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Image via WikipediaHi all…

Ok, I’ve hit a first. I found a movie that had no redeeming features. None. Well, ok. Maybe that’s a bit harsh. There was acting. But I couldn’t tell you why.

Rating:

Bug stars Ashley Judd as a waitress in a bar in a small town. She has an ex who beats her (Harry Connick Jr.) and some friends. And a new male friend (Michael Shannon) who is obsessed with bugs.

Here’s the IMDB link.

This movie is one hour and 42 minutes long. We made it through 42 minutes before my wife and I decided to cut our losses. The point of no return was the love scene that ended with an image of a praying mantis. And then a search for bedbugs, which the crazy guy thought were aphids (or plant lice as he put it).

It’s funny that even with Ashley Judd, who I think is a good actress and enjoyable to watch on screen, this movie didn’t do anything for me.

This movie gets 0 out of 4. It was even worse than Superbad. I have to come up with a whole new category for 0/4 movies. I’m thinking “Fertilizer” or “Manure” or just plain “Dirt”.

However, the movie did force me to consider the various elements of a movie that I look at to determine if it’s worth watching or worth continuing to watch. That will be a new post I write up very soon.

Until next time… Watch some movies!
–Fitz

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Hey all…

I recently had the opportunity to watch Hitman on DVD, as it just came out recently. I knew it was a train wreck from all the horrid reviews that had come out when it was in the theater, but like a rubber necker on the highway passing a horrific accident, I just had to look for myself…

And yeah, it was pretty bad.

Rating:

Here’s the IMDB link.

I mean, I like Tim Olyphant, who played the title character (Agent 47), but even he and the smokin’ hot Olga Kurlyenko (she’s also a new Bond girl in the Quantum of Solace coming out later this year) couldn’t save this flick!

(more…)

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Hey all…

Ok, usually I’m pretty open about movies. I’ll try to give it a watch and 99 out of 100 times, I’ll make it to the end. I found my 100th candidate that I couldn’t get through last night while trying to watch Superbad.

How to describe Superbad? I’d say it was immature, raunchy, racy, unnecessary, and generally a waste of movie stock. Even the bloopers reel didn’t have much to make me laugh.

Rating:

Here’s the IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0829482/

Maybe I’m just getting old, but this movie did so little for me, I turned it off after a mere 20 minutes. Swearing is one thing, but the constant sex talk just did nothing for me. Evidently a lot of folks like the movie though, so to each their own.

I remember the Porky’s series from when I was younger and that was raunchy, but fun. So I don’t know why I had such a negative reaction to this one.

I’m giving this movie 1 star out of 4 to be nice. I don’t think I can give zero stars.

Am I being too harsh? Let me know…

–Fitz

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Hi all…

Every now and then I find a movie that’s below the radar of most of my local movie theaters. Once is one of those. It was covered in Entertainment Weekly and I’ve seen mention of it on various other movie blogs, but it never quite made it to a screen in my home town. So when it came to DVD, I added it to Netflix and watched it over the holidays.

Rating:

Before I go any further, I have to add a disclaimer here. I’m not the most manly of men. I can hold my own, but I tend to let my mind and heart do more of the thinking than other, more “testosteron-y” parts of my anatomy. That said, I admit I do sometimes cry during movies. I’m sure that with the few people who actually read this blog, nobody’s too shocked. I’m a writer, a musician, and my emotions are worn freely on my sleeves. I have no poker face.

So with that out of the way, I was pleasantly surprised by the innocence of Once and the musical journey of the two fictional characters in this documentary-style movie stole my heart. The soundtrack still echoes in my brain. I’ve had to pick it up at iTunes, have burned a CD, and play it regularly. (So far I haven’t been able to exorcize it from my brain!)

Here’s the IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0907657/

Starring Glen Hansgard as the Guy, and Marketa Irglova as the Girl, it’s a musical that covers a week or so of their lives as they meet, write, rehearse, and record songs along their journey. It was nominated for an Oscar, but also won 10 other awards and garnered 13 other nominations. The movie just has an innocence that sucks you in (if you have any romantic bone in your body) and if the story doesn’t get you, the music will (if you have any kind of musical inclination).

I can’t say enough about this movie. With Valentine’s Day coming up, it would be a great date movie to share with your sweetheart.

So if you have any kind of a romantic or musical leaning, I highly recommend this simple movie. It’s short at 85 minutes, and rated R for some language. But it’s worth seeing.

