Feeling the weight of middle age upon his shoulders, Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) rebels against his cheating wife (Annette Bening) and ungrateful daughter (Thora Birch). Seeking to relive the life of a twenty something, he leaves his high profile job to work at a local fast food joint and along the way develops a dangerous infatuation with one of his daughter's friends (Mena Suvari) that can only lead to trouble.
Time has a strange effect on ones perceptions and tastes in movies and that's certainly the case here. I remember in 1999 how powerful I found this film due to the great performances and wonderful direction from first time director Sam Mendes. As a 41 year old father of a teenage girl, I find the subject matter too disturbing and the behavior of Spacey's character criminal and sickening.
It's a race against time when a rogue prince (Jake Gyllenhaal) reluctantly teams up with a rival princess (Gemma Arterton) to safeguard a magical dagger that gives its possessor the power to reverse time and rule the world.
Adapting a video game into a feature film is a challenging task, but producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Mike Newell actually pull it off here. Sure, the story isn't very thought-provoking, but there's plenty of action and enough comic relief from Alfred Molina to entertain the family for a couple of hours. The demo-worthy DTS-HD MA soundtrack features everything you'd want from an action movieimpressive dynamics, ample bass, and 360-degree envelopment.
With one week until retirement the last thing detective William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) needs is a serial killer on the loose in his city, but life isn't fair. Teamed with a young detective (Brad Pitt), the pair discover the killer is out to murder people he feels are guilty of committing one of the seven deadly sinsgluttony, lust, envy, pride, sloth, greed, and wrath. Can they get their man before Somerset turns in his badge?
David Fincher's resume includes many notable films like Fight Club, Zodiac, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, but Se7en may be his best. His villain feels justified to mete out his vengeance as he sees fit given the sad state of society and Freeman's character shares many of his views but doesn't agree with his methods.
Based on the novel by Phillip K. Dick, A Scanner Darkly is set seven years in the future when much of society is hooked on the drug Substance D. Bob Arctor (Keanu Reeves) is an undercover narcotics agent leading a double life as both an enforcer and breaker of the law. In his private time he associates with a group of junkies who have no idea that he's a narc.
While I love the style of animation and story, most of the voice acting is atrocious. Both Reeves and Winona Ryder are flat and wooden, but Robert Downy Jr. steals every scene with his superior acting talent. The film features prolific drug use, so if you're turned off by this sort of thing, don't tune in.
Captain John J. Adams (Leslie Nielsen) leads a crew of 18 to the planet Altair to investigate the mysterious disappearance of some settlers. Upon arrival, the crew is warned not to land (which they ignore) and are greeted by Robby the Robot. The only two survivors left on the planet are Dr. Edward Morbius (Walter Pidgeon) and his beautiful daughter Altaira (Anne Francis), but what happened to the rest?
While the special effects are nothing special and the pacing is on the slow side, I found the story is entertaining. You can see how Gene Roddenberry was influenced by this and many other 1950s sci-fi films for Star Trek. While the human actors do an admirable job, Robby the Robot steals the show and went on to become one of the most famous robots in movie history appearing in an additional 20 movies and TV shows over the past 50 years.
Price: $299 At A Glance: New user interface • Multiple streaming services from Netflix, Amazon, and Blockbuster • Enhanced Internet-driven search capabilities
Has TiVo Reinvented TV Again?
What started as Jim Barton and Mike Ramsay’s idea in 1997 became a reality in 1999 when TiVo burst on the scene and changed the way people watch TV. While time-shifting programs had been around for years via VCR, you couldn’t pause live TV, watch one program while recording another, or view a comprehensive program guide at the push of a button. The cable and satellite companies took their sweet time entering the DVR market, and TiVo’s only other competitor—ReplayTV—was absorbed by DIRECTV. TiVo became so popular, its brand name became a verb.
After The Matrix had a huge box office and became the first title to sell over 1 million DVDs, the brothers Wachowski and Warner decided it was time to cash in on the franchise and create a trilogy (it's the Hollywood thing to do). The second of the three films debuted on May 15, 2003 and went on to earn over $280 million at the box office.
The first film is a classic due to its impeccably shot action sequences and philosophical dialog. Unfortunately, the second is filled with senseless ramblings from Morpheus (Lawrence Fishburne) although like its predecessor the stunts are fabulous, especially the highway chase scene that runs for over 15 minutes.
As a Green Beret, Navy Seal, and Army Ranger, MacGruber (Will Forte) was awarded 16 Purple Hearts, three Congressional medals of honor, and seven presidential medals of bravery. Vowing never to take up arms after losing his fiancé 10 years earlier, duty calls when his mortal enemy, Dieter Von Cunth (Val Kilmer), gets his hands on a nuclear warhead.
Trailers can be so deceiving and such is the case with MacGruber. I could have a pretty good lawsuit against the producers for false advertising since I didn't laugh once during the excruciating 91 minutes of the theatrical cut (there's an extended unrated cut included) and even the action segments weren't very good. Really folks, it's that bad.
In the English countryside resides a small village bordering a mystical land which can only be reached by climbing through a wall. Young Tristan (Charlie Cox) crosses through in order to capture a falling star as a gift for a local hottie (Sienna Miller). Unbeknownst to him, in the parallel world the star is a corporeal being (Claire Danes) who's also smokin' hot. Soon thereafter Tristan learns his true destiny that will forever alter his life.
While the first act takes a little while to pick up steam this is a very entertaining movie. It reminds me of The Princess Bride because of the cute romance, adventure, and humor and in many ways is a superior film to the cult classic. The all star cast includes Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert De Niro, and Peter O'Toole in important supporting roles. Surprisingly the film didn't receive a lot of press when it hit theaters in 2007 but holds up well on repeat viewings.
Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) is San Diego's top-rated news anchorman and isn't the biggest fan of a diversified workplace. When Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate) arrives on the scene, Ron feels the heat after the hot young reporter aims for his prestigious job and a battle of the sexes ensues.
In many ways the production feels like an overly long skit on Saturday Night Live, which isn't surprising given director Adam McKay's pedigree. Ferrell's portrayal is mostly over the top but there are plenty of laughs to be had as long as you don't take things too seriously.