The Assassination of Jesse James DVD

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford: I loved this movie! This is easily one of the best 2007 films I have seen. With the climax given away in the title of the movie, it comes down to great storytelling to keep viewer interest. What I thought made this an OUTSTANING motion picture were the multiple layers the story had and the emotion each layer brought with it. The fascinating story is thought provoking – not only in direct relation to the characters and their motives, but also the symbolism it has in regards to today’s “media/celebrity infatuation”. Casey Affleck plays Robert Ford and to say he did an excellent job is an understatement. With this one role I would say he overshadows anything his big brother Ben ever did on screen and should be the Affleck we see more of going forward. Brad Pitt is perfect as Jesse James. It is crucial that Jesse has a dominant and intimidating presence and Pitt brings this tenfold. The one complaint I have heard with this film is the slow moving and long runtime (160 minutes) – I only mention this so that you can properly prepare yourself to appreciate this masterpiece!

“Pick it Up” !!!

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The Kingdom DVD Review

The Kingdom: The opening sequences of The Kingdom bring enough action and intrigue to draw in even viewers with only “TV attention spans”. Terrorists bomb a Western housing complex located in Saudi Arabia, killing many innocent Americans. The FBI then makes a secret deal with Saudi officials to bring in an elite team to investigate the crime. However once in Saudi Arabia the FBI realizes that Saudi authorities are unwelcoming and see no reason for the American team to even be there. The 4 person FBI team sent over is played by a motley group of actors. We have Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Chris Cooper and Jason Bateman. Believe it or not, they actually work perfectly together. The story resides more in the action genre than the drama, though the ending tries hard to make a serious statement. I enjoyed this rental and I think most will do the same.

“Pick it Up”

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The King of Kong Review

The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters: A documentary that looks into the world of competitive video game players and their desire to break world records on classic arcade games. Simply put – this movie is hilarious. The humor actually stems from how serious all of the people involved are about playing video games (we meet some truly unique characters). To hear someone analyze a board of Donkey Kong like John Madden at his best is pure joy. Listening to someone breakdown the challenge of avoiding a wild barrel or sketching plays on the screen to show the trajectory of a bouncing spring is very amusing. At the center of the story are 2 competitors - Steve Wiebe (an unknown) & the current Donkey Kong world record holder, Billy Mitchell. Steve Wiebe actually breaks the record on his home Donkey Kong machine and videotapes it for proof. However, his record is not recognized by the current champ nor by Twin Galaxies – the official video game record keepers. This sets up an almost “Rocky” like challenge between the two men to see who can set the high score that will be included in the Guinness Book of World Records. The film transcends the humor aspect and is carried home by the drama of the moment. The King of Kong is an excellent rental….give it a spin!

"Pick it Up"

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Across The Universe Review

Across The Universe: The idea is brilliant – tell a love story during the anti-war movement of Vietnam using only Beatles’ songs to move the plot forward. That time period saw many drastic changes, as did the Beatles' music, thus the perfect fit. Each Beatles' song in the movie is sung by one of the characters, not just played over a video montage. Some of the song interpretations worked beautifully (Strawberry Fields Forever was my favorite), while others were a bit of a stretch (I want to hold your hand). My main two gripes with the film were A) the love story was very weak….I never really cared if the characters got back together. And B) the songs had a very “lip sync” feel to them. I understand they have to be for the movie, but they could have made it sound a bit more genuine – instead I felt like I was watching a music video most of the time. Great idea, but poor execution forces me to…… “Kick it to the Floor”

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3:10 to Yuma Review

3:10 to Yuma: Finally a Western that does not cause Rythemovieguy to yawn. This remake of the 1957 classic stars Russell Crowe and Christian Bale, both of which do a marvelous job. My problem with most Westerns is the lack of story (They all have to do with some poor ranch hand, the railroad, and a prostitute). It always seems like the squabble they have is overblown (like a bad Three’s Company episode). That is not the case here. Yuma comes at you with a tale that pulls you in right away and drags you deeper into the plot as it moves along. In short –a rancher (Bale) agrees to hold an outlaw (Crowe) until they can get him to a train going to……Yuma. All this builds up to a final resolution that is not predictable. Throw in some good shootouts and action and you have yourself a very entertaining film about the old west.

“Pick it Up”

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