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| Home · Archive · Must See · Bad Movies · About |
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 Welcome to the past reviews page. Actually this is the middle man. You see, there are too many reviews to put them all on this one page so we put the reviews on other pages, this is like the table of contents. Below you'll find a list of all the movies that we have reviewed. The list is in alphabetical order. Movies beginning with "A" or "The" will be found under the first letter of the second word of the title. For example "The Ring" is with the R's and "A Knight's Tale" is with the K's. |
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A Abandon Abandon stars Katie Holmes as Katie (remember The Norm Show? Norm was called Norm in the show cause he's such a bad actor it's the only thing he would respond to... thought you might relate that). Katie was in love with Embry (Charlie Hunnam of Undeclared) who was an artist and disappeared. Enter Benjamin Bratt. Bratt is around to find out where Embry went, of course he falls for Katie. So a story unfolds slowly and painfully where you find that Katie was "Abandoned" as a child. The movie is so lame until the end. You will want to gouge out your own eyes by the halfway point, but then you realize an ending makes or breaks a movie and this flick has a real good one, not enough to save it from it's poor story telling. About a Boy Hugh Grant stars as Will, a young guy who gets rich off the royalties of a song his dad wrote called Santa's Super Sleigh. He doesn't work and all he does is watch television. He cares for noone but himself and all he tries to do is pick up women but never thinks about a serious relationship. One day he meets Marcus, a 12 year old who is picked on in school and is always worrying about his depressed mother who has already tried to commit suicide once. Will and Marcus start to hang out more and more and Will comes to realize the one thing that really matters in his life is Marcus and he must help him out. A very good story and great acting make up this terrific movie. There are good laughs to be had as well. A real must see. About Schmidt Jack Nicholson stars as Warren Schmidt in this humorous, yet serious look at an old man who realizes his life is not what he had thought it would be. He remembers how ambitious he was but he never took the big risk because he had a family to look after. He hides a deep anger and frustration he has with everything in his life, like the way his wife nags, the new punk that took his place after he retired, and the young man his daughter is about to marry. He communicates all his thoughts through letters he writes to a young African boy he adopted through one of those TV ads asking for 22 dollars a month(we've all seen them). After his wife dies Warren travels the country seeing sites he had not seen in years. He then goes to his daughter's wedding, and tries to talk her out of marrying this waterbed salesman. He in the end sees that he should be thankful for what he has and take the punches that life throws at you. A very good movie that is funny and tells a good story. This movie is not for the teen crowd(that's us) at all but your grandparents will probably love it. Also it's not for the faint of heart because you must see Kathy Bates "un-fun bags" in a scene near the end of the film. Other than that you will want to keep your eyes open for this one. Adaptation Quite possibly the quirkiest story and movie of all time, Adaptation is a hilarious look at Charlie Kaufman's struggle to write a screen play for the book The Orcid Thief. Nicolas Cage stars as the twins Charlie and Donald Kaufman, both screen writers. Charlie is very neurotic and uses voice-overs to express all opinions. Meryl Streep is the author of the book Charlie is adapting, and she falls in love with the crazy guy who is the subject of her book. The movie is a look at Suzanne Orlean(Streep) who is a real person and really wrote a book called The Orcid Thief, her trying to write this book after a story in The New Yorker. Both Orlean and Kaufman struggle to write their stories, and Kaufman puts himself into his screenplay about the book. The movie is a crazy idea, with the making of the book, the screenplay, and the movie. Absolutely hilarious and a must see. The Adventures of Pluto Nash Eddie Murphy stars in this movie about a night club owner on the moon. Rex Crater is trying to buy the club from Pluto to turn it into a casino, but he won't sell and they come after Pluto. He's on the run for most of the movie and eventually he stops the bad guys because that's how movies go. This movie is called a comedy but it didn't have that many funny moments. Randy Quaid and Jay Mohr provide most of the laughs. This movie was entertaining and reminded me of Beverly Hills Cop with Murphy for the fact that that was entertaining but it also had more comedy. This wasn't the greatest film but it's good enough to entertain you for an hour and a half. Alex and Emma Alex's door is kicked in by a couple of big Cubans looking for $50,000 that Luke Wilson (Alex) owes them. While dangling from his balcony Alex says that he'll get them their money, twice their money but he needs an extension; thirty days to finish his latest novel. After the Cubans ignite his laptop computer he's forced to hire a stenographer, Emma to type the book he orates to her. While I guess I seem to like most "chick flicks" this one was particularly funny, though I also like Luke Wilson, and his performance was as expected. Kate Hudson was a little over the top when they were in "story mode" but that's really the only thing bad about this movie... except the predictable "chick flick" formula. American Wedding Most of the gang of the first two Ameirican Pie movies return to see Jim and the only girl he's ever been with, Michelle, get married. Finch, Stifler, Kevin, and Jim's dad are all there to help them along the way. We are also introduced to Michelle's parents with her dad played by the hilarious Fred Willard (Best in Show) and her sister Cadence. Well the plot is, of course, not the strong point of the film but here is the basic description: Jim asks Michelle to marry him (which is a hilarious scene) and she says yes, so now all the plans have to be made and it has to go off without a hitch. There is a subplot which basically sees the maturation of Stifler to a person who actually has emotion. The typical "potty" humor and dirty jokes are there although in my opinion they are present even more. Stifler ingests something gross again and some hot babes take off their clothes. The film follows the basic strategy of the previous installments but hey why change something that works. This movie is nothing different from the others and fans of the series will love it and people just looking to laugh will have a good time too. Analyze That Robert Deniro and Billy Crystal are back together again for a sequel to the hit movie Analyze This. Deniro stars as mob boss Paul Vitti and Crystal as his shrink Dr. Ben Sobel. This time the film picks up where the first ended with Paul in prison and he acts crazy tricking everyone into releasing him into Sobel's custody. Someone is trying to kill Paul and of course Sobel gets himself involved in everything and the comedy begins. This movie is the rare comedy with an actual story and good acting, which come together for a film that was as good as the first and an overall great comedy. The two stars of the film are great and the supporting cast is good with Lisa Kudrow(Friends) back as Ben's wife and Paul Viterelli back as my favorite character, Jelly. This is more of an adult comedy that many married couples and senior citizens will enjoy, it's not really for the teen crowd unless they are mature which most aren't. So I recommend you telling your mom and dad to go see this alone, unless you think you have the capacity to laugh at this movie. Anger Management Adam Sandler is back in the same ol' crap. This time around Sandler portrays Dave Buznik who is humiliated as a child and grows up an introvert who unleashes his anger on himself. He's on his way to St. Louis on business and someone is in his seat on the plane so he has to sit in a different one next to crazy Jack Nicholson. La De Da if you've seen the trailer you know what happens he gets kicked off the plane and sentenced to "anger management" with crazy Jack Nicholson. The plot is incredibly see through and entirely predictable in this installment of Sandler humor as it is always, but I have to say that this is his most un-funny movie yet. Jack Nicholson is good but Sandler is funny because he is loud and throws things and is an ass, in this movie he wasn't he was the introvert and I didn't think his new style was that great. If you're looking for a funny plotless movie there are plenty others, if you insist on giving Mr. Sandler your hard earned dough I recommend Billy Madison instead of this waste of nearly two hours. Austin Powers: Goldmember Austin Powers is back baby yeah! and he's better than ever. Again a sequel but a third in the series, and hollywood always seems to make their third flick in a series the best one, like Die Hard. Anyway we get three new characters, Foxy Cleopatra who helps Austin, Austin's Dad and the aptly name Goldmember (new bad guy). Austin's dad has been kidnapped by Goldmember and he sets out to find him with the help of Basil and Foxy Cleopatra. If you've seen either of the first two movies you know that Austin Powers is not about plot but about dumb laughs and a good time. This was the best at fulfilling its goals, though it has the same jokes as the second and first it combines the two to make a funny movie. Cameos GALORE: Tom Cruise, Gwenyth Paltrow, Steven Spielberg, Kevin Spacey, Danny Devito, Britney Spears, and John Travolta. B Bad Boys II It has been eight years since we last saw Mike Lowery(Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett(Martin Lawrence), shooting and blowing up bad guys, but nothing with them has changed. Mike is still the rich playboy who doesn't have to be a cop because he has money but still is and Marcus is still the worry-wart family man. In this new adventure the fellas have to take down a Cuban drug lord who is controlling a large part of the ecstasy shipment of North America. Marcus's little sister, Syd, is a DEA agent who gets herself mixed up in the whole situation and now that becomes an added problem. The movie is a typical action blockbuster from director Michael Bay and producer Jerry Bruckheimer, the team behind Pearl Harbor, The Rock, and the original Bad Boys. The action is fast paced and constant, hardly letting up. Of course no action film is complete without comic relief and this movie has plenty. The movie is a lot funnier than the original and Smith returns to the form that made him a star with Independence Day