Author Archive

Movie Review: The Innkeepers (2011) »

Alice is an unflattering name for a woman. It’s not, however, nearly as bad as Claire is. For me, Claire conjures up an image of a sad, homely girl whiling away the hours, in a rocker, crocheting a sweater. It is, therefore, a fitting name then for the boy-haircut having, wearing the same dull clothes [...]

Movie Review: The Wicker Tree (2010) »

There are several factoids I learned after watching The Wicker Tree, the 39 years in the making sequel to cult favorite “The Wicker Man.” For one, nuclear power plants make all men who drink or bathe in its cooling source sterile (although on the flip side it also grants them the gift of being able [...]

Movie Review: Loosies (2012) »

Aside from scoring a big fish with nearly every take, I can’t imagine picking people’s pockets for a living to be very lucrative — the risk surely outweighs the benefits. But in Loosies, it’s precisely what Bobby (Peter Facinelli) does on a daily basis, although he tells his mother (with whom he still lives with) [...]

Movie Review: Sleeping Beauty (2011) »

There is a point to Julia Leigh’s debut film Sleeping Beauty. There has to be. It can’t be just an arthousey endeavor or a vehicle for Emily Browning to completely expose herself in. Or can it? Whatever it is, Leigh takes the viewer on a cold and calculating, slow ride into the worlds of a [...]

Movie Review: The Son of No One (2011) »

Dito Montiel, chose Channing Tatum as the star for his drama about corrupt police and childhood secrets, The Son of No One, correctly. He needed a guy that was wooden and could believably convey sullenness with no effort whatsoever. There is not, however, much else that is right about this feature, unless noting that in [...]

Movie Review: The Three Musketeers (2011) »

Um . . . hmm . . . wow. I’m stupefied at what a colossal mess The Three Musketeers has been made into. Three of the more prominent heroes in history have been watered down to pathetic caricatures and, in their own movie, given a back seat to a nausea inducing 3D experience and to [...]

Movie Review: The Thing (2011) »

A shapeshifting creature from outer space. Interesting (and a bit campy) the first time it was introduced to movie going audiences in 1951’s The Thing from Another World (which was adapted from the short story “Who Goes There?”). Downright fucked up scary in 1982, when John Carpenter updated the scenario and released The Thing. Clunky [...]

Movie Review: 13 (2010) »

Man will bet on anything. You’ve got your traditional betting that’s done at casinos like poker and blackjack and others done with a local bookie on football and boxing. Some folks even like to bet on back alley dog fights. But if 13, Géla Babluani’s remake of his own film 13 Tzameti, is to be [...]

Movie Review: Killing Bono (2011) »

Persistence is an admirable quality to possess. Our parents instilled the old adage, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again” to encourage us to not give up — anything is possible. Well, that’s not necessarily true; there’s a point when it becomes pathetic to keep trying — no matter how long and hard [...]

Movie Review: The Change-Up (2011) »

Let’s cut to the chase — Olivia Wilde is a beautifully packaged woman and plays a part in many man’s fantasies. Even mine on occasion. But if you were hoping to see her naked in The Change-Up, you won’t (before she became a hot Hollywood commodity, she delivered the goods in Alpha Dog). There is [...]

Movie Review: Ironclad (2011) »

Paul Giamatti is a damn fine actor. Not so good, that he can produce diamonds from a pile of shit, though. As a matter of fact, with his silly haircut (yes, I know it was fitting for the time period) and his lack of a consistent English accent, he adds to the shitty mess that [...]

Movie Review: Final Destination 5 (2011) »

I didn’t think it was possible, but apparently one can squeeze blood from a turnip. The vegetable in this case is the Final Destination series. The blood, well, that is Final Destination 5, the fifth movie in this one-note franchise sure to once again raise the heartbeat of moviegoers keen on watching the young and [...]

Movie Review: Zookeeper (2011) »

Only in the movies. Only in the movies will an unemployed stammering fool be found dating a supermodel (Transformers: Dark of the Moon). Only in the movies will an underemployed fat guy be found dating a model and ultimately have two beautiful women fawning for him. This particular movie is Zookeeper. The fat guy is [...]

Movie Review: Tucker & Dale vs Evil (2010) »

Admit it, you, just like 87.7% of the civilized world, think all rednecks look and behave like those in Deliverance and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre . It’s a tough stereotype to dispel, so why not use it to one’s advantage? After all, it’s one that, in the right hands, can be molded into comedic gold. [...]

Movie Review: Troll Hunter (Trolljegeren) (2010) »

It wasn’t so long ago that Korean/Japanese horror was the fertile hunting grounds for studios looking to make a quick buck. The Ring, The Grudge, The Eye, Mirrors and countless others are all products of the Hollywood makeover spa. Today those hunting grounds have seemingly moved to Scandinavia. Let the Right One In was recently [...]

Movie Review: The Ward (2010) »

The mental institution is a great location for nearly all movie types, but none more so than the horror or thriller genre. Isolation, deeply disturbed patients and or a sadistic doctor are several cornerstones that can be explored. And using some of these staples, John Carpenter, emerging from a ten year hiatus from movie making, [...]

Movie Review: Passion Play (2010) »

Many a man believes Megan Fox is an angel. Not necessarily one that resides in heaven with a halo over its head, mind you, but more in the you’re in my sexual fantasies kind of way. In Passion Play, Mitch Glazer’s directorial debut, Mrs. Fox combines both elements — she pouts and purses her lips [...]

Movie Review: Bridesmaids (2011) »

Most won’t admit it but women can be every bit as rude, crude and lewd as a man. Hell, get a girl to a male revue and put a few drinks in her and she’ll prove women can be even nastier than a guy. So with that notion and the fact girls are catty as [...]

Movie Review: 13 Assassins (2010) »

Hannibal Lecter is the perfect example of a sociopath — a man who can think up and carry out unspeakable horrors without so much as batting an eyelash. Lord Naritsugu Matsudaira, in 13 Assassins, is the perfect example of a sociopath with unlimited power and influence. He rapes, mutilates and murders with impunity. Even more [...]

Movie Review: Insidious (2010) »

Why, oh why, do people move into those big Victorian-style homes; you know, the ones with too many rooms and too few lights to illuminate them? It can’t be for the coziness and charm! You’d think by now people would know that 90% of those houses, according to the Horror Convention Law, are conduits for [...]

Movie Review: Hop (2011) »

There are at least 100 Christmas movies in circulation (go ahead and count them, I’ll wait). I’m guessing maybe a dozen or so movies with a Thanksgiving theme. Easter movies? I can’t think of a single one (those made for television specials like Yogi the Easter Bear don’t count). With such a gaping void ripe [...]

Movie Review: Paul (2011) »

This may be a first. Usually movies involving aliens from another planet are either of the cute M&M eating or the conquer and/or destroy Earth variety. The alien in Paul — looking and acting much like Roger from American Dad! — is of the quick witted, pot smoking, foul mouthed variety. Precisely the demeanor of [...]

Movie Review: The Mechanic (2011) »

Although I hadn’t seen the original 1970s Charles Bronson flick, it wasn’t difficult to figure out rather quickly what the plot trajectory for The Mechanic was. This isn’t necessarily a death knell for an action movie — what is is the lack of any heart thumping action. And that people, is exactly the case here; [...]

Movie Review: Frankie and Alice (2010) »

It’s been said, that if you want to get nominated for an Academy Award, all you have to tackle is the part of a crazy person or, better yet, a retarded one (yeah, come to think of it, retarded is always a better choice to make). Halle Berry already has herself a well-deserved Oscar (Monster’s [...]

Movie Review: The Company Men (2010) »

Billing a cast of has been heavyweights whose performance range from wooden to nearly wooden, The Company Men, is a movie that tries really, really hard to be serious in its approach to providing a look at the current state of affairs of the American worker. Unfortunately, the story arc for each of the protagonists [...]

Movie Review: The Dilemma (2011) »

Hey Winona, it’s good to see you! It was pleasing to see you had a bit role in the acclaimed The Black Swan (even though you managed to escape without any en pointe scenes). It’s not, however, so pleasurable to see you in The Dilemma. Actually, it’s not much fun to see anyone in Ron [...]

Movie Review: Love and Other Drugs (2010) »

I love everything about the female form. But if I had to rank my favorite parts, I’d confess to being an ass man. Coming in a close second are the breasts — I can’t get enough of them either. Anne Hathaway, has a great set of boobs. You may have seen them before with the [...]

Movie Review: I Love You Phillip Morris (2009) »

Love is blind and fucking stupid. It can make a person do extreme things — endanger their well-being or make extraordinarily bad decisions — to find it and keep it. I Love You Phillip Morris, a film purported to be based on real life events, chronicles the adult life of Steven Russell, a con man [...]

Movie Review: Yogi Bear (2010) »

What would you do if you knew where a bear lived that could construct complex machinery, carry on an intellectual conversation, and didn’t like the taste of human flesh? You’d exploit it for money of course — especially if it was the only way to save your livelihood. Have it perform a one bear show [...]

Movie Review: Rabbit Hole (2010) »

The loss of a child. There is probably no worse pain for a parent to have to endure, especially if the child is taken at a young age. A flood of intense emotions — confusion, anger, hate, fear and guilt — can tear apart the strongest individual and the stablest of marriages. It is wreaking [...]

Movie Review: The Warrior’s Way (2010) »

If you’ve ever wondered what an East (as in the Orient) meets West (as in the Wild Wild West) meets exaggerated computer effects movie looks like, well then, The Warrior’s Way was meant for you. It’s got ninjas. It’s got gunslingers, both good and bad. And it’s got circus folk. Yep, those wandering entertainers that [...]

Movie Review: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010) »

It will be 2014 or later when the seventh installment of C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia saga finishes up its cinematic run. That’s a long way away and, if I were a betting man, I wouldn’t dare put a wager on seeing that happening. That’s because the third of the series — The Chronicles [...]

Movie Review: 127 Hours (2010) »

What would you do to stay alive? Kill another human being? How about torture and mutilate them horribly? In a much gorified fashion, the Saw series tasked individuals in a “game” with answering these and more damning questions. Breaking away from the simplistic horror angle, Danny Boyle instead ties this question to a harrowing real [...]

Movie Review: Unstoppable (2010) »

A film about a runaway train would appear to be pretty one dimensional — on the surface there are only so many ways you can dress it up. You’d be pleasantly surprised to find that Unstoppable, Tony Scott’s latest, about such a train, offers more than just an angry locomotive hurtling down a track. It [...]

Movie Review: Chatroom (2010) »

There is really but one image conjured up when one thinks about Internet Relay Chat (IRC). Predators. Men preying upon the underaged for sex. But this archaic social medium (when compared to the latest social networks) hosts other questionable types too. Some are hackers. Others pirate movies and software. And some can be described as [...]

Movie Review: Due Date (2010) »

I guess when you are top of the world, as Robert Downey Jr. currently is (Iron Man, Sherlock Holmes), it is easy to buy into the hype that you can make no wrong choices and that everything you touch turns to cinematic gold. It’s the only reason I can come up with (other than perhaps [...]

Movie Review: Howl (2010) »

” . . . who ate fire in paint hotels or drank turpentine in Paradise Alley, death, or purgatoried their torsos night after night with dreams, with drugs, with waking nightmares, alcohol and cock and endless balls, incomparable blind; streets of shuddering cloud and lightning in the mind leaping toward poles of Canada & Paterson, [...]

Movie Review: The Extra Man (2010) »

The extra man is described as a man who accompanies wealthy old women to galas and other social events. The men provide the companionship, the women provide the men with a means to live beyond their means. Sound like an interesting way of life? Henry Harrison (Kevin Kline) is such a man and The Extra [...]

Movie Review: Paranormal Activity 2 (2010) »

We’ve seen it before with The Blair Witch Project; a horror flick, made on a shoestring budget, becomes a sleeper hit and ultimately warrants itself a sequel. The “Holywoodized” sequel, Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 turned out to be a lame attempt to recapture the lightning of its predecessor and thus was pandered by [...]

Movie Review: Jackass 3D (2010) »

Ten years ago a group of skateboarders, bmxers and stoners, already getting paid for doing crazy stunts on the circuit (and in their backyards), armed themselves with a video camera and captured themselves doing painfully insane pranks and tricks on one another. It was a MTV hit and it was good. Capitalizing on the success [...]

Movie Review: Life as We Know It (2010) »

I get the fact a will can specify the legal guardians of a child in the event of a catastrophic occurrence — after all that’s one of the main purposes of the legal document. Can it, however, specifically spell out that when the catastrophic event takes place, said guardian (or guardians) must move into the [...]

Movie Review: Buried (2010) »

When the concept of being buried alive crashes its way into my thoughts like a semi truck, a shiver runs up and back down my spine. It immediately reminds of Jessica Lunsford, the poor nine-year old girl whose abuser handed her her stuffed dolphin, sealed her in multiple plastic bags and buried her alive. It [...]

Movie Review: Easy A (2010) »

A teen comedy all about sex, without there actually being any sex, you say? Has John Hughes risen from the dead? Pretty damn close, as Will Gluck pays homage to the legendary director every chance he gets in Easy A — with better than expected results. The film works on several fronts, although the bulk [...]

Movie Review: The Virginity Hit (2010) »

Without a new installment in the American Pie series to look forward to, I was fearful that a gaping void was going to be left in the movie world without a crude, obnoxiously naked teen sex romp to watch this year. The Virginity Hit steps up to try and fill this hole for 2010, providing [...]

Movie Review: Machete (2010) »

The character of Machete has been swirling around in the warped mind of Robert Rodriguez for at least nine years (he made his cinematic debut in Spy Kids, of all things!). Seemingly just an interesting bit character, things changed after monstrous buzz was received from the fake movie trailer that was patched into Grindhouse. People [...]

Movie Review: Vampires Suck (2010) »

Parody films have steadily gotten worse and worse — the lure of the quick and easy buck has severely outpaced the need for inventive writing, good directing and skilled comedic acting. All one has to do is write up an ill-conceived plot that revolves around a current trend, toss in a bunch of no-name and/or [...]

Movie Review: The Other Guys (2010) »

The incompatible buddy cop movie has been beaten to death. You can thank Beverly Hills Cop, Lethal Weapon, Rush Hour, their umpteenth sequels and every other knock based off of those movies you can think of for that. Adam McKay, the man behind such comedic wonders as Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and Talladega [...]

Movie Review: Centurion (2010) »

What’s the first movie you think of when the Roman Empire comes to mind? Was it Gladiator? With its compelling storyline, brutal battles and scantily clad women, it’s hard for it not to be. Well, there is no resemblance to that in Neil Marshall’s foray into this subject and time period. Centurion is a basic [...]

Movie Review: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (2010) »

“You are the One.” “No, I’m not.” “Yes, you are. You must believe in your powers.” Bad thing happens. “Oh, okay, I’m the One.” Yes, I’m paraphrasing and no, I’m not regurgitating the dialogue from The Matrix. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, the new Jerry Bruckheimer produced Disney film is. The guy trying to do the convincing [...]

Movie Review: Crazy Heart (2009) »

The life of a musician, no matter how good it may seem in a music video (Lord knows how long and I hard I prayed to be a member of Mötley Crà¼e), it is no picnic — there is a shitload of behind the scenes work to do and more pitfalls than Pitfall Harry could [...]

Movie Review: Predators (2010) »

Close your eyes. Transport yourself back to 1987. The high energy and surprisingly entertaining movie Predator has torn up the box office. A sequel has to follow. But in this alternate reality, Predator 2 never gets made. Neither do those abysmal Alien vs. Predator flicks. Now open your eyes. The sequel, as Robert Rodriguez envisioned [...]

Movie Review: Despicable Me (2010) »

I think, unless the product is a bankable franchise like Harry Potter or, God forbid, the Twilight saga, the future of cinema is in family friendly computer animated movies. Disney/Pixar blazoned the trail with fantastic imagery and strong underlying stories (Up, Toy Story 3, to name a few). DreamWorks Animation followed suit with their Shrek [...]

