Mean Machine

If you're a fan of Vinnie Jones and Jason Stathom, Mean Machine is a well-oiled entertainment vehicle.

I saw this show a few years ago for the first time and loved it as much the second time around. Lots of action, a bit of humor and a great ending.

If you like Brittish films, give this one a spin around the yard.

First Impression Friday

Oh boy, oh boy have I got a few trailers I want to share with you!

First up is Law Abiding Citizen (Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler). Check out the trailer:

Holy cow, does this look like a good show. Reminds me of a combination of a few shows, like Taken with Liam Neeson. I got the chills watching this trailer.

Next up is Whiteout with Kate Beckinsale. Check out the trailer:

Nothing good EVER happens when the setting for a movie is Antarctica. Nothing. This looks good—maybe a bit predictable, but you never know. Might be worth watching in the theater. We'll see.

The last First Impression for today is Legion with Paul Bettany and Dennis Quaid. Check out the trailer:

From the trailer, I think this is what you'd get if you took Dawn of the Dead and smashed it together with Constantine, with a little Dogma sprinkled on top. Not sure how I feel about this one. It might end up being a rental. I do like Paul Bettany, though.

That's it for this installment of First Impression Friday.

Dragonball Evolution

Ever have one of those days where you think you've seen all there is to see (movie wise, that is) and so you start scraping the bottom of the barrel for something to entertain your brain? Yeah, you know what I am talking about.

Dragonball Evolution is one of "those movies". Man, I wish I could scrub it from my brain—it was truly a great example of one of the movies that should have stayed as a cartoon. I am not going to apologize to all of the 10 and 11 year olds (and the small handful of grown men living in their mom's basement) who idolize the character Goku—this whole movie reaked of truly bad acting.

The only saving grace was that the movie only lasted a mere 85 minutes. Even the fact that Chow Yun Fat was in it was not enough to make this movie palatable.

Sorry, kids. I wouldn't watch this one again if you paid me.

In Four Sentences: District 9

Instant classic, as good and as memorable as 2001: A Space Odyssey and Blade Runner, you don't want to miss seeing this in the theater if you like sci-fi at all. District 9 is a near perfect mix of Halo and Cloverfield. The south african setting and documentary style make this feel extremely plausible. But despite that they deliver everything and more in the climax.

17 Again

So, 17 Again just came out on DVD this week. After a bit of a fiasco with a faulty DVD, I was able to finish the movie and now comes the review.

I was a little unsure about this movie, to be honest. Zac Efron was in the High School Musical movies, and I was a little unsure how he would transition into a show like this. When it started it was like watching a scene from HSM3 all over again. Thankfully, things slowly left that road and got on the right track.

At one point very early on, my movie conscience whispered to me, "hey, this looks like it could be a scene from 'It's A Wonderful Life' ". Seriously. The whole part with the janitor and the bridge at night... Totally a Jimmy Stewart moment.

I think the highlight of this movie (as with most of the movies that I've see lately) had to be the older version of of the nerdy waterboy turned multiple-millionare. He really was the highlight of the movie for me.

Overall, this was worth the time and travel it took to get a DVD that wasn't defective. A great movie with lots of laughs and a great message.

The Time Traveler's Wife

Okay, here's my take on this novel turned to film.

When I first saw the trailer, I thought "hmm, interesting concept, might be worth renting." Then my wife read the book, finished it in a matter of days and proclaimed that she wanted to see this film opening night.

This was a very good movie, full of emotion. A good combination of laughter and tears, this romantic, sci-fi drama left me wanting to read the book - if I can find the time, I just might do that. Eric Bana's performance was outstanding, as was that of Rachael McAdams.

It's a great thing when a novel gets turned into a movie that actually follows the original plot.

The New New Moon Trailer

Okay, I am sitting in the theater and I just saw the new trailer for New Moon. That movie is going to rock.

In Four Sentences: A Perfect Getaway

I was really surprised at how good this movie really was. I expected a slasher flick but it was very well thought out, more like a Hitchcock. But it was definitely fun, unlike Hitchcock, in that it was fast and quick witted and very modern. The violence was short and to the point, much classier then I expected.

In Four Sentences: G.I. Joe

Really dumb in a cheesy and far-fetched kinda way, yet really fun in that they really thought through all the sequences. Makes me think an awful lot of the movie Spy Kids, except Joe is made for adults. They did a great job still keeping a human element and making you care for the characters more then you'd expect. Oh, and finally a G.I. Joe that has real killing, lol!

GI Joe: Rise of Cobra

Okay, so I just got back from a late showing of the new GI Joe movie and for those of you who haven't had the opportunity to see it yet, I am sure you're dying to know if it was worth it. The answer is a surprising "yes".

Did I have my doubts? You bet I did. And can you blame me? After the plotless and absence of a story bundle of special effects you know as the first Transformers movie, I am very wary of movies taken from action figures and comic books of the 80's (although I did enjoy the second Transformers movie much more than the first one).

This is a guys movie - not that the female gender wouldn't enjoy it - it's just that this is a movie full of action, explosions and that kind of stuff. And in the tradition of these types of movies, this movie was extremely predictable and very, very far-fetched with everything that happened - but it's GI Joe, so who cares, right? There was even a nice bit of comedy with Marlon Wayans playing Ripcord.

Bottom line is this. Will I need my brain to watch this movie? No. Will I be entertained for the entire 118 minutes of this film? You should be. Is this a movie worth seeing in the theater? You bet, at least once.

Pretty good movie overall.

In Four Sentences: Funny People

Bottom line, Judd Apataw writes and directs damn good movies (40 year old virgin, Knocked up). And Adam Sandler is killer in dramas (Reign over me, Punch-drunk love). You know it's a great movie when you get teary eyed one minute from the incredibly deep and well understood life lessons and laughing your head off the next at the IKEA swiss doctor jokes. Absolutely loved the cameo by Eminem bashing Ray Romano, hilarious.