“He gave me booze! Did he take a sip? I can’t remember. Or maybe it was the chocolate! Don’t take candy from strangers!” – Mike Enslin
Synopses
Mike Enslin is a paranormal writer who spends the night in haunted houses for a living. His books, Ten Nights in Ten Haunted Houses, Ten Nights in Ten Haunted Graveyards, and Ten Nights in Ten Haunted Castles have attracted so him a cult following. He’s not wildly popular, but he makes enough money to live a comfortable life. Despite all of this, Mr. Enslin is a lonely man. His young daughter passed away from a fatal illness and he separated with his wife shortly after. He goes from one haunted hot spot to the next to record his activities all the while, not believing an ounce of it. As skeptical as he may be, he takes his work seriously. So when he receives a postcard in the mail of the dolphin hotel in New York city, with the words “Don’t enter 1408” he is ready for the challenge.
He leaves for New York all most immediately, and checks into the hotel armed with only a cigarette and a cassette recorder to document his night.
Jeff’s Review
Swedish film director Mikael Håfström takes Stephen King’s unsettling story about a haunted hotel room and turned it into an amazing hour and forty six minute fright-fest!
This film is unique because the majority of it is Crusack alone in the hotel room. It has the feel of a Broadway one man show. He takes command of the screen and doesn’t let go.
The film version of 1408 is vastly different and I dare say superior to the book. While King’s novella was good and spooky in it’s own right, the movie takes the story to a whole new level. In the book, we don’t really know what’s going on in the room. All we hear (read) is what Michel records in the cassette recorder. Other then that we are left to our imagination. And while this does work well for a novel, it obviously would not work for the theaters.
The story builds and plays on your anticipation of what is going to happen next. And when it does actually happen, it has you jumping out of your seats with fear. The pacing reminded me of M. Night Shyamalan’s work in Sightings, very slow and methodical.
When you get watch this on DVD, be sure to watch the alternative version of the film too. I would say they are both equally good, while the alterative version is just slightly better. The ending is improved and makes more sense to me then the original.
Cast
John Cusack as Mike Enslin
Samuel L. Jackson as Gerald Olin
Tony Shalhoub as Sam Farrell
Mary McCormack as Lily Enslin
Jasmine Jessica Anthony as Katie Enslin
John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson excel in this masterful ghost story. The scenes with the two of them playoff of each other were one of the most memorable of the film.
Suggestions and Ratings
The MPAA gives 1408 a PG-13 rating for thematic material including disturbing sequences of violence and terror, frightening images and language. But that all sounds good for a ghost story, right? I give this film two different ratings. The original theatrical release gets three out of four stars, however the alterative, directors version gets four out of four stars.
“You got that kid killed, and I got his f***ing blood on me!” – David Drayton
Synopses
David Drayton, a commercial artist is painting in his home one night in the middle of a violent thunderstorm. He leaves to take shelter with his family in the basement only to awake the next morning to find his art studio and the painting he was working on has bee completely destroyed. While surveying the damage outside he also learns his boat house has been crushed by a neighbors tree. As he goes to exchange insurance information with him he learns his neighbor, Brent Norton he learns a tree also fell on his propertyand crushed his car.
The two of them, along with David’s five year old son Billy head into to town to get supplies and resources while the power is down. On the way there they pass several military vehicles speeding down the highway. Once the arrive at the store a strange mist starts to engulf everything outside. A local named Dan miller comes running, in front of the mist bleeding from the nose saying “something is in the mist.”
Jeff’s Review
Based on a 1980 novella by Stephen King, the Mist might be the most frightening film based on King’s work. It was directed and written by Frank Darabontwho also adapted King’s the Shawshank Redemption and the Green Mile.Both of those movies are numbers one and two on my all time favorite movie list. So I had very high expectations about this movie before hand.
