Randa-movie-um

Moving this one too

2006-11-21T13:58:00.000-08:00

I've finally feel that I've really gotten the hang of my Word Press blog and most of it's ins and outs, so I am thinking that I am going to move this blog over there as well. The movie reviews will be a new page which you can find in the right hand side bar.

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2006-10-19T14:02:00.001-07:00

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The Wild

2006-10-11T09:02:00.000-07:00

I was surprized that I liked this one as much as I did. When I first saw the preview I thought to myself "Madagascar did well so Disney is going to copy it." While it didn't become and instant favorite of mine, it really wasn't bad and I did enjoy it. My daughter, on the other hand, loved it. She liked the character and laughed along with the movie in several spots and she danced along with the music both during and at the end of the film.

Typical of most Disney flicks, it had it's little embedded lesson, which wasn't that bad or in your face.

All in all, I liked it and would watch it again, which as I said, really surprized me about this film.

Open Season

2006-10-11T08:53:00.000-07:00

We took Savanah to see this one this past weekend when the weather was bad. She really seemed to enjoy it, but at 5, pretty much anything with animated animals is a good movie. Based on her reactions to the movie, however, I can say without a doubt that it wasn't one of her favorites. When we left Over the Hedge, that was all we heard about for a week. When she watched The Wild, she watched it over and over again until I took the DVD away for a much needed break. When she watched The Little Mermaid, she kept rewinding the songs to sing over and over and came up to tell me when Neptune was turned into a weed and Ursala took over, then again when Ursala was stopped. I haven't heard a peep from her about Open Season, which to me, means she enjoyed it, but it wasn't anything special.

I'd say I have to agree with her. It was cute, entertaining and funny at parts, but after leaving the theater you were left with a feeling of "so what." I don't feel we wasted our time, especially considering the rainy day, but it also isn't something I'm going to rush out and buy either. It was just OK.

Click

2006-10-11T08:47:00.000-07:00

Adam Sandler's latest film. Not his best work, but then again, not his worst either. It was cute if not overly predictable. It struck me as a retelling of A Christmas Carol without the holiday, and only one "ghost" who takes him to see his past, allows him more insight into his present and then fast forwards him to his future where at the end, he is given a second chance at life because he realized what was most important in life. There were some funny scenes, but nothing that really made me laugh out loud.

The Little Mermaid - Disney

2006-10-11T08:42:00.000-07:00

I love this movie as much today as I did the first time I saw it. It is by far one of my favorite Disney films. Getting to watch it and sing along with my daughter makes it that much more special. If you haven't seen it and you are a Disney fan, well then shame on you! Go rent or buy this one. A good story, good music, and a fun family flick.

X3: The Last Stand

2006-10-11T08:36:00.000-07:00

Loved it. Saw it in the theater and bought it the day it came out. If you liked the first two, you will like this one. I haven't yet watched the DVD (saw it in the theater and I've been trying to keep up with the new shows on TV. See my posts here and here for more on that!). I think we'll manage to get to this one over the weekend. I'm really looking forward to the deleted scenes and alternate endings. I really do hope this is the last one. These movies are so well done and there is so many places they can go from here that, personally, I'd like to see. I can imagine the actors probably getting tired of their characters way before their audience does. I'll post more after I see the DVD.

Lucky # Slevin

2006-10-11T08:32:00.000-07:00

I liked this one. It isn't a favorite of mine, but it was good. The twists and turns keep you entertained, although I figured out who Slevin was early on. Still, it was an entertaining flick. I'd go more into it, but with everthing involved in the movie, I don't want to spoil it for anyone who is going to watch it.

Scary Movie 4

2006-10-11T08:26:00.000-07:00

I have finally reached the point where these movies are really starting to bug me. The first film in this franchise was decent and amusing, but here we are at number four and it seems as if each one is getting progressively worse. The acting is going downhill, the jokes are forced, and the laughs are decreasing exponentially. There were one or two brief moments where I chuckled, but past that, I felt this was a waste of time. The concept is great, but it seems as if they are trying so hard to tie together, in a humorous way, so many films that they loose sight of what is and isn't funny. The other films of this nature are going the same way. Date Movie, Hot Shots, etc etc.

Curious George

2006-10-11T08:22:00.000-07:00

This was a very very cute movie. Being a fan of Curious George in my childhood years, it was nice to see him come to the big screen and a treat to see the essence of what made the books so fun for kids maintained in the movie.