Movie Review: The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010) »

I’m a middle aged guy (balding, beer belly, etc.), so I’ll admit it: I don’t get this whole Twilight phenomenon. Sparkly vampires and bare-chested werewolves fawning over a human, high school girl who isn’t that hot just don’t mix well with my testosterone (I can’t figure out how it mixes well with estrogen either, but [...]

Movie Review: Grown Ups (2010) »

There’s an old saying in life that I believe was attributed to Confucius on his deathbed. It said, “Throwing a lot of spice at shit doesn’t make shit not shit.” Okay, maybe he didn’t actually say that, but he (or someone of equal magnitude) should have. Anyways, that quote is pertinent to Grown Ups because [...]

Movie Review: The A-Team (2010) »

Then: The A-Team, an 80s television show good for pathetically bad stories, overall bad acting, a shitload of random explosions, gun battles in which no one gets shot, and the rise of a mohawked bad-ass Mr. T (a man, by the way, that had no right to find himself in that situation). It did, however, [...]

Movie Review: Robin Hood (2010) »

I’m not entirely sure how I feel about Robin Hood the latest telling of the fabled defender of the poor. On one hand, it is a nice change of pace to see the legendary archer bloodied and dirtied — no finely penciled mustaches or tailored suits (ala Errol Flynn). On the other hand, is a [...]

Movie Review: Get Him to the Greek (2010) »

The antics of Russell Brand is an acquired taste. There isn’t much in ways of middle ground with him — either both his lewdness and outrageousness is funny or it’s not. The way around this love him / hate him relationship was done masterfully in Forgetting Sarah Marshall — he was relegated to a supporting [...]

Movie Review: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010) »

The road to box office success for movies based off of video games is potholed and strewn with broken down, bombed out carcasses (remember BloodRayne and In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale?).That doesn’t, however, stop the mostly concept-bankrupt power brokers of Hollywood from churning them, and films based off of comic [...]

Movie Review: Shrek Forever After (2010) »

How many of us have thought about how things would be have turned out had we made a different choice? It’s a rhetorical question, of course — we all have at one time or another (you’re only lying to yourself if you say otherwise). And so, seeing as it makes a great plot (made famous [...]

Movie Review: The Back-up Plan (2010) »

How many years has it been since we, the movie going public, have been graced with the stylings of Jennifer Lopez on the big screen? Two years? Seven? The correct answer is four. The other correct answer is: “Not nearly long enough. Not by a long shot.” The Back-up Plan, the reason for her rousing [...]

Movie Review: Iron Man 2 (2010) »

I want one of those super computers that create 3D images in real space that you can interact with — expand/collapse models, move them here and there, zoom in for close look and then out again for a macroscopic vantage — not because I actually have anything important to do, but because Tony Stark spends [...]

Movie Review: Cop Out (2010) »

If you could see me as I’m writing this review for Cop Out you’d see that I’m laughing my ass off. Not because the latest incompatible cop buddy movie which pairs Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan together is funny — oh no my friend — I’m laughing because this film is so far from funny [...]

Movie Review: The Crazies (2010) »

The scene: Ogden Marsh, a peaceful Midwestern town of ~1,000 where everyone knows everyone and it is safe to keep the doors unlocked and windows open at night. Certainly not the place one would ever imagine a neighbor ruthlessly killing another. And that is what makes The Crazies all the more creepy. When a plane [...]

Movie Review: Black Dynamite (2009) »

The 1970s were more than just about polyester bell bottom pants, experimentation with mind altering drugs or unprotected group sex (or was that the 60s?). Whatever the case, I’m quite sure it was the time of the blaxsploitation film. Stereotypical black characters (pimps, pushers, thugs, etc.) in stereotypical locations (ghetto and/or other urban environment) abound. [...]

Movie Review: The Wolfman (2010) »

Even with the much publicized production upheavals (directorial changes, reshoots and pretty much everything else that could be altered at the most inopportune moment) plaguing The Wolfman, is it too much to ask to ask for a movie that, while drawing inspiration from its 1941 source, retools — in inventive ways, mind you — the [...]

Movie Review: When in Rome (2010) »

Within the first ten minutes of my viewing of When in Rome, I knew the next 81 minutes of my life were going to be painful and feel like an eternity. Repeatedly, I had to remind myself that there had to be a comedic or romantic moment hidden away somewhere in the bowels of the [...]

Movie Review: Edge of Darkness (2010) »

For those of you who, with bated breath, have been waiting years for Mel Gibson’s triumphant return to the movies, your wait has come to an end. He’s back, post 2006′s drunken anti-semantic rants, in the new crime thriller Edge of Darkness. For those of you who wished he would have just stayed in his [...]

Movie Review: Sherlock Holmes (2009) »

Via my forced high school readings of a novel or two and landing on a movie during a bored late night channel surf, I’m not surprised I remember very little of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s creation Sherlock Holmes. Literally, the only things that come to mind are: He was a condescending bastard who smoked a [...]

Movie Review: Legion (2010) »

Legion is the second movie in so many weeks with a theme riddled with supposed religious overtones (The Book of Eli being the other). Instead, however, of delving into the way spiritual power can lift the hopes of the downtrodden, first time director Scott Stewart’s vehicle delves into how the power of God can be [...]

Movie Review: The Book of Eli (2010) »

Maybe you’re like me, wondering why 9 out of 10 post apocalyptic visions of the world are barren wastelands with bands of miscreants marauding little bands of honest folk with little to no hope. Then again, maybe you’re not. No matter, The Book of Eli, follows along a similar route to that of Mad Max [...]

Movie Review: Collapse (2009) »

Michael Ruppert is a jaded, frightened, lonely man. He didn’t choose to be this way; the path he believes was chosen for him has forced him into a life of exile. You see Michael Ruppert is, for lack of a better term, a conspiracy theorist, an alarmist who connects dots of greed, power and outright [...]

Movie Review: The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009) »

Credit, in some form, has to be given to Terry Gilliam for actually getting his much anticipated The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus completed. Anticipated, not necessarily because the world needed another Time Bandits or The Adventures of Baron Munchausen type movie but because Heath Ledger, the film’s lead died halfway through filming. I’m not sure [...]

Movie Review: Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (2009) »

To think after the undeserved success of Alvin and the Chipmunks that a sequel wouldn’t be made, you would be considered a madman. The only surprise to be found is it took two years to concoct one. You’d think, however, with all that extra time, an interesting premise could have been formulated. Sadly, the extra [...]

Movie Review: Did You Hear About the Morgans? (2009) »

Did You Hear About the Morgans?, the latest romantic comedy from director Marc Lawrence purports to be one of those cutesy, funny things happen when two people are put into foreign or uncomfortable positions kind of films. It succeeds in putting its stars Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker in stupid situations. It fails miserably, [...]

Movie Review: Avatar (2009) »

With Star Trek, Gene Rodenberry sought to “seek out new worlds and to boldly go where no man has gone before.” With the $300,000,000 bombshell that is Avatar, James Cameron can proudly stand with Peter Jackson (remember his little Lord of the Rings trilogy?) and proclaim he too has gone where none have gone before. [...]

Movie Review: American Pie Presents: The Book of Love (2009) »

Ask most and they’ll say American Pie Presents Band Camp is the worst of the straight to DVD offerings from the heavily diluted American Pie franchise. Today I can, with a heavy heart, proclaim American Pie Presents: The Book of Love to be the worst of the worst. Thoroughly unimaginative, not even the fair amount [...]

Movie Review: The Blind Side (2009) »

Contrary to what many critics are saying, Sandra Bullock does not give the performance of her lifetime in the heartstring puller of a movie The Blind Side. She carries herself just fine as a dramatic leading lady, but aside from perfecting her Southern accent, her role doesn’t exactly break her out of her comfort zone [...]

Movie Review: Invictus (2009) »

Clint Eastwood’s latest cinematic opus Invictus meshes the strength and unifying power of sports with the uncertainty of political change. Based on the book “Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game that Made a Nation” by John Carlin, Eastwood tries to neatly wrap the tumultuous rise of Nelson Mandela to South African power with [...]

Movie Review: This Is It (2009) »

No doubt about it, when I saw the announcement that Columbia and Sony Pictures were going to release a movie based on out-takes and rehearsals of Michael Jackson’s much anticipated London tour, I figured it was nothing more than a money grab to profit on the singer’s untimely death. Since seeing it, I am positive [...]

Movie Review: Armored (2009) »

To be perfectly honest, I don’t think Armored ever had a chance of being a stellar action movie. Ah hell — I don’t think it had a chance of being much of anything. To come to that conclusion all I needed to see were these simple facts: It starred the likes of Laurence Fishburne and [...]

Movie Review: Up in the Air (2009) »

Don’t be fooled by the trailers for Up in the Air. It may seem like a formulaic romantic comedy. It’s not. Not by a long shot. Jason Reitman, following up his Juno breakthrough, has put together a finely developed and many times amusing story about choices — both personal and professional — and their consequences [...]

Movie Review: 2012 (2009) »

If you’re wondering (and you know you are) what a movie strictly built around the use of special effects looks like, look no further than 2012. It’s got a backstory that was clearly etched on a wet napkin during a drinking binge at the local Applebee’s after director Roland Emmerich discussed the idea of making [...]

Movie Review: Astro Boy (2009) »

For the most part, and don’t dare ask me why, American audiences have become mesmerized with the anime sensation that has swallowed up Saturday morning cartoons with lazy animation and piss poor stories. Why have I mentioned this morsel of worthlessness? So I can come to this conclusion of course: Kids love anime. Anime comes [...]

Movie Review: Antichrist (2009) »

This is the 30th revision of my review for Antichrist and if I thought any more about it, I’d probably revise it twenty more times. Lars von Trier has easily put forth the most deeply symbolic and deeply scarring “Hitchcockian-like” horror film in decades. He has literally slapped the face of convention and quite possibly [...]

Movie Review: The Rebound (2009) »

Catherine Zeta-Jones has undoubtedly crossed that threshold that separates the young from the old — no matter how many pilates classes she takes or face pulls she has performed. So it’s no wonder the spin on her latest romantic comedy The Rebound is that of an older woman hooking up with a much, much younger [...]

Movie Review: Couples Retreat (2009) »

First time director Peter Billingsley (you may remember him as Ralphie in A Christmas Story) picked the wrong film to make his directorial debut on. Even with big names signed on and a successful raunch-comedy template in place, Couples Retreat fails to deliver the big laughs, hell, if I’m being honest, it pretty much fails [...]

Movie Review: Pandorum (2009) »

Isolationism, claustrophobia and delirium are motherfuckers — especially when they’re mixed together with the darkness of space. Pandorum is word roughly devised to describe this scenario and director Christian Alvart hopes his movie of the same name can scare the shit out of you because of it. It can’t. Not for any reason other than [...]

Movie Review: Zombieland (2009) »

There are 32 rules, as of this writing, to ensure survival from a zombie infestation. That is of course if you want to believe what “Columbus” (Jesse Eisenberg), a young awkward kid who just so happens to find himself surviving a zombie plague in the latest undead flick Zombieland, has to say. Your best to [...]

Movie Review: Surrogates (2009) »

Taking the projection of oneself one step further in the digital realm than the abysmal online world of Second Life does, Surrogates imagines a world where true 3D representations move about in the world in place of the living and breathing. Why risk actually interacting with others when one can sit comfortably at the house [...]

Movie Review: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009) »

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is one of those enlightening pick me up kind of movies great for a rainy day. It’s great for the kids too. This 3D animated adventure, based on a popular children’s book by Judi and Ron Barrett, delivers a “never give up on your dreams” message in a most [...]

Movie Review: Jennifer’s Body (2009) »

I swear, one can make a movie about absolutely anything, get Megan Fox to star in it and they can retire in the lap of luxury. Ordinary men, you see, don’t give a rat’s ass about whether the movie in question is any good; they just want to see a super hot chick in compromising [...]

Movie Review: The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard (2009) »

The requisite elements are all in place for the raunchy comedy The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard to succeed. You’ve got the ridiculous storyline of a car lot needing to do anything to sell off its entire inventory over the Fourth of July long weekend. They’re so desperate, owner Ben Selleck (James Brolin) decides he’s [...]

Movie Review: 9 (2009) »

In the not so distant future, mankind is all but eliminated from the face of the Earth. In the similar fashion as the Terminator films, man built machines that ultimately led to his and all of life’s eradication. Man may be gone, however, but in his place are miniature ragdoll-like puppet creatures imbued with the [...]

Movie Review: Extract (2009) »

The benefit of the doubt was given to Mike Judge just because I am such a huge fan of his cult classic Office Space (and to a lesser extent Beavis and Butt-Head). I won’t be doing that again. His latest poke at corporate life through the eyes of the everyday man, Extract, can hardly extract [...]

Movie Review: Inglourious Basterds (2009) »

If you’re a fan of Quentin Tarantino’s hip and generally longwinded diatribes, strap your helmet on — Inglorious Basterds is your call to arms (you’ll just have to learn how to enjoy hearing it in French, German and other European flavors). If you’re not a fan of his character’s pontifications — so what — there [...]

Movie Review: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) »

After 100 rewrites and multiple directors, it was impossible to not think the absolute worst of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. Not screening for critics didn’t help the cause either. The reason for our occlusion became abundantly clear after viewing — those rewrites and reshoots added up to nothing more than expensive mediocrity; high [...]

Movie Review: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) »

The already darkening skies encompassing the world of Harry Potter have darkened further in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth installment of the wildly popular movie franchise. Long gone is the baby-faced innocence our would-be wizards once had when they first entered Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There is now deep-seeded resentment [...]

Movie Review: The Proposal (2009) »

Oil meet water. Water, this is oil. The two of you don’t mix well, I know, but amazingly enough, you have more chemistry between the two of you than do the leads of The Proposal. Sure, the premise of the film is initially setup that way, but even after their heart felt metamorphoses they look [...]

Movie Review: I Love You, Beth Cooper (2009) »

Hayden Panettiere is a rising young star, no doubt. From watching I Love You, Beth Cooper you wouldn’t know it. Adapted from a book of the same name by Larry Doyle, this movie embraces all the cliches you know and love (or hate) from the teen romantic comedy grab bag offering little else to separate [...]

Movie Review: Brüno (2009) »

Yeah. Anyone thinking Brüno was going to be another innocent, simplistic and moronic adventure through the American heartland like Borat was, is in for a rude awakening. Sure, Sacha Baron Cohen pokes major fun at the idiosyncrasies of “regular” Americans but he does it with a much more perverse and provocative attitude than ever before. [...]

Movie Review: Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009) »

It didn’t take long for me to realize that after a cute intro involving Scrat the sabertoothed squirrel, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs was the worst of the Fox animated trilogy. While it still has its cutesy characters — wooly mammoths Ellie (voiced by Queen Latifah) and Manny (voiced by Ray Romano), sloth Sid [...]

Movie Review: My Sister’s Keeper (2009) »

A new spin on the disease of the week Lifetime movie has been scripted by Jeremy Leven and Nick Cassavetes (based on the best-selling novel by Jodi Picoult) in My Sister’s Keeper. Instead of just tossing about how a family copes with a sick or dying loved one, this adds in a twist of also [...]

Movie Review: The Hangover (2009) »

I was recently invited to fly out to Las Vegas in September to join 20 or so guys for a weekend bachelor party. I declined, recalling that the last time I went out west to Sin City, I “misplaced” five hours of my life (people I was drinking with said I was quite the sight [...]

Movie Review: Miss March (2009) »

Yes, I know I’m several months late with my review of Miss March. No matter, for all it’s worth the movie could have just as easily been titled Miss June. Actually, now that I’m finally writing this, it should have been called Miss-ed Opportunity — what could have been a raunch filled teen sex comedy [...]

Movie Review: Drag Me to Hell (2009) »

Isn’t the fact that gypsies smell like cabbage and bring down the value of your house if they move into your neighborhood enough of a reason to hate them? Apparently not — Sam Raimi has given us another reason to dislike them: They’ll cast a hex on you if you shame them. Poor Christine Brown [...]

