Saw this on opening weekend on my Birthday!

I had read the book years ago, along with Dan Brown's other thrillers "Digital Fortress" and The DaVinci Code" long before the "DaVInci Code" movie came out.

It annoys me that the press keeps calling this movie a sequel to "TDC" but it is not -- "A&D" was written before and takes place before "TDC" making this a PREQUEL.

Enough time has passed since I read the book that I could enjoy the movie with no expectations since I had forgotten many details of the story. Besides I no longer had the book to re-read before I saw the movie so that was another plus.

Well the movie was one of the best thrillers I had seen in a long while. Some of the minutia came back to mind during the movie but not enough to spoil the mystery of it for me,

If you haven't read the book or seen the movie yet I won't spoil it for you. I will just tell you it is another Ron Howard smash hit, starring Tom Hanks, that you should see soon while it is in the theaters.

The only negative thing I can say about the flick it that co-star Ewan McGregor did not change is normal accent for the movie so it was a bit weird at first to hear the Pope's Camerlengo speaking with a Scottish brogue in the beginning -- but I got used to it as the movie progressed. I suppose The Carmerlengo could be Scottish (LOL)

See it soon and enjoy it.

Well I knew I had to force myself to get out of the house yesterday so I decided to go see my monthly movie for May. I have never ever seen a Star Trek movie, so the new prequel was out of the question.

Instead I decided to see "Obsessed" because I had a free coupon to use: if I had to pay I would never spend $10.50 to see Beyonce in a movie based on her poor acting in prior movies I had seen her in.

Well apparently she took a lesson or two because she was tolerable in this flick.
Starring Idris Elba, Ali Larter, Beyonce and Jerry O'Connell, this drama was the same premise as the 1987 hit classic thriller "Fatal Attraction. Since there was so much promotion as to the plot there was really no suspense in the watching of the movie for me.

The noisy teens in the theatre ruined lots of the dialog for me but the movie still proved to be entertaining for a freebie (LOL) I suppose that the teens were just there because they wanted to see Beyonce: it didn't matter to them that they knew what was going to happen before hand.

Besides all of the teens talked throughout the whole movie so I suppose it was just a social event for them.

Frankly if I were the adult you -- I would wait for the video or use a free coupon if you have it like I did. Or better yet rent "Fatal Attraction" to see the same storyline told by better actors.

To see a preview check out the official movie site here.

Thanks for reading.

Last night, against my better judgement, I broke down and decided to got and see "Obsessed." But after standing in line close to a half an hour just to get a movie ticket it was too late to be seated without missing the trailers (which are a must see for me) so I purchased a ticket for "The Soloist " instead -- that started much later.

It was a remarkable biographical human dramedy. I did not realized until the ending credits that this movie was made based upon the true story of real life bass/cello prodigy Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx).

Ayers developed schizophrenia during his second year at Julliard. After becoming homeless, LA Times journalist Steve Lopez (Robert Downey Jr.) came upon Ayers during a walk to find a story. Lopez befriended Ayers and wrote story upon story and ultimately a book
last year.

Both actors turned out tremendous performances IMHO. I even read that Foxx filed down his teeth for the role (OMG - couldn't he have use a dental prosthetic instead of altering his real teeth!) And the insight into the life and treatment of the mentally ill in Los Angeles was an eye-opener. It just whet my appetite to learn more about this issue that apparently is in dire need of reform here in America.

I have ordered Lopez's book to begin my quest for information. You might want to do the same.

But if you aren't a big reader I highly recommend this movie as a starting point for you. Plus you can get to know more about the real people behind this fascinating story at The Soloist Official Movie Web Site.

Since this was the last weekend in March, in keeping with my promise to myself to see at least one movie per month in the theater, I went to see the opening "Knowing" this Friday after a rough week of work.

I really enjoy Nick Cage's work and this movie was no exception. The movie starts out in 1959 Massachusetts where some elementary school students are putting items in a time capsule to be opened fifty years later.

