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!

Syriana

Viewed: 03.06.08
Medium: DVD on laptop
Overall Review: 3.5 out of 5

Plot:
A big US oil corp loses a major contract to a China corp, meanwhile a small US oil corp lands a deal with Kazakhstan. The big and small companies attempt a merger, but are investigated by the gubment prior to the deal going down. Stuff gets blown up, corruption rears its ugly head and hilarity ensues.

Memorable Quote:
"In this town you're innocent until you're investigated."

My Thoughts:
Okay strike that last part in the above Plot section about hilarity ensuing. This was a very serious movie that was much deeper than I expected. On at least three occasions I clicked back a few minutes to soak up a scene again and make sure I understood before moving on.

A quick thought about the production before I get to the goods. Sometimes I watch a movie and wonder how they could afford to make it. As I watched this film it came across as a pretty expensive one to make. Yet I don't recall it getting a ton of press or theater time. I bought the DVD last year when Walmart was selling it for $5.00 then immediately shelved it. I just don't get the feeling it made mad dollars overall, but who knows. I never really gave watching it much of a thought until recently. I'm glad I did.

I enjoyed the actors in their roles. Everyone seemed to somehow fit perfectly in their skin. The plot was interesting because it felt real to me. Oil is big business and, for many, it is life. The essence of this movie is that oil runs the world and there are so many players and actions behind the scene that most of us take for granted. This movie gives you a chance to experience this corrupt, cut-thoat business first hand.

The only drawback I could find was this flick is almost too deep. It goes in so many different directions it is hard to keep up. There were some characters that, after 2 hours of watching the movie, I still couldn't remember their name or completely understand their role.

If you can handle a serious movie about the corrupt big business of oil, then gives Syriana a spin. You can probably find it for $5 at your local Walmart. And don't forget to check out the movie trailer via the movie player below.

Pan's Labyrinth

Viewed: 02.08.07
Theater/DVD/Cable: Theater
Overall Review: 4.5 out of 5

Plot:
A very pregnant woman takes her imaginative daughter to the mountains of Spain, circa 1944, to meet her new stepfather, a fascist military captain. As the self righteous captain and his men "hold down the fort" and fight the last of the post civil war rebels, the despondent little girl immerses herself into her own phantasmic imagination.

My Thoughts:
Pan's Labryinth is, in my mind, a masterpiece by director, Guillermo Del Toro. This movie was so intensely beautiful, yet so tragic. It grips at your heart and somehow makes you happy and sad at the same time.

It is not often a movie can be so dark and hopeless, yet magical and creepy. It is absolutely worth the price of admission to see it on the big screen. I will offer a few warnings however. First, the movie is subtitled, so prepare to do a fair amount of reading. If you aren't down with that type of movie, then move along.

Second, this movie is not some Harry Potter or The NeverEnding Story kidfest. While there are moments with fairys and such, at its core this movie is dark and, at times, disturbing. Finally, I think this movie is just different from your typical American movie. At times you can just tell it is a foreign film. I do not write this with negative intent. I think it is great that this movie is breaking into our market and I really applaud the producer for getting it done. It's easy with Del Toro's movies.

As a side note, I got my feet wet with the Del Toro movie, The Devil's Backbone, which I also loved (here is the youtube video for that movie). That movie was creepy and I really dug it as well.

The Forgotten

Viewed: 1.20.07
Theater/DVD/Cable: Cable
Overall Review: 3 out of 5

Plot:
Emotions turn from sad to pissed for a mother grieving her sons sudden death 14 months ealrier, when she's told he never actually existed in the first place. Strange and supernatural shit ensues.

Memorable Quote:
I had life inside me. I had life. I have a child. I have a son. I have a son, and his name is Sam, you son of a bitch.

My Thoughts:
This movie was on one of my Starz/Encore movie channels last month, so I thought I would give it a whirl. I'd seen the previews a few years back, but never had a chance to hit the theaters or rent the dvd. Back then, it fell off the map rather quickly, so i didn't expect to be blown away.

As I suspected, this one didn't exactly leave me amazed, but I will say I did enjoy it for what it was worth. The title is rather telling as this movie is indeed forgettable. I'm guessing that is why it didn't kill it in the theaters. However, I stayed focused during the movie and found parts of it rather interesting.

The movie takes an interesting turn in the latter parts, which for me was a relief. What starts as a rather boring movie about a potentially psychotic woman, turns all transcendental on us. This intersting plot twist, while not mind blowing, gave the movie just enough gusto to keep me interested.

On a side note, there was a pretty wicked car crash scene that reminded me of those commercials from VW for their GTI. You know the ones where people are just riding down the road talking random stuff and then, blammo, they are hit by another car. I wonder which came first, the movie or the commercials.

The Forgotten is forgettable, but worth a go if you've nothing better to do. If you are looking for a mind-blowing, thought provoking experience, you will be disappointed. However, if you are looking for a decent movie to break the monotony, this one may be your huckleberry.

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.