Movieman's Guide to the Movies
The Final Word on Physical Media
Vegas Vacation is the weakest in the series but still somewhat fun thanks in large part to the energy and chemistry between Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo. Given it is rated PG, it is a safe movie yet there are some scenes that will get a chuckle so it’s not a complete loss.
Bedazzled is one, wait for it, Devil of a good time… Actually, it’s a showcase for both Brendan Fraser’s physical comedy with “SNL”-bits strewn together with a fun, if not thin, premise.
Simply Irresistible is an average romantic comedy headlined by then starlet Sarah Michelle Gellar who was at the height of her fame from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and to some extent, I Know What You Did Last Summer; but even though Gellar is charming, the rest of the movie falls flat.
My Super Ex-Girlfriend never quite fulfills the potential of the storyline but the movie still is fun propelled by entertaining performances by Uma Thurman, Anna Faris and, to a certain extent, Luke Wilson.
Best Laid Plans isn’t a great film but I suppose one could call it a gem of a crime-thriller. The movie is held up thanks in large part due to the performances from Alessandro Nivola and Reese Witherspoon as well as some slick writing by Ted Griffin.
Howl’s Moving Castle may not be considered one of Miyazaki’s greatest works but I enjoyed the movie for its splendid visuals, interesting storyline and well cast voice actors for both the Japanese and English-dubbed versions.
Lego Batman: The Movie – Super Heroes Unite has some good laughs and the stop-motion animation is well done, however if you’ve played the game, you’ve already seen the vast majority of the movie with only bits newly created to bridge the scenes together to make a coherent story.
Continue reading “Review: LEGO Batman: The Movie – DC Super Heroes Unite BD + Screen Caps”
National Lampoon’s Vacation is as funny as ever with a great cast, hilarious jokes and an all around fun storyline filled with a mix of low-brow and even, for the time, risqué humor.
Continue reading “National Lampoon’s Vacation Blu-ray Review”
Experimental film or not, Full Frontal was awful not because of the storyline, or the lack thereof, but it was downright dull and boring, a chore to get through. Steven Soderbergh wanted to do this movie as a counter product to the Hollywood system but while he flipped the bird to the studios, he also managed to do the same with audiences. I found nothing about the film or the characters engaging.
The Hoax is a well made docu-drama/comedy with strong performances from Richard Gere and Alfred Molina. The story is interesting and mostly unknown making for a gripping drama on the whole.
Teaching Mrs. Tingle was never my favorite film but with some biting dialogue and an amazing performance from Helen Mirren, challenging Meryl Streep in The Devil Wars Prada, this teen dark comedy has gathered a following over the years, far more than when it was released back in 1999.
Noon and Shanghai Knights are both fun movies if not a bit forgettable even with Jackie Chan’s amazing fight sequences and stunt work. Even so, as buddy comedies go, Chan and Owen Wilson share good chemistry making both film a breeze to watch on a slow Saturday afternoon.
Continue reading “Shanghai Noon/Shanghai Knights Blu-ray Review”
This 25th Anniversary edition of Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a great set and includes all the features from the Vista Series edition but gets a boost from great audio/video transfers to go along with an all around fantastic movie that is just as good when I last saw it (probably a good 15 years ago).
Mulan is one of the better Disney animated films from the late 1990s and an inspiration for little girls. The sequel on the other hand… not so much. It’s not a disastrous film by any stretch but it is the typical DTV flick which Disney released during that era.
Bounty Hunters features the sexy and cool Trish Stratus and although she’s not a great actress, she does have some mad fight skills even of those sequences aren’t well choreographed often times looking awfully fake. Aside from Stratus, however, this was neither a well made movie nor one that’s particularly entertaining.