Slumdog Millionaire

After reading more about this Oscar nominated movie I was excited about the possibilities of the plot.

Plot: A young man in India is accused of cheating his way through the game show “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire”.

Twist: The explanation of the answers leads us on a lifelong journey through the slums of Bombay.

Memorable Quotes: Maybe it’s written.

My Thoughts: Fantastic! This movie had been hyped up by friends and media and still managed to deliver beyond expectations. The way the story builds upon past experiences provides a refreshing cinematic experience. The acting is top notch and the location provides a new perspective on the real world.

Who Will Like This Movie: Everyone.

Rating: 10 out of 10

Vantage Point

Just another movie I have been wanting to see that Sarah & I finally caught thanks to DVR.

Plot: The President of the United States is assassinated during an important political rally in Europe. There are several suspicious parties and each one has a different story to tell.

Twist: Not everything is what it seems, when the President is tuns out to still be alive.

Memorable Quotes: He doesn’t even look like me.

My Thoughts: This movie wasn’t really what I expected it to be. Unfortunately, it wasn’t really better than I expected it to be either. While I liked the premise, I wasn’t astounded by the plot because there were no major surprises. All in all it was entertaining, but nothing special.

Who Will Like This Movie: People who enjoy a different approach to movie making.

Rating: 6 out of 10

Taken

I guess I’m a sucker for a good trailer because this one was so good I felt like I needed to see it opening weekend. Luckily, some friends already told me that I would really like it.

Plot: The daughter of a retired government agent is kidnapped while she is on vacation in Paris. He must use his skills to get her back as quickly as possible.

Twist: The investigation leads the man into the dark world of human trafficking.

Memorable Quotes: They’re going to take you.

My Thoughts: This movie is a no frills, non-stop thriller. It doesn’t take very long to develop the back story and get things rolling and the movie just gets better from there. The action isn’t all guns and explosions, but there are plenty of car chases and fight scenes to move things along. It’s only about 90 minutes long so there isn’t much time for anything but action. Sarah really liked it too so it’s a good one for the ladies.

Who Will Like This Movie: If you like right to the point movies without all the fluff then this one is for you.

Rating: 8 out of 10

In Bruges

I remember thinking the preview looked pretty funny…just not funny enough to actually go see it in the theater.

Plot: Two hitmen are sent to Bruges to hide out after completing a difficult job in London.

Twist: The botched job in London creates a host of problems for everybody involved.

Memorable Quotes: One gay beer for my gay friend. One normal beer for me because I’m normal.

My Thoughts: This movie had a lot more to the story than I assumed it would. The dialogue and situations allowed for plenty of humor, but I found myself rewinding a lot to sort through the accents. The humor is pretty dark so only certain people will truly appreciate it and things certainly get messy at times. Nonetheless, I think this movie is worth a look…but probably best viewed as a group.

Who Will Like This Movie: People who like their comedy to come in a dark and twisted form.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Seven Pounds

After making time to go see a movie, we followed some friends’ advice before arriving at the decision to see this movie.

Plot: A man hiding a fateful secret decides to go to extremes to help several individuals who are in great need.

Twist: Having already suffered a great deal, the man’s journey is just beginning.

Memorable Quotes: God created the world in seven days…I destroyed mine in seven seconds.

My Thoughts: I’ve tried to keep things relatively obscure in this review because the unraveling of the plot is what makes the movie. However, this is a tough movie to review without giving too much away. It doesn’t take too long to figure out what is going on in the movie, but there are enough small twists to keep you guessing. In the end very few movies can feel so depressing and simultaneously uplifting at the same time…a definite recipe for tears.

Who Will Like This Movie: If you like multi-tiered plots or real tear jerkers then this one is for you.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Ocean’s Thirteen

I recorded this several month’s ago since I never caught it in the theater…it only took six months to watch it.

Plot: After Reuben is swindled by casino owner Willy Bank, Danny Ocean rallies the boys for another hiest with revenge in mind.

Twist: Since they are short on cash the crew must bring Terry Benedict into the mix and he has a few requests of his own.

Memorable Quotes: You shook Sinatra’s hand. You should know better.

