Away We Go

An expectant couple travels across the country looking for guidance from friends and family about how and where to raise their new family.

This has a very "Sundance" feel to it. If you enjoy independent film you would probably appreciate the humor more so than others. The idea is fun and simple, but the pacing is somehow off in this movie. I am fully aware that independent films tend to have a more methodical tempo to them, but this is just lacking something.

Don't get me wrong. I actually enjoyed it. It made me laugh in parts. Nevertheless it kind of dragged and again, it had a weird rhythm to it. Cute but not stellar performances from either of the lead actors. Even in their endearing oddities, there was just something missing.

Still it had it's own charm.

** 1/2 Rentable

Rated R (for language)

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

NEST is a special military task force that with the help of the Autobots, seeks out and destroys Decepticons attempting to steal the remaining fragments of the All-Spark, and resurrecting Megatron.

Is that enough of a synopsis? The plot is extensive and convoluted and takes well over an hour to set up—but I think you get the gist of it. It is a sequel. And like most sequels, doesn’t live up to its predecessor.

This episode struggles to recreate the excitement and humor of the original. In fact it is almost like two separate films were made. One an action flick, the other a poorly written comedy, and the two were hastily edited together. In true Michael Bay fashion there are a lot of epic fight scenes that carry on for such a lengthy amount of time, you may forget what is actually happening.

The story has a lot of holes, it goes on for way too long, is inconsistent in its tone and direction, and believe it or not I think some of the dialogue was stolen right off the pages of the Star Wars scripts - and perhaps Man's Search For Happiness. Having said all of that, the special effects are amazing and if you do opt to see it in the theatre, do so in IMAX.


** Rentable

Rated PG-13 (for sexual content and violence)

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Their war on our planet continues as the Autobots and Decepticons continue to slug it out over Earth's destiny.  Sam Witwicky is caught in the middle as important clues from the All spark have been imprinted on his mind and holds keys to the survival of transformers and humans alike.

This movie is big, loud, wacky, too long and dumb...but it's lots of fun eye-candy.  I really enjoyed the first Transformers, but this sequel suffers the same fate as the Pirates of the Caribbean sequels; they try to cram too much into one movie, even unnecessary things, making it too long  and too much.  The story is all over the place and has plenty of holes.  There is way, way too much cheap humor.  Some of the newly introduced robots are annoying characters.  The original movie made the relationship between Sam and Bumblebee pretty endearing and funny; serious lack of any of that in this one.  About midway through I was on board with the story and the fun action, but it loses steam from that point on.  There is plenty of jaw-dropping action, fights (one with Optimus Prime taking on 4 Decepticons is particularly impressive.) and some of the most amazing effects I've seen.  I imagine director Michael Bay will push those envelopes even further for part 3, hopefully he mixes in a little more work on the story as well.

** out of 4 - See it on IMAX for the fx.

(PG-13 for violence, mayhem, language and crude humor.)

The Proposal

Sandra Bullock, an ambitious book editor, has an expired visa and needs to get married to stay in the United States. She blackmails her assistant, Ryan Reynolds, into marrying her and off they go to break the news to his parents.

I am fully aware, that in general, romantic comedies are meant to be fluff. Mindless entertainment that makes you smile and cheer the endearing couple onto blissful happy endings. I am aware of this, I am. I still expect more.

This unlikely couple starts the movie off hating each other—common enough, most romances start this way right? No, this one is a tad more extreme. Ryan Reynolds loathes his boss. He has worked for her for three years, knows everything about her, and finds nothing about her charming. He hates and despises her. Sandra Bullock expects the world from her assistant and offers nothing in return. Again they have worked together for three years and she knows nothing about him. Her “Devil Wears Prada” attitude seems to be that assistants should be neither seen nor heard. This contempt for one another continues into their charade of an engagement and makes the inevitable love story so hard to swallow.

The comedy is weak, the story flawed, and nothing is more annoying than casting an elderly person for the sole purpose of making crude sexual jokes (Betty White). It just isn’t funny. The dialogue is awkward and far from clever.

** Rentable

Rated PG-13 (sexual content, language and nudity)

The Hangover

Doug and his three friends head to Vegas, two days before his wedding for a bachelor party they will never forget. The problem is, they can't remember it, nor can they find Doug. They frantically, albeit cluelessly proceed to piece the evidence together in efforts to find their friend in hopes of getting him to the church on time, all the while in awe of the events that they are discovering they were a part of the night before.

I am admittedly embarrassed that I saw this movie. It has several laugh out loud moments nevertheless it does not make up for it's crude, crass and all around foul content. NC-17 would have been a more appropriate rating. It was well cast, well written and did have its funny moments--particularly Zach Galifanakis, who plays Alan, Doug's soon to be brother-in-law, whose comments and all around ignorance are hilarious. Still it was so distasteful that I can't in good conscious recommend it. If you choose to see it, you will laugh, but you will cringe as well.

* 1/2 Not-A-Chance

Rated R (for language, crude sexual dialogue, and nudity)

My Life in Ruins

Georgia is a professor of Greek history, who has lost her job at the local university and now works as a tour guide, herding stereotypical tourist throughout Greece. She hates her job and is often short with her tour groups who would rather buy ice cream than listen to her history lessons.

This, "not really a sequel" to my Big Fat Greek Wedding is pretty pitiful. It is painfully predictable and the dialogue is awful. The "Greek" jokes we already saw in the Nia Vardoles predecessor and they are old and tired. It is really horrific writing that goes to cartoonish lengths in an effort to be funny and endearing. Only to be annoying and trite. This was only an hour and a half but it felt like three. It's not even cute and corny enough to recommend for renting.

* Not-A-Chance

Rated PG-13 (for language and awkward sexual content)