The Blind Side (2009) (PG-13)

The Blind Side (2009) (PG-13)
Directed by John Lee Hancock
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Kathy Bates, Quinton Aaron

Daddy Says:

The Blind Side depicts the remarkable true story of Michael Oher, a homeless African-American teen from a broken home, a ward of the state after being separated from his drug-addicted mother. He is taken in by the Touhys, a well-off white family who help him fulfill his potential. At the same time, his presence in their lives leads them to some discoveries of their own.

Sandra Bullock does a phenomenal job as the mother with the heart of gold. She's a Christian woman, and, seeing someone in need, can't just look the other way. She won the Oscar for Best Actress for this role, and I'd say she earned it. One look at her face when Michael tells her he's never had a bed before tells you everything you need to know about her. I get mushy just thinking about this emotional scene.

The other actors also pull their own weight. My daughter asked when Tim McGraw was going to show up in the movie, without realizing she'd been watching him the entire time playing the role of husband in the family. Quinton Aaron is a natural playing Michael Oher. He's had a few roles before this one, but having never seen him before, I felt like I was watching his first performance. He steps into a role that could have easily been played over-dramatically, but he doesn't make any missteps.

The story, although true to the source material, feels a little too familiar. Not that I'm saying it should have been embellished, but it did seem like a bit of a soap opera at times. But don't let that stop you from watching this really great emotion-filled movie.

Rating for The Blind Side: ***3/4

Daughter Says:

The Blind Side, to me, was another football movie. Well that's what I thought it was going to be like when I first saw the previews for it. Don't get me wrong here, I love certain football movies. And believe me this is one of them. I think the Blind Side took a football story and made it about more than just football. It is about a boy and a family having an effect on each other and how their lives change around it.

It is a beautiful story that is a happy, sad tale. In the end, everyone wants to cry. I loved this movie and would watch it over and over again. The actors in this movie were great and really helped bring this story to life. I sometimes forgot who I was watching and really got into the story. I think Sandra Bullock earned that Academy Award.

My rating for The Blind Side is ****.

Kill Bill Vol. 2 (2004) (R)

Kill Bill Vol. 2 (2004) (R)
Directed by Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Daryl Hannah, Michael Madsen
Daddy Says:

Kill Bill Vol. 2 starts where Vol. 1 left off. The Bride (Uma Thurman), whose real name we do not yet know since it keeps getting bleeped out whenever it is said, has already killed off two members of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad and is looking to add the final three to her total in this film. Little does she know, the daughter she was pregnant with, when the squad tried to kill her at her wedding, survived and is living with her father, Bill (David Carradine). Will this cause her to rethink her revenge, to give up on her mission to Kill Bill?

This second part of the saga is more talky, less action-packed than Vol. 1 was. That's not necessarily a bad thing. Quentin Tarantino is a master of great dialogue and the script for Vol. 2 is excellent. But don't worry, action fans, there's still a couple of really great fight scenes for you to savor, including a great sword fight that takes place inside the close confines of a single-wide trailer home. And the conclusion to the fight, while making perfect logical sense, is one that will make you squirm.

Tarantino also does a great job of playing around with our preconceptions. For instance, about a third of the way into the film, the Bride is placed into a seemingly inescapable trap. But we know since she hasn't killed anyone yet, that she's bound to get out of it somehow. The way she escapes is shown to us in a flashback that looks like it was lifted straight out of a '70's kung-fu flick with dialogue that sounds dubbed in, and random zooms by the camera just to catch our attention. We watch as she learns the one skill she would need to escape just such a predicament as she is currently in, practicing it for months without knowing that one day it would save her life.

Kill Bill Vol. 2 delivers the goods for fans of the first film expecting a satisfying conclusion. If you didn't watch the first one, I wouldn't recommend starting here. And as for the Bride's name, you'll probably be disappointed when you learn that it's...

You didn't really think I was going to give it away, did you? But when you find out what it is later in the film, think about what was said right before the big fight scene in Vol. 1 with the Crazy 88; "Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids" takes on a whole other dimension.

Rating for Kill Bill Vol. 2: ****1/4

Daughter Says:

Kill Bill Vol. 2 is another great movie by Quentin Tarantino. He took the already great Vol 1. and made a great Vol 2. to go with it. Tarantino wants again puts in his many trade marks like the changing from color to black and white, gory scenes, and cheesy action parts.

