REWIND REVIEW: Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

MOVIE
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

CAST
Michael Douglas, Shia LaBeouf

RATING
PG-13

RELEASE
September 24, 2010

DIRECTOR
Oliver Stone

STUDIO
20th Century Fox

RUNNING TIME
2 hours 12 minutes




GRADE
B (86)





STARS
**1/2










REVIEW:

2010 was a really big year for bringing back the 80s. First we had The Karate Kid, then we had The A-Team, now 20th Century Fox has decided to bring Gordon Gekko back to the big screen and back to Wall Street in Money Never Sleeps, which takes place 20 years after Mr. "Greed Is Good" was last seen. This time he unites with Shia LaBeouf of Transformers fame, Academy Award nominees Carey Mulligan and Josh Brolin, and the legendary actors Susan Sarandon and Frank Langella. You may think that this terrific cast, directed by the legendary Oliver Stone would be one hell of a good time. Unfortunately, you may be disappointed as Money Never Sleeps drags on for too long, the story is confusing, and some of the acting is just very poor, especially since these actors are usually terrific players.

Gordon Gekko, after being in jail and reconstruction of his live for two decades is back to get back into the game he once destroyed at: Wall Street. Not only is he back in Wall Street, he is trying to rebond the relationship between himself and his now adult daughter, Winnie. Winnie is now engaged to a successful Wall Street player named Jacob Moore. Jacob wants his fiance' and her father to get back together again, but what is Gordon really in it for? The family, or the game. He did once say "Greed is Good," but how far will that get him anyway?

I expected at movie far much better than what I watched here. What really shocked me about this movie was that Gordon Gekko was only in about half of the movie, which is disappointing because Gekko is supposed to be one of the greatest movie villains of all time, except you don't see it that much here. Michael Douglas is actually the best actor in this movie, but was never in line to get nominated for any Oscars this year. He wasn't nearly as good as actors like Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake in The Social Network, or Geoffery Rush in The King's Speech. The real main actor in this movie is actually Jacob Moore, who's played by Shia LaBeouf. He is not the world's worst actor. In fact, he's one of the better actors in a long time. He doesn't always play the same role in most of the movies he's in, like Michael Cera and Jesse Eisenberg, he expands his horizons when it's the right time to do so. I personally don't see any problems with his acting. He's an actor, and he acts. That's all there is to it. So I believe that he's a nice presence in this movie. The other actors, like Carey Mulligan and Frank Langella were good, but very small and unnecessary. Probably the worst actors in this movie were Josh Brolin and Susan Sarandon. They were awful and unbelievable in this movie, and surely could have done a better job than they did in this.

So the story wasn't so original, and the acting was sub-par, but just for Shia LaBeouf and Michael Douglas, Money Never Sleeps could be worth the 132 minutes this movie bestows within itself. The running time is actually 20-30 minutes too long, and they could have cut so much stuff out of this movie, like Susan Sarandon's parts. I wouldn't recommend this moviue to any of my friends or many adults who get bored easily, since this movie is slow paced. But for people who understand Wall Street and can withstand the long running time, like my older family members, they might enjoy this movie more than I do. But for the time being, Money may Never Sleep, but I wanted to oh so badly while watching this. But I couldn't, since I wanted to have a review up for all of my readers out there. I'm just glad I didn't pay to see this in theaters. Then I would've been very disappointed by the outcome. Oh by the way, it's not that Money Never Sleeps, it never sleeps in a crappy movie that I or my family pays for. Its sleeps peacefully in my bank account where it belongs and with all of the good movies that I saw this past year, like The Social Network and The King's Speech.

REVIEW: Gnomeo and Juliet in 3D

MOVIE

Gnomeo and Juliet

CAST

James McAvoy, Emily Blunt

RATING
G

RELEASE
February 11, 2011

DIRECTOR

Kelly Asbury

STUDIO

Touchstone Pictures (Disney)

RUNNING TIME

1 hour 24 minutes

GRADE

A+ (100)

STARS

****

REVIEW:

"The story you are about to see has been told before, we're just telling it again." That sentence, said by a tiny gnome at the beginning of Disney's Gnomeo and Juliet leads the audience into what is sure to be a funny animated flick. Disney can always surprise me with their newly released movies. For example, Tangled at first looked like it would be an OK movie. And yet, that turned into my favorite movie of 2010. For me, I believe we have an early contender for best animated movie of 2011, as Gnomeo and Juliet, despite its corny name has plenty of laughs, heart, and awesome Elton John music.

