I guess with the economy being what it is, I can’t begrudge anyone for taking any job they can get to get by. The difference between Hollywood and the rest of us is that when actors take whatever is offered irrespective of quality, millions of dollars are involved. There is nothing like cashing in on your name in Hollywood to fatten up the old bank account. Exhibit A of such a practice is the subject of today’s review, a mildly humorous and forgettable comedy starring Robin Williams and John Travolta, Old Dogs. Read the full story

Steven Soderbergh’s films are if nothing, very complicated, with layer upon layer of intrigue. From Ocean’s 11,12 and 13 to Traffic it can get to be very difficult to keep up with the action and figure out where the film is heading. Dealing with an actual historical event and the lives of real people, it is a bit easier to follow a film as you already know the actual outcome. Making these characters and these stories into a great film is much more difficult than with works of pure fiction. Which brings us to the subject of today’s review, The Informant. Read the full story

The pairing of Jack Lemon and Walther Matthau was a staple of 70’s and after the two had basically been declared retired from acting; they headlined Grumpy Old Men together. Surprisingly it became a financial success and was received fairly well among critics. The film gave new life to their careers and the pair went on to make a series of films together, including a sequel to ‘Grumpy’; Grumpier Old Men. How do the two films hold up on Blu-ray and is this double-feature release a worthy representation of the milestone in these actors’ classic filmography?

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As mentioned in my review for The Princess Bride, it is nice to see older titles now being made available on Blu-ray at attractive prices. Not only does it allow the collector to affordably upgrade their collection, it also allows them to fill in holes where they’ve missed a movie in a previous format.

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There are some actors who are natural born bad guys, a real heavy, ones that just have that edginess that makes you believe that they are ready to step over the edge and do something very dangerous. I can’t say that I ever thought of Meg Ryan as that type of actress. However, that is the type of role she is cast in in the film that is the subject of today’s review, Serious Moonlight. Can she pull it off? Read the full story

Released in theaters in the autumn of 2009, Women in Trouble contains a pretty impressive cast, featuring the likes of Carla Gugino (Spy Kids, Sin City), Adrianne Palicki (Legion), and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (500 Days of Summer) among several others.  Now arriving on Blu-ray, the film brings its cast and story to your home February 16^th.  The film was written and directed by Sebastian Gutierrez (The Eye, Snakes on a Plane) who has another production in the works, connected to Women in Trouble, that will be released this year.  Before we can check out that film, let’s take a glance at how Gutierrez’s 2009 work faired. Read the full story

Black Dynamite follows in the footsteps of Grindhouse, resembling and satirizing exploitation films from the past, however Black Dynamite covers the blaxploitation films of the 70’s. Does it pale in comparison to similar films such as Jackie Brown or does its comic nature make it a whole new breed of cool? Read the full story

Confession time.  Yes, I am old enough that I saw National Lampoon’s Vacation at a real life movie theatre.  If memory serves correct, it was at the Garrick Theatre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and I had orange soda shoot out of my nose when laughing at the hilarious adventures of the Griswolds and their Travel Queen Family Truckster.  Vacation is one of those rare movies that still appeals as much to me today as it did when I was younger. Read the full story

In light of my name, I thought a review of a film entitled Whip It would be a natural. I had never heard of the film before and only knew that it starred Ellen Page and involved Roller Derby, a “sport” that I thought had disappeared from view long ago. You never know about these things as every now and then a film comes up that takes you totally by surprise with how entertaining it is. Whip It is just such a film. Read the full story

One of my favorite memories of when the VHS format gave way to DVD was when a great list of catalog titles were re-released on DVD, and usually at an extremely attractive price.  Not only did it allow the collector to quickly build a collection, it also gave them the benefits of higher quality audio and video of movies they loved. Read the full story

Most of my movie-loving friends have already seen Boogie Nights while I had not.  Considering the film had as much popularity as it did and it’s well over a decade old now, it was high time I sat down for a watch of this flick.  I heard fragments of the content here and there so being the red-blooded male that I am, of course my interest was peaked.  But even a hot, scantly clad (or no clad) woman is not enough in and of itself to make a film good.  How is the acting, the plot, the climax, the believability?  You will find the answers to all these questions in this review of Boogie Nights. Read the full story

One of the more interesting experiences one can have as a movie reviewer is to be asked to review a movie you’ve never heard of.  This can be good as you see the movie with no preconceptions, and there is always the opportunity to find a “hidden treasure”. Read the full story

I will have to admit that I hadn’t really heard of this film before it arrived on my doorstep. It has been my general experience since I began to do these reviews that when I normally haven’t heard of a film, there is a very good reason for that, namely, it is a bad film. While not completely awful, The Invention of Lying is another film that proves the general rule. And that is too bad as the premise for the film was actually rather promising. Read the full story

For the most part, it seems that sequels to popular films are nothing but money grabs, attempts to cash in yet again on the popularity of the first film. It this regard, they show little in the way of originality and feature the same cast and essentially the same story line as the prior film, albeit often times taking place a few years later. Same cast, same story and essentially the same film. I am not saying that sequels are bad…  far from it, as they have been several tremendous sequels, especially recent ones, with The Bourne films and The Dark Knight coming to mind. It is just that I look at sequels with a bit of a jaded eye, especially comedies. Which brings us to the subject of this review, Cheaper By The Dozen 2. Read the full story

I  feel the need to get something off my pulmonary cavity before I even begin here.  Make no mistake; I am a gargantuan fan of the Diablo Cody horror comedy film Jennifer’s Body.  Since owning the Blu-ray disc last Tuesday it has frequented my Blu-ray drive a total of seven majestic times.  I just can’t seem to get enough of it.  Like most movies I have seen this past year, the second viewing at home has been the most crucial in determining its cultural relevance within my life and usually the most applauding, as is the case here.  Let’s take a closer look to see why Jennifer’s Body may not have been the most successful film at the box office last year, but why it will live on in the hearts of many as an instant cult classic in their home video collection. Read the full story

After seeing some rather heavy faire at our local cineplex recently, we decided to take in a light romantic comedy at home the other night. At least that was what we thought we were getting with All About Steve, teaming America’s sweetheart, Sandra Bullock, up with Bradley Cooper and Thomas Haden Church and the producers of one of Sandra Bullock’s prior hits, Miss Congeniality. Well, we were wrong, as there is nothing remotely romantic or funny for that matter about All About Steve. Read the full story

No one’s perfect. Even the greatest of athletes fail to come through in the clutch occasionally. The big slugger who knocks one out of the park will occasionally pop one up or whiff with the game on the line. The same is true for directors, who, even with the greatest of resumes come out with a clunker every now and then. Which brings us to Mike Judge, the man behind the film that is the subject of today’s review, Extract. Mike Judge has quite a resume of his own with Beavis and Butthead, King of the Hill and the film Office Space. Will Mike come through in the clutch again or will he whiff? Unfortunately, he whiffs this time around. Again, no one’s perfect. Read the full story