Aug 16, 2015

Repo Men (2010)

I liked the concept, but the story didn't work. It's all surface material—no real depth. Ultimately I didn't buy the main point of the film; that society would allow a private company to hack people up willy-nilly like unionized serial killers working for the man. And if you can't get past that, then the rest of the movie feels a little pointless.

Rating: D+

Sky High (2005)

A creative take on the age old high school formula movie, but with superheros. It's funny and fun for the whole family.

Rating: C+

Aug 15, 2015

The Lego Movie (2014)

A few chuckles for adults, otherwise, it’s for the 12 and under crowd.

Rating: D

Austin Powers In Goldmember (2002)

I prefer the first two, but still enjoyed this one. Mike Meyers' creativity is fun to watch on screen.

Rating: C+

Wild Zero (1999)

Completely ridiculous and nonsensical. The Japanese continue to disappoint in their cinematic efforts.

Rating: F

Gravity (2013)

Essentially a two person play, but with incredible special effects. Clooney plays a more calm and cool cucumber than usual. Sandra is quite good in her role. I’d love to see how this thing was shot, because it’s a technical marvel. Not Best Picture worthy, but good.

Rating: B-

Alpha Dog (2006)

The true story of stupid people making incredibly stupid decisions, which leads them to unsurprisingly bad consequences. The saving grace of the film is a great cast, solid acting, and an engaging story.


Rating: C+

Shut Up And Play The Hits (2012)

Simultaneously feeling sad I missed LCD Soundsystem’s incredible last show whilst enjoying it through a heartfelt documentary about the band’s final days together.

Rating: B-

This Is It (2009)

I wrote this movie off as a opportunistic money making opportunity after the death of Michael Jackson. Now that I've seen it, I agree with my original assessment, however I'm glad it was released.

So much time, effort, and imagination went into the creation of that show. I'm glad all the people involved have something to show for all their hard work. It's a shame the live concert never achieved the vision Michael had for it.

Rating: C

Night Watch (Nochnoy Dozor) (2004)

The first in a Russian Sci-Fi trilogy. Visually stunning, but a bit lacking in other departments. Good enough to make me want to see the second two.

Rating: C

Jupiter Ascending (2015)

More like Jupiter Descending. Am I right? The Wachowski’s fall from grace was epic andswift . After such lofty beginnings with the likes of Bound and The Matrix, it’s sad to see them patch together a dozen different sci-fi scripts into one gigantic space cluster f--k. Snazzy visuals and gravity boots can’t make up for that.

Rating: D

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)

The fourth, and by far, the weakest of the Indiana Jones series. We are asked to put up with far too much this time around: A ridiculous plot, mediocre writing, obvious green screen effects, minimal acting, and ludicrous stunts that would stretch the imagination even if the film had been animated. And all for what? Are you kidding me with that ending?

Rating: D-

Drive Angry (2011)

Aimless driving and violence with Saturday Night Live worthy utterances from Nic Cage in between. His hair has reached new heights in ridiculousness.

Rating: D

Aug 14, 2015

Cheaper By The Dozen (2003)

Outside of a few good lines, most of the film was a parade of forced physical humor and scenes that make you not want to have kids. Yes, I realize 12 kids are a handful, but wouldn't it help if there was some type of discipline in the family? The kids ran the house, and it was frstrating to watch them cause thousands of dollars woth of damage without the parents batting an eye.

I think the film would have been much better if the humor wasn't so forced and the director injected a little more realism into the script.

Rating: D

Robocop (2014)

A fairly entertaining remake, which I have vague memories of seeing it as a kid. Nice job casting the guy from The Killing in a lead role.

Rating: C

Shooter (2007)

You know how some movies play like you're reading the book they were adapted from. This is one of those films. The story arcs are predictable and the characters behave the way you expect them to. At times I could imagine Van Damme or Segal playing the lead. Thankfully they were not, which is why credible acting saved the day.

Rating: C

Jul 31, 2015

Rat Race (2001)

Not funny and in poor taste. Jon Lovitz may be the least funny person alive.

Rating: F

From Paris With Love (2010)

I'll watch just about anything Luc Besson is involved with. He certainly has more hits than misses. This is a fun, albeit shallow, popcorn action movie shot in Paris. It's plenty violent and well shot. Don't expect too much and you'll be entertained.

Rating: C

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

Wanted to see what all the “cult classic” fuss was about. Nothing, as it turns out. A pointless rock opera with tired show tunes and bad acting.

Rating: F

Our Daily Bread (Unser täglich Brot) (2005)

A German documentary without any narration or commentary. Stylistically interesting, but sometimes a bit confusing because you weren’t sure what was happening on screen. For those few of us that are fascinated with where our food comes from and how it’s processed, this is a film worth seeing.

Rating: C