2012 in Theaters

The movie, 2012, caught my eye with all the dramatic and enticing previews on television. I just knew that I had to go to theaters and see this. After all, what perfect timing that it is set just 2 years from now!

I found the movie 2012 to be extremely confusing. I was lost almost instantly. After, I started figuring out the movie it only got worse.

The action in 2012 looks fake and unrealistic. I thought I was watching a movie from years ago, instead of one with today’s cinema technology and filming equipment. Parts of the movie looked like a bunch of amateurs did the movie sets, instead of professionals. Very disappointing.

The plot line in 2012 was easily predictable. There was no character development to draw you into the lives and feelings of the actors and actresses. I could’ve cared less who was going to survive the 2012 natural catastrophic events.

Save your money and wait for 2012 to come out on DVD and rent it cheaply to watch, just so you can say you did.

White Out Movie Review

Kate Beckinsale stars as the lead detective who has taken a post in Anartica to essentially escape a horrible past. Her primary crimes are simple to solve and nothing noteworthy. That is until it’s almost time for the sun to set for 6 solid months in Anartica. A string of murders leads to an investigation that is filled with twists, turns and the unexpected.

I was initially a little bored when White Out started. I knew that it was going to be one of those typical who-done-it crime movies that would be easy to figure out by the half-way point. Wow was I ever wrong.

After about 10 minutes, White Out became very intense and suspenseful. I found myself biting my tongue to keep from yelling at the movie screen to help the movie stars out. You can easily get that wrapped up in White Out that you forget you’re sitting in the movie theater.

I won’t give away the ending. But I can tell you it is probably NOT who you think it is.

Halloween II — Worth the View

If you didn’t watch the first Halloween movie, you’re going to want to rent it. Halloween II is full of suspense, but it won’t be nearly as good if you haven’t watched the first one. You will be completely lost.

The second Halloween doesn’t exactly follow like you might initially think. There is suspense, character connection and a riveting ending that will leave you on the edge of your seat.

I found the movie to be very intense. It started out a bit slow and then it moved right along to being very intense. Halloween is the story of Michael and his connection to his mother. This version revolves around the book that the psychologist of this notorious serial killer releases to the public.

I won’t ruin the ending for you. It is a must see to put on your list of movies.

Precious Movie Review

Precious is a new movie out that will have you glued to your seat. Be prepared to spend an intense period. The writers get you very drawn into the characters from the very beginning of the movie.

Mo’Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey, Sherri Shepherd, Lenny Kravitz all are part of the cast and do an excellent job in this film. I would be surprised if they don’t win a large number of awards for their roles and how well they did.

Without giving away all the details, this is a must-see movie. Be aware though that are some very adult-themed topics. This is not one of those R rated movies you want to sneak a young teen into. The themes can be rather disturbing at times.

TV Series V Comes to an End

The TV Series “V” has now come to an end. The series piloted recently. The premise of the show is the take-over of mankind via Aliens, known as visitors.

The visitors or V are ruled by Anna. She has strong mind control over both the aliens and humanity. In fact, she’ll continuously repeat that they come in peace, ‘always’.

The action in V is pretty predictable. You can almost read Anna’s mind before she utters the words and her plans.

Figuring out who is V and who is ‘normal’ is the tricky part.

Will V make it long time? That is a tough call. The writers do a pretty decent job at getting you attached to the characters.

We’ll all have to wait until the middle of January to find out.

The Cider House Rules (1999)

The Cider House Rules is a coming-of-age movie. Tobey Maguire stars as Homer Wells. He’s an orphan in a remote area of Maine. Dr. Larch, played by Michael Caine is very fond of Homer and teaches him medical skills. Dr. Larch would love nothing more than for Homer to follow in his footsteps. Homer has something different in mind. He wants a life outside the orphanage.

Wally, a soldier, played by Paul Rudd, brings his pregnant girlfriend Candy, played by Charlize Theron, to the orphanage seeking an abortion. Homer becomes friends with the couple and decides to leave the orphanage and work on Wally’s family’s apple farm.

Wally is sent back to war, leaving Candy and Homer alone. They form a very close bond and become intimate. Candy always said she doesn’t do well being alone and gave in to temptation.

An injured Wally comes home from war and Homer respectfully and painfully, bows out of Candy’s life. Homer also learns the stark reality of the world outside the orphanage isn’t as good as he thought it would be. What path will he follow now to find where he really belongs?

