Friday, March 1, 2013
A new Jack and the Beanstalk remix serves up the fee-fi-fo-fum to whole new audience.
The CGI wizards in Hollywood have taken an old fairy tale and made it into kind of a big video game. This time Jack climbs the beanstalk to encounter not just one giant, but a whole village of them in "Jack the Giant Slayer." Shot in 3D and packed with CGI, director Bryan Singer uses his skills to create a whole new story that kids may love. Sure, there is a little romance and some gross-out vulgar humor but, hey, they are giants after all. The CGI is a bit over the top, but that is the way these fantasy movies are made these days. A great acting cast includes Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Bill Nighy, and Nicholas Hoult (who plays Jack). The giants are supposed to be scary, but, in fact, they seem a bit comical to me. Are there any flaws …
Friday, February 22, 2013
The Rock turns into a Snitch in his latest film about what a father would do to save his son.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson plays a father whose estranged son is framed on a drug-dealing charge in "Sniatch." With his son facing a hefty sentence, The Rock pleads with the U.S. Attorney (played by Susan Sarandon). He soon learns that the only way to get his time reduced is to help them find a bigger fish in the drug world. As you might guess, The Rock does just about anything to save his son. You'll be surprised to know that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson does more acting and less action in this movie. Nice try Rock…but the film seeks to make a statement about the futility of the war on drugs, only to take a back seat to its thriller elements. It's not a great film but, it's not bad either. The flick-o-meter gives SNITCH a 3 out of five. …
Friday, February 1, 2013
The latest zombie movie out shows you that you don't have to have a pulse to fall in love.
Good girl meets ghoul in the latest romantic comedy called "Warm Bodies." Nicholas Hoult plays a teenage zombie slacker who falls head over heels in love with Teresa Palmer, who is very much alive. Somehow the chemistry between the two works even though the flirting can be a bit awkward. You never really know what thoughts are lurking behind those blank stares, but enough about non-zombie supporting cast member John Malkovich. "Warm Bodies" is a fun little film that has successfully mashed up a romantic comedy, slapstick and cheese. The teenage and Twilight film crowd should eat it up, even though it lacks brains. (drum roll) The flick-o-meter gives "Warm Bodies" a solid three out of five. There's tons of cheese in this film, lots of plot …
Friday, January 18, 2013
Arnold is on the screen, so you know what to expect -- bullets and action.
Arnold is back from being a two-term governor to playing a small-town sheriff. Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a semi-retired sheriff in an sleepy Southwest border town. He and his motley crew must now stop a notorious drug kingpin from escaping into Mexico in "The Last Stand." The bullets fly. There is plenty of action. But the star looks a bit rusty. You quickly come to the realization that this film is undeniably ludicrous. Look, Arnold has never been a good actor, but it's a bit worse since he got back from being the "Governator." So what does he do to make up for his lack of talent? Cue an explosive montage! This movie is simply a testosterone-infused piece of cinema. It's cynical and satirical, coming at you in the form of a semi-…
Saturday, January 12, 2013
A group of pretty-boy cops goes all 'gangsta' to take down a mob boss who looks a lot like Spicoli from 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High.'
A Chicago gangster moves out to Los Angeles, killing his way to the top, only to be met by a few honest cops in "Gangster Squad." Sean Penn overacts as the main bad guy while the good guys include Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Giovanni Ribisi, Anthony Mackie, Robert Patrick, Michael Pena and Nick Nolte. The undercover spy femme fatale is Emma Stone in this wildly ridiculous, over-the-top movie. I couldn't tell if the film wanted to be a serious gangster drama (circa 1940s) or an action-adventure film for kids. It's trying to be more like "The Untouchables" but ends up more like "Dick Tracy." The Flick-O-Meter gives "Gangster Squad" a two out of five. Sadly, the most attention this film got was six months ago after the Aurora, CO, movie …
Friday, January 4, 2013
In theaters this week, an impossible journey to the core of the human heart in the true life story of a family swept away in one of the worst natural disasters in our lifetime.
