Tropic Thunder

Hello again, dear readers. I am quite sorry that it has been awhile since my last review, I had the opportunity to take a much needed vacation. I want to make sure you know that this is not a frequently occurring thing; there will be reviews, news, and posts on this blog at least 3 times a week, more if life allows.

So, now that that is out of the way, on to the review!!

As you can tell from my previous blog post, Seems Promising..., I had high hopes for this movie. I am a huge fan of Jack Black and Ben Stiller and pretty much thought that anything these two would star in together would be hilarious. Add Robert Downey Jr. playing a white man who is playing a black man to the picture, and I pretty much thought the laughs would come in spades...

Alas, I was disappointed. Tropic Thunder is a movie filled with testosterone and low brow jokes. It even goes a little too far by making fun of retarded people.. There was an article in the Washington Post asking readers to ban this movie for that reason... Here's the link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/10/AR2008081001869.html .

There is some comedy to be found in this movie, just not too much. Sure, there are a lot of people who will look at it different than I do. Personally, however, I didn't think this was that good of a comedy...

I give Tropic Thunder 1 star: because honestly, this could have been done so much better. These actors are of more caliber than that...

Check it out on the IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0942385/ .

And until next time, happy viewing! :)

Taken

Do you want to see a movie that keeps you watching? How about take a look into a father's mind? Check out Taken.

I watched this movie thinking that it wouldn't be all that good. Liam Neeson, in my opinion, is a good actor; but not great. I must say, I was proven wrong.

Mr. Neeson shows his propensity for greatness in this movie. He plays a father willing to go to the ends of the earth to find and rescue his kidnapped daughter. He portrays the emotions of a father on a mission so well it's believable. One tends to think they're looking in on someone else's life...

Not to say the story itself isn't far fetched: the dad just happens to be an ex-CIA agent. But somehow, whether it's the director, the actors, the story, or just the overall tone of the movie itself, it is believable.

I highly recommend you check this out. It is very much worth it.

I give Taken 5 stars: because the ride it took me on was absolutely exhilarating.

Check it out on the IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0936501/

And until next time: happy viewing!! :)

RIP Bernie Mac

"I came from a place where there wasn't a lot of joy," ... "I decided to try to make other people laugh when there wasn't a lot of things to laugh about."

The world of comedy mourns it's fallen king. Saturday, August 9, 2008, was a very, very sad day. Bernard Jeffrey McCullough, a.k.a. Bernie Mac, died that day of pneumonia.

Bernie Mac is survived by his wife, Rhonda, and daughter, Je'Niece Childress. Hollywood.com reported that his wife begged him to live, "Don't leave me," she implored as she sat by his bedside...

Mac was born in Chicago, in a pretty rough neighborhood, and lived in a house with his very big family. He became a professional comedian in 1977, at the age of 19. Since Mac refused to change what he stood for, he wasn't very widely accepted and therefore wasn't well known for most of the 80's.

In 1992 he made his silver screen debut in Mo' Money, playing the small part of a club doorman. His next movie was Who's The Man? where he played the character G-George. Since then he has been an icon in comedy films, playing in high grossing films such as The Transformers and Ocean's 11, 12, and 13.

Mr. Mac was also considered one of the Original Kings of Comedy{2000} along with Steve Harvey, D.L. Hughley, and Cedric the Entertainer.

At least his spirit still lives on in the movies he played in and the TV shows he starred in. If we ever get a craving for a good Bernie Mac laugh, we can just find a rerun of The Bernie Mac Show or check out one of his many hilarious movies.

Bernie Mac, the world is much more empty without you.......

Step Brothers

Have you ever sat down to watch a movie totally thinking that this would be a good one? Have you ever read reviews, horrible reviews, and thought, "the critics were probably too hard on it... It's gotta be good, it's Will Ferrell?" I did.

No movie has disappointed me more {well, maybe Kill Switch} and made me feel that not only did I waste my time completely but I felt that I was STUPIDER for seeing it. It was more than a disappointment; it was a slap in the face.

Will Ferrell is usually such a funny guy that one would think everything he does will be filled with laughs. This is not so in Step Brothers. It's not John C. Reilly, he does a good job with his part; it's the movie as a whole. It stinks.

