Review - Sherlock Holmes

Robert Downing, Jr and Jude Law co-star as Sherlock and Watson in the latest retelling of the adventures of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous literary character Sherlock Holmes. The movie, simply titled Sherlock Holmes, features a detective story covering everything from black magic to secret societies that threaten to take over the world. It also features performances by Rachel McAdams (Irene Adler) and Mark Strong (Lord Blackwood...the villain).

The film contains a perfect balance of comedic elements and serious, genuine drama. The story is not very obvious and I couldn't really predict what was going to happen next. The atmosphere is well captured and typical of Victorian London like you've seen in earlier Sherlock and Jack the Ripper movies. The actors do a very good job in bringing the characters to life. I was in particularly impressed with Robert (as I usually am). Many people have been concerned that Sherlock Holmes was going to basically have the same formula as Pirates of the Carribean trilogy. It most assuredly does not. Although both are made by Disney they have separate identities.

The main problem I have with the movie probably has more to do with me than the film itself. I had a bit of difficulty following the story in certain parts because I couldn't understand what was being said all the time. Alot of times people would laugh at something funny I completely missed it, only hearing fast mumbling. I guess it's just me.

Overall this is a pretty good movie. I never got bored and when I got lost I found my way again without missing too much. I don't feel it's a classic just yet but it could become apart of classic trilogy (there'll be others).....for now...RENT IT.

Avatar is James Cameron’s latest film and comes highly anticpated by his fans and movie fans in general. It tells the futuristic story of handicapped US Marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his involvement in an operation to cultivate a valuable rock mineral from the planet Pandora. However, to do this he undergoes a new procedure to live through a body identical to the indigenous race of people. They are tall, blue, have tails and sometimes act like wild animals. During his time as an avatar he tries to be accepted by the natives, develops a love interest and finds himself struggling to maintain and understand his identity. The film’s supporting cast includes Sigourney Weaver (Grace Augustine), Zoe Saldana (Neytiri), Stephen Lang (Col. Quaritch), and Giovanni Ribisi (Parker Selfridge).

ALLAN'S TAKE

THE LIKES: The best thing about this movie was the CGI special effects. It was easy to tell that a lot of time and effort went into this movie to make it look good. A lot of attention was paid to detail. Sometimes it was quite difficult to believe that, apparently, everything on Pandora was generated by CGI. My favorite visual effects were visible during the night scenes. Seeing how the natives lit up their environment and the way it looked was very impressive to me.

THE DISLIKES: However, there are a lot of aspects I couldn’t get on board with. I felt the movie was too long and drawn out in similar fashion to 2012. It lasted about 30 minutes longer than it probably should have. Also it didn’t really care for the political overtones throuhgout the movie. The natives are obviously based on the American Indians with the theme of their civilization being overun by an outside people. Also the US Marines in the film were not represented in a positive way for the most part. Usually for me, political overtones of any kind from any viewpoint are a turn off. One reason I watch movies is to get away from all that kind of stuff.

The overall story development seemed too obvious and too predictable as it follows the usual basic formula with the obligatory love story. Though I will say I think this movie has a better story than 2012. Also the dialogue was not always that good and the acting by the supporting cast didn’t seem consistent.

RATING: This is not a horrible movie but it’s not a classic either. It’s certainly a very well made film from the perspective of CGI and visuals. But story wise it’s just not on the same level as Cameron’s scifi movies Terminator and Terminator 2.

…RENT IT

JAMES' TAKE

AVATAR is trully one of the most amazing films I have seen in a long time. If you have read any reviews of the movie, this will not be any different than what people are calling the film, "Visually Stunning." What enhanced the experiece, was seeing it in 3-D. This was the first 3-D movie I have seen for a major motion picture and was simply blown away. Besides the incredible CGI, the story and characters are well done and they do not get lost in the CGI, like some movies end up (Star Wars 1-3). What i was particularly intrigued by was the terrain and landscape and how it seemed to flow naturally into the story. Jim Cameron had written the movie over a decade ago, if i am not mistaken, and wanted to wait till the technology was ready to make such a film. Well, it was definitely worth the wait Mr. Cameron. Lastly, a lot of blockbuster movies are leaving the films open at the end for sequels, prequals, spin-offs, etc. Without giving away any spoilers, this movie began strong and had an brilliant ending. You almost do not want to ruin a franchise of any kind (Terminator 3) by beating a dead horse. As much as we would love to see the lives of 10 foot tall navu's talking to mother earth and pinning their tails on every thing on Pandora all day, this should be probably left for a one time movie deal.

So here is my rundown:
THE GOOD: Characters, CGI, 3-D is only way to see it!
THE BAD: Too Much Tree-Hugging/Mother Earth references. Also, I wish they would have told us how Pandora was found?
THE UGLY: Sorry, no complaints here.

Final Verdict: GO NOOOOOOOOWWWWWW...and see it in 3-D, and use the bathroom before the movies starts (run time - 2 hrs, 42 minutes). But be sure and recycle your 3-D glasses, for Eywu's sake (Pandora reference...have to see it to get it)!

Review: Armored

Armored follows Ty Hackett, an rookie armored truck guard for the Eagle Shield Armored Truck Co. We learn early on in the film that Ty has been taking care of his younger brother because their parents have recently died. We are soon introduced to Mike Cochrone, a co-worker who has an almost brotherly relationship with Ty. A little later on in the movie we learn that Ty is having trouble paying all of the bills and that the bank wants to take his parents house that he and his brother live in. As things go from bad to worse a seemingly perfect answer to all of Ty's problems arise. Mike tells Ty that he and a group of armored truck guards he knows are planning to steals a large shipment of money they are to be transporting soon. Reluctantly Ty agrees to be part of the plan, as the plan is carried out things go from good to catastrophic in a matter of minutes.

Armored is a very good heist movie. It has action, a good story and good acting. I always found myself anxious to find out what would happen next. The film was very realistic an never felt over the top. There wasn't a lot of special effects and to be honest this movie did not need them. This movie excels at showing how doing something wrong for good reasons can soon backfire. I also like the fact that it shows to us the power that greed has over some people.

I really can't think of anything negative to say about this film. I loved it.

If you have a chance to see Armored I definitely say that you should....

GO NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Review: Ninja Assassin

Let's get to it. Ninja Assassin follows Raizo an orphan who has been taken in by an ancient and mysterious clan of ninja. Through flashbacks that are woven in with the present we are witness to his rise as a top ninja. The present day story follows Raizo and Mika Coretti, the latter is a Europol agent who has stumbled upon the existence of the ninja. We soon learn that this is not taken lightly and her life is immediately placed in grave danger. From their the story begins....

Ninja Assassin is a top notch action movie. Within the first five minutes people die in such creative ways that put the Saw movies to shame. The movie follows a very thin plot. It is never heavy, but I wished that the dialogue could have been better. Ninja Assassin excels at being an action movie, there is rarely a time when someone isn't getting cut up. The action sequenced were top notch. It's about what you would expect from the Wachowski brothers.

