In theaters: UP

Pixar does it again with another movie that is made up of 100% pure grade A awesomeness, this film has everything: Ed Asner, beautiful animation, a great soundtrack, Ed Asner, a wonderful story, Ed Asner, great acting, Ed Asner, terrific story, Ed Asner, some of the most touching scenes I've ever seen in any kind of motion picture animated or live action...did I mention Ed Asner? ;)

So all in all a great film, which joins Coraline in the top spot of animated movie of the year.

*Speaking of which I hope that next year Up, Coraline and the upcoming Princess and The Frog all get nominated at the Oscar's so we can find out once and for all which style of animation truly reigns supreme: CG, Stop Motion or Hand Drawn. Now that would be a showdown for the ages.

On DVD: Adventures in Babysitting

I used to love this movie back when I was a kid and would rent it every other week, looking back I can understand why I liked it so much I mean hearing profanity in a PG 13 was kind of a thrill to a youngster, but now a days with the rose colored glasses of nostalgia taken off I can say with all honesty that while yes it does have it's moments the movie wasn't as great as I remembered it, still it is a nice reminder that wonderful decade the 1980's where men were men and women were women and dances about safety were popular for some reason.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day

It had been MANY years since I had last seen ANY of the Terminator movies with the exception of the 3rd one which was oddly enough, the only one I did own. After seeing "Salvation" which wasn't as good as I had hoped, I guess the Terminator urge got me and I had a pressing desire to resee all 3 of the movies again. I seriously needed to want to re-see both the first and second movies.

So I bought em and re-watched them and just got finished watching T2 and boy was it SO much better then I remembered. A lot of surprising faces i completely had forgotten about that were in here and so much drama and intensity I had long since forgotten. T-000 was bad ass as usual but I was really impressed with Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor here.

She was good but not great in my opinion but she really picked up the pace this time around and gave a truly incredible performance. I man it was FREAKING LONG I had no idea the movie at such a long running time, however it was definitely as grim and depressing as I remember. Neither T1 or T3 left me feeling as crappily as T2 did but overall it was a spectacular movie.

The Dark Knight!!! :bloogrin: :bloogrin: :bloogrin:


I am probably the last person in the U.S to see this movie, 11 months after it's release date, but wow! This movie enthralled me to a point of no return. The late, great Heath Ledger's performance was the most remarkable I've ever seen (May he rest in peace :( ) I almost went insane as he was after seeing The Joker's performance, as it captivated and took over my entire mind.

At first, I had no idea what to make of this movie at all. I was in the most utter sense, perplexed at it's magnificence and in complete disbelief to the amount of awesomeness I just witnessed. The story has been told before many times, and ultimatum that were tossed in this movie have also been shown in the past through other shows I have watched (except for the ferry one with the civilians and the criminals, I admit, that was awesome 8D)

The Joker's ability to perceive and react to Gordan's and Batman demonstrated his inner genius and abrupt Mephistopheles like demeanor.And the opening heist scene was the greatest one in criminal syndicate, fiction or non-fiction, that has ever been recorded. Even the people in the Oceans trilogy would be impressed to a level of no bounds! This entire films was treaded with The Joker and actions, that truly made the film.

I can go on and on about this infallible film, but granted the fact that you guys have probably seen it, I won't But again, wow! :D

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Talk about kicking it up a notch for a sequel, this was freaking AWESOME!!! I was completely and literally blown away by this movie, if you thought the first was hectic and filled with crazy, eye popping robot battles that smash across cities like tissue paper then you haven't seen anything yet. This movie was ridiculous and yet it was powerful, dramatic, intense and it never let up.

There are truck loads of new robots, both Autobots and Decepticons and it is quite a challenge to keep track of all the new ones and keep your wits about you in this frenzied movie. Megan Fox is dripping with even more sexual tension and temptation than before and Shia is fantastic as he always has been. His parents have much bigger roles this time around and they are hilarious onscreen.

The villains are featured much more prominently, Optimus Prime is still the biggest robot bad ass on screen and I absolutely LOVED the mind blowing battle sequences. Only beef I had was not enough development of all the new robots and there is A LOT of them so be warned they come and go very quickly. If anyone here has the means to see it in IMAX, I HIGHLY recommend it.

Its so much better in terms of size and the beautiful visuals it provides for the battle scenes, not to mention you get to see 7-8 minutes of footage not released in traditional theaters. Awesome movie, fantastic, totally loved it!

