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Movie Review of Recent Films I have Watched
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I rent a lot of videos on DVD, enjoy premium movie channels, get on demand pay per view movies, and see a few new release movies in the theater regularly. Some are good. Some are not so good. This is my movie review page that chronicles what I have seen, and what I think about recent films coming out of Hollywood and around the world. These are the types of flicks we recommend to our guests who like movies and stay at the Munro House Bed and Breakfast in Jonesville, Michigan. MIKE'S RATING SYSTEM
* Don't bother - a total waste of time
2008-03-26 - The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford -
2008-03-25 - I Am Legend -
2008-03-19 - Day Zero -
2008-03-19 - Awake -
2008-03-12 - Into the Wild -
2008-03-12 - Chaos -
2008-03-04 - Michael Clayton -
2008-02-27 - Beowulf -
2008-02-25 - I Could Never Be Your Woman -
2008-02-22 - Mr. Woodcock -
2008-02-19 - Saw IV: It's a Trap - Tobin Bell, Lyriq Bent - Jigsaw is dead...but the game is still being played. Gruesome situations and extremely graphic torture and death scenes. Worst of the Saw series. **
2008-02-14 - Jumper - Hayden Christensen, Samuel L. Jackson - A young man discovers he can teleport himself anywhere. He finds out that there are other jumpers along with people who want to stop them. A great premise riddled with holes and way too many loose ends. **
2008-02-12 - We Own the Night - Joaquin Phoenix, Eva Mendez - A family of cops finds the black sheep of the family running a business with mob connections. Loyalties are questioned and choices are made with far reaching consequences. Dull, slow paced, boring movie filled with good actors. **
2008-02-10 - No Country for Old Men - Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem - A guy stumbles on dead men, money, and drugs. He takes the money and is tracked separately by a cop and a killer. Very interesting violent movie with good acting, but is left unfinished. No one should have to go to the internet to figure out what they just watched. The worst movie to ever win best picture award. *
2008-02-10 - American Pie: Presents Beta House - John White, Steve Talley - Jocks vs. Nerds in college with a Stiffler leading the Jocks who are indoctrinating pledges. Crude sex jokes abound. Worst of the American Pie series. **
2008-01-14 - The Heartbreak Kid - Ben Stiller, Malin Ackerman - A guy is never satisfied with the woman he is currently involved with and envisions better times with other women. Typically funny situations. ***
2008-01-14 - 3:10 to Yuma - Russell Crowe, Christian Bale - A struggling rancher agrees to escort a criminal to the prison train for some much needed money. Lots of action and mind games, but not a believable story. **
2008-01-10 - Death Sentence - Kevin Bacon, Garrett Hedlund - A man's son is murdered as part of a gang initiation. He struggles with gaining revenge and maintaining his life. Good setup, no logic to the rest of the movie. **
2008-01-11 - The Kingdom - Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner - A terrorist attack on Americans in a Middle Eastern country leads the FBI to Saudi Arabia. It's C.S.I. on an international scale. Shows cultural, political, fundamentalist, and investigative differences and the problems with collaboration of the countries involved. Excellent from start to finish. *****
============================== 2007 ============================142
2007-12-25 - Alien vs. Predator: Requiem (AVPR) - Steven Pasquale - Alien creatures respawn and continue their battle with the Predators on Earth. Filmed almost entirely in the dark. Awful to watch. *
2007-12-25 - National Treasure: Book of Secrets - Nicolas Cage, Justin Bartha - True history and myth revolving around Lincoln's assassination combine to lead treasure seekers on a quest for an American lost city of gold. Good fun, good action, and enough real history to make it an interesting adventure. *****
2007-12-22 - Bring It On: In It To Win It - Ashley Benson, Michael Copon - Injuries at Cheerleading competition forces rivals to combine talent to win the title. It's 'West Side Story' at Cheer Camp. Good story, good fun, good talent. ****
2007-12-18 - The Bourne Ultimatum - Matt Damon, Julia Stiles - A government agent is still trying to discover his past and what led him to be a ruthless assassin. Great story, great chase scenes, great acting. The cinematography made me dizzy. *****
2007-12-11 - Superbad - Jonah Hill, Michael Cera - High school kids get a fake ID and try to buy booze to be cool at a big party. Potty language and sexual innuendo en masse. Very funny teen age adventure. ****
2007-12-04 - Ocean's Thirteen - George Clooney, Brad Pitt - After a friend gets screwed by a new casino magnate, the team makes plans to get even by making the new casino a disaster of epic proportions on multiple levels during its grand opening. Excellent setup, excellent story, good fun all the way. *****
2007-12-03 - Live Free or Die Hard - Bruce Willis, Justin Long - A Senior New York Detective is assigned to pick up a suspected computer hacker when the security of America is compromised. The cop and the geek team up to find the source and make it stop. An excellent sequel to the Die Hard franchise with a believable story, lots of action, and awesome one liners. *****
2007-11-10 - I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry - Adam Sandler, Kevin James - Two male firefighters marry, and pretend to be gay in order to assure that the children involved will have benefits. Amusing, stereotypical jokes, but not as funny as I expected. ***
2007-11-06 - Sicko - Michael Moore - A documentary comparing health care in America vs. Canada, England, France, and Cuba. Eye-opening differences in the way each country treats people with medical problems and the cost associated with them. ****
2007-11-01 - Hostel: Part II - Lauren German, Heather Matarazzo - College students are lured to a hostel in Slovakia where people pay big bucks to torture and kill them. Gruesome movie, not for the squeamish. Well done for its genre. ****
2007-10-25 - A Mighty Heart - Dan Futterman, Angelina Jolie - A reporter is kidnapped. His pregnant reporter wife tries to remain strong through the mysterious ordeal. Unusual portrayal of strength under unbelievable, yet true, circumstances. **
2007-10-22 - Civic Duty - A regular guy suspects his Middle Eastern neighbor is a terrorist and tries to prove it. Decent story about fears and stereotypes. **
2007-10-16 - Reign Over Me - Adam Sandler, Don Cheadle - Old college roommates meet, one has lots of problems, the other tries to help him through it. A guy movie that will make guys cry. Excellent portrayal of one man's handling of grief. *****
2007-10-09 - We Are Marshall - Matthew McConaughey, Matthew Fox - Story about a college whose football team dies in a plane crash and how they struggle with the future of the football program. Well done, inspirational, and true story. *****
2007-10-02 - Knocked Up - Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl - A one night stand between a slacker and a fast track professional ends up in a pregnancy. They try to do the right thing, but they only have one thing in common--the baby. Makes you think twice about hooking up. Not as funny as expected. ***
2007-09-27 - Closure - A couple gets mugged--he is severely beaten, she is gang raped. They recover and go out looking for their attackers. Interesting take on whether the victims will actually carry out their revenge. ***
2007-09-22 - Death Proof - Kurt Russell, Rosario Dawson - A stuntman has murderous plans for groups of hot chicks with the use of his death proof car. One particularly disturbing scene. Not much of a story. Very good acting with a film edited as if it were done in the 1960's. ***
2007-09-20 - The Condemned - Stone Cold Steve Austin, Vinnie Jones - Death row inmates from around the world are bought by a millionaire and transported to an island where the last man standing will earn freedom. Interesting concept with good action. ***
2007-09-11 - The Brave One - Jodie Foster, Terrence Howard - Muggers put her in the hospital and kill her boyfriend, so she buys a gun and seeks revenge. Well done vigilante movie. ****
2007-09-10 - Dirty Sanchez - Matthew Pritchard, Lee Dainton - British Jackass copycats go around the world filming gross out stunts all the while forcing out laughter at things that aren't funny. Stupid without being amusing. *
2007-09-09 - Vacancy - Luke Wilson, Kate Beckinsale - An unhappily married couple gets stranded in a remote hotel. They soon discover that they will be the victims of a snuff film and try to get away. Bothersome plot, but not very scary. ***
2007-09-07 - Tigerland - Colin Farrell, Matthew Davis - A cool recruit gets into trouble and helps misfits get discharges during advanced basic training for the Vietnam war. Good story, good acting. ****
