Double Jeopardy

This ain't the game show....Double Jeopardy stars Ashley Judd and Tommy Lee Jones in a suspense/thriller from the 90's. Libby (Judd) is accused and convicted of murdering her husband on a boating trip. She loses her son and is quickly whisked off to jail. The trouble is, she has been framed by her husband. Thanks to the "Double Jeopardy Law", she can't be tried for the same crime twice. Once she gets out of jail on probation, killing her husband for real is no longer a crime. The movie follows her attempt to find her son and bring justice to her husband.

Okay, sorry that synopsis was only so-so, but I'm so ready for the analysis I can hardly stand it. There are many different problems with this movie, it's hard to know where to begin. First off, we are never told a motive as to why her husband framed her in the first place. He gets with another woman for a while, but then we discover later that she's been killed under questionable circumstances herself. (It is implied that he kills her a few years later).

And another problem: In the attempt to find her son and husband, Libby commits numerous crimes herself, including breaking her probation, destruction of property, resisting arrest, theft, assault, vandalism, breaking and entering, etc. After all this, I'm supposed to feel sorry for this woman? Hardly. This movie has a promising story, but something is just off. Judd is somewhat convincing, but Jones, playing her probation officer, merely takes up space. While extremely rude to her at first, he somehow begins to believe her "I'm innocent" story only AFTER she's wrecked his car, stolen his gun, and bashed him on the head.....righttt.....and by the way, when they finally do find her husband, who has since changed his name, wouldn't just providing a picture of him prove he is who she says he is? That would be too easy.

And as I predicted halfway through the movie, by the end, Libby is "cleared of all charges". Ummmm, hello?, remember all the other crimes mentioned above? That scene made me roll my eyes almost as much as the cheesy scene where Libby is finally reunited with her son. ( the one where he's playing soccer and seems un-phased by the fact that his dad has been shot and killed) I'm sorry, I just gave away the ending AND vomited a little bit. This movie left me annoyed and only slightly entertained.

C-

Movies Movies Movies

Got a movie in mind that you would like reviewed? Leave a comment and it just might end up on this blog. Got your own opinion on things...email us with a guest review. We're up for other opinions....of course if we disagree, we'll let you know.

A Perfect Getaway

In this movie, a newly married couple goes to Hawaii for their honeymoon. They set out to go backpacking on a major trail on one of the islands, and while they are on their journey they find out that a newlywed couple just got murdered the island over while on their honeymoon. While wary about the news, they decide to press on with their honeymoon plans.

They meet up with some interesting characters, including an ex-special ops guy and his girlfriend--Niko and Gina. Both couples are going the same way, and decide to travel together. Niko and Gina prove to be interesting characters, who kill and clean a goat, carry dangerous weapons, and seem to possibly have a few screws loose.

While they are worried that their fellow travelers may be the murderers, they see a young couple (who were seen earlier in the movie and seemed shady) get arrested, with evidence found in their bags. All is fine and dandy then, as they enjoy the rest of their vacation together with their new friends knowing that they aren't the murderers.

Most of the action occurs in the last 15 minutes of the movie, which is slightly annoying on the movies part but oh well.. A twist in the plot leaves you with an unexpected ending, which really makes the movie.

This film is just ok in our opinions. Although the twist is crazy, it may become quite apparent to you while watching it. Josh figured it out within the first twenty minutes (although I said he got helped because he knew their was a cuckoo twist...). A lot of the movie may seem slightly boring, until the end. Because really you just watch them hike and camp a lot. It's interesting to see the fishy relationships between all the characters though.

The grade: C/C+

Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen

Guest Review By: Vegafoo

Transformers 2 is trainwreck...but perhaps i'm judging it incorrectly, bc i was judging it as a movie. Perhaps i should have been judging it as a test to see if you were a 13 year old with mental retardation. What, not sure if you're a 13 year old with mental retardation? heres a simple test. Watch the following scenes from the movie:
2 dogs humping, a different shot of the 2 dogs humping, a small robot humping a robots leg, the same 2 dogs now humping in a different location, a giant robot with balls.
If any of those scenes made you legitimately laugh, you are a 13 year old with mental retardation. If so, congratulations, I found the movie for you.