There might have been a lot of talking but there was plenty of action to keep everyone satisfied. I really enjoyed every part of this movie. I even liked the cheesy 70 kung-fu fighting scenes, which in most movies I would hate.

This movie takes you on the struggle of The Bride's revenge and Tarantino really puts you in the moment. We learn so much about The Bride in this movie than the last one. It really helped me associate with The Bride's pain. I must say this is one really good movie. NOTICE: Don't watch this until you watch the first one! Trust me you will be majorly lost. Tarantino likes to play things out of order and well trust me on this one.

My rating for Kill Bill Vol 2. is one star. APRIL FOOLS! It's really ****1/2.

Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) (PG)

Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) (PG)
Directed by Wes Anderson
Voices: George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray

Daddy Says:

"They just don't make 'em like they used to." I say that a lot these days, probably a sign that I'm getting older. Most of the time, "they" don't make things like they used to because they've improved upon their methods, but sometimes I just find myself wishing for simpler times. Fantastic Mr. Fox is a movie that transports me back to those simpler times, when things were done the old-fashioned way: by hand.

Mr. Fox (voiced by George Clooney) is a sly, fast-talking thief (chicken thief mostly). Out to impress his wife (voiced by Meryl Streep), they get caught in a trap, which is when he learns that they're about to start a family. Mr. Fox makes a promise that if they get out alive, he will give up his thieving ways and go legit. But after several years, it's a promise he finds hard to live up to, as the call of the wild becomes too much to bear.

Fantastic Mr. Fox is an animated film, done using the old methods. For each frame, the miniatures of the characters are moved a fraction of an inch, then one frame of film is exposed and the process begins again. Since there are twenty-four of these frames for every second of time, you can see how this process can take a very long time to complete. I admire filmmakers with both the talent to create something from nothing, and the patience to see it through to the end.

But there's more to this movie than just great animation. The story is solid, the characters entertaining, and the voice work by the actors fits them perfectly. I enjoyed Fantastic Mr. Fox far more than I have most animated movies I've seen of late, and I recommend it to everyone looking for an entertaining experience, with or without kids.

Rating for Fantastic Mr. Fox: ****3/4

Daughter Says:

Fantastic Mr. Fox is an interesting movie. The animation was...well... interesting. I don't know if I liked this movie or if I just don't want to ever see it again. I was freaked out by the animation and I just didn't know what to do.

The foxes were terrifying to me. They ate their food like savage beasts and some of the scenes were just bizarre. I just couldn't get into this movie. The actors were fine in Fantastic Mr. Fox, but the animation was just wrong. I kept using the phrase, "This isn't normal!" Maybe I'm just a very sensitive person.

The story line on the other hand was fine. I followed that pretty well. The basic man vs. instinct story. A wild fox gone pet isn't normal and soon the wild fox wants to go wild once more. Maybe that's why the characters ate so strangely and the occasional just odd scene. I didn't really enjoy this movie. But it is defiantly a one of the kind movie.

My Rating for Fantastic Mr. Fox is **1/2.

The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009) (R)

The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009) (R)
Directed by Grant Heslov
Starring: George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, Ewan McGregor, Kevin Spacey

Daughter Says:

The Men Who Stare at Goats is a movie about a secret agency that was all about peace, love, and goats. The agency started when a military officer decided to go on a hippy crusade after the war in Vietnam. After his little adventure he decided he wanted to train soldiers to use their minds instead of guns. He thought it would be a better and more affective way to fight the enemy.

But the real story begins with a reporter who was sent on a dead end story about one of the men in the agency. The interviewee told his story but Ewan McGregor didn't take him seriously. Soon that would all change. When he finds out that his wife, Rebecca Mader (also starred in Lost), has cheated on him with his boss. Now trying to win the girl back, he sets off on an adventure that will blow your mind away.

There were a lot of great parts to this movie. There were funny moments and serious moments. A kidnap scene, a drug scene, a hippy scene, and of course a few goat scenes (what would a movie about men who stare at goats be without a few goats themselves). I found The Men Who Stare at Goats funny and a bit out there. I really enjoyed it. I think Grant Heslov did a great job on this movie and I would watch it again any time.

