High Roller: The Stu Ungar Story

Viewed: 1.23.07
Theater/DVD/Cable: Cable
Overall Review: 2 out of 5

Plot:
Lets follow little Stuey Ungar, the poker legend, from a kid to "the kid." Mediocrity ensues...

My Thoughts:
I noticed this flick was on one of my movie channels recently so I decided to give it a whirl. I've read nothing but bad things about it, but I usually like to paint my own picture and decide for myself. I will admit I did not have high hopes when I clicked play on my DVR, but I was not completely disappointed.

Granted, this is no award winning movie (well maybe one award), but I didn't think it was as bad as people made it out to be. To be honest, there was a lot about this movie I did not like, but I stayed interested enough to see it through. Usually if I can't stomach a movie because it is so bad, I'll just shut it off or leave the theater.

If you're looking for things to critique in this movie, you'll have plenty to work with. The acting, production, directing and vision is less than appealing. And don't get me started on the soundtrack. It is truly horrid. Still, I found a way to give this movie a chance and I'm glad I did. Now I can at least say that I've seen the movie.

If you have high hopes for this flick, prepare to be disappointed. However, if you are looking to kill 2 hours of your life watching an okay movie, prepare to qualify. I rate this one as Forgettable, but worth watching if you have nothing better to do. I never plan to watch it again and will not own the dvd, but I'm glad I watched it once.

Monster House

Viewed: 1.21.07
Theater/DVD/Cable: DVD
Overall Review: 3 out of 5

Plot:
A neighborhood house is causing all kinds of havoc, eating toys, people and whatever else walks on its lawn. Three kids dare to figure that shit out.

Memorable Quote:
Girl: "No, that's not the heart, it's the uvula."
Boy: "Oh, so it's a girl house."

My Thoughts:
If you don't have a child, then chances are you've never seen or heard of this movie. I had never heard of it until this afternoon. TripBoy and TripGirl stayed at Granny's house last night and they picked it up at the movie store so TripBoy would have something to watch. He watched it last night, but wanted me to watch it with him again today.

When they got home, I was about to fire up a poker game, but decided to shut down the computer after he asked if we could watchthe movie. He told me it was really scary and I might want to get a blanket to hide under. As it turns out, it was a little scary, but in a kid kind of way. I admit to jumping at least once when a scene caught me off guard. I've never heard of a childrens cartoon horror movie, but this one comes close. Think Toy Story, but scary.

As for the guts of this movie, I decided from the get go to take this for what it was...a chance to spend some time with boy and enjoy a simple movie. I'm really glad I did because we had a fun time huddling under the blanket waiting for the next scary thing to happen. He was definitely into this movie and I was caught up in his enthusiasm.

Now that I've gotten you into the idea of seeing this movie, let me throw a few warnings out there. This movie does not go deep. It will not knock your socks off or leave you ready to watch it again the next day. Take this movie for what it is...a kids movie with a couple of funny jokes and scary moments. If you start questioning plot holes and story lines, then you've missed the point. If you have a kid between the ages of 5 - 13, rent this movie and just have a good time with it. I did.

I give this one a 3 out of 5 as I had a good time with it. Had I not been with boy, it would probably drop some, but maybe not. I'm a simple guy and I take movies for what they are. This movie won't find its way in my DVD collection, but I'm guessing I'll have to buy it for the boy. That's cool with me.

Children Of Men

Viewed: 1.06.07
Theater or DVD: Theater
Overall Review: 4 out of 5

Plot:
The year is 2027 and the world is in dissaray due to the unexplained inability of women to reproduce for the last 18 years. With each dying person, the world grows closer to extinction. Chaos ensues.

Memorable Quote: "As the sound of the playgrounds faded, the despair set in. Very odd, what happens in a world without children's voices."

My Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this movie. It is not for everyone, but really pulled me in and had its way with me. I will admit, it is a slow paced movie that takes time to build up, but the last 30 minutes blew me away. The directing and vision were stellar throughout. I came into this movie expecting a low budget, artsy flick, but was really shown the goods. Clive Owen and Michael Caine did a great job in their respective roles.

Like I said, this one is definitely not for everyone, and probably isn't "date night" material, but it worked for both ChickJax and I. It took some time for me to really understand everything that was going on, but along the way I managed to fill in the blanks. Still, I think seeing this one again will probably do me some good. We will definitely be renting this one. If you do the same, get the kids to bed before you fire it up cause their are some pretty graphic battle scenes at the end.

CineJax Rating Scale

I dated this post 01.01.07 so it wouldn't get mixed in with the movie reviews, but this was actually written 03.01.08.

1 out of 5 ~ Look away, it's hideous!
2 out of 5 ~ Erm, not so goot.
3 out of 5 ~ Not too shabby.
4 out of 5 ~ Strong to quite strong.
5 out of 5 ~ Sweet Lincoln's mullet, this movie rawked!

What Is CineJax?

I dated this post 01.01.07 so it would not show up mixed in with the moview reviews, but it was actually written 03.01.08

Hi kids, TripJax here. I started reviewing movies as a side project in early 2007. Somewhere along the way Kajagugu joined me and has basically done most of the posts for the last 6 months. I've decided to quit being a wanker and get busy reviewing.

I've updated the blog as follows...

• Only the latest post will be listed on the main page to keep things simple.
• The 5 Most Recent Posts are available on the sidebar.
• The complete Blog Archive is available on the sidebar.
• A Labels section is available on the sidebar to find movies in several different ways.
• A movie player has been embedded at the bottom of the blog for easy access to trailers of all movies we have reviewed (assuming they are available on YouTube).

If you have a movie you would like to be reviewed, be sure to leave us a comment. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy!