REVIEW: Fast Five

MOVIE
Fast Five

CAST
Vin Diesel, Paul Walker

RATING
PG-13

RELEASE
April 29, 2011

DIRECTOR
Justin Lin

STUDIO
Universal Pictures

RUNNING TIME
2 hours 10 minutes







STARS
***1/2











REVIEW:

In a year so far where every idea put out there, like for example hot babes in a fantasy realm with machine guns has been a mediocre turnout, it seemed as if that this year would only have very few good movies and barely enough time to see them. But alas, here comes Vin Diesel and Paul Walker revved up with an all star cast in what I think will be one of the summer's biggest hits. You may only think from first impression that Fast Five is mearly a street racing movie with awesome cars, great action scenes, and hot women shaking their bootys. Well that is only half true, since this movie includes much more, like extensive and unbelievable action scenes and some good acting from all actors. This movie is 100% male testosterone, with everything that guys like. It satisfies the male mind from the movie's first action scene, and never stops there. Fast Five will satisfy many this year and it is possibly the single best theater experience I'll have this year.

After he escaped from prison again, Dom Toretto has one final mission in his plans. With what was once an attempt to steal cars from a train, this mission soon becomes something even more. Dom has hatched a plan to steal money from a corrupt Brazillian buisinessman, Herman Reyes. Just how much money may you ask? Try 100 million dollars. And if the plan succeeds, Dom and his gang will get new lives and disapper forever. Meanwhile, DDS federal agent Luke Hobbs has been assigned to find Dom and the group, and send them back to America with handcuffs around their wrists. Hobbs is the best at what he does and will stop at nothing to find Toretto.

This is a movie where it's not about thinking, like Inception, it's about letting loose and just going with the flow. The action scenes in this movie almost never stop, which adds to the fun presented. Some of the stunts in this movie are also just unbelievable. My accompanist pointed out that during a scene in which Dom and Brian are using their cars to pull a safe through the streets of Brazil, there were no sparks coming out from then bottom of the safe, therefore wouldn't possibly be real. I simply told him that I didn't notice, since I was just watching this movie as an audience member, not a critic. If I was in critic mode, I would've pointed out every flaw presented in this movie. (And there are some flaws) But being a critic with the mind of the average audience member, I just sat their for two hours straight and just had a fun time. Isn't that what action movies are all about, to just go with whatever is going on during that scene? If you like insane, over the top action in your movies, then put this on your things to see during the summer.

As most probably know, this movie brings back many familiar characters from previous movies. As someone who only saw the first and fourth installments before seeing this, I must say that getting to know these characters was a little bit hard. You heard characters make remarks about incidents in previous installments of the series, but that's all you need to be worried about. Even if this was the first Fast & The Furious that you're seeing, you may still understand it. It would just add more if you knew who the characters were. As for the characters themselves, I liked how you had your characters resemble the genres of action, romance, and comedy. The best characters were possibly Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris, because they were what you would call "the comic relief" of the movie. The comic relief is presented so if things were getting too action packed, then these guys help you cool down with chunks of comedy in between action sequences. The acting was what it was, with Paul Walker always doing a mediocre job. But after seeing previous installments, most pretty much have learned to deal with it, just letting the movie do it's thing. And this adds a lot to this movie, letting the movie be just as action-packed as it is corny to most people. This will be one of the aspects that makes this movie so enjoyable.

Now I did say that there were flaws in this movie, and I stand on my word for that. Along with Paul Walker's acting, there were some pretty dumb elements in the story. For example, (and this may be a SPOILER to some, so look out) they did not need to have Mia Toretto, Dom's sister and Brian's love intrest pregnant throughout the entire movie. It's just one of the many plotlines that are so over used in moives these days, that you don't even care about it's outcome. Can't directors and studios learn that it's not necessary to make women pregnant in action movies? Soon, this idea will be lowered down and barely anyone will use it anymore. Also, I wanted to learn a bit more about Dwayne Johnson's character, Luke Hobbs. The guy seemed to have more of a back story that made him the way he is in this movie. He seemed to be chasing Dom and the crew for more than just being assigned to his case. Other than those problems, I thought the movie pitch perfect. If this movie didn't have those mid-sized flaws, it would've been awarded the perfect four star rating.

Director Justin Lin knew what audiences wanted, as well as what critics needed. This movie manages to be cheesey and over the top, but one hell of a time at the movies. This movie has everything someone could want in a Fast & The Furious movie, plus add something that the other installments didn't have: story and character development. In the previous movies, you barely got to know the story or the characters, and your only focus was on the racing, action, and/or gorgeous women flaunting what they had. It's amazing that it took 5 movies and 10 years to make a super awesome racing crime thriller. Hey, at least we didn't have to have to wait 20 movies before they were great. So as we Americans say, fifth times the charm, and Fast Five proves that greatly. Yes, I enjoyed this fifth installment than the ones in the Harry Potter and Star Wars series. So if you want to see a kick ass, awesome summer movie, then get into your cars, drain youre brain for two hours, and let yourself enjoy Fast Five. On a last note, if you stay after the credits, a little treat hinting at a Fast Six is shown. If there is a Fast Six, count me in!