Ninja Assassin fails in the story which I talked about earlier. The story itself just serves as a bridge between the times that Raizo is kicking peoples behinds. That's all I have to say about the negative aspects.

This is an action movie with some of the coolest deaths scenes ever. I will readily admit that this movie is not for everyone. But, if you're ready to see bloody ninja on ninja action then you should definitely.....

GO NOW

Review - The Men Who Stare at Goats

The Men Who Stare at Goats is a movie directed by Grant Heslov and is based off a book by UK journalist Jon Ronson. It tells the story of a journalist named Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) who is dragged down in life by the recent event of his wife running off with someone else. To help deal his feelings of worthlessness he decides to go off and report on site in the recent war in Iraq. During his time there he comes across Lyn Cassady (George Clooney) and soon learns the almost unbelievable story of the US military involvement in remote viewing (aka "psychic spies"). Bob soon gets caught up with Lyn on his "mission" in Iraq. And long the way, mostly through backstory, we meet some rather interesting characters including Bill Django (Jeff Bridges) and Larry Hooper (Kevin Spacey).

This movie has a very original story-line. I don't think there has ever been a movie quite like it. It's just the right length and the acting is very good. It's not a true comedy but does have many funny moments to it. I especially liked the main message: that someone who thinks they are down and out in life can bring themselves up and find their true destiny and place in life. The ending was suburb and very symbolic of this.

For those who may be concerned about the 'R' rating, I wouldn't be. It's just about a PG-13. It may be the drug references that give it a 'R'...I don't know. Also this is a definite must see for any and all hippie Star Wars fans that like the band Boston.........GO NOW!!

Dual Review: 2012

By now everyone has heard that on December 21, 2012 something is going to happen. Unfortunately for us 2012 has already arrived....

2012 is a classic disaster movie that follows Jackson Curtis and Adrian Helmsley. Jackson is a part time writer/limo driver. Adrian is a geologist who through a series of events realizes that the earth is going through dangerous changes. Throughout the movie we follow both of them as their varied paths inevitably criss-cross and eventually join.

Jared's Take: 2012 delivered what it promised. Lots of action, destruction and mayhem. What I didn't expect from it was the human element that it displayed beautifully. There were actually moments that made me feel like crying, no tears were shed though. I was shown the full range of emotions that humans exhibit. The acting was very well done and never felt over the top.


The main complaint that I have about the film is that it was two and a half hours long. I believe that some scenes could have been cut out and it would have not created any continuity issues. Another issue I have with the film is that I never really felt as if the cast was in mortal danger. I don't know if it was the CG or whether or not the acting was not as great as I thought.


Allan's Take: In spite of all the action and the world coming apart, my favorite thing about this movie was the story that takes place between Jackson and his estranged family. (Although we already saw this in Speilberg's War of the Worlds, 2005). Furthermore it was interesting seeing people from different backgrounds and cultures coming together to save the single human race. Even when it would have been easy not to.

On the negative side I didn't think the CGI efx were nearly as good as they could've and should've been. Much of the action seemed a bit too cartoonish for me. Also this wasn't a great big monumental film like I thought it would be, based on the early promotion we saw in the theatres. I also felt the movie was a bit repetitive at times and could probably have been about a half hour shorter than it was. It kinda seemed like they were forcing it into being a 2 hour 38 minute movie.

Jared's Rating: Although the movie was entertaining, I don't think I would be in such a rush to watch it again. Unless you just have to find something to kill three hours with......RENT IT.


Allan's Rating: 2012 wasn't quite as good as I was hoping it would be but it was still pretty good...RENT IT.

Dual Review: The Fourth Kind

The Fourth Kind is a movie that tells the story of Dr. Abigail Tyler. She is a mental health doctor that is conducting a sleep disorder study in the town of Nome, Alaska. Since this film is based on "actual events", "real evidence" is shown and heard along with the film. As the film progresses we soon learn that what is occurring may not be a simple sleep disorder. As the film's title implies people in Nome may be being visited by beings not of this world.

Allan's Take: Due to the nature of this film and my response to it, it's best for me to divert from the format we've been using for the last several reviews....I have never been disturbed by a movie before. This one did it. This came from the scenes that were not recreated but actual video/audio recordings from hypnosis sessions. It's more than listening to people talk. The skeptic argument that hypnosis can cause "false memories" doesn't get it done here. Here are some things that happened in the theatre: A) crying B) people leaving feeling ill and/or uncomfortable. People who responded in this way included the younger guys who were there to act stupid. I have never witnessed anything like this in a theatre.

Jared's Take: I believe this film was very well executed. Although the film starts off slow, you really are sucked into the film. The "evidence" is woven into the film seamlessly. The acting was very good and it added to the realism. With all of that said I must warn you, there are elements of this film that are very disturbing. This is the first film that I have sat and watched in the movie theater, in which I found my hand creeping up to my face to cover my eyes. I resisted covering my eyes though and watched the entire film. After the film was over I found that I was highly creeped out. Even now as I write this review I am on edge. This is a film of the rarest kind, it appeals to your emotions and makes you really think.

Allan's Rating: I cannot rate this movie/documentary. It's perfectly made and put together. They accomplished everything they set out to do. But I can't tell people to go see this movie. This subject matter is not for everyone for a variety of reasons. If it's for you then GO NOW but if not then you probably aren't ready for it.

Jared's Rating: This is one of the best films that I have seen all year. If you are interested in ufology in any way, shape, or form this movie is highly recommended. If you can handle the highly disturbing elements that are shown and heard I say.............GO NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Review - Amelia

Amelia is based on the true story of Amelia Earhart (through two books about her life) played by Hilary Swank. She was a famous pilot during the 1930s who achieved record setting accomplishments. The infamous part of her career was disapearing somewhere over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to be the first person to fly around the world - an event that has fueled speculation and excitement ever since. Amelia tells this story as well as the tale of her personal life during this period which greatly features her love interest George Putnam (Richard Gere).

The Likes: The first thing that struck me about this movie was the high quality of Richard's and Hiliary's acting as well as that of the supporting cast. Also the film's writing by Ronald Bass and Anna Hamilton Phelan was suberb. The film shows both the positive and negative sides of being famous from the point of view of Amelia and it showed her as more than just a famous pilot. This wasn't an action movie but it did have plenty of exciting sequences. The background visuals were also excellent.

The Dislikes: This really isn't important to the story itself but I would have liked to have seen more things to contribute to the era that the movie depicts. There are things like period cars, fashion, as well as scenes that make NYC seem like a safe place. But you never hear news reports or anything showing that you are in the Depression era or that there are significant political changes taking place in Asia and Europe. There is a theory out there that Amelia was shot down by Japanese fighters.

