Tricia's Movie Reviews

Five Minutes of Heaven *

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 03 May 2010 00:36:00 +0000

'Five Minutes of Heaven' stars Liam Neeson.

It takes place in Ireland in the '70s, around much political unrest. The entire movie is about one brother's quest for vengeance on his brother's killer.

The five minutes?? when they slug it out at the end!

I'm a strong proponent of historical dramas to help us remember the things from our past, But this one is really only teaching revenge with an Irish accent.

Sorry, can't recommend for anybody!

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Up In the Air ***1/2

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 03 May 2010 00:30:00 +0000

'Up in the Air' stars George Clooney and Vera Farmiga. Critics didn't love it. I wasn't excited.

But it was better than I expected! It basically is a story about the lifestyles of people who travel constantly. Having a friend who has lived this, made the movie a little re-assuring to me. "It really IS messed up! It's not just me!" This life has become a part of our culture, and 'Up in the Air' portrays several of the different angles in which it is disfunctional... and perhaps liberating.

Not really obscene for the kids, but the casualty of sex is kind of obscene.

But a pretty good watch!

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Bollywood Hero **

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 14:18:00 +0000

'Bollywood Hero' stars Chris Kattan as himself. Is it really his story??? surely not. When he can't get work in Hollywood, he goes to Bollywood. This has all the makings of something that could be hysterical. It wasn't.

Skip it.

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Young Victoria ***1/2

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 14:10:00 +0000

'Young Victoria' is a biopic of the early life of Queen Victoria, starring Emily Blunt. It was very well done, and the historian here still learned a little. One aspect of the story that I enjoyed was actually seeing the love between Victoria and Prince Albert. I had always heard of this great love, but seeing it portrayed made it even more touching.

'Young Victoria' was a really nice watch, and I'd love for them to continue and do a series through her life!

Totally fine for the kids, and educational too!!

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Peacock ***

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 14:06:00 +0000

'Peacock' is a strange little movie dealing with multiple personality disorder. It's a weird but interesting story that will probably have you hooked as soon as you realize what's going on. (The only big name in it was Ellen Page, who does not have the starring role.)

'Peacock' would be fine for the kids, but probably much too weird. I would steer the little ones away.

But otherwise, a pretty interesting watch!

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The Lovely Bones ***1/2

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 14:02:00 +0000

'The Lovely Bones' is based on a best selling book. And I could tell. I felt the entire time as if I was probably missing a lot of details.

It's about a teenage girl who is killed and then helps her family to find her killer from the great beyond. It was well done and an interesting story. Although I do have issues with the basic premise of the story, it was still a good watch.

It would be ok for most older kids to watch, although the subject matter is probably too much for the younger ones.

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Everybody's Fine **1/2

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 13:58:00 +0000

'Everybody's Fine' stars Robert DeNiro, Kate Beckinsale, and Drew Barrymore. Yeah, I know, they're all great!!!

But 'Everybody's Fine' wasn't that great. It's about an estranged Dad who has to go on a cross country trek to check on his children. His wife had always corresponded, and since her death, he wants to be more involved. His kids, of course, don't want to tell him anything. They want to continue keeping him in the dark as Mom had done. And as it turns out.... nobody's really fine.

'Everybody's Fine' was pretty disappointing to me since there were so many really good actors in it! It was just sad!!!

Kids can watch it, but won't want to.

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Wonderful World **

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 13:53:00 +0000

Oh Matthew Broderick... I'm still waiting for another great movie out of you!!!

This wasn't it. Sad story. Not wonderful. He's a lonely, divorced Dad who finds love in his sick roommate's sister.

'War Games' was sooo long ago, Matthew!!!

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Serious Moonlight ***

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 13:50:00 +0000

'Serious Moonlight' stars Meg Ryan and Timothy Hutton. It didn't get great reviews, but I figured.... 'it's got Meg Ryan! She's so cute!!'

Well, 'Serious Moonlight' is about a wife who comes home to find her husband leaving her for another woman. She decides that she won't let him leave.... that is, she duct tapes him to the toilet until he comes to his senses. There are several interesting twists and turns (one involving an appearance by Justin Long) that take their relationship to another level, so to speak.

'Serious Moonlight' evokes thoughts of relationships, how they evolve, and the crazy things we do to keep them. It's an interesting movie, and well done. Parts of it are pretty crazy which may be why critics weren't on board, but all in all I found it interesting.

