Love and Other Drugs

No.

A good rule of thumb when writing a movie is that you should either put ordinary people in an extraordinary situation, or put extraordinary people in an ordinary situation. When you put ordinary people in ordinary situations, there isn't a whole lot to keep the audience engaged. A drug rep falling in love with someone with Parkinson's disease is a very specific version of an ordinary situation that could happen to anyone. Maybe he won't be a drug rep and maybe she has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Are they gonna make a movie about that, too?

Love and Other Drugs isn't unbearable, but it's definitely not worth the price of a ticket.

Morning Glory

No.

I get when celebrated actors feel the need to do something light, and I'm sure Diane Keaton is a nice lady, but why is she allowed to continue to make schlocky movies. She gets nominated for an Oscar once each decade. The last time was in 2004 for Something's Gotta Give... a romantic comedy... costarring Keanu Reeves and Amanda Peet. Maybe it's time she tries something a little more weighty than the last 5 movies she made (Mad Money, Because I Said So, The Family Stone, Something's Gotta Give and Town and Country). Anyway, she's barely in Morning Glory at all, so I'm not sure why she angered me so much...

... Maybe thats why I didn't like the movie, though. I truly wanted to care about these people, but really didn't have enough time to get to know them. The movie was too much about the show they producing and not enough about the people who were producing the show.

Morning Glory is one of those movies that, as a two hour film, is pretty inconsequential, but as an HBO or AMC character study, where we might learn to like some of these people and get to know them on a deeper level, it might have been entertaining.

Due Date

Nah.

Due Date was funny... but not funny enough for me to recommend. It really is just a road trip movie with Alan Garner (from The Hangover) and Tony Stark (Iron Man). The wackiness that ensues is all clearly set up leaving no room for surprises.

I have to say that, with Due Date coming from the same director as The Hangover, I really had higher hopes than I should have, so it's partially my fault. At the end of the day, Due Date just misses the mark.

It'll make a fine rental one day, but don't waste a trip to the theatre.

127 Hours

Yes.

When I heard about this movie a few months ago, I thought it was going to be terrible. I don't like James Franco, so a movie about him being trapped, alone, in the middle of the desert seemed like a red flag. I went to see it anyway and... well, 127 Hours is, possibly my favorite movie of the year.

While there's nothing spectacular about the writing, there is this constant electricity from the very beginning of the movie thanks to director Danny Boyle and an amazing performance by Franco. Franco's character has an infectious energy, a spirit that seems impossible to break. To see that spirit slowly deteriorate into fear, desperation and depression was absolutely heartbreaking. It's not until he's verging on insanity that he's able to do what needs to be done to survive.

For those of you who don't know how he escapes, you need to stop reading now. This is based on a true story, so I have no qualms talking about the end of the movie.

This is my version of a horror movie. Supernatural shit doesn't scare me; it may make me jump, but rarely frightens me to my core. What happens in 127 Hours represents one of my biggest fears. I'm claustrophobic, but there's more to it than just being in a confined space. It's being stuck and being alone. It's hopelessness that scares me. Nobody can say with absolute certainty how they would handle a situation like that on the day. I'd like to say that I'd have the strength to break my own arm and cut it off using only a dull leatherman. I honestly don't think I could. The scene in which Franco's character frees himself is one of the most gruesome visuals ever filmed.

Come Oscar season, I honestly think James Franco has a serious shot at winning. I think Boyle has a shot at taking home his second award for directing and I'm pretty sure 127 Hours will win best picture.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

Well yes, but...

... it's really not fun... at all. The fact of the matter is, those of you who have stuck with the series through the first 6 movies are going to see the last two. There's no reason to think that you wouldn't. Those of you who haven't, should absolutely not see this one. You must see them all for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 to make any kind of sense at all.

Now that we've got the obvious disclaimer out of the way I'll tell you my biggest complaint. A lot of people walk out of Harry Potter movies feeling... betrayed... because they left out so much of the book... usually the insignificant parts that made the books so charming... but insignificant parts none the less. I never had that problem. I always knew they would leave that stuff out and with good reason... they weren't at all relevant to the plot. My issues were always with the acting and directing (after the first two, it was only the acting). I feel like the acting has FINALLY fallen into place. Even Radcliffe, who was always the weakest link in the cast has grown into his role and has learned to portray emotion. Unfortunately, with the splitting of the final book into two movies, it seems everyone else in the world has finally gotten their wish. They have found a way to include almost every detail from the 800 page book... make a 5 and half hour movie. I on the other hand was kinda bored. They included almost every detail and it was BORING. To be fair, this is the one book that I remembered practically none of at the time that I went to see the movie, so it's possible that they did actually leave a lot out that I just don't recall. There was also a lot of staring. Characters just staring at each other. They could have probably cut out 15-20 minutes if the writer didn't rely so heavily on facial expressions that the cast clearly weren't talented enough to pull off and just used his words.

My other issue, which was actually a bigger issue than what I've already complained about, is the lack of fun. There is absolutely no humor in the movie at all. This is a dark, scary, depressing movie.

Otherwise, I'd have to say that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 is the best in the series with regards to filmmaking. Maybe since the director wasn't confined inside the damp walls of Hogwarts castle, he was able to do more with the actors, I don't know what it is but it was well made considering what he had to work with.

As I said, you'll see it or you won't... so go see it... or don't. Whatever.

MegaMind 3D

Ummm... yeah.

MegaMind isn't bad. It just isn't really good either. It's just as forgettable as Monsters vs. Aliens but not as forgettable as say... Ratatouille (that's right, I said it. A Pixar movie is forgettable).  The fact of the matter is that with the onslaught of "original" superhero movies/television shows, MegaMind doesn't really stand out as anything spectacular.

If your kids really want to go to the movies, you could do a lot worse than MegaMind. But you may want to stall, cause they'll forget about it eventually... whether you take them to see it or not.

Unstoppable

Yes.

I was pleasantly surprised by Unstoppable. The movie is short, which is good. The very opening scene sets the plot in motion... pun intended... and it rolls along for 98 minutes without ever letting up.

The movie stays pretty intense considering the fact that anyone going to see it knows there's no way either of the two lead characters are REALLY in any danger of getting killed.

Unstoppable is pure popcorn fun. It's easily forgettable, but definitely worth the trip.

Skyline

God no.

Skyline has phenomenal special effects. Everything else about it is phenomenally bad. The story is nonexistent, but not for a lack of trying. The writer's attempts at a plot is pathetic at best as are the actors' attempts acting.

If you're looking for pure eye candy, Skyline will suit your needs. If you like a little substance in your movie going experience, look elsewhere.

Red

Yeah...

Red has a fun concept, a great cast, and the film was pretty well executed, but it just misses the mark and I think the entire reason is: story.

There's too much and too interesting of a backstory for these characters for this to have been the first film in the franchise. I felt left out and not in a good way. The characters had a strong, exciting history together that we learn about as the movie progresses, but it's not a mystery to anyone except the audience. There's never any big revelation... it just is... it's discussed amongst the characters as if we'd known about it all along. Which is weird.

I had a hard time getting invested in the plot, but it's always fun to see people doing unexpected things. Young children cursing or carrying on a mature conversation is always cute, and Hellen Mirren killing government agents with a machine gun is just adorable.

I'd wait for rental; but if you have nothing else to do, go check out Red.