Rating for The Men Who Stare at Goats is ****.

Daddy Says:

This is a very strange film. It starts off with a title card reading "More of this is true than you would believe", and gets stranger from there. The soldiers say they are being trained as "jedi warriors", with the ability to psychically project to anywhere in the world, to find whatever needs to be found, to even walk through walls. Yeah, I didn't buy that last part either.

The actors do a fine job with their parts. Jeff Bridges channels his inner "dude" once again in a very likable role. George Clooney plays... well, George Clooney. Charming, as always. Kevin Spacey does good in his role as spoiler to the group. And Ewan McGregor plays his "everyman" character, like he did in Moulin Rouge, just without the singing.

My biggest problem with the film is that it's just not memorable. It was fine entertainment while I was watching it, so if you're looking for a good night's rental, I don't think you'll be disappointed. But if you're looking for a movie with something meaningful to say, or great scenes you'll remember a few days after you've seen it, than you might consider picking something else up instead.

Rating for The Men Who Stare at Goats: **3/4

Law Abiding Citizen (2009) (R)

Law Abiding Citizen (2009) (R)
Directed by F. Gary Gray
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Gerard Butler, Viola Davis, Bruce McGill

Daughter Says:

Law Abiding Citizen was about a man who wanted revenge for his wife and daughter's death after a break-in gone wrong. Clyde Shelton, played by Gerard Butler, isn't happy with his lawyer Nick Rice's decision on the case at hand. Soon Shelton takes matters into his own hands. He finds the murderer who killed his family and cuts the man up into a million pieces then kills him. Clyde gets caught on purpose so Nick Rice, played by Jamie Foxx, has to stop the guy from killing all the people involved in the case.

Even though Shelton is in jail, he keeps figuring out how to kill all of these people. I felt like this movie went from revenge to insane. The guy I thought we were supposed to be cheering for goes bad and the lawyer was bad then goes good, I don't know who I'm supposed to like and who I'm supposed to hate.

This movie was a bit predictable and dull, I guess. There were just so many things that could have been fixed or done better. Overall this movie was alright, but not one I want to see again so...

My rating for Law Abiding Citizen is **.

Daddy Says:

I really wanted to like this movie. It has two very likable actors in the lead roles: Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx. I've liked them in other roles, and they seemed to be trying their best here, so I'm left to conclude that they were let down by other aspects of the film. And I think we can put the blame squarely on the shoulders of the screenwriter here.

To start with, we're not given a chance to get to know Shelton's family more than about a minute before the doorbell rings and the bad guy starts swinging his baseball bat. The home invasion is intense, but because we don't know who these people are, it's hard to care about what's happening to them. The best we can do is say "What would we do if this happened to us?". I think that's where the screenplay was going, but Clyde's character goes so far overboard (we're talking Saw territory here), that we no longer identify with him. And since we've never identified with his lawyer (Jamie Foxx is a very likable actor, but his character here is so one-dimensional there's nothing to care about), we're left with no one to root for.

I suppose there should be some interest in trying to figure out how Clyde is killing people from behind bars, but, trust me, when the answer comes, you'll be shaking your head with disbelief. I really wanted to like this movie. I just couldn't care enough about it to do so.

Rating for Law Abiding Citizen: *1/4

Inglourious Basterds (2009) (R)

Inglourious Basterds (2009) (R)
Directed by Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Michael Fassbender, Eli Roth

Daughter Says:

Inglourious Basterds is movie that is graphic, violent and puts a twist on WWII. Lt. Aldo Raine, played by Brad Pitt, is a southern man who is the leader of a group know as the Basterds. This very violent, angry group is full of half Jews that are out to kill some Nazis. Lt. Aldo Raine sends these men out with a goal of a hundred scalps each from Nazi soldiers.

On the other side, Hitler sends out Col. Hans Landa, played beautifully by Christoph Waltz, to bring down these Basterds. Col. Hans Landa is one of the best Nazi soliders that ever hunted Jews. He says that the reason he is so good at what he does is because he can think like a Jew instead of a solider. Christoph Waltz created a terrifying man that all Jews should fear. It was just amazing.

