Valiant (2005):

Starring:

Ewan McGregor - Valiant

Ricky Gervais - Bugsy

Tim Curry - Von Talon

Jim Broadbent - Sergeant

Hugh Laurie - Gutsy

John Cleese - Mercury

John Hurt - Felix

Pip Torrens - Lofty

Rik Mayall - Cuffingk

Olivia Williams - Victoria

Brian Lonsdale - Toughwood

Dan Roberts - Tailfeather

Director:

Gary Chapman (First Feature Film)

Synopsis:

A wood pigeon named Valiant dreams of being a messenger homing pigeon for the Royal Air Force during WWII. Dreams become reality when Valiant signs up for Homing Pigeon Service. He ends up behind enemy lines before finishing his basic training with his colleagues, though, and when enemy falcons discover that Valiant is carrying secret British codes he has to prove he is up to the fight.

Review: 

If I were to be asked to name my top 10 favourite English comedians, this movie has 5/10 in it. The main reason I watched this in the first place was Ricky Gervais & Hugh Laurie. But I also get to throw in Jim Broadbent, John Cleese & Tim Curry. The movie is made by Disney, but not by one of their major studios. Made by lesser known Vanguard studios, this isn't nearly the best animation, very reminiscent of a Disney morning cartoon or YTV show. It's funny enough, sometimes cute. Not a whole lot is aimed at adults, pretty straight up a kids movie. Leave it to Disney to cash in on WWII & attempt to make it a kids film. 

Budget: $35,000,000

Box Office: $61,746,888

Profit: $26,746,888

Rotten Tomatoes: 31%
Flixster: 38%

67%

Lead Acting: 10/15

Supporting Cast: 10/15

Plot: 6/10

Compared To The Genre: 6/10

Cinematography: 12/20

Intrigue: 14/20

Extra: 9/10

Bicentennial Man (1999):

Starring:

Robin Williams - Andrew

Embeth Davidtz - Amanda Martin / Portia Charney

Sam Neill - Richard Martin

Oliver Platt - Rupert Burns

Kiersten Warren - Galatea

Wendy Crewson - Mrs. Martin

Hallie Kate Eisenberg - Amanda Martin (Age 7)

Lindze Letherman - Grace Marrtin (Age 9)

Angela Landis - Grace Martin

John Michael Higgins - Bill Feingold

Bradley Whitford - Lloyd Charney

Stephen Root - Dennis Mansky

Director:

Chris Columbus (Percy Jackson & The Olympians; Harry Potter & The Philosopher's Stone; Mrs. Doubtfire)

Synopsis:

"Bicentennial Man," follows the life and times of the title character, an android, who is purchased as a household robot programmed to perform menial tasks. The Martin family quickly learns that they don't have an ordinary robot as Andrew begins to experience emotions and creative thought. In a story that spans two centuries, Andrew learns the intricacies of humanity, life and love.

Review:

