New movie Tuesday

I'd read the book, and now I get to see the movie. "Angels & Demons" came out today and I'll watch it tonight. I though the book was great, so here's hoping. I've heard this movie is better than "The DaVinci Code," and I sure hope so. I disliked that book and the movie. I'll try to have a review up tomorrow. Anyone else that's scene it, let me know what you thought. And if you haven't, read the book first. It's really good.

In theaters, the box office smash "Twilight: New Moon" remains in Polson, as does "Old Dogs." Reporter Aimee Niles will have a guest post reviewing "New Moon"; should be a good one, stay tuned for that. In Ronan, "The Blind Side" will play for at least another week. It's a true story about an offensive tackle who was actually drafted by the Ravens in the NFL this past April. Looks like an inspirational one; I'll try to get that up. Enjoy the rest of your week, happy Thanksgiving and check out some movies!

And if football isn't your fancy on Thanksgiving day, Crazy Mike's in Polson will be OPEN on Thanksgiving, so there's always that option. Enjoy!

An Awesome 'Trek'

I'm not a "trekkie" by any means, but the newest film, "Star Trek" is great for new and old fans of the show. My mom, a casual fan of the show when it was out, saw it in theaters and raved about it, so I had no choice but to watch it when it came out on DVD last week, and I was not disappointed.

The film gives a background on all the key characters from the show (I presume) and sets the stage for a series of these movies. We see how James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) is born, and how he starts at the Starfleet Academy. We also see the journey of Spock (Zachary Quinto), a young genius whose father is Vulcan and mother is human. Other more secondary characters are introduced as well, and the stage is set for an exciting adventure where the young heroes quickly ascend the ranks of the Federation. Wow...just reading the last paragraph makes me sound like a total trekkie; you will too once you watch this film.

The dialogue is smart and funny, and any references to the TV show are pretty subtle, and not a major part of the movie that will take anything away if you weren't a fan (as far as I know). The acting is good too; I thought Pine was great as a young, brash Kirk. The action is excellent, with some very cool scenes. The scene on the drill may be the best in the movie, and is pretty intense. I think lots of people will enjoy this film, not just people who like action. Like I said, the three major important parts of a movie: dialogue, acting and action, are all very good, so definitely check this one out. I hope they're planning another.

"Star Trek" is rated PG-13 for language, space violence and some adult situations.

8 out of 10 stars

'Zombies' Everywhere

The last decade has been filled with zombie movies, with most taking the route of the "zombie comedy," at least in the second half of the 2000's. The first half featured more serious zombie movies, with "28 Days Later"and "Dawn of the Dead." Lately we've had "Shawn of the Dead" and what is currently playing in Ronan, "Zombieland." If you can stomach the first 10 minutes of "Zombieland," which I did, you will really like this movie.

The first 10 minutes, as I mentioned, are pretty graphic and nasty. The narrator, and eventual main character "Columbus" (Jesse Eisenberg) narrates scenes of people being eaten by zombies on a post-apocalyptic earth. The zombies are scary and nasty looking: they are super strong, kind of dumb and continually drool and vomit up blood. They have the look of zombies of the 2000's. As Columbus narrates, he describes a set of rules he follows that has helped him survive the zombie infection for so long. The rules are a running theme in the whole film.

The story is about Columbus's personal life, and he describes how he's never been close to anyone. The first girl he ever "brushed the hair over her ear?" Yeah, she turned into a zombie and tried to eat him. So Columbus is a loner.

After his car breaks down, Columbus travels the road, walking along until a Cadillac with a snowplow on the front pulls up. The driver is "Tallahassee," (Woody Harrelson) who recommends they use the name of where they are headed rather than real names so they don't get too close. Remember, this is cutthroat, post-apocalyptic America. Columbus means to head for the city in Ohio to find his parents.

