Cowboys and Aliens

Adam: 3 pops
Jessie: 2 pops

Adam finally got to go see Cowboys and Aliens. I think he's been waiting for this movie to come out for about six months now. Below you'll see what we thought of it and if it was worth the wait for him.

A spaceship arrives in Arizona, 1873, to take over the Earth, starting with the Wild West region. A posse of cowboys and natives are all that stand in their way. (www.imdb.com)

Thor

Jessie: 4 pops
Adam: 4 1/2 pops

The powerful but arrogant warrior Thor is cast out of the fantastic realm of Asgard and sent to live amongst humans on Earth, where he soon becomes one of their finest defenders. (www.imdb.com)

Awesome, awesome movie! This is definitely a must see if you are into comic books or superheros. Watch the video for our full review, but know that this is a good one!

Iron Man 2

Jessie's thoughts:
4 1/2 pops

First of all, you should know that Iron Man is my favorite superhero and the first Iron Man movie is one of my all time favorite movies. That being said, I had very high expectations for this sequel and I have to say - they were definitely met. Iron Man 2 had everything that I expected of it. It was funny, it had the action, it had the little "inside jokes" that only the comic book fans would understand and it was just flat out entertaining. Robert Downey Jr. was awesome, as always, Gywneth Paltrow was just as charming as in the original and Scarlett Johanssen was wonderful. I really don't have anything bad to say about the movie except that there were just a few scenes that kind of dragged a little bit. It wasn't quite as good as the first one, but it was damn close. I just loved it and I think that everyone should go see it. It was exactly what I expected it to be and even a little bit more. It's definitely one you're gonna want to see in the theaters and you can even take the kiddos as this is for sure one movie that everyone can and will enjoy.

Adam's thoughts:
4 1/2 pops

I’m not going to write a long thing about this movie because I feel that you should all trust it when I say this movie was freak’n awesome. If you haven’t been to the movies to see this yet, or you're still on the fence, get your butt in gear and go and see it. Like the first one, it rocked from the moment it was on screen to the moment after the credits were done rolling. Robert did his best in this movie giving true life to the character Tony Stark. Comic book fans will drool over this movie with every small easter egg they drop. I about went into a twitching comatose state, foaming at the mouth, when I saw the shield. I know, I’m a geek and I have a bad addiction but for someone who can’t get enough this movie satisfied much of my hunger. The new characters who were introduced did wonderful and Scarlet Johanssen gave me a new school boy hard-on for the Black Widow. I’ve heard some critics hit this movie because it didn’t have enough action, and I’m here to tell you that it did go hard on the plot but when the action was rolling it was a rollercoaster. It's like they waited to the very end to pack in all the action you could ever want. They did a good job too, the ending scene had me on the edge of my seat. Very few movies get me this worked up and this one did a great job. The only thing keeping it from the 5 is that at some points when they showed the plot it went a bit slow. Like Jessie, I felt that a high octane movie like this should have not had any slow points. Now I’m not saying it was slow enough to keep you from going to see it, I’m just saying it kept it from getting the A+ that the first one got but it's still an A anyway you look at it and your parents are still gonna be proud. Now, if you haven’t gotten off your ass to go see this movie after reading all this then you might as well never go see an action movie again. GO AND SEE IT! NOW! All I can say is if you do go see it, at the end stay until the credits are gone for a bit of a treat. No Johanssen doesn’t take her shirt off but its almost as good. HAMMER TIME!

