Lets get this out of the way right now — fans should SEE IT – you may only be a little disappointed.  MY WIFE LOVED IT but she had a few minor issues with this movie.  Non-fans should wait for the excitement to die down or WAIT TO  RENT…. or you may be doubly disappointed with fighting the crowds and seeing a less than stellar offering.   Let me tell you why, without spoilers….

  (My spoiler-free review)

By now, most of us know the story: teen girl (Bella) crushes on teen-looking vampire (Edward, who is actually 100+ years old).  Now with “New Moon”, this “Twilight” love gets the third leg in its triangle… as good friend Jacob (West Michigan native Taylor Lautner) starts to become more than just a good pal due to the circumstances of this chapter.

This growing love interest with Jacob adds to the themes of Love, Forbidden Love, Love Lost, Sacrifice, Tough Choices and more Forbidden Love…. and then more Tough Choices.

I guess Bella can’t catch a break.  First its Forbidden Love with a vampire and the whole teen anxst thing… now its on to another Forbidden/awkward level… why can’t she just date a normal guy… with no superpowers or immortality?  Because that would be boring.  And the references to Romeo and Juliet laid out early in this one wouldn’t make sense now would they?

But as this new chapter’s pieces all begin to unfold (and there are a lot of storylines to keep track of)…. its clear that not all is good for the happy couple… including Bella now worried about growing old like normal people.

The movie makes a clear distinction between Bella’s two love interests both in personality and physique… but its a labor going through the two hours she takes to come to a decision.   The visual journey isn’t easy either – with one close-up after another and tracking camera moves around Bella … its like a director with a budget and tools he never had before.

Most of those storylines do make sense in the end… but the journey through this love story/fantasy adventure is a lot of mushy, over-the-top moments that we know these good young actors can do better at… we saw it in some scenes here… but not in others. 

There’s more effects and long exhaustive camera movements with blaring music than actual character development.   More time is spent in the second half of the movie with the male leads removing their shirts and being objectified by Bella… than actually digging deeper into their characters… they are just moved along a storyline… in the same fashion and mostly the same acting as the first.  We expect more from a sequel since the main characters are established, we should be getting more into who they are and why.

Its good that all the effects support the story, and are not just done because the fillmakers have a bigger budget.    There are also nice little moments of humor – some only fans will get – that break up a lot of the tension and overall gloominess of the film.

West Michigan can be proud of Hudsonville native Taylor Lautner who does a good job with what he has to work with and succesfully pulls off the change in his character… Jacob is the only character that really gets much development this time around.   In “New Moon”, Lautner begins to seperate himself as a strong character and actor apart from his mopey screen companions that mostly do the same thing they did in “Twilight” – look young and inexperienced and unpolished… acceptable in the first movie… not this time around.

The supporting cast gets a little to work with including more for Ashley Greene’s “Alice” character… and respectable fare from Michael Sheen who plays a powerful vampire with limited screen time.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

Most fans will love this movie, others may become confused and point at this chapter as the not-so-good one – perhaps this generation’s “Return of the Jedi”… I give it 6.9 out of 10.

If you are one of the fans who are let down by this chapter in the “Twilight” saga – lets hope for better things in “Eclipse”.  And remember Twi-hards, don’t feel too bad if your dreams of “New Moon” aren’t fully realized – waiting a year for this disappointment is nothing like  waiting 3 years for “Phantom Menace” – only to be mostly let down…  I’ll always have Jar Jar to trump you… and don’t forget Greedo shooting first.

 “New Moon”

(2009) (rated: PG-13 for some violence and action)
(2 hr, 10 min)

Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Billy Burke, Anna Kendrick, Michael Welch, Justin Chon, Christian Serratos, Ashley Greene, Jackson Rathbone, Russell Roberts,  Michael Sheen, Peter Facinelli, Rachelle Lefevre, Elizabeth Reaser, Kellan Lutz, Tyson Houseman, Alex Meraz, Bronson Pelletier, Edi Gathegi, Dakota Fanning, Christina Jastrzembska, Cam Gigandet

Director: Chris Weitz  (”The Golden Compass” (2007), “Down to Earth” (2001))

Genre: Romance/Fantasy/Drama/Horror/Thriller

The Plot: After Bella recovers from the vampire attack that almost claimed her life, she looks to celebrate her birthday with Edward and his family. 

