U-W Movies
Walk the Line (2005)
Who’s in it
Joaquin Pheonix, Reese Witherspoon, Ginnifer Goodwin, Robert Patrick, Dallas Roberts
What was good
Everything obviously, check my rating. A sad story, but liberating in a way, about Johnny Cash’s life, and what he endured, and inflicted, and everything along the way. From humble beginnings and an emotionally abusive father, to drugs and addictions, to true love and peace from the past, this movie covers a lot of ground.
What sucked
Nothing. I felt bad for Cash, but he did have problems that were self inflicted. I did feel embarrassed for him too. But that is a great movie, to make your viewers feel such strong emotions. Reese was great, I know nothing about June Carter, but she was so cute and southern, and truly a saving angel for Cash. The women tend to do that in these movies. It is just a great movie.
Who should go see this
Everyone. This is America history. You may think Cash is country, but not in the modern sense of the word, and I really got into some of the music beyond the June Carter written “Ring of Fire”. You’ll laugh, cry, feel some great things, and be entertained the whole time, although it is always hard to watch someone destroy themselves, Cash does come out of it and continue to be successful.
Underworld (2003)
Who’s in it
Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, Bill Nighy
What was good
Beckinsale as a kick butt werewolf hunter. The first 30 minutes of the movie before everything gets so muddled in backstabbing and back story.
What sucked
I knew I don’t tend to like vampire movies too much, and this wasn’t all that gory like the Blade movies could be. But, although this movie had some new things I had never seen before in this genre, I just got tired of the overblown action scenes with people flying around when being punched, and the growling at each other as a Lykin or Vampire, and the fact that most of the movie revolved around a new breed made from the two species, really, I could care less.
Who should go see this
If you like vampires or if you want to see Beckinsale as a vampire who hardly bites anyone, but runs around in skin tight leather and is vulnerable and convincing in her strange role all at once.
The Wedding Date (2005)
Starring Debra Messing, Dermot Mulroney, Amy Adams, and Jack Davenport, the movie’s title is pretty self explanatory. Kat(Messing) wants to make her ex-fiance jealous at her little sister’s wedding, so she hires a male escort to pose as her gorgeous boyfriend Nick (Dermot).
Of course, desperate and vulnerable Kat falls for the strong confident “I have a great answer for everything” Nick. But for the first half she is still unsure if she wants her old fling back (Jeffrey coincidentally) or go with Nick. Soon enough, she finds out her little sister and Jeffrey were sleeping together, that is why he broke off their engagement. Then the flood gates break loose.
I like Dermot. He has done some mildly interesting stuff in his short career. But Messing does nothing for me. She doesn’t seem just like Grace from “Will & Grace”, but isn’t an actress that would solely draw you into the theater. Not particularly funny, nor particularly memorable, this has a whisper of the feel of every Julia Roberts movie ever made from “Pretty Woman” to “Runaway Bride” and it doesn’t help that Messing also has red hair. Unless you can rent this for free, this isn’t even a very good love story, I would pass on it.
Without A Paddle (2004)
Who’s in it
Seth Green, Matthew Illiard, Dax Shephard, Burt Reynolds
What was good
Seth Green plays a couple of roles really good, and in this movie, he played a super phobic doctor who wasn’t much of a risk taker and was this unlucky straight laced guy among a bunch of frat dudes essentially. Dax Shepherd had some funny lines as the womanizer of the film, but it was mostly Green’s character that was funny especially in the bear scenes. Illiard was not at all funny in this one, more of an attempt as dramatic, relatively speaking.
What sucked
I wasn’t that entertained. It isn’t a joke after joke type of movie, there is a touch of serious air about this movie, and I just don’t think I would watch it again.
Who should go see this
Fans of Seth Green will be happy, and I think it may be worth seeing once as a cheap rental on a Friday, or from the library from me. But I wouldn’t recommend this to most of my friends even as a super funny movie, so be cautious.
Waiting (2005)
Ryan Reynolds, Anna Faris, and a bunch of people you may have seen before but don’t really care about their names. This movie is one big parody of what life might be like for the whole staff of a popular bar type restaurant like O’Charlie’s. It pokes fun a the workers, the politics, and the corporate idea of a restaurant chain. But mostly, it is just humor about different body parts, sex, and other dirty stuff.
