Dave's Movie Page

I have been going to the movies on a regular basis and thought to offer a review of some.  So here is a new page where you can get my take on what is worth your time and what is a waste.  Feel free to disagree if you wish.  You are also free to ignore this information as well ;-)

August 19th - Expendables:  This movie got a rating of 39% positive at rotten tomatoes... I should have paid more attention and seen Salt for the second time.  The sheer scope of the violence is hard to describe.  At least with Salt the violence had a point.  I have lived a sheltered life I guess.  

August 12th - Inception second look:  More than one review said a second or third viewing might be necessary to explain the action and reveal more detail.  I was surprised at the nuances I missed the first time.  There were several parts of the plot that stood out the second time.  Seeing it the second time did not dull the impact of the suspense and in fact clarified the end of the movie.

August 5th - Sorcerers Apprentice 2nd look: The reviews for the current crop of movies were not great, so I will take a second look at one or more.  I like this movie and will look for the DVD down the road.

July 29th - Salt:  A female Bond... in reverse.  She is a Russian double agent trained in childhood for unquestioning obedience and planted in the CIA.  While the action is intense, it is also somehow hard to believe she can take down 4 or 5 armed men at once or jump from the top of an elevator shaft or from rooftop to rooftop of moving trucks (three times!).  So OK, you need to be uncritical when going to see a summer thriller and it does deliver on entertainment.  I liked the twist at the end as well. Do ya think there is a sequel in the works?

July 21 - Inception: This is a real edge of the seat thriller.  The movie doesn't waste a lot of time setting up the plotline.  The action picks up steam fast and the suspense never stops.  You quickly forget where they really are and get sucked into the action, which is intense.  Some good acting in this movie as well as some folks you will all recognize.  A definite must see movie.

July 15th - Sorcerers Apprentice: This one got some mixed reviews, mainly based on the director's & Nicolas Cage's reputation.  I don't know what the various reviewers expected.  I think it is just a typical Disney summer movie production.  I like / liked the Shrek movies and if you did too, you will enjoy this one as well.  It is kind of sappy (like Shrek) , but they manage to entertain with good special effects and high powered villains.  The apprentice, Dave Stutler, is played by the actor JAY BARUCHEL that did the voice of Hiccup in How to Train Your Dragon.  I liked Hiccup in Dragon.  Maybe that has something top do with liking this movie (do ya think :-).

July 8th - Eclipse: I had not seen any of the Twilight Saga, but was intrigued by the reviews and the 52% rating at rottentomatoes.  I liked the movie overall, probably because I had no preconception from the earlier installments, one of which is said to have sucked bad.  I liked the fact that it wasn't one of those dark horror movies, but one that actually made a credible attempt to portray werewolves and vampires in a "realistic" light.  This is a good movie to take your girl or wife to.  She will like the story and you won't think it sucks ;-)

July 1st - The Last Airbender:  This movie got killed by the critics.  It was given a rating of 8% at rottentomatoes!  I went to see it anyway based on the trailers I had seen.  I walked out thinking the acting deserved no more that a 3 of 10.  The main actors were kids that did not seem to have any energy or experience acting.  One reviewer suggests it is the director's fault in not getting a good read by the kids.  I don't know, but it detracted seriously from the movie.  That said, I enjoyed the story and the effects were intriguing.  A lot of imagination went into creating the sets, especially the Fire Nation's Vessels.  An entertaining, if slightly disappointing, movie with good action scenes and effects.

June 17th - The Karate Kid: Pretty much what you expect it to be.  It was entertaining if a bit slow developing.  Jackie Chan, (Mr. Han) gives a good performance, taking the "Kid" on a journey into a China few see.  One element they could have dropped is Mr. Han's fixation on the tragic death of his wife and son in a traffic accident.  IMO it added nothing to the plot or the character except perhaps as a nod to explaining Mr. Han's recluse.  If you missed it, go rent the DVD, you will enjoy it!

June 3rd & April 15th: How to Train Your Dragon:  If you can't guess from the fact I went twice, get a grip!  I really liked this movie.  The plot is sweet, even with the Vikings trying to kill the dragons at every turn.  You gotta love Hiccup, a 50 pound weakling in a land of 300 pound mounds of mussel.  Where the men are men and the women are too.  If you haven't seen it, I won't spoil it, but the plot develops in a completely unexpected direction with a great ending.  I may buy the DVD!

May 27th - Shrek:  If you liked the other Shrek movies, you will probably like this one as well.  I though it was good for a family oriented Disney movie.  It manages to keep you in suspense until the very last, so kudos to the staff.

May 20th - Iron Man 2:  Great new gadgets and indestructible flying suits the government wants for itself.   Naturally Tony Stark doesn't want to play, so there is a whole subtext going on with a senator involved with a mad scientist (gee wonder what will go wrong there?).   All's well that ends well (of course).

April 15th: How to Train Your Dragon: See June 3rd above

April 8th - Clash of the Titans: This one features Sam Worthington (of Avatar fame) as Perseus.  Some reviewers found Perseus lacking and I mostly agree.  Compared to the performance he gave in Avatar, this one seemed pretty dead-pan.  It is a good action movie and well worth renting for a "night out".

April 1st - Alice in Wonderland: Johnny Depp was good , the rest, not so much.  If you are going to do a remake, it is a good idea to do it better than the first one, don't you think?  For all the flashy effects and dazzling scenes, it falls short.

January, February & March - Avatar:  I saw this one 12 times and own the DVD.  The vision James Cameron brings to the screen is so realistic, it compels you into the Na Vi world without any room for skepticism.  It is very easy to simply get lost in this idyllic world.  The effects brought to life for this movie are not likely to be matched any time soon.  They gambled $400 million over 4 years and created a true block buster.  That is way too much risk for most studios to attempt a copy.  The plot is kind of tired and predictable, but that is easy to overlook while you are immersed in his world.  In case you can't tell, I think this is the best movie I have ever seen and I have seen nearly every Sci-Fi movie ever made.

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