Ugh OK we get it. Robin Williams can play a robot. Did we really need to make it into a full length feature film? This is what Sam Neill follows up Jurassic Park & Event Horizon with this P.o.S.? UGH! I've wasted my time on some terrible, terrible films in the past. I've even given a lot of wiggle room to children's films in the past. But this one is just beyond garbage. Teaching non-humanoid beings to be human. THEN WHY MAKE NON-HUMANOIDS!!!!! If your creating androids to not be like humans so they can essentially be your slaves. Then why the hell are you training one to be a human? JUST GET A MEXICAN NANNY!!!!! It's the same damn thing. I guess with a Mexican nanny you don't get the stupid clever "wit" of Robin Williams & his incredibly stupid dialogue. The scene where Neill is attempting to teach robot-robin what comedy is & they practically workout the least funny way of doing the "who's on first" premise of jokes. Then once he figures out jokes he tells the most unfunny combination of "PG" 90's jokes that weren't funny then & are even less relevant watching them being told now. THEN you get the most disgusting inappropriate story twist that you will ever get. Amanda, who is now all grown up, totally wants to BANG robot-robin, a fucking robot that has raised her since she was 7.....she is torn about accepting the marriage proposal of her boyfriend because she wants to be with someone else. Then when robot-robin says "then marry your friend" she insists on saying well that couldn't be because I would never be able to be with my friend. SHE WANTS TO BANG A ROBOT!!!!! Then once he discovers that he can have his own freedom to do what he wants. Sam Neill is furious that he wants to leave him, even after he has practically taught him since day one to be his own personal thinking being. So then he kicks him out of the house to go be on his own, he builds a shack on the beach & builds a fire to sit by. WHY THE HELL DOES HE NEED A FIRE, HE'S A ROBOT. You're telling me that he is cold or can't see in the dusk? He's a damn robot & he doesn't have night vision? So after the death of Sam Neill, he decides that he wants to go on a journey to find other androids like himself, to figure out what his destiny is. As he is travelling he writes a letters to Amanda to let her know what he has discovered. In a world with holograms, androids & futuristic cars, they are still writing LETTERS!?!?! No one has discovered a new way of getting information to another person on the other side of the country in a world like this? Even in 1999 they had fax machines.... and this is the best they could do? Everything else moves into the future, but communication moves back into the Civil War era. Then he meets female robot version of himself. Played by Kiersten Warren (maybe the most annoying female version of Robin Williams they could find). Now if you weren't already disgusted by the fact that she wants to bang a robot that only slightly looks like Robin Williams, just wait until they give him a prosthetic face that IS Robin Williams. It was fine when he just resembled Albert Nobbs, but now you have to look at ole woolly mammoth face Robin Williams in all his covered head to toe in body hair glory. The man behind the face remodel is none other than Jimmy King himself, Oliver Platt. Now, in a world where Oliver Platt, I guess Dr. Jimmy King, can give an android the face of a human, & this specific android has the capability to understand emotions & feelings. I would be pretty goddamn pissed off if of all the faces to give me, I was given Robin Williams face. Outright full blown outrage that I would have to go around looking like this half man, half gorilla. So now we are 70+ years into the past & Andrew is hanging around with Amanda's granddaughter (who looks exactly like her). He eventually figures out how to give himself a working central nervous system & work organs transplanted inside of himself. So to prove that he can make it work, for all those people who were let down by the fact that earlier in the film there was no inter-being romance....THEY KISS!, now he's become a pervy robot-robin who is trying to get his dick greasy. I was let down by the lack of tit grab. So this makes Portia mad, they have a fight, she doesn't want to see him anymore. Then Dr. Jimmy King develops the ability to make Andrew into a "Complete man". WHY ARE WE GIVING ROBOTS WIENERS NOW!?!?!?! Does he really need the ability to bang human women? There was a line, it was crossed 45 minutes back. And it only goes further.... NOW Portia (who's grandmother also wanted to bang robot-robin....) wants to bang robot-robin too. What the hell is wrong with the genetic make up of this goddamn family? I've heard of having a foot fetish, or even pee fetish. But a android fetish? WHAT THE HELL!?!?!? Now sadly we do NOT get a robot-robin sex scene, but we do get the robot-robin POST sex scene. Now robot-robin goes before a world court to make it legal for a Robot & a human woman to get married but is turned down because he still has a robot brain. Now we are 110+ years after the beginning of the film. Portia is now 75, but apparently still banging robot-robin, yuck. The climax consists of Portia realizing her impending mortality, robot-robin wanting to finally become a full human & age & die, have a blood transfusion that will degrade his system & allow him to die. Now with a prosthetic face, WHY does it age? Even if he has an interior system of organs & nervous system etc, his face isn't skin, so why does it age? Unless he is asking to constantly get a face replacement. But even so, Oliver Platt's character who is like 90 now, has to have died in the 40 years it took him to age.... The final scene, highly contested topic in the year 2090 or whatever it is, Robot Assisted Suicide.

Budget: $100,000,000

Box Office: $87,423,861

Profit: -$12,576,139

Rotten Tomatoes: 37%

Flixster: 58%

23%

Lead Acting: 4/15

Supporting Cast: 4/15

Plot: 2/10

Compared To The Genre: 0/10

Cinematography: 6/20

Intrigue: 5/20

Extra: 2/10

Six Days, Seven Nights (1998):

Starring:

Harrison Ford - Quinn Harris

Anne Heche - Robin Monroe

David Schwimmer - Frank Martin

Jacqueline Obradors - Angelice

Temuera Morrison - Jager

Allison Janney - Marjorie

Douglas Weston - Philippe Sinclair

Cliff Curtis - Kip

Danny Trejo - Pierce

Ben Bode - Tom Marlowe

Derek Basco - Ricky

Amy Sedaris - Robin's Secretary

Director:

Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters 1 & 2; Junior; Meatballs)

Synopsis:

Robin Monroe, a New York magazine editor, and the gruff pilot Quinn Harris must put aside their mutual dislike if they are to survive after crash landing on a deserted South Seas island.