REWIND REVIEW: Waiting For "Superman"

MOVIE
Waiting For "Superman"

RATING
PG

RELEASE
September 24, 2010

DIRECTOR
Davis Guggenheim

STUDIO(S)
Paramount Vantage,
Participant Media

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 51 minutes






STARS
****










REVIEW:

The world in today's economy is in a way falling to ashes. With the numerous earthquakes and tsunamis going on, it's hard for many to gain an education and live a successful life. Actually, the majority of families over the world are indeed poor. Many families are poor for different reasons. Some even have to enter their kids into a lottery in order to get into school. That's the basic premise of Waiting For "Superman," the latest documentary from Davis Guggenheim, the director of the Academy Award winning documentary, 'An Inconvenient Truth.' And just like 'Inconvenient,' 'Superman' is scary, shocking, and incredibly brilliant. This is, and I sincerely mean this, one of the most important movies ever made.

SYNOPSIS (Courtosy of FilmJabber.com)For a nation that proudly declared it would leave no child behind, America continues to do so at alarming rates. Despite increased spending and politicians' promises, our buckling public—education system, once the best in the world, routinely forsakes the education of millions of children. Oscar®—winning filmmaker Davis Guggenheim reminds us that education "statistics" have names: Anthony, Francisco, Bianca, Daisy, and Emily, whose stories make up the engrossing foundation of "Waiting for Superman." As he follows a handful of promising kids through a system that inhibits, rather than encourages, academic growth, Guggenheim undertakes an exhaustive review of public education, surveying "drop—out factories" and "academic sinkholes," methodically dissecting the system and its seemingly intractable problems. However, embracing the belief that good teachers make good schools, Guggenheim offers hope by exploring innovative approaches taken by education reformers and charter schools that have—in reshaping the culture—refused to leave their students behind.

I mean it when I say that this is one of the most important movies ever made. This movie shows so many scary but real examples of the education the students of America that kids are getting. I bet you didn't know that only 12% of kids in Washington DC are functionable in reading and writing? This is only one of the many shocking facts presented in this documentary. Davis Guggenheim has made an EXCELLENT documentary, and I really mean that. I think that this movie should be seen by everyone, especially the teachers of every school in the world. For every student who thinks that their life sucks, take a look at the kids who have to live by getting into a school through luck. That is just a terrifying situation.

Think of this movie as a two hour PSA. (Public Service Announcement) I recently had to create a 30 second PSA, so I know how tricky some subjects can be to bear. And unfortunately, this is one of those types of tricky subjects. This movie will shock and scare many people, and it's supposed to. The movie is sad, so sad you may want to bring tissues to live with the fact that most kids aren't able to get into school by choice. They're waiting for a hero, a "Superman" if you may say. Why do you think that this movie has that title?

REVIEW: Hop

MOVIE
Hop

CAST
Russell Brand, James Marsden

RATING
PG

RELEASE
April 1, 2011

DIRECTOR
Tim Hill

STUDIO(S)
Universal Pictures,
Illumination Entertainment

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 35 minutes






STARS
***











REVIEW:

Happy Easter season, everyone! To celebrate the (nobody cares about Passover) holiday, I went to go see the only holiday related movie out there, Hop. From the trailers, I thought the movie would be as much a dud as the second Alvin and the Chipmunks was. The movie was very stupid and kid friendly, just to start off. The movie had lots of dumb jokes that only the kids would laugh at, and adult humor that would go over a kids head. But in the corniness that this movie had, there was just that guilty pleasure that was in this movie that made it mildly enjoyable. As much as I'm shocked by this, I enjoyed Hop. Who would've thought that Russell Brand's raunchy humor would work well in a kids movie?

E.B. is the next in line to be the coveted role of the Easter Bunny. But the 4,000 year tradition may be broken, since E.B. doesn't even want to be the Easter Bunny. Instead, he wants to fulfil his dream of becoming a famous drummer. So there's only one place in the entire world that can help E.B. live his dream: Hollywood. So he travels to Hollywood to become a drummer. But along the way he meets a a jobless, thirty something slacker named Fred O'Hare. But at the same time E.B. is attempting to fulfil his dreams, E.B.'s father has sent out a group of bunny ninjas to bring E.B. back to Easter Island. Also going on at the same time, The Easter Bunny's second hand chick has plans of his own to take over the entire Easter organization.

This is one of the corniest movies that I have ever seen. It's also a very stupid, mindless movie that is like every other animated/live action movie out there. And yet, it's one of those movies that's like a sugary treat. It may not be good for you, but it still gives you a sweet sensation that is hard to resist. The reason that this movie is getting bad press is because this isn't an adult movie. This film is from Tim Hill, who directed Max Keeble's Big Move, the Garfield movies, and the first Alvin and the Chipmunks movie. So with those movies on his resume, you know that this will be a dumb movie. The film is far from perfect, with a predictable ending and characters that are just unnecessary to be there in the first place. But this movie did have stellar animation, especially for the bunnies and the chicks. I do especially give props to Illumination Entertainment for making E.B. so damn cute! I also give props to Tim Hill for making some pretty funny adult references to move the movie along. Believe it or not, Universal would put a Playboy reference into the movie's storyline.