Movie Review: Up (2009) »

Admit it, you’re just like me — you really had no idea what Disney Pixar’s latest animated adventure, Up was about. For me, all I knew was it had a grumpy old man, a fat kid, a talking dog and a colorful bird in it. Oh yeah, how could I forget, there was also a [...]

Movie Review: Lesbian Vampire Killers (2009) »

Leave it the Brits to throw a spot of humor into the realm of horror movies again. Shaun of the Dead relentlessly poked fun at zombies in 2004 and in doing so made Simon Pegg a star here in the states. Lesbian Vampire Killers isn’t going to make anyone a household name — not by [...]

Movie Review: Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009) »

Even though I couldn’t stand it, the original Night At the Museum was at least original and had a “cuteness” factor to it. Oh, and how could I forget — it made a shitload of money worldwide too. But was it really so great that it needed a sequel? Of course not, but when has [...]

Movie Review: Terminator Salvation (2009) »

Just because Arnold Schwarzenegger isn’t the focal point in Terminator: Salvation is no reason to fret and sign the death certificate on an impressive movie franchise. The final product, while very different from the three previous installments, still packs plenty of punch in both the alternate reality and ass-kicking action fronts. The main differentiator here [...]

Movie Review: Angels & Demons (2009) »

What do you get when you mix science fiction’s amazing anti-matter with the Catholic Church? No, it isn’t Scientology (although that is a good guess). You get Angels & Demons, the long awaited follow-up to The Da Vinci Code. This time around the pews, instead of hunting down Opus Dei and poking holes through the [...]

Movie Review: Powder Blue (2009) »

Fap fap fap fap. Whirrrrrrr. Fap fap fap fap. Whirrrrrr. I’m not going to explicitly tell you what those sounds represent. What I will tell you is they go in conjunction with what men, ages 18 to 50, will do when they catch a glimpse of a naked Jessica Biel in the straight to DVD [...]

Movie Review: Star Trek (2009) »

I didn’t think I would ever say it this is my lifetime, but it looks like the science fiction obsessed, dressing up and convention going social outcasts known as Trekkies are now getting their due. J.J. Abrams has finally dropped Star Trek into the theaters, a movie which may be the most highly anticipated reboot [...]

Movie Review: Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009) »

Can the romantic comedy genre be out of steam? To me, it sure seems that way when: Matthew McConaughey is once again chalked up to be the leading man. The bottom of the barrel is scraped by stealing the plot devices of A Christmas Carol to tell the story. In a sentence, Ghosts of Girlfriends [...]

Movie Review: X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) »

Finally. The only interesting character in the X-Men universe has his own movie. No, I’m not referring to Cyclops (although I wouldn’t mind seeing some footage with him and Jean Grey getting down to business). I’m talking about X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the long awaited Wolverine flick that, whether good or bad, will undoubtedly breathe a [...]

Movie Review: State of Play (2009) »

When Russell Crowe appears in a movie looking like a holdover from the early 70′s — long hair, gruffy beard and a pot belly — good things are usually afoot (his last few roles: Body of Lies and American Gangster have shown us that). Hollywood has obviously taken notice too, as he combines all three [...]

Movie Review: Fighting (2009) »

With a name like Fighting, a movie had better come fully equipped with the goods. That means more bare-handed, mixed martial arts than should be allowed by law. That means more broken bones, cuts, abrasions and black eyes than I care to see. Instead, Dito Montiel directed an implausible, predictable movie that comes up short [...]

Movie Review: Observe and Report (2009) »

Who knew mall security personnel were so much of an in thing in 2009? First Kevin James brought us Paul Blart: Mall Cop. Now Seth Rogen dons the blue uniform and tin badge for Observe and Report. Whereas James’ portrayal of a wannabe cop was very innocent and PG in nature, Rogen’s characterization is perverse [...]

Movie Review: Crank: High Voltage (2009) »

Wonders never cease. I didn’t think it was possible to create a more adrenaline fueled, mind twistingly deranged action film than Crank. Oh, how wrong I was. Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor have upped the levels of their previous creation fifty-fold with Crank: High Voltage and, in doing so, created a movie that is sure [...]

Movie Review: Dragonball Evolution (2009) »

After watching Dragonball Z on Cartoon Network years ago, I became hooked and ended up buying the entire series on DVD. As for the original Dragonball series, I wasn’t such a fan (even though I bought much of it, too). As a consequence, I wasn’t exactly overwhelmed with anticipation to see Dragonball Evolution since it [...]

Movie Review: I Love You, Man (2009) »

As much as I like to eat my Count Chocula cereal in the morning, I don’t want to eat it every morning — I need some variety. Same goes for my comedies. As much as I like Paul Rudd, I don’t want to see him in every joke-filled movie I see either. Especially when he [...]

Movie Review: Tyson (2008) »

If memory serves me right, I cried the night Buster Douglas knocked Mike Tyson out. I wept because the man, in the ring, was poetry in motion and to watch it all come to an end that fateful night in 1990 was a difficult pill to swallow. Of course, I didn’t realize quite how hard [...]

Movie Review: Fast & Furious (2009) »

The pickings must be slim for Vin Diesel and Paul Walker these days. How else can you explain why they would come back to star in Fast and Furious when they left the series on high notes after The Fast and the Furious eight years ago? You can’t, and this half-hearted attempt to recapture what [...]

Movie Review: Knowing (2009) »

Let’s all admit it, taking shots at Nicolas Cage’s latest acting gigs has been about as much fun as catching fish in a barrel — it’s fun for a moment, but it’s too damn easy and one quickly gets bored with it. But hey, he deserved it — Bangkok Dangerous and Ghost Rider, to name [...]

Movie Review: Monsters vs. Aliens (2009) »

DreamWorks Animation has steadily been trying to chip away at the animation throne held by Pixar Animation Studios for years. To their credit, they’ve had more successes (Kung Fu Panda and the Shrek series being the most notable) than failures (think Bee Movie). The latest weapon in their arsenal for animated supremacy comes in the [...]

Movie Review: Fired Up! (2009) »

One of my regrets in life was not scoring with any of the cheerleaders at my high school. Actually, I didn’t score with near enough girls at my school, but that is another story altogether. In Fired Up!, best friends Shawn (Nicholas D’Agosto) and Nick (Eric Christian Olsen) don’t appear to be plagued with my [...]

Movie Review: The Uninvited (2009) »

Am I crazy or is Elizabeth Banks the new hot commodity in Hollywood? From where I sit, it seems as if she’s starring in nearly every movie made! Usually, however, she can be seen in some form of a comedy. Not in the The Uninvited. She sets aside the granny panties she made famous in [...]

Movie Review: Friday the 13th (2009) »

There are several reasons I don’t venture out to the woods for week long drunken camping trips. One, sleeping on the ground is not comfortable. We invented the box spring mattress for a reason. Two, I have an extreme dislike to the thought of becoming grizzly bear food. Three, well the original Friday the 13th [...]

Movie Review: The Pink Panther 2 (2009) »

Remember when Steve Martin was a comic genius? No? Me either, although technically I still categorize him as one. His last major foray onto the big screen was The Pink Panther in 2006 (last year’s cameo in Baby Mama doesn’t count) and before that it was in the ever forgettable Cheaper by the Dozen 2. [...]

Movie Review: He’s Just Not That Into You (2009) »

With the rousing power Sex in the City is said to have brought to women (I wouldn’t know, I never saw the

Movie Review: Space Buddies (2009) »

I can’t claim to have seen any of the movies in the “Air Bud” series (Air Bud: World Pup, Air Bud: Spikes Back, Snow Buddies and 50 others) but if they’re anywhere near as bad as this latest installment, I’m glad I can’t make that claim. Here is a rundown of my viewing experience of [...]

Movie Review: Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009) »

There are several kisses of death a movie franchise may experience, including, but not limited to: The original writing/directing team deciding to move on to other projects The main actor or actress in the franchise deciding to not be involved in the latest project The decision to make a prequel Casting Paris Hilton to star [...]

Movie Review: Tokyo Gore Police (2008) »

With a name like Tokyo Gore Police, it was simply impossible for me to not want to see this movie. And in some perverse way (locked away deep in the recesses of my mind), I’m glad that I did. The Japanese have singlehandedly fine tuned the art of making freakishly bizarre cult movies that defy [...]

Movie Review: Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009) »

Is Kevin James the heir apparent to Chris Farley? He’s funny and fat — the two major necessities needed to make that claim are in place. However, I’m not ready to hand the torch to him just yet, especially since I wasn’t exactly a huge fan of his last big screen outing (I Now Pronounce [...]

Movie Review: Yes Man (2008) »

For those of you craving Jim Carrey in all his glorious wackiness from yesteryear, your fix has arrived in the form of Yes Man. Or has it? On closer inspection, it appears to have a humdrum seen-it-before storyline which includes an inconceivable romance with a girl half his age. On second thought, this is probably [...]

Movie Review: Defiance (2008) »

I’m not entirely sure why there is a run on “based on a true story” World War II movies as of late, but the newest of the bunch is Defiance. This one doesn’t delve into an assassination plot to kill Hitler (see Valkyrie for that), nor does it tell the tale of an all black [...]

Movie Review: Bride Wars (2009) »

I almost choked on my popcorn while watching Bride Wars. It wasn’t because every other minute I was laughing and kernels kept getting lodged in my throat. Nope, it was because I couldn’t believe I was witnessing Anne Hathaway follow up her acclaimed work in Rachel Getting Married with such a terrible performance in such [...]

Movie Review: The Wrestler (2008) »

The Wrestler is a movie that hits close to home. No, I have never been a professional wrestler and neither has anyone in my family. I did however have a friend who was heavily involved in the promotional business of the WWF many years ago. Trust me when I say that 95% of retired wrestlers [...]

Movie Review: Balls Out: Gary the Tennis Coach (2009) »

Everyone should know what they’re good at. For some they know early on in life, for others it can take some time. Tiger Woods as a child knew golf was his calling. Donald Trump, in his twenties, gravitated towards real estate. Seann William Scott, well, he realized he’s good at playing an idiot and getting [...]

Movie Review: Valkyrie (2008) »

There was a time, in the not so distant past, when anything Tom Cruise starred in was a bonafide hit. His recent bizarre social etiquette seems to have changed that as 2007′s Lions for Lambs attests to. Deciding to follow that up with the obscure German war thriller Valkyrie surely isn’t the way to go [...]

Movie Review: Slumdog Millionaire (2008) »

To think a harrowing story about feral Indian brothers and their trials to reach manhood would be sneaking up to possibly steal a best picture Oscar. Such is the case with Slumdog Millionaire — a craftily told story (based on the novel Q & A by Vikas Swarup) that, through some major grit and grime, [...]

Movie Review: Milk (2008) »

The “Twinkie Defense” (i.e., junk food made me do it) has to rank right up on top of the absurdity chart alongside the “Chewbacca Argument”. The difference between the two: the Chewbacca defense was an extraordinary concept put forth from the minds of the genius creators of South Park. The Twinkie defense, well that was [...]

Movie Review: Gran Torino (2008) »

When I think of a grumpy old man, I think of none other than Walter Mathau. But after watching Clint Eastwood’s latest movie Gran Torino, I realize the scale that had Mathau on the top requires some adjustment. Eastwood takes the stodgy, miserable, old prick to new heights. At year 78, he’s brought his Dirty [...]

Movie Review: Seven Pounds (2008) »

Weighing in at a very long two hours, Seven Pounds has certainly set itself up to be this year’s heart wrenching opus of personal forgiveness and redemption. It also sets the stage for Will Smith to once again prove that he’s, gulp, one of the more accomplished actors of my generation. He is Ben Thomas, [...]

Movie Review: Punisher: War Zone (2008) »

Having mildly enjoyed The Punisher restart four years ago (try and forget the original Dolph Lundgren debacle), I was interested to see how Hollywood was going to grow the character of Frank Castle further in Punisher: War Zone. Inexplicably, the franchise has regressed into a form that defies conventional words. Okay, maybe there is a [...]

Movie Review: The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008) »

Those annoyingly emboldened tree-huggers of America must be having one hell of a circle jerk over the remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still. How lucky for them that another big budget Hollywood production has taken on their cause (The Happening being another that comes to mind)! But let me get this straight, an [...]

Movie Review: Transporter 3 (2008) »

If you were to do a Google search right now for the movie posters of The Transporter and Transporter 2 and then compared them to the poster to the right of this review (in that little box thingy), what similarities do you see? That’s right; they’re nearly exact carbon copies of one another. And guess [...]

Movie Review: Four Christmases (2008) »

Vince Vaughn may be the best straight man in comedy films today. And it seems he’s caught the Christmas bug, as for the second year in a row he finds himself in a comedy centered around the Christmas holiday. Last year it was the surprisingly funny, yet critically dismissed Fred Claus. This year he puts [...]

Movie Review: Bolt (2008) »

Step to the side Krypto, you’re not the only superdog in town. At least that’s what we’re initially led to believe in Disney’s new animated offering Bolt. After all, the dog has powers that enable him to outrun helicopters and motorcycles, lay waste to any objects in his way and incapacitate people with a mere [...]

Movie Review: Twilight (2008) »

Writing a book or screenplay with vampires in it has got to be one of the easiest gigs around. These mysterious and charming undead basically lend themselves to just about any scenario possible — generally making said scenario that much more intriguing (its got a vampire in it, duh!). Proof in point: Twilight. Catherine Hardwicke’s [...]

Movie Review: Burn After Reading (2008) »

What movie stars Brad Pitt as a clueless fitness instructor, George Clooney as a shallow adulterous womanizer, John Malkovich as an angry, alcoholic would-be writer and Frances McDormand as a woman with low self esteem looking for love in all the wrong places? If you guessed Burn After Reading, you’d have earned yourself a cookie. [...]

Movie Review: Role Models (2008) »

I can’t help but think I’ve seen Role Models before. My reasons for thinking this isn’t because I’ve actually seen the movie before. It’s because the cast of this idiotic buddy film is the same as every other crude, idiotic comedy in the last few years (thanks for that, Judd Apatow). After awhile, all these [...]

Movie Review: Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008) »

You just knew the sequel Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa was in the coming. Not only because New Yorker animals Alex the lion (voiced by Ben Stiller), Melman the giraffe (voiced by David Schwimmer), Marty the zebra (voiced by Chris Rock) and Gloria the hippo (voiced by Jada Pinkett Smith) were stranded on an island and [...]

Movie Review: Quantum of Solace (2008) »

A rejuvenated James Bond is back for his 22nd feature film: Quantum of Solace. Building upon the blocks laid down in 2006′s Casino Royale, this movie further “evolves” the Bond experience — presenting itself strictly as a kick-ass, take no prisoners action movie, leaving in the dust the nuances that set 007 apart from being [...]

Movie Review: Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008) »

Kevin Smith and I are one and the same. Well, in reality he’s a tad fatter and shorter, and not nearly as handsome as I am, but we do share the same thought processes. Because of that, I’ve been a fan of his quick-witted, vulgar-laden writing for years so I couldn’t wait to see what [...]

Movie Review: Saw V (2008) »

It may not be such a rarity these days for a premise with a central character to make its way to a sequel or even a trilogy. Something has to be said when a film franchise gets into the higher number of installments — a pentalogy is certainly worth some praise. That, however, is all [...]

Movie Review: Max Payne (2008) »

To say I was stunned, shocked and dumbfounded after my viewing of Max Payne would be a bit harsh. I was, however, certainly disappointed in what I saw. No, not because another popular video game had become a casualty of a poor Hollywood interpretation, but because, for all intents and purposes, it didn’t remotely look [...]

Movie Review: Quarantine (2008) »

Shame on me for not doing a background check on the latest horror film out of Hollywood, Quarantine. If I had, I would have noticed it was a remake of the foreign horror film [Rec], which, incredibly, is still currently enjoying a cinematic release overseas. That’s right, they didn’t even wait until the film had [...]

Movie Review: Body of Lies (2008) »

“Welcome to Guantanamo”, Al-Saleem says to Roger Ferris before he crushes his fingers with a hammer. It is an excruciatingly tense scene that would have gone a lot farther without the obvious shot at the current political landscape. But aside from that, I’ll give Ridley Scott credit; he deftly avoided making the same agenda driven [...]

