Cast: Kristen Stewart (Bella Swan), Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen), Taylor Lautner (Jacob Black), Billy Burke (Charlie Swan), Ashley Greene (Alice Cullen)
For complete info, see IMDb's The Twilight Saga: Eclipse page.
In ways, I think I enjoyed The Twilight Saga: Eclipse movie better than the original Twilight movie. Though I thought it was horrible that they recast the role of Victoria, I do think Bryce Dallas Howard did a much better job as Victoria. Also, they clearly spent a lot more money on the special effects for New Moon and Eclipse than they did the original movie. Since they followed the story of the book as well (if not better), the result was definitely a more enjoyable movie.
They did a great job with the story and didn't leave out as many key components as they seemed to in the first movie. I'm really looking forward to the Breaking Dawn movie when they release that. If they do as well with that movie, it should be amazing.
If you like the Twilight series, you've probably already seen this movie, but if not, see it soon. It'll probably leave most IMAX theatres this weekend when Inception is released. So many more movies are being released in IMAX these days. They're clearly trying to get to people like me who don't see many movies in theatres that aren't released in IMAX and/or 3D.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2010, Anna Kendrick, Ashley Greene, drama, fantasy, IMAX, Kristen Stewart, movie, Robert Pattinson, romance, sci-fi, Stephenie Meyer, Taylor Lautner
Reviewed by Kat at the 11:00 AM show | 0 screams
Cast: Rachel McAdams (Clare Abshire), Eric Bana (Henry DeTamble)
For complete info, see IMDb's The Time Traveler's Wife page.
I loved the book, so I had to see the movie even though I didn't expect it to be very well done. I was pleasantly surprised. They did a great job with The Time Traveler's Wife adaptation. A few story lines were completely eliminated, but that's to be expected any time a book is made into a movie. I don't think anything major was changed and the changes they made seemed to work well for the movie. I missed some of the plot lines, but I understand why they had to be cut due to time constraints.
The special effects were done a lot better than I'd expected. The disappearing and reappearing happened a lot more slowly than I'd imagined it and it looked really neat in HD. I definitely recommend renting this in Blu-ray if you have it.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2009, adaptation, book, drama, family, fantasy, movie, romance, sci-fi
Reviewed by Kat at the 9:45 PM 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: Kare Hedebrant (Oskar) & Lina Leandersson (Eli)
For complete info, see IMDb's Let the Right One In page.
I doubt I would have known about this movie if a friend didn't tell me I should see it and even if I had found out about it, I probably would have avoided it, since it looks too violent. There were definitely scenes where I wished they were speaking English or Spanish so I could close my eyes and still understand what they were saying, but most of the movie wasn't too gory.
The story of Let the Right One In is very interesting and only overly predictable in one area (which I won't mention). The cast is good and the story of a vampire that concentrates on the issues of trying to exist in society without concentrating on the sexual aspect is refreshing.
I definitely recommend renting Let the Right One In.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2008, drama, fantasy, foreign, horror, movie, sci-fi, thriller
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:00 PM 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: Elle Fanning (Phoebe Lichten), Felicity Huffman (Hillary Lichten), Patricia Clarkson (Miss Dodger), Bill Pullman (Peter Lichten)
For complete info see IMDb's Phoebe in Wonderland page.
I didn't know much about this movie other than the title and the cast before seeing it. I figured it was about a child fascinated by Alice in Wonderland who ends up getting the part of Alice in the school play. That's all definitely true, but it's only a small portion of the movie. Phoebe seems to suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder and perhaps Tourette's syndrom. The focus of the movie is on how Phoebe and her family cope with her disease and how being a part of the play may help Phoebe focus.
The movie is very well done and Elle Fanning has again shown that she's a great actor like her sister. Clearly, acting talent runs in the family.
If you missed it in theatres, I recommend renting Phoebe in Wonderland.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2009, Bill Pullman, drama, Elle Fanning, fantasy, Felicity Huffman, movie, Patricia Clarkson
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Brad Pitt (Benjamin Button), Cate Blanchett (Daisy)
For complete info, see IMDb's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button page.
This movie about a man (Benjamin Button) aging in reverse was more interesting than it sounded to me initially. I really only rented it, since Brad Pitt & Cate Blanchett were in the cast and they normally make good choices. Some of the aspects of aging in reverse were done differently than I expected and at times they made choices that seemed to contradict with the idea. However, the story was well done and if you're going to buy into the idea of someone aging in reverse, why not buy into the parts that may not make complete sense?