A family of five begin their winter vacation in Thailand, looking for some fun in the sun. Soon their holiday turns into a nightmare as a giant tsunami rises up from the ocean and sweeps them away in "The Impossible." Duluth Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor head up this cast that tells the true story of one family's experience during the devastating 2004 tsunami that devoured Southeast Asia. The acting, though there is very little dialogue, is amazing and the special effects, especially in the first 45 minutes, are mind-boggling. Watts is being considered for an Oscar for her performance but the kids, in my opinion, steal every scene in which they appear. The film runs two hours, and it is a bit sappy at times, perhaps too sentimental. So the…
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Director Quentin Tarantino pays tribute to the Spaghetti Western, and it's shoot 'em up, rootin' tootin' fun!
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Saturday, December 29, 2012
It's funny, offbeat, and brutal. Based in the American South during the times of slavery, Jamie Foxx straps on a six-shooter or two, some cowboys boots and hat in "Django Unchained." Foxx's Django character is taken by a bounty hunter, played by Christoph Waltz. First they set out to get a few outlaws. Then they set their sites on getting Django's wife, Broomhilda, played by Kerry Washington. But wrangling her tough guy owner, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, isn't so easy. As to be expected the movie has great dialogue, is funny and fine performances are turned in by all. Samuel L. Jackson, who plays a minor role, is a big standout, in my opinion. The film never loses site of the horrors of slavery and even though it uses the "n-word" a few …
Friday, December 21, 2012
Tom Cruise plays an ex-Army investigator who puts the smackdown on just about everyone he meets.
Tom Cruise delves out the punishment as an ex-miltary guy roped into a murder investigation. He's got to take out the bad guys, save the girl and find the real killer in "Jack Reacher." The Jack Reacher book series has been popular for years, now it's moving to the big screen under Cruise control, with the actor as a quiet and deadly man. Cruise is the rare action star who brings both brawn and brains to a role, but in this case he's limited by a weak script. He does, however, excel during the action scenes. Packing quite a punch. A real kick in the pants. See the video here, you will know what I'm talking about. What you see is what you get in this movie. Action, reaction, Cruise being brutal and brash; it's all here. The crime that draws…
Friday, December 14, 2012
Hold onto your hats, kids; we're heading to Middle Earth again with Peter Jackson and company.
After years of waiting it's finally coming to theaters -- Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey." Bilbo Baggins, a kicked-back, happy-go-lucky Hobbit, joins Gandolf the Grey and 13 dwarves on a dangerous quest to reclaim their homeland and their treasure from Smaug the dragon. The film is a staggering 160 minutes. But unlike any of the "Lord of the Rings" films, it takes about an hour for anything to really get going. Once it does, though, game on, with non-stop chase scenes and action sequences. On the journey they run into every kind of creature imaginable. The problem is, most of them are CGI creations. That was a big misstep, I think. In the "Lord of the Rings" films most of the monsters were just guys in makeup, and there…
Friday, December 7, 2012
The only wide release movie this week is so bad there is a good chance it's on the way to home video by Christmas.
Gerard Butler plays a divorced ex-jock who needs to be a father to his kid in the terrible romantic comedy "Playing for Keeps." Jessica Biel plays his ex-wife who just happens to be getting remarried. Uma Thurman and Catherine Zeta-Jones play a couple of horny housewives who can't resist Butler. Dennis Quaid has a small role as a creepy team soccer dad who loves throwing money around. This may be one of the worst romantic comedies I have ever seen. Butler is a decent actor, but this is not his finest hour. He stumbles though the movie as a good-looking, bumbling fool. The notion that no woman in town, even those who have suffered most from his womanizing, can resist this hunky, dim-witted, loser guy is, well, offensive and even …
Eric Allen
10:19 pm on Friday, December 21, 2012
"but the show must go on".....what an idiotic statement man. This movie is exactly what everyone is taliking about and why Hollywood is the problem! more ›