Review:

Harrison Ford is a god amongst men. A 1990's ROM-THRILL (Romantic Thriller). Great cast. Funny. Action packed. Silly ending. But enjoyable none the less. Two Kiwi's (New Zealanders) & a Mexican playing Tahitian pirates, silly.

Budget: $70,000,000

Box Office: $164,839,294

Profit: $94,000,000

Rotten Tomatoes: 36%

Flixster: 41%

72%

Lead Acting: 13/15

Supporting Cast: 9/15

Plot: 7/10

Compared To The Genre: 6/10

Cinematography: 14/20

Intrigue: 15/20

Extra: 8/10

Man On A Ledge (2012):

Starring:

Sam Worthington - Nick Cassidy

Elizabeth Banks - Detective Lydia Mercer

Jamie Bell - Joey Cassidy

Anthony Mackie - Detective Mike Ackerman

Ed Harris - David Englander

Ed Burns - Detective Jack Dougherty

Titus Weaver - Detective Dante Marcus

Genesis Rodriguez - Angela Maria Lopez

Kyra Sedgwick - Suzie Morales

William Sadler - Valet

Director:

Asger Leth (First Feature Film)

Synopsis:

An ex-cop turned con threatens to jump to his death from a Manhattan hotel rooftop. The NYPD dispatch a female police psychologist to talk him down. However, unbeknownst to the police on the scene, the suicide attempt is cover for the biggest diamond heist ever pulled. The psychologist and the con find themselves romantically attracted and might just end up partners in crime.

Review:

It's a pretty good cop-heist film especially considering the majority of the film takes place on the ledge of a building. Elizabeth Banks is awesome, does a great job especially in a non-comedic role. Sam Worthington is good, not great. Rest of the cast is pretty solid. Lost cast member Titus Weaver (Smoke Monster) is also pretty damn solid. Genesis Rodriguez, what a total BABE. The story is good. Cinematography is good. Got nothing good nor bad to say about this one, it is what it is.

Budget: $42,000,000

Box Office: $42,644,373

Profit: $644,373

Rotten Tomatoes: 31%

Flixster: 54%

63%

Lead Acting: 9/15

Supporting Cast: 9/15

Plot: 7/10

Compared To The Genre: 6/10

Cinematography: 13/20

Intrigue: 14/20

Extra: 5/10

Machine Gun Preacher (2011):

Starring:

Gerard Butler - Sam Childers

Michelle Monaghan - Lynn Childers

Kathy Baker - Daisy

Michael Shannon - Donnie

Madeline Caroll - Paige

Souleymane Sy Savane - Deng

Grant R. Krause - Billy

Reavis Graham - Pastor Krause

Peter Carey - Bill Wallace

Director:

Marc Foster (Quantum Of Solace; Stranger Than Fiction; Monster's Ball)

Synopsis:

When ex-biker-gang member Sam Childers makes the life-changing decision to go to East Africa to help repair homes destroyed by civil war, he is outraged by the unspeakable horrors faced by the region's vulnerable populace, especially the children. Ignoring the warnings of more experienced aide workers, Sam breaks ground for an orphanage where it's most needed-in the middle of territory controlled by the brutal Lord's Resistance Army, a renegade militia that forces youngsters to become soldiers before they even reach their teens. Determined to save as many as possible, he leads armed missions deep into enemy territory to retrieve kidnapped children, restoring peace to their lives-and eventually his own.

Review:

I understand that the main title is "Machine Gun PREACHER" but holy shit is this thing every preachy. Like over the top preachy. Based on a true story doesn't mean you have to make this as far from a Hollywood film as you can. The story was good if you can get past all the church & christian pandering. Butler is really hit or miss in this film. Sometimes he is very intense & over powering really showing a tremendous amount of emotion towards the cause his character is trying to fight. But the fact that he was boring in Scotland & is attempting to do a, as he self describes himself in the film "Pennsylvanian hillbilly" accent is WAY over the top & sounds silly. He uses words out of context & that no one actually says. You can also at times hear the slightest hint of Scotish accent sneak out. The second half of the movie does get a whole lot better though. It really picks up & his performance gets slightly better. Positive message gets lost in one directional story development & up & down acting by Butler. The action scenes are good but nothing special. They look very similar to every other Africa based war criminal movies. The film got a limited theatrical release when the producers tried to cash in on the "KONY 2012" internet sensation/scam whatever you want to call it.