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is worth renting if you missed it in a thetare.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2008, Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, drama, fantasy, movie, mystery, romance
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: John Travolta (Bolt), Miley Cyrus (Penny), Susie Essman (Mittens), Mark Walton (Rhino)
For complete info, see IMDb's Bolt page.
Bolt is the best non-Pixar animated movie I've seen released in years. This is by far the best Disney animated movie created for a long time. Having seen some of the really horrible animated movies Disney has released in the last few years, I was amazed at how well Bolt was done! It's clear that John Lasseter (head honcho of Pixar, now running all of Disney's animation department) is having a positive effect on Disney's Animation Studios. The only animated movies I've seen in a theatre in recent years are all the Pixar movies (the last one being WALL-E). If this is a sign of things to come from Disney, I may occasionally see a regular Disney animated movie in a movie theatre now. A couple years ago, I would have never thought I could think a Disney movie made without Pixar would be worth putting near the top of my rental queue, let alone seeing it on the big screen.
Bolt is a great story, it's well animated, they have amazing voice talents... It's definitely a must see movie. If you missed Bolt in theatres (and I don't blame you, Disney's animated movies had been horrible lately), rent it and enjoy. Thankfully, Bolt was released on Blu-ray, so the quality of watching it at home is better than many movie theatres would have had.
Grade: A-
Labels: 2008, animated, comedy, Disney, family, fantasy, John Lasseter, John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, movie
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Kristen Stewart (Bella Swan), Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen), Taylor Lautner (Jacob Black), Billy Burke (Charlie Swan), Ashley Greene (Alice Cullen)
For complete info, see IMDb's Twilight page.
I had heard of the books by Stephenie Meyer, but hadn't read them until the hype for the movie got pretty strong and a friend of mine told me she loved all four of the books. So, I read the entire Twilight series before seeing the movie Twilight. In spite of that, I still enjoyed the movie.
Robert Pattinson does not look like the Edward Cullen I pictured, but everyone has their ideal type, so it's not beyond the realm of possibility that someone would think he's the most attractive guy she's ever seen. He's very attractive, just not what I pictured. I think Kristen Stewart is the perfect Bella. She's beautiful, but is believable as someone who doesn't realize she's incredibly attractive.
The story changes that were made weren't too major. Clearly, a lot of the book had to be cut and some of the things they cut were parts I might have kept in, but they did a good job with the story. The disappointing thing about Twilight is that they didn't seem to spend enough money on the special effects. They knew from the sales of the books that the movie would do well initially in the theatre. I think if they'd spent a lot of money on the special effects and made it look more realistic that the movie would have done better in theatres long term and they would have made that money back. Hopefully, when they make the next movies they'll spend more and make everything look more realistic.
I enjoyed the movie and if you love the Twilight books I'm sure you've seen it the movie already, but it's definitely worth renting if you can't see it in a theatre.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2008, Anna Kendrick, Ashley Greene, drama, fantasy, Kristen Stewart, movie, Robert Pattinson, romance, sci-fi, Stephenie Meyer, Taylor Lautner
Reviewed by Kat at the 1:25 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Will Smith (John Hancock), Charlize Theron (Mary Embrey), Jason Bateman (Ray Embrey)
For complete info, see IMDb's Hancock page.
I rented this movie based solely on the fact that Will Smith was in the movie. I'd see anything he does, really (and clearly many fans agree with me on this one, since his movies do very well - every genre). Hancock was better than I anticipated, since the plot didn't really look that interesting from the little I'd seen in previews.
The thing I like most about the previews for Hancock is that they do not give away the entire plot of the movie. Though this made it seem like I'd be less interested in the outcome of the movie, I appreciated the fact that I didn't know most of the details of the plot before seeing the movie.
Hancock is an action movie and a comedy, so clearly it's not an intellectual film. Though the special effects would have been better on a big screen, Hancock is more of a rental for me and I think I made the right choice. There's a bit more to it than just a super hero who has a bad reputation, so it's worth renting if you didn't think it was worth seeing in a theatre.
Grade: B
Labels: 2008, action, Charlize Theron, comedy, crime, drama, fantasy, Jason Bateman, movie, Will Smith
Reviewed by Kat at the 6:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Christina Ricci (Penelope), James McAvoy (Max), Catherine O'Hara (Jessica Wilhern), Reese Witherspoon (Annie)
For complete information, see IMDb's Penelope page.
This movie was much better than I expected, since they threw in a couple twists to the standard girl in distress needs a man to save her plot that seemed to be the basis of Penelope from the little I had seen about it. I won't give anything away for anyone who hasn't seen it yet, but the story is much better and more of a girl power movie than a movie about a maiden in distress who needs to be saved by her prince.