I had never read the book so I came to the story fresh with no preconceived notions of what to expect. Sometimes it hurts when you know the story from a book seeing the movie. I probably would have enjoyed “I am Legend” better if I did not view the movie wanting to see Richard Matheson’s vampire novel on screen.
So coming in blind, what I saw shocked and scared me. Darabont succeeds in making a very terrifying monster movie. And yet at the same time, an interesting movie about people’s natural reaction to fear.
Having seen the movie, I did go out and read the book and the film was fairly faithful to the original story, changing a few things for dramatic and story telling purposes. One major change was the ending of the movie. It is completely different then what King penned in his novella. Darabont wasn’t sure if King would like it or not and was apprehensive about showing it to him, but to his delight King loved it. King went as far as saying:
“Frank wrote a new ending I love. It is the most shocking ending ever. There should be a law passed stating that anybody who reveals the last five minutes of this film should be hung from their neck until dead.”
I of course will obey Mr. King and just say after viewing the movie’s ending it laterally left me speechless.It is something you did not see coming and will make you think for a long time to come about what you would do if ever faced with a similar situation.
Cast
Thomas Jane as David Drayton
Marcia Gay Harden as Mrs. Carmody
Laurie Holden as Amanda Dumfries
Andre Braugher as Brent Norton
Toby Jones as Ollie Weeks
William Sadler as Jim Grondin
Jeffrey DeMunn as Dan Miller
Frances Sternhagen as Irene
Alexa Davalos as Sally
Nathan Gamble as Billy Drayton
The cast did a magnificent job. Thomas Jane is remarkable as a David Drayton and he almost did no get the role, as the studio did not want him at first. Luckily for us, everything got straightened out.I was also really happy to see Jeffrey DeMunn as he is one of my favorite actors. He has been in a number of Stephen King movies, including Shawshank and Green Mile. But m favorite role of his was in King’s miniseries, “Storm of the Century.” His role here in the Mist was small, but he was brilliant every moment he was on camera.
Suggestions and Ratings
The movie is rated R for violence, terror, gore, and language. At just over two hours long this movie is perfect movie to watch with all the lights off and a big bag of popcorn on your lap. Seriously, you are doing yourself a disservice if you watch this movie with the lights on. So turn them off and prepare yourself for a terrifying night! Four out of four stars.
Yeah Coach, when is the black man finally gonna get a fair shake in the fight game?” – Jerry Ferro
Synopses Jerry Ferro is a retired boxer who left the sport early so he could maintain his perfect record. He now works construction and teaches suburbanites boxing in the evening. Things seem to be going nowhere for Jerry when one day he gets a chance to fight an up and coming boxing superstar. Despite getting pummeled, he manages to land a colossal knockout punch. This inspires Jerry to give it another go at the sport he loves.
Jeff’s Review
Released in select cities, the Hammer is sure to be a mega hit once everyone gets a chance to hear about it. No doubt, the more people see it, the more they will recommend it. This is the problem with independent films with such a limited budget. Few realize it costs about $15,000.00 just to make one print of a film for a movie theater. That’s an insane amount of money when you think of major films that open at 3,500 plus theaters!
This movie is strong enough to over come the obstacles. And even if it doesn’t mange to get a wider release, I predict it will be huge on DVD. Which is something I suppose they were expecting with their miniature budget.
But audiences will love Jerry Ferro. They will empathize and care about him. Adam Carolla is remarkable actor and his quick wit reminds me of Steve Carrell and the late Phil Hartmen.
Carolla is found of saying acting is easy and anyone could do it. He uses the example of his co-star Oswaldo Castillo who really is a Nicaraguan construction worker who happenes to be friends with Adam in real life. When making the movie, Carolla would just say to him to, “Now act happy,” or “act sad” and he would do it. And even if he is exaggerating, it doesn’t matter because Castillo is actually good in his acting debut.