So what did you think?  Please post a comment!

.
“New Moon” poster courtesy Summit Entertainment

 ** CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT MY OTHER MOVIE REVIEWS **

Follow my updates on twitter: http://twitter.com/aaronlafferty

Add me to your RSS feed: http://feeds2.feedburner.com/woodtv8-blogs-laff-at-the-movies?format=html

On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Laff-at-the-Movies/166412513994

My votes on IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=43558226

YouTube Highlights: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=WOODTV8&view=videos&query=laff+at+the+movies

For me it wasn’t too crazy or quirky, but it might be a little too much for some, which is why I’m giving the split suggestion: SEE IT if you saw the trailer, the poster, or a clip and thought it looked fun – you’ll probably enjoy it… but WAIT TO RENT if you haven’t heard of the movie/weren’t convinced it was worth your time at the theater… although you might like it.

(My spoiler-free review)

I know that some of those “critics” out there didn’t like this movie for whatever reason… but the more I think about it, the more I like this movie FOR WHAT IT WAS… not what you might have thought it was going to be or expected more from *before* seeing it.

This movie is plain and simply a funny and original story of a bunch of characters that you would think should be living on the Funny Farm if you met them in real life.  They are goofy, wierd, odd, crazy, and then you hear their story: they believe they are part of a special group of psychic spies.

Its okay, I didn’t spoil anything: you get that information early on.. or from the trailer… the cool thing is we, the audience, get to go along on this journey to discover the truth/absurdity of these claims with reporter Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor).  And I love the disclaimer at the beginning of the movie: “More of this is true than you would believe”… which says a lot and nothing at the same time - setting the tone early, so does the scene that follows.. and the next scene and the next.

The exchange between Bob and Lyn Cassady (George Clooney) in the hotel room in Kuwait after they first meet is great: a guy that doesn’t believe and is trying to seriously want to understand and a guy who is totally convinced of what he is saying… Lyn even admits that its crazy/mind blowing stuff.   Clooney is great in this role as the leading man of this dry comedy adventure plays like a buddy road trip movie with several fun scenes in the desert…and beyond.

Jeff Bridges is perfect as hippie unit leader Bill Django: a cross between the dude in “The Big Lebowksi” (1998) and a “Shawman” as Bob refers to him… seriously commited to his spiritual military work.

The other supporting cast are also solid, including Kevin Spacey as the renegade of the group and Stephen Root who first tells Bob about the group.   Overall, the guys in the unit are oddballs that only feel like they fit in when after they join this group.

The movie’s tongue is firmly placed in its cheek while making numerous Star Wars references:  Lyn tells Bob he was a Jedi Warrior and Bob (McGregor who was a Jedi in three Star Wars prequels) asks “what’s a Jedi warrior?”… they are keeping the peace… unit leader is Django (like Jango Fett in Star Wars prequels)… Lyn says “its the Jedi in you that senses”… Bill says “Force is truly strong with this one”… President Reagan allegedly supporting the psychic spies unit because he was a fan of the Star Wars movies… “using powers for good”.

But its not just references to the galaxy far, far away: there are also references that include Angela Lansbury, “Silence of the Lambs”, and Barney’s “I Love You” song.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

The movie is smug, crass, and funny and never takes itself too seriously… and despite the Star Wars references: its an original story idea!!!   I give it 8.0 out of 10.  The characters believe in something so much that Bob and the audience actually start to believe that their story is true…. or is it a farce?

PS – Thank you to Overture Films: the trailer gives us just enough to be interested, but yet not too much so we know the scenes are coming and/or have all the funniest scenes used in the trailer and leave just a few laughs behind. 

  “The Men Who Stare at Goats”

(2009) (rated: R for language, some drug content and brief nudity)
(1 hr, 33 min)

Starring: George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Spacey, Stephen Lang, Robert Patrick, Waleed Zuaiter, Stephen Root, Glenn Morshower, Nick Offerman, Tim Griffin, Rebecca Mader,

Jacob Browne, Todd La Tourrette, Brad Grunberg

Director: Grant Heslov

Genre: Comedy/War

The Plot: A reporter in Iraq might just have the story of a lifetime when he meets Lyn Cassady, a guy who claims to be a former member of the U.S. Army’s First Earth Battalion, a unit that employs paranormal powers in their missions.

