Starring:
Tom Hanks (Big 1988, The Lost Symbol 2012)
Tim Allen (Galazy Quest 1999, Brothers 2011)
Joan Cusack (War, Inc. 2008, Hitman 2 2012)
Ned Beatty (Captain America 1990, Shooter 2003)
Michael Keaton (Beetlejuice 1988, The Other Guys 2010)
This is definitely Disney's best movie since, well, Toy Story 2! I laughed, I weeped, and I sat on the edge of my seat in anticipation the whole movie. What a great, creative plot! What hilarious characters!
The creators and actors of this movie didn't miss a beat since the last one. The movie takes place with Andy about to leave for college, and his favorite childhood toys are wondering where their fate lies... The attic, or the dump?!?!
But, as usual, there's no predicting what these toys will do and what measures they're willing to take to show their devotion to their true owner.
I seriously laughed so hard in this movie I was embarrassed... I laughed harder than my date, Ashlee, even though the movie was her choice not mine...
Factoid: Toy Story 3 made $110 million its first weekend; Pixar's best opening weekend ever.
Factoid: Sid, from the first Toy Story, appears as a garbage man in this movie.
Factoid: The plot and story for Toy Story 3 was 2-1/2 years in the making.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Friday, June 4, 2010
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (May 28, 2010) PG-13
Starring:
Jake Gyllenhaal (Jarhead 2005, Love and Other Drugs 2010)
Gemma Arterton (Quantom of Solace 2008, Tamara Drewe 2010)
Ben Kingsley (Lucky Number Sleven 2006, Number 13 2011)
Alfred Molina (Spider-Man 2 2004, Poe 2011)
Despite the predictable plot, steriotypical villians, and the fact that Prince of Persia was a video game adaption, this was a very entertaining and enjoyable movie.
Gyllenhaal delivered a great performance. The 29-year-old actor has shown me nothing but outstanding performances (and no, I've not seen Brokeback Mountain) since October Sky in '99, and I was concerned to see a serious actor stoop to the level of a video game movie. However, my worries were unconfirmed as I saw Gyllenhaal give the movie just the amount of performance it needed to be good.
The movie takes place in a fictional 6th century Persia ruled by white people who travel around conquering fictional cities. The plot picks up when Dastan, an adopted price of Persia, breaks orders and leads an invasion of a peaceful city that contains a powerful secret and a SERIOUS Bond-girl hotty.
Dastan, being smart, decides that a hotty would make his scenes more enjoyable, and decides to drag her through the entire movie. Thank you, writers.
Overall, it's not fair that such a good movie would be released right after 2010's heaviest hitters--Iron Man 2 and Robin Hood--but Prince of Persia is still a good movie.
Factoid: Gyllenhaal confessed, in an E.T. interview, that he "over-prepared" for his role physically because he didn't know what they were going to ask him to do, and he wanted to make sure he'd "hopefully be able to do anything."
Regarding all the muscle he gained for the film, Gyllenhaal says that after filming is done his muscle will "turn into fat, and I'm going to be happy."
Jake Gyllenhaal (Jarhead 2005, Love and Other Drugs 2010)
Gemma Arterton (Quantom of Solace 2008, Tamara Drewe 2010)
Ben Kingsley (Lucky Number Sleven 2006, Number 13 2011)
Alfred Molina (Spider-Man 2 2004, Poe 2011)
Despite the predictable plot, steriotypical villians, and the fact that Prince of Persia was a video game adaption, this was a very entertaining and enjoyable movie.
Gyllenhaal delivered a great performance. The 29-year-old actor has shown me nothing but outstanding performances (and no, I've not seen Brokeback Mountain) since October Sky in '99, and I was concerned to see a serious actor stoop to the level of a video game movie. However, my worries were unconfirmed as I saw Gyllenhaal give the movie just the amount of performance it needed to be good.
The movie takes place in a fictional 6th century Persia ruled by white people who travel around conquering fictional cities. The plot picks up when Dastan, an adopted price of Persia, breaks orders and leads an invasion of a peaceful city that contains a powerful secret and a SERIOUS Bond-girl hotty.
Dastan, being smart, decides that a hotty would make his scenes more enjoyable, and decides to drag her through the entire movie. Thank you, writers.