Cast
Adam Carolla as Jerry Ferro
Oswaldo Castillo as Oswaldo Sanchez
Heather Juergensen as Lindsay Pratt
Harold Moore as Robert Brown
Jonathan Hernandez as Victor Padilla
Suggestions and Ratings
Great date movie (read chick flick) that guys will enjoy! The movie is rated R because of a couple “F” bombs, but I would suggest it for teenagers and up. The Hammer is a fun comedy that I can’t wait to see again. Four out of four stars.
“Weird Al” Yankovic, the undisputed king of parody strikes again with his very own R&B opera. Using R. Kelly’s “Trapped in the Closet” for inspiration, Weird Al weaves a tale of a young couple who make a late night trip to grab some fast food. Running just over ten minutes it’s a marvelous animated cartoon by Doug Bresler (Doogtoons).
Bresler is the winner of countless awards, such as best animated video of 2007 by Yahoo! and Best of the Web by the Animation World Network 2007. And I must say deservedly so! This video was wildly entertaining and produced extremely well. I would suggest readers check out other cartoons created by Bresler because they are equally as good as this one.
Weird Al as everyone knows is an extremely gifted writer and singer who doesn’t get the credit he richly deserves. Sure he’s immensely popular, but I think many think of him as a joke and not a talented artist. Every time I hear one of his songs I am always surprised by his vocal abilities.
Trapped in the Drive Thru is a must see for all fans of silly and satirical humor. Three out of four stars
I watched Bridge to Terabithia with great excitement. It came highly recommended from my good friend and fellow critic, Heather. But even in her praise for the movie, I was not ready for what I saw. I watched in stunned silence as the film ended. As I wiped away tears from my eyes, I thought about my own childhood. There’s something magical about elementary school that’s hard to explain. However, the friendships you make, while they may not last, are almost sure to have an impact on your life for years to come.
The story revolves around a young boy named Jess Aarons (Josh Hutcherson) and his little sister May Belle (Bailee Madson). The movie begins as we see Jess getting ready for a big race at school. Unfortunately, his mom threw his lucky sneakers out with the trash and since he comes from a poor family he’s is forced to wear his older sisters pink tennis shoes instead. Mortified at the thought, he quickly grabs a black marker and colors them in.
Later that day, as the race is set to begin the new girl in class Leslie (AnnaSophia Robb) decides to run as well (much to the chagrin of the others, who thought this was a “boy’s only” race). The contest is a close one between Leslie and Jess with Leslie taking the lead and beating him at the last minute. May Belle runs over to her big brother Jess, but he is sour because he was beat by Leslie who offers to shake hands after the race. He’s embarrassed and walks away from her. His bitterness fades away and eventually the two of them develop a close friendship help by the fact that Leslie moved in to the empty house next door to Jess.
While playing in the woods one day, the two of them create a magical world called Terabithia. Filled with magic and wonder, their world is full of prisoners being held captive by the evil, Dark Master. Jess and Leslie, with the help of dragon fly warriors have come to set them free. As their imagination sores, so does the adventures they have in Terabithia.
In a film full of remarkable moments and scenes, I have to say I was impressed at a very potent conversation Leslie, Jess and May Belle have on their way home from church one Sunday about God and the Bible. Leslie tells them she doesn’t believe God would ever damn anyone to hell because he’s to busy making “all of this” as she points to the picturesque country around her.
The Bridge to Terabithia is a extraordinary movie that should be remembered as one of the best coming of age movies ever created. The amazing thing to me is how the movie so carefully focuses on the different kinds of friendships and how important those can be. You see the frustration and anger Jess can feel have towards his little sister May Belle, but at the same time how much he loves and cares about her. And then the relationship between Jess and Leslie is incredible because you feel the connection these two have towards each other is so genuine and beautiful words fail to aptly describe it.
Another thing that sets the movie apart from the rest is the music. Throughout the film the director so wisely uses the music to set the tone and feeling of the movie. Every film tries to do this, and it rarely works as wonderful as it does in Bridge to Terabithia.
