Battleship ~ Don't think about it... just watch!

When I saw the trailer and heard that the movie is based on the Hasbro game, I wondered how they were going to pull this movie off. Alien crafts against our own Navy, we are surely on the short end of the stick here. Then I found out Rihanna was going to play a part of action hero girl, and I became more skeptical of the movie.

I knew Liam Neeson (Admiral Shane) and Taylor Kitsch (Lt. Hopper) were also in the movie, so I was hoping the movie would pan out, and it does. Alexander Skarsgard, of True Blood fame, plays Hopper’s older more mature and more successful brother, so those of you with a crush on him will get a fix.

The movie is pretty good if you throw away some of the more unbelievable parts I’ll be describing later. No sense ruining the movie for those who want to see it, right? The action scenes are fun, the patriotic vibe for our wounded soldiers, naval personnel, and veterans adds a nice flair to the movie, and the “overcoming tremendous odds” theme really work for the film.  That being said, let’s dive in.

Alex Hooper is a loser. He can’t motivate himself, he has no drive, and he has no direction. He falls for a girl and gets into trouble, his Navy-brother bails him out, and pretty much makes him join the service. Let’s ignore the fact, that if you joined the Navy, had a bad record, no college, and were a waste of space, you wouldn’t be placed as an officer on a destroyer under the command of your brother, dating the Admiral’s hot daughter whom you fell for before you joined.

Aliens arrive on Earth to set up a base around Hawaii, test our defenses, and pretty much kick our butt with their technology. Now, unfortunately our naval fleet is out on an exercise in the middle of the ocean, and when the aliens establish their base we have three ships inside their force field in which to save the world. I told you it was a bit “fantastical.” The aliens destroy two of the three ships with missiles looking peculiarly like the pegs of the old Battleship game, the take out the last boat commander putting Hopper in charge.

For some reason the aliens can’t see us, because even though they come from a similar planet, they have lizard eyes which means the sun is too bright for them or something like that. The aliens are using our own communications to call in the rest of the alien invasion force, and the only one that can stop them is the destroyer John Paul Jones whose captains have figured out a way to attack the aliens using buoys and firing missiles on a grid similar to the board game. Still with me?

We’ve made it this far right? Oh no, the destroyer get destroyed and we have less than a few hours to stop them, we don’t have anything left but a decommissioned battleship and the veterans who use to work on it. The movie gives you a shot of “Patriotism” and we’re off to kick some alien buttocks!

“Oh brother, someone is gonna kiss the donkey,” does not even come close to describing the fight that will ensue.

All that being said, if you can put logic away for two hours, the movie is fast paced, fun, and worth a look just for you people who have played and love the game. You can even get past Rihanna as a tough Navy gal.             

The Dictator ~ Funny... unless your really politically correct...

The voice of King Julien of Madagascar has reached ultimate power and is the Dictator Admiral General Aladeen (Sacha Baron Cohen) in this Borat like comedy. He fights to keep democracy from coming to Northern Africa even though his closest advisor Ben Kingsley is trying to wretch it from him to allow the major oil companies and China to plunder it. Gotta love democracy right?

That’s pretty much the whole point of the movie and much of Cohen’s comedy style. If you can’t laugh at yourself, you’re not going to get his message. This movie makes fun of Muslims, Americans, Israelis, Liberals, Conservatives, blacks, whites, lesbians, celebrities… everyone. No one is safe from the rapid succession of joke grenades and innuendos. The soundtrack is awesome!

Aladeen is the utmost un-politically correct person in the world, yet he finds himself trapped in America when he is replaced by a double. The evil of democracy will sicken his country if he cannot stop it.

A few people at the screening got offended early and left the theater. A few others simply didn’t get the jokes, but for the most part, the movie was hilarious, if that is your kind of humor. I found myself thinking… “DAMN!” and “No he didn’t just say…” throughout the whole movie. I wouldn’t say it’s worth the theater prices, but definitely rental see-worthy.

That being said it wasn’t the FUNNIEST movie I’ve seen thus far, but I do want to see it again because of how fast the jokes fly at you, I know I’ve missed a lot.   

Dark Shadows ~ Not boring... and it's Johnny.

