Red Dog (2011)

It’s nice to see a movie about a dog without CGI giving him queer expressions and making him talk. I love Australian movies. They are strange in all the right ways, featuring unique characters and bizarre plots.

Red Dog is the story of a community-cared-for canine that has a profound effect on the lives of each person living there. It’s not schmaltzy or juvenile. Layers are slowly added via flashbacks. A sweet film for dog lovers and non-dog lovers alike.

Rating: B-

Shackleton (2002)

Based on the English explorer Shackleton, and his journey to the Arctic. Production was outstanding. Great story of courage and survival.

Rating: B

Monster House (2006)

There aren't many slightly demonic kids movies on the market. Monster House had some ok laughs aimed at adults, which will be mildly entertained. Young kids will likely be freaked out. Not sure who they were targeting with this movie.

Rating: C

Mansfield Park (1999)

ZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzz.....

Rating: F

Julie & Julia (2009)

I enjoyed Julia's side of the story much more than Julie's, who I found to be a bit grating at times. As a food lover myself, I loved seeing an entire film revolve around cooking. Don't see this film on an empty stomach. The love story between Paul and Julia felt authentic—who could resist Stanley Tucci?

I watched most of the extras on the Blu-Ray as well, which were informative, yet a bit long-winded. Meryl certainly was deserving of the Oscar. She's quite brilliant in her roll.

Rating: B-

What The Bleep!?: Down the Rabbit Hole (2006)

They did a good job of making quantum physics seem interesting, but overall it was a bit too goofy. You will feel smarter after watching it though.

Rating: C-

Warm Bodies (2013)

It’s amazing what a little Hollywood money and talent can do for the oft maligned zombie genre. Warm Bodies actually feels like a real movie, and not some film school dropout’s latest weekend romp with his new Sony HD camcorder.

The plot revolves around a love story between a zombie and a human. It’s like the zombie version of Twilight, and I doubt I’m the only person to make this connection. The production is well put together. Rob Corddry gets his first meaty role, and kills it. Bits of humor balance the more violent scenes.

It’s a fresh idea that was severely lacking in the zombie world. The new UK show “In The Flesh” is also exploring the life-after-zombie aspect in more depth. Warm Bodies is one of the better zombie films to come along in a while.

Rating: B

The Incredible Hulk (2008)

Like the first Iron Man, Hulk started out strong. There were some decent story developments and exotic set locations. I particularly enjoyed the opening in Brazil, where I could understand what was being said in Portuguese. But like Iron Man, Hulk jumped on the formulaic bandwagon, which brought us to a showdown of an evil Hulk vs. good Hulk. Classic screenplay cop-out.

Rating: C

Enemy at the Gates (2001)

This was really well done and packed plenty of action. Jude Law, Joseph Finnes, and Ed Harris are all very capable actors, and fill their roles with conviction. The battle scenes, as well as the tense stand-off between the snipers, are directed very well. Compelling and entertaining.

Rating: B

Dream With The Fishes (1997)

A movie in which David Arquette actually has a non bumbling idiot role. A quirky little film that has been overlooked.

Rating: C+

Incendies (2010)

A gritty historical drama/mystery that skips back and forth from past to present, hopping from one location to the next. You’ll have to focus to keep up. I found the big reveal at the end to be overly contrived, not to mention super gross. On the plus side, the cinematography is very well done, especially when combined with the Radiohead tracks.

Rating: C

The Last Samurai (2003)

Fantastic. Nothing like a great epic film that takes the time to tell an interesting story so that the battle scenes have so much more meaning. Beautiful to watch and well acted. Heavy on the violence, so beware if you have a weak stomach.

Rating: B+

Savages (2012)

An Oliver Stone film along the lines his U-Turn, with as much violence as his Natural Born Killers. It’s a drug cartel story told from the perspective of some indie pot growers. There was much more to the story than I anticipated going in. I don’t know how accurate the portrayals were, but it’s an entertaining piece of cinema nonetheless.

Rating: B-

Juno (2007)

A cute indie with quick, witty dialogue. Fantastic cast, excellent soundtrack, and the best vintage clothes. My kind of film.

Rating: B+

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)

The digital f/x are cool, and Lucas does a good job of setting of the first three movies, but the film is completely disjointed. It jumps from one scene to the next without any sense of flow or continuity. The acting is very poor, despite having a talented cast.

Rating: C-

Oslo, August 31st (Oslo, 31. August) (2011)

A slow, introspective film that ends pointlessly. I didn’t hate it, but I certainly didn’t enjoy it.

Rating: D+

The Pick-up Artist (1987)

I was forced to rent a VHS so I could see this one. Molly Ringwald and Robert Downey Jr. star in this romantic comedy about a professional player who uses one liners to pick up as many chicks as he can. That is, until he meets *the one* As far as 80's movies go, it wasn't bad. However, the 80's clothing was exceptionally bad.

Rating: C

Legion (2009)

For an action film, there was way too much drama and chit chat in the middle, when things slowed down to a crawl. There were literally 4-5 perfect moments to use the restroom, had I needed to pee.

Since the story wasn't anything spectacular, and the cinematography basically consisted of the same boring set, the action needed to be amped up significantly in order for this to be entertaining. Poorly executed.

Rating: D+

Greenfingers (2000)

A light-hearted prison movie that entertains and makes you feel good. They could have altered 2-3 scenes and had a family film on their hands, but whatever. Clive Owens was great

Rating: B-

The Last Stand (2013)

Schwarzenegger’s big return to Hollywood. The script is completely contrived and deep into ridiculous country. There’s nothing to reward you here mentally. A few action sequences are up to snuff, but plenty of others are laughable.

There is a scene where two gas guzzling Chevy’s are plowing through a subsidized corn field while The Terminator is shooting at a bad guy. I call this scene “America”, and I don’t mean that as a compliment.

Rating: D