One of the best movies ever made, this should be required viewing or all students in junior high or high school. Based on the award winning novel by Katherine Paterson, the Bridge to Terabithia is a movie for all ages who cherish friendship. Turn on your imagination and be sure to keep your mind wide open, this movie gets Four out of four stars.
Little Miss Sunshine, a dramatic ride, full of emotional pit stops! There is obvious reasons this movie is universally praised. It touches on aspects of our lives that all of us can identify with. We have goals we want to accomplish, we all have failures we have to face, we all have obstacles we have to overcome, and it’s how we face these challenges that define who we are as a person. In Little Miss Sunshine you meet a family who are all facing these different struggles.
This is a story of the Hoover family from Arizona! Richard (the Dad), is all about being a winner, as a motivational speaker he’s trying to get his 9 step program to be recognized. Then you have Sheryl (the Mom), the hard working bread winner of the family. Next meet Dwayne (the teenage son), with dreams of attending flight school. Then there is Olive, sweet little girl (the daughter) who imaginings herself one day as walking down the stage as Ms America! Now there is Edwin (the Grandpa) who has that never had high aspirations, he just lived his life and is now addicted to cocaine. And finally, you have Frank, (the gay suicidal uncle) who also happens to be is the leading Proust Scholar in the United States!
Their voyage begins with the news that Olive can now compete in the Little Miss Sunshine pageant, taking place in the neighboring state of California! Determined to save money, Dad decides to go as a family and take the volts wagon bus! It’s along the way, they face many obstacles together as a family. They will forced to pull together and work as a family through some of their most disappointing and moments of their lives.
No sunscreen is needed when viewing this movie, you want the rays to hit you as you bask in it’s brilliance. The diverse nature of each character really highlights the amazing talents each actor brings to the table in this film. You would not expect them to fit so nicely together as they do, but they make it work. Abigail Breslin stands out as Olive, the lovable 8 year old little daughter. From her infectious smile to her big adorable round glasses, you are immediately in her corner. The audience no doubt cheers for her each step of the way! It was one of the best movies of 2006. Four out of four stars.
Millions of children lay in their beds every night trying to fall asleep, most of those children are afraid of the dark and things that go bump in the night. Their parents reassure them that there are no such thing as monsters, as they tuck them in and kiss them on the cheek! But beyond their closet doors, a whole different world exists.
This is the realm of Monstropolis, where monsters live, work and play. The world has a major problem. They’ve found themselves in the middle of an energy crisis. The fuel they need is different from ours, instead of electricity, they harvest are the screams of children. Professional Scarers work every night by going in the closets of unsuspecting children and scaring the wits out of them.
It is only those who work at Monsters Inc. that have given monsters such a bad name! Relaity however is very different indeed. Because it is the monsters who are terrified of children. They believe them to be toxic, when only one touch could mean death!
The scariest monster of all, is a big blue hairy fella named James P. “Sulley” Sullivan, for years he has been on the top of the leader board, for the most child screams. Together with his assistant Mike Wazowski, they make up a scare team, that can’t be defeated!
One evening while returning back to his desk, to retrieve some paper work, Sully catches a co-worker cheating, by scarring children after hours. While investigating the matter, he inadvertently leaves a child’s door open, which allows a little girl to enter Monstropolis! Now Sully and Mike must figure out a way to safely get the little girl back, without alarming the monster authorities.
From Pixar Studios, Monsters Inc. is a ground breaking, original film sure to delight, anyone who watches! Pixar’s fourth computer animated film captures the mood and feeling so many of us had when we were little and afraid of the dark. Four out of four stars.
“What is the deal with Bees? I mean come on, why are they so small and why do the like honey so much?”
Okay, now just picture me saying that in a Seinfeld accent. Still not amused? Okay, let’s get to this review. I promise not to use too many bee jokes, or one-liners, but I admit it will be hard to resist. As every hardcore Seinfeld fan knows, most of the titles of his episodes were very simple, and followed the same formula: The Contest, The Junior Mint, The Virgin, The Bubble Boy. So it was no surprise to me, that his movie was called, “The Bee Movie.”