Movie Review: The Rocker (2008) »

When I first saw the trailers for The Rocker, I knew I had to see it. No, not because as a kid I had dreams of one day being a world famous rock star who had to fight incredibly sexy girls off with a stick (even though I did have those fantasies). Actually, the movie [...]

Movie Review: RocknRolla (2008) »

There are few writers and/or directors who can successfully intertwine remarkable, seemingly unrelated characters and side stories in a coherent fashion. In the states, Quentin Tarantino, of Pulp Fiction fame, takes the honors. Across the pond, the award goes to Guy Richie, whose body of work contains such memorable films like Snatch. and Lock, Stock [...]

Movie Review: Fifty Dead Men Walking (2008) »

War. There are countless reasons for them to be waged and I don’t pretend to know a damn thing about any of them. What I do I understand, however, is along with war comes great sacrifice and loss. Fifty Dead Men Walking is a film set in Belfast during the late 80′s that works to [...]

Movie Review: Beverly Hills Chihuahua (2008) »

Miniature dogs may be the most annoying creatures on earth. At first I felt that way because they all tend to have that “yip-yip” bark that can drive any sane person crazy within seconds. Recently a new, more pronounced and powerful reason to hate them has emerged — the super rich dress them in horrendous [...]

Movie Review: Eagle Eye (2008) »

Yes, we know Big Brother is watching us. He’s been watching us for a very long, long time — the digital age and relentless media exposure just makes it that much more in your face. And just like when the internet was the new great unknown, Hollywood tried to capitalize on the horrors of it [...]

Movie Review: Tortured (2008) »

As much as I like myself a steady diet of violence in my movies, I’m mostly unimpressed with the whole “torture-porn” phenomenon. It’s not the glorification that I take issue with; it’s more about the difficulty in putting together a half-way decent movie around the concept. Only Saw with its ingenious contraptions tied to life [...]

Movie Review: Miracle at St. Anna (2008) »

There are few guarantees in life — you’re going to die someday, you’ve got to pay your taxes, no good can come from smoking methamphetamine, and Spike Lee will make a movie that, at its core, has deep, driving racial overtones. Yep, that’s right boys and girls, it is a sure-fire guarantee that Spike Lee [...]

Movie Review: Hank and Mike (2008) »

There is always something inherently funny when people act or appear different from the norm. I’d say watching grown men move about in pink Easter Bunny costumes fits the bill rather well. Does that premise deserve a full length feature film to explore though? Probably not, but it exists in the form of the independent [...]

Movie Review: Lakeview Terrace (2008) »

Lakeview Terrace is the latest film that preys upon every homeowner’s worst fear — their neighbor is an off balance jackass with a chip on his or her shoulder. Taking that premise slightly further, the film’s nut-job also happens to be an angry black guy who also happens to be a decorated police officer. The [...]

Movie Review: Righteous Kill (2008) »

It’s not everyday that two of the more respected and admired actors in Hollywood share equal billing in a film. To be honest, I can’t even recall the last time it occurred. So when I caught wind that Robert De Niro and Al Pacino were starring together in the new crime thriller Righteous Kill, I [...]

Movie Review: Wild Child (2008) »

What happens when the ego of a stuck-up little princess from Malibu gets a little too big for her Dolce & Gabbana tote? Why, her daddy sends her clear across the world to a British boarding school, of course! And that’s exactly what does happen to poor old Poppy when she finally pushes her dear [...]

Movie Review: College (2008) »

I saw the commercial for College and the 18-year old inside of me perked right up. Rampant underage binge drinking and young perky breasts bouncing about swam through my head like sugar-fairies. Yet when I finally sat down to watch it, I noticed Drake Bell from Nickelodeon’s kid show Drake & Josh was first-billed. Following [...]

Movie Review: Bangkok Dangerous (2008) »

To this day I am still baffled by the concept that Nicolas Cage crossed over to become an action movie star. More often than not, he’s starred in some real clunkers and based off of the fact Bangkok Dangerous is a remake of a Thai film of the same name and not screened for critics [...]

Movie Review: Hell Ride (2008) »

Some say there is biker blood coarsing through my veins. I can’t imagine why — I’ve only got a Harley, tats running up and down my arms and I run several meth labs in the suburbs. I also dig biker flicks. Even more, I like films in which Quentin Tarantino has had a hand in [...]

Movie Review: Babylon A.D. (2008) »

Hollywood hasn’t been kind to Vin Diesel. His last movies haven’t done too well at the box-office, so it wasn’t much of a surprise for him to want to return to the science fiction genre that spawned his career a decade or so ago (remember Pitch Black?). Good for him, as I’m sure on paper [...]

Movie Review: Disaster Movie (2008) »

Do we really have to go through this again? Apparently so, because the boys behind such hits like Epic Movie and Meet the Spartans (yes, I am being facetious) are at it again with Disaster Movie. With a name like that did you think they were peering into the future? I certainly thought so and [...]

Movie Review: Mirrors (2008) »

Six years ago the Hollywood remake of The Ring was one hell of an awakening to the freakish world of J-Horror (Japanese Horror) films. The Grudge, while not as good as the aforementioned, was pretty eerie as well. A semi-steady stream of crap like One Missed Call and the more recent The Eye followed. Today [...]

Movie Review: Death Race (2008) »

Hollywood has stooped to a new low. Sure we’re used to the studios producing some lousy movies. And lately we’ve gotten our fair share of remakes. With Death Race, Universal Pictures has combined the two! That’s right, the “classic” Roger Corman flick Death Race 2000 needed a semi-serious updating. Okay, Death Race really isn’t a [...]

Movie Review: Mutant Chronicles (2008) »

I can’t think of any board-type games that have had rousing success when crossed over into film. From my limited scope, only a few attempts like Clue and Dungeons and Dragons even come to mind. And seeing that at least two higher priced productions didn’t fare particularly well, there wasn’t much hope going for the [...]

Movie Review: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) »

I don’t know what else to say other than I was dumbfounded when I first caught sight of the trailers for George Lucas’ latest tale in his storied Star Wars franchise – Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The blocky, animated characters looked God awful. The minimal amount of dialogue I heard sounded corny. In most [...]

Movie Review: Space Chimps (2008) »

It is official. At the age of five, my children hate me. How did I come to this conclusion? Simple, they dragged me to see Space Chimps, that’s how. I tried repeatedly to convince them they’d rather see Pineapple Express to no avail. In the end though, I think they learned a powerful lesson – [...]

Movie Review: Step Brothers (2008) »

After seeing the advertisements for Step Brothers, two immediate thoughts raced into my head. One, thank goodness Will Ferrell wasn’t doing another sports comedy; I don’t think I could have stomached another one so soon after the Semi-Pro debacle. Two, the movie looked so retardedly stupid, it was either going to be brilliant or a [...]

Movie Review: The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008) »

Not sure about you, but I can barely recollect anything of note from the The Mummy Returns or the original The Mummy that would necessitate a third installment. But I guess that is why I am not a producer of big budget films, because apparently there was something there that absolutely needed to be seen [...]

Movie Review: The X Files: I Want to Believe (2008) »

Ten years since their first big screen foray (The X Files) and six since they went off the television airwaves, Scully and Mulder return to the silver screen in The X-Files: I Want to Believe. I’m not entirely sure what enticed the studio to come up with this so late (was there a huge outcry [...]

Movie Review: Taken (2008) »

There’s a new action star in town and it isn’t anyone you would immediately suspect. Does the name Liam Neeson ring a bell? Yes, the same guys who has primarily played the nondescript role for the majority of his career has found his John McClane as Bryan in the French action, quasi-thriller Taken. Surprisingly, it [...]

Movie Review: Mamma Mia! (2008) »

You’re among friends so I promise I won’t laugh at you. You know you’ve secretly wanted to see a musical set to the songs of Swedish super group ABBA. Okay maybe not, but at least admit you’ve always yearned to hear the singing voice of Pierce Brosnan and Meryl Streep. No to that too? If [...]

Movie Review: Meet Dave (2008) »

Eddie Murphy is one of those actors that has always perplexed me. Does he want to be taken as a serious actor (Dreamgirls would make it seem so) or does he want to put out mindless popular trash like Norbit? Well, with Meet Dave, I guess he’s answered my question — trash is his cash. [...]

Movie Review: The Art of War II: Betrayal (2008) »

Considering the terrible tax situation Wesley Snipes got himself in, it really shouldn’t be a surprise that he’s resorted to doing movies, that for the most part, would have been considered unworthy of his “action-star prowess” during his heyday (which I say was around the time of Blade). But a man’s got to his pay [...]

Movie Review: The Love Guru (2008) »

Although most of my fellow critics bashed the shit out of it, I simply had to see for myself if Mike Myers’ zany antics in The Love Guru were really as bad as they made it out to be. They’re not. And while it is by far not his best work to date, it certainly [...]

Movie Review: Miss Conception (2008) »

Never heard of Miss Conception? No worries. I never heard of it either before today. It’s a little low-key romantic comedy – so quiet, in fact, it was filmed and released first in the U.K. before making a limited appearance here in the states. The only reason I found it was because it stars Heather [...]

Movie Review: The Happening (2008) »

Idea. Let’s pitch a movie about some unexplainable occurrence that causes people to inexplicably kill themselves. Then M. Night Shyamalan can direct it so people will invariably think there is a monumental twist at the end. And to make it even more eerie and intriguing let’s name it The Happening. There you have, in a [...]

Movie Review: The Incredible Hulk (2008) »

The Hulk has arrived and with him comes the first real action blockbuster of the summer. Yeah sure Iron Man made some big waves, but it was short on bone aching action and heavy on sleep inducing backstory. Director Louis Leterrier and screenwriter Zak Penn make the assumption you know who the Hulk is, how [...]

Movie Review: You Don’t Mess with the Zohan (2008) »

If you have ever wondered what it feels like to be punched in the face repeatedly by Mike Tyson in his prime, wonder no more. Adam Sandler, with the help of Robert Smigel and, gulp, Judd Apatow, have in all of their infinite wit and wisdom provided to you, for the measly cost of $14.75 [...]

Movie Review: Baby Mama (2008) »

Few would argue against the fact that Judd Apatow and Tina Fey are the hottest comedic properties in Hollywood today. So with the success of Apatow’s Knocked Up last year, there was little surprise that its premise (or some form of it) would rear its ugly head again. It has with Baby Mama. While Baby [...]

Movie Review: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008) »

Has 1300 years passed already? In the fictional land of Narnia it has and things haven’t been so good for the Narnians since Edmund (Skandar Keynes), Lucy (Georgie Henley), Susan (Anna Popplewell) and Peter (William Moseley) left to return to the real world. Actually, saying things haven’t been so good is a bit of an [...]

Movie Review: Zombie Strippers! (2008) »

What do you get when you combine the living dead with exotic dancers? Zombie Strippers! of course! I must say, I’m amazed it took so long to make a film devoted to these two mainstays of American culture. I’ll also say, I wouldn’t have minded if it took a bit longer, because this movie was [...]

Movie Review: War, Inc. (2008) »

Ingenuity is the mother of invention (or something like that). Since movies being harsh on the war in Iraq and on the current administration of the United States have been bombing (no pun intended) stupendously at the box office, writers Mark Leyner, Jeremy Pikser and John Cusack came up with a nifty idea – satirize [...]

Movie Review: What Happens in Vegas… (2008) »

We all know what goes in Las Vegas – it’s Sin City after all. You get drunk. You get laid. 80% of the time you gamble away a small fortune. And depending on how long you’re visiting, you do it all over again the following night. Why? Because what happens in Vegas is supposed to [...]

Movie Review: Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008) »

There is but one reason as to why this movie review is so late – I purposely looked to avoid watching Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay. Even though I consider myself an incestuous lover of sophomoric movies, I just couldn’t consummate the affair with the original Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle [...]

Movie Review: Street Kings (2008) »

Whoever said Keanu Reeves was a one trick pony (think Matrix trilogy) or very possibly one of the very worst actors of our time, please stand up. After I watched the wannabe cop-thriller Street Kings (I was hoping for a Training Day type of flick), I want to shake your hands. Clearly, Mr. Reeves is [...]

Movie Review: The Hottie and the Nottie (2008) »

Holy shitwings Batman, a movie has been made specifically for Paris Hilton (bet you never thought you’d read a movie review start like that before). Somewhere a baby is dying because of this unforgivable offense to mankind. But then again, maybe not. Sure, The Hottie and the Nottie is an affront to all our basic [...]

Movie Review: Leatherheads (2008) »

Super smooth George Clooney has taken a break from playing his super smooth role in the successful Oceans series long enough to tackle (no pun intended) Leatherheads, a romantic comedy with a professional football backdrop set in the 1930′s. Aside from being an avid football fan (go Panthers), I was looking forward to seeing Clooney [...]

Movie Review: The Accidental Husband (2008) »

Sometimes you just have to shake your head in disbelief because there isn’t much else you can do. While watching Uma Thurman and Colin Firth stumble their way through the ill-conceived The Accidental Husband, it was literally all I could do (spitting up my drink would have been too messy). This is definitely one of [...]

Movie Review: Drillbit Taylor (2008) »

Although I’m sure I’ve said it somewhere before, I’ve always found myself rooting for Owen Wilson, even more so since his ill-conceived suicide attempt last year. And even though I wasn’t a huge fan of his first film on his comeback trail (The Darjeeling Limited), I kept my hopes up for his second in line: [...]

Movie Review: Nim’s Island (2008) »

Nim’s Island is the latest addition to the ever growing list of children books that have been adapted to the big screen. This time however, instead of taking place in part or in whole in some fantastical fantasy realm (Harry Potter series, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe), this movie [...]

Movie Review: Superhero Movie (2008) »

If I were to write a 10-second movie review of Superhero Movie it would go something like this: Unfunny. Unimaginative. Sloppily written, acted and directed. It marks the beginning of Armageddon. Unfortunately, I don’t publish reviews like that, so I’ll have to force myself to expand on why my above three fragmented sentences and one [...]

Movie Review: Senior Skip Day (2008) »

Somewhere along this rocky road we call life, I’ve taken on the cause for the older generation who refuse to relinquish their youth. My qualifications for this post? I faithfully watch Saturday morning cartoons (even though they’re nothing like those from the old days), I act like a buffoon at the most inopportune moments (much [...]

Movie Review: College Road Trip (2008) »

How high can one set their expectations when all the trailers for a movie are about a domesticated pig doing backflips? I suppose you can set them high if the movie was Charlotte’s Web, but surely not about a movie like College Road Trip which is about a girl and her father bonding as they [...]

Movie Review: Horton Hears a Who! (2008) »

Horton Hears a Who! is number three of Dr. Seuss books brought to the big screen by Hollywood looking for a new avenue to draw cash from. This movie is slightly different from The Cat in the Hat and How the Grinch Stole Christmas though. Whereas those two films were really just vehicles for their [...]

Movie Review: In Bruges (2008) »

Wow. That one word is all that is truly needed to complete a movie review of In Bruges, the movie from novice writer and director Martin McDonagh (his short film Six Shooter discounted). The reason for the high praise is simple, he’s taken his cues from Quentin Tarantino (Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction) and Guy [...]

Movie Review: 10,000 B.C. (2008) »

No doubt writers Harald Kloser and Roland Emmerich (who also directed) had grand plans for 10,000 B.C.. Spectacular visuals supporting a tall tale set in the ancient world point to a movie with epic aspirations along the lines of Apocalypto and Gladiator. Unfortunately, they didn’t do their “homework”, as the movie is littered with inconsistencies [...]

Movie Review: Witless Protection (2008) »

Larry the Cable Guy is at his best, a marginally funny stand-up comedian. He is not is any way, shape or form a person with an ounce of acting ability. Witless Protection proves this point conclusively (although this should have been clearly evident when he was cast in Delta Farce). In this latest mess masquerading [...]