So what did you think?  Please post a comment!

 
“The Men Who Stare At Goats” poster courtesy Overture Films

 ** CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT MY OTHER MOVIE REVIEWS **

Follow my updates on twitter: http://twitter.com/aaronlafferty

Add me to your RSS feed: http://feeds2.feedburner.com/woodtv8-blogs-laff-at-the-movies?format=html

On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Laff-at-the-Movies/166412513994

My votes on IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=43558226

YouTube Highlights: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=WOODTV8&view=videos&query=laff+at+the+movies

This movie is rated PG and may be scary for younger kids… with the ghosts and spooky images.

(My review is of the 3D version, it contains very minor spoilers – unless you don’t know the basic storyline !!)

Jim Carrey is perfect as Ebenezer Scrooge… grumpy, grouchy, and cheap… a man so offensive, he’s even feared by the dog on the street.   Since the movie is animated that is a credit to both the animators and what Carrey can convey just through his voice.

With great looking animation that is closer to looking real, the story is more convincing, and the characters actually look a little like the actors voicing them.

The biggest challenge after the animation is to tell this story we’ve seen before and make it fresh… and Director/Writer Robert Zemeckis achieves just that, adding in tweaks and leaving the main pillars of the story alone.  Zemeckis tells the story of Scrooge in a slightly different way going back in time when his partner Jacob Marley passes away… the movie also lets a lot of the scenes breathe instead of moving on to the next scene… it allows the moment to be fully conveyed: from Scrooge’s disdain for charity to his terror of seeing his old partner as a ghost.

The movie also succeeds by spending plenty of time (but not too much) showing the audience how much of a grinch Scrooge is before his Christmas eve hauntings… as the story clearly shows his changing outlook during visit from 2nd spirit… and how he is convinced to seek redemption after the visit from the 3rd spirit.

So what was wrong?

I’m a Carrey fan, but his versatility (4 roles) is a little distracting… he nails them, but since he’s essentially talking to himself… it detracts from the experience.

Also, some of the dialogue is unintelligible – I couldn’t make out what the characters said a few times – between the heavy accents and the way they spoke… and the other noise in the scene… also distracting.

The movie balances between being a movie just being 3D for the sake of it (with things coming at you plus flying the camera around and through objects)… and using the 3D effects to tell the story, giving the audience a unique perspective.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

“A Christmas Carol” is a good holiday movie and fun for almost the entire family (the little kids may be spooked)… but its not going to break into my Top 10 Favorite Christmas Movies … I give it 8.0 out of 10… its good but not great. 

  Disney’s “A Christmas Carol” (3D)

(2009) (rated: PG for scary sequences and images)
(1 hr, 36 min)

Starring: Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Cary Elwes, Robin Wright Penn, Bob Hoskins, Steve Valentine, Daryl Sabara, Sage Ryan, Ryan Ochoa, Bobbi Page, Ron Bottitta, Sammi Hanratty, Julian Holloway, Jacquie Barnbrook

Director: Robert Zemeckis   ["The Polar Express" (2004), "Cast Away" (2000), "Contact" (1997), "Forrest Gump" (1994), "Back to the Future 3" (1990), "Back to the Future 2" (1989), "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" (1988), "Back to the Future" (1985), "Romancing the Stone" (1984)]

Genre: Animation/Holiday/Fantasy

The Plot: An animated retelling of Charles Dickens classic novel about a Victorian-era miser taken on a journey of self-redemption, courtesy of several mysterious Christmas apparitions. 

So what did you think?  Please post a comment!

.
“A Christmas Carol” poster courtesy Disney

 ** CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT MY OTHER MOVIE REVIEWS **

Follow my updates on twitter: http://twitter.com/aaronlafferty

Add me to your RSS feed: http://feeds2.feedburner.com/woodtv8-blogs-laff-at-the-movies?format=html

On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Laff-at-the-Movies/166412513994

My votes on IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=43558226

YouTube Highlights: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=WOODTV8&view=videos&query=laff+at+the+movies

The HTC Touch Pro2

When I took the HTC Touch Pro2 out of the box that Verizon had sent me, the first thing that struck me was its amazingly large screen. Then, while still holding it in hand, I noticed its weight. It was heavy enough to do some damage if thrown. The 3.6-inch screen, with its stunning 480×800 resolution is made possible by the ginormous size, it measures 4.57″ (H) x 2.33″ (W) x 0.68″ (D) and weighs 6.4 ounces.

