Saturday, April 30, 2011

Eyes of the Mothman (2009 NR)

   This is a documentary so the people who are in it are people who live in and around the town of Pt. Pleasent. 
   There are sections of the documentary.  They are Chief Cornstalk, bad luck in area, Mothman and UFO, Men in Black, Indect Cold, and the Silver bridge collapse.  I liked the movie The Mothman Prophecies.  If you liked the movie or like myth or alien abduction I would recomend this.  The only draw back is the running time is about 2.5 hours.  Even for me it did run on a little too long.
   I rated it an A but the running time may be a drawback.  If myth is your thing I would recomend both.

Water for Eelephants (2011 PG13)

   The movie stars Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line, Pleasentville), Robert Pattinson (Twilight?, Vanithy Fair), Christoph Waltz (Inglorious Bastards), Paul Schneider (Bright Star, Elizabethtown), Jim Norton (Oyster Farmer, Conspircy of Silence) and Hal Holbrook (The Firm, All the Presidents Men)
   The plot of the movie is Pattinson joins the circus as a vet and falls in love with a perormerr Witherspoon who is married to the tyriannical owner Waltz.
   To quote Jerry Maguire, "You had me at hello."  The first shot was almost enough for me to like the movie from that shot alone.  The early shots reminded me a little of how the train looked in The Polar Express kind of a good looking train.
   Lets hope I dont piss of too many people but this is a retelling of Titanic.  Lets see if you agree.  There is a rich wife (ok so Titanic was a fiance) who falls in love with another man from a lower class (ok so in this movie it was not clearly established if Pattinson was poor but his first job with the circus was definatly a dead end low class job).  It envlolves romantic types of travel a state of the art ship and train (espically Witherspoons and Waltz car).   An abusive and mean husband and fiance.  Thats all i can come up with or now, now on to other similarities with other movies.
   It also reminds me of The Princiss Bride, a love story between people from diffrent classes (I know I knowPattinso may not be a lower class he is a vet).  There is also a scene that could be sad that it was taken almost directly from King Kong (the 1977 version with Jeff Bridges.  The scene involves Charles Groden and is towards the end of the movie.)  And the story is told by an older member of the story.  This is like Titanic, The Green Mile and A Princess Bride (not exactly on point because Peter Faulk tells a made up story to his grandson but the "As you wish" line at the end to me leads me to at least think he might be Wesely).  When done right with an older actor this is a good way to tell a stroy.  The three examples in thisd paragraph has good older actors to tell the story through.
   I rated this movie as a B.  Go and see it if you have not seen it yet.  Despite all of the similarities to others movie its worth going out to see.

Common Sences (2005 TVMA)

   The movie stars Holly Montgomery-Webb, Luis A Perez, James Azrael, Cheryl Lynn Golemo, Erick Pausz, Lisa Scott, and Kathy Berger.
   The plot of the movie is Webb gets out of prison and reconects with Perez.  She tries to make amends with family and friends who are tired of putting up with her.  She feels resposnible or a kids death while getting candy for his new "girlfriend."
   Im rating this movie as a C- and think its not worth the time to watch.  The prison angle is irrevent to the plot.  Another distraction is the movie feels like it wants to go into two directions.  It cant decide if it wants to be a character study and not have a real need for a plot, and it being a movie where the plot is central and important.  If they had chosen one direction it would of been fine.  It was directed and written by five upcomming Chicago filmakers, maybe thats why there is no real direction in the film.
   Some of the scenes do not seem to advance the plot or characters in the movie. And sometimes Webb seems too eager to make people happy, a distraction.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Gigantic (2008 R)

