Archive for the ‘Reviews’ Category

January28

Avatar Review

By: Dan


After facing the fact that I was the only one left in American that hadn't seen Avatar, my wife and I finally made it out to the 3D adventure. I had been quietly anticipating this movie for a while, never really expressing a frenzied anxiousness to see it, but I held a more reserved hope that it could be as good as everyone said it was.

-How did the hype affect the film?

What drove me to shy away from overtly expressing my "want" to see this movie could be summed up in one word: hype. There has been a tremendous amount of hype for this film, hype that I haven't seen since Watchmen or The Dark Knight. The world was on the edge of their seat just waiting to behold the spectacle that James Cameron called, "nothing you've ever seen before." That's a lot to live up to. It was almost too surmountable for me to even attempt to measure my own expectations. I was fearful that the hype would overshadow the movie itself. That's such a force to be reckoned with nowadays. With the studios pouring every cent into marketing their films to viral campaigns being started, to hordes of fans starting their own Facebook groups in anticipation. So, how did the hype of Avatar affect my experience? Although the hype was surreal, it only served to magnify how amazing Avatar is!

-Was Avatar just a "movie to be seen" or to be "experienced?"

There are times when you go see a movie that it's just that: going to see a movie. It's fun, it's casual, it's an escape from everyday life that allows you to just let go of all of your worries for a couple of hours. Avatar is NOT just a movie to go see on a Saturday afternoon! The experience of watching Avatar was unlike anything I have ever experienced. James Cameron was right about this film being "unlike anything we've ever seen before." Avatar is by far one of the Top 5 Most Beautiful films I've ever seen. I think Cameron's film is going to be a bar-setter, much like The Matrix and Lord of the Rings were for their respective technological breakthroughs.

-In a world full of CGI, how did the film retain its heart?

How could a film that is composed of 60% CGI have such an affect on me and the world? Take away all of the technology, the effect, the crazy visuals, and you get back to the basics of film: the characters make the film come alive. In order to pull this kind of film off, a film that spends most of its time in a fake world created by computers, you need to have believable and authentic characters to lead the way. Pulling this off the best, in my opinion, was Zoe Saldana. Her portrayal of Neytiri was sensational and amazing, and absolutely touching. I thought that Sam Worthington was believable but that you could have cast anyone in that role and it wouldn't have mattered. Sigourney Weaver I thought had the best character development through the film. In the beginning she is shown as being a bitter scientist who knows that what she is passionate about and why she is there flies in the face of her superiors and isn't taken seriously. Instead of just staying that way, her character develops a love for the Na'vi and ultimately finds her home there. Beautiful. One of the surprise characters that I actually liked, who I am not supposed to, was Stephen Lang's Colonel Miles Quaritch. He was sobering to watch on screen. It's easy to paint him as a thoughtless American soldier who is bent on murdering and punishing the Na'vi because of how "alien" they are and how different they are. For me, I really think that because he's been there so long and has had to fight for his life, that he truly rationalizes his actions, not out of some intense anti-Na'vi hatred, but because logically, it makes sense to him. He doesn't know any other reality. The most awkward character was Giovanni Ribisi's Parker Selfridge. I am sorry, that's not him. That was not a good casting decision.

-What about the story being just a copycat of other films?

A lot has been said about the story and whether or not it's a direct copy of Pocahontas, or Dances with Wolves, or Last of the Mohicans, or E.T. (ok, I made the E.T. part up), and in the end, it didn't matter. Cameron didn't worry about all of those comparisons, instead he focused on creating a majestic world full of rich contrasts and perfect execution in its beauty. As fantastical as it is, Cameron makes the world of Pandora almost seem familiar. It's full of rich color and wonder and depth of detail that makes for an eye-orgasm. Yes, I said it. As far as the other allegories associated with oppression and the comparisons to our current state with Iraq and the war, I get it, and I can see how you could follow that all the way through, but to me, it wasn't a distraction. I didn't notice it enough to make it ruin the whole movie for me.