I’m not even going to fake it. I’m not going to pretend I was a fan of the old classic show. I knew of it but I really had no time to watch it when I was younger, nor was I inclined to watch a British TV show if it wasn't Benny Hill. That being said, this movie was not bad. I don’t know if they stayed true to the original story line but in today’s world of movies, does it matter?

Face it. If you’re a Dark Shadows fan, you’re going to watch it. If you swoon over Johnny Depp, you’re going to watch it. If you’re a diehard fan of the 70’s, you might watch it.

Barnabas Collins (Johnny Depp) is a cursed man. He is a vampire, and he has spurned the love of a witch, a very sexy witch, Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green) and if she can’t have him, no one will. Take the vampire from the 1770’s and place him in the 1970’s. Now we have the plot of the movie. There are some very comical parts as Barnabas comes to terms with his new world and the dwindling of his family’s prestige.

Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Michelle Pfeiffer) is the matron of the struggling Collins estate. Their wealth is gone, their company is in ruins, and they are not the cream of the crop. Victoria Winters (Bella Heathcote) seeks employment as a governess for Elizabeth’s young grandson and she also has a secret.

Ok, long story short, Barnabas is chained in a coffin and sealed in the earth until 1970 where he is freed and finds out Angelique, the witch, has been plaguing his family for centuries, and he means to rebuilt the family honor. Throw in the 70’s hippies, free love, sexual innuendos, and that’s the movie. What I did like about the movie is that they didn’t sugar coat the “Vampire” parts. He drank blood, he killed, and he moved on. Don’t worry, he apologizes first. Angelique still loves Barnabas and wants to “join” him in every way.

The movie disappointed me in that all of the funny scenes are in the trailer. You see the scenes coming, but they lose the punch, so tell people who are going to see it to avoid the trailers by all means if they wish to laugh a little louder. It is worth a look, and the story is interesting but you really don’t need to see it in the theater unless you want the “theater” experience. It will be just as good on DVD.

And... BTW... it has ALICE COOPER!

Avengers - Worth it!

Avengers Assemble... for the win!

You have seen all the hype. A few years worth…from the ending of Iron Man and the second (better) Hulk and you’re wondering if it’s worth it. Well… HELL YEAH! The Avengers is an awesome movie. It has been building for quite some time. I liked Hulk, Loved both Iron Man movies, Thought Thor was ok, and liked Captain America…. all stepping stone to the big dance.

Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) steal the show. Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) take on Loki (Tom Hiddleston) Norse god of Mischief and his army of alien invaders. Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) pulls the team together to defend the world from its impending doom.

The Avengers are rough at first, not getting along, but eventually they find a common cause and kick some major butt! The action is intense, the scenery is wonderful, and the story line is good. It does drag slightly in some places but it isn’t bad enough to notice. The computer graphics and humor are epic and something worth seeing.

My inner comic book geek places this movie about the Xmen. The movie does count on you to have seen the other individual ones to get the backgrounds, but other than that there are no noticeable flaws in the movie.

Put this on the: “to Watch” list. If you are a true Avengers comic book fan… wait until the very end… you won’t regret it! 

Cabin in the Woods… or Lame in the Theater… you decide

Dana (Kristen Connolly) the virgin, Curt (Chris Hemsworth) the athlete, Jules (Anna Hitchison) the whore, Marty (Fran Kranz) the fool, and  Holden (Jesse Williams) the scholar all head out into the boonies for a weekend of fun and fornication, but it turns out they are pawns in a much bigger scheme. I wish I was making this up.

This movie rips off so many other movies it’s not funny. It has a Deliverance weirdo at the gas station, Evil Dead’s cabin with creepy cellar, Hellraiser like puzzle, and The Ring ghost in other scenes. The plot of the movie is that the “Ancient Ones” are sealed beneath the earth (like Wrath of the Titans) and to be placated, a sacrifice must be made each time. The victims must suffer then die, and the Ancient Ones will stay underground. 

So this government group ensures that a very elaborate and painful death await the victims. Then they force the kids into the behavior they need for the sacrifice to work in a large Hollywood studio like military complex.