Rating: This a good movie. Much better than what I was expecting. I give it a strong ...RENT IT.

Dual Review: Paranormal Activity

Paranormal Activity is a new entry in the Horror film genre. It is an independent film that was made on a reported budget of 15,000. The film is shot from the perspective of the camera that the main male protagonist buys before the film begins. The film takes place over the span of almost a month and tells the story of a new couple that have moved in with each other. We soon learn that strange things have taken place in the house. While the couple are asleep at night the hear strange noises and when they wake up things downstairs are out of place. We soon learn that for the female protagonist, Katie, these strange occurrences are nothing new to her.

Jared's Take: What I like about Paranormal Activity is the fact that it is an independent film that had a low budget and it was still up there wit the big budget films in terms of content. The story was well played and the acting mostly felt natural. Even some of the special effects blew me away. While most Hollywood films rely on special effects to make the movie, this one seems to rely more on the human element. Throughout the movie there is this tension that builds up until the final scene. The final 10 minutes of the movie is where the film really shines.

Since this is a low budget film I will try not to be overly critical of the negatives that this movie brings. The movie fails in the fact that it was way too long. Most of the movie takes place in the couples' bedroom and it is viewed through the camera sitting on the tripod. While this is interesting for the first couple of times it soon becomes tiresome. The human element also runs a little thin as the dialogue soon becomes old and stagnant. I think that Paranormal Activity is a breath of fresh air to the lifeless Horror/Gore genre but it does not deserve all of the hype that it has received so far. The movie failed to scare me at all and it definitely was not the scariest movie ever.

Allan's Take: The best thing about this movie in my opinion is the few moments of genuine suspense. The timing is well done. There is a rather large amount of humor but it fits the story and is not over done. I think that it is also good that this film doesn't seem to glorify anything negative and frowns upon the use of Ouja boards. One thing I was happy to see was the high quality of acting. The fear expressed by the girl seemed genuine. Also the special effects were outstanding and looked real. The sound effects were equally good and at times reminded of the original "The Haunting" (1963).

Onto the negative side. The style of "Paranormal Activity" was once original but no longer is. We were introduced to it about 10 years ago with the "Blair Witch Project" and have seen it more recently with the excellent "Cloverfield". So the idea of seeing a movie completely documentary style no longer carries the same kind of newness with it as it once did. The worse thing about the movie is I felt it is too predictable. About 99% of the time I knew what was coming and therefore never felt scared. This well vary depending on the amount of movies you've seen.

Jared's Rating: Although I personally enjoyed Paranormal Activity, I can't let my feelings affect how I feel it would appeal to others. If you just have to see it then GO NOW, but for everyone that is on the fence...RENT IT.

Allan's Rating: "Paranormal Activity" is not a revolutionary film. It's not worth the super amount of hype it has received. However it is better than many of the genre's movies (the Amityville Horror movies, Haunting in Connecticut). Therefore I'll give it a...RENT IT.

Review - Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant

The Vampire's Assistant tells a very interesting story about two best friend high school kids. One is named Daren (Chris Massoglia) who's the bright kid with a good family and a promising future. The other is Steve (Josh Hutcherson) who comes from a less fortunate family that we learn a little about throughout the film. These two guys sneak off to a small circus freak show and consequently get pulled into the world of the undead and a brewing conflict between the vampires (good guys) and the vampanese (bad guys). Our guide through this world is vampire Larten Crepsley (John C. Reilly). Along the way we meet interesting characters played by some recognizable actors I wasn't expecting to see. A key thing to point out about the movie is that it is not a true comedy. It does contain some humor but it's equally dramactic.

The Likes: The Vampire's Assistant tells of the most original stories I've seen in a movie in a very loooonnngg time, combining quirky humor with well-placed special fx. All of the characters are wonderful and had a refreshing amount of depth to them. Throughout the movie there is some strong commentary concerning the treatment of people the same as others. Even if some people come across as different. In a way I think this is what this film is about. There is a love story that develops involving Daren but it isn't over done. The length of the film was just right. I never felt bored and never felt there was anything in the movie that was unecessary. The climax was sensational and wasn't just a big fight scene.

The Dislike: The real dislike I had of the movie was the acting of Hutcherson (Steve) wasn't always that great. But not too bad.

Rating: The Vampire's Assistant was a surprise movie for me. It's meant to be the beginning of a series. It could easily be a good trilogy and I hope it is. I'm starting to think of it as the anti-Twilight....GO NOW!!!

Review - The Stepfather

The Stepfather tells the story of a psychotic man named David (Dylan Walsh) obsessed with having the perfect family. It is based on an original film (1987) of the same name. The basic idea and plot is the same as the first...beginning with David leaving his family that he just murdered and then going off and deceiving another single and/or divorced woman .

Allan's Take: This film is well-made and well acted for the most part. Unlike so many movies today, it wasn't over-ridden with humor.

However, it wasn't that scary and not very suspensful either. Besides bringing in modern technology (cell phones, internet) there is really nothing this movie does that the original does not.

Jared's Take: The Stepfather was mildly entertaining in my opinion. The plot was very thin, but very easy to follow. The parts that I really liked were the points in which people began to die, but then again that's what I expected to see. The last five minutes of the movie really had my interest.

Now for the bad. The Stepfather is entirely to long. I expected this to be like a slasher flick and for about 20 minutes of the 1 hour and 46 min movie I got what I expected. I know that the film centers around a man that wants to find the perfect family and when he doesn't he kills them, but some scenes made me wonder why they were in the movie. The dialogue was not great and the end was too short. If the filmmakers had taken out the sappy stuff between the main protagonist and his girlfriend that would have made the movie infinitely better.

Allan's Rating: If you're interested in this type of story there really isn't a reason to not just watch the original when it comes on tv...FX/TBS It

Jared's Rating: For the price that I paid, I didn't get a whole lot of what I wanted. I unlike Allan have not seen the original so I'm not sure how great it was. Although this movie has some redeeming qualities, please don't waste your money...FX/TBS It

Mini Review: Pandorum

Yes I know, this movie has been out for a month or so, but hear me out on this. Pandorum is a science fiction movie of the rarest kind. The film centers around two men who are awoken out of a deep sleep on a mysterious spaceship, the Elysium. The main protagonist Bower is the first to wake and he doesn't remember why he is on the ship. He then wakes up Lt. Payton(Dennis Quaid) and the two set about to find out what happened. Along the way the two find out that mysterious creatures have boarded the ship and are hunting humans. We soon find out the horrible truth of what happened on the Elysium. As I said before Pandorum is a rare gem and deserves a chance. The story is good and as the film's tagline states, "Fear what happens next" and...

GO NOW!!!!!!!!!!

