This week I apparently decided to go with slightly older creature features (also reading Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot, which both stays in the same vain and explains why I have only gotten two movies in). Both films wear their age in similar ways; however, From Dusk Till Dawn rises above this in other ways by creating a fun B-Film, while The Thing fails to do the same. [Read more...]
For Your Renting Pleasure
10/02/2011 by 3 Comments
Now Playing Review – Due Date
11/05/2010 by 2 Comments
Road trips seem like a fun idea on paper because of all the excitement they promise. There is the car crammed like a clown car full of duffle bags and people, mix tapes to sing joyously along to, snacks to munch on because restaurants are for the undedicated, etc. But once you are actually in the car the excitement quickly wanes and before you know it half your friends are asleep and someone is doing their seated pee pee dance. And just think, these are the car trips that we choose to take. Due Date is a completely different story.
In order to get to why two very different individuals are stuck on a cross-country road trip together we have to take a few steps back. When Peter Highman woke up this morning he thought his day was going to be pretty simple. All he had to do was get on a plane and fly home, giving him more than enough of a cushion to wait out the rest of his wife’s pregnancy before the due date. [Read more...]
Review: Due Date
11/05/2010 by Leave a Comment
Due Date is the latest from Todd Phillips and he smartly lets his leads of Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis make the most of a good but far from great script/story.
Peter Highman (Downey Jr.) is a straight shooting architect, with occasional rage issues, that is on his way home to witness the birth of his first child. His plans are delayed though when his path becomes intertwined with an odd wannabe actor with a dog, Ethan (Galifianakis), and the two end up on the no fly list and have to drive cross country to get home in time. Of course shenanigans occur along the way and the two get into a lot of trouble as their trail gets weirder and wilder.
Now Playing Review – Conviction
10/25/2010 by 1 Comment
Of the two recent films with stories revolving around the justice system, Conviction manages to do what Stone is unable to by creating a compelling film that draws the audience into the lives of the characters, played by actors that are able to shine in their roles.
Conviction tells the story of the relationship between a brother and sister who are willing to do anything for each other. Based on the true story of Betty Anne Waters and her brother Kenny, Conviction follows Betty Anne through her struggles to become a lawyer in order to prove her brother’s innocence when he is imprisoned for the murder of a woman in their small town.
Though this is not true for all people, there may be a select group of people (*cough* me *cough*) who lose focus during films blending biopics and law. [Read more...]
Review: The Switch
08/20/2010 by 2 Comments
The Switch is a high concept rom-com that might seem a bit, “I’ve seen this before,” but its great performances, fantastic heart, and the most realistic characters in a rom-com, in what feels like forever (save 500 Days of Summer), make this a quality effort that is easy to enjoy.
(This review might be a tad spoilerly for some, but I really don’t go into much beyond the trailer and to be honest I think I clarify things so you can have the best enjoyment of the picture. If you want to stay as blind as possible though, skip the next paragraph to be safe.)
Now we have all seen the preview for this and there is only one thing that the trailer is selling, Jason Bateman’s character, Wally, swaps his sperm for that of his best friend’s donor and seven years later the kid and friend re-enter his life after a Midwest hiatus. Jennifer Aniston plays the best friend, Kassie, and while Wally and hers’ relationship started on a dating level, Wally quickly pushed them into the friend zone and they have been best-ies ever since. [Read more...]
Now Playing Review – The Switch
08/20/2010 by Leave a Comment
The title might speak towards the switch of a certain bodily fluid in the story, but this is not the only switch with this film. Instead, what we get is a non-stereotypical romantic comedy (if you can even stick that genre title on it), differing in tone and far less groan worthy than most.
For better or worse, family and friends have a tendency to think they know what’s best for us. In Wally Mars’ case, well, he thinks his best friend is making a mistake by deciding to get pregnant through artificial insemination. Though he strongly apposes it, he still lends his support by showing up for her pre-pregnancy party (AKA the sperm donation party). But that isn’t all he lends. While in the bathroom he drunkenly disposes of the donor’s goods, replacing them with his own. Soon after she moves away, only to return years later with a son that strongly resembles Wally, who has no recollection of what he did that night. [Read more...]
Review: Whip It
10/02/2009 by Leave a Comment
Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut is a fun, humorous, and uplifting tale that appeals to all audiences with its themes about being yourself and not bashing anyone along the way and it is about as fun as a movie can get when it is firing on all cylinders.
Bliss Cavendar is a seventeen year old girl living under the tutelage of her mother in the world of beauty pageants and is quickly growing disinterested with the whole thing. Growing more and more into her own, Bliss is looking for something more up her ally. Not full of her self and never trying to set a trend, she is a quiet and gentle outsider when it comes to school but while visiting Austin she sees a group of roller derby girls promoting an event and quickly takes an interest to the sport. With her best friend Pash, the two head out for the big city to catch the event and Bliss becomes an enthralled by the event that unfolds. Upon discovering there are open tryouts for the league in a few weeks time, Bliss decides to bust out her old skates and start training to hopefully make a team. After a rough try out, her speed finds her a spot on the The Hurl Scouts with teammate like Maggie Mayhem, Smashley Simpson, Rosa Sparks, and Bloody Holly. Having to keep this world secret from her mom she leads a second life as a roller derby girl and even finds romance in a fan of the sport that helps her further discover herself. [Read more...]
