Monday, April 23, 2007

The Pursuit of Happyness


Will Smith does an outstanding job playing the role of a down on his luck father in this movie. Chris Gardner (Smith) is struggling to find success when an opportunity to participate in a stockbroker internship program comes his way. He is determined to succeed even while spending some time homeless and single handedly taking care of his son. Based on the true story of Chris Gardner this is an inspiring story about following your dreams no matter what it takes.

The Guardian


It is about time that Kevin Costner was in another good movie! He joins Ashton Kutcher in a film about the amazing job of being a rescue swimmer for the U.S. Coast Guard. Costner plays the swimmer that is getting older and so has to move to the role of instructor, and of course Kutcher is one of his problematic but most promising students. I think Costner and Kutcher were really good as a team in this movie, and the movie was very enjoyable to watch.

Friday, April 20, 2007

Gridiron Gang


Based on a true story, "The Rock" plays Sean Porter a juvenile detention counselor who is frustrated because the majority of the kids he is trying to help leave and turn right back to a life of crime. To try and make a difference he starts a football team to teach them pride, teamwork, and determination. An inspirational movie that everyone should watch!

Accepted


When Bartleby Gaines is rejected from every college he applies to he decides instead of telling his parents he is just going to create his own "imaginary" college. He enlists the help of some fellow rejects and before you know it they have accidentally created a real college and the students come out of the woodwork to attend. They create their own curriculum which focuses on learning and having fun. This is an enjoyable and funny movie that is worth watching. I only wish a school like this really existed when I was in college.

John Tucker Must Die


When John Tucker is caught dating 3 different girls, they decide to get revenge by enlisting the help of an unknown girl and turning her into John's "perfect" match. The goal is to get him to fall in love with her and then have her break his heart. Of course taking down the star basketball player is not as easy as they think it will be which makes for some pretty funny scenes. I thought this movie was going to be pretty cheesy, but I thought it was quite funny. I really enjoyed it.

Man of the Year



When political talk show host Tom Dobbs (Robin Williams) decides to run for President he never really expects to win. When the results come in and he "accidentally" wins he has to decide whether he can really do the job. Kind of funny and it was definitely better than some of William's other recent roles.

The Marine


John Cena plays a Marine who is discharged from the military and has to figure out how to live as a civilian. Of course right away his wife gets kidnapped and the action begins. Even though it was not an Oscar quality movie it was kind of fun to watch, because a Lebanon graduate (Drew Powell) was in it. For those who care he plays the other security guard at the beginning of the movie.

Stranger Than Fiction



As the story of boring IRS agent Harold Crick is being written by a famous author, the real Harold Crick begins to literally hear the narration. When he realizes the author plans to kill him off in the story he starts the frantic search to find her and in the process changes his life. A cute movie worth watching that I think is one of Will Ferrell's best performances.

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Running With Scissors




This is the story of poor Augusten whose alcoholic father leaves and then his unstable mother gives him to her therapist Dr. Finch to raise. Needless to say Dr. Finch's family is rather odd, so the challenge is for Augusten to survive until he is free of his natural family and his "adopted" family. Great performance by Annette Bening as Augusten's crazy mother.

Blood Diamond


This is one of DiCaprio's best performances yet! As the greedy Archer, DiCaprio shamelessly uses a local man's passion to find his missing son to convince him to take him to a hidden priceless diamond. During the journey he falls for a reporter and starts to realize he needs to change the way he lives his life. This is a violent and realistic movie about greed and the war it causes.

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Rocky Balboa


Okay I admit when I heard there was another Rocky coming out I was expecting to hate this movie, but I was pleasantly surprised. The story line is about Rocky not wanting to give up doing what he loves and teaching the new "champ" how to fight with class instead of just winning.

Babel


If you like to follow multiple story lines at one time then this is the movie for you. Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett star in this Oscar nominated film covering a broad range of topics from terrorism to marital problems. I had a little trouble following the story line, but it all comes together in the end. It was nice seeing Brad Pitt in this kind of movie. A dark film that was definitely different but good in its own right.

Friday, April 13, 2007

Children Of Men

This is a dark story about a time in the not too distant future when for some unknown reason women stop being able to conceive. It causes the world to lose hope and mass chaos and warfare are everywhere. All of a sudden a pregnant girl shows up and Clive Owen works to get her to safety. A good movie, but the subject matter is a bit scary and depressing. Has a lot of bad language.

Wednesday, April 4, 2007

The Holiday



Two women decide to exchange homes for a time, because they need to get away from the men in their lives. Okay so it is not one of Dias or Winslet's best movies, but I really thought it was cute and enjoyable to watch.

The Departed



This Oscar winning movie is definitely actor and action packed! This is the classic good cop versus bad cop where everyone is trying to find the rat. It was fun seeing Matt Damon play the bad guy, and DiCaprio, Wahlberg, Sheen, and Nicholson are great as usual. Filled with a lot of violence and language, so your true action movie fans (like me) will love it. If you are easily offended or you like warm fuzzy movies it might not be the movie for you.

Saint Ralph


This is a very cute story about a 14-year old boy who is dealing with a very ill mother and is looking for a miracle to save her. After being punished by being required to join the cross country team, he decides he is going to win the Boston marathon for his miracle. Adam Butcher is so likeable as Ralph that you are really rooting for him. This movie will make you laugh and cry, and is really worth watching.