Sunday, April 26, 2009

Bride Wars - Not Too Bad Even For A Guy

Movie: Bride Wars (PG, DVD Release Date: Apr 28, 2009)
Duration: 89 minutes
Rating: **1/2

I was not exactly sure what to think of this movie when I saw previews for it at the theater. I knew that I wasn't going to pay 8 bucks to see it, so I waited until it showed up at my work. I plugged it in and was not disappointed for the price I paid for it (free!) Starring Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway, this is the story of two women who have been friends all their lives. They do everything together and share the same dream of getting married in the Plaza once their special days come. Both of their boyfriends propose to them at the same time, so they immediately make plans to get married in the Plaza. There is a mix up and they are both booked on the same day so they must try to convince each other to change the date or venue. The movie does not have an amazing story that you must see to complete your life, but it is interesting enough to keep you entertained. The movie has something for you to learn as well - Anne Hathaway can dance! I would not buy Bride Wars but it is definitely worth the watch.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

RE: Stepping Back A Bit

Here is an interesting discussion about Micheal Jackson:
http://tydiz936.blogspot.com/2009/04/stepping-back-bit.html

Thursday, April 9, 2009

RE: Today's cartoons

Here is an interesting discussion about today's cartoons and my thoughts:

http://iceman-whatsyourbeef.blogspot.com/2009/03/todays-cartoons.html

Friday, April 3, 2009

The Fail of Despereaux

Movie: The Tale of Despereaux (G, DVD Release Date: Apr 7, 2009)
Duration: 94 minutes
Rating: *

This is a movie that you would do well to avoid on all accounts. Featuring a ridiculous cast of big stars including Mathew Broderick, Dustin Hoffman, Christopher Lloyd, William H. Macy, Kevin Kline, Tracy Ullman, and Emma Watson, Despereaux is a story about a mouse that refuses to be a mouse. The story is very dry and uninteresting, and keeps skipping around and changing points of view. There is no humor to speak of, which is very important in a kids movie. I lost interest 20 minutes in and never recovered. There are far too many characters so none can be focused on and studied by the viewer. Also despite the fact that this movie is rated G it is very depressing throughout. The only good thing I have to say about this movie is that the animation is very good for the most part. They put all their time and budget into production without creating a good story first. Please just do yourself a favor and watch something else.

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Slumdog Millionaire - Dirty But Intriguing

Movie: Slumdog Millionaire (R, DVD Release Date: Mar 31, 2009)
Duration: 121 minutes
Rating: ***

Directed by Danny Boyle and starring Dev Patel, Slumdog Millionaire is about an Indian boy who makes it on the Indian version of the show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Everyone is astounded to find that Jamal(Patel), who grew up knowing only poverty, has managed to succeed where so many brilliant minds have failed. Slumdog offers a very unique type of love story. It takes place right before the final question and Jamal has been taken to jail on suspicion of fraud on the show. He explains to the authorities why he is able to answer each of the questions brought up on the show. The answers come from things he encountered during his childhood with his brother Salim and friend Latika. During the past events that Jamal reveals we find out what his inspiration to be on the show was. The movie gives a good perspective on life in India, which would explain why it swept the Academy Awards this year. The characters are thought out and their intensions are clear and consistant throughout the movie. One bad thing to point out is that when you watch this movie you will feel bad for Jamal, Salim, and Latika as you watch what happens to them in their poor world. If you are feeling bad you might want to wait on this movie; otherwise it is definitely worth the watch.

Friday, March 20, 2009

Disney Brings It Back With Bolt

Movie: Bolt (PG, DVD Release Date: Mar 24, 2009)
Duration: 96 minutes
Rating: ***1/2

When I saw the previews for this movie I was looking forward to seeing if Disney could still actually make a movie worth watching without the help of Pixar. Lately the only animated Disney movies worth taking the time to watch have been the ones done by Disney-Pixar (Wall-E being the most recent). This movie has brought them out of their rut and hopefully has set them up for more good movies to come. Bolt (voiced by John Travolta) is a story about a TV series dog with super powers that he uses to save his owner Penny (voiced by Miley Cyrus). When one of the shows ends with Penny being held captive by the Green-Eyed Man, Bolt sets out to save her. Along the way he has several misadventures with his captive Mittens and sidekick Rhino (voiced by Susie Essman and Mark Walton, respectively). The animation of the movie is excellent and the sound is never out of que. The plot is as predictable as ever until you reach the end where you will not be able to guess what will happen. The storyline of Bolt definitely has some originality to it, but as in all movies there are the little bits thrown in that the viewer can see coming a mile away. Kids will love Bolt because of the cuteness of the main character. Parents will be able to endure the countless times they will be forced to watch it by their kids because it has some feel-good parts like a good kids movie should.

Monday, March 9, 2009

Role Models - A Different Kind of Humor

Movie: Role Models (R & UR, DVD Release Date: Mar 10, 2009)
Duration: 99 minutes (Unrated Version 102 minutes)
Rating: ***

I would not even think to have paired Paul Rudd and Sean William Scott together in a movie such as this one. They play Danny and Wheeler, two spokespersons for Minotaur energy drink who run into some trouble when they drive the Minotaur truck up a statue outside and elementary school. They are sentenced to either 30 days in prison or 150 hours community service for Sturdy Wings, a mentoring program for kids. They are paired up with two strange yet interesting boys whom they must bond or face the jail time they are sentenced to. This movie is definitely more funny than Sex Drive with some situations you would not expect to come up when there are kids around. Unfortunately the movie does have the unavoidable disappoint-both-kids-simultaneously point in the plot in which the characters must redeem themselves to save the day. There is a romance element to the movie that does not get fully fleshed out before the movie is over, leaving the viewer wondering what happens to the couple after the story ends. some of the movie's finer points are a full-on L.A.I.R.E. battle (a role-playing community similar to a real life Dungeons and Dragons) and numerous sexual references that are noticed by none but Danny or Wheeler. Role Models is a great movie if you are looking for something crude but not too over the top such as Sex Drive or *insert Judd Apatow movie here*. This movie is not one to watch with the kids, but it is on the lighter side (yes even the unrated version) while still being able to make you laugh.