What's On Our Minds

Fairenheit 9/11

Okay, so Robyn and I saw the Michael Moore movie on Friday in Georgtown, one of very few theaters showing it in the area. I could rant and rave for pages about the movie and the ineptitude of Bush, but it just makes me mad so I won't. Suffice it to say, I am not a big fan of this current administration. Maybe later I'll go into more detail as to why, but for now I will just say: "VOTE KERRY!"

Some Movie Reviews

Gothika Starring Halle Berry, Charles S. Dutton and Robert Downey, Jr. I wasn't sure what this movie was supposed to be about going into it. Overall it turned out to be a creepy movie with a surprisingly good plot. For all it's spookiness, I actually enjoyed it. Nice twists and very good acting on everyone's part
out of five Happy Faces.

Honey Starring Jessica Alba, Mekhi Phifer and Little Romeo. I expected it to be fairly lame, but sometimes I can enjoy a good B movie. Truth be told it was pretty cliche, predictable and yes, lame. But, I got what I wanted out of it.
1/2 out of five Happy Faces.

Rundown Starring The Rock and Seann William Scott. This movie was about a tough guy who had to bring home the boss's kid from the jungles of Brazil before he could leave the hired thug biz to open his own restaurant. I loved this movie. It was action-packed and really funny.
I give it out of five Happy Faces.

Once Upon A Time in Mexico

This movie, starring Antonio Banderas and Johnny Depp was a sequel to El Mariachi and Desperado. I didn't see El Mariachi as it was subtitled, but I remember really enjoying Desparado.

OUaTiM was a more somber film than the fast-pasted Desperado. You knew something terrible had happened since the last movie, you could even guess what it was, but it wasn't revealed right away. I didn't re-watch Desperado before going to see the new movie, so I didn't quite remember where we left off. Nevertheless, the movie was easy to follow, especially since the story centered more around Johnny Depp's character than Banderas's.

The unbelievable action was still there plus some great guitar shooting stunts. Parts of the story got to be a bit to gorry for my preference, but all in all, I'd say this final chapter of the trillogy is worth watching if you're curious how the El Mariachi story ends.

Weekend Rentals

This weekend it was Bad Rental Fest at John and Robyn's.

**Cradle to the Grave. Jet Li & DMX. Fast action. Unbelievably lame plot. I fell asleep before the end. Even if you're a huge Jet Li fan, you could probably skip this one comfortably.

*Rules of Attraction. James Vanderbeek & Shannyn Sossamon. Truly bizarre. Skip it.

*Head of State. Chris Rock & Bernie Mack. Mildly funny; mostly ridiculous. Skip it.

***One Hour Photo. Robin Williams & Michael Vartan. Sadly, this is the best movie we watched all weekend. For a chilling but brilliant performance by Robin Williams, rent this movie when you're in the mood to be gently creeped out!

Chicago

The same night we rented Bowling for Columbine, we rented Chicago. What a pair these two movies make. Columbine is a documentary on guns violence in America and Chicago is a musical about women trying to beat murder wraps for shooting the men in their lives.

I really enjoyed Chicago, too. Who knew all those celebrities could sing? I sure didn't expect Richard Gere to be able to carry a tune. Then again, technology is a wonderful thing... I don't know how much was talent vs. studio magic.

But, all in all, the show was cute. I've never seen the stage play, so I didn't even know what the plot was supposed to be about. Queen Lattifah was definitely a favorite of mine and I've always liked ... the blonde chick. What is her name? You know, from Jerry Mcguire? "You had me at hello?"

Darn it! I'm too lazy to look up her name and I'm too fried from a days work to remember it... so, rent it and see for yourself.

I love how I'm writing this like someone other than John and me are reading this blog... but it's fun to pretend we actually have an audience. :)

Bowling for Columbine

A few weeks ago we rented Bowling for Columbine, a documentary on guns in America directed by Michael Moore.

I really enjoyed this movie. I've always believed in gun control and some very surprising issues were discussed. He challenged our stereotypical beliefs on why America has more gun violence than most other countries. I'm not surprised that Moore won an Oscar for this piece last year. I feel he really deserved it.

Some highlights of the movie included:

~Taking some Columbine survivors back to Walmart to "return" the bullets still lodged in their bodies.
~The contrast between gun violence in Canada and the US. I can't believe Canadians don't lock their doors!
~ The piece de resistance was Moore's final interview with Charleton Heston.

