The Incredible Hulk

We went and saw The Incredible Hulk on Saturday and I have to admit that I was pretty excited to see it. The Hulk is one of my favorite Comic Book characters and I wanted to know if this movie successfully portrayed him. I have not seen the previous Hulk movie that came out a few years ago, but from what I have read and heard, it is not really worth seeing. The Incredible Hulk that just came out sounds like it is much better. It makes the Hulk seem a little more realistic and not as far fetched as the previous movie made him out to be. It is really exciting, and it has a ton of action. It is a kind of dark for little kids, but for everyone else it is a great ride and I feel it is very worth seeing. I thought that most of the roles were well cast. I wasn't sure I would like Edward Norton as the Hulk, or Liv Tyler as Betty Ross, but I was pleasantly surprised at how good a fit they were. I highly recommend this movie to those who like some sweet action, a decent plot, and a touch of romance. I give it a 7/10.

Kung Fu Panda

We went to see Kung Fu Panda this weekend, as a fan of Jack Black I had been looking forward to this movie for a while. We were not disappointed. Obviously it is geared toward kids but it incorporates a nice mix of humor and martial arts. Jack Black does a great job voicing a fat panda, other familiar voices include Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, and Jackie Chan. Since it is animated they were able to pull off some crazy kung fu moves that would look cheesy if they were done in live action. On the poster it says to "Prepare for Awesomeness" and it lives up to its claim to Awesomeness. Garr liked it too, and he said that he is glad that he saw it instead of going to see Indiana Jones again, which is a pretty high compliment from Garr. I would say that Kung Fu Panda now ranks with some of my favorite animated movies, its hard to beat Jack Black when it comes to being crazy and hilarious. I give it a 7 and a half out of 10

Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

I liked the first Narnia movie a lot and I felt that this one was even better. Garr said that he liked them about equally. The new installment takes place 1 year later for the kids and about 1,300 years later for Narnia. It is probably a good idea to see the first Narnia movie before this one, but it is not essential. The reason I like this one better than the first one is because instead of just one big battle at the end, there is much more action throughout. Also the diversity of the Narnians was used better, with the griffins flying people over castle gates, and mice sneaking through as well as various other creative ways to take advantage of their diversity. It is an exciting movie, but no blood is ever shown. If your child can sit through the movie it is probably fine for them to watch. I agree with rottentomatoes.com when they said it is an entertaining adventure worthy of the standard set by its predecessor. I give it a 7/10.

Horton Hears a Who!

This movie came out in March, but we just went and saw it at the Dollar Theater. We waited a while to see it because it is a little kids movie and we didn't want to pay full price for something that might be really disappointing. After seeing it I wish we would have gone sooner. It is actually hilarious, I suppose it was made for kids but as an adult I may have enjoyed it more than the kids in the theater. Jim Carrey and Steve Carell do excellent jobs with the voice work, and Will Arnett is hilarious as Vlad the vulture. I was a little apprehensive about the fact that the movie was based off a short book by Dr. Seuss, but it actually is a really interesting story and it comes with a good message. Definitely see it with the kids or without it is a really entertaining flick either way. I give it a 8/10.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

This was probably the most anticipated movie in the Van Orden house for the last year. Garr had a count down 50 days in advance. Indiana Jones are Garr's 7th 8th and 9th favorite movies (after Star Wars of course), so Garr was anxiously awaiting the newest one (to say the least). As the blessed day finally arrived Garr and I went to the midnight showing and played Indiana Jones Monopoly while we were waiting. I had been excited to see it too, but I'm not quite as enthusiastic as Garr. Garr knew before the movie came out that he was going to like it and had already placed it as his 10th favorite movie, and I was not quite as confident.

The newest installment lives up the past Indiana Jones movies and Harrison Ford proves that he will always be Indiana Jones no matter how old he gets. Some of the movie is a little ridiculous, but you have to remember that all of the Indiana Jones movies are supposed to be over the top and are based off of graphic novels of the 30's and 40's. Going into it you should remember not to be put off my the fact that it is not entirely based in reality, and was not meant to be. The movie is based in the 50's and it incorporated things that were happening in the world at that time. If you have seen and liked the other Indiana Jones movies, this one will not disappoint. As Garr says, "It is even better the third time." For Garr's sake I give it a 10/10.