Budget: $30,000,000

Box Office: $2,874,510

Profit: -$27,125,490

Rotten Tomatoes: 29%

Flixster: 62%

62%

Lead Acting: 7/15

Supporting Cast: 8/15

Plot: 8/10

Compared To The Genre: 8/10

Cinematography: 13/20

Intrigue: 11/20

Extra: 7/10 

Safe House (2012):

Starring:

Ryan Reynolds - Matt Weston

Denzel Washington - Tobin Frost

Vera Farmiga - Catherine Linklater

Brendan Gleeson - David Barlow

Sam Shepard - Harlan Whitford

Ruben Blades - Carlos Villar

Nora Arnezeder - Ana Moreau

Robert Patrick - Daniel Kiefer

Liam Cunningham - Alec Wade

Joel Kinnaman - Keller

Fares Fares - Vargas

Director:

Daniel Espinosa (First Feature Film)

Synopsis:

Matt Weston has been frustrated by his inactive, backwater post in Cape Town. A "housekeeper" who aspires to be a full-fledged agent has been waiting for an opportunity to prove himself. When the first and only occupant he's had proves to be the most dangerous man he's ever met, Weston readies for duty. Tobin Frost has eluded capture for almost a decade. One of the best ops men that the CIA's known, the ex-intelligence officer has given up assets and sold military intel to anyone with cash since he turned. The damage he's done to the U.S. is immeasurable. As soon as Frost is brought in for debriefing, mercenaries come and tear apart Weston's safe house. Barely escaping, the unlikely partners must discover if their attackers have been sent by terrorists or someone on the inside who will kill anyone standing in the way.

Review:

No One Is Safe. No One Is House.

It's a pretty simple, run of the mill action packed CIA thriller with every little cliche of the genre crammed in. Corruption, Lies, Murder, Secret files full of names of bad guys within the CIA etc. It's all there. Incredibly predictable & very generic. Denzel is in it..... but his heart isn't. He does have a few bad ass kill scenes though, but he is definentaly mailing this one in. Reynold is trying his hardest to make it a good film. He does a great job of being a developing action star. He doesn't have to do very much comic relief in this one, which helps his cause. The supporting cast has great actors in some lack luster roles. Lead by Brendan Gleeson who is always awesome, but his role is the most predictable part of the entire movie. He's Reynolds liason to the agency who is also the bad guy trying to get frost. Very lame & predictable. Was hoping it would be a slight twist, but I was let down. Sam Sheperd is also here but also mailing it in. Some movie's are just a paycheck. Action; sequences are good, lots of gun fights, car chases, escapes all that jazz. Overall it was an average CIA movie, above average action with some lack luster performances.

Budget: $85,000,000

Box Office: $202,482,728

Profit: $117,482,728

Rotten Tomatoes:  54%

Flixster: 66%

66%

 

Lead Acting: 11/15

Supporting Cast: 12/15

Plot: 5/10

Compared To The Genre: 3/10

Cinematography: 15/20

Intrigue: 14/20

Extra: 6/10 

Pulp Fiction (1994):

Starring:

John Travolta - Vincent Vega

Samuel L. Jackson - Jules Winnfield

Uma Thurman - Mia Wallace 

Harvey Keitel - The Wolf

Tim Roth - Pumpkin / Ringo

Amanda Plummer - Honey Bunny / Yolanda

Eric Stoltz - Lance

Bruce Willis - Butch Coolidge

Ving Rhames - Marsellus Wallace

Maria de Medeiros - Fabienne

Rosanna Arquette - Jody

Frank Whaley - Brett

Quentin Tarantino - Jimmie Dimmick

Steve Buscemi - Buddy Holly Server

 Dwayne Whitaker - Maynard

Director:

Quentin Tarantino (Reservoir Dogs; Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2)

Synopsis:

Prizefighter Butch Coolidge has decided to stop payment on a deal he's made with the devil. Honey Bunny and Pumpkin are young lovers and small time thieves who decide they need a change of venue. Meanwhile, two career criminals, Vincent Vega and Jules, go about their daily business of shooting up other crooks that are late on payments to their boss. While one is asked to baby sit their boss' dangerously pretty young wife, the other suddenly realizes that he must give up his life of crime.

