Movie Review: "The In-Touchables"

Based on a true story, a quadriplegic aristocrat's world is turned upside down when he hires a young, good-humored ex-con as his caretaker. This unlikely duo overcomes adversity of every flavor as they shatter preconceptions of love, life and each other. - taken from Netflix.com

Being a film from a non-'Universal' sized company, I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this one last night. I vaguely remember putting it in the queue as an interesting sounding movie, base don the above synopsis. I had very little disappointment about the film.

Being based on a true story, I was leery. I evidently had not remembered this is a French film, thus for my US viewing pleasure, there were sub-titles. My middle son (about 10 years old) sat down with me, as the start of the movie showed some action scenes, and I found myself drawn more to the movie, as his reading was not quite good enough for the dialogue that was quickly shown and replaced at the bottom of the screen, detracting away from what was actually happening. I would pause every 10 minutes to be sure he knew what was going on.

Storyline- Phillipe is a quadriplegic, who also happens to be very filthy rich. Driss is a black man, who originally shows in a line of interviewees for a position as caretaker for Phillipe. Driss is basically looking for a signature so he can get France's version of unemployment (in my thinking). Due to the lack of pity, or of other things which I won't speculate on, Driss is hired and through the several months that pass, he and Phillipe grow into friends.

I found myself liking the movie, even if it was somewhat predictable. The lower-class Driss, working for an upper-class Phillipe, in a very personal nature (caretaker- think body baths, using the bathroom, etc). But I think in human nature, everyone loves this kind of story. There is even a bit of romance/matchmaking going on, which I won't share, so you still need to watch it.

Overall, I gave the movie a good 4.5 stars, as my only downside to it was the sub-titles. The Son, well, he went about halfway, and decided it wasn't his thing. But he is only 10.

Movie Review : "Equilibrium"

In a futuristic world, a strict regime has eliminated war by suppressing emotions: Books, art and music are strictly forbidden, and feeling is a crime punishable by death -- a rule that's enforced by feeding the denizens a mood-limiting drug. John Preston (Christian Bale) is a top government official responsible for destroying those who resist the rules. But when he misses a dose of his own medication, he experiences a pang of conscience. - taken from Netflix.com


I originally picked this movie out as Christian Bale was the main actor. I don't think I made it through the first 20 minutes before I turned it off. Made in 2002, another storyline of 'destroy mankind's emotions, and society functions best'. Including flags that were near imitations of Nazi flags, and a similar look to '1984'. One star.

Movie Review : "Tangled"

Disney animators take on the classic Grimm Brothers story of Rapunzel (Mandy Moore), a long-locked beauty imprisoned in a secluded tower by evil hag Mother Gothel (Donna Murphy), who needs the rejuvenating powers of Rapunzel's tresses to remain young. When a bandit on the lam (Zachary Levi) helps Rapunzel escape, the old crone plots to recapture her and end her budding romance with the thief in this Golden Globe nominee for Best Animated Feature. - taken from Netflix.com


Another great Disney movie. My boys had watched it over the weekend, and liked it. I watched it alone today. I actually snickered at some parts. The music was good, and I enjoyed the story line they created of Rapunzel. Definitely 5 stars, and thought consideration to buying it.

Movie Review : "Skyline"

After a wild night of partying with friends, Terry (Donald Faison) awakens to discover that he's one of the few remaining people on Earth. Banding together with a small group of survivors (Eric Balfour, Scottie Thompson, David Zayas, Brittany Daniel and Crystal Reed), Terry sets out to solve the mystery of what happened to the human race. Greg and Colin Strause (whose work includes the visual effects for Avatar and 300) direct. - taken from Netflix.com


This has got to be one of the worst sci-fi movies I have seen in quite some time. Aliens invade LA. Small group of 'friends' survive. Rest of movie is them getting picked off one by one. Girl and Guy have true love. Really bad acting. Really bad story line. One star.

Movie Review : "Thor"

Kenneth Branagh directs this Marvel Comics-inspired action flick about the thunder god Thor (Chris Hemsworth), a powerful warrior whose father, Odin (Anthony Hopkins) -- the king of Asgard -- forces him to live among humans on Earth and learn humility. Once there, he finds a friend (Natalie Portman), along with unexpected enemies sent from his world. Kat Dennings, Stellan Skarsgård and Rene Russo co-star. - taken from Netflix.com


Oh wow! I took the boys to see this on Opening Day for the film. The theater wasn't crowded (4:30 show) so it was comfortable to sit back and watch. Freaking awesome! I enjoyed it alot.... of course, I enjoy the superhero movies - well, most of them. I thought it was pretty well adjusted for the screen, and the actors all were pretty good. Looking forward to the sort of follow-up film "The Avengers" due next year, that will have several of the heroes together in one film... Definitely deserved the 5 stars!

