Bedtime Stories

Who:  Amber, Jonathan, MIL & FIL
What:  Bedtime Stories
Where:  Sullivan 6 - the only movie theater near Jonathan's home town (it's only about 30 miles away)
Why:  It looked cute (plus, there wasn't much choice)

This movie was really cute!  The previews kind-of give away the basic premise.  Adam Sandler (Skeeter) is babysitting his niece and nephew for 5 days.  His dad used to tell him awesome bedtime stories, so he decides to keep the tradition alive.

He tells them one story, and the next day it comes to life!  I'm sure we've all seen the 'raining gumballs' scene.  I figured all the stories would come to life unrealistically (like - it was actually raining gumballs), but it was actually 100% realistic, which I really appreciated.  I like a good old fashioned relatively realistic movie.  It actually wasn't raining gumballs, but a gumball truck has crashed (on an overhang bridge), so gum was falling out of the truck onto Adam Sandler below (although he thought it was some kind of magic).

When he realizes his stories are coming to life, he tries to tell stories that will help out him with his dead end job, and help out his niece and nephew.  Unfortunately, the kids just want a funny story, so they always end up with Skeeter not getting 100 million dollars, but he gets stuck in the rain instead.

In true Adam Sandler form, you'll see a cameo from Nick Swardsen, Rob Schneider, the QB from Water Boy, and more of his buddies.

I highly recommend this movie!  It works for adults and kids alike.

A Miser Brother's Christmas

Who:  Amber
What:  A Miser Brother's Christmas
Where:  @ home on ABC Family
Why:  I was curious

This new holiday special was ... just ok.  Everybody remembers the Heat Miser and Snow Miser from the '70s classic.  "I'm Mr. Snow Miser ... I'm Mr. 10 below ..."  I think it was "Santa Claus is Coming to Town?"

I was really excited b/c the original Misers were super cool.  I think they were super cool because they were so random, and only in the original Christmas special for about 10 minutes.  An entire hour devoted to them ... not so much.  And this was nominated for an Annie award!  Yowsers!

What was cool about it was the animation.  I'm assuming it was not clay-mation (like it was in the 70s), but CGI.  But they made the characters look just like the clay-mation.  Their mouth's had those lines around them, and they were a little herky jerky.

The story is a 'tale as old as time'.  Santa hurts his back (it was sabotage!) and the Miser Brothers must stop fighting to take over for him for this year.  Can they stop fighting, make some decent toys and get them delivered in time?  What about the Wind Miser-guy who sabotaged Santa's sleigh.  He's got a serious Santa complex.  Will he ruin Christmas??

Santa Jr.

Who:  Amber
What:  Santa Jr.
Where:  @ home on ABC Family
Why:  Why not!

The Christmas bandit is on the loose, but the cops have him!  Or do they?  He's dressed like Santa, and he's inside a strangers house.  But he appears to be unloading toys from a sack, not putting toys IN the sack?

None the less, the cops bring him and put him in front of a judge.  Susan, a nice public defender (Lauren Holly) puts her address down on the forms, in order to keep "Santa" out of jail.  It works, although "Santa" is now on house arrest, and is stuck at Susan's house.

"Santa" is actually Kris ... Kris Kringle ... Jr.  He's Santa's son.  And he wasn't stealing toys, he was delivering toys.  Since he's not very good at it yet, he was starting Christmas delivery early.

In typical Holiday/Romantic/Comedy, Susan doesn't really like Christmas and Kris, along with the help of 2 police officers teach her a thing or two.  There's a decorating montage, etc, etc.

The real Christmas bandit is caught, and Santa Jr. is free to deliver toys!  Hip, hip, horray!

Did I mention the actor who plays Santa Jr. is really hot?!?

Muppet Christmas Carol

Who:  Amber & Jonathan
What:  Muppet Christmas Carol
Where:  on DVD
Why:  We love Muppets!

This Christmas special is a classic!  It's the same old story of Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol, but Muppets play all the characters, except Ebenezer Scrooge.  He's played by Michael Kane.  I don't know what it is about Michael Kane, but I really feel bad for him.  He's an angry old Scrooge, but he's so alone, and so lonely (and pretty old).  I always have a big lump in my throat when I see him, sitting in the dark, eating his cheese and crackers all alone.

Anyways - Scrooge's loyal and underpaid assistant is Kermit the frog.  Mrs. Cracket (Kermit's wife) is Miss Piggy.  Tiny Tim is that little frog - Kermit's nephew ... and I forgot his name.  Grrrr!  Oh, Robin, that's it!  Gonzo and Rizzo the Rat (who is hilarious!) are the narrators.

Scrooge is visited first by the ghost of Christmas past - played by a freaky looking CGI 5 year old.  It's not a Muppet either, just an odd little girl.

The ghost of Christmas present is played by a new Muppet - a giant red haired fellow.  Unlike the little girl, this Muppet is adorable!

The ghost of Christmas future is just a 8' tall black hooded guy.  There's also a giant Muppet spider who is quite disturbing.

Throw in a bunch of original songs, and a host of townspeople who are random Muppets, and you've got yourself a classic!

Jack Frost

Who:  Amber
What:  Jack Frost
Where:  @ home off cable
Why:  I'm getting in the Christmas spirit!

Jack Frost (yes, that's his real name)(Michael Keaton) is a musician, and a family man.  The problem is, sometimes his music takes over, and he doesn't show up at his kid's events.  This makes the kid mad, especially when he promises to come his hockey games.

Unfortunately, on Christmas Eve, Jack gets in a car accident and dies.

Fast forward to the following Christmas Eve.  Mrs. Frost (Kelly - what's her name - John Travolta's wife) and the boy are doing ok.  But they miss their father terribly, and it's almost Christmas.

The kid makes a snowman, and he comes to life - as Jack!  Once the kid gets over his shock that his dad has come back to "life", they have some wild adventures together.  They go snowboarding, they practice some hockey moves, and they try to hide that fact that this snowman is 'alive'.

Unfortunately, this year, a heat wave is coming for Christmas.  All the snow will be melted really soon.  So the son and the snowman hop on a truck to take dad up to the mountains, where the snow never melts!  This plan can't fail ... can it?!?

Well, trust me, it's a family Christmas movie, so it has a happy ending.

The Age of Believing: The Disney Live Action Classics

Who: Bill
What: The Age of Believing: The Disney Live Action Classics
Where: Turner Classic Movies (TCM)
Why: It's a new documentary about the Disney Studios

When one thinks of “Disney”, it is quite natural to think of cartoon or animated movie. But throughout its history, the Disney Studios have also put out an impressive lineup of exclusively live action features, beginning with the True-Live Adventure short Seal Island in 1948 and the full-length Treasure Island in 1950. Before that, Walt Disney and his staff would occasionally combine animation with live action, often with impressive results (early examples include the 1920’s Alice comedy shorts and 1945’s The Three Cabelleros). So why the diversion into live action? Well, they cost less to make because they can be filmed quicker than an animated movie, and when done well, they can earn a lot of money in box office revenue. However, Walt insisted on a Quality film, rather than a Quantity output each year. As a result, many if not most of the live-action films he produced have become cinema classics that continue to entertain new generations.

Think of some of the best films made by Disney which include 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954), Old Yeller (1957), The Shaggy Dog (1959), Swiss Family Robinson and Pollyanna (both in 1960), The Parent Trap (1961), The Love Bug (1969), The Apple Dumpling Gang and Escape to Witch Mountain (both in 1975), Freaky Friday (1976) and many more. Even those classics well-remembered for their animated sequences -- Mary Poppins (1964), Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) and Pete’s Dragon (1977)-- mostly utilized live actors. The Age of Believing: The Disney Live Action Classics focuses on Walt’s sometimes overlooked achievements in full live action production, featuring interviews with the people that also made it possible. Narrated by Angela Lansbury, the interviewees are a who's who of Disney film stars including Dick Van Dyke, Kurt Russell, Dean Jones, Tim Conway, Hayley Mills, James MacArthur, Glynis Johns, Nancy Olson, Tommy Kirk, Kim Richards, Kevin Corcoran and more. Also adding perspective are Disney film historian Leonard Maltin, director Ken Annakin, author Bob Thomas, filmmaker Leslie Iwerks (and her father Don Iwerks) and Roy Edward Disney as well as others. The documentary is being presented throughout December 2008 as Turner Classic Movies showcases 26 Disney live action features each Sunday of the month.

Produced, written and directed by Peter Fitzgerald, The Age of Believing: The Disney Live Action Classics offers insightful commentary and an abundance of clips from the movies being discussed. Much ground is covered in the almost 90-minute program, but there is also lots left unsaid (perhaps awaiting a potential DVD release) particularly when it came to the post-Walt era leading up Michael Eisner’s arrival in 1984. Throughout the 1970’s there was strong reluctance to tamper with the traditional Disney “formula” of wholesome family entertainment. While there were some good if not a few excellent live-action movies, the all-too real social upheaval of the times made Disney live-action films look old-fashioned. The resistance to even try something a little different resulted in increased malaise and mediocrity with each passing year. This really began to change with the 1979 release of the big budget PG-rated film The Black Hole.

Any fan of Disney movies is encouraged to watch the documentary and to look for TCM’s showings of many of these Disney live action classics-- as the channel proudly proclaims, uncut and commercial-free.