I recomend this movie highly! It will make you think!

S.W.A.T.

Okay, am I the only one in the world who didn't know SWAT used to be a TV show?

At least that meant that I had no preconceived notions about this movie going in... other than I LOVE Samuel L. Jackson and I'm starting to really like Colin Farrell.

I really enjoyed this movie. The character development was really well-done, the interpersonal relationships were easy to relate to and were believable. The cast did an excellent job and worked very well together. Despite the great performances by Jackson and Farrell, LL. Cool J and Michelle Rodriguez added a lot to the movie.

The action scenes were fun to watch and the technology used by the SWAT team was fascinating. I would definitely recommend this movie for good action and an entertaining plot.

Pirates of the Caribbean

Well... this weekend Robyn and I saw Pirates of the Caribbean with our friend Sharon. We weren't sure what to expect from this one, since the previews weren't very telling. Actaully, I had pretty high hopes because it was an unknown to me.

And, I'm glad to say that we all enjoyed it very much. It payed homage to the Disney ride in places, which tickled me, since I've been on that ride many times. The movie was funny, swashbuckling, adventurous, and about all I'd want in a Summer movie. Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow was great. He was kinda weird, but it was great. (apparently Depp modelled the character after Rocker Keith Richards). Not sure what else to say about this movie except that I highly recommend it.

Rental Reviews

Okay, John talked about the theater shows we saw over the holiday weekend, these are my thoughts on the rentals we watched.

How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days
I didn't rush out to see this when it was in the theaters because I thought it might be a bit painful to watch Kate torture Mathew, and I wasn't entirely wrong. At times I wondered if a woman could really live with herself after treating another person to some of the antics in this movie. But, it wasn't as bad as I thought and ultimately gave me the requisite warm fuzzies. Plus Mathew takes his shirt off quite a bit. Okay, John, you didn't read that.

The Transporter

Depite the fact that John kept wanting to call this movie the Trainspotter, it wasn't bad for a B movie. I'd seen none of the actors before, but they were pretty good and the action was just fine. Even the thin plot managed not to fall apart. So, not a bad way to spend a rainy afternoon.

Deliver Us From Eva

I didn't know about this movie when it hit the big screen but it's all over Blockbuster, so I gave it a try. It was difficult to watch at first because the main character Eva gives Attila the Hun look sweet. Really, they made her a major beyotch! And when her brother's-in-law were plotting to get her out of their hair, I would have cheerfully suggested murder. But L.L. Cool J. saves the day and really made this movie watchable. I'm all for movies with a happy-ending, so if you're interested, give it a try.

Terminator 3 & Legally Blonde 2

After the disaster that Charlie's Angels 2 turned out to be, I'd wondered if I would be suckered into ever seeing a sequel again.

Well of course I would be. Nothing like the promise of more of a good thing. That's what a sequel is supposed to be. The RETURN of something that I liked before. In that spirit, Robyn and I saw TWO movies today and here's what I thought:

T3: Rise of the Machines

I had low expectations for this movie. I mean what else could they do with this franchise? And how old does Arnold look these days? Well, I was pleasantly surprised. The movie entertained me. It's not a cult classic like the first movie or a groundbreaking, looks-what's-new in sci-fi action movies like T2, but it entertained. The new kid playing John Conner was more than acceptable for more. (That other kid annoyed me quite a bit anyway). Arnold looked good. Hollywood and Steroids can do wonders I guess. The action was.. well ACTION. The humor was there and not laborous as I thought it might have been. The new Terminatrix was an interesting twist, but her "character" was lifeless, but what do you expect from a cybernetic organism? The can't all say, "Hasta La Vista, Baby" and "Tell it to the Hand". Bottom line, it's good, but this should be it.

Now on to Legally Blonde 2.

I was REALLY worried about this one. The first movie was very funny, but would this be a Charlie's Angels where they just accentuated to the nth degree the parts of the first movie in the sequel. Well, in a way, "Yes", but they were more sucessful in making it enjoyable. Must be the fact that Reese Witherspoon is more likeable than the vacuous Cameron Diaz. There were moments in this movie that made me cringe because the storyline wasn't as compelling as the first, but deep down, I like Elle Woods so it was easier to allow the moments of sequelity in this movie. And the intern dance number? I'll just pretend that never happened. Bottom line, it's okay, but PLEASE no more.

Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle

Okay.. after viewing this filth, and, believe me, it was filth, poo, doo-doo, crap, bulls%@t, I wanted my money back. Moreover, I wanted the time I wasted watching the movie back. I feel sick, I feel violated, offended. I've seen some stinkers in my time (Pluto Nash, Under the Cherry Moon, Ballistic: Ecks vx. Sever), but this one tops the cake.

I read some reviews designating this thing as stupid fun. HELL NO! This was just STOOOPID. No fun involved. Okay, so it had pretty girls shaking their heinies and showing a lot of skin, (Actually, Lucy Liu is the only one of the three that I'd label as pretty), but was that supposed to get my attention and make me enjoy the movie? Sorry, but I found the Miller Lite mud-wrestling girls shouting "Great Taste, Less Filling" more entertaining. At least in that commercial, the story flowed, the joke was funny, and the girls were actually pretty. There was no sex appeal in this movie for me, how could there be? They were too busy bashing me over the head with several frying pans in the guise of a lame plot, dumb jokes, insanely unbeliveable action sequentious, and Cameron Diaz's vacuous smile.

This movie was an abomination. Directed by a music video director, McG, and it looked like it. I'd be ashamed if I were one of the actors. I've seen Drew, Lucy, and Cameron do better. And Demi? What were you thinking? THIS is your comeback? John Cleese, the King of Stupid Fun, I wish you could have told them how to do it. Bernie Mac, are you THAT desperate? Your show is a hit, why taint yourself with this crap.

Full Throttle sputtered throughout. I'm glad it's over. For those that haven't seen it and were thinking about seeing it, I'll tell you what I told the people waiting in line to see it as I was exiting the theater.. "Turn Back... Stay Away... It SUCKED".

Movies and Marvel

So.. we went to see the Hulk this weekend. I liked it a lot. It was more dramatic than the other recent comic book flicks, thanks to Ang Lee. The Hulk himself looked cartoonish at times, but I didn't mind so much. I didn't expect a lot from a CGI-generated 15-foot, Green Giant with purple pants who can jump miles at a time. How on EARTH do you make that look real?

Personally, while I like what Ang Lee did, a director who took a more traditional approach to a comic book movie like done with Spider-man and X-men, might have yielded a movie with more mass appeal. And it shouldn't have been so ADULT. Kids are dying to get a piece of the Green Goliath. I think with all the Hulk toys and merchandise they are pushing, Universal & Marvel owed the public a more kid-friendly version.

So that marks yet another successful and entertaining Marvel movie. Here's my ranking of the comic book movies movies thus far:

1. Spider-man [Marvel]
2. Batman [DC]
3. Superman [DC]
4. X2: X-men United [Marvel]
5. Men-in-Black [??]
6. Daredevil (could rank higher after I see it again) [Marvel]
7. X-men [Marvel]
8. Blade [Marvel]
9. Hulk [Marvel]
10. Batman 2 [DC]
11. Batman 3 [DC]
12. Blade 2 [Marvel]
13. The other Batman movie and the Superman sequels.

Movie Reviews

Okay, we saw several movies this weekend and here's how I'd rate them.

Cathch Me If You Can starring Leonardo DiCapprio and Tom Hanks

This movie was really wonderful. Not only was it well-made with great actors, but the story was adventurous, humerous and touching. I'd recommend it, with **** out of five stars.

The Truth About Charlie staring Mark Walberg and Thandie Newton

I wasn't blown away by the trailer for this movie and so I wasn't surpised when it turned out to be a tad to weird and confusing for my taste. The convoluted plot eventually sorted itself out, but I can't say that when all was said and done that I really cared either way. Maybe I'll check out the original Charades that inspired this travesty. In any case, I'll give it ** out of fives stars.

I'm with Lucy starring Monica Potter, David Boreanaz & Henry Thomas

I'd never heard of this movie, but I love romantic comedies so I was hopeful. At first, I couldn't tell where the plot was going, but it ended up being really cute and kind of funny. If you've got nothing better to do on a Sunday afternoon, I say rent it. *** 1/2 out of five stars.