June 2013
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The Campaign

reviewed on August 13th, 2012 02:48AM

Cam Brady (Will Ferrell) is the incumbent senator from North Carolina whose sleazy antics have made him a political liability for his billionaire backers, the Motch Brothers (Dan Aykroyd and John Lithgow). The Motch Brothers decide to cut their lo...

Hope Springs

reviewed on August 13th, 2012 02:40AM

Apparently the boredom of a loveless marriage centers around the lack of sex. When Kay (Meryl Streep) hauls her husband Arnold (Tommy Lee Jones) off to see an expensive marriage counselor (Steve Carell, playing it completely straight) the ultimate...

Total Recall

reviewed on August 5th, 2012 12:12AM

Recommendation – see the original. To save you the trouble of seeing this I’ll give you the whole synopsis: … Better yet, just see the original. End of the 21st century – A preliminary narrative tells us that the earth is scorched and only ...

The Watch

reviewed on July 29th, 2012 03:50AM

I’m under the impression that Ben Stiller, Jonah Hill and Vince Vaughn have only one character that each of them play in all of their films; they all just have a knob that tweaks the silliness level of the character for each movie. Ben Stiller is ...

Katy Perry: Part of Me

reviewed on July 21st, 2012 03:38AM

First The Wife went off to see Katy Perry (while I took in a showing of Savages), and came out GUSHING about it, though it seems like she may have heard some of the facts about the star performer wrong. Katy Perry is bigger than the Beatles or Elv...

The Dark Knight Rises

reviewed on July 21st, 2012 03:02AM

It seems pointless to write a review of The Dark Knight Rises; since you’re reading this on a movie-based website you’re GOING to see the movie, right? It’s only the most anticipated film of all time. But there are a number of ways to look at it… ...

Savages

reviewed on July 8th, 2012 03:54AM

Not for the squeamish; the movie opens with a video of drug cartel enforcers dumping severed heads on the ground with their headless torsos hanging in the background. Lots of brutality throughout the film emphasizes the fact that these are NOT nic...

The Amazing Spider-Man

reviewed on July 5th, 2012 08:27PM

Yes, it’s Spider-Man’s origin story. Again. A different villain (though still green and the product of a genetic-enhancement serum), and Peter’s beloved MJ is now his beloved Gwen Stacy. Since the original “Spider-Man” is only 10 years old it rais...

Moonrise Kingdom

reviewed on July 5th, 2012 08:23PM

I don’t think I’ve seen a Wes Anderson movie before (except for a few viewings of “Fantastic Mr. Fox” on cable). Apparently he has an unusual brand of humor that not everyone gets, but there are some genuinely comedic moments here. The two pre-tee...

Brave

reviewed on July 5th, 2012 08:17PM

Maybe we just expect too much from Pixar films. True, “Cars 2” was considered by almost everyone to be a disappointment, but if you watch it on home video (or the movie channels where it’s now making the rounds) it’s really not that bad. The expec...

Ted

reviewed on July 5th, 2012 08:15PM

This really is a love-it or hate-it movie. If you like the animated series “Family Guy” you’ll probably love it; if you find the humor on that show crass and disgusting then this probably isn’t the movie for you. I loved it. It’s been a long time ...

Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted

reviewed on June 10th, 2012 12:30AM

These guys really get around… After leaving New York and getting stranded in Madagascar (part 1) they find their way over to the African mainland (part 2). Fearing that they will grow old and die there without ever seeing New York again Alex the L...

Prometheus

reviewed on June 9th, 2012 03:24AM

Still trying to figure out how to label this film; what with so many entries in the Alien universe. Start in the future with Alien, then its sequels Aliens, Alien3 and Resurrection. Jump back to the present with Alien vs Predator and its sequel, b...

Snow White and the Huntsman

reviewed on June 3rd, 2012 02:28AM

Kristen Stewart is now the go-to person when you need someone to hold a look of despair on her face for two hours. I’m surprised there’s a need for that particular ‘talent’, but it has managed to pull the Twi-heads into the theaters for the past f...

Battleship

reviewed on May 21st, 2012 03:54AM

Wow… two movies about naval vessels battling evil aliens in two days. Yesterday we saw the epic struggle of good vs evil in the re-release of “Yellow Submarine”, and today – “Battleship”. As The Wife and I were walking out of the theater after “Ba...

What to Expect When You're Expecting

reviewed on May 21st, 2012 03:52AM

Lots and lots of baby birthing movies in the past, but they usually just focus on one pregnancy (films like “She’s Having a Baby” come to mind). In the current climate of relationship movies one couple and one baby just won’t do. Even the multiple...

Dark Shadows

reviewed on May 13th, 2012 12:18AM

Barnabas (Depp) plays the protagonist who’s put to sleep by a witch (Eva Green) and buried in the 1700’s. When a construction crew digs up his coffin in the year 1972 he tells them how hungry his long sleep has made him, then proceeds to kill ALL ...

