What's Eating Gilbert Grape

Let me just say this....if you don't have Netflix....get it. It's cheap, and it has a million movies to choose from. That's all. [You're welcome for the plug Netflix. I'll accept my check please]

This is an older movie from the early 90's (older?) starring Johnny Depp and Leonardo DiCaprio. I've decided that Leo is my favorite male actor. He plays a mentally handicapped brother in this movie, and it's scary how believable he is. Johnny depp plays the older brother in this semi-disfunctional/loving family. Set in a small town in Iowa, this drama shows that even in bad circumstances, your family can still be there for you in the end. Wait, is that the real message? Okay, so I didn't really get the message, and I didn't love it. But I enjoyed watching it the whole time, and I would recommend it.

All the acting is excellent and the story really pulls you in, so you shouldn't be disappointed. Anyways, go ahead and get Netflix and then you can stream it instantly from your computer or PS3. You're welcome.

B

Salt

...needed a little pepper. (ba dum cheeee) Ha ha ha. Tacky? mehh. Anyways, what to say, what to say?

I've been looking forward to Salt for a long time now. I've grown to like Angelina as an actress, and this movie looked like it had the prospect of being amazing. Word is the role was originally written for a guy. (Tom Cruise actually. Thank goodness Angelina got the part instead. She's a better actor and much more manly) But I digress.

Angelina plays Salt, a CIA agent who is accused of being a russian spy. She's pretty much running the whole movie and easily fighting off every bigger, stronger guy that gets in her way. The movie has great action, and extremely cool stunts. Here's the problem though. I wanted this movie to be a lot darker and more complex. It was just missing something. They try to trick you and confuse you, but there really is no mystery to this movie. It's obvious "who salt is" from the minute she starts running. It was a fun ride anyways. Go check it out. If you like the Bourne movies, you'll like Salt.

B-

Paranormal Activity

So. I really like scary movies. I figured, since jess is gone, this is the perfect time to rent one that I've been interested in seeing for a long time. I had seen all the previews for this movie and I thought It would be scary and fun to watch. The movie is shot with a handheld camera by the couple in the actual movie. It's all from their perspective. ( at least thats how it's made to look) Basically, the girlfriend in the movie has been seeing things since she was a little girl. She thinks a demon of some sort is haunting her, so her boyfriend sets up a camera in their bedroom in order to catch all the happenings. Sounds scary enough.

So heres the disclaimer: I watched this movie at about 4 in the afternoon all by myself. I really think this movie would have been 10 times scarier to me had I watched it with someone else, in the dark, at night.

That being said, this movie was honestly boring to me. I think it could have been scary had I been in the right situation, but it just wasn't all that exciting.

Night #1: you hear footsteps

Night #2: you hear banging on the walls

Night # 8: the door slams shut

......see where I'm going? It's just not that exciting. There were about 3 nights where cool, scary stuff happens. Other than that, it's a bunch of nothing. Tiddy was scared b/c it would go from being really quiet to really loud sometimes, but he's just a cat so his opinion doesn't matter. In my opinion, if you're gonna see this movie, see it with friends and make sure you really get into it so it will scare you like I think it could.

C

Inception

Finally, the first great blockbuster of the summer. Inception has been extremely hyped and deserves every bit of it. Let me just say this, I really like Christopher Nolan. He's a great director. (The Dark Knight, The Prestige, Memento) This movie is up there with all of them, and passes them in most instances as well. Leo, he's solid as always, as he has been in some of my other favorite movies. [ Check out Blood Diamond, The Departed, or Shutter Island ] Every actor in this movie is and all the characters are interesting and entertaining.

The plot is complicated, so I'll just give you the basic premise. Leo is in the business of going into people's dreams and stealing information. Things get a little more crazy when he tries to pull off Inception, or planting an idea in a persons mind while they are sleeping. Let the complexity and mind boggling effects begin.

Really, it's an extremely well made movie, and it's exciting the whole time....even when you don't have a clue whats going on. The best part is, it doesn't feel like a copy of any other movie. It took the director about 10 years to write the thing. Honestly, I don't know how he wrote it, or how he got the actors to understand it and star in it. At any rate, GO see this movie. Oh, and don't worry if you miss the previews. They were all pretty terrible, including a new stinker from M. Night Shyamalan. Close your eyes during that one, otherwise you might try and kill yourself and miss out on this years best movie so far.

