3:10 to Yuma (2007)

Synopsis

Title: 3:10 To Yuma (2007)

Genre: Western

Rating: R

Running Time: 122 Minutes

Director: James Mangold

Starring: Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, Ben Foster, Peter Fonda, Gretchen Mol, Logan Lerman, Luke Wilson

Plot: Taking place shortly after the civil war, famous outlaw Ben Wade is captured and escorted to the 3:10 train to Yuma. Wade's vengeful gang makes things hazardous for those transporting the outlaw.

My Take

This is a remake of a movie by the same title exactly 5o years ago. It was directed by James Mangold, who was the director of Walk the Line, a very good movie about the life of famous country singer Johnny Cash. This movie also brought in some big name actors. Russell Crowe is good in everything he's in (although I didn't fall in love with all his movies: A Perfect Storm), and Christain Bale are the lead actors and do a brilliant job. I had not heard of or seen Ben Foster before this movie, but he did a great job in this movie. I think his beard made him scary and intimidating. I think I said "yikes" when I first saw him. He was the best supporting actor in my opinion. Marco Beltrami received an oscar nomination for his musical score and sound. The costume design team did a very good job making the movie look and feel like an old western movie that follows the classic Western storyline. I liked the acting, directing, sound and the scenery. I didn't like everything about the story or the execution of the story. The movie is entertaining enough, but it is not a movie I would rave about the next day.

Should You Watch???

If you like classic western movies with plenty of gun fighting in the southern desert, I suspect you'll fall in love with this movie. The Western movie genre has been dead for quite some time it seems and this should be refreshing to those who like those movies. The story is a classic Western plot, but it left me several opportunities to say "now why would they do that?" The tone of the movie is sad, so if you are like my fiance, that will turn you off to this movie. What can you expect from a Western movie? I'm not a big fan of Westerns myself, but I really like the actors in this movie. I think it is worth the watch unless you can't stand to watch an old fashioned gun fight.

Popcorn Rating

Buttered Popcorn

Checking Out (1989)

Synopsis

Title: Checking out (1989)

Genre: Comedy

Rating: R

Running Time: 95 Minutes

Director: David Leland

Main Actors: Jeff Daniels, Melanie Mayron, Michael Tucker, Kathleen York, Ann Magnuson

Plot: Jeff Daniels stars as Ray Macklin who is deathly scared of illness and mortality after seeing his friend die from a heart attack.

My Take

I caught this movie playing on cable because I saw Jeff Daniels was starring in a comedy. The only other comedy Jeff Daniels was in that I have seen was Dumb and Dumber and I loved that movie, so I thought I’d give this one a try. There were a couple funny moments, most within the first couple minutes, but for the most part it was not real good. In fact, it was more like Dumb and Dumberer than it was Dumb and Dumber. Jeff Daniels definitely needs Jim Carey.

Should You Watch???

This movie is a goofy-funny movie but not extremely goofy. If you like those types of movies, you might like this movie, but I don’t think this movie is very good even for a goofy movie. They could have very easily made this movie PG-13 by avoiding a couple words and maybe a scene or two, which I think would help, because I think the teen crowd might like it more than the adult crowd might. This movie is obscure for a reason. You will be just fine if you never see this film.

Popcorn Rating

Plain Popcorn

February Is Vince Vaughn Month

I will be doing something new here at The Popcorn Guide starting in February. February will be Vince Vaughn month. During February I will be watching and reviewing as many Vince Vaughn movies as I can. I have a list of about 12 movies and I hope to review at least 8. I started becoming a Vince Vaughn fan after watching the movie that jump-started his career, Swingers. I'll be reviewing that movie and several more starting in February. The reviews will be the same format, but I will add a short section analyzing Vince's performance. I'm looking forward to Vince Vaughn month and if it is a success, I may have more months dedicated to certain people or topics. Thanks for reading and I hope to hear back from you with comments.

Punch-Drunk Love (2002)

Title: Punch-Drunk Love (2002)

Genre: Romantic Comedy (?)

