Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

3 1/2 out of 5 Stars



This is the first time I've incredibly enjoyed a Harry Potter film since Prisoner of Azkaban. David Yates takes the first part of the final installment in a wonderful direction not only keeping close to the books but directing a well made film. The acting continues to improve and the overall look of the film is incredible. Although there wasn't a full conclusion as it was half of two parts, I felt a sense of closure at the end of the film. It's what I didn't get at the end of the sixth film and felt like I should have. Even without a complete end the first half of seven still feels like it can stand on its own. It's intriguing and well put together. Should be enjoyable for fans of the books and the movies alike.

Unstoppable

3 1/2 out of 5 Stars



Unstoppable is an intriguing thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat despite the predictable ending. Inspired by a true story this film is pieced together very well. It flows in a way that keeps the viewer wanted to know what happens next. Denzel Washington and Chris Pine deliver great performances as well. It's a decent story but is a pretty good thriller. It's a fun ride and full of action. Definitely worth a look if you're a thriller or action fan or if you like trains.

Skyline

1 out of 5 Stars



Good special effects. Nothing else. Absolutely terrible. Awful. Painful. It tries to be Independence Day but with no plot and characters that no one cares about. When the movie ends still nothing makes sense. There's lots of blue lights and weird alien looking creatures. It's a melting pot of science fiction ideas that have absolutely no logical thread of reasoning and has no talent in it. It's the modern day piece for what should be scrutiny of Mystery Science Theater. It's B-movie material with a large budget.

Morning Glory

3 out of 5 Stars



Overall a pretty fun movie. Not much to the story but the cast is chosen well. Harrison Ford delivers some great scenes that allow for some very fun moments in this comedy. There's really nothing much to expect here but it's still an enjoyable movie with some nice substance beneath the surface. A mix of romantic comedy and general comedy, this workplace movie is working quite a bit on the talents of Rachel McAdams and Harrison Ford. What it lacks in story it makes up for in humor.

Megamind

3 out of 5 Stars



There are some good moments with clever characters in this film and some fun as well but this is not one of Dreamworks best though definitely better than Shrek 4. The story is interesting, though it falls a little short, and the characters are clever. But Will Ferrell and Jonah Hill were not the best choices for voices for two of the main characters. Overall a decent family film but still with some pretty good sized flaws in the works. After How To Train Your Dragon this just doesn't cut it for the animation company.

Due Date

3 out of 5 Stars



Although not hilarious, Due Date still delivers quite a few laughs and while still being funny adds some good substance. It's a fun road trip movie from the guy who directed The Hangover but less disturbing. There are some good times and Robert Downey Jr. makes for a good cast. Nothing amazing, but worth a viewing.

Secretariat

4 out of 5 Stars



From Disney comes this true story of an unlikely horse that won the triple crown. Like most inspirational movies they are filled with a lot of material to make people feel good and the end is always seen from the beginning. But Secretariat is done so well that even if the end is seen from the beginning its still hard not to get caught on the edge of your seat during the races. The acting is great, the story is endearing, and there is lots of hope and excitement. A great movie based on a true story.

Catfish

2 out of 5 Stars



Nev meets someone online. Then he meets the rest of the family. The family includes a mother, an 8 year old daughter named Abby who paints incredible paintings, a daughter named Megan who begins to flirt with Nev, and a husband named Vince. Things start to seem a little strange so they decide to go visit them up in Michigan. The advertising scheme: Don't Let Anyone Tell You What It Is. Yeah, if they did there would be no movie.

This is supposed to be based on real life events. After Nev is in communications with Angela, the mother, for a while one of his brothers decides to start documenting it. Of course in the end it turns into the movie that was released, somehow picked up by Universal. Without a marketing campaign this movie would have gone nowhere. If you have a little bit of intellect you can figure out where the story is going pretty darn fast. I mean, think about it. Meeting an entire family on facebook who gets along with you? You do the math. It's an intriguing film and makes you want to see it through to the end, unlike the fake documentary style films that have been released. But it's still ridiculous. It's a story that's just not interesting enough to warrant a 90 min. film. It should have been closer to an hour. Sure, it was edited pretty well and it was surprising some of the footage they captured but by the end of the movie there really isn't anything that surprising. It's terribly predictable what happens considering the technological world we live in the parameters that facebook allows. There is nothing to be amazed at here. It is a bit of a cautionary tale about meeting people through social networking but that's about it. Beyond that it's something anybody could have done had they owned a camera and the same event happened to them. The difference? Somehow these guys managed to get a studio to pick it up. Sure there is a bit of a story here but nothing for a feature film. Maybe a short story. It's an intriguing film but certainly not anything great. Far from it. In fact, I think I'll start recording my life now. Maybe something interesting will pop up and I can make thousands off a documentary I get Warner Bros. to pick up.