The Avengers

reviewed on May 6th, 2012 04:45AM

Basically, if you have ANY love for superheroes, action films or summer blockbusters you’re going to see this (and probably already have). SO… There’s not much to say, except that you can probably save some bucks and skip the 3D; it does not appea...

The Pirates! Band of Misfits

reviewed on May 6th, 2012 04:44AM

The Pirate Captain (yup, that’s his name) tries to win the annual Pirate of the Year award at all costs, even if it means sacrificing his precious parrot (which turns out to be a priceless dodo) and the trust of his crew. Thinking that he can win ...

The Five-Year Engagement

reviewed on May 6th, 2012 04:40AM

It’s job opportunities versus marital opportunities; with the trip to the altar losing out. Violet (Blunt) gets accepted into a Michigan college after accepting Tom’s (Segel) marriage proposal. Tom gives up his job (and a promotion) at a posh San ...

The Three Stooges

reviewed on April 15th, 2012 01:58AM

The Farrelly brothers pay tribute to the slapstick trio in this updated version of the old favorites. Larry (Will and Grace’s Sean Hayes), Moe (Chris Diamantopoulos – no, I’ve never heard of him either) and Curly (MAD TV’s Will Sasso) are dropped ...

Lockout

reviewed on April 15th, 2012 01:56AM

The movie could have been called “Escape from orbiting prison spaceship”, it follows the exact same plot as “Escape from New York, only substituting the president’s daughter (Maggie Grace) for the president. Guy Pearce plays Snow, the wrongly accu...

American Reunion

reviewed on April 15th, 2012 01:55AM

Everyone’s back – the core group of Jim, Oz, Kevin, Stiffler and Finch, along with their women - Michelle, Heather, Vicky and Stiffler’s mom. And 13 years later not much has changed - personality-wise, anyway. Everyone’s still tackling relationsh...

Mirror Mirror

reviewed on March 31st, 2012 04:13AM

I must question the whole “fairest in the land” story. I went through this movie thinking that Lily Collins is a pretty girl, but fairest? Not that they show you everyone else in the land (and the townsfolk you do see are all destitute because of ...

The Hunger Games

reviewed on March 23rd, 2012 11:02PM

It’s as if the kids from “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome” were the ones fighting the “Running Man” competition in a huge “Truman Show” like dome, complete with its own Christof running the show (Ed Harris in Truman Show, “American Beauty’s” Wes Bentle...

John Carter

reviewed on March 22nd, 2012 04:08AM

You could also sum up the plot points to match any number of other movies. For example, an alien lands on a distant world to find out that his genetic structure has given him super powers. He can leap tall buildings in a single bound! – Although i...

Friends With Kids

reviewed on March 22nd, 2012 04:06AM

If you’ve seen “Friends with Benefits”, “No Strings Attached” or ANY OTHER CHICK FLICK you don’t need a spoiler alert to tell you how this is going to end. The real surprise here… brace yourself… Megan Fox really can act! I couldn’t believe it mys...

21 Jump Street

reviewed on March 22nd, 2012 04:05AM

Two high school adversaries, chemistry nerd Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and football jock Jenko (Channing Tatum) get jobs as police officers and are given an assignment to infiltrate a high school drug distribution ring. Unfortunately, their pasts keep c...

Project X

reviewed on March 4th, 2012 03:35AM

Summary of all the plot points in the film: A house party gets way out of control. No, really; that’s the WHOLE movie! Shown in the ‘found footage’ format; apparently the producers didn’t get the memo that “Chronicle” was going to be released a mo...

The Lorax

reviewed on March 4th, 2012 03:31AM

Universal Studios once again pads out a short children’s novel to fill a motion picture, this time by incorporating elements from other films to stretch it out. We’re introduced to the city of Thneedville and its residents through a big musical ...

Wanderlust

reviewed on February 26th, 2012 02:46AM

George and Linda (Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston) both lose their respective jobs, leaving them with nothing after purchasing a loft in Manhattan. With no other options they head to Georgia so George can work at his obnoxious brother’s port-a-pott...

Gone

reviewed on February 26th, 2012 02:43AM

I swear I wrote this before reading the JoBlo review. Suffice to say, we seem to feel the same way about it... Like my family in the morning, this movie seemed to take forever to get going. It opens with about 20 minutes of shots focusing on Jil...

This Means War

reviewed on February 22nd, 2012 02:55AM

I spent the bulk of this movie thinking “wow… I can remember back when Chelsea Handler was hot”. As BFF with Lauren (Reese Witherspoon; the film’s love interest) Chelsea gets to spout out all the corny lines in the film like “You got flexible” whe...

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

reviewed on February 22nd, 2012 02:52AM

Nicholas Cage amps up the crazy again as the flame-headed motorcyclist drawn into a rescue mission. The deal – if he can prevent a child from being turned into the antichrist a group of priests will remove the curse from him. A series of flashy ca...