2007-09-04 - Delta Farce - Larry the Cable Guy, Bill Engvall - Slacker army reserves get sent to Iraq, but accidentally get dropped in Mexico where they defend freedom and fight terrorists thinking they are in Iraq. Amusing. ***
2007-09-04 - City of Violence - Jae-mo Ahn, Kil-Kang Ahn - Childhood friends meet again at a funeral. They discover something fishy about the death of their friend and do their own investigation and discover how their life paths have changed. Cool sets, cool characters. Bad acting and horrible fight scenes. *
2007-09-03 - Red Line - Nadia Bjorlin, Nathan Phillips - Fast cars, hot chicks, cool dudes, big stakes, and a bad guy betting on races in the desert. Fast and fun. Not a very deep story, but fun to watch. ***
2007-08-28 - Kickin' It Old Skool - Jamie Kennedy, Maria Menounos - A comatose break dancer awakens 20 years after a terrible accident to find his parents have spent all their money on his medical bills. Winning a break dance competition will save their family. Good potential, fell flat. **
2007-08-21 - Perfect Stranger - Halle Berry, Bruce Willis - A reporter's friend is murdered and a rich businessman is suspected. She goes undercover, gets hired, and tries to find proof. Everyone has secrets, until they get caught. Very good story, suspense, and acting. ****
2007-08-20 - YoYo Girl Cop - Aya Matsuura, Rika Ishikawa - Hot chicks in school girl outfits incorporating martial arts with yo-yo's in a prep school undercover infiltration. Not much of a plot, terrible acting, awful story, lame fight scenes, and what about that yoyo? *
2007-08-19 - Murderous Intent - Toni Collette, Eddie Redmayne - Murders at a boarding school are pinned on the son of the headmaster. He looks guilty, but is he? Psychological games in a slowly unraveling movie. **
2007-08-18 - The Contractor - Wesley Snipes, Eliza Bennett - A government hit man assassinates a bad guy and finds out he's been double crossed. An innocent young girl befriends him and tries to help. Old plot with a mild twist. **
2007-08-16 - Fracture - Anthony Hopkins, Ryan Gosling - An older intelligent man finds his wife cheating then kills her. He admits to the crime then weasels out of it by divulging amusing, but true, reasons to contradict his guilty admissions at trial against a young hot-shot lawyer. Very intriguing. Good story. Predictable ending. ***
2007-08-14 - 300 - Gerard Butler, Lena Heady - Historic fiction about a small group of Spartan warriors vs. a rag tag army of a million soldiers. Lots of killing. Exceptional story about honor, human rights, and freedom. DVD director's commentary was mostly about lighting and green screen techniques.*****
2007-08-13 - I Think I love My Wife - Chris Rock, Kerri Washington - A successful family man is not having sex with his wife. He runs into an old hot female friend and is tempted to cheat. Amusing at best. **
2007-08-07 - The Thomas Crown Affair (1999) - Pierce Brosnan, Renee Russo - A rich guys robs a museum for excitement and becomes interested in the female insurance investigator who knows he did it but can't prove it. So he tells her he's going to put it back just to show her he can. Very good remake of a classic. ****
2007-08-07 - The Thomas Crown Affair (1968) - Steve McQueen, Faye Dunaway - A rich guys robs a bank for excitement and becomes interested in the female insurance investigator who knows he did it but can't prove it. So he tells her he's going to do it again just to prove that he can. Classic. ****
2007-08-10 - Rush Hour 3 - Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker - A pair of cops seek a list of Chinese gang leaders in Paris. Funny and very entertaining despite limited martial arts scenes. ****
2007-08-09 - Disturbia - Shia LeBeouf, Sarah Roemer - A teenager is sentenced to house arrest and his mom takes away all of his toys so out of boredom he watches his neighbors and discovers that one is particularly odd and could be a local serial killer. Very scary and suspenseful for a movie rated PG-13. Well done. ****
2007-08-07 - The Bourne Ultimatum - Matt Damon, Julia Stiles - A government agent is still trying to discover his past and what led him to be a ruthless assassin. Great story, great chase scenes, great acting. The cinematography made me dizzy. *****
2007-08-07 - Played - Mick Rossi - A guy takes the fall for a crime and comes back to even the score. Forgettable characters. Bad movie. **
2007-08-07 - Hot Fuzz - Simon Pegg, Martin Freeman - The best cop in London is making his colleagues look bad so he gets reassigned to the safest town in England where he discovers odd sequences of events. Billed as a comedy, but it wasn't funny. *
2007-08-06 - Lonely Hearts - Jared Leto, Salma Hayek - Detectives track a man and his incestuous sister as they obtain rich victims through personal ads. Well told based on a true story. Very good acting. ****
2007-08-01 - The Simpsons Movie - Homer Simpson, Bart Simpson - The city becomes a biohazard when a lovable moron puts too much waste into the water supply. Too much of a good thing. It should have been condensed to 30 minutes. ***
2007-07-30 - The Contract - Morgan Freeman, John Cusack - A family man and his son take custody of an escaped assassin and traverse the wilderness toward civilization while being chased by criminals. Not a believable story, but the acting was pretty good. **
2007-07-30 - Slow Burn - Ray Liotta, LL Cool J - Big city district attorney will become mayor if he can catch an unidentifiable gang leader. His assistant may or may not be helping his cause. It's hard to figure out who the bad guys are until the very end. Interesting suspenseful story. ***
2007-07-24 - Premonition - Sandra Bullock, Julian McMahon - Every day, a woman wakes up having seen bits of different days in the near future. She tries to put the premonitions in order so she can prevent a terrible ending. Started out very good, then got too predictable, too soon. **
2007-07-17 - C.S.A. The Confederate States of America - Greg Kirsch, Renee Patrick - Satirical documentary of what American history would be had the south won the Civil War. Interesting concept. They tried too hard to be funny. It wasn't even very satirical. *
2007-07-14 - The Last Time - Michael Keaton, Brendan Fraser - A top salesman takes a young not-so-hot shot under his wing and falls for his wife and his perfect world starts unraveling. Excellent acting, plot, and suspense. ****
2007-07-14 - Walking Tall: The Payback - Kevin Sorbo, Yvette Nipar - A young military man returns to his hometown to find it overrun with corruption. Poor acting, average story. I didn't expect much and didn't get much. **
2007-07-10 - Ghost Rider - Nicolas Cage, Sam Elliott - A motor cycle stunt rider sells his soul to the devil and has to do his bidding. Lame story, poor effects, so-so acting. A big disappointment. **
2007-07-06 - Miss Potter - Renee Zellweger, Ewan McGregor - The introverted daughter of a social climbing family attempts to get her illustrated children's book published at a time when everyone thinks it is a fruitless ambition, except her rookie publisher. She unconsciously achieves fame, fortune, and personal relationships through her writing. Very well told, true story of famous author Beatrix Potter. ****
2007-07-02 - Live Free or Die Hard - Bruce Willis, Justin Long - A Senior New York Detective is assigned to pick up a suspected computer hacker when the security of America is compromised. The cop and the geek team up to find the source and make it stop. An excellent sequel to the Die Hard franchise with a believable story, lots of action, and awesome one liners. *****
2007-06-29 - Shooter - Mark Walberg, Michael Pena - An ex-military trained sniper is set up to take the fall in an assassination attempt. He gets wise, teams up with a supportive rookie agent, and sets out to expose the real bad guys. Interesting, well woven conspiracy movie with lots of action. ****
2007-06-20 - Half Past Dead 2 - Bill Goldberg, Kurupt - A prison riot leads a wrongly convicted loner to team up with another loner to save the women they love who have been inadvertently stuck inside the prison during a total lockdown. O.K. acting, poor fight scenes, bad plot, and they left the door open for a 3rd installment. **
2007-06-18 - Music and Lyrics - Hugh Grant, Drew Barrymore - A former teenage idol is called upon by a current pop star to write a hit single. He teams up with a wannabe poet, who has troubles of her own, and attempt to fill the contract. Fun, excellent feel-good movie. *****
2007-06-18 - Sorry, Haters - Abdellatif Kechiche, Robin Wright Penn - A hardworking Arab cabbie is befriended by an American woman who appears to be an executive with connections who will help his troubled family. Good acting, not so good story. **
2007-06-17 - Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer - Ioann Gruffudd, Jessica Alba - A new menace with super powers endangers Earth and is seemingly unstoppable, even by the Fantastic Four. Good comic book story and introduction of a new character. Just an O.K. movie. ***
