In the Loop (2009) (R)

In the Loop (2009) (R)
Directed by Armando Iannucci
Starring: Peter Capaldi, Tom Hollander, Gina McKee, James Gandolfini

Daddy Says:

In the Loop is based off a BBC comedy called The Thick of It. Having never seen the original comedy, I can't say how this compares. I can say that this is one of the funniest movies I've seen in many years.

The movie tracks the power players in the corridors of British and American power. Through lies, misunderstandings, good and bad intelligence gathering, and public relations blunders, we track a fictional crisis in the Middle East that grows over a few days. Though the entire thing is played for laughs, the movie shows how easily the slightest of things can affect the course of history.

Peter Capaldi, playing the same role as he did in the original show, steals the show as the continuously foul-mouthed, frustrated Director of Communications for the British Prime Minister. His use of grammatically proper English combined with some of the most innovative cursing I've heard kept me in stitches. He gets even more profane in the faces of people who won't use profanity (one character actually spells out his curse words replacing middle letters with the word "stars" when he says them, i.e. "he's full of S-star-star-T").

In fact, the movie is chock-full of great dialogue that I never quite knew where it was going next. As an example, a guy sees a girl that he once knew. He calls out to her and tells her to give him a call sometime. After she's left, he turns to his female companion and remarks that she probably doesn't even remember him. "That is one of the side-effects of Rohypnol", he's told.

If you're a fan of British comedy, In the Loop is perfect for you. It reminds me a lot of Fawlty Towers in terms of quick pace and well-defined characters. Be warned of two things: First, that the dialogue goes very fast (you may find yourself having to rewind to catch some of the more intricate bits); and second, that there is an "S-star-star-T"-load of cussing in this movie.

Rating for In the Loop: ****3/4.

Daughter Says:

Once again another disappointing movie came my way. Maybe it was just me and my unknowingness caused me not to understand a bit of In the Loop. This movie just wasn't funny for me.

I had many problems with this movie. Let's begin with the speed of it. It was too fast. That's all I have to say. Just kidding, I'll go into detail for you. I'm sure it would have been absolutely hilarious if I could catch a single word they said. Not only were they talking too fast, they were using words that I didn't quite catch or don't understand yet. Another problem I had with the way they talked was they were in Britain, which means they had English accents. So now on top of having extreme trouble catching up with them they were also hard to understand.

Next problem was I didn't quite get what they were talking about. There was something about this guy saying that diarrhea was like war. Then missing up and saying that there was no war in the future. (Apparently that would be a bad thing to say) Now the Americans are involved and I'm already lost. The story line was hard for me to follow. I didn't know diarrhea was such a big deal across the universe and how war was involved.

So this movie was not meant for teens apparently. So I'm going to have to say avoid until you are older.

Rating for In The Loop: **.

Metropolis (2001) (PG-13)

Metropolis (2001) (PG-13)
Directed by Rintaro

Daddy Says:

This isn't the Fritz Lang classic from the 1920s, this is an anime film based on a Japanese comic. I haven't seen too many anime films, mostly those by Hayao Miyazaki, although my first anime was Akira which I thought was incredible. This movie approaches that level of greatness, but falls just short of the mark.

Metropolis tells the story of a future society where humans and robots co-exist. During a speech by the city's leader, Duke Red, at the opening of the new skyscraper named Ziggurat, a disrupter is violently shot and killed. But as it turns out, it was only a robot. Viewing the proceedings are Private Detective Shunsaku Ban and his young nephew, Kenichi, both of whom have just arrived in Metropolis on the trail of a case. Their investigation leads them to an underground lab where a fire breaks out. Kenichi rescues a young girl named Tima, who is unaware that she is a robot, secretly commissioned by Duke Red and given enough power to rule the entire world. Meanwhile, Duke's agent called Rock is looking for her as well, but with an entirely different agenda.

Metropolis weaves a complex narrative, but it isn't difficult to follow along. I watched it with the original Japanese dialogue and English subtitles, and had no problem telling who was who or what was happening. The animation itself was spectacular. My biggest problem was with the choice of music throughout the film. Most of it was light jazz, and during the climax of the movie the soundtrack breaks out Ray Charles singing "I Can't Stop Loving You". The music really doesn't go with the distinctly Japanese animation and took me out of the moment, but not enough that I can't recommend it. If you can find it at your local video store, definitely check it out.

