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.