Comparing the weight to the iPhone’s 4.8 ounces and the Palm Pre’s 4.76 ounces, it’s a lot heavier. You may say 1.6 ounces isn’t all that much, but when it’s a full 33 percent heavier, I say that’s a lot. The Touch Pro2 isn’t as wide as Apple’s iPhone, but it’s extra thickness and height add to its bulk. When walking around with the phone in my pocket, it felt noticeable and not every phone is. Compared to the Palm Pre, the Touch Pro2 is wider, taller, thicker and heavier.

Physical features aside, the Touch Pro2 makes a great phone. The technology is present that you can use the phone all over the world. Sound quality is great. Check your coverage map to make sure that there’s adequate Verizon coverage in your area, and make sure you test the phone out during the grace period in the places you plan to use it most, otherwise you might have a problem breaking the contract later down the road.

The Touch Pro2 feels great in the hand. It’s rounded edges and smooth sides fit well in my hand (which is neither large nor small). Talking is clear and crisp through the handset. Similarly, there are no audio issues when talking over BlueTooth. It paired easily with my in-car system and had no connection issues.

When you’re texting, you have two options at your disposal. There’s the on-screen keyboard that’s okay, but I much prefered the slide out keyboard. One feature that isn’t immediately noticeable, is that when you slide the phone’s keyboard out, you can tilt the LCD screen up. It gives a pretty good viewing angle for texting.

The slider keyboard is soft to the touch, and the extra size gives you a full 5 rows of buttons. That means you have a dedicated row for numbers, the standard qwerty layout and a row beneath for the spacebar, function, symbol, mail and favorite buttons. The keyboard is actually one of my favorite aspects of the unit. It was a little wide for me, coming from the Palm Pre, which slides vertically. Once I got used to it though, I actually prefered the extra space and added buttons. The mail and favorite button come in handy for easy quick launching of the most used applications.

While the keyboard is great, browsing the web leaves a lot to be desired on the Touch Pro2. It uses the Opera Web Browser which is in a firm 4th place behind the WebOS, Mobile Safari and the Android browser. It’s better than the non-touchscreen BlackBerry browsers, but not by much. When zooming in with the browser, the text didn’t wrap properly on all websites, which meant you had to zoom in and then scroll horizontally on the screen.

The 3.2MP camera actually snaps nice pictures and sports an LED flash that’s missing on some competing phones. It also takes some decent video.

With the Touch Pro2, HTC puts its impressive TouchFLO shell on top of the Windows Mobile interface. The effort does a lot to polish the otherwise rough edges found in Windows Mobile 6.1. Even with that polishing, in my use, Windows Mobile just doesn’t provide as seamless of a user experience as its competitors. If you’re the kind of person that would put the iPhone on top of the world of Smartphones, with Android, WebOS, and BlackBerry following, then you’re probably not going to be swayed by a device like the Touch Pro2.

In terms of Windows Mobile phones alone, HTC puts together a fantastic unit. But looking realistically at the offerings of other available phones, it just doesn’t make sense to drop $200 after rebate on it unless you have to have a Windows Mobile phone.

Overall, the HTC Touch Pro2 is a good phone, but not great and is limited by its software and weighed down by its hardware.  It’s available right now for $199.99 after rebate from Verizon Wireless.

Have any questions or comments? Shoot me an email at matt(dot)schuler(at)woodtv(dot)com or send me a message on twitter, twitter.com/mattschuler .

 ”This Is It” IS the concert the world never got to see.

If you’re a fan of Michael Jackson and his death left you feeling empty and looking for a final performance from the King of Pop, ”This Is It” is an absolute must.

I’m giving three options here because if you were looking forward to this movie, see it, you probably won’t be disappointed… but if you’re just mildly curious, wait and enjoy it when it is released on DVD.
 

(Spoiler-free review)

The very personal look at the making of what was to be MJ’s final concert tour is well done, blending the songs and all the back stage footage as if we the audience were attending a concert, while on stage with the music legend.

“This Is It” is taken from more than 80 hours of rehearsal, soundchecks, and backstage footage over several months as MJ and his team of performers, musicians, and technical crew prepared for his planned shows in London.