Yes Man

Who:  Amber
What:  Yes Man
Where:  AMC Pleasure Island
Why:  I didn't want to see Bolt again

This movie was REALLY funny.  If you enjoy the 'classic' Jim Carray movies (like Liar Liar and all his "I make funny faces" movies), then you'll love this flick.

Carl (Jim Carray) is a "no" man.  He got divorced 3 years ago, and he's in a real funk.  He's stuck in his same job, and all he does is watch movies alone at home (he likes the movie Saw - you go Carl!).  He runs into an old acquaintance who forces him to going to a "YES" convention.  A guru tells him to say 'yes' to everything.  Carl starts saying yes to everything (and I mean EVERYTHING), and his life really turns around.

His 'yes' adventures lead him to meet a hot chick, he has fun with his friends staying up all night, he learns hot to fly a small airplane, he has a mail order bride, learns to play the guitar, etc ...

I don't really want to ruin any of the plot points, b/c it's all really funny.  You know the hot chick is going to get mad at him and all that stuff, but it's pretty funny (and not so 'out there' as you might expect) what ends up happening.

I highly recommend this movie! 

Halloween H20

Who:  Amber
What:  Halloween H20
Where:  @ home off cable
Why:  Happy Halloween!

Here's a great holiday classic huh?  Actually, I watched it the day after Halloween, and I'm finally movie yak-ing about it.

This is a great horror movie simply because Jamie Lee Curtis is in it.  

If you are unfamiliar with the original Halloween movie, it came out in 1978.  An unknown actress named Jamie Lee Curtis was the main star (as a teenager).  She is babysitting on Halloween, and all her friends are brutally murdered by Michael Myers, who happens to be Jamie Lee's brother.  

So big KUDOS for Jamie Lee Curtis to come back to the franchise 20 years later that originally made her a star!  You don't see Jennifer Aniston coming back to do any Leprechaun movies or Johnny Depp coming back to Nightmare on Elm Street (although, I think they killed him off).

Flashback 20 years later (this movie came out in 1998).  Jamie Lee (Laurie Strode) has a 17 year old son.  She is the head master of a luxury high school, where the kids live in dorms, and the entire high school has a fence around it.  Laurie is still freaked out by her brother Michael Myers.  She knows he will eventually hunt her down and find her.  Her son (Josh Hartnett - possibly one of his first movies) knows Laurie is messed up in the head b/c of all her horrible past.  He tries to help her, but it's getting old.  He's getting annoyed and tells her to, "get over it already!"

Unfortunately, this is the year Michael tracks Laurie down.  99% of the school is on a trip, but Laurie, her son, his girlfriend (Michelle Williams), 2 other slutty kids, and a school counselor are all at the school.  You know the slutty kids are easy kills ... but who else will die?

Will Laurie finally face Michael and kill him once and for all?  Or will Michael finally get what he's been after for 20 years, to kill his other sister?

Saw

Who:  Amber & Jaclyn
What:  Saw
Where:  @ Jaclyn's house
Why:  I made her watch it

I'm not sure how much Jaclyn (who also writes for Movie Yak) enjoyed Saw (she was a first timer.  I think I'm about a 6-timer!), but I absolutely love it!  I actually found it in the Walmart $5 bin the following day and finally bought it.

This is not your typical horror movie.  This movie really goes into some big time character development for every single character.  So you really know their back story, and you actually care about them.  It's also not a crazy, psycho super-power killer.

"Jigsaw" is just a regular guy (or girl - we have no clue who it is), who chooses people who take life for granted (drug addicts, people cheating on their spouses, etc.).  He sets up elaborate (almost unreal) traps for them.  If they can get out of the trap, they walk away unharmed.  Well, honestly, they are usually harmed and bleeding a little bit.  If they can't get out of the trap, the trap will kill them.

Dr. Gordon (Cary Elways - a cutie!) and Adam (one of the writers of the movie too) wake up from being knocked unconscious in a super gross bathroom.  They are chained by the ankle to the wall.  The game/trap is the Dr. Gordon has to kill Adam before 6pm.  If not, his family will die.  So it's a pretty tough game for Adam - he has to wait to die!  While Dr. Gordon and Adam try to figure out what's going on, they get to talking and figure out how they are connected to one another.  Jigsaw has left clues and props hidden around the room, to help them play the game.

One of the props are 2 saws.  Are they meant to saw thru the chains ... or saw thru something else?  (Ewwwww!)

During this time there are flashbacks to Adam and Dr. Gordon's lives.  We also see 2 cops (Danny Glover and another guy) who have been trying to capture Jigsaw for about 6 months now.  We also see some super gross victims of Jigsaw's games, who lost their 'games'.

I can't recommend this movie enough!  It's about 30% horror, 50% thriller and 20% drama.

And the ending is INSANE!  You will never, in a million years guess what happens!!!  And I truly mean that - it's nuts!  And, yes, there has been Saw 2, 3, 4 and 5.  And they are making Saw 6, and I believe Saw 7.  Saw 2, 3 and 4 are actually pretty decent movies.  But don't let all these other Saws scare you away.  The original movie is 1000X better than the sequels.  I highly recommend it!  I think it's in my "Top 5 favorite movies of all time" list, and that's really saying something.

Kung Fu Panda

Who:  Amber, Jonathan & Jonathan's family
What:  Kung Fu Panda
Where:  @ the in-law's house
Why:  Jonathan bought it on Black Friday

Jonathan normally has a semi prejudice for non-Disney/Pixar animated movies, so I'm surprised he bought this movie (granted, it was only $9) before we've even seen it!  I think the barrage of marketing finally pulled him in.  Plus that fact that is made tons of money this summer made me believe it was a "decent" movie.

This flick was 'ok'.  But it was your typical animated movie.  It was funny for the kids, and it tried to be funny for adults.  It had way to much childish chatter.  Plus all the A list celebrity voices ... totally unnecessary!  I mean, Angelina Jolie?  There were 2 female characters, and I knew she was a voice in the movie (b/c The Soup made fun of her), but I couldn't pick her out!  Why even pay her all that money to lend her voice.  I wish there were more oriental sounding voices.  This movie was supposed to be based in China.

Ok - on to the plot:  The Dragon Warrior is about to be picked for the first time in China's history.  Po, the fat, noodle-loving Panda (Jack Black) is too late to watch the ceremony.  He managed to light a chair on fire with a firecracker and blast himself right into the middle of the ceremony.  He gets picked on accident!  Oops - I didn't see that coming!

Of course, all the real kung-fu animals (who have been training all their lives to be the Dragon Warrior) are annoyed.  As Jonathan said, "and hilarity will ensue ..."

Did I mention an evil kung-fu warrior has escaped from prison?  This evil warrior wants to be the Dragon Warrior!  Oh no, Po, the fat Panda will have to fight him!  I can't imagine what will happen next ...

It was a cute movie.  I'm glad Jonathan bought it for only $9.  I kind-of hope he decides to sell it on ebay ... after I watch all the special features.

1408

Who: LaRelle
What: 1408
Where: my living room on the new HDTV
Why: because I can

So I got this movie on Netflix because it was recommended to me based on my obsession with scary movies.
That being said.....this movie is not scary. It is based on a short story by Stephen King. But really it seemed like more of a joke than a horror movie to me.
It stars John Cusack, which is fantastic....but unlike most of his other movies, his hilarious sister Joan was unfortunately not in it. Which might have made it more entertaining.
John Cusack plays a author who is known for writing books such as "Top 10 Scariest Hotels", "Top 10 Most Haunted Towns", etc, etc, etc......even though he doesn't really believe in any kind of supernatural phenomenoen.
He learns about this hotel in New York that is suppose to have one room that is extremely haunted....you guessed it...room 1408.
Samuel L. Jackson plays the hotel manager who is determined to convince Cusack's character to change his mind about staying in that room. Since the hotel had opened there had been several dozen deaths in that room and according to Jackson's character, the room was just plain "evil".
So needless to say Cusack decides to stay which then leads to his adventures in the room. It just really gets kind of weird. And confusing. You are never really sure what is going on.
And then they throw in the whole "sentimental" side where you learn the side story about how Cusack had left his wife after their little girl had died. And that somehow gets intertwined with all the "scary" stuff going on.
So I'd say don't waste your time....especially if you are looking for a scary movie. The only thing that would be scary to me is if this movie ever actually got any good reviews.

Bolt

Who:  Amber, Jonathan & Jonathan's entire family
What:  Bolt
Where:  Sullivan 6 - tiny theater in Missour-A
Why:  It's Disney!

I also saw Bolt over the Thanksgiving weekend, and I loved it!  I had heard other people say, "meh - it was ok", but I think it was better than ok.  I, on the other hand, highly recommend it!

I was afraid it would be a cheesy "we're traveling across the country" montage.  Thankfully, there was a montage, but it was insanely cute.

Ok, I'm getting off track.  Bolt is Penny's dog.  Although Penny is no ordinary kid, she's a TV star in an action-style TV show.  But Bolt is the REAL super hero of the show.  Thanks to TV magic, he can 'bend' metal, his eyes are lasers, he can jump super far and run super fast.  Bolt believes he can actually do these things - b/c he never EVER leaves the set.  He never gets to be a real dog.  He always honestly thinks Penny is in grave danger, and he relishes his opportunity to save her each week.

Well, when Bolt gets off the set for the first time, and ends up in NYC (long story), and a wise cracking ally cat has to set him straight.  After a while, Bolt does realize he has no super powers, but actually enjoys being a real dog.  Who knew sticking your face out of a car door was totally awesome!?!?