Review:

So another movie I was given a tremendous amounts of shit for having never seen. I have enjoyed everyone of Quentin Tarantino's films that came before & after this, so why hadn't I seen this until now? Couldn't tell you. I'm going to be completely honest, it's not that I didn't like it, it just wasn't anything special to me. Everything was just average. I didn't laugh out loud at anything, there isn't anything the definitively stands out in my mind. A lot of the scenes I had seen spoofed on The Simpsons over the years, plus the scene in the diner when Roth & Plummer are yelling at everyone to get down is at the beginning of a Fun Lovin' Criminals song, but that was really the extent of my knowledge of the film. The acting was good but I wasn't a fan of the boring ass dialogue. I hate movies where there are scenes with people have menial bull shit conversations about a specific topic that has nothing to do with anything. Every conversation that any two characters have is that. Cinematicaly it was good, it was very well shot & directed. Tarantino doesn't do anything poorly. Again this was a major vehicle for him to showcase his massive foot fetish (not as bad as in From Dawn Till Dusk, but still pretty obvious). Can someone please tell me how in the fuck people think Uma Thurman is attractive? I always hear people saying how incredibly attractive & hot she is. What the fuck? She looks like an alien. Her wide spread eyes & pale skin is grody. I finally got to see the scene of Travolta & Jackson in the apartment with the three guys which I have seen spoofed many a times before. Finally seeing it was pretty god damn awesome. SLJ is great in everything he does. I think I will be forever scared for life at the reccuring nightmares I will have about Ving Rhames getting "Ned Beatty'd" in the back room of the gun shop.

Overall I didn't hate it, I just didn't love it as much as so many millions of other people did.

Budget: $8,500,000

Box Office: $213,928,762

Profit: $205,428,762

Rotten Tomatoes:  95%

Flixster: 95%

82%

Lead Acting: 13/15

Supporting Cast: 13/15

Plot: 7/10

Compared To The Genre: 8/10

Cinematography: 17/20

Intrigue: 16/20

Extra: 8/10

A Good Year (2006):

Starring:

Russell Crowe - Max Skinner

Albert Finney - Uncle Henry

Marion Cortillard - Fanny Chenal

Freddie Highmore - Young Max

Abbie Cornish - Christie Roberts

Tom Hollander - Charlie Willis

Rafe Spall - Kenny

Archie Panjabi - Gemma

Richard Coyle - Amis

Director:

Ridley Scott (Alien; Prometheus; Robin Hood)

Synopsis:

A British investment broker inherits his uncle's chateau and vineyard in Provence, where he spent much of his childhood. He discovers a new laid-back lifestyle as he tries to renovate the estate to be sold.

Review:

Russell Crowe, great dramatic, action actor. Horrible comedian. His British accent is almost as bad.Slap stick Russell? Really? I know that Ridley Scott & Russell have a great relationship & he puts Crowe in almost everyone of his movies, but your really telling me that he thought this was a good casting idea? The movie is very light hearted, it's not by any means horrible to watch. The cast around Crowe is great, they are funnier than he is. They all add something to an otherwise boring premise. Albert Finney great like always. Several super attractive ladies. Marion Cortillard, BABE. Abbie Cornish, BABE. Archie Panjabi, British accented-Indian BABE! (My one & only weakness). Back to Crowe. Don't you hate actors who don't actually wear glasses but then have to wear them throughout an entire film? Because he constantly keeps adjusting & touching them. Overall it has good intentions & it's funny.... but for all the wrong reasons. This honestly feels like it should have been a Woody Allen film & not a Ridley Scott. He should stick to what he knows, Russell Crowe action films. There is also more than one gorgeous butt shot. Enjoy.