-Does the length of the film take away from the quality overall?

After talking with a lot of my friends and family that have seen the film, the one thing they always say that is the one negative of this film is the length. "It was too long" is all I have been hearing. I never once noticed how long it was. I was thoroughly engaged into the entire Pandora universe the whole time, so much so, that 2 and a half hours passed like nothing. I realize that a long action movie can be dangerous because typically you have the main action scenes and then a bunch of useless and disconnected filler stuff. Cameron’s action never seemed to drag on nor was it bloated with useless and meaningless banter. I found the pace to be comfortable and engaging.

-Are there elements of 9/11 woven throughout?

I won't give away spoilers (though I am sure you have all seen it by now) but there's a scene involving the "Hometree" that really felt like 9/11 to me. The thundering explosions, the way the tree fell, the camera work, was all very reminiscent of how 9/11 felt. The frenzy of the crowd of Na’vi’s running, the power of the tree falling with the debris crushing people below, even the sheer force of when the tree finally hit the ground...all of it was very surreal and emotional. I wonder if Cameron used that as a reference when studying explosions and huge objects coming crashing down. That's a random aside, but one that I felt was worth mentioning if even to see if anybody else noticed that?

-Did you notice the awkward profanity?

One of the confusing and disappointing aspects of the film to me was the unnecessary use of profanity. I didn't at all expect there to be as much swearing as there was. It's not a deal breaker for me nor did it ruin the film, but the fact that I noticed it apart from the whole leads me to believe that it wasn't a good fit. There were a lot of kids in the theater and a few that I overheard saying during the parts where there were swearing, "I don't understand what's going on." It felt very creepy to see Sully or Grace use profanity as a Na'vi. It was like watching a smurf swear. Awkward.

-What has Avatar done for the future of films?

After the credits rolled, I knew I had just witnessed history. James Cameron has changed the way we look at and create films. Avatar was a beautiful and rich film that touched me and made me believe. My co-worker gave me a one word review after he saw the film: overwhelming. And I have to agree with him, but what I will add to that will be: awestruck. You can't leave the theater after seeing Avatar and not be in awe. Is this a look into the future of film making?

I give this film a 9 out of 10.


Content Warning: Rated PG-13 for intense epic battle sequences and warfare, sensuality, language and some smoking. I wouldn't recommend this film for kids. It would be too much to explain and with the one "sensual" scene, it might be too much.

Posted in: Reviews5 comments

January24

The Book of Eli Review

By: Steven


I turn around and stare at the steep incline I have just conquered, wiping the dirt from my palms. Two bridges, plenty of sharp brush, and a highway couldn't possibly stop me. I'm going to see Eli. The fact that I, a broke college student with no car, would hike an hour to the nearest theater says something about this movie. The fact that other people went with me says something about the hype. This is the big question I'm facing down: is Eli worth all this excitement, or is it an effort to extort a Christian target audience? I feared it would be the latter.

The opening scene is a simple invitation to drink deep from the monochromatic cup of a world that Hughes, Hughes, and Whitta are offering. We hear little more than Eli (Washington) breathing for the first few minutes and little more than him talking to himself for the next two. This makes it all the more shocking when he encounters others in the world. I'll be the first to admit, the post-apocalyptic thing has been pushed to the edge. There's only so much we can really do with it anymore. And what there is, Eli does exceptionally well. Channeling that Western feel we've heard so much about, the Hughes brothers create a world that is strikingly real. Famished cats become feasts, water becomes gold, and the American wonderland becomes a vast expanse of nothingness.