Overall, it's not fair that such a good movie would be released right after 2010's heaviest hitters--Iron Man 2 and Robin Hood--but Prince of Persia is still a good movie.
Factoid: Gyllenhaal confessed, in an E.T. interview, that he "over-prepared" for his role physically because he didn't know what they were going to ask him to do, and he wanted to make sure he'd "hopefully be able to do anything."
Regarding all the muscle he gained for the film, Gyllenhaal says that after filming is done his muscle will "turn into fat, and I'm going to be happy."
Robin Hood (April 9, 2010) PG-13
Starring:
Russell Crowe (Gladiator 2000, Westworld 2012)
Cate Blanchett (The Aviator 2004, Indian Summer 2011)
Mark Strong (Sherlock Holmes 2009, Green Lantern 2011)
Kevin Durand (3:10 to Yuma 2007, Real Steel 2011)
Oscar Isaac (The Nativity Story 2006, Sucker Punch 2011)
Danny Huston (30 Days of Night 2007, The Warrior's Way 2010)
Matthew Macfayden (Pride and Prejudice 2005, The Three Muskateers 2011)
Max Von Sydow (The Exorcist 1973, Truth and Reason 2011)
William Hurt (The Village 2004, Shadows 2010)
I knew, as soon as I saw that Danny Huston (Who's vampiric performance in 30 Days of Night made Salem's Lot look like a Twilight prequel) was going to play King Richard (typically a character who inspires hope) I knew that Ridley Scott's version of Robin Hood wasn't going to be wearing TIGHT tights!
Russell Crowe, who's delivered outstanding performances for the past decade since Gladiator, played history's famous quasi-fictional character Robin Hood. He brought the character in both a traditional, but, also, totally different direction as other Robin Hood films. They stayed true to his ever-famous archery abilities, and his persuit of the Lady Marion, but also surprised me with much of the plot and story.
Mark Strong played the new Robin Hood villian, Sir Godfrey (at least I never heard of him before) with skill, and I would have been impressed had his performance in Sherlock Holmes not been so much better.
I could go on about Danny Huston, Cate Blanchett, and William Hurt's dramatic performances, but it would get redundant after a while and you REALLY should experience this movie for yourself in theaters. I'm sure, since it's good, that it won't be in theaters much longer...
Robin Hood shot a bulls-eye. Did I seriously just write that?
And did I mention it's a prequel?
Factoid: True to his record, Russell Crowe recently stormed and cursed his way out of a BBC radio interview when the interviewer accused Crowe of having an Irish accent in Robin Hood. I love Russell Crowe. He and Christian Bale need to freak out on people more.
Russell Crowe (Gladiator 2000, Westworld 2012)
Cate Blanchett (The Aviator 2004, Indian Summer 2011)
Mark Strong (Sherlock Holmes 2009, Green Lantern 2011)
Kevin Durand (3:10 to Yuma 2007, Real Steel 2011)
Oscar Isaac (The Nativity Story 2006, Sucker Punch 2011)
Danny Huston (30 Days of Night 2007, The Warrior's Way 2010)
Matthew Macfayden (Pride and Prejudice 2005, The Three Muskateers 2011)
Max Von Sydow (The Exorcist 1973, Truth and Reason 2011)
William Hurt (The Village 2004, Shadows 2010)
I knew, as soon as I saw that Danny Huston (Who's vampiric performance in 30 Days of Night made Salem's Lot look like a Twilight prequel) was going to play King Richard (typically a character who inspires hope) I knew that Ridley Scott's version of Robin Hood wasn't going to be wearing TIGHT tights!
Russell Crowe, who's delivered outstanding performances for the past decade since Gladiator, played history's famous quasi-fictional character Robin Hood. He brought the character in both a traditional, but, also, totally different direction as other Robin Hood films. They stayed true to his ever-famous archery abilities, and his persuit of the Lady Marion, but also surprised me with much of the plot and story.
Mark Strong played the new Robin Hood villian, Sir Godfrey (at least I never heard of him before) with skill, and I would have been impressed had his performance in Sherlock Holmes not been so much better.