The Vow

reviewed on February 22nd, 2012 02:50AM

Paige (Rachel McAdams) learns the hard way that you never take off your seat belt; not even to make out with her hubby Leo (Channing Tatum). You just never know when some out of control truck is going to crash into you, slamming you head-first thr...

Safe House

reviewed on February 12th, 2012 02:58AM

What is it with movies that make the CIA a villain? None of us really know what the CIA is up to at any given time, but it can’t be as bad as what we’ve seen in recent movies. True, this film only has a handful of evil CIA operatives but still; wi...

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace 3D

reviewed on February 12th, 2012 02:56AM

The great comedian Bill Cosby once recounted a conversation wherein a friend extolled the virtues of drinking. The friend told him that drinking ‘enhances your personality’; to which Cosby replied “but what if you’re personality is an asshole?” I...

Big Miracle

reviewed on February 6th, 2012 04:10AM

I’m always wary of movies with the tag line “based on a true story” or “inspired by actual events”. This movie is based on an actual rescue in October of 1988 when the plight of three whales trapped in an Alaskan ice pack received worldwide media ...

Chronicle

reviewed on February 6th, 2012 04:08AM

Dane, Alex and Michael are high school students who explore a hole in the ground and find a glowing replica of baby Superman’s crystal spaceship (I swear, that’s exactly what it looks like). After touching the object all three begin to slowly mani...

The Woman in Black

reviewed on February 6th, 2012 04:06AM

In the late 19th century a London real estate lawyer Arthur Kipps (Harry Pot.. uh, Daniel Radcliffe) is sent to a small village to settle a recently-deceased woman’s estate. Well, maybe not so recently deceased; her haunted mansion looks like it h...

Beauty and the Beast 3D

reviewed on February 6th, 2012 04:05AM

Great to see it back up on the big screen; but it begs the question, ‘should I shell out the money to see it in 3D?’ The answer depends on how much you like the 3D format. I’ve been a big fan of the format, but I know many who aren’t. Still, the c...

The Artist

reviewed on February 6th, 2012 04:04AM

An interesting concept for a film; a black and white silent movie about the decline of black and white silent movies – shot in silent movie format (the image never fills the whole screen). Hard to believe they pull it off, especially considering t...

Haywire

reviewed on February 1st, 2012 12:15AM

Mixed-martial arts expert Gina Carano plays Mallory, the freelance covert operative. I’ll admit, I had to look up her job description on IMDb; throughout the film I couldn’t figure out if she was FBI, CIA, or some ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’-type private a...

Man on a Ledge

reviewed on February 1st, 2012 12:13AM

Another film of crosses, double crosses, and an all-knowledgeable guy who plans out elaborate schemes to fix a problem. Just like ‘Contraband’; it seems like the writers come up with a basic situation, then layer action scenes and double-crosses o...

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

reviewed on February 1st, 2012 12:04AM

It seems odd that this movie is up against ‘Hugo’ in the best picture category; two films with such similar plotlines competing against each other. ‘Hugo’, however, is the clear winner here. It gently tugged at the heartstrings and you really care...

The Descendants

reviewed on January 18th, 2012 01:17AM

A word of advice – go see this movie. A second word of advice – don’t read any of the reviews. Except this one, of course. I love reading the Entertainment Weekly film reviews because their taste in movies is usually pretty close to mine, and sinc...

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

reviewed on January 18th, 2012 01:15AM

As someone who sees movies on Saturday morning after working a 12-hour midnight shift I am probably the best person to judge whether or not a movie is good enough to hold your interest. If I can stay awake for it under those circumstances it was p...

Contraband

reviewed on January 18th, 2012 01:14AM

Guess the scumbag who paid for the dropped shipment (Giovanni Ribisi) wasn’t going to buy the old Han Solo line: ‘Hey, even I get boarded sometimes’. No, he wants his money or blood, prompting Chris and company to sign up as workers on a cargo shi...

We Bought a Zoo

reviewed on December 27th, 2011 12:48AM

Benjamin Mee (Matt Damon), still heartbroken over the death of his wife 6 months ago and fed up with his career (but in a nice, not take-this-job-and-shove-it way) decides to take his inheritance and move out to the country. Unfortunately his drea...

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

reviewed on December 27th, 2011 12:47AM

Yet another movie I may need to see a second time just to get all the names straight. Or maybe not… once the killer is revealed all the names and faces fade from memory and all that is left are the scenes that will haunt your dreams. I can’t remem...

The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn

reviewed on December 27th, 2011 12:45AM

I was really looking forward to this movie (bad news when a reviewer starts with that line). It has everything going for it – Director Steven Spielberg, co-produced by Peter Jackson, and, if you’re looking for the master of motion-capture actors, ...

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

reviewed on December 27th, 2011 12:43AM

As a travel enthusiast I probably enjoyed the scenery as much as the action; and there is tons of both in this film. After an IMF agent is killed in Budapest (and a daring prison break in Russia -come to think of it, are there any non-daring priso...