Perhaps the most obnoxious and awe-inspiring tool available for a film-maker is the capability to give or withhold information. The film revolves around the audience's willingness to be held by the hand and led through the darkness (a metaphor made all the more entertaining by the premise that many inhabitants of this world are blind). Of course we want to know what the book is. Why is it so important? But around this large, if somewhat predictable, solution lies a series of smaller intrigues. Why does everyone wear shades? What is the significance of the phrase “his hands aren't shaking, he's not one of them?” Where did Eli learn to fight like that? Are wet-naps really currency now? Why does Mila Kunis look cute in a world where shampoo is a rare gift? Some of these turn out to be oddly significant, others are merely things to toy with (American history buffs will giggle at our antagonist's moniker). Go in willing to overlook a bit of logical fallacy.

The violence, I have to say, is an improvement by Hollywood standards. The same industry that gave us gore-filled splatter-fests like 300 and Shoot 'Em Up somehow manages to convey the brutality of combat with an artistic flare. Yes, we have to see a few Spartan-style be-headings. No, we do not need two dry mops and a Swiffer to clean up afterward. That said, a world such as this cannot afford to avoid conflict. When someone comes at you with a chainsaw, you don't ask if they'd rather sort this out over coffee and Chinese checkers. And yet, Eli goes to great lengths to avoid fighting. When he says “I'm not looking for trouble,” he legitimately means “let's not do this please,” rather than the standard machismo “Give me a reason, punk.” That said, Eli can scrap with the best of them. The scene under the overpass is particularly elegant without being overdone.

Now the kicker. Yes, Eli has a very Christian undertone. No, it is not a weakness. I understand that, as a Christian, I'm not 100% qualified to say that. But Eli manages to walk the thin line between "Shameless Jesus Plug" and "Overly Zealous Bible Flick." It's not meant to sell you on the gospel, it's meant to get you thinking. There's a thousand different interpretations to pull up, but all of them seem strong. The movie speaks to the difficulty of walking the Christian path, the difference between the power of God and the power of Religion, and that lovely little thing called Faith. And the beauty of it, is that the packaging almost escapes you. As the credits rolled, I found myself saying “this was a pretty good film,” but a few steps out of the theater, and what I had just seen, truly hit me.

Anyone who has read anything on this movie knows that there is a twist ending. Not the M. Night twist just because, either. This is the kind of twist that means something. It's not a silly trademark or a weak attempt at mind games. It is a powerful statement about what God can do. The entirety of the film is a build up of terrible leading to one beautiful glimpse of hope. By the time you get sick of the shades-of-brown-and-gray atmosphere, the directors have one more little trick for you. Let's hope they keep this going for a long while.

Posted in: Reviews1 comments

January12

Rental Review Wrap Up - Pt. 2

By: Ryan


500 Days of Summer - I really love both Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt and for their parts, they were great. But the movie just didn't do it for me. I think that I was expecting a more typical romantic comedy rather than an independent dramedy. It had funny parts, but as a whole it was rather sparse and depressing. I don't want to say that it was a bad movie, but it did not meet my expectations.





Night at the Museum Battle of the Smithsonian - Ok this is clearly the most well known of the films on the list. Ben Stiller returns as Larry the security guard and has to do battle with a Pharaoh (played by the always amusing Hank Azaria). It was alright, but I felt that it didn't capture the same wonder as the first film. It seemed as though it was aimed more at children - as seen by the casting of the Jonas Brothers as singing cherubs on the top of a fountain. Amy Adams as Amelia Earhart was brilliant in spite of everything.



Cold Comfort Farm - An early-in-her-career Kate Beckinsale goes to live with family in the country to get inspiration for the book she plans on writing in the BBC production. Do I really need to tell you anything else? It was rough - I mostly played Mario Kart. Ooh, Mario Kart... I'll be right back.






The Family Man - This is one of my all-time favorite movies. Nic Cage and Tea Leoni are great and I think that it's a wonderful break from director Brett Ratner's typical action fare. It's a modern day "It's a Wonderful Life."






Quantum of Solace - I decided to give this one a second chance since I was given the DVD for Christmas. As I've mentioned previously, I liked the Pierce Brosnan Bond films and I loved Casino Royale. But something about this just comes off as feeling like another installment of the Bourne Identity - shaky camera work, over-the-top action sequences, less than engaging story. Take it for what it's worth.

