As a guy, I’m not supposed to like musicals. Wait…that sounds really familiar, I remember now. It was the first like of my review of “Rent”. It is as true now as it was then. As I sat in the theater I got the impression that I was going to lose a few “man cards.” Here I was about to watch “Hairspray,” the movie of a musical I had actually seen and to top it all off, I was sitting next to my mother (no offense ma, it’s all about making the review riveting). So imagine my surprise when, yet again, I actually enjoyed it.
It is the 1960’s in Baltimore and everyday after school Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) and her best friend Penny (Amanda Bynes) run home to watch the popular dance show The Corny Collins Show. It has always been Tracy’s dream to dance on the show even though her weight does not meet the shows standards When Corny Collins (James Marsden) holds auditions for a new cast member Tracy goes to the try out and ends up getting the part. Amber Von Tussle (Brittany Snow) and her mother Velma (Michelle Pfieffer) want to keep the show full of skinny, good looking white kids and do their best to keep it that way. With the help of her friends Seaweed (Elijah Kelly), Penny and Tracy’s parents (Christopher Walken and John Travolta) she vows to integrate the show.
I was really impressed with all the performances in this movie, except one. John Travolta. When he was cast as Edna Turnblad, I was skeptical. From what I know, only men have played the role. What it was the bothered me was he did not really sing. He spoke the lines he was supposed to be singing. It’s not that he cannot sing, anyone who has seen “Grease” knows he has a really good voice (there goes another one of my “man cards”). In the play the actors who played Edna at times sung in a low register adding a little more humor to the role. Travolta stayed in the fake female voice for the entire movie and that took away from what the character could have been.
Other than that, everyone was really good in the roles they played. Christopher Walken did a really good job as the odd father. Having ignored Amanda Bynes since I stopped watching “All That” when I was 11 or 12, I was really impressed with her singing ability and to my surprise she can actually act. Queen Latifah was perfect as Motormouth Maybelle and no one else could have played the character any better. I was even impressed with Zac Efron as heartthrob Link Larkin.
The one actress who out shines all of her many and well cast costars is Nikki Blonsky. This is not only her first big movie, but it is also her first movie ever. She does a great job and is, as cliché as it sounds, a star in the making. She has a really good voice and a fairly decent actor. She had a lot to do in this movie. She had to sing, dance and act and did them all very well. “Hairspray” in all of its many incarnations has cast an unknown in the role of Tracy (Ricki Lake in the original movie and Marissa Jaret Winokur in the musical) and they continued that tradition in the movie musical. (Also stay tuned for the credits and you can hear all three original Tracys sing “Mamma I’m A Big Girl Now.”)
While it does stray a little from the musical, “Hairspray” is still a decent adaptation of the musical. It was fun, light-hearted (besides the theme of racism) and an easy movie to enjoy. The music is catchy and don’t be surprised if you find yourself singing it days after seeing the movie.
7 out of 10
Rated PG
1 hr 47 mins
I can remember the first time I had a favorite movie. It was Die Hard. I watched it every time I saw it on TV and eventually got the series on VHS (that’s right folks we are going WAY back). John McClane was the embodiment of the action hero. He always seemed to be in the right place at the wrong time. He was witty, sarcastic and tough. He did what he had to do, not because he wanted to, but because he has to. It is for those reasons I was both excited and worried when I learned that there was going to be a fourth Die Hard movie.
“Live Free or Die Hard,” or “Die Hard 4.0” depending to whom you talk, is the fourth installment in the “Die Hard” series. This time John McClane (Bruce Willis) has been asked to transport computer hacker Matt Farrell (Justin Long) from New York City to Washington D.C to be questioned on some recent suspicious activity that the government noticed on the internet. The terrorists responsible try to kill Farrell before he can get there. When McClane gets him to the government, he becomes a target and the leader Thomas Gabriel (Timothy Olyphant) will stop at nothing, including kidnapping John’s estranged daughter Lucy (Mary Elizabeth Winsted) to keep McClane from stopping him from shutting down America.
I heard about this movie years ago and over that time I have been both looking forward to and dreading the release. While a part of me really wanted another movie, the other part of me was convinced that it would destroy the franchise that redefined the action hero. I knew that no matter what I was going to see this movie and I had to prepare myself for a major disappointment.
I was so very wrong. I loved this movie. It kept all the things that made the originals good and did not try to reinvent the franchise. McClane is still the reluctant hero who always has a wise remark for the bad guy he is after. He keeps fighting even when the odds are stacked against him. It was everything I thought it was not going to be.