2007-06-11 - Breach - Chris Cooper, Ryan Phillippe - A rookie FBI agent tries to gather evidence to convict a high level suspected spy. Tedious and not believable story although based on true events. **
2007-06-10 - Ocean's Thirteen - George Clooney, Brad Pitt - After a friend gets screwed by a new casino magnate, the team makes plans to get even by making the new casino a disaster of epic proportions on multiple levels. Excellent setup, excellent story, good fun all the way. *****
2007-06-08 - Epic Movie - Kal Penn, Adam Campbell - Orphans go on an epic adventure satirizing mega movies. Only 3 Chuckles in 90 minutes. Stupid and unfunny and poorly done. *
2007-06-03 - Green Street Hooligans - Elijah Wood, Charlie Hunnam - A young man is wrongfully expelled from Harvard and moves to London to live with his sister where he gets mixed up with a gang of football hooligans. He learns a lot about British subculture, life and friendship and himself. Excellent all around movie. *****
2007-05-29 - Hannibal Rising - Gaspard Ulliel, Li Gong - Prequel to "Silence of the Lambs" shows why Hannibal Lecter became the monster we all fear. Very good acting and storyline. ****
2007-05-23 - Apocalypto - Rudy Youngblood, Dalia Hernandez - A peaceful Mayan village is captured by marauders who enslave some and sacrifice the others. Subtitled. Decent plot with amazing backgrounds, but not enough gore. ***
2007-05-19 - Stomp the Yard - Columbus Short, Meagan Good - Campus fraternities majoring in urban dancing seek to woo a new original dancer onto their team. Cool maneuvers, o.k. plot. ***
2007-05-08 - Because I Said So - Diane Keaton, Mandy Moore - An overprotective mom goes to the personal ads to find the perfect man for her daughter. Disappointing in every aspect from start to finish. **
2007-05-03 - Born to Fight - Nappon Gomarachun, Dan Chupong - Athletes help a poor village infested with rebels and a nuclear missile. Martial arts fighting by gymnasts. Too much fighting, too much killing, too many survivors. Just an O.K. kung fu movie. **
2007-05-01 - The Hitcher - Sean Bean, Sophia Bush - Young people give a stranger a ride and people die. Stupid, gory film. There is no insight as to why the guy does what he does. **
2007-04-30 - The Queen - Helen Mirren, Michael Sheen - Chronicle of the royal family and the decisions they make during the death of Princess Diana and the influence of young Prime Minister Tony Blair regarding this issue and the citizens of England. Based on facts. Very interesting behind the scenes story. ****
2007-04-29 - Slingshot - David Arquette, Balthazar Getty - Lifetime friends lie, cheat, and steal their way into adulthood until one of them decides to make a change in his lifetime of sex, drugs, and larceny. Lots of cussing. Decent story, good acting. ***
2007-04-25 - Night at the Museum - Ben Stiller, Carla Gugino - A night watchman at a museum discovers that the displays come to life after dark and wreak havoc until dawn. Cute, funny movie. ***
2007-04-24 - Déjà Vu - Denzel Washington, Paula Patton - An ATF agent investigates a terrorist attack and finds that a secret government agency has a tool that can view the past in real time. They attempt to use this machine to alter what has already happened. Interesting plot, good acting. ****
2007-04-23 - The History Boys - Richard Griffiths, Steven Campbell Moore - Prep school teachers polish the talents of gifted students to get them accepted at major universities. Wonderful acting on an interesting story of inspiration that goes foul with unnecessary homosexual tangents. ***
2007-04-22 - Wild Hogs - John Travolta, William H. Macy - Middle age guys decide to revive their boring lives and take a cross country motorcycle trip where they get into trouble with a gang of outlaw bikers. Very well done, laugh-out-loud comedy-adventure movie. *****
2007-04-22 - Notes on a Scandal - Judi Dench, Cate Blanchett - A spinster teacher keeps a diary that analyzes her relationships with her acquaintances. She uncovers a scandalous situation and tries to position this knowledge to her advantage. More about the notes than the scandal. ***
2007-04-20 - Freedom Writers - Hilary Swank, Patrick Dempsey - A beginning teacher tries to make a difference in a high school separated by gangs. Based on a true story. Excellent modern day classic about education, adversity, and tolerance. *****
2007-04-19 - The Last King of Scotland - Forest Whitaker, James McAvoy - Missionary doctor in Africa is befriended by a murderous dictator and becomes his personal advisor until paranoia affects everyone around him. Based on a true story. Excellent history, plot, and acting. *****
2007-04-16 - Almost Famous - Billy Crudup, Patrick Fugit - A teenage journalist gets a call from a national magazine to write a rock'n roll article about an up and coming band. He joins the band and their groupies on a cross country tour and struggles with telling a truthful story about his idols and friends. Excellent storyline. *****
2007-04-16 - Ed Gein: The Butcher of Plainfield - Kane Hodder - Improvised story about a real life ghoul who cut up people and wore their skin. Interesting, well told story of a man who went crazy and started killing people. Some disturbing macabre scenes. ***
2007-04-15 - Trust the Man - David Duchovny, Julianne Moore - Two couples have individual problems with commitment, fidelity, and sex as they try to work things out. A sad tale of what appears to be normal behavior for a lot of people in relationships. ***
2007-04-15 - Copying Beethoven - Ed Harris, Diane Kruger - A young woman is sent to produce finished copies of a nasty musician's notes for an upcoming symphony. Interesting story about an underling being mentored by a great temperamental artist. *****
2007-04-15 - The Beauty Academy of Kabul - Documentary about opening a beauty school in a strict Islamic country after the Taliban is ousted from power. Great insight and background of people trying to be progressive in a country devastated by years of war and archaic religious practices towards women. ***
2007-04-15 - Blades of Glory - Will Farrell, John Heder - Rival ice skaters behave badly and are banned from competition, then have to join forces to take advantage of a loophole. Very ridiculous but very funny spoof of the ice skating world with cameos by famous skating personalities. ****
2007-04-13 - Bobby - Freddy Rodriguez, William H. Macy - Character stories about people who were at the hotel the day Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated. Historic news footage is weaved into the storyline. Huge all-star cast tells an excellent story that culminates with the killing. *****
2007-04-12 - Death of a President - Hend Ayoub, Brian Boland - Fantasy documentary of the assassination of current U.S. President Bush with real news footage woven into the storyline. Very interesting start and setup, stupid ending. **
2007-04-11 - The Pursuit of Happyness - Will Smith, Jaden Smith - A struggling salesman joins a stock brokerage firm where he has to intern for 6 months with no pay while trying to support his family--and still is not guaranteed the job. Uplifting true story. ****
2007-04-10 - Wild Hogs - John Travolta, William H. Macy - Middle age guys decide to revive their boring lives and take a cross country motorcycle trip where they get into trouble with a gang of outlaw bikers. Very well done, laugh-out-loud comedy-adventure movie. *****
2007-04-09 - National Lampoon's Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj - Kal Penn, Charlotte Higginson - The protégé of a legendary Big Man on Campus goes to England and has troubles with the top fraternity. A competition ensues with humorous events. Nowhere near the original, but still worth a look. ***
2007-04-07 - The Good Shepherd - Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie - A young man joins a secret society which leads to his involvement in covert actions of the CIA and a separation between him and his family. Lots of code words, disinformation, and secrets along with ruthless decisions and actions. It took over 2 hours to set up the last 15 minutes. Interesting insights, but a pretty boring movie. **
2007-04-01 - 300 - Gerard Butler, Lena Heady - Historic fiction about a small group of Spartan warriors vs. a rag tag army of a million soldiers. Lots of killing. Exceptional story about honor, human rights, and freedom. *****
2007-03-29 - Children of Men - Clive Owen, Julianne Moore - The not so distant future world has gone sterile. There have been no new births in 18 years and the world is in military chaos when a woman turns up pregnant with what could be the rebirth of the world, or a political tool. An interesting premise, but that's it. It could have been a good movie, but it went horribly wrong after the first half hour. **
2007-03-28 - Touristas - Josh Duhamel, Melinda George - Hot, young, singles get stuck near a beautiful party beach in South America. They get drugged and robbed and then really bad things start to happen. A little bit scary, but a really lame movie. **
