Tropic Thunder

Dude, this is a movie pretending to be another movie disguised as a funny movie. I want my 2 hours back. To be totally fair however, I must say this movie had a few bright very funny moments. But not nearly enough.

One of my "good movie" rules is that there has to be at least one character who is likable or believable. This movie had none. Despite a very high-octane cast who clearly had a good time poking fun at themselves and the Hollywood movie machine, the result was not entertaining to me. The most fun I had to pointing out how many other movies and TV show they made fun of. But, there has to be more to a movie than that - for me. Oh, and the Tom Cruise role was gross as it was intended to be. His dance scenes were the best laugh for me.

Yes, this movie has won, and may continue to win, awards. To me, that means industry insiders are at least pretending to be amused with this "travesty of a mockery of a sham of a mockery of a travesty of two mockeries of a sham". Best Comedy of 2008? Hardly. If the movie audience has lowered it's expectations to this level, I fear for the future of comedy.

Watch this movie if you must, but deny me of the chance later to say I told you so.

Kung Fu Panda

This movie is really about all of us who lead "ordinary" lives, but have dreams of being extraordinary. No doubt this movie has a good moral for the young and young at heart, but for those with a firmer grasp on reality it may hurt - just a little.

My biggest complaint or issue with this movie is that there are only 3 or 4 Asian voices in the major roles. Why? How much more credibility would this movie have had if the voices were a little less Anglo? Were the studio suits afraid the audience could not handle the accents? Do they not watch Saturday and after-school cartoons?

The animation is great. The story is inspirational. But the movie left me feeling a little less than heroic. I was NOT motivated to go out there and improve my lot in life. I did however go to the kitchen and make a cup of noodles.

Watch this movie with someone young, and hope their awe and wonder rub off on you.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

A little bit Raiders 3 and a little bit LOTR. This installment of the Mummy series tries to do a lot and comes very very close to succeeding. I cannot say that I like the cast changes, but I do like the guy they picked to play the lead's son - Luke Ford.

Brendan Fraser and John Hannah reprise their roles from previous episodes, and I have to say Mr. Hannah gets better with each outing. For me he is the only one who is really making a worthy effort here. The others are either over or under playing their roles. Sorry.

The CG here are great and the effects are fun. But to me a live-action movie has to have good acting and likable characters to be worth the time. This movie fell short in that department. I hope this is not the wave of the future.

Watch this movie with low expectations and you will enjoy it more.

Ghost Town

He sees dead people, and they annoy him. Here is the premise. A guy who really does not like people has a near-death experience and afterwards sees all the ghosts of Manhatten. Not enough? Wait there is more. All these ghosts want a favor from the guy who hates doing anything for anyone, dead or alive. It's New York remember.

Writer and Director David Koepp does not usually do movies like this. From Jurassic Park to the most recent Indiana Jones movie (both his screenplays), he is usually about the big-budget action thrillers. This romantic comedy is part homage to Manhattan, part ghost story, and part slapstick. I usually like the out-takes from movies, but in this case the movie is much funnier than the mistakes.

I don't often laugh out loud when I watch a movie alone. With Ghost Town I had to pause the movie in a couple of places because I was laughing so hard. Maybe I had one of those low comedy threshold days?

Ricky Gervais is fantastic in this role. You can't fake a gag reflex like that. And it was funny to me every time he did it. Greg Kinnear does his usual excellent job here in the primary ghost role. Téa Leoni is a darling in this role as the absent-minded scientist for which all the main male characters are competing.

Watch this movie with someone who will get all the subtle gags and quick witty banter.

Appaloosa

This movie is very much like a typical cattle drive. Slow moving but very satisfying. If you like Westerns with the pace of Lonesome Dove or Open Range, you should like this movie as well. I'm not saying it is as good as those two however. If your idea of a good Western is Wild Wild West, then you should maybe avoid this movie.

Ed Harris stars, directs, produces, and had a hand in the screenplay. While this is not his best effort as an actor, it is a respectable directing effort. There is nothing gratuitous in this movie. Everything is there for a reason.