and MIB. Greatest scene of the movie is a gay joke that takes place in a Circuit City type store. The only downfalls of the film are the length(2 and 1/2 hours of action) and the fact that it becomes repetitive. A good action film that delivers on all it promises. Bad Company Bad Company is the story of CIA agents played by Anthony Hopkins and Chris Rock. When Chris Rock's twin brother dies in the line of duty they bring in Rock to finish the case. Rock has 0 training and though he's smart he still lacks all of the skills his brother had. Hopkins brings him in and trains him in the eight days that they have and they proceed as if the brother never died. The movie proceeds like all of its kind that came before it. The movie is funny but its so very formulaic that it lacks anything to make it a stand out great film. The actors were great as was characterization where it needed to be but if you've seen any of the CIA undercover shoot 'em up movies you've already seen this one. Guys will like it cause there are guns, girls may like it because of Rock's character's love for his girlfriend, there's always a girlfriend and I don't think I'm ruining the story if I tell you she's kidnapped. They're all the same Bad Company, Enemy of the State, even the Clancy movies. Bad Santa Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever Ballistic is the story of a badass, Lucy Liu (Sever) who kidnaps this guys, her former boss's son. Antonio Banderas is another badass, Ecks, who is brought in to oppose Sever, hence Ecks vs. Sever, and get the dude's kid back. Ecks has his own demons and a past that haunts him, specifically losing his wife in a carbombing. This is without a doubt an action film, but it's a refreshing twist on action films in that it has a plot, though a somewhat transparent one, it's still a plot none-the-less, better than most of the dribble coming out recently. However, it has a pitfall in that its secondary objective was to display pyrotechnics in every scene, every single scene had explosions or gunfire or other displays of flashes and light. It got tiring, much like Tomb Raider: Lara Croft. Not a bad flick for a rainy Friday night. The Banger Sisters Susan Sarandon and Goldie Hawn are 2 wild groupies of the 60s who had sex with all the rock stars and they are nicknamed the Banger Sisters for obvious reasons. Vinnie(Sarandon) has moved on from her past and married a rich guy and has a perfect life. Suzette(Hawn) is still as crazy as she ever was. She one day shows up to borrow money from Vinnie and then forgets all about that as she starts to think about the good old days. Vinnie wants nothing to do with her. The movie follows a predictable story as Vinnie starts to remember her past and become crazy again and her whole perfect life is turned upside down. This was a comedy that delivered a few laughs and had an ok story. It was decent but really should be seen by married couples or very adult couples. Definitely not a teen movie. Barbershop Ice Cube stars in this new comedy about a barbershop, which has historically been portrayed as a place for men to hang out and talk about whatever. Cube plays Calvin who takes over the shop after his father died and the father got it from his father, so it's been in the family for a long time. The barbershop is in a lot of debt and Calvin is forced to sell it. He starts to realize throughout the day that this place really means something to a lot of people. He tries to get it back a couple of times but has no luck. Eventually of course it all works out in the end. Now the predictable story should not be what you focus on, it should be the great comedic acting and how funny this movie was. Cedric the Entertainer plays a wily old coot that has been with the barbershop forever and really provides a lot of laughs. A good movie along the lines of Soul Food or Waiting to Exhale, a real must see for moviegoers. Basic Basic is the followup film to Rollerball, that doesn't mean sequel that means the film that was made after Rollerball by the same director. I knew this going in and the local paper gave the movie an average rating so I wasn't expecting much. This film took all my expectations and turned them around, it is the greatest film I have seen in 2003... hell probably in the last 2 years. The story is about an Army Ranger drill instructor and his squad of six men who go out into the woods for a training mission and only 2 return, Brian Van Holt (Whipped) and Giovanni Ribisi. The two men tell the story of the training mission gone wrong to a man brought in by request of Van Holt. The story is too complicated to really tell further in depth, this film requires your full attention people, this is not another Rollerball, both in the sense that it has a plot and that it is a GREAT movie. For all the people that think it's an action film you will be upset, there is action but it is minimal this is a plot film and it does one helluva job, go see it. Better Luck Tomorrow This story follows an asian high school student named Ben who tries to keep a high GPA while competing in every activity possible because it looks good on your college application. He is a classic overachiever. He also has some extra curricular activities that just happen to be illegal. He starts selling drugs and making drug deals along with a couple of his friends and before long he starts using drugs. A crazy offer is made to him and his crew, the deal is to go in and scare this