I, personally, however, wouldn't know how to rank this as a movie for adults. My daughter on the other hand, gives is all the thumbs up you can! If you have kids, or if you were a fan of Curious George in your youth I think you will enjoy this movie. If you don't meet with either of those two conditions, I'd have to say it'd be hit or miss for you.

Take The Lead

2006-10-11T08:11:00.000-07:00

Kathy and I both enjoyed this movie. While it claims to be based on a "true" story, from what I have been able to learn, the real story deals with elementary school kids, not the troubled high schoolers at an inner city school. Be that as it may, it was still a good story and it's nice to see that there are people out there who care about our youth and are willing to try something to help them out (even if that is ball room dancing. Hell, whatever works!).

I think it would have been better had we been able to see more of what brought them around to the dance instructors way of thinking. The kids, for trouble making, the school has given up on them, detention every day, type of kids, they seemed kind of harmless and came over from the dark side just a wee bit too easily. Especially when compared to a more realistic and truthful portrayal of inner city youth in shows like the Wire.

All in all, though, it was an enjoyable movie.

The Boondock Saints

2006-09-03T21:52:00.000-07:00

WOW! We had seen a preview for the new DVD release of the unrated version of this movie. I don't recall having heard of this movie back in 1999, but the previews looked interesting. After going to my local Blockbuster and Hollywood Video and not finding it I decided, what the hell, I'll buy it, It looked good. Wow! I am now so glad that it is a part of my collection. See this movie! It's fantastic! Tony, Mike....You guys I believe will really like this movie.

In case you've never heard of it or aren't sure what it's about it's basically an action flick (minus car chases and such, but with some of the best shooting scenes I've come across) about two Irish brothers who begin a vigilanti quest against evil men (mainly mafia and russian mafia types). You don't really need to know anymore about it. Just go and get it and watch it!

Silent Hill

2006-08-24T08:04:00.001-07:00

I was more impressed with this movie than I have been with most of the recent horror flicks that have come out. I liked Saw and Saw II, and the recent Japanese horror flicks like "The Grudge" have been entertaining and, even better than that, more original that your run of the mill horror flick. "The Boogeyman" and others just aren't scary. They aren't that good either, but I'd give 'em points if they at least got my blood pumping or had some scare value.

The lady at Blockbuster told me that this one was really scary. I have to disagree with her on that, but it was good. It takes a lot to scare me (I can't remember the last time a movie scared me). I was impressed with the story line's originality (was a new one for me at least), which I didn't know when I sat down to watch it. The special effects were cool and it was well acted considering the type of movie it is. In general, up until recently, I've never been impressed by the acting ability you see in most horror flicks and slasher films.

I also liked the point it made about fanatical extremist religious nut jobs.

Bring It On: All Or Nothing

2006-08-24T08:02:00.000-07:00

This movie was exactly what I expected. Your typical fish out of water story with cheerleading as the backdrop. Poor rich little white girl has to transfer to a school on the other side of the tracks where she doesn't fit in. She immediately runs afoul of the head cheerleader of her new school, but she's got the skills to make the team anyway and they eventually all become friends (yawn....can you say predictable?). However, with that being said, it was cute. It wasn't as good as the first movie in this series, but it wasn't awful. There were some funny scenes that I actually laughed out loud at (not many but a few). Like I said it was cute. I think this movie would appeal to your younger crowd of preteens and younger teens.

Just My Luck

2006-08-24T07:55:00.000-07:00

This one was cute if not just a bit silly. A lot of the situations were predictable, but still entertaining and watching Lohan get pummled by bad luck was in itself pretty funny (even when you knew what was gonna happen). A typical happy ending and predictable story, yet still entertaining. This is another one that had I paid full price at a theater to watch, I'd have been dissapointed, but as a rental, it wasn't so bad.

V for Vendetta

2006-08-24T07:50:00.001-07:00

Fantastic! Wow! Great! I loved this movie. An alternate future history story that kept you entertained the whole way through. My only regret was not making it out to see it in the theater. I liked it so much that I purchased it after watching the copy we rented.

RV

2006-08-24T07:39:00.000-07:00

We watched this the other night and while it wasn't awful, it wasn't really that good either. A father who doesn't spend enough time with his family gets the idea to combine a work trip with a family outing to get closer to his family and keep his job. The concept has been done in one form or the other many times, and more sucessfully than was done in RV. It had some funny moments, but not many and most were pretty predictable. It was an ok movie, but no great loss if you miss it.