The red gnomes and the blue gnomes may live on different sides of two houses, but they hate each other like how the Montages and the Capulet's hated each other. (Ha Ha, see what I did there) Gnomeo lives on the blue side, and Juliet lives on the red side. One day they accidentally meet and instantly fall in love. Let's face it, if you know the summary of 'Romeo & Juliet,' then you know how Gnomeo and Juliet goes.

Okay, we all know that this is the same Romeo & Juliet story we saw in the film adaptations, West Side Story, etc. but Disney decided to tell the same story again. This time, of course with friendly animated characters. Yes, I expected this movie to be a disaster, since the previews made the movie look awful. But then some good reviews came in, and then the movie did impressive at the box office, so I had to take a gander at this. Luckily, my sister and her friend were going to see it, so I decided to tag along, which they didn't mind. Turned out to be a clever and funny movie that takes the original Shakespeare story and brings it to worldwide audience through the help of the British. This is possibly my fourth animated British film, the previous ones being Wallace & Gromit, Dougal, and Flushed Away. I enjoyed this one a whole lot more than those, mainly because of one thing: Elton John.

The music in this movie was all done by the British sensation Elton John. His music in this movie really flows through, giving it a musical like vibe without the main characters singing their hearts out. The music will not only satisfy for kids, but for adults as well. The songs, like the catchy kid friendly song "Crocodile Rock" can be listened to over and over again. Just like how the music was good, so was the all star British cast. I would like to be the first to call this cast "the Harry Potter casting of animated movies." In this movie, we have James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Michael Caine, Ozzy Osbourne, etc. You also have your sweet taste of American voice with Dolly Parton in a funny cameo. If these aren't good enough reasons to go out and see this movie, then you are a very picky person when it comes to movie. Or it's because you're a testosterone filled up man.

As crazy as this may sound, Gnomeo and Juliet is my favorite movie of the year so far. Honestly, unlike The Green Hornet and Unknown, I could watch this movie over and over again. It has the perfect blend of humor, heart, and nice family entertainment in the view of two different gardens filled with two different kinds of gnomes. I can honestly say that if any family should go to the movies, forget Justin Bieber and go see this movie. The adults will have as much fun with this movies as the kids will. So do you want to see a movie that is full fledge entertainment for the whole family? Check out the must see movie of the year so far when you spend some time Gnomeo and Juliet.

PREVIEWS YOU MAY SEE:

Mars Needs Moms

Hop

Soul Surfer

IMAX: Born To Be Wild 3D

Rio

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REVIEW:I Am Number Four: The IMAX Eperience

MOVIE
I Am Number Four

CAST
Alex Pettyfer, Timothy Olyphant

RATING
PG-13

RELEASE
February 18, 2011

DIRECTOR
D.J. Caruso

STUDIO(S)
DreamWorks Pictures,
Touchstone Pictures (Disney)

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 50 minutes




GRADE
B+ (88)

STARS
***

REVIEW:

For the past month or so there have only been many chick flicks coming out. First The Roommate, then Justin Bieber: Never Say Never. Can't somebody show some love for the guys?! Luckily, Michael Bay, Steven Spielberg, and D.J. Caruso, the director of Disturbia are here to save the day. You may expect the movie to be pretty bad or mediocre. In truth, the movie is good, not terrific, not extraordinary, just plain good.You don't have to see this movie, but the acting is fine for what it is, the special effects are awesome, and there are more jumps in this movie than there are on a rollar coaster. Well, it could've just been the fact that I took advantage of the IMAX experience with this movie. Aside from the jumps, I had fun getting to know Number Four, and the journey he goes on. This truely is a "Twilight" for boys.

SYNOPSIS (Courtesy of RottenTomatoes.com)
Three are dead. He is Number Four. Changing his identity, moving from town to town with his guardian Henri, John is always the new kid with no ties to his past. In the small Ohio town he now calls home, John encounters unexpected, life-changing events-his first love, powerful new abilities and a connection to the others who share his incredible destiny. John is an extraordinary young man, masking his true identity and passing as a typical student to elude a deadly enemy seeking to destroy him.

