Movie reviews

This is a magical fantasy movie starring Hong Kong Kung fu Legends Jackie Chan, and Jet Li in their first collaboration, Jackie Chan(Police story, Drunken Master, The Myth) plays Old Hop in the real world and Lu Yan in the fantasy Forbidden Kingdom, while Jet Li(Romeo must die, Hero) plays The Monkey King, and also stars as The Silent Monk.

The story surrounds Jason Tripitikas played by Michael Angarano(24, Will and Grace) being bullied by a gang, and his love of Kung fu movies, which he rents from an elderly Old Hop(Jackie Chang), during one particular night, Old Hop is robbed, and in the event of trying to protect Old Hop, he gets hold of an old staff, which transports him into the realm of the magical Forbidden Kingdom, where an evil Jade Warlord played by well known Kung fu Star Collin Chou. The Jade Warlord has taken over the Forbidden Kingdom while the King of Heaven is away.

This magical kingdom has a select number of Immortals, who cannot be killed except by a jade poison dart. It turns out that there was an immortal a Monkey King(also played by Jet Li), who had been challenged to a duel by the evil Jade Warlord, who was growing increasingly bitter over the favouritism shown to the Monkey King by the King of Heaven, as the King of Heaven left the Forbidden Kingdom into the hands of the Jade Warlord until his return, the Jade Warlord saw the opportunity to end the Monkey King once and for all, by attempting to kill him during the duel, just in time before he is killed the Monkey King freezes into stone, and sends out his magical staff out of the Forbidden Kingdom, and a prophecy was born that one will come that will return the Monkey King's staff to the rightful owner.

Our young protagonist suddenly finds himself in the Forbidden Kingdom, where he, Lu Yan, his associate Golden Sparrow played by the lovely Yifei Liu and a monk known as The Silent Monk (also played by Jet Li) have to get the staff to the Monkey King, however he is still immortalised in stone, in the lair of the Jade King.

The cinematography gives the impression of being in a fantasy world, where everything is possible.

It has some classic funny moments, especially where Lu Yan is trying to summon rain while the stern faced Silent Monk makes a mockery of his attempt.

This is a great action movie with fantastic comedy moments, and the fans are no doubt clamouring for a sequel.

Labels: Action, Collin Chou, fantasy, film review, film reviews, films, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Kung fu, Michael Angarano, Movie Review, Movie Reviews, movies, romance, The Forbidden Kingdom, Yifei Liu

This is Oliver Stone's(Director of Platoon) biographic on the life of the 43rd President George W. Bush Jr. chronicling his days from Yale through to his presidency, and the Iraq and Afghan wars.

The lead role is played superbly by Josh Brolin(No country for old men), having the Texas accent, and Bush's mannerisms down to a fine art, playing the younger Bush during his time at Yale, and the Grey-haired Bush during his time right up to the conflict in Iraq.

Vice-President Dick Cheney is played superbly by an unrecognisable Richard Dreyfuss(Mr. Holland's Opus) with a very uncanny resemblance, even the mannerisms of grinding his teeth, Condoleeza Rice is played by an unrecognisable Thandie Newton(The pursuit of Happyness, The Chronicles of Riddick), Colin Powell is played impressively by Jeffrey Wright(Shaft, Quantum of Solace), Donald Rumsfeld is played by the veteran Scott Glenn(The patriarch in Brothers and sisters), Paul Wolfowitz is played by Dennis Boutsikaris(The Last Don), Karl Rove is played by the diminutive and brilliant Toby Jones(Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets) .

We chronicle various aspects of the former President's life, from drilling jobs in Texas, running his own oil company, running a major league team, all seem overshadowed by the deep disappointment Bush Jr. regards in himself, as opposed to his younger brother, who he sees as his father's favourite Governor of Florida Jeb Bush, as seen by his father George W. Bush Sr. played wonderfully by James Cromwell (L.A. Confidential). At times the elder Bush is long suffering towards his son, and other times, does not communicate with him directly, apparently only through notes, as he did when George W. Bush became Governor of Texas.

The conflicts amongst the key participants in the Oval office before the justification of the War in Iraq, notably the friction between Donald Rumsfeld, Vice-President Dick Chenney, Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz and Commander of the Armed Forces Colin Powell, regarding the search for weapons of mass destruction, and following U.N. protocol is well acted. The arrogance of Bush and his dismissal of the U.N. in this regard is believable given press conferences at that time.

Overall this portrayal of George W. Bush Jr. aims to keep a balanced perspective, from his battle with alcohol, and trying to make his own way in the world, without everybody else thinking everything in his life has been handed to him on a silver platter, to his liaison with Laura Bush played by the lovely Elizabeth Banks(Meet Dave), to the much maligned war, where as he puts it, "I am just trying to make the world a better place".

Labels: Dennis Boutsikaris, film review, film reviews, films, James Crowell, Jeffrey Wright, Josh Brolin, Movie Review, Movie Reviews, movies, Richard Dreyfuss, Scott Glenn, Thandie Newton, Toby Jones, W

The final part of the Matrix trilogy was welcomed as a renovation and worthy conclusion of the ethos of the original Matrix, and did give the trilogy a fitting end the fans were happy about.

