Getting Up To Speed: Films in Theaters I've seen since last update

May 02, 2009

Posted by Mitch Harper

The Summer Movie season is upon us so it's time to close the door on Winter and Spring by recapping the films I saw, and the ratings I gave em.  Roll it!

(Alphabetical Order)

Advenutreland (7 out of 10)

From the trailers I was expecting a laugh out loud comedy in the mold of Superbad and Waiting...; but it was nothing of the sort.  It was actually a very serious teen film with real issues.  My problem was Jesse Eisenberg, he's a poor man's Michael Cera and I hated how Ryan Reynolds was casted as an asshole.  Very hard to do.  Still though good movie, just wasn't what I expected.

Bride Wars (3/10)

Had its moments of laughter.  But wow this movie makes women look like selfish wedding whores.  That's why I sometimes have feelings that it would be best to never get married.  Also, is Kate Hudson capable of being in a really good movie?

Coraline (6/10)

Entertainment Weekly was giving this movie an A, and other critics were saying this was the "WALL-E of 2009", bull shit.  This movie was good but very creepy and the story dragged through parts.  The Real3D was fun though.

Fast & Furious (7/10)

I was excited to see this with the original cast back.  The very first Fast & The Furious back in 2001 was great.  This one was solid, but not worthy of the box office numbers.  That opening weekend came out of nowhere to shock the hell out of me.  Good movie just unbelivable as all hell.

Friday the 13th (8/10)

Very cool remake to a horror classic.  And wow was there not a lot of breasts being exposed in this film?  Awesome movie.

He's Just Not That into You... (7/10)

Chick flick to the core.  The problem with this movie is that it is so damn long.  I like the concept of all these stories meshing together to create one film.  Very unique and you see Bradley Cooper manhandle Scarlett Johanssen.  Cool!

I Love You, Man (8/10)

Paul Rudd and Jason Segal teammed up in the latest "Bromance" (yeah I know that word is annoying as hell but what else was I gonna say?) film where Rudd is about to get married yet he has no one to be his best man because he has always had women as his friends.  It's a funny movie, but not nearly as funny as other projects these two fine actors have done (Role Models, Forgetting Sarah Marshall).  What really bothered me in this movie was Jon Favreau and Jamie Pressley.  Their characters were being called, "Scene Stealers" but I thought they were annoying as hell.

Knowing (4/10)

First part of the movie really good.  Second part was solid, and the last 30 minutes or so what the hell just took place?

Miss March (4/10)

A film that should have been made back in 1998.  Playboy has no big appeal to people anymore.  Everyone has been exposed to some of the raunchiest things imaginable so Playboy really has no lure to it anymore.  The two lead actors who played as best friends en route to finding the mansion came off as shitty actors who for the most part were not funny.  Craig Robinson on the other hand, terrific as usual.  And the chick the two dudes were hunting down was hot as tits man.

Observe & Report (10/10)

Seth Rogen's best acting performance, hands down.  What a film.  Another movie where I made assumptions going in thinking it would be this raunchy laugh-filled movie but really it goes deep into this character, Ronnie Barnhart (Rogen) who's this bi-polar mall guard who is practically a ticking time bomb who comes up with all this illusions in his mind.  He has real issues and all these characters have substance to them.  Jody Hill the director of this film is know established as one of my favorite men in Hollywood.  The Foot Fist Way, Eastbound & Down on HBO, now this.  It's safe to say I will be seeing anything this guy puts out.

Obsessed (3/10)

I will admit I was intrigued to see this movie which is currently #1 in the box office but wow was it awful.  You can watch the trailer and you've practically seen all the key parts to the movie.  It's a sorry film, and Beyonce is a bad actor.

Slumdog Millionaire (10/10)

Great film.  Lived up to all the hype and was very worthy of the oscars it received.  Just an amazing film.  Although I must say the scene where the kid lands in the shit is disturbing and makes you want to vomit.