Movie Review: The Bank Job (2008) »

If you want a heist movie with class, you cast George Clooney and Brad Pitt and make a film along the lines of Ocean’s Thirteen (or any of the preceding ones). When you want a gritty, seedy heist movie, you hire the new action kid on the block, Jason Statham and end up with a [...]

Movie Review: Semi-Pro (2008) »

I feel I’ve seen this movie several times already. Come to think of it, my reviews of Blades of Glory and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby literally capture the same highs and lows as I saw in Semi-Pro. The only differences are a slight adjustment to the cast of supporting actors and the [...]

Movie Review: The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008) »

Is it me or does it seem like there is a glut of fantasy novels starring children being adapted for the big screen lately? It’s almost as if they’ve become the new hot thing in Tinsletown giving the comic book hero a run for their money (nothing can actually replace them from the top spot). [...]

Movie Review: Step Up 2 the Streets (2008) »

With a deep breath and high hopes I set out to watch the latest urban “find yourself” movie with a dance/rap backdrop — Step Up 2 the Streets. Why? I’m an optimist and a dreamer, and I firmly believe some day a movie like this will actually be worth the price of an admission ticket. [...]

Movie Review: Charlie Bartlett (2007) »

Charlie Bartlett is one of those movies that leaves me perplexed. I had no preconceived notions about it, other than it looked like it might be funny, and after seeing it I still don’t have a clear opinion about it, other than it should have either been funnier or more dramatic. It’s kinda just there, [...]

Movie Review: Jumper (2008) »

On the surface Jumper looks like a movie I’ve been longing for – an action movie that has a character that actually embraces his or her extraordinary talent and uses it in a realistic manner (i.e., not like a superhero). Of course after seeing the movie, it doesn’t quite live up to my expectations. The [...]

Movie Review: Fool’s Gold (2008) »

I get the distinct feeling I’ve seen Fool’s Gold before. Tell me if this premise seems even remotely familiar to you: A reckless loser with a hot girlfriend, convinces her to join him on a perilous adventure searching for buried treasure on the ocean floor. Need some help jogging your memory banks? Try the 2005 [...]

Movie Review: Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins (2008) »

Martin Lawrence returns from his last half-way decent showing in Wild Hogs to join another all-star cast in Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins. While I don’t doubt his reasons for taking the role (either needed the money or just wanted to get himself into an all black film), I am perplexed as to why some of [...]

Movie Review: Strange Wilderness (2008) »

I’m going to start this movie review by stating what may not be so obvious due to the cast of actors starring in it: Strange Wilderness is not a movie for everyone. Actually it’s not a movie for 90% of the worlds’ population either. It is meant for individuals with a sophomoric sense of humor [...]

Movie Review: Over Her Dead Body (2008) »

Small screen starlet, Eva Longoria Parker has found herself in a starring role in Over Her Dead Body, the second major romantic-comedy release of the year (27 Dresses being the first). I can count two possible reasons why she’s in that position: 1.) The more accomplished romance leads were already tied up in other projects [...]

Movie Review: The Eye (2008) »

Due to my extremely short attention span, I’m guessing the Hollywood raid into the Japanese horror genre started with The Ring. Next on the borrow list was The Grudge. The success of these movies inspired several uninspiring sequels and in 2008, two – yes, two – brand-spanking new copies hit the theaters: One Missed Call [...]

Movie Review: Untraceable (2008) »

With the ongoing success of the Saw and the Hostel franchises, it was only a matter of time before the “torture-porn” phenomenon tried to weasel its way into a mainstream movie. Hollywood, in its infinite wisdom, has decided to take what was a horror-boys fantasy and legitimize it by throwing an established actress like Diane [...]

Movie Review: Cloverfield (2008) »

Holy viral marketing campaign, Batman. Cloverfield, the latest production from J.J. Abrams (best known for Lost and Alias), may be the most hyped movie of the decade. It was pure genius – the whole country had vivid images of the Statue of Liberty’s head rolling down the Avenue of the Americas for weeks prior to [...]

Movie Review: The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie (2008) »

With very little on the cinematic horizon for the young ones, I decided to take the boys to see the only game in town that met their demographic: The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie. I really had zero interest in this but that didn’t stop the kids from wanting to see it. [...]

Movie Review: 27 Dresses (2008) »

The staple of any good romantic comedy is the chemistry between the leading lady and leading man. This is highlighted by most movies starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan (Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail) and 90% of the films starring Matthew McConaughey or Hugh Grant (mostly because these guys can have instant chemistry [...]

Movie Review: First Sunday (2008) »

Do you remember the days when Ice Cube was a tough guy, gangster rapper with N.W.A.? How about when he crossed over into the world of cinema with the critically acclaimed Boyz n the Hood? If you don’t recall any of those times, then you’ve clearly missed out on the best of what he has [...]

Movie Review: Juno (2007) »

I’m late with the movie review, I know. I’ve resisted seeing Juno because I had trouble visualizing a female Napoleon Dynamite-like character. Could the bizarre, backwards character immortalized by Jon Heder be improved upon? Should it even have been attempted? The answers to those questions are: It certainly can be improved upon (most everything can [...]

Movie Review: The Ungodly (2007) »

I’ve broken a cardinal rule. I watched The Ungodly based solely on the fact it had a cool sounding title. The name conjured up thoughts of pure, unadulterated evil and in the current shitty mood I’m in, it seemed like a perfect way to embrace my aggravation. But, I’ve been around long enough to know [...]

Movie Review: Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (2007) »

I’m going to cut right to the point — any movie that starts with Marisa Tomei taking it doggy-style is more than okay in my book. I have no clue what switch director Sidney Lumet flicked to get her to sacrifice in such a way for her craft (probably the same one Marc Forster flicked [...]

Movie Review: Charlie Wilson’s War (2007) »

Every so often a movie comes along that you can identify with on some personal level. For me watching an unassuming Congressman from the 2nd Congressional District of Texas, who likes to party hearty with booze and other assorted drugs, and hook-up with strippers and other assorted women was like looking in a mirror. Charlie [...]

Movie Review: Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007) »

Sowing their oats on the mammoth success of Superbad and Knocked Up (although I wasn’t overly impressed with it) earlier this year, the Judd Apatow team of writers and actors figured to lower the standards of the biography genre with Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. Just with the name, you know full well what [...]

Movie Review: The Bucket List (2007) »

Rob Reiner has surfaced again, directing arguably two of the most accomplished actors of our time: Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. The vehicle: The Bucket List, a comedy drama that tries to add a new twist to the Odd Couple scenario. Instead of just throwing together two incompatible people, as so many movies have already [...]

Movie Review: National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007) »

I firmly believe there is a treasure hunter in all of us. The possibility of having your name attached to discovering a lost civilization or an artifact worth a fortune are all things we’ve dreamed about at one time or another. It’s the underlying reason that Indiana Jones was so popular (and still is considering [...]

Movie Review: Blonde Ambition (2008) »

Someone, somewhere still thinks Jessica Simpson is a bankable product. But with declining music sales, a long forgotten reality television show and not ever actually having much in the way of a hit movie, I’m not so sure that individual still has a job. That’s because her latest feature, Blonde Ambition, has had perhaps the [...]

Movie Review: Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007) »

I’ll admit it, when I was a youth I watched the 1980′s Saturday morning cartoon the Alvin and the Chipmunks movie is based upon. Don’t ask why, I’m still trying to understand what would have compelled me to watch it (I’d like to know why I watched the Smurfs also). But based on old habits, [...]

Movie Review: I Am Legend (2007) »

The Hollywood remake. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, they’re a steady part of our cinema diet. I Am Legend proves once again that Hollywood believes the easiest path to success is to either: make a sequel or take a movie from years past and dress it up with an updated storyline and fresh graphics. Sometimes [...]

Movie Review: The Golden Compass (2007) »

I’m not sure what all the hoopla was surrounding The Golden Compass. I believe it has something to do with the atheistic stance the author of the book from which the movie was adapted from had. Sure there are a few themes that indicate religion is a bad institution, but I don’t recall seeing anything [...]

Movie Review: The Deaths of Ian Stone (2007) »

I figured before I sat down to watch the most hyped films of the winter, I’d schedule in one more low-budget, limited release flick. This film made its debut at the After Dark Horror Fest earlier this year and duly disappeared again. That’s a shame because the individuals I spoke with who attended the event [...]

Movie Review: American Pie Presents: Beta House (2007) »

Can you believe American Pie was released nearly ten years ago? Since then the franchise has seen two theatrical sequels and two direct-to-DVD offerings. Later this month, a third Blockbuster special is slated to hit the shelves – American Pie Presents: Beta House. Read on to determine if this movie even remotely holds a candle [...]

Movie Review: Enchanted (2007) »

With time to spare and the need for something lighthearted and cutesy being introduced into my system (I had just reviewed Jack Ketchum’s The Girl Next Door), Enchanted seemed like the perfect choice. And let’s be realistic, has Disney ever led anyone astray when they needed this kind of infusion? The answer is yes, they [...]

Movie Review: Jack Ketchum’s The Girl Next Door (2007) »

There aren’t many movies that I’ve seen that have made me want to turn away or jump through the screen to change the outcome. I knew after reading the synopsis of Jack Ketchum’s The Girl Next Door, this was going to be one of those films – after all, nothing spells heartbreak and brutality like [...]

Movie Review: Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium (2007) »

On a whole, you’ve got to root for a movie whose sole purpose is to celebrate the inner child so many adults have lost. Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium sets out to do this by combining the quirkiness of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory and the zaniness of The Cat in the Hat. With such [...]

Movie Review: Hitman (2007) »

Here we go again. Even though the old video game to movie adaption has played itself out some time ago, it has reared it’s ugly head above the surface once more to take a stab at our wallets and pocketbooks. No I’m not talking about a fourth Resident Evil (although I’m certain one is in [...]

Movie Review: No Country for Old Men (2007) »

It’s that Oscar time of year again when compelling movies get released late so they can remain in the heads of the Academy voters easier. The latest up to bat is No Country For Old Men. It’s the highly anticipated film by none other than Joel and Ethan Coen (better known as the Coen brothers). [...]

Movie Review: Fred Claus (2007) »

A Christmas movie in early November? That’s almost like having a Halloween movie released in August. If I didn’t know any better I’d think the Hollywood marketing machine had lost their concept of time. But since I know they haven’t, my guess is that they wanted to start the movie buzz early and get a [...]

Movie Review: Dan in Real Life (2007) »

I promised myself I would never watch another movie with Dane Cook in it again. I begged, pleaded and insisted that Hollywood not allow him to star in another movie after I reviewed his last monstrosity Good Luck Chuck. But just like my wife and kids, they don’t listen to me. He’s back in Dan [...]

Movie Review: Beowulf (2007) »

Let me start this particular movie review off by saying I’m a big fan of animated movies. I’m an even bigger fan of films starring real, flesh and blood actors and actresses. I am not however, a proponent of the stop-action animation that mixes these two forms of movies together. Apparently, Robert Zemeckis is. One [...]

Movie Review: P2 (2007) »

Sadly, I missed P1 when it was released last year. But seeing as it was such a good horror movie, Summit Entertainment has been good enough to bring P2 to the theaters. Yes, I’m kidding. There was no film titled P1 that I am aware of and aside from a single advertisement last week, I [...]

Movie Review: Lions for Lambs (2007) »

I went into seeing Lions for Lambs ready for a hearty dose of left-wing propaganda. Statements like “George W. Bush is a terrible president”, “we must find an exit strategy in Iraq since the war is going so poorly” and “the entire Republican party is a bunch of crooks and miscreants” were swirling through my [...]

Movie Review: Bee Movie (2007) »

For those of us who have been anxiously waiting for something new from Jerry Seinfeld (Comedian doesn’t count), our wait has ended. The animated adventure Bee Movie marks his return to the spotlight – or does it? Sadly, this is not the breakout feature I had been hoping to see. The reasons are stinging (pun [...]

Movie Review: Cougar Club (2007) »

Oh how I wish I were a young man again. In case you haven’t heard, there’s a new trend sweeping the nation. Sex clubs, united young men with older women are all the rage. If you’re a young man, there can be no better teacher than an experienced woman. Trust me. So, as with all [...]

Movie Review: The Darjeeling Limited (2007) »

The Darjeeling Limited is the latest irreverent family/self discovery movie by Wes Anderson. You may remember he’s the creative force behind other offbeat movies likeThe Royal Tenenbaums and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. Sticking with his modis operandi, Anderson picks another unusual place to host his vision – a passenger train traveling across India. [...]

Movie Review: Saw IV (2007) »

Ever get the sneaky suspicion that someone does something with less than admirable intentions? That’s what I felt when I sat down to watch and review Saw IV. After all, since the original Saw was released in 2004, Lionsgate has bankrolled sequels every year, each film still remarkably making a healthy profit while getting progressively [...]

Movie Review: American Gangster (2007) »

I think it is a safe statement to say that most people, like myself, appreciate a movie that depicts a person or persons rising to the top of the food chain by perseverance, hard work and some smarts, even if their profession is less than honorable. Ridley Scott (best known for Black Hawk Down and [...]

Movie Review: The Comebacks (2007) »

That’s it. I can’t stand it anymore. The Comebacks is the final straw that broke this camel’s back. I am now officially decreeing that the era of the parody movie is over. It is dead. All remaining screenplays are to be set afire and their ashes shall be dumped in six indiscriminate locations. Any individual [...]

Movie Review: 30 Days of Night (2007) »

There are a few things in this world that make me uncomfortable. Being stuck in a barren wasteland is one of them. And although I’m not a person who fears the dark, something about being stuck in it for and extended period of time sends shivers down my spine. I’m also not a big fan [...]

Movie Review: We Own the Night (2007) »

No year could be considered complete without the obligatory cop-family/friend drama, cast with seasoned actors. We Own the Night, takes the spot this year and is Sony Pictures late push for an Oscar bid. It stars Joaquin Phoenix as Bobby Green, the manager of a Russian mob owned hot spot, El Caribe. He also happens [...]

Movie Review: Run, Fatboy, Run (2007) »

Remember David Schwimmer? Sure you do, he was the annoying guy on Friends who got to hook up with Rachel (it’s Ross, if you’re having trouble following along). Well since his acting gigs have mostly dried up, he’s decided to try his hand at directing. His first foray into this uncharted territory for him is [...]

Movie Review: Michael Clayton (2007) »

Michael Clayton is the directorial debut of Tony Gilroy (better known for his Bourne series screenplays). It stars George Clooney as Mister Clayton himself; a fixer of things in need of a solution (think Winston Wolfe in Pulp Fiction, only not as polished). He finds himself in the middle of two situations — one personal [...]

Movie Review: Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten (2007) »

In all walks of life there are standout groups or individuals that deserve a telling of their story. Julien Temple in 2000 directed The Filth and the Fury, a documentary of the often times misunderstood punk pioneers Sex Pistols. Sensing punk-rock deserved another telling story, he’s returned with Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten, a [...]

Movie Review: Feel the Noise (2007) »

There are three reasons as to why I decided to watch Feel the Noise and review it. One, I’m a glutton for punishment. Two, I figured no one else would review this film and a movie like this is just screaming to be critiqued. Three, I love the comments that always follow — you know [...]

Movie Review: The Heartbreak Kid (2007) »

The last good twisted movie (in my humble opinion) from the Farrelly brothers was seven years ago with their feature Me, Myself and Irene. True they had a few movies in between then and now, but they’ve been lackluster and relatively safe. Since then a new kid with an equally deranged mind and a desire [...]

Movie Review: Eastern Promises (2007) »

I’ve gotten so used to watching great mob movies depicting ruthless Italians (Goodfellas and The Godfather), that I’ve forgotten other cultures have their own organized crime syndicates too. The Chinese and Japanese have some mean people doing some very bad things. So do the Columbians. But the cake has to go to the Russians. These [...]

Movie Review: The Game Plan (2007) »

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has some broad shoulders. The question is whether they’re broad enough to hold afloat a movie like The Game Plan. It’s a movie type in which many have tried to succeed in (Hulk Hogan in Mr. Nanny and Vin Diesel in The Pacifier come to mind) and failed. There’s a general [...]

