- May 18th, 2010, 4:27 pm
#40622
5 star(*) movie reviews without spoiling your viewing pleasure.
1. How to Train Your Dragon 3D Animation/Adventure/Heroism/Comedy
***** Surprisingly delightful!
Among his proud Viking people, Hiccup was know as the village idiot who could do nothing right. As most rejects realize, if you can’t be yourself around others you’ll have to become somewhat of a recluse. During time alone, Hiccup discovers he has more talent than he ever knew. He tries to keep it to himself but his secret spills over into the village and changes it forever. Dreamcast (now sporting a new film intro to logo) really takes advantage of 3D technology throughout this very interesting tale.
I usually don’t venture out to theaters for animated features but in this case I’m so glad I did; and I will be buying the DVD.
_______________________________________
2. Death at a Funeral Comedy/Morbid Humor at times
*** Hilarious situations!
A divided family gathers to pay final respects, but it is apparent this is a comedy caper long before they arrive as members and friends prepare for the gathering. When an unexpected mourner arrives with secrets about the deceased and pictures as proof, the mayhem rises to new levels. This is a USA remake of the 2007 British comedy with the same name but takes far more liberties with added gags.
While the script moves a little slow at times, you can still expect some great laughs from this star-studded cast. At some points I laughed so hard I could not see the screen.
__________________________
3. Losers Adventure/Violence/Sexual Content
**** Payback is a Mother.
A team of highly skilled solders is hired for a dangerous overseas mission. Once the job is completed the solders are killed, or so thought their double crossing employer. The team knows they were believed to be dead and play along by staying out of the US and living under the radar, until a new employer tracks them and presents an offer they can’t refuse, but their new employer has secrets of her own. The team must work together if they are to survive.
A pretty interesting film. I wasn’t prepared for the curves thrown in the story. The end credits feature some cool 3D comic book imaging without the use of 3D glasses. I’d love to see a whole film using this technology.
_________________________________________
4. Letters to God Drama/Comedy
**** Delightfuly heartwarming! Based on a true story.
A young boy, in the midst of cancer treatments, continuously writes letters to God and mails them. He creates a stir among postal workers as to what to do with the letters. Once the letters—which are the boy’s prayers to God for many in his community—start circulating the town, lives are touched and transformed forever though his faith.
I usually stay away from Christian films in theaters and on TV. Entirely too many are cornball and too preachy. This one, however, was pleasantly surprising and teared me up a few times.
____________________________
5. Kick-@ss Drama/Violence/Comedy/Sexual Content
**** A movie with kick.
Dressing up like a super-hero can be fun. So why don’t more people do it and hit the streets to fight crime? The answer is simple, it could hurt. You need skills galore to outwit, outsmart, outfight this talented generation of criminals or you’ll be laid out to dry or die. As you will see, some heros constantly train and do have the gadgets and skills but even they can make mistakes.
This film has a teen oriented spirit about it but does entertain. The end credits sport some pretty cool 3D graphics without the use of glasses. Is this the next big thing to come out of Hollywood? I’d love to see a quality, full-length film using this technology.
_________________________________________________
6. Why Did I Get Married Too? Drama/Comedy
**** Shocking sequel.
With more drama than the prequel, the four couples are once again on their annual retreat, this time in The Bahamas, to talk and work out differences in their marriages. Not all problems have been cleaned up as originally assumed. Some issues are so devastating to one couple that it pushing them over the breaking point.
It is better to see the two films in order to better understand this title, but not absolutely necessary.
___________________________
7. Repo Men Sci Fi Drama/Violence
*** Gross.
Welcome to life in the future, where any bad organ can perfectly be replaced for the price of an expensive home. But buyer beware! These organs come with tracking devices. You miss too many payments and repo men are assigned to your case, and they’re not coming to talk. They arrive unexpectedly, subdue you, slice you open, reposes their company’s property, and if necessary, close you back up. If it’s your unpaid for heart they’ve come for, good luck with that.
You can resist and try to physically overpower them but they are well trained fighters who travel in pairs or more, are equipped with weapons to protect themselves, and crude operation kits. They’ll kill you if they have too, either way they get what they come for. So, what happens when a repo man receives an organ but can’t afford to pay? You will see.
Entirely too many gross operation scenes, and the film gets monotonous pretty quickly. This could have been thriller of the year but a faulty script will do you in every time. Some movies do better as TV dramas. This is one.