Rating for Metropolis: ****1/2.

Daughter Says:

Metropolis is definitely not your normal cartoon. It takes a city of wonder and beauty, and puts you in the scariest part of town. Riots, war, and mostly violence takes place in this good movie.

I really loved the story line in general. It took me on an adventure of a life time and shows what really goes on in a perfect world. It's strange how technology has taken over lately. Maybe that will be us in the future. I also could relate to the characters, even though it wasn't in English. Half the time I stopped reading the subtitles or just couldn't finish the sentence up (I'm a very slow reader), and I could understand the story perfectly.

I kind of liked the animation in Metropolis. In certain parts, the art was so well drawn it was almost realistic in its own way. But there were other times where I just couldn't stand it. I like to think of animation as trying to portray the real world but in a cartoon way. So in this case if the setting appears to be almost realistic then the people should appear almost realistic. Metropolis failed to do this. They made the scenery look amazing but the people looked really faked. Duke Red, for instance, had a huge nose that looked like it belonged on a parrot. Rock had hair that looked plastic on his forehead. Who wears their hair like that anywhere these days? It was like watching someone who wanted to be on Grease but couldn't get the part.

Other than that one complication the movie overall was rather well done. I don't know what Dad is talking about the music not matching the film for. I understood why they chose to use jazz music. It was the Japanese version of a mystery film so cheesy jazz music should fit perfectly. I'm surprised they didn't have the Pink Panther's theme song in this movie at least once. That would have cracked me up. I was already laughing when the film broke into a chorus of "I Can't Stop Loving You".

Overall this movie deserves a good rate, but I can't get past certain problems. Maybe it was my high expectations for it because of Akira or Hayao Miyazaki films. It just wasn't one of my favorites. Oh well, I think anyone can enjoy this film anyway. So check it out!

Rating for Metropolis: ***.

The Son (2002) (Not Rated)

The Son (2002) (Not Rated)
Directed by Jean-Pierre Dardenne & Luc Dardenne
Starring: Olivier Gourmet, Morgan Marinne, Isabella Soupart

Daddy Says:

One of our readers suggested this movie for us to review. I'd never heard of it before, and since it's a foreign film I'd wager most of you haven't either. You most likely won't find it at your local video store, but it is available from Blockbuster.com and Netflix, and I highly recommend adding it to your queue.

The Son is an intensely focused film, putting us squarely behind the main character of Olivier (Olivier Gourmet). He is in every scene, and we get so close to him that we can see he has a small bump behind his right ear. We follow him wherever he goes, we see what he sees. But we are not inside his head, we cannot hear his thoughts, and because of this we are often wondering what is actually going on.

The movie doesn't try to shoehorn in expository dialogue. Events happen in his life, and we may not know what is going on, but he and the other people in the scene do and they act accordingly. Our presence in the film is as an observer, and we are allowed to make our own judgments on what is happening. And we find that our judgments are often wrong.

I'm being deliberately vague on the events of the film. This is a movie you must experience for yourself, and I would have hated having it spoiled for me for my first viewing. One scene I must describe. Olivier is driving to a destination with a young boy in the passenger seat. Olivier knows more about this boy's past than the boy thinks he does. He questions the boy, intensely, about his short life, the things he's done, the regrets he has about the things he's done. So harsh is his interrogation that he misses his turnoff for the destination. Olivier stops the car and begins to backup, turning to look right at the camera which has been in the back seat the entire time watching this interrogation, and he says "I've gone too far". He's talking about missing the turnoff, but I think he also is aware of the double meaning implied.

This is a brilliant movie, unlike any other film I've ever seen. I am very grateful to our reader who suggested it for us, without whom I would never have thought to watch it. Don't let the subtitles scare you away from experiencing this incredible film.

Rating for The Son: ****1/2.

Daughter Says:

I must start out by saying don't listen to Dad because I think he might be a little loopy in the head from this film. I do appreciate the reader recommending this movie for us though. Not because I liked this movie or because this will my second low review, but because I now know to stay away from this film.

There were just so many things wrong about this movie. I didn't like the breathing down the main character's back the whole time. I felt rude and annoying; also a little claustrophobic. Another problem is that I didn't understand any of the movie. I didn't see the point of most of the scenes in this movie. I also hated the ending and I don't say hate a lot. It was just down right awful. Who cuts off movies so abruptly like that?