Movie Review: The Kingdom (2007) »

I tend to get my guard up whenever I go into the theater to see a movie like The Kingdom. I always expect an overdose of political activism or some other jaded point of view that the writer and/or director wants to stuff down my throat. This, I believe, is the second such movie that [...]

Movie Review: Good Luck Chuck (2007) »

Damn, my ass hurts. A lot. No it’s not from sitting in an uncomfortable seat at the theater for 96 minutes to watch Good Luck Chuck. It’s from being raped repeatedly by those who would release a hunk of shit movie like this and disguise it as an off-the-cuff romantic-comedy. That’s right, Good Luck Chuck [...]

Movie Review: Full of It (2007) »

Lying, it’s the way of the world. You’ve got to be good at it if you’re going to succeed in today’s society (sorry God). Children lie to their parents if they think it will get them out of trouble. How many times has little Johnny pointed the finger at his younger brother for breaking something? [...]

Movie Review: The Brothers Solomon (2007) »

You’ll have excuse when I say I don’t get my hopes up when I go to see comedies starring members of the Saturday Night Live cast. Too often the movie is beyond stupid and they always try way too hard to be funny (case in point, Hot Rod). So sucking it up in the name [...]

Movie Review: Mr. Woodcock (2007) »

Everyone has had a teacher or two they hated. Mine was the high school gym teacher, Mr. Hastings. He was a hairy, squat man with rotten teeth and breath that could melt a steel I-beam. He had no idea what the hell he was doing, so he’d just make the class do mundane exercises while [...]

Movie Review: 3:10 to Yuma (2007) »

Westerns rule. They’re one of the best and easiest types of movies to make. They’ve got the best villains available. They’ve got heroes everyone can relate to and cheer for. Usually, they’ve got beautiful, strong willed women whose support and love aid the family unit in its time of need. And of course, Westerns have [...]

Movie Review: Shoot ‘Em Up (2007) »

Sometimes movies look so much better on paper and storyboards rather than on an actual reel of film. Such is the case with Shoot ‘Em Up. It is every writer’s wet dream, a movie light on plot, dialogue and substance; heavy on nonstop action, including incredible gun and knife fights, car chases, aerial battles and [...]

Movie Review: Wrong Turn 2: Dead End (2007) »

Question. Why does Hollywood think all the rural and desolate areas in the southern United States are filled with inbred, whacky rednecks who want to cause harm to the rest of society? I’ve met thousdands of southerners, many of whom I figured were the accidental offspring of close relatives (I used to work for NASCAR) [...]

Movie Review: Death Sentence (2007) »

We’ve all said it before, more so after we’ve established a family of our own. God forbid, if something were to happen to someone we love, we’d kill the bastards responsible. We’d hunt them down like a prey animal and first do unimaginable things to them for the pain they’ve caused us. Then when their [...]

Movie Review: Balls of Fury (2007) »

Usually parody films are a successful endeavor (the original Scary Movie and Not Another Teen Movie are examples) because they’re easy to make. For the most part the story is already constructed, so all the writers have to do is come up with funny filler material and their off to the races. Coupling that with [...]

Movie Review: War (2007) »

Didn’t Jet Li retire last year? I guess the allure of making mostly grand action movies is just too strong — just like the smell of chocolate is irresistible to a fat person — because he is back and kicking ass in War. This time, instead of being involved in some obscure Chinese tale (i.e., [...]

Movie Review: Halloween (2007) »

Did I miss the memo outlining Hollywood needing to remake movies that didn’t need to be remade? Apparently so, because just a few weeks ago, Invasion of the Body Snatchers was remade for the third time with The Invasion. This weekend (not sure why it couldn’t wait for Halloween), the 1978 horror classic Halloween will [...]

Movie Review: The TV Set (2006) »

With a bit of time to kill, I figured I’d get another limited release, independent picture watched and reviewed before it hits the DVD shelves in September. This time the victim, I mean movie, is The TV Set and the initial looks are promising. It’s directed by Jake Kasdan and produced by none other than [...]

Movie Review: Closing Escrow (2007) »

I love screeners. It affords me the ability to see movies I would never get around to viewing. Case in point: Closing Escrow. If it were not for the package FedExed to me a month or so ago, not only would I have not gone to see it, I would have had no idea it [...]

Movie Review: Becoming Jane (2007) »

Period pieces. These are the hardest movies to review. Depending on the time frame they’re portraying, they need to remain true to the past — there isn’t a lot of room for error or creative liberties. And depending on the type of movie (biography, historical event) they tend to get long winded and boring. Becoming [...]

Movie Review: Superbad (2007) »

Going into Superbad, I expected an edgier coming to age type of movie, in which a couple of dorks get the girls of their dreams all while learning the importance of not becoming something other than who they are. Very quickly however, I realized this was not going to be your ordinary teen angst comedy [...]

Movie Review: The Invasion (2007) »

The Invasion. How many people knew this was being released? I didn’t. Seems Warner Bros. didn’t put a lot of stock into either; no premier and a limited amount of advertising basically ensured this movie would receive little to no fanfare. Makes a person wonder whether the movie is worth watching, if the studio that [...]

Movie Review: Stardust (2007) »

A few weeks ago on another movie review blog (DC Girl @ The Movies to be exact), I guessed Stardust would be lucky to break into the top ten for weekend gross on it’s opening weekend. I came to that conclusion based on the fact the trailer seemed cheesy and childish — even if it [...]

Movie Review: Rush Hour 3 (2007) »

This is definitely the year of trilogies. Spider-Man 3, Shrek the Third and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End started the summer season off. Now Rush Hour 3 hits the silver screen and I must say, I’m a bit surprised by this release — after all it’s been six years since Rush Hour 2 [...]

Movie Review: Daddy Day Camp (2007) »

Trash comes in many forms. In 2003, it came in the form of Daddy Day Care. Today, it comes in the form of it’s sequel Daddy Day Camp. How do I know it’s garbage? Simple, when the star of the first movie (Eddie Murphy), or hell anyone from the first movie passes on the script, [...]

Movie Review: Hot Rod (2007) »

After a long hiatus from the silver screen, Lorne Michaels and his SNL Studios are once again backing a few of his Saturday Night Live comics in a feature presentation. More often than not, these forays into the unknown produce dismal movies (see The Ladies Man and Superstar) that become minor hits thanks to Blockbuster [...]

Movie Review: Bratz: The Movie (2007) »

Here we go again. We just don’t get it. Once again we’re giving every country in the world another reason to hate the United States. No, we didn’t start another ill-founded war or take advantage of another poverty stricken region. No, this time we’re glorifying our excesses with the adolescent flick Bratz: The Movie. For [...]

Movie Review: Beneath (2007) »

Last night in a moment weakness (also known as boredom) I sat down to watch Beneath. It’s an MTV production and even though they’ve had their hands in some relatively good movies lately like Blades of Glory and Jackass Number Two, I set my set my expectations low enough to not be upset if the [...]

Movie Review: No Reservations (2007) »

Just a week or so ago, I reviewed the movie I Could Never be Your Woman. At the end of the review I mentioned I didn’t think any good romantic comedies were on the horizon. Well, guess what. I was wrong. One has indeed popped up and slapped me in the face. I’m not exactly [...]

Movie Review: Skinwalkers (2006) »

Werewolves seem to be enjoying a resurgence. The Underworld series and to a lesser extent, movies like Blood and Chocolate has made them cool again. And as of late there certainly appears to be a lot of buzz about Skinwalkers. I’m not entirely sure why, but whatever the reason, it was enough to pique my [...]

Movie Review: I Know Who Killed Me (2007) »

Let’s call it now. There are only two reasons anyone has heard anything about I Know Who Killed Me. One, it stars Lindsay Lohan, who everyone knows is a figure of tabloid fodder due to her indulgence in the finer drugs available. Two, it stars Lindsay Lohan and she plays an exotic dancer. I saw [...]

Movie Review: I Could Never Be Your Woman (2007) »

Feeling old? Need a feel good about yourself, quirky kind of movie to raise your spirits? Never fear, Hollywood claims they have something for you (don’t they always?). It comes in the form of the upcoming film: I Could Never Be Your Woman. Will it help you to put the bottle of scotch and sleeping [...]

Movie Review: The Simpsons Movie (2007) »

18 years since its FOX premiere (19 or 20 if you count the spots on “The Tracey Ullman Show“), America’s favorite dysfunctional family comes to the silver screen in none other than The Simpsons Movie. I’d, at most, call myself a casual fan of the cartoon — I haven’t watched it religiously for many, many [...]

Movie Review: I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (2007) »

Leave to Adam Sandler and his Happy Madison Productions production company to find another ridiculous premise to bring to the cinema. Instead of a retarded football player (The Waterboy), a freaky little man-whore (Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo) or a morally corrupt child actor (Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star) we get male fire fighters pretending to [...]

Movie Review: Hairspray (2007) »

Hairspray is an updated compilation of the John Waters classically campy film and the award winning Broadway musical (both of the same name). And while I very much liked the original (at least what I can recall of it), I had my reservations about the remake. That’s because remakes usually suck. Thankfully, from the moment [...]

Movie Review: Bickford Shmeckler’s Cool Ideas (2006) »

I’m sure I’ve said it before somewhere — I may be the biggest fan of teen angst movies. Yeah, they’re not going to win any awards, but as I get older, I love reliving my youth through them. It’s a small pleasure. Plus, they usually have lots of naked girls running around in them. That’s [...]

Movie Review: Diamond Dogs (2007) »

Can you spell low budget? I can. It’s spelled D-I-A-M-O-N-D D-O-G-S. For those that are having a problem with that, I spelled: Diamond Dogs. As everyone knows between screening the monstrous blockbusters all the time, I’ve got to give back to the community now and again. I do that by watching movies no one will [...]

Movie Review: License to Wed (2007) »

For all intents and purposes, License to Wed should have been just one of many romantic comedies released to little fanfare this summer. Nothing spectacular about it. But someone (the director, Ken Kwapis) got the bright idea to cast Robin Williams in a lead role. “Why?“, I plead, “What have I done to deserve this?” [...]

Movie Review: Interview (2007) »

I like actors that have a knack for portraying characters with some whacked out attribute. Therefore, I like Steve Buscemi. This guy has been in 100+ movies, many of which, the parts he played had some serious issues (defects may be a better word). A few of my favorites are Mr. Pink from Reservoir Dogs [...]

Movie Review: Cashback (2006) »

C’mon guys, you know it’s happened to you. You cried over the break-up with your first girlfriend. I’m guessing it happened to me as well, I just don’t remember it. My wife says I’m devoid of feelings — an emotional black hole, if you will — so there is a very good possibility that I [...]

Movie Review: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) »

Here comes Harry Potter for round number five. Will he come out of the corner with the heart of a champion or limp like a homo coming out of a bathhouse? That’s the question I asked as I finally found myself fighting the crowds and going to the cinema last night. It’s a legitimate question, [...]

Movie Review: Wind Chill (2007) »

To be perfectly honest, I had no idea what to expect when the opportunity to watch Wind Chill presented itself the other day. I knew nothing of the story other than there were some ghosts harassing some stranded college kids. So like I do with all movies, I buttered my popcorn, sat back and prepared [...]

Movie Review: Captivity (2007) »

Many moons ago I heard some major rumblings about the upcoming movie Captivity. Apparently, there were a few movie posters plastered around that were extremely shocking and horrifying to passer-bys. This coupled with the fact that the very hot Elisha Cuthbert was starring in it caused a major buzz. Cuthbert being held in compromising positions [...]

Movie Review: Live Free or Die Hard (2007) »

Thank God for John McClane. That’s right I said it. Where would our great country be, if John McClane was not there to save it time and again? I’ll tell you where — right in the shitter. In Die Hard, he outwitted an international thief holding people in the Nakatomi Plaza hostage. In Die Hard [...]

Movie Review: 1408 (2007) »

Hotel rooms suck. No matter how gaudy or pretty they’re made up, they still suck. I know this because I travel nearly every week and spend way too much of my time in them. My problem with them is I simply never quite know what has happened in the room prior to my stay and [...]

Movie Review: Evan Almighty (2007) »

Hot off the heels (if you call 4 years later a quick turnaround) of the successful Bruce Almighty, Hollywood brings to us Evan Almighty.This time however, instead of Jim Carrey carrying the load, the baton has been handed off to the new funny man of cinema – Steve Carell. Unfortunately, the baton was dropped during [...]

Movie Review: Ratatouille (2007) »

Pixar and Disney are back. This time instead of talking dolls (Toy Story), talking fish (Finding Nemo) or talking cars (Cars), we’ve got talking rats. That’s right, those cute and cuddly carriers of the Bubonic Plague are the main characters in Ratatouille! Can Pixar transform rats into an animal that’s sweet and caring? Read on, [...]

Movie Review: Surf’s Up (2007) »

Another penguin movie. First there was March of the Penguins and Madagascar. Then came Happy Feet. I swear to Christ, I’m going to have a nervous breakdown. Who in hell told advertisers and Hollywood that penguins are cute, adorable birds? News flash — they’re not. They’re ugly and mean. Anyways, obviously someone is laughing at [...]

Movie Review: Rise: Blood Hunter (2007) »

Vampires. I don’t think there is a cooler, monstrous entity imagined. They’re immortal. They’re tough as nails. They drink blood. Can they be any more awesome? It sure can — Lucy Liu can be cast as a bloodsucker. Now they’re smokin’ hot. Rise: Blood Hunter puts them all together; what’s not to love? Well, let’s [...]

Movie Review: Sicko (2007) »

I hate documentaries. Let me qualify that a bit further — I hate Michael Moore documentaries. On a whole, my biggest gripe is that, although they do chronicle an event or a situation, they tend to present only one side of the story. And since I am on the other side of the political affiliation [...]

Movie Review: Ocean’s Thirteen (2007) »

Lo and behold! Another third installment has hit the theaters! I barely recollect that there was an Ocean’s Eleven or that a sequel Ocean’s Twelve was made. So you can imagine my surprise when I’m suddenly smacked in the face by Ocean’s Thirteen. So here’s to hoping I can enjoy this movie without having had [...]

Movie Review: Knocked Up (2007) »

Yeah, I know. I’m late to the game — everyone one calling themselves a critic has seen and reported on Knocked Up already. Each and everyone one of them has seemingly given it rave reviews too. They also all gave shiny, glowing reviews to Hostel: Part II and we all know how wrong they got [...]

Movie Review: Mr. Brooks (2007) »

It’s been a long time, 16 years to be precise, since the high water mark was set so high by The Silence of the Lambs for serial killer thrillers. And in those 16 years, there has yet to be a movie that even comes close to surpassing it. So it is fair to say I [...]

Movie Review: Bloodlines (2007) »

It’s just one of those weeks. I don’t have much interest in going to the theaters to watch anything. If only I were important enough to get screeners to the summer blockbusters. Instead, I get access to the bottom of the barrel flicks — flicks like Bloodlines. I guess I can’t complain though, I managed [...]

Movie Review: Pretty Cool Too (2007) »

I usually avoid reviewing movies that go straight to the video counter at the local Blockbuster. There’s a reason they don’t get a theatrical release and why I don’t waste my time watching them — 98% of the time they suck ass. But with a little downtime and the need for a mindless teen movie [...]

Movie Review: Hostel: Part II (2007) »

Let me first start by saying, I never watched Hostel. There was something about glorifying the abject horror of torture made my stomach tense up and do a flip. Fast forwarding a few years and my stomach has gotten stronger on the inside (flabbier on the out). It’s probably a side effect of being married [...]

Movie Review: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007) »

Chalk up number three of the summer. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End has arrived in theaters and knocked out the oh-so endearing Shrek the Third from it’s elevated position as the weekend top grosser. But isn’t that what we expected to happen? After all, our lovable ogre lost a great deal of his [...]

Movie Review: The Last Legion (2007) »

I hadn’t heard much about The Last Legion. But what I had heard was that it wasn’t particularly good — it doesn’t follow any true historical events and the action was rather inactive. Now, I certainly wouldn’t call myself a history major (I’ll leave that to my brother), so the possibility of that ruining my [...]