A

Alice in Wonderland

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.....oh I'm sorry, that was me waking up from the middle of this movie. Not a good sign.

Okay, so this is Tim Burtons new Alice and Wonderland creation. I'm a Johnny Depp fan, as well as a fan of Helena Bonham Carter, so I had decent hopes for this movie. But here's the deal.....I thought this might be dark or disturbing (at least that would have been entertaining), but no, it was really just a snooze fest. Everyone in this movie kept changing heights and body size, it was so confusing. I could never tell what height was regular and what was small/tall. One guy had a normal human head, but an odd computer generated body. It was just strange. Plus, Johnny Depp just wasn't that good in this movie. He was annoying and kind of hard to understand. When Alice first meets the Mad Hatter (Depp), they have a conversation at the dinner table. At the end of the scene I turned to Jess and said "what in the world is going on, what were they saying?" Jess goes, "I have no idea" But worst of all, the movie is just BORING. I'm having a hard time finishing this post b/c I'm getting distracted by re runs of "The Hills".....that's how boring this movie was. I fell asleep near the end and when I woke up I just said, "is it over yet". Anyways, if you must see it, see it, but it's really just a waste of time. Go rent the original Disney version instead....and that's coming from a person who doesn't really like kids movies..

C

Knight and Day

First off, I know...it's been forever since we reviewed anything. Sad, b/c we've watched at least 50 movies since the last review. Oh well, time to get it together.

I had mediocre hopes for this action movie. I don't hide the fact that I DO NOT like Tom Cruise. He's strange and really doesn't make that great of movies. But, I'd heard decent things about this movie so I had an open mind.

Tom Cruise plays a CIA agent who has gone rogue (ala Sarah Palin). He runs into Cameron Diaz and the craziness begins. There is a LOT of action throughout this movie, and while I usually don't like movies like that, I really didn't mind it. You have to understand, most of it is incredibly unbelievable. But, there's enough humor to make up for it. Cameron Diaz is especially funny in her "I'm a ditzy blonde who is scared of weapons, but by the end of the movie I can shoot a gun while riding a motorcycle backwards" role. She plays it well.

This is one of those movies where the main characters are never in any danger....at lease you don't feel like they are. They literally walk around sometimes while being shot at. If you can get past things like that, you'll enjoy the movie. Plus, they go to all kinds of cool locations like Spain and Germany. Overall, I liked it. It's nothing spectacular, but it's a fun movie to watch.

B-

Date Night

With tina fey and steve carell starring in your movie, it's kind of hard to go wrong. Date Night definitely got it right. This comedy centers on Phil and Claire Foster, an everyday couple that have gotten in the same old same old marriage routine. Nothing is really exciting in their lives. Just work, and taking care of their kids day in and day out. Until, that is, they decide to have a fancy night out at a New York restaurant. They steal the reservation of another couple and the chaos begins. That couple just happens to be wanted by the mob.

The plot and story line isn't all that deep. I mean, basically they get chased around all night. What makes this comedy work, is the actors. Tina Fey is funny as ever. She always makes situations funny, even if they normally wouldn't be. Steve Carrell is the same way. They MAKE this movie. If you liked Baby Mama, or if you like The Office or 30 Rock, you'll like this movie. Trust me, as soon as you hear Tina yell "I don't want the kids to live with your mother....she's awful!!", you won't stop laughing.

B+

Zombieland

What a title, huh? So lets get some things out of the way. Yes, there are zombies in this movie....and yes, they are gross. And or course, lots of zombies die. But if you didn't already know, this is a comedy. It's set in the future, where some sort of virus has turned most humans into zombies. There are humans scattered throughout the country, trying to survive in a world full of human eating zombies. In order to live in zombieland, you have to follow the rules. (for example, you have to be good at cardio in order to run from the zombies)

The movie follows a group of people trying to make it to a California theme park that is allegedly a zombie free zone. While there is plenty violence and zombie craziness, you'll be laughing the whole time...especially during a well timed cameo by Bill Murray. Check it out.