My Thoughts: No big secret here…this movie follows the same general formula as the first two. I liked this one a little more than the Ocean’s Twelve, which I think was due mostly to the return to Las Vegas. The plot has a certain simplicity that makes it easy to accept for the third movie in a series. However, there are no major surprises in this one…just the usual twists and turns.

Who Will Like This Movie: If you like the first two, then this one will probably be just as entertaining.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Four Christmases

Two movies in a single week?! It’s starting to feel like old times, but for how long. Anyway, Sarah and I decided to go catch this flick late on a Friday night.

 

Plot: After their vacation plans are foiled due to grounded flights, a couple (Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon) must attend four family christmases in a single day.

 

Twist: Let just say that these families are crazier than a Utah fan who feels the Utes are entitled to a BCS bowl game.

 

Memorable Quotes: My childhood was like the Shawshank Redemption…only without a nice, older, gentle black man to help me through it. 

 

My Thoughts: This movie delivers everything you can expect from a holiday comedy flick. A funny plotline forcing people to be with their crazy families causing hilarity to ensure. It sounds familiar because it is…unfortunately there may never be another National Lampoon’s: Christmas Vacation. 

 

Who Will Like This Movie: People who like to get into the the spirit of the season by watching Christmas movies and anyone who loves Vince Vaughn being Vince Vaughn.

 

Rating: 6 out of 10

Role Models

Apparently I’m working at a bimonthly pace these days. Busy as usual but I finally found time to squeeze in a movie and felt like seeing a comedy. This seemed like the logical pick.

 

Plot: After a meltdown fueled by anger and energy drinks gets Danny (Paul Rudd) and Wheeler (Sean William Scott) into trouble with law, they are forced to perform community service in the Big Brother program at Sturdy Wings.

 

Twist: Danny and Wheeler find out that their little brothers are going to be two tough cases. One is a black boy with an attitude problem and the other is an older white boy who is into real life role playing games.

 

Memorable Quotes: Me and the judge have a special relationship. I don’t wanna get too graphic…but I used to suck his dick for drugs.

 

My Thoughts: I didn’t go into this movie expecting too much, but I thought it was really funny. There weren’t too many suprises, but the plot was interesting enough to keep things moving. A nice mix of sarcasm and slap stick. Great laughs…and that’s all I can ask from this type of movie.

 

Who Will Like This Movie: If you like Paul Rudd’s character in Knocked Up and Sean William Scott’s character in Road Trip then you’re probably going to like this movie.

 

Rating: 7 out of 10

American Gangster

Holy crap! It’s been a long time since I’ve had time to watch a movie. Between working late and going to football games on the weekends, I hardly have time for anything. However, I managed to squeeze this one in while I was laying in bed on Sunday morning before the NFL games started.

Plot: The story follows the paths of two men living in New York City in the 1970’s. As the name suggests, Frank Lucas, is a gangster who takes over the drug trafficking scene by flooding the market with cheap, uncut heroin from the Far East. Richie Roberts is a honest narcotics detective working to clean up the streets of New Jersey.

Twist: Due to his impeccable record and incorruptible nature, Richie Roberts is invited to become the head of a federal narcotics task force designed to find the leaders of the major North American dealers.

Memorable Quotes: It’s not in my best interest to say this Frank, but quitting while you’re ahead, is not the same as quitting.

My Thoughts: I had heard several good things about this movie and I was not disappointed. I think the story is told very well from the perspective of both men and it does an excellent job of building the characters throughout the movie. There aren’t really any big twists, but this movie didn’t really need them.

Who Will Like This Movie: People who like stories about the mafia or movies based on true stories. And of course Denzel fans.

Rating: 8 out of 10

There Will Be Blood

Another movie on day five since they are all due back. Even more Percocet in the system now.

Plot: This is a story about a man involved in drilling for oil early in US history.

Twist: The man runs into some several problems along the way and goes off the deep end in more ways than one.

Memorable Quotes: I….DRINK…..YOUR….MILKSHAKE!

My Thoughts: Not really sure what the point of this movie was. If they were just trying to tell a weird story about a crazy man then I’ll say it was a success. Other than that, it was good for a few random laughs when you probably aren’t supposed to be laughing. Hoever, Daniel Day-Lewis does an amazing job playing a crazy man, as usual.

Who Will Like This Movie: If you ever thought Gangs of New York would have made a great western…this is your movie.

Rating: 5 out of 10