tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959385165847693182023-11-16T06:59:21.705-05:00In The QueueSiskel's Ghosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173893586926419321noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-795938516584769318.post-62891236574855858552011-06-13T17:20:00.001-04:002011-06-13T17:22:00.906-04:00SUPER 8<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://s4.daemonsmovies.com/mov/up/2011/03/super-8-movie-poster-02-550x814.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://s4.daemonsmovies.com/mov/up/2011/03/super-8-movie-poster-02-550x814.jpg" t8="true" width="216" /></a></div><br />
What better way to get back into the blog game than by seeing one of the most anticipated movies of the year, "Super 8". The official description on 'Super 8's IMDB page says: <br />
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<em><span style="color: #444444;">"After witnessing a mysterious train crash, a group of friends in the summer of 1979 begin noticing strange happenings going around in their small town, and begin to investigate into the creepy phenomenon. "</span></em><br />
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and truth be told, without giving away more of the plot, that probably is as full a description as you can give. Having said that, I'm either going to end my review here, or continue on and possibly (probably) give away more of the plot and story than someone that hasn't seen the movie would want to know. On that note....<br />
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<br />
<span style="color: red;">(POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERTS, POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERTS, POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERTS)</span><br />
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If "Stand By Me", "The Goonies", "ET", "Predator", and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" had a baby, it would probably be this movie. In fact, the main character in 'Super 8', Joel Courtney, looks supsiciously like a perfect mix of Sean Astin and Henry Thomas. I was fully expecting him to pull out a small red inhaler at any point. If there's any justice, the real breakout star of this movie will be Elle Fanning, younger sister of Dakota Fanning. She's excellent as the only (yes, only) supporting female star in the film. <br />
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I really don't want to attempt to rehash the plot at the risk of completely spoiling the movie for someone, but I will say that I thoroughly enjoyed the first 75 minutes or so, while the last 30 minutes left me feeling a bit empty while the credits began to roll. Way too many unanswered questions. What's the deal with the dogs? Why were the people taken in the first place? Why wasn't the white square ever fully explained? Why did the teacher have a gun? Why didn't he use it? Why is the Airforce so inept? Were walkmen really that ugly?<br />
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Were it not for the fact that there were at least 3 or 4 genuinely 'jump out of your seat' scary moments, and 2 or 3 very intense and extremely loud action sequences (the train crash, is one of the most intense, spectacular, well designed, action sequences I may have ever seen), this could easily be a movie specifically made for the 10-13 year old demographic - and judging by the Harry Potter, Twilight, Taylor Lautner previews before the film, that's clearly the subset they're after here. <br />
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The movie's a throwback to films of the 80's, while capturing the futuristic appeal of 'The Transformers'. It's an odd mix that actually works very well, until, in my opinion, it wimps out at the end. If you see it, you won't be dissapointed, but don't expect 'the next great movie'. It falls short. 4 out of 5 stars.Siskel's Ghosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173893586926419321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-795938516584769318.post-27850598738632793742011-02-27T18:14:00.002-05:002011-02-27T19:07:04.133-05:00THE 2011 ACADEMY AWARDS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.mediaman.com.au/profiles/oscars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" l6="true" src="http://www.mediaman.com.au/profiles/oscars.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Well....I almost did it. A scant 1+ hours away from this years Academy Awards, I managed to watch 9 of the 10 movies nominated for Best Picture this year. The worst part is that I have 'Winter's Bone' on my bookshelf, ready to be watched - I just didn't get to it in time. So close! <br />
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As a whole, not surprisingly, I enjoyed this years crop of nominees. So without further ado, here's my personal opinion and thoughts on who I think will come away victorious tonight, and who I think <em>should</em> win (if I had a vote). <br />
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<strong>BEST PICTURE:</strong><br />
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Will win: The Kings Speech<br />
Should win: The Social Network<br />
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In order, here is how I would rank my enjoyment of this year's Best Picture nominees:<br />
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1. Inception<br />
2. The Social Network<br />
3. The Kings Speech<br />
4. The Kids Are All Right<br />
5. Toy Story 3<br />
6. True Grit<br />
7. The Fighter<br />
8. 127 Hours<br />
9. Black Swan<br />
10. (Winter's Bone - abstain)<br />
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Even though I have '127 Hours' way down at #8, I still liked it and thought it was well done, I just liked the other movies better. I loved 'Inception' - more than any other movie I saw this year, and I understand that it didn't appeal to everyone. However, I thought 'The Social Network' was spectacular, and worthy of the Oscar. We'll see, but it appears that 'The Kings Speech' is a juggernaut that cannot be stopped right now. <br />
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<strong>BEST ACTOR: </strong><br />
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Will win: Colin Firth<br />
Should win: Colin Firth<br />
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I did not see the Javier Bardem film 'Biutiful' yet, so can't comment on his candidacy. As for the other candidates, Franco did the most with the least, Bridges was awesome as Rooster Cogburn, Eisenberg made us love and hate Mark Zuckerburg in spectacular fashion, and Firth jumped off the screen. I think Firth gets the win and deserves it. Eisenberg is a close 2nd in my book though...<br />
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<strong>BEST ACTRESS:</strong><br />
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Will win: Natalie Portman<br />
Should win: Annette Bening<br />
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As the only 2 movies I saw in the category, 'Black Swan' and 'The Kids Are All Right' put the two favorites for this category up against each other. Annette Bening gave one of the best performances I've ever seen in a movie. I think she deserves to win, and has a definite shot. One of the most unpredictable categories of the night. <br />
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<strong>BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:</strong><br />
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Will win: Christian Bale<br />
Should win: Geoffrey Rush<br />
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Rush's long face and 'every man' attire, acting as a perfect foil to Firth's stoutness and proper dress are what make 'The Kings Speech' the movie that it is. Bale completely lost himself into the role of Dickey Eklund in 'The Fighter', and as soon as I saw 'The Town', I thought Jeremy Renner deserved a nod in this category. Bale is a shoo-in for this category that features a number of great performances, but I liked Rush even more. <br />
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<strong>BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:</strong><br />
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Will win: Melissa Leo<br />
Should win: Melissa Leo<br />
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I'm torn here. I loved, LOVED Hailee Steinfeld in 'True Grit'. Why she wasn't nominated for Best Actress as opposed to Supporting Actress is beyond me, but she was spectacular. As 14 year old Mattie Ross, Steinfeld is the heart and soul of 'True Grit', and deserves every bit of recognition she can get. Melissa Leo plays the character that you absolutely love to hate in 'The Fighter', and goes above the call of duty to perfectly nail the domineering mother of Micky Ward. Leo deserves the win here. <br />
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<strong>BEST DIRECTOR:</strong><br />
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I'm not technically advanced enough to understand why one of these directors should get the win over another, but David Fincher's ability to jump seamlessly back and forth in time throughout 'The Social Network' was a revelation, and allowed the story to be told in the best way possible. <br />
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As a minor side note, 'Toy Story 3' is a lock to win Best Animated Feature, but 'How to Train Your Dragon' was a simply awesome movie, animated or not, that I was thrilled to see get nominated. It won't win, but is worth your effort to see. <br />
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So there you have it, my thoughts on this years Academy Awards. I hope you enjoy the show, as I'll be watching to the very last overwrought, musical accompanied, 6 minute acceptance speech. As always, thanks for reading. <br />
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- MikeSiskel's Ghosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173893586926419321noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-795938516584769318.post-55505820191799595882011-02-25T15:07:00.000-05:002011-02-25T15:07:51.606-05:00THE FIGHTER<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.onlinemovieshut.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/the-fighter-movie-poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" l6="true" src="http://www.onlinemovieshut.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/the-fighter-movie-poster.jpg" width="205" /></a></div><br />
