Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

Viewed: 03.20.08
Medium: Hulu
Overall Review: 3.5 out of 5

Plot:
The Brits and the French break bad in the middle of the ocean with Napoleon's boys sailing in a far superio ship. Not to be out done, the Brits get tricky with their old ship in hopes of taking down Le Boat De Resistance (okay that's not the real name of the French boat). Rum induced hilarity ensues (not really).

Memorable Quote:
"Do you want to call that raggedy-ass Napoleon your King?!"

My Thoughts:
First off, I want to mention how I watched this movie. I noted in a recent post over at TripJax that I've been getting into Hulu. Hulu is a place to watch free movies and tv shows without having to download anything or even sign-up for an account. The catch is you just have to watch a couple of short commercials spread out through the movie or show. Pretty f'ing cool if you ask me.

Moving on to the movie at hand. I have to say, I really enjoyed Master & Commander. I'm a sucker for movies that have that Epic feel. I also digs me a period piece where a little part of history is detailed in an exciting way. This movie hit on all cylinders factoring in those things.

I admit I don't think this was Russell Crowe's best showing, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. He and the actor who played the ships doctor worked well together and pretty much made the movie for me. I also enjoyed how authentic everything looked. Nothing ever felt contrived or out of place. Nothing ever blew me away or left me with my eyes wide open, but I enjoyed the movie for keeping me intrigued from start to finish.

Considering this movie is nearly 5 years old, you can probably get it pretty cheap if you decide you want to check it out. I saw it at Walmart for $5, but once I saw I could watch it for free, I figured I would just go that route. I love watching movies on my laptop as I'm completely focused and can hear every detail with my headphones on.

Remember, you can always watch the trailer via the embedded video player below. Enjoy!

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.