I could go on about Danny Huston, Cate Blanchett, and William Hurt's dramatic performances, but it would get redundant after a while and you REALLY should experience this movie for yourself in theaters. I'm sure, since it's good, that it won't be in theaters much longer...
Robin Hood shot a bulls-eye. Did I seriously just write that?
And did I mention it's a prequel?
Factoid: True to his record, Russell Crowe recently stormed and cursed his way out of a BBC radio interview when the interviewer accused Crowe of having an Irish accent in Robin Hood. I love Russell Crowe. He and Christian Bale need to freak out on people more.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Iron Man 2 (May 7, 2010) PG-13
Starring:
Robert Downey, Jr. (Sherlock Holmes 2009, The Avengers 2012)
Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda 2004, The Avengers 2012)
Gwyneth Paltrow (Two Lovers 2008, Don't Let Me Down 2010)
Scarlett Johansson (The Prestige 2006, The Avengers 2012)
Sam Rockwell (The Green Mile 1999, Cowboys and Aliens 2011)
Samuel L. Jackson (Snakes on a Plane 2006, The Avengers 2012)
Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler 2008, The Expendables 2010)
I liked the first one better, but Iron Man 2 definitely can hold its own against other super-hero movies.
Downey, Jr. reprised his "born-to-play" role with more attitude and cavalier than in the first movie. He once again contributed something new and welcomed to the Iron Man legacy.
Different from the first movie, Iron Man 2 wasn't the expected battle against terrorism. This one seemed more "Hancock-ish", with our hero battling himself as much as villians.
And what awesome villians there were! The United States Gov't (Garry Shandling never had a chance), Sam Rockwell (sort of a Lex Luther's witty cousin type), and the ever-impressive and show-stealing Mickey Rourke as he plays Whiplash--the smaller-time Iron Man villian who is the primary villian in this story.
Whenever Rourke was on screen I was enthralled. After seeing The Wrestler I'll never doubt Rourke's abilities as an actor (not to mention Killshot and Sin City).
Overall, I liked this movie a LOT.
Factoid: Terrence Howard was slotted to reprise his role as Tony Stark's best friend and ally Rhodey, a.k.a. "War Machine." However, after demanding pay equivalent to Downey, Jr.'s, the film-makers replaced him with Academy Award-winner Don Cheadle. Cheadle was happy to play the role for less money than Terrence Howard (who'd only claim to fame is Iron man) had demanded.
In short, this is the worst case of an actor "blowing it" that I've ever heard of. His short-sightedness, however, didn't stop him from landing the role of Nelson Mandela (A politician ranked among legends like Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, and Winston Churchill) in the 2011 film Winnie.
Robert Downey, Jr. (Sherlock Holmes 2009, The Avengers 2012)
Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda 2004, The Avengers 2012)
Gwyneth Paltrow (Two Lovers 2008, Don't Let Me Down 2010)
Scarlett Johansson (The Prestige 2006, The Avengers 2012)
Sam Rockwell (The Green Mile 1999, Cowboys and Aliens 2011)
Samuel L. Jackson (Snakes on a Plane 2006, The Avengers 2012)
Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler 2008, The Expendables 2010)
I liked the first one better, but Iron Man 2 definitely can hold its own against other super-hero movies.
Downey, Jr. reprised his "born-to-play" role with more attitude and cavalier than in the first movie. He once again contributed something new and welcomed to the Iron Man legacy.
Different from the first movie, Iron Man 2 wasn't the expected battle against terrorism. This one seemed more "Hancock-ish", with our hero battling himself as much as villians.
And what awesome villians there were! The United States Gov't (Garry Shandling never had a chance), Sam Rockwell (sort of a Lex Luther's witty cousin type), and the ever-impressive and show-stealing Mickey Rourke as he plays Whiplash--the smaller-time Iron Man villian who is the primary villian in this story.
Whenever Rourke was on screen I was enthralled. After seeing The Wrestler I'll never doubt Rourke's abilities as an actor (not to mention Killshot and Sin City).
Overall, I liked this movie a LOT.