Somebody tell me how you make a movie about Mickey Ward without showing Arturo Gatti? It's like making a movie about salt without pepper, peanut butter without jelly, Charlie Sheen without hookers. They just go together. One brief mention of Gatti in the last 10 minutes of the film, and that's it. Nonetheless, this is a well acted movie that tells an excellent story, and that's enough to get the job done. <br />
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After seeing 'The Fighter', and previous movies set in this area like 'The Town', 'The Departed', etc..., I can't help but think at this point, "do we really sound like that?". I mean, does everyone from Greater Boston sound like they have a 5th grade education and have to use four letter swears in every other word? For our sake, I certainly hope not..... <br />
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'The Fighter' is the story of the rise of Lowell, MA boxer Mickey Ward (Mark Wahlberg), his drug addicted, former boxer brother Dickey Eklund (a nearly unrecognizable Christian Bale), their controlling mother Alice (Melissa Leo) and Ward's girlfriend Charlene (Amy Adams). Mickey's a 'stepping stone' boxer, used by other boxers to beat up and move up in the rankings. Trained by his brother Dickey, Ward's got heart, but doesn't have the training or skill to move up and become a name. Charlene wants to help him, but is an outsider to everyone in Mickey's family, leading to constant bad blood and forcing Mickey to choose between his family and his girlfriend. <br />
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Complicating matters is Dickey, the former pride of Lowell, but now just a crack addicted criminal bringing Mickey down. Bale must have lost nearly 50 pounds to play the role for the movie, and is sure to get a best supporting actor win at the Oscars as a result. Unfortunately, I found Bale's acting actually a bit distracting and certainly over the top. He was almost a caricature of Dickey Eklund, and as a sympathetic figure, found no sympathy from me. <br />
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I found the morale of the story to be one of letting go, not forgiveness. The film should be a warning and a lesson to people who keep 'friends', family or not, like Dickey and Alice in their life. It's clear how destructive these people were to Mickey Ward's life, both personally and certainly professionally. Who knows how good he would have been had he been properly trained, and not spent years of his prime getting beat up, both literally and figuratively? I thought Wahlberg did a great job showing how torn Ward must have been, knowing what he needed to do to further his life, while finding it impossible to let go of the only thing he knew. <br />
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Melissa Leo is fantastic. I'd find it hard to talk to her in real life and not distinguish her from the character she plays in this movie, and that says quite a bit about the job she does. Adams is also excellent in an enormous turn from her roles in movies like 'Enchanted'. The biggest problem I had with the movie is in the boxing scenes. They weren't good. Wahlberg spends the film in the classic boxing pose of his hands up in front of his face, getting pummelled over and over again. Just poorly done boxing scenes overall. <br />
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Sorry folks, but I didn't like 'The Fighter' as much as the Academy did. I thought the acting was great, the scenery, background, background actors, and accents were all spot on as well. I certainly liked the movie, and think it tells the story very nicely. I recommend it as well, I just don't think you need to go running out to see it. 3.5 out of 5 stars. Siskel's Ghosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173893586926419321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-795938516584769318.post-30460256761627944982011-02-23T13:49:00.000-05:002011-02-23T13:49:15.731-05:00THE KING'S SPEECH<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.soundonsight.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/the-kings-speech-poster-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" j6="true" src="http://www.soundonsight.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/the-kings-speech-poster-2.jpg" width="218" /></a></div><br />
'The King's Speech' is a very solid, spectacularly acted movie. Colin Firth is damn near perfect, and Geoffrey Rush may be even better. The two actors work very well together on the screen and play perfect counterparts to one another's mannerisms. Although nearly two hours long, the film is never boring, and the pacing by Director Tom Hooper is very well done. You're able to get a full sense of the kind of person that King George VI (Firth) is as he rises to the throne in 1930's England, and as the King's speech therapist, Lionel (Rush) has the kind of screen presence that can take over a movie. <br />
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The plot/ending is no secret, as the movie chronicles King George VI's continual stammering problem, and his repeated attempts to break the habit and become the 'voice of a nation' that he's expected to be. Geoffrey Rush plays Lionel Logue, a speech therapist hired secretly by the King's wife (Helena Bohnam Carter), who becomes not only the King's speech therapist, but also a close friend. <br />
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The training is a success, and through Lionel's help, King George VI is able to deliver a wartime speech to the nation at the beginning of WWII, and become the King everyone hoped he would be, and the public speaker he never thought possible. It's a story of triumph, trust, and overcoming obstacles to reach full potential. <br />
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As a 'period' piece, and an English 'period' piece at that, the movie may not appeal to everyone. It would be hard to overlook Firth and Rush's performances though, as both are certainly worthy of their Oscar nominations. From what I've heard and read, the film is a front runner for the Best Picture Oscar. While I don't necessarily agree with that (in fact, I'd put it 3rd on my list right now), I did enjoy the movie, and believe that it will certainly stand the test of time as one of the all time greats. 4 out of 5 stars, very well done.Siskel's Ghosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173893586926419321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-795938516584769318.post-14254958605445421782011-02-23T10:31:00.000-05:002011-02-23T10:31:19.130-05:00THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://static.moviesbase.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/The-Kids-Are-All-Right-2010-Movie-Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" j6="true" src="http://static.moviesbase.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/The-Kids-Are-All-Right-2010-Movie-Poster.jpg" width="247" /></a></div><br />
Any movie that begins with Vampire Weekend cranking out "Cousins" over the opening credits is bound to be ok with me, and I was not disappointed. As the media darling of The Sundance Festival, multiple Golden Globe and Oscar nominations, including a Best Picture nod, 'The Kids Are All Right' is more than just 'all right', it's downright fantastic. Just a supremely solid movie from start to finish, a true adult drama/comedy that leaves you satisfied at the end and enjoying the ride along the way. <br />
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Annette Bening and Julianne Moore star as a lesbian couple raising two children together, each of whom conceived one of them through a sperm donor some 18 or so years ago. As their daughter Joni (Mia Wasikowska, last seen as Alice in Alice in Wonderland) reaches the age of 18, she's convinced by her younger brother Laser (Josh Hutcherson) to reach out and contact their sperm donor father (Mark Ruffalo). <br />
As is expected, the new relationship creates a new dynamic within their 'normal' household, and seemingly overnight, their lives, friendships, and values are all altered dramatically. <br />
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Despite the sometimes heavy handed cliches thrown at us by the film, there is enormous heart and depth to each of the characters, leading to numerous touching and funny moments. Bening has been getting all of the award recognition for her portrayal of Nic, an overly controlling, stuck up, 'father figure' of the family, and make no mistake, she is fabulous. Moore is also fantastic as Jules, the more earthy, loving 'mother' of the family, and deserves accolades as well. Both do a tremendous job in the film.<br />
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The one bone that I will pick with the movie is the overall message that gets portrayed to the audience. This is not a 'happy story', and many worse movies have been made using a similar storyline, with dramatically different outcomes at the end. In an effort to appeal to a more discerning audience, we get an ending that does everything but tie a pretty red bow onto the screen for us. <br />
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While I don't believe that the film has any shot of winning the Best Picture Oscar next week (and it shouldn't), I still highly recommend seeing this movie. As Steve Carell was humorously corrected at the Golden Globes a month ago, this isn't a movie about a couple of lesbians, it's a movie about a lesbian couple, that is filled with real life issues, and contains a couple of tremendous acting performances. Excellent movie, 4 out of 5 stars.Siskel's Ghosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173893586926419321noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-795938516584769318.post-40573653133657084202011-02-16T10:57:00.001-05:002011-02-16T10:58:06.315-05:00MOVIES - MOVIES - MOVIES!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.rolemommy.com/much-ado-about-movies-tickets.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" j6="true" src="http://www.rolemommy.com/much-ado-about-movies-tickets.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Instead of writing full blown reviews of each of these films, I thought I'd just give quick one-line review of each. I've seen quite a few movies over the last few weeks, and haven't had time/effort to write reviews of each. Enjoy!<br />