Fast forward to the present when an MIT Professor (Cage's character) son, who attended the same Elementary school where the capsule is buried), is participating the the ceremony to open the Time Capsule.

The gripping story proceeds from there and in order not to spoil it for you I shall say no more other than I hardly knew that two hours had gone by at the time of the climax of the story which was unexpected and thought provoking. Special effects were great and I plan on purchasing this movie on DVD for repeated watching.

Even the noisy rude kids in the back row of the theater couldn't spoil this event. The audience gave a smattering of applause while the credits rolled and it was deserved.

There is not too much I can say about this movie that you haven't probably already heard about. I am belatedly posting this:I saw the movie on it's opening day in February in a crowded theater of a mixed audience (age, race, etc) and everyone loved it!

Tyler Perry movies have become the Disney movies of the 21st Century IMHO. The name Tyler Perry over the title does just want Mr. Perry has intended it to do -- it signals great family entertainment. He shows us all of our trials, tribulations and everyday foibles and helps us to make fun of ourselves while giving of some belly laughs which are good for our souls.

If you haven't seen it ... why not? It is still in the theaters so get to getting there soon ;-)

For more information you can check out the official movie website here.

Released the week before last, this was my first movie screening of the New Year. I am not a big fan of rap music but I am a big fan of Bio Pcs and this one did not disappoint. The movie chronicles the short life and death story of Christopher Wallace a.k.a. Notorious B.I.G of Brooklyn New York and his rise to fame in the world of music.

Co-produced by Wallace's mother and friend and mentor Sean Combs, aside from a few omissions and what I felt was an unnecessary gratuitous nude sex scene, the movie stayed close to the facts and moved along dramatically. Like the movie "Titanic" -- even though you knew the outcome this movie was a joy to watch.

Newcomer Jamal Woolard turns in a superb performance as Wallace and Angela Basset portrays mother Violetta Wallace with her usual style and grace. This is a great way to spend two hours of your life.

For another point of view, an interesting article about "Notorious" written by David Denby can be found here

The official website is here.

Well this one I have to give only 3 stars and a mention for nice special effects. You had to dig too deep to find the resemblance to the original movie that this was intended to be a re-make of. It is movies like this that cause me to profess again and again that most movies should not be desecrated with remakes.-- let the original classic and cult-classics remain just as as they are! Leave them alone!
When will Hollywood learn?

I went to check it out today to see what Keanu Reeves would do with the role originated by Michael Rennie in the 1951 original. Luckily Kathy Bates, unknown to me, played a pivotal role as the U.S. Secretary of Defense along with Keanu starring as the alien Klaatu. Also were co-stars Jennifer Connelly as Helen Benson (played by Patricia Neal in the original) and youngster Jaden Smith played Benson's son. BTW Jaden has great acting chops at such a young age; he was impressive among the chaos around him.

The plot is simple. An alien comes to earth. We violent heathens shoot him even though he has not come to harm us -- just to warn us that we are destroying the earth and need to clean up our act. But you know us earthlings just have to OVER-REACT! Enough said?!

If for some strange reason you have not seen the original version here is an interesting review:
http://www.collider.com/dvd/reviews/article.asp?aid=10220&tcid=3

The movie has been airing recently on AMC since the release of the re-make and I suggest you see the real thing and forget spending you money on this one unless you just want to see the special effects.

Glad I went to the matinee - I would have been an unhappy camper if I had spent full price on this one.

This is another great "Chick Flick" that I can highly recommend viewing on DVD when released if you missed it in the theaters. In fact even though I saw it in the theater I will probably watch it again on DVD.

Like "The Family that Prey's," (that I reviewed before "Bees") this movie, based on the NY Times Best Seller listed book of the same name, tells the story of a family of Black sisters living in the South Carolina (USA) in 1964 and their relationship with a young white girl coming of age and her nanny from the North.