2007-03-26 - UFC 59 - Andrey Androvsky vs Tim Sylvia - Ultimate Fighting Championship mixed martial arts competition. Eight fights with only two good ones. **
2007-03-26 - Rocky Balboa - Sylvester Stallone, Burt Young - Rocky is back as an aging has-been with a little fire left. Classic, witty, insightful dialogue that only Rocky could deliver. Be prepared to cry, laugh, and cheer. A superb ending to the Rocky saga. *****
2007-03-25 - Man About Town - Ben Affleck, Rebecca Romijn - Successful talent agent's personal and business lives fall apart while he keeps a daily journal about who he is. Good all around movie. ***
2007-03-25 - Sublime - Thomas Cavanagh - A self made man with nightmares goes to a hospital for a routine procedure where bad things happen. Bad movie with bad plot done really badly. *
2007-03-24 - Keeping Mum - Rowan Atkinson, Kristin Scott Thomas - A Vicar's family is having all kinds of problems until they hire a housekeeper. One by one the problems disappear. Good story. ***
2007-03-23 - Blood Diamond - A modern day slave in the mine fields of Africa gets unsolicited help from a diamond smuggler to sell a rare diamond on the black market and achieve freedom. Outstanding movie with very disturbing war scenes. Great insight to the diamond business in war torn Africa. *****
2007-03-20 - Conversations with God - Henry Czerny, Vilma Silva - Out of work man turned homeless becomes bestselling author and spiritual guide. Poor acting and directing. It's awful, but might be worth an hour and a half on the religion channel. **
2007-03-18 - The Holiday - Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet - Two successful women have guy trouble and decide to exchange homes for Christmas. Their new lives have many interesting surprises. Funny, wrenching, warm date movie or chick flick. Bring Kleenex. *****
2007-03-17 - Casino Royale - Daniel Craig, Eva Green - Prequel of the James Bond we all know and love. We follow him on his first mission as he attempts to save the world by winning a poker tournament. I didn't care for Bond's character flaws. ***
2007-03-13 - Stranger than Fiction - Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal - A fastidious man finds himself the subject of narration that only he can hear. The narrator affects every part of his life which he is compelled to follow. Pleasantly surprised by one of my least favorite actors. Interesting story, start to finish. ****
2007-03-10 - Confetti - Mockumentary that follows three couples as they compete for the title of "Most Original Wedding". A dreadful, unfunny hour of total boredom followed by an extravagantly wonderful ending. ***
2007-03-09 - Catch a Fire - Tim Robbins, Derek Luke - A black company worker is forced into terrorism by white paranoid Apartheid South African executives. Excellent, true story about racism, terrorism, and freedom. *****
2007-03-09 - Let's Go to Prison - Dax Shepard, Will Arnett - A career criminal intentionally follows his sentencing judge's son to prison to make his life hell until his plan gets twisted. Pleasantly surprising, amusing, and funny movie. ****
2007-03-08 - Fast Food Nation - Wilmer Valderrama, Catalina Sandino Moreno - A hamburger chain deals with expansion, quality control, and immigrant workers. The education and reality of where fast food comes from. *****
2007-03-05 - Totally Awesome - Mikey Day, Dominique Swain - Spoof of 80's teen movies. Poor script, mediocre acting, pretty lame. **
2007-03-04 - A Good Year - Russell Crowe, Archie Panjabi - A rich jerk inherits his uncle's French chateau vineyard and tries to get top dollar for its sale while reminiscing about his wonderful childhood there. Good story. ***
2007-03-03 - Journey to the End of the Night - Brendan Fraser, Mos Def - The father and son of a sex club are both plotting one big score before they get out of the business. It was just O.K. Loved Mos Def. ***
2007-03-02 - Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny - Jack Black, Kyle Gass - A couple of drugged up rock'n roll wannabes seek a legendary guitar pick that will make them music gods. Lots of cussing, drug use, and rock opera music. Inappropriate for children. ***
2007-02-28 - Flight of Fury - Steven Seagal - A high tech jet is stolen and only one man can take on the bad guys. Bad script, bad acting, crappy stock footage of jets flying, but it does have Steven Seagal. *
2007-02-27 - Hollywoodland - Ben Affleck, Adrian Brody - The story we don't know about the actor who was TV's original Superman. Did he really commit suicide? or was he murdered? Very good story with very good acting. *****
2007-02-24 - The Prestige - Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale - Life-long rival magicians try to do the same trick better. Jealousy, deceit, trickery, science, fame, and death. Good acting, excellent story. *****
2007-02-23 - Babel - Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett - A thoughtless incident produces grief around the world for 4 families. Excellent movie and acting, but could be hard for some people to stay interested without the subtitles turned on. *****
2007-02-20 - Man of the Year - Robin Williams - A political comedian runs for President and wins. He struggles to do the right thing under pressure. Funny start, serious middle, funny end. ***
2007-02-19 - Relative Strangers - Danny DeVito, Ron Livingston - Upper class family tells their grown son that he was adopted. He seeks out his biological parents and discovers they are classless. Good cast. Funny stuff. ***
2007-02-18 - Unknown - James Caviezel, Greg Kinnear - Five guys wake up in a secured building and have no recollection of who they are and what they are doing there. They figure out that some of them are good guys and some are bad guys. But who is who? Good suspense. ***
2007-02-17 - The Departed - Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio - The police put a mole in the mob, the mob has a mole in the department. Both have the same suspicions and seek the rat. Excellent story. Pay attention! *****
2007-02-17 - School for Scoundrels - Billy Bob Thornton, John Heder - Shy guys take a class in assertiveness. Their mentor has a hidden agenda. Pretty funny. ***
2007-02-12 - Boynton Beach Club - Joseph Balogna, Dyan Cannon - Senior citizens looking for love after losing their mate from divorce or death. Interesting story on how older people react to new situations in dating. ***
2007-02-10 - Flags of Our Fathers - Ryan Phillippe, Jesse Bradford - The soldiers who raised the flag at Iwo Jima deal with the fame of being heroes. Excellent. *****
2007-02-02 - The Marine - John Cena - A Marine's wife gets held hostage by jewel thieves. He seeks vengeance. Lots of firey explosions. Decent action and story line. ***
2007-02-03 - The Guardian - Kevin Costner, Ashton Kutcher - A hot shot swimmer joins the Coast Guard Rescue Team and learns painful lessons about breaking records. Very good all around movie. I have new found respect for members of the Coast Guard. *****
2007-01-31 - Saw III - Jigsaw is back, and he has a helper. They are making people choose between a disfiguring painful life and a gruesome death. Hard core torture scenes. Not for the squeamish. Disturbing horror movie with very good acting. ***
2007-01-28 - Smokin' Aces - Ben Affleck, Jason Bateman - Seven hitmen try to kill a small time crook under police custody who is about to testify against the Vegas mob. It took the whole movie to set up the final scene. I lost interest, but stayed till the end. **
2007-01-26 - Employee of the Month - Dane Cook, Jessica Simpson - Slacker employee decides to take on the top dog to become employee of the month and impress a hot cashier. Cute story. Interesting lessons on life. ***
2007-01-24 - Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning - Jordanna Brewster, Taylor Handley - The classic horror movie has a prequel, and it is scary, gory, and macabre with a good story plus fine acting and direction. *****
2007-01-22 - The Protector - Tony Jaa - Thai peasants raise and train elephants when some get poached and need to be rescued. Decent foreign film with outstanding martial arts stunts. ***
2007-01-21 - Gridiron Gang - Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Xzibit - The guards at a juvenile detention facility attempt to turn the inmates into a football team. Based on a true story. Predictable uplifting story. ***
2007-01-20 - Little Miss Sunshine - Abigail Breslin, Greg Kinnear - A frumpy child gets invited to a regional pageant by default. Her family is on a shoestring budget but still attempt to get her to the out-of-state event when all kinds of stuff goes wrong. THIS IS NOT A KID'S MOVIE! Very amusing story with a pretty good payoff at the end. No Academy Award material here. ***
2007-01-19 - The Illusionist - Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti - A magician finds his all-grown-up childhood love from the upper class and tries to save her from marrying a creep. All around good movie. ****