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<strong>127 Hours:</strong> The true story of Aron Ralston, who literally cuts his arm off to save his own life. James Franco is fantastic, as basically a one man show for the entire movie. There were many reports of actual fainting during some screenings of the movie, and I can almost understand why. It was gruesome, up close, and very personal. Very much is Danny Boyle's style. Excellent film. 4 out of 5 stars. <br />
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<strong>Easy A:</strong> I really enjoyed this movie. Emma Stone was great, and I found it genuinely funny. Would have liked to have seen more of Stanley Tucci though.... Highly recommended. 4 out of 5 stars.<br />
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<strong>The Devil's Ground:</strong> Crappy horror movie. Just awful. 1 out of 5 stars.<br />
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<strong>She's Out of My League:</strong> Pretty funny film with Jay Baruchel, I enjoyed it. 3 out of 5 stars. <br />
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<strong>Iron Man 2:</strong> Pretty good follow up to the first Iron Man - Downey is good again, but Cheadle is wasted. Good action, good waste of 2 hours. 3 out of 5 stars. <br />
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<strong>Robin Hood:</strong> This was the new adaption with Russell Crowe in the lead role. Bears no resemblance to the 'Robin Hood' that we're more familiar with whatsoever though. Director was going for more 'Braveheart' than anything. Not awful. 3 out of 5 stars. <br />
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<strong>Scott Pilgrim vs. The World:</strong> I liked this more than I thought. Michael Cera is great, another genuinely funny film. Well made, but definitely not for everyone. 3.5 out of 5 stars. Absolutely worth a rental. <br />
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<strong>Knight and Day:</strong> I'm just going to say it: I love Tom Cruise. Thoroughly enjoy his movies and this is no exception. It was fun, lots of action in Boston as well. The story is 100% completely unbelievable and nonsensical, but it was fun to watch. Rent it, and just go along for the ride. 3.5 out of 5 stars. <br />
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<strong>The Other Guys:</strong> Funny? Sure, I guess so...... Not great though. I really had hoped for more, but I'll take what I can get nowadays. Way too many unfunny films lately. 3 out of 5 stars. I say really not worth a rental.... (unfortunately)....<br />
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<strong>Buried:</strong> Ryan Reynolds trapped inside a coffin, buried underground for 90 minutes. Great job by Reynolds to keep us interested, but too many odd plot twists and bad decisions by his character to keep me fully invested. 3 out of 5 stars.<br />
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<strong>Devil:</strong> This was the new M. Night Shyamalan movie. 5 people trapped inside of an elevator, one of them is the devil. Huge twist that you never see coming towards the end (as is typical of his films), which truly disappointed me. Not very scary, not very interesting. 2.5 out of 5 stars.<br />
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<strong>The Road:</strong> I likes this better the first time I saw it, when it was called The Book of Eli. Talk about depressing..... 2.5 out of 5 stars.<br />
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<strong>The Road to Perdition:</strong> Now this one I liked overall. Love Tom Hanks, and despite the ending, and Daniel Craig's odd casting, this was a generally good movie. One of Paul Newman's last roles as well..... 3.5 out of 5 stars.<br />
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-Siskel's Ghosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173893586926419321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-795938516584769318.post-70354416078087401942011-01-26T16:45:00.001-05:002011-01-26T16:47:29.343-05:00BLACK SWAN<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.onlinemovieshut.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/black-swan-movie-poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" s5="true" src="http://www.onlinemovieshut.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/black-swan-movie-poster.jpg" width="215" /></a></div><br />
At the risk of not being taken seriously as a movie critic (that was a joke....), I'm just going to come right out and say it: I did not like this movie at all. In fact, I seriously disliked it. I honestly don't understand where all the hype is coming from surrounding this movie. I went and saw this today based solely on hype, and hype alone. My entire knowledge of the film was that 'it was pretty freaky'. I truly wish I had read more about it and had a better idea of what I was getting into, because to say I was unpleasantly surprised, and that the movie was 'a little freaky', would both be the understatements of the year.<br />
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If you're considering seeing this film, please know full well that it definitely should be put into the 'Thriller/Horror' section of your local Blockbuster Video. Now, I'm not opposed to these kinds of movies at all, but they certainly don't usually garner Oscar buzz (and nominations), and the previews usually make it pretty clear that this is the kind of movie that you're getting yourself into. Not the case here.... Again, I have no problem with that, I just want you to know what you're in for...<br />
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Natalie Portman (Nina) is a ballet dancer. Mila Kunis (Lily) is also a ballet dancer. Nina is the lead and new star, and Lily is the new girl who wants to take her lead role in the upcoming production of Swan Lake. The problem is that the role is completely encompassing Nina, who is quickly losing her grip on reality, growing increasingly paranoid, and developing a self-mutilation habit. In addition, she has the kind of mommy issues that we haven't seen since Norman Bates in Psycho. <br />
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Perhaps the most buzzed about scene of the movie involves a very steamy, simulated sex scene between Portman and Kunis. Yes, it is very risque. Yes, it is hot. No, there is no nudity (sorry to all my 14 year old male readers....). Interestingly enough however, it fits perfectly into the bizarre and sordid action throughout the film, and actually progresses the plot perfectly. <br />
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In the end however, the movie is just way too weird and, yes, freaky, for me to objectively take much of anything away from it. It reminded me a bit of 'Vanilla Sky', an utterly confusing and equally as bizarre Tom Cruise film from a few years ago, and I don't mean that in a good way. "Black Swan" is frequently creepy, often grotesque, and one of the most stress-inducing ways to spend 2 hours. I couldn't wait for the movie to end, not because I hated it, but because it was so cringe inducing and genuinely uncomfortable to sit through. <br />
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2 out of 5 stars, if only because Portman is completely believable in her madness and paranoia. If you're a fan of the thriller/suspense/horror movie genre, you may really enjoy Black Swan, but the casual movie watcher will absolutely hate this film. 2 out of 5 stars.<br />
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As a side note - I'd really love to hear from someone who enjoyed this movie and get their take on what I missed, let me know what you think in the comments below - and thanks for reading!Siskel's Ghosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173893586926419321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-795938516584769318.post-274765469215529952010-12-07T20:55:00.000-05:002010-12-07T20:55:50.499-05:00KNOWING<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://thecia.com.au/reviews/k/images/knowing-poster-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="http://thecia.com.au/reviews/k/images/knowing-poster-1.jpg" width="226" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>I have a dirty little secret I'd like to admit. I like Nicolas Cage. I think he's the king of the crappy but thoroughly entertaining movie. He always gives 100% into the role, even if it means it comes out as 100% pure unintentional comedy. He's at his Nicolas Cage best in this movie, playing an MIT professor of Astrophysics (of all things), living as a widowed father of a 10 year old boy in a very big, very creepy house in Lexington, Massachusetts. <br />
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50 years ago, the local elementary school placed a time capsule in the ground outside the school. Within the capsule, most students drew pictures of the future, except for one girl, who scribbled seemingly nonsensical numbers onto a piece of paper, that of course, turn out to make perfect sense, and ends up in the hands of one brilliant professor at MIT. Nic Cage to the rescue!!<br />
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I won't ruin the surprise of what the numbers mean, but suffice to say, it's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel surprisingly ok..... Up to now, I'm actually with the story, for the most part. I enjoy the conspiracy theories in movies and I like it when you need to figure out what's going to happen next. That's when, for me, it completely falls apart. <br />