A-

julie & julia

so, obviously this review is pretty late, considering it's been out for a while and all the hype has died down a bit. the thing is, we had NO desire to see this in theaters. and, since we aren't real movie critics, we dont get paid to see the movies. i honestly thought i would probably never see it. but the other day i was at work and decided to see what was streaming on netflix, and voila! the funny part is, after like 10 minutes i was bored and going to turn it off but then my coworker came in and said she liked it, so naturally i had to finish it.

as you may know, this movie is about julia child, and some random chick who was obsessed with julia child. i'm sorry, i mean blogged about cooking her recipes. the story of julia child was very interesting since i didnt really know much about her, and meryl streep was of course AMAZING. for a while i really thought i was watching julia childs, because she acted and sounded exactly like her.

so even though a few parts of julia's story were a little boring, it was nothing compared with julie's parts. i was disappointed because i actually like amy adams, but she acted horrible in a horrible role. it was like it was some lowly soap-opera-level-actress trying to be amy adams. julie is a modern day woman who is in a slump in her personal life and then out of nowhere decides that she's going to cook her way through the whole julia child's cookbook and blog about it. she gives herself a timeline for some bizarre reason, and starts immediately. as the story goes along she changes from "oh boohoo only my mom reads my blog" to "oh my goodness my readers NEED me!" and it's really quite annoying.

overall, the only reason i even remotely liked this movie was because of meryl streep. she is amazing, and really should have won some awards for it. the negatives are summarized as follows: the movie is extremely long (unnecessarily so!), slow in [a lot of] parts, annoying (julie's parts), and a bit boring. it will, however, make you want to cook and look into julia's cookbook.

the grade?
C+

The Box

Hands down, this is one of the worst movies I've ever seen. It's so bad, I almost don't want to even attempt to explain the plot. In fact, it's hard to do so anyways. Here is a quick run down. A mysterious man drops off a box on the doorstep of a young couples house. Yes, they even say the title of the movie within the first 5 minutes. "What is it honey? I don't know, looks like a box!"......yeeaaahhhh. The box contains a button. They are told if they press the button, they will receive 1 million dollars, and someone in the world, that they don't know, will die. Sounds interesting enough......it's not. Oh, it's also 1976 and Cameron Diaz has a terrible southern accent. I was laughing for half the movie every time she opened her mouth. It was awful.

Overall, the acting was just bad. BADDDD. And the music throughout the movie? Even worse. Even though we just finished watching it, I still couldn't explain what went on. It went from science fiction, to drama, to action, to random scenes that didn't fit it. I didn't know what was real and what was going on. Seriously, You might as well just take a hammer to your own head before you try and watch this. It makes NO SENSE!!! Stay away. It's not even one of those movies that's bad, but you want everyone else to watch just so they'll know how bad it was too. No, just stay away altogether. Wait, I should end this review with a movie critique cliche'.....when it comes to this movie, don't open the box, and don't push play. Did that make you want to barf?....welcome to my world.

F

Brothers

You might have never even heard of this movie. It came out in December of last year, but kind of got lost in the mix of all the holiday movies. We watched it today, and I liked it a lot. It's a drama, and it definitely lives up to that title. Here's the deal.

Natalie Portman is married to Tobey Maguire. Tobey's character is in the military and is being deployed overseas once again. Jake Gyllenhaal is Tobey's bad news brother. He's just gotten out of jail and has a rocky relationship with his family. After a little time, Natalie receives the news that her husband has died at war. Overtime, she and her husbands brother become closer. They never really get together, but they become emotionally close, and her daughters grow to love him too. A few months later, they find out that her husband, Tobey Maguire, is actually alive. He had been kidnapped by the terrorists and made to do terrible things. He comes home, terribly disturbed, and can't seem to get back to normal. Let the drama begin!

This is a great movie. Lots of craziness. The only letdown might possibly be the ending. I won't say anymore. Check it out if you want.

B

Surrogates

Poor Bruce Willis. He hasn't made a truly good movie since....hmmmm. Quiz Time!!! Who can name the last good movie Bruce Willis was in. And to make things more difficult, you can't use "The Sixth Sense". GO!

