Be Brave: See the Brave One

I really like "The Brave One." This movie really moves. It has all the action you need, but the way Jodie Foster has created and developed her character, this is more than just a slam, bang film.
Foster produced, directed and stared in this film. For those of us who have been fans of Foster's art for years, this is her best yet. She plays a successful radio personality. She has everything going for her. She is popular, has a great job, and is in love. Yet one night all her dreams are shattered. She is brutally attacked and her love is killed. Instead of tracking down the killers, the police throw up their hands and she is left alone to seek justice.
I know, I know. I can hear you all saying "hey this is nothing new. We have heard the same plot over and over again." And if this film was just "Dirty Harry" in a dress, I would agree with you. But it's not, take my word for it.
By having the main character as a woman, the film flows differently than if Cliff Eastwood was running through with his .357 magnum. She constantly questions herself, wondering if she can handle the task that she knows she must. In the end, we are really wonder, can she do it? Is she strong enough? I don't want to spoil the ending for you so I won't tell you. Just go see this film.
I spoke with Foster about the film. Here is a secret. Originally, her character was a newspaper reporter. She told me she decided to switch to a radio personality so that her tragedy would be open for the whole world to see and, of course, she would have that much added pressure on her shoulders.
Between us, I think she made the right choice.

Lean Across the Universe -- and Gag!

"Across the Universe" has a wonderful title. It really is good. It is short enough to remember. It is catchy. And it makes you think that this film will present a wonderful vision of how good life can be. Unfortunately, the film does no such thing. In fact, the title is maybe the only redeeming part of the entire movie!
Remember when a guy named Peter Frampton starred in a movie based on the Beatles album Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band. It was downright horrible. I would rather discuss life insurance options with a team of agents than sit through that garbage. Now, "Across the Universe" makes Frampton's folly look like a nice venue for a date!
Here is the concept: Every line of dialogue is from a Beatle's song. Every character (yes, even Jo-Jo and Prudence) are from Beatle's songs. That's it. That's the whole idea. No, there is no in depth plot. No character development. Just people singing Beatle's songs. Has Hollywood really run out of better ideas?
Don't get me wrong. I love Beatles songs. I just like them when they are sung by the Beatles! I really am not that busy, but I do not have 2 hours to sit and be disgusted. Actually, the film is more than two hours. Someone thought that the movie would not be complete unless every single Beatles song was mentioned!
Now, I need to go rent "Help" or "A Hard Day's Night" just so that my Beatles memories are not completely sullied by this movie.

#10: Arthur

We will take a short break from reviewing all the Summer's movies because A) We have already reviewed all the good ones, and B) I have something in mind which will be much more fun. Today, we start counting down the ten funniest movies of all time. The films are ranked according to.... well, according to me to be honest!

Coming in at #10 is the classic (of course, all ten of these movies will by definition be considered "classic") comedy, Arthur. Now when I first heard about the movie, my reaction was to skip it. I mean who would write a comedy that is based on the drunken rambling of an alcoholic. It's cheap comedy. I mean by nature, everything a drunk guy does is both funny and pathetic.

But Arthur is written so strongly that you can't help but laugh. For sure, they took a chance that people would be disgusted. The famous scene at Tavern on the Green between Arthur and Gloria, the prostitute could have turned the whole audience off. Yet because of Dudley Moore's skill, he pulls it off and has us all rolling in the aisles. "You're a hooker? Jesus, I forgot! I just thought I was doing GREAT with you!" I could watch that scene over and over again and still laugh. How about when Burt Johnson tells Artur that he never drinks and Arthur response is "That's great! You probably never run out of ice your whole life!"

Let's not forget another stunning performance by Liza Minnelli and Barney Martin has a down and out family that has no money but has a lot of love to go around. It's cheesy, predictable, and fantastic. I like to see film makers taking chances, and they certainly did take a risk with Arthur. It paid off for them. Now, if only I could say anything nice about the two dismal sequels. Those films should still be in rehab!