It's Disney, so you know Bolt will make it back to Penny in LA, but he has some wild and funny adventures along the way.

Best line (by the hamster), "I'll go get a ladder."

Bolt

Who: Myself, Sister, Brother-in-law, Niece, Nephew
What: Bolt
Where: Regal - The Loop
Why: Had to see latest Disney movie and we were sick of eating Turkey

Cute movie. Cute story. The story of a dog named Bolt who thinks he is a super-dog with super powers. He is a part of a TV show filmed in Hollywood and his person, a girl named Penny, is his top priority to protect from the evil people. He never leaves the set or sees anything in real life so he has no idea that he is actually just a normal dog. He escapes one day from the set and through a series of events ends up in New York and learns the truth. He meets up with some other funny characters and tries to make his way back to his person learning valuable lessons along the way.

This is another fine example of great art and a strong story from Pixar. I felt like it was very much geared toward small children and less focused on adults. Not a bad thing but certainly different than the other Pixar-Disney movies. It was enjoyable and my 6 year old nephew couldn't take his eyes off the screen. Miley Cyrus and John Travolta gave very believable performances. The Cat and Hampster characters got most of the laughs and the actors who voiced them were memorable but not necessarily well known. This movie will be a great addition to the Disney family of movies.

Australia

Who: Jaclyn
What: Australia
Where: AMC West Oaks (In the ghetto....)
Why: Hugh Jackman, hello?!

Let me preface this post by saying, this movie would have been a hell of a lot better if it had more Jackman and less Kidman.

This movie takes place during WWII when Australia was attacked by the Japanese after they attacked Pearl Harbor.

Drover (Hugh Jackman) is a stock-man and has to embark on one of the biggest cattle drives he's ever done when Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman), who has just inherited her husband's cattle ranch convinces him that they need to shake up the current beef monopoly in Australia... the Carney Cattle Company.

There is of course evil afoot when Carney and his people find out what Sarah is trying to do. She also finds out that one of the people who previously worked for her husband was also responsible for his death.

The kid in the movie steals the show. I'm not one for children normally but he was cute, though at times a bit cheesy. It was funny how he affectionately refers to Sarah as "Mrs. Boss".

It was a LOOOOONG movie. It probably could have been shortened, but it was still good. It looks like Nicole Kidman had some lip work done before filming. They drove me nuts through the whole movie because they just looked...off. And would it have killed the director to give Hugh a few more shirtless scenes? I think not.

Twilight

Who: Jaclyn
What: Twilight
Where: AMC Pleasure Island
Why: Needed to see what the hype was about.

This movie apparently was a best selling novel before it became a movie (I don't know, I never learned how to read and I live under a rock).

It's a story about a vampire family, the Cullens and a girl named Bella. Bella goes to stay with her dad while her mom and her new man go to spring training for his baseball team. When she gets to her new school, she ends up getting Edward Cullen as her lab partner.

Convinced he hates her, she becomes somewhat consumed with finding out what his deal is, and she finds out more than she bargained for....he's a vampire - duh.

Also, everyone at this new school is SUPER nice to Bella and not in a fake "we're really going to stab you in the back" way either. Which is SOOO not how life happens.

I liked it, but I liked it more once it was over. I'm not trying to be sarcastic...but if have you ever seen a movie where after it was over, you had time to reflect and wanted to see it again, you'll understand. The acting by Kristen Stewart (Bella) was pretty awful. I don't know if it was the character she was playing or just that she can't act.

I heard a lot of people were in an uproar about the lead characters they cast in this movie but I guess all book nuts will have an opinion about what they envisioned. Overall, I suppose it was an ok movie, but I still don't see what everyone was poopin' their pants about.

The Ruins

Who: Jaclyn
What: The Ruins
Where: @ Home
Why: Didn't want to bother seeing it in the theater

The Ruins is about two couples of spring breakers in Mexico who are having a grand old time until a creepy (in my opinion) German guy asks if they want to go to a site where his brother is excavating.

The crazy kids, being up for adventure decide to go. When they get to the site, which turns out to be a Mayan temple, there are some local yokels that come out of the woods and start screaming at the tourists in a language they can't understand.

Something bad happens then, but I won't give it away. The kids retreat up the temple and worse things start to happen from there. Hallucinations, chaos and tons of bloodshed.

Overall, not bad for a rental, but glad I didn't waste time in the theater. I hear the book is better.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2

Who:  Amber, Jonathan and my MIL
What:  The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2
Where:  Pay Per View
Why:  MIL picked

This movie was super cute!  I didn't want it to end.  What happens to the girls next?!?  I must know!!!

Although, how old are these girls?  And where do their unlimited funds come from?  Everybody is flying to Turkey, to Greece, Alabama, etc.  I want to be in the sisterhood!

This story leaves off 2 years after the first one (I think).  The girls are home from their first summer of 4 different colleges.  Carmen (America Fererra) is the only one really trying to keep the pants ritual together.  The other girls just aren't into it anymore.  Everything is changing ...

This movie has a lot going on.  It could really be 4 movies in 1.  Tibby is living in NYC going to film school.  Carmen goes to New Hampshire to work backstage in a play (but get's the lead - who could've guessed?).  Bridgette is off to Turkey on an archeology camp scholorship thingy.  And Lena is taking summer school classes somewhere (I can't remember - somewhere in the North East b/c she's close to NYC).

Of course, crazy stuff happens to all 4 girls.  Tibby might be pregnant.  Bridgette rediscovers a long lost grandmother.  Carmen gets the lead in a play (did I ruin it for you?!?).  Lena discovers that her boyfriend from Greece is all sudden married!

Tears ensue ... and everybody ends up happy in the end.

Thank You For Smoking

Who:  Amber & Jonathan
What:  Thank You For Smoking
Where:  @ home - recorded off cable
Why:  It looked interesting

This movie was enjoyable.  It was cute.  It was very clever.  I'm just not sure I understood the point.

Not that I needed to understand the point, I enjoyed my time watching it.  But if it had a point, it was way over my head.

Aaron Eckhart (as usual, I forgot his character's name already) is a lobbyist for tobacco.  Basically his job is to talk about all the positives tobacco has to offer.  He kicks butt at his job.

The entire movie is about his smooth talking adventures around Washington DC and various business trips, which his 13 year old son attends with him.  Aaron is a good guy.  He's a good dad and is teaching his son well.  

Just because his job involves smoking doesn't make him a bad guy.  Maybe that's the point of the movie ... don't judge a book by it's cover.  Or maybe the point is 'be educated and make your own choices'.

Heck, all I know is that it was fun to watch Aaron Eckhart smooth talk his way across the US.

Be Kind Rewind

Who: Jaclyn
What: Be Kind Rewind
Where: @ Home
Why: I don't know why anymore...

Be Kind Rewind is about a couple of buddies (Jack Black and Mos Def). One of them works in a junkyard (Jack Black) and the other works at the local video store...that only carries VHS (Mos Def).

When the video store owner goes away, he leaves Mos Def in charge. Well something happens to JB's character which magnetizes him. Of course, when he visits his friend in the store, he ends up erasing all of the VHS movies.

When the two of them realized what happened, they have to act quickly to fix the problem since the store owner checks in with one of the regulars there and she's coming to rent a movie.

Believing that she won't know the difference, they quickly shoot a home movie of Ghostbusters (the movie she wanted) and stuff it in the case, ready for her arrival. Once more of the customers come for rentals, they have to start making other movies.

45 minutes into this movie, I wondered why I was still watching it. It sounds like a funny concept but it's SO slow and the acting is SO horrible that when it finally hit the hour mark, I stopped it and returned it...no rewinding necessary.

Be Kind (to yourself) and don't bother.

The World's Greatest Athlete

Who: Bill
What: The World's Greatest Athlete
Where: Turner Classic Movies
Why: It's a classic Disney movie.

I've never seen anything like this in my entire illustrious career!
-- Howard Cosell


The Walt Disney Studios have produced some notable sports-themed films in recent memory: Invincible, The Greatest Game Ever Played, Miracle, Remember the Titans, The Rookie and others. But going back much further to 1973, Disney’s idea of a sports movie came in the form of The World’s Greatest Athlete.

Marrivale College’s head coach Sam Archer (John Amos) is in charge of perennially-losing teams for football, baseball, basketball and track and field. Seeking some relaxation, Archer and his assistant coach Milo Jackson (Tim Conway) travel to Africa where they encounter an exceptionally athletic young man called Nanu (Jan-Michael Vincent) who was orphaned and raised in the jungle. Archer and Jackson convince Nanu to go back with them to Marrivale, much to the concern of Nanu’s mentor Gazenga (Roscoe Lee Browne). At the college, Nanu excels as an athletic superpower, culminating in an exciting track and field finale where the visiting Gazenga seeks to temper Nanu’s attempts at breaking several NCAA records through witchcraft.

“Realistic” is a term that could never be applied to The World’s Greatest Athlete but it still makes for a fun family-friendly comedy. Even the romance between Nanu and his tutor Jane (Dayle Haddon) is mostly played for laughs. Three legendary ABC sportscasters are seen in cameos: Jim McKay, Frank Gifford and especially Howard Cosell. Cosell’s over-the-top commentary is not far off from what he actually did on Monday Night Football and most every other sporting event telecast by ABC from the late 1960’s through the mid 1980’s. It was a brilliant move on the part of Disney’s casting people to get Cosell to appear as himself.

