The Astronaut Farmer

The Astronaut Farmer: If you were 10 years old, loved to play with rockets, and in your free time pretended you were a farmer, you would still think this movie sucks! With this film Billy Bob Thornton once again adds to the theory that he chooses his roles with a dart in one hand and a bottle of whiskey in the other. The title says it all, Thornton plays a farmer who builds his own rocket (out of NASA throwaways) in his barn. When he is finally ready to launch it draws not only the attention of the U.S. government, but of the whole nation. I get that we are suppose to look past a lot of the technical details and focus on the message of the story (everyone can achieve their dream), but I just couldn’t. This is a movie that should have been grounded.

“Kick it on the Floor”

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Reign Over Me DVD Review

Reign Over Me: Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle in a somber movie dealing with life after the 9-11 attacks. Sandler plays Charlie, a man who lost his family on one of the September 11th planes. As a result he has isolated everyone and everything from his life. Until one day when he bumps into an old college roommate, played by Cheadle. The main problem I had with the movie was the sluggish story – It took a runtime of 2 hours to get where I knew it was going after the first 10 minutes. I found Adam Sandler’s dramatic acting tolerable, however I think it would have been a much more compelling story with a stronger actor in the role. In addition, some of the side plots involving Cheadle’s character left me puzzled as to why they were there. My advice – stay away from this one……..

“Kick it on the Floor”

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Transformers DVD

Transformers: This is the most fun I have had with a movie that I am giving a rating of - “Kick it on the floor”. The film did a lot right, such as casting Shia Labeouf – he saves the movie early on with his clumsy humor. Also the plot of the movie is probably as good as it could be considering we are talking about machines transforming into robots. The special effects and sounds of the “transforming” are extremely dazzling as well. All that said the film runs about 30 minutes too long. The action scenes are overwhelming in that is difficult to really now what is going on other than seeing lots of explosions and hearing cool sounds. Not to mention too many of the “over-the-top Michael Bay moments” that just made the movie silly. If you were a “transformers kid” you might enjoy – but for the rest….. “Kick it on the Floor”

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Sicko DVD Review

Sicko: Controversial filmmaker Michael Moore opens his mouth to discuss the current healthcare system. Unlike Moore’s last movie Fahrenheit 911, this movie stays away from taking sides politically and stays focused on the issue at hand. Moore himself stays behind the camera for most of the movie allowing the sad and tragic stories do all of the talking. To drive home his point, Moore travels to other countries such as Canada, England, and France to show how a universal heath care system can improve our current situation. The component of the film that I felt was the most powerful and shocking was when Moore focused on “911 rescue workers” and the failure of the health care system to provide them with proper treatment for their 911 inflicted medical conditions. Michael Moore is a master at using delicate humor to showcase sad events - Sicko will make you laugh, yes…….but it will also make you think!!

“Pick it Up”

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Ratatouille DVD Review

Ratatouille: Can the folks at Pixar do anything wrong? Their latest story centers on a rat (Remy) who lives in Paris and is captivated by the art of finer cuisine. Along the way he befriends a young cook who knows next to nothing about cooking. Together they create some exciting new dishes which bring the spotlight and the buzz back to the once renowned restaurant (Gasteau's). Ratatouille is probably the most adult oriented film from Pixar. I do not mean that in the sense of “jokes for adults”, but rather "themes for adults”. Sure the film provides some laughs, but it was the love for all things “food” that I found the most enjoyable. With the animation pushed to the max, Ratatouille was a very entertaining watch. My only advice – don’t go in expecting the same humor as seen in most Pixar films.

“Pick It Up”