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The big twist at the end of the film is absurd. I felt like it belonged in a different movie. It was a total non-sequitor to the lead-up to that point, and I hated it. Ruined the entire movie for me. Having said that, I liked the first 90 or so minutes, but highly disliked the last half hour. I'll go 2.5 out of 5, and get what I deserve for buying into Professor Extraordinaire, Nicolas Cage. Not recommended for you viewing pleasure.Siskel's Ghosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173893586926419321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-795938516584769318.post-74474094264633271602010-12-07T20:38:00.000-05:002010-12-07T20:38:50.308-05:00PUSH<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.accidentalsexiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/pushposter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="http://www.accidentalsexiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/pushposter.jpg" width="217" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>I understand that this wasn't the most popular movie to come out over the last few years, and many of you (both of you?) probably never heard of it. The overall plot centers around a bunch of folks who have powers, like from the TV show 'Heroes'. Some people can see the future, some can move things with their minds, others can put thoughts into others heads, even others can heal with a touch, etc...etc... The only difference is that 'Heroes' was actually good for a little while. This movie wasn't. <br />
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The live among us and try to avoid getting captured by 'Division', a branch of the government set out to capture those with abilities in an attempt to build a 'superhuman' of sorts. Dakota Fanning is a 'Watcher', or someone who can see the future. She meets up with Chris Evans who's a 'Mover' (he can move things with his mind - I know, stay with me.....). They apparently need to find some other girl that has a suitcase worth $6 million while avoiding Division and some other crazy Japanese gang that's after the same thing. <br />
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Why? Well, glad you asked. Apparently it's because Chris Evans has a dice throwing/gambling habit and is into some gangsters for about $6K. I probably could have figured out more but the split second delay between the video and audio made me feel like I was watching an old Kung-Fu movie. Sound editor - fired. <br />
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In the end, I never cared who won or lost or how the movie ended, I just wanted it to end. Convoluted plot twist and 30 minutes later, I had my wish. 1.5 out of 5 stars, and grossly disappointed again........Siskel's Ghosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173893586926419321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-795938516584769318.post-40477962282535932932010-12-07T20:25:00.000-05:002010-12-07T20:25:09.918-05:00GET HIM TO THE GREEK<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://static.reelmovienews.com/images/gallery/get-him-to-the-greek-poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="http://static.reelmovienews.com/images/gallery/get-him-to-the-greek-poster.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>I'm going to take a slightly different route on these next few reviews, mostly due to the absolute crappiness and general dismay I felt after watching each of these movies, so bear with me....<br />
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I think Russell Brand is hysterical. Same with Jonah Hill. Judd Apatow? Good stuff. This movie was NOT good. I had really, REALLY high hopes and even hung onto it from Netflix for about a month hoping to get a time for the wife and I to watch it. That never happened, so I threw it in one afternoon I had nothing to do. I feel like Netflix stole $14 from me. <br />
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Bottom line is that it had 2 or 3 moments of true comedy, most notably the scene in the strip club after Hill takes a hit off the 'Jeffrey'. Stroking the furry wall was great. I thought Diddy was awful too. You'd think he'd come across more naturally in a movie being an artist, but I thought he was stiff and totally unbelievable as a record exec. <br />
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In the end, I thought it had potential, but was generally truly unfunny for roughly 90 of the 110 or so minutes, and I was grossly disappointed. 2 out of 5 stars. Stay away, not worth the rental at all.Siskel's Ghosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173893586926419321noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-795938516584769318.post-32862100554300016412010-10-25T21:47:00.000-04:002010-10-25T21:47:56.299-04:00THE GHOSTWRITER<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.freebestmovies.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/The-Ghost-Writer-poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" nx="true" src="http://www.freebestmovies.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/The-Ghost-Writer-poster.jpg" width="235" /></a></div><br />
I had read some pretty good reviews about this film from one of the movie websites I frequent (<a href="http://www.firstshowing.net/">www.firstshowing.net</a>), and I had nothing else in the Netflix queue that I really wanted to see, so I figured I'd give this one a whirl. I also love Ewan McGregor and mystery movies, so I guess it was really a no-brainer that I'd eventually see this. <br />
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In one of the my favorite details of the film, Ewan McGregor plays a writer who we only know as The Ghost. He doesn't have a name, but it's his job to help ghostwrite former British Prime Minister Adam Lang's (Pierce Brosnan) memoirs. Lang's prior ghostwriter washed ashore dead after working on the book, so McGregor is brought in to finish the job. Unfortunately for McGregor, before he even makes it to Lang's house, Lang is brought under fire by the media for possible war crimes, giving the entire ordeal the feel of a three-ring circus, all the while making McGregor's difficult job nearly impossible. <br />
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Of course, McGregor unearths more than he bargained for, and ends up fearing for his own life, and in the middle of a possible far reaching conspiracy. The movie ends with a few tricks up it's sleeve, causing me to actually say, out loud, 'Whoa!' at one point near the end (Did NOT see that one coming). <br />
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McGregor is again very good, but Kim Cattrall seems miscast to me here, and although Pierce Brosnan is the subject of the memoirs, he doesn't have nearly as much screen time as one would expect. One interesting note is that Roman Polanski, who directed the film, actually finished the movie while in a Swiss prison, serving time for a decades-old sex with a minor charge.<br />
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This was pretty good. I understand it's not for everyone, as it contains very little action, and is filled with red herrings and misinformation. I'll stop short of recommending it, but I don't feel like I wasted my time. 3 out of 5 stars. Siskel's Ghosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173893586926419321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-795938516584769318.post-47658877541782660492010-10-25T21:17:00.000-04:002010-10-25T21:17:43.535-04:00DATE NIGHT<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.tribute.ca/tribute_objects/images/movies/Date_Night/DateNight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" nx="true" src="http://www.tribute.ca/tribute_objects/images/movies/Date_Night/DateNight.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><br />
Steve Carell? Love him. Can't get enough Michael Scott. Tina Fey? Love her. 30 Rock is my favorite show on TV and SNL is relevant again thanks to her. Steve Carell and Tina Fey together in a preposterous movie that feels like a long, inside joke between friends? Truly, truly terrible.........<br />
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This felt like about a half of a step up from one of those SNL skits that becomes an actual movie (It's Pat, Ladies Man, Superstar, etc....). The movie is packed, PACKED with random cameos that are undoubtedly just friends of Carell and Fey and got stuck into the movie (James Franco, Mila Kunis, Mark Ruffalo, Kristen Wigg, Leighton Meester, Common, Olivia Munn, Will-I-Am). Only Mark Wahlberg has an extended role, looking his Marky-Mark and the Funky Bunch best sans shirt the entire time. <br />
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The whole movie feels contrived, stale, and just plain stupid. The series of events that lead Carell and Fey to the climax of the movie make horror movie bimbo's look smart in comparison. I have no problem buying into a ridiculous movie if the leads are supposed to be utterly stupid (Dumb and Dumber), but a grown, married couple who are parents of 2 children and live in a nice suburb, cannot POSSIBLY be this stupid. <br />
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I know I may be in the minority in feeling so, especially as the film has made nearly $150MM worldwide to date, but I really disliked this movie. This is a movie that caters to the lowest common denominator. In fact, my DVD stopped working with about 30 minutes left, and I nearly didn't care enough to try it in a different DVD player to make it the ending. I did, and I watched, and felt stupider for doing so. 1 out of 5 stars.Siskel's Ghosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173893586926419321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-795938516584769318.post-53330386630830618312010-10-25T20:58:00.000-04:002010-10-25T20:58:41.717-04:00GREEN ZONE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://blog.80millionmoviesfree.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/green-zone-movie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" nx="true" src="http://blog.80millionmoviesfree.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/green-zone-movie.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Green Zone is an Iraqi War movie starring Matt Damon. Damon plays Roy Miller, a Chief Warrant Officer and head of a group of soldiers who are sent on WMD-finding missions through Iraq. Basically, Damon's crew comes up empty at spot after spot, finding no WMD's anywhere, leading to Miller to question whether there are any WMD's to found at all. Brendan Gleeson (the big guy from In Bruges) and Greg Kinnear also star in the movie, along with Amy Ryan, who I couldn't get out of my head as Michael Scott's girlfriend Holly from The Office.<br />