I dare not spoil the story for you, but this period piece was great. I had not read the book and when I heard about the making of the movie I purchased it but to date I have still not read it. I plan to read the historical novel, published in 2002 and written by Sue Monk Kidd in the near future so I don't know how closely the movie follows the book.

But I can say that the movie version was dramatic, comedic, touching and well acted by Queen Latifah, Sophie Okenodo, Alicia Keys (who play the Boatright Sisters of SC) Dakota Fanning (as the young girl Lilly) and Academy Award Winner Jennifer Hudson (as Lilly's nanny).

While Dakota Fanning has matured into a fine young dramatic actress, I feel that the star of this film was Sophie Okenodo. Her standout performance was surely Oscar worthy!.

Writer/Director Gina Prince-Bythewood, winner of the Independent Spirit Award for Sundance hit, "Love & Basketball," brought the book to life and the film she made is award worthy as well.

A great film, for all ages, that will make you laugh, cry and think!

Read more about the movie and see video clips and photos at the office web site here:
http://www.foxsearchlight.com/thesecretlifeofbees/

Here is a detailed review from Salon.Com giving one reviewers opinion that was an interesting read here:
http://archive.salon.com/ent/movies/review/2008/10/17/bees/

The last review I posted here was about the Movie "Swing Vote" that I saw in August. I have been watching a lot of film noir and documentaries of late using Netflix online -- but there are three movies that I have seen in the theater in the last months of 2008 and I thought I would tell you about them in separate mentions.

The first movie I watched in the theater after "Swing Vote" was "Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys" back in September. Of course it is no longer in the theaters but I highly recommend you give the soon to be released DVD a look see.

In essence this is a buddy movie about two female Boomers played by Alfre Woodard and Kathy Bates. Both actresses were awesome and that is no surprise since these are two of the greatest character actors of this generation. More specifically Bate' performance was superb!

Then of course, writer Tyler Perry, has interwoven two other sub-plots that are about these two characters' families both separately and how the families are interlinked together in their life journey's.

You can check out previews of the movie both here: http://www.tylerperry.com/_Movies/
and at the official web site for the movie here:
http://www.familythatpreysmovie.com/#/?page=home

In addition to "Tropic Thunder" I saw "Swing Vote" back in August 08. Surprisingly this movie did not get much publicity but is was most enjoyable and had a very relevant message for this time in history -- Presidential Campaign Time -- and that message is EVERY VOTE COUNTS!
The dramedy/political satire revolves around Kevin Costner's character and his one vote that didn't get through due to a voting machine malfunction. He must now vote again and his vote will determine who becomes the President of the United States.

The movie was entertaining and made some valid points about the failings of our political process couched in humor. Hopefully everyone who saw it will realize how important it is that they get out and voter on November 4.

The cast includes: Dennis Hopper, Kelsey Grammer, Kevin Costner, Madeleine Carroll, Madeline Carroll, Nathan Lane, Paula Patton and Stanley Tucci

I saw this hilarious movie in the Summer but have not been online a lot lately. As often happens, life interfered with my blogging (LOL).

But I do want to say that if this is still in you neighborhood and you want some laughs, do rush out to see this movie before it leaves the theater. It is "frat boy" type humor, that I usually am not fond of, but sometime when life gets you down a few belly laughs and some silliness fits the bill. The movie, starring Jack Black, Ben Stiller and Robert Downey Jr., peaked my interest as soon as I heard that Downey was in the cast: I love him in anything! He is so very, very talented IMHO.

It wasn't until AFTER I saw the movie that I read about the silly controversy surrounding his character. And silly it was. I think folks take their political correctness to the extreme!

I am not a reviewer and there are plenty of reviews to be found on the net about this blockbuster so take it from there and make up your own mind.

You may check out the official website at http://www.tropicthunder.com/

As for me, I know that when I am really depressed and need some guffaws -- I will be renting this movie on DVD to make me feel better in the future.

Thanks for reading.

WOW! I went to see "The Dark Knight" today and it was a great ride.

