I heard that some critics didn't really like Jumper, the sci-fi flick starring young Darth Vader himself, Hayden Christensen. However, the trailer just looked to cool for a geek like me to pass up. I am glad that I didn't.
Summary
Christensen plays a guy who discovers that he can teleport at will to any place on Earth. After ditching his bum of a father, he robs a bank without leaving a trace, and is soon living the high life traveling the world at will. However, after eight years of this, he finally runs into a Paladin, played by Samuel L. Jackson with a wicked haircut - who is apparently a religious zealot who is sworn to kill all "Jumpers". Turns out there is a centuries old war between Jumpers and Paladins, and Christensen's character finds himself teamed up with another Jumper in a fight to protect his family and loved ones.
Why you should rent it
I thought the movie was a lot of fun. Contrary to what I have read about the film, the special effects were pretty cool, and there are some crazy chase sequences. The film didn't build to quite the climax that I was expecting, and the characters were a little dull, but all in all it was just a cool sci-flick. If you are not into sci-fi, you may not like it, but if you are, you probably will.
Showing posts with label MPAA: Rated PG-13. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MPAA: Rated PG-13. Show all posts
June 10, 2008
June 8, 2008
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
My wife and I were able to catch the new Indiana Jones flick this weekend. Being big fans of the first three films (who isnt?) we had high hopes.
While the movie was fun, ultimately I didn't think it was good as any of the other three. In this movie he is at odds with the Russians instead of the Germans. There are plenty of Indiana Jones moments that were a lot of fun - action and escapes at impossible odds, such as surviving going over three massive waterfalls, being chased by an army of killer ants, and getting out of the prehistoric temple just before it collapses. And there were some really funny scenes, like when Indy has to grab onto a snake to escape some quicksand, and nearly decides to go ahead and sink rather than touch the critter. And of course, the end had the mixing of the supernatural/science fiction with archaeological legend. So all in all, a lot of fun, and about what you would expect.
However, Harrison Ford is just a little too old to really pull this off and make it believable. The plot - though Indiana Jonesey - was a little too superficial, and there were several moments in the film that went unexplained.
Verdict, good not great if you are a fan of Indy, but just fair if you are not a fan.
While the movie was fun, ultimately I didn't think it was good as any of the other three. In this movie he is at odds with the Russians instead of the Germans. There are plenty of Indiana Jones moments that were a lot of fun - action and escapes at impossible odds, such as surviving going over three massive waterfalls, being chased by an army of killer ants, and getting out of the prehistoric temple just before it collapses. And there were some really funny scenes, like when Indy has to grab onto a snake to escape some quicksand, and nearly decides to go ahead and sink rather than touch the critter. And of course, the end had the mixing of the supernatural/science fiction with archaeological legend. So all in all, a lot of fun, and about what you would expect.
However, Harrison Ford is just a little too old to really pull this off and make it believable. The plot - though Indiana Jonesey - was a little too superficial, and there were several moments in the film that went unexplained.
Verdict, good not great if you are a fan of Indy, but just fair if you are not a fan.
May 31, 2008
Made of Honor (2008)
Finally got to my first movie made in 2008. My wife and I went to see Made of Honor in the theater. The movie is a fun little RomCom starring Patrick Dempsey, in which, he plays an affluent New York playboy averse to commitment. His best friend is Michelle Monaghan, a girl he once tried to seduce, but resisted his advances in college. She runs off to Scotland on a business trip, meets the perfect man, gets engaged, and asks him to be his "Maid of Honor". The rest of the movie is Dempsey realizing he has been in love with her all along and trying to break up the wedding from the inside out and get her back.
As I said, it is a fun little movie to see with your spouse or significant other. There aren't any scenes that jump out at me as noteworthy, just your run of the mill Romantic Comedy. I am not a huge fan of RomComs in general so this gets a mild recommend at best for me.
As I said, it is a fun little movie to see with your spouse or significant other. There aren't any scenes that jump out at me as noteworthy, just your run of the mill Romantic Comedy. I am not a huge fan of RomComs in general so this gets a mild recommend at best for me.
April 29, 2008
Juno (2007)
One of the most talked about movies of 2007 was Juno, a low key comedy about teen pregnancy. The movie was funny, but ultimately a little overrated in my opinion. Just a little though - still a good movie.
The Oscar nominated Ellen Page does a great job as Juno, a teen that finds out she is pregnant in the first few minutes of the movie. She goes on to struggle with the choice between abortion and adoption, eventually choosing the latter. The rest of the movie is full of quirky funny moments of her coping with her pregnancy, and dealing with the family that will adopt her child.
This movie will be quite entertaining for those of you who have been pregnant and had a baby. My wife and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Ellen Page was nominated for an Oscar for her role, and I can see why - she is a very talented actress. However, as much as I liked it, the dialog between Juno and her best friend was a little over the top and somewhat annoying for me - but maybe thats because I am no longer a teenager. I still recommend this movie though, you will get a lot of laughs.