There was nothing I could find enjoyable about this film. If I had to choose a good part of this movie it would have to be the kid who played the son. He was good at being the character and an amazing climber. But other than that I just didn't enjoy it.

Rating for The Son: 1/2 star.

Witness (1985) (R)

Witness (1985) (R)
Directed by Peter Weir
Starring: Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis, Alexander Godunov, Lukas Haas

Daddy Says:

I loved this movie when it came out in 1985. It was one of the first movies I actually purchased to watch at home on these things called VHS video tapes (Google them if you have no idea what I'm talking about, kids). I thought my daughter might like to see it, and since I hadn't seen the movie in at least twenty years, I thought it might be nice to revisit it and see if it stands up today.

Witness is the story of an Amish family. The mother (Kelly McGillis) has recently lost her husband (the film begins with his wake). She and her son (Lukas Haas) are travelling to the big city to visit her sister. The boy, while using the bathroom, becomes a witness to a homicide; the one murderer we get a good look at is played by Danny Glover in an early film performance. The homicide detective assigned to the case, John Book (Harrison Ford), needs the boy to identify the murderer, but when things start to go badly, he is forced to take the family back to Amish country to hide them and ends up hiding out there himself. From there, the film becomes a combination of murder mystery and fish-out-of-water comedy as Book tries to blend in in a community he knows nothing about. Deep emotions form between Book and the mother, but being from two different worlds, will they be able to stay together or is their relationship doomed from the start? And what of the villains looking to eliminate the witness to their crime?

As I stated before, I loved this movie, and still do to this day. I think it holds up remarkably well, giving us a peek into a culture most of us are unfamiliar with, and to some extent actually glamorizing it. Yes, the Amish lack things like cell phones, color TVs, and fancy cars, but the movie manages to make that all seem like a good thing; a much simpler life without all the headaches the modern world brings. Of course, if I were Amish, the chances of you reading this review right now would be about zero. I wonder if the Amish are aware of the Internet? Guess I'll have to Google it to find out.

Rating for Witness: ****3/4.

Daughter Says:

Once again I must disagree with Dad on this one. It was a waste of my time and most likely a waste of his money. We could have been watching a movie that had a good point to its story line instead of a random love relationship that went absolutely nowhere.

I liked the story line in general, where a cop and the witness has to go into hiding. But the relationship between cop and mother was ridiculous. They so didn't need to put that part in there. I don't know what you would have put in the script instead but that was not needed at all. There was just one more thing I liked about this movie and that was Harrison Ford was in it. I love him in a lot of movies, but this was a disaster in the making.

The overall review of this movie, in my opinion, is it was awful. I hope to never see it again. But if you like pointless movies then you should watch it at your own risk.

Rating for Witness: *.

Blade II (2002) (R)

Blade II (2002) (R)
Directed by Guillermo Del Toro
Starring: Wesley Snipes, Kris Kristofferson, Leonor Varela, Ron Perlman

Daughter Says:

Blade 2... where to begin?

The basis of the story is Blade is out to get his master after being stolen from vampires. Soon after the awesome rescue mission an intruder alert came on at Blade's headquarters. The intruders are none other than vampires. Blade, sworn enemy to all vampires, is now asked for a truce. So you think. There is a new type of vampire on the loose that is after not only humans but vampires. What should Blade do now? He joins up with a team of vampires, meant to track him down, to stop these disease spreading blood suckers.

I won't give too much away but there is a lot of back stabbing in this movie; figuratively and literally. I could never tell who was the evil, back stabber or the best buddy forever. I also loved the effects in this movie. When a vampire got stabbed it was so amazing. So much color and effects to it. That really made my day. The only problem I had with the effects was when Blade went all ninja on some vampire butts. It was so unrealistic. Special effects can only go so far with me.

I really enjoyed the storyline. I could follow it easily and I really felt connected with Blade. The makeup in this movie was really good too. The hybrid vampire was so cool looking to me. I was really creeped out by him. I felt like I was watching a Guillermo del Toro masterpiece. He really did a great job on this movie.

I highly recommend this movie to everyone who loves a good action almost unrealistic film. Plus you don't even have to watch the first movie to understand this one. What a plus!

Rating for Blade II: ****1/2.