I am a great fan of "The X-FIles" TV show but the word of mouth was not kind to the new X-files movie so I decided to see what all the "Batmania" was about and the hoopla is justified IMHO.

I had no prior knowledge of the actor who played The Batman, but Chrstian Bale was perfect in the role and I can see no one else ever playing Batman. Dude was easy on the eye too (even though he had those very sloping almost absent shoulders that Denzel Washington has).

The plot was stellar and I was surprised at where the action took the audience. This film will definitely be nominated for writing awards and should win them.

Of course I am sure everyone in the whole world knows that the villian The Joker was played flawlessly by the late Heath Ledger. His character was very disturbing one minute yet would have me laughing the next. This complexity will probably win him awards too but his portrayal, IMHO, is not something that young children should be allowed to see. I had problems with some of the gory things that the character did and thought that they could have been toned down for a more general (spelled family) audience -- but that was not the choice of the producers and directors -- so be it. The gore factor is the only reason I am giving a four star rating as opposed to a five star rating.

Rounding out the major cast of characters were the superb portrayals of both Lt. James Gordon by Gary Oldman and Harvey Dent / Two-Face by Aaron Eckhart.
The Batman, Gordon and Two-Face should begin filming the sequel asap.

Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth, Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox of Wayne Industries rounded out the remaining major cast of characters.

Also in lesser roles were Eric Roberts as Mobster Salvatore Maroni and I was surprised to see Anthony Michael Hall as TV Personality Mike Engel. Eric must return to the sequel as well. I always enjoy anything Eric performs in and never understood why his career never zoomed to the stratosphere like his sister Julia's did?!

Well if there are anymore hold outs who don't mind a bit of gore, have a sitter lined up for the children under 12 and love a good well acted crime /adventure story do check out this movie asap.

Oh and BTW - it is a long movie, about two and a half hours long, so expect to shift around in your seat a bit -- but it will be worth it.

The Official Movie Website can be found here.

Well I took a road trip this past weekend to my Family Reunion. Had to make a stop-over in the town of WIlliamsport, PA and so to relax from the long drive we (my sister and I) decided to take in a movie to unwind.

"Journey to the Center of the Earth" was the one that we could agree on to see and so it was.

Based (very loosley I suspect) on the 1864 novel of the same name by the French author Jules Verne who pioneered the science-fiction genre.

The movie premise centered around scientist Trevor Anderson, played by Brendan Fraser, and his quest to find out what happened to his missing scientist brother.
With the help of his nephew Sean Anderson played by Josh Hutcherson and his Icelandic mountain guide and non-Vernian believer Hannah Ásgeirsson played by Anita Briem, the trio begins the trek to find out what happened to the long missing scientist.

This was a simple and entertaining adventure movie with some neat special effects. Great way to unwind on a Saturday night after a long drive.

I don't know what the movie is rated but it is quite suitable for all members of the family for a weekend outing. It also got me interested enough in the science fiction of Jules Verne to pick up his books that were on my school reading lists that I never read (LOL).

Here is the link to the official movie website: http://www.journey3dmovie.com/

This Julia Roberts' produced family film was awesome. I was not familiar with the book series on which the character was based, but decided to go and see this film today based on the strength of the previous outings in which I had seen Miss Breslin in -- most recently "Nim's Island and before that "Little Miss Sunshine."

I was not disappointed. This movie was utterly charming, well written and a joy to watch. The plot centers around the young Kit, played by Breslin, and her summer escapades while growing up in a Cincinnati boarding house during the Depression.

The look of the film was authentic to the times and the acting superb. If Julia Roberts has given up acting for motherhood, I hope she plans to continue to produce more movies such as this. This is just what the movie industry needs.