The hero of the movie for me was Marty, the dope smoking conspiracy theorist. If not for his enjoyable rants and acting (similar to Shaggy on Scooby doo) I would be adamantly against anyone going to see this movie. It’s definitely a rental view. Don’t waste your money on a theater ticket for this one.  

There’s just too many stupid things that make this movie less entertaining and more annoying. 

American Pie Reunion ~ same ol’ stuff

One of the complaints about movies now-a-days is that “there are no NEW ideas.” Remakes of old TV shows and sequels ten years after are everywhere. Hollywood is hoping to get one more drink of that money trough. In short, they’re counting on you to feel nostalgic.

American Pie Reunion is no different. I mean that literally. It’s the same movie basically as all the rest. The plot is the same, the actors have returned, and they still have pretty much the same hang ups except their lives did not turn out the way they planned (kinda like ours).  Jim is the sexually awkward man, now married to Michelle with a kid. Kevin is still a little obsessed with his first love, Vicky. Oz is still a buff jock hung up on love lost, Finch is still enigmatic, and Stifler is still a dick.

You already know the plot. There’s an embarrassing sexual encounter with Jim who will obviously be caught by the public. Stifler will screw with people. Finch will pretend to be cooler than he really is, Oz will fawn over Heather and try to win her back. Then there is the awkward and funny moments between Jim and his dad.

In short, if you liked the American Pie movies, you’ll like this one. It’s funny, the same theme, the same show, just 13 years later. Even the Sherminator, Shifler’s mom, and Milf-brothers have returned. It’s a good movie if you’re a fan, but a slow decay of our standards as Hollywood repackages the old into new. 

Wrath of the Titans ~ David and Goliath on Steroids

Man no longer prays to the Gods. Their time is coming to an end. What man doesn’t realize is that the power of the Gods has been keeping Kronos trapped within the Earth. As the Gods weaken, their prison for Titans also weakens. Where are they going to go? Oops.

Perseus (Sam Worthington) doesn’t want any part of it. He’s done doing the bidding of gods like his father Zeus (Liam Neeson), his half-brother Ares (Edgar Ramirez), and Uncle Hades (Ralph Fiennes). He just wants to raise his son. Unfortunately the titans will be released upon the Earth and Kronos will destroy everything. Perseus has to break out the gear and start being a hero again.

I’m a little rusty on my Greek mythology, but the movie helps you figure out what you need to know to get the gist of the movie. I’m not quite sold on Worthington as a good actor yet, but he’s growing on me. I can’t complain about Liam Neeson at all. I did not get to see the first movie as of yet (Clash of the Titans) but I am familiar with the version from the 80’s which has always been a favorite of mine.  The animation is good. You do not have a problem with the blending of CG and human actors. The Story line is a bit far-fetched but we are talking about gods, titans, and cyclops, oh my.

Whenever there is a movie with small things in the same scene with big this, it always seems to get a little hard to follow the action. Make the action fast, and it’s REALLY hard. There are parts like that in Wrath. The scene is happening so fast you don’t realize what you’re seeing until it’s done, but it is not enough to make you give up on the movie.

Not many people liked the first one, and I’d suggest not letting that limit your options to see this one. I saw it in 3D and it really didn’t need to be. If you don’t have a movie you’ll holding out for, you might want to consider it, but definitely see the rental.  

Watch for the brief return of an old friend from the 80’s movie. I won’t tell you who. (I said tell.)  

Silent House ~ just like the theater.... ZZZzzzzz...

Elizabeth Olsen is breaking into the movie industry. I imagine all stars have a bumpy time at first, and she’s no different. In Silent House, she plays Sarah, an odd young woman who seems to be at odds with something. Problem is the movie never explains it. In a nutshell, this movie sucked. The director tried to be unique with a chasing camera, unfocused kind of thing. At time I swear I thought Sarah was going to smash her face into the camera because it was following too close. It’s hard to watch when the cameraman runs to get in front of a running actor and it appears he drops the camera. It’s OK if you’re watching a show like COPS, but in a motion picture, not so much.

Adam Trese plays John, her dad, and Eric Sheffer Stevens, play Peter, her uncle. Strange things start to happen to Sarah when she becomes trapped in her childhood home….um…ok.. That’s what the trailer says. Look away if you plan on seeing the movie. 