Rotten Tomatoes: 25%

Flixster: 62%

53%

Lead Acting: 5/15

Supporting Cast: 10/15

Plot: 5/10

Compared To The Genre: 5/10

Cinematography: 11/20

Intrigue:9/20

Extra: 8/10

Lottery Ticket (2010):

Starring:

Bow Wow - Kevin Carson

Brandon T. Jackson - Benny

Naturi Naughton - Stacie

Loretta Devine - Grandma

Ice Cube - Mr. Washington

Keith David - Sweet Tee

Terry Crews - Jimmy The Driver

Mike Epps - Reverend Taylor

Charlie Murphy - Semaj

Bill Bellamy - Giovanni

Gbenga Akinnagbe - Lorenzo

Chris Williams - Doug

T-Pain - Junior

Director:

Erik White (First Feature Film)

Synopsis:

Kevin Carson is a young man living in the projects who has to survive a three-day weekend after his opportunistic neighbors find out he's holding a winning lottery ticket worth $370 million.

Review:

I am so white. BLOMEDY TIME! (Blomedy being a Black/Comedy) Not like a dark comedy like Cable Guy, like a black person comedy like Barbershop or Soul Plane. Proof that I am too white to be watching these movies. I didn't understand like 30% of the dialogue because they were talking.... ??hood slang?? I liked the concept of the film, if it were a comedy for us whiteys it probably would have been a bigger success, but then again I'm not sure that it would have worked as a premise under whiter circumstances. There are a few yummy chocolate beauties in this which makes it easier to watch. There is enough laughs to qualify it as a comedy, but at points it attempts to me a drama. Oh Ice Cube... does anyone else remember when he had street cred? So he was a co-writer on this film & he plays the role of the shut in older gentlemen that all the "kids" joke that he might be a secret murderer. Turns out that he's an old timey boxer who use to be a sparring partner with all of the greats back in the day including Mohammed Ali.... the completely silly part about this is that everyone who fought Ali are around 70-80.... Ice Cube: 43! Even with grey streaks in his hair & a died beard he looks 43! Blomedies, there is a reason they only make sense to some people, but I still watch them anyways. T-Pain has a very entertaining cameo type role & actually has some pretty funny lines of dialogue.

Rotten Tomatoes: 35%

Flixster: 45%

44%

Lead Acting: 5/15

Supporting Cast: 7/15

Plot: 6/10

Compared To The Genre: 4/10

Cinematography: 9/20

Intrigue: 7/20

Extra: 6/10

Dumb And Dumber (1997):

Starring:

Jim Carrey - Lloyd Christmas

Jeff Daniels - Harry Dunne

Lauren Holly - Mary Swanson

Mike Starr - Joe Mentalino

Karen Duffy - J.P. Shay

Charles Rocket - Nicholas Andre

Victoria Rowell - Beth Jordan

Cam Neely - Sea Bass

Director:

Peter & Bobby Farrelly (Kingpin; There's Something About Mary; Me, Myself & Irene)

Synopsis:

Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels play the title roles (though viewers may find themselves debating which is which) in this genially low-brow comedy. Lloyd Christmas (Jim Carrey) and Harry Dunne (Jeff Daniels) are two intellectually-challenged best friends who share an apartment so messy that gangsters aren't sure how to trash the place; the guys also have a certain problem (not difficult to understand) holding on to jobs. Lloyd is working as a limo driver in Rhode Island when he picks up a beautiful and wealthy woman named Mary Swanson (Lauren Holly) who is being taken to the airport. Lloyd immediately falls head over heels in love with Mary, and when she leaves a briefcase at the airport, he's determined to return it in hopes of impressing her. Lloyd isn't able to get aboard Mary's flight (though not for lack of trying). Harry has a van decorated to look like a dog (to promote his failing dog-grooming business), and the pair hop in the Poochmobile to find Mary in Aspen. What Lloyd and Harry don't know is that the briefcase is full of money, which Mary deliberately left at the airport as a ransom payment to save the life of her kidnapped husband.

Review:

This movie gets a very bad rap. A lot of people completely hate it, thinks it's garbage, not funny & over the top annoying. So maybe some or most of this is true. It's a mid 90's Jim Carrey movie, what do you expect? That is his whole thing, over the top, silly, slightly annoying yet completely love able characters. I really love Jeff Daniels in this film. I'm going to say that he is much funnier than Carrey in this. Maybe because his character is less annoying & he has all the clever funny lines. Carrey isn't terrible at all, he's funny too, he's just not the funniest one in the film. Lauren Holly, babe. There are enough laughs to make it enjoyable, it's not terrible at all. Maybe it's not either of their best work, they are both probably better than this, but they both somehow make it work. How about the fact that former NHL great Cam Neely has a small role in the film & is FUCKING HILARIOUS!!! Or the fact that he tries to get a gay blow job from Jim Carrey. FUCKING UNBELIEVABLE!!!