It again stars Keanu Reeves(Point Break, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure) as Neo, Laurence Fishburne(Apocalypse Now) as Morpheus, Carrie Ann Moss(Memento) as Trinity

The war with the A.I. is reaching it's climax, the last human fortress Zion is under attack by the machines, and unless our protagonists can do something, their life and civilisation will be wiped out.

The antagonist, Agent Smith played by Hugo Weaving(Lord of the rings: The Fellowship of the ring) has somehow managed to get his personality out into the real world, while in the Matrix like a malevolent virus he has taken over everyone, and is waiting for Neo to turn up for their final encounter.

We learn a little about the unfolding in the life of the real world for Morpheus, Neo and Trinity, with people constantly wanting something from Neo in the real world, keeping him away from Trinity more than he would like, to send messages to their loved ones, whose minds haven't been "unplugged" yet, to constantly protecting his friends and companions from Agents, who like regular software have been given upgrades to combat the threat of Neo. The complicated relationship between Morpheus and his lost love Niobe played by the wife of Will Smith (who was the original choice to play Neo by the Wachowski brothers) Jada-Pinkett Smith is developed a little further.

Less time is given to the other A.I. as was done in the previous sequel, and instead focuses on the main thrust of the story, the war between civilisation and the A.I. and if Neo, Morpheus and Trinity have any say on how it will all end.

The suspense that has been building up for a few years since the original Matrix is well played upon, and the conclusion is a fitting end to the roller coaster of cinematic vision and innovation that hasn't captured the minds of many movie goers since.

Many saw this final sequel as redeeming some of the disappointments some of the fans saw in the second sequel, and it is not an underestimation to say the Matrix trilogy is to the current I.T. and Internet savvy generation what Star Wars was, to the generation of the late 70's and 80's.

Labels: Carrie-Anne Moss, film review, film reviews, films, Hugo Weaving, Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Movie Review, Movie Reviews, movies, Neo, science fiction, The Matrix Revolutions, The One

This is the sequel to The Matrix, again starring Keanue Reeves(Point Break, Bill and Ted's Excellent adventure) as Neo, Laurence Fishburne(Apocalypse Now) as Morpheus, and Carrie Ann Moss(Memento) as Trinity. It was reported Laurence Fishburne, signed up to the sequels without reading the scripts.

The directors Andy and Larry Wachowski better known as the Wachowski brothers have reportedly refused to do any interviews about The Matrix or it's sequels, possibly to continue and preserve it's cult status.

As with many sequels, there are never as critically acclaimed or well received by the fans as the originals, and this is no exception. That said for cult fan status it was a long wait, with a superb teaser trailer broadcast during the Super Bowl, that had many fans salivating. This sequel did reveal a little bit more about the composition of the real world our protagonists lived in and the Matrix world the frequented.

In this sequel we are introduced to a whole other A.I. living in the Matrix, Persephone played by the beautiful Monica Bellucci(The brothers Grimm) and her husband Merovingian played by Lambert Wilson(The Lazarus Project, Babylon A.D.), and The Oracle was also revealed as another system of control, unfortunately the original actress Gloria Foster who played The Oracle, died soon after completing her scenes.

Morpheus believing a prophecy told to him by the Oracle, that getting Neo to the source will end the war and set them free from the A.I., along with Trinity try to get Neo to the location of the source, battling some nifty Programs along the way, a pair of them having the ability to move through objects and other people(which is plausible as no one in the Matrix is really flesh and bone, but a kind of simulation).

The Wachowski brothers on the few times they did talk about The Matrix, said they always wanted to make a movie that combined their love of Kung-Fu and the Martial Arts with Science Fiction, and The Matrix captures this beautifully.

The interesting thing about the Matrix and it's sequels is the hidden meanings littered throughout every scene, going back to look at various scenes again, and reading up about it, the hidden religious references combining key aspects of the world's major religions is quite interesting, from the "Know thyself" writing when Neo first meets The Oracle to his first encounter with The Oracle's protector Seraph played by Collin Chou(The Forbidden Kingdom, DOA: Dead or Alive) (apparently The Wachowski brothers tried to get Kung-Fu legend and three times Chinese high kick champion Jet Li to play _ but he declined indicating he didn't want people to ignore the storyline and focus that he is in the movie)telling Neo "you never truly know anyone until you fight them".

Labels: Carrie-Anne Moss, film review, film reviews, films, Gloria Foster, Hugo Weaving, Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Movie Review, Movie Reviews, movies, Neo, science fiction, The Matrix Reloaded

This is a classic science fiction tale that was ground breaking for it's story line and special effects.

It stars Keanu Reeves(Point Break, Bill and Ted Excellent Adventure) as Neo/Mr Anderson(apparently Will Smith(Independence Day, I. Robot) was asked by the Wachowski brothers to play Neo, but he declined the role saying he wasn't mature enough as an actor to carry out the role), an I.T. guy seemingly bored with his existence, he is contacted by the mysterious Morpheus played by Laurence Fishburne(Apocalypse Now), wanted by many for alledgedly terrorist activities.

