Kung Fu Panda 2 in 3D

Movie: Kung Fu Panda 2 in 3D

Genre: animated adventure

Synopsis: Po (Jack Black) is back as the hero Panda – along with Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Mantis (Seth Rogan), Viper (Lucy Liu), Crane (David Cross), Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) and Mr. Ping (James Hong). Newcomer-bad-guys include Shen (Gary Oldman) and Wolf Boss (Danny McBride).  Newcomer-good-guys include Master Ox (Dennis Haysbert), Master Croc (Jean-Claude Van Damme) and Master Rhino (Victor Garber).  Po is on a quest to find out who he is (he finally figured out he was adopted).  Along the way, Po and his gang have to save China from Shen and his new weapon.

My two cents: If memory serves, I sort of liked the first King Fu Panda.  This one – not so much.  It just seemed to get very boring very quickly.  The most entertainment I had was in trying to identify the actors who were doing the character voices.  I was also disappointed by the 3D . . . not worth the extra money.

[97]

Last Night

Movie: Last Night

Genre: drama

Synopsis: Joanna (Keira Knightley) is married to Michael (Sam Worthington).  She is suspicious that Michael is attracted to his co-worker, Laura (Eva Mendes).  Joanna is less than happy when Michael goes on a business trip with Laura where we learn that she definitely is attracted to him.  On Michael’s first day away, an old flame of Joanna’s drops in on her – Alex (Guillaume Canet).  It seems that both Laura and Alex still have pretty strong feelings for each other.  The movie flips back and forth between the two pairs to follow them as they progress through the night on the road to bed . . . the question being whether end up alone or with someone other than their spouse.

My two cents: I really enjoyed this movie.  I loved the technique the director used of closely following Joanna and Alex as the re-kindle a flame that had never really died down – and then changes the scene to watch Michael and Laura explore their attraction.  It was almost like having a split screen as we watch Joanna and Michael each struggle with their feelings and morals in deciding how far they are willing to go .  If you like character-driven movies that are not heavy on action, you might enjoy this movie.

[96]

Skateland

Movie: Skateland

Genre: Drama

Synopsis: This movie is set in a small Texas town in the early 80’s.  Ritchie Wheeler (Shiloh Fernandez) and Michelle Burkham are recent high school grads.  Ritchie is content to be the assistant manager of the local roller rink.  His sort-of-girlfriend has bigger plans for her life and would like Ritchie to figure out what he wants to do.  When the roller rink goes out of business, Ritchie is forced to rethink his life.  The movie follows Ritchie and his friends as he tries to figure out what it is that he wants out of life.

My two cents: Some great nostalgic stuff here: MTV back when they actually showed music videos, instamatic cameras, vinyl records, cassettes. It was interesting to watch Ritchie struggle to understand what Michelle wanted from him . . . but the way the movie resolved this and their relationship just  did not make a lot of sense to me.  Color me disappointed.

[95]

Midnight in Paris

Movie: Midnight in Paris

Genre: romantic comedy / fantasy

Synopsis: Gil (Owen Wilson) is a successful movie screenplay writer who is trying to become a novelist.  He is engaged to Inez (Rachel McAdams).  They are visiting Paris with Inez’ parents.  Gil is absolutely infatuated with Paris.  He would like more than anything to have been able to live in the “Golden Age” of Paris – which he thinks was in the 1920’s.  One night when he is out walking, he finds himself in Paris is the 1920’s, talking to F. Scott Fitzgerald.  Of course, his wife thinks he is nuts.  He starts making nightly trips back to the 20’s abd meeting the renowned artists and novelists who made Paris such a hot spot in the 20’s.

My two cents: A really great movie.  Director Woody Allen nailed another good one.  It was nice to see Owen Wilson playing a character that you did not expect to hear call anyone “dude”.  It was the best romantic comedy I have seen in some time.  It was great fun to see Gil meet dead celebrity after dead celebrity.  I would like to have seen more of Rachel McAdams, but you can’t have everything.

