Smart People

Smart People: Plain and simple – this movie tried to hard to be smart. The net result was a boring story about a widowed English teacher (Quaid) who starts dating his doctor, whom ends up being a former student of his. Meanwhile his unreliable brother starts up a strange relationship with his daughter. Unlike the very witty Wonder Boys (similar movie - but much better), these characters are one dimensional and not funny. Can Sarah Jessica Parker make a good movie? The jury is still out.

Kick it to the Floor

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Be Kind Rewind

Be Kind Rewind: Jack Black and Mos Def star in this most absurd comedy. After Jack Black’s character becomes magnetized, he accidentally erases all of the VHS tapes in his friend’s (Mos Def) video store. When an angry customer requests a copy of Ghostbusters after receiving a blank tape, the duo decide to shoot their own version of the film. The silly and bizarre things they come up with to reenact the film on a camcorder are the funniest moments of the movie. Of course, their small film is a hit and they go on to make several other "sweded" depictions/distortions of many other classic films. The story as a whole did not work for me and in fact at the end I was not even sure what the conclusion was supposed to be. The film does supply some ridiculous “stupid humor” scenes, so dumb they are almost witty – if that makes any sense. However, in the end there is no reason to Rewind, because I am giving it a “Kick it to the Floor”.

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Lust, Caution

Lust, Caution: Ang Lee brings us a story of espionage set in Shanghai, China during WWII. A young troupe of radical college kids plot to assassinate Mr. Yee - a high level Chinese official who is collaborating with the Japanese. Their plan is to have one of their own, Wong Chia Chi aka Mrs. Mak befriend his wife and then befriend Yee himself. As the relationship between Mrs. Mak and Mr. Yee develops (and DOES IT develop), the line between good and evil becomes cloudier. The film does an excellent job of showing the spectrum of emotions that the characters feel for one another as well as the complexity of the human heart. If you are up for a good foreign film about spies that centers around a very untraditional love story which contains some very graphic sex scenes……give this beauty a spin.

“Pick It Up”

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27 Dresses

27 Dresses: Or how to make a dull romantic comedy 101. I am shocked that they did not have a warning before the movie informing the viewers that no actual writers were used to make this feature film. Instead, the filmmakers opted to follow all of the clichés and depict the shallow character traits from past crappy films of the same nature. Katherine Heigl stars as Jane, a woman who has been a bridesmaid 27 times all the while dreaming of her own perfect wedding. During this time she is infatuated with her boss (Ed Burns) who asks her to do everything for him including pick-up his dry cleaning. Of course the boss falls in love with someone close to Jane (in this case her sister) which devastates her. Don’t worry though, by the end of the film Jane has an epiphany and realizes that she is actually in love with someone else. With a title like “27 Dresses” you are damn sure to get a video montage of Jane wearing each and every dress (this happens around the 53 minute mark), unfortunately that was only the halfway point of the film.

“Kick it to the Floor”

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The Orphanage

The Orphanage: Finally - a smart, well crafted movie that will give you a hell of a scare. My biggest complaint about the horror genre is that the movies are made for the dumbs, just concentrating on cheap jolts. The Orphanage on the other hand, has a very good story to go along with some scary moments and creepy imagery. The story centers on Laura, a young mother who spent time at the orphanage when she was a child. She and her family return to the orphanage with plans to turn it into a safe haven for children with disabilities. When Laura’s son goes missing, the creepy “orphanage” – gets even creepier. In addition, the film also has a “mystery” feel to it that kept me intrigued from start to finish. Plus, where most scary movies fail with some corny ending, The Orphanage flourishes. This is one very good rental!!!

“Pick it Up”

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* Certified *
Ry Recommended