Movie Review : "Cloverfield"

A going-away party in Manhattan is interrupted when a mysterious monster of epic proportions launches an attack on New York City. With camcorder in hand, a small group of friends make their way out into the chaotic streets, scrambling to stay alive. Mike Vogel, Lizzy Caplan, Jessica Lucas, Michael Stahl-David, Odette Yustman and T.J. Miller star in this frenetic sci-fi thriller directed by Matt Reeves. - taken from Netflix.com


I remember first seeing the trailer for this. A really short one, that seemed to hardly show anything. It left me feeling wanting... wanting to know what was out there. Whoever did the trailer, did a pretty decent job. Then the movie came out, and the apparent masses of excited people to see what it really was came out of the theaters screaming for mercy. Not mercy as in fear, as in a wonderful horror movie; but for mercy from the hour and a half of sheer 'WTF was that?' . Made in 2007, I think released like January 2008 (I could be wrong) and many people I knew said to not waste my time watching this one, even on DVD. Heck, some said not to waste the time when it makes TV. My queue got slow, and low, so I put it in. Yeah, there are other stuff I could have re-watched that would have been better. Two stars, only because I did get to see what it was... no spoiler there..

Movie Review : "The Caveman's Valentine"

After finding a frozen corpse near his cave in a New York City park, homeless recluse Romulus Ledbetter (Samuel L. Jackson) -- a former piano prodigy beset by delusions of harmful rays bombarding him from the Chrysler Building -- suspects foul play and investigates. But can the schizophrenic Romulus pull himself together long enough to catch the killer? Featuring a brilliant turn by Jackson, this engrossing thriller also stars Colm Feore. - taken from Netflix.com


What can I say? I was bored. And this movie didn't help much. Plot was easy to figure out, and Samuel Jackson playing a crazy, homeless person? What's so different than his regular other roles? Oh yeah... they added some flashing lights and camera angles. Nothing changed otherwise. Loud tirades, expansive arm gestures. I thought of turning it off about halfway through, but decided to finish watching it. It still was boring.

Movie Review : "The King's Speech"

Britain's King George VI (Colin Firth) struggles with an embarrassing stutter for years until he seeks help from unorthodox Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) in this biographical drama that chalked up multiple Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Logue's pioneering treatment and unlikely friendship give the royal leader a sense of confidence that serves him and his country well during the dark days of World War II. - taken from Netflix.com


Wow! I was really impressed with this movie. Not knowing the history of that time frame, especially in regards to the
UK, I found it really interesting. The movie deserves all the awards it has won, and then some! I felt Rush and Firth had played their roles excellently. Nothing more I can say about good stuff like this.... 5 stars.

Movie Review : "Hanna"

Hanna (Saoirse Ronan) is a teenager raised and trained by her father (Eric Bana), an ex-CIA operative, to become a highly skilled assassin. But when she's sent on a deadly mission across Europe, Hanna takes to an English family and starts longing for a normal life. She must first solve the puzzle of her mysterious past, however. Joe Wright (Atonement) directs this tense actioneer; Cate Blanchett also stars. - taken from Netflix.com


What can I say about this new release except it sucks ass. I have not seen a movie so bad that I want to leave the theater before we are halfway through it! I am only happy we were getting the early in the day ticket price ($5) so it could have been worse. Both my stepdad and I watched the trailers on the internet and thought it looked decent. The trailers was about all the action in the damn movie. We both walked out thinking, what was that? Story line sounds okay, but the actual film of it sucked. 1 star is a good rating for it....

Movie Review : "Stranger Than Fiction"

As best-selling novelist Kay Eiffel (Emma Thompson) struggles with how to kill off her main character, IRS auditor Harold Crick (Will Ferrell) begins hearing her voice in his head and slowly realizes that he must stop his own death. Crick's world turns upside down as he tries to persuade Kay to change the ending of her novel, all while getting closer to a quirky baker (Maggie Gyllenhaal) he's auditing. Dustin Hoffman and Queen Latifah co-star. - taken from Netflix.com


I have said it before, I am not a Wil Ferrell fan at all. Though, I will say I did enjoy somewhat this film with him as a main character lead. I enjoyed Dustin Hoffman's role as well. A simple story that was worth the hour and a half to watch...once. Three stars, and a nod to my thinking this may be the best Ferrell role I have seen.

