In Four Sentences: The Ugly Truth

You can always tell when a romantic comedy is going to be good because RottenTomatoes.com gives it a dismal score. The best part about The Ugly Truth was that it represented men in a way men want to be - themselves. At the showing I went to, a group of guys actually chose to go see the movie, but the girl I went with loved it too. So the Ugly Truth is a definite win-win for both genders.

Coming Soon: Threesome Reviews

Okay, here's something that I think will be a big hit. Coming this week, The Other Critic will introduce another movie review feature. For lack of a better name (a good one to come eventually) we'll call it Threesome Reviews.

What we'll do is take an actor or actress and review three of their movies; one good one, one bad one and then a third one - good or bad. This should be a fun way to explore some of the older movies from the past.

Looking forward to it.

Nights in Rodanthe

Okay, here's the deal with Nights in Rodanthe. It's a typical Richard Gere chic-flick with a different twist. A little more on the serious side, not very light-hearted like I am used to (like Run Away Bride), this is not a show you want to watch if you've had a bad day or are looking for a pick me up. Like it says in the show, this is not a love story, but a story about love.

I don't think this is a show that I would own or probably watch again, honestly, but that's just me.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Okay, this review comes to us from the newest member of Reviews From the Other Critic—Mr. Ian Parker. To read the synopsis of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, click here. To view the trailer, click here. Now, on with the review.

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Up until recently, I would not have classified myself as a Harry Potter "fan." I only recently read the books at the insistence of my wife, who has been a long-time member of the so-called wizarding community. "The Half-blood Prince" ended up being my favorite book so, needless to say, I was pretty excited for the movie. I'm very happy to say that I was absolutely thrilled with the result. The film was exciting, funny, heart-breaking, and (for lack of a better word) magical. Die-hard fans may balk at the few changes from the original text, but the name of the game in films made from books is adaptation not duplication. The feeling of the book was preserved without resorting to using it as the script. Director David Yates shows superlative skill in using montage to further plot. Sub-texts are moved along visually, so the dialogue stays free to develop the characters. Yates keeps the camera closer to the actors than in previous Potter films, allowing one to be more intimately involved with what they are feeling. The viewer feels as though they are involved in the events of the film, rather than watching from a distance. The characterizations are also closer to the source material than in the other films. As always, the actors portraying side characters are wonderful. Jim Broadbent as Horace Slughorn, and Jessie Cave as Lavender Brown nearly steal the show. I would definitely say this has been my favorite movie of the summer. "Half-blood Prince" definately warrants multiple viewings; I've already seen it twice, and I will snap it up as soon as it becomes available on DVD. So, in short, I absolutely loved it, and it receives my highest recommendation.

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Thanks to Ian for this review. Look for more reviews from him in the future.

First Impressions – End of the Week

Okay, I think I have a couple of films here that hold some promise—but, honestly, time is the only way to tell, that and the opening weekend at the box office.

The first movie is Zombieland starring Woody Harrelson and Jessie Eisenberg (Adventureland). Here's the trailer for it.

I don't know about everyone else, but I get a kick out of a really good zombie movie (or vampire movie)—it's even better when there's the added humor of someone like Woody Harrelson. Hopefully, this one won't disappoint. It's slated to come out in October and hasn't been rated yet. They might be able to get away with a PG13 rating with some clever editing, but I think this one will follow the trail of past zombie movies and get stuck with an R rating—cause zombies don't die unless they lose their heads...

The second movie is The Last Airbender directed by M. Night Shamalan. Here's the teaser trailer.

This one's based off of a cartoon series that I have watched a few times, and enjoyed. My worry is not with the basis of the film, but rather with Shamalan's directing track record. I don't know about anyone else, but I loved his first movie, The Sixth Sense. Everything else has sort of gone downhill from there. I have liked bits and pieces of some of the things he's done, but then something happens and the whole thing is ruined. Hopefully, he won't mess this one up too bad.

That's it for this week. I am sure there will be more next week.

First Impressions

No one likes Mondays, right? At least, that's what we want people to think. I have the perfect solution to Mondays—that is, if you like movies. I will be reviewing the latest and greatest trailers from the only site on the web worth watching when it comes to movie trailers, Apple.com/trailers. We'll call these reviews First Impressions.

Today might be a bit different because this is the first time I have done this, so it might be a bit crazy, but I know we will get through it. Here goes.

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The first movie is Sherlock Holmes staring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law.

I have seen the poster for this numerous times in the theaters but had never seen the trailer. I watched it this morning for the first time and my first impression was wow. This looks like something I am definitely going to go and see in the theaters.