It turns out that Neo isn't really living in the real world at all, but under slavery, as he and the rest of humanity are under, being hooked up to a machine, providing life source for A.I(Artificial intelligence) that has taken over the planet over a war with humanity, leaving only a few renegades to continue the war against the A.I.

As Morpheus succinctly puts it "What if you were in a dream you couldn't wake up from, how would you know what is real and what is not?".

This all makes sense at this point, because as a prelude to this mind boggling discovery, there was an action sequence, where Trinity played by Carrie-Anne Moss(Memento) runs away from a couple of agents, into a phone box, and whilst she has the ear-piece of the phone to her ears, one of the agents runs down the phone box with a truck, with Trinity's body nowhere to be found in or around the phone box after this encounter(apparently after showing that ten-minute action sequence to their executive producers, they signed up immediately).

Morpheus has been told a prophecy by the Oracle played by Gloria Foster that he will find The One that will put an end to the slavery and set humanity free from A.I., and he believes Neo is that one, however Neo needs some convincing, especially as Morpheus, Trinity and a host of others take him to see the Oracle, to see what predictions she has in store for him.

During this scene an interesting occurrence takes place, that just separates The Matrix from just another science fiction movie, Neo sees a black cat, and sees the cat again, he mutters to himself "deja vu", immediately everybody in the entourage tenses up and he is asked what he saw, he relays what he saw, and everyone finds a hiding place, weapons at the ready, with Trinity explaining to Neo that deja vu happens when the A.I. change something in the Matrix, and sure enough the antagonist Agent Smith played magnificently by Hugo Heaving(Lord of the rings: The fellowship of the ring), is just around the corner.

It is a ground-breaking story line coupled with some superb action sequences, with great twists along the way makes for a classic science fiction movie.

Labels: Carrie-Anne Moss, fantasy, film review, film reviews, films, Gloria Foster, Hugo Weaving, Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Movie Review, Movie Reviews, movies, science fiction, The Matrix

This is the second movie of the Oscar winner director of the Shawshank Redemption, Frank Darabont. Again this is based around a prison.

It stars Tom Hanks as a prison guard Paul Edgecomb, and Michael Clarke Duncan as John Coffey a mysterious gentle giant of a fellow from the deep south at the turn of the twentieth century.

Unfortunately for John Coffey there has been a murder of two little girls, and when John is found holding on to the two girls and crying, he is assumed the culprit, and he is tried, convicted and sentenced to death by electric chair in the infamous "Green mile" prison.

What some of the people in the town and notably those in the "Green Mile" prison quarters are about to find out, especially the prison guards is that he has the magic of healing, he proves this on a mouse, who has been stomped on by the jail antagonist "Wild Bill" Wharton whose hero is "Wild Bill" Hitchcock and would not tolerate having anyone say a negative word against him, played by Sam Rockwell(Charlie's Angels). John breathes on the mouse until its tail begins to twitch again with life, but there is an after effect, whenever he heals someone or something, he has to release the bad energy out of himself somehow.

It turns out that the prison warden, Warden Moores played by james Cromwell(L.A. Confidential) has a sick wife Melinda played by Patricia Clarkson (I must say watching her recently in Phoebe in Wonderland she looks exactly the same as she did almost ten years ago), and when John's healing ability is discovered, after helping Paul with an embarrassing problem, he proposes that John pays a visit to the Warden's wife, albeit not telling the Warden at all, only the fellow prison guards who all agree to ship him out at night.

Paul believes in his innocence, and in turn so do the other prison guards, Brutus "Brutal" Howell played by the stalwart David Morse(The Negotiator, Twelve Monkeys), Dean Stanton played by Barry Pepper(Saving Private Ryan) who all see John Coffee's behaviour for themselves and realise he cannot hurt a fly, but is there anything he can do to prevent John Coffee from "riding the light" i.e. the electric chair?

This is a lovely science fiction and fantasy movie, with some unforeseen twists, and viewers will not miss the symbolism of John Coffey whose name is an acronym of Jesus Christ.

Labels: Barry Pepper, David Morse, film review, film reviews, films, James Cromwell, Michael Duncan Clarke, Movie Review, Movie Reviews, movies, Patricia Clarkson, Sam Rockwell, The Green Mile, Tom Hanks

This classic movie won an Oscar for the first time director Frank Darabont and you can see why.

It is based on a short story "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption" by Stephen King, and focuses on the life of a young banker Andy Dufresne played by Tim Robbins(The Player), after being found guilty of the murder of his wife and her male companion.

He protests his innocence, but the judge seeing his demeanour paraphrased, says "you strike me as a particularly cold and remorseless individual... " and sentences him to two life sentences.

Whilst in prison he befriends the local prison smuggler, Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding played magnificently(who was nominated and many felt deserved the Oscar for Best Actor in a leading role) by Morgan Freeman. There is a scene that might leave many a little befuddled, as Andy askes Red if he can smuggle in Rita Hayworth, Red replies no problem, narrating that whenever anyone needed anything they came to him, and you are left in two minds on what exactly this means.