Girl flips out and kills her father and uncle in her neglected childhood home because they molested her as a child. The movie tries to make you believe someone has broken into the house and attacked them, but it fails miserably. Sarah interacts with another woman that later turns out to be herself but in a clumsy way. There's a big goon who walks around in camouflage dragging bodies that also turns out to be Sarah. 

Ok… those who want to see the movie can come back, if there are any. Olsen plays the part of a scared woman very convincingly. I imagine its natural growing up with her sisters. The movie just didn’t make any sense.  I wouldn’t even bother renting it. Bad camera shots, jittery filming, purposely unfocused scenes, and a story that doesn't mean a damn thing. I'm not a fan of "quirky" but maybe you are.

Hopefully Olsen’s streak of quirky want to be movies will end and she can get her career going.  

21 Jump Street ~ Hillarious, go see it!

Funny, funny, funny! I’m not kidding. I laughed (as well as everyone in the theater) nearly all 109 minutes. Seriously! Jonah Hill (Schmidt) and Channing Tatum (Jenko) are two underachievers.  Schmidt is smart but not physically up to the task, and Jenko is all muscle and little brain. They become friends in the police academy to pass. Life as policemen isn’t as fantastic as they hoped and when their big chance to make a bust happens…. They blow it.

Off to Jump Street which is run by Ice Cube (Captain Dickson) who does not hide his true feelings. Their job is to infiltrate a high school, befriend the drug dealers, find the source of a new drug ready to become viral, and bring it down. The boys are up to the task….well…  The roles get reversed. The high school jock, Jenko, finds himself in a world he cannot understand as the geeks are now the cool click in school. Everyone actually studies, cares about the environment and feelings. Schmidt finds himself one of the coolest kids in school, even though he’s forced to move back in with his parents.

I absolutely loved this movie. I caught glimpses of the TV series growing up, but not enough to to determine if it’s a good reference. There is a nice surprise for fans of the TV show….. aw hell… It’ll be news soon enough. Johnny Depp and Peter Deluise make a cameo. Shhh… don’t tell everyone. 

I find myself in the strange position of trying NOT to tell people about the movie because I want them to go see it so I can see if they laugh as much as I did. So go see it…. And come back ant tell me! 

John Carter ~ Avatar who?

John Carter (Taylor Kitsch) is a Civil War cavalry soldier who is still at war with himself, authority, and just about anyone else around him. He gets transported to Mars. The gravity on Mars is substantially less than Earth, so John Carter is 10 time stronger than the regular inhabitants. He's faster, stronger, more agile, regular Superman without the tights. As he tries to come to terms with his new environment, his sense of honor drives him to do what most honorable men do, defend the helpless.

Powers beyond comprehension are moving to continue Mars down it’s path of destruction and eventually as gets explained, destroy Earth. John Carter becomes the road block. He saves the princess of Helium, Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins) and with the help of Sola (Samantha Morton, the daughter of the  Mars warrior creature chief Tar Traks (Willem Dafoe), he turns the tide against the evil forces.

First off, this movie was phenomenal. The computer graphics are stunning. I was blown away. Avatar move over… there’s a new king in town. This movie is based on a comic book in which a human rises to become a warlord on Mars. This movie is a winner. As with most science fiction, there are language barriers and terms unfamiliar to the audience that we need to get over, but the movie does it rather well. Remember how in Harry Potter they said "muggle" and at first no one knew what a muggle was? That kind of thing.

The hero is good looking. The princess is sexy and strong. The CG is captivating and the creatures are flawless from the fur on the giant white gorilla monsters, to the lovable facial expressions of  Woola, Carter’s dinosaur-like dog. The flying ships, the planet, the detail of the landscape blows Avatar away. I know there’s some hard core Avatarians out there who won’t stand for it. If you’re going to see this in the theater… pay a little extra to see the 3D. The mesh of CG and human actor is superb.

Disney knocks it out of the park on this one.  

Puss in Boots ~ Underwhelming..

I remember when I first saw the Puss in Boots trailer. I thought it was going to be awesome, especially for the kids, and judging by the success of Shrek, a sure hit. I don’t think that anymore. My kids weren’t very thrilled. In fact, they lost interest a quarter of the way through it. Antonio Banderas returns as the voice of Puss, and he does have some witty lines, but for the most part, it’s all been done before (like the catnip line.)