This movie wasn't perfect or terrific, but it was corny, fun entertainment and a good way to spend a couple of hours. It's just corny funthat should satisfy the male Twilight haters. I'm not saying that this won't appeal to girls as well. It does have Diane Argon of Glee as the love intrest to Alex Pettyfer. Plus, this movie should probably give guys a reason to go to the movies again. I mean what was the last movie released strictly for teen guys? I think it was The Green Hornet. Can you think of the last time this year where Hollywood showed some love for the teen guys of America and the World?

The acting wasn't bad, but it also wasn't good. It was just okay. I guess Timothy Olymphant was good, but I couldn't really tell whether the acting was good or not. I'm probably one of the few people that saw 'Alex Rider' when it was popular in the U.S., and thought that he was good. In this movie, I din't think he was spectacular, but he was good, yet forgettable. Diane Argon does better in Glee, but she has a nice presence in the movie, and hope to see more of her in the future. Let's face it, the Glee kids will eventually graduate from that high school, and they'll need something to do, so why not be in a few movies. I'm glad to see Callan McAuffle, the main character from Flipped be in more movies. I like this kid as an actor, and hope to see much more of him in the next few years. Another show stealer, yet was only in the movie for about a half hour was Teresa Palmer as Number 6. She is both beautiful and a good actress, and I believe that shw will be gaining a lot of star status with all of the movies she has on her agenda, starting with the R rated 'Take Me Home Tonight.' I heard that was a good movie, have you seen it?

As for the special effects, they were the same as every other Hollywood movie: AWESOME! With the special effects advanced these days, many studios can make freakin' awesome special effects. They probably won't win any awards, but they were still eye candy to look at. The movie overall was just okay, nothing short of good, and nothing bigger than bad. If you want to see it, go ahead, I can't control you to not go see it, I'm just saying it's not a teriffic movie. Some people may like it, some may dislike it, I'm just in the direct middle of those people. My advice, you want to see a good movie, try to see Unknown. You will be surprised by that. Oh and just to point out that I saw this movie in IMAX, but it wasn't really worth it except for some of the awesome special effects sequences. Those looked pretty awesome on the biggest screen of all. So to sum up, if I had put I Am Number Four in my top 5 must see movies of the early spring season, I would honestly put it at NUmber Four, yet the movie was still good, not teriffic, just plain good.





PREVIEWS YOU MAY SEE:

(Non-IMAX)
Beastly



(IMAX)
Sucker Punch


Fast Five

Thor


Pirates Of The Caribbean:
On Stranger Tides


Transformers:
Dark Of The Moon


Real Steel

REVIEW: Unknown

MOVIE
Unknown

CAST
Liam Nesson, Diane Kruger

RATING
PG-13

RELEASE
February 18, 2011

DIRECTOR
Jaume Collet-Serra

STUDIO
Warner Bros. Pictures

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 53 minutes






GRADE
A (96)




STARS
***1/2









REVIEW:

Wait a minute, haven't we seen this movie before? Well, I haven't seen Taken, so I can't compare the two Liam Nesson flicks. However, I can tell you that I did just experience my first Liam Nesson thriller, and came out pleasently surprised. There isn't much more to say that this movie makes you think a lot, pluses the audience satisfying car chase scenes. I'm not saying that this is the must see movie event of the early spring season. This mpovie is actually just one of them. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this movie, since I thought it would just be another dumb thriller that has a predictable ending. I'm not going to explain everything in just one paragraph, so let me just explain what this movie is about.

Dr. Martian Harris and his wife are in Berlin, Germany to attend a science conference in which he is speaking at. But a fatal car crash gets Dr. Harris into a coma for four days. But when he gets out of it, Dr. Harris finds his identity taken by someone he's never met and his wife doesn't even recognize him. At first, Martian thinks he's crazy. But then people attempt to dispose of and kill him in the most horrific ways. Now Martian needs help from anyone whom he can trust and stop a greater crime that may happen sooner than expected.

Like I said, when going into the theater I was expecting another dumb and predictable thriller, like the recently released movie 'The Roommate,' a movie which I have no interest in seeing yet heard it was very stupid. But this movie isn't aimed for teenage girls looking for a scare. This is a movie made for adults and testosteroned men who are looking for an awesome thriller. You can also say that this movie is aimed towards 35+ people due to the familiarity of the scenery, and the fact that this is a thinking movie that has many twists put into the mix. Sort of like 'Sixth Sense' twists, where someone wouldn't want to tell you the twists even if you asked. You may hate someone or something in this movie, but I would still recommend you to go see this movie. It honestly will keep you guessing until the end, plus have some fun with yourself.