The music documentary is riveting, showcasing MJ’s creative, inspiring professionalism.  Its an amazing final performance from MJ, who at 50 years old, looks very healthy and energetic… showing he’s still got the moves and the vocals.

But its also a very personal look at how MJ conducts business with loving determination, pushing the performers and technicians to make it the best show for the audience.   While he’s surrounded himself with some of the best talent in the world, he is still carefully and calmly teaching and leading them with a caring hand to help them shine.   MJ is very hands on, which gains him respect amoung the crew.. but he is the creative force when its all said and done.

Its interesting to see the 50-year-old MJ dancing with and setting the pace for dancers and musicians 20-25 years younger… and watching them try to keep up, while he is just in warm up and rehearsal mode.  Its amazing to think what this concert and MJ would have been like in full speed “live” mode.   The dancers are the supporting cast – as the documentary points out, the dancers are “an extension of Michael” – they even go through regular pillates, ballet, and choreography for the famous ‘grab’ to keep their skills sharp.

As you can imagine, the movie, like a concert, moves from one song to another through different devices like sounchecks, lighting, and choreography.   The song list includes “Beat It”, “Black or White”, “Jam”, “Billie Jean”, “The Way You Make Me Feel”.  Like a throwback to his classic music videos, new scenes were shot for the intro of “Thriller”… and for “Smooth Criminal”, MJ is put into a scene from the 1946 movie “Gilda” to set up the whole gangster motif.   Later, in “Man in the Mirror”, he’s singing with vocalists who grew up singing the song.

He’s a man with a message too – “This Is It” also captures MJ’s environmental concerns that he put into his songs and was planning for the London shows.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

Director Kenny Ortego puts together a moving tribute to the King of Pop.  “This Is It” doesn’t get into what happened to MJ after or become heavy handed or political, it just focuses on the performer and what he does to get ready for a show… his final show… I give it 7.0 out of 10 … its a little choppy, where you can get lost in all the visuals and runs a little long… but otherwise is a solid musical documentary.

 “This Is It”

(2009) (rated: PG for some suggestive choreography and scary images)
(1 hr, 52 min)

Starring: Michael Jackson, Kenny Ortega, etc.

Director: Kenny Ortega  (”High School Musical 3″ (2008), “High School Musical 2″ (2007) , “The Cheetah Girls 2″ (2006), “High School Musical” (2006))

Genre: Music Documentary

The Plot: A compilation of interviews, rehearsals and backstage footage of Michael Jackson as he prepared for his series of sold-out shows in London. 

So what did you think?  Please post a comment!

 
“This Is It” poster courtesy Sony Pictures

 ** CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT MY OTHER MOVIE REVIEWS **

 Follow my updates on twitter: http://twitter.com/aaronlafferty

Add to your RSS feed: http://feeds2.feedburner.com/woodtv8-blogs-laff-at-the-movies?format=html

YouTube Highlights: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=WOODTV8&view=videos&query=laff+at+the+movies

This is probably obvious since its scary enough to give adults nightmares, but I would not recommend taking kids to this movie.

A viral marketing push got Paramount to release the small budget “Paranormal Activity” to theaters nationwide after some very good early screenings.

 (My spoiler-free review)

“Paranormal Activity” is chilling and unnerving, it makes going to sleep a nightmare.

Set in the very real believable world of one couple’s home, this movie succeeds with an increasing level of scare, offset by frequent moments of comedic relief that break up the rising tension created by the paranormal events going on in the house and the growing uneasiness in the couple’s relationship.

There are only really four characters in this movie, the guy Micah (pronounced mee-kah) and his girlfriend Katie, a psychic (Mark Fredrichs), and Katie’s friend.  Ohh, and don’t forget the character that is haunting their home… a very well developed character… one of the more menacing evils of the horror movies I’ve seen given the lack of real screentime.

Micah and Katie give very real, very convincing performances, which is important because the more this movie feels real, the more terrifying it is that it could be happening… much like “The Blair Witch Project” (1999)… but this movie is better than that because of its setting, completely limited to the couple’s home.

Much of the fright is implied, its driven by what you don’t see… just hearing the paranormal and seeing the results of it… until, as the movie moves along, we see more and more… but not too much.

