The Last Song

2 stars out of 5




Two people meet somehow and somewhere on the east coast. Their relationship goes through major ups and downs before they decide to stay together and something terrible happens to the main character through the course of the journey. This seems to be what happens in almost every movie based on a novel by Nicholas Sparks. "The Last Song" is no different. One summer Ronnie and her brother Jonah are sent to her dad's house for the summer. Her parents are divorced and she is bitter about it, having let her life plummet in New York. During her stay on the east coast she slowly works towards reconnecting with her father and builds a romantic relationship with a young man who accidentally causes her to spill her milkshake all over her. Also, she used to play piano but ever since her dad left them she has given it up.

Remember that other film that was released this year based on a Nicholas Sparks novel called "Dear John?" This film is just as terrible. Perhaps part of the reason is because (as I have heard) that the filmmakers decide to venture a great deal from the source material. On the other hand, perhaps there is something about most Nicholas Sparks novels that just don't translate well to the screen. But no matter what it is true that "The Last Song" is a bore. The writing is mediocre. The film is paced slowly and it's hard to understand how two people can fall so quickly in love within a few days especially when one of those two despised the other to begin with. Of course anything is possible is the dreamlike hollywood land.

Even the acting was mediocre. Greg Kinnear couldn't even save his performance in this film and he is one of the few in the cast who has acting chops. When it comes to the others they are there for either romantic kissing scenes are tear inducing scenes that don't manage to produce emotions because it took so long to get there in the first place. One thing is for sure though. Miley Cyrus is definitely jumping away from her Hannah Montana days and moving up into the older teenage crowd. But she still has some work to do.

If there was something that redeemed this film it was the cinematography and the soundtrack. The film is littered with wonderful sunset shots and manages to capture the beauty of nature when it finally ventures away from the uninteresting characters. The soundtrack is filled with quality songs that are honestly too good for the material it is representing. In the end, though, the main thing I have to say is they should just stop trying to adapt Nicholas Sparks novels into films. All of the recent ones have been awful and feel exactly the same.

How To Train Your Dragon

4 stars out of 5



Hiccup is a viking who lives with other vikings on an island. Their island gets ravaged by dragons. The vikings kill the dragons. But not Hiccup. He is a scrawny and skinny lad who is too weak to kill a dragon. And of course his father is the chief. Then one night he manages to shoot down a Night Terror, the most feared and unknown dragon, with a net. He soon finds the dragon, helps fix its broken tail, gives it a name, and befriends, discovering that what vikings think about dragons may not be entirely true.

This is the fun new animated family film from Dreamworks pictures. How To Train Your Dragon packs good animation, good voice acting, and a great story. What seems like a simple idea becomes an epic story full of fun, action, and even a little bit of romance. What is best about this film, though, is how good a job it does at making people laugh. It also brings in moments that will cause the audience to want to cheer and cry as well and possible even have little ones jumping at a couple moments but not enough to give them nightmares.

Part of what I think makes this film work is the main character. He is an underdog and I think it's easy to root for the underdog because most people as the audience have been in the position at least at some point in our lives. Jay Baruchel does a good job voicing Hiccup even if at times we get a little of him in that personality. It still works, especially since everything is animated. Gerard Butler also does a good job as the father who is easy to detest and completely ashamed of his son. And the dragons of course are made a little bit more adorable so as night to frighten the children. It's a well told story and very clever and will entertain both children and adults alike.

There is one more thing I must mention, I didn't see this movie in 3D. In fact, it has come to the point that the advent of film is 3D and I don't think that most movies work in 3D. I was glad to see it in 2D away from all the attempted flash. And even storywise what I expected is what I got. It is based on a kid's book and I'm sure characters at moments could use more development but all in all it was what it promised to be; a funny family friendly film with some good action.

Hot Tub Time Machine

2 out of 5 Stars



Four guys go on a vacation to an old ski resort that three of them had stayed at back in the day. The fourth guy is Adam's (John Cusack) nephew. When they get there the town is now rundown, not what they remembered. One night they get in a time machine, spill an energy drink all over the console, and accidentally transport themselves back to 1986 and relive much of their past. The only other notable actors in the film are Chevy Chase as the mysterious hot tub repairman and Crispin Glover as the bell hop.

This film is a comedy. It is a comedy with a ridiculous premise that has hope for being funny. Instead it is quite the opposite expect for maybe a total accumulated fifteen minutes here and there but that doesn't make up for the other hour and a half. It's nothing but a concept movie that tries to be funny in itself by throwing the characters back into another time period and giving them lots of booze, drugs, and sex to deal with. At least some of the cast can act. Unfortunately this has to be one of the worst films I have ever seen John Cusack apart of. (I heard horrible things about 2012 but haven't seen it).