Pass and Humpty Dumpty grew up orphans in a town, where apparently no other fairy tale creatures grew up. They got into trouble together, then as a twist of fate, Puss became the town hero and Humpty withdrew to become the town scum-bag.  Later in life they reconnect with a female cat to steal magic beans from an equally mean Jack and Jill so that they can get the golden eggs from the Giant’s golden goose. Bored yet?

There’s a cat dancing scene, some funny spots from time to time, but “meh.” Don’t kill yourself trying to get to Redbox to rent it. I think it was the lack of other fairy tale characters that made it bland, and not so special. Not to mention the story really doesn't fit into the Shrek world at all.

If you kids like Shrek, try it out, but don’t be surprised if it’s a rent..not own experience. It all felt like a rip-off of Zorro.

Gone ~ finally an ending I’m happy with.

Jill Parrish (Amanda Seyfried) is crazy. Or at least that’s what the local Oregon Police department thinks. A year ago she was found in the woods claiming to escape from a kidnapping. A serial killer had thrown her into a pit in the middle of the woods, and when he finally came to kill her, like the other girls in the pit, she got away. The police searched but didn’t find anything. No pit, no evidence of abduction, no marks on Jill’s body.

Now her sister Molly is missing. Again there’s no evidence, but Jill is convinced he’s back and after her again. Molly will be dead by sunrise unless Jill can find her and the police think it’s all in her head. 

Talk about suspense. This movie was really good. It wasn’t slow. It kept you guessing, and you didn’t know up until the end who was right, Jill, or the police. I won’t give away the ending, but it was epic! Finally a movie ended in the way I could believe in. No supernatural ability of the killer to keep coming after the girl, getting up when you think they’re dead, and silly tactics like that.

“That’s what I would do.” was amusingly shouted out at the theater at the end of the movie, and they were right. Looking for a night of suspense? Put this movie on the “to do” list. 

Ghostrider: Spirit of Vengeance ~ Regular Guy vs. the Comic Book Guy

I struggle a little bit with this one because I want to remain objective, but Ghost Rider was my favorite comic book and Marvel super hero. When the first one came out, I was excited and very worried that they would mess it up, and I liked the first one for the most part. I thought the bike was cool, and they kept to the comic pretty good. The whole fighting demon things was a little lame and the soul thing was a bit boring, but all in all I liked it.

I really wanted a sequel and due to some legal issues, it was delayed. Then hearing about how Nick Cage wanted to “make the character better” and that the new director never read any of the comics, I started to lose hope. Yet here it is, and since Johnny Blaze (Nick Cage) struggles through the movie with a split personality, I thought it fitting to do this review with mine.

Let’s dive in shall we?

If you want to see a kick-ass flaming skull on a motorcycle destroy some bad guys, this movie is GREAT! Johnny is struggle to keep the Demon of Vengeance inside because when it comes out, it’s uncontrollable, hungry for vengeance, and sees every little sin you’ve done.

Close, but the comic clearly stated “innocent blood” had to be spilled. Not the stupid “illegal downloads” Cage refers to in his message at the beginning of the film. Thanks for the public service announcement against piracy, jerk.

The devil, named Roarke (Ciarán Hinds)…

Mephisto

Who?

The devil in the comic is named Mephisto, or Mephistopheles…from the first movie… you know.. Peter Fonda’s role?

Well the devil has many names.

Convenient isn’t it since they can’t remember the name they used from the first one. They can’t even stay true to the first movie. We’re all doomed.

Roarke’s vessel is breaking down, and he needs a new body to use to remain in our world, so he makes another deal with a dying woman named Nadya (Violante Placido) to have a son, Danny (Fergus Riordan) in which at a later date he can take over to rule. The only way to protect the boy from Roarke and his henchman Carrigan (Johnny Whitworth) is to have “The Rider” take him to a sanctuary of monks according to Moreau (Idris Elba) another protector.