I think Quentin Tarantino created an amazing movie once again. And it screamed Tarantino all the way through. There were a few gruesome parts, but then again it wouldn't be a Tarantino movie without some nasty parts. The only real problem I had with this movie was Brad Pitt's accent and the fictional part. I must say he can't do a very good southern accent and I know about what really goes down in history and Tarantino changed the whole story line, but that doesn't stop me from loving Brad Pitt or this movie.

I highly recommend this movie if you love a Quentin Tarantino movie and are looking for a new fictional twist on WWII.

I rate Inglourious Basterds **** 1/2.

Daddy Says:

I think I've said before that I've seen all of Tarantino's films, and I've enjoyed them all. His latest effort is one of his best. It displays all of his trademarks, from bare feet, to graphic violence, to his simple absolute love of the English language and what can be accomplished with it; this last being an amazing accomplishment since about two-thirds of this movie is in a different language.

The acting is uniformly excellent. Christoph Waltz genuinely earned his Academy Award for his performance here. Landa is one of the most chilling villains in movie history. He is constantly polite to everyone, giving them no reason to show any fear of him, meaning that if they do fear him it is because of their own guilt about something, which is how he catches them in the act. He is even called upon by the script to speak four different languages fluently. This is a multi-layered performance that is absolutely breathtaking to watch. If you see the film for no other reason, his performance alone is worth watching.

As for the Basterds, they aren't actually the main story here, as much as the trailers might suggest. At least half of the film is about the Jewish girl Shoshanna, who escapes Landa's death squad in the beginning of the movie, and through happy accidents is able to plot some measure of revenge for the death of her family and for all Jewish people. She is the real hero of the movie, not the Basterds who can best be described as anti-heroes.

The Basterds are doing some very nasty things to the people they kill (and that they let live -- shudder), and the only reason that we think that what they're doing is okay is because they're doing these things to Nazis. After you've seen it, think back on some of their actions (such as when Pitt refuses someone medical care to someone for the moment, in order to torture them for information) and ask yourself if these actions would be acceptable against anyone other than history's biggest villains.

I really enjoyed this movie. If you don't like Quentin Tarantino films, I doubt this one will make you any more of a fan. But for his fans, this is a wonderful movie. Highly recommended.

Rating for Inglourious Basterds: ****1/2

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (2005) (R)

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (2005) (R)
Directed by Shane Black
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Michelle Monaghan, Val Kilmer, Corbin Bernsen

Daddy Says:

Harry Lockhart (Robert Downey Jr.) is a small-time New York thief who robs department stores with his partner. After an alarm is tripped, they get split up and Harry stumbles into a casting office reading for a crime film. Harry, already stressed out from evading the police, and thinking his partner is already dead, breaks down during the audition. The casting director loves his "method acting" and casts him in the role. After flying to Los Angeles, Harry tries to reconnect with an old girlfriend named Harmony (Michelle Monaghan), and learn how to be a private investigator from the "technical advisor" for the film, a guy named Gay Perry (Val Kilmer). While out on surveillance with Perry, they see a car driven into a lake, a car which contains the dead body of the film producer's daughter (Corbin Bernsen).

If this all sounds deadly serious, a modern-day film noir, don't let my description fool you. This is a very funny action-comedy. Robert Downey Jr. displays an enormous amount of charm and wit, often stopping the movie to comment on his own narration as well as the absurdity of the proceedings. Val Kilmer also seems to be having a great time poking fun at his homosexual character. The script is well-written and the director allows us to see flashbacks when needed so that we don't get lost in the complicated story.

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang is almost a parody of the buddy-cop action movie genre. It never takes itself too seriously, and is almost an homage to the film noirs of decades past. I enjoyed it immensely.

Rating for Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang: ****1/4

Daughter Says:

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang had me laughing from the beginning. Even though Robert Downey Jr. plays a criminal, Harry Lockhart, that can't seem to get his head on straight, he is extremely smart and witty. Apart from getting his butt saved by a casting crew, Harry Lockhart, also becomes a detective by accident. This gets him into loads of trouble, which helps bring out more of the comedy

This movie is rated correctly in some cases. I didn't really care for some of the nudity. But the rest, including the cursing, wasn't a bad thing. The whole movie flowed very well and had hilarious moments that fit perfectly.

I would definitely recommend this movie for those people who are looking for a good laugh and love Robert Downey Jr.

I rate Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang: ****1/2.