Factoid: Terrence Howard was slotted to reprise his role as Tony Stark's best friend and ally Rhodey, a.k.a. "War Machine." However, after demanding pay equivalent to Downey, Jr.'s, the film-makers replaced him with Academy Award-winner Don Cheadle. Cheadle was happy to play the role for less money than Terrence Howard (who'd only claim to fame is Iron man) had demanded.
In short, this is the worst case of an actor "blowing it" that I've ever heard of. His short-sightedness, however, didn't stop him from landing the role of Nelson Mandela (A politician ranked among legends like Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, and Winston Churchill) in the 2011 film Winnie.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Kick-Ass (April 16, 2010) R
Starring:
Aaron Johnson (The Illusionist 2006, Chatroom 2010)
Lyndsy Fonseca ("How I Met Your Mother" 2005-2010, The Ward 2010)
Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Superbad 2007, Marmaduke 2010)
Mark Strong (Sherlock Holmes 2009, Robin Hood 2010)
Chloe Moretz ((500) Days of Summer 2009, Jack and the Beanstalk 2010)
Nicolas Cage (Matchstick Men 2003, Drive Angry 2011)
I wasn't prepared for how good Kick-Ass was! I thoroughly enjoyed this entire movie. I had to pee 10 minutes into it, but couldn't bring myself to leave and miss one minute of this film.
The movie follows Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) who decides to become a "super-hero" named Kick-Ass so that he can fight crime. His motivation: To see if being a super-hero can really be accomplished.
His easy-going, mild, crime-fighting side-life is escalated into something much more dangerous and serious, however, when the destructive, disruptive, and heroic actions of Big Daddy and Hit Girl (played by Nicolas Cage and Chloe Moretz respectively) are mistaken for the actions of small-timer, Kick-Ass. The ameteur quickly finds himself in the cross-hairs of big-time, no-nonsense villians.
This isn't your typical comic-book movie by any means. There are no super-powers, there are no "death-rays" or plots to destroy earth. It's just a bunch of people; some good, some bad, some who do bad things to good people, and some who do bad things to BAD people.
I must also point out that Hit Girl is my favorite. The the best movie character of this decade so far.
Movies this good are going to give me bladder problems later in life...
Factoid: Before dropping a very articulated C-word in Kick-Ass, Chloe Moretz had a very extensive acting career, including (500) Days of Summer (2009), The Amityville Horror (2005), The Poker House (2008), and voice work on numerous Winnie the Pooh cartoons as the character "Darby". Chloe actually did have to learn to be very skilled with butterfly knives for her part in this film. Not bad for a 13-year-old...
Factoid: Kick-Ass the movie is based off a comic book series of the same name.
Aaron Johnson (The Illusionist 2006, Chatroom 2010)
Lyndsy Fonseca ("How I Met Your Mother" 2005-2010, The Ward 2010)
Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Superbad 2007, Marmaduke 2010)
Mark Strong (Sherlock Holmes 2009, Robin Hood 2010)
Chloe Moretz ((500) Days of Summer 2009, Jack and the Beanstalk 2010)
Nicolas Cage (Matchstick Men 2003, Drive Angry 2011)
I wasn't prepared for how good Kick-Ass was! I thoroughly enjoyed this entire movie. I had to pee 10 minutes into it, but couldn't bring myself to leave and miss one minute of this film.
The movie follows Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) who decides to become a "super-hero" named Kick-Ass so that he can fight crime. His motivation: To see if being a super-hero can really be accomplished.
His easy-going, mild, crime-fighting side-life is escalated into something much more dangerous and serious, however, when the destructive, disruptive, and heroic actions of Big Daddy and Hit Girl (played by Nicolas Cage and Chloe Moretz respectively) are mistaken for the actions of small-timer, Kick-Ass. The ameteur quickly finds himself in the cross-hairs of big-time, no-nonsense villians.
This isn't your typical comic-book movie by any means. There are no super-powers, there are no "death-rays" or plots to destroy earth. It's just a bunch of people; some good, some bad, some who do bad things to good people, and some who do bad things to BAD people.
I must also point out that Hit Girl is my favorite. The the best movie character of this decade so far.
Movies this good are going to give me bladder problems later in life...