The Oscar nominated Ellen Page does a great job as Juno, a teen that finds out she is pregnant in the first few minutes of the movie. She goes on to struggle with the choice between abortion and adoption, eventually choosing the latter. The rest of the movie is full of quirky funny moments of her coping with her pregnancy, and dealing with the family that will adopt her child.
This movie will be quite entertaining for those of you who have been pregnant and had a baby. My wife and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Ellen Page was nominated for an Oscar for her role, and I can see why - she is a very talented actress. However, as much as I liked it, the dialog between Juno and her best friend was a little over the top and somewhat annoying for me - but maybe thats because I am no longer a teenager. I still recommend this movie though, you will get a lot of laughs.
March 24, 2008
Wild Hogs (2007)
Tim Allen, Martin Lawrence, William H. Macey, and John Travolta team up as a suburban gang of Harley riding wannabes that hit the open road in Wild Hogs. I was sold into watching this movie from the tantalizingly hilarious previews – unfortunately, as happens all too often with comedies like this, the previews pretty much sum up all of the funny moments in the whole movie.
I am sitting here trying to think of how to summarize the plot, but my first sentence pretty much captures it. Oh yea, they all hate their jobs, that’s why they ride bikes. And there is some random romance in there somewhere too.
This movie was one of the few of 2007 that I 1) wish I hadn’t wasted my time, and 2) after a stroke of sensibility stopped watching before the movie was over in an effort to salvage my evening.
Avoid this movie at all costs. I won't pain you with the preview on youtube - if you are that hell bent on seeing it, you can look it up yourself.
I am sitting here trying to think of how to summarize the plot, but my first sentence pretty much captures it. Oh yea, they all hate their jobs, that’s why they ride bikes. And there is some random romance in there somewhere too.
This movie was one of the few of 2007 that I 1) wish I hadn’t wasted my time, and 2) after a stroke of sensibility stopped watching before the movie was over in an effort to salvage my evening.
Avoid this movie at all costs. I won't pain you with the preview on youtube - if you are that hell bent on seeing it, you can look it up yourself.
February 16, 2008
Across the Universe (2007)
I am a huge Beatles fan (or at least I was before I discovered Led Zeppelin). So naturally, I was excited when I saw the preview for Across the Universe which uses Beatles songs exclusively in its soundtrack, and reference after reference to the pop culture created by the group.
The film follows Jude, a liverpool dock worker, as he moves to New York City to find his father. He meets Lucy while in America, and quickly falls in love. The couple navigate the craziness of the 60s, drugs, sex, rock and roll, and all that jazz. Lucy''s brother Max ends up getting drafted into the Vietnam war, and Lucy becomes a die hard peace activist, while Jude explores his passion for art.
I was a big fan of the movie, even the weirder parts until they ran into Mr. Kite's circus about half way through. There were about 10 minutes of absolute weirdness, that I couldn't get over. However, the actors have great voices, and there is some really cool stuff they did visually and with the music. Plus, I love the music of the Beatles, s I give this a mild recommendation.
The film follows Jude, a liverpool dock worker, as he moves to New York City to find his father. He meets Lucy while in America, and quickly falls in love. The couple navigate the craziness of the 60s, drugs, sex, rock and roll, and all that jazz. Lucy''s brother Max ends up getting drafted into the Vietnam war, and Lucy becomes a die hard peace activist, while Jude explores his passion for art.
I was a big fan of the movie, even the weirder parts until they ran into Mr. Kite's circus about half way through. There were about 10 minutes of absolute weirdness, that I couldn't get over. However, the actors have great voices, and there is some really cool stuff they did visually and with the music. Plus, I love the music of the Beatles, s I give this a mild recommendation.
February 3, 2008
Waitress (2007)
Now you must understand one thing about me - I like a good romantic comedy from time to time, but I am a guy, and sometimes I have to work myself up to it. So, when I saw the preview for Waitress, the romantic comedy starring Kari Russell, I was underwhelmed. However, all of my favorite critics raved about it - that and the fact that my wife is a huge (seriously HUGE) fan of Felicity (which stars Kari Russell) - and I finally gave in and rented it.
Kari Russell stars as a small town diner waitress, that loves to bake pies. Her life is the epitome of misery and depression, as her husband is verbally and emotionally abusive. As she strives to save cash so she can run away and enter a pie baking contest, she finds out that she is pregnant, which further boxes her into a life that she despises. Things turn from depressing, to maddeningly complicated as she falls in love with the new town doctor. Their relationship turns into an affair that offers her the only escape from her dark world. Sounds like a pretty depressing plot I know, but it plays like a comedy, so it is not quite as depressing as it sounds....
The movie was far more interesting than I ever thought it would be. It was full of difficult moral choices, and the drama that is the inevitable result. The acting was really good, Kari Russell won me over (and I have to admit, ever since, I have watched a few episodes of Felicity since then...). Now I will always have a hard time with a movie that justifies an extra-marital affair - however, if there was ever a case for it, this movie makes it. The ending was especially satisfying (I won't spoil it for you).
I highly recommend this movie to just about anyone - but not for kids (there are a few sexually charged scenes, and some language).