(i think my answer would be...The Original Die hard?...good grief, he has really been in a lot of awful movies) Anyways, I digress.

This movie is set somewhat in the future. The entire worlds population has started living their lives through surrogates, robots who look like their human counterparts, except without flaws. (One might argue that Bruce Willis' surrogates' disgusting, wig-looking hair is a serious flaw, but that's neither here nor there)

With surrogates roaming the earth, and the humans hooked up to machines in their homes, crime has ceased. By using a surrogate, humans can do whatever they want without consequence. There are villages of humans left around the country who think the surrogates are immoral and should all be destroyed. Bruce Willis plays a detective who must investigate the first case of a human being killed after its surrogate is murdered...something thats not supposed to happen.

Confused yet? I'm having a hard time typing it. Look, the movie fails on so many levels. At best, it's a good made-for-tv movie. I mean, I was slightly entertained throughout it, but it's nothing special. After seeing movies with amazing special effects, like Avatar, this movie is quite lackluster. Plus, even a "perfect" looking, surrogate form of Bruce Willis looks aged and out of place. If you're looking for a sci fi movie to watch with friends, go ahead and rent it. Just remember that this isn't a groundbreaking movie that's going to impress you at all.

C

Oscar Review 2010

Best Actor: Jeff Bridges "Crazy Heart"

I'm not going to pretend that I know anything about this movie. I haven't seen it, and quite honestly, I don't really have a desire to see it. So Kudos to Jeff Bridges. Besides, I don't think I saw any of the movies that the other nominees were in either. (I know, shame on me, the movie critic)

Who I thought should have won: Morgan Freeman.....just b/c I like him.

Best Acress: Sandra Bullock "The Blind Side"

Shocker, we haven't seen this yet. We've wanted to since the previews first started back in the summer, but the movie came out at a time that just somehow didn't work for us, so we missed it. Don't worry, we'll see it. BUT, I've heard great things about it and I really like Sandra Bullock, so I'm happy she won. She had a great year, so I'm okay with it.

Who I thought should have won: Meryl Streep.....she's the best and everyone knows it (and agrees). It's a shame that she's been nominated 16 times and only won 2. Stop nominating her if you aren't going to pick her to win, thats RUDE!!!!!

Supporting Actor: I don't even know his name, nor do I care. (this is obviously a biased review) "Inglorious Basterds"

I didn't see the movie. I will in a few weeks.

Who I thought should have won: meh, didn't care.

Supporting Actress: Monique' "Precious"

I've been dying to see this movie. We finally got it on Netflix today and we're watching it tomorrow. This one wasn't my fault. Provo showed the movie for about a week and we were out of town....and luck. Monique is supposedly amazing in this movie. We'll review it soon

Who I thought should have won: Monique'

Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow "The Hurt Locker"

Like I said in the review of this movie, this is a great war movie. It doesn't take sides, it just presents a story....and it's good. Definitely was one of the best directed movies of the year, and very deserving.

Who I thought should have won: Kathryn Bigelow: she earned it.

Best Picture: "The Hurt Locker"

Of all the nominees (10 this year), The Hurt Locker was the best in my opinion. All around, it was entertaining, interesting, and intense. Okay, lets take this opportunity to deal with the Avatar fans. You'll notice I gave Avatar great reviews. It was a great movie. I loved how Avatar looked, I loved the story, I loved all of it. The problem with Avatar is two-fold. 1: It's a science-fiction movie, and those types of movies always have a hard time winning awards. Who knows if that's fair, but that's how it is. 2: (more importantly) Honestly, Avatar was not very original. Yes, James Cameron created his own world and his own language....but the story has been told before, and told better. Watch Dances with Wolves, you'll understand. In a nutshell, Avatar is about a soldier joining a group of people that are different and looked down upon. The soldier eventually becomes one of the people, and fights against his former military unit. Ring any bells? So yes, I loved Avatar, but I wouldn't consider it the Best Picture, b/c Dances with Wolves already won for telling that story.

Who I thought should have won: The Hurt Locker. Although, I would have loved to see District 9 win....even though it probably didn't deserve it as much. But I loved that movie, so I was glad to see it nominated.