Skinwalkers Makes Your Flesh Creep!

So here, as best as I could understand it, is what "Skinwalkers" is about. Skinwalkers have wolf blood running in their veins. This leads them to be a fairly violent group of people. They may look like normal people (well, like normal psychopathic killer people, but otherwise normal). They can kill with curses and move at lightening speed. They are always searching the sky for the rise of the blood-red moon. Of course, Hollywood has combined werewolves and vampires because skinwalkers thirst for the taste of human blood, but that's just a minor detail.

Young "Timothy" is approaching his thirteenth birthday. Yet he is not looking forward to a Bar Mitzvah party. No, when Tim turns thirteen he will turn into a crazy, flesh eating monster. On his 13th birthday, Timothy will become another skinwalker. He, for reasons not adequately explained, has the power to end the curse and let the skinwalkers lead normal lives. If the curse ends, they no longer will need human blood (and who knows, maybe they will also get haircuts and some nice, new clothes!)

Overall, this terrifying, action adventure is not the least bit terrifying. You have to spend too much time figuring out who is who. Yes, there are "good" (relatively) skinwalkers and bad ones. Unfortunately, they tend to dress alike. It's too confusing telling them apart.

My advice, go see Ocean's Thirteen with a date instead. It's a charming comedy rather than a depraved, bloody horror film. Makes a much nicer evening out.

Watching this Movie is Torture!

The new film "Captivity" lives up to its name in that when you watch it, you feel as if you are being held captive. Luckily you can escape by leaving the theater. That being said, if anyone is still there when the closing credits come up, better send in a paramedic to make sure they are still alive.

Now, what can you say about a movie which opens with a bound and gagged male model being force fed battery acid. Don't worry, it gets even better when the heroine/victim, played by Elisha Cuthbert who should have known better, also ends up bound and gagged. I would say that there is too much gratuitous violence in this move, but that would be a mistake. The word gratuitous indicates that the violence has nothing to do with the plot and is added for no apparent reason. In Captivity, the violence is the whole plot. Anything else such as character development would be gratuitous.

Of course Cuthbert wears a sexy dress throughout and manages not to have her make-up run while being pursued and then captured (hence the creative title of the film). Yet if you really need to see her, buy a poster. Don't let Hollywood think that anyone out there could possibly value this garbage.

In fact, this film is so bad that if the projector had broken and I had sat in a completely dark room staring at the wall, it would have been a more pleasurable experience than watching Captivity. My only theory is that maybe this film was made so that virtually any other film will look good. Is a sequel to Xanadou coming out?

Ocean's Thirteen Revisited

Since this is my blog, I am going to do something a bit unorthodox. A reader thought my review of Ocean's Thirteen was a bit unkind. She asked me to watch the movie again and maybe consider writing a new review. I said that I would, but the risk would be that the new review would be even more harsh than the original. She was so sure I would actually like the film, that she agreed.

So what do I think now? Well, I have to admit that Danny Ocean and his crew do grow on you. While they are notorious thieves, they are also rather charming. When you add this fact to the idea that they are stealing not to get rich but to help a friend, you end up rooting for them.

The movie does move much quicker than Ocean's Twelve. It is easier to understand although I am somewhat of a loss why the Mexican strike scenes did not end up on the cutting room floor. They really were more of a distraction than a key part of the plot.

Another weakness was the way Abigail Sponder reacted to the pheromone. If it was that easy, they would sell the stuff next to the popcorn! And whomever did not predict the "surprise" ending does not deserve to be admitted to a movie theater.

Yet that being said, it was entertaining. It is not really Oscar material, but I can think of many worse ways to spend an evening (especially with an attractive companion.!) Afterward, I highly recommend going out for Sushi and beer. It can really cap off the night!