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

reviewed on December 27th, 2011 12:42AM

The sequel will not disappoint any fans of the original. For those who enjoyed the boxing match wherein he thought through the entire fight beforehand there are several shots in the new film that have Sherlock picturing what’s going to happen befo...

The Sitter

reviewed on December 10th, 2011 10:14PM

Actually, not enough about that previous movie. As much as Jonah Hill keeps talking about how this is a completely different and much raunchier babysitting movie he’s not even half right. It’s the EXACT same movie as ‘Adventures in Babysitting’ wi...

The Muppets

reviewed on December 10th, 2011 09:50PM

Gary (Jason Segel) with fiancée Mary (Amy Adams) and his Muppet brother (really; a Muppet brother?) try to get the old gang together to save the Muppet theater from an ‘evil’ oil baron (Chris Cooper). I say ‘evil’ because the oil baron wants to ...

In Time

reviewed on December 10th, 2011 09:49PM

Well, if you can buy that concept, you can buy the movie. I found the whole thing too farfetched to be believable, even in the science fiction universe. People trade time like money, getting more added with either an electronic device or by touchi...

Hugo

reviewed on December 10th, 2011 09:45PM

What begins as a spellbinding mystery (you really want to know the secret to the robot) ends as a film that showcases Martin Scorsese’ love of movies. Especially the origins of movie making and the need to preserve older films so future generation...

Arthur Christmas

reviewed on December 10th, 2011 09:44PM

We saw this in 2D, but it was obviously intended to be seen in 3D. There is a long opening scene with the huge delivery sled sweeping over a city, and then hundreds of elves descend on ropes to drop off presents. When Arthur and Grand Santa take o...

Happy Feet 2

reviewed on December 10th, 2011 09:43PM

Tons of great voice talent; Elijah Wood returns as Mumbles, the penguin who would rather dance than sing, Singer Pink as his wife Gloria, even Brad Pitt and Matt Damon join the cast as a pair of… krill? Bill the krill and Will the krill – no kiddi...

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn (Part 1)

reviewed on December 10th, 2011 09:41PM

Human Bella and Vamp Edward get married, and then go on a honeymoon to a private island. That’s the WHOLE first half of the movie, I kid you not. A full hour of wedding and honeymoon. There are movies ABOUT weddings that do not have anywhere near ...

Footloose

reviewed on December 10th, 2011 09:40PM

Finally caught up with the 1984 original a week before seeing this remake. And… it’s the exact same movie! A shot for shot remake subbing lesser actors for the originals. Kenny Wormald (no, I’ve never heard of him either) for Kevin Bacon, Dennis Q...

J. Edgar

reviewed on December 10th, 2011 09:39PM

J. Edgar is a historical docu-drama about the man who founded the FBI, tracked down the kidnapper of the Lindberg baby and created many of our current forensic procedures. It also explores the relationships in his life – particularly with his seco...

Puss in Boots

reviewed on December 10th, 2011 09:32PM

Getting back to the Shrek roots – making fun of multiple fairy tales, this time ogre-less (and donkey-less). Puss (Antonio Bandaras) is recruited by Humpty Dumpty (Zach Galifinikas) and Kitty Softpaws (Selma Hyack) to steal the goose that lays the...

Tower Heist

reviewed on December 10th, 2011 09:30PM

A group of employees working at an upscale New York high-rise get conned out of their pensions by the penthouse owner (Alan Alda). Believing that he has their money stashed away in a secret safe they employ a thief (Eddie Murphy) to break into his...

The Big Year

reviewed on December 10th, 2011 09:29PM

Apparently this is an actual competition with birding fanatics traveling all over the world to track down and ‘spot’ as many breeds as possible. Owen Wilson plays the reigning champion who sacrifices everything to win the prize; Jack Black and Ste...

Real Steel

reviewed on December 10th, 2011 09:28PM

Essentially the same story as the original ‘Rocky’, but with robots. Hugh Jackman trades his claws for boxing gloves, working as a former boxer who now works in the world of robot boxing. He’s also a douche bag dad, saddled with taking care of the...

What's Your Number?

reviewed on December 10th, 2011 09:27PM

Ally Darling (Anna Faris) reads a magazine article saying that women who have slept with 20 or more men never get married. Having already slept with 19 men Ally enlists the help of a neighbor (Chris Evans) to track down her ex-lovers and find one ...

Dolphin Tale

reviewed on December 10th, 2011 09:25PM

Introverted kid finds stranded dolphin on the beach, joins with members of the ocean rescue crew to rehabilitate it when they are forced to cut off its tail. Rule #1 – do not bring emotional Wife to see tug-on-heartstrings movie. Seriously, she ...

Final Destination 5

reviewed on August 27th, 2011 12:43AM

Once again death’s plan to kill people is interrupted, apparently making him/her (could be a woman; why not?) so pissed off that he needs to extract vengeance… on the people who were saved? Why doesn’t his work with other people who are saved on a...