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This is far more of a political movie, rather than a 'war' movie. If you believe that we were lead into this war under the false assumption, or flat out lie, that there were WMD's in Iraq, then this is the movie for you. Personally, I could care less what some movie that's so heavy-handed is trying to tell me. <br />
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Long story short, it wasn't bad, but it wasn't very good either. In an earlier post, I described how I appreciate when a movie can make you 'feel' something - anything. This was the opposite of that kind of movie. I basically just didn't care. It was ok, but if you lived your whole life without ever seeing this film, trust me, no big deal.... 2.5 out of 5 stars.Siskel's Ghosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173893586926419321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-795938516584769318.post-25471514064990975962010-09-17T22:51:00.000-04:002010-09-17T22:51:18.117-04:00THE TOWN<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.beforethetrailer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/the_town_movie_poster_01-405x600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" qx="true" src="http://www.beforethetrailer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/the_town_movie_poster_01-405x600.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><br />
There are many scenes in 'The Town' that make you want to yell out to the screen, warn the characters of what's to come, knowing that you know something that they don't, that allow you to get sucked into the movie and the outcome of the characters. Whether what we're feeling is fear, anger, joy...whatever - is inconsequential. We're forced to <em>feel </em>something, which to me, is all you can really ask from a good movie. To actually care about what happens on the screen. We can thank Jeremy Renner for most of those feelings in 'The Town'. <br />
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Being Charlestown born and raised, I of course couldn't wait to see this movie. I was intrigued to see how 2nd time director (Gone Baby Gone) and Cambridge born Ben Affleck would handle the intricacies and uniqueness that is Charlestown, and what his vision of real Townies would look like and act like. Doug MacRay (Affleck) and Jimmy 'Jem' Coughlin (Renner) have the look and mannerisms down. Totally casual, Bruins t-shirts, Townie sweatshirts, Red Sox jackets - the only thing missing were the Girbaud jeans. Surprisingly, Affleck's accent seems forced though, but Renner's, while slightly over the top, actually comes across as fairly legit. <br />
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The story itself is about MacRay, Coughlin, and two of their other buddies who rob banks and armored cars, and all hail from Charlestown. MacRay's the brains, Coughlin's the brawn, and FBI Agent Adam Frawley (Jon Hamm) is the foil. Frawley's onto them, but doesn't have enough hard evidence to pick them up or put them away. MacRay ends up falling for Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall), a bank manager that Coughlin took hostage during one of their hits, and the movie unfolds with Doug trying to keep his identity to Keesey a secret while hiding the relationship from Coughlin.<br />
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Unfortunately for me, I read Chuck Hogan's book 'The Prince of Thieves' (the book on which the movie is based) right before seeing the movie, so I couldn't help but do the whole "That's not what happens in the book!" dance the entire time. I really wish I hadn't read it first, if only because, and I hate to be 'that guy', but the book was infinitely better than the movie. Don't get me wrong, I can only imagine the difficulty in transforming 360 pages into a 2 hour movie while trying to capture the essence of the characters, but there was so much that got left out, the excellent human interest story that was book got lost in a hail of machine gun fire in the movie. <br />
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Affleck went full on Hollywood here, going for car chases and gun battles rather than showing some restraint and allowing the Affleck / Hall story to unfold more slowly, letting us really feel the struggle that MacRay feels in trying to please his buddies while looking to move on with his life. Looking past the simple question of 'why' MacRay would ever even try to develop a relationship with the one person that could point him out to the authorities, the story is interesting in and of itself. Additionally, it allows us to see MacRay (the bad guy trying to become a good guy) as the protagonist in the film, with is best friend, Coughlin, as the clear antagonist. Keeps your friends close, and your enemies closer.....<br />
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As Jem, Renner is even better here than he was in The Hurt Locker. He's unpredictable, vulgar, rude, and an all around jerk. You can't help but feel genuinely uncomfortable every time he's on the screen. In one of my favorite scenes in the movie, Affleck's MacRay tells Renner's Coughlin, "I need to ask you a favor, but I can't tell you why and you can never ask me about it. But we're gonna go hurt somebody". Coughlin's answer? "Who's car are we taking?". Perfect. My hope is that Renner will be considered for a Best Supporting Actor award here. Pete Postlethewaite is also great as an old time 'Town guy who gets kicks backs on the jobs that Affleck and his crew pull off.<br />
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Ok, so overall....what did I think? I liked it. I really liked it for what it was, which is a shoot 'em up heist movie, set in Boston. It was absolutely a kick to see so many shots of Charlestown, some of it's residents (hey, that's Jack Schievink!), and get the feeling that I was able to pick up on things that the other 300 people in the theater didn't pick up on. If the movie was set in Portland and everyone was trying to pull off whatever accent people in Oregon might have - I undoubtedly wouldn't have cared half as much. That being said - I'm from Charlestown, and this is as close to a 'Charlestown movie' as we're probably going to see.<br />
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Affleck did put it in a nice dedication at the beginning of the credits to the good people of Charlestown, telling the world that despite the material and bad name that a film like this could give to such a small town, that Charlestown was full of some of the best and hardest working folks around. Good people. Real people. In fact, anyone who sees this movie will get several bird's eye views of Charlestown and Boston, as Affleck grossly overuses the 'panaromic helicopter view of the city' shot. <br />
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I wanted to...REALLY wanted to love this movie. I highly enjoyed the book, and would have loved to have seen a movie that followed the book to a tee. Having said that, it's a fun movie, it's a funny movie (way more laughs that I would have ever thought, the best one coming from MacRay's dad in prison, when talking about how things were going at MCI Walpole - "It's not like it used to be Dougie. F'n Southie punks are trying to take everything over" - even in the movies, Southie comes in 2nd to Charlestown..), and it's a great popcorn movie. As long as you don't go in expecting the 2nd coming of The Departed, you'll be fine. I'll go 4 out of 5 stars due to the location, but I'd be surprised if anyone outside of Greater Boston would go above 3.5. If you're from around here, you should definitely go see it. Siskel's Ghosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173893586926419321noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-795938516584769318.post-28344753829790982512010-09-16T09:19:00.000-04:002010-09-16T09:19:25.247-04:00THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://blog.80millionmoviesfree.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/the_men_who_stare_at_goats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" qx="true" src="http://blog.80millionmoviesfree.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/the_men_who_stare_at_goats.jpg" width="222" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Many months ago, when this movie was out in the theaters, a friend of mine told me she was going to see it with her boyfriend. Big stars, previews looked funny...I was eagerly anticipating her thoughts on the film the next day. Her exact words - "That sucked". Well.....OK then..... So it's taken me about 6 months to finally get to see it, and I have to say that while I don't totally agree with her assessment, the movie is definitely not for everyone. <br />
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'The Men Who Stare At Goats' stars George Clooney and Ewan McGregor, with help from Jeff Bridges and Kevin Spacey, and is not, in effect, really about goats at all. Bob Wilton (McGregor) is a down on his luck journalist looking for one big story to get him back into the good graces of his estranged wife, basically to prove his worth as a man. As a result, he goes into Iraq to cover the war, where he meets Lyn Cassidy (Clooney). Clooney is an ex-army soldier, who was trained in 'New Earth Army' by his superior officer Bill Django (Bridges). Through a series of flashbacks, we get to see that The New Earth Army that Django teaches focuses on mind warfare as opposed to physical strength. The men are being trained to be Jedi's (which is really funny as a running joke in the film, especially as McGregor played Obi Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars films). <br />
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The men have been trained to 'remote view' other locations to find missing soldiers, see and walk through walls, become invisible, etc...etc.... Wilton believes none of this, and after getting into misadventure after misadventure with Cassidy, has plenty of reason for doubt. Wilton and Clooney eventually find Django and Hooper (Spacey) working on the same techniques in the remote desert. <br />
