Cast: Tom Hanks (Woody), Tim Allen (Buzz Lightyear), Joan Cusack (Jessie), Ned Beatty (Lotso)
For complete info, see IMDb's Toy Story 3 page.
I'm a huge fan of Pixar, so I'll see anything they do as soon as possible on the big screen. Naturally, I had to see Toy Story 3 in IMAX 3D while it was still available, which didn't give us much time before Eclipse opened.
Toy Story is one of my favorite animated movies and I enjoyed Toy Story 2, but Toy Story 3 was the only one of the series that got me to tear up near the end. I liked Toy Story 3 more than the second movie and will definitely be there for Toy Story 4 if they make it.
I know John Lasseter will never allow them to make a Toy Story movie without a great story and Toy Story 3 definitely lived up to my expectations. If you haven't seen it, I definitely recommend checking it out. Pixar knows how to make animated movies adults will enjoy as much as kids and they're keeping that tradition alive with Toy Story 3.
Grade: A
Labels: 2010, adventure, animated, comedy, Disney, family, Joan Cusack, movie, Pixar, Tim Allen, Tom Hanks
Reviewed by Kat at the 12:21 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Liam Neeson (Hannibal), Bradley Cooper (Lt. Templeton 'Faceman' Peck), Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson (B.A. Baracus), Sharlto Copley (Murdock), Jessica Biel (Charisa Sosa)
For complete info, see IMDb's The A-Team page.
I was a big fan of the television show The A-Team, so I was pretty excited when they said they were making a movie out of it. I pictured all they could do with the budget of a blockbuster film and thought it could be a lot of fun to watch. The movie didn't disappoint me.
The special effects were well done, the story was decent, and the cast was wonderful. I definitely recommend seeing The A-Team in a theatre if you like movies with good special effects and enjoyed the television show. They did a very good job with the story and I hope they'll make another. I'd definitely be ready to see a sequel.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2010, action, adventure, Bradley Cooper, drama, Jessica Biel, Liam Neeson, movie, suspense
Reviewed by Kat at the 10:55 AM show | 0 screams
Cast: Mia Wasikowska (Alice), Johnny Depp (Mad Hatter), Helena Bonham Carter (Red Queen), Anne Hathaway (White Queen)
For complete info, see the IMDb Alice in Wonderland page.
I love Tim Burton, but perhaps I had heard too many good things about this Alice in Wonderland. I'm glad I didn't spend a ton of money to see it in IMAX 3D. Seeing it in 3D was nice and there are parts of the movie that are visually stunning, but it wasn't nearly as good as I expected from Tim Burton. Wonderland gave him so many opportunities to shine - perhaps I expect too much of Tim Burton at this point. I'm a huge fan of his work, so maybe I needed to look at the movie a bit differently.
I like what they did with the story and found it interesting. The cast was great, of course, and it's definitely worth seeing this Alice in Wonderland in 3D if you like 3D movies. If not, renting it would work, too.
Grade: C+
Labels: 2010, adventure, Anne Hathaway, comedy, family, fantasy, Helena Bonham Carter, Johnny Depp, Mia Wasikowska, movie
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:20 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Sam Worthington (Jake Sully), Zoe Saldana (Neytiri), Sigourney Weaver (Dr. Grace Augustine)
For complete info, see IMDb's Avatar page.
Avatar is definitely as visually amazing as advertized, though I was pretty disappointed with the use of 3D overall. I definitely recommend seeing Avatar in IMAX 3D if available and digitally or 3D if IMAX is not available in your area. It's a beautiful movie. Did Avatar deserve to be one of the 10 (way too many - I think they should break them up like the Golden Globes do) Oscar nominations for Best Picture? I don't think so. The story isn't all that unique or super interesting. It was very predictable.
It is amazing what amazing visual effects can do for a story, since people talk about Avatar as if it's a lot better than they would without the beautifully designed visuals. Without the special effects and amazingly well done graphics, Avatar would be another standard Sci-Fi movie with a very predictable story line. With the special effects, Avatar is a movie I highly recommend seeing before it leaves IMAX 3D theatres early next month (when Alice in Wonderland starts). I'm sure it will be playing a lot longer in regular theatres, but IMAX is the way to go for a movie this visually stunning.
