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jandersonpwco
Reviews
Little Fockers (2010)
Not Terrible...
The title of this summary sums it up pretty well. If you are going in expecting the belly laughs generated by "Meet the Parents" and "Meet the Fockers", you will come away disappointed. There are a couple of good chuckles and Stiller and DiNiro still play well off of each other, but for the most part it is pretty flat. As third generation products go, it is not the disaster that some are, but it no where close to either of the previous "Focker" tales. They make a concerted effort not to simply regurgitate all of the same jokes from the first two movies, though there are some familiar references (i.e.,"I'm watching you") which is admirable, but they don't really come up with anything particularly funny.
Not a bad way to kill a couple of hours, but go in with low expectations.
Toy Story 3 (2010)
3 out of 3 ain't bad
Generally speaking, I am not a big fan of sequels. Even some of the best and funniest franchises usually generate huge disappointments with their sequels. Perhaps it is because the Toy Story folks did not feel compelled to rush right back out with their sequels, but for whatever the reason, they have avoided the dreaded sequel curse that has plagued such classic originals as "Naked Gun", "Airplane", "Nutty Professor" and "Shrek" - all great originals that fell flat with their sequels.
Toy Story III incorporates enough of the familiar and time-tested characteristics that we all expect from Woody, Buzz, Potato Head, etc., without becoming repetitive and predictable. To quibble, there may have been a moment or two when it lapsed into all too familiar territory, but the movie more than overcomes that minor shortcoming with the same excellence we have come to expect. My only hope is that they know to quit when they are ahead and not churn out Toy Story's IV and V with substitute voices and 2nd rate stories. They have defied the odds with a 2nd top notch sequel, so I hope they don't get greedy - but this is Hollywood...
Despicable Me (2010)
Pleasantly Surprised!
Despicable Me was on a double feature at the drive in while we were vacationing in Maine. Our kids had never been to a drive in and we wanted to see Toy Story III, so we figured we would "sit through" "Despicable Me" in order to get to Toy Story III. Much to our delight, the trailers and ads for this gem did it very little justice. My impression from the commercials was that this was a juvenile and pointless kids cartoon. To the contrary, Despicable Me was funny, poignant and thoroughly enjoyable. It probably falls just a shade behind TSIII - which was on par with I and II - but not by much. The "voice" cast was excellent, the animation was great and the story - which is not conveyed at all in the trailers - was fantastic. One of the better animated flicks I have seen in years.
Disaster Movie (2008)
What would happen if you gave some 5th graders a video cam.....
That was the thought that kept passing through my mind as I sat through this train wreck. It was so bad, I half-expected to find out the whole thing was some sort of Andy Kaufman-like prank - because it is impossible to believe that someone would actually waste their time producing such dreck and even more difficult to believe that some fool in Hollywood would review it and sign off to fund the production! We were victimized into watching this abomination by my fiancé's 11 year old son and his buddy. If any good came out of it, it was that they were so p*ssed off at how stupid this movie was that perhaps they will listen the next time they insist on seeing such a useless piece of garbage.
Besides the fact that the "parodies" were not funny, they were sloppily piece-mealed together. It was painfully obvious that the idiots who hatched this idea had a checklist of people or movies they thought were good targets, so they just randomly tossed together an endless series of unfunny, unrelated cultural references. As I said, it was so bad it was almost surreal.
I am hesitant to say this or any other movie is the worst movie ever made - but to put it in perspective, think of the worst porn movie you have ever seen - without the naked people - that is the caliber of writing and acting you have here. If you are fortunate enough to have NOT seen this movie, by all means STAY AWAY!!
Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins (2008)
Useless Load of Garbage
If those people commenting that this is "one of Martin Lawrence's best performances", are accurate, I can only thank God that I had the wisdom not to see any of his other movies. We watched this movie at the recommendation of my girlfriend's 10 year old son. Maybe if you are 10 years old or have the mental capacity of a 10 year old, you will like this movie, but I cannot imagine anyone with half a functioning brain finding this film humorous.