Great cast and well done make-up and costumes. If you didn't see this in a theatre, it's definitely worth renting.
Grade: B-
Labels: 2008, Catherine O'Hara, Christina Ricci, comedy, fantasy, James McAvoy, movie, Reese Witherspoon, romance
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:45 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: Nicolas Cage (Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider), Eva Mendes (Roxanne Simpson)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's Ghost Rider page.
Ghost Rider looked like it was going to be so good from the previews. Fortunately, a few friends of mine saw it and told me to skip it in the theatre. It was worth watching on TV and it'd be worth renting, but seeing it in the theatre wasn't necessary. I didn't stop watching it, which is more than I can say of some other movies I recorded over the years, so it was entertaining enough to watch. Nothing super exciting or surprising, but worth seeing.
Grade: C
Labels: 2007, action, comics, drama, Eva Mendes, fantasy, movie, Nicolas Cage, thriller
Reviewed by Kat at the 9:00 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: Ivana Baquero (Ofelia), Sergi Lopez (Captain Vidal), Maribel Verdu (Mercedes), Doug Jones (Pan/Pale Man)
For complete info, see IMDb's Pan's Labyrinth page.
Perhaps this movie was too dark for me. Or maybe I just wasn't in the right mood to watch it, but I don't think the movie got interesting until the last 5 minutes or so (and David never got to the point where he thought it started).
I know everyone else seems to love this movie, but I thought it was horrible. I'm still not sure why I bothered to finish watching it, other than the fact that it was good to work on my Spanish by not reading the subtitles.
Grade: D
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:15 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Johnny Depp (Jack Sparrow), Orlando Bloom (Will Turner), Keira Knightley (Elizabeth Swann), Jack Davenport (Norrington), Bill Nighy (Davy Jones), Geoffrey Rush (Barbossa)
For complete info, see IMDb's Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End page.
It's a good thing Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End has a lot of action, since seeing a 3-hour movie at 11 on a Friday might have made staying awake very difficult otherwise. The original movie, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl will always be my favorite of the Pirates movies, but I think this one was better than the second.
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End might be a bit too much of a love story for some, but I thought it worked well within the story they'd set up in the first two movies. Of course, they also left the ending open for a 4th movie.
The monkey was a bigger character in this movie than in the first, and the scenes with him were very amusing.
I would definitely recommend catching Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End in a theatre for the special effects. I'm sure it'll be there for a while, so you've got time.
Grade: A-
Labels: 2007, action, adventure, comedy, fantasy, Jack Davenport, Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley, movie, Orlando Bloom
Reviewed by Kat at the 11:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Hugh Jackman (Robert Angier), Christian Bale (Alfred Borden), Michael Caine (Cutter), Piper Perabo (Julia Angier), Rebecca Hall (Sarah Borden), Scarlett Johansson (Olivia Wenscombe)
For complete info, see IMDb's The Prestige page.
From what I've seen on IMDb and some other sites, it seems that the majority thinks The Prestige beats The Illusionist in the battle of the magic-based movies in 2006. I disagree. I found parts of The Prestige interesting, but it was much more predictable than The Illusionist and didn't have a story that really intrigued me. The fact that some of the movie is a flashback makes it a bit more interesting, but the story and special effects don't impress me as much as those in The Illusionist
I'm glad we watched The Prestige. It's a pretty good movie, with an exceptional cast. I'm sure when it's on HBO and other movie channels in a few months that I'll watch it a few more times, but The Illusionist is the one we'll own on DVD (once the Blueray/HDVD battle is settled).
I definitely recommend renting The Prestige if you missed it in theatres. There aren't many special effects, so you can easily enjoy the movie at home without thinking that you're really missing out on seeing the special effects on the big screen. The story is interesting and the cast is wonderful.
Grade: B+
Labels: Christian Bale, drama, fantasy, Hugh Jackman, Michael Caine, movie, Scarlett Johansson, thriller
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Hugh Jackman (Peter Lyman), Scarlett Johansson (Sondra Pransky), Ian McShane (Joe Strombel), Fenella Woolgar (Jane Cook)
For complete information, see IMDb's Scoop page.
I'm not a fan of Woody Allen, but since I enjoyed Match Point so much, I thought that Scoop had a chance of being okay, even though he is in this one. Fortunately, I was right. Scoop is a very entertaining movie.
The cast is wonderful. Even Woody Allen wasn't too annoying. The story is interesting and very well developed. I highly recommend renting Scoop if you missed it when it was in theatres.
Grade: A-
Labels: 2006, comedy, fantasy, Hugh Jackman, movie, mystery, Scarlett Johansson
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:49 PM show | 0 screams