If I were just grading the visuals, they'd probably get an A or A-. If I'd seen it in a standard theatre, I'd give them an A+, but the 3D effects were pretty disappointing. The movie as a whole definitely doesn't do as well.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2009, action, adventure, movie, Sam Worthington, sci-fi, special effects, Zoe Saldana
Reviewed by Kat at the 11:45 AM show | 0 screams
Cast: Dwayne Johnson (Jack Bruno), AnnaSophia Robb (Sara), Alexander Ludwig (Seth)
For complete info, see IMDb's Race to Witch Mountain page.
I'm sure I would have enjoyed this movie more if I'd seen it in a theatre. The special effects were very well done and even on Blu-ray disc, you can't quite recreate the movie theatre feel without a projection screen and I just have a large LCD HDTV.
I wasn't too impressed with what they did for the story. Perhaps it's been too long since I saw the original Disney movie, but I thought the kids in the original were actually kids, not aliens using the bodies of kids. Maybe I should see if I can find the original on the Disney Channel to check out that story line.
In any case, the movie was worth renting, but not as good as I think it could have been. The special effects are very well done and the movie has a good cast.
Grade: B-
Labels: 2009, adventure, Disney, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, family, fantasy, movie, sci-fi
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Shia LaBeouf (Sam Witwicky), Megan Fox (Mikaela Banes), Josh Duhamel (Major Lennox), Tyrese Gibson (USAF Master Sergeant Epps)
For complete info, see IMDb's Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen page.
I definitely recommend seeing this in IMAX before theatres replace it with the new Harry Potter movie. I was glad that Harry Potter didn't move into IMAX as soon as it opened, since I didn't have time to see Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen before Harry Potter opened. This movie is probably the best I've seen with seemless transitions from the IMAX scenes to the scenes not shot in IMAX format. There was only one scene where it was a bit annoying, since it jumped back and forth quickly a few times.
If you liked the last Transformers and enjoy action movies, you'll like this one. It's exactly what you'd expect of the sequel and I'd go see the next one. They did a good job with the story and I loved all the little transformers in the beginning. Very entertaining.
The special effects were (of course) a large portion of the movie, so if you have a chance to catch Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen in IMAX, I definitely recommend that. If not, it's still worth seeing on a big screen for the special effects.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2009, action, adventure, IMAX, Josh Duhamel, Megan Fox, movie, sci-fi, Shia LaBeouf
Reviewed by Kat at the 12:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Chris Pine (James T. Kirk), Zachary Quinto (Spock), Leonard Nimoy (Spock Prime), Eric Bana (Nero), Bruce Greenwood (Pike), Karl Urban (Bones), Zoe Saldana (Uhura)
For complete info, see IMDb's Star Trek page.
I'm not a fan of the original Star Trek (TV show or movies). I enjoyed what I saw of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager. I also liked most of the movies with those Star Trek characters (at least enough to have seen them in a theatre).
I was really interested in this movie, since they seemed to have a very good cast and I liked the idea of seeing the story with better special effects and acting (I'm really not a fan of William Shatner). Clearly, as soon as they announced that the new Star Trek was being released in IMAX, that was the way I had to see it!
I think the Star Trek movie was very well done. The one person in our group who had watched the whole original series thought they explained things in a way that worked with the original Star Trek and really enjoyed the movie. The cast is amazing, the special effects are well done, and it's a good story. What more could one ask for in a movie on a screen that big? Definitely catch Star Trek in IMAX while you can and if not, see it on the biggest screen you're able to find.
Grade: A-
Labels: 2009, action, adventure, Bruce Greenwood, Chris Pine, Eric Bana, movie, sci-fi, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:30 AM show | 1 screams
Cast: Hugh Jackman (Drover), Nicole Kidman (Lady Sarah Ashley), Brandon Walters (Nullah)
For complete info, see IMDb's Australia page.
Though I enjoyed Australia, there's definitely a reason it didn't garner any Oscar nominations and didn't do amazingly well in theatres. When they refer to Australia as an epic film, they refer as much to it dragging on in some parts as they do to the amazing scenes with wonderful imagery.
I've seen longer movies (Braveheart and Hamlet come to mind), but I don't know that I've looked at the time remaining in a film that many times before. Perhaps I would have enjoyed Australia more if I'd been in a theatre environment, though the overall ratings on Yahoo don't really suggest that others did.
I think Australia is definitely worth renting and I'm glad I rented it in Blu-ray. However, I'm no longer sad about having missed it in a movie theatre. I think it was destined to be a rental and it works well there.
Grade: B-
Labels: 2008, adventure, drama, Hugh Jackman, movie, Nicole Kidman, war, western
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Jack Black (Po), Dustin Hoffman (Shifu), Angelina Jolie (Tigress)
For complete info, see IMDb's Kung Fu Panda page.