Movie Review : "Hereafter"

Clint Eastwood directs this supernatural thriller about three very different people and their responses to death, including a hesitant American psychic named George (Matt Damon) who may be able to help the others find answers and peace. Marie (Cécile De France) is a French journalist caught up in the aftereffects of the devastating 2004 tsunami, while in London, young Marcus (Frankie and George McLaren) seeks to contact his deceased twin brother. - taken from Netflix.com


I have always been a big Eastwood fan, and his movies as a director have always been a good one for me to watch. This one was no exception. About a third of the way through, I thought I might get lost in the French speaking portion (with English subtitles) but I stayed solid, and it was worth it. I admit, I even got a bit teary-eyed near the end. A great flick, I do believe I could sit through again with no qualms. Eastwood has earned another 5 stars.

Movie Review : "Hot Tub Time Machine"

Fueled by energy drinks, vodka and nostalgia for their younger, wilder days, a group of aging best friends travels back in time to 1986, where they get the chance to relive the best year of their lives. And their time machine? Well, it's a hot tub. John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke, Crispin Glover and Sebastian Stan co-star in this out-of-the-box comedy that takes time travel to a whole new level. - taken from Netflix.com

Yeah, you know it is probably like one of those sex/comedy movies, and it is. Cheap and easy, slow on laughs, predictable..... yeah. Has a few stars names that you can recognize (Glover - from 'Back to the Future') the rest of the story line is pure ass-stupidity. Really. Though, there were some gratuitous scenes of breasts, and hot looking girls.... 2 stars... and they both go to those hot sexy women.

Movie Review : "Faster"

On the very day he's released from a 10-year prison sentence, convicted bank robber Driver (Dwayne Johnson) hits the streets to take revenge on the men who bungled the job that got him busted and his beloved brother killed. But close on Driver's tail are a driven cop (Billy Bob Thornton) on the one hand and a flamboyant contract killer (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) on the other. George Tillman Jr. directs this thriller that also stars Carla Gugino. - taken from Netflix.com


I have seen pretty much most of the Rock's movies, and actually kind of enjoyed them. The action is usually pretty good, even if the story line has been done before (ie. "Walking Tall" with a twist). This was no exception. Lots of good shoot 'em up action, car chasing, decent story...though I had it figured out early - just left me more time to enjoy the action. The Rock still looks buffer than ever in this flick, and meaner than hell. 4 stars

Movie Review : "Johnny English"

There's a Frenchman after the crown jewels and the throne itself -- but not to worry, Johnny English (Rowan Atkinson) is on the case. Well, actually ... maybe a little worrying isn't out of order, considering how clumsy Johnny can be! Luckily, his zeal more than makes up for his bumbling manner. Let's hope that can help solve the crime of the century; if not, love in the form of double agent Lorna Campbell (Natalie Imbruglia) might - taken from Netflix.com


Oh geez. Yeah, it was that bad. I had seen recently a trailer for the 2nd film of this character called "Johnny English Reborn" and surprisingly, it looked humorous enough, I thought I should go back and watch this one. Yeah, waste of my time. Easy humor to know what is going on, though Natalie Imbruglia was in it, it sucked. 2 Stars.

Movie Review : "Waiting For 'Superman'"

Dynamic documentarian Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth) weaves together the stories of students, families, educators and reformers to shed light on the failing public school system and its consequences on the future of the United States. In this Sundance Audience Award winner for Best Documentary, Guggenheim deftly examines the options to improve public education and provide America's teachers and students with the help they need. - taken from Netflix.com


This was sort of an eye-opener. Though society, and myself, see Education as a whole for our country as deteriorating, this documentary brings it into closer focus. It is worse than that. I felt it was put together very well, though a bit centered on what many consider to be low-income/poverty areas. A few of the ideas I could see being applied even to just regular public schooling (the bad teachers, tenure, etc). Though the film tried to state that this is occurring in almost all school districts, they focused it in highly populated, lower urban areas on both coasts (NYC and LA) and threw in a couple other places for a supposed equal comparison (Wash., DC, and the Silicon Valley area of CA). Much emphasis was put on the lotteries certain schools (not considered regular public schools) use to fill slots available when there are more applicants than slots.


As I said, though the film does appear to mention several theories of how the education system can change, and other problematic issues occurring based on governmental control (on all levels), there is obviously nothing that has been corrected. One short piece centered around how dramatically one 'type' of charter-type school made changes, and was able to produce the results in an additional 80-some odd places, but again they were all low income urban settings.