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The problem, I think, with the movie is that it fluctuates between being a straight comedy, to a satire, to somewhat of a drama, back to a comedy, and back to a satire. The movie doesn't culminate as much as crawl to a conclusion. I did find it pretty funny at times, and I suppose it could be categorized as a sort of dark satire. Oh yeah, and there is some staring at goats, so we got that going for us...which is nice. <br />
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Like I said, I didn't hate it, but I can definitely see why someone paying money to see it in a movie theater would be grossly disappointed. It's a very odd movie, that never really lets you get comfortable with any style of film. You keep waiting for something to happen that will let you ease into the movie...but it never comes. I'd give it a 2.5 out of 5, realizing that this isn't for everyone.Siskel's Ghosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173893586926419321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-795938516584769318.post-28028394081351884612010-09-05T21:55:00.001-04:002010-09-05T21:57:10.622-04:00OUR FAMILY WEDDING<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cinematex.ro/posters/39/movie39941.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="http://www.cinematex.ro/posters/39/movie39941.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><br />
A few weeks ago when I rented Hot Tub Time Machine, one of the previews before the movie was for Our Family Wedding. To me, it looked like a straight to DVD comedy that I'd of had no interest in seeing, but my wife laughed, and laughed and laughed at the trailer.....and asked me to get the movie from Netflix. Absolutely no way. There was no way I was renting this low budget crappy comedy that I'd never heard of, based on one 'seen it all' slapstick trailer. No way..<br />
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So, we watched the film the other night....of course we did. And.....there's nothing new here. Guy and girl fall in love. Guy is black, girl is Latino. Latino family can't believe she's going to marry a black guy. Black guy's family can't believe he's marrying into a crazy Latino family. And around and around we go...... This movie had more stereotype jokes than Blazing Saddles.<br />
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Lance Gross plays the lead role opposite America Ferrera (Ugly Betty). Forest Whitaker and Carlos Mencia play the equally crazed fathers, who after a bit of a run-in early in the movie, cannot stand each other. Whitaker and Mencia end up being the focus of the movie, each getting small sub-plots (both romantically based) that show their shortcomings, but allowing them both to atone and make reparations in the end.<br />
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Aside from the 'been there done that' plot of the film, the main problem I have with the movie is in the editing. It was brutal. I'm not sure that the filmmakers had ever heard of the word 'segway' or 'lead up' to and from a scene. You went from a scene in a bakery, straight to a garage, back to the house, over to the other house, once more in the garage..... No segway or flow whatsoever. The film really misses the mark in this sense, and makes for a generally unfunny and cliche movie. <br />
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Did I laugh a few times? Sure. Did I hate myself for it? Absolutely. 2 out of 5 stars. I'm sorry, I simply can't recommend this one at all.Siskel's Ghosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173893586926419321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-795938516584769318.post-5621059190588957872010-09-02T16:29:00.000-04:002010-09-02T16:29:44.963-04:00GOTHIKA<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://movie-streams.net/media/images/501911.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="http://movie-streams.net/media/images/501911.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><br />
Yeah...I know this movie came out like 7 years ago, but I had never seen it and it was on HBO this morning so I figured I'd waste an hour and a half and check it out. I like these type of psychological thrillers, so I was hoping this would be pretty good. While it was pretty suspenseful at times, the first half of the movie drags on and on, and the 2nd half unfolds with utter confusion and little makes sense.<br />
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Miranda Grey (Halle Berry) is a psychiatrist at a mental hospital/prison that has some major, major electrical problems (the prison that is, not Halle). She leaves work one night, in a driving rainstorm of course, sees a girl in the middle of the road, and drives her car off the road into a ditch. Next thing you know, she wakes up as a patient in the same hospital, with little memory of what happened. She's told that her husband is dead, butchered even, and the bad news is that she's the only suspect.<br />
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Grey is intent on proving her innocence, which gets increasingly difficult with each ghost sighting and apparition she encounters. Penelope Cruz co-stars as a fellow patient seeing and feeling the same hallucinations as well. This is where the plot comes completely undone and the movie unravels. Grey manages to escape from the prison, realizes the horror of what she's done, and uncovers a shocking secret of her former husband. <br />
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The problem I have with the film is that while the first half of the movie bores, the second half the movie makes no sense. How she uncovers what transpired is ridiculous and is very confusing. Furthermore, Robert Downey Jr.'s talent and character (fellow Dr. Pete Graham) are wasted in the film. <br />
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I found some of the shock and scare tactics a bit heavy handed, but I'll admit that there were times I felt genuinely uncomfortable. I just wish the movie made more sense. Not highly recommended for this one. 2.5 out of 5 stars...Siskel's Ghosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173893586926419321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-795938516584769318.post-49371752906759290902010-08-31T14:56:00.001-04:002010-09-05T21:56:22.899-04:00THE GREAT BUCK HOWARD<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://whoyoucallingaskeptic.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/the-great-buck-howard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="http://whoyoucallingaskeptic.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/the-great-buck-howard.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><br />
'The Great Buck Howard' is a movie that showcases the life and times of an aging, over the hill mentalist/magician named Buck Howard (John Malkovich). Buck was once the star of late night TV, appearing 61 times on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, but now plays to the senior citizen crowd in rundown theaters in podunk towns (Hello Wahoo, Nebraska!).<br />
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While Buck's days are long past him, Troy Gable's (Colin Hanks) best days are ahead of him. Fed up and disillusioned with the possibility as a career as a lawyer, Troy drops out of college and law school, and answers a classified ad in the newspaper to become Buck's new road manager. Troy has no choice but to learn quickly, and proceeds to travel the country as Buck's right hand man. Playing small town after small town, we come to see Buck's many idiosyncrasies and oddities. <br />
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Buck's got a heck of a handshake, a penchant for spring water (not distilled!) and a love for every town he visits. The movie's comedy comes in Buck's quirkiness, and Malkovich does a great job of making you both laugh at him and feel for him at the same time. Emily Blunt shows up half way through the movie as a publicist and becomes Troy's love interest, albeit for no apparent reason. <br />
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When Buck declares that he'll perform his greatest trick ever, he finally gets some press and everyone shows up for his big show. Buck gets the press he hoped for, even if it's not as he expected it to happen. Suddenly, the once run down, past his prime Buck Howard is hip again, running the late night circuit, appearing on Regis and Kelly, Martha Stewart and MTV. Buck's return to prominence is short lived however, allowing us to see the fall, resurgence, and re-fall of the Great Buck Howard. <br />
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While I liked the movie enough, it almost came across as a vehicle to let John Malkovich act eccentric for 90 minutes. I did enjoy Buck's complete apathy for anything that's happened after 1970 though, clearly living in the past, where he truly was, The Great Buck Howard. Even Tom Hanks seemed disinterested in his 2 cameo's however, and he produced the film! <br />
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There's very little substance here, and you certainly don't come away from this movie having learned anything whatsoever. Having said that, it's a pretty good comedy that won't make you feel like you wasted your time, but you won't be raving about it afterwards either. 3 out of 5 stars.Siskel's Ghosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173893586926419321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-795938516584769318.post-45044850316811331362010-08-23T09:56:00.001-04:002010-09-05T21:56:04.836-04:00DELIVERANCE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://course1.winona.edu/pjohnson/h140/studentsf01/deliverance/Deliverance_files/6305558159.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="http://course1.winona.edu/pjohnson/h140/studentsf01/deliverance/Deliverance_files/6305558159.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg" width="227" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>That's right....we're going old school for today's movie review. I had never seen Deliverance before, but knew that it was a classic, and I got a chance to catch a late night Cinemax viewing yesterday evening.<br />