Posted in: Reviews2 comments

January11

DVD Review: Seven Pounds

By: Steven

Before I say anything, I need to say this: I don't watch movies as art, I often go for sappy ones, and I have always liked Will Smith (as an actor—he lost my respect as a person when he converted to Scientology. That said, I legitimately enjoyed Seven Pounds. Possibly for those reasons.

The story of one man's struggle to redeem himself of the burdens of guilt and responsibility, Seven Pounds follows Ben Thomas on a mysterious quest to apparently re-invent Robin Hood as an IRS agent. Much of the power of the movie revolves around keeping details a secret, so I will do my best not to ruin anything (even though the basics are pretty easy to figure out). From the beginning, it's obvious that they mean for you to be confused. To put the pieces together yourself only so that they can rearrange them for you later. In this they almost succeed. The dialogue is simple and effective, in a word: believable. Grant Nieporte, who I understand to be a newcomer to the world of movies, is very adept at telling us exactly what he wants to tell us without spoon feeding it to us. He makes Ben a real person in that all his secrets aren't laid out for us to see. We are meant to dissect his motivations and feelings as the movie progresses. This can be challenging, as there are scenes legitimately intended to make us question him. When, in the course of the opening five minutes, Ben had already made disparaging and racist remarks (via phone) to a salesman, I began to wonder if I could in fact stomach the rest of the film...I could.

In fact, I practically devoured it. Even after I had put all the pieces together, the picture I had was one I simply could not resist seeing completed. There were points that brought me to the verge of tears. Not the sad, Hollywood tears that we're meant to cry when a hero dies. Rather, the tears that say “I can't believe that just happened.” Tears that are both joyful and depressed. Ben seems to run his operation on a loose set of guidelines and morals, and it is amazing to watch him implement what he sees as justice. Most of the time, I agreed with his ends while sometimes doubting his means. But given the way the film progressed and eventually ended, that's understandable.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves: the film is far from perfect. There are flashback sections that are, quite frankly, very good at making me feel like something is wrong. Did I just hit the scene skip? No... this is an incredibly oversubtle flashback. These segments are much like American banking of late: Sometimes they work, and sometimes they fail miserably. Add to that a forced romance and the flaws of Seven Pounds start to become an issue. Perhaps suffering from the same subtlety I so recently praised, the romance that develops between Ben and one of his wards, Emily Posa, seems to progress very quickly and seldom logically. At the point wherein he was at her house everyday without her permission (often in her backyard or workshop without her knowledge) and she didn't seem at all worried, I realized there would need to be some suspension of logic here. With that step taken, the film improved tremendously.

By the time the film had reached it's dramatic-if-somewhat-predictable conclusion, I was devoted to it. Smith's dark humor and broken demeanor built marvelously into a very powerful conclusion and I suddenly realized why such are far-fetched relationship was necessary. This is a story of sacrifice, and by the time I was finished watching it, I felt like I was carrying around a few extra pounds of my own. Somehow, despite its flaws, this film got into my head and affected me on a deep level. I felt just a tinge of what Ben felt, and I rejoiced in his final acts. Whether or not the principles behind his plan for self-redemption are sound is something that will vary with the viewer, but no one can deny that what Ben does is incredible. All of his insanity, his energy and pain add up into a beautiful whole for his final scene. And I almost wish they had ended it there.

The closing scene was not bad, per se. It merely failed to live up to the rest of the film's power. It was almost too blatant, too obvious. Like a subtitle that said “In case you didn't get it... here's what happened. Now isn't that wonderful?”

I admit that this review is a bit bipolar, perhaps because it's been tainted by my discussion of the film with others. When I was done watching, I was convinced that I had just been a part of something wonderful. That magic faded in the face of logic and the real world. My advice to you for Seven Pounds is the same as for most movies: don't think too hard. Experience it. That is where it's power lies.