Dual Review - Law Abiding Citizen

Law Abiding Citizen follows the unfortunate story of Clyde Shelton(Gerard Butler) after his wife and daughter are killed in a home invasion. The criminals who committed the crime were apprehended but the prosecuting attorney Nick Rice(Jamie Foxx) has cut a deal with one of them. In return for testifying against his cohort one of the criminals only receives three years in prison, while his partner gets sent to death row. The story then picks up ten years later as people who had anything to do with the trial, whether they be the criminals involved or public officials, begin dying mysteriously. We learn early on that Clyde Shelton is behind these heinous acts, the only thing that keeps this from being an open and shut case is the fact that while Clyde is in prison, people are still being murdered. It it Nick's job to find out how and why the body count keeps rising.

Jared's Take: Overall Law Abiding Citizen is one of the best movies that I have seen in the past few months. It is clearly head and shoulders above Butler's last movie Gamer. The story is well told and the pacing is just right. The plot is easy to understand and follow. You are never confused or lost. The acting is all around good and you do find yourself growing attached to each character. Hitting on that I want to comment on how I began feeling sorry for Clyde in the beginning, but by the end, I was ready for him to pay for the crimes he had committed. I was really surprised how this character transformed.

What I didn't like about Law Abiding Citizen is that the ending felt just a little bit too rushed. I have some issues about the time frame for the last couple of minutes of the movie and the teleportation like movements for a couple of characters. Other that that though I have no real complaints about the movie itself.

Allan's Take: What makes Law Abiding Citizen a really good movie is it's a clever commentary on the American justice system and the American Dream itself. Also throuhout the story I could never really figure how the targeted officials were being killed, even though you knew who was behind it all. Like Jared, I thought it was interesting to see the transformation of the Shelton. His change in character poses questions to the audience as to what makes up a 'good guy' and what makes up a 'bad guy'.

I didn't really have any problems with the movie except for Butler getting naked. I didn't need to see that.


Jared' Rating: It's a good movie that tries to point out the problems with our current justice system. Even if you aren't a law abiding citizen, I dare you to

GO NOW!!!!!!!!!!!

Allan's Rating: This is a very important movie in my opinion. I could see it being used in a sociology class somewhere. And it's very enteraining as well...

GO NOW!!!!!!!!!!!

The new film Surrogates has now replaced White Out as the latest movie to be adapted from a graphic novel. It tells an interesting tale about a future where people can have themselves replaced by robots that they can fully control by being hooked up to a computer system. By doing this people can live under the impression (or lie) that they look much more younger, prettier, handsomer, and cooler than they really are. Only a small group of people choose to remain separate from the surrogate society. These people, often referred to as "meat bags", live under the guidance an guy called The Prophet (played by Ving Rhames).

All seems to be going great in the surrogate world...until a homicide goes down. The first one in a very long time. And this is where our main character, FBI Agent Greer comes on the scene. He is played by The Willis. Joined by his partner Agent Peters (played by Rhada Mitchell), Greer sets out to investigate the homicide. This investigation leads them into a conspiracy centered around a new high powered computerized weapon that can kill people while they're wired up to their surrogate robot.

Despite the interesting conspiracy plot, the real story of this movie centers around Greer and his wife Maggie (played by Rosamund Pike). Greer has doubts about continuing to live the surrogate lifestyle while Maggie can only feel happy with her surrogate personality. The heart-ache they both feel begins with the death of their son that occured before the movie takes place. It grows with Greer not feeling any real connection with his wife. This is the main conflict to be resolved.

An important question posed by this movie is whether the world would be a better place if we were exempt from all responsibilty. We hear the words of the surrogate commercial: "Do what you want...Be whoever you want to be". Sounds so good. But is it really? This is a similar theme to Gamer (don't see it!). However, whereas Gamer fell on its face, Surrogates takes off.

GO NOW!...........

Trailer Park Coming Soon

Reviews for Trailers are coming soon!

Review - Jennifer's Body

From the makers of Juno, comes Jennifer's Body starring Amanda Seyfried as Needy and Megan Fox in the role of Jennifer. The movie is a thriller that takes place in a typical, ordinary high school setting. The story centers on Needy and her life-long friendship with Jen. As is immediately obvious Jen has grown into the pretty girl whereas Needy is a bit more of the average-geeky girl. Through the film the main story is one of how childhood friendships can become strained once adolesence has come around. However, in this story, it goes a step further with the pretty girl becoming a demon that can only survive by eating people (mainly boys).

The main underlining theme in the movie is the relationship of how different high school social roles interact with one another. In the film we see attention drawn to the big football player, the Emo guy, and of course Needy the Geek-girl and Jen the Pretty Girl. It is obvious that this movie was made from a girl perspective for the most part. Even the fact that Jen has become a demon is a metaphor for how evil "pretty girls" are thought of. There is even a brief moment where you have 'city people' relating to 'rural people'.

As always we won't get into any spoilers but I will mention a little bit about how Jen becomes a demon girl. It involves another classic theme: the idea that you can sell your soul to the devil in return for fame and/or a certain ability. It does involve a indie rock band and a sacrifice attempt of a certain girl. You may want to do some research on blues musician Robert Johnson.

From a content stand point this not a very scary movie, although that's always open to interpretation. There alot of funny sequences that are well planned and not over done. The makeup team did a real good job. There are scenes where Jen looks freaky.

I did think this was a very good movie and was impressed with all the themes within it. Also special credit goes to it for a Phil Collins reference...

GO NOW...................

Review - White Out

Kate Beckinsale stars in White Out, the latest graphic novel movie adaptation. It is directed by Dominic Sena and tells an atmospheric story of a young female US marshall named Carrie Stetko (played by Kate) who is working in Anartica alongside a large, multi-national group of scientists. Her friend that we see from the beginning is Dr. John Fury (played by Tom Skerritt). He is portrayed as a older man with a grand daughter he has never seen, hoping he can get back to the US soon so he can spend time with her.

Things get interesting when Carrie is sent out to investigate the discovery of a dead man who obviously died under very suspicious circumstances. Things get deeper with a sudden appearance of a guy sent by the UN to investigate. His name is Robert Pryce (played by Gabriel Macht). From here the game of trust begins.

At the start of the movie we don't really know too much about the characters. And in a strong way that's where alot of the plot is. We learn more about Carrie through a gradual sequence of flashbacks of traumatic events that expalin the deepness of her character. We also learn more about the other characters that plays into the ending of the film.

White Out also interestingly shows glimpses of the "masked killer - mystery" genre that originated with Prom Night (1980). It's not the main plot of the movie but it's there and I didn't really expect to see it.

The atmosphere of the movie is very effective. The snow and the wind disguise alot of what's happening similar to being in the dark. It reminds me of the atmosphere in The Thing (1982), 30 Days of Night (2007), and The X Files: I Want to Believe (2008).