Watchmen (7/10)

Very cool movie, but not as great as other comic book stories that have went to the big screen as of late.  Practically follows the story of the Watchmen in its entirety, which was cool to see.  The problem I had with this movie was the "heroes" were in essence not good people who you wanted to root for, although I must say "The Comedian" was a bonafide badass.

Getting Up To Speed: DVDs I've seen since last update

April 30, 2009

Posted by Mitch Harper

It's been awhile since I posted.  And I apologize for that.  But I'm still watching movies.  Here is a list of films that I have seen on DVD since my last update.

(Alphabetical Order)

Changeling (9 out of 10)

Clint Eastwood knows how to make amazing movies.  This one, I took a flyer on at Redbox and it was great from start to finish.  Such a sad story, and Angelina Jolie proved yet again she is an amazing actress.  Great film.

Doubt (7/10)

Another Oscar nominated film that I was curious to see.  Doubt had an interesting plot, but there were times in the movie where it was really boring.  Merryl Streep though was very impressive along with Phillip Seymour Hoffman.

Fool's Gold (1/10)

Terrible.  Just terrible.  Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson should never do a film together again.

Horton Hears a Who! (7/10)

I was really intrigued by the cast for this one.  Jim Carrey was really good as the voice of the soft and gentle Horton.  Steve Carrell's worried Mayor of the Whos fit him well and it was a surprisingly good film.

Hot Rod (9/10)

Being someone who loves Comedy this was a movie I always wanted to see but always forgot to watch it.  Finally rented it, and it was so random and awesome that I couldn't stop laughing from it.  The stars of this film are of course two of the guys from the band, "The Lonely Island".

Nights In Rodanthe (4/10)

This was seen with my girlfriend so give me some slack.  Richard Gere is usually a dang good actor so I didn't mind, and Diane Lane is a hot Cougar.  It was pretty bad though, not nearly as good as The Notebook.  The reason I compare Rodanthe to the Notebook is because the novels are written by the same author.  Boring film that drags.  Don't waste your time.

Over Her Dead Body (6/10)

Paul Rudd was in it I found out so I decided to dabble.  Eva Longoria-Parker is Rudd's wife who recently died.  Rudd though has to started to fall in love with this supposed psychic in Lake Bell but Longoria does everything she can to get rid of her.  It's a surprisingly okay film, I was expected some made for TV garbage.

Still Waiting... (3/10)

Why was this even made?  The first one was a classic and STILL is a classic.  This should have never been made.  It had some moments where you found yourself laughing, but trying to see shy Calvin from the first one as this big-time restaurant owner just didn't work for me and it was a piece of crap straight to DVD release.

The Haunting of Molly Hartley (2/10)

Another horror movie that was PG-13 and it gives you more laughs than chills.  Piss poor ending too.

The Rocker (7/10)

Rainn Wilson relives his old rocker glory days touring with his nephews friends band en route to rock n roll success.  Solid film, and completely surpassed my expectations.

The Wrestler (7/10)

I guess the hype hurt my view of this movie.  There was so much hype around this thing, that I was expecting something epic and genre-changing.  All I saw was a lonely old dude chasin down a stripper and cutting himself with blades in the ring.  Now granted, it was still solid but Oscar worthy?  Nuh uh.  How it was filmed I really enjoyed but this movie was nowhere near the hype it received.

Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins (7/10)

I've always liked Martin Lawrence but lately it seems like I've been witnessing the end for Martin with the type of films he has been in.  So its safe to say I had to expecations of Welcome Home.  Surprisingly a good movie, with some fun laughs and overall just a fun cheesy story that shows you to appreciate your family more.

Push Review: Shut the hell up Dakota Fanning

March 05, 2009

Posted by Mitch Harper

Starring:  Chris Evans, Dakota Fanning, Camilla Belle
Rating:  PG-13

Plot:  Two people with amazing super-human talents, Nick Gant (Evans) and Cassie Holmes (Fanning) need to find a girl who is like them before a group called, "Division" gets her.

What I Liked:  Going into this movie, I had some excitement for it.  It looked like a cool concept with the super-human abilities and all these wickidly cool fighting scenes; and the movie did have cool talents for these characters.

