Lucky You

(2007)

Alexis says:

1 STAR

This movie is just as bad as I heard that it was. Let me restate that. It didn't do well at the box office and that to me says that not many people went home and told their friends to go and see it and now that I have seen it I am not going to tell my friends to go and see it and do you know why that is, because it is bad.

Eric Bana, Drew Barrymore and Robert Duvall are all capable actors and actresses, I know it, I have seen them pull it off (or at least come really, really close to pulling it off) but this film is so badly written, the dialogue is atrocious, and the characters pathetic that I am just baffled that any of them even allowed their names to be tied to it.

Next to the boring, let down of a plot is the seemingly endless scenes of poker play. If I want to see poker I will watch Spike TV (OK, I won't really but you get the point don't you?) where I know that at least these people are really gambling for real money. There seemed to be entire segments devoted to rounds of poker and this was just really boring to me especially on top of the really boring storyline.

If annoying dialogue and poker are your thing than this movie is for you, if not, I wouldn't recommend it.

Todd Says:

1.5 STARS

Lucky You, that is if you haven't seen Lucky You yet. This movie is like watching the World Series of Poker on ESPN 8 (the Ocho!) and flipping back and forth during commercial breaks to Soap Opera: The Young and the Unfortunately Inarticulate.

Let me save a little time and get straight to the point, unless you like Poker (I mean really really like Poker) then this movie is probably not going to interest you. It's some sort of Hybrid Chick/Dude Flick, and it didn't really work for me. Take my word for it.

Vantage Point

(2008)



Alexis says:



3 STARS



This is a pretty good action flick about the different perspectives involved in a crime. The pieces fit together rather nicely and unravel a much larger story. This movie just seemed a little too action packed for me lacking a more involved interesting story. The action wasn't terrible though a little far fetched (I've been in a car accident how long can you keep going on adrenaline?), I was just hoping for a little more plot and background information. There seemed to be more characters than the movie could keep up with and this seemed to be a huge drawback for me. Maybe a little less action or a longer running time would have done this film some good. It isn't terrible though and if action terrorism films are your thing than this isn't a bad one to watch.

Todd Says:

3 STARS

I thought that Vantage Point was a good movie, especially since the story was just mediocre. Dennis Quaid who leads a good cast in this film, is well, Dennis Quaid. I don't think that any of us really expect greatness from him, but he does alright (but that's pretty much all he ever does isn't it). The rest of the cast, Forest Witaker and William Hurt especially, don't quite live up to their potential.

But all in all this is a good ride. Very fast paced, up and down political roller coaster of a movie. You shouldn't be bored watching this, but you probably won't be especially enthralled either. Enjoy.

Fearless

(1993)













Alexis says:


3 STARS


This was a sad, moving film. The movie begins with a quite believable plane crash scene that left me wondering about budgets and what goes into filming a movie of this genre to get the emotion and feeling built up. The rest of the film is almost simple, it follows two people survivors of a plane crash through the post tragedy stage. Everything about this film is simple but very powerful and moving. I don't question that this is Perez's best performance and close if not Bridges as well.


I was moved through out this film but I was slightly disappointed in the way that it ended. It just seemed so cliche that I couldn't overlook it. I don't know how I wanted it to end, but this isn't how I would have written it.


Other than the ending this film is quite good, and with the ending it isn't but half bad.

Todd Says:

3 STARS

This movie was not nearly as powerful as I remembered it being, but that is sometimes the case with second viewings. Of course, I hadn't seen it in many years either.

The story is good, a solidly written tale of someone who nearly loses everything and has difficulty finding a reason to attach himself to anyone or anything again. Jeff Bridges does a wonderful job as the 'Fearless' survivor, and the rest of the cast turns in solid performances as well.

This is a good Looking-for-the-meaning-of-life film, but it's not a masterpiece. It's worth a watch, but I wouldn't go too far out of my way to track down a copy.

Running With Scissors

(2006)




Alexis says:

3.5 STARS

This film is based on the personal memoirs of Augusten Burroughs by the same title. It is a well casted, well told, strange but sad, slightly funny film. Joseph Cross was near perfect as Burroughs, the fifteen year old son of an alcoholic father and possibly bipolar mother. The film follows Burroughs through the divorce of his parents and a not quite specified length of residency with his mother's shrink and his family.