Anyone here like monster movies? I luv 'em, and the cheaper they are, the better! When I say 'cheap' the budget is one factor; but if I see a nylon string attached to the jaw of a giant spider, or the guy assisting a creature out of it's cave gets caught in the shot (and it does not wind up up on the cutting floor) - that is what I like. I have been getting into these old creature movies from the '30's thru the early 60's lately. A good example of this was "It Conquered the World." It starred a young Peter Graves, and the movie is campy as hell - it was great! Check out the trailer on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOM0B...:frankiesmile:

Star Trek

Saw it in the local theater two weeks ago and forgot to mention it. Oops. :-[
Anyway, the movie is an "alternate universe" story; it breaks from canon right at the start and never looks back. Star Trek can get away with this kind of thing, courtesy of the magic of time travel; most other series just end up making themselves and their writers look bad when they try it. Not in this case, though. We were promised action, and there's plenty of that, more than in any of the previous Trek movies. Seeing the crew portrayed by different actors, that was a little jarring at first and took some getting used to but they did a great job in recreating the original characters... although I think Captain Kirk came off as more of a jerk than before. Then again that might be expected, considering that the circumstances of his childhood were altered right from birth. There were some poignant moments as well, largely centered on Mr. Spock. "I am, and shall always be, your friend". One of the most beautiful, moving lines from any movie if you ask me. I won't bother posting any plot details or anything else that might require spoilers; I'll just give it a four-star rating and a big thumbs up. If you're a Trekkie or even just a passing fan, you don't want to miss this one. :) :up:

I just watched Enchanted and it put me in such a good mood.:P I've been meaning to see it after I heard such good things about it and I'm really happy I did. I wish I could be Giselle.:P

And Susan Sarandon? Pretty badass as Queen Narissa. And James Marsden as Prince Edward almost made the movie.8D

The Hangover. Crude, vulgar, incorrect on so many levels and downright hilarious.

Legend of the Hell House with Roddy McDowell (DVD).:frankiesmile:

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

Yeah, I know, it's probably futile getting hung up on that title, when the first Ice Age was hardly what you'd call historically accurate - given that, (among other things) woolly mammoths and sabre-toothed cats didn't even exist within the same time period and all. All the same, I found myself asking an awful lot of questions throughout which I probably shouldn't have. First and foremost, why on earth would an opossum from the prehistoric ages even know what "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" is? Possibly not the most apt pop culture reference I've ever seen.

I saw this one in regular old 2D (so to speak), since that was all that my budget would presently allow - unfortunately, I strongly suspect that the assumption that most audiences would see it in 3D was the major driving umph behind this particular instalment. Many of the individual action sequences are staged neatly enough, and the change in environs naturally enables a much larger palette than the films that preceded it, but there's really only the bare minimum in terms of story composition. What little there is is basically an excuse to get the characters moving from perilous set-piece to perilous set-piece, which perhaps works a lot better if you have the added thrill of 3D vision, but which on its own doesn't make for particularly entertaining viewing. It doesn't help that a lot of the more suggestive humour seems really forced this time around.

Of course, the Ice Age movies have never been particularly big on plot, or on originality for that matter. It's not what sells them, so fair enough. We all know that those mammoth-tiger-sloth escapades are really just there to fill in the gaps between that little squirrel's appearances, which are as enjoyable as ever, assisted no end by the addition of the very foxy Scratte, who's more than a worthy match for her male counterpart and gets my full vote of approval.

Oddly enough, my sis and I saw The Meltdown last night, and then the first Ice Age this afternoon. And now The Meltdown is on again, and we're watching it again. I'd rather watch Foster's than TM a second time, but she was the first to get to the big TV so whatever. :jk: She's a big fan.

Not my favorite movies in the world, but the Ice Age franchise is entertaining.

Boondock Saints - love that flick! I understand there is supposed to be a sequal out August of this year.:bloogrin:

Yeah, I wouldn't say they're anything massively special, but they're entertaining, and for the most part manage to steer clear of Dreamworks-level obnoxiousness, which is why I was all too happy to fork over a few pounds for a diverting couple of hours of Scrat, Scratte and filler. I wasn't exactly expecting it to be of Pixar calibre.