Viggo Mortensen also gives an understated performance. Not as interesting as his Hidalgo character, it is almost as if both the character AND the actor are bored with the role. Patience is needed to see this story to the end. But if you have known any real cowboys, you will recognize the realities in this portrayal.

Jeremy Irons and Renée Zellweger also star with pivotal supporting roles. Their characters are actually more interesting that the headliners. Irons has always made intersting choices as bad guys. Ms. Zellweger is new at it (being a bad "guy"), but does a very nice job here.

Watch this movie with someone who is not in a hurry.

Righteous Kill

Is a movie good when it tells you the whole story and in the end you still don't know for sure who the guilty party is? Could go either way. I'm still wondering whodunit. But I still liked this movie very much. Lot's to think and talk about.

Robert De Niro and Pacino are reason enough for me to watch any movie. This movie is not on the same level as any of The Godfather saga (the last time these two were on a screen together) but is pretty good.

Carla Gugino and John Leguizamo are two additional reasons to watch. John is one of my favorite people and Carla is coming into her own and getting away from her small screen persona.

Maybe I'm over thinking things here but I'm not totally sure just who was "offing" the bad guys in this story. Who is covering for whom? Partners do odd things to protect each other, and I'm not talking just about partners in the law enforcement sense. No spoilers here. Let me know what you think?

Watch this movie with an eye on the details.

Hancock

Part sci-fi, part action thriller, part romance, and part superhero spoof, this movie has a little something for everyone. Everyone over the age of 12 anyway. Yes, it has a PG-13 rating, which it's earns. A few years ago this would have been an R movie.

Will Smith is very very funny as a drunken super-human-almost-hero. Jason Bateman is the perfect straight man. And, Charlize Theron is just a perfect specimen.

It is a pity this script was tossed around Hollywood for 10 years before this movie was made. As it is, it looks like the suits didn't think audiences would be ready for the story until after all the other superhero movies were sure to make money. I'm guessing they were wrong.

The dialogue in this movie is very funny. The concept is funny. The acting is funny. No matter how you look at it, this is a fun movie to watch. BUT, the movie changes. The last 30 minutes of the film is less funny. Don't worry. it does not get all serious and preachy. It does get a little more exciting.

Watch this movie with lots of popcorn and beverage of your choice.

Hamlet 2

If you like irreverent, not-so-subtle, loser-centric comedies, you will probably like this. If you liked Napoleon Dynamite this movie may take your forgotten teen-aged angst to a whole new level. And if you like South Park this story will probably make you smile a bit too.

Yes there us music but I bet you'll find yourself humming at least one of the two featured numbers. I can't stop.

Steve Coogan's character is so bad he makes anyone feel better about themselves. So, if you are feeling a little low, please watch this movie. I guarantee you will see a few more good things about yourself unless you are a volunteer high school drama teacher in Tucson, Arizona.

The rest of the cast is pretty much stock, but is well-played just the same.

I don't remember how many different groups or stereotypes are mocked, but plan on being offended by something. You may be tempted to stop watching or give up early. Don't.

Watch it with someone who will stay to the end and enjoy enjoy the payoff.

Eagle Eye

Hang on for a wild ride. This movie starts a little slow but makes up for it quickly. It's billed as a thriller and it's that a more. You will also find a little sci-fi, a little conspiracy theory, and a little family drama here. It's a bit like a tossed salad where you keep finding interesting surprises.

Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan are the main characters, but in my opinion, Billy Bob Thornton steals the show. Billy Bob provides some of the best comic relief and a great counter point of focus for the story. This is the first role of his in a long time, that I actually liked.

This movie far exceeded my expectations. Once it got ramped up it flew. I found myself pausing just to catch my breath and get my brain caught up with who was doing what and why and to whom. This is a great example of why I prefer watching movies on DVD, at home, to watching them in a theater.

Watch this movie with someone who can keep up.