It captures the torment of prison, and the prisoners struggles as their humanity is eroded. There is a particular poignant scene played by the late James Whitmore(Give 'em hell Harry) as Brooks Hatlen who has been released into a modern world after fifty years in prison, writing a letter to his friends back in jail, whilst his voice narrates the letter we are shown him struggling to get to grips with the modern world, such as crossing the road to avoid the many motor cars, he hardly ever saw when he was a kid.

Along with having to serve time for a crime he didn't commit Andy also has to help the corrupt warden, Warden Norton played wonderfully by Bob Gunton(The Lazarus Project) siphon money obtained from using the prisoners as cheap workers into private accounts, as well as the Warden's enforcer Captain Hadley played by Clancy Brown(Highlander, Kelvin Inman in Lost) prevent the government from taking huge chunk of tax from his inheritance. While in prison Andy tries to take his mind over the wrongful conviction by focusing on projects such as a prison library, carving out chess pieces, and helping Tommy played by a young Gil Bellows(Ally McBeal) pass his school exams.

This is a well directed movie, with superb performances from all and it is truly a wonderful case of the "indomitable human spirit".

Labels: Based on a short story, Bob Gunton, film review, film reviews, films, Gil Bellows, James Whitmore, Morgan Freeman, Movie Review, Movie Reviews, movies, The Shawshank Redemption, Tim Robbins

The models at the museum come back to life in this sequel, starring the main characters in the prequel, Ben Stiller(Tropic Thunder) plays Larry Daley again with Jake Cherry playing his son Nick, the fantastic Robin Williams(Good Will Hunting, can adequately handle comedy as well as serious roles) plays Theodore Roosevelt, Owen Wilson(The Wedding Crashers) as the cowboy Jedediah, Steve Coogan as the miniature Roman commander Octavius, Mizuo Peck as Sacajawea.


This time round, the museum is about to be closed, with more interactive virtual tours, and all the models and exhibit are to be shipped to the archives at the Smithsonian, separated from the life-giving tablet, Larry may never see them alive again, while our protagonist Larry is a CEO of his own company and has left the night guard business, by the time Larry tries to put a stop to it, it is already too late and the models and exhibits have already been shipped.

Not one to give up, Larry along with his son, launch an audacious bid to find the exhibits and put a stop to the developments in the museum.

There is a scene reminiscent of the cargo scene in Raider's of the lost Ark, where the exhibits are being loaded in cargoes, and for a second you could almost hear the same theme music, that was played in Raider's of the Lost Ark.

Matters are complicated when Kahmunrah(played by the very talented Hank Azariah [The Simpsons], with an impressive English accent) the brother of Ahkmenrah wants the tablet to unleash his army of the dead and rule over the world.


There is a hilarious scene where Owen Wilson's Jedediah Smith character along with Steve Coogan's Roman Centurion Octavius go around attacking the enemy, by stabbing them with their little knives, it is an amusing scene, as it is shot with a tongue in cheek attempt at the slow motion battle scene in 300, they are going through the same motions, but the effect since they are so tiny is amusing to the audience, as the enemy only feels little nicks on their feet, it is brilliantly shot.

Love interest for Larry is provided by the fabulous Amy Adams(Charlie Wilson's war) who plays Amelia Earhart the first woman to fly across the Atlantic.

Labels: film review, film reviews, films, Movie Review, Movie Reviews, movies, Night at the Museum 2

This is an enjoyable family oriented movie, about a newly recruited museum guard by outgoing guard Gus played by the legendary Mickey Rooney(The Black Stallion), who finds that at night the models, and mannequins come to life, due to a life-giving tablet. Unfortunately they can only be alive up to sunrise, where they go back to their inanimate state, but that is ample time for them to chaos chaos to the museum, with Neanderthals, a Tyrannosaurus Rex, Vikings and Huns and other malevolent characters to avoid.

Unfortunately the life giving tablet has fallen into the hands of Ahkmenrah who wants to use it to get out of the confines of the Museum and be able to live outside of it's realms past the sunrise.

Ben Stiller (Tropic Thunder) plays Larry Daley the Museum guard with Jake Cherry playing his son Nick, Ricky Gervais(The Office) plays Dr. McPhee the manager of the museum. Rami Malek plays Ahkmenrah, Steve Coogan as the miniature roman Octavius, Owen Wilson(The Wedding Crashers) as the cowboy Jedediah.

The always dependable Robin Williams plays Theodore Roosevelt, constantly on horse back and has his eye for Sacajawea played by the lovely Mizuo Peck.

Larry has to prevent many of the animated characters from causing havoc to the museum, notably a Capuchin monkey called Dexter, and he also has to tolerate one of the workers at the musuem Rebecca, who doesn't take him seriously played by the lovely Carla Gugino(Snake eyes), after constantly having to battle wits with Dexter, Larry is amused when Rebecca the next day describes the Capuchin monkey as one of the most generous creatures.