The movie revolves around one guy, and his decision about what to do with his life. He kind of accidentally ended up working at this restaurant, but is scared about taking the next jump. But a series of circumstances, seeing how one of his old classmates had advanced, being offered a permanent manager position, all make him stand up and really evaluate what he wants to do. In the end, he quits without a plan, but that is better than feeling stuck.
A funny movie, Reynolds is always a funny jerk and pulls it off great. This movie is really vulgar though, so I wouldn’t recommend it to all of my friends, and I don’t think that I would necessarily watch it again either. If you liked Old School you will like this, or you are into Ryan Reynolds humor. But otherwise, take some caution, most of the movies humor may be to far under the rim.
Wedding Crashers (2005)
Most of the time, I can take or leave Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson. More so Owen Wilson, and that is true with this movie about Wilson at least, without Vaughn, you couldn’t have this movie. Wilson will never be able to carry something. But, my review is not bad, but good. Great as a matter of a fact.
I was nervous about this movie because of my feelings on those two. But what a hilarious movie. This movie did not depend on whether you found the two of them funny, but was a lot about situations. For whatever reason, I keep thinking about Meet the Parents. There are hardly any similarities, maybe a little bit in how you just feel for the guys and the terrible situations they get into, into some girl’s parents house.
But from the buckshot in the butt, the gay artistic brother, and the super cliche but somehow different jock boyfriend that sleeps around, this was a good love story, and a little bit of a coming of age story for these two guys. They get to see themselves for what they are, and there is even a guest spot by Wil Ferrell, which always makes for some awkwardly crazy moment. In this case, Ferrell is a guy who picks up grieving women at funerals.
Funny, not as raunchy as I would have pictured, but take that with a grain of salt as I am numb to most of that. Not something my parents or sister would ever find funny, but if you like this cast in these type of situations, it is just a little bit funnier because it is about weddings and that is a little more of a grown up concept. Vince Vaughn’s girl, very believable as the perfect freaky match for him.
War of the Worlds (2005)
This was the last huge summer movie that I was waiting to see. I will say that I was greatly disappointed. Starring Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Miranda Otto, and Tim Robbins, this movie started out really strong, just like most recent Tom Cruise movies. Tom Cruise is a jerk dad, with no direction, highly cliche. His son has some interesting characteristics, Dakota plays his daughter and is the cliche know it all little girl.
Soon enough, all of the money shots you saw in the previews take place. The weird storms, the ground breaking apart, it is cool, but as soon as the tripod aliens come out of the ground, it has this “World of Tomorrow” gritty feel, almost like it is set on old film, but in modern day.
The aliens immediately start zapping people, turning them into dust. Running like he always does, Tom Cruise barely escapes and we are yanked into intense scenes of destruction. That is where the movie sort of tails off.
Just because this movie was about Aliens, doesn’t mean I will just throw out comparisons to the lighter mood Independence Day of the mid 90’s, but unlike that movie, the direction gets kind of lost. Tom Cruise just kind of treads water, trying to get away, but they just keep running in circles without escaping. We have seen the tripods, and all of sudden they become less organic and really mechanized, which doesn’t seem to fit.
Then the movie falls apart. Tom Cruise destroys one tripod after being sucked up into it with some grenades. Then, all of a sudden in the final sequences we see the tripods falling over and dying, for no apparent reason. They de-steam, and out fall these aliens that look just like the ones from Independence, and this orange liquid that we assume is supposed to be people’s blood gooshes out. In the end, Morgan Freeman gives away that the aliens died because they had no immune system.
What the Hell! Major plot twists should be shown, not told by a narrator you know is Morgan Freeman in the end of the movie. I was pissed.
Rent this one for free. It has cool effects, but all the other stuff I mentioned, and Dakota Fanning over acting and screaming constantly will drive you nuts. If you like Tom Cruise, this is typical for him, but a little more degrading, he’s a real moron here. My parents wouldn’t like it, so wait till it gets to the library or rent it for half price or something.