Strong casting is a major reason why this movie works. Soon after its release, John Amos was cast as James Evans, the father in the classic sitcom Good Times. This was followed by a starring role in the ground-breaking mini-series Roots. Tim Conway was already well-known for his frequent (and later co-starring) appearances on The Carol Burnett Show. He would appear in several more Disney live-action comedies through the rest of the 1970’s, most of them with Don Knotts. Jan-Michael Vincent was often seen in heavier, dramatic feature film roles. His career culminated with the 1980’s action series Airwolf. Actress/Model Dayle Haddon had been appearing on many magazine covers and could have been cast in other Disney movies. A pictorial in Playboy published soon after the movie’s release changed those plans. She would continue to act and model, and has most recently been a contributor to CBS’s The Early Show and in early 2008 named a spokesperson for UNICEF. Roscoe Lee Browne was a distinguished award-winning character actor appearing in countless movies and television shows. Nancy Walker (Archer and Jackson’s landlady Mrs. Petersen) was also a recognizable supporting player primarily on television in Rhoda, McMillan and Wife and her many “Bounty”-full years advertising paper towels. Comedian Billy DeWolfe appears only briefly as Merrivale College’s Dean Maxwell, but his voice is still heard every Christmas as the inept Professor Hinkle in Frosty the Snowman.

No doubt that the all-star casting contributed to the movie’s box office success. The World’s Greatest Athlete was among the top-grossing films of 1973.

Judge Dredd

Who:  Amber
What:  Judge Dredd
Where:  @ home - off cable
Why:  Why not?

Diane Lane in an action cop movie?  Who knew!

This movie is set in the future.  Cops are now called "Judges".  They catch you committing a crime, they try you on the spot and sentence you.  The future is not a fun place to be.  There is crime everywhere, and the Judges are pretty cool people.

The coolest judge of all is Sly Stalone, or Judge Joseph Dredd.  He's a spandex wearing bad boy!  And by "bad", I mean really good.  He loves the law (almost a little too much), and loves upholding it.

Too bad his clone of a brother (seriously!) is a bad boy.  And by "bad", I mean really evil!  He commits a crime, and convinces everybody that Dredd is guilty.  Dredd and Rob Schnider (seriously!) are sent to jail.  Jail involved flying on a plane to some awful place.  A pack of crazy religious brothers shoot the plane down.  Dredd kicks some butt, and he and Rob Scheider escape.

Meantime, in the horrible future city, Diane Lane and the other Judges are being attacked by the clone brother.  The clone brother is trying to make more evil clones ...  Dredd comes in to save the day!

Did I mention the horrible graphics?

This movie wasn't all bad.  It was a bunch of cheesy lines and random action, but I enjoy random action!

Quantum of Solace

Who:  Amber & Jonathan
What:  Quantum of Solace - James Bond
Where:  AMC Pleasure Island
Why:  Jonathan likes James Bond

I might classify "action" as my favorite movie genre.  Although I don't like movies where I have to think really, really hard.

This movie was a little confusing, but I was able to follow it, which is kind-of a big deal.  I'm not a James Bond super fan, so I went to see this movie for a the action, no the James Bond-y stuff.

This movie starts where Casino Royal leaves off.  If you didn't see Casino Royal (the last James Bond movie), just know that James Bond is mad and wants revenge for something that happened in that movie.  I won't ruin the ending for you.

If you like car chases - check this out.  If you like boat chases - check this out.  If you like airplane chases - check this out.  If you like running chases - check this out!  We just needed a train chase of some kind, then this would've been the perfect storm.

Basically James Bond (Daniel Craig) jet sets around the globe (Russia, Italy, South America, etc...) trying to catch some bad guys.  There is a Bond girl (of course), but she's pretty tough too.  Both Bond and this girl are out for revenge.  Ironically, their revenges are different, but the involve the same group of bad guys.

There is a cheesy named other Bond girl as well.  Her last name in the movie is "Fields".  I'll let you guess what her fruity first name is.

The Guardian (2006)

Who: Bill & Melanie
What: The Guardian
Where: Rented DVD from Netflix
Why: Melanie said it looked like a decent movie

Ben Randall (Kevin Costner) is a legendary rescue swimmer for the United States Coast Guard’s Aviation Survival Technician Program (AST). His successful rescues at sea number in the hundreds. But Ben is aging and his marriage is failing. When one rescue goes tragically wrong, he is forced to either retire or become an instructor with the AST’s training program. Reluctantly choosing to teach he soon confronts an eager, arrogant, but good-hearted young candidate named Jake Fischer (Ashton Kutcher). Ultimately Ben and Jake discover they have much in common. The story follows Jake’s progress through training and ultimately beating the odds to become a rescue swimmer, while Ben finally decides to retire and work on saving his marriage.


On DVD, The Guardian has two different endings-- the version that was actually used, and an alternate ending that was filmed in case the original wasn’t well received by studio executives at Touchstone Pictures or preview audiences. While we personally did not like the actual ending, it is more realistic and when you see the director’s reasoning for it, you understand why it was chosen.

Overall, we liked The Guardian, although it should have been at least a half-hour shorter. An unnecessary subplot involving Jake and a “casual” girlfriend (played by Raising the Bar’s Melissa Sagemiller) adds little to the overall story. Still, Costner and Kutcher are very good and convincing in the lead roles. The supporting cast also boasts familiar faces; notably, Sela Ward as Ben’s wife Helen, and Dule Hill (Psych) as fellow trainee Ken Weatherly. A number of actual Coast Guard rescue swimmers are featured as extras. A DVD rental is recommended, particularly for the bonus features which detail stories such as Kutcher’s participation in the AST’s training program and the impact of Hurricane Katrina on the film’s production.

Madagascar Escape 2 Africa

Who:  Amber & Jonathan
What:  Madagascar Escape 2 Africa
Where:  AMC at Pleasure Island
Why:  It looked cute

I like to move it, move it!  You like to move it, move it.  We like to move it, move it.  You like to ... MOVE IT!

Most sequels (especially animated sequels) are so overdone and a little ridiculous, but this movie was pretty good!  I don't remember the first one much, but I'd say it's just as good at the first.

At the beginning of the movie, they give you a quick recap of the 1st movie, in case you forgot how they got from the NYC zoo to Madagascar (thank you - I didn't remember that at all).  Then the movie jumps right to the 4 animals boarding an airplane (one they obviously found in the middle of the jungle) and are planning to fly back to NYC.  Good thing the penguins know how to fly (irony!).

Of course the beat up plane doesn't make it very far.  The animals have crash landed in Africa.  They all have a sense of deja vu ... wait a minute ... the 4 animals were originally from Africa!  Ironically the plane has crashed where Alex the lion used to live.  And his parents still live there!

There's a back story about the penguins and some monkeys trying to fix the plane.  There's a back story about a group of people from NYC on a safari trip.  More back story about all the animals finding their nitch with all the wild animals.  Etc, etc ...

All in all, this was a great movie!  I highly recommend it.

The Pink Panther

Who:  Amber & Jonathan
What:  The Pink Panther
Where:  @ home - on cable
Why:  Jonathan picked it

This movie wasn't half bad!  I expected to hate it because ... I'm going to sound like a jerk, but I find it really hard to understand accents.  And Steve Martin has a super strong fake French accent.

Steve Martin is a cop in France.  He is a bumbling moron.  A super famous French soccer coach is murdered after the biggest game of the year!  He's killed on the field in front of everybody.  Who could've committed such a crime?  Was it the Chinese soccer team?  Was it a French soccer player?  Was it Beyonce?

Seriously, why is Beyonce in this movie?  You have a great voice, but I don't want to ever see you in movies again.  I'm just not a fan.

The head of the French police asks Steve Martin (Inspector Cloo-so) to solve the case.  He figured Cloo-so will bumble around for a while, all while he swoops in to solve it himself, and win some fancy award.

Cloo-so bumbles around France, he bumbles around NYC following Beyonce around.  She seems awfully guilty!

Of coure Cloo-so figures out everything (you knew he was going to).  Beyonce sings a song (you knew she was going to).  And the Pink Panther theme song is still pretty darn cool!

P.S.  The best part is Cloo-so trying to say "hamburger" with out a French accent.  Brilliant!  I can't stop quoting it!

The Marine

Who:  Amber
What:  The Marine
Where:  @ home - free HBO weekend
Why:  It has John Cena in it

I figured a movie made by "WWE Films" won't be winning any awards anytime soon, which means it was made for me!

This was just a good old fashioned action movie.

John Cena (character's name was also John) is a Marine.  A Marine with huge muscles!!!  John Cena is a WWE wrestler, and a nice looking man.  He breaks a Marine rule and is discharged.  He is devistated, but his wife is glad he's home and out of harms way.

Meanwhile, some bad guys rob a jewelry store and kill some cops.

The wife recommends they hop in the car and go for a drive.  Unfortunately, they end up at a gas station with the thieves.  One things leads to another, and the wife is kidnaped.  And the chase begins!!

John miraculously survives being blown up 3 times, shot at about 100 times and eaten by alligators.  Will he save his wife?  Well, of course he will.  It's still a fun, pointless, action packed movie.

Did I mention John Cena is pretty hot?