Die Hard, Real Hard

The original Dire Hard with Bruce Willis was really a trend setting movie. Today, dozens of movies rely on computer generated special effects and unrealistic stunts. The great thing about Die Hard is that the plot is very simple and the action is fast and furious, but low tech. In other words, it is completely believable. To me, that makes a difference in a movie.

Willis is a New York cop going through a divorce. While trying to see his ex, he gets unwittingly involved in a high stakes robbery/kidnapping. Terrorists have taken over a sky scraper with a well orchestrated plan to steal millions of government bonds kept in a vault in the building. Their plan was to get into the building, take hostages to serve as a distraction, and then get out with the money. What they didn't count on was a lone cop stuck in the building who finds out about their plans.

Everyone ends up rooting for Willis, the ultimate underdog as one by one he gets rid of the bad guys and brings the odds down to an acceptable level. What is really gripping is the way he nabs one of the terrorists radios and calls the head of the ring every time he has killed one of the gang members. "Hey Hans, Wolfgang can't come to the phone. He's dead." All the time, he is taunting the terrorists so that they get overcome with a desire for revenge and lose sight of their plan. Amazingly, his idea works.

Spider Scary

One of my favorite movies of all time is Arachnophobia, the movie for those of us who love and hate big spiders. The movie is great because of the way it skillfully weaves together comedy, terror, and great drama. Just when you are relieved that everything will be o.k., a mass of venomous spiders comes to prove you wrong.

The comedy is provided by none other than John Candy. In this movie, Candy is the hero, a cigar chomping exterminator who feels that beating the evil South American spitting spiders will be his greatest challenge. Rather than shirking away from the fight, he comes at the spiders with a double barrel of special formula spidercide that he made just for the occasion.

Yet don't get too carried away with Candy's comedy. John Cusak delivers an Oscar caliber performance as the local town doctor whose house becomes the incubator for the spiders. You feel that you are right there with him as he battles to save his family from the clutches of the terrifying spiders. His screams echo in our hearts as he ends up face to face with the giant spider mother.

The setting of the film is in rural Iowa, although some scenes were filmed on location in the rainforests of Brazil. I also would like to note the animal trainers who controlled the 2,000 real spiders used in the movie. They really know their business. Personally, I would be very hesitant to work with so many little, evil bugs. But these guys were able to pull off one of the best and most underrated feature films of all time.

You can probably get it at a video store of find it online. Watch it today, but take my advice, keep the lights on!

A Big Ocean

With the release of Ocean's Thirteen, it may be appropriate to look back at the original Ocean's Eleven and Ocean's Twelve before we can render a good judgment on the latest film. It has been a while since the first release so let's briefly go over the plot.

Actually, Ocean's Eleven is itself a remake of the 1960 Rat Pack caper film Ocean's Eleven. Yet it bears little resemblance to the original. George Clooney plays an ex con, sophisticated thief. He is extremely bright and wants to commit the biggest heist ever. Part of the reason is personal. He wants to get even with the owner of the Blaggio casino, Terry Benedict. Ocean's ex wife is now seeing Benedict. Ocean figures he will steal all of Benedict's money, and then get his ex wife back. He recruits the absolute best thieves and con men in the business to pull it off.

In order to get to the vault, Ocean has to set up two robberies. He knows that it will be almost impossible to pull it off. So the first robbery has to be extremely successful so it looks real. Just to get to the point where they would fail would take a lot of planning. The second robbery, the real thing, depends on Benedict being convinced that the first robbery was real. So much so that he calls in a SWAT team to take out Ocean's group. Ocean, however is one step ahead. The phone call to SWAT is rerouted to Ocean who sends in his own team. Ocean's first team "arrests" his second team. By the time Benedict realizes he has been fooled, Ocean and his money (yes, and even his ex wife) are long gone.

It's a real good movie. The only problem is you have to pay attention the whole time. You can't miss even a minute of the plot, because you will have no idea how the heist works. It can also be difficult to keep track of eleven main characters!

However, it is definitely worth it. Go rent it before you go spend money on the new Ocean's Thirteen.

