The Hangover: Must See!

If you haven’t seen The Hangover by now then you probably don’t understand half the conversations that are going on around you. Thinking that this was going to be a guy’s only movie was probably the first of many judgments that I made previous to seeing The Hangover. Not only was it ridiculously funny, it wasn’t one of those stupid comedies that give everything away in the previews.

A short synopsis: Four gentlemen (I use that term loosely) head to Vegas to have one of the most infamous bachelor parties of all time and they did just that. After waking up the next morning they not only find a mess only a tornado could make in their hotel suite, but the soon to be groom is MIA. The remaining three (plus one baby, I’ll let the movie explain that) are set out on an adventure to retrace the night back to where they lost their friend.

Trust me…take the time to see this movie. Guys: I’m sure I don’t really need to talk you into this, seeing as you’ve probably already seen it (maybe twice). Girls: If not for the ab exercise you’ll get laughing, Bradley Cooper’s blue eyes are enough to melt my heart.

Some people just can’t handle Vegas.

UP! Must See

This adorable movie is a must see film for every age group. I was lucky enough to go with my mom and not only did we give each other the “aw” cheesy eyes during the movie, but we spent the next night reliving the movie with my grandparents.

Pixar hit it out of the park with the main character Mr. Fredricksen, who after losing his wife sets himself and his house on a journey to South Africa to a place known as Paradise Falls. Along the way he encounters many hooligans, enter Russell. Russell is a young wilderness explorer who helps Mr. Fredricksen, not only find Paradise Falls but shows him what it means to love again. Besides these two characters, you can enjoy Kevin, Kevin’s babies and Doug!

If it is possible see UP! In 3D, it just adds to the experience of this fun loving movie.

Star Trek: Must See

Not being a trekkie myself, I don’t think that I could fully appreciate the 2009 version of Star Trek. Yet, I was fortunate enough to attend this film with a former trekkie (my mother). She couldn’t stop slapping her legs and turning to me with the “oh my gosh, this is too surreal” look. She told me after the movie that each character played the role to a T and that she loved the film.

Since I am trying to make these reviews short, I will just say this. If you are a trekkie, or think that you could be my guess is that you’ve already seen this movie. If you’re not and you don’t think you ever will be, then you probably aren’t even reading this to begin with. And if you fall into that last category, where I would put myself, as someone who enjoys the entertainment of movies and can go in with an open mind and appreciation for the art, then I would see Star Trek. It motivated me to rent the seasons and see what the fuss is all about.

X-Men Origins, Wolverine: MUST SEE!!!!

One of my favorite movies this year is Wolverine. I am a huge fan of the past X-Men movies and I cannot wait for more Origins to come out. In this film the audience is shown James Logan past, letting us understand where he came from and of course why he always wears that leather jacket and rides a motorcycle.

After a life fighting next to his brother Victor Creed (Liv Schrieber) and many other mutants, Logan decides to leave the group and try a stab at leading a normal life. When he is hunted down by a his bitter brother, now known as Sabertooth, he has no other choice then to join the Weapon X program in order to have a chance against his enemy.

There are many twists and turns in this movie that if you’re not paying attention you can miss a lot of the clues for the future X-Men films. Be sure to see this and the other X-Men movies, I have a feeling that the future origins will be a big part of Hollywood for the next few years.

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian Pass

Even though I felt that the first Night at the Museum was better, I still enjoyed round two. There really isn’t too much to say about this movie, especially if you’ve seen the first one you will know what to expect. I will make two comments: 1. The Al Capone part is pretty funny and I like that they are in black and white 2. The Abraham Lincoln thing sort of killed the movie for me, I wish they would have taken that in a different direction.

Terminator Salvations: Pass

I am just going to straight forward about this movie. If you’ve seen the past Terminator movies then this will be a real treat for you. Since I had never seen any of the Terminator movies, I was pretty much scratching my head the whole time.

One actor from this movie that I would like to pass on a good word about is Anton Yelchin. He plays Kyle Reese in Terminator Salvations and Chekov in Star Trek. I’ve also seen him in Charlie Bartlett where he gives an amazing performance as a troubled trust fund kid, who has the ability to make you laugh one second and cry the next. Be looking out for him in the near future, I don’t think he has grown to his potential quite yet.

Angels and Demons: Pass

I felt that it was entertaining, but if you’re not into the whole Da Vinci Code thing (and I’m really not) then you won’t like this movie either. I felt that it was a lot of “Ah uh!” moments running to the next clue.

Sugar

I think baseball movies are simply one of the greatest genres of sports movies. I could sit and watch Bull Durham, Rookie of the Year, The Natural, A League of Their Own or The Minor Leagues collection for the rest of my days and be happy.

Sugar offers a perspective I couldn't help but think STL great Albert Pujols endured on his climb to fame. The movie is subtitled through most of the film as it depicts young men from the Dominican Republic coming to the States to play in minor league ball out in Iowa and Kansas. These men, just like young American boys, dream of the days the announcer calls their names over the loud speaker at Yankee Stadium.

These boys who get "the call" up to the States to play in these farm towns, barely speak English and what they do know of English is "fly ball, home run, strike." One particular scene in the restaurant harps on this fact as the boys eat french toast for a month at every meal, since they don't know how to say anything else.

The film takes a different spin after some time and you see Sugar (the main character) depart for New York and his desire to do everything possible to stay in the States. Really makes you appreciate the fact you're already here.

The Soloist

I've never really been a fan of Jamie Foxx. Not sure why, but I'm pretty sure it has everything to do with his The Jamie Foxx Show on The WB, back when The WB existed.

His performance in The Soloist was truly breathtaking. He plays the part perfectly and quite comically. And the movie was more than just the idea of someone who plays music beautifully; it was in sight into the Los Angeles homeless sector. Being someone who's been sheltered in suburbia, I found the scenes at the shelters extremely interesting and sad. Homelessness carries a stigma which isn't necessarily true. This film helps bring that thought to light.

The movie should have had a guitar box set up outside the theatre to collect spare change for the LA homeless shelters, as I wanted to empty my pockets of all the change.