either, and that is rare for me, as I can find fault in just about anything. I still think Diablo Cody is a freak, but she did a good job with JUNO.

Tristan + Isolde

Tristan + Isolde, James Franco, Sophia Myles.
This was a film Kourtney rented, and didn't like, she asked me to watch it, because she thought I would like it. I will admit, it really wasn't that bad. Most of it was pretty good. I also was not familiar with the story, as it is a well known legend amongst the Irish and the Britain's. The movie had aspects of A Knights Tale, Braveheart, and Robin Hood. The setting amongst the British Isles, and of Ireland are amazing. The love story was a romantic tragedy similar to Romeo and Juliet. The ending was a bit disappointing, but I guess you can't change history. A little bit long in places, some great war scenes, pretty bloody in some of the battle scenes, but the overall feeling of the movie keeps you involved, and wondering what is going to happen next. I enjoyed this movie much more than I anticipated, especially for one that Kourtney rented, as we do not have similar tastes in movies. Good Renter!

Definitely, Maybe

Definitely, Maybe, Ryan Reynolds, Elizabeth Banks, Isla Fisher.
Guys, I will admit it, this was a total chick flick, and I should be ashamed for watching it, but in my defense, when you take the main character from Van Wilder, and the crazy girlfriend from Wedding Crashers, you have to take a shot, and hope that there was a reason that these two were brought together to make a movie. I know I may face ridicule for this, but it was a great story. I thought the foretelling of it was actually pretty creative. The characters were all drawn out, and as the mystery unfolded, you found yourself guessing who was who, what will he do now? and how is it all going to work out. I love Ryan Reynolds, and he was pretty funny in this film, The little girl had some great lines like, "Dad I forgive you for smoking when you were young, and for drinking, and for being such a slut." The ending was good, they threw a couple of twists in there to add a little spice to it, but for the most part, it was predictable. Still it was a good show, and Definitely worth renting.

Sunday, June 29, 2008

No Country For Old Men

No Country For Old Men, Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin
Heads This movie was Awesome, Tales this Movie Sucked. I think I will take Tales. Unless I just missed the overall message that this movie was suppose to deliver, all I got was disappointment. If there is one thing that I hate about a Movie, it is when there is no resolution. Okay I get the whole Tommy Lee is an old Sheriff, and the world has changed, and his law isn't the same as what the world expects of the law, but I mean he did nothing and all we did is watch a psycho go on a killing spree. This movie reminded me of finding a journal of a murderer, only to find that the last 20 pages are missing. I was so upset that this movie was so bad, because I usually like chase movies, but this one left you wanting there to be some distinction between characters other than there being a bunch of bad guys all scrambling for a bag of money. This movie lacked a lot of elements to be great, and once again, an award winner ends up being a dud in my book.

Charlie Bartlett

Charlie Bartlett, Anton Yelchin, Robert Downey Jr., Hope Davis
I would call this the 2008 version of Ferris Bueller's Day Off(1986), if Ferris actually went to school. Charlie Bartlett is a rich kid forced into public schools, after being expelled from just about every private school there is. His #1 goal is to be popular, and he accomplishes this by becoming the school bodies self appointed psychiatrist. He medicates, offers counseling, and makes a nice profit while putting a new spin on being drug dealer. You can' help but love this character, as he has problems of his own, and his journey though popularity helps him understand how he can help himself as he helps others. Worthwhile movie, lots of laughs, as long as you are not too sensitive to humor about mental illness. There are some flaws with the story line, and certain elements don't add up, but overall it is a funny Movie, and worth the rent.

Lars and the Real Girl

Lars and the Real Girl, Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer.
Wow! If you like feeling uncomfortable for 2 hours, this is a great movie. I was both embarrassed for the character, and hated him at the same time. I think that is why I have such a hard time with Mental illnesses. They are so hard to understand, when you just want to shake the guy silly and say wake up, get over it. Ryan Gosling has an outstanding performance, as he plays a small town recluse, who becomes delusional about his new girlfriend, who is actually a life like sex doll that he buys off the Internet. He has Christian values, so his intentions are never about sex, just having a relationship with this inanimate object. The most interesting thing about this film, is how the town wraps their arms around this situation, and pretends along with him that "Bianca" is real. For the most part, it is a therapeutic window into the life of a mental illness, and how it affects those around him. Other than the incredibly disturbing plot, this movie was pretty good, as I felt for the characters, and was hoping for a happy ending. I will admit, I kept waiting for the doll to come to life like Kim Catrell did in Mannequin. Not bad for a Independent Film. At least the story was original.

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Little Children

Little Children, Kate Winslett, Jennifer Connelly.
So, I have a Blockbuster account, and Kourtney has a Netflix Account, and every now and then I watch one of her movies. This was one of them and all I can say about this movie is it really, really, really SUCKED! This movie was so awful, The plot was horrible(Cheating Spouses), there were three different stories being told, they used a narrator to help you figure out what was going on, there was a side story about a Child Sex Offender, played by the cool motorcycle kid from the Original Bad News Bears( Kelly 1976). There was no resolution for anyone, none of the stories had any correlation or outcome to tie it all together. This movie was a waist of money, and a waist of time. But now you know why we have separate accounts.

NUMB

NUMB, Mathew Perry, Kevin Pollack.
I rented this movie, mainly because I like Mathew Perry, if he had not been in this, I don't think I would have liked it as much as I did. This was another Independent film, probably straight to DVD release. The story of a screenwriter that all of a sudden finds himself suffering from acute depersonalization disorder. Everything feels unreal to him, as if he is just going through the motions he has no emotional attachment to anything, and then along come a girl, and she accepts him, mainly on the assumption that he will get better. The film takes you though a journey of how he tries to cope with his disorder, at times it is frustrating to watch, but you feel for him, and when he learns the lessons of life, mainly caring for others and not just yourself, he finds new meaning to his life. It could almost be categorized as a chick flick, but it is funny enough, to work itself out of that category into a dark comedy. I thought is was pretty good, but definitely a good choice to bypass the big screen and straight to DVD. I would recommend it to anyone that likes Mathew Perry, also the Girl(Lynn Collins) she is pretty hot, so that makes it better.

Friday, June 27, 2008

ATONEMENT

ATONEMENT, James McAvoy, Keira Knightley.
This movie gets a big fat DNF from me, and those from Kentucky know what that mean. This movie was so bad, that I couldn't even finish it thus giving it a (Did Not Finish). It was so incredibly twisted, and demented, I hated myself for watching as much as I did. Kourtney had to finish it for me, and tell me the ending, which proved to me it was a good decision to stop watching. As far as the events that I did watch, I felt dirty just for witnessing film making as bad as this. I mean I am sure the cinematography was award winning, but it also proves my theory, that most Academy Award winning movies actually really SUCK. If you don't agree with me, that is fine, so please punish yourself by watching this 2 1/2 hour hunk of trash!