2007-01-18 - Haven - Bill Paxton, Orlando Bloom - A shady businessman, his partner, and his daughter take off to the Cayman Islands as a safe haven from federal prosecution. Seemingly unrelated things happen between several unrelated characters that all come together in the end. Very good story, very good acting. ****
2007-01-17 - The Descent - Shauna MacDonald, Natalie Jackson Mendoza - Extreme outdoor sports enthusiasts go spelunking and bad things happen. Tense scenes, decent story, good acting, but the ending super-sucked. **
2007-01-14 - The Last Kiss - Zach Braff, Jacinda Barett - A guy is turning 30, his girlfriend is pregnant, and his life is going as planned when friends and family begin to have relationship problems and personal temptations arise. Good story, good characters, good acting. ****
2007-01-11 - Jackass Number Two -Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera - Idiotic adults take turns putting their bodies and their manhood at physical risk while the others laugh at them and film it. Not for the squeamish. Extremely gross and dangerous skits. Lots and lots of cussing. ***
2007-01-12 - Bandidas - Penelope Cruz, Salma Hayak - Mexicans are being cheated out of their property then killed by a company acquiring land for a railroad project. Only 2 hot chicks stand up to the bad guys as they try to get their property back. Billed as 'hilarious' but it was not funny. It may have worked better as a drama. Good scenery, decent plot. ***
2007-01-10 - Idiocracy - Luke Wilson, Maya Rudolph - An average soldier is cryogenically frozen in a top secret project and then forgotten. He wakes up 500 years in the future and finds that the world is run by dumbed-down idiots and he has the top IQ ever measured. Scary concept. Not funny. **
2007-01-09 - Mystery Men - Ben Stiller, Hank Azaria - Wannabe superheroes attempt to save a real superhero in trouble. Dumb and not funny. **
2007-01-08 - Snakes on a Plane - Samuel L. Jackson - A witness to a murder by a crime boss has to fly a commercial plane from Hawaii to the states to testify. The syndicate is being carefully watched, so they arrange to fill a plane with poisonous snakes to take out the witness, and everyone else. Far fetched, O.K. animation. ***
2007-01-07 - Derailed - Clive Owen, Jennifer Aniston - Two married executives meet by chance, decide to have a tryst, and get mugged during the act. Blackmail follows and lives are being ruined. An affair gone horribly wrong. Nail biting thriller. ****
2007-01-05 - American Dreamz - Hugh Grant, Mandy Moore - The most popular TV singing competition has a lot going on behind the scenes to keep the ratings up--including getting the President involved. Cute story. ***
2007-01-01 - Coach Carter - Samuel L. Jackson - Former all star high school basketball player returns to his now troubled school to coach a problem team. Good script, good story, good message. ****
2007-01-01 - Rocky Balboa - Sylvester Stallone, Burt Young - Rocky is back as an aging has-been with a little fire left. Classic, witty, insightful dialogue that only Rocky could deliver. Be prepared to cry, laugh, and cheer. *****
2007-01-01 - The Devil Wears Prada - Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway - A frumpy journalist gets a job in the high fashion industry when her business and personal life changes dramatically. Lessons in networking, drive, and decision making. ****
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2006-12-30 - The Black Dahlia - Josh Harnett, Aaron Eckhart - Two cops' personal lives unravel while working on the Black Dahlia murder case. It's more about the cops than the case. **
2006-12-29 - Step Up - Channing Tatum, Jenna Dewan - Drifting inner city student is sentenced to work at a school of the arts where he attempts to help out a dance student whose partner becomes injured. I've seen this formula before and this one is still very well done. ****
2006-12-28 - Invincible - Mark Wahlberg, Greg Kinnear - True Story of an out-of-work substitute teacher who tries out for a professional football team. Good acting, excellent story. *****
2006-12-27 - Fearless - Jet Li - Master martial artist seeks to prove his method is the best and takes on all challengers to prove it until he finds truth in his craft. Good message, but too many wire-assisted stunts. ***
2006-12-27 - All the King's Men - Sean Penn - Rise to power and corruption of a southern politician. Good acting, horrible story. *
2006-12-23 - Attack Force - Steven Seagal - A strike team is eliminated by a drug kingpin, so the team leader seeks revenge. It's awful, but is stars Steven Seagal. *
2006-12-22 - My Super Ex-Girlfriend - Uma Thurman, Luke Wilson - The office horndog meets a girl and finds out she has super powers. He soon discovers that she is too needy and breaks off the relationship when all hell breaks loose. Lots of potential, but not a good script. **
2006-12-17 - American Pie: The Naked Mile - John White, Jessy Schram - Another Stifler is about to finish high school as a virgin when his girlfriend gives him a free pass to do whatever he wants at a nearby college's annual event--the naked mile. Lots of beer drinking, sex games, animal house parties, and nudity. There have been better Stifler's, but this is a fine addition to the American Pie series. Several scenes are laugh-out-loud funny. ****
2006-12-17 - The Groomsmen - Edward Burns, Donal Logue - Family members and high school band mates reunite for a wedding. Friendship and maturity issues arise just before the big day. Too many big messages from a poor little movie. **
2006-12-17 - Material Girls - Hilary Duff, Haylie Duff - 2 girls lose their 'life of leisure' when the company they inherit is involved in a scandal. Poor acting, poor script. **
2006-12-15 - School of Life - David Paymer, Ryan Reynolds - A new teacher arrives and interrupts a family legacy of 'teacher of the year' honors at a middle school. Good characters and good lessons in popularity and life. ***
2006-12-11 - Superman Returns - Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth - Superman returns to Metropolis after having been gone for years. Things have changed and Lex Luther is making trouble again. Long, but it kept my interest. ***
2006-12-05 - Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan - Sacha Baron Cohen - Mockumentary of foreigner learning about America. It was like Candid Camera becomes a reality TV show. As a movie, it has very little merit. However, several scenes were insanely funny. ***
2006-12-04 - Beerfest - M. C. Gainey, Paul Soter - Americans go to Oktoberfest to compete in secret beer drinking games. It could have been funny, but it wasn't. *
2006-11-23 - John Tucker Must Die - Jesse Metcalfe, Brittany Snow - A handsome high school jock is 2-timing several girls. They enlist a new girl in school to set him up for a heartbreak. Cute. ***
2006-11-23 - You, Me, & Dupree - Owen Wilson, Kate Hudson, Matt Dillon - The best man has nowhere to go, so he moves in with the newlyweds. He's a slacker and causes a lot of problems, but he's so lovable, they can't kick him out. Surprisingly good story, good acting, and good ending. ****
2006-11-15 - Accepted - Justin Long, Jonah Hill - High school student is denied at every college he's applied to. He tries to save face by inventing his own college. Other burnouts join his unaccredited school and they get heat from a nearby college. I liked it. ***
2006-11-08 - Mission Impossible III - Tom Cruise, Philip Seymour Hoffman - Retired Secret Agent tries to keep his personal life separate from his professional life. He comes out of retirement to capture a new villain. Cool gadgets, action, and stunts. ***
2006-11-01 - The Champagne Gang - Suri Serano, Candice Lakota - Hot chicks become thieves. I can't believe I watched the whole movie. Might be the worst acting of the year. *
2006-10-24 - Flicka - Tim McGraw, Maria Bello - Troubled girl falls in love with a wild horse. Family relationships and commitment issues. Decent story with average acting and directing. **
2006-10-21 - Behind Enemy Lines II: Axis of Evil - Matt Bushell, Shane Edelman - Navy Seals get stuck in North Korea while attempting to sabotage a nuclear weapon. This is a made for TV movie. No one should have to pay to see it. *
2006-10-19 - The Break-Up - Vince Vaughn, Jennifer Aniston - A couple breaks up, but neither will leave their apartment. Compatibility, friendship, and jealousy issues. Sometimes humorous, but not funny. **
2006-10-10 - Art School Confidential - Max Minghella, Sophia Myles - A talented young artist enters art school to become a great artist. He learns what it takes to become famous and struggles with its application to his goal. True analysis of seeking fame. ****
2006-10-07 - Click - Adam Sandler, Kate Beckinsale - An architect doesn't have enough time for work and family so he gets a universal remote control to help simplify his life. The remote affects his real life to the point where he can fast forward through the rough periods but then has to catch up on what he misses in between. Funny sentimental tear jerker--bring a box of Kleenex. *****.