Bruce Willis delivers an aging John McClane. He is getting too old for the job and just wants to do his job and get home. When he is told that he has to take Farrell to D.C, he does it begrudgingly. When he finds himself once again as the hero he does so only because he has to. What struck me the most was we get another side of McClane in this movie. When, in a quiet moment, Ferrell asks him why he does it, McClane says “because there is no one else to do it right now.” It is a nice moment that gives an insight into the character.
Justin “I’m A Mac” Long plays off Willis very well. McClane is, for the most part, serious and battle hardened. Farrell on the other hand is not. He has never seen shootouts, bullets flying and explosions like this before. His inexperience in dangerous situations makes for some very funny lines as he gazes in disbelief at what he sees.
Even as a PG-13 movie, “Live Free or Die Hard” is still worthy of the “Die Hard” title, despite less gore, swearing and, the famous line being edited. The movie still delivers on what an action movie should be and I for one, would be happy to see another sequel if they could make it this good.
8 out of 10
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, language and a brief sexual situation.
2 hrs 10 mins
After more then a month, I finally got the chance to go see a movie. It was not one this summer’s blockbusters with pirates or robots that turn into cars. It was not one of the multitudes of animated children’s movies or one of the endless sequels. It was the simple story of a waitress.
In “Waitress,” Jenna (Keri Russell) works at a restaurant in the South. She has an amazing ability to invent pies and loves her job. She is unhappily married to Earl (Jeremy Sisto) who is very controlling and takes all her money. She hides away as much money as she can so that one day she will have enough to get away from her controlling husband. She dreams of entering and winning a pie baking competition, but Earl refuses to let her leave.
One day she finds that, much to her dismay, she is pregnant. She decides to keep this from her husband and only lets her fellow co-workers, Becky (Cheryl Hines) and Dawn (Adrienne Shelly), know her little secret. As she goes in for her checkups she begins to fall in love with and eventually has an affair with Dr. Pomatter (Nathan Fillion).
Keri Russell is really good and gives the best performance of the movie. Jenna is a good person who is dealing with unfortunate circumstances. Her husband treats her with no respect and feels like she cannot fend for herself. Russell plays Jenna as both weak and strong at the same time. Jenna is strong in every other aspect of her life and has hopes and dreams, but in her marriage she becomes submissive and almost afraid of her husband.
The surprise performance of this movie is Andy Griffith as Old Joe the owner of the restaurant where Jenna works. The other waitresses dislike him because he is demanding and can be somewhat mean towards them. Jenna does not see him this way, she befriends him and they become close over the course of the film. He knows all about her situation and he tells her that it is never too late to start over. He is the one who gives her the motivation to keep on trying. Griffith plays Joe as both funny and poignant. Joe is a man who knows what he wants and demands that it that way, but he also is a genuine, caring person who wants what is best for Jenna.
“Waitress” is writer/director Adrienne Shelly’s last movie before she was murdered in her New York City apartment. Even with that looming in the back of the mind, this movie is still very good. Shelly wrote some really great and loveable characters. None of the characters slow the movie down, they each have their parts to play and keep the story going. All signs point to this being Shelly’s breakout movie. Sadly, she never got to see the success this movie has been. It spent three weeks in the top 10 peaking at number five. 
“Waitress” is an original, funny, genuine and touching movie. It doesn’t have any of the Hollywood big shots or huge special effects. It is a movie that is driven by a story and by the characters. All the performances are really good and make this movie what it is.
8 our of 10
Rated PG-13 for sexual content, language and thematic elements.
Runtime: 107 min
Expectations are dangerous things for a movie. In some cases too much can doom a movie for disappointment (a la Spider-Man 3) or the lack of can make for a pleasant surprise. Then there are those movies where even when you have heard everything there is to hear, you still have no idea what to expect.
“Children of Men” takes place in a grim future. Immigrants are rounded up and put far outside the city, wars rage and terrorists attack on a daily basis and the government is virtually non-existent. Along with all that, women can no longer give birth and the last time a baby was born 18 years ago in 2006. Now humanity is facing extinction within then next century. Theo (Clive Owen) seems content to welcome the end to humanity until his ex-wife Julian asks him to help Kee (Claire-Hope Ashitey) an immigrant who has gotten pregnant get to the Human Project, a group who is working to solve the infertility problem. If the government found out that this immigrant was pregnant it would result in chaos.
