county_hell

Weaver and voight were the highlights of this film, as their characters (though over-the-top) seemed the most constructed. Winkler's character was really good too, and LaBeouf played his role well enough. In fact, all of the characters seemed plausible in an odd sort of way. I actually liked the transitions from present to past (Arquette's story in particular) as it made the film more interesting than your usual kid's film. Of course, it wouldn't be Disney without the neatly packed ending

60 _47%

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010) - Rated 15 Feb 2010

What a terrible waste of actors like coogan, keener, bean, etc. From the film's opening the plotholes were apparent. Why was the lightning stolen? Why would poseidon's son be the main suspect? The main characters were not likeable in the least. If their constant temperment changes were supposed to emulate the gods, it worked. Columbus delivered some good effects, but overall this smacked of sub-par Harry potter. It felt rushed, probably to beat out the Clash of the Titans remake do out soon.

60 _47%

Avatar (2009) - Rated 05 Feb 2010

It's tough to try and roll Apocalypse Now, The Star Wars Trilogy & Starship Troopers into a cohesive film. It's worse when it fails. Make no mistake, Cameron's world he created was gorgeous. Cinematography was spectacular. But the attempt to ball eastern, african and native american philosophy & theology into a unique race failed. The story, with it's lesson of symbiosis between all living things was detracted by bad acting, one-dimensional characters & a predictable storyline.

75 _67%

Money Talks (1997) - Rated 05 Feb 2010

This isn't the type of film I would usually rank this high, but I found the performances by Chris Tucker and Paul Sorvino to be strong enough to actually hook me in. Charlie Sheen was acceptable as the straight guy, but Tucker is the real star here. He is toned down enough where he is funny, but never too grating when he goes over-the-top.

73 _63%

Sherlock Holmes (2009) - Rated 26 Jan 2010

Solid enough film, largely because of the chemistry between Downey Jr and Law. I thought they played off each other extremely well. The story itself, while not exactly hokey, seemed to be believable enough in a classic Holmesian way. Ritchie's directing was unobtrusive, though i did find some of the early action scenes to be a bit blurred, and tough to follow with the eye. There are worse things out there to see (When In Rome and Leap Year come to mind).

80 _78%

Suspicion (1941) - Rated 05 Oct 2009

A bit of a slow going at the beginning, but once the characters are defined, it begins to pick up the pace. Of course that is then turned around as Grant's character is now seen in a different light. Supposedly, Hitchcock wanted the end to have Grant be the murderer, but some say RKO wouldnt budge on having their star be a killer, and others say Hitchcock had given up that though, working more on the psychology angle of Fontaine's character. Solid film, nothwithstanding the forced ending.

50 _34%

Mission: Impossible (1996) - Rated 22 Sep 2009

Yes. That mission? To keep me interested with a film that has a rudimentary plotline.

85 _89%

The Blues Brothers (1980) - Rated 22 Sep 2009

I hate Illinois Nazis ...

81 _83%

The In-Laws (1979) - Rated 21 Sep 2009

Love this film. Arkin and Falk do the "odd couple" routine perfectly. Stiller and DeNiro should have watched this before attempting Meet The Parents.

89 _95%

Little Miss Sunshine (2006) - Rated 21 Sep 2009

I havent laughed that hard at Alan Arkin since The In-Laws. He was fantastic, as were the cast as a whole. The chemistry between them brought this film to another level of enjoyment. Carrell and Kinnear were superb, but the clinchers were Dano and Breslin. I just cannot say enough about the acting.