Archive for the 'Movies' Category

February 22

Domino

Overall Rating: **
Domino @ IMDB

Synopsis:
Spoiled little rich girl, Domino Harvey (Kiera Knightley) grows tired of her Beverly Hills lifestyle and becomes a bounty hunter. Under the tutelage of Ed Mosbey (Mickey Rourke) and with the help of Choco (Edgar Ramirez), Domino quickly becomes skilled at hunting down the bad guys. When her crew gets called in to bag a quartet of armored truck robbers, things go horribly wrong. A con gone wrong quickly involves the mob, the FBI, a tv producer, Afghanistan, and a sick little girl.

My name is Domino Harvey, I am a bounty hunter……

Review:
I was expecting a pretty bad movie, and from the overall rating I gave it, you probably think I hated this movie. Interestingly enough, that wasn’t the case. This was a bad movie, and it does deserve only 2 out of 5 stars. However, I never said that it didn’t have some redeeming qualities. There are several good points to this movie that made it a 2 star movie as opposed to a 0 star movie. As someone I know likes to say, zero is greater than negative one. So I guess I’m saying its bad, but not as bad as it could be.
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February 20

Red Eye

Overall: ****
Red Eye @ IMDB

Synopsis:
Lisa Reisert (Rachel McAdams) is a successful hotel manager who knows her clients well. On a red eye flight home, she meets the mysterious Jackson Rippner (Cillian Murphy) who seems to know her so well. Things take a dark turn when Jackson reveals that he is in fact a crafty assassin and is holding Lisa’s father (Brian Cox) as insurance. Now Lisa must break free, rescue her father, and find a way to save the politician that Jackson is targeting.

Review:
This movie was another one that was a pleasant surprise. This movie is simple and entertaining. I enjoyed the full 85 minutes. The thing with this movie is that its not complicated. The plot is straightforward and the action keeps the story moving. I must say that Wes Craven did a good job with this one. I was concerned when I first rented this DVD that the movie would be built around a twist that would a let-down. Lucky for me, it wasn’t.
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February 12

The Pink Panther

Overall Rating: ***
The Pink Panther @ IMDB

Synopsis:
When Yves Gluant (Jason Statham) is murdered during a national soccer game and the coveted Pink Panther diamond is stolen, Chief Inspector Dreyfus (Kevin Kline) calls in the bumbling Inspector Jacques Clouseau (Steve Martin). With the help of his trusty sidekick, Gendarme Gilbert Ponton (Jean Reno), Clouseau must track down the killer and save the jewel. But the beautiful Xania (Beyonce Knowles) proves to be dangerous distraction. Can Clouseau crack the case and prove himself worthy of the rank of Inspector or will he shame is country with failure?

Review:
I was pleasantly surprised with this movie. It was not nearly as bad as I anticipated. I was most looking forward to Jean Reno’s performance and I was concerned that Steve Martin’s may be a little over the top. Reno wasn’t as good as I thought he would be and Martin wasn’t as bad as I thought he would be. Others indicated this movie would be horrible, I didn’t think that was the case at all. It wasn’t mind-blowing, but then I don’t think it was trying to be.
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January 15

King Kong

Overall Rating: ****
King Kong @ IMDB

Synopsis:
Retelling of the classic action film from the 30’s. This time the big ape gets a face lift with 20th century effects and script that’s a lot longer than the last one. When an ambitious movie director, Carl Denham (Jack Black), gets in trouble with the studios, he’s forced to rush his trip to a lost island filled with mystery. He convinces an aspiring actress Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts) and the famous writer, Jack Driscoll (Adrien Brody) to join him as he heads towards the unknown. What they find on the uncharted island is a lost world and one hairy ape.

Review:
This one is a tough one. I really struggled with how many stars to give this movie. King Kong is a classic. You have to do it right and I’ll be honest. I don’t know if Peter Jackson got it right this time. This movie was long! Three hours and seven minutes long! It was all good stuff. But was it all really necessary?
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Overall Rating: *****
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe @ IMDB

Synopsis:
When four young children are sent away during the bombing of London, an eccentric professor takes them in at his countryside mansion. One rainy day, a simple game of hide and seak helps a young Lucy Pevensie (Georgie Henley) discover a mysterious wardrobe. Soon Lucy leads her siblings Edmund (Skandar Keynes), Susan (Anna Popplewell), and Peter (William Moseley) through the wardrobe and in to the magical land of Narnia. But all is not as it seems in the enchanting world. A never ending winter has fallen upon the land and the evil White Witch (Tilda Swinton) has driven everyone to live in fear. The children must struggle across Narnia to fulfill an ancient prophecy and learn what their destinies hold.

Review:
This movie was amazing! I read (or possibly listened to) this book when I was a kid. I honestly don’t remember any of it. I was thoroughly impressed by this movie. I will start this one off with my final recommendation: GO SEE THIS MOVIE! I highly recommend you go see this movie while its in the theatre. Its definitely a cinematic experience and I would go so far as to say that its worth a primetime ticket. I must impress upon you that, that is high praise (at least in my book).
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Overall Rating: ***
The Legend of Zorro @ IMDB

Synopsis:
As California moves to join the Union, trouble begins to brew and Zorro (Antonio Banderas) must ride again. As he struggles with his responsibilities to the people he swore to protect, Alejandro must find time to be a husband and a father. His marriage may be the sacrifice he must pay to save Mexico, but there seems to be more to his marital problems than meets the eye. Now Alejandro must fight an ancient brotherhood bent on starting a civil war and try to win back Elena (Catherine Zeta-Jones).

Review:
The sequel jinx?! What a surprise! Ok, I’m not saying anything too surprising. The Legend of Zorro wasn’t nearly as good as The Mask of Zorro. There are several elements from the first one that they brought back well for the sequel. Other things didn’t quite work that well. I warn, I’m going to rant a little bit later. Its not something that’s only a problem with this movie, but more on that later.
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