The Losers

Adam's thoughts:
3 pops

For an action packed movie to set off all the rest of the summer, it doesn’t surprise me that it would start out alright. The Losers was an ‘okay’ film. It seems to me that with action films you get two kinds. You get one that is full of special effects and no plot line. Or you get one that has a particular ‘style’. The storyline’s are not that complex these days because they don’t have to be. Bad guy did this. Good guy wants him dead. Go. Easy enough for a child to understand. This film had a style. One that everyone could enjoy. The actors were wonderful and carefully played out. The bad guy was definitely bad. The good guys were not so good.
I haven’t seen Jeffrey Dean Morgan in a lot of films. The guy did well though as his character Clay. He brought the ‘cool’ element to the film. Chris Evans did the comedy side kick thing rather well. I was impressed at least with these two actors in the film even if their roles were not very complex. The storyline, as with most action films, was simple and easy to follow. There were enough action scenes for sure.
For me, though, nothing really stood out strongly in this film. Its good enough to rent in my book but I wouldn’t waste the money to go see it in theater unless you really like seeing the explosions. I will say this, however, when we went to see it the theater was only showing it in DLP. I think that stands for digital link something something. I don’t know if I’ve seen any other films in this format and if I had I didn’t pay as much attention as I did this time. I think instead of showing a ‘film’ they had a digital file you watched. Kind of like when you're watching TV or your computer. It was very clear and crisp. No film lines or grimy texture. I liked it like that, even though I think some films deserve this attention. I don’t want to see Star Wars without a bit of grimy film work.
If an action movie is what you’re craving - go see this. OR save yourself like a school girl on prom night and get ready for the A-Team that comes out in not too long. Now THAT movie I’m more ready to see than a red neck on family reunion day.

Jessie's thoughts:
4 pops

Unlike my colleague, here, I LOVED this movie! It was everything that I could ask for in an action comedy. The story line was interesting, the acting was amazing, the special effects were great and it was actually funny. I haven't seen a movie in quite a while that actually met all of that criteria.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan is one of my favorite actors and it was great to see him in a film where he got to play to the best of his abilities as an action guy. Zoe Saldana is one of my favorite actresses and it was cool to see her in an action role as well. I was a little skeptical at first, but she was great in this. Chris Evans was hilarious and it doesn't hurt that he's just freakin hot. Overall, I thought all of the actors did a great job but these three were the ones that stood out the most to me.
I actually even think this is one that you could take the kiddos to see. There's obviously some violence, but nothing compared to some of the other movies out there. Cough, cough, Kick-Ass. And it's actually really, really funny which has been greatly lacking in the action movies as of late.
I was very pleasantly surprised by how good this movie was and by how entertained it kept me through the whole film and I would recommend anyone going and seeing it. In all honesty, I'll most likely end up buying this movie when it comes out on DVD. I definitely wouldn't mind seeing it a few more times.

Kick-Ass

Jessie's thoughts:
3 pops

Ok, so, this movie was interesting for sure. I really thought the story line was very unique and I definitely liked how realistic it was in some ways. Because, let’s face it, if there were real super heroes in the world, they’d have to be a little bit crazy in order to mentally handle all the things they would have to do. However, I believe that the trailers for this movie were very misleading. I thought that it was supposed to be a comedy and that there would be a lot of laughing involved in this and there really wasn’t. It was not the light-hearted comedy that I expected at all. Don’t get me wrong, there were definitely some funny parts, but overall it was actually a fairly dark and disturbing movie.
I loved the acting, of course, I would expect no less from this cast. Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Red Mist, is one of my all time favorite actors and it was interesting to see him in a role that wasn’t his normal geeky-funny guy part. Aaron Johnson did a wonderful job as the lead character, Kick-Ass. He definitely portrayed the normal-guy-that-wants-to-be-a-superhero-but-then-realizes-it-might-not-be-all-it’s-cracked-up-to-be part incredibly well. And, obviously, Nicholas Cage is just awesome so that’s enough said there.
All in all, I did enjoy this movie but just be prepared that it’s not the comedy that it seems. It’s got a very unique underlying feel and there are definitely some parts that are more than a little disturbing. This is not one that I would take the kids to see, especially if you have an 11 year old girl that thinks knives are cool. But, it was definitely worth seeing and I was very impressed with how unique and different it was than anything else that I’ve seen in a very, very, very long time.