THE END. Agree? Disagree? Meh, who cares.

Shutter Island

Last night we went to see the new Martin Scorsese film, Shutter Island. Set in 1954, this thriller stars Leonardo Dicaprio as a U.S. Marshall who is investigating the disappearance of a patient at a mental institution for the criminally insane. This institution just happens to be off the coast of Massachusetts on a creepy and secluded island.

Things begin to unravel for Teddy (Dicaprio) when it seems that no one at the institution will help him. Everyone is suspicious, and nobody seems eager to help with the investigation. Over time, Teddy begins to believe there is some sort of conspiracy going on at Shutter Island. I don't want to give away too much, so suffice it to say, lots of crazy stuff goes down.

If you read different reviews of this movie, you'll notice that the critics are really divided about it. Some love it, some hate it. I can see where they are all coming from. Personally I loved it. There are parts of the movie that "cheat" the audience, but I think it was appropriate. The acting is wonderful, you won't be disappointed there. Plus, it's incredibly eerie and suspenseful....not scary though. Okay, some people will say it's scary, but......it's not. Overall, I think you'll like it. We're going again tonight.

A-

Shooter

We watched this movie in Blu-ray, so I enjoyed it that much more. Shooter stars Mark Wahlberg as a former miliary sniper. Years after his last mission, when he has already left the military, he is visited by high ranking officials who have a job for him. They have news that a sniper might try to kill the president of the U.S. and they want Wahlbergs character to scope out the sight of the Presidents speech to tell them where he thinks the sniper might be.

Lots of twists and turns happen after this, which I won't discuss as to not give away the ending. What I can say, is that this movie is cool. Lots of action, good acting, and plot twists make this movie a step above your average action flick. Wahlberg does a great job. You'll like it, I promise.

B+

The Hurt Locker

For someone who doesn't really like war movies (that would be me), this is the war movie for you. This movie features a relatively unknown cast, but has become all the buzz for the Oscars.....it's nominated for Picture of the Year.

This movie is about a group of soldiers fighting in Iraq. Actually, they are on a bomb squad, a group of men who locate road side bombs and hopefully, disarm them. There is a lot of tension throughout the entire movie, so it will definitely keep you entertained throughout. Plus, this story is true, as in , there are real people out there doing this job.

The acting was great, the story was interesting, and the suspense was there the whole way through. Like I said, I really enjoyed it and i don't usually like war movies. A real contender for movie of the year.

A-

sherlock holmes

i really dont even know how to start this review... everyone knows the story of sherlock holmes, even if you learned it from wishbone like i did. so basically, you know the premise of this movie. sherlock holmes (Robert Downey Jr) is a detective, and his sidekick is dr watson (Jude Law). they solve crime together.

the strange thing about this movie is that it deals with the supernatural. lord blackwood (mark strong) is convicted of murdering at least 5 women, and dealing with black magic. he is convicted and hung, but its what happens after his execution that makes things interesting.

in this movie, holmes and watson's relationship is quite amicable, and really quite funny to watch. it makes it feel like they are bff or brothers or something. it is pretty entertaining. the one thing that seems a bit off with holmes' character is that they portray him as being crazy. not only crazy, but also a martial arts master. of course sherlock holmes is supposed to be kind of quirky and interesting, but they make him seem downright looney, and quite obsessive. also, asking people who have read the books, i have learned he doesnt really fight people. but i guess they felt they had to throw in an element to keep the audience interested or something.

the major thing that bugged me about this movie is that you saw holmes doing kooky things at crime scenes, but you just thought he was being crazy. then at the very end you find out that they are all important clues, and how [most of them] fit together. it is very frustrating, and makes it hard to follow along at times. the whole movie you were just being stringed along, and then the last 5-10 minutes it all miraculously comes together. but even when it was all explained, sources of information were not always clear, so it was a little muddled.

all together, this movie was only so-so. i wouldnt really recommend it, especially if you are a fan of the books. my parents liked it less than we did, and it was because they felt it really didnt do justice to the true characters and the books.