Kari Russell stars as a small town diner waitress, that loves to bake pies. Her life is the epitome of misery and depression, as her husband is verbally and emotionally abusive. As she strives to save cash so she can run away and enter a pie baking contest, she finds out that she is pregnant, which further boxes her into a life that she despises. Things turn from depressing, to maddeningly complicated as she falls in love with the new town doctor. Their relationship turns into an affair that offers her the only escape from her dark world. Sounds like a pretty depressing plot I know, but it plays like a comedy, so it is not quite as depressing as it sounds....
The movie was far more interesting than I ever thought it would be. It was full of difficult moral choices, and the drama that is the inevitable result. The acting was really good, Kari Russell won me over (and I have to admit, ever since, I have watched a few episodes of Felicity since then...). Now I will always have a hard time with a movie that justifies an extra-marital affair - however, if there was ever a case for it, this movie makes it. The ending was especially satisfying (I won't spoil it for you).
I highly recommend this movie to just about anyone - but not for kids (there are a few sexually charged scenes, and some language).
January 30, 2008
The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
By far the best of the bazillion sequels that came out this last summer is latest Bourne film. The movie continues following amnesia-ridden Jason Bourne, who, in the first film, found out he was a government assassin working for the CIA. As the film begins, the CIA comes up with another reason why Jason Bourne is still a threat - the exact reason doesn't matter much, it is just a plot device to get us on the path to gratuitous violence, which - lets face it - is why we decided to watch this movie anyway.
As the plot develops, Bourne decides to take the fight back to CIA headquarters, and so the aforementioned gratuitous violence moves from London, to Tunisia, and finally to New York, where the headquarters of Bourne's former CIA division are located.
I was actually just so-so about half way through the movie, even though the first scene was pretty cool. However, there is an amazing chase/fight scene that occurs about 2/3 of the way in that sealed the deal for me. Bourne gets in a foot chase, and a wicked-awesome-fist/martial-artsy fight with another assassin in Tangiers, the likes of which I have not seen recently. Then, as the fight moves to New York City, there is a car chase that rivals the intensity of the culminating chase scene in The Bourne Supremacy. I was on the edge of my seat solid for the last half of the movie. I highly recommend this movie, one of the better movies of 2007.
As the plot develops, Bourne decides to take the fight back to CIA headquarters, and so the aforementioned gratuitous violence moves from London, to Tunisia, and finally to New York, where the headquarters of Bourne's former CIA division are located.
I was actually just so-so about half way through the movie, even though the first scene was pretty cool. However, there is an amazing chase/fight scene that occurs about 2/3 of the way in that sealed the deal for me. Bourne gets in a foot chase, and a wicked-awesome-fist/martial-artsy fight with another assassin in Tangiers, the likes of which I have not seen recently. Then, as the fight moves to New York City, there is a car chase that rivals the intensity of the culminating chase scene in The Bourne Supremacy. I was on the edge of my seat solid for the last half of the movie. I highly recommend this movie, one of the better movies of 2007.
January 21, 2008
I Am Legend (2007)
I caught this movie over the Christmas break with my brother-in-law, and was pretty excited to see it (probably because I was fresh off of a recent zombie movie binge, culminating in Shaun of the Dead). Will Smith delivers a very good performance as Robert Neville, a virologist that witnesses the downfall of the human race as it succombs to a pandemic virus that kills most, and turns the rest into mindless savages. It seems like an unoriginal idea, especially as I think back to 28 Days Later - but in reality, this film is a remake of an older flick with Charlton Heston called The Omega Man. (Haven't seen that one, but I now plan to.)
Despite this being another post-apocalyptic, thinly veiled zombie movie, I was highly entertained. By day Smith hunts and gathers in an eerily vacant Manhattan where trees, grass, and other forest animals have begun reclaiming the city. Those infected with the deadly virus are allergic to sunlight, and thus, every evening, Neville treads back home, puts his house in lock-down and hopes that the zombies don't discover his presence. The acting of Smith is great - reminiscent of Tom Hanks in Castaway. There are some thrills, and great drama as he soon realizes that the infected are a little smarter than he realized, and that there may be survivors other than himself. All the while he struggles to find a cure for the rest of humanity.
Not a flick for the very young or sensitive, as there are some pretty frightening images, but overall a good movie. I recommend this movie to just about everyone, but especially for the sci-fi lovers, and those looking for something interesting, and un-ordinary.
Despite this being another post-apocalyptic, thinly veiled zombie movie, I was highly entertained. By day Smith hunts and gathers in an eerily vacant Manhattan where trees, grass, and other forest animals have begun reclaiming the city. Those infected with the deadly virus are allergic to sunlight, and thus, every evening, Neville treads back home, puts his house in lock-down and hopes that the zombies don't discover his presence. The acting of Smith is great - reminiscent of Tom Hanks in Castaway. There are some thrills, and great drama as he soon realizes that the infected are a little smarter than he realized, and that there may be survivors other than himself. All the while he struggles to find a cure for the rest of humanity.
Not a flick for the very young or sensitive, as there are some pretty frightening images, but overall a good movie. I recommend this movie to just about everyone, but especially for the sci-fi lovers, and those looking for something interesting, and un-ordinary.
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