guys parents because he feels they need a wake up call. Well Ben and his gang decide to give the guy hiring them a wake up call only it all goes wrong. The film was a cool and new idea and when it comes down to it, it was pretty entertaining. I would recommend this to fans of high school or teen films. As the tagline for the film says, "you should never underestimate an overachiever." Big Trouble Tim Allen used to be a writer for the Miami Herald, he used to have a wonderful wife, and his son used to get along with him. His wife cheated on him, he was forced to buy a Geo Metro and so now his son thinks he's a loser. Life is not good for him anymore. Now instead of writing his witty column he is an ad man. He hates his life. Ok that's just one of the plots of this movie that was supposed to come out when the Trade Center incident happened but was pushed back and practically to a straight to video release. The only thing more numerous than plot lines are the stars in this flick, Tim Allen, Rene Russo, Tom Sizemore, Johnny Knoxville, Dennis Farina, Jason Lee, Stanley Tucci, Patrick Warburton, Janeane Garofolo... the list goes on. This is quite possibly the dumbest movie I've ever seen but if you like comedies you'll LOVE this flick. Look at that lineup, how can it not be funny? I couldn't stop laughing this movie was so great. Black Hawk Down Black Hawk Down is the story of the 1993 raid on Mogadishu, Somalia. 19 Americans died thousands of Somalians did as well, the movie seemed to care very little for this fact. The main objective appeared to be to see how many rounds could be fired and how many RBGs could be shot off before the audience got fed up...I stayed the whole movie... awake but just barely. In the end they give you statistics, but like I said earlier they seem to care very little because there is NO characterization in the movie. It was an ok flick but nothing more. If you like action movies you should see it, if you don't definitely stay away. Blade 2 As the original Blade closed the Daywalker was in Moscow. As Blade 2 opens we find out why. The flick is great. Unlike most sequels it didn't follow the same basic plot of its predecessor like Austin Powers 2 did. Blade finds his mentor/father figure Whistler and they team up with the vampires and Skud to defeat a new breed called reapers who have the thirst constantly and have a wicked way to quench it. The visuals were good... a lot better than Resident Evil's licker. The story was good and one did NOT need to see Blade to follow this story...all the vital information is given to the audience via flashbacks. With a new director Blade 2 doesn't suffer the same plight as other sequels and is innovative but doesn't stray too much in the way the characters look or act... though Daywalker does talk a lot more in this one... but the vampires still burst into sparky ash when destroyed by the silver blade or rounds. GREAT action movie go see it ... not all that scary either 'til the reapers open their mouths. Blood Work Clint Eastwood directs, produces, and stars in this very good murder mystery film. This film was better than I thought it was going to be. The film follows Terry Mcaleb(Eastwood) who is chasing the "code killer" who is constantly leaving him little messages. He chases the guy and shoots him but has a heart attack before he can catch up with the killer. He waits 2 years for a heart transplant cause of his rare blood type. He receives his heart and a woman asks him to investigater her sister's murder, but he's retired so he says no, but wait his heart comes from the woman's sister who was killed the same day he got his heart. Every time Mcaleb thinks he has a suspect, that person turns up dead. He's got an idea but can't piece it together. All the pieces come together and he finally solves the mystery. The film was good at telling a murder mystery story, and there aren't any movies of it's kind coming out so it's a real good movie to see if you're looking for something different or a good movie altoghether. And if you're wondering why its called Blood Work, it's because the killer is killing all people with Mcaleb's blood type. Blue Crush This movie is about Ann Marie, a surfer chick, who has a very hectic life, having to pay the bills, watch her sister, and let's not forget win the surf competition. This movie was not about surfing, sure there were great surfing shots in it but it was more of a chick flick love story than anything else. Ann Marie meets this NFL quarterback and they fall in love and you would think she would just leave and be with him cause he's loaded but she doesn't. She has to prove that she can surf that wave and in predictable fashion she does but doesn't win the contest, so it wasn't that predictable. The movie never has one set plot it is full of little sub plots like training for the contest, falling in love, dealing with her sister and its all just stupid. Noone wants to see you surf, they just want to see you sit there in a bikini. There is no acting at all and the character development is non existent so at the end you don't care if she makes it or not, but of course she does and becomes famous. Many plot problems, bad acting and an overall bad idea for movie goers. Boat Trip Cuba Gooding Jr. (yeah he is related to Omar) and his buddy, Horatio Sans, get put on a gay cruise instead of the singles cruise they meant to be on after Cuba's girlfriend dumps him when Cuba proposes to her. You've