The actors and voice work in this movie is done pretty good. Russell Brand voices E.B., and he does just as good a job on E.B. as he did on Dr. Nefario in last year's hit, 'Despicable Me.' James Marsden pull a Jason Lee in this movie, and is almost completely identical to Jason Lee's character in Alvin in the Chipmunks back in 2007 and 2009. The other voice work, including Hank Azaria and Hugh Laurie are done pretty well, but like any typical animated movie. The other human actors are just regular, dim-witted characters who finally like the main character at the end of the movie. There isn't any "Best Actor (or Actress)" nominations happening in this movie, but they are just there for the entertainment, and that's what they deliver. And leave it to Universal to put "The Hoff" in this movie for about 20 minutes.

This isn't a must see kids movie, but I would recommend this movie over Rio, a movie which I also mildly enjoyed, but felt that there are better things out there. Universal was smart to release this movie, since this movie is pretty much a kid magnet that would drive kids in no matter how sucky it could be. This is not a movie for most adults, just so you know. Not everyone will enjoy this movie, since it's made towards a specific audience. But if you're the right person to see this movie, you're bound to have yourself a fun time. This is the sweet tooth movie of 2011. No matter how stupid this movie may be, it still has enough sugary energy to satisfy any person. So if you need a little bit of sugar in your movie life, then 'Hop' over to your local theater and go see this movie.




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REWIND REVIEW: It's Kind Of A Funny Story

MOVIE
It's Kind Of A Funny Story

CAST
Keir Gilchrist, Zack Galifianakis

RATING
PG-13

RELEASE
October 8, 2010

DIRECTOR(S)
Ryan Fleck, Anna Boden

STUDIO
Focus Features (Universal)

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 41 minutes






STARS
****










REVIEW:

Midlife depression can really suck, especially if you're a suicidal 16 year old. That's what 'It's Kind Of A Funny Story' is basically about. It tells the story of a 16 year old boy who's so stressed out and depressed, he considers suicide as an option. Not wanting to kill himself, Craig, the 16 year old checks himself into the local hospital, wanting to get control of himself and see what can be done about his problem. This movie can really connect with its audience, plus inspire them to get out of a depression they're possibly in. The movie is funny, dramatic, sad, and for the most part, fantastic! The real title for this movie should be "It's Kind Of An Awesome Movie."

SYNOPSIS: (Courtesy of Fandango.com)
In this New York City-set comedy-drama, 16-year-old Craig, stressed out from the demands of being a teenager, checks himself into a mental health clinic. There he learns that the youth ward is closed – and finds himself stuck in the adult ward. One of the patients, Bobby, soon becomes both Craig’s mentor and protégé. Craig is also drawn to another 16-year-old, Noelle. With a minimum five days’ stay imposed on him, Craig is sustained by friendships on both the inside and the outside as he learns more about life, love, and the pressures of growing up.

I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed this movie. I mean, I knew it was going to be good movie, considering the casting and the storyline, but I never expected it to be so, real. What I meant by that was that this movie captures what many teens around the world are feeling, including myself actually. At school, I am always overshadowed by my buddies, with their grades, whom they hang out with, and the clubs that they join. I feel almost as if I'm the supporting character in my school life. I know how it feels for Craig to be depressed. I'm not depressed, or course, but I know how it feels to be overshadowed by everyone else in your social life. That's why this movie works: this movie can relate to everyone who sees it, and make them do something good with their life.

The casting in this movie is top notch, and I mean that sincerely. Who would have thought that Zack Galifianakis, the fat guy from The Hangover had strong acting chops? I wouldn't have, and I don't think that anyone else did, either. He captures the feel of the character. He channels the funny and hopeless character he plays like how people used their minds to channel their avatars in 'Avatar.' This movie is the start of a serious acting career for Zack, as well as just another continuation of a comedic actor. However, Zack Galifianakis isn't the best character in this movie, the real star of the movie is the main character Craig, played by Keir Gilchrist. This movie is Keir's first real starring role, and he absolutely nails it. He captures such a realistic emotion, that you actually feel and care for his character, Craig. He will probably become a real star here in America, since he's Canadian. Well, he's already on The United States of Tara, so only time will tell whether or not this guy becomes a strong actor in movies. Emma Roberts, probably best known for her role in the Nickelodeon show 'Unfabulous' also does a good job as the love interest to Craig. She is the cherry and whip cream on top of this movie.

So all in all, It's Kind Of A Funny Story is a marvelous movie that travels inside the mind of a depressed teen hoping to get himself on the right track again. The movie makes you smile, laugh, and feel for the main characters as they go through their days in the psychiatric hospital. You can relate to these characters, especially Craig, since he brings out the lonliness that's in all of us. This movie also inspires its audience to do something with your life, and shows that there's no reason to end your life all of the sudden. I believe that everyone with an empty space in their life should see this movie, and be inspired by this movie's great message. So like I said before, this movie should really be called "It's Kind Of An Awesome Movie."