[94]

The Hangover Part II

Movie: The Hangover Part II

Genre: comedy

Synopsis: If you saw the first Hangover, you know the basic plot.  A group of friends are partying the night before one of them gets married.  His time they are in Thailand  The next morning, all but one of them wake up in a hotel room recovering from a drunken binge, with no memory of what happened, and missing one their group.  The balance of the movie follows them around as they try to reconstruct what happened and find/rescue the missing friend (this time around, this is the 16-year-old brother of the bride).

My two cents: I went into this movie with low expectations.  I loved the first one, but did not see how they could do a sequel and keep it fresh.  I am happy to say – they did it.  I might even like this one better than the first.  Once again, Zach Galifianakis stole every scene he was in (at least among the humans).  Every time he opens his mouth, you want to gasp at the wildly inappropriate things he says.  Replacing the tiger this time around is . . . well, it is another animal . . . and it is hilarious.

Bottom line: if you liked the first Hangover, you should not be disappointed by this sequel.

[93]

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Movie: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Genre: adventure / fantasy

Synopsis: Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is back, along with Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) and Gibbs (Kevin McNally).  This time around, there is no Keira Knightley and no Orlando Bloom.  The two new characters (Angelica Malon) (Penélope Cruz) and Blackbeard (Ian McShane).  The English, Spanish, Blackbeard and Angelica are all trying to find the Ponce Deleon’s Fountain of Youth.  Jack is just trying to stay alive and out of prison  . . . and maybe find his old ship, the Black Pearl.

My two cents: I liked this better than the 3^rd installment in the series . . . but that was a pretty low bar.  Penélope Cruz was a nice addition, but I think they should have used her more.  Ian McShane also played a pretty good Blackbeard.  Other than those two, I found much of the movie to be boring.  As with the other movies in this series, be sure to wait for that final scene that comes at the end of the credits.

[92]

Bridesmaids

Movie: Bridesmaids

Genre: comedy

Synopsis: This is kind of a women’s version of Road Trip. Annie (Kristen Wiig) and Lillian (Maya Rudolph) have been best friends their entire lives.  Annie is in a bit of a slump after her bakery went under.  Lillian is newly engaged and asks Lillian to be her maid of honor.  The problems starts when Annie meets Lillies new friend, Helen (Rose Byrne).  Annie and Helen take an immediate dislike to each other and become obsessed with out-doing the each other.  Annie’s life continues to spiral down.  The effortless success of Helen in everything she does just makes things worse for Annie.  Things come to a head with a major meltdown by Annie.  The question is whether or not she will be able to climb out of her black hole of depression and make up with Lillian.

My two cents:  I loved this movie.  Kristen Wiig may just be my new comedic actress (well, number two – after Jennifer Anniston).  She and Maya Rudolph make a great team.  Rose Byrne was perfect as the beautiful sweet friend who is stabbing you in the back while flashing that charming smile.  Melissa McCarthy played the groom’s sister, a bride’s maid only because of her brother.  Melissa absolutely stole every scene she was in.  She needs to get into some more movies.  She has come a long way since Sookie St. James on Gilmore Girls.

I also liked the subplot of Annie’s budding romance with a cop.  It was really sweet to see her trying to break out of her habit of dating complete asses.  I found that the depths of the depression Annie sank into made me a little uncomfortable.  Although this is most assuredly a comedy, there are some serious issues and some serious lessons to be learned.

One sad note . . . Jill Clayburgh played Annie’s mother.  It was the last movie she made before she died.  It was sad to watch her, knowing it was her last performance.

I was one of only two men in the theatre with about 30 women.  It is too bad if men are staying away from this movie because it is being labeled a “chick flick”, they are missing a great comedy.

