Barry’s Daily Web News

Basic

The movie of the weekend was Basic. This movie is about an investigation concerning an army training accident, staring John Travolta and Samuel Jackson. It wasn’t a bad movie, but I think it tried to be clever with a number of plot twists. I think it had one plot twist too many. I rate it a B.

Gangs of New York

We rented a movie this past weekend, Gangs of New York. This movie is about the poor section of New York in the 1800’s. I didn’t care much for this movie. At just under three hours, it was too long, and it was too hard to follow. It’s also a very violent film, which can be hard to stomach in a serious movie. Still, your mileage might vary. I rate this movie a C.

Buy it.

Tears of the Sun

The movie last night, and the first we have watched in a while, was Tears of the Sun. This was a fairly simple movie about a Navy Seal operation in Nigeria, with Bruce Willis as the commander defying orders. The movie had a good mix of story and action. Nothing special as far as the acting, but it was still an entertaining movie. I rate it a B.

Buy it.

About Schmidt

The only movie we saw this weekend was About Schmidt. Jack Nicholson turns in a decent role as a character trying to discover himself after retirement. I though this was a good movie, but could have been better with a little more development of the main character. I rate this movie a B.

Buy it.

The Matrix Reloaded

Last night, we actually went out to the movie theatre. We went to see the The Matrix Reloaded. This movie had me sitting on the edge of my seat with some great action scenes. I thought the special effects weren’t quite as good in the first movie, but the second movie had more of a story line about the actual Matrix, requiring only a slight supsension of disbelief. I was extremly disappointed with the movie ending with a “to be continued”, which tainted my overall impression of the movie. I rate The Matrix Reloaded a B-.

Buy it.

Old School

The Friday night movie was Old School. This movie is really just a different take on Animal House. I actually broke out in laughter several times during this movie. Cortney wasn’t laughing though, so this movie isn’t for everyone. The ending in particular was poor. I rate this movie a C+.

Buy it.

Die Another Day

The only movie this weekend was Die Another Day. This was one of the better James Bond movies, and certainly better than any of the recent movies. The movie was packed full of action, so I certainly enjoyed it. My only complaint was the plot was a bit over the top with a death satellite. I don’t see how a rogue North Korean would manage to get a satellite launched into space, and the movie never bothered to explain it. I rate this movie a B.

But it.

25th Hour

The second movie of the weekend was 25th Hour. Since this was a Spike Lee movie, I expected more political overtones, but it turned out to be a well done movie. The movie is about main character’s last day before serving a seven year jail term. This movie takes place in New York City, and if you haven’t been there, the movie wouldn’t be as meaningful. Ed Norton turns in another good acting job, with a good support cast. A good film, but depressing subject matter. I rate this movie a B+.

Buy it.

Analyze That

The first movie of the weekend was Analyze That. This movie is a sequal to Anayze This, and it suffers from sequilitis. I think this movie tried to do to much, and ended up with mediocre results. The movie had a slow start, but did pick up in the second half. I didn’t care much for Billy Crystal’s whining character, and Robert De Niro’s character was annoying as well. The plot wasn’t very believable. Despite these flaws, the mixture of humor and action wasn’t too bad. I rate this movie a C.

Buy it.

The Hot Chick

Last night’s movie was The Hot Chick. Only in Hollywood would such a concept as a man and a woman swapping bodies be considered viable for a full length movie. Throw in the fact that this was a Rob Schneider movie, and you know this isn’t serious fare. I thought most of the jokes just weren’t that funny. I rate this movie a C.

Buy it.

Auto Focus

The Friday night movie was Auto Focus. We had actually rented this before, but that was when our DVD player had broken. This movie is the biography of Bob Crane, star of Hogan’s Heros. The movie documented his rise to stardom, and his fall into sexual depravity. The movie was interesting, but the second half of the movie was kind of creepy. The acting by Greg Kinnear was good, but in the end, the story matter was just too disturbing. I don’t know that I would recommend this movie. We watched it because Bob Crane died in nearby Scottsdale, and we knew that his murder had never been solved. I rate this movie a B-.

Buy it.

Catch Me If You Can

Last night’s movie was Catch Me If You Can. I thought this was a fascinating movie, about the life of a con artist. It’s a long movie, but I had no problem watching it until the end. Other than that, there’s nothing really special about this movie. It certainly isn’t one of Steven Spielberg’s memorable movies. I rate this movie a B+.

Buy it.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

While I’m doing movie reviews, I forgot to do last weeks movie, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. I was looking for a bit of a let down on this movie compared to the first one. But in my opinion, it was every bit as good as the first one. The special effects are excellent and blend smoothly with the story. It was unusual to see the actors aged from the first movie. I rate this movie an A.

But it.

The Transporter

This weekend, we watched two movies, the first time we have done that in a long time. The first movie was The Transporter. I thought this wasn’t bad as an action flick, but the poor plot and movie cliches prevent this from being serious movie fare. I rate this movie a C+. If you don’t like action movies, don’t even bother.

Buy it.

Welcome to Collinwood

In addition to the trip to the movies, we also saw a movie last Thursday night. We saw Welcome to Collinwood. This movie was a dark comedy about a group of people bungling a robbery. I thought this movie was a bit too short, and the ending was anti-climatic. Otherwise, the movie had an intersting story and some funny moments. I rate this movie a B-.

Buy it.