REDBELT
This is a “crossover” movie, trying to appeal to those who like complicated storylines and those who like to see some bodies flying. Too bad both crowds may be disappointed. (more…)
Friday, May 9th, 2008
WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS
If you’ve checked in on the NBA playoffs on TNT, it’s hard to avoid commercials for this movie. Do they really think we only watch about ten minutes of a game and wouldn’t be bothered by fifty plugs for this movie? Sort of made me root for this one to fail – well, it probably isn’t necessary for me to get involved, this one’s pretty flat without my help. Jack and Joy are the crazy couple, played by Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz. It’s a case of opposites – she’s a career driven control freak, he’s a slacker. Dumped by her boyfriend, she heads to Vegas for a getaway. Dumped by his father, Jack does the same thing. Of course, they’re accompanied by their best buds, Tipper and Hader. Sorry, that’s the characters names – Tipper, played by Lake Bell (yeah, that’s her name), and Hader, played by Rob Corddry (yep, two “D’s”). Oh, these two are opposites too, but here’s something interesting – they’re funnier than Jack and Joy. And that is never a good sign for movie – when the “supporting” cast is more entertaining than the main stars. (more…)
Friday, April 25th, 2008
BABY MAMA
Just because “Saturday Night Live” is something like a hundred years old, doesn’t mean we can’t stop mining it for new movie stars. Hey, Will Ferrell has made some hits, hasn’t he? The success rate isn’t good, and, honestly, who watches that show anymore, but here goes – you may recognize both women though, Amy Poehler is the lady who does the Hillary Clinton impersonation, and Tina Fey stars in the NBC sitcom, “30 Rock”.
Fey is gone from “SNL”, but they team up again for this one, which represents, for me, a perfectly neutral attempt. Meaning, I can’t say too many bad things about it, and I can’t say too many good things either. (more…)
Friday, April 18th, 2008
PATHOLOGY
Honestly, I was on my way to see “Forgetting Sara Marshall” when I got car trouble and ended up seeing this movie instead. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. And that explains how I came to see what may be this year’s worst movie. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to a movie for really sick people. Yes, very sick and twisted. Milo Ventimiglia (from the TV show “Heroes”) is a med student named Ted Grey, and his new assignment is the pathology department of a local med center. (more…)
Friday, April 11th, 2008
STREET KINGS
If you haven’t heard of him, James Ellroy writes novels about the LAPD. Maybe you remember “L. A. Confidential”? Great movie – and I suppose a great novel. Then there’s this – another Ellroy novel, and, sorry, not so great movie. I couldn’t decide if it was miscasting, or a bad screenplay, or the fact that this whole story seems dated, but, boy, it just didn’t work for me. Keanu Reeves plays Detective Tom Ludlow – think of him as “super loner cop”, because that’s about the extent of the character. Well, I’ll add “dumb” to that description, because he’s pretty slow to pick up on what’s going on around him. (more…)
Friday, April 4th, 2008
STOP-LOSS
So, I promised I’d stop seeing Iraq war movies and I lied. This one, however, is a bit different – at least most of it is set in the United States. “Stop-Loss” is a policy whereby a servicemen’s tour of duty in the military can be “involuntarily extended”. Some call it a “backdoor draft” – it certainly is if you were looking forward to getting out, which is the situation for our main character, Sgt. Brandon King, played by Ryan Phillippe. (more…)
Friday, March 14th, 2008
THE BANK JOB
After wasting my money the last few weeks on some really awful movies, I went looking around and pick out this one. And, no, I don’t do it randomly, I too read other reviews to save myself from a complete movie disaster. Like all productions from England, I spend the first ten or fifteen minutes of the film going “what did he say?”, “did anyone get that?”, “does anyone know what’s going on?” Yes, it’s the dreaded thick accent problem, coupled with a really slow start for this thing. (more…)