Daddy Says:

I remember liking this movie a lot more the first time I saw it then I did this time. We skipped over the first movie in this series because we both like Guillermo del Toro movies (Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy II). But this one isn't as good as either of those.

First, the good. Wesley Snipes as the titular (there's that word he likes to use again) character is a complete badass. I loved watching him fight vampires in hand-to-hand combat and with swords, or just running and shooting silver bullets at them turning them into fiery ashes. Kris Kristofferson returns as Blade's mentor, with a scripting sleight-of-hand since he seemed to kill himself in the first film. Leonor Varela is the leader of the vampire troops, and also daughter to the "vampire king", and del Toro regular Ron Perlman plays one of the fighters who gets in Blade's face and ends up with an explosive device attached to the back of his head for his troubles. Guillermo del Toro does a very good job at directing this fast-paced and funny action (not horror) movie.

But then there's the bad: namely the script by David S. Goyer. It relies heavily on a lot of very cliched stories. There's the "good guy and bad guy must team up to fight a bigger bad guy" story that has been done in multiple John Woo movies, and to much greater effect. The main villain turns out to be doing it all for the "glory of his race", the reasoning Hitler used behind his master race. There's the old Frankenstein tale of the monster creation coming back to take his revenge on his creator. The script even tries to shoehorn in the story of the Prodigal Son. It's all too much.

It's hard to decide whether to recommend this movie or not. So I'm going to go right down the middle and let you decide for yourself if you want to see it or not. I didn't hate it, but it could have been better.

Rating for Blade II: ***

Rescue Dawn (2007) (PG-13)

Rescue Dawn (2007) (PG-13)
Directed by Werner Herzog
Starring: Christian Bale, Steve Zahn, Jeremy Davies, Marshall Bell

Daddy Says:

Christian Bale stars in Rescue Dawn, a tale of survival, both against fellow man and nature. He plays Dieter Dengler, a German-born pilot who in his first top secret mission gets shot down prior to the official start of the Vietnam War. He is quickly captured and sent to a brutal POW camp, where his captors are often as hungry as he and his fellow prisoners are. He must convince his comrades that they can make a successful escape from their harsh conditions, and then actually survive the jungle after they do.

I often felt as if I were trapped in the prison camp right along with the actors. Christian Bale immerses himself in his role. He does so well, I did not think of him as Batman even once. His co-stars Jeremy Davies (currently on TV's Lost) and Steve Zahn are remarkable as well. I'll probably never be able to watch Zahn in any other role after this one without thinking about him saying "My feet are cold."

The cinematography in this film was extremely well done. The lush greens of the jungle, the grey of the overcast skies, all contribute to creating an unforgiving atmosphere in which the participants are held captive, not by the bamboo fences surrounding them, but by the mountainous terrain itself.

Rescue Dawn is not always a pleasant ride, but it says a lot about what one man can accomplish when faced with incredible odds to overcome. It is an excellent movie.

Rating for Rescue Dawn: ****1/2

Daughter Says:

Rescue Dawn is a movie that takes you through a dangerous mission in Vietnam. The only problem is not only is Dieter Dengler (Christian Bale) caught by the other side, but the Americans are unaware that he is still alive. This little dilemma gave a whole other twist to this story. Dengler was not just having to face enemy or starvation, but he also had to face his friends.

This movie took on a turn I never would have suspected. At one point it had me saying, "Oh My God!" It had many jaw dropping moments that caught me off-guard. I also found the actors amazing in this movie. I was surprised at how skinny some of the characters could get. It was freaky. Another great effect would have to be the surrounding area. It was beautiful but dangerous. I was always waiting for some giant monster/ animal to jump out and attack them.

I really enjoyed this suspenseful, action movie, and I think anyone who enjoys getting caught off-guard and second guessing things should really watch this movie.

Rating for Rescue Dawn: ****1/2.

The Descent (2006) (R)

The Descent (2006) (R)
Directed by Neil Marshall
Starring: Shauna MacDonald, Natalie Mendoza, Alex Reid, Saskia Mulder

Daddy Says:

It's been a long time since I've seen a really good horror movie. Most of them have characters I could care less about, serving the function of walking targets for whatever killer/stalker is lurking about. Classic horror films such as The Exorcist, Night of the Living Dead, and Halloween seem to be a thing of the past. At least, that's what I thought before watching The Descent.