The Cider House Rules is a good movie with an excellent cast – available on DVD.

One Last Dance (2003)

One Last Dance stars the late Patrick Swayze as Travis MacPhearson and his real-life wife, Lisa Niemi, as Chrissa Lindh.

Three former stars of a New York dance company, including Travis, Chrissa and Max, played by George De La Pena, want to save the company after the artistic director dies. Each of the three have wounds from the past and are finding it difficult to get past those.

This is their chance to discover a dream lost. They have the chance to fulfill this dream with a dance never performed at an upcoming benefit. They also have the chance to mend the wounds and disclose secrets that have come between them.

One Last Dance is a good movie, although I found it a bit slow in the beginning. The dance Swayze and Niemi perform together near the end of the movie makes the movie worth watching. The dance is absolutely captivating in both romance and artistry.

The Lucky Ones (2008)

Fred Cheaver, played by Tim Robbins, is returning home from military service. He is now retired and looking forward to seeing his wife and son.

T.K. Poole, played by Michael Pena and Colee Dunn, played by Rachel McAdams are also United States army soldiers who are returning home on leave. Colee’s boyfriend was a soldier who was killed while saving her life. She plans to visit his family and give them a guitar her boyfriend said was part of his family. T.K. has a fiancé, but is concerned about having impotency problems. He’s even thinking of finding a prostitute to help him out.

The three of these soldiers meet up when their flights are canceled. They rent a car and drive off to their first destination, Fred’s home. It’s obvious Fred’s wife isn’t as happy to see him as Fred is to see her. He’s awestruck when she tells him she wants a divorce.

Fred’s son is ecstatic to see his dad and tells him the great news that he’s been accepted at Stanford University. Unfortunately, Fred needs to come up with an additional $20,000 over the scholarship for his son to secure his position at Stanford.

Colee meets her boyfriend’s parents. They are a quiet couple, but invite Colee to stay with them while she’s on leave. She gets a painful surprise that helps her make the choice not to stay.

Each of the three characters has plans, but none of them go quite the way they wanted. The Lucky Ones is a rather slow moving film, but the characters capture your attention. Throughout the movie, the characters are a strong support for each other. There is a comedic aspect, but I wouldn’t classify this as a true comedy.

City of Joy (1992)

Max Lowe, played by Patrick Swayze, is an American doctor. He is longing for a deeper meaning in his life. He travels to Calcutta, India in hopes of fulfilling this longing.

Max meets Hazari Pal, played by Om Puri. Hazari and his family are unable to repay a loan. Their property is auctioned off and they are left homeless. They land in Calcutta, hoping to start a new life. Unfortunately, a con man who posed as their landlord, took all their money.

Hazari and Max meet in Calcutta and they form a friendship, along with a volunteer clinic worker named Joan, played by Pauline Collins. Max helps Pauline to open a new clinic in hopes of helping the poor residents of this foreign land.

Max is determined to change the lives of people in this poverty-stricken area. In the process, he sees his life in a new way.

City of Joy is an excellent and moving film. If you are a fan of the late Patrick Swayze, you’ll enjoy his superb acting in this movie.

The Scarlet Letter (1995)

I missed the Scarlet Letter when it was released in 1995, but recently rented it on DVD. The movie is set in the 1600’s and is loosely based on a novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Demi Moore stars as Hester Prynne and Robert Duvall plays her husband, Roger. Hester is a strong and passionate woman, although there is a longing in her eyes. She arrives while her husband is away, in a colony hoping to find freedom without fear. She finds more than she bargained for.

Hester meets Reverend Dimmesdale, played by Gary Oldman, as her carriage gets stuck in the woods. She later listened to one of his sermons and was immediately drawn to his emotion and passion.

Word gets to Hester that her husband has died. By now her heart belonged to Reverend Dimmesdale, as his love for her is mutual. Their love created a baby girl, named Pearl. The townspeople persecuted Hester for having a baby out of wedlock, but she refused to disclose who the father was. She is forced to wear a scarlet letter A, for adulteress, in public as proof and humiliation for her sin.

To Hester’s surprise her husband is not dead. He returns to find she has a little girl, one that is not his own.

The acting in this movie is impressive. The runtime of 135 minutes is longer than the usual movie, but worth the watch.

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