Jan 14 2009

In Bruges

Category: 2008,Movies,Reviewsvelveetahead @ 1:00 am

inbruges

In Bruges
Directed: Martin McDonagh
Starring: Colin Farrell, Brenden Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes, Clemence Poesy
Trailer

Synopsis: Two hit men are sent to hide out in Bruges, Belgium for two weeks. One goes crazy in the medieval town while the other likes its charm. They are also never around when their boss calls, which makes the boss very angry.

From the trailers, it appeared to be a light-hearted comedy about a pair of hit men stuck in a medeival town in Belgium while they await their orders from their boss, as much as a hitman movie can be light-hearted. It is really much more than that right from the beginning. The kill that Ray (Colin Farrell) made did not go as planned. He screwed up, but his boss (Ralph Fiennes) tells Ray and his partner, Ken (Brendan Gleeson), to go to Bruges, Belgium to hide out until he can figure out what can be done for the major mess they made.

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Jan 13 2009

Pineapple Express

Category: 2008,Movies,Reviewsvelveetahead @ 4:46 am

pineappleexpress

Pineapple Express
Directed: David Gordon Green
Starring: James Franco, Seth Rogen, Amber Heard, Danny McBride, Gary Cole
Trailer

Synopsis: A stoner unintentionally witnesses a murder and gets his stoner friend to help him with not getting killed.

I believe I don’t find stoner comedies as others find stoner comedies since I find most of them to be pretty stupid. I thought I would laugh at most of their stupidness in this movie when they were stoned and I did a lot of the time, but it just wasn’t very consistent. There were times when the movie just dragged on a bit too long. That might have been our fault since we watched the extended version. It might have been those longer bits that really would have been funnier if they were cut short and just moved on.

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Jan 13 2009

Role Models

Category: 2008,Movies,Reviewsvelveetahead @ 2:16 am

rolemodels

Role Models
Directed: David Wain
Starring: Paul Rudd, Seann William Scott, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jane Lynch
Trailer

Synopsis: Two guys get sentenced to community service where they have to be big brother types to a couple of kids.

I did not have high hopes for the movie. I really wanted to like it since it has Paul Rudd in it, but didn’t think it looked very funny.  It was a lot funnier than I thought it was going to be. I think most of it could not be shown in trailers, mostly because it was laughs that had to have a build up and weren’t just one-liners.

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Jan 12 2009

Quantum of Solace

Category: 2008,Movies,Reviewsvelveetahead @ 3:01 am

quantumofsolace

Quantum of Solace
Directed: Marc Forster
Starring: Daniel Craig, Mathieu Amairic, Olga Kurylenko, Judi Dench
Trailer

Synopsis: It picks up roughly where Casino Royale ended where James Bond has Mr. White in custody, trying to find out about the organization that blackmailed the only woman he ever loved. He’s also a tad pissed.

It is truly a sequel to Casino Royale. I didn’t think it would lean so heavily on it, but to fully get this movie, the other one should be seen. It might be a bad thing though because Casino Royale is far superior to this one. This one does have a lot of great action, which if it isn’t excellent, I will get bored and my mind will wander. It did keep my attention in this movie, which is impressive.

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Jan 12 2009

Tropic Thunder

Category: 2008,Movies,Reviewsvelveetahead @ 2:54 am

tropicthunder

Tropic Thunder
Directed: Ben Stiller
Starring: Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Brandon T. Jackson, Jay Baruchel
Trailer

Synopsis: Big movie stars take themselves so seriously in a Vietnam war drama that the director decides to just drop them into the jungles of Vietnam to fend for themselves, but doesn’t tell them that.

When I first read that Robert Downey Jr. was going to be playing a black man, I didn’t know what to think. It could be so dangerous and racist, but he handles it so well, that it is just hilarious. I really love how even when his character is asked why he is staying in character, he first says he stays in character until he does the DVD commentary, and then later, has no idea why he doesn’t break character. It was that level of satire that was so awesome about the movie. There are so many actors that take the method acting to heart so much, that it is insane.

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Jan 11 2009

MWG: From Here to Eternity

Category: Movie Watching Group,Movies,Older,Reviewsvelveetahead @ 9:39 pm

Amy is moving us into the classics with this romantic movie that she hasn’t seen, but wanted to check out, so the rest of us will too!

From Here to Eternity

Netflix synopsis: The date which lives in infamy lives on in this gripping adaptation of James Jones‘ novel about Army life in Hawaii in the idyllic days just before December 7, 1941. Eight Oscars include Best Picture, Screenplay, Supporting Actress (Donna Reed) and Supporting Actor (Frank Sinatra). Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr rolling around in the waves and sand ranks as one of the hottest love scenes in screen history.