The characters are so predictable and stereotyped that they make Amos and Andy look complimentary of the African American race. If the filmmakers are going to insult an entire race of people, they should at least be remotely funny while they are doing so. The jokes - if you can call them that - were predictable and unfunny. All of the actors were so over the top in representing their assigned stereotypes, they were about as subtle - and enjoyable - as a sledgehammer upside the head. Next to this cast Adam Sandler is the equivalent of Sir Lawrence Olivier. The biggest embarrassment may be James Earl Jones, more than living up to his rep as one of Hollywood's biggest movie whores. He seems as engaged in this performance as a vegetarian in a butcher shop.
I came into this movie bracing myself for an awful experience and Martin Lawrence and company managed to still amaze me with how incredibly bad this movie was. It ranks up there with legendary stinkers such as "Bingo, Baby's Day Out and I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry". A complete disaster.
The Bucket List (2007)
Exceeded High Expectations
Anytime I am going to see a movie starring the likes of Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, I am a bit wary of being let down, as they have both consistently set the bar so high for so long. Based on the ads for Bucket List, I was expecting an entertaining but rather lightweight effort with lots of "old man" jokes. On the contrary, this was one of the best films I have seen in years. Nicholson and Freeman are magic together. The chemistry between them and the genuine affection their characters convey for one another is nothing short of astounding. The storyline is not particularly unpredictable, pretty much following the script that is expected based on the trailers. I guess the sentimental twists and turns that accompany their journey should not be a big surprise either, given director Rob Reiner's affinity for aiming at the heartstrings. But, the climactic final 20 minutes will take the plot and your emotions in directions you will probably not anticipate. Anyone who has had a true, deep, soul-to-soul friendship will genuinely appreciate the amazing job Freeman and Nicholson do with this film. It has secured a spot in my all time top 20. Truly special and outstanding!
The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
Brilliantly Understated Classic
I rarely find myself in awe of an actor's ability, but Will Smith solidifies his standing as one of Hollywood's finest talents with his performance in this gem. It is especially impressive when you consider his career started when he was basically drafted for a lightweight sit-com from a teeny-bopper rap duo because he displayed charisma and humor in his MTV videos.
His poignant portrayal of the struggling, yet determined, Chris Gardner is one of the single most inspiring on-screen performances of the past twenty years. I initially saw this on a cross country airline flight with its inherent distractions, so I did not fully appreciate it until watching on DVD again last night. The entire performance is brilliant, but the defining moment is when he is huddled with his son in a locked restroom at the subway station when he has nowhere else to go. Without uttering a word, he had my eyes welling with tears - and I generally do not get weepy during movies. If you are not touched and inspired by this movie, check yourself for a pulse, and if Will Smith is not, at the very least, nominated for Best Actor, they should just cancel the whole Oscar ceremony.
Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, step aside and make room. Will Smith has made himself more than worthy of being regarded as one of the truly elite performers.
I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (2007)
God Awful!!
Little did I realize that the two or three amusing scenes shown in the trailers were the ONLY mildly amusing scenes in the movie. I barely cracked a smile throughout this entire painful process. The premise is a promising one, but the writing is probably the worst I have seen in a major comedy production. I thought Adam Sandler had made progress since his early juvenile efforts, but this abomination is neither juvenile or even remotely funny. I have always enjoyed Kevin James in King of Queens, but this movie is a waste of his talent. Steve Buschemi, another fine actor is given absolutely nothing to work with. Dan Akroyd can proudly post this one on his resume' next to the Blues Brother remake. I am sure these fine actors are secretly cringing at their association with this embarrassment. I paid a dollar to rent this and I feel like I grossly overpaid. Stay away!!
Bee Movie (2007)
Very clever, entertaining for kids and adults
The animated feature genre has been so overdone and the reviews were generally poor for this movie, so I went into this with low expectations. My significant other has young children so I have been subjected to virtually every animated feature released over the last 2 years. This was a refreshing change because Seinfeld did not take the movie or the message too seriously. It is, after all, a cartoon! The movie is peppered with sly humor suggesting a bee existence that parallels the human world. The story is far-fetched as some here have lamented - again folks - it is a CARTOON! If you like Seinfeld's "observation of human (bee) behavior" humor, you will enjoy this movie. Like most classic cartoons (i.e. Bugs Bunny) there are multiple references that will go right over your kid's head but will be humorous to you - but the kids won't mind because the basic story is juvenile enough to appeal to them.