Fright Night

reviewed on August 27th, 2011 12:41AM

A serviceable remake containing many elements of the original (not to mention a good dose of “The Lost Boys”; maybe that will get the next – pardon the pun – revamp). Charley must quickly learn the rules of dealing with vampires and find out what ...

The Help

reviewed on August 27th, 2011 12:41AM

A moving story that gives real insight into the poor treatment of blacks during the 1960’s, as seen from both the white and black perspective. When Skeeter decides that the abuse story must be told from the maid’s point of view she discovers that ...

Spy Kids: All the Time in the World

reviewed on August 27th, 2011 12:39AM

The original spy kids Carmen and Juni (Alexa Vega and Daryl Sabara) are all grown up now - and are somehow related to either Marissa or her adopted step-children; I couldn’t keep up with the plot details with all the distractions. The biggest dist...

30 Minutes or Less

reviewed on August 27th, 2011 12:37AM

I’m normally not a big Danny McBride fan; never liked his HBO series and “Your Highness” was a waste of time. Here, however, his penchant for playing obnoxious clueless characters pays off. His jokes hit their mark, especially when playing off his...

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

reviewed on August 27th, 2011 12:34AM

The review of the movie of the Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Too bad they couldn’t have done something with that title, not that it mattered at the box office. The movie held the #1 spot for two weeks – ensuring a sequel to the prequel… Return o...

Crazy Stupid Love

reviewed on July 31st, 2011 03:45AM

I know there have been a number of films like this, with multiple relationship story lines converging (Altman’s “Short Cuts” comes to mind), but not being a huge fan of chick flicks I’m hard pressed to name them off the top of my head. When Cal is...

Cowboys & Aliens

reviewed on July 31st, 2011 03:28AM

A lone gunman (Craig, Daniel Craig) with amnesia, a bizarre metal bracelet and WICKED fighting skills helps a town fend off… well, let’s just say… bad guys. I really don’t want to give away too much here. Oh yeah, that title… The aliens are abdu...

The Smurfs

reviewed on July 31st, 2011 03:25AM

Yes, someone downloaded the script for “Enchanted” and put it through a word processor, changing a name here and there, changing a situation here and there, and voila - New movie! Evil witch becomes Gargamel (Hank Azaria), Princess becomes Smurfet...

Friends With Benefits

reviewed on July 25th, 2011 03:49AM

Although ‘No Strings Attached’ beat this movie to the theaters, this is a far superior flick (even if both movies are adopted from an episode of ‘Seinfeld’). The lack of character development for Natalie Portman’s character in ‘Strings’ really san...

Captain America: The First Avenger

reviewed on July 25th, 2011 03:45AM

Although the plot is pretty simple - by the numbers good vs. evil - the bad guy’s motivations seemed glossed over, even though Weaving’s evil General/AKA Red Skull gets significant screen time. Is it really as simple as him just wanting to rule th...

Zookeeper

reviewed on July 17th, 2011 08:23AM

Zookeeper may be the most predictable movie ever made. Using the animal’s advice Griffin decides to use the zoo veterinarian (Rosario Dawson) to make his ex-girlfriend jealous (in a plot apparently stolen from an episode of the old TV series “Thre...

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

reviewed on July 17th, 2011 08:15AM

It all ends here, or so the posters say. Really? I’m a big believer in the market driving the product. Part 1 generated a billion dollars; part 2 will probably do as well … or better. But I’ve been wrong with predictions before; I thought “Half Bl...

Horrible Bosses

reviewed on July 10th, 2011 02:52AM

“9 to 5” meets “Throw Momma From the Train”, although “Throw Momma” was a funnier movie than “Bosses”. Maybe they shouldn’t have talked about it (or it’s predecessor “Strangers on a Train”) during this film; it just reminds us that all this was do...

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

reviewed on July 1st, 2011 01:47AM

Sorry... just not buying into Harrison Ford as an action hero anymore. Let's mull over some ideas for Part V: Indiana Jones and the search for Geritol. Indiana Jones and the Walker of Death. Indiana Jones: "I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up" I...

Speed Racer

reviewed on July 1st, 2011 01:40AM

Rainbows will look pretty in Hi-Def. Kaleidoscope images will look pretty in Hi-Def. Jelly beans will look pretty in Hi-Def. Unfortunately, staring at these images for... *** 135 *** minutes would turn your brain to mush. Like this movie wil...

Watchmen

reviewed on July 1st, 2011 01:35AM

My biggest gripe? It was about a half hour too long... and needed more scenes with Carla Gugino as the young Silk Spectre. I'm becoming a real Carla Gugino fan... something about her... can't put my finger on it... Watchmen is not for the timid,...