Adam's thoughts:
4.5 pops

Okay folks you all know how I am about superheroes. I’m one of the biggest geeks most people come across. I love the comic books, I love the movies and I watch the shows. Hell, if I had the money I’d even collect the toys. The fact that this movie's plot rode on the concept of real people trying to be super heroic was a good message. Granted, by the time the action started picking up it was more on the un-realistic side. But then again this movie is about super heroes.
When I watch movies I tend to look for the concept I can relate to. The main character who is played famously by Aaron Johnson was an every day school kid who was tired of the indifference of good men. I love movies with the every day Joe being thrust into extraordinary circumstances and coming out as the hero. To me that is a wonderful plot line and I love seeing it represented. Aaron Johnson is not someone I've seen in a whole bunch of movies but he did a wonderful job as the main character.
The movie took you through a bunch of different roller casters and I loved that. One moment it was a comedy, the next a romance, at one point an action flick, and in the end a message for all of us not to stand by and just watch when evil happens. To me the message is what meant the most and the way it was brought out in the middle of the movie was good. The more I write here about the movie the more I realize there were even more messages implanted in this movie for the every day man. All of them are good codes to live by.
I STRONGLY recommend anyone who enjoys action and comedy to go see this movie. In the end you’ll get an epic feel despite the laughs and the explosions. The Epic feel is what is planted beneath the flash and glamour and I think that is a wonderful way to do it. I applaud Matthew Vaughn in doing what he could to make this movie happen, even when the other big companies wouldn’t pick him up.
Now I just got my ordered wet suit and hockey mask. Time to go out their and KICK SOME ASS! – (warning: If you know me or have my phone number please attempt to stop me from this stupid act, thank you.)

Classic Movie Review: The Boondock Saints (1999)

To celebrate the 10th Anniversary of The Boondock Saints, there are a few theaters across the country that are having a special screening of the original movie on March 11th. If you haven’t seen this movie yet, you really need to go buy your tickets now! Even if you have already seen it, this is an incredible opportunity to see this amazing movie on the big screen once again so go get your tickets. Also, the sequel, The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day, will be out on DVD March 9th.

Jessie's thoughts:
5 pops

The first time that I watched The Boondock Saints, I was astounded. This was one of the best movies that I had ever seen and yet it had been out for 5 years and I’d never heard of it before. It was such a well-done, unique movie and yet it was not a hit at the box office at all. In fact, it was not even on the box office radar. It wasn’t until after this movie came to video that it became such a big success purely through word of mouth.
Now, I have to say, one of the reasons that I love this movie as much as I do is because the acting is just incredible. This movie was such a low-budget film and yet you really wouldn’t know that from watching it. Norman Reedus and Sean Patrick Flanery play Murphy and Connor McManus and the first time that I watched this, I actually thought that the actors were Irish. They do the accents so well and you really, truly can believe that they’re brothers except that they don’t really look anything alike. Willem Dafoe, David Della Rocco and Billy Connelly are also big players in the movie and they’re amazing. I honestly don’t think there’s one person in this film that did not do an incredible job.
Plus, the movie really has everything that you could want in a film. It is definitely an action flick, but there is just the right amount of comedy in there as well. It’s funny enough that at times you will for sure be laughing out loud, but there’s not so much that it takes away from the more serious plot line. I definitely think that there’s something in this movie for everyone.
But, even though I absolutely love this movie, there are a couple of things that I didn’t really like but they are so insignificant that they really just don’t matter that much. I just feel like I have to throw them out there to be fair to this review. First of all, what two brothers do you know that dress identically all the time? I get that they probably did that so you would know that they are twins since it doesn’t ever actually say that in the movie, but it really is a little weird and it kind of got on my nerves just a little. And, as a friend of mine pointed out to me, it’s not super realistic on the way that it portrays the Catholic church. That really isn’t a huge deal to me since I’m not Catholic and I don’t really know that much about the religion, but you may want to keep that in mind if you are.
Other than those little things, though, this movie is amazing. It’s a definite must-see for everyone, I believe. Although, you might want to let the kids sit out on this one since there’s a lot of violence and a lot of language. It is for sure a cult classic that has made it’s way on to my favorites list and will be there pretty much forever.

Adam's thoughts:
5 pops

What can I say? This is my all time favorite movie. You all know I have nothing but praise for it. If any of you have been a friend of mine you’ll know how much I like this movie by how often I recommend it. It is a must see for anyone who has never seen it. The movie went back to how movies used to be done. Not a whole lot of special effects just plain good acting and an awesome story. The acting was well done by the two main characters. There was chemistry there that you could see and feel. Besides Willem Dafoe is in this movie as a gay cop. That’s just awesome!