Enjoyed the backdrop of Hong Kong as the setting for the film.  It was really cool.  Always been very fascinated with Hong Kong.  I also enjoyed the strategy in the film.  I really am drawn to movies that involve some strategic strategy to them.  This was kind of like a race to get this super-human chick that could change people's opinions and thoughts.  She even beat the hell out of some dude at a restaurant bathroom and had him turn the gun on his co-hort.  Pretty badass stuff.

Camilla Belle is the girl that Evans and Fanning are on the prowl for; and she is pretty hot.

What I Hated:  Dakota Fanning.  Pretty plain and simple there.  I've always hated this kid growing up, but I had some hope that she has gotten out of her annoying ass stage but she still hasn't.  Her drawings kept annoying the hell out of me, and her little skank outfits as a 13 year old?  Her character as Cassie Holmes was terrible on all accounts.  Also, the deal with her mother was never resolved in this film.  Which I hated very much.  But Dakota Fanning is about to join the Brendan Fraser list to me.  And that means avoiding her films at all costs.

I didn't like Chris Evans' performance in this movie.  I liked him in the original Fantastic 4 movie (not the sequel) but this one it was uninspiring.  I felt like I was going through the motions with these characters and even confused at times.  I didn't get caught up in the story at all.  It was too long as well which hurts, when its a movie that is geared to emotion and deep thinking.

Would I purchase this on DVD?  No.  But I would suggest maybe a rental for this movie, or wait till it hits the movie channels.  If your a Heroes fan you might get a kick out of this movie.  The plot had promise but it jumps around so much that you can't get yourself fully entrenched in this thing and your bored and happy its over when it finally is over.  But if your hardup for a movie and want to kill time, this could be a valid option.

RATING:  4 OUT OF 10 STARS

The Uninvited left me Unimpressed

Posted by Mitch Harper

Starring:  Emily Browning, Arielle Kebbel, Elizabeth Banks, David Straithairn
Rating:  PG-13

Plot:  Anna Rydell (Browning) comes home after recovering from time spent in a mental hospital due to blaming herself for the death of her mother.  Anna's time at home has changed with her dad's new girlfriend around (Banks), and continuing dreams of trying to figure how the death of her mother happened.

What I Liked:  Three hot chicks in Browning, Kebbel, and Banks were easy on the eyes thats for sure; and were one of the few bright spots in the film.  I like the mystery concept behind Anna and her sister's attempt to try and peg their future new step-mom that she has killed before.

What I Hated:  The ending.  Such an un-rewarding ending.  Let's just say its one of those psycho type endings that leaves ya with a big twist at the end.  Its so pathetic, and ridiculous and makes you regret even spending the time to watch the damn thing.  Other horror films have been very good with this kind of ending, but this movie with how poor it was needed a payoff; you didn't get that at all.

Didn't like Banks' character it was so cheesy how she acted in this film.  Just piss poor acting from everyone and there is literally nothing scary about this movie.  NOTHING.  It honestly should of been PG.  Just another stupid PG-13 horror to add to the library along with The Unborn.

Would I purchase this on DVD?  Absolutely not!  I wouldn't even suggest this on Redbox or a rental.  Your going to rent it for scary thrills and a cool story.  Doesn't deliver on either accounts.  If you want some good eye candy though; its okay.  Emily Browning has a scene in her bra and panties which is alright and Arielle Kebbel is in a bikini but you can see that in the trailer.  Don't waste your time on this piss poor production.

RATING:  2 OUT OF 10 STARS

Gran Torino is phenomenal and proves why Clint Eastwood is still badass.

Posted by Mitch Harper

Starring:  Clint Eastwood
Rating:  R

Plot:  Former war veteran, Walter Kowalski (Eastwood) sets out to change things in his neighborhood.  Starting with a Hmong boy who attempted to steal his prized Ford Gran Torino.