Although White Out is a good movie, there are some things I would have liked to have had. Mainly more drama and emotion dedicated to the conclusion. The ending was set up well but didn't really get driven home as powerfully as it could have been. Unfortunately, as Johnny Depp tells us in Secret Window: "The ending is the most important part". The ending of White Out didn't get it all the way done for me. But this is a good movie nonetheless...

...RENT IT

Sorority Row is the latest movie in what has become a long line of remakes of 1980s horror movies. The original movie from which this is based is titled House On Sorority Row and/or Seven Sisters. The original also served as the basis for the 1997 movie I Know What You Did Last Summer (I'm not sure if that's ever been openly acknowledged).

The movie is pretty much what you would expect to see. A prank gone wrong and somebody who knows about it going around and killing the sisters involved. You've seen this before.

There are hardly any scenes in the movie that are original. Most of the acting is bad, atleast in the first 45 minutes. After that it gets a little better. There's alot lame dialogue. Most of the characters act completely dumb. There is two way lame references to Facebook that should have been cut in the editing room. There's alot of lame talk by the sisters about how important their sorority is in life even though people around them are getting taken out. The ending is kinda okay but nothing you haven't seen. I actually figured out who the bad guy was about half way through the movie and predicted the twists at the end.

I'm gonna be kind and rate this movie as an FX/TBS It. It's not the worse movie I've seen but it really serves no purpose.

...FX/TBS IT

Review - 9

9 is the latest computer animated movie produced by Tim Burton. It is directed by Shane Acker who also serves as co-writer alongside Pamela Pettler. The film tells the tale of an alternate reality where humans have been destroyed by machines during what looks like World War II, as evidenced by the technology you see. The only survivors of the holocaust are a small group of strange machines created by a scientist. Each of these individuals are named by the number on their backs: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and the title character 9.

The main plot to the movie is the numbered individuals having to hide and fight against this great big machine that possesses the ability to create other machines similar to itself. As the story goes on the viewer is exposed to some of the best animations and visual effects I have ever seen.

Unfortunately the story itself doesn't hold up as well in its effectiveness. The story is a little bit on the thin side and is rushed through rather quickly. I was disappointed that the characters were never fully developed. I know they don't have much of a history but I was never able to get to a point were I could care about them. Throughout the course of the film you see bad situations happen to various characters but I never cared if they lived or died or escaped or whatever. This becomes incredibly unfortunate at the end of the movie. At the conclusion you can sense a potential of it being very powerful. But with the inability to care for the characters it becomes meaningless. But looks really good.

For me 9 lacked a good bit of depth. But I still cannot say that it is a terrible movie. There are some good action sequences in it and some good visualizations. However I don't think that warrants spending any money on this movie. In my opinion it is best to just wait for this one on one the Encore or Starz channels. It also could turn up on FX...

9 - FX/TBS It...

Review: Gamer

Most of you have seen the ads the past couple of weeks for this movie. In one ad I heard that it was the "Last action movie of the summer". If so, the summer ended on a sour note. Gamer is the newest film starring Gerard Butler and yes he does take his shirt off in this movie. All jokes aside, Gamer, follows Kable an inmate on death row who has agreed to play in a real video game called Slayers. Through a process revealed early on in the movie, players are remotely controlled by normal people, who are fully aware that they are controlling real humans. The agreement is that any prisoner that plays 30 rounds and lives gets freed.

I won't go into further detail because there is no much else to go into. Gamer is thin on dialogue and thin on plot. The idea is somewhat borrowed, but that is forgivable. The premise was a good starting point and could have evolved into a great film. Unfortunately, you are thrown into the world of Gamer without even a text introduction. You have little back story of the main character and you find it difficult to care for him. The acting was sub-par and that is a shame. Many of the main characters are very good actors and their talents were not fully utilized.

The graphics are really good, but they cannot make up for the way the movie played out. Basically, you sit and stare at the screen for about 1hr 47min and wonder what's going on. The story is not hard to follow, but the lack of a plot makes you question why some scenes are in the movie. Gamer is a very violent, hard core action movie, but after all that action you sit through, the ending is very anti-climactic.

I'm going to stop dragging this out and give the movie the rating I thought of right when the credits started to roll.

Stand Outside Your Local Theater and Warn People!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Review - Moon

Moon is the second movie from director Duncan Jones. It stars Sam Rockwell as Sam Bell, an employee of Lunar Industries who is on a three year contract maintaining a station on the moon that harvests Helium-3, Earth’s answer to the energy crisis. Sam is the only human crew member; however he is accompanied by the ship’s computer/robot HAL 90… I mean GERTY (voiced by Kevin Spacey). All has gone well so far, but with only two weeks to go on his contract, things begin to get a little strange. Sam starts to have visions, bad dreams, and to top it all off, he rescues someone from out on the moon’s surface who looks strangely familiar.

Now I’m going to stop right there because I don’t want to give too much of the plot away, but let me just say this: Moon is one of my favorite movies of this year. It may even be my favorite sci-fi movie of the year (sorry District 9). Sam Rockwell’s performance is what this movie is all about (as he is pretty much the only human character), and he knocks it out of the park. Watching him try to find out what is happening to him is really fascinating. The story of the movie develops so well that you are right along with him, but you never feel left behind. I can really go along with a movie that puts you into the shoes of the character. The special effects in the movie are really well done, especially considering how low-budget they are. The scenes that take place outside are really trippy and fun to watch.

I don’t really have a lot of complaints about this movie, and the ones that I do have are really just nit-picking. The only thing that really felt off to me was that there were instances in which the sound didn’t feel right. I’m not sure if it was a bad mix or what, but some spots sounded weird. But again, they were so far and few between that it never got in the way of the experience. The only other thing that I didn’t like was that there were certain elements of the movie that I wanted to hear more about. There were some areas that I would have liked the movie to have explored but didn’t. I guess that’s really more wish fulfillment than an actual complaint. The truth is, I just wanted the movie to keep going.

I don’t think it’s too difficult to figure out what rating I’m going to give this movie. If you can still find it in theaters, since it has a pretty limited release, you should absolutely…

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Review - The Final Destination (3D)

This will not be a very in depth review as there is not much too say.

The Final Destination (in 3D) is the fourth (and hopefully the last film) of the series baring its name. The story is the same as the earlier movies. Except it is not as well written, directed, or acted out as those. I do believe the only reason it got made at all was to put in the 3D and hope people will go see it. That being said the 3D effects are not that great in my opinion. I have seen 3D films in the Georgia Aquarium that were better.

There really isn't anything else I can think to say. I really want to give this movie a "warn people" rating but the fact it's in 3D makes that hard. Not so great 3D is still worth something I guess.

Here's how I'll rate it...If you want to see some OK looking 3D stuff go on and see it. BUT if you know someone who's talking about seeing the regular version, please warn them not to. Perhaps there's not a theatre near them or you that has 3D. In that case, if you think you have to see it...FX/TBS It. Do NOT spend any money on it.

