Nanny McPhee Returns

3 out of 5 Stars



I must admit, I remember very much enjoying the first movie, though now I don't remember much about it. And I definitely enjoyed the second film. The Nanny McPhee movies aren't necessarily top notch but they are some truly great children's fantasy with very important lessons. The fact is that these truly are cautionary tales for naughty children at the same time as being a story about learning your lessons. Such lessons include learning how to share and not fighting. And of course there is the fun of the Nanny McPhee character as well. "When you need me and do not want me I must stay. When you want me but do not need me I must go." It's really quite entertaining really, especially if you like fantasy. And it's the kind of story that kids will enjoy. Though it does tackle some somewhat heavy thematic material in the middle for young kids. And it really could have done without the pigs doing synchronized swimming. But all in all it was a fun film to watch.

Eat Pray Love

1 1/2 out of 5 Stars



About the only thing I liked about this movie was the experience of difference cultures and the Italians pointing out that Americans work too much. Beyond that I greatly disliked it. I understand it is much more of a movie for women but I like a lot of chick flicks. What I didn't like about this movie was how it seemed to condone making choices on a whim without a second thought or without trying to work out your problems. Basically I didn't like how it seemed to condone the thinking of modern America. Sure, I understand that we do these things and that from those mistakes we must learn but I hardly got that from this movie. Rather I got all kinds of other mixed messages, many of them negative, all jumbled into one film that seemed to lack enough coherence. I read plots for the film and I can't figure out where parts of those plots were ever brought out. And it certainly feels much too long. It's as long as Inception after all but feels twice as long. It didn't help that I already didn't like the character from the start. She annoyed me. I liked nothing about her. I'm not a huge fan of Julia Roberts either. But that really wasn't why I didn't like her character.

Piranha 3D

2 1/2 out of 5 Stars



A small town most of the time but not during spring break. During spring break hundreds of college kids come to party at the lake. But now there is one problem, thousands of ancient piranhas have been discovered and now wreak havoc on the college kids. This is what makes a ridiculous B-movie. At the same time, watching Piranha you get the sense that the filmmakers understood that's exactly what the movie is. It is a ridiculous B-movie that is made in a way that it is purposefully bad. It truly is by no means a good movie. In fact, it's down right terrible other than some of the acting. But it is a riot, a fun film to be watched for the sheer joy of completely mindless entertainment. It is also what could be considered the perfect mainstream college guy flick. It is a film that is jam packed with nudity, blood and gore. But I do wonder what it's saying when all the porn stars die. But in the end Piranha won't scare you. Rather it will make you laugh. And really I think that's the point.

The Expendables

3 out of 5 Stars




Written and Directed by Sylvester Stallone, The Expendables pits a massive crew of action stars in one film making this really a pretty darn epic action movie. Although the plot is quite simple the action is incredibly fun. Lots of things blow up and there are plenty of fights with various different weaponry. Really it has a conspiracy plot that revolves around a drug trade. But Stallone works around the story in a way that it's fun and entertaining. It's also obviously more of a guy movie. It just has that vibe, a good way to set off things for it coming out the same weekend as Eat, Pray, Love. So basically, if you want to see lots of big action stars and lots of fights and explosions than this truly is a fun movie. And of course it also has Jet Li.

Vampires Suck

1/2 out of 5 Stars



An obvious spoof of the Twilight films that does only one thing right; the actors pull off good mimicking of what happens in the actual films. The rest is just pure horrible film making. Of course these are the people who made Scary Movie, Epic Movie, and Meet The Spartans. Therefore the jokes aren't clever. There is lots of sexual references. And thus the movie is basically like the mind of a thirteen year old boy somehow finding its way onto the big screen. Unlike spoofs such as Spaceballs and Robin Hood Men In Tights, Vampires Suck is exactly what it sounds like. A movie that sucks. Unfortunately these movies keep making money. We need another Robin Hood Men In Tights, not this crap.

The Other Guys

3 out of 5 Stars



Terry Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg) and Allen Gamble (Will Ferrel) are the other guys, two cops who a little off. The hero cops of the precinct, Highsmith and Danson, have set a bar for the way work is done. But after tragedy strikes their spots are left open and Terry and Allen move to step into those shoes, mostly by the coaxing of Terry. But Allen doesn't want to go into the field and would rather sit behind the safety of his desk. But Terry is determined to get out into field assignments. Ultimately their attempts to be good cops put them in a situation where they get more than they bargained for dealing with people with very high connections that nobody wants to mess with.

The Other Guys is a comedy that is funny mainly in the vain of stupid comedies. So in essence, it's similar to other Will Ferrel comedies. But despite that it's a dumb comedy it's still funny in that right with a nice pair up between Ferrel and Wahlberg who seem to work quite well together. At the same time the jokes still rise to a higher level that complete stupidity to make it work. I think that buddy cop comedies can just be hard to pull off effectively and this year The Other Guys was the one that worked, a nice refreshment from the previous buddy cop movie earlier this year, Cop Out.

