Movie Review: The King's Speech, 3.5 stars

The King's Speech is an excellent movie about Prince Albert (Colin Firth) who had to become King George the VI after his brother gives up the throne to marry a divorced american.  The problem is that the prince is a stutterer so he is required to give speeches to crowds and an radio.  Enter Geoffrey Rush as his speech therapist and ultimately his best friend.  Funny and interesting throughout the movie.  Not stuffy or boring considering the subject matter.  Doesn't need to be seen on the big screen but well worth the money.  Helena Bonham who usually plays very strange characters does an excellent job playing the prince's very smart and practical wife.  I can imagine a lot of Oscar nominations from this film.

Movie Review: The Fighter. 3.5 stars

The Fighter is another movie portraying Boston as a city full of low life, white trash.  Of course, coming from New York, I already knew that was the case (along with Philly).  If you haven't seen it yet, the movie The Town is also an excellent movie about the same type people.   Mark Wahlberg does an excellent job as a talented fighter who is held back by his drug addict brother and overbearing mother.  It's the supporting cast that really shines in this movie though.  Christian Bale as the fighters brother, Amy Adams as his defective girlfriend, and Melissa Leo as his pathetic mother really make this movie great.  They could have made this into four movies, each about those characters and produced four excellent movies.   This is a true story that's very Rocky-ish, that I'm sure anyone would enjo

Movie Review: Tron: Legacy 2 stars

Tron: Legacy is a cool looking movie but that's it.  Slow, uninteresting, poorly written, poorly acted and pretty boring.   It's a little over two hours (should have been 90 minutes) but it felt like I was watching it for days.  After numerous checks of my watch throughout the movie it mercifully ended.  It would have been much better if they let Jeff Bridges have some fun with the role.  Instead they all read their lines, got their paychecks, and went home after a  couple of days work.  Then the programmers worked for the next six months making it look cool.  Not worth your time to watch even if you watched it for free.  

Movie Review: Harry Potter, Deathly Hallows, part 1, 2.5 stars

Harry Potter, Deathly Hallows, part 1 is a well done movie that will probably be more enjoyed by the people who read the book.  I've enjoyed the movies without reading books or caring about the genre because, like the books, they were well done and interesting.   This movie is just a place holder for the final movie that will end the series.  We follow the three main characters as they whine about how terrible their lives are and what a bother it is that all their friends and family are getting wiped out by the evil people.  You have probably already seen it if you read the book but if you haven't, you can skip this one.  It doesn't provide any information that you will need for the final chapter and it's slow and boring to sit through.

Movie Review, The Black Swan, 4 stars

This NOT for the squeamish!  It is a brutal, in your face, psychological drama that is very difficult to watch.  In fact, I hated this movie for the first three quarters of the movie but then it turned the corner and became one of the best pictures of the year.   Natalie Portman (definitely Oscar winner) plays an obsessed ballerina whose ambition is to be the top ballerina in New York.  You feel very sorry for her because she is functionally insane and kept that way by her whacked out mother played by Barbara Hershey in an Oscar winning performance.  Mila Kunis plays her competition in the troop and also puts in an outstanding performance.  Definitely a best supporting nomination for her.  In a small but powerful role is Winona Ryder the aging queen of the ballerinas whom Natalie Portman is trying to replace.  Perhaps an Oscar nomination for her too.

This movie will have you squirming in your seat and looking way from the screen in several scenes that are very difficult to watch.  At the end of the movie it all comes together and it simply blows you away.  They really give you a workout, reminiscent of last year’s movie Precious. I thought that movie was tough to watch but in comparison to Black Swan it was a Pink Panther cartoon.

Again, let me warn you, if you decide to see this movie realize that it is brutal to watch and I can imagine some people walking out before the end because of the shocking scenes you are presented.  Even with all that, I believe that this ties my nomination for Best Picture with Inception which I also rated as 4 stars.  I watched Inception in the theater three times and cannot wait to see it again.  I don’t know if I ever want to watch Black Swan again unless I just fast forward to the last twenty minutes LOL.

Movie Review, The Tourist, 2.5 Stars

Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie star in this light hearted tale of intrigue that has gotten very bad reviews.  I watched it with low expectations and they exceeded them.  It’s not a serious movie so if you go in and just want to get amused then this movie does its job.   I believe that it might have been miss marketed as an action/adventure movie and that is not a good description of this movie which is why the reviews are so bad.   I don’t understand why Hollywood tries to trick people into seeing a movie by misrepresenting itself in the preview clips.  I guess it’s just to boost the first week numbers which is where they make most of their money.

This is not worth your movie dollar though but would make a fun rental when it comes around.

Movie Review: 127 Hours, 3 stars

James Franco does a great job in this movie about an irresponsible, fun loving hiker who has an accident while exploring remote caverns in Utah.  When a rock pins his arm to the side of a cavern wall we watch him try and figure a way out which takes 127 hours.  This is a good movie but not a great one.  It only lasts 90 minutes and I still checked my watch twice because it seemed long.   They are saying this is a “best picture” nomination but only in a very poor year.   It’s worthy of your movie dollar but I would wait and rent it.  I do believe that James Franco could be nominated for best actor for his performance though.