The idea of time travel has been utilized in so many ways in so many films, some in which were successful. The films that were successful also had plot and story. This film has neither. It also is far from funny ... that is unless you absolutely love sex jokes. That's what about two thirds of the film amounts to. Sure there are a few jokes that relate to the 80's and the advancement of technology but for the most part the jokes revolve around sex and a lot of things that happen are terribly random. It's taking this genre of comedy and mixing with science fiction with some decent and some good actors and creating a film that really has no redeeming value except for maybe the very slight message of sticking with friends.

If you love sex jokes you'll probably find this film hilarious but that by no means that is by any chance a quality film. It feels a lot like The Hangover and many people are saying that it's this year's The Hangover. The only problem is that in The Hangover things were just plain wrong while being hilarious. In Hot Tub Time Machine everything is just plain wrong.

Repo Men

3 1/2 out of 5 Stars




Repo Men is a new science fiction thriller set in the future. People are now able to buy mechanical organs to replace failed ones and if you can't afford up front than you're put on a payment plan. But if you fail to make payments after three months the company will come and reposses those organs under their own terms. Remy is one of these repo men, along with his friend Jake, who have been working together for years. Than one day one of Remy's job goes wrong and he winds up with a new heart from the company, causing him to question all of his past work.

Some people may find that this film looks familiar because concept wise it resembles Repo! The Genetic Opera which came out in 2009. But concept is where the similarities of these two films stop so I cannot condone the anger that Repo! fans feel towards the apparent rip off of this film. I am afterall, one of those Repo! fans. Repo Men however, has a different plot and completely different characters. It also feels very different. Repo! is a rock opera so it feels more like an art form and is therefore more fun. Repo Men is a gritty and intense thriller that is not always easy to watch.

Repo Men dives into the world of the morally and ethically gray and lives in a place where men should fear. This film brings us directly into the concept of repossesion in a horrific way. It is at times intense and quite bloody. Repossesion does require cutting people open after all. But it doesn't paint repossession in a good light, rather it points in the favor of human life and the main chararacters own redemption from what he used to do.

Repo Men is a finely crafted film. It isn't a film that everybody could sit through, in fact it's difficult to watch at times. I've seen a lot in films to the point where many would say I have been desensitized and near the end of the film I was cringing in my seat. But it keeps you on edge, wanting to know what is going to happen.

Most importantly is the message of finding ourselves. Remy points out at one point in the film that your job is who you are. You have to change jobs to change yourself. I think to some extent this is true.

The Bounty Hunter

2 1/2 out of 5 Stars



Milo Boyd (Girard Butler) and Nicole Hurley (Jennifer Aniston) are recently divorced. Jennifer is an investigative journalist, tracking down the truth of a suicide story. Milo is a bounty hunter deep in debt. Jennifer misses her appointment in court to appeal and ticket and quickly becomes a wanted felon for "assaulting an officer." Milo takes the bounty and soon comedy ensues as he tries to bring his ex to jail.

Not only does this film have a star cast, it is also clever and comedic. The premise alone is clever and fun. At the same time it could have been horrible but it was executed quite well. It also isn't everything expected. It is a comedy and with that the timing is wonderful, but it is also a mystery and romance. That doesn't mean that it's a romantic comedy, because it's not. The films leads do a great job in helping us believe their angst towards each other with both their shortcomings and successes.

What I enjoyed the most about this film though, outside of the excellent comedy, was the importance of admitting our wrongs in relationships and reaching common ground. It's a film that delves into the depths of the characters and because of this we feel for them, especially for those who have had relationships that have gone awry. But it's also a film that understands the flaws that we all have. Yet despite this two people can stay together and not always agree.

The Bounty Hunter definitely follows a few of the general guidelines of a romantic comedy but it also adds a few twists and aims towards both genders and is filled with moments of laughter.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

1/2 out of 5 Stars




Diary of A Wimpy Kid is based on the bestselling book. Greg Heffley is just entering middle school. He believes that middle school is the dumbest idea ever invented and that he should be the most popular kid. He concocts multiple schemes to work in his favor, all of which go awry. All this he writes down and as he says "this a journal, not a diary."

I know absolutely nothing about the book other than the title and the fun looking pencil drawing that graces the cover, yet for some reason it was decided that this book should be adapted as a live action feature. From the beginning it feels as if the film is supposed to be somewhat reminiscent of middle school. The problem is it doesn't. The characters are more like caricatures of different stereotypes with a young egotistical kid at its center. Even the adults are portrayed in a light that gives them no depth. The characters are shallow from beginning to end with only a single purpose behind each persona.

