P-Q Movies
The Punisher (2004)
Who’s in it
Thomas Jane, John Travolta, Will Patton, Rebecca Romijn, Ben Foster
Should you see this movie?
This movie is good, but mostly for me because it is a lot like the comic book. Unless you like intense violence, I would skip this movie, there are some disturbing things that happen, like a scalded face, piercings ripped out, etc. But I like to watch movies that bring my comics to life and I thought Jane is a great cast for Frank Castle. Castle’s whole family is slaughtered by an evil man, and you feel his loss. The whole movie centers around revenge, but has some humor to it, and it is amazing how great of shape Castle is in, makes you feel really slobby. So, yeah, want to see people die and feel like a slob, see this movie. If you like comics though, this is a great rendition and you should check it out.
Poseidon (2006)
Who’s in it
Kurt Russell, Fergie, Emily Rossum, Josh Lucas, Richard Dreyfus
Should you see this movie?
Mmm, maybe if it is real cheap and you are bored. This movie was terribly average. The interaction between the characters were stagnent, and the pacing of it wasn’t comfortable. I personally can’t stand Lucas, and Russell was a mainstay again, the loveable dad figure with his beady eyes. Dreyfus as a gay brokenhearted man was the most interesting character of the bunch. There are some special effects that pale in comparison to Titanic, and even though there has been time between them, and they aren’t the same movie, I just know that hopefully this movie’s shortcomings are not because the original was weak also.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Mans Chest (2006)
Who’s in it
Johnny Depp, Keira Knightly, Orlando Bloom, Jack Davenport, Bill Nighy
Should you see this movie?
Yes. Yes. Yes. Best movie of the summer hands down, and that was shown in the box office numbers. This movie is everything a summer blockbuster should be today. Great use of special effects mixed with a new visual idea, great story that keep you spinning, interesting characters, and fun fun fun. Depp returns in this movie, more peculiar than ever, on the quest for the heart of Davey Jones played by Bill Nighy. Jones and his crew are men that are escaping death, serving 100 years with his crew as the sea takes over their bodies. Jones has tentacles coming from his face and the rest of them range from sharks to crabs in features and form. Combined with a huge angry octopus called “The Crakin”, this movie achieves new levels of visual entertainment by the Lucas team. Oh, and there is a cliffhanger, so, if you haven’t seen this, you must before the next one comes out, see it twice as a matter of fact because you will pick up on more things the second time around.
Pride and Prejudice (2005)
Who’s in it
Kiera Knightly, Matthew Macfadyen, Rosamund Pike, Donald Sutherland
What was good
This was a good love story. I gave Sarah heck about it through the whole movie, but the love story was engaging, and believable. We have a poor daughter, one of 5 who one day meets a man who seems arrogant, well to do, and unapproachable. His deeds support his demeanor, but over time the daughter starts to see beyond what other people think of him, and the few things he has done to see what he has done right, things that cannot be measured.
What sucked
The movie was slow getting into it. I think Sarah was patient because she knew the story, I did not, and I needed something to keep me engaged. I knew it wouldn’t be my type of movie because it is set in the 1800’s or prior, but I had a hard time relating to many things, one of which was how important a family name could be, even as important as wealth and class.
Who should go see this
I don’t know the play to know if this was a good translation. I did believe it when Darcy falls in love with Elizabeth, and I did believe that because he helped out two of her sisters in finding “love” or saving the family name, that she started to see who he truly was. I think my parents would like this, the scarce moments of humor are something the older crowd would laugh out loud at. I wouldn’t recommend this to my friends, but if you like a good love story now and then, this is right up your alley.
Prime (2005)
Who’s in it
Meryl Streep, Uma Thurman, Bryan Greensburg, Jon Abrahams
What was good
The humor, there was a good amount of it. You’ve seen the commercials for this, the handsome Jewish kid who’s new non Jewish girlfriend is his mother’s patient. What you don’t see is his best friend doing ding dong pie throws at random or ex-girlfriends, it is pretty hilarious. Plus there are plenty of scenes that Uma Thurman pulls off singly in the therapy sessions that will make you laugh, sometimes painfully.
What sucked
It didn’t stand out to me. It ended up being very mediocre without a great ending, I was left wanting more. I never really got pulled into the emotions of their turmoil, whether I could empathize or not.
Who should go see this
Girls that live love stories might see this, but it isn’t a great one. Both of the main characters are easy on the eyes, so if you like either one of those, Uma is eye candy for the men. But otherwise, the concept was good, it just never worked out into a whole solid movie and I wouldn’t recommend renting this one for more than a dollar.
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (1987)
Most of the movies my dad would bring home when I was growing up, were James Bond movies, and movies with Steve Martin in them. I never liked either, but as I have grown up, I still don’t like old Bond movies, but I get a profound enjoyment from some Martin classics, and this was one of them.
Co-Starring the late John Candy, this is a movie about an uptight advertising exec. who meets a down on his luck but upbeat shower ring salesman. Martin is on his way home for Thanksgiving, but he can’t seem to make it there no matter what he does, via any transportation as the name implies. And along the way, he can’t shake Candy, who keeps showing up to cause trouble.
My parents wouldn’t ever let me watch this one, because of the one scene when Martin makes it back to the rental car lady at the airport. The rest of the movie was really clean, and not foul mouthed, and could be a family movie otherwise.
The whole thing is classic, from the opening scene in the hotel, to the car burning it is always funny and always simple. Everyone should see this movie.
Paparazzi (2004)
Starring Tom Sizemore, Daniel Baldwin, and Cole Hauser, this is a movie about some of the seediest of paparazzi, the harm they cause in one actors life, and what he does to get even. Produced by Mel Gibson, this is another hotspot topic, just not as great as Christ I suppose. The whole movie I was wondering how Bo(Cole) would be able to get his life back. The blackmail, the lack of regard for family and boundaries for these paparazzi. I left hating them, but I am not sure if that was Gibson’s intention, because Bo does some pretty terrible things to get even, killing with his own hands.
A touch violent, and not necessarily a movie you see for astounding acting, especially the over the top Sizemore, I would recommend this movie to most people, especially for them to see how he gets back at these jerks.