Why the Oscars Are Ridiculous

There is nothing wrong about recognizing greatness. To bestow an award on anything that is truly excellent is something we love to do. Olympic Gold medal winners stand atop a pedestal, the "best breed" at a dog show prances around with a yellow ribbon pinned to its collar, and the Coney Island hot dog eating champion signs autographs for hours in the hot sun.

When it comes to movies, we have the Oscars. I love the annual award ceremony where the best movie of the year is picked. Yet, the three hour event is now a sleeper because there are so many categories. I do want to see and applaud the best movie. I am also interested in the best Actor. Yet why can't men and women both compete for that award? We are trying to determine who does the best job, not who does the best job in relation to their gender. In the Olympics, men and women compete in different categories because we are physically different. It would not be fair to have women and men together. There is just no way the best female weightlifter could beat her male counter-part. Yet why do we feel that the same holds true in acting?

Why do we have to give award to supporting actors and actresses? Why do directors, producers, and editors get awards? I don't care who has the best make-up and the best costumes, do you? All these things are parts of a movie. If every part of the movie is great, then the movie should win. I will not go see a movie that the critics panned just because it won "best make-up" at the Oscars.

I say reduce the whole event to two awards. It would take five minutes and we could all get on with the rest of our lives. We might even have time to watch the film and the actor who won.

This Movie Bugs Me

I had assumed that any movie made by William Friedkin is going to be good. Although its been forty (hmm...., now I am starting to feel old) years since he made the Exorcist, that film is such a classic that you should give his new feature a shot. His latest, the one worded "Bug" may be worth a look... if you are really bored and have a lot of time on your hands.

Don't worry about waiting on long lines or that the cinema will run out of popcorn. Fans are simply not flocking to see Bug. Can we really blame them? The plot line is a bit weird. Ashley Jud plays a woman living in a motel wondering where her child is. She meets a new love who is perfectly normal except for one little thing. He thinks that the government has implanted tiny bugs under his skin.

Now he never really says why he believes the government would do such a thing, but he believes it, she believes it, and some members of the audience may believe it. But wait, these two wacky characters are not enough to amuse us. Friedkin has to throw in Ashley's crazy former husband. Did I mention he just got out of jail and is hoping for a reunion? You can see how much fun this movie can be.

To be quite honest, I preferred the movie "Ants" to the movie "Bug." If I am going to go to a movie named after tiny creatures which really annoy me, I will pick the lesser of two evils. Ants are a lot less threatening than bugs.

Hey, here's a good idea. just rent "The Exorcist" so your impression of Friedkin will remain positive

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Knocked Up Should Be Knocker Around

All right, everyone who reviews movies sees lots and lots of great movies. But, since they all can't be Oscar material, we also have to watch a lot of dogs. One of those such dogs is a new movie called "Knocked Up."

As you can tell by the crass title, the movie is about a couple who by "accident' get pregnant. The woman is a smart, beautiful, up and coming marketing executive. The guy is a fat, unemployed, obnoxious loser. Could someone remind me how many times Hollywood has tried to give us an "odd couple" movie? Are the creative talents in Hollywood so out of ideas that we have to see the same story over and over again. How many times can we laugh because a woman ends up with some strange, slob?

Of course they end up falling in love and what they had considered an "accident" really was their fate. So the formula continues and they live happily ever after once she discovers that inside, he is really a great guy. Yeah, yeah, been there and done that.

Here's a twist. I dare anyone in Hollywood to make a film about a smart, talented guy who ends up falling in love with an ugly, stupid woman who lives with her friends watching television throughout the day. What? No takers. Guess that "odd couple" just wouldn't work. Maybe, but at least it would be different. Not just the same old film that we have seen thousands of times. Save your money, you would have more fun going bowling than talking an evening to go watch this flick.

Knocked up should be knocked out. Knocked out of the movie theaters at least.