HUH? Ok, seriously, if you want to introduce another comic book character of the time period like Damien Hellstrom, the Son of Satan, make another movie about him. The comic didn’t do so well back in the 70’s when the Devil’s kid rebelled and decided to become a super hero and this all sounds too goofy. The Devil has never needed a vessel to do his nasty work. He’s been plaguing man for year? Can you say Daniel Webster? Adam and Eve? Jesus? HEEEELLLLOOOO?

The special effects and fight scenes are fun and done well. I struggled with Nick Cage’s acting as he tried to keep “the Rider” at bay inside his body, but I’m not a very big fan of his work as it is. As he tracks down the boy and Carrigan, there are some pretty sweet fight scenes you can get into.  

Cage plays a wacko just a little too well don’t cha think? The whole weird scene where his face morphs as he keeps Ghostrider inside was in my opinion…. LAME! The fights were ok except for the rocking, twitchy thing they made the Ghost Rider do. Felt like they were trying to redo the little girl ghost scene from “The Ring.”

Ok…. That part was a bit weird for me too.

And what about them taking away….

Shhhh… don’t tell them about that part. Yeah, ok… that part was dumb, but they needed it for the plot.

Plot? They have over 100 comic books of plot already written out, villains, dram, cool art, scenery. Why do these Hollywood types think their ideas are better? They’re doing Spiderman again, but starting from scratch. Let me guess, they have more ideas on how to make one of the most successful comic books better right?

Well, I agree on that, but that’s not the subject of this review, Ghost Rider is. So if you want to see a demon thwart the Devil, kick some major butt, and destroy bad guys, you’ll like the movie.

Angel

What?

Angel? They said Zarathos was an Angel first.

And?

In the comic, he was a soul devouring demon. He was never an angel. They just did that for the part…

Shhh… you’re giving it away.

More Hollywood ideas huh? If you’re a comic-book fan, you’re in for a lot of WTF moments. I the comic, there are two Ghost Riders, the 70’s comic in which Johnny Blaze bound to Zarathos, a soul hungry demon, and the 90’s version who was a Spirit of Vengeance, bound to protect innocence and punish those who would cause them harm. If anyone would have read the comics, they wouldn’t have confused the two.

Are all comic book types as picky as you?

I imagine so.   

So you decide which one of me is right. The Regular Guy….

Or the Comic Book Guy…. psst... pick me... I am sooooo much cooler!

Act of Valor ~ Damn Few.

This movie is a unique film in that it uses real enlisted United States Navy Seals. You discover what it’s like to be part of a Navy Seal team. The movie tries to give you a first person view of what combat is like for a Seal. You’re part of the training, the action, and you feel the emotion when these brave men have to leave their families when duty calls.

I think the movie was done really well. I imagine filming a military movie can be quite complicated in that if you glorify the soldiers too much, you are seen as making a recruiting video. If you don’t do it enough, you’re seen as anti-military propaganda. I felt this movie was just right. The enlisted men had to play themselves, so it wasn’t awkward watching them interact with professional actors.  

What starts off as an extraction mission to rescue a captured CIA agent turns into a hunt for terrorist entering America with devious intentions. The Seal team follows each lead, tracking down vital information to stop them from entering America and killing innocent people. Unlike other movies you may have seen which seem unrealistic, this movie is believable.

If you’re a fan of combat movies, you’ll enjoy this movie. If you’re anti-military everything, you’ll wish to stay away. You’ve seen movies showing the training these men have gone through. Now see them put that training to use. I could not help cheering in different parts of the movie my self. 

God Bless the US Seal Teams, our military, and everyone who shows Valor, be they the police, the firefighters, or anyone else who puts themselves in harm’s way to help others.    

Dream House ~ slow to start but worth the watch.

Will Atenton (Daniel Craig) retired from his publishing job to spend more time with his wife Libby (Rachel Weisz) and daughters. They had just bought a house and he was ready to write his novel. Now imagine that you just find out a man named Peter Ward killed his family in your house, and the whole world knew it but you. Worst yet is that he recently was released from the mental hospital after 5 years of treatment. Not because he was cured, but because they didn’t have enough evidence to keep him. Even the neighbor across the street Ann Patterson (Naomi Watts) won’t tell you anything.