Factoid: Before dropping a very articulated C-word in Kick-Ass, Chloe Moretz had a very extensive acting career, including (500) Days of Summer (2009), The Amityville Horror (2005), The Poker House (2008), and voice work on numerous Winnie the Pooh cartoons as the character "Darby". Chloe actually did have to learn to be very skilled with butterfly knives for her part in this film. Not bad for a 13-year-old...
Factoid: Kick-Ass the movie is based off a comic book series of the same name.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Up in the Air (December 23, 2009) R
Starring:
George Clooney (Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? 2000, The American 2010)
Vera Formiga (The Departed 2006, Source Code 2011)
Anna Kendrick (Twilight 2008, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World 2010)
Jason Bateman (Extract 2009, Arrested Development 2011)
I can see from this film why it was nominated for 6 Oscars. But naturally, since the film was really good, it didn't win any.
The story itself is so relevent to current events and modern society. It really spoke to our time.
The acting was wonderful too. Even though I'm completely head-over-heels in love with Vera Formiga, I found myself liking Anna Kendrick's performance more. She was beautiful and real. Her character was a unique and called-for addition to an already original movie.
Clooney's performance was nothing deserving an Oscar, but he did do a good job.
And I can't say enough about Vera Formiga. I LOVE that woman. I truly hope she gets cast in "The Walking Dead" TV show.
Factoid: Vera Formiga grew up in Jersey, but spoke only Ukrainian until she went to school.
George Clooney (Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? 2000, The American 2010)
Vera Formiga (The Departed 2006, Source Code 2011)
Anna Kendrick (Twilight 2008, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World 2010)
Jason Bateman (Extract 2009, Arrested Development 2011)
I can see from this film why it was nominated for 6 Oscars. But naturally, since the film was really good, it didn't win any.
The story itself is so relevent to current events and modern society. It really spoke to our time.
The acting was wonderful too. Even though I'm completely head-over-heels in love with Vera Formiga, I found myself liking Anna Kendrick's performance more. She was beautiful and real. Her character was a unique and called-for addition to an already original movie.
Clooney's performance was nothing deserving an Oscar, but he did do a good job.
And I can't say enough about Vera Formiga. I LOVE that woman. I truly hope she gets cast in "The Walking Dead" TV show.
Factoid: Vera Formiga grew up in Jersey, but spoke only Ukrainian until she went to school.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Clash of the Titans (April 2, 2010) PG-13
Starring:
A great cast I don't feel like listing right now.
This movie sucked. It's 1:13 am and I'm tired and I don't feel like getting into the nitty gritty.
Don't bother with this movie.
Don't waste your $8 on this movie.
Here is a list of movies that were better than Clash of the Titans:
The Mummy Returns
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Avatar
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Spiderman 3
Believe it, it's true.
The plot was the worst part of all, but almost as bad was the acting and lame characters. There were attempts at comic relief that failed throughout the movie. There were overly dramatic characters. There was computer animation when real people could have been used.
Plus (and I say this having not seen the original) there were no Titans "clashing".
Oh, and Zeus was naive and bipolar. First time ever I'm complaining about Liam Neeson...
It was SOOOOOOOOOOOOO LAME!!!! And I HATE using all caps so you KNOW I mean it.
Factoid: This movie was a remake, and a bad one.
I was SOOOOOOOOOOOOO disappointed. I thought it would at least be GOOD.
A great cast I don't feel like listing right now.
This movie sucked. It's 1:13 am and I'm tired and I don't feel like getting into the nitty gritty.
Don't bother with this movie.
Don't waste your $8 on this movie.
Here is a list of movies that were better than Clash of the Titans:
The Mummy Returns
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Avatar
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Spiderman 3
Believe it, it's true.
The plot was the worst part of all, but almost as bad was the acting and lame characters. There were attempts at comic relief that failed throughout the movie. There were overly dramatic characters. There was computer animation when real people could have been used.
Plus (and I say this having not seen the original) there were no Titans "clashing".
Oh, and Zeus was naive and bipolar. First time ever I'm complaining about Liam Neeson...
It was SOOOOOOOOOOOOO LAME!!!! And I HATE using all caps so you KNOW I mean it.
Factoid: This movie was a remake, and a bad one.
I was SOOOOOOOOOOOOO disappointed. I thought it would at least be GOOD.
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