To be honest, I've always felt that the original Ice Age was a bit critically over-valued, coming as it did at a time when CG-animated films still held something of a novelty value simply for being CG. The sequels weren't quite so fortunate in that regard. Watching DOTD yesterday, in plain old unexciting 2D vision, I suddenly had this really terrifying thought - what if this (that is, 3D) is indeed the future of the animated feature film? Could we be in for a whole new wave of animated movies which tailor themselves specifically for those who are willing to pay up extra to view them through those dopey 3D goggles and which, in effect, render themselves as little more than feature-lengthed amusement park rides, ones which just seem empty and awkward when taken out of their intended context? I mean, pretty much every animated flick that's come out in recent months seems to want to want to utilise the option, so what happens when it becomes the norm? Would it really be all that different from what most non-Pixar CG releases are doing right now anyhow, what with their gimmicky celebrity vocals and and timely pop culture references? How does that prehistoric opossum know how that Chipmunk Christmas song goes? My head's all awhirl.

Just to change the subject completely, I'd also like to put in a good word for Sunshine Cleaning, which I saw last week and never found the time to write about here. Good film, featuring more from the wonderful Amy Adams, who I mentioned just a page back. See it if you get the chance.

Nicholas and Alexandraon DVD - at last!:frankiesmile:

Jurassic Park- The Lost World

I had never seen it before, and somewhat enjoyed the first movie so I didn't mind sitting through it when my sis tuned the TV to the movie.

Spoiler Below She asked me "Is it over yet? Tell me when it's over." I didn't know when it was over! So I just waited until the scene changed to a different location, and finally told her "Ok, it's over".

You can tell we're animal lovers.

Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

This is the first time I've seen this. I adored the first movie, the sound track is amazing, it's just so pretty. And don't get me started on the costumes. I love anything fantasy/medieval, let's just leave it at that. This movie wasn't as good as the first, but I still really enjoyed it. And I'm still hoping on getting the soundtrack one day.

A Boy Named Charlie Brown

Just before I head off to bed! :herrsleep:

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Yeah, I'm a fan. So there.

This is probably the best of the Harry Potter adaptations so far - by no means a substitute for actually reading the book, but it's still a very good companion piece; visually haunting, sufficiently atmospheric and with moments of genuine emotional strength - the film series has certainly come a long way since its cosier (but stiffer) Columbus-helmed beginnings. Jim Broadbent was a very welcome addition to the cast as Professor Slughorn, Helena Bonham Carter continues to rock as Bellatrix, and Alan Rickman was as wonderful as ever as Snape (even if we still don't get to spend nearly as much time with him as I'd have liked - hopefully the Deathly Hallows adaptation(s) will rectify this). I'd always let be known, for much of the series, how hard a time I had warming to Daniel Radcliffe as the titular character, but by this stage I'd admit that I've come to accept him - and, besides, he demonstrates here that he can do a pretty cracking spider impersonation above all else. Much to my regret, we didn't get any footage of Voldemort in a suit this time around, but I guess I can settle for seeing Fred and George dressed likewise instead. Onto the Deathly Hallows we go!

Who you gonna call?
 

Ghostbusters

Yes, I finally saw the 1984 classic comedy with Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Sigourney Weaver, Rick Moranis and Ernie Hudson. I will admit, I really did enjoy Bill's smart-alec remarks, and of course the classic lines, one of which has now become one of my all-time favourites ('We came, we saw, we kicked its ASS!' 8D). A funny movie, and I can easily see why it's entered the pop culture world.

Mrs. Doubtfire

It's been years since I've seen this movie. YEARS I tell you! I remembered most of the movie, but I forgot how hillariously funny it is. My sister and I were nearly rolling on the floor in laughter in some parts. Robin Williams is such an amazing actor. :D

I remember Mrs. Doubtfire - I haven't seen it ages myself, so I probably should try and watch it again some time soon. For the longest time I would look back on that film and wonder whatever became of Mara Wilson. She seemed to be in pretty much everything when I was a kid (well, only three other films that I can actually think of, but at the time that was enough to make her seem pretty darn ubiquitous in my eyes), and I recall her being quite a talented young actress. Then she just completely fizzled. According to wikipedia she currently attends drama school, so maybe she hasn't dropped out of acting altogether, though I don't know if we'll ever see her on the big screen again.

For me it was...

