TheMovieman

Yep, great and funny as all hell movie, arguably the funniest movies of all time. ****/*****, (A-, 8.1/10, 3.25/4)

Swordfish - Cheesy performance from Travolta but it's a fun movie and interesting to watch in a post-9/11 world (it was released in June of 2001).

Kind of similar to Scream 4 in that American Reunion made up for a disappointing third movie (although Wedding had a few funny moments). This is probably the most consistently funny of the bunch and really hits the note especially for somebody who graduated in the 90s and you realize just how much has changed. ****/*****, (A-, 8.0/10, 3.25/4)

Out of Sight

Anyone watch last night? Fine episode but odd stunt casting for Robert Englund as a detective. Half expected a twist in there that he was somehow involved...

The Darkest HourThe Witches of Oz

Eh, kind of mixed on this. I did think the kid was annoying and obnoxious, though the turning point for me wasn't him telling his mom he wishes it was her but instead when he lies saying there were no messages and then it just got worse when he actually went to the local electronics store and manages to buy the exact same machine and take the other one. THEN, later when he and his mom start to connect, she states the thing she misses the most was hearing his voice. Does the kid fess up and at least play the first couple of messages? No? WHY THE FUCK NOT? At the very least he could've given her the option! I also had a problem with Tom Hanks. I know it's a small part but everything about his performance, and his relationship with his son, came across as completely contrived. The shoulder shrug, the oxymoron battle, etc. That said, with the same screenwriter (adapting the novel) and director, I can't imagine any other actor making it better. As for Max von Sydow, so he got an Oscar nomination because he didn't speak? Is that the criteria now or was it the year for silent film? If so, I sure as hell wish the kid didn't speak and instead spoke only with cards. Anyway, Sydow I suppose was fine but I hardly found it to be anything special. Oh, and Sandra Bullock... I think I was more annoyed with the character rather than her performance. So she spends the movie absent and when she is on screen, depressed. Ok, fair enough. But then the twist (of sorts) was that she knew what Oskar was up to and went on the journey as well (either ahead of him or just behind). So, was her over depressed mood just for show and if so, why? Also, she admitted that she waited up for him to get home hoping nothing had happened to him. Great parenting, there. Sure, he needed to work through some things but oh, I don't know, perhaps he could've worked through it in therapy rather than going into a city that, apparently in this movie, at its worst only have mean people who yell. No pedophiles. No child murderers. Nothing to worry about... Then there's the plot itself. Yeah, it seems to have no point because of the key but that was the MacGuffin, a device to further other goals, which here was for Oskar to get out into the world more and meet new people. But even on that front it makes for a vastly uninteresting movie even if the kid wasn't annoying... All that said, I don't know, there were moments, brief as they might've been, that were good. I liked Jeffrey Wright's brief appearance and kind of wish the movie was about him and the relationship with his father rather than the kid and his. That one big scene between the two was probably the best of the movie but sadly, too little, far too late. **¼/*****, (C-, 4.4/10, 1.75/4)

War Horse (4-disc)

Huh? How does it kill the cinematic experience? How does it only work for certain type of films?

No, I got an advanced copy for review...

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, 3-Disc Best Buy Exclusive

Watched this the other day and while it's well made, I don't know, I just didn't have any kind of emotional response to it. The story is fine and the acting is good especially from the always reliable Ben Kingsley but otherwise it's kind of forgettable. Anyway, while not nearly a home run for Scorsese, still at least a good movie. ***¾ / *****, (B+, 7.5/10, 3/4)

Just a bump but in case anyone didn't know, Paget Brewster is leaving... again. The first time she was basically fired, this time she didn't resign and is moving on to other things.

ChinatownExtremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Girl with the Dragon TattooThe Ring

The Bodyguard

Out of AfricaTo Kill a MockingbirdThe Walking Dead: The Complete First Season

American PieAmerican Pie 2American WeddingHopThe ThingTinker Tailor Soldier Spy

I generally agree. It was suspenseful throughout and even though I know what the writer/director was going after with the ending, it still didn't do it for me. But still, it is worth checking out for Olsen and, on a lesser scale (since he's not in it as much), John Hawkes. ***½/*****, (B, 7.1/10, 3/4)

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

I'm not coming at this as a Tintin fan (never read it) but just a casual watcher. I actually found it tedious to get through to the point where by the time we got to action sequence #20, I kind of tuned out. The animation is great (albeit creepy), as is the voice casting, but the story did nothing for me and seemed to really drag near the end. I'll add more later (just got done watching it) but for now... ***/*****, (B-/C+, 6.3/10, 2.5/4)

BTW, off topic, but I checked out Reindeer Games and 54, boy oh boy are those transfers terrible. Major use of edge enhancement and DNR for Reindeer Games and DNR as well for 54. Shockingly the worse Blu-ray transfers I've ever come across.

Actually was quite surprised by this. The trailer looked fairly generic but the actual movie was entertaining. While it did seem like a cross between Sherlock Holmes and Pirates of the Caribbean, it managed to keep me engaged throughout. ***½/*****, (B, 7.0/10, 2.75/4)

9½ Weeks54DisclosureImmortalsReindeer GamesStriptease

^ The actor's name is Stephen Tobolowsky.