[91]

Jumping the Broom

Movie: Jumping the Broom

Genre: comedy

Synopsis: Sabrina (Paula Patton) and Jason (Laz Alonso) are happily engaged.  Standing between them and a happy wedding are Jason’s mother, Mrs. Taylor (Loretta Devine) and Paula’s parents, Mrs. Watson (Angela Bassett) and Mr. Watson (Brian Stokes Mitchell).  His mother is strictly blue-collar, living in Brooklyn and proud of it.  Her parents are fabulously wealthy and live in a huge compound on Martha’s Vineyard.  Jason is a momma’s boy, both mothers resent to hell out of each other – and both proceed to do their best to break up the engasgement.  Predictably, things turn to crap, the wedding is off, then on-again and . . . well, you get the idea.

My two cents: First thing – Brian Mitchell.  I had the pleasure of seeing Brian Mitchell sing the lead in Oklahoma when he was still in high school – he had an incredible voice even at so young an age..  I enjoyed seeing him both in Trapper John and in Frasier.  I have found mildly depressing to see how his characters keep getting older and older. . . and I keep waiting in vain for him to break out in song . . . but he never does.

This movie had a lot of unlikeable characters.  Mrs. Watson was wealthy her whole life and acted it.  A really arrogant snob who enjoyed putting people in their place.  Her unlikeability (probably not a word) was surpassed by that of Mrs, Taylor.  She not only liked putting people down and being disagreeable – she took actual joy in causing strife and heart-ache.  She was a thoroughly despicable character.  And her son . . . he let his mother walk all over his fiancé.  His only response was to try to get his fiancé to keep quiet. Of the immediate family, the bride and her father were the only ones I liked.

The movie had a lot of laughs, but I was often uncomfortable by the viciousness of the attacks of the two mothers.  What I did like about the movie is that it did not rely on what I think of as stereotypical ethnic humor.  While both families in the movie are black, very few script changes would be needed to switch the families to Mexican, Jewish, Italian, or just about any other group you could choose.

[90]

Priest 3D

Movie: Priest 3D

Genre: horror

Synopsis: This movie takes place in the future.  Mankind had nearly been overrun by vampires.  They were saved by Warrior Priests - priests who were trained to be something like ninjas.  These priests managed to drive the surviving vampires into guarded prisons.  Most of mankind now lives in walled cities that are run by the Church.  The area outside the cities is considered to be wasteland.

“Priest” (Paul Bettany) is one of the few surviving Warrior Priests.  When his niece is kidnapped by vampires, the Church refuses to acknowledge that vampires are still a danger.  Priest is forced to go rogue and leave the city in search of his niece.  The Church retaliates by sending other Warrior Priests out to terminate “Priest”.

My two cents: A pretty good vampire movie.  Some really great fights, some decently creepy vampires, a satisfying evil Church hierarchy, Paul Bettany’s character was a great hero, Maggie Q played a sexy but deadly Priestess . . .  and there was a fabulous climactic train chase. I left the theater thoroughly satisfied.

[88]

There Be Dragons

Movie: There Be Dragons

Genre: period drama

Synopsis: Josemaria (Charlie Cox) was a Spanish priest.  The church wants to canonize Father Josemaria and has hired Robert (Dougray Scott), a journalist, to investigate his background.  During his investigation, Robert is surprised to learn that his father, Manolo, grew up with Josemaria.  Robert has been estranged from his father for many years.  His father is now on his deathbed. Robert tries to get his father to talk about his past with Josemaria, especially what happened during the years of the Spanish Civil War.  What Robert ultimately learns from his father about Josemaria and him is quite a shocker.

My two cents: It took a while to get into it, but it was a pretty interesting movie.  Most of the movie focused on what happened to Josemaria and Manolo leading up to and during the Spanish Civil War and their respective roles in the role.  The movie is definitely worth seeing, but I would probably have been satisfied if I had waited until it hit the small screen.

[86]

Thor

Movie: Thor (IMAX 3D)

Genre: super-hero

Synopsis: Thor (Chris Hemsworth) gets carried away in trying to provoke a war and is stripped of his powers and banished to Earth by his father, King Odin (Anthony Hopkins).   This gives his evil borther the chance to try and take control of Asgard.  When he lands on Earth, Thor is found by Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), a physicist.  His missing hammer is found and ‘captured’ by a government unit headed by Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg).  You may remember Agent Coulson from Iron Man and Iron Man 2.  Jane and her sister and her partner eventually believe in Thor and help him try to reclaim his Hammer and b ecome the man (god?) that his father was hoping for.