“Paranormal Activity” is really good… it gave me chills in the theater and is giving me chills again just thinking about it… like other great horror movies (“The Ring” (2002), “The Exorcist” (1973), “The Shining” (1980), “The Grudge” (2004), “Saw” (2004)) at the top of my scariest movies list, which I will now have to update.   The realism of this movie makes it very cathartic… with the audience going through the paranormal activity along with Micah and Katie from the perspective of the camera…. and not just watching it, or putting yourself in their shoes like other scary movies.

THE BOTTOM LINE: this movie is very original with one small exception near the end, which is one of three small problems that keep me from rating this movie even higher… I give it 8.5 out of 10.   At at the risk of spoiling the movie, I will explain my issues in a way that only those who have seen it will understand: the photo, the alarm system, and the evil movements at the end… the last being the one thing that makes it less original because we’ve seen it before in two of the movies I mentioned above. 

 “Paranormal Activity”

(2009) (rated: R for language)
(1 hr, 26 min)

Starring: Katie Featherston, Micah Sloat, Mark Fredrichs, Amber Armstrong, Randy McDowell, Ashley Palmer, Tim Piper

Director: Oren Peli

Genre: Horror/Mystery/Thriller

The Plot: After moving into a suburban home, a couple becomes increasingly disturbed by a nightly demonic presence. 

So what did you think?  Please post a comment!

.
“Paranormal Activity” poster courtesy Paramount

 ** CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT MY OTHER MOVIE REVIEWS **

 Follow my updates on twitter: http://twitter.com/aaronlafferty

Add to your RSS feed: http://feeds2.feedburner.com/woodtv8-blogs-laff-at-the-movies?format=html

YouTube Highlights: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=WOODTV8&view=videos&query=laff+at+the+movies

While its based on Maurice Sendak’s children’s book, the movie may not be good for young children, as the monsters are very big, real, and scary… a credit to the filmmakers that the wild things were so believable, because if they weren’t this movie would have been hard to watch.

  (My spoiler-free review)

12 year old Max Records delivers a great performance as Max, a wild child with no friends and not even his mom will put up with him because he’s out of control.

Max is great as the crazy little monster who makes his way to an imaginative world, where being a rambunctious tall tale teller is acceptable.   The movie is dependent on the success of Max’s performance and its the best child performance of the year.

Jonze creates a very real fantastical world with convincing characters of Carol, Ida, Judith, K.W., and others… its easy to follow and fun to be immersed in.   The message is pretty clear, that Max needs to grow up and being such a problem child, but its encased in a fun story in a world of make believe.

If nothing else, the costumes in “Where The Wild Things Are” should put the movie up for an Oscar nomination this year.

THE BOTTOM LINE:  ”Where the Wild Things Are” is the best fantasy adventure since the “Chronicles of Narnia” movies (2005/2008), but it falls short of the majestic success of those movies as well as the magical “The NeverEnding Story” (1984) and the powerful and epic scale of the “Lord of the Rings” saga (2001, 2002, 2003)…. I give it 7.9 out of 10.

 “Where The Wild Things Are”

(2009) (rated: PG for mild thematic elements, some adventure action and brief language)
(1 hr, 34 min)

Starring: Max Records, Catherine Keener, Pepita Emmerichs,  James Gandolfini, Paul Dano, Catherine O’Hara, Forest Whitaker, Michael Berry Jr., Chris Cooper, Steve Mouzakis, Mark Ruffalo

Director: Spike Jonze  (”Adaptation” (2002), “Being John Malkovich” (1999))

Genre: Fantasy/Adventure/Family/Drama

The Plot: An adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s classic children’s story, where Max, a disobedient little boy sent to bed without his supper, creates his own world–a forest inhabited by ferocious wild creatures that crown Max as their ruler.

So what did you think?  Please post a comment!

.
“Where the Wild Things Are” poster courtesy Warner Brothers Pictures

 ** CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT MY OTHER MOVIE REVIEWS **

 Follow my updates on twitter: http://twitter.com/aaronlafferty

Add to your RSS feed: http://feeds2.feedburner.com/woodtv8-blogs-laff-at-the-movies?format=html

YouTube Highlights: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=WOODTV8&view=videos&query=laff+at+the+movies

But I’ll warn parents: this movie earns its ‘R’ rating early and often with some brutal violence… its not for kids.