Jerry Seinfeld play a bumble bee named Barry Bee Benson (notice the cleveralliteration) who has just finished college and is ready to head out in the bee world as a honey worker. However, he flies outside with the other worker bees whose job it is to pollinate flowers and discovers the magic that is the human race.
Once out there his life is saved by a sweet woman named Vanessa Bloome (Renee Zellweger). He breaks a cardinal bee rule and speaks to her, and surprisingly enough, she’s not that freaked out by it. Bloome shows him all about the outside world and makes a startling discovery! Humans are making honey and selling it without prior bee permission! This enrages Barry and with the help of his new friend, decided the sue the whole human race. A hilarious courtroom drama ensues and Barry must deal with the consequences of the courts verdict.
The Bee Movie is not for everyone. I wonder how many kids will really enjoy the movie. I know I have tried to get my three year old daughter to watch it a few times, and she lost interest rather quickly. I on the other hand really enjoyed the movie and I suspect many other fans of Jerry Senfiend’s comedy will enjoy the movie as well. Zellweger’s very sweet voice is soothing to listen too, and Patrick Warburton just has to speak and he makes me laugh. Three out of four stars.
(Look at that, the whole review, with no bee jokes!)
On February 2, 1952 Richie Valens and Tommy Allsup fliped a coin to decide which one of them will get the last seat on Buddy Holly’s private plane. Valens won the seat, but lost his life. The plane crashed that night killing all that were on board. The brief encounter with chance saved the life of Mr. Allsup and doomed that of Mr. Valens. Everyday you make small, inconsequential decisions that may have long lasting, dramatic effect on your life. For example, if you are on your way out the door, and the phone rings, the thirty seconds it took you to answer the phone, makes you thirty seconds later to your destination then you would have previously been. This causes you to miss a car accident you would have ordinarily have been in or causing you to be a car accident, you would have ordinarily missed.
Let’s remove the random nature of things from the equation. Let’s say now you find a wallet with $500.00 inside. What is your reaction? Do you return the wallet, or do you keep the money and throw the wallet away? You may suffer no consequences at all from keeping the money except for your own self conscious, knowing what you did was wrong.
Let’s raise the steaks even more. What if you found two million dollars, of what you are almost sure to be drug money. With no one around to catch you, what do you do? This is the central decision Llewelyn Moss (Josh Browlin) has to make in the Coen brother’s Oscar award winning movie, “No Country for Old Men.”
Moss finds that case of money among several dead Mexicans in the middle of the deserts of Texas around the summer of 1980. He takes the money while leaving the one surviving man in his truck pleading for “agua”. At home later that night, he makes a pivotal choice to return and help the man. When arrives he sees the man has been shot and killed. More Mexican drug dealers are there looking for the money and the dugs. They shoot and chase after Moss but he eventually escapes.
Meanwhile, Anton Chigurh one of most intimidating bad guys I’ve ever seen on screen begins tracking Moss with a radio transmitter hidden in the money he took. Chigurh is a fugitive wanted by the police, he kills a sheriff deputy at the onset of the movie and escapes custody.
So we have sheriff Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) chasing after Chigurh. Chigurh & Mexican gangsters chasing after Moss. And Bell chasing after Moss, to try and warn him about Chigurh. A complicated race only the Coen brothers could have pulled off. At each turn, each character makes a vital decision that effects almost everyone in the film. This is a dark movie that will sit with you for a long time when it’s finished. There is no weakness in acting, writing or directing department. The cinematography and lighting is beautiful. Four out of four stars.
The first time I saw the trailer I was worried. While the movie visually looked amazing, I had a nagging feeling the story would not measure up. It was worse then I thought, my ears actually hurt from the dialogue. But, wait – look at all the amazing special effects and CGI! Doesn’t that make up for the hole of a script? No. Not even close. The movie tries to be 300, Lord of the Rings, Apocalyto and Beaveheart all bundled together. The problem is, all of those movies have something in common, that 10,000 B.C. lacks. They were good.