Basically, two 40ish guys still live with their parents. Their parents get married. They move in together. The "men" act like 5 year olds... And the movie goes forward. It makes me wonder if there are really men out there who act like this; totally immature, self centered idiots. I mean, these characters still found it necessary to ask permission from their parents to do things. Amazingly dumb...

I hate to say it, folks, but this movie is Terrible with a capital T. Please don't waste money on it, unless of course you like a movie leaving you feeling dumber than you were before you walked into a theatre. Shoot, don't even waste time. It is REALLY not worth it.

I give Step Brothers one star and one pathetic star: because it's bad. It gets one good star because, well, it's still Will Ferrell...

Check it out on the IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0838283/...

Until next time, happy viewing, and good luck... :)

Get to Know Sour Orange... Why I Love Movies

I love movies. It's a passion of mine. Nothing helps me to escape reality more than a good movie. Sometimes, a good movie can bring me closer to reality. Movies are like that; they touch you if written well enough.

I love movies for so many reasons. There are the memorable moments:



you know, those moments you see in a particularly great movie that just stick with you for hours after the film is over.


Then there are the moments in movies that just make you crack up, laugh, and sometimes squirt Pepsi out of your nose:



you know, those crack me up, make me go nuts, belly hurt from laughter moments...


And let's not forget the moments that bring tears to your eyes:



happy tears or sad tears, those moments seem to be so powerful that they provoke a significant response from your core being...


And then, my favorite movie moment of all, those moments that scare the crap out of you:

moments that make you freak out at the littlest sound outside your window; images that haunt your dreams...


The greatest movies have at least two of these moments, in my humble opinion. Make me laugh and cry in the same film and you have yourself a lifetime fan.


Movies are made up of a series of moments. Just like life. However, in the end, I think that most of us watch movies just to get out of our own life now and then. Take us away from our reality and be whisked away into a land much different than the one we know and love...


So, why do I love movies? I love movies for the moments. I love movies because I like to take a vacation from reality, even if it is only for an hour or two, once in awhile. Movies do that for me. And I hope they do the same for you.


So, why do YOU love movies??

I Want to Play a Game...

Just a little fun for all you horror movie fans. Answer me in a comment... I'll post the winner in a week. How well do you know your movies??

1. Who played the original Frankenstien's monster??

2. Name the phobia you suffer from if you have an intense fear of Halloween:




3. True or False: The film "Halloween" was made in only 21 days.






4. What horror film is the first movie to show a woman in just a bra and slip?




5. What exit would you take if you wanted to go and visit Captain Spaulding?




6. What bible verse is on Emily Rose's tombstone?



So there ya go. Hope you have fun doing this. Make sure to check back in a week for the correct answers, as well as future reviews, games, and movie news!

Seems Promising...

With a huge all star cast featuring comedy kings such as Ben Stiller, Jack Black, and , Robert Downey Jr. {who, by the way, is in black makeup for this film} this movie is sure to make you laugh.

Premiering August 13, 2008, Tropic Thunder is about a group of spoiled actors sent to Vietnam to film a movie. This group set out to make the "most expensive war movie," but eventually the producers shut them down.

After that the fun begins when the self absorbed actors are forced to encounter real bad guys and real war situations in Southeast Asia.

Also make sure to look out for some cameos by Nick Nolte and Tom Cruise.

With this cast, and the great makeup job done to Robert Downey Jr, I can't wait to take a peek at this movie.

Check out Tropic Thunder on the IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0942385/ , and look for the review on this blog, coming soon!!

Lifetime Achievement!!

Guess who is being honored with a very well deserved lifetime achievement award? You got it, Al Pacino!!

The well established actor has played more than a few legendary characters such as Tony Montana in Scarface, and John Milton {the devil himself} in The Devil's Advocate in his lifetime, making him more than well deserving of this award.

The Lifetime Achievement Award will be given to him at the Rome Film Festival in October. Pacino was quoted saying, "“Thank you for bestowing your Marcus Aurelius acting award on me; it is a further indication of the homage to the work of the Actor’s Studio and I am very honored to receive it.”

As we well know, most movies with Mr. Pacino in them seem to do fantastically well; personally, I think he is a very good actor and deserves this honor.