What I Liked:  I loved this movie from start to finish.  It was amazing.  I really liked the actors around Eastwood, not necessarily for their acting abilities, because those were sub-par but for the real vibe they brought to the screen.  It felt like a disgruntled neighborhood that had been consumed by gangs, with the lonely war vet trying to stir things up.

I really liked the classic man conversations between Walter and his barber Martin (John Carroll Lynch, The Drew Carey Show).  It made you realize, how cool it would of been to live in a simplier time and less up-tight society.  Now-a-days people would be offended by the type of convos Walter had with Martin.  I took it as fun guy talk.  Male commroditery you could say.

This movie, shows what a difference one person can make when trying to help others, or become more understanding.  And, friendships can happen in the most unusual ways.

What I Hated:  Hated the gangs for one in this movie.  They were your typical up-to-no-good individuals who get consummed by pointless garbage.  Walter's family was not very appealing especially his grand-daughter, good god.  What an annoying brat.  Belly shirt to a funeral for your grandma?  C'mon you little tramp.

Didn't like the music selections to the film either.  Just very bland, and didn't bring anything to the table for me.

Would I purchase this on DVD?  Absolutely.  This film was outstanding.  Best movie I have seen in 2009 thus far.  Just an amazing story.  Might offend people, but you can understand it coming from a character with his Korean War background.  Clint Eastwood is just downright amazing.  A living legend in every sense of the term.

USELESS FACTS

- Had a limited release in December 2008, making it eligible for the Oscars.  Totally confused as to why this film was not nominated for Oscars.  Nationwide release came January 9th.

- Clint Eastwood calls this movie an oddball story.

- Takes place in Detroit, Michigan.  Which makes sense when the movie title is about a Ford vehicle.  Its one of the few positive bits of pub from the car industry lately.

RATING:  10 OUT OF 10 STARS

Taken is the first surprise hit of 2009

Posted by Mitch Harper

Starring:  Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace
Rating:  PG-13

Plot:  Liam Neeson plays Bryan Mills a former CIA spy who is an overprotective dad, that goes to France to save his daughter, Kim (Maggie Grace) who has been kidnapped and sold into the world of sex trafficking.

What I Liked:  Had no expectations of this film going into it.  I just remember the trailer with the whole phone conversation that had Liam Neeson saying he had all these skills that he was going to use to kick some ass on the guys who took his daughter away.  But I went out with an overall liking of this movie.  The whole story was action-packed, and you felt like Bryan Mills was this real person who had this genuine love, and passion for his daughter that he has let down in the past.

The story of sex trafficking was unique in and of itself.  The movie showed the terrible things that go on with this kind of behavior.  It was a bold movie to say the least for a PG-13 rating.  I'm very surprised this movie didn't get a R rating.

There isn't much that you won't like from this movie.

What I Hated:  Kim's mother, Lenore played by Famke Janssen.  Lenore was Bryan Mills' ex-wife.  She was a total bitch to Bryan.  But when her daughter gets kidnapped.  Please help Bryan and bring her back home safely!  Kiss my ass!  Characters like that, I have always hated in film.

Didn't like towards the end of the movie, where it seemed like the story was going to go on and on.  It felt like there was no end in sight at times.  There's a particular scene where you feel that Bryan is going to finally get his daughter and then it takes a step back.  Just didn't like the length it took to get developed.  But it wasn't anything significant to dock the positive overall vibe of the film.

Would I purchase this on DVD?  The answer would be yes.  This would be a very good addition to anyone's DVD collection and I would highly suggest it.

USELESS FACTS

- Taken has grossed over $100 million.  Currently at $108 Million.

- Liam Neeson is not your most attractive actor but he is one hell of a action man.

- Directed by a Frenchman, Pierre Morel.

RATING:  9 OUT OF 10 STARS

UPDATE: Nine Movie Reviews Coming!

March 04, 2009

Posted by Mitch Harper

It's been awhile folks, again.  My apologies.

But I haven't stopped watching movies.  I have nine reviews for newly released movies.  I'm going to post in order from when I saw them, so it will include some January releases.

Going to do a little bit different format as well to make the reviews even more reader friendly.