Cast: Steve Carell (Barry), Paul Rudd (Tim), Zach Galifianakis (Therman)
For complete info, see IMDb's Dinner for Schmucks page.
I'm a fan of Steve Carell (except in The Office, for some reason) and Paul Rudd, so I was pretty sure I'd like Dinner for Schmucks. They didn't disappoint me. I laughed a lot and was entertained throughout the very silly movie. If you like comedies (especially those with Steve Carell & Paul Rudd), I highly recommend seeing Dinner for Schmucks. It doesn't need to be seen in a theatre, since there are no special effects and it'll lose nothing on the small screen, but at least add it to your rental list.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2010, comedy, movie, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, Zach Galifianakis
Reviewed by Kat at the 11:05 AM show | 0 screams
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio (Cobb), Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Arthur), Ellen Page (Ariadne), Tom Hardy (Eames), Ken Watanabe (Saito), Dileep Rao (Yusuf), Cillian Murphy (Robert Fischer, Jr.)
For complete info, see IMDb's Inception page.
What an interesting movie! I really enjoyed Inception and I'm glad it was the first movie I saw with a D-Box motion seat synchronized with the movie. There were some scenes the seat definitely improved for me.
I did have one HUGE continuity problem with this movie, which I won't mention, since I don't want to give anything away, but I think they really dropped the ball with the ending scene. If you'd like to know more after you've seen it, contact me and I'll explain.
For the most part, I liked that Inception was a fairly complex movie that entertained and surprised me quite a bit. It's a pretty long movie (2:20), but I think most of that is necessary for setting up the story and going deep enough into the complexity of the plot. I didn't sit there wondering when the movie would end and probably wouldn't have realized how long Inception took if I didn't know it was long heading into the movie.
If you like Sci-Fi action movies, Inception is one you should definitely see in a theatre. I'd suggest going for a theatre with perfect digital clarity and D-Box motion seats or the closest IMAX theatre. I'm sure both will enhance the experience of Inception greatly.
Grade: A-
Labels: 2010, action, Cillian Murphy, Dileep Rao, Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ken Watanabe, Leonardo DiCaprio, movie, mystery, sci-fi, thriller, Tom Hardy
Reviewed by Kat at the 10:00 AM show | 0 screams
Cast: Angelina Jolie (Evelyn Salt), Liev Schreiber (Ted Winter), Chiwetel Ejiofor (Peabody)
For complete info, see IMDb's Salt page.
If you like action movies, Salt is a good choice. It was interesting and had some great special effects. There were some good plot twists and the story was entertaining. Is it plausible? Not really, but it's a movie. Since movies are designed to help us escape from every day life for a bit, I see no reason to expect them to play by the rules of what could/should really be able to happen. Salt was enjoyable to watch. I recommend seeing it on the big screen, since the special effects are well done.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2010, action, Angelina Jolie, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Liev Schreiber, movie, New York, Spy, thriller
Reviewed by Kat at the 6:35 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 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: 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: Jake Gyllenhaal (Tommy Cahill), Natalie Portman (Grace Cahill), Tobey Maguire (Capt. Sam Cahill)
For complete info, see IMDb's Brothers page.
The previews I'd seen of Brothers led me to expect quite a few things that didn't happen in the movie, which was good. Brothers is definitely a very realistic drama (too realistic at times - I couldn't watch the screen for the entire movie). I'm not generally a fan of war movies. I have no interest in seeing The Hurt Locker in spite of the fact that it won Best Picture and I was glad when Saving Private Ryan didn't win. However, I think Brothers is a very good movie and totally worth renting. I cried at parts and it was very moving, but it was well done and when you're renting a movie it's easier to look away (or even fast forward, if necessary) through the parts of the movie that are a bit too much to take for the violence or other issues you may have.
The cast is wonderful and the story of Brothers is very well done. I definitely recommend renting the movie if you haven't seen it yet.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2009, drama, Jake Gyllenhaal, movie, Natalie Portman, suspense, tear jerker, Tobey Maguire, war
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Gabourey Sidibe (Precious), Mo'Nique (Mary), Paula Patton (Ms. Rain), Mariah Carey (Mrs. Weiss), Sherri Shepherd (Cornrows)
For complete info, see IMDb's Precious page.