The Descent is the story of six adventurous girls looking for their next thrill. In this case, it involves descending into caves and exploring. Sarah, played by Shauna MacDonald, is still trying to get over the tragic loss of her husband and child in a car accident. And as the girls go deeper into the caves, things go from bad to worse. There are creatures living below the surface, and they're out for blood.

This movie reminded me of Night of the Living Dead in many ways. A group of people are trapped in a small area; the claustrophobic atmosphere is palpable. Whereas in Living Dead, the group is trying to keep the monsters outside, in The Descent, the monsters are trapped inside with the group who are trying to find a way out. I also enjoyed the way the movie wrapped up. It's not exactly what I'd call a happy ending, but it felt logical and satisfying.

If you're looking for an intense, scary experience, well-directed and acted, with characters you can actually care about before they start getting killed off, this is the movie for you.

Rating for The Descent: ****1/4

Daughter Says:

The Decent is one scary movie. The last scary movie I saw was The Blair Witch Project and I thought that one was horrifying. I only covered my eyes once in that movie but with The Decent I was tempted to cover them up quite a few times. I'm claustrophobic myself, but watching this movie just increased it. I felt like I was in the cave with the girls.

Not only did I get claustrophobic, but it was getting a little crowded underground. There were some kind of man-eating creatures waiting in the depths for them. And man were they SCARY. Whoever did the make-up on those things were amazing and I give them high praise. The monsters looked so realistic, it wasn't even funny.

I also give high praise to the writer/director (Neil Marshall) for the wonderful scare. I was never expecting freaky creatures to be in the cave. To be honest, I don't know what I expected to be down there. It was like going through a haunted house for the first time. It always gives you a good scare.

For a scary movie I really enjoyed it and I highly recommend this for anyone who likes that kind of thing.

Rating for The Decent: ****.

The International (2009) (R)

The International (2009) (R)
Directed by Tom Tykwer
Starring: Clive Owen, Naomi Watts, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Brian F. O'Byrne

Daughter Says:

The International is about a detective who has been chasing dead-ends on a bank called IBBC located in Germany/France. They take care of the debt the country may go into when disaster happens. But something is very fishy about the IBBC. Every time they have a case, everyone who is involved ends up dead. Detective Louis Salinger, played by Clive Owen, witnesses the murder of his partner. Now trying to catch the suspects to his death, they travel international on a wild goose chase.

This movie was a bit slow. The script was not written very well so it appeared slow and boring. There wasn't tons of action like I thought it would when I saw the previews and, it just didn't catch my attention. I was also extremely lost throughout the whole movie. The characters kept jumping from country to country really fast and I didn't know where they were most of the time. It created a roughness to the movie. The flow of the movie just wasn't there for me.

There were only two good parts for me. I loved the scene in New York where they shoot up a famous museum. Glass going everywhere and many bullets fly, but the ending of the scene was stupid. They end up just walking out like it was nothing. I also liked in the very end. There's a scene where Owen is chasing the main bad guy. That's not the best part. I liked the scenery. They had gotten on to the top of the buildings in a country. There were stairs and sidewalks on the tops of these houses. I just found that so cool. Let's just say I'm amused easily. But that was the only great part of the scene. I hated the ending. There was nothing to it. I was extremely upset about it too. Oh well, at least the movie is over now.

My rating for the International: **

Daddy Says:

I really like Clive Owen. I've seen him in Sin City, Duplicity, Shoot 'Em Up, and Children of Men. He even had a brief role in The Bourne Identity. His presence alone is usually enough to make me want to watch a movie. But, unfortunately, with only a couple of exceptions, the movies he's in just aren't very good. And this one isn't either.

For about the first half of the film, I thought it should have been called The Exposition, as that's about all that was happening; people walked, people talked, people yelled, etc. I'm sure there are people who think it's wonderful that everything is so explicitly stated, but I prefer to have some things left for me to figure out for myself.

The script for The International is essentially preposterous. And no matter how good, exciting and thrilling the action scenes are, they aren't enough to overcome a bad script. And this one is bad. For example, the movie starts off with an agent trying to talk an informant into coming in for protection. The informant is scared, he needs time to think. The agent leaves him, makes a phone call, then keels over dead. His partner (Clive Owen) rushes across a traffic-filled street to help, and when he gets there a passing truck whacks him in the back of the head with it's passenger-side mirror, leaving Clive knocked to the ground on the verge of passing out with a loud ringing sound in his ears.