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

A classic comedy - good-natured, hilarious and with a healthy layer of heart and poignency beneath the two leading characters' interactions. Actually, just seeing John Candy in anything is enough to leave it with a bittersweet tinge - I still miss him after all these years. :(

I LOVE that movie! It's a Thanksgiving tradition in my family. We must watch it every November at some point. It never, ever gets old. I'm a fan of both John's and Steve's, and like most everything I've seen that they've each done. I remember John passing, too. It was very sad, and shocking. :'(

As for the last movie I saw, last night it was The Day after Tomorrow. I've always really liked that movie as it has to do with weather and scary situations that, although unlikely, could probably happen someday, in some way or other. I love their drive to survive the storm, and they did! A sweet budding "young love" story also added some cuteness, if you will, to the story line.

Hehe, a number of years ago over at MovieTome.com, I was having connection issues and accidentally submitted my rating and review for the movie like six times. And I couldn't get rid of the multiples, so on my profile over there it appears it's my favorite movie of all time. 8D

I think the last movie I saw was G-Force... XD

GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra

Talk about a wham bam action film but it was really hard to hear.....over its utter awesomeness ^^. True the movie royally screwed over the only characters I actually KNOW in Gi Joe (Cobra Commander and Destro) but as a whole the movie was an absolute blast and definitely what I would call a fun movie.

Its a summer blockbuster movie meant only to be fun and you really have to look at it that way otherwise you'll hate it. Its just for kicks and giggles, having fun and just not worrying about deep poetic dialog or crap like that which is all well in good, but sometimes you just wanna sit back and watch stuff blow up and "GI Joe" is definitely that kind of movie.

Titan AE, and it was epic. Fantastic film, especially in that I'm not a huge scifi fan but I found this quite enjoyable. There are some rough parts I admit where you wish Fox had spent a couple extra grand on the 3D CGI backgrounds but overall a great great movie.

Dude, I can't take you seriously in that hat!
 

Meet the Robinsons

A really fun movie that I really enjoyed. Especially Danny Elfman's score. The characters were really fun and I especially loved the meatball showdown at the dinner table (Franny's SO awesome! 8D). Not to mention a really lovely ending with a great song thrown into it. I really enjoyed this film.

Mamma Mia!

For the second time. This may well be the silliest, cheesiest musical-to-movie adaptation ever, but ADMIT IT - you liked it! I know I did. In fact, I think I'm going to have to look out for the dvd some time within the near future. ;D

and

Home Alone

I watched this last week with my family in honour of the late John Hughes. I remember reading a review of this film many years ago which really stuck with me, suggesting that it might very well have been the "first family movie - certainly the first Xmas movie - about child abuse", and that the sheer brutality which Kevin inflicts upon poor unsuspecting Harry and Marv at the film's climax is, essentially, an outlet for his repressed anger at the negligent adults in his life. Truthfully, I do think that Harry and Marv are considerably less repulsive characters than a lot of the McCallisters themselves - and, of them, Catherine O'Hara's character seems to be the only one who properly atones in the end. As much as this movie has always tickled me, I've gotta admit that that whole element does kind of bother me.

In the film's favour, I do really like the stuff with Roberts Blossom (to see him in a slightly less innocent role, check out the 80s Twilight Zone episode "The Burning Man", which has been on my mind a lot lately since I recently read the original short story) - and the ever-wonderful John Candy. And of course Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern always had terrific chemistry as the "Wet Bandits".

Also to its credit, it does have a very powerful moral - namely, that bad parenting breeds sadistic children. This was even more evident in the sequel.

It's Elvis weekend on TMC, so right now is Jailhouse Rock.:bloogrin:

Race to Witch Mountain

Starring AnnaSophia Robb, whom I've watched grow up from a little girl to the lovely young lady she is today. And playing a side roll was Mac's voice's older brother, Chris Marquette. The Marquette boys will always be adorable in my eyes, no matter how old they get. :)

It was much more sci fi and actiony than the other Witch Mountain movies. I like the magic involved and watching how they use their powers more than all the action, especially if it leads to something humorous. So I didn't like it as much as the others. But it was ok. I still think it was worth it for AnnaSophia and Chris.

Muppets in Space...

Hadn't seen it before, and while it's not as good as say "Muppet Treasure Island" it's still a good one.

Jim Henson's company always puts out good stuff.

Marley and Me

I love Owen Wilson. And I love Jen Anistion, although my adoration for the show Friends should be a dead giveaway to that. ;) I thought it was a very good movie, wholesome, with some funny parts, yet believable without being corny. And, oh yeah, sad. :'( I was having a hard time fighting back the tears. My poor mom lost it. I don't see her cry very often, so that always freaks me out a little bit.