In spite of the fact that this was partially presented by Oprah Winfrey (I'm not a fan), I really enjoyed Precious. Well, perhaps "enjoyed" isn't really the correct word. I think it is a wonderfully done film with a great cast. I didn't read the book, which is pretty rare for me with movies based on books, but I just watched the movie with this one.
The cast is amazing. Clearly, due to the subject matter, if you're in the mood for a light hearted and happy movie, this isn't a good choice. If you want to watch a deeply moving movie that will probably make you tear up a bit (if you don't get a bit teary when watching this movie, I can't imagine anything moving you to tears), this is a great choice.
Movies based on true stories almost always interest me and Sapphire's story was adapted to film very well. I definitely recommend renting Precious if you haven't seen it yet.
Grade: A-
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:45 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Meryl Streep (Jane), Steve Martin (Adam), Alec Baldwin (Jake)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's It's Complicated page.
I really enjoyed this movie. It was definitely not one that needed to be seen on a big screen, since it's story driven and doesn't have any special effects, but now that it's out on Blu-ray & DVD, I highly recommend renting It's Complicated.
The cast is great and the story is entertaining. When you're looking for a good romantic comedy, what else do you need?
Grade: B+
Labels: 2009, Alec Baldwin, Meryl Streep, movie, Steve Martin
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Amanda Seyfried (Sophie), Vanessa Redgrave (Claire), Vanessa Redgrave (Charlie), Gael Garcia Bernal (Victor)
For complete info, see the IMDb Letters to Juliet page.
I haven't read the book and I don't think I will, though it's probably better than the movie. Letters to Juliet was pretty much what I expected - a typical chick flick. I enjoyed it for the most part. The music was good, the cast is really good, it's a sweet concept. The movie was a bit too predictable (and not just the main story line - I knew that would be completely predictable). So many times when a character walked into the room you knew they'd end up doing something that was clearly set up by the scene and that got a little annoying by the end of the movie.
Still, if you like romantic comedies, I'd recommend renting Letters to Juliet, which is what I would have done if I hadn't had a girls night out and ended up seeing it in a theatre with friends.
Grade: B
Reviewed by Kat at the 5:10 PM 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: Meryl Streep (Julia Child), Amy Adams (Julie Powell), Stanley Tucci (Paul Child), Chris Messina (Eric Powell)
For complete info, see IMDb's Julie & Julia page.
I might not have enjoyed the parts of the movie with Julie as much as I did if I hadn't heard such horrible things about those parts, but I thought all the parts of the movie were about at the same level. Meryl Streep did an amazing job as Julia Child. I didn't find the story all that interesting (either one, actually), but the cast was great and the story was well done. If you're really into cooking and like Julia Child, the movie will probably be more enjoyable for you.
Grade: B-
Labels: 2009, Amy Adams, biography, cooking, drama, Meryl Streep, movie, romance, Stanley Tucci
Reviewed by Kat at the 9:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Sandra Bullock (Leigh Anne Tuohy), Quinton Aaron (Michael Oher), Tim McGraw (Sean Tuohy), Jae Head (S.J. Tuohy), Lily Collins (Collins Tuohy)
For complete info, see IMDb's The Blind Side page.
I'm a sucker for movies based on real stories - especially if they involve sports. So, The Blind Side was a movie I wanted to rent as soon as it was released on blu-ray. Thankfully, I wasn't disappointed. I'm glad Sandra Bullock won the Oscar for her portrayal of Leigh Anne Tuohy. She and the rest of the cast were wonderful. If you enjoy heart warming movies based on true stories involving sports and haven't seen The Blind Side yet, add it to your rental list now! The story is very touching and well worth watching.
Grade: A-
Labels: 2009, biography, drama, movie, Sandra Bullock, sports
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:30 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: Carey Mulligan (Jenny), Peter Sarsgaard (David), Olivia Williams (Miss Stubs), Alfred Molina (Jack)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's An Education page.
I didn't know much about this movie when I rented it. Once I read about a movie and add it to my list, I try to forget anything I know about the story so I can just enjoy the movie when I see it. That seemed to work really well for An Education for some reason. The idea behind the movie isn't all that unique, but I think An Education does it better than many movies managed. I highly recommend renting the movie if you didn't see it in a theatre.