the grade: C+

avatar

have you seen this movie yet? no!?! GO SEE IT!!! personally i recommend not seeing it in 3D, but that is because i am not a fan of 3D and i want to go back and see it in 2D. but whichever way you see it, know that it will be amazing, awesome, incredible, fantastic, etc. i had my doubts, i wont lie, but josh said it got rave reviews. so we went and saw it on christmas day.

the main character in this movie is Jake Sulley (Sam Worthington), and he is an ex-marine who is paralyzed. he had a twin brother who was part of the avatar program, and who died. because they were twins, the DNA was satisfactory to have Jake replace his brother in the program. While his brother had done years of research and preparation, Jake was simply thrown into the program. He was sent in, looking like the indigenous people, to learn more about their culture. He also had an alternative mission to learn how to penetrate the indigenous peoples' main housing area in order to refine the natural resources it was placed on.

while Jake worked in the avatar program he became increasingly involved with the people and their culture, and his views on his alternative mission change. in order not to spoil the movie for anyone, that is as far as i will go into the plot.

this movie is amazing. the CG is literally out of this world. this is a movie that will revolutionize filmmaking. not only does it have a good plot and good actors, it leaves you feeling good. i hate when you see a movie and you leave feeling disappointed or flustered. everything is resolved in avatar. there are no apparent plot holes or loose ends. in the world the movie creates, nothing seems unrealistic or far fetched.

the movie is long, almost three hours, but it isnt a pain to sit through (compare to say, benjamin buttons...pure torture). you enjoy all of it, and the CG enhances the movie to its full potential. avatar is definitely a must see, and i cant wait til it comes out on blu-ray!

the grade: A

the boy in the striped pajamas

this movie is about this cute little boy named bruno. his family lives a very privileged life, and his father is in the army working for Hitler. the family has to move out to the countryside because bruno's father was needed to be stationed there. the transition is hard for everyone in the family, except the father it seems. bruno's sister becomes nazi-obsessed due to a cute soldier who works around the house. bruno is left to play on his own, isolated from the world.

bruno notices that there are kids at a farm that he can see from his bedroom window, and wants to go play with them. when his parents hear of this, they board up his window. bruno doesnt really understand it, and just wants to go adventuring.

as the movie goes along, bruno slowly sees his father for what he truly is. he secretly meets a little boy, shmuel, at the "farm" (concentration camp) and becomes friends. their relationship is very sweet, and sad at the same time. especially once bruno learns he isnt supposed to talk to people from the farm since they are all evil jews.

the movie portrays the Holocaust very well, and gives us a glimpse of how twisted life was then. it is heart wrenching, especially at the end. the whole film was done excellently, with great acting, sets, cinematography, etc.

a beautiful movie, i recommend it.

the grade: A

the taking of pelham 123

[sorry we havent posted a lot lately. we'll try to make it up to you]

in this movie, john travolta and his little gang hijack a subway train. denzel works as a train operator person (he sits at his booth and makes sure the trains are all going smoothly, etc). when denzel notices that train 123 is stopped, and shouldnt be, he tries contacting them by radio. finally, travolta responds and explains the hostage situation. they demand $10 million from the mayor, and have a time limit of an hour.

so first of all, there were so many unrealistic things that it made the movie seem stupid. for example, there was a sniper who was in position where he could kill a guy, but his superiors told him to wait. then, a rat goes up his pant leg and allegedly bites him, which causes the sniper to fire, kill someone, and gets all the the bad guys mad. ok, ever seen the movie shooter? snipers are trained to not let anything distract them!!

also, this movie was so typical that we were hoping for a twist. it just made it a little on the boring side. everything we thought could possibly be a twist didnt happen [and if it had, the movie would have been more interesting]. the only thing that could be considered a twist was something we all called near the beginning. therefore, not much of a twist. nice try tho..

most of the actions done by everyone in the movie just didnt make sense. characters would do something that was so stupid, or pointless, etc. one time they randomly showed the major do a little cough, and then cut away to another scene. we were all like what!? was that an editing mistake or something? it made no sense at all (like most of this movie).

i felt by watching this movie at least a few brain cells died. maybe several, im not sure. it was just weird, stupid, boring, etc. i dont really recommend it.

the grade: C-