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Limitless

Yes.

When I saw the trailer for Limitless, I thought it looked good, but I didn't think I'd enjoy it as much as I did.

Limitless is one of those stories that plays on your desire. I consider myself to be fairly to very smart. The concept of a drug that would help you to exceed the limits of human intelligence is intriguing to say the least.

Would you take it? I still don't think I would, even though I'd probably consider it long and hard. With the exception trying marijuana twice (the second time only to confirm that it would have little to no effect on me since I felt nothing the first time), I've only ever taken over-the-counter or prescription drugs that were prescribed to me. That doesn't mean that I can't imagine how awesome it would be to have endless knowledge and be able figure anything out. Then again I've seen this movie, so the downside has been made abundantly clear.

Limitless is fun, exciting, energetic, and surprising and you should definitely check it out.

Take Me Home Tonight

No.

It's hard to imagine that upon it's release in, say 1951, a movie that takes place in 1928 would feel as corny as a movie that takes place in 1988 would feel to a viewer in 2011. Between Take Me Home Tonight and Hot Tub Time Machine, we've gotten the nostalgia out of the way; can someone now, please, make a serious period film that takes place in the 80's? Is it even possible?

I'm not 100% convinced it is, actually, but it's hard to believe there isn't a talented director who could get past the hair, clothes and popular music to create a meaningful film that doesn't rely on Max Headroom-esque gags.

Take Me Home Tonight was never intended to be a serious 1980's period film... but then why make it? Is it Topher Grace's quest to take part in a production, saturated with the pop culture and fashion of each specific decade? Did they feel like last year's Hot Tub Time Machine hadn't gotten it right?

There are a lot of unanswered questions in this review and I honestly don't have the answer for any of them. If you wanna see a party movie where a hopeless romantic uses his one last chance to try to get the girl of his dreams, check out Can't Hardly Wait. It's WAY better, PG-13, slightly more realistic, and significantly less corny. I wonder what it would have looked like if it were made in 2019.

Red Riding Hood

No.

Red Riding Hood was just another excuse to have very pretty boys fighting over an average looking girl. Oh, and I forgot to say werewolf.

It is truly amazing how they are able to stay so clean living in the dirt. They all have perfect teeth and skin, even though this takes place in a time when the answer to all of your dental problems was to rip out the tooth and Lubriderm and Oil of Olay weren't consistently stocked in the skincare aisle at CVS. I don't think there was a single ugly person living in the town that Red Riding Hood takes place.

This is trite, rehashed Twilight crap for teenaged girls, and even they aren't buying into it. Don't even bother looking for this on DVD.

Battle: Los Angeles

Yes.

Battle: LA is a pretty straight forward action flick. It's Saving Private Ryan with aliens. Gritty and realistic, the director succeeds in his attempt to merge the modern style shaky cam war footage like in The Hurt Locker with the special effects of an alien invasion.

The acting is not exactly top notch, but it's sort of covered up by the gunfire and explosions. There's really no story to speak of and I would have liked one, but I still didn't hate it.

Battle: LA definitely won't be anywheres near my top 20 at the end of this year, but it's still a fun ride.

Mars Needs Moms

Yes.

I was pleasantly surprised by Mars Needs Moms. I really thought I was going to hate it and I didn't. Knowing that I would probably hate it might have lowered my expectations enough to actually give it a positive review, but that won't help this movie at all since it had the 12th worst opening weekend for a movie released on more than 3000 screens.

Clearly others weren't willing to give it the same chance I did, and with good reason. Other films that were created with the same motion capture animation have been horrible. The Polar Express, Beowulf and A Christmas Carol were filled with soulless, weightless characters; if you look into their eyes, you will see what death is like. The studio seems to be working it's way out of the uncanny valley, slowly but surely, as the characters in Mars Needs Moms are very much less creepy than in earlier films. I'm not sure, however, that Disney will be investing much more of their money into this style of animation.

Mars Needs Moms might already be out of theatres, but if you want a family night with your kids, give it a rent and help Disney make back some of the $150 million budget that it pretty much just flushed down the toilet.

The Adjustment Bureau

Yes and no.

I really liked The Adjustment Bureau. I like the concept, story, the actors... almost everything. I didn't like the director, the screenplay and the end... so, almost everything.

I don't know if The Adjustment Bureau was too long or too short, but it definitely wasn't the right length, and then it just kind of ends. The end of the movie (which I won't give away even though it sucks) is really weak. Given the epic nature of the movie's concept, there should have been way more to it than there was.

I loved the whole idea behind the movie though; that we're all on a set path, but that it's possible to stray from that path in order to fight for something/one that we care about. I completely believed the chemistry between the actors and was rooting for them the whole time.

If the director and writer had done a better job, this would be an instant "must-see" recommendation. Alas, I can only recommend a video rental in a few months :-( .

Rango

Ummmmm, yes.

Rango is a strange movie. I actually walked out of it not knowing if I liked it or not. It's rated PG and is animated, which implies that it's a kids movie, but, while it's definitely kid friendly, it's really geared more for adults.

The animation is outstanding. It's gritty and realistic, yet still quirky and fun to look at. The voice acting is good... the story is fine.

While it's certainly not the best movie of the year, Rango is an entertaining escape for a couple of hours. Kids may not really like it, though and adults probably won't know what to make of it.