   The movie stars Paul Dano (The Extra Man L.I.E.), Zooey Deschanel (The Good Girl, 500 Days o Summer), Ed Asner (Up, Gypsy), jane Alexander (Brubaker, In the Custody of Strangers), John Goodman (Rosanne tv, Barton Fink), Ian Roberts (Wah-Wah, Upright Citizens Brgade), Robert Stanton (The Quiet American, Love or Money), and Zack Galifianakis (The Hangover, Due Date)
   The plot of the movie is Dano, who sells matresses, has had a life long desire to adapt a baby from China falls in love with Deschanel who works for her eccentric father.  Deschanel freeks out and breaks up with Dano but is won back, I think, at the one week aniversery of Dano getting a baby. While all of this s going on Dano is being hunted by this homeless guy, Galifianakis, who gets killed by Dano in a back alley fight that is thrown into the plot for a reason I am still trying to figure out.
   If you want a typical movie stay away from this one.  It reminds me of The Royal Tannabaums, I Hart Huckabees and Naked Lunch on the bizzar-o-meter.  Danos character is a little morose.  Dano and Deschanel are in this fish out of watter love story.  Asners character is kind of neat.  While I have never seen Mad Men, Asner could be Don Drapper transported to 2011.  (I assume Drapper is more of a womanizer then Asner character but shows other traits of a bussiness man from the era).
   The ending is a little diffrent but shows a very loving family that makes the overall movie better.  Im rating the movie as a C+ (a C- untill the ending brought up the grade.)  So I would say if you are in the mood for a bizzar love story take the time for this movie but be prepared for some characters you dont see in movies very often.  It is diffrent.

Booky's Crush (2009 TVG)

   The movie stars Rachel Marcus (The Dogfather, Booky and the Secret Santa), Megan Follows (Booky and the Secret Santa, Inherit the Wind), Stuart Hughes (Troubled Waters, ...Secret Santa), Connor Price, Dylan Everett, and Sara White (Johnny Sunshine).
   The plot is of a famly living in depression era Toronto.  It deals with everyday life of a typical family and growing up, keeping hopeful in a deperssion, a marriage, first crushes, and other romances.
   Im rating this as a C or a slight C+.  I dont have any strong feeling one way or the other.  I could see recomending or not recomending it.  The only real problem with this is I did not like the scenes with Booky and her girlfriends.  There was a lack of debth or something just did not ring true with these scenes. 
   I would recomend it but its just not a strong recomendation.  Its geared more towards pre teen or teen girls so that target audiance may like it more.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Hounddog (2007 R)

   The movie stars Dakota Fanning (War of the Worlds, Nine Lives), Robin Wright (Penn)(White Oleander, The Princess Bride), David Morse (St. Elsewhere tv, The Green Mile), Isabelle Fuhrman, Piper Laurie (Children of a Lessor God, Dream a Little Dream), Afemo Omilami (The Secret Life of Noah Dearborn, Beneath the Dark).
   The plot of the movie follows the life of a "negelected" southern girl, Fanning.  Her mother is dead, her dad is negletful, her aunt (I think its her aunt but may be her mother but I dont think so), who is in love with her dad, her religous Grandmother, and Elvis.  
   Im rating this movie as a C-.  I say skip it.  The actors did a bad job convincing me they were from the south (unlike Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side I grew up around people like her).  Who ever directed Wright should not work again because he had her playing with her dress.  I guess it was suspose to show she was vulernable but was just distracting. 
   Over all Fanning and  the rest of the cast (I like Morse and Wright a lot) was a disapointment in this movie that did not live up to the cast.

The Village Barbership (2007 or 2008 R)

   The movie stars John Ratzenberger (Cheers rv, Up), Shelly Cole, George McRae, Laurellee Westaway  and Cindy Pickett (The Stepdaughter, Cry for the Starngers).
   The plot is Ratzenbergers bussiness partner dies he has to hir Cole to help keep his barbership open.  She does the books and expands the base of the business.  The movie seems to bring together two main characters that are damaged and make eath others lives a lot better.
   Im rating this movie as a B+ or A-.  Im going to go ahead and do something I dont like doing too much.  Hype a movie and get expectations high. 
   The movie may be a cross between The Man Who Was Not There (a movie with Billy Bob Thourton about a barber that I remember liking but I dont remember much of the plot so I may be off on the plot) and Juno (a pregnate young lady). 
   The music in this movie is a big plus.  There is a diffrence between In Good Company (good sound track but crappy movie).  The movie would not be the same without the good soundtrack.
   At first I was hesitent because Ratzenberger was the lead.  Im happy to say he did a real good job in the role.
   Now that I have your expectations up try and enjoy the movie anyway.
  