Also, for all of you racists/sexists out there who have been disturbed by the lack of prejudice in recent giant robot movies, you are in luck. There's plenty racial profiling, bigotry, and female degradation to meet your needs. Just ask the stereotypical black robots, neckbone and cheesegrits. (The names may be a little off, but that doesn't really matter does it?)

Let me give credit where credit is due: Director Michael Bay did make the tough discision to film the entire movie without an actual plot. It was a bold move, but then again, Bay is a bold man. Wait, is bold the right word? Serioulsy though, even as a pure mindless action film, it also exceeds at failing miserably. The CGI is impressive. Who knew that with the technology we have today, futuristic robots can actually be made to look like piles of metal vomit, only distinguishable from one another by bumblebee's yellow color and Optimus' red.

In conclusion, here's a list of things I would rather do than watch this movie again:
-Watch every movie Lindsay Lohan has ever made
-Read the Twilight Series
-Have a cavity filled by the new dentist, Lindsay Lohan
-Come in contact with Lindsay Lohan in any way

No no no, don't stop reading this review. You will sit here and read the funny things I would rather do than watch this movie!!!...

for those of you smart enough to avoid this tragedy, here is the cliff notes version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRS90V8BQGo

the end

F

Hancock

So I finally watched Hancock, the movie that got a lot of publicity last year, but never really got me that interested. Okay, here's the deal (and try not to turn on me)....I didn't get it. I know, I know, it had Will Smith in it, and don't get me wrong, I love his work.....but not this one.
The problem is, the movie really doesn't have a point. The whole time I was trying to decide exactly what they wanted me to get out of it. Hancock is a super hero, who apparently everybody in the world hates b/c he is so lazy and rude. He acts this way (I think) b/c he's mad that he's the only super hero in the world....or something like that. Spoiled brat anyone?
Anyways, he meets people, things happen, he fights incredibly pathetic bad guys who aren't scary or threatening at all. Think annoying jail thugs.
Things happen that are supposed to make us feel sorry for him, even though they aren't really sad. Weak story, okay acting, lame action.... Annnyways, I can't go on anymore. Major dud. The end.

C-

Orphan

Finally, back to the movies I like, the scary ones. This movie has been portrayed as a horror film, although I'll let you know it's mostly a suspense/thriller. (oh....besides the killing)
Esther is a 9 year old Russian Orphan who is adopted by a family who has recently lost a child at birth. She seems like a perfectly polite little girl at first, but obviously, things change very quickly.
Accidents seem to follow Esther everywhere she goes, and her past is almost impossible to uncover.
Esther has a secret.....and it makes for a very exciting twist and ending.
There are funny parts in this movie too, including the end line of the movie which mimics (and mocks) the last line of "The Ring 2". Remember that one?
I liked it. If you like scary movies, you'll like it too.


B+

Confessions of a Shopaholic

So...I went and saw a scary movie with Josh (that I actually ended up liking), and I figured I could indulge in a silly chick flick. Which was entirely what this movie turned out to be: silly.

Granted, I like silly. I am silly. But as far as movies go, if its going to be silly- it needs to be hilarious (ie White Chicks). There were funny parts and cute parts, and a lot of themes I felt I could relate to. I am a bit fashion obsessed and a bit of a shopaholic (ask Josh) so it was funny to see some of myself in the main character.

In this movie we meet Rebecca Bloomwood (Isla Fisher), a journalist who racks up the credit card bills to a freakish amount just by shopping. She decides to take a job at a financial magazine in order to work her way up to a fashion magazine that stems from the same publisher. Her kooky personality and the situations she gets in will keep you entertained. There is a lot of screaming over bills, shopping (of course), shopaholics anonymous, and calls from the dreaded debt collector.

Of course, being a romantic comedy, she gets busted for giving such brilliant financial advice yet having debt up to her eyeballs. This lie destroys all her relationships, including her budding romance with her (cute) boss, Hugh Dancy.

Overall, this movie is mildly entertaining, whether you are laughing at the jokes or the sillyness (read: stupidity) of the script.

The grade?

C+

Guest review: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Thanks Cam for this guest review:

I just got back from watching "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and I thought I'd write down my thoughts. I'll keep this review brief, so if you're looking for an in-depth analysis, you'll have to look elsewhere. This movie, the sixth in the series, was without a doubt the best of them all. I've already gotten in several facebook arguments with people who disagree, but my opinion has not changed.