The major cast of characters included:

Abigail Breslin ... Kit Kittredge
Julia Ormond ... Mrs. Kittredge
Chris O'Donnell ... Mr. Kittredge
Jane Krakowski ... Miss Dooley
Wallace Shawn ... Mr. Gibson
Max Thieriot ... Will Shepherd
Willow Smith ... Countee
Glenne Headly ... Mrs. Howard
Zach Mills ... Stirling Howard
Kenneth Welsh ... Uncle Hendrick
Madison Davenport ... Ruthie Smithens
Joan Cusack ... Miss Bond (great character1)
Dylan Smith ... Freidreich (as Dylan Scott Smith)
Stanley Tucci ... Jefferson Berk
Douglas Nyback ... Billy

Check out the official movie site for more information. http://www.kitkittredge.com/

Well this is the first movie I have payed the ridiculously high ($10.00) full price for in a long while. Usually I will go to the the Saturday morning matinee (cheaper) to see new Friday movie releases that interest me.

But I loved "The Sixth Sense" and "Signs." I also enjoyed "Unbreakable" and "The Village" -- all of which were written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan -- so I was so looking forward to seeing his newest release "The Happening."

I was prepared to be thrilled but instead I was first "grossed out" at the blood and then angry at the young people laughing out loud behind me when some obviously "fake" bodies fell and made loud unrealistic THUDS to their demise off the top of a building site. I was a bit put off but then settled in.

Mark Wahlberg seemed to be forcing his school teacher character, but then just when I got used to his way of playing this character (which was a bit over the top IMHO) the actress that played his wife, Zooey Deschanel, appeared on screen with her big blue eyes bugged out of her head. OMG. I am not sure if that was her normal look or if she was "acting" but it sorta became annoying.

Of course before Zooey's character was introduced John Leguizamo's character, Wahlberg's best friend, came on screen and for some reason the talented actor/comedian also seemed to be a bit over acting as well. Could John and the other primary cast members have just been following their director's direction?

I just can't explain it, but it seems like these three principals were acting as if in an earlier place in time ... perhaps the Fifties. Was this supposed to be a parody of a Fifties horror flick? I began to decide that this was the way the movie was supposed to be and that my expectations were way off base.

Still, I sat through to the ending get my ten bucks worth and was still sitting there when the credits started to roll waiting for the denouement. I had to put my brain in rewind to re-think what I had missed.

Well do check it out for yourself. I would love to hear your opinions on the movie after you have seen it. But may I suggest that you see the matinee?

Cheers.

I just got back from this movie and decided to log on to let you all know how good it was. In fact it took me more deeply into the Narnian mythology. So as soon as I complete this post I am off the read the book to find out what the movie might have left out.

The Chronicles of Narnia was not a part of my childhood. I was read to much as a child, but this series was not something I ever heard of. When I heard about the making of the first Narnia movie I rushed out to purchase the entire Chronicles and read the first two stories in the series so that the movie would make sense. I enjoyed the first movie tremendously and the second one I saw today was just as good.

Of course some of the stories were skipped over so I am off to read everything between the first two movies that I missed.

The special effects were once again awesome and the young cast that played the four children still played their roles to the "t".

All in all this was a fast paced adventure story that went by quickly in spite of it's two hour and 27 minute length. What a great way to spend my birthday.

I am always hesitant to reveal "spoilers" about a movie to take anyone's enjoyment away from seeing the film. But if you want more detail check out the IMDB link here - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0499448/

Like most Boomers I grew up on Disney's Sunday evening "Wonderful World of Color", the "Howdy Doody Show" and Captain Kangaroo. There was no such thing as "Sesame Street" or Cablevision but we did have comic books!

My favorites were Betty & Veronica, Archie, Batman, Superman, Ripley's Belive it or Not and the Love Stories. I don't recall seeing any Iron Man comics and if I did I never bought or read one.

But today I decided to go see this movie because Robert Downey Jr. seemed so please with it when he appeared on the Tonight Show this week. Plus the fact that I love RDJ and am very proud of him for getting his turmoiled life back on the right track so that he can share his acting gift with us. The producers made the right choice in selecting RDJ for the lead in this movie. I can think of no one else that could have given such a wonderful performance in this role.