10,000 B.C. takes place long, long ago and follows the life of D’Leh (Steve Straight) a mighty stone aged hunter. He’s involved in a contest with his arch rival, Ka’Ren to kill the head male in a wild pack of mammoths. The winner gets a shiny white spear, the hottest babe in the tribe, a woman named Evolet, and the status of being “the One,” Neo style.
When D’Leh finally catches the monstrous mammoth, it ends up dying by accidently landing on his spear. Uh-Oh! When the tribe folk find out about this they are ready to give him the babe and fellow him as their leader, but being the boy scout that he is, he tells the truth and admits what happened.
The film is a very predicable cookie cutter epic. The beautiful girl gets kidnapped when the tribe is raided, and coincidently enough D’Leh is off hunting at the time. He gets a posse together and they go off to find her and encounter zany adventures
Don’t waste your time with this 109 minute, PG-13 snooze fest. It get’s one out of four stars only because I liked the concept of the movie and some of the film was fun to watch.
Ben Stein’s new documentary Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, hopes to expose the Scientific community as being close minded to the slightest idea that God could have played a role in the creation of humanity.
Stein doesn’t not preach or try and convince anyone that Intelligent Design is superior to Darwin’s theory of evolution. His main thesis is, science is not science when it close out all debate on any one subject. And he does a magnificent job showing the bitterness and distain they have towards anyone in the scientific community who even mentions a creationists theory.
I was somewhat sad they didn’t touch on anyone who believes in theist evolution. The idea that God could have used evolution in the creation of man. This theory is much more widely believed then a straight seven day creation theory held by many Protestants in the United States.
It’s interesting to note this documentary is getting distorted by many mainstream criticswho called it propaganda. These same critics praised and lauded Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11. Claudia Puig of the USA today called Expelled, “propaganda, a political rant disguised as a serious commentary on stifled freedom of inquire,” but raved about Moore’s film as “informative, provocative, frightening, compelling, funny, manipulative and, most of all, entertaining.”
If you are liked me and like a balanced of view on all perspectives, this is a film you don’t want to miss. It has extremely well production value and Ben Stein is very witty and personable. Three out of four stars.
As any Stephan King fan knows, his books sometimes have trouble translating to film. King has even gone so far as to sue certain film makers after the fact, because they made such horrible representation of his works. However because Stephan King, is such a brilliant writer, when his films do succeed they are usually masterpieces.
Such is the case with the Shawshank Redemption. Frank Darabont took this short story about a man falsely imprisoned for murder and turned it into the greatest movie ever made!
Set in the late forties, Tim Robins plays, Andy Dufresne, a successful banker, who is tried and convicted of the murder of his wife and her lover. He is sentenced to two life terms in prison, without the possibility of parole. Once there he is confronted with the harsh reality, that will be his life from this day on.
He eventually meets a man named Red, played wonderfully by Morgan Freeman. Red is everyone’s go to guy, if there is something you want, he is the guy that can get it for you. Andy asks Red if he could get him a rock hammer, because Andy is making a chess board and would like the hammer to make the pieces. And so begins one of the strongest friendships ever portrayed in film. Robins and Freeman are such amazing actors, you feel as if each line of dialogue is being spoken directly to you.
Obviously in a prison movie, you are bound to get themes like hope and freedom. But with the Shawshank Redemption it is more then just clever story telling.You actually share the same hopefulness with Andy as he longs for his freedom once again.
As movies go, you don’t get better then the Shawshank Redemption! The only other movie that is in the same league is the Green Mile. Which also happens to be a Stephan King movie adapted for screen, by Frank Darabont. As Andy says, “Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and good things never die.” Neither will the Shawshank Redemption. Four out of four stars.