Grandma's Boy

Who:  Amber & Jonathan
What:  Grandma's Boy
Where:  @ home on cable
Why:  Nick Swardson is in it

(Back story - Jonathan and I saw comedian Nick Swardson in concert about a month ago)

This movie was really funny!  I remember seeing previews and thinking "LAME!"  But it was really good.  I would see it again.  It's a "Happy Madison" movie, so you'll see all the usual suspects from all of Adam Sandler's movies

The main guy (crap - I already forgot his name!) lives with a buddy.  They both enjoy smoking pot.  Of course they get evicted.  Main guy (I'm going to call him Bob) ends up crashing with his grandma and her 2 old lady roommates.  His grandma is really, really cool!  She cooks for him all the time.  He helps out by doing chores.

Bob is a video game tester.  He works at a cool office and plays video games all day long.  So even though he's a pot smoking guy living with his grandma, he's still a responsible guy.  He's bragging around to work that his 3 women roommates are running him raged with orgies and porn all the time.  In reality, the 3 old ladys have worn him out with basic chores.

I'm finding this movie hard to write about.  What I've just written sounds in credibly lame.  

But, just trust me, this movie is FUNNY!  Kevin Nealon as the video game boss is great.  Skinny guy from Dodgeball is the video game genius - he's great.  Nick Swardson as the kind-of nerd/kind-of cool guy (who lives with his "roommates" or "parents") steals the whole movie!  Search for this movie on your DVR!

Grindhouse - Planet Terror

Who:  Amber & Jonathan
What:  Grindhouse - Planet Terror
Where:  @ home - free HBO weekend
Why:  I've been dying to see it!

Let's just say, I can see why Grindhouse didn't make any money at the box office.  This sucker is long!  I only watched the first movie, and I was tired.  I don't think I could've handled seeing both movies at the same time.

Planet Terror is the movie with the girl with the machine gun for a leg.  I know you know what I'm talking about!

It was actually a pretty cool movie.  There is a crazy radiation leak, and it turns pretty much everybody into a zombie.  There are a handful of people who are immune (for some reason), and they go around killing zombies.  The zombies can be killed (I think), if you blow them away with a powerful gun.  Luckily everybody seems to have an incredibly powerful gun.

When I say killing zombies, I mean blowing them apart.  I think I saw more blood in this movie than at a blood bank.  Who knew a gunshot to the chest made you explode?

Did I mention there was a chick with a machine gun for a leg?

Grindhouse was supposed to be a throw back to stupid 70's horror movies.  So sometimes the screen is kind-of fuzzy, you see film real lines, and during a sex scene (w/ machine gun leg chick), the 'film reel' actually melts.

This movie ends, I think, at Tulum in Mexico.  It's where Jonathan and I visited during our last Disney Cruise.  If it's not Tulum, it looks just like it.

If you have FOREVER to kill, then check out Grindhouse.  If you only have 1.5 hours to kill, then check out Planet Terror.  It's worth it just to see what happens to Quinten Terrintino's wang.  Ouch!  Seriously ...

Mr. Woodcock

Who:  Amber & Jonathan
What:  Mr. Woodcock
Where:  @ home - free HBO weekend
Why:  Jonathan picked it

This movie was pretty cute!  I remember seeing previews for it and giggling a little bit.  I also remember it being in theaters for about 12 hours total.

Sean William Scott used to be a pudgy Jr. High kid.   His gym teacher, Mr. Woodcock (Billy Bob Thorton) was a total a-hole.  He's a hard arse teacher, although, I must admit, I was impressed by his teaching.  He was tough on those kids, but he was teaching them lessons about life.  Unfortunately the kids just think he's a jerk, they don't realize the lessons he's teaching.

Now Sean William Scott is a successful writer.  He's written a book about how to get over your past (as in, get over the past of a horrible gym teacher who embarrassed you in front of the entire class!).  He has won an award in his home town, so he head home (Nebraska I think?) to stay with his mom.

Oh no - his mom is dating Mr. Woodcock!  Oh no - his mom is engaged to Mr. Woodcock!  Sean (I forgot his name in the movie!) loves his mom, and really wants to be supportive, but he just hates Woodcock with a passion!  He tries to break them up, or prove that Woodcock is cheating or something!

There are some pretty funny scenes with Woodcock, Sean and a couple of Sean's old Jr. High friends, who all hate Woodcock and would love to ruin his life.  Sean also went on a date with a girl from Jr. High.  She was pretty, but not super model movie pretty.  She was just a normal looking girl.  I always find that refreshing when an average girl is on screen.

An American Carol

Who: Kerri & Scott
What: An American Carol
Where: Local Theatre
Why: It was my birthday

For my birthday Scott took me to the movies, and he knows I love the movies, and since he doesn't it's always a great treat for me to see something that's not for kids.

This is a hilarious parody of Michael Moore. He decides he wants to abolish the 4th of July and is visited by Angels to teach him a lesson on America.

If you are 'left leaning' politically you probably won't like this movie at all. As I am the face of the vast right wing conspiracy I found it absolutely hilarious! You don't get to see this point of view watching TV ever, so it was nice to have that outlet.

Spiderman 3

Who:  Amber
What:  Spiderman 3
Where:  @ home - free Starz weekend
Why:  Something to watch while I clean the house

If you forgot Spiderman 2, here's a quick recap:  MJ finds out that Peter really is Spiderman, and they realize they love each other.  Peter still lives in his crappy apartment, but Mary Jane has made it to Broadway!

This movie is fun, but there is almost too much stuff going on.  First Harry (Peter's ex-friend) attacks him and winds up with a bump on the head.  Some criminal guy escapes from jail, winds up in some sand thing, and magically turns into the Sandman.  And then, some weird black stuff crawl out of the river, attaches itself to Spiderman's suit and turns him into 'bad spiderman' (otherwise known as Venom).

Of course, there are fights and fights and fights.  Will Spiderman actually lose one this time?  Riiiiiight.

A lot of people mocked this movie because Peter Parker cries after MJ 'fake' breaks up with him (a bad guy makes her do it).  Let me tell you, when you get broken up with (and you were about to propose!), you cry.  You cry like a little girl.  It's embarrasing, but you can't stop.  Kudos to the director and Tobey Maguire for crying like a little girl.

I also have a crush on Eric from That '70s Show, who plays a rival photographer, and who turns into 'bad spiderman' (Venom).  I forgot his name in real life (Topher Grace - that's it!), but I think he's super hot for some reason.

If you've seen Spiderman 1 & 2, then I recommend checking this movie out.  If you missed Spiderman 1 or 2, then don't bother.  Although, I'm guessing Spiderman 4 will be out eventually ...

The Secret Life of Bees

Who:Terry
What:Secret Life of Bees
Where:Rockford Theater
Why:Cause I love the book

Every since i heard this was a movie I just couldnt wait to go.  Kerri, Emily, Mitchel and I went today, and I wasnt disapointed.  They  stayed pretty much along with the book.  The movie is set in the 60's, racial strife, disfuctional family, ect.  The story is about Lily, who's mother left her father when she was 4yrs old and left her behind.  Lily's father is one mean ass jerk and is horrible to Lily who ends up running away from home with Rosaleen, their housekeeper to find out the truth about her mother.  I wont spoil what happens, but it's a good movie.  Dakota Fanning is one awesome little actress, she had me in tears in multiple scenes.  Queen Latifa was so perfect as the part of August Boatwright, and Alicia Keys as her sister, June,  is one person that I wouldnt want pissed off at me.  Man the looks that girl gave people!!!   I couldnt help but tear up about every scene with Jennifer Hudson, thinking of her recent pain and suffering, so heartbreaking.  This will be a movie I buy.   Go see it, you wont be disapointed. 

The Pixar Story

Who:  Amber & Jonathan
What:  The Pixar Story
Where:  @ home - free Starz weekend
Why:  Pixar rules!

I love a documentary, but only if I'm interested in the subject.  The Pixar Story was a very enjoyable documentary!

I think a lot of people think Pixar was formed to make great movies.  Not ever close.  Pixar has been around for a while.  "Pixar" was actually the name of a computer they made, which had nothing to do with animation.  George Lucas used to own the company.  They were losing money every year, and Steve Jobs (the Apple guy) bought them.

They still lost money every year until they made Toy Story.  Even making Toy Story was a big challenge.  Besides the fact that a CGI animated movie had never been made before, they really struggled with the story and getting Disney to help them out.

Side note:  John Lassater, the director of Toy Story, Toy Story 2 and Cars was a Disney animator, who was FIRED!  Smooth move Disney.

This documentary was great, because Pixar, and all the directors of various movies seemed to video tape their entire lives!  There was tons of old footage, and it was very entertaining and informative to watch.

Another side note:  This documentary was made by Leslie Iwerks.  Disney aficionados might recognize her name ... she is the grandaughter of Ub Iwerks, Walt Disney's right hand man.

I heard this documentary MIGHT be included in the upcoming Ratatouille 2-disc DVD, so stay tuned.

Final Destination

Who:  Amber
What:  Final Destination
Where:  @ home - I own it on DVD
Why:  Great movie!

This is the first movie that made me SCREAM out loud in the movie theater.  I won't give anything away, but in involved a bus.  And I'm taking about a loud scream in the movie theater.  And I'm not a screamer.

