Coming Soon...

1. Knight and Day
2. Grown Ups
3. The Last Airbender
4. Twilight Saga: Eclipse
5. Death at a Funeral (2010)

Toy Story 3 (2010)

In the third chapter to the original computer animated film (and the first of the now dominate Pixar) Woody, Buzz, and the gang are dealing with the issue of no longer being wanted. Andy, the playful and lovable owner of America's favorite toys is all grown up and on his way to college. Like most teenagers he has grown apart from his favorite things and has neglected them for years. With the big move just days away, and the college and attic marked boxes in the room, the toys begin to worry about where they'll go and if they'll be together. After a series of events the toys end up in a daycare (ran like an internment camp) and are forced to make a daring escape.

This movie does the impossible, surpasses the already great and legendary original. I hate to say it but Pixar does it again and in a big way. First off, Tom Hanks does great voice work and the film has up to date creative and visually stunning animation, and that's just the cherry topping on the sundae treat. The directing was flawless. He captured every scene to its fullest. He also never subjected his storytelling for cheap 3D thrills (thank God). His impact comes out huge by the end of the film. The screenplay... SUPERB! More thought out than any film I've seen this year. It delivers a continuous flow of surprises, thrills, laughs, honest and heartfelt drama, emotional beauty and all in a plethora of creativeness. This animated film does more for me than any animated picture I've ever seen.

In this already high octane best animation Oscar race, Toy Story 3 earns a firm slot and is certainly my favorite for this year. How to Train Your Dragon and Shrek Forever After were very good. Strike that, they were great animated pictures. Toy Story 3 has no problem joining those ranks and quite possibly jumping to the front of the pack. This is a see it on the big screen movie, for sure. No need for the 3D, though. I saw it in 3D and at no point did I say, "wow, that was cool in 3D." It's a nearly perfect film and like all great films in history, you don't need to have seen it in 3D to have loved it, and that's exactly what I did... LOVED IT.

Jonah Hex (2010)

This Nevaldine/Taylor adaptation of a not-so popular DC comic that fallows a cowboy in the old East who grows a conscience during the Civil War and betrays his evil leader. However, when Evil Turnball finds out, he calls Jonah's family and brands his face for a lifelong remembrance of who caused him this pain. Now with a scarred face, no family, and this new found power to talk to the dead he is seeking revenge on the men who caused him his endless grief.



Josh Brolin stars as Jonah Hex and does a pretty good ass job doing so. The very talented actor delivered a good action performance in this very mediocre film. Megan Fox and John Malkovich, who co-star in the movie, don't really have anything to add. The directing was amateur and the script was very simple. The special effects were good, and the dream sequences were interesting but everything around those scenes fell flat. One feeling this movie caused me was disappointment, in the script that is. For me the most exciting thing about this movie was that it was written by Neveldine/Taylor and it ended up being the worst part of this poorly executed film.



It's not a complete miss of a movie, but you should only rent it from a Redbox or wait for it to hit the dollar rack because three bucks seems steep. It's so quick and slapped together that you don't really feel any emotion or receive much of a story. An experienced director and a more thought out script could have done wonders for this film. Too late now. This 81 minute film is extremely short for Summer Action Blockbuster, and yet at times I felt bored. $1 rental, if you're bored!

When in Rome (2010)

This is the story of a girl who can’t find love. Yes, I know, you already saw that Rom-Com. She can’t find love because she is a workaholic with a mean boss. I know, you saw that one, too. She also has a sister who is doing great in her love life which makes our heroine feel horrible about her life. Let me guess, you saw that one as well? The original twist in this one you ask? Lonely, distraught and drunk after a misunderstanding with the guy she’s inevitably going to end up with, she picks up five distinctly different coins from a magical fountain that cast love spells on the five, very weird and unusual schmucks who threw them in there. I know, you can’t wait to see it!

In failing director Mark Steven Johnson’s fourth attempt at the big screen, he has shown progress. He is quickly progressing himself to the unemployment line. This is his worst work yet. By far. I always liked his passion and was pulling for him to make a great movie someday. However, unlike When in Rome, you can’t just throw a coin into a fountain and get your wish. He’ll never make that great film, in fact it wouldn’t surprise me if he never made a film again. Hollywood is unforgiving and this is unforgivable.

Kristen Bell is a boring leading lady. Just because you can make overly drastic emotions on your face doesn’t make you funny. One good thing that might come from this film is it might be the last straw in Jon Heder’s pathetic career. Dax Shepard and Will Arnett are funny but there characters are so damn retarded I can’t generate enough ignorance from my body to laugh. The male lead is Josh Duhamel, he didn’t exactly fall from the good acting tree. He’s a good fit though, proving to be just as boring as the leading lady. Danny Devito and Anjelica Huston are good actors, who do pretty good jobs, but the film is so bad they’re overlooked. It’s shit like this on his resume that is stopping Devito from getting a decent role anywhere.