Toward the end of 2007, I started to hear buzz about a movie called Juno, it wasn’t in a lot of theaters and in very few cities, but it sounded like a movie I would want to see. So after putting my detective shoes on, I got a copy of the movie, and was amazed at the depth, warmth and humor this movie throws your way in 96 minutes.
Juno, without a doubt was the best movie of 2007! Everything from the acting, writing, soundtrack, the pieces of the puzzle come together and fit wonderfully! Young actress Ellen Page steals the show with her incredcably acting abilities. This young woman was nominated for an Oscar for her portal of Juno, and I was shocked when she didn’t win. And with a supporting cast include of Michael Cera, Allison Janney, Jennifer Gardner and Jason Baitman you are sure to have a good time!
But the star of this film is Juno, from the moment you see her on the screen, she wins you over. At the young age of 16, she becomes pregnant and is faced with the ultimate question, of whether or not to keep the baby.She calls a local abortion mill to make an appointment, however when she gets there, she sees a friend from school protesting. After a small conversation, Juno heads into the mill.As she goes toward the door, her friend makes a plea to keep the baby, and yells out to Juno, that her baby has finger nails! As Juno is waiting for the abortionist, she notices the finger nails of everyone around her and finally understands she must have the baby.
Obviously realizing she can’t raise a baby, she looks in the local paper for couples wanting to adopt. She comes across a picture of what looks like the perfect couple and decides to give them a call.
The rest of the film unfolds like a beautiful piece of music. It’s often cliché for a critic to call a movie, an emotional rollercoaster, but this is the essence of one. You are guaranteed to laugh, cry, be upset and angry with all the twists and turns this movies will throw at you! Four out of four stars.
Jane is idealistic, romantic and completely selfless–a perennial bridesmaid whose own happy ending is nowhere in sight. But when younger sister Tess captures the heart of Jane’s boss–with whom she is secretly in love–Jane begins to reexamine her “always-a-bridesmaid…” lifestyle.
Jeff’s Review
Sirens and alarms went off about this movie. The reviews were bad and the televisions spots looked weak. Do I really want to waste my time, with a bad chick flick? I didn’t think so, but I have a wife who loves wedding so I cowboyed up and we watched the DVD screener.
I actually enjoyed myself more then I expected. The film is the classic wedding cliche come to reality. When is the bridesmaid going to get married? When will be her special day? Jane (Katherine Heigal) can’t say no, she’s been the bridesmaid 27 different times! She’s the go-to-girl, the virtual, if not default wedding planner every time. This most recent time however is for her sister, who happens to be marrying the man of Jane’s dream. Just imagine all the wacky experience this situations can produce!
I want to feature two scenes in the film, the best and the worst. These two moments stand out clearly above the rest. I will start with the worst first: Jane has to give a slideshow for a dinner for the bride and groom. She is frustrated with her sister, whom she believes is not being truthful to her soon to be husband. Jane decides to put embarrassing photos that exposes the truth to everyone watching. The scenes just failms mistrably – it’s unbelievable, it’s poorly acted by Heigal and comes off as extremely awkward.
The best scene was made so by Katherine Heigal and James Marsden. They are at a bar and end up drinking more then their share of alcohol with leads to them singing an amazing keryoke version of Benny and the Jetts. I gave the movie an extra star solely based on this scene. It’s fun, energetic and exciting! And thanks to the power of youtube, you can enjoy it here:
Katherine Heigal is adorable. I don’t think I would have liked the movie if they had used a different actress. The cast does an acceptable job around her, and they serve their purpose. Not high praise, but praise nonetheless.
Ratings And Suggestions
The movie is rated PG-13 for language, some innuendo and sexuality. It’s a good hour and a forty-five minutes, so it kind of peddles on like other comedies in this genre are known to do. No worry, it doesn’t feel draggy, so it shouldn’t matter. Please don’t misunderstand me, this is a chick comedy, but I think guys will appreciate the film (Heigal after all, is easy on the eyes). Like I said in my review, the movie would have normally got two stars, but the bar scene let’s me bump it up a notch. Yahoo! visitors gave the film an average B score, in contrast to the professional reviewers C. I agree with them and thus give the film three out of four stars. It’s worth watching with your significant other.