Posted in: Reviews4 comments

January3

Rental Review Wrap Up - Pt. 1

By: Ryan



So, I spent the holidays at my in-laws' which means movie night every night. Of course, the films ran the gamut from outrageous to obscure. Here's a brief set of reviews/warnings.
Nothing Like the Holidays - This movie reminded me a lot of a Puerto Rican version of Barbershop. Adult children return home to their parents' house in Chicago - each with their own set of troubles. Chaos, comedy, and family conflict ensue. I usually enjoy John Leguizamo but I didn't think that he was used very well in this film. It was rather predictable but a good change from the usual holiday fodder.
You Can Count on Me - Oh my. Um, parents die in a car crash. Son turns out to be a drunk loser. Daughter (Laura Linney) becomes a bank teller and single mother to one of the Culkin kids that's not Macaulay.  Matthew Broderick is her boss. They have an affair while his wife is pregnant. Meanwhile she preaches at her brother about how he needs to be in church. This is a trainwreck.
What I Did for Love - Jeremy London is in love with this girl and wants to get engaged. She asks him to come visit her family on the farm to get her father's approval. Her father doesn't like him. It's not dissimilar to London's most famous film, Mallrats, except for the language and bathroom humor. Oh, yeah, there's a healthy dose of Son in Law in there to, except no Paulie Shore. It wasn't totally bad, if you're into Lifetime Movie Network.
Out to Sea - Oh, how I love this movie. Walter Mathau and Jack Lemon are both genius. I had actually showed this movie to my in-laws a few weeks ago at Thanksgiving. They told my wife's aunt and she said she had to see it, so we watched it again. Probably the best $5 I ever spent on a DVD. Oh yeah, it's about two old guys on a cruise ship trying to meet women and not get caught by their boss.

Posted in: Reviews1 comments

November28

The Twilight Saga: New Moon Review

By: Dan

poster_NEW_MOON_TeaserI don't know if I need to preface my review with a disclaimer that says "I have never read the books" in order to substantiate my review, but in the end, I know my review will be cast aside because I just "don't get the whole story without reading the books." And I am ok with that.

With movies like Harry Potter, The Chronicles of Narnia, and Twilight, I want to leave the theater inspired to go and read more about it. I want the movie to strive to want to make a fan out of me. I want to be so curious as to the motivations of characters, why certain things happen, the little details that make the characters whole that are left out, that I run out and buy all of the books. And for me, New Moon hasn't done that for me. I am no more a fan than I was when I left Twilight...though, I am at least more interested in the franchise to come.

If I could have been taking notes during the film, I know the one word that would have littered the pages: pouty. Everyone in this movie pouted. Edward was pouting, Bella was pouting, Charlie was pouting, and at times, even Jacob was pouting. Why was everyone pouting? It just seemed that, at least in the first and the last act, everyone was depressed and in angst...but I wasn't fully convinced of why. I thought that the first film at least made me believe the chemistry and the connection between Edward and Bella, but in this film, the reasoning wasn't clear. I felt that they were just reacting to each other and not really connecting. Whereas Twilight established a deep bond between them, New Moon tried to build on it, but instead it felt shallow. Jacob to me was the only real character with substance to him. If I was giving away an award for the Most Improved Character/Actor I would give it to Taylor/Jacob.

I am wondering if the emergence and popularity of Twitter may have seeped its way onto the script of New Moon. I felt like Edward and Bella's dialogue together was like an IM conversation. They were very quick short cheesy phrases that all said the same thing: I can't live without you. I don't know if it was the editing or how it actually played out on screen, but everything was so rushed with them. They were just robots reading lines to each other, and in fact, the only really "human" we see out of them is when Edward "breaks up with her" and leaves her. We at least saw their hearts and their vulnerability without the love poetry.

