Seth Rogen is the most overrated comedic actor in the business. Knocked Up was a good role for him and had good writing, Superbad he was a good supporting role, but other than that he has been terrible. That mall-cop type movie he did was terrible.
Just watched "Remember Me" and I must say it was pretty damn good. The surprise ending really got me, as well as the scene where they pick on his little sister; and I could honestly say I would have reacted the same way as he did had they picked on my little sister. Overall 9/10; one of the most underrated movies of 2010.
Watched Hop and Limitless as a double-feature out at the drive-in in Cypress last weekend. My son wanted to see Hop, and I wanted to see Limitless. Surprisingly, I liked Hop a lot better than I thought I would. Hop - 7.5/10 I went into this expecting something along the lines of Chipmunks or Garfield. But no. First off, Marsden sold this completely, and without any mugging or obvious notes which imply that he was not giving 100% to what he was doing. That made all the difference to me, in fact, this movie probably should end up being the standard by which 'these types' of movies are judged, because the acting was solid, the writing was MUCH more clever than I expected, and the story was, well, basically a rip-off of half-dozen Santa movies, but it worked. Don't hesitate to watch this one with the kids. Limitless - 8/10 I enjoyed this movie a lot. It broke some long-standing Hollywood 'rules', which I liked, but which maybe not everyone is prepared for. First, and most noticeable, Spoiler The marketing of the film prominently utilizes a scene between Cooper's character and the uber-wealthy tycoon played by DeNiro, and it shows them arguing, threatening each other, etc. This implies some of the conflict in the movie, it implies that the story would be at least partially about this conflict. However, that scene is essentially the very last scene in the movie. I mean, there was no conflict from it, the credits were literally rolling less than a minute later. I don't mind it, I juts found it notable that I cannot recall a movie ever having been marketed that way. The marketing did nothing to reveal the 'big surprise' at the end, nor did it negatively affect the movie-watching experience for me at all.. I just found it.. odd. Second, this movie is essentially a fairy-tale. It re-imagines the age-old story of a man finding a genie in a bottle, and being granted his dearest wish. The convention is that the 'moral of the story' is always a demonstration to the reader/viewer that 'one should always be careful what one wishes for, because you may just get it, and it ALWAYS comes at a terrible price'. The Genie in the Bottle is an evil character always, and always exacts a toll on the wisher, it always ends tragically. And this movie spent great pains to make sure that it followed that convention all the way to the very end, where it is revealed that... he wins. The protagonist wins, pays no terrible price, does not suffer horrible tragedy, etc etc.. nothing. It is the happiest of happy endings. Definitely a surprise, but I can't say I didn't like it. Sometimes being hemmed in by those age-old conventions makes for predictable and boring movies, so it was fine. It just makes me wonder if the ending was re-shot, if maybe test audiences may have hated an original tragic ending, and instead they decided to go the opposite way with it. I have no idea, but it wouldn't surprise me. ..but all in all, it was an excellent movie, Cooper managed a difficult role flawlessly, and the cinematography and 'effects', such as they were, really clicked. Highly recommended.
Elite Squad 2 - 9/10 Brazilian movie about the slums, police and political corruption. If you like The Wire and City of God, then youll probably like this movie too.
Hanna 4/10 story is as lackluster as the action sequences how this got a 'fresh' rating i will never know, should have seen your highness instead... shame
The American (2010) 8/10 Great character-driven and methodical film about a man wrestling with himself. He lives in 'hell', as defined by a priest in the movie, because there is no love in his life. It then becomes a race of his past versus his desire to escape his existential and lonely life by running away with a woman he loves. It has a very slow pace, much like the sleepy Italian town where it's shot at, which also serves as a metaphor for the protagonist's mind: labyrinthine, multi-faceted, and empty most of the time. The cinematography was very well done. There is very little action save for a few scenes. Violante Placido as the love interest is incredibly good-looking, but Clooney did a masterful job at acting. And what is it with Clooney starring in badly advertised movies? I was hesitant in watching this movie because I heard it was bad from several people, until I realized the kind of action/spy movies those people liked: the Bourne trilogy, Wanted, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, etc. This movie was not for that crowd. If you liked 'The Spy Who Came In From The Cold', 'Michael Clayton', and other slow, cerebral movies, watch this.
Purple Rain 7/10 Good movie. The acting was....so-so at best but the music makes up for it. A few questions about the movie: Spoiler 1. Why does everybody get upset after The Kid breaks out Darling Nikki on stage? 2. After Morris makes his How's the family? comment, they show him later down the hall and he look remorseful for doing so. Was I reading that wrong? 3. Did Morris finally get over the feud at the end since he was cheering The Kid on? School Ties 7/10 Good movie with a lot of future stars. Was America, especially the youth, really that Anti-Semitic back in the 1950s?
I don't know if you guys saw "the man from earth" on netflix, but it blew me away. It made me really think and appreciate the movie. I would recommend it for sure.
Hobo With A Shotgun 13 Assassins No need for rating score, if you enjoy entertainment then there you go!!!
??? wait... so, hobo with a shotgun actually developed into a movie? i thought the trailer was made just for some sort of a grindhouse contest?
All-Star Superman / A- IMO, tied with "Batman: Under the Red Hood" as the best DC animated movie; really enjoyed it. The Jonses / C+ I liked it; needed more Amber Heard though. Ending was rushed. Jonah Hex / D+ Not as bad as everyone was making it out to be, it wasn't good either. I like how Megan Fox was shoehorned into the movie.
Red - 5/10. Not as bad as I thought but i heard it blew so i wasnt expecting much. Had a lot of potential. Fair Game - 7/10. Better than i thought it would be. The first 3/4 of the movie are really good. i thought the last quarter was a bit too political message-y. Due Date - 6ish/10. I heard it was bad but was a surprised. Nothing groundbreaking but there are a few good laughs. 127 Hours - 9/10. Very well done and intense.
Unstoppable: 8/10 predictable, but very entertaining...lots of action and had some good lines...Hooters FTW!!!
Battleground 9/10 - Old WWII movie from 1949 about the 101st Airborne during the Battle of the Bulge. Gotta love Netflix streaming. Fixed A few questions about the movie: Spoiler 1. Why does everybody get upset after The Kid breaks out Darling Nikki on stage? Not sure, it's been a while. I think they were mad because he got a little carried away on stage with the screaming and humping the stage, etc. 2. After Morris makes his How's the family? comment, they show him later down the hall and he look remorseful for doing so. Was I reading that wrong? I read that as Morris just trying to show off in front of his friends, then as soon as they're gone, he realizes what a jackass he's been. 3. Did Morris finally get over the feud at the end since he was cheering The Kid on? I think so. Maybe he was trying not to look like a bad guy at the end. Sort of like Johnny handing the trophy to Daniel at the end of Karate Kid. Remember, Morris had records to sell too and no one wants to buy them from an a-hole. At least not back in the eighties...