seen the cast so you're probably thinking funny but no plot. Well you're wrong, this is the exception. It doesn't spew plot but it's definitely a couple notches above most comedies. It's also very funny like you'd expect from Gooding, Sans, and Farrell. Vivica Fox also stars. Overall a great funny movie. The Bourne Identity A fishing vessel finds a man floating in the water bullet riddled and unconscious, when they pull him aboard and are cleaning him up they find a bank account number in a laser pen in his hip. As the movie progress you find out that the stranger is Jason Bourne, played by Matt Damon, a black ops CIA agent sent to assinate a political figure head. The mission is failed and we learn why and how as the movie goes on and Bourne tries to remember who he is all the while running from the law with his accomplice who needed money so gave him a ride and the CIA thinks they're working together so she gets caught in the mix too. It was over all a story driven movie with action folded in quite nicely. Definitely not the best plot movie with a couple holes, and definitely not the best action movie because it comes to a crawl in the middle but overall a good movie. Bringing Down the House Steve Martin is back in his best movie since Father of the Bride, this time as a tax attorney that has always been too busy for his family. He sets up a date over the internet with a woman he thinks is a fellow lawyer, but turns out to be a convicted felon played by Queen Latifah. She found him because she thinks he can prove her innocence and in return she'll help him win back his wife. The movie is pretty damn funny. A lot of laughs supplied by everyone, Martin, Latifah, Eugene Levy who plays Martin's friend, Martin's son, Betty White who cameos as a neighbor, and another old lady who Martin is trying to represent. The cast is great and the movie has an original story. It's nice to see a comedy that isn't a teen sex romp or a chick flick romantic comedy. A nice movie to see if you need some laughs and a good time. Brother Bear Disney returns to the animated front with this project following the success of Finding Nemo. The movie is about a young Indian man that is having his right of passage ceremony. He is given his totem which says his path to manhood is through love. He is upset with it and does something stupid and causes his brother to be killed while hunting a bear. He kills the bear and is transformed by the spirtits into a bear in order to understand his totem. While turned into a bear he meets a cub that he takes under his wing. The movie involves their journey together to a watering hole and the journey to the location of the spirits. The twist comes when it is learned that the cub's mother was the bear killed by the main character. This movie had a lot of heart but tried to tug at the audience's heart strings a little too much. The film was not nearly as funny as other animated films, with the exception of the Mackenzie Brothers(Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas) who provide voices for moose. The film had too serious a tone for it to be considered a kid's movie, and just did not compare to animated films like it. For an animated journey watch Finding Nemo or for someone looking to turn back to a human watch the Emperor's New Groove. Brotherhood of the Wolf I've seen Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and the thing that killed it for me most was the subtitles, sure they give a more fleunt feel and make it a lot better than poor dubbing like the Japanese Godzilla movies but having to read and watch and keep the movie going so that you can follow it is a task. This movie made the same mistake of subtitles...but that is it's only pitfall. The action was beautifully coreographed, there was a looming mystery first of what the beast was and who would be next then when it would attack and when it would be killed. There were plot twists and many surprises in the flick, even t&a for the guys actually its more a couple whore house scenes. Overall a great movie but it could have been improved by leaving out the subtitles. Bruce Almighty Last year Adam Sandler did his serious thing and the critics loved it. This turn is Jim Carrey's second turn after the much lukewarm Majestic. Unfortunately where Sandler's "Punch Drunk" came off as just weird Carrey's comes off as preachy. Bruce Nolan is a TV reporter who has a series of bad days. After all sorts of complaining to God God says enough and endows him his powers. Nolan (Carrey) uses the powers for selfish intent and the reprecussions follow. The movie pushes it's moral too much and doing so doesn't let Carrey be his usual over the top funny. While it is an ok theme movie it is a subpar Jim Carrey movie. If you're looking for a good laugh and want to give Carrey you're cash go to Blockbuster or wherever and rent Liar Liar. Bulletproof Monk Chow-Yun Fat stars as the title character and he has no name, he is only known as the monk. He runs into Kar played by Sean William Scott(Stifler in American Pie) and Kar is a common thief with exceptional fighting skills and the monk decides to take him under his wing. It is learned that the monk has an ancient scroll that will give the person that reads it an ultimate power. A nazi who was in WWII wants the scroll so he can wipe out all races he deems not worthy to live. The monk has complete enlightment and can appear to walk on air and dodge bullets, because he protects