But then it doesn't help that my sister's dog Keiko is getting old and is needing surgery because she's been throwing up more and more lately. And my mom's worried about her. It may not have been the best time to watch that movie, right before she has her surgery. :P

Inglourious Basterds

Slum Dog Millionaire

Tarantino's latest movie is quite a piece of work. Its quite long and much different then what I was expecting, I must warn you the trailers are misleading as this movie isn't really a comedy and its not 100% completely focused on the "Basterds" alone as there are several other important characters and storylines going around in this movie. Its not bad it actually is quite better for it but its something that bugged me having them advertise it that way so I figured I'd let you know. Really good tense scenes, excellent acting, and funny (when it wants to be).

Slum dog I had been wanting to see for a while and after seeing it I was pleasantly surprised to see it was pretty freaking good. I still don't think it warranted the jack load of awards it got, I honestly felt Dark Knight as a whole was a better more award worthy completed picture then Slum dog. Slum dog was very intense, well acted, well written and very dramatic. The whole "arrest" part of the movie seemed a fuzzy a few times but overall it was very good.

I'm with you on that one. You should've seen the look on my face when Slumdog won EVERY SINGLE OSCAR that Frost/Nixon was nominated for! :frankiemad:

BTW, is your avatar from Ghostbusters? I've just recently saw that film, and I really liked it! :frankiesmile:

Indeed it is.

Death Race

Obviously it's a remake of the 70's flick "Death Race 2000", which I haven't seen...to put it simply, very gritty looking, impressive cars and action sequences, but just a bit too over the top with the violence though, methinks. By which I mean the competitors die in various "creative" ways...

Mickey, Donald & Goofy: The Three Musketeers

Purchased it yesterday after seeing a couple of clips on YouTube (it was related to Mickey/Minnie moments. :frankiesmile:), and I really enjoyed it. Even if it's REALLY short (it goes for 65 minutes!), it's still a fun film that sees Mickey, Donald and Goofy together again, becoming Musketeers and protecting Princess Minnie from Peg-leg Pete.

I think it's a great film, with fun songs (Sweet Wings of Love is one of my favourites) and a great ending.

9

I got to say this has got to be one of the most original and creative movies out there, I was very impressed with the vastly incredible imagination this movie had. Very unique and very bizarre, the mechanical monsters in the film were very creative and original, excellent story and animation. Very impressed.

However, the characters really lacked any kind of "spark" or soul if you choose that word. They were definitely not your average characters for sure but, they really lacked any defining emotions or personalities that made them stand out for character development. Its a shame because this is a wonderfully creative and beautifully designed movie but the characters really lacked any kind of spirit, sorry to say.

So give me a... stage, Where this bull here can rage. And though I could fight, I'd much rather recite... that's entertainment.

Raging Bull

Martin Scorsese's awesome 1980 bio pic about the life and times of former middleweight boxing champion Jake LaMotta, which stands out as one of the greatest American made boxing movies that doesn't have the word Rocky anywhere in the title.

Pandorum

One Hour Photo

Talk about a weird and freaky sci-fi movie, Pandorum really pushes the boundaries of just how eerie and creepy an environment can become, half the movie's major freaky parts was just the feel and look of inside the ship with the weird ass lights and sounds not even getting to the point of the freaky monsters. There were a lot of nice twists and turns I never saw coming which is good because initially I thought I had this movie figured out from the beginning.

It was intense scary and a great shocking freaky thrill ride, much like One Hour Photo. I adore Robin Williams in this movie and I feel its his greatest performance to date. Its a sad, disturbingly realistic movie that really shows you just what a lonely person is like on the inside. I feel too many people have forgotten this movie even exists and I was quite pleased to hear my friend (who I just showed it too) loved it because I feel its one of those hidden masterpiece kind of movies that no one is watching or knows about yet.

Astro Boy

I just came back from the movies, and I have to say, this was really good. I really enjoyed this film. The voice actors are what made this film. Nathan Lane was really good as Ham Egg, Freddie Highmore did a great performance as Astro, and I couldn't believe myself when in the credits (and this is my Whose Line self saying this! 8D) Ryan Stiles was listed as one of the robots!

There was a lot more comedy moments than I thought they would be, and the relationship between Astro and Cora was really good. It was a great movie. I really enjoyed it.