What Ever Happened to Popcorn?

One of the biggest part of the whole movie going experience was the giant bucket of popcorn. Almost everyone purchasing a ticket would arrive a few minutes early and sit waiting patiently for the film to start while shoving handfuls of the hot, buttery corn into their mouths. Every year, the theater would come up with an even larger size. First there was large. Than "Giant." Then "Super." Finally, many theaters sold "Mega" buckets which could probably feed ten people (for a week). The thing was, everyone felt they had to prove something by ordering and trying to consume the largest possible receptacle full of popcorn. I have memories of guys tugging huge buckets, almost the size of garbage cans, into the dark theaters.

Today, everything has changed. Sure, you can get giant chocolate bars and twizzlers at the theater. But in many theaters, you can buy salads! Buying a salad is antithetical to the whole notion of going to the movies. We like to watch larger than life action films on a giant screen rather than just rent the DVD because the very act of going to a movie theater is to live vicariously outside your existence. For a few hours, we are right there with the commando, on the ship, in outer space, etc. We soak in the excitement that can only be experienced watching a great movie in a movie theater.

For the same reason, going to the movies is about eating hot popcorn by the trunk load. It's not about nibbling on a spinach salad. If you need your greens, by all means just rent the movie and watch at home. At a cinema, you are not just paying to see the movie, you are paying for an escapist experience. For two hours, ignore whatever weight problems you may or may not have.

Just have fun!

Spiderman: The Trilogy

With the upcoming release of Spiderman 3, the final chapter in an exciting trilogy will become known to all Spiderman fans around the world. Fans should not worry, the third movie is just as exciting as the first two.

When the producers decided to start making Spiderman movies, they had to overcome some natural obstacles. Obviously, it's much easier to draw a comic strip of a superhero doing unnatural things than it is to film an actor in real life. Yet, with the current age of special effects, they were able to pull off a very realistic superhero with super effects. Spiderman shoots webs out of his hands that we know are all computer generated. He flies through the streets and over tall buildings. We know this is all done in a computer studio, yet it is so realistic that we let ourselves be convinced that Spiderman is real.

My big problem with the movies is the origin of Spiderman is not given justice. I am sure, the plot sequence was at one time more elaborate but got lost on the cutting room floor. I just don't buy Peter Parker getting lost in the science museum and getting bitten by a radioactive spider -- which in turn gives him unbelievable super powers. No, I need a bit more to understand how this kid can now think and act like a nasty bug.

I am also a little wary of the Green Goblin, his arch nemesis. Is it the professor? Or has some alien being taken over the professor's mind and body. And if he is just a mortal, why does he seem to have more lives than a cat?

In Spiderman 3, the Green Goblin is finally out. Don't worry, there are not one but two new bad guys for Superman to deal with. The action gets going right from the opening and doesn't let up throughout the movie (except for one or two touching scenes with M.J.)

Go see Spiderman 3 - or better yet, buy the collection when it is all out on DVD. The series is a timeless masterpiece sure to be remembered forever.

Stripes: Still Funny After All These Years

There are certain movies that stand out in my mind as some of the funniest ever made. It doesn't matter whether they are old or new. These are movies that you just have to chuckle when you watch them. One of my all time favorites is the movie Stripes.
Stripes stars Bill Murray and an ensemble cast, including John Candy and Eliot Gould. The film is filled with memorable scenes. When Candy explains to another soldier why that other soldier has to always make his bed ("Because that's what they do in Italy. The guy on the bottom makes the guy on the top bunk's bed. Now if we were in Africa, I would be making your bed.") Who can forget the "graduation" scene when Murray leads his rag tag band on a hip hop version of the military parade "Have you men completed your training?" "That's the Fact, Jack!"
Yet Stripes is more than just a group of zany guys trying to get through a stint in the Army. The movies reveals that guys like these, the unsung heroes of the world, are the true patriots. They are the ones willing to sacrifice life and limb for country (and maybe a pizza). So yes, the high tech truck that Murray takes for a joy ride is a bit much, but maybe the head writer was sick that day.
Anyway, it may no longer be the Cold War, but if it's cold outside, go rent Stripes and it will warm your heart. Not quite a romantic comedy, but not really a war movie either. It's just something in between.
And anyone want to tell me what the hand mixer was used for should send me an e-mail.