My two cents: Wow!  I saw this in IMAX 3D – totally worth it.  Chris Hemsworth is a natural as Thor.  He has a natural cockiness and brashness that is great fun to watch.  There are some really great battles.  When Thor gets wound up, it is a real blast to watch.  I felt it was a toss-up as to whether or not 3D was necessary for  this movie -  but if you get a chance to see it in IMAX,  definitely do it.  I hope to see a lot more of Thor.

[85]

Water for Elephants

Movie: Water for Elephants

Genre: drama

Synopsis: Jacob (Robert Pattinson) is a test away from getting his veterinary degree from Cornell in the middle of the Great Depression.  Then tragedy hits and he flees school and joins a circus – the Benzini Brothers.  He gets a job with them taking care of the animals.  The circus is run by the charismatic and sadistic August (Christopher Waltz).  August’s wife, Marlena (Reese Witherspoon) is the star attraction of the circus.  When Jacob falls in love with Marlena, August quickly becomes suspicious.  Jacob must walk a fine line between caring for the animals, placating August and not revealing his love of Marlena.  When August buys an elephant (Rosie) for the circus, Jacob is the key to training the elephant for her a act.

My two cents:  I might have liked the movie a lot more had I not read the book.  I was appalled and disappointed at how much was left out of the movie.  It was interesting to see how a circus was run in the 30’s.  Christopher Waltz was great as August.  Robert Pattinson actually managed to make me forget the annoying Edward Cullen for a while.  They followed the book enough to make it a good  movie,  but left out too much for it to be great.

[84]

Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil

Movie: Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil (3D)

Genre: animated comedy

Synopsis: This is a sequel to the 2005 “Hoodwinked” animated film about the real story of Little Red Riding Hood.  It follows Red Riding Hood (Hayden Panettiere), The Big Bad Wolf (Patrick Warbirton) and Twitchy (Cory Edwards) as they try to rescue Granny Puckette (Glenn Close) from the clutches of the evil Verushka the Witch (Joan Cusack).

My two cents: Well, I was a big fan of Hoodwinked! And went into this movie with high hopes.  Alas, I don’t think it lived up to the original.  There were a lot of good lines and a lot of pretty funny gags, but I was still kind of disappointed.

[83]

Soul Surfer

Movie: Soul Surfer

Genre: drama

Synopsis: The true story of Bethany Hamilton (AnnaSophia Robb), a teenage surfer in Hawaii who lost an arm in a shark attack.  Following the attack, we follow Bethany and her family (father played by Dennis Quaid and mother played by Helen Hunt) as she recovers from the attack and ultimately is able to surf at a championship level.

My two cents: Many parts of this were absolutely gut-wrenching in their emotional impact.  The whole story was pretty amazing.  The courage and determination of Bethany are truly inspiring.  If you can get past the horror of the accident, you will find a lot to like in this movie.

[82]

Potiche

Movie: Potiche

Genre: drama

Synopsis: French movie with English subtitles, takes place in the late 1970’s.  Suzanne Pujol (Catherine Deneuve) is the wife of prominent businessman Robert Pujol (Fabrice Luchini).  Robert’s prominence comes from the umbrella factory he runs and is majority owner of, thanks to Suzanne’s father’s will.  When disgruntled factory workers take Robert hostage, Suzanne steps in to try and patch things up.  Suzanne does an amazing job, but then her husband wants his job back.  The situation is further complicated by her ex-lover, the local union head played by Gérard Depardieu.

My two cents: I was quite disappointed by this movie. The previews were a bit misleading – not unusual, I know.  The whole movie just felt kind of amateurish to me.  I think if it was an American release in English (no subtitles) it would be a flop.