Reason one, the style of this movie is very visual and efficient without disrupting the flow of the story. There are never special effects for the sake of special effects, and the focus is always on the characters and plot instead of visually stunning or amusing magic. The third movie's major downfall was it's overreaching representation of Hogwarts. They had an enormous pendulum swinging in the doorway of the great hall in that movie, for pete's sake. The sixth movie cuts away all unnecessary special effects, such as moving staircases and talking paintings. We were done being wowed by those things halfway through the first movie. We don't need to be reminded of them in each subsequent movie.

Reason two, the acting is immensely better. I won't deny that Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint aren't the best actors, but I will submit that their acting has vastly improved since the beginning. I think they have also been assisted by better dialogue (the funny lines are actually funny in this one). There are also not as many characters straining to get lines in. We see a lot of Harry, Ron, and Hermione (of course), a lot of Dumbledore (as it should be), a lot of Horace Slughorn, and just the right amount of everyone else (I'm so glad we got to see some good bits of Prof. McGonagall too. You can never have too much Maggie Smith. Some of the other movies have definitely been lacking her presence).

*SPOILER ALERT*
There were a few faults I would have liked to have been fixed. First being the scene where Bellatrix and Greyback come to the Burrow and set it on fire. I didn't see any reason why that needed to be in the movie. I'm not one who feels that adaptations need to follow the book too closely, but I didn't see any reason for this departure. Especially considering that many scenes in the beginning of "The Deathly Hallows" need to take place at the Burrow. Maybe this will be cleared up in the next movie, but overall I thought this scene was time wasted.

Second, I didn't like that Snape and the death eaters got out of Hogwarts at the end without a fight. Snape blasts one auror out of the way and they don't see a single other person. I wouldn't even care if we had key characters fighting the death eaters at the end (I can see how having Bill Weasley get attacked by Greyback would eat into the time), just as long as it showed SOMEONE putting up a fight. A friend of mine felt like there was no climax to the movie and I partially agree. A bit more of a fight at Hogwarts would fix that problem.

Like I said, I firmly believe that this is the best movie so far and I hope the next two movies (apparently they're splitting book 7 into two movies) will follow the same style as this one. In conclusion I'll leave you with my favorite trailer for "The Half-Blood Prince." I couldn't find that good of a copy of it, but I think this is the most chilling trailer they released.

The Proposal

Again, Sandra Bullock. This time joined by the attractive Ryan Reynolds (yum). Sandra Bullock is an uptight, top editor for one of the largest publishing firms in America. She appears to have no life outside of work, and no personality except for being known as the office witch. Her poor assistant, Ryan Reynolds, has to succumb to her every whim.

When Sandra realizes that she will be deported to Canada and replaced by a second-rate editor she just fired, she quickly comes up with a plan to be able to stay. She announces to her superiors that she is engaged to her assistant, and therefore will be able to stay in the US after marrying him. Ryan Reynolds is shocked, needless to say, and only sticks with the plan in order to get the promotion of his dreams. The immigration officer they have to meet with is suspicious of foul play, and warns them many times what the consequences of such activities would be.

This comedy is the story of how Sandra comes with Ryan on a vacation to stay with his family in Canada. Watching this movie you will fall in love with Ryan's family, especially his mother (Mary Steenburgen) and grandmother (Betty White). Sandra's character starts opening up and her true personality starts to come out, and the pretend couple slowly (of course) fall in love.

This comedy will give you big laughs, and maybe even a few tears. Oscar (from the Office) is even a prominent and ridiculous character. Purely entertaining on all accounts, this is a great movie for anyone to see.

The grade: B+

The Net

In case anyone doesn't know, we love Sandra Bullock. This is an older movie, but definitely a good one. In the movie, Sandra is a sort of computer programmer who's expertise is viruses/bugs. When her friend sends her a particularly strange sort of virus to check out, Sandra's world is slowly turned upside down. She goes on vacation while simultaneously working on the virus, and meets a handsome computer programmer. They hit it off and she spends most of her vacation time with him.