Annette Benning plays Burrough's mother, a struggling poet with a flair for the dramatic and a predisposition for dependency on prescription drugs. I don't think I have ever seen Benning any better and she is part of what makes this film in my opinion. In the simplist words, she could have been my mother.

Aside from Benning's portrayal of Burrough's mother my favorite thing about this film had to be the relationship between the doctors wife, Agnes (Jill Clayburgh) and Augusten. Agnes, who appears to be a little mentally off at the start of the film unravels to be the bravest, sanest thing about the Finch family and her attachment to Augusten is endearing and at times overtakes everything else going on in the film. To me their connection is a powerful theme reverberating throughout the film and this is where it gets the slightly higher rating.

If memoirs with a helping of bizarre, a side of humor and a splash of drama are your thing, then you will definitely want to watch this one.

Todd Says:

4 STARS

This is an odd but hilarious look at adolescence through some of the most bizarre situations imaginable. And supposedly it's all true. It's hard to imagine some of the things that Augusten Burroughs is forced to endure, but having at one time or another all been teenagers it's easy enough to identify with the major themes.

At times this movie is laugh-out-loud funny, but most of the time the humor is subtle and delivered very slyly in the guise of mishandled tragedy. It's a hopeful movie about some quite awkward experiences, but quite enjoyable non-the-less.

Unless you are easily made uncomfortable then you should find this movie quite humorous and thoroughly enjoyable.

The Darjeeling Limited

(2007)

Alexis says:

3.5 STARS

Let me begin by saying that I really loved The Royal Tenenbaums and that I hold Wes Anderson to a really high standard because of it, possibly too high for his own good, and I was really looking forward to this film.

That being said this film wasn't a complete disappointment. I thought it was funny and quirky and the shooting excellent. The panning and scene set-ups (excuse my lack of filming vocabulary) were great. Wilson and Brody, two of my favorite actors were dead on and Schwartzman did his thing but I am never particularly impressed with his thing.

The DVD included 'The Hotel Chevalier' a short film meant to be seen before the full length film, I couldn't help but feel that The Darjeeling Limited would have been perhaps a little better if I hadn't seen this short film and I suggest that if you are given the chance you skip this short film. I usually really like Portman but she and everything else about it were just below par.

But The Darjeeling Limited should at the very least go on your 'should see' list. You do have movie lists right? Everyone should have movie lists, if you don't have one go ahead and start one and then go ahead and put this on your list.

Todd Says:

3 STARS

This film was good, but not great. It gives us a close look at the dymanics of brotherhood. Although these three characters are pretty weird brothers, they still have fairly basic personality traits that most of us can relate to, siblings or not.

The delivery of the story and the story itself are good, but sometimes come up a little short. Although there were a few powerful scenes that are truly moving. The movie felt like it took a long time to get nowhere, and then ending somewhat abruptly.

All in all, it's worth watching if you're into character movies, but otherwise I think you're going to end up bored with this one.

The Replacements

(2000)

Todd Says:

2 STARS

The Replacements is kind of exactly what you probably expect it to be, which is a very predictable, sometimes funny but sometimes not quite, sports comedy. It seems that they tried to make a decent movie here, but just couldn't break out of the typical 'feel-good-sports-movie' formula. It's hard to watch a movie when you know after the first scene or two how the entire rest of the movie is going to unfold.

The acting was just O.K., which is not saying much with a cast who are mostly capable of better. The Characters aren't very interesting or entertaining, and even though there was a time or two that I fell into that 'sports feel-good root for the underdog' mode I found myself mostly not caring what happened. (Of course, I already knew what was going to happen.)

In conclusion, I can't highly recommend this movie to anyone, but if it comes on cable on a rainy sunday, and there isn't any real football on, then you could do worse things with your time.

Alexis says:

1 STAR

What can I say really, I wasn't really looking forward to this film because sports movies are just not my thing. Don't get me confused I will watch the Colts attempt to win at games they should have no problem winning any given Sunday, but football films, they have to be really something to win me over and this one falls short, way short.