The film is not yet rated (although my guess is that it will more than likely be a PG13 rating) and is due out in theaters Christmas Day 2009. This definitely will be a good way to get out of the cold weather once all your presents are opened.

The next movie is 2012 with John Cusack and Amanda Peet.

Just another "end of the world and human existence as we know it" film? Maybe. Maybe not. I really liked Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow (directed by Roland Emmerich), so I think I will give this a shot in theaters. They don't show much as far as story goes in the the trailer, that's okay, though. With tons of special effects, this will no doubt be one that will keep you on the edge of your seat the entire movie—let's hope so, at least.

Due out in November 2009, I am going to guess this will have the same rating as all the other "end of the world and human existence as we know it" movies—PG13. Looking forward to it, though. Should be a good one.

The last movie for this segment of First Impressions is a movie that a friend of mine turned me onto called 9 staring the voice talents of Elijah Wood, John C. Reilly, Jennifer Connelly and Crispin Glover.

This film feels like a Tim Burton film, no doubt. It is based off of a short film called 9 (view the short here). My first impression of this film was wow, awesome, definitely something I want to see. Then, I watched it again, and again. Yes, this is going to be a must see. I hope the music from the trailer is the type of music we can expect to be blessed with throughout the film.

Due out September 9, 2009 (9-9-09) this already has a PG13 rating, and for good reason. Don't be fooled that because this is animated it is appropriate for kids, especially small kids. There are definitely some images and scenes from the trailer alone that could give kids a reason not to go to sleep at night.

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Well, that's all the reviews for today. I think I am going to try and do this a couple times a week for the first little while, time allowing, until I get to a point where I feel caught up enough.

We've Got Color!

You'll notice that with the last review (The Proposal) the image was color. I thought it would be a nice change to the site. Look for more upgrades like this in the future.

The Proposal

You can read the full synopsis of the film here (brought to you by Rotten Tomatoes) or you can watch the trailer by clicking here (brought to you by Apple).

Here's what The Other Critic is proposing...

This was a great show. I had heard pretty good things about it from a few friends so when the opportunity came to go out and see a movie, it was The Proposal or Transformers 2. Now, don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved Transformers 2 (review to come soon), but I thought it would be selfish not to see what my wife wanted to see...

As with most of the chick-flicks that I have seen, this one was pretty predictable. You all know the formula—boy meets girl, boy likes girl, boy loses girl, boy finds girl again and they live happily ever after. Ryan Reynolds rocked this show (would you expect anything less from him?) and there was some pretty good on screen chemistry between him and Sandra Bullock (who still looks good). But, it was the opening 20 or so minutes of this show that really won me over. Ryan Reynolds facial expressions are simply the best. Props go out to Betty White as well, a job well done.

This is a great date movie—be warned, though, there is a bit of nudity from both Reynolds and Bullock. But, if you blush at the sight of naked people, no worries, the theater is dark and no one will notice.

Was it worth the price of admission? Sure. Would I buy it? Yeah, probably. Would I watch it over and over and over? Probably not, but it was still a great show.

Critics from the iPhone

Okay, I recently became the proud owner of the new 3G S iPhone and it's been a real blast.

The thought occured to me tonight that I bet I could do a few simple posts to this blog from the iPhone. Why not, right? So, here goes.

I just finished watching Columbus Day with Val Kilmer and a couple of other people you might recognize. It was a free Redbox rental, and thank goodness for that. I would not recomend this film for the simple reason that it was pretty slow in most parts. Not much of a story line either. All in all I think I need to give this show a B-.

First, and hopefully not last, critic from the iPhone.

Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

The Scoop:

Manny, Sid, Diego, and Ellie are back in this third film in the computer-animated Ice Age series. With those creatures in starring roles, fans also get another dose of the vocal talents of Ray... more

Here's what The Other Critic thinks:

Okay, let me get straight to the point here. This is a great movie for kids—and adults (well, at least those adults who have kids). Like the previous two Ice Age movies, there are enough laughs for the whole family. I actually took my three kids to see this one in the theater. They enjoyed it—which is good, cause even matinees can be a bit pricey. I see the potential for at least one more installment from Fox with this title—maybe we'll see an Ice Age 4 in a few years.

I would recommend this to parents if you think your kids will sit through it. Some kids won't, so if you do take a chance on the theater, go see a matinee.

I have found a few wallpapers for this movie that I thought I would share with you all. Simply click on the image below to download a zipped file of the wallpapers shown*. Enjoy!

* I did not make these, nor do I claim them as my own.