2006-10-06 - X-Men III: The Last Stand - Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Patrick Stewart - The government wants to "cure" the mutants. Some mutants want to fit in to human society while others want to fight extermination. Excellent story line, characters, special effects, sociology, and morality. I was able to completely enjoy the story line despite what I read about the inaccuracies between the comics and the movie. The DVD alternate endings are crappy. *****
2006-10-04 - Thank You for Smoking - Aaron Eckhart, J.K. Simmons, Rob Lowe - A spin doctor for the tobacco industry wins every argument and gets people to consider the benefits of smoking. Don't argue with this guy, you will lose. Very entertaining and educational and funny. *****
2006-10-03 - The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift - Lucas Black - Troubled guys racing cars in Japan. This time they use controlled skids to weave in and out of tight quarters. Cool driving stunts. ***
2006-09-15 - Stick It - Jeff Bridges, Missy Peregrym - Troubled female skateboarder gets into trouble and is sentenced to do time at an elite gymnastics training facility. Excellent stunts and routines. Starts out predictable and ends with a cool twist. ***
2006-09-08 - Just My Luck - Lindsay Lohan, Chris Pine - A girl is super lucky, a guy is the ultimate loser. They meet and their luck changes. Cute. ***
2006-09-05 - District B-13 - Cyril Rafaelli, David Belle - A cop and a street wise survivor take on a gang that controls a neutron bomb. O.K. story with spectacular stunts, chases, and martial arts fighting scenes. *****
2006-09-03 - Crank - Jason Statham - A hit man is injected with a drug that will kill him unless he can keep his adrenaline level pumping at a high rate. He gets geeked up every way possible to try to stay alive long enough to get revenge. Good action-comedy. The best sex scene I've seen in a long time--that alone was worth the price of admission. ***
2006-09-02 - Take the Lead - Antonio Banderas - A dance instructor takes on the kids in detention hall at a tough inner city school and teaches them ballroom dancing. A very good movie went very bad on the last dance sequence. **
2006-09-02 - Friends with Money - Jennifer Anniston, Joan Cusack - A woman falls on hard times and takes a job as a maid while her friends spend tons of money on frivolous things and give even more to charities. People without money have obvious problems. People with money have problems, too. ***
2006-09-01 - The Sentinel - Michael Douglas, Kiefer Sutherland - It looks like a Secret Service agent is trying to kill the President. An internal investigation leads to a surprising suspect. Excellent insight into how the people who protect high ranking government officials operate. ***
2006-08-21 - Bring It On - All Or Nothing - Hayden Pantierre, Solange Knowles-Smith - The captain of a champion cheer team moves to a new school district with a rougher squad and less assets. New school and old school compete to be in a music video. Good dancing and stunts. I like teenager movies, especially when cheerleaders are involved. ****
2006-08-20 - The Hard Corps - Jean-Claude Van Damme, Vivica A. Fox - A combat soldier leaves a V.A. hospital to protect an ex-prizefighter who is being stalked by the gangster rap artist that he helped put in jail. Good story, good action scenes. I like Van Damme movies. ***
2006-08-19 - The Benchwarmers - Rob Schneider, David Spade, John Heder - Adults who never got to play sports as kids take on little league teams filled with bullies. The nerds, geeks, and benchwarmers have a chance to get even. Goofy story done quite well. ****
2006-08-19 - Scary Movie 4 - Carmen Electra, Charlie Sheen - Spoof of recent popular movies and current events. Most of the time it is barely amusing, but it does have its moments. **
2006-08-16 - Final Destination 3 - Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ryan Merriman - When it appears that students at a fun park have cheated death, death seems to want to get even and get the job done in a horrific fashion despite premonitions that could save the victims a second time. Not too scary, not too gory. **
2006-08-12 - White Coats - Dave Thomas, Carly Pope - Interns at a poorly run hospital are forced to run the place after most of the staff leaves. Amusing, but not funny. **
2006-08-09 - Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector - Larry the Cable Guy - Unkempt, sloppy, redneck health inspector investigates food poisonings in fine dining restaurants. Lots of puking and fart jokes. Unexpectedly good story with some new classic quotable lines. I will buy this sophomorically humorous movie before long. *****
2006-08-08 - Inside Man - Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster - Hostage crisis during a perfect bank robbery. But what is being stolen? who is stealing it? and how could they possibly get away with it? Excellent mystery and drama. *****
2006-08-07 - She's the Man - Amanda Bynes, Channing Tatum - A school cancels their soccer program. A girl changes schools and impersonates her brother to get on the only available squad, the boy's soccer team. Cute, teenager movie. The acting is O.K., the story is familiar. I liked it. ****
2006-08-06 - V for Vendetta - Natalie Portman - Totalitarian London of the future has a new revolutionary hero. His name is V. We'll be seeing a lot of his mask at Halloween. Very good story. Good action scenes. ****
2006-08-05 - Family Stone - Diane Keaton, Dermot Mulroney, Sarah Jessica Parker - A tight knit family is having a Christmas get together and one of the sons brings a new love interest who just don't fit in. Good story, good acting. ****
2006-08-01 - Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man's Chest - Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom - Pirates seek a secret key that opens a secret lock that holds a secret treasure. There are too many characters, too many foreign accents, too much mumbling, too much animation, and it's way too long. This is nothing more than a set up for the next movie. I will not waste another 2 1/2 hours to find out how this garbage ends. I expected more integrity from Disney. *
2006-08-01 - Miami Vice - Colin Farrell, Jamie Foxx - Vice cops go undercover to stop a multi-national drug ring. Cool vehicles. This story could have been told in less than an hour. Too much filler. *
2006-07-30 - Failure to Launch - Matthew McConaughey, Sarah Jessica Parker - Parents hire a girlfriend for their 35 year old son in hopes that she will get him to move out of their house. Predictable, yet excellent date movie, plus we got to see Terry Bradshaw's "naked room". *****
2006-07-30 - Grilled - Ray Romano, Kevin James - Unsuccessful door-to-door meat salesmen have one more chance to make a sale. They witness a crime and get entangled with the mob. Worth watching if there's nothing else to do. **
2006-07-29 - Annapolis - James Franco, Tyrese Gibson - Renegade ship builder's son goes to the naval academy and learns to box. Bad script, bad acting. Predictably dumb. *
2006-07-22 - Syriana - George Clooney - Multiple story lines about oil. The movie went nowhere. Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad. They should give their academy awards back and replace everyone who voted in favor of giving it to them in the first place. *
2006-07-20 - Edison Force - Morgan Freeman, LL Cool J, Justin Timberlake - A young journalist seeks the help of a Pulitzer Prize winner to break a story about police corruption and money laundering before he gets killed. Justin doesn't dance, Morgan does--he's cool, but the movie is cold. **
2006-07-13 - Basic Instinct 2 - Sharon Stone, David Morrissey - Seductive crime novelist lures a respected criminal pathologist into her web of lies, deceit, murder, and sex to help her latest book take new twists. Very sexy and very intriguing. Lots of graphic sex talk and profanity. ****
2006-07-12 - The Matador - Pierce Brosnan, Greg Kinnear - A lonely assassin befriends a struggling salesman. The killer intrigues the citizen with his deadly profession and shows how it's done. Interesting concept, but it doesn't play out very well. **