First off, the film is not 'enormously funny' as the box suggests. It is rather in an identity crisis, not sure whether it wants to be a comedy, a drama or just another sports film. The characters are annoying at best and some of them are so far stretched (the striking players) that I found myself rolling my eyes. The forced attempt at a love story is almost pathetic and I wonder who is supposed to be the 'audience' for this film. I could care less about most of the main characters and most men would probably feel about the same at their love story attempt.

I've seen Reeves and Hackman do better but at the same time I don't think that they are amazing and Reeves didn't convince me that he could play a quarterback. This film doesn't really have many redeeming qualities but I've seen far worse (even this month) so here have a star.

Intolerable Cruelty

(2002)

Todd Says:

3.5 STARS

I thought that this was a hilarious look at the business end of mariage. The Coen Brothers seem to have a knack for the subtle back-handed comedy that I enjoy the most. Plus, the cast is just incredible. I haven't seen George Clooney quite so goofy since Oh Brother Where Art Thou.

I would have to say that I think most people would enjoy this movie, unless of course you are the kind of person who needs to be spoon fed your humor. For those people I think the Zucker Brothers are the comedy team to look into.

Alexis says:

4 STARS

Intolerable Cruelty is quirky, funny, surprising and attractive, well at least Clooney is anyways. I am quite the fan of the Coen brothers to boot and I didn't even know that until I looked them up on IMdb and noticed that they are responsible for some of my favorite movies (Raising Arizona just to name an all time favorite). This movie is not overly predictable and is actually at times surprising in its twisted comedic flair. Zeta-Jones may be at her all time best and whatever it is Clooney does to drag us in, well he does it again in this divorce lawyer love story. I found the ending perfect and the only thing I wanted was a copy of a Massy Prenup in the DVD extras.

Kentucky Fried Movie

(1977)

Todd Says:

0 STARS

I don't know how this movie ended up in our DVD player, but you should take care that it never happens to you. This movie was worse than any Saturday Night Live skit movie I've seen. The one or two funny jokes in this GEM are grossly overshadowed by the abundance of low-brow comedy that tends to insult your intellegence.

Alexis Says:

0 STARS

Don't Bother. I don't know how this movie even got financed.

Deja Vu

(2006)

Todd Says:

3.5 STARS

As far as action movies go this is a good one. Good story. Good Acting. Good visuals and special effects. It'll also make you think a little, perhaps, about science. It will keep you guessing what's going to happen next, although it's all already happened.

I would recommend this movie for most movie lovers, whether your taste is for action or drama or suspense or crime thrillers. This is a good one to watch with some friends, and then sit around and talk about it.

Alexis says:

3.5 STARS

It has been said that I have the world's worst memory. This may in fact be true as I can sometimes completely forget what a movie is about or how it ends thus making subsequent viewings almost like the first viewing instead of a Deja Vu. This film for instance, we watched it when it first came out but I couldn't remember almost anything about it when we watched it this time.

The story is pretty original, who doesn't like to think about the possibility of bending time and traveling between it? The acting is great, who doesn't love Denzel Washington? The setting is fabulous, who doesn't love the Big Easy?

This film has it's drawbacks which I don't want to draw out in the open thus issuing spoilers right and left but I will say that there appear to be at least one lapse in writing to make this story work but ignoring that oversight I would recommend this film to all my friends and a few of my enemies.

Bill

(2007)

Alexis says:

2 STARS

You ever watch a movie because the back of the box description is enticing at Target or because you read about it in Entertainment magazine and the reviews were pretty good and you really wanted to enjoy the film? You ever watch a film like that wanting badly to really like the film but just not ever reaching that point?

That was Bill for me. It looked good and it sounded good but it was just OK. I think I am just getting burnt out on movies about mid-life crisis. I feel as though that genre is over saturated and the story needs to be a lot better than Bill's to interest me. I am tired of weak, lazy characters who are only starting to gain some redeeming qualities when the film ends. This film was headed in a direction that could have led to greater places but I feel that it just fell short for my expectations.

I am so demanding and this movie is a let down.

Todd Says:

4 STARS

Bill is an engaging movie about a man whose life in crumbling before his eyes and he tries to catch the falling pieces before things spiral out of control. I feel that this film gives us an unblinking look at how fragile our handle on life really is, and how easy it is to lose control.