I like Liam Nesson as an actor. I like the way he acts and chooses his roles wisely, so he won't end up in some crappy movie that everyone dislikes. Okay, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace was the only exception, but Liam Nesson was the best thing about that movie. I also like Diane Kruger, even though the only other movies I've seen her in were the National Treasure movies, where I thought she was good in as well. I heard she was teriffic in Inglorious Bastards, a movie which I still have yet to see. Theperformances weren't sublime and astounding, but they were solid as they usually are supposed to be in movies.

Unknown can surprise people. No wait, it will surprise people with its many twists. I enjoyed myself during this action packed ride, and hope many will go out to see this. It is a fun time in theater for many teens and adults. I'm not sure how many others will react on this movie, since a lot of people have been having split decisions on this movie. I'm not saying that this is the must see movie event of the early spring season, but you will surely have a lot of fun when seeing it. So, do you already know the "know," or do you want to know the "Unknown"?






PREVIEWS YOU MAY SEE:

The Audjustment Bureau

Battle: Los Angeles

Limitless

Something Borrowed

Thor

Green Lantern

'

REVIEW: Justin Bieber: Never Say Never 3D

MOVIE
Justin Bieber: Never Say Never

CAST
Justin Bieber

RATING
G

RELEASE
February 11, 2011

DIRECTOR
Jon M. Chu

STUDIO
Paramount Pictures

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 45 minutes





GRADE
A (94)




STARS
***1/2








REVIEW:

From the ideas of recent concert movies, and the director of Step Up 2 and 3, and the biggest male pop sensation since Michael Jackson comes Never Say Never, the extensive behind the scenes look at Justin Bieber's life and his sold out concert at Madison Square Garden. Now most people who are reading this may say, "Why is this handsome 14 year old seeing such a girly popstar movie?" Well as it may be hard to believe, I respect Justin Bieber as an artist and enjoy his music quite a bit. I don't get why so many guys hate Mr. Bieber so much. He is just a regular 16 year old kid living the dream of a lifetime. Now if you still hate the guy, then check out this movie. Not only is it a good documentary/concert movie/underdog story, it will also convert any Bieber hater into a Bieber admirer.

This movie shows the basics of Justin Bieber's life from when he was a very young and talented child, to his sold out performance at Madison Square Garden from 2010 and the rest of his 'My World Tour.' It shows the miracles that Mr. Bieber has had for the past 2 years, as well as showing some upsetting times in the Bieber family and the risks to take when being a worldwide known pop star.

The only way I could describe this movie while at the same time giving the movie some justice is that Never Say Never is a nice combonation of the Hannah Montana 3D concert movie, Michael Jackson's This Is It, and every underdog/inspirational movie ever made. I'm not saying that this is the single greatest music documentary ever made, which girls will probably say. Heck, they might even say that this is the single greatest movie ever made. This movie is none of that, yet the movie is still an entertaining and eye popping 2 hours that includes hundreds of screaming girls and leaves you with a big smile on your face.

I admire Justin Bieber as a singer, since he's probably one of the best modern pop stars of the new decade. Ever since 'Baby' came into the earholes of America, I believed that Justin Bieber is this generation's Michael Jackson. He's not as talented as The King Of Pop, yet has some very catchy and good songs, screaming girls dying at his feet, and the entire world in the palm of his hand. Not only is he a great performer, he is also a teriffic role model for many young children and teens. As the title of the movie states, Mr. Bieber sings and mentions that whenever you have a dream as big as your heart, never give up ion it, follow your dream, and never let people convince you that you will never be able to follow that dream. As an aspiring movie director, I will personally take this quote with me all the way to my success, as well as pass on the quote to many people in the years to come.

People think that Justin Bieber is a gay, girly popstar with terrible songs. But they don't understand that Justin Bieber, along with other rising stars is just a regular, yet talented teen living his dream, while at the same time being a kid. This is clearly shown throughout the entire 105 minute running time, especially in the home videos shown showing many of Mr. Bieber's extrordinary talents that he possesses. This movie had every aspect of a concert/documentary, like 'This Is It,' yet also adding native 3D to the effect.