While on vacation, her wallet is stolen. Her new lover turns out to be someone entirely different than he seems, and Sandra has to literally fight for her life. Her entire identity is stolen, and she is wanted by the police. Sandra realizes all these problems are connected to the virus, which she tries to crack while she also fights to stay alive.

This intense thriller will keep you intrigued the entire time. Sandra Bullock does not disappoint!

The grade: B

the river wild

so we're on a bit of a meryl streep kick...nothing is wrong with that! if you have not seen the river wild, you need to rent it stat. this movie is a lost kind of thriller...more movies need to be made like this nowadays.

meryl streep wants to take her son, roarke, on a river trip before the river gets ruined "by pollution and all that stuff..." roarke's father is on shaky terms with meryl due to his obsession with work, but at the last minute he is able to come too. the family (and their dog maggie) meets up with some interesting characters who are essentially stranded, and they decide to help these 2 guys out. things start getting a little sketchy and the rest of the movie is them trying to ditch the weirdos. [there is more to the plot obviously but i dont want to give anything away!]

if you dont hate kevin bacon already, you will hate him for sure after seeing this movie. all the acting is top-notch, and the characters are all very interesting in their own way. meryl streep is truly the hero of the story, and you will love watching her kick butt.

like i said before, this is a kind of lost thriller. they just dont make them like this anymore. go watch it ASAP!

the grade: A+

Doubt

This weekend we watched this movie. I loved it (excluding the very last scene). One reason i liked it was b/c it was starring Meryl Streep. Nominated for an academy award for her performance, she plays the principal of a catholic school. She's extremely strict and all of the kids are terrified of her. No matter what Seinfeld might say, she's no phony. She's very believable and makes every scene interesting. In the movie, Streep accuses the Priest of some inappropriate behavior with one of the school boys. Throughout the whole movie she keeps trying to find out if he really did what she thinks he did. There's tons of drama, funny moments, and good acting. As for the last scene, well, it just did what I didn't want it to do. I won't spoil it for those who want to (and should) see it, but it's just something that I personally didn't want a character to do. Other than that, it's a great drama. Check. it. out.

B+

Terminator 2: Judgement Day

Today I made the long overdue purchase of this classic. The new Terminator movie (which i don't want to see....read the reviews) inspired me to go get this one. Most of you know that I am not a big action movie fan. They're usually all flash with no substance. This movie is different. This is my kind of action movie. It actually has a story to tell (much like the original Die Hard movie).
I'm not going to spend forever explaining the plot of this movie b/c it is kind of complicated, but basically, a robot from the future (Arnold), is sent back to protect John Conner. A better, more advanced model of robot is also sent back to kill him. Annnnnddd so forth. It is such a good movie. Love it love it love it. Forget Star Trek, forget Transformers, forget the new Die Hard, forget allllll of those pathetic excuses for "blockbuster" action movies. THIS is an action movie. You'll love it.



A

star trek

so, hello to any lurking trekkies. i myself am not a 'trekkie,' but i have wanted to see this movie. i had heard it appeals to the masses, not just the trekkies. you dont need to know everything about star trek to watch it, it was sort of designed as an action movie rather than a fan movie. the previews were good and i was excited. somehow i managed to convince josh to come with me, and we went with my sister and her hubby.

anyways, about the movie...

the movie overall was good. my only main problems with it were:

1. the plot was kind of all over the place. the timing of everything was confusing. there was a lot involved and there were a few times when i was like huh??
2. the bad guys werent that bad. they werent super intimidating or scary. just kind of "bad" looking... not the villain you love to hate, you know?

besides those two little setbacks, the movie was very good. it was exciting and entertaining. josh isn't a huge action fan but he said that he remained "entertained the entire time." the characters were pretty true to the original star trek, and the original Spock was even in the movie. it was all pretty cool. there were some funny parts too, which is always good.

the movie ended with the nerd clap. you know, all the trekkies clapping because the movie was so great when the credits start rolling? true story......yikes.

the grade?
B

wanted

we just saw this movie last week with our friends. at first i was a little hesitant because it has angelina jolie in it, and everyone knows how we feel about her...

this movie was pretty good. the beginning seemed a little weird and didnt quite set up the entire plot very well. it just sort of randomly jumped into the action.