Now, a good script would have made this incident mean something. Perhaps Clive can no longer hear well anymore, and his partial deafness would have played into a critical moment later in the film. But no, the next scene shows him getting checked out in a doctor's office and we are supposed to forget all about his head injury. It's never mentioned again. So, why did the script include him getting hit on the head in the first place? I have no idea.

Great action scenes, but not enough of them. A really good, likable lead, but not a good script for him to read. A disappointment.

Rating for The International: ***

Sherlock Holmes (2009) (PG-13)

Sherlock Holmes (2009) (PG-13)
Directed by Guy Ritchie
Starring: Robert Downey, Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Eddie Marsan

Daughter Says:

Sherlock Holmes, that's all you really need for the explanation of this movie, but I shall tell you what it's about anyway.

This movie takes place in old time London, where we meet two unique men. One is a detective and the other a doctor. Of course, their names are Sherlock Holmes, played by Robert Downey Jr., and Dr. John Watson, played by Jude Law.

Sherlock Holmes starts out with action and ends with action. We are taken on a chase through downtown London in search of a man who can do "voodoo". They finally catch the murderer of five different women, played by Mark Strong, in the act of killing another. So after being locked away and soon hung, the killings continue. But how may you ask? That is for Holmes to know and you to find out.

This movie was action packed, but very smart. You have to pay attention to every word the actors say for you to fully comprehend whats going on. Other than having to think a whole lot, this movie was fun and exciting. I do recommend doing a little research on Sherlock Holmes and his past before watching, because there are some parts that aren't clear for someone who doesn't know about Holmes and his past.

The character in Sherlock Holmes was cast very well, in my opinion. I thought Robert Downey Jr. did a wonderful job as the main character and his sidekick was just as good. Also casting a real professional wrestler made one of the fighting scenes humorous, in a way. I also thought that Mark Strong did a great job at playing a creepy man with "secret powers". I highly recommend this movie to anyone who loves a good detective movie.

My rating for Sherlock Holmes: ****

Daddy Says:

I've been looking forward to this movie for a long time. I've been a long time fan of Sherlock Holmes. I've read all the Arthur Conan Doyle stories about the great detective. I've watched the old series starring Jeremy Brett as the cranky, yet brilliant sleuth. And when the trailers appeared showing Robert Downey Jr. as the titular detective I felt this could be a perfect match. And as it turns out, I wasn't too disappointed.

Robert Downey Jr. adds another charming performance to his resume. The young man whom I watched back in the 80's (and didn't think I'd see live to see this decade), has turned into one of the most reliable actors in the cinema, putting together a string of truly great performances in his work over the last decade. When I watch him, I am reminded of Cary Grant; how charming he could be, how witty, and yet a man of action when need be.

Unfortunately, he is let down by a very mediocre script. There just isn't much to it, not enough substance. I know that Sherlock Holmes is supposed to be a genius, but when he reveals how he came to solve the mystery at the end of the film, it feels very random. When Holmes reveals how he came to his deductions in the stories, he always explained that anyone could come to the same conclusions he had if they only had his knowledge, or knew what to look for. In the film, we not only don't know what to look for, we're not really aware that any looking is being done.

Part of this falls to the director as well. I've liked some of Guy Ritchie's movies, but he really only excels at action, not acting. And the action here is really very good. During Holmes' fights, he explains what he's going to do in slow-motion, step-by-step, then we see it happen at full speed in real time. I only wish the rest of the film had done this too.

Rating for Sherlock Holmes: ***1/2

Surrogates (2009) (R)

Surrogates (2009) (R)
Directed by Jonathan Mostow
Starring: Bruce Willis, Radha Mitchell, Rosamund Pike, Boris Kodjoe

Daughter Says:

Surrogates is about the human race taking another step into technology. You had the ipod, the iphone, the ipad, but now you can have your very own irobot. Oh wait that's another movie.

This movie had the same basics as I Robot, but I Robot pulled it off so much better. People are now replaced by better looking robots. You can be anyone you want at apparently any time. Living in hiding all their lives, this movie follows an investigator named Tom Greer, played by Bruce Willis, who gets into a mad chase after a suspected criminal when the anti-robot group kills his surrogate. Now stuck without a surrogate, Greer must walk among the robots as a human. Still destined to find the murderer of electronics, he even turns against his own team to find the answers

Surrogates was an okay movie with many action parts that involve jumping off of high things and blowing robots heads off. The down fall was it was just an action movie. There weren't many good parts that helped you associate yourself with the character. So when Greer has drama with his wife its not that dramatic. I felt like, "oh this is drama. Oh well, I don't care about his wife or his kids. Hmm moving on." But I think this movie is a train wreck that you would watch, just without thinking.