Bill is a guy who, from an outsiders view, has pretty much everything: a great wife, a great job, a great house and lots of money. But as we get to see deeper and deeper into the real situations that make a life what it is, we realize that we don't necessarily control those aspects of our life as much as they seem to control us.

Bill is a great movie about losing yourself and the long, sometimes dark, road you have to travel to find yourself again. I recommend this one to anyone who loves a good tragedy.

Uncommon Valor

(1983)





Alexis says:





3 STARS





This movie is sort of a classic, or so I hear anyways. So we watched it and it wasn't half bad. For some reason that I can't really explain I love movies about the Vietnam war and the people and times effected by it so that fact made this movie easy to like for me but I think that it has alot to offer the 'regular' movie goer as well.





There were some holes in this movie and some scenes that made me scratch my head as to where the characters got all their money and supplies and how they got from one place to another and where some of their spouses disappered off to for years but overlooking every one of those facts and just enjoying the story is pretty powerful. The ending was sad and great at the same time.





For those interested in factual Vietnam movies, I don't know what to tell you. For those who like action war movies even if they need a little stretching of the imagination this film is worth your time.



Todd Says:



3 STARS



Uncommon Valor is one of those classics that you are just supposed to love, but this one doesn't age so well. I thought that it was a little dated, even though it was only made in the eighties some scenes felt a little cheesy. The acting was pretty good, some much better than others, but the costumes and sets seemed a little cheap.



Don't get me wrong, this is a good 3 star movie with a great story, but I'm just trying to give you fair warning that it's going to possible seem less-than-great at times. I think that it is worth seeing, but at the same time I don't think that everybody is going to enjoy it the same.

Stardust

(2007)

Alexis says:

4 STARS:

Are you ready for a surprise (but not a spoiler)! I had no idea what to expect from this movie and it was actually pretty good. I think this film came out around the same time as The Golden Compass and I must say that now having seen both of them this is a far superior film.

Most of the acting is quite good, with the possible exception of Pheifer, is it just me or is she actually getting worse? De Niro gives a surprising performance as a completely unexpected character and newcomer Charlie Cox plays a decent romantic hero as Tristan.

Witches, cross-dressing pirates, dead princes, celestial beings, what more could a beautiful written sci-fi truly need? If you love a good fairy tale, this film is for you.

Todd Says:

3.5 STARS

I remember that this movie hit the theaters at about the same time as The Golden Compass did, and that it was overshadowed by the enormous hype of the latter. That was unfortunate, because I think the Stardust was a much better movie.

It seems, at first, like fairly standard fairy-tale fare, but as the story unfolded I really found myself enjoying it. It was fun to watch. It was quick-paced and witty, with a few unexpected turns. All in all, it was a little predictable but a lot of fun. I recommend this one to anyone who likes an adventure.

The Eye

(2008)

Todd Says:

2 STARS

I'll start out by saying that for what it was this was a pretty good movie. I am no fan of the modern horror movie. I feel like most of them are far to similar in style (the ghosts and the gore all seem the same to me), and short on substance. This is not to say that the last generation of horror movies, or even classic horror movies for that matter, were as a genre all that impressive to me. Formulaic is the word that I would use to describe 90% of all horror movies.

But, The Eye wasn't so bad. It didn't stray far from the tried and true horror movie formula, but the acting was decent. I've seen a lot worse. It is a remake of a Japanese or Chinese movie (which has also become very popular is this genre) which I haven't seen so I can't make a comparison. I will say that if it weren't for remakes there would probably be no more horror movies.

Every once in a while we still get treated with a new idea in the form of a horror movie, unfortunately this isn't one of those times. The story is about a blind girl who gets an eye transplant and all manner of evilness ensues. I think that I remember a movie from the '80's or early '90's with a similar storyline, except that it was an evil arm transplant.

So my final verdict is this: If you really like horror movies, well then you've probably already seen this. If you don't necessarily like the genre but don't mind a good horror movie every now and then, then you could do worse than The Eye. If you like good movies, then don't bother with this one.

Alexis says:

3 STARS

I am not a horror movie fan. I don't like to watch them because they tend to have a lot of senseless gore and graphic scenes that I can do without so when this movie came up for review I was less than thrilled about the prospect. Fortunately, Jessica Alba was not terrible and the story was digestible.