Review - Halloween II

Halloween II is the latest movie from director Rob Zombie. It is the sequel to his remake of John Carpenter's Halloween which came out to theatres back in 2007. The new movie returns the surviving cast of the previous film.

Unlike the 2007 movie this is a completely original film with a new story and new ideas. The basis, of course, is the same. Michael Meyers is after his sister Laurie. But for what purpose? That is where the new re-imagining takes place. This Halloween movie is unlike any you have ever seen. Michael has a new twisted kind of purpose and motivation that you never have seen. What is the force behind it all? I don't really want to give that away because it's something that wasn't shown in the trailers. But you do see it early in the film and it developes nicely. It is pretty realistic and I have heard about in discussions by psychologists. It really impressed me to see it as the main theme in the movie. It is quiet possible that Zombie was drawing from an earlier concept shown in the Halloween sequels in the late 1980s but it is still quiet different and unique.

Furthermore, the character of Michael Meyers continues to be original. He does move differently and seems to think a little differently than in the earlier films.

From a graphic content stand point I don't think this movie was as quite as violent as Zombie's 2007 film. But it is no walk in the park either. Some of the most intense stuff is early on in the hospital. There is also more of a creepy atmosphere in this movie. Not incredibly scary, but creepy. More dark looking.

I am glad I got to see this movie. It provided the type of entertainment you expect plus it does provide some things to think about. I loved it...

HALLOWEEN II - GO NOW!!!

Quentin Tarantino's new movie Inglourious Basterds is definitely a Quentin Tarantino movie. It is Nazi Europe meets Pulp Fiction. Filled with extravangant cut scenes to give bring the viewer up to date on certain characters and interwoven story telling, Inglourious Basterds is a war movie like I have never seen.

The movie, despite its title and the images on most of the posters out there, doesn't really center on Brad Pitt's character (Lt. Aldo Raine) and the so-called "Basterds" he leads into Nazi-occupied France. It primarily seems to focus on a young woman named Shosanna Dreyfus (Me'lanie Laurent) who escapes when her family is murdered by a group of Nazi officers led by the so-called "Jew Hunter" Col. Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz). These type of Jewish executions is where the Basterds come in. Moving throughout France, the Basterds are a specially organized group of Jewish-Americans determined to turn fear on the Nazis. Their primary means of doing so are killing Nazis while letting some live with Swatiskas engraved on their foreheads for purposes of future identification. This proves to be very effective.

While the movie is a fun-style of movie with a reasonable amount of humor, it does illustrate the fear and trepidation that Jews in Europe must have felt during the era of the Third Reich. Within these scenes lies intense suspense. There are also moments where we get a glimpse of the intense love the Nazi officers had for their Fuehrer.

The performances were well played by all the actors. There are moments when Eli Roth (Sgt. Donny Donowitz) seems outright crazy. He even gets his own cool nickname, "The Bear Jew."

There is one possible downside to the movie. About 50% of the dialogue is in French or German. It is pretty necessary to the story but can be difficult to keep up with at times. However, all the subtitles are in bold yellow so they are easy to see.

Overall I have to say this is an outstanding movie. The climatic scene at the end is classic. Reminds me of when Dorothy and her companions meet the Wizard of Oz. It's a Nazi's worst nightmare.

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS...GO NOW!!

Review - District 9

District 9 is the latest movie from Peter Jackson as a producer. It is directed by Neill Blomkamp and co-written by Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell. It takes place in present day South Africa and tells the story of a race of aliens resembling insects that became stranded on earth about 25 years ago. The aliens, referred to by most humans as "prawns" ("bottom-feeders") are forced to live in a closed off, concentrated area called District 9. The district soon becomes nothing more than a slum where the prawns are forced to search for food and supplies. The prawns, who are mostly passive, are subjected to strict regulations from the human organization referred to as the MNU. Early on we see MNU, led by Wikus Van de Merwe, serving eviction notices to the prawns. It is this Van de Merwe that becomes entangled in the lives of the prawns and finds himself helping their cause to get back home...but we won't tell you why as to not spoil the details.

When you watch this film it is obvious that this is not a Hollywood movie. This is an independent film which is a good thing. Every now and then a break is needed from seeing the same actors, same special effects, and unnecessary humor. We probably need a few more independent movies. The semi-documentary style in which it's filmed is very nice to see and not overdone or difficult to watch. Also it is interesting to see a movie not having to take place in the United States, as if this really happened it would have to happen in the USA.

The overall theme of District 9 is the question of how would you, and humanity in general, react if another race of intelligent life showed up on earth. Would we help or think of them as second class inconviences? There are obvious parallels drawn between the humans in District 9 and The Holocaust of 70 years ago and other similar events. Which side would you be on?

This movie should definitely be seen...


DISTRICT 9 - GO NOW!!!!!

Review: The Time Traveler's Wife

I decided to go into this movie with an open mind, having read the novel by Audrey Niffenegger. And we all know that movies are never as good as the novel. The movie centers around the life of Clare Abshire, an aspiring artist, who meets and falls in love with her future husband, Henry DeTamble, at the age of six. The only problem: he is 36. Ok, pause......I know what you're thinking, because I thought it too. He later reveals that he is a time traveler from their future, and they are married. It turns out that he time travels at random, while trying to build a life with his beloved in the present day.

The movie follows the chronological order of Clare's life, while also showing what happens to Henry during his many uncontrollable time travels. Although I know that some details were changed for the sake of moving the film along, I thought that some pretty important details were skipped over. This is one time where I can say that reading the book beforehand filled a lot of gaps that I might have otherwise had.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised, because I was definitely ready for it to not live up to my expectations. Although they were not able to fit all of the details in, an excellent job was done in keeping with the spirit of the book. I speak for all the sappy at heart when I say.............



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Review: G.I. Joe The Rise Of Cobra

G.I. Joe is a film based off of the long running franchise. Personally, I have only seen a few episodes of the cartoons and have never read the comics or owned the action figures. I truly have no idea of how the movie stands up against the source material. The movie follows the Joes and their newest recruits, Duke(Channing Tatum) and Ripcord(Marlon Wayans). Apparently, nanobots have been invented and turned into a weapon capable of eating through an entire city. Duke and Ripcord are military officers tasked with seeing that the United State's shipment of these weapons are safely delivered. Along the way a mysterious group steals the nanobots and its up to G.I. Joe to recover the weapons.

If you go to this movie expecting it to be the greatest movie ever made, you will be disappointed. If you go into it with realistic expectations, you may be pleasantly surprised. The story is easy to follow if you pay attention and it makes logical sense. The acting is what you would expect from a big budget effects driven summer movie. The dialogue is fine and well paced. This movie has action from the first moment till the last, so be prepared for a nonstop ride.