REVIEW: Rio in 3D

MOVIE
Rio

CAST
Jesse Eisenberg,
Anne Hathaway

RATING
G

RELEASE
April 15, 2011

DIRECTOR
Carlos Saldanha

STUDIO(S)
20th Century Fox,
Blue Sky Animation

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 36 minutes







STARS
***









REVIEW:

Rio comes to us with perfect timing. Fast Five may be advertised as "the beginning of summer," but Rio really is that summer starter. Well, for families at least. The movie delivers everything it promises: color drooling animation, eye popping 3D, and likable characters played by singers, rappers, and raunchy actors. While I did enjoy all of that, I expected much more out of the final product. The movie is very predictable, even before the movie even starts. And I expected a little more heart in it, rather than funny but forgettable one liners. But still, the animation is superb, the casting was spot on, and the music is outstanding. All of that makes Rio something to really check out.

Blu is the last male bird of his species. In order to save the species, he must mate with the only other remaining female bird of his species. There's only one catch to this: the female bird is in Rio de Janero, Brazil. So Blu and his lovable but scared owner, Linda travel to Rio in order for Blu to meet his mate. But an unexpected turn has Blu and Jewel, the female endangered bird traveling throughout the city of Rio, meeting friendly and unfriendly animals in the process, and exploring the popular city in a musical fashion.

This is the typical animated movie that comes with belly laughs and adult humor. While I usually enjoy those kinds of animated movies, this one could've had much more in it. I mean, the Ice Age movies worked because they had heart, Robots worked because it was cool, and Horton worked because, well, who doesn't love an animated Dr. Seuss movie? While I did laugh in this movie, Rio lacked the heart that most Blue Sky Animation movies had. It was incredibly predictable, like most movies are. But this movie still should've had a little more originality. I did admire the characters being talking exotic birds, and the setting being in Brazil, but so much more could've been done to make this animated movie on the leagues of any PIXAR movie out there. But still, the story is what it is, and I lived with it, having myself a nice time.

Like most 3D animated movies, Rio has spectacular animation. It doesn't need the extra dimension, (other than one particular part) but the colors still pop off the screen, even with the darkened glasses on. The colors give the audience a very exotic feel into the movie, especially during the final 20 minutes and all of the jungle scenes. It's not the best animation I've ever seen, but it certainly appetizes the eye balls and gives the audience something to check out. Although like I said before, this isn't really something to see in 3D. If you see it in 2D, the colors are actually more exhilarating and brighter than they would be with the giant "goggles" on your head.

The biggest praise I have to give this movie is for the soundtrack. This movie works because of its great soundtrack. The music is catchy, popping, and just makes you want to dance in the isles of the movie theater. The music adds the extra "pop" to the movie, along with the glittering animation. The music in this movie introduces kids from all over the world to Latino music, and helps give kids a sense of culture, helping them in school later on in their lives. I'm probably over exaggerating when it comes to school, but it gives the kids something to constantly sing and annoy the parents until they see another animated musical in the near future.

The casting in this movie is the same as every other animated movie these days. We have raunchy actors, Academy Award winners/nominees, and very few recognizable kid stars. That's not a problem for me, since I know all of the actors in this movie. However, I feel bad for the kids watching this movie, and have no idea who Jamie Foxx or Jesse Eisenberg is. I mean, I don't know any 5 year old kids who have seen movies like Dinner For Schmucks or The Social Network and be able to understand those movies and actually recognize the voices of te animated characters in this movie. I wish that studios would cast actors and actresses that younger kids would be able to recognize. It's not important to a kid that they don't know the voices of the characters, but studios should at least take the thought of casting recognizable actors in kids movies that make kid friendly jokes instead of adult jokes that fly over the kids' heads. But other than that, the voices are used well and bring a nice comedy flare into the movie.

Rio is far from a masterpiece, but it certainly is enjoyable. Forgettable, but still enjoyable. Let me put it this way: it's the 'Despicable Me' of 2011. It's good the first couple of times, but gets annoying soon after. people will disagree with me on Despicable Me, but that's how I see this movie. I probably will never buy this movie, but I may catch it on HBO in about a year or so. I wouldn't rush out to see this, but I would rather see people catch this movie during Easter rather than catching a movie about a talking bunny. It's not the best movie out there, but it is an enjoyable one. I would recommend seeing this if there isn't anything else left to see. People will still see this movie immediately, but I believe that waiting a couple of weeks will provide an enjoyable experience. So would I fly to Rio? Only if the colors are as beautiful as they are in this movie.