Along the way they eventually team up with two sisters, 'Wichita' and 'Little Rock.' They all eventually decide to head for Los Angeles, where rumors of zombie-free areas still exist. The story is about their journey, but also each one's personal story, especially that of Columbus and Tallahassee. And don't forget the funniest part of the movie, a cameo with someone Tallahassee regards as "the top of the A-list." I won't give away who it is, but it's a great few scenes.

The story is a little weak at times, but the dialogue and action scenes more than make up for it. Harrelson is great, as are most of the cast. The music is excellent and like I said, the action is awesome. Harrelson's character likes to kick zombie ass, and he certainly does. Except for a few gross-out zombie scenes, this is a solid, fun movie.

"Zombieland" is rated R for language, graphic scenes of zombies, adult situations, etc.

7 stars out of 10

A long way 'Up'

The movie "Up" has all the trappings of a childrens film: it's animated, rated PG, a kid is a main character, talking dogs. Yet after watching it, the themes and some of the messages may be a little much for younger audiences, but I think about teens and up would probably appreciate it a lot more. I thought the film was fantastic, and a nice, fun story.

The story revolves around Carl Fredericksen, who we see go from a young boy to an old man. After the love of his life, Ellie, a woman with adventurous tastes, dies, Carl is sad and grumpy, holding onto the house he shared with her as the world goes on without him. After an incident leads to Carl having to leave his home and enter a retirement home, he attaches thousands of helium-filled balloons to his house, hoping to travel to South America where he and Ellie had also yearned to go, but never had. Unwittingly, Carl finds another passenger on the home-made (pun intended) dirigible: Russell, a "Wilderness Explorer" (see: Boy Scout) that has been harassing Carl in the hopes of assisting him, a requirement for a certain badge. Russell is talkative and excitable, the opposite of the old Carl, who doesn't seem to like the bother of his unwanted passenger.

The two land in South America, but not quite where Carl had hoped, meaning they have to trek across land, holding the house by a hose while it floats along like a house balloon. That's the extent of the plot I'll give, but there's a lot more action from then on out. The obvious themes are there: the opening up of Carl, the friendship of Carl and Russell and Carl finishing his (and Ellie's) life-long adventure.

Undoubtedly my favorite part is the talking dogs, who can speak by way of a translation collar. This creates a lot of the laughs in the movie, and part of the reason is because the dogs' body language is so real and familiar for people who know dogs that it actually seems to be what the dogs want to say. One dog, Dug, says, "I hid under the porch because I love you," and that's what he meant. It's a great aspect of the movie, and if for no other reason, rent it for that; you'll really appreciate the talking dogs.

As I said, the plot doesn't seem to be a good movie necessarily for a younger crowd,but visually it is fine for any children. I thought it was great, and there is a pretty high demand for it over at Crazy Mike's. Apparently people have been calling and stopping to try and get it, so plan ahead if you want to watch.

8 out of 10 stars

My favorite part is the

New movie Tuesday

I walked over to Crazy Mike's today and picked up the newly released animated film "Up." I've heard good things, and this'll be the first animated film I review.

In theaters, both "Paranormal Activity" and "A Christmas Carol" will stay for another week, Nov. 13-19, at the Polson Showboat. In Ronan, "Michael Jackson This Is It" will be replaced on Friday by the comedy "Zombieland." I've been waiting for this one for awhile, so I'll try and go see that, and, I haven't forgotten, "Paranormal." Enjoy the week, and I'll review "Up" soon.

A fun 'G.I. Joe'

I'm glad I watched both "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" and "Transformers 2: Rise of the Fallen" in the last few weeks. Both films were big summer blockbusters, and similar in some ways. But 'G.I Joe,' which I had written off before I'd even seen it, was executed much better, and overall, a really enjoyable, fun film.