Public Enemies

reviewed on July 1st, 2011 01:20AM

First, let me say that I am NOT a fan of Michael Mann's style of direction. His over-use of EXTREME close-ups is unnerving, to say the least. For example, in "Miami Vice" (2006) there's a love scene with Jamie Fox and Naomie Harris where Mann zoom...

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

reviewed on July 1st, 2011 01:15AM

It's not quite as bad as the critics say. BUT... everyone who sees it (including myself) all agree... it's too long. Over two and a half hours, and - literally - two full hours of that is action sequences. Sorry to give away the whole movie but he...

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

reviewed on July 1st, 2011 01:08AM

Five wands for the Potter-files, three for the rest, so... four overall. They should have made this two movies, like they're doing with the next novel; a very good film, but you can tell there's a BUNCH of stuff missing, even if you haven't read t...

The Wolfman

reviewed on July 1st, 2011 01:03AM

Dad things happen to poor Lawrence and yadda yadda yadda if you’ve seen the previews you basically know what’s going to happen. If only the performances weren’t so subdued to give the film it’s ‘gloomy feeling’. Benicio basically sleepwalks throug...

Up

reviewed on July 1st, 2011 01:00AM

One of the best Pixar films; better than "Cars" and just below "Wall-E", which makes it pretty darn good. I thought the whole film was going to be about the journey to South America, but the floating house hits one storm and three minutes later he...

Alice in Wonderland

reviewed on July 1st, 2011 12:36AM

The story is all too familiar for anyone acquainted with the books or previous films. She falls down a hole, drinks to get small, eats to get big, and the Red Queen keeps shouting "Off with his head!". All of the characters are done quite well, es...

Predators

reviewed on July 1st, 2011 12:30AM

The tag line and all of the adverts (especially the trailers) tell us: “They are the most dangerous killers in the world [while showing clips of heavily armed mercenaries in a forest]. But this... is not their world”. Thanks bunches... for givin...

The Expendables

reviewed on July 1st, 2011 12:25AM

The Expendables – I liked this movie better when it was called “Commando”. No, wait... I liked “The Expendables” better. Exact same plot and set-up, except that Stallone and his testosterone-team need to be coaxed to save the damsel in distress fr...

Kick-Ass

reviewed on July 1st, 2011 12:22AM

From the trailers you would think it’s like “Watchmen”, with all sorts of people trying to be superheroes. Not at all… just one nerdy kid who’s tired of being beaten up by bullies and a father-daughter team. The nerdy kid buys a green wetsuit to u...

Tron: Legacy

reviewed on July 1st, 2011 12:14AM

The 3D visuals are impressive, considering how much ‘de-aging’ they do to Jeff Bridges (a very expensive and time-consuming process, I’ve been told). The movie opens with 1989 Kevin Flynn talking to young Sam on the day he disappears. In the compu...

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

reviewed on July 1st, 2011 12:11AM

Not that a review is necessary… let’s face it; if you’re on this website you’re GOING to see this movie. Or should I say, half-movie… everything they do here is all part of the process to set up the big finale. Which means they don’t get to do muc...

Iron Man 2

reviewed on July 1st, 2011 12:02AM

When not blowing stuff up the movie slows down to flesh out its characters, and that’s where it really runs into trouble. A superhero movie needs good guys to root for and great villains to hiss at. This movie piles on the unlikable characters to ...

Inception

reviewed on June 30th, 2011 11:59PM

“Inception”. Everyone (or at least the adverts) is describing this as “The Matrix meets James Bond”. More accurately, it’s “Mission Impossible” meets “The Matrix”. Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) steals secrets by getting into people’s dreams. Now a ...

X-Men: First Class

reviewed on June 30th, 2011 11:52PM

High points: Well crafted story, above average CGI, some really good sets (the war room is particularly impressive, but the sub looks like "The World is Not Enough" surplus), good acting and a well-placed cameo. Makes me wish there was any cameo i...

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

reviewed on June 30th, 2011 11:47PM

Anyone with any interest in the series already knows the players and the decline of quality from part one to part three. So where does this one sit? Not as good as one (Curse of the Black Pearl) and not as bad as three (At World’s End). SO… it’s a...

Thor

reviewed on June 30th, 2011 11:44PM

The movie works well on a number of levels, although having a superhero that’s actually a ‘God’ is a bit of a stretch in the new “Dark Knight” era. Batman is just a guy; outside of hang-gliding with his cape and some fancy gadgets we know he won’t...

The Other Guys

reviewed on June 30th, 2011 04:55AM

The movie really needs to make up its mind… either you’re going to be a buddy cop movie (“Lethal Weapon”) or a parody of a buddy cop movie (“Loaded Weapon”). This one tries to be both, and it doesn’t always work. One scene in particular involving ...

Salt

reviewed on June 30th, 2011 04:52AM

I liked this movie better when it was called “Minority Report”. Angelina Jolie is the agent who may or may not be a Russian Spy, possibly programmed from childhood to infiltrate the CIA and work her way up the ranks to be in a position to kill the...