The entire high school is headed to Paris, but Alex is getting paranoid.  He's not a fan of flying.  Then, when he buckles in he has an intense vision of the plane going down (this vision lasts for about 15 minutes - and while it's sad when plans crash, it's a fabulous scene!).  He wakes up from his vision, realizes it was a dream ... but he knows it will come true.  He freaks out, and runs off the plane.  A couple of his class mates try to stop him from acting like a jack arse, and about 6 kids get kicked off the plane.  The plane takes off, and 2 minutes later is crashes.  The 6 kids who "escaped" were really mad that they are missing their flight to Paris, but now are dumbfounded and amazed ... they are alive!

Unfortunately, the 6 kids were 'supposed' to die.  It was their time.  So death eventually comes for them ... unless they can outsmart death.

What makes Final Destination (and it's sequels) such great horror movies is the simplicity of it.  This is not a crazed killer or a flesh eating virus killing people - it's every day objects, like a beach towel or a drive thru window.  And that is really freaky.  It actually makes you think that you could die any day by doing every day things.  It's a great movie, but it leaves you really creeped out in the end.

Plus, don't say I didn't warn you about that bus scene ...

No Country For Old Men

Who:  Jonathan & Amber
What:  No Country For Old Men
Where:  @ home - free Starz weekend
Why:  Jonathan picked it

Normally I stay far, far away from award winning movies.  Normally I find them boring.  But why didn't anybody tell me about this movie before?  It was a violent massacre - right up my ally!

However, in true award winning movie format, it's hard to tell what the point of the movie was.  It was one of those movies that just ends, and you're like, "what the ???".

Luanne (I'm sure I'm spelling that wrong - it's a guy!) is hunting in Texas.  He sees a bunch of abandoned trucks in the distance.  When walks closer, he finds a massacre of dead bodies and truck full of drugs.  Luanne is no dummy - he knows there where there are drugs, there is money.  One guy is still alive (barely) and points to the way to the money.  A mile down the road Luanne finds the last dead guy with a suitcase full of money.

Later that night, Luanne wakes up and decides to go help out the half dead guy.  Smooth move exlax!  He is where his life turns upside down.  When he gets back to the massacre site, the guy is dead (duh!) and some guys from Mexico show up looking for their drug money.

Luanne manages to get away, but the Mexicans are after him.  One other guy is after him too.  It's creepy hair guy (Javier Barden), which you may remember from the Oscars (he won best supporting actor).  Javier Barden is a bad dude.  He's got no morals, he just kills and kills and kills.  Luanne is a pretty smart guy, and this cat and mouse chase lasts for days.

It's pretty suspenseful, and also pretty graphic.  Javier is such a great killer, that you assume he'll get him in the end.  But Luanne shows off his skills and smarts.

I don't want to give away the ending or anything.  If you enjoy artsy movies - check this out.  If you enjoy violence - check this out.  If you like it when a movie gives you no closure what so ever (grrrrr!) - then check this out!

Beverly Hills Chihuahua

Who:Terry & Mitchel
What: Beverly Hills Chihuahua
Where:Beloit, Wi.
Why: Cause I am the Crazy Puppy Lady

OMG, Kerri is right, I *am* The Crazy Puppy Lady.  I guess I can confess to using Mitchel as a ploy to go see a dog movie.  And I must say, I was not disappointed!!!  I laughed, I cried and I cried again.   The dogs are totally cute in this movie, and the voices that talk for them are perfect.  Drew Barrymore as the BH chihuahua, Chloe was a great choice and George Lopez as Papi.   Chloe's owner goes off on a business trip and leaves Chloe with a niece which of course doesnt take proper care of the dog and she gets lost and the adventure begins.   Enter the cutie pie gardner with his dog Papi to help look for the dog that has gotten loose in Mexico.  There is also a rat and an iguana that are quite funny in this too.   I guess what got to me was the scenarios they set up and I was thinking how they happen in real life, minus the talking of course.   The dog fight scene made me cry cause  I know that is very real, and very sad what they do to these dogs.   Mitchel cracked up at the movie and he loved it.    So i guess from us it's a double thumbs up!!!  I will buy this movie.   Along with a herd of chihuahua's, a pit bull, a German Shepard (who was gorgeous in the movie) and a load of mutts!!!!    

Nights in Rodanthe

Who: Monica (and my Mom)
What: Nights in Rodanthe
Where: Theater near home
Why: B/C it's a Nicholas Sparks story

Nicholas Sparks is one of my favorite authors. He writes mostly dramatic chick flick sort of books and they are usually somewhat predictable. They are always great stories though and turn into wonderful movies. Examples include: "The Notebook", "A Walk to Remember" and "Message in a Bottle".

Having read "Nights in Rodanthe" several times, I was very anxious to see the movie. With the two main characters being played by Richard Gere and Diane Lane, it was sure to be a good movie.

The setting is beautiful, on the beach at a Bed & Breakfast Inn, off the coast of North Carolina. Doctor Paul Flanner is coming as the only guest for a weekend to talk to the family of a former patient, he has some serious things to deal with as he leaves his practice, his house and his way of life. He is headed to patch a relationship with his estranged son, after he deals with the family of his former patient. Meanwhile Adrienne is "Inn sitting" for the owner and her friend who has left town, in the midst of a coming storm, for a wedding.

Paul and Adrienne must spend the weekend together at the Inn, alone. They need to prepare for the coming storm and find a way to relate to each other. I'm sure you know what happens next.

The main characters are mostly "the only" characters during the major length of the movie. While that makes for a fantastic read, it seems to drag on a little slow on the big screen. I enjoyed how the story was adopted to fit in a 2 hour movie and don't think anything from the story was really added or taken away. It's different, but not enough to make you feel like you don't know this story.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a serious chick flick/drama and Nicholas Sparks stories. I do have to say it's probably a renter due to it's predictability and lack of serious action.

The Greatest Rescues of Emergency

Who: Bill
What: The Greatest Rescues of Emergency
Where: Retro Television Network
Why: I used to watch Emergency! every week

One of the first television shows I remember watching as a young boy was Emergency! During the past few months, I’ve been catching some episodes on the Retro Television Network (RTN), which is available on Bright House Cable channel 1028 and over the air on digital channel 27.2. Whereas cable mainstay TV Land has added movies and original reality garbage… uh, programs to their schedule, RTN specializes in a lineup almost entirely of classic television shows, which is what TV Land used to do-- and should still be doing. But I digress.
Recently I contributed a review of the Emergency! pilot movie. So it is somewhat fitting to look at the movie that ended the series.

Originally aired on NBC Sunday, December 31, 1978, The Greatest Rescues of Emergency is exactly what the title says-- a clip show compiled of some of the most dramatic and a few amusing rescues performed by Firefighter/Paramedics John Gage (Randy Mantooth) and Roy DeSoto (Kevin Tighe). The opening credits are a montage of big fires and massive explosions that are simply over-the-top. But they grab your attention, which is the intent. After all, the show was called Emergency! with an exclamation point! Anyhow, Gage and DeSoto have been promoted to Captain, and are each assigned to their own fire stations. It is a bittersweet advancement. They can no longer work as Paramedics and thus no longer work together at fire station 51. But before parting ways, they reminisce over the six years they have been partners, beginning with how they met in training and the early days of being Paramedics. From there a variety of clips demonstrate the hazards and rewards of fighting fires, assisting accident victims and overall saving lives-- sometimes their own. Among the highlighted rescues include a paint factory fire, a plane crash landing, Gage being bitten by a rattlesnake and a young woman who gets her toe caught in a bathtub faucet. The final scene sums up the true friendship of Gage and DeSoto (and by that same token, the actors themselves) without needing to say a lot.

For syndicated reruns, The Greatest Rescues of Emergency was re-edited into a two-part format. Unfortunately this results in a very murky and scratchy film that was certainly not the case when first presented as a two hour movie. Compared with the relatively pristine-looking pilot film, this is a minor distraction to see. Some of the early episodes of Emergency! have been digitally re-mastered for DVD releases and RTN showings, while the later shows don’t yet look as good, although certainly watchable.

This movie was designed to serve as a wrap-up to the series, but two more Emergency! movies set in San Francisco followed in the summer of 1979. Their scheduling in rerun season only underscored how terrible NBC’s overall ratings were at the time. Ironically, Nielsen numbers perceived as awful then would probably be welcomed by the struggling network in 2008.

Dan in Real Life

Who:  Jonathan and Amber
What:  Dan in Real Life
Where:  @ home - free Starz weekend
Why:  Jonathan really likes this movie

Jonathan and I first saw this movie onboard the Disney Cruise Line (during our 1 year anniversary trip - awww).

This movie stars Dan (Steve Carrel) in an unfunny roll.  He's really good.  Dan is a widower with 3 daughters.  He write a column for the newspaper giving advice.  He's a good Dad, with great advice, but he's a little dimwitted sometimes.

The family is going away for the weekend to Grandma & Grandpa's cabin by the lake.  All the brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles and cousins will be there.  It's a huge group of people.  It's so cute seeing this normal family have a cross word puzzle tournament and put on a play.  I wanted to be a part of this family!

On the way to the cabin, Dan stops at a bookstore and meets a girl.  Meeting a girl to Dan is a big deal!  They talk for hours, until she gets a phone call and has to run.  Dan speeds to the cabin to tell everybody about this new girl.  Unfortunatly, the girl is already at the cabin.  It's  his brother's (Dane Cook - another funny man playing an unfunny role) new girlfriend.  Dan and the new girl pretend to just meet, and the rest of the weekend is very awkward.  It was love at first sight for both of them at the book store, but now they have to pretend to be strangers.