Your kids could probably watch it, but would not be interested. Also, they might not need the extra 'force'. They get enough of that in video games!

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Pirate Radio ***1/2

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 13:42:00 +0000

'Pirate Radio' stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, with Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson as supporting cast. There are also many other recognizable faces in there.

I wasn't very excited about this movie, but I was kind of excited about the story. I had no idea that the English had to pirate rock and roll music from off-shore ships until 1967!!!

Most of the movie portrays the everyday life of these guys who live on the ship. It's a little uneventful and wasn't the easiest for me to pay attention to. However, toward the end of the movie, the plot thickens and you learn of the heroic end of pirate radio.

I think you should watch this if for no other reason but to appreciate freedom and rock and roll!! It's an important story to be remembered!

As for the kids, they'll be bored, but you probably wouldn't want them to know about the boat loads of women who come to visit!

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The Slammin' Salmon ***

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 13:35:00 +0000

'The Slammin' Salmon' is another ridiculous installment from the Broken Lizard people.

I wasn't too excited about this one, but I did get a lot of good, wicked laughs. The premise is that the crazy ex-boxer owner of the restaurant is offering a reward for the highest volume wait staff. The lowest is promised to get beaten by the big scary boxer. The hi-jinx ensue and they're all hysterical to sell the most.

'The Slammin' Salmon' probably won't go down as a great comedy, but it's definitely good for a few laughs.

As for the kids, some of the humor is a little raunchy and I'd just skip it. Just watch this one alone, or pre-screen.

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Four Christmases ***1/2

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 12:50:00 +0000

'Four Christmases' stars Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn as they go to all four of their parents' for Christmas when their flight to Fiji is cancelled.

(Yes, it's April and Netflix is just now getting this to me!)

'Four Christmases' is really about relationships and the way we all deal with the crazy aspects of our families and each other. It was well done with lots of really good laughs to boot!

A good watch for the family!

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2012 ***1/2

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 12:45:00 +0000

'2012' is one of those apocalyptic movies. This one is regarding the Mayan prophecies of 2012. I generally dislike these types of movies because of the fear they instill. This one also did not rate very well.... But it does star John Cusack, so I had to watch it.

'2012' turned out to be much better than I expected. The story was put together really well in all aspects. The role played by Woody Harrelson really made the movie for me too. He's plays such a good screwball!!! (And I've been on a roll with his movies lately!) In '2012', an ordinary guy figures out what is going on, and scrambles to save his family, getting them to the ships whose seats sold for $1billion. And yes, everyone else dies!

So, '2012' was better than expected and a good watch!

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Zombieland ***3/4

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 12:38:00 +0000

'Zombieland' stars Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg. It's billed as a horror movie, but is much more comedy. If I hadn't noticed Woody Harrelson, I wouldn't have even gotten it... since I hate horror movies.

'Zombieland' was good for several really good laughs as a team of four loners join up traveling around killing zombies and looking for more non-zombies. Lots of funny moments, including a trip to Bill Murray's mansion in Beverly Hills.

Depending on your kid, you may want to skip this one. Although basically it would be ok on most levels, there is a lot of blood and guts throughout. So you may want to pre-screen.

So, if you're not squeamish, 'Zombieland' is hysterical!

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Coco Before Chanel ****

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 12:31:00 +0000

'Coco Before Chanel' is another documentary about Coco Chanel. This, however, is French starring Audrey Tautou. It was very well done in all aspects.

The reason I'm talking about it is to give credit again to Coco Chanel for helping to liberate women! Her contribution to women is so often forgotten! If not for her, we may all still be wearing corsets and long skirts people!!! What a visionary she was and probably didn't even realize what a long-term difference she was making.

So, everyone go out and buy something Chanel and celebrate your pants!!!

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The Cowboy Way ***1/2

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 12:25:00 +0000

'The Cowboy Way' is from 1994 starring Woody Harrelson and Keiffer Sutherland. It was a friend recommend that I'd never seen.

It's about two cowboys who go to NYC to find their friend and his daughter. There were lots of good laughs in this one. It was well done, and well put together.

It's probably ok for most kids, but you may want to pre-screen.

Funny watch!

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Afghan Star ***3/4

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 12:22:00 +0000

'Afghan Star' is a documentary about the rise of pop culture in Afghanistan today. Apparently they have their own version of 'American Idol' called 'Afghan Star'. However, instead of fame and fortune, they get a little money and death threats.