Labels: Ben Stiller, film review, film reviews, films, Mickey Rooney, Mizuo Peck, Movie Review, Movie Reviews, movies, Night at the Museum, Owen Wilson, Robin Williams, Steve Coogan

This is a nice family oriented romantic comedy starring the lovely red head Isla Fisher(Wedding Crashers, Fiance of the notorious Baron Sasha Cohen more widely known as Ali G. and Borat ).

Isla Fisher plays Rebecca Bloomwood of the title, whose childhood desires has given want to spending more than she really should in adulthood to the desperation of her flatmate and best friend Suze, played by the lovely Krysten Ritter(What happens in Vegas) .

Matters come a pivotal moment for Rebecca when she applies for her dream job at a fashion magazine headed by Alette Naylor played by the brilliant Kristin Scott Thomas(The English Patient) unrecognisable with her French accent, but in the process ends up working as a financial journalist headed by Edgar West played by John Lithgow(3rd Rock from the sun) and run by Luke Brandon played by Hugh Dancy(Blood and Chocolate), the initial first bad impressions aside, Luke gives her a chance, and she proves a hit with her column "The Girl with the green scarf" giving tidbits and common sense approach to spending for all who can't help but use their plastic.

Her column becomes so popular that it is featured on television, and in the midst of all this, a debt collection man has been after Rebecca for some time for obviously some unpaid credit card debt, he happens to turn up at her work place, where Rebecca tells her boss that he is a stalker, he promptly has him thrown out, but the more popular she becomes the closer her gets to confronting her about the unpaid debt, which Suze, and her parents Jane and Graham played by Joan Cusack(Arlington Road, something about her smile just brightens up any scene) and John Goodman(Roseanne, Evan Almighty) have been advising her to do.

Realising that she has to do something about her escalating debts, cheered on by her best friend and flatmate who is soon to be hitched, she joins the equivalent of Alcoholic Anonymous for Shopaholics, but will it be too late before the debt collector exposes her in front of her boss and the media?

Labels: Confessions of a Shopaholic, film review, film reviews, films, Hugh Dancy, Isla Fisher, John Lithgow, Kristin Scott Thomas, Movie Review, Movie Reviews, movies

This is a deeply disturbing drama, that is based on true events although a great deal of liberty was taken with the truth, as often happens when movies are made based on such events. Nonetheless this is a deeply engrossing poignant drama.

It stars the superb Kate Beckinsale(Underworld) as Rachel Armstrong, a high flying journalist that has revealed the identity of a CIA agent Erica Van Doren played by Vera Farmiga(Running Scared), the government are none too happy about this, and have a federal prosecutor Patton Dubois played by Matt Dillon(absolutely brilliant in Traffic) in on the case, to get Rachel and her newspaper to reveal their source, he is at first charming to Rachel in a Southern manner, but then begins to place governmental pressure on Rachel and her employers on every area to get them or her to reveal her source, or else face federal indictments that could land her in prison.

As not being able to divulge their sources is key to the openness many journalists are able to benefit with regarding their potential sources, she refuses, backed by her boss Bonnie Benjamin played by Angela Bassett(What's love got to do with it, Malcolm X), and her top notch lawyer Alan Burnside played by Alan Alda(What women want).

Matters come to a crescendo as the CIA operative whose cover had been blown confronts Rachel on a number of occasions to reveal her source, and the strain on her life at work and home is beginning to tell especially with her husband Ray played by David Schwimmer(Friends).

It is brilliant acting all through, and you are never quite ready with the what has been laid out for the finale.

Labels: Alan Alda, Angela Bassett, based on true events, Courtnet B. Vance, David Schwimmer, drama, film reviews, films, Kate Beckinsale, Matt Dillon, Movie Reviews, movies, Nothing but the truth, suspense

This is a great family movie, with some hilarious moments all the family will enjoy.

It stars Adam Sadler(Don't mess with the Zohan) as Skeeter Bronson a hotel handyman whose father previously ran the hotel but has been swallowed up by a conglomerate headed by Richard Nottingham played by Barry Griffiths(Venus, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix) Skeeter although promised a long time ago by Barry Nottingham that he would manage the hotel on account of his father by Marty played by Jonathan Pryce(Pirates of the Caribbean),, unfortunately that promise has not come to fruition, as well as his manual duties he is looked down upon by the antagonist Kendall played by the dependant Guy Pearce(Death defying acts).

The good news for Skeeter is he gets to babysit his adorable nephew and niece Bobbi and Patrick respectively, played by Laura Ann Kesling and played by Jonathan Morgan Heit who have made a wish, and the wish is whatever story he reads to them somehow some of that story comes to pass, in Skeeter's life.

This is where the uniqueness of this movie comes into play, as you keep wondering what could happen, as does Skeeter when he realises whatever story they make him read come to pass. Things are complicated when the regular baby sitter Jill played by the lovely Keri Russell with very warm eyes(Mission Impossible: III), as inevitably Skeeter starts to fall for her, and she for him albeit his first impressions didn't go down so well, Skeeter hopes to manipulate the bedtime stories to his benefit, but as usual in this realm things never quite go to plan.

