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.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
Leave The Kids at Home for Sex Drive
Movie: Sex Drive (R & UR, DVD Release Date: Feb 17, 2009)
Duration: 109 minutes (Unrated Version 129 minutes)
Rating: ***
Be careful who you watch this movie with. Featuring Seth Green, Josh Zuckerman, Clark Duke, and James Marsden, this movie is about an 18-year-old-virgin trying to lose it all as soon as humanly possible. When he is invited by his online squeeze to meet her across the country in his brother's stolen GTO, he is headed for trouble. The movie definitely has weak jokes and a relatively slow plot, but overall it is worth watching at least once. Viewer beware, this movie is one of the crudest of its kind and should only be watched with people you are very comfortable being around. Seth Green steals the show and does a wonderful job in this movie as a wisecracking Amish with a serious mouth. He is the best role in the show and deserves to have more time on screen. All in all I would advise you to rent it before you buy it and make sure that you can handle the crudeness.
Duration: 109 minutes (Unrated Version 129 minutes)
Rating: ***
Be careful who you watch this movie with. Featuring Seth Green, Josh Zuckerman, Clark Duke, and James Marsden, this movie is about an 18-year-old-virgin trying to lose it all as soon as humanly possible. When he is invited by his online squeeze to meet her across the country in his brother's stolen GTO, he is headed for trouble. The movie definitely has weak jokes and a relatively slow plot, but overall it is worth watching at least once. Viewer beware, this movie is one of the crudest of its kind and should only be watched with people you are very comfortable being around. Seth Green steals the show and does a wonderful job in this movie as a wisecracking Amish with a serious mouth. He is the best role in the show and deserves to have more time on screen. All in all I would advise you to rent it before you buy it and make sure that you can handle the crudeness.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Quarantine Definitely Lives Up To It's Hype
Movie: Quarantine (R, DVD Release Date: Feb 17, 2009)
Duration: 89 minutes
Rating: ****1/2
I knew before I had even put this movie into my PS3 that it was going to be good. People have been asking for months when it is going to be released, which is always a good sign. Starring Jennifer Carpenter, Jay Hernandez, and Columbus Short, Quarantine starts out with a reporter shadowing some firefighters who get a call to an apartment building. They are all promptly barricaded inside with no explanation why and left to figure out what is going on.
If you enjoyed Cloverfield then this movie is a must for you to see. The filming style and mood are so closely related it is impossible not to enjoy just one or the other. This movie also shares several similarities to the video game Left 4 Dead (released November 2008 on Xbox 360 by Valve Corporation). Both the filming style and the themes shared with Left 4 Dead combined to create the first movie that has actually scared me to watch in a long time. Quarantine is very clean cut and hard to criticize, except for that fact that a reporter and a cameraman gain ridiculous access to some scenes in the story. The story is great and brings original concepts to the classic virus-ends-humankind movie. Don't miss Quarantine and prepare yourself for a breathtakingly-intense scene at the end!
Duration: 89 minutes
Rating: ****1/2
I knew before I had even put this movie into my PS3 that it was going to be good. People have been asking for months when it is going to be released, which is always a good sign. Starring Jennifer Carpenter, Jay Hernandez, and Columbus Short, Quarantine starts out with a reporter shadowing some firefighters who get a call to an apartment building. They are all promptly barricaded inside with no explanation why and left to figure out what is going on.
If you enjoyed Cloverfield then this movie is a must for you to see. The filming style and mood are so closely related it is impossible not to enjoy just one or the other. This movie also shares several similarities to the video game Left 4 Dead (released November 2008 on Xbox 360 by Valve Corporation). Both the filming style and the themes shared with Left 4 Dead combined to create the first movie that has actually scared me to watch in a long time. Quarantine is very clean cut and hard to criticize, except for that fact that a reporter and a cameraman gain ridiculous access to some scenes in the story. The story is great and brings original concepts to the classic virus-ends-humankind movie. Don't miss Quarantine and prepare yourself for a breathtakingly-intense scene at the end!
Friday, February 6, 2009
Madagascar 2 - Rent It First
Movie: Madagascar - Escape 2 Africa (PG, DVD Release Date: Feb 6, 2009)
Duration: 89 minutes
Rating: **1/2
Those of you thinking of purchasing this film for you children (or yourself) to enjoy let me offer some words of advice: rent it first. Featuring the voice talents of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, and Jada Pinkett Smith, this is a sequel to a movie about four animals who escape from Central Park Zoo and end up on the island of Madagascar. This story starts off with a scene reminiscent of The Lion King (one of the movie's better parts) explaining how Alex ended up at the zoo. We are then brought back to the present with the four trying to get back to Manhattan on a rebuilt airplane. They crash land in the heart of Africa and end up meeting Alex's father. The animation for this movie was very well done, but the jokes were lame and the plot was weak and not very well thought out, which is to be expected in a kids sequel movie unfortunately. To wrap it up I would advise all to rent the movie and see how you like it first because this may not be a movie you will want to watch over and over again like your kids are bound to make you do.