Poseidon

2006-08-24T07:35:00.000-07:00

I was actually pleasantly surprised by this movie. While not a super fan of the original, I have seen it and appreciated it. I am glad I didn't go see this in the theater (I would have been disappointed with it then), but it was worth the rent.

Ultimate Avengers 2

2006-08-15T13:59:00.000-07:00

If you liked Ultimate Avengers then chances are you'll like this one too. While I've never been a "comic book geek," I have always enjoyed them and have always been an Iron Man, Hulk and Thor fan (and Captain America to a point). In this latest release, the aliens are back and this time after something that is located in a small African country which also happens to be the home of The Black Panther (I'm not real well versed on his character having not come accross him in my somewhat limited exposure to comic book heros in my youth). This African country is very xenophobic and even though the Avengers are there to help they aren't welcomed at first. The aliens arrive, and I'll bet you can guess what happens and just in time (as happens in the comic book hero worlds). I enjoyed the first movie a bit better than this one, but I was pleased with this one as well, although I would have liked to see more of the Hulk (maybe we'll see more in the third movie now that he's free again).

I will say that I was happy to see the demise of one character who just irritated me. I didn't like him in the first movie and I really didn't like him in this one.

The Inside Man

2006-08-15T13:47:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed this one. It's not often that I like the cops and robbers type movies as much as I liked this one. The cast is phenomenal. Jodi Foster and Denzel do fantastic work, as expected. It was a step up from your typical bank robbery type movie. Like it says on the cover, "A Heist Thriller Like You've Never Seen." All in all a pleasent viewing experience.

Larry The Cable Guy: Health Inspector

2006-08-15T13:43:00.000-07:00

A funny movie. If your a fan of Larry the Cable Guy or the Blue Collar Comedy Guys you will like this movie. Larry's character isn't any different than what you've come to expect. In this movie he is who he is, he just also happens to be a Health Inspector.

The Shaggy Dog

2006-08-07T10:35:00.000-07:00

I got this one mainly for Savanah. After seeing the commercial about a million times, if I had come back from Blockbuster without it I would never hear the end of it. All in all it was cute. Pretty much what you've come to expect from Tim Allen and his Disney movies. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't anything special either. When it comes to Disney, I'm a fan of the originals and when they remake one of the "Classics" I tend to be more dissapointed than not. The Nutty Professor (a few funny jokes, but not that great), Flubber (again, some funniness, but not the original by far), etc. In this one, it's a genetic mutation that causes the switch rather than a curse. It was a bit better than most of the remakes and cute for the kids and I didn't fall asleep watching it so all in all, not too bad, just nothing to write home about either.

Final Destination 3

2006-08-01T06:41:00.000-07:00

For those of you not familiar with the first two movies in this series, the basic premise is this: Somebody has a vision of a freak accident and gets out of harms way and in the process several others follow suit. The first movie it was a plane crash, the second a traffic accident and in this one, a rollercoaster ride accident. Anyway, having avoided thier own death, Death itself comes after them to "fix" the grand plan. The great things about the first two movies is that Death concocts some pretty grusome ways to eliminate those who escaped him the first time. This one was no exception. It's pretty grusome and some of the death scenes in this one even made me squirm, but it is great fun and after all, isn't that what its all about........fun?

Eurotrip

2006-07-28T08:19:00.000-07:00

This movie has become one of my all time favorites. The first time I watched it I was in tears. It is from the same people who brought you "Old School" and "Road Trip" which were funny, but just didn't do it for me the way this one did. I don't know why this one didn't fare as well in the theater. I can't say enough about this movie. If you've never seen it and you are looking for a fun movie this is it. Hands down one of the funniest movies I've seen.

The Benchwarmers

2006-07-26T12:42:00.000-07:00

"The Benchwarmers" was just released on DVD this past tuesday. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I've enjoyed most of Rob Schneider's films (not all, but most), but this one, which I didn't really expect much from, is now one of my favorites from him.

All in all it is pretty much what you would expect from Schneider, Spade and Lovitz (I haven't seen enough of Heder yet to know what to expect from him) with regards to the humor you often find in their films. Not every joke or situation made me laugh, but more times that not I found myself laughing out loud at the jokes and physical humor. It was also a good story. Yes there was a message or moral to the story, but you can guess that from the get-go if not sooner and at least it doesn't come off as another "after school special."

While this film won't win any oscars, it was a fun and enjoyable movie to sit down to and watch and a lot funnier than I had thought it would be.