It is a great family movie, all will find bits to enjoy.

Labels: Adam Sadler, Bedtime stories, comedy, date, film reviews, films, funny, Guy Pearce, Jonathan Pryce, Keri Russell, Movie Reviews, movies, Richard Griffiths, romance, romantic

This is a lovely teen comedy the family will enjoy, it tells the story of a typical teenager Danny Stein played by Steven Kaplan(a young Patrick Dempsey lookalike) preparing for his big prom night, except he hasn't found a girl to go to the prom with, there is the obvious girl he really should go to the prom with, who he has known all his life, they get on well, and even do school projects together, as her sister says "he is practically a brother", with, Camille played by the lovely Alia Shawkat, his entire family and hers think that they should go together, but as most teenage boys he is looking for something a little outside his immediate surroundings, notably a very pretty girl Alice played by Ashley Benson, strangely enough he wants to ask her out to the prom even though he suspects he is just a tease, and even contemplates Camille's sister Gerties(played by the very pretty Katie McClellan) as opposed to herself.

Embarrassingly for her Camille even sends him a letter to take her to the prom, which he lets her down gently that he has the eyes for someone else.

Matters come to a head when the local geek(complete with the big double rimmed glasses) not only has a date for the prom but a room hence the title, much to the shock and amazement of his entire family, his mother played by the lovely Cheryl Hines(Robin William's wife in RV) and his divorced dad complete with a nice looking perm played by the dependable William H. Macy(Boogie Nights), his dad is trying to find a date for himself, and there is a funny sequence where he takes his date to a restaurant along with Danny still asking for advice on if the girl of his dreams should be asked to the prom, based on his father's good natured meaning but awkward in the current circumstances, his date makes an excuse that her toddler needs the bathroom, and notably speeds off in her car, while the two are discussing the issue of Danny's potential prom date.

Mixed with his desire to have his parents reconciled, amidst the new man in his mother's life who is nice enough but his dad although not as rich as him will not have his son's affections taken by another guy.

It is a nice sweet family movie, and you could tell there are aspects of it if not the whole thing biographical.

Labels: 'Movie Reviews, Alia Shawkat, Ashley Benson, Bart got a room, Cheryl Hines, film reviews, films, Kathy McClellan, Movie reviews Bart got a room', movies, prom, Steven Kaplan, teenage, William H. Macy

This is an absolute riotous comedy helped along by the brilliant performances of the cast.

It stars Ashton Kutcher(Punk'd, Bobby) as Jack Fuller and Cameron Diaz(Charlie's Angels) as Joy McNally, two mis-matched individuals heading off to Las Vegas to forget their troublesome home life, Joy fresh from a break-up from her ex-fiance and Jack just been sacked from his job by none other than his dad Jack Williams Sr. played Treat Williams(The Devil's own)(there is a hilarious sequence where Jack challenges his father to a basketball match in order to keep his job, of course he lot pretty easily too).

Jack and his hilarious sidekick Hater played by the infectious Rob Corddry and Joy and her best friend Tipper played by the lovely Lake Bell find out that they have been mistakenly booked in the same suite. Determined to make the most of it, even though none of them get along at first, they decide to go out for a night to drown their sorrows, but somehow end up getting married in a drunken stupor.

The next day realising the mistake they are eager to call the whole thing off, until Jack's spin at the wheel lands him a fortune, and as you know man and wife are legally obliged to share everything, much to their initial disappointment they are made to live as man and wife for several months by a judge, who doesn't believe in quickie divorces, and beliefs the matrimonial vows should be kept to.

The longer they stay together under the same roof, the inevitable attraction begins, and it turns out to be a very warm romantic comedy.

The camaraderie and sparks between Tipper and Hater steal every scene, and the highlights are the end, is even more hilarious then the whole movie.

Labels: Ashton Kutcher, Cameron Diaz, comedy, film reviews, films, funny, Lake Bell, Movie Reviews, movies, Rob Corddry, romance, romantic, What happens in Vegas

This is a very strange and engrossing movie, starring Russell Crowe(Gladiator), Jon Foster, and a brilliant Sophie Traub(The interpreter).
It tells the story of a recovering psychopath Eric Poole(Jon Foster) having his record exhumed for killing his religious parents, because in his mind, he didn't really do anything, according to the detective who has made him his own special pet project, Detective Cristofuoro(Crowe),
he is addicted to the "tenderness" of the kill, and remembers nothing of the incidents.

Cristofuoro has made Eric his "pet project" partly because he has nothing else of interest in his life, his wife is terminally ill, and stopping Eric is all he looks forward to.

On his release Cristofuoro meets him telling him, he is a psychopath, and will kill again, and they both know this, and he(Cristofuoro) will be watching him to make sure it doesn't happen.

Prior to this meeting we are introduced to the young, often effervescent, typical teenager Lori(Sophie Traub), who is having some problems at home opening up with her mother and her new boyfriend, she finds escape with what seems romantic notions about Eric, and soon after his release makes the trip to go and see him, hiding in his car, as he goes on a road trip, telling his aunt Teresa(Laua Dern, Jurassic Park), he is off to view some colleges.