Rating for Surrogates: ***

Daddy Says:

So, where to begin... How about the good parts?

Um...

Well, that didn't take long.

Okay, it had a really great premise. I like the concept of people hiding behind robotic avatars that wander the world, living anonymously behind the mask of a very pretty alternate "you". But this film does so little to capitalize on this fascinating concept that it's very hard to go along with it.

There are so many unanswered questions. The film tells us that with the rise of Surrogate use, that both racism and crime dropped to almost non-existent levels. Really? Racism, perhaps, but crime dropped when people started becoming anonymous robots? And how was everyone in the world able to afford one of these Surrogates? More importantly, when does anyone find time to interact on a human level, including such basics as human reproduction? We are told that there are now Surrogates being produced for children, but when exactly are we humans supposed to be producing these children?

I could go on, but I think I've already put more thought into this movie than the screenwriters did. I suppose if you turned off your brain, you could enjoy the mindless action and overlook the extremely poor script.

Rating for Surrogates: **

Kung Fu Panda (2008) (PG)

Kung Fu Panda (2008) (PG)
Directed by Mark Osborne, John Stevenson
Voices: Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan

Daddy Says:

In case you can't tell by the movies I've picked so far, I love a good kung fu movie. I'm sure you'll see more reviews in the future on them. Seven Samurai is one of my all-time favorites. Not that I'm saying Kung Fu Panda is as good as that classic film, but you can tell the makers of this animated feature had a genuine love for the genre when they made it.

Jack Black voices the titular character, a panda named Po who works with his father (possibly adopted father, his father being a duck after all) in a noodle shop in China. He dreams of being a mighty kung fu warrior alongside the Furious Five, the most famous martial artists in the land. When he hears that the Dragon Warrior is going to be chosen, he heads to the top of the huge mountain to see the selection. I'll give you three guesses as to who gets chosen, and your first two don't count.

His new master (voiced by Dustin Hoffman) tries to get rid of him at first, not knowing how to train someone so athletically challenged as a fat panda. Po, himself, even wants to give up at times, but when China's greatest enemy escapes from prison (voiced by the wonderful voice of Ian McShane), he realizes that he must become the great warrior he has dreamed of becoming.

This not being a Pixar film, I was prepared not to like it, but Kung Fu Panda is a really good movie. It has great voice work, really good animation, and it tells a wonderful story. It didn't always feel original, but when you're working with a genre like kung fu, there's not really a whole lot more you need than a hero and a bad guy for him to fight. This may be one of the best non-Pixar animated movies I've ever seen.

Rating for Kung Fu Panda: ****1/2

Daughter Says:

I don't agree with Dad at all on this rating. It wasn't the best film in the world and I found it outrageously ridiculous. Kung Fu Panda was meant for little children and that is how it should remain.

The story line was okay, it was also easy to follow, but the cartoon itself kept changing, which drives me insane. I also didn't find any character extremely likable. Po was too fat and slow, the master was rude, the tiger was a jerk, and the rest were too small to really even notice. I also found the end a bit dumb, but I won't ruin it for you, just in case you still want to see it.

That's all I can really say about this movie, but it had it's funny parts. It made me laugh just once. Most of the jokes were little kid jokes and not "smart adult referring to other movies" jokes.

I rate this movie **.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) (PG-13)

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) (PG-13)
Directed by Guillermo Del Toro
Starring: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, Luke Goss

Daddy Says:

Hellboy II: The Golden Army is the superior sequel to the original Hellboy, which introduced us to the titular demon (played with wonderful style by Ron Perlman). But life is not always a bed of roses when you're a big, red monster. He clashes with his government boss (Jeffrey Tambor) and his girlfriend (the fiery Selma Blair). Plus, he really wants to step out of the shadows and announce his presence to the world, completely sure that the humans he works so hard to protect will love him back. Things don't go exactly as planned.