The cause of Afghanistan is for some reason dear to me, in that I feel as an American that I have a responsibility to help them. If not for the US and USSR back in the '70s, the people of Afghanistan would have continued on their modernization route they were on with the rest of the world. However, thanks to us, they're back in the dark ages again; subjugating women and whoever else can be controlled. Sickening in our modern world.

So, yeah, I liked 'Afghan Star'! This is their first taste of democracy in many years (voting by SMS text). And if this needs to be their first step, then I am glad.

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The Hangover ***

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 12:13:00 +0000

Ok, so I've been waiting to see the unrated version..... I still wasn't that impressed. After all of the hype of it being the funniest movie ever, I thought maybe I was missing something. Apparently not.

But yes, 'The Hangover' was really funny. The premise is a bachelor party where they accidentally take some 'ruffies'? and can't remember anything about their night, including where they left the bachelor. So, the movie consists of his three friends re-building the previous night to find the groom. Well done.
And no, don't let the kids see it.

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Where the Wild Things Are **3/4

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 12:08:00 +0000

I was strangely really excited about 'Where the Wild Things Are' because it was my favorite book as a child.

All in all, it was pretty good, but did not meet my expectations. I felt like it could have been better. But I'm still glad they made it and perpetuated my favorite childhood book!

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The Men Who Stare at Goats ****

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 15:58:00 +0000

I didn't know anything about 'The Men Who Stare At Goats' when I received it except that George Clooney and some other big names were in it (Kevin Spacey, Jeff Bridges, Ewan McGregor).

It turns out that 'The Men Who Stare At Goats' is about the remote viewers who were a part of the CIA back in the '80s. Specifically, about some of them now, and a new adventure that one of them goes on with a young skeptical journalist.

The whole idea that the US government had anything so promising as to the spread of love, peace and joy, is quite encouraging. Even though the project was supposedly abandoned, the idea is strangely exciting.

It was a really nicely done story, with a beautiful ending. We all know how much I love those!

Ok for the kids, but they probably wouldn't be able to keep up or understand all of it.

A really interesting watch!

The Informant **1/2

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 15:48:00 +0000

'The Informant' stars Matt Damon as a corporate snitch for the FBI. It was a strange and interesting story. The most interesting thing about it was the internal psycho-babble that we heard. He would be doing something risky, and we get his strange ADD side thoughts.

I really didn't love 'The Informant'. It was strange and really not that interesting except for the random inner thoughts.

Not great, but ok for Matt Damon fans.

Love Happens ***

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 15:38:00 +0000

'Love Happens' stars Jennifer Aniston and Aaron Eckhart.

It took me a long time to get this one... I like both actors and was optimistic.

'Love Happens' was a nice story, but not one about love really. It was more about the process of grieving with a possibility of love at the end.

It was well done, and well acted! Not great, but good!

Brothers ***

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 15:28:00 +0000

'Brothers' is a war type drama starring Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal and Natalie Portman.

She's married to Maguire, thinks he died in Afghanistan, and develops a friendship with his brother. When not dead, her husband immediately thinks she had 'relations' with the brother.

'Brothers' was a nice story about the psychological effects of war.

It's ok for the kids, but more traumatic than you'd want small ones to bear.

A good watch!

The Twilight Saga: New Moon **

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 15:22:00 +0000

'New Moon' is the latest installment of 'The Twilight Saga'. It stars all of the same people from the first one, plus a few new characters.

Ok, so I made fun of this teenie-bopper stuff relentlessly until I watched the first one. It was actually pretty good, and made me think of 'Romeo and Juliet' a little.

In 'New Moon', however, I was very disappointed. It seemed like the bulk of the movie centered around heart break with loads of melodrama!

So, I really didn't like this one!

Broken Embraces ***

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 15:16:00 +0000

'Broken Embraces' is the latest from Pedro Almodovar to be released on dvd.

This one is not one of his typically 'weird' movies, but is more of just a story. I got the feeling that it was very autobiographical, although I don't think he's actually blind like the character.

The big plus in 'Broken Embraces' was Penelope Cruz! She delivers another amazing performance.

As for the kiddies, I would just have them skip all of Almodovar's movies until they're old enough to appreciate the intricacies. Also, none of his plots are really kid friendly!

'Broken Embraces' is not one of my favorites from Almodovar, but still a good watch.