During the road trip we find out that Lori had met Eric before although he is having problems remembering, there are some well acted tense moments, when you wonder what on earth Lori has got herself into, as Detective Cristofuoro paraphrased would say "he will kill again it is only a matter of time", but the alarming reality for Lori is she knows all about Eric with an angst ridden typical teenager, innocent manner "loves" him, much to his confusion.

We also get an insight on how Eric views people, notable Detective Cristofuoro who he regards "as a small beans cop with a vegetable for a wife", he tells Lori he only has to ask about his wife to "shut him up", she replies that isn't this how people generally are, the look of nonchalance on Eric's visage speaks volumes.

This is a brilliant suspense thriller, and a solid performance from all, the star of the movie notably without a doubt is Sophie Traub and she is sure to be a rising star.

Labels: drama, film reviews, films, independent movie, indie, Jon Foster, Laura Dern, Movie Reviews, movies, Russell Crowe, Sophie Traub, suspense, Tenderness, thriller

This is another funny Jim Carrey movie(can't say I have ever seen one that wasn't intrinsically hilarious in some way).

The plot is of a tired sales man Carl Allen(Jim Carrey), who happens to wander into a feel good seminar where everybody says "Yes" and accepts whatever life throws at them, any questions, any requirements from anyone for anything just say "Yes" to it. The guru of this new age feel good ground is Terence Bundley played by the superb Terence Stamp(General Zod in Superman returns).

Despite Carl's objections he agrees to Terence's advice to just say yes to absolutely everything for a whole year, no matter how ridiculous it may sound, or strange the request, but as cosmic logic goes(especially in the movies), once he has said yes he can't back out. There is a hilariously funny segment that sums Jim Carrey at his most funniest, having to entertain an elderly lady Tillie played by Fionnula Flanagan, who is surprisingly adept, as I am much more familiar with her as the sullen elder Eloise Hawkings in Lost.

Love interest for Carl is provided by Allison played by the lovely Zooey Deschanel(Live Free or Die, something about her seems very familiar, she has that look of familiarity that you have seen her somewhere but can't quite pin it), the meet in a hilarious segment as Allison's rock group are bumbling around making songs as they go along as Carl somehow becomes a fan as opposed to the other solitary fan in the bar. Allison sees Carl's willingness to say yes to everything as a true rebel, and someone to look up to, and the inevitable romance begins.

It has some absolute classic moments especially the scenes with Carl and Tillie which will go down as one of the scenes of the year for rib tickling laughter.

Labels: Bradley Cooper, comedy, film reviews, films, Fionnula Flanagan, Jim Carrey, Movie Reviews, Movie reviews Yes man, movies, romance, romantic, Terence Stamp, Yes man, Zooey Deschanel

This is an enjoyable movie and rightly billed as Rocky for a new generation. I must say the music, and cinematography people will instantly recognise the Rocky references, even without being told that this is being billed as Rocky for a new generation.

It stars Channing Tatum(Step up to the streets) as a former college wrestler Shawn McArthur struggling hard to make ends meet in New York after having an altercation with his father/coach of the wrestling team. We meet him as he is struggling to offload a series of books he has no idea are counterfeit, one of the hapless buyers happens to be the gorgeous Zulay Valez (Zulay Henao, S. Darko something about her just reminds me of a cat), from the altercation that occurs with Harvey Boarden(Terrence Howard, Iron man) and some of his associates, Harvey gets the impression Shawn may indeed be just what he is looking for, for an underground fighting campaign, the rates of pay of course are several times more than either of them could make struggling to survive on the unforgiving metropolis that is New York.

Although billed as Rocky for the next generation, there are some testing questions the original Rocky would not have crossed his mind to contemplate, and of course there is the familiar territory of the arch nemesis of a protagonist, the talented wrestler Evan Hailey(Brian J. White The Shield) who happens to have been the catalyst for the original fallout with Shawn's father, as equally Harvey as Shawn's unofficial manager has to face some of the taunts from his comrades who are rolling in the money, notably Martinez(Luiz Guzman, Traffic) Jack Dancing(Roger Guenver Smith, He got game).

You are left wondering if Shawn is going to make it as a underground fighter, and if there is any romantic hope for him and the lovely Zulay equally struggling herself to raise a child on her own, and her troubling grandmother.

It is a enjoyable movie, and I for one hope there is a sequel.

Labels: Brian J. White, Channing Tatum, drama, Fighting, film reviews, Luiz Guzman, Movie Reviews, movies films, Roger Guenver Smith, romance, Terrence Howard, Zulay Henao

It stars Jason Clarke(Farscape) as Julian Wright as a strategist for a firm, that is about to merge for a 5 billion dollar franchise, where incidentally Julian is about to head the company, from the retiring boss E.J. Winters, played by a grey-haired Ted Danson(Cheers), but there are twists in store for Julian and you soon realise he has a lot of issues to deal with.

We join our protagonist as he is in a bar chatting with a stunning seductress played by Paz Vega who strangely enough is called Michael.

