The Invention of Lying

Mark lives in an alternate reality where lying doesn’t exist. Everyone is always honest, and most of the time it’s brutal. In a desperate attempt to save himself he discovers the concept of saying something that “isn’t”. He also seems to be the only person with this ability and quickly lies himself into fame and fortune.

I really liked the concept of this movie and the first half is really clever and very funny. I particularly liked the commercials and advertisements, which are basically CEO’s pleading with the population to continue to buy their product. The second half however, gets really slow and predictable. The twist is funny and while trying not to give anything away, let me just say that I particularly enjoyed the pizza box part.

Overall the movie could have been much better and is totally forgettable. The beginning is much stronger than the plot itself and fizzles out pretty quickly. Not as funny as Liar Liar, another movie about lying. I would say that the inability to lie is much more funny than the inventing of it. Which again is probably why the beginning of this movie is the best part.

** Rentable

Rated PG-13 (for language and sexual content)

Whip It

Bliss is a young high school student that is trapped in her mothers’ world of Texas debutants and beauty pageants. She is entranced by the world of Women’s’ Roller Derby and sets off to try out for the team, even though she is a minor and her parents will never approve.

This was Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut, and wasn’t too shabby. The story itself is predictable enough, but the dialogue is sharp and really funny. I was a tad disappointed by the pacing of the movie. It was unnecessarily slow, and had about two or three tandem story lines that were never fully fleshed out and seemed to slow down the plot even more.

Barrymore was also in the movie, and frankly should have stayed behind the camera. Her character was annoying and distracting. The rest of the cast however does a great job, particularly Kristen Wiig, as fellow roller derbiette and Marcia Gay Harden and Daniel Stern as Bliss’s parents.

This isn’t that great of a movie, it was slow and predictable, but the actors, for the most part, were great and again the dialogue is what makes it worth watching. Nothing to run out and see, but still kind of entertaining.

** ½ Rentable

Rated PG-13 (for language and sexual content)

Fame

Fame = Lame.









* out of 4. Not a chance.

Extract

Joel is the owner of a flavor extract company. While his business is booming his personal life is falling apart. To make matters worse he has recently hired a very attractive con-artist.

Oh I was so excited to see anything with Jason Bateman in it. I absolutely love him. Alas even he could not pull this movie off. The story was predictable, the pacing horrifically slow. The audience was constantly four or five steps ahead of the plot. The characters were trite and boring. And it really wasn't even that funny.

I kept waiting for…something to happen…anything, but it never did.

So sad.

** Rentable

Rated R (for language and sexual content)

All About Steve

Mary is a walking encyclopedia. Her knowledge about seemingly, everything, makes her extremely socially awkward. Her parents, in an attempt to help her, set her up on a blind date. The date lasts only five minutes when Steve, is called off to work. The rest of the movie is Mary stalking him.

In my defense, I didn’t even want to see this movie. A friend, who shall remain nameless, bamboozled me into seeing it. I informed said friend, that this movie in recent polls got a Turkey. A Turkey! No Stars. None. Twenty minutes into the movie I got many an apology.

NOT-A-CHANCE (that’s no stars)

Rated PG-13 (for sexual content)

Julie & Julia

Julie is frustrated with her career and the success of those around her. In an attempt to center herself she decides to blog her way through Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

I saw this flick a little late in the game, hearing rave reviews, only to be horrifically disappointed by it. The movie is two stories edited together and frankly we could have done with out the Amy Adams part. She was annoying and unsympathetic. The Julia Child part was more interesting and Meryl Streep is fabulous as Julia Child; however I was disturbed by the incessant love scenes with her and her husband. I mean come on people – no one wants to see Julia Child having sex.

Too long, too annoying, and too much.

** Rentable

Rated PG-13 (for randomly placed language and the awkward sex)

District 9

Aliens become refugees in Johannesburg, South Africa at a camp known as District 9. Here the government attempts to keep the Aliens isolated from humans, while ignoring their health and welfare; they harass and abuse to get information about the alien weaponry.

I was more than pleasantly surprised by this movie. It was scary, entertaining, fun, and thought provoking. It is a tad heavy handed in its political and social commentary, but still very well done.

I went in not knowing what the movie was about, which is always the best way to see a movie, and really liked it. The totally unknown cast makes the movie all the more real, as a single personality is not carrying the movie or give you preconceived notions as to where the story will end up. Kind of like Alien meets The Great Escape.

*** Must See

Rated R (for language and violence)

G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra

A secret, peace keeping, terrorist-fighting organization known as "G.I. Joe" made up of the best of the best from every military group around the world, is drawn into an epic battle when three warheads containing microscopic anything-eating engineered bugs are stolen by a very well-funded terrorist group.

I went into this movie with very, very low expectations because a) It's directed by the same guy that directed The Mummy, so I was expecting uncomfortably cheesy dialogue. b) Because they didn't allow critics to view it, c) It was an August release and not May, June or July with all the other blockbusters, and d) Because it's based on a cartoon series which was based on a line of toys....So, with my expectations nice and low, I was entertained and enjoyed it. There's plenty of cheese and bad acting but lots of fun action and special fx. Also being a very big G.I. Joe fan as a kid, it was fun to see all of my favorite characters on screen. I would have loved this movie if it came out when I was 8 years old. And that may be the issue, this is intended for the 8-17 year old boy, but none of those grew up with G.I. Joe. It's the kids from the 80's that grew up with the cartoon series and toys at their peak of popularity. But it really is wall to wall action with one too many flash backs. Some of the animation of characters doing extreme, maybe stylized actions, feel a tad too unrealistic. And all the action/battles/fights/chases in the last 30 minutes can get a little confusing. It's not comparable to the first Transformers but not as bad as the second Transformers. But it is what it's supposed to be, I guess. See it if you're a G.I. Joe fan or want some mindless, explosive summer movie fun.

**1/2 out of 4 - Rentable

The Hurt Locker

Bravo Company, an elite Army bomb squad unit has 39 days left of active duty in Iraq. They struggle to come together when the new Staff Sergeant arrives. His cavalier attitude and renegade style seems to bring the chaos of war to a whole new level and the potential of getting out alive at tremendous risk.

Wow. Amazing performances, engaging story, and nail biting suspense. As a matter of fact, I don’t remember that last time I saw a movie that kept me on the edge of my seat from the moment it started – probably Die Hard.

This was so well done, and felt so real, one forgets that it isn’t a documentary. Kathryn Bigelow did an amazing job directing. It is truly a voyeuristic masterpiece. No twists or plot holes, just a glimpse at what war is.

*** ½ MUST SEE

Rated R (for language and violence)

Funny People

A famous, albeit jerk of a comedian finds out that he has a rare cancer that will take his life within the year. As he prepares for his inevitable death, he hires an unknown stand-up comedian to be his assistant and help him tie up all his loose ends.

Just so you know, Funny People isn’t that funny. It tries to be, but it’s not. It is a pitiful attempt at trying to make comedy look serious. If you can imagine it, it was like Terms of Endearment meets The Odd Couple, Seth Rogen style. Yeah, I know.

It was an interesting idea, but it takes on a weird twist that is hard to care about when the characters themselves are so despicable. The forgettable supporting cast includes Jason Schwartzman and Jonah Hill who probably have the best lines throughout the movie. Also as my attention span is that of a four year old, I must once again harp on the fact that this movie was two and a half hours long. I mean, for reals?

** Rentable

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