Seven Pounds

We kept putting off seeing Seven Pounds since all of the trailers were so confusing. The trailers were obviously supposed to be confusing, but instead of making us want to see it they made us avoid it at first. When we did eventually get around to seeing it, we were glad we did. Unlike some movies that are intended to be fairly simple and end up being overly complicated, this movie seems quite complicated on the surface, but is actually fairly simple and ends up being easy to understand. The story lends itself well to film. It is hard not to give the whole movie away if I describe it really at all. I can just say that it is a good movie and worth seeing. 7.5/10.

Duplicity

We thought that we would give Duplicity a try despite its mixed reviews. Unfortunately it lives up to its name but not in a positive way. There is so much going on. It is hard to follow all of the different facets of the story. There is not a good pay off at the end, and we left the theater with an unfulfilled sensation. All the actors did a very good job. The cast was amazing. The story seemed like it was trying to be like Oceans 11 but then not. If you are looking for a good spy flick, this is not it. 4/10.

The Rocker

I would have to say that this in one of the most underrated movies that I have seen in a while. The trailers really did this movie no favors and made it look less funny than it actually is. The Office's Rainn Wilson plays a washed-up old drummer that joins his nephews band and gets a second chance. Although the plot sounds really cheesy it actually ends up being pretty funny. Wilson charismatically takes on yet another eccentric role and pulls if off quite well. It is fairly clean other than the part where he drums naked for a segment. I say at least give The Rocker a chance, if you like School of Rock then you will most likely enjoy this as well. 7.5/10.

Push

This movies sounded like something that Garr and I would really like. It is about people who have different superhuman abilities. This is the reason that we went and saw it at the dollar theater despite some bad reviews that we had heard. Unfortunately some of the bad reviews were well merited. They really tried to do too much with it. The story is much too complex and extremely hard to follow. The story jumps around a lot. Sometimes it seems like it is just an excuse for more useless fighting. Don't get me wrong. I like action just as much as the next person, but when I'm utterly confused as to why the people are beating the crap out of each other, I get a little annoyed. Save yourself two hours of confusion, and don't watch it. 5/10.

Race to Witch Mountain

This was a good action movie for kids. The plot was not innovative or very interesting, but if you are watching it with kids, it's not going to matter very much anyway. I watched the old Race to Witch Mountain and this is very different from it and obviously an improvement. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson did a pretty good job, but the child actors in the movie tended to get on my nerves. If you need an action movie to watch with kids, I guess this would be a good candidate. But if you are looking for really good action and maybe a plot that is less formulaic, go for something else. 6/10.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

Since I first saw a trailer for this movie, I had though it would be an interesting story. One of my favorite movies is Schindler's List, and I hoped that this would be similar. Set during World War II, this story is seen through the innocent eyes of Bruno the eight-year-old son of the commandant at a concentration camp whose forbidden friendship with a Jewish boy on the other side of the camp fence has startling and unexpected consequences. Although it is a very touching and wrenching story, it is very different from Schindler's list. We got it from Red Box, and it was well worth it. I give it a 8.5/10.

He's Just Not That Into You

This post is to be seen as a warning not too see this movie. Disclaimer: Garr was actually the one who wanted to see it in the first place. I should have been more adamantly against it. I'm ashamed to say that we actually sat through the whole thing. If you like overly hyped movies with too many prominent actors for a horrible script... then this is probably a good movie for you. I admit there were a few funny parts, but if the "Mac Guy" is the best part of a movie with so many well-known actors...it's not a good sign. This movie sucks....enough said...1/10.

Slumdog Millionaire

Before it won the Oscar for best picture we had heard about Slumdog Millionaire, and thought it sounded like an interesting movie. We saw it on our Clearplay but heard that it does not really need editing despite its R rating. Here is a brief synopsis of it: A Mumbai teen who grew up in the slums becomes a contestant on the Indian version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" He is arrested under suspicion of cheating, and while being interrogated events from his life history are shown which explain why he knows the answers. I don't know if I agree that this is really the best picture of the year. Garr would obviously say that Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was the best picture of the year, but Slumdog Millionaire definatly has a lot going for it. The story draws the viewer in, and you quickly get invested in the characters. It has a message of hope and is an uplifting story. I definitely would recommend trying out this movie. I give it a 9/10.

Paul Blart Mall Cop

We had heard a lot about this movie, that it was really funny and that we would like it. We waited to see it in the dollar theater and were glad that we did not pay full price. We did like it and thought there were a few really funny parts, but it didn't live up to all of the hype we had heard. The plot was nothing special and the jokes were often sub par. Garr noted that it seems like is a parody of the first Die Hard, and if you take it that way then it is a little more funny. It was a fairly clean comedy, and we appreciated that. For the most part it's a forgettable movie but entertaining to watch. It is probably worth a try at red box, but don't expect too much. I give it a 6.5/10.