Soon afterwards he happens to bump into Michael again as she heads off to watch Frankenstein at a graveyard. The inevitable affair begins, and although Julian is about to initiate a divorce with his wife, you wonder what on earth happened as they still seem pretty close. Julian's desire for Michael soon begins to get the better of him, from the alpha male fighting for her, to wanting her all for himself, in the midst of well founded worries from his work colleagues, while she turns contemporary views on relationships on it's head, what she regards as some kind of "Human contract" she chooses not to live by.

We never know quite what is going to happen, but as Julian goes from one problem to another notably keeping his sister Rita(played by Jada-Pinkett Smith[The Matrix reloaded]) away from an abusive spouse, you get the feeling this 5 billion dollar merger is at risk of not happening anytime soon.

Something about Michael reminds me of Penelope Cruz, there is that Spanish exotic quality about her, and of course like Cruz she is utterly delectable, and any red blooded male would not resist her charms for long.

It is directed by Jada-Pinkett Smith wife of one of the executive producers, I am sure you have seen one if not several of his movies, whose movies are the highest grossing of all time, the one and only Will Smith, and I must say I find her style of directing captivating to watch.

Labels: drama, film reviews, films, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jason Clarke, Movie Reviews, movies, Paz Vega, romance, Ted Danson, The human contract

The title lead character is played by the superb John Malkovich as the mentalist Buck Howard, you learn early on he hates the name magician, as he believes it dilutes what he does.

It stars Colin Hanks(The House Bunny) as Troy Gable a law undergraduate who is uninterested in his current vocation, and is looking for that spark in life, much to the dismay of his well meaning father. When you first see Colin Hanks there is something strangely familiar about him, and viola in comes Tom hanks and it clicks that they are real life father and son, playing father and son in this movie.

Coincidences places Troy as a personal assistant to Buck Howard, who has a series of peculiarities that has driven his previous assistant Alan Berkman (Adam Scott, Knocked Up) eager to leave in a rage, leaving only Troy, Buck's effervescent manager Gil Bellamy played amicably by Ricky Jay(Redbelt) and the brother and sister team in charge of his venue Kenny played by the hilarious Steve Zahn(Bandidas) and Doreen played by the affectionate Debra Monk(Mrs O'Malley in Grey's Aanatomy) . The audience as well as Troy are left rooting for Buck regardless of his peculiarities and when things don't go as planned you feel it as much as his personal assistant.

It is a lovely movie most will enjoy, and of course the customary love interest is provided by Valeria Brennan played by the superb Emily Blunt(The Devil wears Prada, Something about her eyes reminds me of Bambi).


The character of Buck Howard was based on The Amazing Kesring, who's fantastic mentalist trick the great Buck Howard recreates was never duplicated or revealed.

One of the classic lines in the movie revealing the humor of the Buck Howard, he asks an attendant to get him a glass of water, the attendant points to water already in the room to which Buck replies "That there is distilled water, I am not an iron get me spring water."

Labels: Colin Hanks, comedy, drama, Emily Blunt, film reviews, John Malkovich, Movie Reviews, romance, Steve Zahn, The Great Buck Howard

This is a well acted melancholy, and gripping biographical tale of the relationship between an investigational journalist and a down and out tramp.

It stars oscar winner Jamie Foxx(Dreamgirls) as Nathaniel Ayers a former student at the prestigious Juilliard school of the arts, but now out on his luck living on the streets which he has chosen to do (apparently Jamie Foxx took a chisel to his perfectly immaculate set of white teeth, to give an authentic look for the tramp, he said he looked at himself in the mirror rehearsing for the role, and said a tramp wouldn't have such a perfect set of teeth. You have to admire the dedication), and Robert Downey Jr.(Iron man, Tropical Thunder) as journalist Steve Lopez.

We first meet Nathaniel as Steve Lopez is feeling a little sorry for himself, his arm in a cast after a previous accident, and simply looking to while the time, he is enchanted, as no doubt the audience by the seemingly well-disposed Nathaniel who sees the beauty even in the busy sidewalk where he plays his battered down violin with a few strings missing. Steve Lopez as many an investigate reporter checks out his story, and indeed confirms he was at the prestigious Julliard school of the arts.

In his attempts to aide Nathaniel settle into a life of normalcy and indeed start playing again in front of a respectable audience, you soon realise Nathaniel is certainly not balanced, and this is where the great acting permeates through, because you are never quite sure where Nathaniel well being is, one minute he is calm relaxed, and sociable, leaving you wonder how he could have got to such debts in the first place, and the next moment, you realise he is not well at all.

There is family for Nathaniel as Steve investigates(and no doubt the audience also wonders about) in the form of his sister Jennifer, played by the lovely Lisa Gay Hamilton(The sum of all fears), but it never deviates from the main thrust of the movie, the relationship between the unstable Nathaniel and the attempts to save him by his new friend Steve Lopez, and you are left on the edge of your seat hoping for the best but not being too optimistic.

Labels: biography, film reviews, homelessness, Jamie Foxx, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Movie Reviews, Music, relationship, Robert Downey Jnr., The soloist