But people who don't like dumb comedy really won't enjoy this film. The reality is that the characters really are quite one dimensional and just plain unintelligent. It's evident what they do and why they do it has more to do with setting up jokes than actually dealing with the character. Which honestly works in a film like this. But I think what helped this film was the cast and the addition of Steve Coogan in the mix. I think he balanced it out and allowed for the film to not be dumb as it could have been. And as someone who normally doesn't like Will Ferrel I actually enjoyed him in this film.

Step Up 3D

2 out of 5 Stars



Moose is headed off to college with his best friend Camille. He has told his family he is going to give up dancing but then on his first day on campus he gets into a dance battle with one of the toughest dancers and wins. Then Luke, who films dancing as a hobby, invites Moose home and he meets a whole crew of dancers who don't have homes and have gathered as a family. Now they plan to take their moves to the ultimate battle which becomes more important when their building is going to be taken because they are behind on their payments. Moose deals with the hardships of doing school as well and Luke meets Natalie, an attractive dancer who joins their team and he falls for. And it's all in 3D.

For a year of movies that have fallen to the bandwagon of 3D, this one actually succeeds. Not the movie itself but the 3D. Apparently the entire film was shot in 3D and it shows. Every shot has true dimension and the 3D actually enhances the dancing scenes. In fact, that is what makes the movie fun to watch. The dancing scenes. And for a year of mediocre to horrendous 3D in movies I must applaud them for actually filming a movie entirely in 3D rather than converting in post. Unfortunately the positive aspects of this film don't go much further. The acting is surprisingly decent for a cast chosen primarily for their dance skills. The dance scenes are also incredible, especially if you love dance, mainly break dancing. It's creative what they do with the moves and the different dance battles.

But the reality is that beyond the dancing and the incredible 3D there is not much of anything to be had. The characters aren't the kind that you get really attached to and it's always evident where the story is headed. It's not the really well done predictable, though. Rather it's the kind of predictable that sets a lot of movies on a low bar for a reason. And really it wasn't trying to be anything amazing. It was a dance movie. It was about the dancing. It really wasn't about anything else but they needed a story to make it work as a film rather than just a super extended music video. Reality is that it's a terrible film with truly entertaining dance scenes in wonderful 3D. Best 3D of the year hands down.

Dinner For Schmucks

3 out of 5 Stars



Dinner For Schmucks follows Tim (Paul Rudd), a businessman with a steady job and relationship. He is about to get a promotion but there is one catch. The higher ups have a dinner where they all invite "idiots" to dinner to make fun of them. This puts Tim in a bind because, although he doesn't approve and plans to go through with it to get the promotion, his girlfriend is completely against. And then Tim meets Barry (Steve Carell), a well meaning taxidermist who uses mice to recreate famous paintings and create some of his own. This is Tim's perfect guest. He is then sent on a wild ride that brings ex-girlfriends back into the picture and turns Tim's life upside down before the big dinner hits.

I think the biggest problem with this movie is how it was advertised. It seemed that the movie who go something like this: Tim has dinner. Tim has to bring and idiot and finds Barry. A really big dinner with lots of laughs ensue. But the reality is that the dinner itself is less than a third of the movie. That doesn't mean it's not funny. In fact, there are plenty of laughs along the way, many of which are caused due to Barry doing things he really shouldn't. But it gave me the impression that I would sit through an extended dinner scene. Personally I'm glad the dinner wasn't so long and that the story moved into other places. I think it helped it work better and created more laughs.

The film also has a lot of heart. Despite Tim's initial intentions to make fun of Barry he starts to get attached to him. And what makes Barry's character so likable is that he is oblivious to the stupid things he does. He really is a charming man who just happens to be a little odd. And that is why I was able to cheer for him and hope everything turned out well for him. It also helped enhance the lessons that Tim learned throughout the film at the same time as making some entertaining comedy. When it comes to Steve Carell this year, this made up for Date Night. I actually felt like I laughed enough this time and I enjoyed the characters more.

Charlie St. Cloud

2 out of 5 Stars



Charlie St. Cloud is a typical teenager in his personality. He is not typical in that he enjoys boating, something he is also very good at. Then there is his kid brother, Sam, who is going to go out for the baseball team. Charlie promises his brother that everyday he will practice with his brother when he gets off work for the rest of the summer. But one night he decides to go to a party and Sam ends up tagging along. They are hit by a drunk driver and Sam is killed. Years later Charlie now plays catch with Sam in the woods everyday after work at the cemetery. But he soon meets a girl who he begins to fall for and is torn between two words. Soon he finds that the girl is missing and he goes after her.