  

The Only Good Indian (2009 TV 14)

   The movie stars Winter Fox Frank, Wes Studi (Call of the Wild, Miracle at Sage Creek), J. Kenneth Campbell (Ulee's Gold), Paul Butler (Before the Devil Knows Your Dead), Thirza Defoe, and Christopher Wheatley.
   The plot of the movis is a teen escapes from a school, where Indians go for reeducation, to get home.  He is recaptured by an Indian bounty hunter who turns in run aways in for the bounty.
   The plot of the move is not too origional but that did not bother me too much.  What bothered me was I dont think the acting was too good.  There were a few moments that got close to greatness but they were too far and inbetween for me to say this is a must see. The characters came across a little one dimential or my taste. 
   Im rating this movie as a C- and would say dont bother watching.  But it is not a strong stay away.  Some movies are really bad this one was not really bad but just did not quiet make it to the point where I would say go and see it.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Arthur (2011 PG13)

   The movie stars Russell Brand (Get Him to the Geek, Hop), Helen Mirren (Gosford Park, A Midsummer Nights Dream), Greta Gerwig (Geenberg, Hannah Takes the Stairs), Jennifer Garner (Catch Me if You Can, 13 Going on 30), Luis Guzman (Anger Management, Fast Food Nation), and Leslie Hendrix (Law and Order SVU).
   The plot is the same as the origional.  In order to get his inheritance Brand has to marry Garner but falls in love with Gerwig. 
   The best thing about this movie is Brand.  He is good.  His interaction with Mirren is also good (her characters resolution in the movie was very good).  Im debating if I did not like Garner in the movie because she plays a bitch or if it was a bad performance.  Eather way she was a drag on the movie big time.  Another drag in the movie was a scene on a construction site.  It was stupid and just wrong.  Brand uses a nail gun to shoot nails across a room.  The only trouble is all of the nail guns I have used have had two safty measures that make what he did undoable.  (You have to pull the trigger and have the place where the nails come out in contact with a solid service.)  The other one is less trouble.  Most people who use tabel saws only extend the height of the blade just deep enough to cut the wood to prevent loosing a finger or two like I almost did. 
   I think they used a version of the origional song in this version I liked it.  They did use the origional song in the credits.  Some lines fell flat, Like Mirren to Evander Holleyfield  "get him out of the ring ir I will bite your other ear off."  There were some others that were duds.  I did like the use of classic movie cars in the film.  The Batmobile (From the ones in the 90's, the Back to the Future DeLorean, and the Mystery Mobile from Scooby Doo, there are others but cant remember.
   Im rating the movie as a C or C+.  Brand performance I would rate as a B or B+, the rest of the movie as a C-.  I think the movie is worth seeing just for Brands performance and have not seen the origional recently enough to say if it was better.

Catalina Trust (1999 TV14)

   The movie stars Jay Harrington (Octopus, Better Off Ted tv), Arabella Holzbog (Ocean Park), David Vegh, Erica Shaffer (Running Springs, The Socratic Method), and John Shea (Lois and Clark tv, Southie).
   The plot of the movie is Harrington has to go to Arizona to settle his estranged grandfathers estate.  To sell his hotel.  Whe nhe goes there he has no interist in keeping the hotel but falls in love with the hotel and his grandfathers secretary, which does not go over well with his fiance.  Not at all origional.
   Im rating this movie as a D or C-.  My biggest problem with the moive is Harrington brings his foster brother who just pased the bar on his third try.  I guess that was to set up the fact that Shea, the Arizona lawyer who settels the estate, is trying to cheat Harrington out of lots of money.  I could not get into the suspension of disbeleif that the foster brother did not ask more questions but found some stuff reading a family history.
   Another thing I have never seen before.  At the end of the movie there was something I have never seen before.  "Some animals may have been mistreaded in the making of this movie."  Like I said all of the other movies I remember seeing No animals have been harmed in the making of this movie.
   My advies watch the two seasons of Better Off Ted and skip this movie its not worth it.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