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Deliverance is the story of 4 Atlanta businessmen who decide to take a 'boys weekend', and go rafting down the fictional Cahulawassee River in northern Georgia. The 4 men (Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty and Ron Cox) are clearly out of their element. The locals appear to be, and are portrayed as, inbred, 2 teeth, overall wearing, banjo playing hillbillies. <br />
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In the beginning of the movie, the four men stop for gas and Drew (Ron Cox) plays his guitar, to which a local boy playing a banjo joins in, and we get a rousing rendition of the classic 'dueling banjos'. In fact, the song was nominated for an Academy Award in 1972, and the music serves as an undertone for the entire movie, being heard througout the film.<br />
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As you can imagine, not all goes as smoothly as the four men would have hoped. The river is far more dangerous than they could have imagined. Fast rapids, sharp rocks, and local mountain men with the worst of intentions. The famous scene involving the mountain men and Bobby (Ned Beatty in his film debut) and Ed (Jon Voight - the star of the movie) is both cringe inducing and horror movie worthy. It flows into a perfect what-would-you-do-if-it-happened-to-you scene where the 4 men argue the pros and cons of the situation, finally reaching a necessary, albeit nearly damning conclusion.<br />
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Things don't get any better for the foursome, as one bad thing leads to another, ending with the final scenes back on dry land, trying to convince the local sheriff (James Dickey, the author of the book in a cameo role here) that all is well, and they just want to go home. <br />
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While there are long stretches of the movie where absolutely nothing happens, the amount of fear that you can't help but feel for the men is overwhelming - surely coming from the fact that it's a classic 'this could happen to me' movie. The tension builds and builds, and slowly releases as the situations evolve, not giving you the quick payoff, but rather allowing you to ease into the moment. The film is overwhelmingly anti-Appalachian, and undoubtedly ceased any vacation thoughts of visiting the area in the early 1970's. <br />
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I found myself glued to the screen, and had absolutely no idea how it would end. Nominated for the Best Picture Oscar in 1972 (eventually losing to The Godfather), you don't need me to tell you this was a good film, but I did enjoy it. I stopped short of loving the movie, whether due to Burt Reynolds atrocious acting (he does have the laying down and moaning down pact though), or the long stretches of simply drifing down river, but it was a good movie. I'm going with 3.5 out of 5 stars for this one, just short of 4.Siskel's Ghosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173893586926419321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-795938516584769318.post-77330934584244779192010-08-22T11:52:00.002-04:002010-08-31T14:58:25.504-04:002012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<a href="http://www.2012doomsdays.com/images/2012movie3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="http://www.2012doomsdays.com/images/2012movie3.jpg" width="271" /></a></div>2012 is one of many 'end of the world' movies that have come out over the last few years. At over 150 minutes long, it takes a shot at being an epic film, and while it misses badly at doing so, it certainly does enough to entertain and makes for a pretty good movie watching experience. <br />
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The overwhelming plot is of course is the total meltdown of the earth's core, causing massive earthquakes and tsunami's, leading to the eventual collapse and destruction of the earth. In fact, the movie uses nearly 2 hours to show exactly that. We see the White House destroyed, Vatican City collapse, the Statue of Christ in Rio De Janeiro crumble, and so on and so forth. <br />
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Where the movie succeeds is in the fantastic chase scenes, where John Cusack and his family outrun, well, mother nature I guess......... and in the overwhelming sense of dread as you watch the 5 of them narrowly escape certain death after certain death. Even though most of this is cliche, it's actually done surprisingly well. The film consistently feeds off of our emotions, and nothing strikes fear into your heart more than children in peril (which is a constant theme throughout the movie).<br />
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Danny Glover, Woody Harrelson, Thandie Newton, Amanda Peet and Oliver Platt all play important, albeit relatively minor roles in the film. Chiwetel Ejiofor gets a major role as the geophysicist who predicts the impending disaster, and despite making mistake after mistake - is consistently the only one in the room who seems to know what's going on. <br />
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Perhaps one thing I'd nitpick on is how quickly the destruction escalated. One minute, we're having minor tremors and semi-strong earthquakes in California - the next minute, the entire San Andreas Fault is collapsing and the entire State is on fire. Things haven't escalated this quickly since Ron Burgandy and the NewCenter 5 team got into a street brawl.<br />
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As I mentioned, 2 and half hours is a long time to invest in a movie, but I thought the filmmakers did a pretty good job overall. The CGI effects are obvious, but I couldn't help but wonder what worldwide landmark was going to go down in flames next. Most of it was, literally, unbelievable (I mean, who doesn't drive sports cars out of the back of crashing airplanes, right?), but it was also a mindless fun. 3.5 out of 5 stars. Absolutely rentable.Siskel's Ghosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173893586926419321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-795938516584769318.post-58048510437778158092010-08-11T12:26:00.001-04:002010-08-11T17:55:52.676-04:00KICK-ASS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.collider.com/wp-content/image-base/Movies/K/Kick-Ass/posters/Kick-Ass%20movie%20poster%20final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="http://www.collider.com/wp-content/image-base/Movies/K/Kick-Ass/posters/Kick-Ass%20movie%20poster%20final.jpg" width="215" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>I've never been a 'comic book' kind of guy, it's just never been something that's ever interested me. Having said that, I've been putting off seeing Kick-Ass ever since I read that the movie was a comic book adaptation. Big mistake on my part. <br />
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What comes across in the posters and previews as a type of schlock superhero movie, turns out to be a legit, big budget, full-on action movie. The premise is such that Dave (Aaron Johnson) wonders aloud why nobody has attempted to be a real superhero, and decides to go into the crime-fighting business on his own, clad in scuba gear and calling himself Kick-Ass. His first encounter as Kick-Ass goes quickly south, but he manages to survive and fight another day, and eventually winds up being a viral sensation on Youtube.<br />
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Taking his cue, we're introduced to Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and Hit Girl (Chloe Moretz). This is where the real fun starts. Hit Girl is the star of the movie. The 11 year old, four and a half foot, foul mouthed, knife wielding aficionado and her father, Big Daddy, are top notch killing machines. A particular scene where we first see Hit Girl in action really jump starts the film, and lets the viewer know that this isn't your daddy's superhero movie. <br />
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Blood. Guts. Severed limbs. All in a day's work for this band of superheroes. There are many cringe inducing scenes that feel brutal at the time, but quickly subside as you can't help but admire Hit Girl's athleticism and total control of any situation she's put into. <br />
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I thoroughly enjoyed how the movie tied up loose ends and pulled many of the minor scenes together in order to make a very coherent and cohesive film. At 1 hour and 56 minutes long, it surely could have been shortened a bit, but I'm not complaining. <br />
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Christopher Mintz-Plasse (McLovin from Superbad) seemed a bit miscast, and his characters motives swung more than once or twice, not sure of what he was supposed portray to the audience. I did however enjoy Clark Duke (Hot Tub Time Machine, Sex Drive) in a minor role as one of Dave's buddies, who comes across as the perfect high-school geek that everybody likes anyway. <br />
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I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked the movie, and it certainly peaked my interest in the new Scott Pilgrim vs. The World movie coming out next week (also a comic book adaptation). I definitely say it's worth renting - just be prepared to hear a 11 year old say words only a truck driver could get away with.... 4 out of 5 stars.Siskel's Ghosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173893586926419321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-795938516584769318.post-55286025262568602042010-08-10T17:20:00.000-04:002010-08-10T17:20:42.434-04:00COP OUT<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.yourmoviestuff.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Cop-Out_290.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" mx="true" src="http://www.yourmoviestuff.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Cop-Out_290.jpg" width="217" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>On the NBC sitcom 30 Rock, Tracy Morgan's character has a slew of faux movie posters on the wall of his dressing room, mimicking low-budget 'paycheck' movies that he's made. If you see a Cop Out poster on the wall in next season's episodes, don't be surprised. <br />