The Last Action Hero: A Class By Itself

Most of my fellow critics panned the Arnold Schwarzenegger classic, the Last Action Hero. However, with all due respect, I think they are completely wrong. Not only was this a cleverly written and expertly directed film, but it is actually one of my favorite films. So how come so many people don't like it? Maybe they just don't understand it.

The movie is a spoof of action movies. To truly appreciate it, you have to be a fan of action movies. More so, you have to be a fan yet sensible enough to realize how absurd most action movies are. Some people just don't like all the violence. Others, buy into the plots as if they could be real. But the true connoisseur of action movies says "O.K., I know how far fetched the plot is, but I am willing to go along just to see some cool stunts and let myself forget reality for a few hours. When I pick up on the absurdities, I will just chuckle, it's part of the fun."

For example, in one scene of the movie, Arnold opens his closet to get a jacket. Inside the closet, neatly hanging up in rows, are several leather jackets, black t-shirts, and jeans. On the floor, again neatly lined up, are several pairs of combat boots. The knowledgeable viewer sees and chuckles because we realize how silly it is that in all the regular action movies, the hero wears the same outfit! That's what is great about the film. It has plenty of action, but doesn't take itself too seriously.

My favorite scene is still the opening commercial for Arnold in a production of Hamlet. Hamlet is all about how a young man who is not prone to action is forced into battle. Yet in the short spoof, the movie has Hamlet geared up as an action hero. The tag line "Nobody says Good-Night to this Sweet Prince" is pure genius. Yet to really "get" it, one must know both Hamlet and action movies intimately.

Just What Happens in Total Recall

One of the classic science fiction movie thrillers of all times is the Arnold Schwarzanegger classic Total Recall. What makes the movie so intellectually stimulating is that we are never really sure what has happened. Here's what i mean:

The movie begins many years in the future. A tired and demoralized construction worker sees an ad for "vacation memories." For a small fee, a company will implant memories of an exciting vacation. He agrees and picks an adventure vacation from the list offerred.

Plot Option #1: As soon as they implant the memory, he is involved in an action packed plot where he ends up saving the planet. Yet, the whole movie is just his fake memory. After the movie ends, he is still the tired construction worker.

Plot Option #2: As soon as they implant the memory, something goes wrong and he realizes that he is not a tired construction worker, but a courageous leader of freedom fighrers that had had his memory wiped out. He proceeds to go through an action packed plot where he ends up saving the planet.

They key thing is either plot could be true. We don't know and will never know. That's why this is a film that should be watched a few times. There are a few clues scattered throughout the movie that hint which plot is the true plot. Yet not enough that there is an accepted throey of just what takes place. As Bill Murray said in the movie "Tootsie": "I don't want people to come and see my play and tell me how great it was. I want people to come see my play and say, 'Hey, what was that about?'"

Planet of the Apes

While some people have greeted the remake of the classic Planet of the Apes with relish, I prefer the original. It's one of those flicks that is easy to find in the back of your local rental place or even on the Internet. I encourage you to take an evening and rent it. You will notice details you forgot when you saw the movie the first time.

The concept is both simple and stunningly sophisticated. A manned space ship encounters a strange force field. They send a chimpanzee into the field as a test, to see what happens. When they lose contact with the chimp, the orders are given to avoid the field. Yet, one of the astronauts steals a shuttle and decides to try and rescue the chimp. The ship then loses contact with the shuttle.