To be fair to Kung Fu Panda, I have to say that I don't like live action Kung Fu movies (at all) and point out that perhaps that's a requirement for enjoying Kung Fu Panda to the fullest. I had heard such great things about the movie that I was pretty bummed I couldn't see it on the big screen. I did, however, see it on Blu-ray Disc on my pretty big TV, so it wasn't much of a downgrade. Though I'm glad I rented it, I'm not at all sad that I missed seeing it on the big screen. In fact, if I'd paid to see it in a theatre, I might have felt ripped off.
Perhaps the problem I have with most animated movies is that I compare them all to Pixar movies. I realize this isn't fair to the other movies, but Pixar has set the standard and this year's WALL-E was totally amazing. All other animated movies pale in comparison, but with all the positive comments I heard about Kung Fu Panda I expected it to be closer to the quality of Pixar's movies than it turned out to be.
That being said, I even enjoyed Disney's Mulan a lot more than I did Kung Fu Panda and I think Disney movies are a much more fair comparison. If you like animated movies and enjoy Kung Fu movies, I'd definitely recommend renting this one. If not, you might want to consider putting it pretty low on your rental list.
Grade: C+
Labels: action, adventure, Angelina Jolie, animated, comedy, Dustin Hoffman, family, Jack Black
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:45 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Steve Carell (Maxwell Smart/Agent 86), Anne Hathaway (Agent 99), Dwayne Johnson (Agent 23), Alan Arkin (The Chief)
For complete info, see IMDb's Get Smart page.
I loved the TV show, so I was a little wary about the Get Smart movie. The fact that The Pink Panther was so horribly done made me even more cautious. I didn't get around to seeing Get Smart in a theatre, but it worked out really well. I got to watch it with my dad (who had introduced me to the Get Smart TV show). Both of us really enjoyed the movie. They did a very good job bringing this movie to the big screen. They kept the all the quirky aspects of Get Smart that I loved and I appreciate that. Steve Carell did a great job as Maxwell Smart - the whole cast was well chosen.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2008, action, adventure, Anne Hathaway, comedy, crime, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, movie, mystery, romance, Steve Carell
Reviewed by Kat at the 12:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Daniel Craig (James Bond), Olga Kurylenko (Camille), Mathieu Amalric (Dominic Greene), Judi Dench (M)
For complete info, see IMDb's Quantum of Solace page.
I've heard a lot of bad things about Quantum of Solace and though it's definitely not as good as Casino Royale (Daniel Craig's first Bond movie), it entertained me more than the Pierce Brosnan Bond movies and I thought it was worth seeing in a movie theatre.
I'm sure Quantum of Solace will be playing for a while. If you like 007 movies and/or Daniel Craig, I definitely recommend getting to a movie theatre to see it before it leaves. You've got time.
Grade: B
Labels: 2008, action, adventure, Bond, Daniel Craig, drama, Judi Dench, movie
Reviewed by Kat at the 11:15 AM show | 0 screams
Cast: Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones), Cate Blanchett (Col. Dr. Irina Spalko), Karen Allen (Marion Ravenwood), Shia LaBeouf (Mutt Williams), John Hurt (Professor Harold 'Ox' Oxley)
For complete information, see IMDb's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull page.
The latest installment in the Indiana Jones series definitely left me feeling a bit cheated. Harrison Ford is still a very attractive Indy and is still in great shape, so they could have done a great job with this movie. I really don't see why they bothered spending so much money and resurrecting the series for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It doesn't seem like it was worth the effort. The new Die Hard movie was very well done and totally worth seeing in a movie theatre. At the time, I was bummed that I didn't somehow manage to see Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in a theatre. Now, I'm glad I didn't make the extra effort. Perhaps I would have enjoyed the movie more in a theatre and would have been more impressed, but I was disappointed in this movie and I'm glad I didn't bother working my schedule around it.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is worth renting, clearly. If you liked the other Indy movies, you should see the latest installment, but I wouldn't say it needs to be at the top of your rental queue.
Grade: C+
Labels: 2008, action, adventure, Cate Blanchett, comedy, Harrison Ford, movie, Shia LaBeouf
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Robert Downey Jr. (Tony Stark/Iron Man), Terrence Howard (Col. James 'Rhodey' Rhodes)), Jeff Bridges (Obadiah Stane/Iron Monger), Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts)
For complete information, see IMDb's Iron Man page.