God Grew Tired of Us (2006 PG)

   The movie start Panther Bior, John Bul Dou, Daniel Abol Pach and Nicole Kidman.                   
   This is anothe documentary.  It focuses on four of The Lost Boys.  Refuges from Sudan who had to relocate.  The horrors they had to over come are unspeakable and unimagnable.  Mans crewlity to hs fellow man never ceases to amaze me.
   Im rating the documentay as a B+.  The best part it follows the people while they are in Kenya and for three years after they come to the States.  This is also something that should be required vewing in high school. 
   Maybe we can stop going to see some of the crap that comes out every year and give our movie going dollars to something that can make an improvement to our life.

The Human Experience (2008 PG13)

   The movie stars Jeffrey Azize, Clifford Azize, Michael Campo, Mathew Sanchez.
   The movie is really a documentary.  Its about four friends, two who are brothers, go on a quest.  They live on the streets of New York City, go to an African Aids clinic, and a Leper colony to get an understanding of how people live. 
   Im rating this documentary as an A+ just for the idea of the movie to say nothing of how well it was made.  It shows how hard people have it.  It should be required viewing for all high school kids or people who need direction in there life. 
   Two movies come to mind one is Catfish and Babies.  I went to see Catfish but not Babies.  They seem to be alike in they are documentaries.  Catfish was crap and should be seen by nobody.  Babies looked good but have not seen it.
   If you want to make a list of must see movies I dont see how this one could be lower then 2 or maybe 3.  It is a movie about hope.
   In short go and see the movie now dont wait dont say I have time to watch it later do it now and be happy you did not go to see Catfish instead.

The Big Bang (2003 TV MA)

   The movie stars Heather Joy Budner, Justin Capaz, Christina Wilcox, Alan Fessenden, Bruce Rise, Anthony J Holsten, Maria Lorino, and John Alton.
   The plot of the movie is that there is a bounty hunter looking for someone who jumped bail.  It is one of those movies where if focuses on random people whos lives cross paths.  The idea is not at all origional (Crash comes to mind).  Done correctly it can be a good movie experience.
   This movie is not one of those good exxperiences.  I rated the move as a D-.  There was one or two scenes that were real tight and good but the rest of the movie had a lot of problems.  One problem is the script.  I dont see the characters saying what they said in those situations.  The acting is not that great eather.  The details have already started to fade.
   My advice skip this movie and do something fun like dealing with the DMV.  Life is too short for movies this bad.

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Small Town Saturday Night (2009 or 2010 R)

   The movie stars Chris Pine (Star Trek, Bottle Shock), Shawn Christian (Tremmors 3), Bre Blair (Brothers and Sisters), Kai Majors, John Hawkes (Me and You and Everyone We Know, Zombie Strippers), Octavia Spencer (Pretty Ugly People, The Nines) and Lin Shaye (Stuntman, Driftwood).
   The movie centers around a small town.  Pine on is on the verge of moving to Nashville and his girlfriend decides to stay in town and try and work things out with her ex husband a deputy.  The deputys brother is back in town after a stint in jail after his brother arrested him.  Pines younger brother (his real life brother?) is going out on a first date.  And other events.
   Im rating the movie as a B.  Its good despite the fact that I watched Bubble. The movies are the same only they are in dffrent cities and diffrent people.  They are both good but maybe people can watch them in diffrent months or even weeks.
   As a Post Script I doubt you read these Sara but if you do I found Marks twin.  He has a non speaking part at the start of the movie.  Take away the beard and put a guitar in his hand and I swear its Mark.

