Eragon

Eragon: Looking for an example of AWFUL screenwriting skills – look no further. This film is shallow in every sense of the word. From the characters, to the plot, to the way each scene seems rushed through. You are given no time at all to like the young hero, even though his acting skills may have blocked that as well. John Malkovich’s role is reduced to a cameo and the idea to have Rachel Weisz voice the dragon is wrong in so many ways. It is a shame too, because the movie has some very interesting ideas. Eragon is a young farm boy who finds a dragon egg – the last in the world. He raises the dragon and becomes her rider. He goes on to join the rebels as they fight the evil king of the land. The Idea sounds good, can’t say the same for the execution – shame on you filmmakers!

“Kick it on the Floor”

Water

Water: A look at Hinduism in the 1930’s and the sad life it casts on widows. The story follows a young girl who is married to an older, ailing man who passes away soon after the marriage. The Hindu tradition has all widows wear white the rest of their lives and stay loyal to their dead husbands. They live in what is called “a widow house” and eat only one meal a day and wait to die themselves to join their husbands in the next life. This film challenges those beliefs, by showing the power of love and the need to change "old time" beliefs. The film boosts an excellent score and is just beautiful to look at. I did feel the beginning and middle dragged a bit, so I am only giving a mild thumbs up.

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Rocky Balboa

Rocky Balboa: When I was at the visitor center in Philadelphia about 4 years ago, I had two questions: Where are the “Rocky Steps?” and from there, how do I get over to see the liberty bell? The character of Rocky Balboa has put his stamp on our pop culture more so than almost any other movie character in the history of cinema. It is for that reason that it is fitting to give him one last installment to say goodbye. Rocky Balboa does an excellent job of paying tribute to the past movies, to the character, and to what he always stood for. By now I hope you all know the formula. Rocky again is going to step back into the ring to fight the current world champ; he does this to prove to himself and his fans that he still has something left “in his basement”. If you are a Rocky fan this is a “MUST SEE” / if you are not a big fan, this film is still worth a spin as it magically brings back the excitement that made Rocky so famous from the start.

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Casino Royale

Casino Royale: Ladies and gentlemen I give you the greatest James Bond movie ever. I can make this statement quite easily because I am not a fan of the Bond series to begin with. If you are like me and not a fan of the old corny James Bond dialogue or crazy, unrealistic gadgets this is the Bond film for you as well. The movie boosts some unbelievable chase scenes, especially the one early on in the film. Daniel Craig steps in to play the young James Bond on his first mission after becoming a double O agent, he does an excellent job (even “Bond purists” have come to like him). The action, the acting, and even the plot of this film are all excellent. A good plot……in a Bond movie….now that is refreshing.

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Murderball

Murderball: An excellent documentary about quadriplegics who play full contact rugby in their wheelchairs. This film was balanced perfectly. You have the element of competition as the USA wheelchair rugby team goes for gold in the Paralympic Games. This is mixed in with a funny/entertaining element of the people involved – truly showing quadriplegics in a new light. Also in the mix is the human element showing how much strength these individuals have both inside and out. This story touched a lot of emotions with me. I highly recommend renting this movie – I am actually throwing out the (* * * *) rating for it.


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Borat

Borat: Being one of the last people to finally see Borat, the movie had a lot of hype to live up to for me. The film lived up to the hype - no problem. As most know by now Sacha Baron Cohen plays Borat Sagdiyev, a man from Kazakhstan pretending to be filming a documentary for his country. What really is taking place is a glorified Candid Camera episode. Cohen constantly fools people into thinking he is making an educational documentary and then once the cameras are rolling so is the humor. There are a couple of scenes with outrageous humor (& nakedness), but it was the little detail and dialect Borat uses throughout the movie that made it so great. Make sure to watch all the deleted scenes the DVD provides as a couple of those are better than some in the movie, especially the massage. I am not jumping on the “greatest comedy of all time” bandwagon, but I am giving it an easy recommend…….which is very niicceee.

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A Good Year

A Good Year: Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott, the pair that brought us Gladiator, team up again to bring us a comedy/romantic movie – what gives? The main problem this movie had was a simple one, Russell Crowe is not a very likeable guy. He makes a great gladiator or cop, but silly slapstick humor is not his trait. Crowe plays an investment broker who only cares about money. After his uncle dies he inherits a vineyard in France. Can the fast paced city guy fall in love with the relaxing country life and the beautiful chateau? And what about that absolutely beautiful single lady who is always just waiting around in movies like this? Sure he can fall in love, but not before some failed attempts at humor that made want my money back. This story has been told before and in a much better way.

“Kick It on The Floor”

Quinceanera

Quinceanera: This small film made for less than 500k, is proof that the element of “story” matters most. There are no known actors in the film and the characters speak sometimes in Spanish and sometimes in English. Yet the movie works because of the strength of the story. We follow a young Mexican girl as she is about to have her Quinceanera (15th Birthday). All is good until she finds out she is pregnant. Her religious father wants her out of the house, because he finds her to be a disgrace to the family. She then finds “family” from an unlikely source.

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