Troy Duffy wrote and directed this movie and you could tell he went for a style unlike anyone else’s. I agree with my cohort that it doesn’t portray the Catholic Church correctly. It doesn’t portray it at all! There is maybe ONE scene where they are in a catholic church and then the rest of the movie is about the two on there quest to rid the world of evil as God's hand. Who cares if it didn’t get the religion correct? It wasn’t about that. It was about good men fighting evil men because they should. The fact that they were Irish only gave it style. True, the brothers dressed a lot alike but I think this fact only unified their coolness. Don’t get me wrong though, I’m kind of a closet geek and if me and my little brother went on a mob hunt with automatic weapons I’d INSIST on wearing identical clothing and sunglasses. We’d also have to smoke.. That’s a must.

So this movie had its cultish quirks but I think it gave the movie the needed style to set it apart. Not to mention that the story and the acting make this movie top notch. The comedy comes in as realistic as possible. Think about it, you're out with some friends at a house, your drinking…. A LOT! There is semi-automatic weapons on the table in front of you, an annoying cat is licking up some mess on the table nearby, your pissed for being underappreciated at your job, you slam your hands on the table pissed off and oops one of the guns go off and the cat is dead. I could SOO see that happening in real life. All the comedy is well placed.

I really don’t have anything bad to say about this movie. No negatives at all. Go see it and if you don’t then you’re a dummy. Really… who wants to be a dummy these days.

Now I’m off to go buy a matching jumpsuit and sunglasses with my brother, Jake.

Shutter Island

Jessie's thoughts:
4 pops

You know, this movie was pretty “wow”. It was appropriately creepy at times but it was more suspenseful than an actual horror. It was definitely the type of movie that will get into your head and really make you think about it after you watch it.
What I really liked and enjoyed about it was that I thought I knew exactly what was going on and what was gonna happen and then at the end I realized that I was totally wrong. Part of it was somewhat predictable but the details are what threw me. I actually would love to go see this movie a second time now that I know what happens. It’s one of those movies that you kind of have to see twice, I think, to completely appreciate all the subtle hints and imagery.
Now, even though this was a very psychologically thrilling movie, there were some parts that were kind of slow. Don’t get me wrong, 95% of the time I was totally into the movie and really, really enjoyed it, but it was that other 5% that kept this from getting 5 pops from me. There were just a few places that kind of lagged. But that’s really the only bad thing I can say about it, and that’s really not too big of a deal. Leonardo DiCaprio was wonderful as usual, Mark Ruffalo was equally impressive, and the storyline was very unique and entertaining. This is a definite must see.

Adam's thoughts:
4 pops

I was very impressed with this movie. I find myself pleasantly surprised when I watch a movie with Leonardo DiCaprio in it. He is a brilliant actor and I think sometimes he is overlooked. The movie itself was a surprise, I found myself enjoying this movie when I did not have very high expectations. It took you on a compelling ride of the mind. One moment you believe you know what is going on and then the next they reveal a loop. I thought I had figured the movie out in the beginning but there were definitely some twists I did not see coming. Director Martin Scorsese did a wonderful job in capturing the theme in this film. You wanted to know what would happen next, something a lot of films are messing up these days.

The film could have used a little bit of a pick up. The only bad thing I can say about it was that it was slow. You spent a lot of time in his dreams and a lot of time in the man's head before anything revealing happened. Of course, most of it was to hint at the twist at the end but maybe in its delivery it could have been done differently. But even in this negative statement I still don’t find it that bad of a quality. It wasn’t as slow as some other movies and still kept me entertained.

I highly recommend you see this movie, I don’t know if you have to see it in theaters but I think on the big screen it was more enjoyable. The theme and the actors managed to come across better at least in my mind. If you don’t want to push the dough to see it in theaters then you have to rent this one. It's worth watching.