[81]

Dylan Dog: Dead of Night

Movie: Dylan Dog: Dead of Night

Genre: horror-comedy

Synopsis: This is a tongue-in-cheek movie about Dylan Dog (Brandon Routh) is a private detective in New Orleans.  Formerly, he was the designated arbiter or investigator for disputes between werewolves, vampires and zombies.  He is dragged back into the business when a man is brutally killed by a “monster”.  He is soon tracking down a device, lost for centuries, that will allow the vampires to  invoke a super-monster who will be able to wipe out all opponents.

My two cents: I got a kick out of this movie.  Definitely not to be taken too seriously.  There is a lot of humor . . . such as a spare parts store where the “parts” are body parts that zombies buy to replace body parts that have fallen off.  I hope there are some sequels.

[80]

The Conspirator

Movie: The Conspirator

Genre: historical drama

Synopsis: This is the story of the trial of Mary Surratt (Robin Wright) as a conspirator in the assassination of Lincoln.  She is defended by Frederick Aiken (James McAvoy) and tried by a military tribunal. The evidence against Mary is thin, to say the least – but someone had to be punished . . .

My two cents: A fascinating movie.  Until this movie, I had never heard of any conspiracy trial related to the assassination of Lincoln.  The arguments made for trying a civilian by a military tribunal sounded like they could have come straight out of the law firm of Cheney, Rumsfeld and Ashcroft.   There was the classic conflict between those who felt that the end (giving the country closure over the assassination) justified the means (trampling all over an individual’s civil rights) versus those who hold the individual’s constitutional rights to be sacred and untouchable.  It definitely gives you food for thought.  Although it is easy to see both sides, the movie definitely comes down on the side of the individual/  I am just mystified how I managed to go my whole life without hearing about this trial.

[79]

Fast Five: The IMAX Experience

Movie: Fast Five: The IMAX Experience

Genre: action thriller

Main characters:

            Dominic Toretto          (Vin Diesal)

            Brian O’Conner          (Paul Walker)

            Mia                              (Jordana Brewster)

            Hobbs                          (Dwayne Johnson)

Synopsis: Number 5 in the Fast and the Furious franchise, features a lot of characters from the last one, plus a new cop: Hobbs.  Hobbs leads a team that the FBI calls on when they need help.  He is an unstoppable force.  When Dominic is broken out of prison, Hobbs is brought in to track him down.  Meantime, Dominic and Brian and Mia have moved to Rio de Janeiro, where they are planning a $100 million heist – with the $100 million belonging to the reigning crime king of Brazil.

My two cents: I loved this movie.  Granted, the plot is a bit thin and some of what  they get away with is  a little hard to swallow – but the car chases are epic, the fights – both with and without guns – are great and there are some very satisfying explosions.  The whole movie was just made for IMAX.  The big showdown fight between Dominic and Hobbs was worth the price of admission.  With IMAX, you could feel the punches.  Also, the theft of some cars from a train was one of the most innovative heists I have seen.  Other than maybe being a few minutes too long, I have no complaints about the movie.  Also, Dwayne Johnson must be doing some serious body building.  He looked awfully ripped in “Faster”, but that was nothing compared to how he looked in this movie.

If you go to see it, don’t leave before the credits are finished. 

[78]

Arthur

Movie: Arthur

Genre: comedy

Synopsis: Arthur (Russell Brand) is a perpetual drunk with no  purpose in life other than to have fun.  This quest is possible because he is heir to a huge family-owned corporation and has a virtually unlimited supply of  money.  He has his nanny, Hobson (Helen Mirren) to keep him out of serious trouble.  Arthur’s mother (Geraldine James) gives him an ultimatum.  Either marry the girl of her choice (Susan, played by Jennifer Garner) or she will cut off his supply of money.  As in the original movie, Arthur cannot stand Susan and instead, falls in love with Naomi (Greta Gerwig) a New York City tour guide.  The ensuing battle between Arthur, his mother, Susan and Susan’s father (Nick Nolte) take up the rest of the movie – along with Arthur’s romance with Naomi and a crisis with Hodges that finally makes Arthur grow up.

