Change Your Image
embreyo
Reviews
King Kong (2005)
Too Much Of A Good Thing
I finally saw "King Kong", but unfortunately, we sat in front of this little kid whose father let him ask questions about the movie out loud for the entire length of the movie. It was really annoying. We kept telling them to pipe down, but to no avail. The film was well made, but at 187 minutes it seemed like a long way to go to tell a simple story. Peter Jackson even fleshed out the stories of the members of the crew on the boat on the way to Skull Island. I think he should have trimmed down the movie, but I can't say that he didn't do a good job with the film otherwise. Maybe he is used to making 3 hour films after the "Lord Of The Rings", and dosing't know how to be concise. "King Kong" for me was like asking for a slice of chocolate cake, and being given the whole cake. It's just more than I wanted to eat, but still tasty.
Just Friends (2005)
Good light comedy
A fat kid falls in love with his beautiful female friend, and just on the verge of telling her his feelings, he is humiliated in front of his classmates. He vows to become somebody important, and 10 years later (and many pounds lighter), he is a hot record executive with a spoiled pop star in tow. Can he win the heart of the girl of his dreams? Ryan Reynolds has a snappy deadpan deliver that makes him come off like a young Chevy Chase. I saw a free preview of this, and I wasn't expecting much, but it was a pretty funny little movie. Anna Faris does such a great Ashlee Simpson impression (her character seems modeled after Ms. Simpson), that the lady sitting next to me thought she *was* Ashlee Simpson. Amy Smart is adorable as the object of desire. This was a decent lightweight comedy movie, with quite a few laughs. Not bad.
The Cave (2005)
Let Me Out!
The movie starts out okay, but soon they are trapped in a cave, and you will feel trapped in a theater wanting to get out. Shaky camera moves make it hard to see many of the action scenes. The monster in the cave is sort of like Alien crossed with a bat, and yet it can swim under water? It's the typical formula where the characters get picked off one by one. The cave environment ends up being confusing to the viewer. You never know who is where in relation to another character. After a while I kept hoping they would escape the cave so the movie would end, but it really goes on too long. I found it pretty dull to watch. I wasn't expecting much, and I got less than I expected. I'd pass on this one.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
It Melts In Your Mouth!
I saw Charlie & The Chocolate Factory today and it was very good. I guess the only real major downside was that you pretty much know what's going to happen if you saw the original movie. Johnny Depp was a bit Michael-Jackson-like as I'd heard, but it didn't spoil the movie or anything. Tim Burton didn't disappoint as far as visuals go. The kids in the movie were all great, and very well cast. The new songs were cool, and I liked the flashbacks to Willy Wonka's childhood. They helped flesh out his origin, and that was a nice touch. They changed a few story elements around a bit. Charlie's Mom & Dad are alive, and Grandpa once worked at the chocolate factory. There was no Mr. Slugworth trying to buy secrets from the kids. There was also no scene where the kids had to sign a contract, or a scene where Charlie and Grandpa disobey Willy Wonka's rules. It was very well done.
Stealth (2005)
Boring & Dumb
I saw a free preview of this thing, and it was worth every penny that I didn't spend! I can't believe Jamie Fox would do a film like this, I mean the man won an Oscar! There are lots of "pee pee" jokes, and big explosions. The pacing was kind of sluggish. I think I got bored only a few minutes into the movie. There were all the usual clichés you would expect, and few surprises. If you've seen the TV ads then you probably can see where this is headed. It's like what if Hal (the computer from 2002) was a stealth jet? It all seems so generic. It's pretty much a typical run-of-the-mill action movie. If you like booming noise and explosions, you'll love it. If you have a brain you might be bored. I'll give it a "3", because they put Jessica Biel in a bikini.
The Punisher (2004)
Very Violent - Very Good
This is a very brutal and violent movie; which is why it delivers on the promise of a movie called "The Punisher". The Punisher is the classic anti-hero superhero. He doesn't want the villains in jail; he wants them in their graves. The only way to portray this character is to show the violence done to him, and how he deals his own brand of justice. This movie delivers in spades of gory detail. This adaptation of the character couldn't have been done better. This is the way he needed to be shown. Those who hate violent movies will be disgusted by what they see, but if want to see the comic book character brought to life in a very real way - see this movie. It was better than expected, and very consistent and watchable. A solid movie with a high body count. Besides the violence, the movie has some humor, and heart. Very well done. Highly recommended!
Uncle Croc's Block (1975)
Loved It As A Kid
I loved this show when I was a kid, but what did I know? I didn't even know that Charles Nelson Reilly was gay (I probably didn't know what gay was). I think I liked the show's context - of being a parody of a kid's show. All the content of the show consisted of parodies of other TV shows. I thought it was great. I don't know how I'd feel about it if I saw it today. All I have is fond memories of this obscure show.
Freddy vs. Jason (2003)
I'll Tell You Who Won!
I'll tell you who won this battle. The producers who made this movie won! This movie made a lot of money, and is the #1 at this time. I was really interested in seeing this movie for quite a while, and I thought it was pretty good. Without Freddy this movie would be unwatchable. The reactions, comments, and facial expressions of Robert Englund are priceless. The film starts with a Freddy monologue, where he gets you up to date on past events. Soon we are introduced to a new gang of basically boring teenagers. This is the slow part of the film. The movie really takes off when Freddy shows up, and does battle with Jason. I've never been a Jason fan (I find him to be sort of dull), I guess he appeals to people who enjoy watching teens meet their maker. Freddy is so witty, clever, and has such a great attitude, and body language, that the character itself has always been of a higher quality than the movies he has been in (for the most part). The battle is fun to watch. I liked when Freddy said "Hey A**H***, up here" to Jason. Funny stuff! This is basically a monster movie where the fans get to see two monsters in a brutal fight. As for who won; get real people! These are movie characters, and were never alive. These characters will survive as long as people buy tickets to see them. You can ask MC Hammer about that. Elvis Presley though dead, still has a career. So in the end, the fans got to see these two psychos go at it, and that's the point of this movie. Oh, and watching Kelly Rowland die was a pleasure! HaHaHaHaHaHaHaHA!
We're All Devo (1983)
Where's The DVD?
Great collection of Devo videos. Very creative, considering the low budgets on these. Many of these videos were once played on MTV, but MTV is a total waste of time these days. If imagination were gold these guys would be rich. Rhino was supposed to release 3 Devo DVDs, but where are they? WE WANT OUR DEVO DVDs! De-evolution IS REAL!