Yes, Downey was absolutely perfect in the role and I am anxiously awaiting the first sequel. This looks like the start of a beautiful (and bountiful) franchise!.

Without knowing Iron Man's backstory I can't say how true to character the movie is, but I imagine it is mighty close since both Marvel Comics and character creator, Stan Lee are in the credits for the movie. The movie pretty much was the story of how Iron Man came to be. I won't spoil the adventure for you by giving you any details other to say that I was totally captivated by the story line and Robert Downey Jr. gave an award winning performance. He WAS Tony Stark. Gwyneth Paltrow was his assistant Pepper Potts, Stark's business partner was played with gusto by a bald headed, but bearded Jeff Bridges and Terrance Howard played Stark's long time best friend now a military man.

The special effects were as awesome as Downey's performance.

I urge you to see it for yourself and guarantee it will be money well spent. You WILL be entertained.

Great action adventure for the entire family. Jody Foster is great as a comediene and Abigail Breslin is destined for stardom. It was really Miss Breslin's pic and she was fantastic (I wonder if that was really her in the water scenes?) Gerard Butler also gave a great performance in dual roles. It's best not to spoil the plot so I will just say that if you are looking for a great island adventure check it out.
I am by no means adept at reviewing so here's a link to the Jason Buchanan's All Movie Guide movie synopsis for additional details.

PS. I had a free movie pass but they are not allowed for this movie for the first two weeks it is out. Hmm - wonder who arranged that sweet deal in their contract to inflate their sales numbers opening week?

http://movies.msn.com/movies/movie.aspx?m=2125089&affid=100040&mp=syn

I had seen this play a few years ago and laughed at Mr. Brown and his antics until I had tears in my eyes and couldn't catch my breath -- especially during the funeral scene where Mr. Brown eulogizes his Daddy. After such a favorable experience, I wondered how the play would fare as a movie. Well yesterday after work I found out.

The movie opened and seem to be doing pretty well if the lines waiting to get in was any indication. The movie had little in common with the play - the only similarity being that Mr. Brown's father had died and the family (old and new) came together to bury him. Mr Brown's daughter by Madea was the revelation to the family in the original stage play, but it was only the tip of the iceberg that ended up being revealed in the Brown Family in this re-written film version.

I won't spoil the details for you, just encourage you to check out the film for yourself. It was very well written, and even though the romantic storyline was predictable, the film was entertaining and I got my money's worth.

Be sure to stay for the credits so you can see the priceless outtakes from the funeral scene and one that is an hilarious take-off on a previous film starring both Jennifer Lewis and Angela Bassett.

This brings me to the casting of this film. The casting was commendable (unlike Tyler Perry's previous movie that had some "celebrity stunt casting" that detracted from the movie IMHO. The actors in this film are all on point!

The addition of having the super-talented Jennifer Lewis play Mr. Brown's sister was pure genius. Lewis ramped up her character's slapstick to get on par with the Mr. Brown character -- but I think she surpassed him and stole the show ;-)

So if you want to be entertained -- go out to "Meet the Browns". The family will have you in stitches.Guaranteed!

OMG! If I could give this 10 stars I would. This movie is so funny that there is no way anyone of any age can sit through it and not be entertained. When I went to the theater yesterday there were folks of all ages having a great time and the film actually received applause when it was over! I laughed so very hard, especially at Donny Osmond, who was a true scene-stealer! (Please give this man some more comedy roles Hollywood!).

Oftentimes when you go see a comedy you will find that all of the funniest scenes have been shown in the trailers -- but not the case with College Road Trip! Starring Martin Lawrence and Raven Symone and co-starring Kym Whitley - this smash is just calling out -- sequel!

Please check it out. You won't be sorry. Here is the link to the Offical Web Site:
http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/collegeroadtrip/


Incidentally, I always stay for the credits and of note - Raven was one of the co-producers of this movie. You go girl!