At the same time, perhaps the film wasn't supposed to feel like middle school and purposely take all those stereotypes and play with them to the extreme for comic effect. Except that there is no comic effect. Nothing feels funny. Instead I was groaning with anticipation for the end of the film. Perhaps if I would have at least cared for the lead I might have rolled my eyes a little less. Instead, I agonizingly sat through the rest of the film, wishing I would have been watching a film that was truly reminiscent of those painful years. I did myself have a terrible first year in middle school and it's impossible for me to imagine the ridiculous antics that occur in this film.

And on top of all this there is a short story about a piece of moldy cheese on pavement that no one will pick up out of fear. There was a shot of that cheese almost every twenty minutes. I started to wonder if the story was really about the cheese.

Green Zone

3 1/2 Out of 5 Stars



Green Zone is the latest film from Paul Greengrass, director of the last two Bourne films, and also stars Matt Damon as Chief Warrent Roy Miller. Set in 2003 during the time in Iraq when the US was searching for Weapons of Mass Destruction, Green Zone is a conspiracy war film. Troops continue to be sent to various sites throughout Irag searching for WMD from what they have been told is reliable intel but at every site they come up cold. Roy Miller knows this and begins to ask questions. Pretty soon he takes matters into his own hands to unveil the truth behind the operation.

Green Zone is definitely a political film and an anti-war film at that. It covers one of what many seem to have considered the greatest blunder for a war that America has initiated. And that being said, as a war film it is definitely filled with action. Of course it is also what most war films are not, a conspiracy film. The acting is superb and it is gripping to the point where we want to know how exactly its going to turn out, though it is somewhat predictable. But it really is a bash on the US government for the time in Iraq.

The biggest flaw of this film though is its feel. This is Bourne meets Iraq. We've got Matt Damon, who was Jason Bourne, now an army chief. We have Paul Greengrass who seems to only have one style of filmmaking. The Bourne films also had better material to work with. Not that this is an awful story, it just doesn't work on the same gripping level that Bourne did. What is was able to do, though, was openly question the government, proof that really almost anything can be produced into a film, despite what the voice may say.

The film had an evident message against the war that happened, openly stating that the US only entered Iraq to get Sadam out of power, and verifying false intel to justify their actions. But as one Iraqi character who we come to know throughout the film puts it, "You have no right to decide what happens here." I think he has a point. Why must the United States exercise the right to power by taking over the governments of other countries?

She's Out of My League

3 out of 5 Stars



What happens when a 10 goes for a 5? A much better question is, why should people really rate other people based on looks? Kirk is the skinny weakling, the biggest underdog there is. Molly is the exact opposite. She is very attractive, well known, and causes every guys head to turn. One day when she boards a flight she accidentally leaves behind her iPhone. Upon calling it, Kirk picks up, he ends up hanging on to the phone, and soon a whirlwind of events occur that lead to Molly falling for Kirk, a phenomenon that utterly baffles Kirk.

She's Out of My League definitely fits into the category of somewhat raunchy comedies but it also falls into the category of the ones that have a deeper message beneath the surface. Kirk works at the airport but he has always dreamt of being a pilot, a dream he's not sure he'll ever fufill. He spends his days with his three worker buddies who most of the time give terrible advice. Even his friends don't think much of him as they blatantly tell him flat out he has absolutely no chance in the world with a girl as hot as Molly. This leads to a great deal of self esteem issues.

The film very often is funny though at moments a bit too crude for it to be funny but nowhere near as raunchy or vulgar as The Hangover or Tropic Thunder. There is plenty enough among the characters in this film to make us laugh. The comedic timing is played out well and the message behind the film is good. Of course the message isn't that you should try and get a hot girl and that it's possible for even the biggest underdog to do so (though the film does seem to promote this). There is more of a message of self worth and understanding that there is no single person, no matter how attractive they are, who is perfect. We all have our flaws.

She's Out of My League is a fun movie with an underlying message of substance that doesn't appear on first glance.

Our Family Wedding

2 Out of 5 Stars



The plot is simple, a interacial couple decides to get married and without having told their parents return home to break the news. Quickly the families, hispanic and african american, clash with two fathers who seem to have absolutely no hope in ever getting along. On top of this we add major dysfunction within both families and more love relationships outside of the primary couple. This leads to the families fighting over details of the wedding causing it to no longer be the couple's wedding, but the parents. This is Our Family Wedding.

This is a film that has an alright premise with the possibility for success but ulitimately doesn't excell in that arena. It has a little bit of the feel of a screwball comedy but most of the time just feels too over the top for it's own jokes. Even then half the jokes become racist toward one family or the other with an abounding number of stereotypes to top off the gag reel. Now not everything is stereotyped but there is just enough for it to be too much.