Overall somewhat informative, though depressing, I give it 3 stars.

Movie Review : "Lady in the Water"

When apartment building manager Cleveland Heep (Paul Giamatti) discovers a water nymph (Bryce Dallas Howard) residing in the complex's swimming pool, he rearranges his life to help her return to her mythical home. But if he fails, it may mean the end for her world -- and for his. Helmed by Oscar-nominated director M. Night Shyamalan, this unconventional bedtime story was first conceived as a fable for his children. - taken from Netflix.com


I had forgotten this one was in my queue until it showed up. Otherwise, I would have just taken it out. Shyamalan is not on the top of good directors list I have here after that last one of his I watched. Either way, I went forward and hit play for this one. I tried to follow it, like it was possible to see how an adult would be telling this as a fable at bedtime, or some such. It was a bit complicated and long to be one of those types of stories, though I did actually find myself enjoying portions of it. Giamatti has done several roles that I liked him in, and plays this one very well. The basic story is consistent, but as it seemed to build into more characters, I started to lose interest. Overall, I felt it was a bit long, and dry in dialogue. I will give notice though, being based as a story for children, it is allowed to almost come to an end "...and then..." with story fluctuation. Three stars.

Movie Review : "The Social Network"

Director David Fincher's biographical drama chronicles the meteoric rise of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) from Harvard sophomore to Internet superstar, examining his relationships with co-founder Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield) and Napster founder Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake). Winning Golden Globes for Best Picture and Best Director, the film also racked up Oscar nods in the same categories and for lead actor Eisenberg. - taken from Netflix.com


I actually enjoyed this film. So many of my friends were saying that they just had no interest in the 'story of FACEBOOK', and I admit, I wasn't too thrilled about it either. But I did find it interesting after watching it. I actually caught myself cheering on Zuckerman... they filmed it in such a way, one could almost NOT cheer him on. Of course, with it being valued at $500 billion (at that time) I don't think I would want to film it in agreement against his side of things... that could be costly somewhere in that person's life.... 4 stars... it kept my interest and I enjoyed it.

Movie Review : "The Snow Walker"

Barry Pepper stars in this survivalist adventure as cocky, hotheaded bush pilot Charlie Halliday, who agrees to transport a critically ill Inuit woman (Annabella Piugattuk) to a Yellowknife hospital during a routine stop on a supply run. The pair face dire consequences when their plane goes down in the Arctic tundra, leaving them marooned -- and facing the brutality of the looming northern winter. - taken from Netflix.com


Typical survival story that wasn't so bad. This particular taking place in the Arctic. I was surprised, people died. It was okay sitting the hour and half through it. Berry Pepper has been in quite a few movies and this one I thought he didn't do too bad in. I give it 3 stars.

Movie Review : Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog"

When he's not busy breaking the law or trying to get close to his secret crush, Penny (Felicia Day), supervillain wannabe Dr. Horrible (Neil Patrick Harris) boasts about his exploits via his Internet video blog and dreams of defeating his nemesis, Captain Hammer (Nathan Fillion). Conceived during the 2008 Hollywood writers' strike, Joss Whedon's quirky musical comedy originally debuted as an online miniseries. - taken from Netflix.com


This rocked! It was originally aired as 8 separate video-type blog posts on the internet (I read somewhere) as the desc. says back in the writers strike time frame. It is just funny, and corny, and I actually really enjoyed the soundtrack as well. In fact, I loaded it into itunes for me. This is one I would like to find at the video store to buy on dvd to watch whenever I want. 5 stars is too low a rating for it.

Movie Review : "Special"

Enrolling in a drug study to spice up his humdrum life as a low-paid meter reader, Les Franken (Michael Rapaport) begins taking an experimental antidepressant, which proves to have a few unexpected side effects. Convinced that he's actually developing special powers that can be used to fight evil, Les decides to quit his day job and focus on being a superhero … despite his doctor's professional opinion that his abilities are all in his mind. - taken from Netflix.com


I picked this for an Instant Play - I think it was because I was 'in between' on movies showing up...and it had gotten some higher viewer ratings. Figured maybe I would check it out. Yeah, I watched it. It wasn't spectacular. Simple story of how doing one of them drug studies you hear about all the time, can go wrong.... and just by chance, the side effects make you do stuff that actually are nice for society, though done in the wrong way (vigilante justice). Indie film... low budget... no major big names. I was okay with it... 2 stars.