I love my daughter. And it’s this love and nothing more that allowed me to finish watching this movie. If my daughter had not been so engrossed in this horrible film I would have easily turned it off after a half hour. Alvin and the Chipmunks ranks as one of the worst movies of 2007.
David Seville (Jason Lee) is a single guy struggling in the zany world of commercial jingles. After a bad meeting with his boss, played obnoxiously by David Cross, David heads home to mope. Once there he makes a shocking discovery to see three little stowaway chipmunks. These wacky rodents not only talk, but they can dance and sing harmony as good as any backstreet boy.
That night, while trying to sleep off the incredible events of the day, Dave keeps hearing a melody one of the chipmunks were singing earlier. He has a stroke of inspiration and stays up working on a song based on it. The next morning, Dave tells this new house mates the song and wants them to sing it. With no practice, they all start singing the song perfectly. Dave knows he just wrote a hit, and the chipmunks are going to be mega stars!
The film gets increasing worse minute by minute. Now I came into this knowing I wasn’t going to see a movie like “No Country for Old Men” or “Se7en.” However I expected better then the work of a middle school english student.
If you don’t turn the movie off fast enough you’ll see the chipmunks put on a concert with funky dancers and back up singers. You’ll also witness a crazy custody fight over the rats. Let’s not forget a sappy love story between Dave and his ex-girlfriend he still secretly longs to be with.
The movie is bad, bad, bad! My little girl loves it, God bless her. I’ll let it slip and chalk it up to the colorful CGI animals (the singing doesn’t hurt). The screen writers Jon Vitti, Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi should have their WGA membership’s revoked for producing this script. With so many other quality children’ movies out there, pass on this one. Alvin and the Chipmunks receives a half of star (and that is generous).
Jerry Ferro is a retired boxer who left the sport early so he could maintain his perfect record. He now works construction and teaches suburbanites boxing in the evening. Things seem to be going nowhere for Jerry when one day he gets a chance to fight an up and coming boxing superstar. Despite getting pummeled, he manages to land a colossal knockout punch. This inspires Jerry to give it another go at the sport he loves.
I watched Bridge to Terabithia with great excitement. It came highly recommended from my good friend and fellow critic, Heather. But even in her praise for the movie, I was not ready for what I saw. I watched in stunned silence as the film ended. As I wiped away tears from my eyes, I thought about my own childhood. There’s something magical about elementary school that’s hard to explain. However, the friendships you make, while they may not last, are almost sure to have an impact on your life for years to come. 
Little Miss Sunshine, a dramatic ride, full of emotional pit stops! There is obvious reasons this movie is universally praised. It touches on aspects of our lives that all of us can identify with. We have goals we want to accomplish, we all have failures we have to face, we all have obstacles we have to overcome, and it’s how we face these challenges that define who we are as a person. In Little Miss Sunshine you meet a family who are all facing these different struggles.
Millions of children lay in their beds every night trying to fall asleep, most of those children are afraid of the dark and things that go bump in the night. Their parents reassure them that there are no such thing as monsters, as they tuck them in and kiss them on the cheek! But beyond their closet doors, a whole different world exists.
As any Stephan King fan knows, his books sometimes have trouble translating to film. King has even gone so far as to sue certain film makers after the fact, because they made such horrible representation of his works. However because Stephan King, is such a brilliant writer, when his films do succeed they are usually masterpieces.
I love my daughter. And it’s this love and nothing more that allowed me to finish watching this movie. If my daughter had not been so engrossed in this horrible film I would have easily turned it off after a half hour. Alvin and the Chipmunks ranks as one of the worst movies of 2007.