There are a ton of side stories involving Dan's 17 year old (he won't let her drive), Dan's 14 year old (she's in love too!) and Dane Cook.

It's not an action packed movie by any means, but it's got a lot of heart, it's cute, it's funny at times, and the ending is really sweet.  I highly recommend it.

Reno 911! Miami

Who:  Jonathan & Amber
What:  Reno 911! Miami
Where:  @ home - borrowed the DVD from a friend
Why:  We love the TV show

This movie was really funny.  Although, if you've never seen the TV show, I don't think you would enjoy this movie.

The movie features our 8 favorite police officers from Reno.  They get invited to Miami for a Police convention.  Of course, they give the registration info to Weigel (the most moronic cop) and of course she screws it up.  So now they are in Miami with no convention.

Long story short, the Miami PD needs their help!  Like the TV show, they go on 911 calls, and hilarity ensues.  Just wait until you see 2 of the beach officers - yowsers!

The best part of the movie is that all the random regulars from the TV show are there too.  Patton Oswald, Terry (the guy on rollerskates), Pee Wee Herman (almost unrecognizable!) and others are all here.

Again, if you're a fan of the show, then I would recommend this movie.  I'm guessing it will be on Comedy Central in about a year, so just wait it out.  And if you've never seen Reno 911!, I recommend that too.  I've seen commercials for it forever, and I thought it looked so lame, but it's actually quite good.  All the cops are so funny, and their personalities really shine.  None of them are 'bad' cops, they all do their job pretty well, but funny stuff always happens to them.

The Big Lebowski

Who:  Amber & Jonathan
What:  The Big Lebowski
Where:   @ home - free Starz weekend
Why:  Jonathan picked it

I've heard so much about this movie, but I've never seen it.  I wasn't impressed.  Maybe I just don't get these 'weird' movies.  Or maybe it's a Coen Brother's thing that I don't get.  Either way, this isn't my kind of movie.  But don't listen to me - this seems to be a cult classic!

"Dude" Lebowski is a slacker.  The movie opens with 2 guys breaking into his house and demanding the money!  One guy dunks him in his toilet (gross!) and another guy pees on his rug.  Then the bad guys realize that this isn't the Mr. Lebowski they are looking for.  They want a millionaire Lebowski, and "Dude" is a total slacker!

Dude is annoyed by his stained rug.  He goes to the millionaire Lebowski's house to ask for a new rug, since it was kind-of his fault that his was peed on.

One thing leads to another and Dude and his moronic friend (a hilarious, potty mouth John Goodman) are in the middle of a random drop.  It's botched, and everybody wants to know where the money is.  There are 3 different groups of people after the money.  In addition, Leboowski bowls a lot!  That's basically the plot of the movie.

Make a special note of the GIANORMOUS cell phone that Lebowski has.

The Hoax

Who:  Amber & Jonathan
What:  The Hoax
Where:  @ home - free Starz weekend
Why:  I finally got to pick a movie!

This movie actually let's you know exactly that will happen at the end (for the most part), but it was still pretty suspenseful.  Kodus to the editor!  

Cliff Irving (Richard Gere) is a down and out writer.  His latest book was rejected, so he comes up with a brilliant plan - write an autobiography of billionaire Howard Hughes.  This is the early '70s, nobody has seen Howard Hughes in about 20 years, and he's a media darling.

People are going nuts about the idea about a book about Howard Hughes!  It's weird to think about in this decade.  Is there a celebrity or figure (who is still alive) that a possible book would make us go nuts?!?  I guess in the age of the internet, we know everything about everybody.

Back to the '70s.  Cliff forges documents "proving" that he's in contact with Hughes.  He steals some documents to get even more in depth knowledge.  After he gets a huge bonus to finish the book, he finds himself in hot water.  He can be sued and go to jail if he gets caught!

If you read the cliff notes (pun!) about this movie, you know Cliff Irving will get caught.  But the movie still is fairly suspensful.  Will Cliff get caught before or after the book is published?

And, my favorite part about stories based on real people, they told us what has happened to the characters in real life.  We found out a little about Howard Hughes, a lot about Cliff and his wife, and about Cliff's writing partner.  I recommend this movie!

The Bridge

Who: Jaclyn
What: The Bridge
Where: @ Home
Why: Read an article about it

When I have free time at work (which is a rarity) I like to read news sites. I found an article on this documentary about people who commit suicide off of the Golden Gate Bridge.

The guy who created this film had different cameras constantly recording the bridge for I think the span of a year. He wanted to capture these instances. It sounds morbidly disturbing but it is really interesting. It's not just bodies constantly jumping off of the bridge.

Families and friends of the jumpers tell their stories of what the people were like and what mental state they had been in before they jumped and most of them believe the jumpers are now at peace. Even one of the jumpers lived to tell and talks about his experience.

Overall, a very dark yet interesting film. Nothing gory. You only see them fly through the air and hit the water. Only seeing a splash and nothing else.

Shutter

Who: Jaclyn
What: Shutter
Where: @ Home
Why: Who doesn't like a scary movie and Joshua Jackson?

I don't know what possessed me to rent this from Netflix, but I did. I think maybe I'm going through a Joshua Jackson phase since his new series "Fringe" started.

Anyhoo...this movie is about a newlywed couple, Ben and Jane (Joshua Jackson and Rachel Taylor). They go on their honeymoon in Japan since Ben is a photographer and has to go there for work.

On a dark and icy night, while driving in Japan, Jane hits a girl with their car. Freaked out by this, she drives Ben crazy since he didn't see anything and thinks she didn't see what she thought she did.

Later on, they start noticing weird images in the pictures they have been taking on their trip. Who is this mystery person? Further into the movie Jane finds out the woman is somehow connected to her new husband.

Even weirder things start to transpire as this girl haunts their lives. Will Ben ever be rid of his past?

This movie was a creepy concept for sure. Scary though? Not so much. Sure, it had its "EW!" moments, but nothing that would have any horror fan rattled.

My Best Friend's Girl

Who: Jaclyn
What: My Best Friend's Girl
Where: AMC (in MI)
Why: Dane Cook!

Ok, so if you've read any of my posts involving Dane Cook you know I'm a fan. So of course, I was excited to see this movie. That is, until I saw the movie.

The premise is simple: Tank Turner (Dane Cook) is a jerk. Men pay him to "woo" their exes so they will see what great guys they were. You'd think this would be full of wacky antics but it's really not. He's really quite the bastard.

His cousin, Dustin (Jason Biggs) is in love with his co-worker Alexis (Kate Hudson) and wants Tank to work his magic on her. Unfortunately, this backfires and Tank and Alexis really hit it off.
Of course there's anger between the two of them and when Alexis finds out about the scheme, she's infuriated.

The acting from Jason Biggs is really bad. Not that I expected an Oscar worthy performance but he didn't even live up to Jim standards from American Pie. That is truly tragic.

Overall, I enjoyed it because it was Dane, but it's pretty raunchy and somewhat dull.

12 Monkeys

Who:  Amber & Jonathan
What:  12 Monkeys
Where:  @ home - free HBO weekend
Why:  I wanted Jonathan to see it

I really like this movie.  First of all, it's got hot, short haired Brad Pitt (for the first 1/2 of the movie anyways - then his hair gets long and he's got a scary mustache).  Second of all, it's a very unique movie.  It really makes you think.  You're not thinking about life or anything important, just thinking about the twists and turns of the movie.

Bruce Willis is a prisoner in the future.  The "scientists" (creepy people!) send him back in time (to the early 90's, or "present day") to help figure out what happened.  You see, everybody in the future is living underground.  Turns out 90% of the world's population died in 1996.

Unfortunatly, when you travel back in time, and try to convince people that you're from the future, they think you're nuts.  Bruce Willis ends up in the nut house, where he meets Brad Pitt (who is also nuts).  His shrink thinks Bruce Willis looks really familiar, but thinks he's nuts none the less.

Bruce Willis escapes from the nut house, kidnaps the scientist, and tries to prove to her that he's from the future.  Bruce Willis knows what radical group is going to kill 90% of the world ... or does he?  Will be able to stop them with the scientists help?  Will crazy Brad Pitt successfully kill pretty much everybody?

I highly encourage you to find this movie on cable.  It's very different and it's a good time!  Did I mention hot short haired Brad Pitt is in this movie?

The Devil Wears Prada

Who:  Amber & Jonathan
What:  The Devil Wears Prada
Where:  @ home - free HBO weekend
Why:  We like Anne Hathaway

This movie was really cute.  Although it didn't end the way I assumed it would.

Andie (Anne Hathaway) is a college grad with a journalism degree.  She is struggling to get a job in NYC, but manages to land a job as Miranda's (I forgot the actress's name!) assistant at Runway.  Runway is the magazine to top all magazines in the fashion world.  The only problem is that Andie is 100% unfashionalbe, and Miranda is the worlds BIGGEST WITCH!

But, if you can last 1 year with Miranda, you can pretty much get any job in jouralism that you want, so Andie tries to tough it out.  Miranda doesn't make it easy on her.  Get my coffee, hang up my coat, get me this, call this person, blah, blah, blah!

Andie struggles, but get's the hang of Miranda's jerkyness.  She also decides to get fashionable and borrows a ton of clothes from the Runway closet.  Even though she is a "huge" size 6, and all the fashion clothes are 2 or 4 (boo-hoo!).  There is a great montage of Andie walking around in her brand new digs, and Miranda really starts to take notice.  So much notice that Andie is now her #1 assistant!  The #2 assistant (Emily) is pretty P.O'ed, especially when Andie is chosen to go to London.