Entertaining Mr Stone (1970 NR)

   The movie stars Beryl Reid (Star, Dr Phibes Rises), Harry Andrews (Moby Dick, Play Dirty), Peter McEnery (Tales That Witness Madness The Adventures of Gerard), and Alan Webb (King Lear, The Canterbury Tales).
   The movie is based on a play.  The plot is Reid, aging "Mrs. Robinson", and her closeted gay brother Andrews, both beome enamored with McEnery. Webb, Mr Stone, has a history wth there dad he killed his boss.  In the end the father ends up Mr Stones next murder victim.  The end of the movie takes an even more bazzar twits.
   Im rating this movie as a C or C-.  Its not a suprise that its based on a play.  Its dialog heavy, small cast, and a set that would be easy to put on on the stage.  If you want something farsical (I think thats a word) this is a movie for you.  Its pretty bizzar.  I cant really say I did not like it but just be prepared for a farse from the early 70's

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Bubble (2003 R)

   The movie stars Dustn James Ashley, Debbieee Doebereiner, Katherine Beaumier, Misty Dawn Willkins and Joyce Brookhart.
   The story is about three people who work in a small doll factory.  It takes place in a small Ohio town.  A new employee comes in and comes in between two workers who are friends.  The new employee has an ex boyfriend who is the father of her two year daugter.  The  new employee is murdered.  The movie is more about te lives of the people in the town as opposed to the murder. 
   I am rating the movie as a B.  It may be sterotyping of small towns but I thoughtr it was spot on.  It was a movie about what small towns are like.  I lived in a small town for a few years, and even worked in a factory for a week or so, and the movie seemed to capture that life.  I would not say its exciting.  There is a scene in one of the homes and the sparness of the house was evident in te rest of the movie. 
   If you want an understated movie well acted by non actors thats good stream the movie I dont think you will be disapointed.

Paul (2011 R)

   The movie stars Simon Pegg (Star Trek, Hot Fuzz), Nick Frost (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead), Seth Rogen (40 Year Old Vergin. Superbad), Jane Lynch (Glee tv, A Mighty Wind), Bill Hader (SNL),  Sigourney Weaver (Aliens, The Year of Living Dangerously), Kristen Wiig (Knocked Up, Whip It), Jeffery Tambor (Get Well Soon, My Teacher's Wife) and Blythe Danner (Brightrn Beach Memoirs, Stolen).
   The plot of the movie is while on a sci fi romp in the southwest Pegg and Frost come across the real thing.  They go on a buddy road trip to get Rogans alien to the pick up point.
   Im rating this movie as a C or C-.  Its not that I thought it was a bad movie but I am indefrent.  It should of breen better with the cast it had.  It reminded me of Galaxy Quest (also with Weaver) and thats a bad thing.  Both movies have an identy crisis.  They could not make up there minds what kind of movie wanted to be.  Is it a buddy movie, sci fi geekey movie, sentimental movie or buddy movie.  My advice pick one type of move and go with it dont try to make it too many diffrent things.
   Another disapointment was the cursing.  I curse a lot so it being there did not bother me.  What bothered me was the cursing justg was not that funny (thats not what I mean to say what I meant to say is that the cussong was not funny at all sorry for not being clear).  It was something that just fell flat.   Also there were sci fi/ comic-con referances.  I understood most of them but some just went over my head.  There were some that I just thought am I suspose to laugh here? 
   My advce is to skip it and while your at it skip Galaxy Quest also.

Game 6 (2005 R)

   The stars are Michael Keaton (Batman, Pacific Heights), Robert Downey Jr (Ironman, Less Than Zero), Ari Graynor (Holly Rollers), Catherine O'Hara (A Mighty Wind, The Nightmare Before Christmas), Bebe Neuwirth (Cheers tv, Fame), Griffin Dunne (Sam the Man, Broken English), Shalom Harlow (In and Out, The Last Romantic).
   There is no real plot here.  The situation is Keaton has a play opening on the same night as Game 6 of the 1986 World Series.  For non baseball fans its a famous game when Buckner (Red Sox first baseman) lets the ball goes through his legs costing the Red Sox the game and they went on to loose game 7.  Very important game in Red Sox history.  His wife, O'Hara, is starting divorce procedings.  A rouge critic, Downey Jr, is going to review the play.  And he gets caught in a bar with an actor friend.
   Im rating this movie as a C+ B-.  I think its worth going to see.  I think its a character study with interisting characters.  It took me a while to get over the fact that there is no plot.  If you can do that sooner than I can then you could like the movie more then I did.