What impressed me about the movie was the theme of hope that is present. The world is hopeless, Theo is hopeless, but all that could change. Kee’s baby is hope for the continuation of the human race. The need for her to have a successful birth and have a healthy baby is crucial for everyone.
Theo has been in a fog since his son died from the flu many years ago. Kee gives him the hope he needs. Once he sees that Kee is pregnant, he fights to make sure that Kee gets to where she has to go. He becomes a man with a purpose and is willing to risk everything to make sure Kee succeeds.
The most moving scene in the movie is after Kee has given birth, people who claimed they were going to help her kidnap her and Theo goes after them to save her. There is a battle going on between the army and the terrorists as Theo makes his way to Kee. When he finally gets Kee back, they make their way out to safety. The baby starts crying and all around them look in awe. The soldiers who hear the baby cry, stop firing and give the cease fire command. They all watch as Theo, Kee and the baby make their way past them. When they are safe, the battle begins again. 
Clive Owen does an amazing job, as per usual (see my review of Inside Man). He proves again that he (along with Christen Bale and Edward Norton) is one of the top three actors working today. He is able to play a hopeless man who finds hope through Kee. He is an amazing actor who never disappoints. 
Even with everything I had heard about this movie, I still had no idea what to expect. I was surprised; it had a powerful story and plenty of action to keep from getting boring and “talky.” It is able to deliver an interesting story and not add in enough excitement to keep the viewer riveted.
Nothing like being surprised by a movie to make you truly enjoy it. There are no expectations so you cannot be disappointed. These movies are the ones that can be watched on a whim or one that even with all the talk still remains a mystery to you. It is these movies always seem to be worth watching just to make your own opinion.
8 out of 10
Rated R
1 hr 50 min
I needed a little longer to think about “Spider-Man 3” than any other movie I have reviewed over the past year. It’s not that it was horrible, but it is not because it was the greatest movie of all time. There was so much hype and I was so looking forward to this that I needed to makes sure that my initial feelings were correct. So, here it goes.
The third and possible final, but seeing as it is crushing box office records I doubt this is it, Spider-Man movie continues the story of Peter Parker (Toby McGuire) and his alter-ego Spider Man. This time around, Peter Parker finally has the love of his life Mary Jane (Kristen Dunst) and he has found the balance between his normal life and his super hero life. One night an alien parasite lands near Peter and MJ as they relax in a web. It catches a ride on Pete’s scooter and eventually fuses to the suit giving it the black look that you have seen in all the commercials/trailers.
Harry Osborn’s obsession with destroying Spider-Man/Peter Parker has caused him to become the new Goblin. He uses the same chemical that made his father the Green Goblin to make him super strong and go after Spider-Man.
Meanwhile, Flint Marko (Thomas Haden Church) has escaped from jail and on is on the run. After being chased into an experimental lab (I think) gets his molecules fused with sand. He becomes made of sand and starts up a crime spree (kinda) to get his sick daughter better health care (or something like that).
I guess that is all. There is so much going on in this movie that has very little to do with the plot that I honestly cannot explain it all in a coherent manner. Now allow me to vent and I apologize if the following is as convoluted as the plot of the movie.
There was way too much love story in this movie. Yes, Mary Jane is an integral part of the Spider-Man story, but we do not need 2 hours of it. That is what we got, of 2 and a half hours of movie, there was, and I am not kidding, 2 hours of the love story between MJ and Peter. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. We get it, Peter and MJ have a very complicated relationship. Move on to the action scenes.
As long as I am on the topic of action scenes, there were so few action scenes. There were 3 bad guys in the movie and yet the fight scenes were less then 15 percent of the movie. The action was so poorly handled that they underutilize some very cool bad guys. There was so much more that could have been done in terms of action. Spider-Man takes about 10 minuets in two fights with Sandman, five with the New Goblin and about 10 with Venom, the one bad guy everyone wanted to see him fight. There is no excuse for it at all.
Before I throw my computer out the window because I’m so angry about how mishandled, lets move on to the only really cool thing about the movie; the special effects of Sandman. That was the highlight of the entire disappointment that was “Spider-Man 3.” It looked really good, looked a lot like sand and was very well done. Not much more to say on that point.
There were a few cool moments in the movie, but they cannot save the movie. I was overwhelmed when I first came out of the theater and gave the movie a rating of an 8 initially, but dwelling on it, the rating has been lowered. Now, this is not as tight, thorough or even as good a review as I could give, but if the film makers put such a half-assed attempt, then why should I?
6 out of 10
Rated PG-13
2 hrs 20 mins