To tell you the truth, only the concert scenes in the movie were shot/shown in 3D, and even though the 3D scenes are used very well, this movie doesn't really have to be seen with the 3rd dimension. But I would recommend it, to those who are up for the risk. But 3D or no 3D, this movie delivers what it promises, plus adds a few extra goodies to the bag, including special apperarances by musical acts like Boys II Men and Sean Kingston. So when you're speculating whether to see Justin Bieber or not, believing that it will never be a good movie to yourself, do what the title says and 'Never Say Never.'



PREVIEWS YOU MAY SEE:

Rango


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Soul Surfer


IMAX: Born To Be Wild 3D


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Kung Fu Panda 2

REVIEW: Just Go With It

MOVIE
Just Go With It

CAST
Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston

RATING
PG-13

RELEASE
February 11, 2011

DIRECTOR
Dennis Dugan

STUDIO
Columbia Pictures

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 56 minutes




GRADE
A (96)

STARS
***1/2











REVIEW:

So, who still enjoys Adam Sandler? What I meant to say was, who likes Adam Sandler's recent movies like You Don't Mess With The Zohan and Grown Ups? I sometimes do, yet the critics only like him in dramas like Punch Drunk Love and Funny People. But when the critics like his movies, they tend to not do so well at the box office. However, when Mr. Sandler makes movies strictly for the audience's pleasure, the critics hate the movie, and the movie financially is successful. Well the same situation happens here with Just Go With It, Mr. Sandler's latest attempt to bring an audience into theaters. This time, he teams up with funny girl Jennifer Aniston, who is probably best known for Friends. Does this possibly funny combination do well with critics, audiences, and at the box office? For the critics, absolutely not. But for his audiences like myself and the box office, this movie is a success. It is funny, predictable, and sweet. Just Go With It for me is the first funny comedy of 2011.

Danny, a plastic surgeon has been doing magic with the ladies for over 20 years. Ever since he was cheated on at his wedding, Danny used his wedding band to score one night stands with clueless women. But when he's at a party, he meets Palmer, an incredibly attractive woman who he immediately falls in love with. But the catch is, she never found out about the wedding band in the first place. So when she finds the band in his pants pocket, Palmer takes it the wrong way. So Danny, with the help of his assistant Katherine, creates the lie that he is getting a divorce, so he could be with Palmer. But then Katherine's kids soon become involved after an accidental phone call by Katherine. Now will this lie lead to a separation between Danny and Palmer?

Now I can admit that this movie is predictable and obvious from the beginning, but this movie isn't about plot, it's about the laughs. And isn't that why anyone goes to an Adam Sandler movie in the first place? Hell yeah! From penis jokes to mafia references, this movie has almost every kind of joke possible. Yes, they can make every 13 year old who's seeing this movie with their parents uncomfortable, but also make them laugh their heads off at the same time. I believe that if The Dilemma, the movie starring Adam Sandler's partner in crime Kevin James had more jokes like the ones in this movie, then I would've enjoyed it more. I believe that it's because of the silly, immature jokes that Mr. Sandler makes in his movies are the reason why I enjoy them so much. And that is why you should see this movie.

If you don't like Adam Sandler that much, or just don't like his kind of comedy, this movie may not be for you. However if you're a guy and you don't like Adam Sandler, then there are three reasons to see this movie: Jennifer Aniston, Brooklyn Deckler, and Nicole Kidman. In the words of Borat, they are all "Very Nice, Yes!" Well, you can always find Brooklyn Deckler's wallpaper on the Just Go With It website if you don't want to pay money to see these woman release their acting chops. But to tell you the truth, Adam Sandler comedies are never about acting. Didn't anyone see Grown Ups last June? Like I said before, Adam Sandler movies are only made for laughing, not for awards. This movie delivers what the audience pays for. So unless Jason Freidberg and Aaron Seltzer release another parody movie this year, this will probably be front runner for Worst Picture of the year. That's only what the critics would say. However, if your an Adam Sandler fan like myself and love all of his movies, you will really love this movie. So for two hours with Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston on a trip spanning from Los Angeles to Hawaii, do what the title says and Just Go With It.





PREVIEWS YOU MAY SEE:

Take Me Home Tonight


Battle: Los Angeles


Arthur


Hanna


Bridesmaids


The Zookeeper