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REVIEW: Hanna

MOVIE
Hanna

CAST
Saoirse Ronan, Eric Bana

RATING
PG-13

RELEASE
April 8, 2011

DIRECTOR
Joe Wright

STUDIO
Focus Features
(Universal)

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 51 minutes




STARS
****











REVIEW:
From the moment I saw the trailer for the crazy new thriller 'Hanna', I knew that it was destined to be extremely weird. Whoever has also seen the trailer knows that this doesn't look like any ordinary movie. When I first saw the trailer for this movie, I thought that this came from the mind of a crazy and delusional person. After seeing the actual movie however, I can assure you that this movie does come from a crazy mind. But a crazy mind is the only kind of mind that could make a movie like 'Hanna'. In fact, Joe Wright, who directed romances like Atonement and Pride & Prejudice was a crazy choice to begin with as director. But with his direction, the supreme/talented cast, and an awesome story, Hanna is an adrenaline rush from beginning to end that you never want to see end.

SYNOPSIS: (Courtesy of Fandango.com)
Raised by her father, an ex-CIA man, in the wilds of Finland, Hanna’s upbringing and training have been one and the same, all geared to making her the perfect assassin. The turning point in her adolescence is a sharp one; sent into the world by her father on a mission, Hanna journeys stealthily across Europe while eluding agents dispatched after her by a ruthless intelligence operative with secrets of her own. As she nears her ultimate target, Hanna faces startling revelations about her existence and unexpected questions about her humanity.

This movie has non-stop action, a bit of romance, and just learning of Hanna establishing to the regular world. However, this movie couldn't exactly be called an action thriller. This movie is more of a coming of age thriller than a regular action-thriller. Luckily, even though the action and violence in this movie is sometimes drawn to the extreme, it's not gory at all. That alone is quite an accomplishment from the last action-thriller that I saw, Limitless. Any teen could actually relate to this crazy assassin.

As psychotic and crazy as she may be, Hanna is still a regular teen only wanting to live a normal life, experiencing puberty and relationships while on missions. In some ways, you could feel bad for Hanna at the same time you're rooting for her. You have to remember that she's just a kid and is forced to act like an adult at such a young age. That is what I admire about Hanna and the actress who plays her, Saroise Ronan. Ms. Ronan is probably best known for her Academy Award nominated role in Atonement, and her role in The Lovely Bones. This young actress becomes such a different person in each of the movies that she's in, and it's just incredible to see. For an actress at her age, who knows what else she'll be able to pull of next. As for the rest of the cast, Eric Bana is just as awesome as when he played Nero in 2009's Star Trek. And Cate Blanchett is very sinister as the woman responsible for causing Hanna and her father to escape into the woods. But the best actor in this movie other than Saroise Ronan is none other than Tom Hollander. Hollander, in case you don't know who he is plays Cutler Beckett in the second and third Pirates of the Caribbean movies. He, along with Ms. Ronan steal the show, proving to be more villanous than we ever thought before.

In my opinion, this is THE action movie to beat this year. I have hopes that big action movies like Fast Five will be able to top this movie, but you never know. The action is sometimes over the top, but it's supposed to be. And like I said before, the action isn't too gruesome for teen audiences to handle. The movie also does have some humor and heart, because Hanna actually meets up with a vacationing family while she's trying to escape from the government. I doubt that this movie will appeal to everyone, but I believe that whoever likes non stop action movies with a nice twist and great acting, then Hanna would like to get the chance to show you what she does. This, along with Source Code and Rango are the best movies that have come out in the winter/early spring seasons. So if my recommendations for an adult animated or twist turning sci-fi didn't do it for you, then here's an action movie that I can honestly say will blow your socks off. Hanna, and the action that she learned over the yearsof her training make you wish that she could be your own personal bodyguard. Well, she could, but Saroise Ronan has better plans than protecting your ass, no offense.




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REVIEW: Arthur

MOVIE
Arthur

CAST
Russell Brand, Helen Mirren

RATING
PG-13

RELEASE
April 8, 2011

DIRECTOR
Jason Winer

STUDIO
Warner Bros. Pictures

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 55 minutes







GRADE
B (85)







STARS
***1/2












REVIEW:

Russell Brand, possibly the raunchiest Brit of the 21st century is here once again in the remake of the Dudley Moore classic 'Arthur'. This new remake stars A list stars like Helen Mirren and Jennifer Garner. You would expect most remakes to be just plain awful and could never be compared to the original. I never saw the original 'Arthur,' but I can tell you that Russell Brand helps bring this movie plenty of laughs, as well as deliver some of the movie's most heartfelt moments. Arthur is laugh out loud funny, but also has a genuine heart placed in it.

Arthur has always been a spoiled, pampered rich boy who can only satisfy himself by getting drunk every night and sleeping with women who have no self respect. To get his life on track, Arthur's mother wants him to marry Susan, a high class woman who Arthur doesn't love. Even though he fleet want to go through with it, Arthur decides to marry Susan so he can keep the millions of dollars he's inherited. But when things take a different turn, Arthur finds himself falling in love with Naomi, a down on her luck girl residing in a small house in Queens. Arthur must now make the most important decision of his life: love, or money.