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

reviewed on June 30th, 2011 04:51AM

After searching for centuries Balthazar finally finds Dave (Jay Baruchel), who has the necessary bloodline but would rather pursue a blonde hottie (Teresa Palmer) that he’s been in love with since he first stumbled into Balthazar’s antique shop in...

Despicable Me

reviewed on June 30th, 2011 04:43AM

“Despicable Me”. Dru (Steve Carrell) has some issues. He wants to be the greatest villain on earth to finally get some consideration from his constantly-disapproving mother (Julie Andrews). Unfortunately, he has some serious competition from fello...

Black Swan

reviewed on June 30th, 2011 04:41AM

Hmmm… Natalie Portman trying to find her dark side…. where’s evil Anakin when you need him? Anyway, she begins a descent into madness as she explores the darker side of her psyche… helped along by an overbearing mother (Barbara Hershey), a younger...

The Tourist

reviewed on June 30th, 2011 04:40AM

Angelina Jolie plays Elise, a woman being followed by criminals and Scotland Yard who hope she will lead them to her lover Alexander, a man who stole 2 billion dollars. Yup, no more (Doctor Evil pinky to the side of the mouth) ‘meellion’ dollar he...

Tangled

reviewed on June 30th, 2011 04:38AM

Hmmm... handsome thief, beautiful princess... oh, and let’s not forget the cute animals – Rapunzel’s pet lizard and a palace horse that thinks it’s a bloodhound. All the elements of a classic Disney fairy tale - and it works well, especially in 3D...

Megamind

reviewed on June 30th, 2011 04:36AM

I liked this movie better when it was called “Despicable Me”. No, really, I liked “Despicable Me” better; this movie just seems like a “Despicable Me”/”Monsters vs. Aliens” wannabe. Megamind (Will Ferrell) is a blue-skinned, large-headed refugee s...

Red

reviewed on June 30th, 2011 04:33AM

I liked this movie better when it was called “Salt”. “Red” has the greatest cast since “The Expendables” and the worst script since “The Saint” (GAWD-awful movie). The CIA kills off ex-operatives after a news reporter exposes a story about an ille...

The Social Network

reviewed on June 30th, 2011 04:31AM

The based-on-true-facts story of how Mark Zuckerburg (“Zombieland’s” Jessie Eisenberg) created Facebook and became the world’s youngest billionaire. Then, naturally, gets sued by everyone who thought they got cheated out of their share. In the cas...

Easy A

reviewed on June 30th, 2011 04:29AM

“Easy A”, starring “Zombieland’s” Emma Stone as Olive, a socially inept high-schooler who rides a wave of popularity when rumors spread that she’s been sleeping around. She takes pity on the most unpopular guys in the school by letting them preten...

The Town

reviewed on June 30th, 2011 04:29AM

Ben AFLAC (sorry… stupid insurance commercials) Affleck heads up a group of robbers (banks, armored cars, etc) in Charleston, a suburb just north of Boston that – according to the movie – produces more bank robbers than anywhere else on earth. “Th...

The American

reviewed on June 30th, 2011 04:24AM

George Clooney belongs to one of those super-secret assassin squads that we’ve seen in dozens of films (“Kill Bill”, “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”, “Ronin”, “Killers”, “Knight and Day”, etc etc) laying low in Sweden when a hit team comes after him. He flee...

Machete

reviewed on June 30th, 2011 04:22AM

The movie has loads of glorious over-the-top violence, but unlike “Piranha 3D” this one has a point (or at least tries to) – making social commentary about our current immigration issues. Jeff Fahey and Steven Segal plot to take over the Mexican b...

Piranha 3D

reviewed on June 30th, 2011 04:20AM

Could NOT convince The Wife to see it, so she went off to see “Eat Pray Love”. I tried to tell her it’s probably the same movie... The piranha Eat people, Prey on people, and... well... Love to eat people. No luck. So my son and I took in a showin...

The Green Hornet

reviewed on June 30th, 2011 04:14AM

Unfortunately Seth goes through the entire film playing his character from “Pineapple Express” (his “express” co-star, James Franco, even makes a cameo appearance as a criminal nightclub owner). This movie derails so many times that it’s hard to...

The King's Speech

reviewed on June 30th, 2011 04:05AM

Another extraordinary performance by Rush; hopefully the academy will look upon his role as a ‘best supporting actor’ so that he won’t have to go head-to-head with Firth in the best actor category. Just after this movie we saw him in the 3D previe...

True Grit

reviewed on June 30th, 2011 04:01AM

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. The dialogue between 14 year-old Hailee Steinfeld and the seasoned actors that surround her is more than worth the price of admission. I laughed out loud every time she skewered someone five times her age with the ...

The Adjustment Bureau

reviewed on June 30th, 2011 03:58AM

When David pursues Elise the Adjustment Bureau goes to work, preventing him from seeing her. Hmmm... people who try to control destinies against a ‘love conquers all’ scenario; wonder who will win out? You would think the Adjustment Bureau would; ...