Movie Review: Fired! (2007) »

I’ve been fired from a few jobs in my 36 years of life. There was this time I got canned from Tile City for ‘purposely’ breaking ceramic tiles. There was another time I was escorted off of a construction site for cursing off the foreman. It was so bad I was removed from the IBEW! [...]

Movie Review: Shrek the Third (2007) »

Here it is. The second of the most anticipated movies of the summer is here. No, I’m not talking about Gracie. I’m talking about Shrek the Third. If the title didn’t give it away, it’s the third installment of the animated juggernaught — the first being aptly titled Shrek and the second even more aptly [...]

Movie Review: 28 Weeks Later (2007) »

In 2002, we were introduced to the rage virus in 28 Days Later…. At the end of the movie we were made to assume that all will be well after mainland Britain was quarantined. But guess what? The rage is back in 28 Weeks Later and it’s badder than ever. 28 Weeks Later starts with [...]

Movie Review: Georgia Rule (2007) »

Chick flicks. They’re not my strong point. The old coming of age, sappy shit never played well with me. My therapist tells me it’s because I’m just not in touch with my feminine side. I tell him it’s because I’m a red-blooded American male and that he can go fuck himself. But on a lark, [...]

Movie Review: Lucky You (2007) »

I decided to take a chance. Rarely do I sit and watch movies or television shows about poker. The last time I did was in 1998 for the movie Rounders and that was only because I think Edward Norton is a great actor. I avoid movies about poker because they are boring. Unless you’re heavily [...]

Movie Review: Reno 911!: Miami (2007) »

I’ve finally gotten around to watching the Reno 911!: Miami screener that’s been sitting on a bookshelf for the past couple of months. I’d been meaning to watch it for the longest time, yet time after time that little thing called responsibility kept creeping in. Screw the lawn. To hell with the job. I can [...]

Movie Review: Kickin’ It Old Skool (2007) »

Jesus help me. I believe I may have just committed a cardinal sin — I watched another Jamie Kennedy movie. I would have thought I learned my lesson when I saw Malibu’s Most Wanted, Jamie Kennedy’s first foray into acting like a black guy (or a wigger to some). Shame on me though, because just [...]

Movie Review: Spider-Man 3 (2007) »

Here it is, Spider-Man 3, the most anticipated movie of the year. As a Spider-Man fan for most of my life, I can safely say I was counting down the days for this release. After Spider-Man 2, I found myself yearning for more. Could the third installment best the sequel which actually bested the original [...]

Movie Review: Hot Fuzz (2007) »

Hot Fuzz is the highly anticipated movie from the team of Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg that created Shaun of the Dead. Whereas Shaun twisted and made light of the zombie genre, Hot Fuzz pokes fun at the cop buddy movie made so famous by movies like Lethal Weapon and Rush Hour. All I can [...]

Movie Review: Perfect Stranger (2007) »

It was bound to happen. Halle Berry and Bruce Willis were at some point in time going to cross paths in a movie again. The last time it happened was in the lackluster The Last Boy Scout way back in 1991 when both were rising stars. Now in their prime (some may even say the [...]

Movie Review: Redline (2007) »

Where do I begin? I never quite know how I’m supposed to start a movie review, when I have already formed my opinion before seeing the film. Maybe I should begin by saying I’m an asshole for going to see a movie I know is going to suck terribly. Or perhaps I should start by [...]

Movie Review: Disturbia (2007) »

Work has been kicking my ass for the past week or so, so I hadn’t had a chance to get out to the theaters to catch anything worth my while. Today, I had a few hours to kill so I looked at the leader board and saw Disturbia was still holding a commanding lead. The [...]

Movie Review: The Hills Have Eyes II (2007) »

I hate warm beer. I hate it almost as much as I hate wet farts. But what I hate even more than both of those, are movies that offer nothing of worth to the viewer. They’re simply pushed out of the studio to lift a few of our hard earned dollars from our pockets. It’s [...]

Movie Review: Sunshine (2007) »

After all the critical acclaim heaved upon Danny Boyle and Alex Garland for helping to redefine the zombie flick with 28 Days Later…, I was definitely excited to see if something similar could be done with science fiction genre. Granted, there are plenty of recent space movies but they’ve all focused on action and big [...]

Movie Review: The Reaping (2007) »

From a religious perspective, I’ve never considered myself a non-believer but more of a sideline believer. I am fascinated by the Bible shows on the Discovery and History channels. So without question, I had to get out to the local cineplex to catch a viewing of The Reaping. It seemed to have all the good [...]

Movie Review: Meet The Robinsons (2007) »

Approximately ten times a year, to the theaters come those animated children movies we, as parents, cringe at. Our children want to go, no matter how bad the movie appears — so long as it has animated animals or dinosaurs or vehicles or rugs. Of those times only one or two of them are worth [...]

Movie Review: Mr. Bean’s Holiday (2007) »

Several years ago, I managed to catch an episode or two of a UK show titled Mr. Bean during the wee hours of the morning. It was certainly no match for shows like The Benny Hill Show or Coupling but I did find it mildly amusing (this may have been caused by the hour of [...]

Movie Review: Blades of Glory (2007) »

Will Ferrell is at again. Once more we have him playing a buffoon character toppled from the heights of fame and power. It’s his bread and butter and he’ll continue to push this shit out until it becomes unpopular. As a matter of fact, just last year Ferrell squeezed out Talladega Nights: The Ballad of [...]

Movie Review: I Think I Love My Wife (2007) »

Chris Rock — just what the doctor ordered. Great crossover appeal (I’m a white guy and he doesn’t appear threatening) and funny as fuck. This guy has to be one of the funniest guys in America and he seemly vanished into thin air. Until now that is. In his second directing gig, he drops I [...]

Movie Review: Shooter (2007) »

Time for a kick-ass action movie — the first of 2007. This time around we’ve got Jason Bourne, going after some bad-ass government officials who have wronged him . . . oops, I’m sorry I’ve got the movie confused. I’m supposed to be reviewing Shooter and I’ve started to review The Bourne Identity! I’ve got [...]

Movie Review: Premonition (2007) »

This can’t be good, can it? Sandra Bullock is back in a movie that requires her to do something other than look pretty. Why, oh why does Hollywood make movies like this? Surely, they know that Mrs. Jesse James, isn’t a bankable commodity anymore. This is a woman who starred in The Lake House last [...]

Movie Review: TMNT (2007) »

Has it really been 14 years since the freaky, full-sized, mutant turtles graced us with the presence on the silver screen? Yeppers, the last time I saw them it was in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (I’m not counting television cartoons or straight-to-DVD titles). I’m obviously out of the loop since a great deal of [...]

Movie Review: Black Snake Moan (2007) »

Oh boy. A black man holding a chain that is wrapped tightly around a petite, white girl. That’s all I knew about Black Snake Moan going into the theater. Nothing about a plot, nothing about content — just a picture of Samuel L. Jackson with an enslaved Christina Ricci. Exploitation at it’s finest! This has [...]

Movie Review: Fido (2007) »

It’s been awhile since a zombie movie offered us something different. Usually, the movie will focus on a band of people trying like hell to survive an onslaught of flesh hungry living dead. While still the same premise Dawn of the Dead reinvigorated the genre with updated special effects and surprisingly mobile zombies. Shaun of [...]

Movie Review: Outlaw (2007) »

To be perfectly honest, there was no rhyme or reason as to why I decided to watch this movie. It has little to no fanfare, no actors I particularly like and it’s British. The last British movie I enjoyed was the classic from 2004, Shaun of the Dead. Before that, I can’t recall. I do [...]

Movie Review: 300 (2007) »

Where do I begin? After all the initial movie reviews and hype surrounding the opening of 300 what else is there to say? Let me begin, by saying the movie definitely lives up to the fervor surrounding it. You want action? You got it. You want crazy, vivid battle scenes? You got it. You want [...]

Movie Review: Breach (2007) »

I remember almost like it was yesterday when the news flashed that a traitor to the United States, Robert Hanssen, was caught selling classified secrets to the USSR/Russia. I recall thinking, “why did it take so long to catch this scumbag” and “why would someone sell their country out?”. And what do you know, six [...]

Movie Review: Wild Hogs (2007) »

How many of us have wanted to drop everything on our plates and head out into the sunset, into the unknown, without a care in the world? I for one have – hell I’ve actually done it (when I was much much younger) and recommend everyone give it a try. It definitely replenishes the tank. [...]

Movie Review: Bridge to Terabithia (2007) »

Preconceived notions are like mother nature – a bitch. Especially to someone who likens themselves to an unbiased critic. So with a heavy heart, I admit, I went into the theater to see Bridge to Terabithia thinking it was going to be a weak runner-up to The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and [...]

Movie Review: The Number 23 (2007) »

It’s been awhile since I’ve seen my favorite guy with a rubber face, Jim Carrey. He’s been keeping a low profile all the while tapping the ass of that hottie Jenny McCarthy. Lucky fucker. So as I was saying before I began salivating over McCarthy’s pristine ass like Pavlov’s dog, it is a good thing [...]

Movie Review: Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) »

As a lonely child, I gravitated towards Dungeons & Dragons and have always been intrigued with fantasy worlds and the creatures that inhabit them. So finally, after seeing and hearing all the hoopla surrounding Pan’s Labyrinth or should I say El Laberinto del Fauno (real Spanish title), I finally got up the nerve to get [...]

Movie Review: Music and Lyrics (2007) »

I’m a sissy, I’ll admit it. I have a girlie spot located in my abdomen somewhere for cheesy, lovey-dovey chick flicks. Especially the feel good ones starring Mr. Blowjob himself – Hugh Grant. It started with Four Weddings and a Funeral so many years ago and although it seems no one cares it’s been released, [...]

Movie Review: Norbit (2007) »

Well, I guess it’s time to see what the Hollywood hype machine has been pushing down my throat for months now. Norbit is a movie that lays out the life of a puny, pussy-whipped guy and his fat-as-fuck, overbearing wife. It is the latest Eddie Murphy comedy, in which, you guessed it – he plays [...]

Movie Review: The Messengers (2007) »

Nothing gets the blood flowing better in the morning than a scary movie based on some freaky, paranormal shit. Then again, a good shot of whiskey coupled with a mind-numbing blowjob will do the trick too. Unfortunately, I don’t get much of the latter anymore, so The Messengers are going to have fulfill my need [...]

Movie Review: Catch and Release (2007) »

It’s time for a feel-good, self-discovery movie. This time, however, our Hollywood friends have decided that the female lead usually given to Sandra Bullock, Renée Zellweger or Meg Ryan will go to Jennifer Garner. I guess they figured they needed a fresh face to attach to this comedy/romance; just like adding an air freshener to [...]

Movie Review: Epic Movie (2007) »

Well, I had hoped that the comedy parody movies had ended with Scary Movie 2, as it was the last time I saw a funny movie of this type.  But then they went ahead and clubbed me like a baby seal and came out with 2 more in the franchise and then the unspeakably bad Date [...]

Movie Review: Smokin’ Aces (2007) »

We’ve all seen the trailers for Smokin’ Aces for the past week or so, depicted a wild movie in which the world’s best contract killers are all gunning for $1,000,000 for killing a mob informant Buddy ‘Aces’ Israel (Jeremy Piven). Who wouldn’t we intrigued by a movie that seems to promise a mile-a-minute rollercoaster ride [...]

Movie Review: The Hitcher (2007) »

I’m going to begin this review by saying I’m no fan of remakes. To often they reek of shit and mean people are out of fresh ideas. However, due to a boring Saturday night, I decided against my better judgement and sat to watch The Hitcher. I hate myself for it. Let me first, get [...]

Movie Review: Alpha Dog (2006) »

Ahhh . . . a true life crime drama starring Justin Timberlake! It’s gotta be good, right? Surpisingly, the answer is yes! Alpha Dog is the true story of some wannabe, suburban gangsters who party their asses off, don’t have a care in the world and get themselves caught up in a kidnapping gone wrong [...]

Movie Review: The Good Shepherd (2006) »

Espionage flicks are the best. You get a big ‘ole dose of drama, a speck of thrilling action, a touch of violence and usually a dose or two of sex. But the best part of well thought out spy movie is that it forces us, the viewer, to try and figure out the story before [...]

Movie Review: Stomp the Yard (2007) »

Let’s first begin by saying I’m a white guy. Some have said pastey white. I’ve always tried to overcome my caucasian roots by opening myself up to other cultures and thought processes. It is this reason – and this reason only – that I’ve decided to watch Stomp the Yard. After all, can there be [...]

Movie Review: Night at the Museum (2006) »

After a hard week of working around the house, I definately needed some downtime. And what better way to enjoy some rest and relaxation than to sit back with an ice cold beer and watch the latest comedy romp starring Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson – Night at the Museum? The story certainly seemed funny [...]

Movie Review: Rocky Balboa (2006) »

I can hear it now, the all encompassing theme to Rocky – Gonna Fly Now. Whenever, I hear that music I get goose-pimples all over my ass. And after five installments of the Rocky franchise, that’s about all that gets me excited about the movies anymore. Needless to say, most of the sequels have been [...]

Movie Review: The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) »

Come Christmas time, or should I say Holiday time (for all the politically correct douchebags out there), Hollywood without question drops the old rags-to-riches, feel good movies into our laps. So it is no surprise that The Pursuit of Happyness shows up just in time for the gift exchange. Even though most folks who know [...]

Movie Review: Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj (2006) »

With the memory of 2002′s Van Wilder still swirling in my head – okay not really swirling, but every now and again I think of that scene where the frat guy (Daniel Cosgrove) is eating the doughnuts filled with dog semen. And each time I think of it, a freaky chill runs up my spine [...]

Movie Review: Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny (2006) »

Rock operas. What are they and what do they want from us? First part of the question is easy – they’re albums or movies told in the form of song – although an album is generally considered a concept work (at least that is my interpretation of them). I’m not entirely sure what the answer [...]

Movie Review: Happy Feet (2006) »

Yeah, I’m beyond bored. Of course I could find something important to do around the house, but I find I prefer to lay around and sleep. For some strange reason between naps, I figured I could fill and hour or so with one of the latest CGI dominated movies Happy Feet. Happy Feet is like [...]

Movie Review: Casino Royale (2006) »

One of my favorite movie franchises has got to be James Bond. The man has it all — fine clothes, awesome gadgets, skills in every study known to man, kick-ass cars and of course, smoking hot chicks who line up to screw him. Who wouldn’t want to emulate that? However, it is with some skepticism, [...]

Movie Review: Borat (2006) »

From the demented mind of Sacha Baron Cohen comes some remarkable characters like Ali G. (a wannabe gangsta), Brüno (a flamboyant faggot) and, of course Borat — a sexist, anti-Semite from Kazakhstan. The genius of these characters is the ability to allow Cohen to poke fun at, while “seriously” interviewing, people of all responsibilities (politicians, [...]

Movie Review: The Departed (2006) »

It’s been several years since anyone has mentioned Martin Scorsese in the same breath as Oscar. Yeah he was up for it with The Aviator (2004) and Gangs of New York (2003) but those snore fests were only nominated because everything else in the theaters sucked ostrich dick. This man gave us movies like Taxi [...]

Movie Review: Employee of the Month (2006) »

Ah, just what the doctor ordered. Another excuse to watch our favorite buxomed blonde, Jessica Simpson, try to do something else she has no right to do. That’s right boys and girls, I mean acting. After all we already know she can’t sing or dance. Employee of the Month is aware of her shortcomings, so [...]

Movie Review: Jackass Number Two (2006) »

There are many individuals in this great big world of ours that I just don’t get. Those tree-hugging, liberal faggots; those war-mongering right-wing douchebags; folk singers; those fuckwad animal conservatory guys on the Discovery Channel, et al. People I really don’t understand are those fucking insane thrill seekers who will literally do anything for a [...]

Movie Review: Accepted (2006) »

Ahhh, the glorious days of college. Who could forget them? It’s when most men try and sleep with as many girls as possible, and for girls to find their future husbands. It’s when most men drink til they puke and when girls drink to forget about sleeping with your fat ass. Unfortunately for me, I [...]