Iron Man

We had been looking forward to Iron Man for a long time since both Garr and I are big fans of comic book movies and we have some cartoons of Iron Man and we both agree that he is one of the coolest super heroes. We went opening night and we both loved it. I have to echo all the other reviews that I have read, it has to be one of the greatest super-hero movies created yet. Tony Stark is played by Robert Downey Jr. is a refreshing character that is not weighed down by the overdone sentiment that"with great power comes great responsibility." Iron Man has real flaws and is a very accessible character and Robert Downey Jr. does a great job in the role. The movie is action packed and the effects are awesome, but it doesn't try to do too much. It introduces and him effectively and explains how he became Iron Man. For those who are not huge fans of comic book movies, it doesn't matter pretty much anyone can relate to it. For those of us who are big comic book nerds, it is even more amazing. For those who are fans of Iron Man and the Avengers; stay until the end of the credits, there is an extra scene that hints at a sequel. I don't know what else to say but go and see it, I can't wait for the next one. I give it a 9 and a half out of 10.

The Forbidden Kingdom

The Forbidden Kingdom is the first movie that Jet Li and Jacki Chan have made together. Jet Li is in his 40's and Jacki Chan is in his 50's but it is hard to tell with all of the amazing martial art that they do in this movie. Although the plot line is a little cheesy, the movie acknowledges it. It does not take itself too seriously and both Jacki Chan and Jet Li have some pretty funny lines. There is a plot, but lets face it, when you go to a movie like this you are not looking for an amazing plot you are looking for some sweet action sequences and this movie definitely provides them. At times it does feel seem like the plot is looking for one more reason for some more crazy martial art fights. But would you expect any less from a movie with Jet Li and Jacki Chan? Overall it is a great movie if you like exciting martial art action sequences with some humor in the mix. I give it a 6/10.

Leatherheads

We recently saw Leatherheads at the Dollar Theater. Neither of us were looking forward to it a lot, but we gave it a try anyway. Suprisingly we both actually really enjoyed it. I don't think it is necessarily for the avid football fan since the actual football sequences were not amazing. The rest of the movie was entertaining and I thought the combination of George Clooney, Renee Zellweger, and John Krasinski was a nice choice. They all had good comedic timing with each other and they were funny to watch. The movie is set in the 1920's and has a nice historical feel to it. I found it interesting, funny and entertaining. It may not be for those who are looking for an action packed sports movie, but for those who are just looking for a solid comedy set in a historical framework this is for you. I give it a 6/10.

King of Kong: Fist Full of Quarters

King of Kong is a documentary about a guy who is trying to beat the world record for the original Donkey Kong. Sounds pretty boring and super dorky right? Well, it is actually one of the best movies I have seen in a while. Yes it is riddled with dorks and oober-nerds but that's part of what makes it so hilarious. Almost all the people are a little eccentric and it makes for great comedy. The story flows really well, and it is complete with intrigue and a villain. It does not take itself too seriously, and I completely recommend this movie. Everyone I know who has seen it has loved it, it will not disappoint. I give it a 8 and 1/2 out of 10.

Jumper

We went to see jumper opening weekend. Garr was really excited about it because it is a sci-fi/fantasy movie and it has two of his favorite actors from Star Wars: Samuel L. Jackson and Hayden Christensen. I was not too excited about it and I had fairly low expectations. Unfortunately even with low expectations I was still disappointed. The Critics' Consensus on rottentomatoes.com said that it was an erratic action pic with little coherence and lackluster special effects. I agree for the most part, the effects were fair but not worth sitting through 90 minutes of a confusing plot line. They tried to do too much with one movie, I suppose that the Jumper lived up to its title by jumping from one plot line to another with little to no explanation. I give it a very generous 4/10.

Movies

Garr and I are always going to movies and we tend to be fairly opinionated about them. Our opinions are not always the same about all the movies but it's fun to look forward to new movies coming out. Since we don't have a baby to post pictures of everyday, and our lives are fairly boring other than going and watching new movies I thought that reviewing movies on our blog would be a good way for me to keep posting. My brother Jesse suggested it and I agreed that it was a good idea. I told Garr and he said that it sounds too much like homework for him, so he will just have to deal with what I say about the movies and my opinion will rule. If he has anything he wants to add he will have to put it in here and I know he will not agree about everything. So here goes.

Graduation

I recently graduated from BYU in April. Here is a picture of Garr and I afterward.

My wonderful sister Sarah also came to my graduation, it might look like we took the picture ourselves but Garr really did.