Saw 3D (aka Saw 7)

"I want to play a game."

1 1/2 out of 5 Stars



I want to play a game. This time, everyone must die. Of course the idea of Jigsaw capturing people and forcing them to play sick games for the purpose of learning a lesson is back. Of course, Jigsaw has been dead since the third movie so others have been doing his dirty work, mainly the former detective Hoffman who has taken up the screen the past couple movies. In this installment Dr. Gordon (from the first film) is back and we open on his escape from the room. Now some time later a man has claimed to be a victim of the Jigsaw traps. There is only one problem. He is a fraud and has written a book that has garnered acclaim as well as a healing support circle. Of course only his agents and lawyers know the truth, other than Jigsaw and his accomplices. Now Hoffman is out to finish the game and end the life of Jigsaw's wife. By the end of this final installment who will survive?

Part of what made the first Saw work so well was that it was a psychological horror film that dealt very little blood. Sure it was still there but in mild doses. More than anything it was images that got into your subconscious that was really effective. Than in the second film half of that was kept while moving in a different direction that involved more blood and more disturbing deaths. Pretty soon each film felt like it was trying to top the last. And somewhere around the fourth film a heavy element of a police investigation came into play, making the films less about the work of the man known as Jigsaw and more about the people being murdered and the "game" being played. Of course in these games everyone could somehow survive, even if there was a consequence to doing so. As long they did the right thing they would survive. Of course someone always died but that didn't mean everyone did. Then in the sixth film the rules changed. Now not everyone could get out alive. Someone had to die. Suddenly the justice was no longer so justified. Of course by then it wasn't really Jigsaw doing the work. It was a legacy that continued on in bloodshed and brutal murder that evolved away from the feeling of Jigsaw's original message. The message of redemption, valuing life, and justice were soon lost beneath ten layers of grotesque gory murders.

Then came along the seventh film which was heavily promoted on the 3D. And it is pointless 3D as well, even though filmed with 3D technology. 3D has quickly become a tiresome fad with films. The more films there are in 3D the less exciting they are. In the end the 3D was most likely necessary for the marketing considering that the only thing left it had going was the fact that this is supposed to be the final chapter. Will this be the final chapter, though? I think so. At least for the Jigsaw storyline. The end of the film wraps up nicely bringing it back full circle. But that doesn't save the film from the tremendous number of flaws that it holds. These films (at least the later ones) have been coined "torture porn." I can see why since every person that dies, or almost does, is tortured in some way and the audience is the voyeur watching the sick display.

Saw 7 takes it too many steps further. The man who is a fraud is brought into a game to face his demons and is set in a number of scenarios where he must save people he knows. There is always that chance someone will survive. Well except for the beginning of the movie when a trap is set up for the entire public to watch in a glass cage and at least one person must die and guts fly at the screen. But even when there is a chance someone could survive no one will. That's just how this movie will play out. No surprise considering how the sixth installment went. So by the end of the film not only must everyone in the game die but so must anyone who could keep the Jigsaw line going. It's a giant pot that mixes a mild dose of psychological horror with the police investigation and a most of the pot with blood and guts. That is, people die every 15 minutes with insides flying and blood spraying. The story just doesn't work. The message is lost. They try too hard to top the last film. It's a film for horror enthusiasts who go to films to see if there is any way to get more grossed out.

What they needed was another film like the first in the franchise. Then it would have been great. The beginning was good. The end was a fitting end. But when you have a terrible middle, you have no movie.

Life As We Know It

3 out of 5 Stars



Holly Berenson (Katherine Heigl) and Eric Messer (Josh Duhamel) are set up on a date by their good friends who are married with a young kid. But the date never gets past the car and the two where never supposed to be together again. But they both kept in close touch with the couple and on an unsuspecting night the parents are killed in a car crash and it is soon discovered that they left custody of the child to the two most unlikely people, Holly and Eric.

The film as whole works in its premise and basic storyline. For the most part it's a feel good comedy that borders between a chick flick and a comedy for both genders. It also has a little bit of the flair of an independent feel where there are a good few points that feel a bit depressing, something that big budget Hollywood comedies usually only thrown in near the end of the film. Not so here. Heigl and Duhamel make a pretty good team in this piece and considering how heavily the story relies on the infant I would say they did a pretty good job with filming it. The film really falls a bit with its length and ending. The film could have been a little shorter as it dragged a little at times. And the ending was typical Hollywood happy ending where the two people get together. It works but not as well as it could have with a different ending. These movies always seem to bring the happily ever after ending into play even though sometimes it would work just as well to have a different ending without leaving the audience feeling depressed. This is one of those movies. Overall an enjoyable film but nothing that great.