I love poetry and I love a good romantic film. I really like to see people engage in each other and really experience the intensity of love and the sacrifice and the work is requires of you. It's hard for me to take any of the relationships in this film seriously. I thought the relationship between Edward and Bella felt fake and awkward and scripted, whereas I thought her relationship with Jacob was way more realistic. There was never enough time or enough material on screen to build on what was established in the first film. Edward and Bella felt like an old couple who had been together forever who had lost things to talk about, except for of course death and vampires and aging. Even the "wolf pack" was a laughable addition to the film and didn't help the relational handicap New Moon has. In fact, if you didn't know any better, watching Jacob and the "wolf pack" felt like watching a parody of the Twilight franchise.

And to me, that's where this film and the rest of the films will and have failed: there is so much going on that we don't know about because they are in the book. Inner-monologues, deep convictions, heartfelt thoughts, secret dreams, all of the greatness that makes for a good read that is totally left out of the movie...because it has to be. This franchise, this story, is built on the intense and world-defying relationship between Bella and Edward and how a teenage girl can fall in love with and ultimately die for a vampire. For that to be even considered a good read or a great story, there has to be a ton of build up and depth into the hearts of the characters. For us as the "audience" we have to fall in love with the characters to be able to reconcile the fantastical story. In literature, you have the time and the breadth of material to do that, in a 120 minute film adapted from that literature, you don't. Now, I know there have been a lot of really successful and relatively great book-to-movie adaptations, but right now, Twilight will not be one of them.

What we are left with is an underwhelming film franchise that doesn't come close to connecting us "non-fans" with the story and ultimately making us care about them, and a film that the "fans" will forever shun because "they didn't come close to matching the books."

My wife tells me that the books get better and more intense so here's hoping that the next installment might make me believe.

Content Warning: Rated PG-13 for some violence and action. The Volturi vampires are intense and probably one of the few bright spots in the film and the scenes involving them are a little violent. If you don't like monsters, then this isn't for you.

Posted in: Reviews3 comments

October15

Rental Reviews: Ghost Town

By: Ryan

Rental Reviews: I’m a dad now, so I don’t get to see too many movies when they first come out. However, with the advent of Redbox and OnDemand, it’s getting easier for me to catch up on the ones I miss.

Here's another one that I caught from HBO on Demand: Ghost Town. When I first saw the trailers for it, I thought it looked interesting, but not enough to go out and spend any money on. And the truth is, I was right. It may be worth a Redbox $1, but probably not much more.

That's not to say it wasn't any good. It was actually, quite entertaining. I've always enjoyed Téa Leoni and Greg Kinnear. I knew of Ricky Gervais, but I had never seen him in any sort of performance. The film also features SNL's Kristen Wiig who is totally a one-note-joke, but she does it so well that you forgive her.

So here's the deal. An uptight dentist (Gervais) has a surgical mishap and begins seeing ghosts. One of those ghosts (Kinnear) won't leave him alone unless he helps out on a problem involving the dead guy's wife. As you can imagine, the dentist falls for the wife and learns many a lesson about being uptight and self-involved. Along the way, a number of ghosts realize that they may have a new-found ally and hilarity ensues.

Rated PG-13 for some strong language, sexual humor and drug references. The language was the most noticeable and was typically unnecessary, but that's what you get from Greg Kinnear.

By the way, Alan Ruck, though limited in his time on screen, does an amazing job - as noted in last week's TV Throwdown!

Posted in: Reviews2 comments

October14

Rental Reviews: Meet Dave

By: Dan

Rental Reviews: I'm a dad now, so I don't get to see too many movies when they first come out. However, with the advent of Redbox and OnDemand, it's getting easier for me to catch up on the ones I miss.

So, a few weeks ago, I was scrolling through my HBO on Demand and they were running Meet Dave. I wanted to watch something that my wife would not find irritating, so I put it on and it cracked me up.