1. How to Train Your Dragon 3D Animation/Adventure/Heroism/Comedy
***** Surprisingly delightful!
Among his proud Viking people, Hiccup was know as the village idiot who could do nothing right. As most rejects realize, if you can’t be yourself around others you’ll have to become somewhat of a recluse. During time alone, Hiccup discovers he has more talent than he ever knew. He tries to keep it to himself but his secret spills over into the village and changes it forever. Dreamcast (now sporting a new film intro to logo) really takes advantage of 3D technology throughout this very interesting tale.
I usually don’t venture out to theaters for animated features but in this case I’m so glad I did; and I will be buying the DVD.
_______________________________________
2. Death at a Funeral Comedy/Morbid Humor at times
*** Hilarious situations!
A divided family gathers to pay final respects, but it is apparent this is a comedy caper long before they arrive as members and friends prepare for the gathering. When an unexpected mourner arrives with secrets about the deceased and pictures as proof, the mayhem rises to new levels. This is a USA remake of the 2007 British comedy with the same name but takes far more liberties with added gags.
While the script moves a little slow at times, you can still expect some great laughs from this star-studded cast. At some points I laughed so hard I could not see the screen.
__________________________
3. Losers Adventure/Violence/Sexual Content
**** Payback is a Mother.
A team of highly skilled solders is hired for a dangerous overseas mission. Once the job is completed the solders are killed, or so thought their double crossing employer. The team knows they were believed to be dead and play along by staying out of the US and living under the radar, until a new employer tracks them and presents an offer they can’t refuse, but their new employer has secrets of her own. The team must work together if they are to survive.
A pretty interesting film. I wasn’t prepared for the curves thrown in the story. The end credits feature some cool 3D comic book imaging without the use of 3D glasses. I’d love to see a whole film using this technology.
_________________________________________
4. Letters to God Drama/Comedy
**** Delightfuly heartwarming! Based on a true story.
A young boy, in the midst of cancer treatments, continuously writes letters to God and mails them. He creates a stir among postal workers as to what to do with the letters. Once the letters—which are the boy’s prayers to God for many in his community—start circulating the town, lives are touched and transformed forever though his faith.
I usually stay away from Christian films in theaters and on TV. Entirely too many are cornball and too preachy. This one, however, was pleasantly surprising and teared me up a few times.
____________________________
5. Kick-@ss Drama/Violence/Comedy/Sexual Content
**** A movie with kick.
Dressing up like a super-hero can be fun. So why don’t more people do it and hit the streets to fight crime? The answer is simple, it could hurt. You need skills galore to outwit, outsmart, outfight this talented generation of criminals or you’ll be laid out to dry or die. As you will see, some heros constantly train and do have the gadgets and skills but even they can make mistakes.
This film has a teen oriented spirit about it but does entertain. The end credits sport some pretty cool 3D graphics without the use of glasses. Is this the next big thing to come out of Hollywood? I’d love to see a quality, full-length film using this technology.
_________________________________________________
6. Why Did I Get Married Too? Drama/Comedy
**** Shocking sequel.
With more drama than the prequel, the four couples are once again on their annual retreat, this time in The Bahamas, to talk and work out differences in their marriages. Not all problems have been cleaned up as originally assumed. Some issues are so devastating to one couple that it pushing them over the breaking point.
It is better to see the two films in order to better understand this title, but not absolutely necessary.
___________________________
7. Repo Men Sci Fi Drama/Violence
*** Gross.
Welcome to life in the future, where any bad organ can perfectly be replaced for the price of an expensive home. But buyer beware! These organs come with tracking devices. You miss too many payments and repo men are assigned to your case, and they’re not coming to talk. They arrive unexpectedly, subdue you, slice you open, reposes their company’s property, and if necessary, close you back up. If it’s your unpaid for heart they’ve come for, good luck with that.
You can resist and try to physically overpower them but they are well trained fighters who travel in pairs or more, are equipped with weapons to protect themselves, and crude operation kits. They’ll kill you if they have too, either way they get what they come for. So, what happens when a repo man receives an organ but can’t afford to pay? You will see.
Entirely too many gross operation scenes, and the film gets monotonous pretty quickly. This could have been thriller of the year but a faulty script will do you in every time. Some movies do better as TV dramas. This is one.