Rating: R

Running Time: 95 Minutes

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

Main Actors: Adam Sandler, Emily Watson, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Luis Guzman, Mary Lynn Rajskub

Plot: The plot is to be weird. The movie follows a guy who has some kind of personality disorder.

My Take

This is a romantic comedy? Really? Doesn't that mean it is supposed to be romantic and funny? I'd even settle for romantic OR funny. Weird. I don't know if I was drunk when I was watching this movie, but I'm pretty sure the director was drunk while he was directing this movie. Paul Thomas Anderson was named best director for his work on this movie? Who the hell was presenting that award? I will make it a point to avoid ALL Paul Thomas Anderson films in the future.

Should You Watch???

This movie is not for the masses. I actually don't know who the target audience is for this movie. I really tried to like this movie. I really, really tried. I tried really hard to understand all the weird lighting, sounds, dialogue, locations, plot, etc. I gave this movie chance, but it's just not good. Avoid this movie at all costs.

Popcorn Rating

Burnt Popcorn

John Q. (2002)

Synopsis

Title: John Q. (2002)

Genre: Drama

Rating: PG-13

Running Time: 116 Minutes

Director: Nick Cassavetes

Main Actors: Denzel Washington, Kimberly Elise, Daniel E. Smith, James Woods, Robert Duval, Anne Hache

Plot: Is there a national health care crisis in the United States? When a man’s son is stricken with a heart condition, he is not able to pay for the operation. He decides he must take matters into his own hands.

My Take

I heard really good things about this movie, so when I saw it on tv I used my good old DVR. Let me begin with what I didn’t like so much about this movie. Firstly, although Denzel did an excellent job as always, the rest of the actors did average at best. Kimberly Elise received recognition for her acting in this movie, but I didn’t feel it warranted attention although she was probably better than the rest of the cast. It was a drama but it almost felt like a documentary on the health care system. I felt like the movie should be intense, but it felt more like watching a video in health class. I found it amusing when Denzel beats the crap out of one of the hostages and the other hostages were laughing. I know they wanted to show that his character was a nice guy, the hostages liked him and he was just put in a bad situation, but I don’t see any hostages laughing in this situation and it makes the whole movie almost a mockery. The cheering crowd outside? Give me a break. Let me be clear, this movie was more about sending a message than it was about telling a great story. Those two things should be the same, but they aren’t always. I felt the plot had some obvious question marks. I made it sound like this is a terrible movie, but it’s not. I actually liked this movie for the most part. It will make you think about the health care system in our country, and you will feel for Denzel and his family. Things are not always black and white, and this movie drives home that point.

Should You Watch???

I think you should watch this movie. Denzel is an awesome actor and he gives a very good performance here. I think about another Denzel Washington movie, Inside Man, which was a very good movie dealing with a hostage situation only he was on the outside instead of the inside. I realize I was pretty harsh on my take, but it was only because I expected something a little better than what I got. It was entertaining enough despite it’s flaws for me to give you the go ahead to watch this movie.

Popcorn Rating

Kettle Corn

Munich (2005)

Synopsis

Title: Munich (2005)

Genre: Drama

Rating: R

Running Time: 164 Minutes

Director: Stephen Spielberg

Main Actors: Eric Bana, Daniel Craig, Ciaran Hinds, Ayelet Zurer, Geoffrey Rush

Plot: This movie focuses on the Israeli retaliation to the 1972 Munich games tragedy when Palestinian terrorists killed 11 Israeli Olympians.

My Take

If you plan on watching this movie, make sure you don’t have any plans for an entire night because this movie is long. Too long and slow for me. It is not that I can’t watch movies that are long, some of my favorite movies are long, but there is not enough consistency and flow in the story to keep me involved for such a long time. The acting by all accounts was good. The story was good and based at least loosely on historical fact. Spielberg did a good job directing, taking aim at another film surrounding important historical events in recent Jewish history. This was a very good movie, but I felt that it could have been better than great. It had potential to be exceptional.

Should You Watch???

Munich is aptly rated R, mainly due to graphic violence and some sexual content. No children should be exposed to this movie. It runs over 2 ½ hours long, so expect a long sitting. If the above mentioned things do not bother you, I suspect that you will not be disappointed with Munich. The acting and directing is good. The basic story was good, but could have been told in a more captivating and time efficient way. If you can stay actively involved as a watcher throughout the entire movie, you may even feel emotionally moved by the end. Give it a try if you have time, but make sure to watch the documentary, One Day In September, before you do so you have some historical background to the events leading up to this story.

Popcorn Rating

Buttered Popcorn

Caddyshack II (1988)

Synopsis

Title: Caddyshack II (1988)

Genre: Comedy

Rating: PG-13

Running Time: 99 Minutes

Director: Allan Arkush

Main Actors: Jackie Mason, Dyan Cannon, Robert Stack, Chevy Chase, Randy Quaid

The Plot: This sequel to the popular 1980 comedy Caddyshack gives you more of the same country club humor. Blue collar workers meet upper-class snobs on the golf course.

My Take

I found Caddyshack II to be a watchable movie, but not one that I would feel I had to watch. I didn’t think it was quite as crude as the original Caddyshack, but it was more of the same kind of jokes. Chevy Chase is one of the funniest actors if not the funniest actor ever in my opinion. He is great comedic entertainment in this movie but his character has a limited role unfortunately. The acting was ok and the plot was decent enough, but I just never really got interested. Much like Necessary Roughness (although it was not nearly as corny as that movie), the comedy in Caddyshack II was slap-stick. The jokes just don’t seem quite as funny now as they surly did when this was first made.

Should You Watch???

If you have seen the first Caddyshack and were a fan of that movie, you should like the sequel. Some may be disappointed that Rodney Dangerfield and Bill Murry did not return, but I honestly don't think they would have made much of a difference in this movie. I noticed several plot lines that Happy Gilmore (a movie I very much like) would later mimic. Although I wouldn’t say Caddyshack II was a great movie (I might even say it's not good), it is watchable and will have it’s funny moments. Chevy Chase is one of the funniest actors of all time and he will make you laugh in this movie. Randy Quaid does a pretty good job as the maniac lawyer, but the movie is just not that good when all is said and done. Watch it if you are in a slap-happy mood.

Popcorn Rating

Plain Popcorn

One Day In September (1999)

Synopsis

Title: One Day In September (1999)

Genre: Documentary

Rating: R

Running Time: 93 Minutes

Director: Kevin MacDonald

The Plot: Terrorists disrupt 1972 Munich games.

My Take

It’s a documentary. It is what it is. I thought it was well done. The fact that the lone surviving Palestinian was interviewed made it much more interesting than it would have been otherwise. This was a huge international event that will be infamous throughout history. This documentary helps shed some light on the subject. I look forward to watching the movie Munich now after seeing this documentary. Many things about this story are amazing to me. It’s scary how much damage a few people can make. Terrorism is real and very much alive today, and this documentary only strengthens my belief that terrorism is unacceptable in all circumstances.

Should You Watch???

If you are at all interested in history like I am, then you should watch. There are a few graphic images of the dead at the end of the documentary, but I’ve seen worse. In my view, real events are always more interesting than fictional stories. It’s a documentary, so it’s not like your normal movie. Know that before you watch, and you should benefit from watching this documentary. I would say you’ll enjoy it, but how can you really enjoy watching terrorism?

Popcorn Rating

Buttered Popcorn (Although I would think it’d be hard to eat popcorn while watching)

Necessary Roughness (1991)

Synopsis

Title: Necessary Roughness (1991)

Genre: Slap-Stick Sports Comedy

Rating: PG-13

Running Time: 108 Minutes

Director: Stan Dragoti

Main Actors: Scott Bakula, Hector Elizondo, Robert Loggia, Harley Jane Kozak, Fred Thompson, Rob Schneider, Sinbad, Kathy Ireland

The Plot: Texas State football is hit with major recruiting violations and they have to field a group of misfit players that have to play both ways. How will they compete?