What if you found out that you were actually Peter Ward? Holy creepy right? Well this movie is. The issue I had with this movie is that it takes a while to get going. They spend a lot of time showing you things which seem mediocre and boring, but as the revelation that Craig is Ward occurs, the earlier parts make sense and you may be sorry you didn’t pay closer attention.

This was a new take on the typical haunted house movie. Add to that Elias Koteas and you know it’s going to be twisted. That guy sets off my “creepy guy” alarm in every movie he’s in except for when he played KC Jones in Ninja Turtles… But I digress. The movie did make me feel sad in the end, and anyone else who has seen it will know why.

It’s worth a watch with a snuggle partner on the couch. 

In Time.... not a complete waste of time... but lacking a lot.

Just finished watching the movie" In Time" where Will Salas (Justin Timberlake) and Sylvia Weis (Amanda Seyfried) live in a world where everybody lives up into the age of 25 and then they never age anymore. Downside: you only have one year's worth of time to live unless you earn more by doing menial jobs, of course unless you're the very rich like Sylvia. For people in the ghetto like Will, they live not day by day but minute by minute.

I thought the idea of this movie would be pretty cool and messed up at the same time. Imagine being able look down at your arm and tell up to the second when you're going to die. I wonder if they got the idea for this movie from the Nickelback music video? Either way I thought it was a pretty cool premise for a movie. Timberlake didn't do a half bad job of acting which was a surprise to me.

The movie is about a man from the ghetto who is given over a century of time to live by another man who has lived over 100 years and is tired of living. Unfortunately the powers that be don't like the idea of people just giving away that much time so they come after him. Will runs into Sylvia in the neighborhood called “time zones” were all the rich time loving people live. The time police come ruin the party and the only way for Will to escape is to kidnap Sylvia the showing her a life that she never knew existed as the two become time Robin Hoods as such.

All in all I liked it though did get boring in some parts. Olivia Wilde plays only a brief part which was a downside. The movie is very far-fetched so if you can't get past that this is not going to be a good movie for you. Don't count on any hot and heavy love scenes. They seem to get cut short by the time police. They also make a lot of references to Will’s father and how the rich are “stealing” time from the poor in this movie that they never really follow through with and that's another bummer.

(look familiar?)

So enjoy it for what it is. A unique world where we measure our lives by how much life we have left.

The Grey ~ Do you like wolves? Not anymore...

Liam Neeson plays John Ottway, for lack of a better word, a wolf-killer. His job is to kill wolves that attack oilmen along the pipeline in Alaska. Apparently wolves are VERY territorial, and will kill other creatures invading within a certain radius of their den.

Like most Alaska films, the life in Alaska basically sucks. It’s lonely, full of riff-raff, the down-trodden, and people who are punishing themselves after losing everything they ever cared about. For a movie based on a “short story” at times it dragged on. A group of men from the oil company and Ottway are flying back to Anchorage for some time-off when their plane crashes leaving just seven men alive in the middle of the cold, nasty, forbidding land of Alaska.

To make matters worse, they’ve crashed in the “territory” of a nasty pack of large aggressive wolves. As in most survival movies, there’s personality conflicts, challenges for leadership, and all around unproductive behavior, meanwhile the wolf pack is picking off the men one by one as they try to walk their way to safety.

It wasn’t a bad movie, but as I said before, it did linger a bit. Why is it that we assume that as a man-creature, we would automatically become fragile, helpless things when left to our own abilities in the wildlife? Here’s a clue, when you have big nasties who want to kill you, the first thing you should do is sharpen a stick… and when they come, you stab them with it repeatedly why screaming your head off. Not only does it work some of the time, but it’s entertaining for those around you, and they may even elect you chief of the new tribe.

Joking aside, if you’re into these survival type movies, go for it. There’s no eating the dead, so I thought that was a plus. I didn’t quite believe the wolves’ behavior, but hey, it’s a movie. I will tell you one thing, so if you don’t want the end spoiled, this is your chance to look away. Are you still here? Off we go shall we…? The movie ends without you knowing what happened. The reason I mention this is that a lot of people I know will base a whole movie on the ending. So if you don’t mind cliffhanger endings, you’ll like the movie. If that kind of thing pisses you off, you’ll hate it. 

No go off you crazy kids, and build some spears or something….