Rango

reviewed on June 30th, 2011 03:56AM

Actually, that plot makes a bit more sense in this movie (seriously, the Bond films went from defeating terrorists to... protecting the Bolivian water supply?). Rango (Johnny Depp) is a chameleon who fancies himself as a playwright, scripting dram...

Hall Pass

reviewed on June 30th, 2011 03:54AM

I’ve never been a big Farrelly brothers fan - “There’s Something about Mary”, “Me, Myself and Irene”, and “Shallow Hal” just didn’t do it for me – so I didn’t have high expectations going in. Good thing, too. Just like with all their previous work...

No Strings Attached

reviewed on June 30th, 2011 03:50AM

Is there ANYONE out there who doesn’t see where this is going? Anyone? Show of hands? Okay, we’re all on the same page. Despite a promising premise this movie doesn’t just flirt with becoming a chick flick but dives headlong into the deep end of t...

The Mechanic

reviewed on June 30th, 2011 03:46AM

Once again we have the main character that seems just a bit too self-confident and waaay too knowledgeable to be able to do half the things he accomplishes. His plans for revenge include facing off against dozens of heavily-armed body guards prote...

Paul

reviewed on June 30th, 2011 03:44AM

Seth Rogan supplies the voice of the title character; I’m starting to like his voice over work (“Monsters vs. Aliens”, “Kung Fu Panda) better than his live action work (“The Green Hornet”, “Zack and Miri Make a Porno”). The same goes for two of th...

Scream 4

reviewed on June 30th, 2011 03:43AM

What’s your favorite scary movie? “Scream 4” may not rank in my 10, but as far as 4th movies in a series go… it’s not that bad. Well, at least not Indy 4, Batman 4 or Superman 4 bad. Whereas “Scream 2” took pokes at sequels and “Scream 3” took on ...

Water for Elephants

reviewed on June 30th, 2011 03:40AM

Guess I don’t have to say ‘spoiler alert’ when I say that you can see where all this is going. Sadistic ringleader, pretty, innocent wife (forced into the marriage because of financial problems; shades of “Titanic” all over that one…), penniless s...

Fast Five

reviewed on June 30th, 2011 03:38AM

Wow... my first Fast and Furious movie - in the theaters, anyway. Don't know how I missed the first four; espeically after seeing the great trailer for the last one - Fast and Furious. The boys are back, in Rio this time... a movie setting we have...

Bridesmaids

reviewed on June 30th, 2011 03:37AM

Despite some less-than spectacular trailers (and my ‘meh’ feelings towards Kristen Wiig) I went off to see “Bridesmaids”. Wiig plays Annie, a poor, insecure SWF whose lack of confidence grows exponentially when her BFF since childhood, Lillian (Ma...

The Hangover, Part II

reviewed on June 30th, 2011 03:35AM

Ifyou liked the first one you'll probably be at least moderately entertained by the sequel. Because it copies all of the plot elements in the follow-up. In the second hangover the boys are back, Phil, Stu, Alan and Doug are off to Thailand for Stu...

Super 8

reviewed on June 30th, 2011 03:30AM

The problem with movie monsters is that we’ve pretty much seen it all now, and there’s only about three places they can come from – aliens, mutants, or some human creation. The real challenge, then, is to give us characters that we care about, and...

Bad Teacher

reviewed on June 30th, 2011 03:28AM

Elizabeth Halsey (Cameron Diaz) is a teacher who hates teaching; her goal in life is to find a rich man to support her. When dumped by her rich fiancé she has to go back to the job she hates (her idea of teaching is to show movies to the kids ever...

Cars 2

reviewed on June 30th, 2011 03:27AM

Like “Speed Racer” without people. I suppose if you start a review by comparing any movie to “Speed Racer” you’re off to a bad start. I always thought the original “Cars” was the weakest entry in the Pixar catalogue, but considering how high the b...

Mr. Popper's Penguins

reviewed on June 30th, 2011 03:26AM

BUT… enough about “Liar Liar”; which was the same film, but without penguins. This film has penguins. Cute, CGI penguins. And Carla Gugino as the love interest, so it’s not all bad. Ironic (?) that the trailer for “Happy Feet 2” was playing before...

Green Lantern

reviewed on June 30th, 2011 03:24AM

Lots of back-up history about the Green Lanterns is covered by a narrator (what; they couldn’t get Morgan Freeman?) who explains the history of the Corps and their primary enemy… in the first two minutes of the film. You sit through it thinking “I...

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

reviewed on June 30th, 2011 03:10AM

“Transformers: Dark (side) of the Moon” – Good robots (Autobots) try to keep bad robots (Decepticons) from opening a time/space portal to their home planet. And Sam Witwicky scores yet another Victoria Secrets model. I’m still trying to figure out...

BocaDavie's Reviews (136)