Duration: 89 minutes
Rating: **1/2
Those of you thinking of purchasing this film for you children (or yourself) to enjoy let me offer some words of advice: rent it first. Featuring the voice talents of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, and Jada Pinkett Smith, this is a sequel to a movie about four animals who escape from Central Park Zoo and end up on the island of Madagascar. This story starts off with a scene reminiscent of The Lion King (one of the movie's better parts) explaining how Alex ended up at the zoo. We are then brought back to the present with the four trying to get back to Manhattan on a rebuilt airplane. They crash land in the heart of Africa and end up meeting Alex's father. The animation for this movie was very well done, but the jokes were lame and the plot was weak and not very well thought out, which is to be expected in a kids sequel movie unfortunately. To wrap it up I would advise all to rent the movie and see how you like it first because this may not be a movie you will want to watch over and over again like your kids are bound to make you do.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Pineapple Express - Hilarious But Not For Everyone
Movie: Pineapple Express (R & UR, DVD Release Date: Jan 6, 2009)
Duration: 112 minutes (Unrated Version 117 minutes)
Rating: ****
Judd Apatow and Seth Rogen team up yet again to create another hilarious story about literally nothing at all. James Franco and Seth Rogen play Saul and Dale, two idiotic potheads on the run because of a murder that Dale(Rogen) witnessed. This unlikely pair hit it off immediately and deliver their jokes with perfect timing. Craig Robinson (The Office) and Danny McBride (Tropic Thunder) do very well as supporting roles, and have great chemistry with both Rogen and Franco. I was laughing the entire time the movie was playing and hours after it was done. The only weak point this movie has is its controversiality. The entire movie is about smoking weed, which will turn some people off right away. You have to take the movie for what it is and not what it contains. If you can get past the drugs, you will be able to take in one of my four favorite comedies of 2008!
Duration: 112 minutes (Unrated Version 117 minutes)
Rating: ****
Judd Apatow and Seth Rogen team up yet again to create another hilarious story about literally nothing at all. James Franco and Seth Rogen play Saul and Dale, two idiotic potheads on the run because of a murder that Dale(Rogen) witnessed. This unlikely pair hit it off immediately and deliver their jokes with perfect timing. Craig Robinson (The Office) and Danny McBride (Tropic Thunder) do very well as supporting roles, and have great chemistry with both Rogen and Franco. I was laughing the entire time the movie was playing and hours after it was done. The only weak point this movie has is its controversiality. The entire movie is about smoking weed, which will turn some people off right away. You have to take the movie for what it is and not what it contains. If you can get past the drugs, you will be able to take in one of my four favorite comedies of 2008!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Lakeview Terrace Brings Bread to the Table
Movie: Lakeview Terrace (PG-13, DVD Release Date: Jan 27, 2009)
Duration: 110 minutes
Rating: ***1/2
I must admit right away that I was not expecting much from this movie, despite all the hype it has received. Samuel L. Jackson plays the role of a demented neighborhood cop who wastes no time in letting his new neighbors know how he feels about their relationship. As usual, Jackson delivers a thoroughly convincing and entertaining role. The movie has few notable weak points, one of which is a distracting subplot that does not add much to the overall story being told. The storyline is very solid an concise, and does not jump around from place to place. The characters are developed enough to understand their motives without going off on tangents. Overall this movie is definitely worth watching at least once; maybe even worth owning.
Duration: 110 minutes
Rating: ***1/2
I must admit right away that I was not expecting much from this movie, despite all the hype it has received. Samuel L. Jackson plays the role of a demented neighborhood cop who wastes no time in letting his new neighbors know how he feels about their relationship. As usual, Jackson delivers a thoroughly convincing and entertaining role. The movie has few notable weak points, one of which is a distracting subplot that does not add much to the overall story being told. The storyline is very solid an concise, and does not jump around from place to place. The characters are developed enough to understand their motives without going off on tangents. Overall this movie is definitely worth watching at least once; maybe even worth owning.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Igor - Great for Kids but Not Much Else
Movie: Igor (PG, DVD Release Date: Jan 20, 2009)
Duration: 86 minutes
Rating: **
Those of you who like myself were hoping that Igor would be an original and entertaining new kids movie will be in for a surprise. John Cusack, Steve Buschemi, Jay Leno, Eddie Izzard, and John Cleese all play voices in this new twist on an old school concept. Although the voice actors themselves did a great job and some of their jokes are funny, the animation was a bit behind the audio and reverted to more generic character modeling. The characters are fairly developed, but the story suddenly rushed ahead at points leaving the viewer wondering what just happened. The ending, of course, leaves the good guys happily ever after and the bad guys reaping the consequences of their wrongdoings, but I found that I did not much care. The one thing this movie has going for it is that it is a good seasonal movie for kids around Halloween. I had high hopes for this one, but they were driven straight to the ground. If you are looking for a good kids movie, go with Kung Fu Panda instead.
Duration: 86 minutes
Rating: **
Those of you who like myself were hoping that Igor would be an original and entertaining new kids movie will be in for a surprise. John Cusack, Steve Buschemi, Jay Leno, Eddie Izzard, and John Cleese all play voices in this new twist on an old school concept. Although the voice actors themselves did a great job and some of their jokes are funny, the animation was a bit behind the audio and reverted to more generic character modeling. The characters are fairly developed, but the story suddenly rushed ahead at points leaving the viewer wondering what just happened. The ending, of course, leaves the good guys happily ever after and the bad guys reaping the consequences of their wrongdoings, but I found that I did not much care. The one thing this movie has going for it is that it is a good seasonal movie for kids around Halloween. I had high hopes for this one, but they were driven straight to the ground. If you are looking for a good kids movie, go with Kung Fu Panda instead.
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