I'll be honest: I've really loved all the movies I've seen that were directed by Guillermo Del Toro. This is the fourth one I've seen and while it's not his best (that would be the incredible Pan's Labyrinth), it certainly ranks as one of his best. The story is wonderful. The movie begins with Hellboy's adopted father (John Hurt) reading his "son" a bedtime story about elves, a war with humans, and a Golden Army. And you should be able to surmise from the title of the film that by it's end, Hellboy will be facing that army.

The world created by Del Toro is a feast for the eyes. It's as fanciful as any of the Lord of the Rings settings, and populated by some of the most amazing creatures ever seen. The fact that three of them are played by the same actor (Doug Jones) is astonishing. Doug Jones has made an entire career of playing very difficult physical roles. In Pan's Labyrinth, he played both the title character, a fawn, as well as the supremely creepy "thing with eyes in the palms of this hands". Here he plays Hellboy's sidekick Abe Sapien, a fish out of water, as well as the Chamberlain of the underworld and the Angel of Death. He does amazing work under some of the most amazing costumes ever created.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army has action, humor, romance, and epic mythology. The first film wasn't bad, but this one is just really better. Even if you haven't seen the first one, you should be able to enjoy this one easily.

Rating for Hellboy II: The Golden Army: ****1/4

Daughter Says:

Hellboy II: The Golden Army was an okay movie. The action was good and the story line was alright. I loved the Angel of Death. It was amazingly created and just beautiful all together. Also loved the little tooth fairies at the beginning of the movie. They are so cute and evil. They almost creeped me out too. I do love a movie that will send a shiver up my spine

The negative side I didn't like some of the costumes and makeup. Hellboy was just too...well...fake. He looked fake and was fake. Another problem I had with the movie was Abe Sapien. He was so stiff. He kind of reminded me of CP30 off of Star Wars. Let's just say I'm not one that enjoys Star Wars all that much. I do love the guy who plays Abe though. He is an amazing actor that can play the creepiest characters in movies. I really liked him in Pan's Labyrinth.

I also had a hard time liking anyone in this movie. All the characters were rude or whiny or mean or dumb. I just didn't like them. Hellboy was rude, Abe wasn't in the movie all that much, Liz was whiny and pregnant, and the bad guys were, well, bad. It just wasn't all that enjoyable for me. But I will forever love Pan's Labyrinth.

Rating for Hellboy II: The Golden Army ***.

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003) (PG-13)

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003) (PG-13)
Directed by Peter Weir
Starring: Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany, Billy Boyd, James D'Arcy

Daddy Says:

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, besides having one of the clunkiest titles in film history, is actually a rousing epic of seagoing adventure. The film stars Russell Crowe as Captain "Lucky Jack" Aubrey, a captain like Ahab in Moby Dick who just doesn't know the meaning of the word "quit" when it comes to chasing his prey. His quarry is a French ship, a "ghost ship" as the crew likes to call it since it appears out of nowhere.

His crew is a mix of seasoned veterans, and very young men. We get to know many of them on a personal level, which works very well in helping us to care about them when the battle begins and the crew starts taking on injuries. It's wonderfully done, through good writing (by director Peter Weir and Patrick O'Brian, who's novel it is based on), really good acting, and excellent direction. Even when the battles are at their fiercest, you can still tell who's who and what's happening to them. Still, Russell Crowe is the star of the film, and his charm shines through even the grittiest of battles.

I really enjoyed this film. Like many films I have enjoyed, it took me to a world I would never wish to inhabit personally, and it allowed me to experience what it would be like to be a part of it.

Rating for Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World: ****1/4

Daughter Says:

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World was a beautiful film that took you to the world of seas. It takes you on battles between the french, British, and the ocean. They can disguise themselves and even tackle bigger fish than themselves. Master and Commander was brilliantly lit to give it the effect it needs to make the emotion come to life. I really must give high praise to Peter Weir for doing such an amazing job.

On the down fall, the movie did seem a bit long even though it's about two hours long. When it gets slow on a boat, what do you do? You watch the two main characters play a violin and a cello. Which you could tell were totally faked. But that doesn't stop this movie from being a good ocean movie.

Don't get this movie confused with Pirates of the Caribbean, because it is no where near as funny. Many people die. Many people fight. Many people clean. This movie is extremely serious and very intense felt. Much editing was needed to this film, but it was good overall.

My rating for Master and Commander: the Far Side of the World ***1/2.