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.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
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.
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.
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.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Don't Miss Australia
Movie: Australia (PG-13, DVD Release Date: Mar 3, 2009)
Duration: 165 minutes
Rating: ****
Put this movie on your 'to see' list; featuring Nicole Kidman as a rich cattle property owner, Hugh Jackman as a lone wolf cattle drover, and introducing Brandon Walters as a boy so heart-melting you'll wish he was your own. Australia amazingly takes place in the continent of Australia in 1939, just as World War II is beginning. There are Allie troops stationed in the territory of Darwin in Australia, and beef is needed to feed the many soldiers. Problem is, a rich land owner by the name of Carney owns most of the beef industry in Australia and is monopolizing the beef to sell at a higher price to the army. The last gig in town not run by Carney is run by Lady Sarah Ashley (Kidman). She must get her cattle to Darwin with the help of Drover (Jackman) and a mixed-race boy named Nullah (Walters). While on their journey, Lady Ashley develops a bond with Nullah and takes her in as her own.
This movie features the vast, beautiful landscapes of Australia that will surely catch your eye without effort. The beauty of the land is effectively used to draw you in and make you want to keep watching the movie to the very end. The story is very well thought out (thanks to directer and screenwriter Baz Luhrmann) and sticks very close to itself without going off into a subplot that loses your interest. The only drawback of Australia is its length; 2 hours and 45 minutes is a long time to set aside to watch a movie. I had to split it up into two different sessions when I watched it at my house in order to get through it all. Studies show that humans will lost interest in something if it lasts longer than 2 hours, which is why movies have a fairly standard length of 120 minutes. The producers of Australia could not have done this movie justice if they had decided to cut it down to this length, which I feel is a good reason to give it a try and not be drawn away by the length of it.
In terms of renting this movie or buying it I am sitting on the fence. The story is amazing and the visuals are magnificent (if I were to travel abroad, the first place I would want to visit is Australia), but its length can be hard to make it watchable more than a few times before it is put on the shelf forever. I would highly recommend that everyone see this movie at least once, because it has a story that should not be overlooked by any.
EDIT: After long personal debate, I did purchase this movie.
Duration: 165 minutes
Rating: ****
Put this movie on your 'to see' list; featuring Nicole Kidman as a rich cattle property owner, Hugh Jackman as a lone wolf cattle drover, and introducing Brandon Walters as a boy so heart-melting you'll wish he was your own. Australia amazingly takes place in the continent of Australia in 1939, just as World War II is beginning. There are Allie troops stationed in the territory of Darwin in Australia, and beef is needed to feed the many soldiers. Problem is, a rich land owner by the name of Carney owns most of the beef industry in Australia and is monopolizing the beef to sell at a higher price to the army. The last gig in town not run by Carney is run by Lady Sarah Ashley (Kidman). She must get her cattle to Darwin with the help of Drover (Jackman) and a mixed-race boy named Nullah (Walters). While on their journey, Lady Ashley develops a bond with Nullah and takes her in as her own.
This movie features the vast, beautiful landscapes of Australia that will surely catch your eye without effort. The beauty of the land is effectively used to draw you in and make you want to keep watching the movie to the very end. The story is very well thought out (thanks to directer and screenwriter Baz Luhrmann) and sticks very close to itself without going off into a subplot that loses your interest. The only drawback of Australia is its length; 2 hours and 45 minutes is a long time to set aside to watch a movie. I had to split it up into two different sessions when I watched it at my house in order to get through it all. Studies show that humans will lost interest in something if it lasts longer than 2 hours, which is why movies have a fairly standard length of 120 minutes. The producers of Australia could not have done this movie justice if they had decided to cut it down to this length, which I feel is a good reason to give it a try and not be drawn away by the length of it.
In terms of renting this movie or buying it I am sitting on the fence. The story is amazing and the visuals are magnificent (if I were to travel abroad, the first place I would want to visit is Australia), but its length can be hard to make it watchable more than a few times before it is put on the shelf forever. I would highly recommend that everyone see this movie at least once, because it has a story that should not be overlooked by any.
EDIT: After long personal debate, I did purchase this movie.
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