I always knew that Russell Brand was a funny comedian, but he takes his usual drunken self and places that in a bumbling but loving millionaire. His role, along with the other roles in this movie were perfectly fasted, and felt as though the actors were indeed these characters. A great presence in this movie is the always talented Helen Mirren. She doesn't give an Academy Award winning performance, but she offers many laughs and burns to the audience, while clearly showing a strong relationship with Arthur. The love interest's name in this movie is Greta Gerwig. Ms. Gerwig is probably most notable for her role in the Ben Stiller indie 'Greenberg.' I hope that she gets more roles in movies, because she was just the average 'girl next door' kind of character, which brought some more heart into the movie. The other main player in this movie is Jennifer Garner. I'm glad Jennifer is doing something different than that always denying kind of girlfriend she has been in her more previous work. In this movie, she plays the bad girl who only wants Arthur's money in order to be happy. She gave some of the movie's biggest laugh out loud moments, one scene in particular where she gets incredibly drunk. I hope she does more roles like these, because she could have a whole lot of fun with that. No one will be critically praised, but they sure will give plenty of laughs for the audience to hang with.

Since this movie is a remake, the story is far from being original. But audiences aren't looking for original stories in comedies anymore. Comedies aren't made for the story, comedies are made to deliver laughs, and you'll find plenty of those in this movie. This movie kind of reminded me of the Adam Sandler hit of last year, 'Grown Ups'. In that movie, there was no story at all, just plenty of laughs and the occasional burn on each character. It's a similar situation in this movie, but this one does have more story put into it, and I liked that. Jason Winer, the director of this movie does the best he can to bring back the classic character to the modern audience member, and luckily he succeeds at this attempt.

I can admit that not everyone will enjoy this movie. This movie was made towards one specific demographic: the mainstream comedy audience. What that means is that the average moviegoer who enjoys comedies will enjoy this movie like how they enjoyed Grown Ups. The critics, however are a different story. No offense to the top critics of the world, but this movie wasn't made for you to enjoy. If it was, this movie would get positive buzz instead of the negative buzz this will receive. But nevertheless, I had a fun time seeing this movie, and hope that many others will do the same.

Arthur is just as bumbling on the outside as he's sweet on the inside. This is a movie that you just have to sit down, have a heart, and laugh your ass of for the entire two hours this movie beholds. You don't have to rush out and see this movie on the big screen. Sure it may be more fun to be in a room with 200 people watching Russell Brand do his thing, but I believe that you can watch this movie on DVD and have the same laughs you'd have if you were to go out and see this movie. Plus, you wouldn't have to pay $20 bucks just for snacks. But still, Arthur has plenty of laughs and just the right amount of sweetness and heart to go into it. So if you want to just laugh in an adult setting for two hours and not have to suffer another night wasting money on a dumb kids movie, then you lay want to go out and meet "the world's first loveable millionaire:" Arthur.






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REVIEW: Born To Be Wild: The IMAX 3D Experience

MOVIE
Born To Be Wild

NARRATOR
Morgan Freeman

RATING
G

RELEASE
April 8, 2011

DIRECTOR
David Lickey

STUDIO(S)
Warner Bros. Pictures,
IMAX Filmed Entertainment

RUNNING TIME
40 minutes





GRADE
A (83)







STARS
***1/2













REVIEW:

From the voice of Morgan Freeman and the eyes of two IMAX 3D cameras comes Born To Be Wild, the incredibly beautiful true stories of orphaned orangutans from Borneo, and orphaned elephants in Kenya. This was my first IMAX 3D documentary, and it did not disappoint. The movie is about two female doctors from two different parts of the world, each taking care of orphaned elephants and orphaned orangutans. The moment you get your view of the animals, you instantly get pulled into the real world of these orphaned animals, feeling as if you were really there. The film is simply extraordinary, with the imagery being some of the most that I've ever seen. It may only be 40 minutes long, and the tickets may cost up to $20 bucks, but seeing it on an IMAX screen in 3D makes it something to never forget.

There is no acting in this movie, and nothing was planned, except for the interviews between the doctors. Everything in this movie is real, which is all the more reason to see this movie. Yes, tickets will be expensive for most families, but the experience is well worth it, even if it's at a meager 40 minutes. The images placed on screen are absolutely breathtaking and sometimes feel incredibly real. I actually kept pulling my glasses of during my screening, since the images displayed on the screen felt as if I was looking into a window that transported your eyes to another continent. Not only do you and your children learn something in this movie, you also get a dose of pure eye candy. Even though you would get the same eye candy if you went to the locations mentioned in this movie, but there's something about the use of 3D that makes something look so pure and so cool to look at. This is the perfect experience for a classroom field trip.

It's not just the 3D experience that was incredible, the story was touching and incredible. It's amazing that two brave women from two parts of the world help these dying animals and raise them to get them ready for the wild when they become ready to sustain life on their own. The story touched my heart very deeply because these animals are dying in the world. These ladies are using their lives to save other innocent ones, who are usually dying because of us humans killing of their spouses or their parents. This isn't just a movie, it's also a public service announcement. This movie shows that we need to help the animals of our world before they become extinct. This film will teach a lot to both kids and adults, and I hope that it encourages many people to take action into helping the animals of our world, before it's too late.

