Welcome To My Blog
My name is Luke and I love movies. My blog is still a work in progress so it will probably look different from time to time. To start things off I simply will say I work in a video store, am an aspiring writer and amateur doodler. I am writing this blog to share honest unbiased reviews of movies, T.V. shows and internet videos. I feel that movies are the best thing man has ever invented and will strive to point you toward good films, and help you avoid the bad ones. So without further delay let’s get to the reviews for this week. My scoring is based on a simple 5 star system. Five stars is the best possible for me, while 1 star is something terrible.
2012
5 out of 5 stars
Staring: John Cusack, Danny Glover, and Oliver Platt, with Woody Harrelson.
Rated: PG-13, Action/Disaster
Let me start by saying I think this may be the best disaster film ever made. 2012 the actual year is believed by many to be the year that the world is going to end for us all, just like 2000 right? Well, basically without spoiling the story here is the lowdown.
The sun is kicking out a lot more solar radiation than usual and this radiation is cooking the Earth like a microwave from the inside out. Once the governments of the world get wind of this they begin a frantic 3 year plan to try and save something of humanity and government. Enter John Cusack, a failed writer turned limo driver who against insurmountable odds is trying to save his kids from the impending disaster. With appearances by Danny Glover portraying a Barock Obama-ish president. I found his performance as the United States President to be fantastic and even though his screen time is short, it was one of the best performances of the movie. The film also has a cameo by Woody Harrelson. Harrelson portrays a crazy recluse whose theories on the apocalypse turn out not to be so crazy after all. This film is a bit long, but kept me entertained the whole time. Extremely full of action, this movie also has some emotionally charged scenes as well that may induce some tears in some viewers. Releasing on Blu-Ray and DVD on March 2, this is one film worth seeing.
Ponyo
4 out of 5 stars
Starring the voice talents of: Liam Neeson, Cate Blanchett, with Betty White and many other voice talents as well.
Rated: G, Animated/Fantasy.
I don’t normally watch Disney movies, the last Disney I watched and liked was Pirates of the Caribbean 2. But this Disney is only Disney in name. This I believe is more suitably an Anime. Anime for anyone who doesn’t know is basically an animated film that is produced in Japan. Anime is actually one of Japan’s biggest exports, and now with the Toyota scandal may become # 1. Anime is drastically different than American Animation. For starters Anime is more detailed and has a fuller color variety. Anime is enjoyed by adults and kids alike, unlike most cartoons. Well, I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this, but I can honestly say it did not disappoint me. The film is extremely easy and enjoyable to watch. Once it was finished in Japan, Disney brought the film over to the U.S. and assembled and impressive voice cast for the English voice over. While this film will not be for everyone, I believe a lot of children will like it and any adults who are fans of Anime will enjoy it as well.
Ponyo is basically the story of the Little Mermaid redone for a new audience. With some scenes so full of color and action, it definitely gave my LCD T.V. a work out. Ponyo hits the shelves on Tuesday March 2 on Blu-Ray and DVD, and I believe will become a classic for Disney.
Couples Retreat
3 out of 5 stars
Starring: Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, Jason Bateman, and Kristen Bell.
Rated: PG-13, Comedy
I watched this one on DVD back during the height of the blizzard of 2010. I had just finished a long stint at the video store and had been stuck away from home going on 3 days. I risked death driving my little car home on roads covered in 4 inches of snow and ice and after getting home finally popped this film in. As promised it did make me laugh, not quite like the Hangover did months ago, but laugh none the less. Perhaps I wouldn’t have sat through this one if I hadn’t been so tired, but in hind sight I’m glad I did. This film while not side splitting is funny and definitely worth seeing once. It is not a repeat watch though. The basic plot is 4 couples go on a tropical get away that is supposed to strengthen and save relationships.
If you need a good laugh and are not in the mood for action or drama, pick this one up. Currently on Blu-Ray and DVD, this warm climate movie will get your mind off the cold outdoors for a couple of hours.
The Box
1 out of 5 stars
Starring: Cameron Diaz, James Marsden, and Frank Langella.
Rated: PG-13, Suspense/Thriller.
The Box is based off a 40 year old short story call “Button, Button” by Richard Matheson. Matheson has had several stories converted to film. “What Dreams May Come”, “I am Legend” to name a couple. This one is however horrible compared to his other adaptations. The movie takes a very simple short story and stretches it out for 2 hours. I frankly almost went to the theaters for this one thinking it would be good like the short story, I would have vainly begged for a refund if I had gone. I even fast forwarded through the DVD; it was that bad. I am not exactly sure what happened in the film, being that it made no sense, but here is what I could gather. A disfigured man played by Frank Langella comes to Diaz and Marsden’s house with an offer. He will leave a “Button Unit” with them for 24 hours, if they push the button they will get 1 million dollars, but somewhere in the world someone they don’t know will die. From this intriguing offer the movie takes some very bizarre twists and turns and frankly lost me along the way.
Already on Blu-Ray and DVD, I would recommend you read the book instead.
In Closing
Well that’s it for this week. I’ll be writing one blog per week, so keep tuning in. I will review new movies, T.V. shows and popular internet videos every week and give honest unbiased reviews for everything. Thank you for reading and stay entertained.