My two cents: The original “Arthur” is one of my all-time favorite comedies.  I was fully prepared to not like this remake.  I was pleasantly surprised that it held up pretty well.  I think Helen Mirren wearing a Darth Vader helmet and saying “wash your winkie” in Darth Vader’s voice was as funny as anything Sir John Gielgud did in the original.  I also thought the humor was really original.  For example, Arthur explaining why he does not trust horses: “Their shoes are permanent.  Who makes that sort of commitment?”  I thought that from a pure funny drunk standpoint, Dudley Moore was better, but from an over-all standpoint, I have to say I think Russell Brand may have been funnier.  As much a tribute to the writing as to Russell Brand.  One big disappointment was the theme song.  The original “Arthur’s Theme” won an Oscar.  Although the song played during the closing credits, it was played so differently that I almost did not recognize it.  I also would like to have seen more of Nick Nolte.  His character owned every scene he was in.

Bottom line: if you like laughing, definitely see this movie.  

[77]

Rio the Movie 3D

Movie: Rio the Movie 3D

Genre: animated comedy

Voices:

            Blu          Jesse Eisenberg

            Jewel       Anne Hathaway

            Linda       Leslie Mann

            Nico        Jamie Foxx

            Pedro       Will.i.Am

            Rafael      George Lopez

Synopsis: Blu is a rare Blue Macaw who was captured as a baby.  He ended up being raised in Minnesota by Linda.  Years later, Linda learns that Blu is one of only two Blue Macaws left in the world. A scientist convinces Linda to take Blu to Rio de Janeiro to meet Jewel – the other remaining Blue Macaw.  Bad guys steal both macaws and plan to sell them.  Jewel has escape plans – but things are complicated when she learns that Blu never learned to fly.  They end up getting a host of birds to help them get back to Linda and the scientist.

My two cents: This was a really fun movie.  Watching the flocks of parrots and other tropical birds in 3D was worth the price of admission.  The colors were absolutely breathtaking. This movie was one that definitely deserved being in 3D.  Plus . . . it takes place during Carnival . . so we got to see the beautiful floats and costumes in color and 3D.  The story line is amusing.  It took a while to stop thinking of The Social Netowrk every time Blu talked. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie

[76]

Your Highness

Movie: Your Highness

Genre: adventure-comedy

Main characters:

Fabious (James Franco), the noble and heroic prince

Thadeous (Danny McBride), the cowardly prince who is the medieval version of a stoner

Isabel (Natalie Portman), a butt-kicking warrior out for vengeance

Leezar (Justin Theroux), the evil wizard.

Snopsis:

Fabious has just returned from yet another heroic journey.  He is preparing for his wedding, when his bride-to-be is kidnapped by the evil wizard, Leezar.  Fabious immediately plans a quest to rescue the damsel.  The cowardly Thadeous wants nothing to do with the rescue, but his father forces him to accompany his brother.  Things go bad quickly – and then the brothers  are joined in their quest by Isabel, who has been hunting the wizard for years.  Naturally, they have to brave many perils before they catch up to Leezar.

My two cents:  This movie had a lot of potential.  Unfortunately, from my perspective, someone made the decision to go for teen-age gross-out humor rather than keeping it on a little higher level,  I find movies like this frustrating because the underlying idea is very funny, but the crudeness of the humor is such that many of my friends would probably just walk out if they saw it.  For example, in one sequence, Thadeous is trying to cut the horn off  of a Minotaur to keep as a trophy.  When he finds out you cannot cut a Minotaur’s horn off,  he cuts off the penis instead.  For the rest of the movie we get to watch a large penis dangling around Thadeous’ neck.  I realize I should have expected this, especially given Danny McBride’s involvement as a writer as well as an actor . . . but I just got tired of cringing from the vulgarity.

That said . . . Natalie Portman is great eye-candy and is fun to watch beat the crap out of people.  The movie has a lot of clever humor – just a bit crude for my taste.

[74]