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I've enjoyed Kevin Smith's movies in the past. Clerks, Mallrats, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Dogma - all fine examples of Smith's writing and directing ability. It's always been his smart, witty dialogue and ability to mix pop culture references and observational humor into a humorous, 100 minute package. Unfortunately, Smith didn't write this film, and can only take <strike>blame</strike> credit for the directing portion. <em>Et tu</em> Kevin Smith?<em> Et tu....</em><br />
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Cop Out is a buddy cop movie in the Beverly Hills Cop / Lethal Weapon framework. Tracy Morgan is 'the black guy', and Bruce Willis is 'the white guy'. The problem with the movie, is that I couldn't tell what kind of movie Smith was trying to make. On the surface, you'd think it'd be straight comedy, until you get to the multiple brutal killings that seem so far out of bounds for this type of film, you can't help but feel like you missed the joke somewhere. <br />
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The plot is loosely based around a stolen baseball card, and Willis and Morgan's attempt to get it back from a drug dealer (Juan Carlos Hernandez from Half-Baked). Throw in a maybe she is / maybe she isn't cheating Rashida Jones (The Office, Parks & Recreation), 2 straight and narrow cops (one played by Kevin Pollak), a Mexican beauty who doesn't speak any English, a parkour burglar (Sean William Scott), a stuck up jerk of a 2nd husband to Willis' ex-wife (Jason Lee) and Willis' attempt to pay a $48,000 wedding bill for his daughter, and you've got 3 too many side plots that start and end up as complete nonsense. <br />
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In the end, I was most disappointed in the lack of originality in the film. I felt like the movie was about 20 minutes too long, and I honestly just wanted it to be over. The synthesizer music was a nice homage to the Beverly Hills Cops franchise, but the rest of the soundtrack was scattered and felt disjointed as well. <br />
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I feel bad not liking this more as much as I've enjoyed Kevin Smith's other films, but to me, it just felt like a 'cop out' on his part. 2 out of 5 stars.Siskel's Ghosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173893586926419321noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-795938516584769318.post-60615719342796332282010-08-03T20:56:00.000-04:002010-08-03T20:56:05.296-04:00SALT<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.extramirchi.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/angelina-jolie-salt-movie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="320" src="http://www.extramirchi.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/angelina-jolie-salt-movie.jpg" width="215" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Another Tuesday, another $5 matinee. This weeks pick was the new Angelina Jolie flick, Salt. Typically, this is not the type of movie I'd go out of my way to see. I feel like if you've seen one of these cookie-cutter action movies, you've seen them all. It's usually cliche, predictable, and I find it pretty boring. Salt was cliche, perhaps predictable...but boring it was not. <br />
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I found myself pleasantly surprised in the flow of the movie, and the many twists and turns that it took us on for just over an hour and a half. Jolie plays Evelyn Salt, who aside from being as resourceful as MacGyver and good looking as, well, Angelina Jolie....is also a top notch CIA officer and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. At least it felt that way. She's basically a superhero without the cape. Jolie is able to jump from truck roof to truck roof, to moving car, from window to window and down elevator shafts without so much as a twisted knee. I broke my ankle stepping in a divot. Needless to say, I'm envious. <br />
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The plot is basically inconsequential. I don't know that there's anything you need to know except that Salt is on the run, half the CIA is trying to catch her, and there's going to be some broken glass along the way. The plot has holes big enough to drive a truck through (with Angelina Jolie riding on top of it). Doesn't matter, you're in this for the action, and the movie delivers, all the way down to the sequel enticing ending.<br />
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Two things I'd nitpick about: 1. Angelina Jolie doesn't run like a superhero/trained badass. I can't explain it, except that when she's running for her life, she reminds me of someone keeping a steady 5.0 on the treadmill at the gym. For example, Matt Damon, in the Bourne movies, RUNS like someone being chased, and looks natural doing it. 2. For about 60% of the movie, Jolie is in some god-awful blond wig that makes her look like a hippy housewife from the 70's. There's simply no way for anyone watching the movie to ever believe that was her natural hair, and I thought it looked awful. <br />
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Those couple of things aside, I can say that I enjoyed the movie. I don't think it's necessary to run out and see it in the theater, I'd recommend waiting until hit the DVD circuit in a few months - but it's worth a rental for sure. 3.5 out of 5. For what it was, it was done well.Siskel's Ghosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173893586926419321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-795938516584769318.post-5437198614087667532010-07-31T23:05:00.001-04:002010-08-01T08:49:45.882-04:00HOT TUB TIME MACHINE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.giantfreakinrobot.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Hot-Tub-Time-Machine_510.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="320" src="http://www.giantfreakinrobot.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Hot-Tub-Time-Machine_510.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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Early in the movie, once the 4 main characters have come the realization that they've travelled back in time to 1986, Craig Robinson's (Darrell, from The Office) character looks directly into the camera and says, "It's like it's some kind of....Hot Tub Time Machine". It's clearly meant to be tongue-in-cheek, and very clearly tells the audience - "Do not take this seriously. We are not taking this seriously". <br />
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Complete with leg warmers, Miami Vice t-shirts, neon colors, and a Poison concert, the film plants us back firmly into the mid 80's (or at least Hollywood's version of the '80's). Thanks to a faulty (wait for it......... Hot Tub), all 4 guys are thrown back 25 years. Why? Well, it's presumed so they can right all the wrongs that have gone wrong in their lives, except that they're told by a magic repairman (Chevy Chase, in a brutal, unfunny, unnecessary role), that they must replicate their decisions and actions from 25 years ago, and not change anything..... It's ok, it's not supposed to make sense. <br />
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What happens isn't important, but just know that it involves an illegal Russian energy drink, cocaine, a fork to the eye, and John Cusack walking around with a "I'm getting paid in cash for this, right?" look on his face the whole time.<br />
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The best gag in the movie involves a one armed Crispin Glover (Marty McFly from Back to the Future) and our waiting to see just how he became the one-armed man. A slew of great 80's songs make up the soundtrack and work very well.<br />
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The movie stops short of being a direct parody of Back to the Future, though not by much. The dials on the hot tub look like the Flux Capacitor, we hear a song from the future at a dance, the 'Biff' character is in place, and some future sports betting even takes place. Crispin Glover is the icing on the cake. Thanks guys, we get it. It's like Back to the Future....yeah, we GET IT!<br />
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The movie is rude, crude, and quite possibly the dumbest thing I've ever seen. Having said that, I must have laughed out loud at least a dozen times. Sure it's stupid, but it lived <strike>up</strike> down to my expectations and was what I thought it was. <br />
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If you think it looks stupid in the previews, just wait until you actually see it......... 2.5 out of 5 stars.Siskel's Ghosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173893586926419321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-795938516584769318.post-91157088316698412922010-07-30T10:15:00.000-04:002010-07-30T10:15:31.383-04:00THE TOWN - Trailer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrt6gIdJwpONHM0VIZ4QoVB0twUF8fgPnd4OJn05cqplVh-Iqj5pay4LlCAWv1wSQ2wP0_1tj_A70WYJf3C2XOYTr9vfexZnQ68Y4syeBeETvK0a8lLQsLzr14CLPYVdJlgaZL7VG67As/s1600/thetown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrt6gIdJwpONHM0VIZ4QoVB0twUF8fgPnd4OJn05cqplVh-Iqj5pay4LlCAWv1wSQ2wP0_1tj_A70WYJf3C2XOYTr9vfexZnQ68Y4syeBeETvK0a8lLQsLzr14CLPYVdJlgaZL7VG67As/s320/thetown.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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<a href="http://www.firstshowing.net/2010/07/15/must-watch-first-official-trailer-for-ben-afflecks-the-town/">http://www.firstshowing.net/2010/07/15/must-watch-first-official-trailer-for-ben-afflecks-the-town/</a><br />
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This isn't exactly breaking news, but you need to check out the trailer for the new Ben Affleck movie 'The Town'. Looks fantastic - I'm totally pumped to see this movie. Just hearing the word "Charlestown" in the trailer gives me goosebumps. Can't wait. Click the link above to check out the trailer.Siskel's Ghosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18173893586926419321noreply@blogger.com0