the scroll. The story is obviously fiction as none of this could ever happen, but still it is pretty interesting. The action in the film is great and the comedy level is decent. I compare this movie to Rush Hour, another buddy karate action film with comedy, but it is not quite as funny. The movie is very entertaining and all around good fun, so check it out. C Cabin Fever Rider Strong has done pretty much nothing since he was Sean in "Boy Meets World", Eli Roth has done nothing except one TV show. They both make an amazingly freaky, semi-psychological, outstanding movie. It opens with five friends going on a retreat to the woods, so you know there's gonna be trouble. When they get there everything is going fine, then the group moron goes out to shoot squirells and accidently shoots a man, whose face looks to be melting off, in the ass. Thus we meet the disease that will plague this five kids. The same man that was shot comes back to the cabin that the kids are staying at and trouble ensues when the kids get frightened. Thus the disease starts to spread. This movie is great, I loved every minute of it, the first half of the film was the scariest, most suspenseful movie that I've probably ever seen. (Though granted my exposure to horror films is limited). However in the second half everything that was good about the film is lost. It seems like Eli Roth was running out of time or money because the scariest movie I've seen quickly turned into the hokiest. As long as you can disregard the ending this is one of the better films of this year. Catch Me If You Can Spielberg has done it again. Tom Hanks stars as Carl Hanratty, an FBI agent after 17 year old Frank Abagnale (Leonardo DiCaprio) who's stolen several million dollars by conterfeiting checks. Frank was a good kid until he caught his mom having sex with another man, then when his parents split up he had to choose who to live with so he just ran away and became a "pilot". The story is based on the real life of Frank Abagnale. The movie is good but doesn't capatalize on a couple of points and the begining Frank is on the game show To Catch a Thief.. they never really do anything with that and I was interested in what was gonna happen on the game show. It was a great movie with great acting a great story and direction as we've come to expect from Spielberg. The only dull spot is the missed opportunities. Catch it in theatres while you still can. Changing Lanes Samuel L. Jackson is an Insurance agent and recovering alcoholic on his way to court to get joint custody of his kids with a house he bought, Ben Affleck is a lawyer headed to court with a file that has a very important signature. They meet by accident on the FDR and Affleck writes his insurance information on the file he's supposed to deliver. The court gives him time to get the file back, and the games begin. Without the file Affleck will end in jail, Jackson lost his case because he was late. They both plot revenge and as one gives up the other kicks it up a notch and does the next worse thing. It's a good movie about morality and the legal system. It deals with personal decisions and how much morals should matter in a society where they really don't. Like Frailty it makes you think, and you don't really know who the good guy and who the bad guys are, because in Changing Lanes there is never a clear cut good or bad guy. It's definitely a good movie and definitely worth admission. Chicago Chicago is the second musical I have seen in recent memory. It reminded me why I dislike musicals. Moulin Rouge! was the only musical I can remember seeing prior to this film and to be quite honest it is a far better film. This film didn't have the glitz and glamor that musicals are known for. It did have glorification of murderous wives, and good acting. The story was well done, the acting was good. The singing and dancing seemed out of place though, the movie was about murder, there should be little to no dancing. Then all of this opinion could be because I don't know much about musicals. From a standpoint of liking most other movies though this one just plain bored me. I recommend skipping it, but there are those who love it. City By the Sea City by the Sea tells the story of a NYC detective, Vincent LeMarca(Robert Deniro), whose son, Joey(James Franco), is a junkie accused of murder. Deniro is investigating the murder of a drug dealer and finds that his case goes back to Long Beach, New Jersey. LeMarca grew up in this area and left his wife and son there after he hit his wife during a dispute. He learns that his son is the killer of the drug dealer. Now stories of his father are coming back to the news. His father was executed for accidentally killing a baby he kidnapped for ransom. When LeMarca's partner is killed and everyone points the finger at his son, he starts to think about the mistakes of his past and how his son is making the same ones. A very long and well drawn out story that takes a while to get going but once it does the movie is terrific. Robert Deniro is better than ever in this gripping crime drama about family. It's like Road to Perdition only not about mobster's. A very well acted and directed movie that I encourage all of you to go see. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind The movie takes its title from the book Confessions of a Dangerous Mind: The Unauthorized Autobiography of Chuck Barris. That's right, unauthorized despite the fact that he wrote it. Sam Rockwell stars as Chuck Barris, the man who created such hit shows as the Dating Game, The Newlywed Game, and The Gong Show. The story mixes fictional tales from Barris' life with real events. The movie shows the creation of all of Barris' big hits and how he is approached to do missions for the CIA as an operative. He acts as a chaperone on the trips for the Dating Game and that is where he completes his various missions. While on these missions he has a thing with one of his "co-workers" but he already has a woman back home. His shows start to get cancelled and after that it is all a downward spiral. A wierd tale of lies, deceit, and a lot of comedy. A tremendous cast also helps make this film great. In his directorial debut, George Clooney stars as the CIA recruiter, Drew Barrymore as his woman at home, Julia Roberts as his CIA wench and for a split second starring as Dating Game contestants, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon. The story has fiction and reality but which is which. Did he really work for the CIA? Who knows. Only Chuck Barris. A delightful comedy/drama that will you make you think. A very good film. Cradle 2 the Grave Rapper DMX is back in the acting game in this film. This time around he plays the leader of a group of thieves that steal some mysterios black stones. Jet Li is a special agent that must retrieve those stones before they fall in the wrong hands. DMX's daughter is kidnapped by a guy who desperately wants the stones. So now DMX and Jet Li must team up to save the little girl and stop the evil plans of the kidnapper. The movie was full of action, including plenty of explosions and cool fight scenes. The acting wasn't great, but it wasn't that bad either. The movie had a plot but you can tell that it wasn't really story driven. Tom Arnold and Anthony Anderson provide some pretty good laughs, and Chi McBride(Boston Public) has a nice little role. A good action movie that will entertain you, but won't do much more. D Daredevil Daredevil is the story of young Matt Murdock who's father is a washed up boxer. One day, while visiting his dad at work, he sees his dad beating this guy in an alley and Matt runs off right into a fork lift that swerves, severs a drum of biohazard liquid and WHAMMO! Matt's blind... but when he wakes up in the hospital he can see with a radar type thing like a bat. Then he grows up and becomes a super hero after his dad regains a boxing career but is beaten to death by a man leaving a rose on the corpse. Elektra comes in and la de da love story. The movie is good, it tells its story well... some of the characters are under-developed especially Bullseye (Kingpin's henchman) and Elektra. The special effects are subpar in parts but the radar sight of Daredevil is awesome. Little details might bother you like how thunder and thousands of drops of rain dont get to him but loud noise does and some of the scenes are straight from Spider-Man but they are few and far between. The movie was definitely entertaining but not as much as Spider-man but that's like comparing Batman to Power Rangers. Daredevil is dark. Everyone in it is a coldblooded murderer. As I've said though... it's a great movie and only the pickiest of viewers... or maybe "fan-boys" will dislike it. Dark Blue Five days before the officers involved in the Rodney King trial are found not guilty a couple of guys knock over a convenience store. Eldon Perry(Kurt Russell) and his partner Bobby are put on the case and have to investigate the robbery and the fact that the two guys who did it killed four people. Perry works for the SIS part of the department and doesn't usually handle this kind of case, but the guys who did it are informants for his boss, so he is trying to save his own butt. Almost everybody in this movie is a corrupt cop, except for assistant police chief Arthur Holland(Ving Rhames). The movie was a very intense and very serious look at corruption and what a person will do to protect themselves from being found out. The movie lagged a bit in the middle while trying to set up the climactic ending of the film. A good police drama that borrowed elements of Training Day, but wasn't quite as good. If you're into this genre or want an intense look at bad cops, go and see this for sure. Darkness Falls A town is haunted by the evil spirit of a woman killed 150 years ago. That town is Darkness Falls. She supposedly took the form of the tooth fairy and a kid saw her and lived to tell about, so the whole movie is about killing those who have seen her. This movie is pretty terrible. Young unknown actors that just can't act and a story that is an original idea but is not portrayed well. The plot is thin and the legend is not explained very well and made no sense to me. The movie is entertaining enough for it to not get the all red mark of death. The film is not worth your time or money, go see a real horror movie, perhaps one that this film tries to copy, like The Ring. Die Another Day Bond is back in his twentieth appearance and the lies and deceit still go strong. Bond starts off in North "Communist" Korea where he is supposed to assinate a colonel and his right hand man, he only offs the colonel though and the right hand man goes to Cuba to get some DNA transplants so he won't look like himself and he'll live longer be stronger etc. In Cuba he meets Jinx (Halle Berry) and of course they have sex in typical Bond fashion. Then it's off to Europe still