The story was reminiscent of White Noise or The Sixth Sense and there was little or no senseless violence. The story wasn't the most original thing to come to Hollywood but if we are honest with ourselves there are less and less original stories coming out of Hollywood all the time. I think this movie would be prefect for those who love a good jump once in a while and lean towards thrillers over horror movies.

Far From Heaven

(2002)


Todd Says:

3.5 STARS



I thought that this was an unexpectedly powerful movie about social taboos in the 1950's. I must admit that it caught me a little off gaurd, as I wasn't sure where it was going from the beginning. But let me tell you, it is a bumpy journey.

The main character, played by Julianne Moore, is somewhere between strikingly naive and over-poweringly idealistic. This duality in her nature works, and I really felt a connection with her. Dennis Quaid plays her husband, with a dark secret of his own to come to terms with. The acting was good, as was the cinematagraphy.

Overall I was presently surprised with this one. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a nice complicated dramas.



Alexis says:



3 STARS

This timepiece was not quite the gem I had hoped it would be but it is an interesting story of taboo circumstances in the 1950's (and even today?). Julianne Moore is never that great an actress in my opinion and what I mean is I always see Moore, never the person she is portraying and I really didn't feel as though this was any exception. She just didn't seem believable. Dennis Quaid and Dennis Haysbert were rather good however and at times I wished the film focused more on their characters than Moore's. For those interested in a good real-life drama, I would recommend this film as a backup choice.

Evolution

(2001)

Todd Says:

4 STARS

I love a good comedy. Unfortunately they don't seem to make them anymore. It seems to me that somewhere between five and ten years ago someone decided that the only way to make a good comedy was to string together 90 minutes worth of mindless parody gags. I disagree, and I'm starting a club.

Anyway, Evolution is a fairly silly movie about aliens. It's witty and fast paced, and most of it's jokes are less crude than the competition. If it feels like I'm defending this movie, that's because I tend to be hard on Comedies. I pine for the days when we were forced to think about the jokes that made us smile.

This movie is one that you should see, if you somehow managed to miss it when it came out. If you have already seen it, and it's been a while, then you will probably be able to enjoy this one again. So, if you like comedy, then you'll like this one. If you like serious Sci-Fi Drama, then maybe this isn't for you, unless you're one of the chosen few who have the ability to laugh at the things you love.

Alexis says:

2.5 STARS

Maybe it was because I have seen this film previously but I just didn't think this was as funny as I used to think that it was. Duchovny is good and I found his remarks about the FBI funny and Orlando Jones' has the perfect eyes to portray emotion and carry a good joke. I am not impressed usually by Julianne Moore and this was no exception. This film has some rewarding characteristics and actually a pretty interesting plotline about alien life form invasion and evolution and I think those who enjoy comedies will enjoy this film.

Waitress

(2007)

Alexis says:

2 STARS

I was not crazy with any of the characters in this romanitc comedy. Most of them seemed selfish, weak minded and shallow on the surface. Then I realized about halfway through, that this is just art imitating life. Many people are like this. With this new frame of mind I was able to endure the second half of the film with much more enjoyment.

The film is funny and the bit about the pies is quirky but in a good way. It makes me want to head to New England and seek out a pie shop for myself. I couldn't quite get past the infedility plotline however, so this movie wasn't what it could have been. I think that Nathan Fillion was pretty good, channeling some of Malcolm Reynolds for me in my thirst for a little Firefly connection and convincing me that he could survive as an actor in Hollywood outside of sci-fi western television shows. Andy Griffith was also superb, probably my favorite thing about the whole movie was his character.

This film isn't great and I was indeed a little disappointed but there were some redeeming qualities to the film and to avoid spoilers I will go ahead and suggest that you watch this one when you have a few hours on hand.

Todd Says:

3 STARS

This movie wasn't bad at all for a Romantic Comedy. If you've learned anything about me by now, you know that I don't care much for this genre and I tend to grade on a fairly generous curve. The story itself isn't great, but I thought that most of the characters were interesting enough to enjoy watching them toil through their respective dilemmas. I thought that Andy Griffith was spectacular, really he was.

Not much else was spectacular, but all in all it was more than tolerable. I would recommend it to fans of the genre, or as a possible date movie, or to anyone who needs to kill a couple of hours and doesn't want to watch The Jane Austen Book Club.