(My spoiler-free review)

From F. Gary Gray, director of some hits (”The Italian Job”, “The Negotiator”) and misses (”Be Cool”, “A Man Apart”)… comes a great thriller that challenges the justice system as a vigilante blurs the line between justice and vengeance.

After an attack on his wife and daughter that he’s forced to watch and one of the suspects get a lighter conviction after a deal, Clyde (Butler) thinks that he’s dealing with an impotent legal system, and that his wife and daughter were denied justice, he decides to go after the suspects… and the system.

Nick (Foxx) is the up-and-coming Prosecutor trying to protect his 96% conviction rate so he can become the Assistant District Attorney … he makes the deal in Clyde’s case that becomes the most frustrating mistake of his career.

In an ironic perversion of justice for the audience, you find yourself rooting for the bad guy, but are then challenged by a character who may be taking his message too far.

There are some nice touches, like comparing the art of the recital and an execution of a convicted felon… and while brutal, there’s also a very unique way the filmmakers knock-off one of the characters… the film is gritty… with a lot of high-tech action.

This movie is a mixture of nail-bitter and character study as most scenes feature Butler and/or Foxx … their characters are well developed, but it would have been stronger if the other characters were stronger.

THE BOTTOM LINE: I give it 7.5 out of 10 … I would give it a higher rating if it weren’t for a few flaws: like a D.A. acting like detective running around in the field trying to catch the bad guy and an ending that wraps up a little too easy. 

  “Law Abiding Citizen”

(2009) (rated: R for strong bloody brutal violence and torture, a scene of rape, and pervasive language)
(1 hr, 48 min)

Starring: Jamie Foxx, Gerard Butler, Colm Meaney, Bruce McGill, Leslie Bibb, Michael Irby, Gregory Itzin, Regina Hall, Emerald-Angel Young, Christian Stolte, Annie Corley, Richard Portnow, Viola Davis, Michael Kelly, Josh Stewart

Director: F. Gary Gray  (”Be Cool” (2005), “The Italian Job” (2003), “A Man Apart” (2003), “The Negotiator” (1998))

Genre: Thriller

The Plot: An everyday guy decides to take justice into his own hands after a plea bargain sets his family’s killers free. His target: The district attorney who orchestrated the deal. 

So what did you think?  Please post a comment! 

.
“Law Abiding Citizen” poster courtesy Overture Films

 ** CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT MY OTHER MOVIE REVIEWS **

 Follow my updates on twitter: http://twitter.com/aaronlafferty

Add to your RSS feed: http://feeds2.feedburner.com/woodtv8-blogs-laff-at-the-movies?format=html

YouTube Highlights: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=WOODTV8&view=videos&query=laff+at+the+movies

A warning though, while there is no frontal nudity, there are a lot of sexual references and innuendos that may not be appropriate for younger audiences.

Another warning, if you see this movie with your wife/girlfriend/date, you may end up discussing any “problems” or “issues” in your relationship.
 

(My spoiler free review)

The sights in Bora Bora are amazing, the cast is really good, and the script is well-written… but as I’ve wrote before, for me the greatness of this movie may be a victim of its marketing campaign – some of the funniest moments are in the trailers and tv spots.

Don’t get me wrong, this movie is funny, and most audiences will be hearing and seeing these jokes for the first time, but there are some jokes that are also predictable… its a good thing this movie also has a story like “The Hangover” and is not just a series of jokes and pranks, but unlike “The Hangover” this movie doesn’t really surprise or create something we haven’t seen before in other comedies.

Vaughn, Bateman, John Favreau, Faizon Love, Malin Ackerman, Kristen Bell, Kristin Davis and the rest of the cast are great… everyone creates a memorable character and the movie delivers a ton of one-liners.

The movie does entertain and does make you laugh, but its not my favorite comedy of the year, it could make my top five… we’ll see with 4 months left… its on the bubble.

FYI – While there are no bloopers during creditrs like some comedies, there is a short scene at the end of the credits.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

A fun and entertaining movie, with a great cast of comedic actors, but it falls a little short of expectations… I give it 7.5 out of 10 … the one-liners and some very funny moments elevate this movie a half-point.