the action was pretty good though, and it was fun to watch. there is an underground....society(?) called the Fraternity. they are in charge of killing people chosen by "fate." the main character, James McAvoy, is recruited because his father was murdered and he was supposed to avenge him.

i cant remember seeing James McAvoy in anything, so i had no idea who he was. i liked him, i think he did a good job with his character. the amazing Morgan Freeman is also in this film, which is always a plus.

the story ends with an interesting twist. the very ending line is incredibly corny but its funny. anyways, the grade is:

B-

Obsessed

Today we saw the brand new thriller, Obsessed, starring Beyonce'. Now look, this movie looked pretty cool in the previews, but it's not like we expected something spectacular. It had beyonce and wasn't set in the 30's.... so we were hooked. Beyonce' did a very good job. Overall, the story was okay. The problem was, it wasn't believable and it was veeerrry frustrating. The whole thing was frustrating. You know I hate it when movies create fake drama, or cause characters to do things no normal human being would do. Well, this movie does it time and time again.

I'll sum the movie up quickly. White girl becomes freakishly obsessed with beyonce's husband, antics begin, big fight scene ends the movie. (even with the classic, you think she's dead and then her eyes pop open with loud music moment....which was hilarious)
Beyonce' and the girl have a really (unintentionally) funny fight scene at the end. You never worry for B b/c she's much bigger than the other girl. In the end, it was pretty predictable and frustrating, but fun to see Beyonce'.



C+

the skeleton key

tonight we rented the skeleton key from the playstation network. being the scary-movie-hater that i am...i got a bit nervous. to be honest the whole thing was suspenseful and i was tense the entire time.

this movie is very good and engaging. it keeps you involved, and always wondering exactly what is up. kate hudsen is an excellent star in this film, and her character is believable and likeable. she always asks the right questions, not like some other movies where you just want to yell at the screen and go "what are you doing!?!" (well, that happened a couple times, but it wouldnt be a scary movie if it didnt).

kate hudsen is a nurse who gets hired to do a hospice job out in the swamps around new orleans. there is an old married couple, and the husband had a stroke so he is paralyzed and can't speak. the house is spooky and old, and weird things happen...

the movie ends with an unexpected twist. if i had to compare it to another movie i would say the sixth sense. it was suspenseful, scary, and ends with a bang outta nowhere. go rent it now!

the grade:
A-/B+

earth

just saw this yesterday. GO SEE IT!! every ticket bought gets a tree planted. the footage is amazing and breathtaking. as much as i love nature, this movie just enhanced it. if you love planet earth (or just the earth/animals in general) than you will love this movie.

there were a few times that an animal was running away from a predator and i was going "runnnnnn!!!!" then i almost got sad but i was like ok ok they need to eat too.

please go see this movie. it will increase your appreciation for the earth and the wildlife it supports. (my favorite part is when they talked about water and how it makes everything possible etc etc and i was like yayyyy my future career has meaning!!)

the grade?
A+

march of the penguins

i know this movie came out a while ago, but we had never seen it. so this weekend we rented it on the playstation. we had heard so much about how awesome this movie was, so we were really psyched up for it...

the movie was good, but not what we expected. there was a lot that wasn't really explained very well. several times i asked out loud "wait, what is going on!? why arent they telling us!?!" also, the movie was filled with several stretches of monotony. it would zoom up on a melting icicle for like 5 minutes straight. we got the idea after the first few seconds...

besides those two problems, i did like this movie. the penguins were sooo cute, and its amazing how their bodies work. i didnt like it when they showed dead penguins though. i even cried at one point... it was interesting though and generally good.

overall, i'd say the grade is a B-

Pan's Labyrinth

New post time. Ahhh, Pan's Labyrinth. Personally, I love this movie, although I realize that not everyone will. This is a foreign film from Spain, so yes, It is completely done in Spanish, by spanish actors, with english subtitles. The reason everyone won't like this movie is it mixes history with fantasy. A young girl moves with her mother into the home of a Spanish general who is currently fighting the rebels. Turns out the girl is actually a princess in some alternate world. She is approached by a creature who presents 3 tasks for her to accomplish to prove that she is still the princess. It has some pretty scary/thrilling moments which make it very intense at times. Anyways, as long as fantasy doesn't completely turn you off, you should enjoy this movie. It even won a few Academy Awards. Highly Recommended.

B+