As usual, I don't want to give anything away, but it's a great coming of age tale that works a lot better than Mona Lisa Smile did, in my opinion.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2009, Alfred Molina, Carey Mulligan, drama, movie, Olivia Williams, period, Peter Sarsgaard
Reviewed by Kat at the 6:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: George Clooney (Ryan Bingham), Vera Farmiga (Alex Goran), Anna Kendrick (Natalie Keener), Jason Bateman (Craig Gregory)
For complete info, see the IMDb Up in the Air site.
I'd heard mixed reviews about Up in the Air and while I didn't need to see it in a movie theatre, I'm very glad I rented it. I think Up in the Air was very well done. The cast is amazing and the story is well thought out.
If you missed this in theatres, I definitely recommend renting it. The story isn't just about a guy who loves his jet setting lifestyle and is fighting to keep it. The movie is much more interesting than that.
Grade: A-
Labels: 2009, Anna Kendrick, drama, George Clooney, Jason Bateman, movie, romance, Vera Farmiga
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Abigail Breslin (Andromeda 'Anna' Fitzgerald), Sofia Vassilieva (Kate Fitzgerald), Cameron Diaz (Sara Fitzgerald), Jason Patric (Brian Fitzgerald), Evan Ellingson (Jesse Fitzgerald), Alec Baldwin (Campbell Alexander), Joan Cusack (Judge De Salvo)
For complete info see IMDb's My Sister's Keeper page.
If I hadn't read the book, I probably would have enjoyed the movie a lot more. Don't get me wrong - the movie is very moving and still worth seeing. I think they did a wonderful job with the cast and addressing most of the issues in the book. Like all good books that become movies, a lot of the story from the book is missing in the movie version of My Sister's Keeper. Some of that is barely missed. I think they did a great job with the movie (overall) until near the end of the story when they totally butchered the ending.
Since I don't want to spoil the movie for anyone (whether you have or haven't read the book), I'll simply say this. The ending is drastically different in the movie and doesn't have even close to the same powerful impact as the ending in Jodi Picoult's book.
If you're interested in the story and love to read, pick up a copy of My Sister's Keeper. The movie is decent, but not as good as the book. Definitely worth renting from Netflix.
Grade: B
Labels: 2009, Abigail Breslin, Alec Baldwin, book, Cameron Diaz, drama, Jason Patric, Joan Cusack, movie, tear jerker
Reviewed by Kat at the 2:00 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: Anika Noni Rose (Tiana), Bruno Campos (Prince Naveen)
For complete info, see IMDb's The Princess and the Frog page.
This is the best non-computer animated movie Disney has put out since they first partnered with Pixar to make the amazing computer animated films. It's also the first Disney movie I bothered to see in a theatre that was not made by Pixar for ages. I don't have children, but I worked for Disney and I've always loved animation. Bolt was the first non-Pixar movie by Disney I truly enjoyed in years.
The Princess and the Frog has the first African American princess and one of the first hard working Disney princesses in a long time. I guess since Mulan, though she wasn't technically a princess. There have been a few other Disney princesses who didn't wander around looking for a guy to solve all their problems, but none of them has had as much spunk as Tiana. I loved the main character and the story had some cute twists and turns that made it a bit different from the typical story of the princess and the frog where she kisses the frog and he turns into a prince - end of story.
The animation was very well done, the story and music are great, the voice talents are wonderful... If you haven't seen The Princess and the Frog yet, it is still in a few theatres and I recommend catching it. If not, rent or buy it. I'll definitely own it on Blu-ray disc.
Grade: A-
Labels: Anika Noni Rose, animated, comedy, Disney, family, magic, movie, princess, romance
Reviewed by Kat at the 12:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Sandra Bullock (Margaret Tate) & Ryan Reynolds (Andrew Paxton)
For complete info, see IMDb's The Proposal page.
There's definitely nothing surprising in The Proposal, but it's a cute romantic comedy. If you like romantic comedies, you should definitely rent The Proposal and clearly if you don't you wouldn't even consider it. The ads made it clear that this is a standard romantic comedy. It's cute and has a great cast, so I definitely recommend renting it if you like those.
Grade: B-
Labels: 2009, comedy, movie, romance, Ryan Reynolds, Sandra Bullock
Reviewed by Kat at the 6:30 PM show | 0 screams