POTC: Dead Man's Chest

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest: Here comes the sequel to the blockbuster POTC: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Like so many sequels to big movies the filmmakers feel they have to make everything bigger – because bigger is better right???? Wrong! The Original cast is all back, but this time Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow character does not seem so inventive. The action scenes are way over the top – at the start of them all I found myself saying “awesome” – but by the end of the sequence saying “enough already”. For as simple as the plot is the movie runs about 1 hour too long. Lot of action = Yes, but I lost a lot of interest for the characters and the story as a whole.

“Kick it on the Floor”

Akeelah and the Bee

Akeelah and the Bee: Tells the story of a young girl growing up in southern Los Angeles who tries to make it to the national spelling bee. Maybe it is because I have seen the outstanding documentary – Spellbound, but I found the movie played out like an “after school TV movie”. Still the story is moving and has a great message in it, especially for kids. Morpheus, I mean Laurence Fishburne turns in a good performance as does newcomer Keke Palmer. A small twist in the last spelling bee makes this an easy one to recommend

“Pick it Up”

The Ice Harvest

The Ice Harvest: John Cusack and Billy Bob Thornton star in this dark comedy that really is not that funny. The plot is simple – a lawyer who works defending the mob, tries to steal 2 million dollars from them on Christmas Eve. The story takes place all in one night (which is good- not that long). The jokes sparse, the suspense is not gripping and the movie as a whole…..not that entertaining. As much as I want to like John Cusack – you have to be weary of any movie he’s in when he is not holding a boom box above his head or working in a record store.

The Ice Harvest – “Kick it on the Floor”

Clerks II

Clerks II: Kevin Smith gives us an update on Dante and Randall 10 years after the original. It is always a daunting task to make a sequel to film that has earned the title – Cult Classic, but I was happy Smith brought this one to the screen. The movie opens with the famed convenient store from the 1st Clerks burning down, forcing the 2 “clerks” to get jobs at a fast food restaurant. The comedy is in the same spirit as the original. By no means is it a classic like the 1st, but this movie is definitely worth a rental
"Pick it Up"

A Prairie Home Companion

A Prairie Home Companion – Want to celebrate the career of the late Robert Altman – don’t do it with this film (his last film he directed). The film had little comedy and the singing was nothing to …….sing home about.

This one you can “Kick on the Floor”