Perhaps it was all the hype. Perhaps it was the parts of the previews I saw.... Whatever it was that raised my hopes, I expected more from Iron Man. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the movie and I'm glad that I rented it and that I own a great TV. However, I wasn't super impressed. I thought The Dark Knight was quite a bit better and have enjoyed quite a few movies based on characters from the comics more than I liked Iron Man.
The cast is amazing and the story is okay, but not stellar. The costume is good and perhaps if I had seen Iron Man in a movie theatre I would have been more impressed. Worth renting, but not close to my favorite movie of 2008.
Grade: B
Labels: 2008, action, adventure, comics, drama, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges, movie, Robert Downey Jr., sci-fi, Terrence Howard
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:40 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Josh Hutcherson (Jess Aarons), AnnaSophia Robb (Leslie Burke), Zooey Deschanel (Ms. Edmunds)
For complete info, see IMDb's Bridge to Terabithia page.
I haven't read the book Bridge to Terabithia, so I can't compare the movie to the book. However, the movie was very well done. Parts of the plot really surprised me, I won't give them away in case you have't read the book either. Definitely not a movie (or book) for younger kids, but a very well done movie that older kids and adults can enjoy together.
If you missed Bridge to Terabithia in the theatres, I definitely recommend renting it.
Grade: B-
Labels: 2007, adventure, AnnaSophia Robb, drama, family, fantasy, Josh Hutcherson, movie, Zooey Deschanel
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:10 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Kiefer Sutherland, James Belushi, Eddie Izzard, Janeane Garofalo, William Shatner, Richard Kind, Greg Cipes
For complete info, see IMDb's The Wild page.
This movie was really cute and definitely worth renting if you have kids or like animated movies (or, if you love Kiefer Sutherland's voice). It was entertaining and had a good cast and a decent story line. I can't really explain why I liked it more than Madagascar, but I definitely thought The Wild was more entertaining.
Grade: C+
Labels: 2006, adventure, animated, comedy, family, Kiefer Sutherland, movie
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Nicolas Cage (Ben Gates), Diane Kruger (Abigail Chase), Justin Bartha (Riley Poole), Jon Voight (Patrick Gates), Helen Mirren (Prof. Emily Appleton), Ed Harris (Mitch Wilkinson), Bruce Greenwood (the President)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's National Treasure: Book of Secrets page.
I'd heard some good and some mediocre things about National Treasure: Book of Secrets. I have to say I agree with those on the mediocre side. This movie wasn't nearly as good as the original and I'm glad I didn't bother to see it in a theatre. It was worth watching at home while doing some other stuff, but if I'd given it my full attention I probably would have been bored at points.
The cast is still great and everything is well done, the second movie just seems to be missing something. I didn't find it nearly as interesting as the first movie.
Grade: C
Labels: 2007, action, adventure, Bruce Greenwood, Ed Harris, Helen Mirren, Jon Voight, movie, mystery, Nicolas Cage, thriller
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Ben Barnes (Prince Caspiam), Georgie Henley (Lucy Pevensie), Skandar Keynes (Edmund Pevensie), William Moseley (Peter Pevensie), Anna Popplewell (Susan Pevensie), Tilda Swinton (White Witch)
For complete cast information, see IMDb's The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian page.
I've enjoyed the way Disney has done The Chronicles of Narnia so much that it's too bad they won't make all 7 movies. I will definitely own all the movies they make on Blu-ray DVD someday (just need that Blu-ray DVD player... and I'll probably wait until they put the deluxe edition out after all movies have made it to Blu-ray).
Not surprisingly, I'm glad I saw The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian the first weekend it came out. I wanted to see it on a big screen and before the film decomposed at all. Unfortunately, there were still a few issues at the end/beginning of reels.
They did a great job bringing the story of Prince Caspian to life. The actors playing the Pevensie children did a great job again (and they're even more attractive now - Disney lucked out as much as the Harry Potter people did. The kids are really cute and you just never know how kids are going to look as they grow up... Since I loved the C. S. Lewis books (and have enjoyed them as an adult when I re-read them before The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was released in 2005), I can't judge the movies as someone who isn't already in love with the stories. However, I think if you enjoy fantasy movies that this is a great series to explore. If you missed the first movie, rent that first, then go see Prince Caspian.
The quality of this movie has proven that they're going to take the time and spend the money to make sure that each installment of the series is wonderful. I'd guess they'll only do 4 or 5 of the 7 books, but I will be there in theatres to see each movie (hopefully the week they come out), which is saying a lot - I don't see many movies in theatres any more. With my new HD LCD TV, why mess with theatres and the annoying other people with cell phones that go off, etc.? I'm sure this will be even more true once I switch to Blu-ray. Already, the quality is very good.