My Take

Awful, simply awful.

Should You Watch???

I’ll let some of the quotes in the movie do the talking. You decide.

Quotable

“Welcome to foot…BALL” (female kicker kicks DT you can guess where)

Woman says, “Up yours Phil!” Man replys, “She called me Phil?”

Blake says, “This beer’s on me.” Guy pours beer on Blake, “Now the beer is on you.”

“I’m going to kill you. You’re mine!”

“The ball is my friend”

“How could the refs call that? It was a clean kick to the facemask.”

“Holy Columbus Ohio”

Woman “Are you Ok?” Blake, “Uh no, I was just hit in the head with a racquet ball.”

“If I wanted a big brother, I wouldn’t have killed mine.”

Popcorn Rating

Burnt Popcorn

Reign Over Me (2007)

Synopsis

Title: Reign Over Me (2007)

Genre: Drama

Rating: R

Running Time: 128 Minutes

Director: Mike Binder

Main Actors: Adam Sandler, Don Cheadle, Jada Pinkett Smith, Liv Tyler, B.J. Novak

The Plot: Alan Johnson (Don Cheadle) runs into his old college roommate who lost his family in the 9/11 attack. The story is about love, friendship, and healing.

My Take

First off, Adam Sandler did a standout job in this movie. I knew Adam Sandler from great comedies such as Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore, but I think his performance in this movie is his best yet. I’m a big Adam Sandler fan, and I’m also a big Don Cheadle fan. He was great in Hotel Rwanda and I like him in this movie as well. He shows a little of his humor, which was nice. However, not all the acting was great. The two actors who played Adam Sandler’s inlaws gave perhaps the worst performance I’ve ever seen, especially the mother-in-law. Please, I could make better facial expressions lady! Thankfully they were minor characters in what I found to be an entertaining story. It was also funny to watch B.J. Novak’s, Ryan from The Office, character get scolded by the judge.

Should You Watch???

This is worth a watch if only to see Sandler’s performance, but it is much more than just him, and it is well worth the watch. The movie touches various emotions ranging from anger, humor, sadness and sympathy. It was not a perfect film and I think the director could have done a better job overseeing some details, but over all I thought it was a very solid film. It’s rated R, so it won’t be a kids movie. Adults should be able to appreciate this movie for the depth of the main character. We should sympathize with the anguish and pain he endures and be proud of the strong bonding friendship of a man who sees a former roommate in need of help.

Popcorn Rating

Buttered Popcorn

The Simpsons Movie (2007)

Synopsis

Title: The Simpsons Movie (2007)

Genre: Comedy

Rating: PG-13

Running Time: 87 Minutes

Director: David Silverman

Main Actors: Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Yardly Smith, Hank Azaria

The Plot: The Simpsons are finally on the big screen! The town of Springfield is placed in a bubble by the EPA after Homer pollutes the lake. After dooming the city, he must save the city before it gets destroyed.

My Take

A Simpson's movie is long overdue. In fact, they may have waited too long to make the movie, because the show has lost some of its popularity from earlier years. If you are a fan of the television show, you will love the movie. The story was pretty good and there will be times when you can't help but laugh. They do have some scenes that are questionable, and they will poke fun at almost anybody so you must be able to take the jokes in good humor or you may become upset. Of course this is an animated movie, and several of the actors have several characters. It is hard to judge the acting and directing in these kind of movies, so the plot becomes that much more important.

Should You Watch???

This movie is geared towards fans of the television show, of which there are many. If you are not a fan of the show, you may not understand many of the jokes and it might not be for you. The Simpsons have a unique style of comedy that may not be suited for all people. Although this is an animated movie, it is not suitable for young children as it includes some adult material. If you haven't seen the Simpson's television show, you can still enjoy the movie so I suggest you give it a try. I liked this movie.

Popcorn Rating

Buttered Popcorn