Movie Review: Invincible (2006) »

It’s been a while since there has been a worthwhile feel-good movie released into the theaters. Last ones that come to mind are Rudy (1993), Lucas (1986) and who can forget, Rocky (1976). Seabiscuit doesn’t count. Interstingly enough the plot of Invincible follows amazingly close to Rocky. A Philadelphia son, down on his luck (no [...]

Movie Review: Miami Vice (2006) »

Here we go again. Hollywood has once again decided to take a cheesy, campy 80′s TV show and upgrade it to the big screen. This time it isn’t The Dukes of Hazzard, The Beverly Hillbillies or Bewitched; it’s Miami Vice. And instead of Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as Crockett and Tubbs, the detectives [...]

Movie Review: Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006) »

NASCAR. Who doesn’t love it? Seeing as it is the fastest growing “sport” in the nation, my guess is most everyone is loving it these days. To capitalize upon this, NASCAR authorized the making of Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby a comedy which stars Will Ferrell as, you guessed it, Ricky Bobby, a [...]

Movie Review: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006) »

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Johnny Depp is one of the best actors of this generation – even if I have to look past the fact he resides in that shit infested country France. I don’t think there has been a movie starring Mr. Depp that I haven’t found entertaining on [...]

Movie Review: You, Me and Dupree (2006) »

Can there be anything wrong with the tried and true plot of having your dopey, unemployed (add any other adjectives needed here) friend move into your house only to overstay his/her welcome? Guess not, as there have been hundreds of these types of movies released through the years. The question remaining now is – does [...]

Movie Review: My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006) »

Let’s see – Sunday night, family is asleep and there isn’t anything on the boob tube worth my time. What to do? You guessed it; waste 95 minutes of my time on a spoofy, silly comedy. I figured after a dump truck load of shit has fallen on my head this past week, I could [...]

Movie Review: Clerks II (2006) »

I was 22 years old when Clerks hit the local cineplex. It was watching this movie that created the obnoxious man you see today. A man loosely based on Randal Graves (Jeff Anderson), the quick-witted, foul-mouthed asshole and Jay (Jason Mewes), the dim-witted, stoner. So without question, I had to see whether the characters that [...]

Movie Review: Click (2006) »

It’s been awhile since we’ve reviewed a movie starring Adam Sandler. Been even longer since we’ve actually looked forward to a movie starring Adam Sandler. But believe it or not, I was actually interested in watching Click. Perhaps I was hoping for comedy genius to strike again for him (see Waterboy or Happy Gilmore) – [...]

Movie Review: The Fast and the Furious:Tokyo Drift (2006) »

Another day goes by and I find I need to put some filler into it, as it isn’t filled with nearly enough activity. So as usual I fire up some popcorn get a cold beverage and watch a movie. This time The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift is the starring title. By the way, [...]

Movie Review: Cars (2006) »

Ah, the child in me resurfaces just in time to watch the latest offering from Pixar and Disney. Usually, the inner child shines through after drinking like a NYC hobo, but this time it was in anticipation of Cars. I love being a kid! This time around, the story revolves around a egotistical race car [...]

Movie Review: The Break-Up (2006) »

Again, I find myself drawn to one of those lovey-dovey movies that Hollywood simply adores. And more often then not, I find myself scratching my ass wondering what in the hell I was thinking. Guess what – this is another one of those times; but not for the reasons you might think. The Break-Up from [...]

Movie Review: Mission: Impossible III (2006) »

Ah, summer blockbuster time. Sun is shing brightly, birds are chirping and Hollywood throws our way the movies that will make or break their year. The first movie of the season is Mission: Impossible III starring our favorite actor Tom Cruise as spy Ethan Hunt. Now I’m the first guy to get in line for [...]

Movie Review: Stick It (2006) »

Womans gymnastics. Can there be a sport where the competitors are in as good of shape? Volleyball, perhaps. Figure skating, that’s a possibilty too. But there can be no doubt that the only reason anyone watches the Olympics is to watch girls in peak physical condition do amazing things with their bodies. With that said, [...]

Movie Review: Scary Movie 4 (2006) »

With a moment to kill, I sat back with a cold Yuengling, a box of Wheat Thins and a jar of peanut butter and watched the latest Wayans brothers offering: Scary Movie 4. Now as always I try and be fair and watch all movies with an open mind – no preconceived notions here. There [...]

Movie Review: The Benchwarmers (2006) »

While the wife and children slept today and after the final conference call I cleared a bit of time to watch The Benchwarmers. This is the latest offering from our good friends at Happy Madison (Adam Sandler’s production company), and it shouldn’t be much of a surprise when I tell you the movie was utter [...]

Movie Review: V for Vendetta (2006) »

After a good long night of drinking, I finally sat down to watch what some are calling one of the best movies this year to come out of Hollywood. I’m obviously talking about the latest offering by the Wachowski brothers — V for Vendetta.  The movie based off of a UK comic book of the [...]

Movie Review: Failure To Launch (2006) »

Everyone, including myself, likes a good romantic comedy every now and then. After watching a few of the trailers for Failure To Launch, I figured it was that time. Failure To Launch is basically like all the romantic comedies before it. Good looking man (this time played by Matthew McConaughey) has a phobia or quirk [...]

Movie Review: Date Movie (2006) »

After a long week of air travel, conference calls and children who feel the need to jump up and down on my head, I needed a break. So, figuring I had laughed my ass off at the spoof movie, Scary Movie, I looked foward to laughing my ass off at Date Movie. Boy, I couldn’t [...]

Movie Review: Underworld: Evolution (2006) »

Not sure about you, but I’ve always been a buff on the unknown, supernatural stuff. I’ve always been intrigued by vampire tales or ghost stories. The stranger and scarier the better. So without a doubt, I wanted to see the second installment of the Underworld series, Underworld: Evolution. Underworld: Evolution has a simple premise: vampires [...]

Movie Review: Waiting . . . (2005) »

With a few hours to kill during this long weekend (thanks MLK Jr.), I figured I’d sit back with a cold beer and watch a good old fashioned comedy. Waiting . . . is another movie based loosely off of the Animal House, Office Space mold. You can’t fuck up a movie like that! Or [...]

Movie Review: The Chronicles of Narnia (2005) »

Although, I had never actually read the book – “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” (review title shortened, obvioulsy), I had heard a great many good things about it. So, I had high expectations going in to see this movie. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the [...]

Movie Review: Aeon Flux (2005) »

Some of you may or no may not remember, many moons ago MTV had a show called Liquid Television which was a show that gave air-time to independant animators. Aeon Flux was one of the more notable entries (as was Beavis and Butthead). So I decided to give the big screen adaption a shot, as [...]

Movie Review: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) »

I won’t call myself a devoted follower of the Harry Potter phenomenon dreamed up by J.K. Rowling, while she slept on the streets of Edinburgh. I would say, however, that I am a man who enjoyed the first three movies enough to look foward to seeing the latest incarnation: Harry Potter and the Goblet of [...]

Movie Review: Flightplan (2005) »

Let me start this review by saying that if my wife, whom I love dearly, didn’t want to watch this move, I wouldn’t have gone near it. I’ll be the first to admit Jodie Foster is a top-tier actress, but that fact didn’t outwiegh the notion that Flightplan is a hokey piece of shit. First, [...]

Movie Review: The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005) »

Hip hip hooray! Hip hip horray! I’ve waited patiently for a good comedy to come along and make me laugh. And since Hollywood hasn’t done much of a job coming out with anything worthwhile for quite sometime, I decided to pin my hopes on gut-wrenching adolescent humour on The 40 Year Old Virgin. I wasn’t [...]

Movie Review: Into The Blue (2005) »

Quite honestly I can say, I had absolutely no interest in watching this movie. However, after hearing people fawn over Jessica Alba, I figured I’d give it a go. Luckily, I wasn’t dissapointed. . . Yeah, I know suddenly you’re thinking ‘Mr. Peach must have enjoyed the movie’. Wrong. I expected Into The Blue to [...]

Movie Review: Four Brothers (2005) »

Just what the doctor ordered. A good ‘ole street-banging action flick by none other than John Singleton(whatever happened to him after Boyz n the Hood?). Four Brothers chronicles the actions of 4 adopted boys who seek to exact revenge on the people who killed their adoptive mother. . .a slight twist to the urban action-drama [...]

Movie Review: Red Eye (2005) »

With my folks in town and some time to kill, we decided to sit back and watch the latest Wes Craven psychological thriller Red Eye. Personally, I had absolutely no idea what this movie was about except for the fact it had some shit to do with a plane and crazy guy. So, going into [...]

Movie Review: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) »

There are few movies that I watch every time they are rerun on TBS. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory is one of those movies. So you can understand my initial hesitation when I heard that it was remade and released as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a story [...]

Movie Review: The Skeleton Key (2005) »

We’ve all seen the advertisements of the The Skeleton Key telling would-be movie watchers that ‘this movie is as good as The Sixth Sense’ and asking people to not ‘spoil the ending’. So, as most of mindless America, I bit the hook and and let them reel me in. In a nutshell the movie casts [...]

Movie Review: Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo (2005) »

Let’s see, Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo was a mildly funny movie. So I expected Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo to be a rehash of the first. . .same type of jokes, same premise, etc. Guess what? I was right. Plain and simple Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo just isn’t that funny this time around. The man-whore, mangina, [...]

Movie Review: Bad News Bears (2005) »

Finally! A movie that I was actually interested in seeing. Why? Three reasons really. One: Bad News Bears is quite a good movie and I think a well done remake couldn’t hurt it. Two: Billy Bob Thornton. Three: Billy Bob Thornton. . .oh yeah I said that one already. The premise of this masterpiece, is [...]

Movie Review: The Dukes of Hazzard (2005) »

Well let’s see. . .why oh why, would I bother to watch The Dukes of Hazzard? Oh yeah, same reason it’s the number one movie in the land: Jessica Simpson. Every man in the country is flocking to the movie in hopes of catching a glimpse of Ms. Simpson’s tits and ass. . . and [...]

Movie Review: Fantastic Four (2005) »

Well, it was bound to happen again. No, I don’t mean that the sun will surely rise in the east, as it always does. I mean, another attempt has been made to bring a comic book to the silver screen.Fantastic Four is another attempt by the movie studios to cash in on the comic book [...]

Movie Review: Wedding Crashers (2005) »

What an absolutely great idea for a movie! Wedding Crashers chronicles the lives of two womanizers as they lie, connive and trick unsuspecting girls into removing their clothing and partaking in some hot loving. And who better to play the parts of the dirtbags than, Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn. Well that all sounds good, [...]

Movie Review: Batman Begins (2005) »

Finally, a rendition of Batman that most fans of the comic book would be proud of. At least that was the hope I had when I finally sat down to watch Batman Begins. Let’s start where the producer’s of Batman Begins got it right. Without a doubt, they nailed the persona of Batman. From the [...]

Movie Review: Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005) »

Hmmm. . .Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt in the same movie. Arguably, the two best looking actors in the world. Initial thoughts? Mr. & Mrs. Smith has to suck. When the media focuses on the couple after filming the movie goes downhill. . .remember that shitfest Gigli? So needless to say, I didn’t go into [...]

Movie Review: Madagascar (2005) »

Once again, Hollywood has decided to bring the masses another cute and cuddly CGI feature film with, you guessed it, animals! Who woulda thunk that? As has been said in previous reviews, Hollywood sticks to a format that works. Therefore, Madagascar should be no different from Shrek or Robots. . . Am I correct? Basically. [...]

Movie Review: The Amityville Horror (2005) »

Why, oh why, do I do this to myself? I must be a glutton for punishment as that’s really the only way to explain my reasoning to watch the remake of The Amityville Horror. Where should I begin. I knew this movie had to suck ass before my wife and I sat down to watch [...]

Movie Review: Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005) »

I’ve finally given in. No, not to the dark side(unless of course you speak to my wife), rather I’ve finally given in and decided to watch Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. After the first two debacles (episodes I and II), I was weary to say the least. Let’s start by saying [...]

Movie Review: Kicking & Screaming (2005) »

Let me start this review by saying Will Ferrell is a funny motherfucker. He single handedly made Saturuday Night Live funny and all the recent movies he’s been in (Elf, Old School, Anchorman) were funny as hell. So I knew to expect the same from Kicking & Screaming. Will Ferrell plays a father who unexpectedly [...]

Movie Review: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005) »

DON’T PANIC. Every fan of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy trilogy (actually 5 books) were overheard repeating DON’T PANIC. Even I wondered aloud if the the big screen could even remotely capture the essence of the written material. Let’s just say I was pleasantly surprised. This could have easily been a train wreck…luckily Douglas [...]

Movie Review: Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous (2005) »

With the mildly surprising success of Miss Congeniality, Hollywood and Sandra Bullock figured why not pump out a sequel and hope for similar results. What do they get? Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous. A mildly entertaining movie (of course). Ms. Bullock reprises her role as FBI agent Gracie Hart. The dressed down, seemly stupid [...]

Movie Review: D.E.B.S. (2005) »

I went into this movie knowing full well D.E.B.S. was going to be a close second to that shitfest Elektra. But, I had to take a chance on chicks with short skirts, thigh highs, and the chance of lesbian make-out scenes. I’m a man, damnit! However low my expectations were, I was still disappointed! D.E.B.S., [...]

Movie Review: Sin City (2005) »

Wow. Another comic book…err, I mean graphic novel to movie adaptation. Which one am I talking about now? Sin City of course. An obscure graphic novel by the man who single-handedly made Batman cool again – Frank Miller. Although, most of the latest comics to movies have sucked ass (see Electra, Daredevil, etal), I was [...]

Movie Review: Robots (2005) »

I like animation. Every Saturday I watch my morning cartoons (on the WB of all places!) Late at night I watch Cartoon Network to watch the crazy-ass anime imports. I am a true believer that watching this shit will keep you young at heart. Based on this I looked forward to watching the latest Hollywood [...]

Movie Review: The Ring Two (2005) »

Last night, the wife and I sat down expecting to get a good scare before going to bed. She had her popcorn. I had high hopes. Although, I wasn’t a huge fan of the first movie (it reminded me of the shitty scarefest FearDotCom), I figured The Ring Two would be better. After all, Hollywood [...]

Movie Review: Hostage (2005) »

Let’s begin by saying I like Bruce Willis. Always have. Any man that bagged Demi Moore, is alright in my book. So I looked forward to checking out his latest movie Hostage. How can Hollywood screw up a movie that seems so similar to one of the greats: Die Hard? Movie starts off great. Motherfucker [...]

Movie Review: Hitch (2005) »

Every once in a while a movie comes along starring Will Smith that has the look of being good. Every once in a while that movie will actually be good. I am pleased to say that Hitch falls into the latter category. As you can tell I’m not a big fan of Will Smith. He [...]

Movie Review: The Pacifier (2005) »

Maybe you were like me and saw the hundreds of trailers on the television outlining a funny, good-hearted family film. Maybe you thought that movie had the possibility of being quite funny. What movie am I talking about? The Pacifier of course. I’ll admit it, in some confusing way, I was looking forward to seeing [...]

Movie Review: Elektra (2005) »

How is it possible to create a worse movie than Alone in the Dark? Easy, dump out a piling heap of shit and title it Elektra. Now let’s be realistic. I knew the movie was going to be a waste of time and money. I watched this movie for two reasons. One, it was free. [...]

Movie Review: Constantine (2005) »

Ok, I’ll admit it, I went into Constantine thinking it was a pile of horseshit. Everyone I knew (and their mothers) claimed this movie sucked ass. “Shit movie,” and “Keanu Reaves can’t act,” are a few of the remarks I’ve heard. Although I can’t argue the latter opinion, I make a case on the first. [...]

Movie Review: Hide and Seek (2005) »

The basic premise of the movie: a family man takes his daughter from their city home where a tragedy had occurred, to a country cottage where all hell breaks loose. Hide and Seek has a great cast so I expected good things. Robert DeNiro still has some acting left in him. Dakota Fanning is an [...]

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    Movie is a massive heap of shit
    Stay Away

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