We are at least able to relate to the main characters in their frustrations of planning a wedding and trying to deal with family issues. The problem is that it all feels so forced. The situations just aren't clever and genuine enough to really bring us into the moment. The film drags on as we wait for the inevitable wedding to take place. It just becomes a question of how it's going to get there. When we do finally get there it feels as if we should have skipped half the racist complications and family dilemmas that occur.

I will give it this, Our Family Wedding was a film brave enough to tackle a tough subject, that of interacial relationships. But yet it doesn't execute the theme successfully, rather with a mediocre grace.

Remember Me

3 1/2 out of 5 Stars



In the opening sequences of the film we fall witnesses to Ali's mother being shot on a subway ramp in front of her daughter and discover her father is a police officer. Fast forwarding years later we meet Tyler who is an emotional wreck with a dysfunctional family including a father who works too much and a younger sister who is picked on at school and looks for affirmation from her father and receives none. We soon discover that his brother, Matthew, committed suiced years earlier. Tyler soon gets into trouble with the authorities with his best friend Aidon and encounters Ali's father. Soon after through a stroke of fate Tyler meets Ali and a relationship blooms.

Remember Me is a romance drama set in New York. It really is have drama and half romance and part comedy. From the beginning to the end we are faced with gritty reality and it never really pulls back. The characters pasts are tragic and the families are dysfunctional. Tyler's dad is always working with never enough time for his family. His younger sister is a child prodegy when it comes to art and Tyler is a complete emotional wreck. Then there is Ali's family. She has done well considering witnessing her mother's death but her father goes to extremes if anything with his daughter is out of place. There are a lot of characters but they all fit well in the story and bring to the screen a depiction of life that we often don't wish to see ... the one that's really there.

If anything, amidst the angst and chaos Remember Me is a character piece. Each character is unique and brought to the screen with emotional depth. It has been considered a romance drama but I found there to be more drama than romance throughout the film. It became necessary for characters to finally deal with past events in their life and mend broken relationships with their family. Most often we can understand where these characters are coming from and emphathize with them, feeling strong emotions to what we want to happen, often at which times do.

Ultimately this film was a surprise. With Robert Pattinson in the leading role and the recent phenomenon of Twilight, no one really seems to think he can act anymore. On top of this, Remember Me has been marketed more as a romance than anything, a poor move in my opinion that will bring in far too many angsty tweens and possibly leaving them dissapointed to find he isn't playing the brooding and lover obsessed Edward Cullen. It's a fresh break for Pattinson from tween angst to prove he might actually have some acting chops.

Remember Me is a film that will leave you intrigued by the characters and drawn into it's world all while leading up to the unexpected ending. It's a pleasant surprise from the film many people thought would just be another Robert Pattinson romance film.

Alice In Wonderland

4 out of 5 Stars



We all know the stories of Alice's Adventures In Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass penned by Charles Dodgeson using the pseudonym of Lewis Caroll. Countless films have been produced based on his books and most have failed. These books have always been considered classics yet at the same time they are two novels that were really just a series of random happenstances which created stories that were virtually unfilmable when it came to story. Of course these stories also have never been bright and joyous but rather dark and creepy. They really are kids books in an adult world.

In Burton's wonderland, Alice is now 19 and stumbles down the rabbit hole once again after being faced with a marriage proposal from a snobbish lord. She returns to Underland, which she originally called Wonderland as a young girl, and encounters many of the same characters and events as she did on her first journey as well as much more.

As I have previously stated, the books really are a journey of random events and to this the story of Burton's wonderland, written by Linda Woolverton, takes a coherency that was heavily lacking in the novels. The story successfully combines both books in one story that captures the heart and imagination of this surreal world. Whereas the original story was a surreal dream with random and passing characters, this Alice is a coherent story with a through plot of in depth characters.

The characters all have amazing depth. There seems to be a backstory to each one, from the hatter, to the red queen, to the hound we can feel for the characters and see there is more to them than just a purpose for what could very well be Alice's crazy imagination. These characters all fit very well into the newly imagined wonderland and the vibrant visual style that is brought to the screen in this adaptation.

It is a film that relies heavily on CGI for it's created world but is also one of the few where it fits well. For such a surreal world and oddly imagined story, Burton really is one of the few directors who is fit to direct such a project. Wonderland becomes more than just a dream in this world, it is a surreal world where most anything can happen and by the time it comes to return to the real world we sort of want to stay with these mad characters. There is a sort of charm to them despite their slight creepiness.

But mostly this film is a coming of age story. When Alice is faced with a big decision she doesn't know what to do, so she flees, and than in wonderland she discovers herself. It's a story of transitioning from the young life to the adult life, one of the hardest transitions, and even though we are tempted to stay in the surreal world we must come back and face reality.

Burton's wonderland is a fresh and original adaptation as you've never seen it before that contains the heart of both novels combined.