Charlie St. Cloud is a weird mix of a teen drama, love story, and ghost story. It's a strong moral of family bonds, finding love, and learning to let go. But Zac Efron is the kind of actor that, although fits the role, just doesn't seem to pull it off quite right. Instead of feeling sympathetic I ended up feeling more annoyed with him. After all, he was still playing catch with his deceased brother three years later. And at that point he was out of high school. He gave up college and his passion just because he couldn't let go. It was just a bit too much considering that's the majority of the movie.

Now the other casting was surprisingly decent and worked for the material. It was a story that had important lessons and for that I applaud it. We all do need to let go of loved ones when they pass at some point. We can't hold on forever. And the thematic elements were handled better than I expected. On top of that there were some very clever transitions and cinematography.

But the movie just doesn't resonate well enough. Perhaps it's close to the source material but if it is then I don't want to read it. It tries to hard to be too many things and doesn't succeed and becoming what it felt it was supposed to. I feel this would have worked better as a thriller rather than a teenage melodrama. Overall it was an entertaining ride but just not quite entertaining enough.

Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore

1 out of 5 Stars



Nearly a decade ago they made Cats and Dogs. It was ridiculous but still fun in it's mediocre kid movie way. Now they decided they needed to bring a sequel to a movie that already hardly held up. This time there is a new recruit, a police dog put out of service because he always seems to get into trouble on every case. Now he is part of the secret spy dogs and his owner searches for his lost dog. And of course now there is an evil cat, Kitty Galore, who is planning on basically putting out a high frequency radio signal that will essentially render animals virtually useless. So now the cats and dogs decide to team up.

Even the wonderful CG animated road runner cartoon before the movie couldn't warrant paying for this movie in theaters. It really is that bad. It never should have gotten past a direct to DVD release. It's a kid's movie that is terrible even when that is kept in mind. Even Shrek 4, another bad kid's movie of the year, was much better than this. The story is boring, the characters uninteresting, and the jokes awful. And of course the majority of the jokes only adults will understand because they are punch lines and many other movies. I think most of the simple few word one liners from other films were thrown in throughout the entire movie. It lacks heart and it lacks fun.

So what warrants it having one star? The effects were decent and there was a great voice cast. In fact, the voice cast is what saves the film at all. Unfortunately it is also a waste of a great voice cast. Since kid's movies are going to be continue to be made they could at least work on only putting quality family films in theaters. Leave the rest for DVD.

Salt

3 out of 5 Stars



Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie), a rogue CIA agent, is put on the run after being accused of being a Russian spy. Now she sets out to protect her husband and clear her name. Her supervisor, Winter (Liev Schreiber), believes her story but counterintelligence officer Peabody doesn't and will do anything to bring her in.

Salt is a film that uses a lot of plot cliches including twists. Because of this it is not predictable. In that case it's not that great of a movie. But it's an intriguing film and keeps the viewer interested until the end. Perhaps it isn't the fastest paced thriller but it's still exciting, despite that it's really not very realistic. But what a lot of spy thrillers do terribly wrong this movie does well. It's engaging in it's own right. And Angelina Jolie passes surprisingly well as a Russian. I don't know about a Russian spy. But definitely a Russian. And surrounded by a decent cast this film turns out to be a lot of fun. It won't necessarily keep you guessing for most people but for some people it may keep them asking what side is everyone on. In the end though, this is a political action thriller.

Ramona and Beezus

1 1/2 out of 5 Stars



Ramona and Beezus is based off the best selling books by Beverly Cleary about a young girl who continuously causes mischief but not on purpose. The film follows Ramona on a quest to raise money to help save their house because her dad just lost her job. At the same time she must deal with her older teenage sister and help her aunt with guy problems.

This film had promise from the books. At least what I know from the books. I don't remember if I actually read them or not. But the idea of the character is an idea that could make a fun movie. This was not that movie. The cast was surprising, including newcomer Joey King as Ramona, but not even the acting can save the film. But on another plus note it promotes the imagination of kids, something that should be nurtured and not completely squandered. And in this case that is how Ramona is a bit odd but is what also what makes her special.

But the rest of the movie is terrible. The film attempts to touch on every theme a young child could possible have to deal with besides death of a family member. Family job loss, divorce, marriage, loneliness, bullying, etc. There are far too many themes explored for one movie. And it was far to reminiscent of another horrible film this year, Diary of A Wimpy Kid. But Ramona still flies higher, primarily because the characters are likable. Though there is another level that feels like this is just another movie for transferring a Disney pop star out of the pop star. In this case that would be Selena Gomez. Ultimately what could have been a fun popular book turned movie was a haphazard story attempting to encompass too much of life's troubles into a movie that was supposed to be fun.