Just to Change it Up a Little Bit

When we started this blog a lot of movies that we were excited about where coming out fairly frequently. There was a lot to write about then, but in my opinion there are not very many worth while movies out there right now...and there haven't been very many good ones for a while. This has been reflected in the infrequency of posts on this blog. Since we are going through a drought in good new movies I though I would add some pictures of us over the Christmas Break. We went home to my house in Indiana and also drove from there to Garr's brother's house in DC to spend time with more family. We went to some of the monuments in DC and we also went to Lincoln's Boyhood home that is about 35 minutes from my parents house. We usually don't take a lot of pictures, so savor the moment...it may not happen again for a while.

Us at Lincoln's Boyhood home Monument, I admit that it was fairly cool.

In front of the panel showing Lincolns Presidency, there was a top hat and Lincoln beard in the gift shop...we should have gotten them, it would have at least made the picture more exciting.

Us at the DC temple after doing a session. It's gotta be one of my favorite temples...when Garr and I first saw it we were cursing ourselves for getting married in the St Louis Temple and not DC...dang us.

At Mount Vernon, the view from the house to the Potomac...I tried to express my profound excitement.

Garr and I trying to get all three of us in the picture, me, him, and the Potomac. We didn't quite get the Potomac...but we got some nice grass (a good consolation).

Garr became a fan of Cows on Facebook, so he wanted a shot with them. He was saying "I'm a fan of those guys." My left pointer finger also makes an appearance along with Mount Vernon.

Garr rejoicing in the splendor of Mount Vernon.

This is in the National Museum of American History Smithsonian in DC. Garr is next to the portrait with in a portrait with in a portrait of Steven Colbert

Garr found the one Star Wars thing in the Museum.

Garr high fiving a horse in front of the Capitol Building.

The horse later kicked Garr in the head.

At the WWII monument looked toward the Washington monument.

This is me failing to contain my excitement about historical monuments, stay cool Sally....Stay cool.

Garr attempting to clean out earwax with the Washington monument.

In front of the Abraham "the man" Lincoln Monument. Not a bad picture of us if you ignore the kid having convulsions on the left.

Quantum of Solace

We went to see the much anticipated new James Bond movie Quantum of Solace. Garr had been looking forward to it a lot. He likes James Bond movies with a lot of action, and if it doesn't have much of a plot, well that's sometimes a secondary concern. I also can appreciate a good action movie, but I don't have the same penchant toward musing over how much of a stud James Bond is, nor a desire to be like him; you know the "all the girls want him, and all the guys want to be like him" mentality. I did like Casino Royal a lot, I had seen many other James Bond movies and I felt like it was somewhat of a departure from them and I found that refreshing. Quantum of Solace is a continuation of Casino Royal and it is the first time that a James Bond movie really built on another one. All the other James Bond flicks were stand-alone movies. It was kind of nice to see a continuing plot, but it didn't seem like they did enough with it. I almost wish they would have just started anew like all the other movies.

The movie was good, not necessarily a disappointment, but I left with the feeling that it could have been much better. Casino Royal had some pretty amazing action and climactic sequences, Quantum of Solace (although an entertaining movie) did not live up the the prescident that the first had made. Also the camera work was very different, it seemed as if the director was a big fan of the "Bourne" movies and he used the same shaky action camera work. For me, it was hard to tell what was going on due to the shaky camera work and because things were happening so quickly. I would have preferred some more smooth and natural shots rather than the shaking and unsteady ones. Over all, however, it was a good movie. Daniel Craig played James Bond superbly yet again, and the other supporting actors also did a good job. I would still recommend it, but would suggest seeing it at the dollar theater or getting at Redbox. I would give it a 7/10.

Ghost Town

I had heard good things about Ghost Town but also had heard that it was not doing well at the Box Office, so I waited for it to come the the dollar theater to see it. Most people that I know had not even heard of it. I liked almost everything about it. It was very funny and refreshing, Ricky Gervais who plays a wonderfully bitter dentist is absolutely perfect for the role. You may know him from the British Office, he plays the Micheal character. The plot is meaningful, but does not take itself too seriously (a good thing since it is a comedy). The supporting cast is well chosen and they play off each other with great comedic banter. It truly is at least the funniest movie I have seen this year if not longer. A few things that I disliked about it was that the name is misleading, it is not a scary movie and the generic title of Ghost Town simply does not do it justice. I also did not like that they used the "F" word at least once, obviously in pursuit of a PG-13 rating since there was nothing else in the movie that could have given it that. I definitely say that this one is worth seeing. It is hilarious and for some reason it was not marketed well so people do not know about it. It wins the prize for the unsung hero of movies this year. I give it a well deserved 8.5/10.