2006-07-04 - Find Me Guilty - Vin Diesel - True story about an organized crime family on trial and the actual unusual courtroom dialogue. Decent acting, but the actual courtroom dialogue makes a lousy movie script. *
2006-07-02 - Brokeback Mountain - Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal - Cowboys have a homosexual experience and return to the site for regular trysts despite having wives and family at home. There was a love story in there somewhere. But it was mostly about shame, cheating, and what might have been if they didn't have to keep their forbidden urges a secret. Controversial, but not academy award material. **
2006-06-30 - Deadwood (Season 1) - HBO Series - Life in the lawless gold mining town of Deadwood. Lots of cussing and sex. Lots of cheating and killing, with no remorse. I imagine this to be an accurate depiction of the wild west. Excellent, excellent, excellent. *****
2006-06-25 - The Lake House - Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock - A man and woman live in the same house--2 years apart. They communicate via a "magic" mailbox and fall in love. A silly concept, but a sweet movie. Bring Kleenex. ****
2006-06-21 - 16 Blocks - Bruce Willis - Why is everybody trying to kill this witness before he gets to court? Good story, good suspense. DVD has a bad alternate ending. ****
2006-06-20 - The World's Fastest Indian - Anthony Hopkins - Old charismatic New Zealander dreams of going to America to see how fast his home-made motorcycle will go. He meets interesting characters and has to overcome obstacles along the way. True story. Fun for the whole family. *****
2006-06-12 - Running Scared - Paul Walker - Mobster loses a gun that was used to kill a cop, then he follows the trail as it is used in another crime and endlessly changes hands. Some gruesome scenes. Lots of cussing. **
2006-06-11 - Glory Road - Josh Lucas - White college basketball coach uses black players during USA civil rights era. I lived during this event, but don't recall it when it happened or realized its significance. True story, very well done. *****
2006-06-04 - Freedomland - Samuel L. Jackson - A woman claims to have been carjacked with her young son still in the car. A neighborhood is put on lockdown and racial tensions stir as a riot is imminent, while police search for the child. It is just s-o-o-o s-l-o-o-o-w. **
2006-06-04 - Rumor Has It... - Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Costner - The women in this family have issues. One daughter speculates that her dad might not be her paternal parent because she doesn't seem to fit in to the family. She tries to figure out her roots because of alleged links to the writer of "The Graduate." Humorous story. ***
2006-06-04 - The Ringer - Johnny Knoxville - A loser needs big money. So does his loser uncle. Together they scheme to rig the Special Olympics and bet on it to solve their financial problems. Not cruel to the mentally challenged. An amusing story. ***
2006-06-01 - Date Movie - Alyson Hannigan, Adam Campbell - Spoof of romantic comedies. Not funny or entertaining--just plain stupid. I can't believe somebody invested money to make this worthless junk. *
2006-05-31 - X-Men III - The Last Stand - Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Patrick Stewart - The government wants to "cure" the mutants. Some mutants want to fit in to human society while others want to fight extermination. Excellent story line, characters, special effects, sociology, and morality. *****
2006-05-30 - Hollow Man 2 - Christian Slater - An invisible assassin needs the help of a research scientist to stay alive. He will do anything to get the life-saving serum. Decent effects. **
2006-05-29 - Cheaper By the Dozen 2 - Steve Martin, Eugene Levy - Two dads lead their extra large families in competition during summer vacation. The kids grow up and the parents mature right before your eyes. Funny, well done sequel. ****
2006-05-28 - High School Musical - Zac Efron, Vanessa Anne Hudgens - A jock and a brain reluctantly try out for the high school musical despite pressure from their peers. Excellent family fun. All of our kids will know the soundtrack by heart. *****
2006-05-27 - The DaVinci Code - Tom Hanks - Allegedly, Leonardo DaVinci once led a secret society to protect a huge religious secret. The secret begins unraveling, creating a great adventure. Interesting tale. It's just fiction. ***
2006-05-22 - End Game - Cuba Gooding, Jr. - The President is assassinated despite the protection of the Secret Service. The agent, along with an investigative reporter, seek who is responsible and why. Wait for it to come out on TV. **
2006-05-15 - Munich - Eric Bana - A group of Israelis hunt down and assassinate those thought to be responsible for the 1972 killing of Israeli athletes at the Olympic games in Munich. An awful pseudo documentary by Steven Spielberg. Zero entertainment value. Whoever nominated this crap for the Academy Award for Best Picture is doomed as a movie reviewer for all time. *
2006-05-01 - Whirly Girl - Monet Mazur, Julian Morris - Mysterious blond exhibitionist performs exclusively at boys schools. Young man falls in love and tries to lead the girl to a better life. Not a risqué movie. **
2006-04-30 - An Unfinished Life - Robert Redford, Morgan Freeman, Jennifer Lopez - A battered woman and her daughter seek refuge with her estranged father-in-law in rural Wyoming. Excellent family story. *****
2006-04-29 - The Detonator - Wesley Snipes - Undercover CIA agent in an Eastern Block country is protecting a woman whose late husband stole $30 million from the sale of a nuclear weapon. Safe houses are not safe, but who is leaking information, and why? Decent story, some very good action scenes. He doesn't do a lot of detonating. **
2006-04-24 - Fun with Dick and Jane - Jim Carrey - Executive couple lose their jobs, then go to great lengths to make ends meet in a depressed town. I thought it would be funny, it wasn't. **
2006-04-21 - Hostel - Jay Hernandez - Students traveling through Europe meet sexy women and end up in a hostel where gruesome things happen. Lots of cussing, lots of nudity, sex, torture, drug use, killing, and disturbing scenes. **
2006-04-19 - Mercenary for Justice - Steven Seagal - Soldier of Fortune gets double-crossed then seeks revenge. It's awful, but has some decent fight scenes with Steven Seagal. *
2006-04-05 - Inside Man - Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster - Hostage crisis during a perfect bank robbery. But what is being stolen? who is stealing it? and how could they possibly get away with it? Excellent mystery and drama. *****
2006-03-26 - V for Vendetta - Natalie Portman - Totalitarian London of the future has a new revolutionary hero. His name is V. We'll be seeing a lot of his mask at Halloween. Very good story. Good action scenes. ****
2006-03-25 - The Tenants - Dylan McDermott, Snoop Dog - A struggling novelist and a wannabe writer compete to finish their work in a vacant apartment building. Bad story line. *
2006-03-24 - The Confessor - Christian Slater - A fellow priest is accused of murder. He refuses to divulge the information a confessor told him to prove his innocence. Interesting mystery concerning the Catholic church. ***
2006-03-23 - Capote - Phillip Seymour Hoffman - Author Truman Capote interviews killers so he can write a best seller. Interesting true story with very good acting. ***
2006-03-22 - Dreamer - Kurt Russell, Dakota Fanning - Washed up trainer and a washed up horse are inspired by a little girl. It had me bawling through half of the movie. Predictable but fun for the whole family. ****
2006-03-21 - Jarhead - Jake Gyllenhaal - Marine boot camp sniper training, then off to Iraq to do what they have been trained to do. Shows strained personal and military relationships. Lots of cussing. Lots of violent scenes. ***
2006-03-18 - A History of Violence - Viggo Mortensen - Is he just the owner of a diner, or does he have a violent past? Is he a really bad guy in hiding, or is it a case of mistaken identity? Very good story with excellent action. Bad ending. **
2006-03-13 - Just Friends - Ryan Reynolds - He's in love with this girl since 6th grade, but they've always been just friends. Ten years after high school and the feelings are still there. Can they get to the next level? Funny and cute. ***