The only major complaint that I have is with the CGI components of the film. In this day and age it is possible to have good computer generated components and have them seamlessly added to the film. It appears though as if the people who worked on the CG for this movie barely even tried.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. The film has that quality about it like the first Transformers movie, we can only hope that if they make a sequel to this that they don't botch it up. I can only speak for myself with the rating that I give, but I say.........

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Review: A Perfect Getaway

A Perfect Getaway follows a newly wed couple while they are on their honeymoon in Hawaii. The main portion of the movie follows them as they hike to a secluded beach. All seems to go according to plan until we learn that a murderous couple is on the loose. Unfortunately for our main protagonists, they just happen to meet up with two very odd acting couples. The tension soon grows as all begin to wonder if the killers are in their midst.

A Perfect Getaway holds your attention for the most part. I seldom ever found my mind wandering to other things. I really did like the story and I can honestly say that this was like nothing that I had ever seen before. The acting was par for the course, there were a few times though in which I believed that some of the actors were trying a little too hard.

With the good you have to have the bad. The movie seems to fall apart at about the third act. The twist is revealed too early and overall it was done just to have a happy ending. The so-called twist that the movie's trailer boast of can be predicted from the start of the movie. In fact, I knew what the twist was going to be once I saw the trailer.

While this movie has some good points, there is just not enough to warrant a go now rating. Bottom Line.......

RENT IT!!!

Review: Funny People

Funny People is the third film from director Judd Apatow, and it is probably the funniest movie about terminal illness you’ll ever see. The film centers around George Simmons (Adam Sandler), a famous comedy actor who in the beginning of the movie finds out that he has a fatal blood disease, and Ira Wright (Seth Rogen), a budding stand-up who gets hired to write jokes for/assist George as he prepares for what could be his final days. Sounds hilarious, right? Well actually, it kind of is. The film explores the question “What would you do if you got another chance at life?” Would you make changes, or would you continue doing the same things all over again?

I think the dialogue is the best part about Funny People. Many of the characters in the movie are stand-up comedians, comedy writers, or actors and I think Apatow’s experiences in these fields end up making the movie’s dialogue feel very real and very funny. A real love of comedy shows through the whole movie. I was laughing quite a bit during this movie, often times out loud. I also enjoyed watching Ira and his roommates (Jason Schwartzman and Jonah Hill) interact, but most of all I liked the actual stand-up comedy scenes of the movie. I think those parts of the movie had some of the best laughs. They almost make you want to start writing and performing jokes, until you realize how hard it actually is.

As much as I liked this movie, there were a couple things that took me out of it. The biggest problem I had was the movie’s ability to bounce from comedy to drama. This movie is just as much a drama as it is a comedy. Most of the time, I was following right along with the movie; but other times I felt like I was missing the benefit of some of the jokes because I was still sad from the previous scene. Jumping between comedy and drama is hard, and with this movie it was hit or miss. The only other thing that disappointed me was that I felt this movie was a little too long. At two hours and twenty minutes, this movie would have been well served by a little tightening up.

Overall, I really enjoyed this film. While it has its ups and downs, it is a very good comedy that also makes you think about life. This is a tough decision, but I am giving this movie a solid…


Rent It!!!

Review: The Collector

The Collector is a new entry into the horror film genre. The basic premise is that a man attempts to rob a house. What he doesn't know at first is that a sadistic killer is in the house torturing the family that lives there. He soon finds out that the killer has rigged the house with many deadly traps. Now the robber has to save the family members and get them out of the house before the killer realizes that he is there.

The premise of The Collector is a new one. I was actually surprised that someone came up with something this original. The story is set up with a killer and someone that serves strictly as an anti killer, if that makes sense.

Now the premise was good, but the execution of that plan was not as good. Think of this movie in this way, if you have seen any of the Saw movies you have seen The Collector. The scenario is played out as a what if Jigsaw came to your house type deal. There are plenty of moments that you cringe at and want to turn away from. That is exactly the place where most horror movies fail. The movie itself is not scary, it just has a lot of bloody, gory and disgusting sequences. They even try to give a cheap scare at the end of the title sequence. I shouldn't be too hard on this movie in particular though as most horror movies now fall under this category. Perhaps this type of movie is an example of what is wrong with the horror movie genre, nothing is created simply to scare you.

The Collector is worth watching at least once, but in my opinion you can wait and.....

Rent It.

Review: Orphan

Orphan, follows what happens when a couple adopts a nine year old girl named Esther. We soon find out as the movie's tag line implies that there is something seriously wrong with Esther. At first subtle incidents occur which makes the audience wonder about the mental stability of Esther. Soon the couple that adopted her are pitted against each other and elements of their past are revealed. By the end of the movie we realize that Esther is seriously twisted, more twisted than you could ever guess.

The movie itself has a lot of redeeming qualities. I was rarely ever bored and I was always wondering about whatever would happen next. I will be honest, I try to figure out these types of movies and whats going on before the end. I can usually predict what happens next, with this movie though, I couldn't. I was actually pleasantly surprised with the movie. As stated above, I could not have predicted what the true cause for Esther's behavior was, and most likely you will not be able to either.

With most movies though, you do have some bad elements. I mostly don't have a complaint about the movie itself, but with the way the movie was marketed. Orphan is marketed as a horror film, but I am here to say that it is not. It is a mix between a really bad day and a psychological thriller. This film is okay for even the biggest scaredy cats.

Overall, Orphan presented itself well and didn't feel like a colossal waste of time. If you are brave enough you should definitely.......................

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Review: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

This is a review written by our PR Director, Joshua.

The latest of the Harry Potter series, Half Blood Prince, was comical yet it expressed the dangers of being the “the boy who lived.” Half Blood Prince arrived in theatres on Wednesday, July 15 and the fans of the series arrived at theatres Tuesday night shortly before the clock struck midnight to break the Dark Knight’s and all previous midnight showing records.

Harry Potter arrives at Hogwarts to advance his mediocre magic skills in attempt to fight the rise of the dark arts. He who must not be named rise to power has created fear in the “muggle” community who can’t determine the cause of mysterious deaths and out of the ordinary catastrophic events. The wizarding world, aware of these events and who’s behind them, enters a state of fear. Protecting themselves is more important then ever as this world recognizes Voldemort’s return.

The magical school’s headmaster, Dumbledore, has surprises in store for Harry as he takes him into the depths of the dark arts and tells Harry how he must survive against Voldemort. Equipped with this knowledge and the support of his best friends, Ron and Hermione, Harry is preparing for storm. Multiple encounters with the “Dark Lord” and to have survived everyone, the wizarding world is calling Harry Potter, not only the boy who lived, but the “Chosen One.”

RENT IT: if you are a book fan

GO NOW: if you are a movie fan

Review - Public Enemies

It is rare to feel blown away by a movie. Many movies are good but few seem like instant classics right there in the theatre. Public Enemies is such a rare movie. I (Allan) cannot speak for the other members of the AJ MR but to me this is the best movie of the year so far. I doubt it will be surpassed in my mind. There has been Oscar talk about it and it definitely derserves it. It could easily get Best Picture or Best Director (for Michael Mann).