Don’t see this movie! Avoid wasting your time with this garbage. It will be the longest, most unsatisfying 91 minutes of your life. I hated this picture.

Youth in Revolt (2009)

In this tale of a rebelling youngster, Michael Cera takes on the role of the above mentioned youth, whom after falling in love with a girl he can’t have, goes on a spree of outlandish rebellion to try and see the girl he wants and loose his oh-so-hated virginity. However, his good-boy self can’t do it without the help of the bad boy alter ego.

Cera is Nick Twisp and Francois Dillinger and as usual he is entertaining and funny and the film has a slew of talented veteran actors coming in to spice up the acting throughout the film. The movies script, though, felt unoriginal. It was like Me, Myself, and Irene meets Superbad. But the directing makes up for it. Miguel Arteta was original. His mixture of original animation and slow motion shots made the film fun. It was a short film that moved fast. Not even an hour and a half long, which played both as a good thing and a bad thing.

I don’t have much to say about this film. It wasn’t really good. It wasn’t bad. No strong complaints but no big compliments. It was just kind of there and then it wasn’t. Rent it. It’s good if you didn’t see it in theaters, it wouldn’t have been worth it.

The Karate Kid (2010)

This movie centers on a young man from Detroit and his new life in the strange, new world of China. His relationships with friends, family, and a girl. And oh yeah, it focuses on his journey from normal young not-so-talented boy to The Karate Kid.

I love this film! For 2 hours and 20 minutes this film takes you on a dramatic, funny, heroic, touching, and inspirational journey that is only rivaled by past Oscar winners such as Rocky and the Blind Side. In fact this movie is every bit as good as the Blind Side and in my opinion is probably a bit better. The script was terrific and the way that HAROLD ZWART directs it you know he knew he had something great on his hands. It was shot with a perfect blend of low budget drama shots and big budget action shots. I was hooked and thoroughly surprised.

The acting, at least by the headlining stars was spot-on-gold. Jaden Smith just radiates his amazingly talented father. Not just for a pre-teen but for any actor of any age. Jaden electrifies the screen with intensity. I was stunned by his performance, just like I was with Jackie Chan’s. I never in a million years thought I would say this but, I think the supporting actor Oscar race begins right here with this action actor we’ve been laughing at for the past 15 years. This is the first movie he has done that has allowed him to show off his acting skills and he shines whenever he breaks out emotions instead of breaking out peoples teeth in kung-fu comedies.

This picture deserves to at least be considered in the Oscar race this year. It was astonishing. I wouldn’t have thought that the director of Pink Panther 2, could direct a story so epically. The performances are so real and touching that during the action finish, I couldn’t hold back the tears. Go see this. On the big screen for sure. If you are disappointed with this film then you are a lost cause. This is a beautiful movie. Jaden Smith is the future of Hollywood. I’m sure they won’t be able to capture the same greatness in a sequel but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t craving one.

The A-Team (2010)

In the 1980s a group of renegade soldiers teamed up together to complete impossible missions in ridiculous ways. That’s exactly what the movie adaptation to the popular T.V. show is about. After 8 years of working with the United States Military on black ops missions, the four heroes of our film are set up and sent to prison. However, after 6 months behind bars the team breaks out and goes after the people who set them up in an attempt to gain back their freedom and clear their names.

This movie is ideal for summer. It’s hilarious and awesome. Is there really anything else to expect from a movie machine aimed at summer movie-goers? I had a great time watching this movie. The script was so ridiculous that it crossed the line from “this is super unbelievable and corny” to “wow that was awesome how they just flew that army tank using the blasts from that huge cannonball launcher on the front of it while fighting off bad guys with a machine gun being shot by Bradley Cooper out of the top hatch, all while falling from a stolen C-130”, and they actually sell that. Quinton Jackson, a UFC fighter turned actor, was a joy to watch act like Mr. T. He was hilarious and badass. Liam Neeson took on the role of Hannibal, the teams fearless leader, and was good but his performance certainly didn’t stick out to me. I honestly don’t remember anything he said during the movie. Bradley Cooper plays the stud Face, and delivers an excellent performance taking over the picture and becoming the leading man. Patrick Wilson and Jessica Biel come in on supporting assignments and both are very entertaining and do about all you can on 8 minutes of camera time. The best performance in this film however goes to the funny Murdock played by District 9 star Sharlto Copely. He couldn’t be more different than his African, Sci-Fi character (in District 9) in this film but delivers a solid performance all the way as he did before. The directing was well done. There were plenty of shots and the timing of the lines worked out well to help distract from the outrageous action.

I certainly recommend going and seeing this movie on the big screen. As much as I like realism and truth to film it’s sometimes nice to see something that is well performed and over the top for that entertaining action-comedy blend that we all enjoy so much in these summer months.