Here's the basic idea: Eddie Murphy plays a spaceship inhabited by 3 inch tall aliens. Their captain happens to be Eddie Murphy. They crash land on earth in search of a mysterious technology that has been discovered by a boy in New York City. The captain has to navigate the space ship (Dave) around the city while trying to blend in long enough to find the technology. In the process lessons are learned about the goodness of humanity and how we're all the same and equal and stuff like that.

Now, I've never been an Eddie Murphy fan, but his performance as Dave is GENIUS! It reminds me of early Jim Carey, over the top, physical comedy. The fact that he adopts the name Dave Mingchang is hilarious every time they say it. The other actors are great, including the often-underrated Gabrielle Union.

I find that as I get older I'm more and more drawn to this type of film that doesn't require a lot of investment on my part, but reaps huge returns in entertainment and fun.

It's rated PG for bawdy and suggestive humor, action and some language, but to my recollection it really wasn't that offensive. There was a character that came out as gay, some very mild sexuality, alcohol humor, and a little bit of bathroom humor.

Posted in: Reviews3 comments

September7

Movie Review: 17 Again

By: Dan

This weekend I had an itch to watch a new movie, but I didn't really have anything in mind. When I pulled up in front of Blockbuster (yes, they still have physical stores) I saw the sign outside for 17 Again and I remembered that several people that I respect had said good things about it. So I rented it.

I'm glad I did. It may be the best film I've seen all year. It was fun, it was hilarious, it was simple, it was the perfect movie.

I think that you all kind of know the jist of the story. It's basically the movie Big in reverse. It also kind of reminded me of Like Father Like Son. Why? I don't know. Maybe I just like referencing Kirk Cameron's early film career. (He showed such promise!)

I thought that Zac Efron was great and really delivered a wonderful performance, especially in the more emotional scenes. It was impossible to for me to accept the almost 24-year-old Michelle Trachtenberg as either a high schooler or Zac Efron's daughter (she's 2 years older than him). Thomas Lennon absolutely stole the show.

Obviously, we're not talking about an Academy Award winning movie here. It's just one of those films that you can through on and zone out to for 90 minutes and feel satisfied in the way you've spent your money.

Posted in: Reviews7 comments

August24

My Summer In Review

By: Dan

Now that the summer has come to an end and school is back in session, it's time for my Summer in Review. Here I will list all of the summer movies that I have seen and didn't want to dedicate an entire review on, and some that I did dedicate an entire review on. Some of them will be new releases that debuted this summer in theaters, and others will be movies that I finally got around to seeing.

In Theaters

Star Trek

img_StarTrek_300Star Trek was the first movie of the summer that I was able to see. Ironically enough, it was the last movie I saw before my little boy was born, so it was definitely memorable just in that. I have already reviewed it here so you can check out my full review there, but in short, it was one of the best movies I had ever seen. A brilliant combination of old Star Trek lore and modern-day action and storytelling. Beautiful!

Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen

transformers2-hiThis movie was memorable for many reasons: 1) it was the first movie my wife and I saw together after having our boy, and 2) it sparked one of the best movie discussions on expectations in Truth On Cinema history. Michael Bay brought us another blow-it-up action movie about robots that we loved as kids, but this time, our imaginations were stifled by slow-mo explosions and the exploitation of Megan Fox If you want to read the entire review in all its glory, you can read it here. In short though, whatever expectations I did have were seriously under-met.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

img_HarryPotter6_1I haven't yet, but am meaning to, write up my full review on the 6th installment of the glorious Harry Potter franchise, so for now, consider this my mini-review-teaser-for-the-full-review-to-come-later. Like I have exhaustively said, I came to the HP party very late and read all of the books prior to seeing any of the movies, this one being the first in the theaters, so having said that: I generally liked this movie a lot but felt that a lot of was left out. A lot of people complain about there being too much "teeny-bopper-love" stuff and not enough action, and while I agree that the end of the movie was a complete failure in capturing the enormity of the battle, I actually really liked the fact that David Yates focused on the relationships more than the good vs. evil saga that can grow weary. Look for my full review later.