Rotten Tomato Score: 89%

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Jan 11 2009

Top Chef: Harsh Critic

Category: Recaps,Top Chef,TVvelveetahead @ 8:10 pm

507face

Top Chef: New York
Focus Group

Here is a quick run down on the two challenges:

  • Quickfire Challenge: Create a guilt-free dessert using any non-sugar ingredient
  • Elimination Challenge: Create a family-style meal for a blind tasting

Okay, the show is pretty blatant in its product placement, but now the Quickfire challenges have a sponsor? It was the Diet Dr. Pepper Quickfire Challenge. WTF? I really hate it when sponsors take over the names of something. I don’t like that stadiums and arenas have sponsor names, mostly because when the sponsor changes, then the stadium and arena changes and who knows what to call anything anymore. Can it just have a name without a sponsor and stay that way? It is so annoying.

On another non-related note, I recently read in Entertainment Weekly, that Padma actually goes up a dress size during each season of Top Chef. She said she has to go on a major food detox after each season from eating so much during filming. She said it isn’t noticeable on the show since she has things purchased for the end of the season in the larger size. I am just glad she is actually eating during the show instead of being a mouthpiece only, and seriously, she can go up a dress size and still look fabulous.

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Jan 11 2009

TV: Week of January 11

Category: TV,Upcomingvelveetahead @ 4:19 pm

This week is the official start of 24 since the movie in November was just to tie the last season and this current season together. For those that have DirectTV, they have already seen the season of Friday Night Lights that is now playing on NBC. It is the final season for Battlestar Galactica and soon American Idol will dominate the airwaves while I hope its ratings continue to die so it doesn’t take over so much tv every winter and spring like it has done the past few years.

Season Finales: Real Chance of Love

Pick of the Week

241

24
Channel: FOX
Time: 8/7c
Starring: Kiefer Sutherland, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Carlos Bernard, Annie Wersching, Cherry Jones, James Morrison, Jeffrey Nordling, Janeane Garofalo, Rhys Coiro, Colm Feore, Bob Gunton
Premieres: Sunday, January 11
Trailer

Synopsis: Jack Bauer is on trial in Washington, D.C. and Tony is back from the dead as the bad guy. It’s time for Jack to save the day again.

My Take: I quit watching halfway through season six since it wasn’t just beyond ridiculous but it was also boring. I am going to give it another shot to see if the extended break gave it any sort of breather it needed to revive itself back to its former glory. I found the 24: Redemption movie closer to the old version of the show so I have hope.

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Jan 10 2009

Favorite 2008 TV

Category: TVvelveetahead @ 3:06 pm

I planned on making a top 10 list, but I just can’t seem to pick just 10 shows. There were some shows that I have picked on my best of lists before that didn’t make it this time, including CSI and Scrubs. There were only a few Scrubs episodes on in 2008 and they weren’t the best ones I have seen so I decided they didn’t make the list. What I have seen in 2009 on ABC is good though so it is probably going on the list at the end of this year. I have loved CSI in the past, but we didn’t watch the shows as quickly as we have in the past.

That is basically how I came up with my list. The shows that sit around on the TiVo forever don’t make the list. The ones that I can’t find an episode on the TiVo because Jer and I watch them as soon as they are new are obviously ones that we can’t wait to watch. These were all ones that either we both watched immediately or I watched immediately because he couldn’t stand them.  :)

#1

breakingbad1

Breaking Bad
Channel: AMC
Starring: Bryan Cranston, Anna Gunn, Aaron Paul, RJ Mitte, Dean Norris, Betsy Brandt

Walter was a high school chemistry teacher that found out his has inoperable cancer, but didn’t want his family to worry and stare at him with that “Oh you are dying” stare, so he didn’t tell them about his disease. He decided he needed to make some money to leave them when he did die so he decided to make pure crystal meth since it is just basic chemistry and works with a former student in order to sell it with his druggie connections. I thought the show would just be like Weeds, but it wasn’t. It was completely messed up and hilarious. Walter gets himself into jams so many times and parts of it are really scary with the people he is dealing with in the drug world, but the story goes in surprising ways all the time. I cannot wait for it to come back for a second season this year and Bryan Cranston was totally deserving of winning the Emmy for the series last year.

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Jan 09 2009

Movies Opening January 9

Category: 2009 Movies,Movies,Openingvelveetahead @ 11:00 am

Gran Torino moves to a wide release this week. It is the best-reviewed movie of the week in the wide release area. The other ones coming out are screechy women in Bride Wars, a relationship drama in Not Easily Broken, and the latest horror flick, Unborn.

Nationwide Releases

9x9_fresh Gran Torino
Bride Wars
Unborn
Not Easily Broken

bridewars

Bride Wars
Directed: Gary Winick
Starring: Kate Hudson, Anne Hathaway, Kristen Johnson, Bryan Greenberg, Candice Bergen
Trailer

Synopsis: Two best friends end up getting married at the same place on the same date due to some mix up and neither one will give up their date so fighting ensues.

My Take: It makes sense for Kate Hudson to be in a movie like this since almost all her movies are the worst stereotype of women, but it is disappointing to see Anne Hathaway in dreck like this.

RT Score: 12%
RT Consensus: Bride Wars takes the already wearisome concept of battling bridezillas, and makes it thoroughly insufferable via a lazy script and wholly detestable characters.

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