2006-03-12 - Prime - Uma Thurman, Meryl Streep - An older woman falls in love with an attractive, much younger, man. She confides the details of her love life with her therapist who discovers that the client is in love with her son. Lovable characters in a complicated love story. ***
2006-03-11 - Waterborne - Christopher Masterson - The water supply is toxic. What will people do to get even a single bottle of water. Interesting premise. Bad ending. *
2006-03-08 - Hustle & Flow - Terrence Howard - A pimp and his ho's are selling dope and sex then switch to music to try to make their dreams come true by cutting a rap demo. Surprisingly good story. Lots of slang and lots of cussing. ****
2006-03-06 - The Constant Gardener - Ralph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz - A political activist is digging into a new drug trial program in Africa that has fatal results. Slow developing, interesting exposé, good acting, bad ending. **
2006-03-05 - 8 Below - Paul Walker - Sled dogs are left behind to fend for themselves during an Antarctic winter. Excellent story for the whole family. ****
2006-03-05 - The Net 2.0 - Nikki DeLoach - Somebody not only stole her identity, but also gave her a new one, and now she's in international trouble. Wait for it to come on a minor cable channel. Bad acting, bad story, bad ending. *
2006-03-04 - 16 Blocks - Bruce Willis - Why is everybody trying to kill this witness before he gets to court? Good story, good suspense. It is hard not to like the character "Eddie" played by Mos Def. ****
2006-03-04 - Yours, Mine, and Ours - Randy Quaid, Rene Russo - An Admiral and a free spirit become one family with 18 kids, and the chaos begins. Fun with the kids. ***
2006-03-03 - Rent - Jesse L. Martin - Musical about young people struggling to make it while surrounded by drugs, AIDS, and the difficulty they have paying the rent. I liked it better on a live stage. **
2006-03-02 - Walk the Line - Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon - The love story of country western stars Johnny Cash and June Carter. Well-told biography. ***
2006-02-29 - The Russian Specialist - Dolf Lundgren - Just when you think you evened things up with the guy that killed your family, he's back doing bad things. I like Dolf Lundgren movies regardless of storyline. **
2006-02-28 - The Thing About My Folks - Peter Falk - An older man finds a note from his wife saying "I'm leaving." He goes on a road trip with his son to try to figure out why. This is one of the better movies that I have never heard about before it was released on DVD. ****
2006-02-25 - North Country - Charlize Theron - Sexual harassment in the mining industry. Based on a true story. Women fight a system that is dominated by intimidating male bullies. Predictable but entertaining. ***
2006-02-24 - Two for the Money - Al Pacino, Matthew McConaughey - Mentor and protégé in high stakes sports betting business. Fame and fortune when the picks are right. Incredible lows when the picks are wrong. Makes you wonder if this is how they pick them in real life. ***
2006-02-22 - Domino - Keira Knightley - Female bounty hunter looking for the people that stole $10,000,000 from the mob. Based on a true story. Interesting enough to watch until the end. **
2006-02-21 - The Weather Man - Nicolas Cage - Big city weather man is moving up the ladder professionally, but is failing miserably in his personal life. Lots of cussing. Bad acting. *
2006-02-20 - Saw II - Shawnee Smith - "Jigsaw" is giving his captives unspeakable choices again. What will they do to survive? Graphic, gruesome, and gross horror movie. Good sequel to one of the better horror movies of the new millennium. ***
2006-02-20 - The Man - Samuel L. Jackson, Eugene Levy - Dental salesman falls into a gun-running deal and has to continue the ruse to help the police take down the bad guys. Not funny. *
2006-02-13 - Elizabethtown - Orlando Bloom, Kirsten Dunst - Love blooms during a career disaster and family funeral. Unbelievable situation, but a cute story. **
2006-02-12 - Firewall - Harrison Ford - Kidnap, ransom, robbery, reversal. Good suspense, bad ending. **
2006-02-07 - Waiting... - Ryan Reynolds - The wait staff you never want to meet at a chain restaurant. Lots of gross humor and quotable lines. Could become a cult classic. ***
2006-02-07 - Just Like Heaven - Reese Witherspoon - Man meets spirit of a woman but does not know who she is or why only he can see her. The story is just O.K. **
2006-01-31 - In Her Shoes - Cameron Diaz - One professional, dependable sister and one beautiful, irresponsible sister fall apart and come together through their estranged grandmother. Made me cry, twice. One of my favorite recent movies that I do not recall ever seeing a promo for. ****
2006-01-31 - The Legend of Zorro - Antonio Banderas, Catherine Zeta-Jones - 1850's superhero fights to save America. Good stunts. Antonio and Catherine are easy on the eyes. Good clean fun for me and my wife. ***
2006-01-31 - Thunderbolt - Jackie Chan - New on DVD, 1996 theater release with more car racing than fighting. An expert mechanic must beat a psychotic race car driver in order to save the life of his kidnapped sister. Cool stunts and O.K. fight scenes. **
2006-01-24 - The Fog - Tom Welling - When the fog rolls in, bad things happen in this small seaside town. Not very scary. **
2006-01-24 - The River King - Edward Burns - Did he commit suicide or was he murdered. 2 hours of my life and $2.99 rental fee that I can not get back. Total crap. *
2006-01-24 - Flightplan - Jodie Foster - A little girl is missing on a jumbo jet and nobody but her mom remembers seeing her. Easy to follow storyline. ***
2006-01-24 - The Aristocrats - Documentary of 100 top comedians telling the same gross-out joke over and over and over again. Stupid. It wasn't getting any better after the first half hour, so I decided not to waste any more time with it. *
2006-01-20 - Cloud 9 - Burt Reynolds - A middle aged slacker gets strippers to play in a professional volleyball tournament. Everything about this movie is bad. *
2006-01-18 - Lord of War - Nicolas Cage - The life of an international arms dealer. Interesting and educational story about the people that supply weapons and those who buy them. I learned a lot about buying and selling weapons. **
2006-01-18 - Red Eye - Rachel McAdams - A woman on a red eye fight is pulled into a plot to assist her captor in offing a politician. Suspenseful amusing storyline. ***
2006-01-18 - Transporter 2 - Jason Statham - A bodyguard is implicated in the kidnapping of the young son of a powerful USA official that he is paid to escort. Good action, good stunts. **
2006-01-11 - Wedding Crashers - Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn - A couple of guys crash weddings to pick up girls. Funny scenes, funny lines. Made me laugh out loud. *****
2006-01-11 - Must Love Dogs - Diane Lane, John Cusack - Divorce and dating for older newly single people. Cute story. **
2006-01-04 - King Kong - Jack Black - 2nd remake of the classic movie about a giant ape. 3 hours is way too long to retell this story. The dinosaur scenes are overdone and they look fake. **
2006-01-04 - Syriana - George Clooney - Multiple story lines about oil. The movie went nowhere. Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad. How a movie like this could garner an Academy Award is beyond me. *
============================== 2005 ===========================125
2005-12-26 - American Pie Presents Band Camp - Tad Hilgenbrinck - Stiffler's brother goes to band camp. Sophomoric humor. Worthy of being included with the other 3 American Pie movies. ****
2005-12-26 - Dukes of Hazzard - Johnny Knoxville, Sean William Scott - The Duke boys are at it again. The movie does justice to the original TV show. Awesome stunts. Love those Daisy Dukes! I had fun. ****
2005-12-26 - The Island - Ewan McGregor - Everyone in this utopian colony wants to win the lottery and go to "the island" until they discover what is really going on. Excellent stunts. ***
2005-12-26 - Crash - Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle - Examination of racism and stereotypes from all perspectives. The best movie I rented in 2005. Everyone should see this movie. *****
* Don't bother - a total waste of time
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