hunting down the Korean and we meet a new enemy and a new MI6 agent (thats the agency Bond works for MI6). All this in little over two hours packed full of action and double-entendres. The movie starts off pretty wicked with the assassination of the colonel and never really slows down, the plot is decent for an action movie, and it was even funny. The only real bad thing about this movie was Halle Berry hogging the screen, who really only got her oscar cause she was in a star studded indie film where she did nothing but have sex (and because it was African-American year at the awards when she won), the theme song by Madonna was god awful too but I digress. Bond 20: Die Another Day is an entertaining movie but don't look for much more than that in it. The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood This is a movie based on a book, and as most movies based on books they really aren't that great. It's the story of a daughter played by Sandra Bullock and her mother and their relationship after Bullock talks to a "Time" magazine reporter. While it is funny it's also your typical chic flick with horrible acting, none of the cast can fake cry and that's most of what happens in this movie. Having a thing against flashback movies doesn't help this either with all the many flashbacks to be had. Catch it on video but skip it in theatres. Dog Soldiers I'm not gonna lie to you this was a werewolf movie but it was one of the best werewolf movies ever made. The story is about this group of British soldiers who are training in the woods and find the remains of a special ops team and their one surviving member. They meet a woman on a road and all go to this cottage where they are cornered by the wolves and have to fight to stay alive. The team starts to run out of ideas and weapons and soon all of the people are turned into wolves or reveal that they already were wolves and only one young soldier survives the battle. You will find this movie on the Sci-fi channel which is where i saw it because it is a sci-fi original, but looking for it is worth it. Dreamcatcher Pete, Jonesy, Beaver, and Henry have always been friends. In junior high they were and they were your average jr. high kids that go to an abandoned warehouse to see "Tina Jean Schlossinger's pussy" but they find something far better than that, something that will change their lives forever... Douglas Cavell... The Duds. The Duds, or Duddits, is a downs syndrome kid and he's behind the warehouse in his underoos being forced to eat doggy poo by the town bullies, when the quartet shows up and save the day. Duddits becomes their best friend until highschool when the four go their own ways and get their own problems but always meet anually at Hole in the Wall, Beaver's family's cabin in Maine. This year all hell breaks loose and the four's connection is tested. The movie is good, the book is far better, but for being an adaptation they did a pretty good job. I had read the Stephen King novel prior to seeing the flick and I was surprised at how they fit a good deal of the 879 pages into the movie. With an odd but fitting alternate ending. The movie is gory, and it is weird, and it is a lot like other King works (Particularly Stand By Me). It's a good film... I would definitely recommend reading the book before seeing the movie or you will definitely be lost and hate it... like all the other critics we here at RR don't aspire to be. Drumline Mr. Teen Nick himself, Nick Cannon stars in this pathetic excuse for a movie. I'll give you that the music and drum sequences were good, but not enough to save the movie. Orlando Jones was the only real shining light in this movie. This is only the second time I've seen Orlando without a 7Up can and the man can really act, it's a shame he gets tied to lame movies. So anyway Cannon is a drummer from a New York area who gets a scholarship to Atlanta A & T, the premiere music school of the south. He has an attitude, he's supposed to be a badass or something, and no one likes him but they can respect his musical talent. Sounds kinda like The Mighty Ducks part 3? I thought so too. So like D3 the star gets kicked off the team then he pulls off something "incredible" to get back on and everyone is merry. This movie is as unoriginal as Ricky Rouse or Monald Muck. I'd suggest anyone NOT affiliated with the band avoid this movie, especially if you've seen D3 or a movie like it.. there are plenty to choose from just pick your interest, this one tailors to the Band crowd. Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd Harry and Lloyd are back. Well it's not Jeff Daniels or Jim Carrey or the Farrelly Brothers but it is two young unknown actors. It doesn't sound like a good movie, but in reality it actually is. The two young guys imitate the original stars almost perfectly in this prequel to the 1994 hit. Harry and Lloyd literally run into each other for the first time and so starts the historic friendship. They are put into a special needs class by their principal(Eugene Levy) and his lover, who also happens to be the lunch lady(Cheri Oteri), because they want a grant from the government that will allow them to go to Hawaii. Harry and Lloyd must foil their evil intentions with the help of their classmates. While the plot isn't great and the script could have been done by chimps, this movie is very funny and will have you laughing throughout the film. |
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