The Astronaut goes through the force field and crash lands on a strange planet. He is shocked when he discovers that the planet resembles Earth, but is run by all sorts of apes! The gorillas rule society by enslaving humans they find. He is even more shocked when he discovers that the gorillas have learned to speak. While the book is fascinating, seeing the gorillas walking about in the movie is even better. Planet of the Apes used amazing special effects before such things became commonplace. The realism is just phenomenal.

As most of us know, the astronaut discovers that it was actually his long lost chimpanzee pal that had crash landed on the planet and had been the progenitor of the race of talking Apes. And just when we think the human will escape and find a way back to Earth, he discovers to his horror that he is actually on Earth, the Earth of the future!
If that's not enough to send you running to the video store, I don't know what will.

Lucky Number Slevin

You may be put off by the weird title of Lucky Number Slevin, but that would be a mistake. By the end of the movie, you will look back and see its greatness, although you will be very confused along the way.
In fact, the first half of the movie is quite strange. The plot doesn't seem to make any sense. Every time you think you understand what is going on, a wrinkle occurs that sets you back. Fear not, one thing I can tell you is it will all make sense in the end.
Bruce Willis gives us the background as the movie opens. He tells a man waiting for a train that all stories need to start somewhere, and this story starts with a horse. The horse is named Lucky Number Slevin, and it is a race horse. It is a race horse that has been given an injection of drugs to artificially boost its performance right before a race. While we are not told what mysterious figures are behind the fix, we do know that they don't want anyone else to know. However, one person tells another who tells another until word reaches a down-on-his luck family man who needs a sure thing. His day goes from bad to a nightmare when Lucky Slevin not only doesn't win, but dies right before the finish line. As he is walking back to his car, he is greeted by the ones who put the fix in in the first place. Not happy that he had been trying to use their secret, they kill him and his family. What a way to start a movie, right?
The film now goes forward about twenty-years. The main character now appears to be stuck in a case of mistaken identity. Two powerful mob bosses believe him to be someone else. He cannot convince them that he happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Both claim he owes them considerable money and can work off his debt by becoming a hit man. As we watch him struggle to prove who he is, we always wonder what the first part of the movie has to do with the second. What does this fellow have to do with the fixed horse race twenty years ago?
Don't worry, all questions are answered in an artful although sometimes graphically violent style. By the end, you will find yourself nodding your head and picking up an all the clues that the director had left for you throughout the movie. Although the film is rated ?R? for graphic violence (and two very brief scenes of an adult nature), it is worth the price of admission.

Rocky Forever!

I know, I know. The whole Rocky thing is way past its prime. And many people point to how the original wasn't so great anyway. It was too much of a formula. We have seen it all before.
Yet, I have to disagree. I will even go out on a limb and say that the Rocky series is one of the best movie series of all. It is one of the best conceived and written, and one of the best filmed. So if you agree with me but have been remaining silent, now you can relax. You were on the right track.
I mean let's take a look at the original Rocky. Yes, it was predictable. Yes, I know that Rocky was a silly stereotype. Yet, in the fight at the end of the movie, who did not feel the excitement. Who did not deeply desire that Rocky triumph? We all knew that he couldn't. The movie kept hinting and hinting that there was no way Rocky could beat Apollo. Just to get the chance was a huge lucky strike for Rocky. We all knew he was going down, yet we all secretly hoped he wouldn't. Why?
Maybe it's because there is a bit of Rocky in all of us. We all see ourselves as the hard workers just hoping for a lucky break to prove that we are the best in the world. We labor in our pursuits, whether we are athletes competing for the Gold, businessmen trying to hit that one big deal, or even writers hoping to get the one shot to show the world what we are capable of.
Rocky lets us all believe that this is possible. We live through him and ignore the rougher aspects of his character, just because we all have rougher aspects that we would rather not admit. At the end of the day, it is all of us who are out there in the ring with Rocky, getting pummeled but still looking for the one big break.
Enjoy all the Rocky movies. There is nothing in them to be ashamed of. In fact, we can all be quite proud that eventually, Rocky triumphs as we all will one day.

