Tag: movies

Zarutha was just like Jumanji except not as good. I believe it lacked the David Allen Grier laugh machine, the hot Bebe Neuwirth, and the eccentricities of Robin Williams. (I don’t believe I just said I miss Robin Williams in a movie!) What we end up with is Dax Shepard.

I always thought that Zach Braff was Dax Shepard. Or is it the other way around? Throughout the movie I thought it was Braff. I even waited until the credits to see if it was. It was not. Yet, I thought he went by a pseudonym to avoid being stuck in a stiff holiday film. Just look, Zach or Dax. They roll off the tongue the same way. Either way with that dude in it, Zathura was a snore.

It would’ve been better as a 4 player game same as Jumanji.

3 of 5 stars.

Prime. I thought the movie was written and directed by Ben Younger. who also did Boiler Room. I thought that he had starred in it also, because that would have gotten him close to fool around with Uma Thurman. It would have been his best chance.

Anyway, it was a nice movie. Not a full blown funny movie, but a charming film. It lost its way in the last third. In fact when a movie skips ahead a year, you know that the writer couldn’t figure out how to finish it off relying instead on a cliched plot device. The bittersweet ending was predictable, but still touching. I like it when the guy doesn’t get the girl. Put this in your NetFlix queue if you have the chance.

3 of 5 stars.

The Weatherman with Nick Cage. I did not like his character. I felt like shouting out, “It’s over. You failed at your marriage. Get over it.” I also did not like the relationship that the weatherman had with his father. I didn’t understand it. Plus, it seemed as if the father should’ve shaken his son a little bit more. Damn get your son on target. With that said, it wasn’t a bad movie. I laughed. Funny thing about it I thought it was an Alexander Payne film, but it was a Gore Verbinski.

This had Oscar try written all over it. I don’t think it was great, but it was good. If you can get over the nastiness that was the characters.

3 of 5 stars. (I would give it a half a star if I gave them out).

Since it is spook time here in the US, I thought it would be grand to catch a “scary” movie. So I caught the remake of The Fog. I don’t know why.

I don’t know why they had to remake it. The original was perfectly workable scary movie in its own right. I don’t know why they had to make it PG-13. All the scares were removed. I don’t know why they cast Selma Blair in the Adrienne Barbeau role. She’s no where near as old to have a son. What, was she 12 when she had her kid? That’s a frightening thought.

Anyway. Not scary enough. Dumb plot twists. Dumb casting.

2 of 5 stars.

Stick to reading ghost stories this Holloween.

What better way to start celebrating the scary holiday than some cheesy animated film. I am a fan of Wallace & Grommit. Also of animation. Stop motion is fun to watch. I thought the movie, though, was too long by a half hour. Wallace & Grommit are best as a short film. This was a bit stuffy too.

3 of 5 stars.

Pretty soon it will be September. Hurrah! As it is my favorite month. Yet I have not finished this summer movie season strong. My attempts have trailed off the last couple of weeks. In fact I have seen some movies but have not posted my reviews because I essentially forgot that I did see them. Well, let me wrap up the latest films I have seen.

The Island is as absurd a movie as there ever was. Supposedly, Micheal Bay’s comeback to action vehicle. Umm. Has he ever been away from that genre? The most absurd aspect of that movie. Scarlett Johanson running away from god knows what. Ewan told her to run so she ran. Not like Tia Leone. Why did she run?
2 of 5 stars.

Valiant. We took my nephew. He got frightened from the evil hawk. I was wondering why none of the pigeons died. Come on it should’ve been the standard war movie plotting. Rag-tag bunch. Each one to die.
3 of 5 stars.

The Cave was not this year’s Deep Blue Sea. It should’ve been. Sad. It was not even good. But it was better than The Island.
3 of stars.

It’s been a while since I have posted a review on this blog. It seems that the last thing I told you guys that I have seen was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It’s also been a while since I posted anything. I have seen some movies since last month and also read a book. So my movie viewing habit continues unabated and my quixotic quest continues slowly but surely. Here’s the ratings for the last thing I saw and read.

The Dukes of Hazzard 2 of 5 stars. (I would’ve given it 1, but there was some funny business with an armadillo helmet and Sean William Scott carried the day)

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. A- (You know you like a book when at the end you wish you could learn more about the characters. This deserves a longer review and/or a discussion.)

Tim Burton’s version of Roald Daahl’s Charlie and The Chocalate Factory was an unexpected pleasing movie. Very different than my childhood favortie Willie Wonka, yet eerily similar. Plot very much the same. Supposedly, Tim Burton’s film hewed to the book much better. The most striking part was the music. The lyrics are directly from the book, but the backing rythms are today. I didn’t like it. I missed the campy oompa loompa songs of the earlier one. Danny Elfman is really becoming an annoying composer.

3 of 5 stars.