Will Andie do the snooty thing and take Emily's spot in London, even though Emily has been talking about London, and dieting for London for the past 6 months?  Will Miranda finally turn un-witchy for 5 minutes and tell Andie that she's doing a kick butt job?  I don't want to give anything away.  I highly recommend this movie.  Even if you're not into fashion, this movie isn't so much fashion shoved down your throat.

One more thing, the Miranda character is so mean.  I'm not sure if I've ever seen a meaner character on TV or in real life EVER.  It's kind-of amazing.  Like a train wreck, I can't turn away because I'm curious to see what horrible thing she'll do next.

Tron

Who: Bill
What: Tron
Where: Rented DVD from Netflix
Why: Believe it or not, I’d never seen the whole movie!

I admit it-- it took me 26 years to watch Tron from start to finish. There were opportunities to see it before, but for one reason or another, I never got around to watching all of it until now. But I’m glad I finally did.

Tron is one of the first movies to make extensive use of computer-generated graphics. In the early 1980‘s, the emerging field of computer technology was taking hold in the workplace. Video games were capturing the imagination of people not only in dedicated arcades but in homes thanks to Atari. The timing could not have been better for a film such as Tron to take advantage of the fascination with computers and computer-based games. For Walt Disney Productions, Tron was a story well beyond the typical boundaries previously put forth by the studio. Just two years earlier for example, lackluster efforts such as Herbie Goes Bananas was standard fare when it came to Disney’s live-action product even though the studio was beginning to try out different concepts such as 1979’s The Black Hole.

Most of the action in Tron is set within the fantasy world of computer gaming. An ambitious programmer named Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) has made numerous attempts to remotely hack into his former employer’s mainframe to prove the thievery of co-worker Ed Dillinger (David Warner), who stole ideas of Flynn’s in order to advance to an executive level. Dillinger has created a self-running Master Control Program or MCP and it is the MCP that prevents Flynn’s efforts to gain access. Meanwhile, Alan Bradley (Bruce Boxleitner) has developed a security program called TRON to watch over the MCP. But the MCP, which has evolved to nearly outsmart its human counterparts, doesn’t take kindly to being monitored by anyone or any program. After Flynn is brought back to the lab by Bradley and co-worker--and former girlfriend-- Lora Baines (Cindy Morgan), Flynn directly confronts the MCP and is transported into the gaming world where his program counterpart Clu is challenged to a series of games. Its up to Flynn/Clu to outsmart the MCP and stay alive to destroy it, or be erased forever. Characters in the real world have digital counterparts. Thus, Dillinger is the meanacing leader named Sark as well as the MCP’s voice, Lora is Yori, and Alan is Tron.

The visual effects make Tron stand out. It amazed audiences in 1982 and when seen from that perspective, it still looks impressive in 2008. For years, rumors of a sequel had come and gone. On July 24, 2008, guests at San Diego Comic Con were surprised when Disney presented test footage from what was termed “TR2N” or Tron 2. The projected release date is for 2011. Jeff Bridges is scheduled to return as Kevin Flynn. Director and co-writer Steven Lisberger will also be involved in the sequel as a co-producer. With the incredible advancements in CGI since Tron was released, antcipation should be high for another stunning visual achievement in how movies are made.

No Reservations

Who:  Amber
What:  No Reservations
Where:  @ home - free HBO weekend
Why:  Figured it would be decent

This movie was pretty cute.  Definitely a chick flick.

Catherine Zeta Jones (Kate) is a work-a-holic chef - one of the best in NYC.  Typical chick in a movie, she's great at her job but has no social life and lives alone.  Tragedy strikes her sister, forcing her niece (Abigail Breslin) Zoe to come live with her.

Side comment:  Zoe is one of my favorite names.

While Kate is taking care of family stuff and helping Zoe move in, Aaron Eckert (Nick) is subbing for Kate at her super famous restaurant.  Kate was a hard butt in the kitchen, and Nick is very laid back.  The restaurant staff love him, and the manager loves him as well.

In typical movie style, Kate and Nick work together, kiss, have a great 'family' montage with Zoe, then get in a huge fight.  Turns out the restaurant wants Nick to run the entire place and Kate is furious!

Does Nick take the job?  Does Nick move to San Fransisco instead?  Do Kate and Nick get back together?  Is Zoe a stable child after having a great movie montage moment with Nick, but now she knows they aren't going to hang out anymore?  Tune in to find out!  Or, you can probably assume that will happen, b/c this is a very predictable movie.

Two more side notes:  Zoe has some really great knit hats and scarfs.  I was jealous of her wardrobe.  And Abigail Breslin always seems to play the super smart kid.  In this movie she was more like a mini adult than a child.  Same thing in Definitely, Maybe (with hottie Ryan Reynolds).  She knew all about complex relationships and was talking about them with her father.  I miss the Dakota Fanning craze - she always seemed to play a great "kid".

Dudley DoRight

Who:  Amber & Jonathan
What:  Dudley DoRight
Where:  @ home - free HBO weekend
Why:  Jonathan picked

Man, this movie was pretty bad.  And it wasn't bad b/c all the actors were acting like cartoon characters (very fake-ish), the plot line was just pretty slim.

We meet Dudley DoRight (Brenden Fraiser), a Canadian Mountie.  We don't get much of his background.  All we know is he has wanted to be a Mountie his entire life, and he's some kind-of moron.  Then there is Nell (Sarah Jessica Parker).  She's the sweetest gal in town.  And our villian is Snidley Whiplash (Doc Oc from Spiderman 2).  He's got a kick butt name, and he lives for causing trouble.

The problem is, I'm kind-of confused about Snidley's plan.  He buys some gold, plants it all over town, and tells the media that there is "free gold here in Canada!".  All the Americans sprint up to Canada to pan for the gold.  They are getting rich, and spending money in their town.  That doesn't seem so bad.  Oh yeah, Snidley has pretty much bought everything IN town, renamed it "Whiplash City" ... so he is making a huge profit off this.

Snidley and Dudley duel over Nell.  They have a final showdown with the help of some local Indians, and of course Dudley wins.  It was all just ... over.  Not much plot happening.  Even some random Eric Idol and Regis and Kathie Lee (yes, this was in the Kathie Lee days) can't save this movie.

Bandits

Who:  Amber
What:  Bandits
Where:  @ home - recorded off cable
Why:  It had Bruce Willis in it

I just looked up this movie on IMDB, and it was nominated for some awards.  No wonder I could barely watch this movie.  I don't normally 'do' award winning movies.

This movie started out great!  Bruce Willis (long hair tough guy) and Billy Bob Thorton (glasses wearing nerd) are in jail, giving an interview with a TV show.  They are bank robbers, and they've been caught.  I kind-of like it when movies practically tell you what's going to happen, and then you watch how it all unfolded.

Too bad this movie didn't keep my attention AT ALL.  I never even made it to the end, so forgive me if I finish up this review in mid sentence ...

Billy Bob and Bruce Willis are in jail.  They manage to escape and continue on with their bank robbing ways.  They are known as the "Sleepover Bandits".  They kidnap the managers the night before the robbery.  They spend a quiet (and sometimes enjoyable - nothing dirty) evening at home with their families, then they arrive to work with the manager before the bank opens.

Then a bored housewife is tired of her jerk husband runs away, she ends up with these 2 criminals, and helps them out.  She's attracted to Bruce Willis ... then makes her way over to Billy Bob Thornton's room ... you can see where this is going.

Eventually one of the bank managers realize that Bruce and Billy Bob won't hurt them, and he decided not to play along with the robbery.  Cops arrive ... and this is where I stopped watching.  It was just too bored.  I guess I can't recommend this movie at all!

Music and Lyrics

Who:  Amber
What:  Music and Lyrics
Where:  @ home - free HBO
Why:  Bill already Movie Yak'ed about it, and he made me want to see it

This movie was super cute!!!  I highly recommend it.  It combined 2 things I really enjoy:  '80's music and Drew Berrymore.  (I think I spelled her name wrong).

The movie starts out with a cheese-ball music video by everybody's (fake) '80's band POP!  "Pop goes my heart"  It's a duo of 2 guys - like Wham.  And just like Wham, one of them continues on to fame, and the other one pretty much seems to die.

This movie is about the 'dead' member of Pop.  His name is Alex, and he's living comfortably in NYC.  He's fully aware that he's an 80's has been, and it's ok with him.  He does shows at little state fairs, at some 1987 high school reuinion, etc.  The ladies still love him and his sexy hip action!

The problem, the Brittney Spears-like singer of this time, named Cora, wants a to collaborate with an '80s had been.  Whom ever can write a song in 3 days gets the job and gets to tour with Cora!  Alex is all over this challenge - he could become an UN-has been!

Drew Barrymore (Sophie) is at Alex's house, watering his plants or something.  Alex is trying to write a song and play a tune on the piano.  Alex says some lyrics, and Sophie opens her big mouth and whips out some genius lyrics.  She's a natural song writer.  3 straight days of Alex writing music and Sophie writing lyrics and wha-la - a hit song!

I wont' give away the rest to you, but it ends pretty much how you would expect it to.  It's a super cute movie, with some super groovy songs.  Make sure you pay attention to the Pop Up Video during the credits.  Man, I could watch Pop Up Videos all day long ...