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A QUICK Review! I found a bunch of old movie reviews that I never got around to publishing – they’re old, they’re short, but they get the job done!
Apollo 18 (2011)
It’s not fair for me to review Apollo 18 because I didn’t see the entire movie, but I did see the end, so I feel like I know enough to pass judgement. Aside from it’s production values and a cast that was willing to act through this awful script, this movie has no redeeming values. Essentially, it’s The Blair Witch Project meets Aliens – and the movie just doesn’t work. I’ll leave you with these two final words: Space Spiders.
A Quick Review! Sometimes, I don’t have a lot to say about a movie, no matter how much I liked or disliked it. When that happens, I get my Quick Review on. Word.
The Trip (2011)
Whenever I see a mockumentary, I have to judge it against This Is Spinal Tap, which is unfair, but that’s my standard. Of course, The Trip can’t hold it’s own against such a fierce competitor, yet it’s still a lot of fun and often hilarious. There’s nothing quite like dueling Michael Caine impressions, is there? But unlike Tap (or it’s younger brother, A Mighty Wind), the movie lacks an arc and any sense of closure – never before was ‘The End’ more needed at the end of a flick. Starring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon (Brydon is my boy – Gavin and Stacey style!), The Trip is totally worth a watch, but it’s not exactly reinventing the genre – it’s just good fun.
Catching smoke might be tough, but photographing it is easy.
This photo brought to mind what is easily the weakest scene in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, during which the newspaper notes that Sirius Black has been sited in the area. “It’s like trying to catch smoke… It’s like trying to catch smoke with you bare hands…” some kid says. Ooooo! Scarry!
A QUICK Review! I found a bunch of old movie reviews that I never got around to publishing – they’re old, they’re short, but they get the job done!
War Games (1984)
Matthew Broderick stars as a computer geek in the first age of personal modems in War Games, one of the first movies that takes a look at the idea of computers getting too much control. David (Broderick) thinks he is playing a computer game over the internet (and I use the term ‘internet’ loosely) by running the program remotely, but he’s actually playing against an artificial intelligence named ‘Joshua,’ who is an American military super computer and may or may not think David has just ordered an attack on the United States. I don’t think it’s the best paced movie I’ve ever seen, but Broderick and Ally Sheedy carry it well. It’s the sort of movie everybody has to see once. If you’re older, it has great nostalgic value; if you’re younger, check out how sad computers used to be – even dial up AOL users will laugh at the way David connects to the internet.
A QUICK Review! I found a bunch of old movie reviews that I never got around to publishing – they’re old, they’re short, but they get the job done!
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)
I imagine that during pre-production of Captain America, the producers sat down and watched Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow and the Rocketeer just so they were clear on what NOT to do. Gweneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie and Ewan McGregor in the title role just aren’t enough to bring this highly stylized bit of old school sci-fi fantasy adventure to life in a way that you’ll believe – it’s too digital, it’s too silly and it just doesn’t work. Oh, and the robots look like they’re straight out of the Superman cartoon from the 1940s – it’s so obvious that I’m not the only dork who noticed..
A QUICK Review! I found a bunch of old movie reviews that I never got around to publishing – they’re old, they’re short, but they get the job done!
Saw (2004)
A movie about a killer who doesn’t actually do any killing but forces his victims to carry out the deed on their own sounds intriguing, but it’s not. This should be a simple movie with a villain whose motivation is clear, but it’s not. Cary Elwes and Danny Glover are in this movie, so it should be decent, BUT IT’S NOT. If you love horror movies, give it a look, but everyone else should steer clear. Saw is the worst title for a movie ever – as soon as you see the trailer, you know exactly how the movie is going to end.
A QUICK Review! I found a bunch of old movie reviews that I never got around to publishing – they’re old, they’re short, but they get the job done!
Rain Man (1988)
Dustin Hoffman taught us all about where he buys his under wear in Rain Man, the performance that won him the Academy Award Award. Tom Cruise portrays Charlie Babbit, a prick with money woes who learns he has a brother (Hoffman) when his father dies and leaves all money to Raymond, an autistic-savant. It’s a road movie with a lot of heart and a great performance by Hoffman, but in some ways, it’s almost a performance seeking a story. Rain Man isn’t really about the plot, it’s about the characters and their relationships, and sure, this is important in any movie, but you should at least care about what happens in the end… but whatever, it’s a movie with a ton of montages and good acting, and I recommend it.
A QUICK Review! I found a bunch of old movie reviews that I never got around to publishing – they’re old, they’re short, but they get the job done!
The Princess Bride (1987)
This is the first flick I’d guess most people saw starring Cary Elwes, and it might be hist best movie. (Nevertheless, anything he does gets my seal of approval – check out The Pentagon Wars… not so much Saw.) He carries a film like a champ. Co staring the beautiful Robin Wright Penn as Buttercup and narrated by Peter Falk as the grandfather and Fred Savage as the grandson, this movie has been delighting both young and old for years. I could go on and on and sing the praises of the cast, the directing and the Fire Swamp and it’s three terrors, but do yourself a favor and see this movie for yourself. It has something for everybody – that’s why you’ll see this flick rebroadcasted on every cable channel from comedy central to women’s entertainment. Anyway, the TV Guide one sentence summary would probably go something like, “Buttercup has decided to marry the prince after her true love’s death only to be kidnapped twice before she can be wed.“
A QUICK Review! I found a bunch of old movie reviews that I never got around to publishing – they’re old, they’re short, but they get the job done!
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
Based on The Odyssey (for all those who slept through english comp in college, that’s the one after the war (The Iliad) when he’s trying to get home), the Coen brothers deliver a musical and yet carefully dress it as a comedic drama. I really enjoyed this one; the story, the twists, and the performances (led by a George Clooney) are all top notch. Everything just works, and John Goodman is a great surprise; the best reveal in the movie, probably. Don’t miss this.
A QUICK Review! I found a bunch of old movie reviews that I never got around to publishing – they’re old, they’re short, but they get the job done!
Ocean’s Twelve (2004)
George Clooney returns as Danny Ocean in a sequal they could have left on the shelf, though it’s not a total waste of time. Andy Garcia’s Terry Benedict is pissed about Ocean’s Eleven cleaning out his vault and has decided to collect on this. This would have worked better as a plot motivator if they’d found a way to convey more menace from Benedict’s goons, but with so much star power in the movie, it’s pretty hard to find screen time for the smaller roles. It’s a star studded parade and some good laughs, but they left the door wide open for another shameless sequal and I hope to God that they can’t get all these players together again with their wacky hollywood schedules. We’ll have to see. (Sigh. Of course, we now know that a sequel did come to pass.)
Speculating on the plot of Dark Knight Rises
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows Review
5 Reasons I Loved The Muppets – a movie review
Newt Gingrich: “To the moon, Alice!”
South Carolina Tea Party Doesn’t Like Ron Paul
My Five Favorite Things About Mitt Romney (sarcasm)
Jamie Insalaco
chewyowl
Nurse Becky
A QUICK Review! I found a bunch of old movie reviews that I never got around to publishing – they’re old, they’re short, but they get the job done!