Movie Review: Burlesque, 3 stars

Burlesque was an excellent musical with Cher and Christina Aguilera.  The basic story you've seen before, poor rural girl goes to the big city and learns some hard lessons before becoming a huge success.    The downside lesson for troubled youths is that packing up and heading for LA is fun and not full of any hazards what so ever.  It's easy finding a good paying job that will let you live right in the city.   Yikes!  What a message!  Success, fame and fortune comes very easy to Ms Aguilera.   So forget what your parents say, steal some money and head for the coast where the streets are paved with gold.

Beyond the bad message the music was good but not great.  It was an enjoyable piece of fluff but as a musical it doesn't measure up to the "Chicago" standard.

Movie Review: Faster, 2 stars

The Rock stars in this disappointing movie about an ex-con (The Rock) hunting down the guys who killed his brother and sent him to jail.  A great start to the movie.  The Rock is a raging bull, looking for retribution from the evil men who need to be stomped and killed.  Unfortunately, once again, the writing is terrible.  Not satisfied with having the Rock hunt down the bad guys and killing them in inventive ways they decide to introduce a bunch if sad subplots:  A crazy hit man that's sent to kill The Rock. Billy Bob Thornton as a heroin addicted police office trying to stop the Rock.  Thornton's neglected son and recovering addict wife.  Sheesh!  All I wanted to see was 90 minutes of brutal violence while listening to great rock and roll.  What we want is so simple yet they manage to mess it up so often.   This is not even a good renter.

Unstoppable Movie Review 3 stars

Denzel Washington once again comes through with an excellent performane as regular guy thrust into unusual curcumstances.   This is a true story about a train that was accidentally sent down the track full of toxic materiel and with no one driving it.   Chris Pine (Captain Kirk in the last Star Trek) also does a great job. 

Unlike Russell Crowe's movie this isn't depressing/exciting it's just exciting.  Even though I remembered the news story about this I was still on the edge of my seat throughout the movie. 

This the type of movie that everyone should see IN the movies.  I don't think it would be as good watching at home. 

Next Three Days Movie Review 3 stars

Russell Crowe stars in this action drama as the husband of a convicted murderer (Elizabeth Banks) who has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.  Without any more appeals, the only alternative is to break her out of jail.  This is a nerve wracking movie (in a good way) watch Russell Crowe play an average guy trying to do this type of thing all by himself.  Russell Crowe is great and the end keeps you on the edge of your seat.  Will he succeed?  You'll have to watch to see.  Definitely worthy of your movie dollar.  It is a bit dark and a little depressing so don't go in expecting everything to be happy in this movie. 

I would have had a better plan to escape the city but that would not have made great cinema so they had to go with their version.

Morning Glory Movie Review 3 stars

I really enjoyed this "chick flick" comedy.  Not really a romantic comedy because there was very little romance in it.   Rachel McAdams (one of my favorites) plays a TV producer for a last place news program with lots of problems.  Being a TV producer is her life and it seems that everyone in the news division works against her goal of making the program a hit.  Diane Keaton does a great job of the prima donna veteran of the show and Harrison Ford plays the grizzled new veteran that joins the show with great resistance. 

They made Harrison Ford too grizzled  and it got old after awhile.  Rachel McAdams though carried this movie with great energy and humor.  This is a wonderful comedy/feel good movie that is will worth your movie dollar.

Skyline 2.5 Stars

Aliens are at it again...trying to conquer the world.  This time they are using vacuum cleaner type devices to suck humans off the face of the earth to take their brains.  Although not shot through a handheld camera it reminded me of the alien invasion film Cloverfield.  I thought that Cloverfield was a much better movie.  This has an interesting start but then became bogged down.  The humans were all trapped in an apartment building which gave them some safety.  For some reason they felt the need to escape the building though which meant certain death.  They tried this over and over until you wished they would just all get sucked up and be done with it.   I guess a bunch of humans hiding in an apartment wouldn't have made an exciting movie but this one didn't either. 

This movie is barely rental worthy...perhaps only as a free streaming from netflix or a redbox rental.

Due Date 2 1/2 stars

Ever since The Hangover arrived last year every comedy has been marketed as the new "The Hangover".  Unfortuantely, all have fallen short and that goes for this movie too.    You would hope that since this movie had the same director (Todd Phillips) and one of it's funniest stars (Zach Galifianakis) that this movie had a chance.  Unfortunately for this movie they didn't hire a good writer.  Adam Sztykiel the screenwriters only other credit was the horrible "Maid of Honor" back in 2008.  Even Robert Downey Jr. couldn't save this movie from the bad writing we must sit through. 

I get the feeling that movies are made by a group of short sighted individuals who write down a list of actors, develop a thin plot on a napkin, raise 100 million dollars, hire a hack writer, and then make a movie.  It's sad because there are million great stories to be told but instead we are subjected to tripe.

Hollywood can't understand why people aren't going to the movies as they once were but they need only look at one of their films to understand why they are staying away.