I give this a very enthusiastic 4 stars out of 4. Same for the soundtrack.

Let me know what you think!
–Fitz

Image via CrunchBase, source unknown

Hi there…

I have to admit that the WGA strike has allowed us to watch many more movies on our Netflix list than in prior months, so in that respect it’s a good thing. Can’t say the same about this flick however.

Rating:

War starred Jet Li and Jason Statham in an assassin vs. cop story of betrayal, revenge, the Yakuza, the Triads, the FBI, and whomever else they could shoehorn into this script. And though I’m a fan of both Jet Li (ever since Unleashed) and Jason Statham (The Transporter and Crank), this movie didn’t do much for me.

Here’s the IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0499556/

Although this appeared to be a big budget production, I thought they should’ve spent more time on the script. It seemed that the writers took a bunch of ok ideas, put them in a blender, and came up with this movie idea.

Let’s take The Transporter, a bad Jet Li movie (because there are good ones), toss in several Asian crime syndicates, the FBI, some cops, some nudity (because for some reason when you deal with Asian crime syndicates, they must include seedy places with guys eating or drinking off of naked women), the FBI agent needs to get a divorce because he’s obsessed with his job (not cliche at all), add a dead partner and a needlessly murdered wife and daughter… Put the blender on puree…

And voila! This movie pops out!

I’m actually not sure how I made it through this one. I was bored about halfway through and predicted plot elements as they were telegraphed. I think it was the fact that I knew Luis Guzman was in this movie, and I really like him, that kept me watching.

What’s to like? Well, there are Statham and Li fight scenes. Some of them aren’t badly choreographed. Lots of gunfire and explosions. Even a plot somewhere in there.

What’s not to like? Well, the plot and script were more than a little contrived IMHO.

So if you’re a guy and you have 103 minutes to kill, this one is for you. Not for the kiddies, and your wives and girlfriends will probably not appreciate it much unless they like looking at Jason Statham.

This one gets 2/4 stars. Hardly worth watching once, but I have to give props to Guzman for making me stick it out.

Until next time… Enjoy the movies!
–Fitz

Hi all…

Had a chance to go see a movie by myself this weekend… The action flick “Shoot ‘Em Up” starring Clive Owen, Paul Giamatti, and Monica Belucci. Quite a send-up of modern action flicks. Anti-hero gets involved in a situation and sees it through to the end.

Here’s the IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0465602/

Clive Owen as “Mr. Smith” and Paul Giamatti as “Mr. Hertz” were amazing foils for each other, each taking the role and hamming it up beautifully. Monica Belucci, though pretty, didn’t act much. That might have been her role, but she was the weakest link in this testosterone-laden gun fest.

Rating:

If you liked last year’s testosterone-fest “Crank” starring Jason Statham, you will most likely enjoy this one too. I only found one slow scene in the entire film, and it was the seemingly obligatory love scene (though Bourne Ultimatum actually avoided that cliche) between Owen & Belucci. However, it saved itself well as they rolled around the room during a gun battle.

This one’s definitely not for the kiddies, as there’s way too much adult subject matter, bullets, and blood. But if you feel the need to see many extras die in fun ways, this may be your ticket to ride.

Overall, I can only give this movie 3 out of 4 stars. But I got my money’s worth and avoided the stinker that is “Dragon Wars.”

That’s all for now… Enjoy!
–Fitz

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Syriana is one of those movies that you have to watch without any distractions to truly get. Does that mean I was able to watch without distractions? Heck no. Two kids, two dogs, two cats, and life gets in the way. But I think I got enough of it to understand the gist.

Rating:

The whole script revolves around the merger of two oil companies and the effects it has on the governments and individuals involved. Some are built up. Some are destroyed. But through it all, the script maintains an apolitical stance that is amazing.

Some may not appreciate this movie. It’s by the director of Traffic from a few years back. And honestly I didn’t like Traffic. We’ve tried to watch it three times and fallen asleep at different parts each time. This script was much tighter and the characters more engaging.

So if you’re interested in some political and international intrigue, this may be a good movie for you. It’s a great ensemble cast with a great script. Hard to miss.

Three of four stars (3/4) simply because it is a bit convoluded in places — but so is the world at large.

Pick up the DVD via my Amazon store link if you’re interested.

You can also find the script at: http://www.script-o-rama.com/oldindex.shtml

And see the IMDB info at: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0365737/

Hope you enjoyed my review. Let me know what YOU think of the movie!

–Fitz