Edge of Darkness

Jessie's Thoughts:
2 pops

Oh, this was so sad. I was so incredibly excited to see Mel Gibson in another action movie where he played a cop, and I had high expectations for this movie but it just didn’t deliver. Sure, there was Mel Gibson. And come on, he’s like the best actor ever, but even he was not enough to carry this movie. From the previews, it was supposed to be a high action movie where a cop was trying to avenge his daughter’s death. In actuality, it was an incredibly slow, boring movie that I almost fell asleep in a couple of times. In fact, the only reason that I’m giving this movie 2 pops instead of 1 is because Mel Gibson was in it and the rest of the actors did an amazing job. The storyline should have been really cool and interesting, but the delivery was horrible. It literally just crawled along and I just kept hoping that it was over but it never seemed to end!
Mel Gibson was amazing, as always, and the little girl that played his young daughter, Gabrielle Popa, was incredible. Like I said before, it had an awesome, very unique storyline to it as well, but they just totally screwed it up with the delivery. I honestly don’t know what else to say about it. I was extremely disappointed and I really hope that the next movie Mel Gibson does is executed better. This movie was just not good enough for him and it made me sad to watch it. I would not suggest seeing this movie at all unless you’re a Gibson fan, and even then I’m not sure I would suggest seeing it. If you’re not a fan of his, then it’s just not worth the time.

Adam's Thoughts:
2 Pops

So this one wasn’t so good. Don’t get me wrong its worth watching if someone rents it or you see it on HBO. Don’t bother paying the 10 bucks or whatever it costs to see it in theaters. The plotline is ‘alright’ but the only thing this movie has going for it is Mel. The dude is still a superb actor despite the “crazy” parts of his personality. The plotline could have been great if the delivery of it was better. It was overly complex and yet delivered slow. The beat never picked up. The few times action erupted in the movie, it was over quick and there wasn’t enough to really spark this movie as an "action" flick. Not that I think it was intended to be but when the most exciting part of the movie is when Mel shoots his gun and that’s all anyone wants to see? Then you can’t call this movie anything else.

Don’t get me wrong I wouldn’t shake my head at anyone if they still end up going to see it. Mel is a good actor and I’m a long time fan so if you feel like spending the cash go see it. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.

When In Rome

Jessie's Thoughts:
3 pops

When In Rome… well… it was good. I mean, if you like romantic comedies then you will love this movie. It had a fairly unique love story (as unique as you can get with a romantic comedy) and it was definitely entertaining. I was literally cracking up at a lot of different parts and I was not bored at any time. Kristen Bell and Josh Duhamel are both wonderful actors and they definitely had some chemistry which made it interesting to watch. There’s nothing worse than watching a romantic comedy and being able to tell that the actors can’t stand each other in real life. There were also some other amazing actors in this that definitely did not get enough press. Danny Devito, John Heder and Dax Shepard were amazing in this. They were hilarious and I did not know that any of them were in this movie except Dax Shepard. It was definitely a pleasant surprise to see Danny Devito pop up in this movie especially since I haven’t seen him in anything in so long!
Overall, I think this movie was very enjoyable. It was funny but it still had the romantic thing going on and they couldn’t have gotten better actors for any of the characters. There were some unique aspects to the movie which you just don’t get a lot in romantic comedies. I for sure think that this movie is worth seeing, but you could skip seeing it in the theater. It was funny and very cute, but unless you just absolutely love romantic comedies you can rent this one and still get the same effects.

Adam's Thoughts:
3 Pops

Yes I gave it 3. No I’m not gay. Yes I can like romantic comedies and I don’t need to just say that to get in good with a chick. This thing wasn’t bad. I laughed. I was entertained. You can’t want more from a chick flick like this one. The concept was alright and more appealing then the standard "guy meets girl". Of course it was predictable, what romantic comedy isn’t? But it wasn’t so standard that you lose track or dislike it. I, with my co-reviewer here, agreed that the fact that Devito was in it was a pleasant surprise to me. (No I don’t usually look at the cast listing prior to seeing the movie, I mostly just watch previews like the rest of you do). Strictly from a guys perspective, Kristen Bell is F’n hot. She should be reason enough for a guy to go see this. Just ‘pretend’ your not staring at her when the girl you brought on a date glances at you. If she asks if you think she’s pretty just respond in the safest way imaginable, “Not as pretty as you.” (Insert your smile here). Granted, that might not be the best way to respond but your not reading this for my dating advice. In conclusion for you guys, if you have to take your chick to see something this weekend and she’s screaming it's her pick, this movie isn’t a bad choice; you’ll at least be entertained. Heck, surprise her and offer this as your pick and she might just reward you for being such a nice guy.