Paranormal Activity

10/18/09

"Shhhhhhhh, Did you hear that?"

-Katie

The Informant!

9/25/09

I have to say that The Informant! may very well be the most difficult movie that I review all year. See if you can follow me here. First, I will say that films that include scheming crimes as the basis of their sublot typically fascinate me. The Informant! fits this bill to a "T" as we find Mark Whitacre (Matt Damon) as the vice president of an agri-business giant turned informant leading the F.B.I down a trail of lies as he misguides them to find what he wants them to find. Matt Damon does a great job in this movie (gaining 30 pounds to do the flick), but I have never seen a movie that was so stoic throughout the entire running time, and even though there is a plot twist during the film, you aren't suprised at all when it is revealed. While based on a true story, this would have been better displayed on a 30-minute segment of Dateline. Lastly, another strange occurence in this movie is the vast 70's feel that you get, though the time period throughout the film is the early 90's. My best recommendation is this: If you are wanting to see this movie, you need to see it at the theater, because if you wait for the video, you will never sit long enough to watch it to completion. You figure that out.

World's Greatest Dad

9/11/09

Went out to see World's Greatest Dad, mostly by lack of other choices, also after seeing quite a large crowd at the sneak peak which I did not attend. I haven't enjoyed too much Robin Williams since Good Will Hunting, but walked into this one with an open mind. World's Greatest Dad is about a hard luck poetry teacher that has been unsuccessful his entire life in getting a book published. Williams' character, raising what appears to be the least respectible high school youth; this movie revolves around their relationship and after a bizarre occurence, the life changing aftermath. The acting in this film outside of Williams is very average and the other characters just seemed awkward interacting with each other. Overall, the film just didn't seem to flow too well, though there were a few moments of laughter during this movie that really wasn't very comedic. Wait for the video.

Inglourious Bastards

8/23/2009

Attended this film with Dallas Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones on a recent Sunday afternoon. OK, I went to the movie by myself and he with his wife, but nonetheless we were there at the same time. I had the better seat, but I digress. Inglourious Bastards is Queintin Tarantino's ficticious take on a group of renegade soldiers on a mission to kill one-hundred German-Nazi soldiers each. Not as graphic as some of his other films, Tarantino still put together a good cast loaded with great dialogue. While Brad Pitt's over used heavy southern accent was a bit annoying in my opinion, I want to go ahead and give my early Oscar nomination nod to Christopher Waltz for his role as Colonel Hans Landa. He was brilliant and it could probably be argued that he qualifies for leading or supporting role, as this movie is chopped up, much like most of Tarantino's pictures. A very good film, I would defintely recommend a viewing whether at the theater or before the end of the year on video.

District 9

8/14/2009

Went to watch District 9 knowing absolutely nothing about what to expect. I heard the buzz, or otherwise, this would have probably been a pass for me. A little confusing in the beginning, this documentary style sci-fi film settles down about thirty or so minutes where we find Wikus Van De Merwe caught between arresting alien prawns and trying to save his own life. I give this movie a high rating based on the uniqueness of the plot, something difficult to find these days, but in the end it most likely a slightly above average sci-fi film. A friend of mine described it best today as a movie caught between being a silly mocking style sci-fi and a serious sci-fi. I'm not going to tell you to rush out and see this one, but if you are looking for a movie that you will enjoy for the uniqueness on a Saturday afternoon, this is the one for you this summer.

The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard

7/26/2009

It was a bloody hot day that we waited and waited for Jeremy Piven to show up at an early screening of The Goods. After over three hours of waiting, the last hour outside in the sun, we finally settled in our seats. A huge Entourage fan, I really wanted this movie to be funny...And it was. Though Piven's character, Don Ready mirrors his much lauded Ari Gold character, I was still pleased. There are plenty of laugh out loud scenes throughout the movie and I thought the surrounding cast of characters were very funny. Check this movie out and then rent it, and I bet you will like it even more the second time around.

Public Enemies

6/29/2009

I was able to catch a screening of this movie and thought it was a bit ho-hum. To be honest, I thought the role of John Dillinger was just too easy for Johnny Depp, an actor that I really like. I was hoping to get a little more of the ins and outs and the how-to's of everything that went into robbing banks and the lifestyle of the 30's. I wanted a bit of a history lesson, I think. I thought the movie was well made, just a little shallow in my opinion. The two and half hours certainly didn't help. Wait for the video.