A bunch of movie reviews

It's been a while since I've reviewed movies, but here's what I've seen lately. Just to save you some reading, here's the summary. Do see: Baby Mama, Leatherheads, and Run Fatboy Run. Don't see: Never Back Down, Prom Night, and Jeepers Creepers. Maybe see: Hancock, The Mummy 3, Hunt for Red October, The Eye, The Abyss, and 10,000 BC. Here's the details:

Never Back Down

Meh. I didn't really like this because the whole time I was watching it I kept thinking "I hope this isn't what teenagers are really like now." I guess that means I'm old. The problem was that this movie glorifies the somewhat new practice of fighting and then posting the footage online. I'm not really sure who this movie was meant for - kids shouldn't be watching it but adults probably wouldn't enjoy it. If you want a real fighting movie see Fight Club (edited version, of course) or just watch UFC - it's real and it's more entertaining.

Recommendation: Obviously I had issues with the movie as a whole, but it was entertaining enough that I wasn't bored or anything. I'd keep this in mind as a plan B or C (or D).

Hancock

I liked this show but have to point out that there were lots of swears in it. Probably the most you can put into a PG-13 movie, so that wasn't cool. It was interesting and less predictable than your typical Super-Hero movie. I would put this in the same boat as "Friday Night Lights" and "The Kingdom" as far as the overall feel of the movie, probably because they were all directed by Peter Berg.

Recommendation: I liked it but again, there's a lot of swears so don't let the kids see it, unless of course you want your kids swearing - in which case, go for it.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

When I was a freshman in college, my astronomy teacher (who frequently strayed from the topic of astronomy) introduced me to the concept of a "popcorn movie". A popcorn movie is one you don't take seriously, but you just enjoy with popcorn. The first mummy movie was what he used as an example. I found the Mummy III to be every bit as much a popcorn movie. There were some super cheesy lines but that's what you should expect from this type of movie - it wouldn't be the same without them.

Recommendation: Used the first two Mummy movies to gauge how you'll like it, otherwise, see it with low expectations.

Hunt for Red October

Blast from the past! I remember this movie being on at my house when I was a kid but all I got from it was the desire to never ever be on a submarine. Interesting thing - I had just finished playing the video game Splinter Cell, which was also written by Tom Clancy, and I could totally see the writer's style coming through in similarities I noticed.

Recommendation: I really enjoyed it. If you haven't seen it in the past decade, maybe it's worth a re-visit.

Jeepers Creepers

The kid who always says "Hi I'm a Mac" is driving home from college with his sister and they cross paths with a monster who chases them. He freaks out a lot and people don't believe him and in the end lots of people die but I think he's ok. I just saved you a couple of hours. This movie was lame and the only reason I watched it is that I was bored on a Saturday afternoon (this was before football season) and it was on TV. Eventually I found something better to do - that's why I said I think he was ok in the end. I didn't actually finish the movie.

Recommendation: Not only will you not enjoy this movie, the annoying "Jeepers Creepers" song will be stuck in your head for 2 days, and you'll be reminded of the time you wasted.

The Eye

I have a personal interest in a concept this movie explains: cellular memory. It's the idea that cells in the body (other than the brain) can store information such as memories, habits, tastes, interests, etc. There isn't any credible science to support the theory but I'm sure you've all heard the urban legend of someone receiving an anonymous organ and suddenly having a desire to smoke or something like that.

As many of you know, I had a bone graft in my left knee a few years ago from an anonymous organ donor. If there is such a thing as cellular memory, then whoever's knee I got was pretty awesome because when I woke up from surgery I couldn't stop thinking about how awesome I was. In fact I still can't. AWESOME!

Back to the movie- it was a psychological thriller from the same mold as The Ring and The Grudge. It was well done, kept me on edge, and made me jump once (but no screaming).

Recommendation: If you're into scary movies, this is a good clean one you shouldn't miss.

Prom Night

Kind of disturbing. It wasn't really scary and won't really make you jump, but people get killed. I didn't really like it.

Recommendation: I can't imagine who would enjoy this movie.

The Abyss

Another old submarine movie! This one was interesting but it seemed really really long. I've got to be honest, I'm still not done with it because I had to go to bed and haven't gotten back to it, but I feel like I'm almost done. If the ending drastically changes my opinion I'll let you know.

Recommendation: If you're going to see one old submarine movie this year, make it The Hunt for Red October. If you already saw that one and want more old submarine movies, this would be a good #2.

10,000 BC

I haven't heard anyone say anything good about this movie but thought to myself, "aw, what the heck, there's nothing else in the Redbox this week." Here's something good - it inspired my staycation hairstyle. I copied the look of the character known as One-Eye played by Marco Kahn. Otherwise, I think I went into this movie with such low expectations that I liked it. I should admit that I fell asleep watching it twice so it took three days to finish.

Recommendation: It's bad, but it's not that bad.

Baby Mama

I've never seen anything with Tina Fey or Amy Poehler that didn't really make me laugh. This movie rocked.

Recommendation: Everybody see it.

Leatherheads

This movie was awesome! John Krasinski did awesome, George Cloony was great, and Renee Zelleger didn't totally annoy me - what more could I ask for? I think the reason this was such a good movie is because of all the different elements that went into it. It integrated romance, sports, comedy, and history. It's like Oh Brother Where art Thou meets Rudy meets Cinderrella Man.

Recommendation: I think most people would really enjoy this. I did.

Run Fatboy Run

Another great show. The thing I thought was most interesting was the role of Hank Azeria - you probably know him best as the voice of various Simpsons characters (16 to be exact). I've seen interviews with him and he's a pretty funny guy, but he plays a serious role in this movie and he does it well. When I read the premise of this movie - a guy trying to run a marathon to impress his ex - I was expecting it to be really cheesy but the writing/acting was so good that they made it work. 5 stars for this one.

Recommendation: Definitely see this one too.