Trivia: Lloyd's chipped front tooth happens to be real; while Jim Carrey had the injured tooth capped many years ago, he thought a broken smile would suit Lloyd's character and had the cap removed for the duration of filming.

Rotten Tomatoes: 63%

Flixster: 79%

68%

Lead Acting: 11/15

Supporting Cast: 6/15

Plot: 6/10

Compared To The Genre: 6/10

Cinematography: 12/20

Intrigue: 17/20

Extra: 10/10 

Goodfellas (1990):

Starring:

Robert De Niro - James Conway

Ray Liotta - Henry Hill

Joe Pesci - Tommy DeVito

Lorraine Bracco - Karen Hill

Paul Sorvino - Paul Cicero

Frank Sivero - Frankie Carbone

Tony Darrow - Sonny Bunz

Mike Starr - Frenchy

Frank Vincent - Billy Batts

Gina Mastrogiacomo - Janice Rossi

Director:

Martin Scorsese

Synopsis:

Martin Scorsese explores the life of organized crime with his gritty, kinetic adaptation of Nicolas Pileggi's best-selling Wiseguy, the true-life account of mobster and FBI informant Henry Hill. Set to a true-to-period rock soundtrack, the story details the rise and fall of Hill, a half-Irish, half-Sicilian New York kid who grows up idolizing the "wise guys" in his impoverished Brooklyn neighborhood. He begins hanging around the mobsters, running errands and doing odd jobs until he gains the notice of local chieftain Paulie Cicero (Paul Sorvino), who takes him in as a surrogate son. As he reaches his teens, Hill (Ray Liotta) is inducted into the world of petty crime, where he distinguishes himself as a "stand-up guy" by choosing jail time over ratting on his accomplices. From that moment on, he is a part of the family. Along with his psychotic partner Tommy (Joe Pesci), he rises through the ranks to become Paulie's lieutenant; however, he quickly learns that, like his mentor Jimmy (Robert DeNiro), his ethnicity prevents him from ever becoming a "made guy," an actual member of the crime family. Soon he finds himself the target of both the feds and the mobsters, who feel that he has become a threat to their security with his reckless dealings.

Review:

I already know that I am going to get some major flack about this one from one person in perticular & potentially a lot more people. I was given tremendous amounts of shit by a friend for the fact that I haden't seen "Goodfellas" but I had seen Soul Plane. OK so now I've seen it &..... Meh. It was a typical Mobster movie. You have the wise guy mobster dialogue, guys getting insulted by other guys, bitch slapping, fighting, shooting, killing, blood, guts etc. My main problem with this film was that obviously the acting was incredible. You don't have a Scorsese film without incredible lead & supporting acting. I mean Bobby De Niro is fucking in it, so obviously it's great. My problem was that it took them so long to set up everything that I completely lost interest. Two hours long. Throughout the first hour there is very little action because it's nothing but talking to set up who this guy is, who this guys is, don't fuck with this guy etc. There are a few actual bloody scenes, stabbings & all that, but they are spread out & they are very short. The second half does really pick up however, with tons of mob style executions & murders. You've also got the FBI informant part which is very good, then the fact that everyone turns on him & is trying to kill him. However, even thought it's action packed & fast paced, it's a giant cluster fuck of everyone killing everyone & maybe my full attention was on the TV but I was completely lost & I just wanted it to be over so I didn't rewind it. Overall, outstanding acting all around, way too much dialogue in the front half, not enough structure in the second half. I would have loved it more if it was under two hours.