There's nothing much more to say about Born To be Wild, other than saying that is an educational, beautiful, and very cute. It's nice to take a break from your regular Hollywood movie and just witness animals doing whatever. It's a nice treat for the whole family, plus it has a hidden lesson for the kids to learn. For parents, this is a treat because they are basically taking their kids to school at the movies, though they won't learn about anything like math or science. Instead, they'll learn about geography and the fact that they can contribute in helping animals that are dying. I can assure that all of the family can relate to this movie, and still enjoy it even though it is very short. So if you enjoy learning something for a change and want to learn more about animals from different parts of the world, then you might want to check out the animals that are truly 'Born To Be Wild.'

REVIEW: Limitless

MOVIE
Limitless

CAST
Bradley Cooper, Abbie Cornish

RATING
PG-13

RELEASE
March 18, 2011

DIRECTOR
Neil Burger

STUDIO
Relativity Media (Universal)

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 45 minutes





GRADE
B (57)








STARS
**1/2












REVIEW:

Is Bradley Cooper, the better looking guy from The Hangover mainstream star material? I guess that Limitless, the star's latest movie is supposed to prove this. I can see him being a big star, but I believe that his talent, along with the rest of the cast was wasted in this movie. Limitless, an smart and creative idea, can be described in three subject matters: drug use throughout, hardcore and gory violence, and mainstream sex used frequently throughout the first half. I expected much more out of this movie, due to the strong supporting cast, including the great Robert DeNiro. I'm not saying it was an awful movie, but I expected much more out of this movie, with a great sounding story and cool looking trailer. I bet many people enjoyed this movie, I'm just one of the few who didn't care for it.

Eddie Morra just got dumped by his longtime girlfriend. To make matters worse, his book is due in a few days and he hasn't written one word of it. But the chance encounter of his ex brother-in-law gets him access to NZT, a new pill designed to enhance your IQ and figure things out easier. And the best part is that the drug is FDA approved. But with a drug this powerful, it shouldn't hold any consequences to it, right? WRONG! Now a whole mafia-esque group is on his tail to get the drug and access the information inside Eddie's head. So how far will Eddie go to be Limitless?

There were many flaws featured in this movie. The first of the flaws was the hardcore violence. I mean this was crazy disgusting violence that was unnecessary for a PG-13 movie. The images displayed in this movie were even more disturbing than in movies like True Grit. In fact, right after the movie, I asked my accompanist how this incredibly brutal movie got the PG-13 stamp, yet something like The King's Speech gets the R stamp for language. This proves once again that the MPAA is a bunch of dummies when it comes to rating things such. This is a very iffy choice for teens, since they may be scarred by seeing these graphic images. Well, most teens have seen The Hangover, so you never know. Not only the violence, but sexual content and drug content is shown throughout the movie as well. The moment Bradley Cooper starts taking the drug, he immediately gets into a violence filled, sex involved, and drug-addicting situation. And I believe that that was one of the many huge flaws about this movie.

It wasn't just the story that dwindled down throughout the hour and 45 minute running time, the acting did the exact same thing. Bradley Cooper's character seemed interesting at the beginning, but after about an hour with him, I lost interest in the character and didn't really care about what's going to happen to him next. Abbie Cornish, Bradley Cooper's love in this movie lost my interest about a half an hour after we first met her. The other main player, Robert DeNiro never even had my interest. This suprised me because Mr. DeNiro is such a great actor, with his only bad movie being when he got "focked" up for the third time in a row. He was just incredibly boring to me, and had no reason of being there in the first place.

Overall, I was disappinted in Limitless. The movie had so much going for it, but fell flat in a sea of gore and drugs that could never be recovered from. The acting was poor, especially since these are very talented characters. The story fell flat when trying to be really cool. It was pretty much on a one note streak throughout. But I did like the premise of the movie and did want to find out how everything turns out for the characters. But unfortunately for me, I didn't like Limitless. Some people may like it, yet some people like me may not like it. If you really want to see this movie, DVD is the best solution. There's no purpose of catching this on the big screen. After seeing this movie, I didn't feel Limitless, I just wished that I waited until DVD to see this.



PREVIEWS YOU MAY SEE:

Arthur


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Apollo 18


Fast Five


Thor


X Men: First Class

REVIEW: Source Code

MOVIE
Source Code

CAST
Jake Gyllenhaal,
Michelle Monaghan

RATING
PG-13

RELEASE
April 1, 2011

DIRECTOR
Duncan Jones

STUDIO
Summit Entertainment

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 32 minutes




GRADE
A+ (95)






STARS
****











REVIEW:

After the success of the indie movie 'Moon,' Duncan Jones has come back with the second movie in his rising directing career, plus also his first Hollywood-Blockbuster-Mainstream movie with Source Code, starring the always talented Jake Gyllenhaal. I've heard many good things about 'Moon' and really want to check it out, but due to the R rating that's a big no no for me. So luckily I snagged passes to a local screening of Source Code and got to experience a Duncan Jones film for the first time. (Along with actually meeting him, since he hosted a Q&A after the screening, but that's not important right now) And I must say that Mr. Jones, who happens to be the son of David FREAKIN' Bowie has made an action-packed, twist turning, and pulse pounding roller coaster (or in this case a train) ride that will not disappoint the audience at all, as well as give them Shyamalan-esque twists as well as give them an Inception-like twist ending.

Afghanistan war pilot Colter Stevens wakes up on a train, talking to a woman who knows him but he has no recollection of who she is, and has no idea how he got there. He soon realizes when looking into the mirror that the is not in his body. All of the sudden the train he's on explodes, killing everyone on the train including Colter. When Colter wakes up again, he finds out that he's in a secret government experiment called the Source Code, which is a computer program that can access within your mind and send to into the last eight minutes of another individual. It turns out that Colter has been assigned to this mission because of a bombing that happened on that train earlier, so the government wants Colter to find the bomber to stop an even greater threat involving blowing up Chicago. But as Colter keeps going back into the Source Code, he starts to grow feelings for the now dead Christina, the woman who is always sitting in front of him, as well as learning more and more about why he was specifically chosen for this mission.

Let me start off by saying that Source Code is a very complex movie. It is a movie that involves the study of the mind, and makes the audience think about what they just saw immediately when the credits begin to roll. It's just as confusing as Inception, yet way more intriguing. Actually, the pacing and story of this movie helped me follow this one much better. You don't have to keep thinking that you're in a "dream within a dream" situation like you did in Inception. And even though this movie is only a surprisingly meager hour and a half, the movie keeps the audience involved with everything going on, which helps make the movie feel longer. The movie may have countless "8 minute" situations, but they feel (and probably do) go longer than they are. I'm not saying that it's a bad thing, it's far from it actually. It gives us more time to get to know all of the characters who are on the doomed train. Plus it gives the audience more thinking time to see if they can figure out who bombed the train.

It's not just the story that's quite good, the character development is also quite good. We get to know the two main leads throughout, and get to feel for them somewhat. Of all of the characters we get to meet and learn about during this movie, and there aren't that many characters, my favorite one was actually Jake Gyllenhaal's character, Colter Stevens. This character, who is in every scene in the movie has a dark past behind him, and a somewhat disturbing outcome. I found these aspects of Colter to be both intriguing and interesting. Michelle Monaghan is always a treat when it comes to screen presence. She helps give Mr. Gyllenhaal some funny humor to go with during the several 8 minute sequences. These two actors combined make good chemistry together that fits well in its sci-fi esque premise. I also enjoyed the mad scientist like role of Jeffery Wright, and the ally/worker role played by the talented Vera Farmiga. This movie has great acting, especially from Jake Gyllenhaal, who is always good in the movies he is. If you like well acted movies, then you might want to put this on your must see list.

Duncan Jones, who directed the critically acclaimed 'Moon' does a superior job creating these strange yet fantastic looking settings, especially the secret/unknown compartment room that Jake Gyllenhaal is in throughout the movie. Duncan Jones could possibly be this century's Steven Spielberg. I don't mean better than "the king of directors," more like he is almost as superior, and will probably have a stellar career coming up for him. However, it wasn't Duncan Jones who completely bring this movie to life. This story actually comes from the mind of the script written by Ben Ripley. Ben Ripley's story is brilliantly written, and has a bunch of good twists in it. Mr. Ripley could've made this a really crappy sci-fi movie, with just another crappy ending. But with the will and mind, this story becomes something more than a sci-fi movie. It becomes an action-packed thrill ride with twists and turns at every moment during the second half. This movie is almost as good as Aaron Sorkin's fantastic script for The Social Network or Christopher Nolan's script for Inception.

So to summarize my review up, Source Code is action-packed, thrilling, fun, and just plain FIRETRUCKIN AWESOME! It has everything for sci-fi fans, action and thriller fans, plus adds elements that any moviegoer could enjoy. Even if you hate the actors in this movie, I can almost guarantee you will have one HELL of a time at the movies. I believe this movie will have the same impact on moviegoers the same way movies like Inception and The Adjustment Bureau did. This movie likes to play with your mind, so I would suggest you let it. If you don't like the kind of movies where you actually have to THINK for once, then you can go see that crappy comedy in theater #5. This movie is sophisticated and sometimes strange, but it was made that way. If you can't accept that, then you're missing out on a great movie.

I actually feel bad for all of the adults who are going to have to go see the new kids movie 'Hop' this weekend. Not only will they have to pay for a movie they don't even want to see, they probably won't even enjoy that movie like how they possibly enjoyed hit kids movies like Despicable Me and Tangled. But I believe that no matter what, that everyone should go see this movie. I swear it will keep you guessing until the final 10 minutes of the movie. You will leave the theater bewildered and thinking "What the hell did I just see?" But that is all part of the fun in this movie. So what movie should be seen this weekend? If it were my power to make a movie #1 at the box office, I would make a mind bending action-thriller #1 rather than a kids comedy about the Easter Bunny, and I think a few people might agree with me.