“Couples Retreat”

(2009) (rated: PG-13 on appeal for sexual content and language (originally Rated R for some sexual material))
(1 hr, 47 min)

Starring: Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman, Faizon Love, Jon Favreau, Malin Akerman, Kristen Bell, Kristin Davis, Kali Hawk, Carlos Ponce, Peter Serafinowicz, Jean Reno, Temuera Morrison, John Michael Higgins, Ken Jeong, Charlotte Cornwell, Amy Hill

Director: Peter Billingsley
Writers: Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn

Genre: Comedy

The Plot: A comedy centered around four couples who settle into a tropical-island resort for a vacation. While one of the couples is there to work on the marriage, the others fail to realize that participation in the resort’s therapy sessions is not optional.

So what did you think?  Please post a comment!

.
“Couples Retreat” poster courtesy Universal Pictures

 ** CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT MY OTHER MOVIE REVIEWS **

 Follow my updates on twitter: http://twitter.com/aaronlafferty

Add to your RSS feed: http://feeds2.feedburner.com/woodtv8-blogs-laff-at-the-movies?format=html

YouTube Highlights: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=WOODTV8&view=videos&query=laff+at+the+movies

“Surrogates” is a sci-fi overload with a futuristic society turned robotic and high-tech, but a little predictable.

A mish-mash of previous sci-fi fantasy movies, with robots, science, and technology… ”Surrogates” confronts issues of technology replacing human interaction with the world.   Its a little heavy-handed and obvious, but also entertaining.
 

(My spoiler-free review)

Set in the near future, humans plug into robots of their likeness – the result is lower crime crates, no racism, fewer diseases, etc. but there’s a growing resistance to the technology that have made things even more perilous than before.

The filmmakers play their message (whether intended or coincidental) with a very slick package of effects and technology while drawing a very clear line between the surrogates and the real people they represent.   The surrogates are very healthy looking and vibrant, basically perfect, albeit plastic while the real people they resemble are older and sickly and flawed.

Bruce Willis is FBI Agent Tom Greer, who is investigating the first homicide in years, and as he investigates outside of his surrogate, he falls further down the proverbial the rabbit hole of this fantasy.

James Cromwell is good as the creator of the surrogates (a similiar role to his character in “I, Robot” (2004), Rosamund Pike brings some believability to the role of Greer’s wife, and Ving Rhames is good as the leader of the resistance, but while the other actors do well to appear robotic – the roles lack any true heart that makes you care about what happens to them… and caring about all the characters becomes critical to the climatic point of the movie… which is undercut by this lack of connection and caring with the audience.

The movie accomplishes a lot in a short period of time… a futuristic society that is different from ours in many ways, plus a resistance group that opposes this futuristic way of life.      But it also creates more questions in the end: if there are non-surrogate robots (like we see at FBI) to do mediocre jobs and everyone is perfect, why are people still doing those jobs and if the real people never come out of their rooms into the real world… how are their homes so spotless?

THE BOTTOM LINE:

Willis is good, the effects and makeup are strong and believable, but the disconnect takes away from the climax… I give it 6.5 out of 10 … is is a fresh take on crime drama and its good sci-fi futuristic action, but certainly not comparable to the similiar recent movie ”I, Robot” where the robots are humanized and the audience cares what happens to them… “Surrogates” misses… and it matters most at the movie’s climax.

“Surrogates”

(2009) (rated: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, disturbing images, language, sexuality and a drug-related scene)
(1 hr, 44 min)

Starring: Bruce Willis, Radha Mitchell, Rosamund Pike, Boris Kodjoe, James Francis Ginty, James Cromwell, Ving Rhames, Jack Noseworthy, Devin Ratray, Michael Cudlitz

Director: Jonathan Mostow   “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines” (2003), “U-571″ (2000), “Breakdown” (1997)

Genre: Sci-Fi Action/Thriller/Crime

The Plot: Set in a futuristic world where humans live in isolation and interact through surrogate robots, a cop (Willis) is forced to leave his home for the first time in years in order to investigate the murders of others’ surrogates.

So what did you think?  Please post a comment!

.
“Surrogates” poster courtesy Touchstone Pictures

 ** CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT MY OTHER MOVIE REVIEWS **

 Follow my updates on twitter: http://twitter.com/aaronlafferty

Add to your RSS feed: http://feeds2.feedburner.com/woodtv8-blogs-laff-at-the-movies?format=html

YouTube Highlights: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=WOODTV8&view=videos&query=laff+at+the+movies