Public Enemies

img_PublicEnemies_300Once again, Public Enemies is a movie that I have not fully written up, so just like Harry Potter, this will be my review quick-hit. I absolutely loved this movie! There, is that enough of a review quick-hit?! I am a Michael Mann fan and a Johnny Depp fan to the end, so for me, this was the perfect storm. It had everything for me: action, a historical base, the mob (which I am a huge fan of), organized crime in the 60's, and Johnny Depp. The two biggest let-downs for me were: Christian Bale and his accent. I thought his character was too big for him.

District 9

district-9-trailerOk, so it seems that I have a lot of full-length reviews to write because here is another movie that I haven't published my review of yet. This was the most recent summer movie I was able to see and let me tell you: this movie is one of the Top 10 Best Sci-Fi Films in the last two decades. What a mind blowing movie! I think the factor that takes this film into "unbelievable" territory is the fact that the film only cost $30 million to make. What is that, like a tenth of the horrific failure Transformers 2?! Don't walk, run to the theaters while it's still there and discover one of the true gems of the summer.

DVD

Into The Wild

img_IntotheWild_300For my full review, click here. Before watching this movie, I knew only that Sean Penn had directed it and it was about a lone misfit twentysomething that wanted to hitchhike his way to Alaska to "find himself" or some other hippie journey. To be honest, in the beginning, I passed it off as one of those films you aren't interested in at a glance. Either you "judged a book by its cover" or you "put all of your eggs in one basket" or some other phrase that essentially means you prejudged something before actually experiencing it for yourself. I am glad that I experienced it for myself, let me tell you. Sean Penn, you should do more movies.

Pretty in Pink

JFA80SmOVIESo it may be a little taboo to bring this movie since John Hughes' passing is still pretty fresh, but this was one of those movies that I had somehow missed when I was growing up. My wife exclaimed to me one day while discussing our childhood movies, "WHAT?! You haven't seen Pretty In Pink and you consider yourself a child of the 80's?!" So, lo and behold, I dove head first into neon colors and bangs to find a sweet and lovable movie that would have totally been one of my favorites as a young kid. I am sure everyone says this, but seeing as how I am 20 years late to this film I am excused, but I loved Duckie! I thought Jon Cryer was the best thing about this film. Molly Ringwald was just like I expected her to be: neurotic, weird, into her own thing, yet still mainstream enough to draw us in. And Andrew McCarthy as the confused "I-am-rich-and-snobby-yet-am-intrigued-by-this-lower-class-girl" boy was mediocre at best. In the end, I am glad that Duckie didn't end up with Ringwald, that just wouldn't fit with the characters; they are best friends until the end, not lovers. All in all, it was a nice trip back to the 80's where sweet and corny were still cool and not "classic."

Smart People

img_SmartPeople_1For the full write-up of what I thought about Smart People, feel free to click on through. Where would a summer be without your typical and quirky indie film that is sure to be the sleeper hit of the season...well, it hasn't happened yet. I think I had high hopes with this film before my wife and I sat down to watch it and for some reason, whether it was the mediocre story, or the lackluster performances by the leads, it just left me feeling, "meh." It wasn't great, but it wasn't terrible, it was just an average film with some A-list actors that tried to be quirky and indie (whatever that is anymore) and ironic, but just ended up being boring. Thomas Hayden Church steals the movie for me and served to at least provide the movie with some much needed levity.

That's it for my Summer In Review. I know there are quite a few films that came out earlier this summer that I missed due to my son being born, but don't you worry, I will get caught up and complete my 2009 Summer Movie Season.

So, tell me, what did you see this summer that you liked/disliked? Was there something about any of my little reviews that you agreed or disagreed with?

Let me know what you think and we'll see you next summer!

Posted in: Featured, Reviews2 comments

Get Adobe Flash playerPlugin by wpburn.com wordpress themes

© Copyright Truth On Cinema. All Rights Reserved.