It's based on the book by the same title and tells the true story of 1930s bank robber John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) and 'his girl' Billie (Marion Cotillard). Pursuing Dillinger is Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale). The story is a wonderful mix of action, suspense, a bit of humor, and it also has a reasonable love-story element to it. Johnny Depp's performance is outstanding as is Christian Bales'. All of the supporting roles are equally well given.

There are alot of good things about this movie. I love the atmosphere and the music. It's strange to think of the Great Deppression as a time you would want to live in but this movie makes you want to be there. The clothes, the cars...and the machine guns. There are alot of machine guns in this movie.

When you watch this film be sure to compare Dillinger to Purvis. Are they really different? They're press interviews are very similar in some ways.

I love this movie. I cannot wait to see it again. I love the ending.

PUBLIC ENEMIES...GO NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Review - Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen

First of all it should be said that this is a review of a movie. This will not be a personal attack on the director of this film. We at the AJ Movie Review choose to take the high road.

Transformers Revenge of The Fallen takes place two years after the events of the first film. We find that the Autobots and humans have formed an alliance to repel the continuing Decepticon presence on Earth. Mainly the story follows Sam Witwicky, the teenager who defeated Megatron. Early on in the movie we find that somehow a sliver of the Allspark had gotten caught on his clothes from the first movie. The film revolves around the information that the piece contains and the past history of humans and the transformers.

It should be stated that one doesn't go into a Transformers movie with expectations of watching Oscar worthy material. You go to watch 30 foot tall robots beat the crap out of each other an that is exactly what you get. There is plenty of action and you are rarely ever bored. I was impressed by the sheer number of transformers that they were able to fit in this film. Overall the movie delivered on what it promised.

Now to the bad part and yes there are downsides to this film. The overall story was not as cohesive as the first one. I felt as if the plot was hurriedly thrown together. Many plot elements seemed as if they were filler in between the battles. The film has way to many comedic elements. I find nothing wrong with comedy when it is in the right place at the right time. I understand that this is supposed to be a fun summer movie, but it seemed as if the story itself was sacrificed for a laugh every 5 seconds. The CG was on par with the first film although there were a few times in which the robots looked downright cartoonish.

It would be a far cry to say that Transformers ROTF is as good as the first film, but it does fairly good on providing what the audience wants. Even with the good, the bad, and the ugly that the film delivers, it is worth seeing once. You should definitely......

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Mini-Review - The Proposal

At first glance, I thought The Proposal to be another predictable romantic comedy. Fortunately I was wrong. Margaret Tate (played by Sandra Bullock) is a ruthless publishing executive who encounters problems with immigration. She compels her lowly assistant Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds) into marrying her to avoid deportation. The movie follows the "couple" to Alaska, to meet and greet Andrew's family.

Upon their arrival, you immediately sense a strain on the relationship of Andrew and his father (Craig T. Nelson). Betty White is hilarious as Andrew's 89-year-old grandmother Gammy, and the comedy doesn't stop there. (Don't ask, just look for Ramone!) Bullock and Reynolds have an on-screen chemistry that is undeniable. Their quips and dry wit come in right on cue. The storyline moved at a nice pace, and I never felt as if I was the hostage of a bad scene, as if in an unmovable ferris wheel at the very top.

As I said before, this type of movie has been done before; however, not with quite so much finesse. Go ahead, don't be afraid, accept the proposal, take a trip down the aisle and..............



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Mini Review - Year One

Year One is the new comedy that is really about the first road trip. We follow the films two protagonists, Zed (Jack Black) and Oh (Michael Cera) as they are exiled from their village. Along the way they meet historical characters and go on a semi-exciting adventure.

This review will be short, sweet and to the point. Although this is a new movie this will stay a mini-review. Jack Black and Michael Cera perform as usual, no new ground is broken here.


If you are thinking to yourself, "Wow not much is being said about the movie" , there is a reason for that. There is really not much to say about this movie. There are a few genuine laughs here, but that is about it. The rest of it falls into the crude humor category. Although I believe the movie has a few redeeming qualities, I won't let my personal feelings get in the way. Bottom Line................

FX/TBS It

Review - The Taking of Pelham 123

The Taking of Pelham 123 is the seemingly simple story of a hostage situation. The story begins with the hijacking of the New York subway train Pelham 123 by Ryder (John Travolta) and his associates. On the other end of things is Walter Garber (Denzel Washington) the New York city transit worker who among other things keeps track of this particular train. The movie then follows the conversations between the two as the authorities scramble to rescue the unfortunate passengers.


The movie is fast paced and seldom keeps you in the dark about things. Although this is a remake I've never seen the original that it was based upon. That may be for the best though, that way I have nothing to compare this movie with. Overall the movie performs well and has few, if any flaw. The film was believable and the story felt like it could happen to anyone. The acting was good and never over the top.

If I had to say one bad thing about the movie it would be the length of time. The film basically takes place in and around the subway car and the transit office. I felt that the story could have been told in a shorter length of time, but that's just me. The movie is well put together and I definitley would be willing to see this movie again. If you haven't already figured out the rating...





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Review - The Hangover

The Hangover is yet another movie in the recent string of crude, R-rated blockbuster comedies like Old School and Knocked Up, but I mean that in a totally good way. This movie, to me, is like the Reservoir Dogs of bachelor party films. I say that because the majority of the film takes place in the aftermath of a wild night in Las Vegas in which the audience is left in the dark as to exactly what occurred the previous day. However, this fits nicely because none of the main characters (Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis) can remember it either. Directed by Todd Phillips (Old School, Road Trip), the movie leads us from one crazy encounter to the next as the three guys try to find their friend Doug, the groom, whom they lost in the fray.

What I think makes this movie work are the performances. Each of the three leads do a pretty great job of moving the story and making you laugh (just watching Zach Galifianakis’ character is a movie in and of itself). The supporting cast is also just littered with crazy characters one to the next, each of them in their own way helping to piece together the events of the night. A cameo from Mike Tyson is sure to be memorable for most viewers. It’s hard to say too much without ruining parts of the movie, so I won’t.

While I did really enjoy the movie, there was something that I wish could have been better. For the most part, the movie flows really well from one scene to the next and it never slows down or feels boring. However, the ending feels a little cheap and slapped together. It was as if the writers just threw out a quick fix to the plot when they ran out of funny scenes. It may seem a little nit-picky, but it was kind of disappointing.

Overall, The Hangover is a great summer comedy that should not be overlooked. This may be the funniest movie I’ve seen all year, and it definitely has one of the funniest credit sequences I have seen in a long time. I think you all know where I’m going with this, but you should absolutely.....

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