While this is not on par with Toy Story, I will watch this any day over some of the predictable, repetitious garbage praised elsewhere at this site ("Over the Hedge" was barely tolerable). Very solid effort.
The Day After Tomorrow (2004)
Haven't I Seen This Somewhere Before??
This film is mildly entertaining if you are willing to suspend reality and plausibility for a couple of hours, but this is pretty much a "weather catastrophe" version of Independence Day, or any number of other, "world destruction is at hand" movies. There is the heroic genius, the skeptical government official, the hearty, faithful sidekicks and a fairly predictable ending. Dennis Quaid is rather wooden as a lead male, but at least his brother Randy does not show up as the "wild and crazy" sidekick. The rest of the cast is acceptable, but fairly forgettable.
Drop it in with minimal expectations and you won't be too disappointed. But if you are looking for some profound angle on the potential long term dangers of abusing our environment, better turn to the Learning Channel.
Evelyn (2002)
Great Performance by Brosnan
After years of seeing Pierce Brosnan play roles depicting him as the suave ladies man, I was skeptical when we picked this up in the video store and read the premise. I am not a Bond fan and I always considered Brosnan a lightweight actor.
Much to my surprise, Brosnan was dead on in his portrayal of an uncultured, heavy-drinking but loving father, who has his children taken away. It was obvious that he was very passionate about the role, and seemed to be on a mission to prove his mettle as a serious actor.
This is a very atypical movie, not really fitting into any of the usual, predictable genres. It has its funny moments, but it is mostly sobering and heart-wrenching. Aidan Quinn, Julianna Margulies (formerly of ER) and the little girl who plays Evelyn head an impressive supporting cast.
Those who require explosions and car chases need not bother with this one, but if you enjoy an intelligent, touching human drama, you will be in for an unexpected treat.
Field of Dreams (1989)
Perhaps best baseball movie of all time
As a huge baseball fan, I am generally not easy to please when it comes to cinematic presentations of the game, but Field of Dreams captures the enduring spirit that makes baseball special to its avid fans. The broader story is enjoyable for non-baseball enthusiasts as well. The story is slow at times, typical of Costner's work, and their are some historical gaffes that true baseball fans will pick up (a young ballplayer who is supposed to be "called back" from the early 20's era, recognizes Gil Hodges amongst the greats participating on the "Field of Dreams". Hodges was a star of the '50s.)
A brief but memorable final major cinema role for acting great Bert Lancaster is one of the film's highlights. James Earl Jones is also outstanding.
Very good movie, great baseball movie. Highly recommended.
Bring It On (2000)
Mindless Drivel
What a load of garbage. One of the 15-20 worst movies I have ever seen. Inane, annoying, shallow - throw in any other synonyms that match. This starts out bad and goes steadily downhill from there. The characters, the plotline and the soundtrack are all as predictable as sunshine in San Diego. A total waste of time.
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
An instant classic
George Clooney cements his position as one of today's finest actors. This is one of those classic movies like Forrest Gump or It's a Wonderful Life that does not fit into any pre-defined category. It is not a comedy, but it is hilarious. It is not a drama, but it has a gripping storyline. The main thing consistent with other classics is that you really care about the characters and what happens to them. Full of ironic twists and turns. Great, great movie!
Miracle on 34th Street (1994)
Poor Edmund Gwenn is spinning in his grave
I could only stomach short samplings of this putrid insult to a classic. They botch the plot line, make Santa a wise guy instead of a jolly, clever sage and give all the glory to the attorney, instead of to a miracle of fate. Finally, they top it off with a ridiculous climax that makes no sense whatsoever. Leave the classics alone!
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
One of the best of the last 30 years
Best prison movie since The Great Escape. One of the most satisfying climaxes of any movie ever made. Morgan Freeman should have won the Oscar for best actor. Relative unknown Bob Gunton (one of those actors you see, but you never know his name) is also brilliantly despicable as Warden Samuel Norton. Like many classics, despite its modest box office appeal, Shawshank will grow in stature through the years and will be recognized as an all time great.