Rotten Tomatoes: 97%

Flixster: 96%

67%

Lead Acting: 15/15

Supporting Cast: 15/15

Plot: 6/10

Compared To The Genre: 5/10

Cinematography: 10/20

Intrigue: 8/20

Extra: 8/10 

The Dark Knight Rises (2012):

Starring:

Christian Bale - Bruce Wayne / Batman

Gary Oldman - Commissioner Jim Gordon

Tom Hardy - Bane

Joseph Gordon-Levitt - Detective John Blake

Anne Hathaway - Selina Kyle / Catwoman

Marion Cotillard - Miranda Tate

Morgan Freeman - Lucius Fox

Michael Caine - Alfred Pennyworth

Matthew Modine - Deputy Commissioner Foley

Alon Aboutboul - Dr. Pavel

Ben Mendelsohn - John Daggett

Burn Gorman - Stryver

Daniel Sunjata - Captain Jones

Aidan Gillen - CIA OP

Nestor Carbonell - Mayor Anthony Garcia

Brett Cullen - The Congressman

Juno Temple - Jen Holly

Thomas Lennon - Doctor (Cameo)

Director:

Christopher Nolan (Batman Begins; Dark Knight; Inception)

Synopsis:

Eight years on, a new terrorist leader, Bane, overwhelms Gotham's finest, and the Dark Knight resurfaces to protect a city that has branded him an enemy.

Review:

NO SPOILERS!!!!!

I'll post a full review of this after a few weeks once most people have had a chance to see it.

All I will say is:
Dark Knight > Dark Knight Rises.

Rotten Tomatoes: 87%

Flixster: 93%

85%

Lead Acting: 14/15

Supporting Cast: 14/15

Plot: 4/10

Compared To The Genre: 8/10

Cinematography: 16/20

Intrigue: 16/20

Extra: 9/10

Legionnaire (1998):

Starring:

Jean-Claude Van Damme - Alain Lefevre

Adewale Akinnouoye-Agbaje - Luther

Steven Berkoff - Sgt. Steinkamp

Nicholas Farrell - Mackintosh

Jim Carter - Lucien Galgani

Ana Sofrenovic - Katrina

Daniel Caltagirone - Guido Rosetti

Joseph Long - Maxim

Mario Kalli - Rene Galgano

Director:

Peter MacDonald (Rambo III; The Neverending Story III)

Synopsis:

Alain Lefevre is a French boxer in 1920's Marseilles, France. Alain is forced by local crime boss Lucien Galgani to take a dive in a fight. It turns out that Galgani's girlfriend Katrina is also Alain's ex-fiancé whom he left standing at the alter. But Katrina forgives Alain, and the two hatch a plan to run off to America together. Alain doesn't take a dive in the fight, but just as the escape plan is about to succeed, Alain's friend gets killed, and Katrina is captured by Galgani's men. But Alain has shot and killed Galgani's brother. Desperately needing a new escape plan, Alain signs up for the French Foreign Legion, and is shipped to Africa to help defend French territory against a native Arab rebellion. Along the way, Alain meets some new friends, including an African American who has fled injustice in the United States, a former British Army Major with a gambling problem, and a naive Italian man who wishes to impress his girl back home by returning as a hero. But things will not be easy. The only real way to escape from the Legion is to survive the term of service, and the rebels have them outnumbered. And Galgani has sent his hired thugs into the Legion as well, to find Alain and get revenge for the death of Galgani's brother.

Review:

Love the story here. Very unique even if it is nothing more than a 1990's JCVD film. This one is one of his best actual acting gigs. It involves the least amount of actual fist & kick fighting in his entire career. He has some good dramatic acting throughout or at least good dramatic acting by the standards that JCVD is the main star. Supporting cast is full of guys who at the time were kind of no names but now looking some have had bigger careers since. Especially Adewale (Mr. Eko of Lost fame). The look of the film is very poor considering it's from 1998. If you see this film you will possibly think that it is from the 1970's because it is very grainy & low quality. The back drop of Northern Africa however is great & the scenes set in the castle outpost are great. Very short movie which is nice, it doesn't drag on very long which makes it a great watch. Nothing is worse than a war movie that drags on forever & doesn't end when it should. The only down side to watching this film is that afterwards I wanted to watch The Four Feathers which is an OK film which has some similarities to this one, although with a much higher production value & bigger stars. Overall it's not a bad watch because of the length & the constant movement of the film.

Rotten Tomatoes: 29%

Flixster: 31%

50%

Lead Acting: 8/15

Supporting Cast: 6/15

Plot: 6/10

Compared To The Genre: 6/10

Cinematography: 6/20

Intrigue: 12/20

Extra: 6/10