Heck, if I knew someone who really wanted to see this movie, I'd go to a theatre to see it again. That's saying something for someone who doesn't bother with movie theatres much any more. I highly recommend catching The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian before it leaves theatres. I'm sure it'll be there for a while, so you have time. If you liked the first one, you have to see this one in a theatre!
Grade: A
Labels: 2008, action, adventure, Anna Popplewell, Ben Barnes, Disney, drama, family, fantasy, Georgie Henley, movie, Narnia, Skandar Keynes, William Moseley
Reviewed by Kat at the 12:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Ian McKellen (voice of the Narrator), Charlie Cox (Tristan Thorn), Claire Danes (Yvaine), Michelle Pfeiffer (Lamia)
For complete info on this great cast & crew, see IMDb's Stardust page.
I didn't know much about this movie (other than the stars), since once I decide to see a movie, I try to avoid information about it and thoroughly enjoy the movie when I first see it. I was pretty successful with it this time around, so I was very pleasantly surprised by this wonderful story!
If you didn't see Stardust in theatres and enjoy a story with imagination, you definitely need to rent it! The story is very unique and creative and I really liked the entire movie. The cast is amazing and the scenic design, costumes, lighting, special effects, etc. are all very well done. I'm sorry I missed it on the big screen, but thankful that I have a big HD TV, so it wasn't exactly a hardship. If only I had a Blu-ray DVD player... That would have improved it some. If you like fantasy, I can't believe you haven't seen this yet. Unless you're getting a big screen TV soon (which I was, that's why it took me so long to see Stardust - I didn't want to see it on the small TV I had), rent the movie now. Besides, you can always put the movie back on Netflix when you get the big screen TV if that's a long time from now.
Grade: A-
Labels: 2007, adventure, Charlie Cox, Claire Danes, fantasy, Ian McKellen, Michelle Pfeiffer, movie, romance
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Julie Andrews (Narrator - voice), Amy Adams (Giselle), Patrick Dempsey (Robert Philip), James Marsden (Prince Edward), Susan Sarandon (Queen Narissa), Timothy Spall (Nathaniel), Idina Menzel (Nancy Tremaine), Rachel Covey (Morgan Philip)
For complete info, see IMDb's Enchanted page.
I wasn't sure what to expect from Enchanted. It looked really cute, but I didn't want to get my hopes up too much, even though Alan Menken & Stephen Schwartz did the music and the cast was wonderful. Enchanted far exceeded my expectations of a cute Disney movie that I'd want to see once. The music is wonderful. The characters are completely lovable. Although they used aspects of almost every main Disney princess story (the apple and hag from Snow White, story book intro & ending used in many, the carriage and shoe from Cinderella, etc.), I thought the overall feel was very much like Sleeping Beauty, my favorite Disney movie. Perhaps that's why I enjoyed Enchanted so much.
I highly recommend renting Enchanted if you missed it while it was in theatres. It's on my list of movies I need to own on Blu-ray DVD (when I get a Blu-ray player) and it's one of the few movies I watched twice before returning it to Netflix.
Grade: A-
Labels: 2007, adventure, Amy Adams, animated, comedy, Disney, family, fantasy, Idina Menzel, James Marsden, Julie Andrews, movie, Patrick Dempsey, romance, Stephen Schwartz, Susan Sarandon
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Matt Damon (Jason Bourne), Julia Stiles (Nicky Parsons), David Strathairn (CIA Deputy Director Noah Vosen), Joan Allen (Pamela Landy)
For complete info, see IMDb's The Bourne Ultimatum page.
Another great Bourne movie. I love these movies and highly recommend catching this one in the theatre before it leaves. It was the one movie released last month that I knew I needed to see in a theatre because of all of the stunts and special effects. The Bourne Ultimatum did not disappoint me. I hope that they make the fourth book into a movie, too. They definitely left the movie open to the possibility of the sequel, but I know it's always up to who they can get to return, etc. I can't imagine why Matt Damon wouldn't do the next movie, though. They keep making high quality movies and they look like they'd be fun to shoot.
If you enjoyed the first two Bourne movies, you'll like this one, too. The action is still non-stop and the story line is good.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2007, action, adventure, drama, Julia Stiles, Matt Damon, movie
Reviewed by Kat at the 10:50 AM show | 0 screams