The story begins with a presentation by an arms dealer,James McMullen, on his newest weapon, a warhead filled with nanomites that destroy metal and other objects in a matter of seconds. He sells four of the devices to NATO, and they are set to be delivered by the US Army. As the convoy transports the warheads by Hummer (uh oh), they are ambushed. The Army is backed up by the Joes, and elite group that swoops in to save them and the warheads. The only Army survivors are Duke (Channing Tatum) and Ripcord (Marlon Wayons). They and the warheads are taken to the Joes base, where the two Army soldiers prove themselves and become Joes themselves, hoping to stop McMullen, who was behind the ambush.

The best scene is in Paris, which is where the Joes go to take down McMullen's team after they get a hold of the warheads. A great chase scene and cool equipment highlight the Paris scene, and in my mind makes the movie. The ending did leave a little to be desired (a polar ice cap scene reminiscent of "Watchmen") but doesn't kill the film. And the ending does leave the opening for a sequel or three, which all blockbusters seem to do now a days.

I can't help but compare "Joes" to "Transformers", and Joes is much better. The plot, the action and even the cheesy dialogue trumps the "Transformers" sequel. Yes, "Joes" is full of cliches and bad dialogue, but it's simple plot and excellent action sequences make it the much better movie. Plus, the CGI is better because it is not a group of machines fighting another group of machines. The cast is pretty solid as well: Dennis Quaid, Rachel Nichols, Channing Tatum, Marlon Wayons, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and others do the best they can with a subpar script. But that's not why you watch this movie. You watch it for great action and a simple, easy to follow plot. These things make the movie extremely enjoyable, not Oscar-worthy acting. I recommend for a fun watch.

7 out of 10 stars.

New movie Tuesday

Tuesday, my favorite day for new DVDs. I went with "G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra," so we'll see if it's any good. Sure to be lots of action. Also released today was "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3," which I saw when it was out in theaters. It's a remake of the 1974 film and pretty good, and you have Travolta and Denzel Washington squaring off as bad guy-good guy.

In theater's everything stays for another week ("Paranormal Activity" and the Michael Jackson movie) except for "Couple's Retreat" at the Polson Showboat, which will be replaced by "A Christmas Carol," an animated film with the voice of Jim Carrey as Scrooge. I still need to get to the theaters to see the films that are out, and I'll try to get a review up tomorrow for G.I. Joe. Anyone seen the movies in theaters or G.I. Joe?

A Fake 'Proposal'

Romantic comedies are not my favorite genre of movie for a variety of reasons, but mostly because of their predictable nature. "The Proposal," starring Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock, tries to rid itself of the formula, but despite its twists and turns, the movie ends up being its own worst enemy.
Bullock plays Margaret (no nickname), a smart, uppity, better than you type that is an editor a big publishing company in New York. Everyone in her office fears her, typing instant messages that describe her as some variation of a "witch." Reynolds plays her assistant Andrew, who is constantly trying to keep up with Margaret's intense demands. He clearly dislikes her, while she doesn't pay him much mind either.

When Margaret finds out from her bosses that she's being deported because of visa issues (she's from Canada), she tells them she and Andrew are getting married. Unwittingly involved, Andrew plays along but learns that he must in fact marry her to keep both of their jobs. When they go to immigration services, the new "couple" learns they will be subjected to intense testing to make sure they are not committing the fraud that they are actually attempting. In an effort to make it realistic, Andrew brings Margaret home with him to Sitka, Alaska for his grandma's birthday and to tell his parents they are to be married. From there, let the rom com stereotypes begin.

This is a good date movie, and almost every girl I have heard talk about this movie really liked it. To me, it was predictable and kind of stupid. Then again, my demographic is most likely not who the movie was targeting, which is fine. In the grand scheme of romantic comedies, it really isn't terrible. The funniest part of the movie involves Oscar Nunez (the guy who plays Oscar on The Office) as Ramon, the Sitka local that seems to have about thirty jobs in the small town, from store clerk to stripper. He's pretty funny, and so are some of his scenes. Also, the town and setting of the film are beautiful, but the plot just is kind of lame. The ending makes it even more corny to me, while earlier in the film it seemed like it could break some rom com stereotypes.

6 out of 10 stars