Rudy -- A Tale of Inspiration

Rudy is a movie based on the true story of a young man whose dream was to play football for storied Notre Dame University in South Bend, Indiana. But it's a lot more than a football movie. It's a movie about dreams and hard work.

Rudy grows up idolizing the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Although he is somewhat on the small side, he plays high school football with all his heart as a defensive back. As the film opens, he has just had his final day of high school football. Most of his friends will start work in the local iron foundry after graduation, but Rudy has bigger plans.

Rudy decides that he will play football for one of the top programs in the country. Now the fact that he doesn't have the money, the grades, or even the requisite size or talent to play football at this level does not dissuade him. He says good-bye to his friends and takes a bus to Notre Dame. On his own, he shows up at the stadium and informs the coach of his intention to play. The coach promptly sends him away. He is neither a Notre Dame student nor a football player, and the coach has no use for him.

When Rudy find out that he needs to be a student before he can even try out for the team, he attends a local college with the hopes of getting his grades up. After two long years, he finally makes the grades for acceptance to Notre Dame. He secures a scholarship and transfers in for his junior year.

The only problem now is that Notre Dame recruits players from all over the country. They have no use for a small, unheralded played from backwoods Indiana. Yet, he shows up at the practices and works so hard that the coaches decide to let him have a try-out for the "practice" team. At the try-out, the kid just can't be stopped. He has no talent, but just won't quit. He is hit left and right, has blood streaming down his face, but still refuses to quit.

Finally, the coaches agree to let him practice with the team. Of course every week he holds out hope that he will be put in for just one game. Throughout the season, he impresses everyone with just how hard he is willing to work for his dream. finally, on the last game of the year, in the final minute of a meaningless game, he is put in. As the crowd chants his name, he surprises everyone by breaking through the line and making the final tackle.

This movie is not about playing football. It is about wanting a dream so much, that you are willing to do almost anything to achieve it. It is an inspiring story about life and recommended for all ages.

Casino Royale -- When You Are Stuck On A Plane

If you love James Bond movies, as I do, be warned. The latest Bond flick is probably the lamest ever made. I watched it recently on an airplane. I have to admit, I only watched the whole thing because my only other options were to watch Beauty and the Beast (which I have only seen about 300 times with my three year old) or jump out the window. Since neither one of these options seemed particularity appealing, I hunkered down and watch the film in its entirety. Here is what you can expect if you go to the theater and pay real money:

Casino Royale is actually the first chronological story in the Bond series. British agent James Bond has just received his wonderful "license to kill." He blows his first assignment after a ten minute chase through an African city. The chase led me to think that this would be yet another great action packed Bond flick. However, after he ends the chase (and blows the assignment), the action really takes a nose dive. British Intelligence decides that the only way to stop the evil terrorists is to play poker with them and win. This would leave them without any more money for terrorism. I'm not making this up! You would think someone with good sense would have read the screenplay and realized that the concept was totally lacking.

Don't get me wrong. Ian Fleming's book is great and suspenseful. The heart of the book in an intense game of Baccarat with huge stakes. Fleming's skilful writing puts you right inside the key game. In the movie, the producers figures that American just weren't familiar with the game of Baccarat enough, so they had Bond playing Texas Hold 'em poker instead. Now, anyone can figure out Baccarat through Fleming's writing. But in making the switch, they blew the whole movie out of the water. Texas Hold 'em is fun and popular, but you really can't see this British secret agent and French terrorist staring at each other over the "Round-Up." But that's exactly what happens! Maybe they could have used a few more test screenings.

Well, the rest of the money slowly meanders along a predictable path until Bond finally gets even. After watching though, you just have to wonder how this movie can be considered in the same class as some of the classic Bond flicks. I mean you just can't compare Casino Royale to Goldfinger, Moonraker, or Live and Let Die. Let all who dare to continue making Bond films know that the standard is very high.