An unusual role for Renée Zellweger (you don’t see her in many horror genre movies).  She plays a character that has a big heart that is manipulated by an evil young girl that tugs on here heartstrings played by an excellent young lady Jodelle Ferland.

The cool thing about this movie is that it draws you into the world in a way that makes you sympathetic to the child character and then it switches you to the other adult characters.  The transformation in your loyalties is done over the first third of the film, after that you just want the young girl to go away and die!

As far as special effects goes there are some interesting scenes that you will find very cool or very disturbing (based on how much you can stomach).  The effects are there to support the story rather than just eye candy.  It’s nice to see that the producers and director showed restraint in what they put on the screen (hence the term psychological thriller).

The ending will (should) satisfy your desire for justice, the interesting thing is that the Blu ray version has an alternative ending which worked just as well (worth a look along with the rest of the deleted scenes).

Overall a nice tidy movie that is well executed but has crept in under the radar, it’s worth a couple of hours of your time.

Egg Rating: 8/10

Firstly, you need to know that movie was created at probably the height of Bill Murray‘s rise in collaboration with his counterpart in Ghost Busters Harold Ramis (this time in a directorial role). The female interest is in the form of Andie MacDowell which adds to the movies appeal for the red blooded males out there.

For those of you who have not seen this movie here is a brief synopsis of what it is about (without giving too much away about the detail). Basically Bill’s character (Phil) is a weather man who has to go down to Punxsutawney (PA) with Andie MacDowell (Rita) to cover Groundhog Day (BTW the groundhog is named Punxsutawney Phil). The gist is that for some unknown (magical) reason he gets stuck there reliving the same day over and over again. Initially he is surprised and confused and thinks that the whole thing is a bad dream, then he gets depressed and hilarity ensues , once he finds out that he can basically do whatever he wants without impunity he has a whale of a time.

You have to keep reminding yourself that the other characters do not know what is going on, i.e. that he has gone through the same thing over and over again but they are seeing it for the first time, foir example the scene when he is watching Jeopardy is wonderful.

Having conversations with friends who appreciate this movie we have speculated that 1 year (365 days) would probably be more than long enough to have to live through that particular day. The trivia in IMDB seems to suggest that he is there for a long time (possibly over 1000 years) but the exact time is not specified (in the film or the trivia) so you are left to decide for yourself. The conversation then (naturally) goes to the topic of what you would do in that same situation, remember that you have no consequences to worry about, do what you want, commit any crime or act of selfishness, eat and drink whatever you want etc etc etc.

The ending of the movie is pretty well done, you have to put in a little disbelief regarding what actually happens but it is done in a way that makes you feel happy for Phil. I don’t think that there is a deep rooted message that the film makers want to get across but it is a movie that definitely has a place in my brain cell as something that makes me feel good an I have a good laugh; can’t be bad.

Finally (as an added bonus for me) my spouse does not get the whole movie, to this end I make it a goal to watch this every time it is shown on TV (DVR’s are great for this).

Egg Rating: 9/10

Staring Robin Williams and Daryl Sabara it is about a father and son who are living together, the son is an idiot and the father a failed teacher.  So what makes this interesting as a movie in 2010?  The premise of the movie is the characters and how they relate to other people in their life, in the case of the father it is his position in the school.  In the case of the son it is how he feels as a teenager with all the peer pressure and teen angst that teens go through.

The plot seems to go down a traditional path of parent vs. child and then there is an event that changes everything for both of them.  The upshot of this event is that the way people view then father and son changes dramatically to  a level that puts both of them on a pedestal to the level of sainthood.  Although this is a comedy it is very black and is more a social commentary on the need of people to  have something to latch onto.

I don’t think that this is a movie for everyone but if you get past some of the annoying attitudes of the teenagers in the plot and concentrate on the bigger picture I think you’ll get a lot out of it.

Egg Rating: 8/10

//*eggbox

This film gives an insight of the world during those times and the views and attitudes of the time.  A true epic in terms of production, story, performance which makes you feel humble just watching it.  What I liked about the film is that it did not give an idolized view of the subject matter, it is brutal in showing what actually happened even though it is not something that the Brits, Indians and Pakistanis really want to remember.

Arguably the best performance of Ben Kingsley’s life, he was born to play this part.

You MUST watch this, you can also read more about it on imdb.

Egg Rating: 9/10

//*eggbox

Set in London in the 1960′s the subject matter is still relevant today as it was then.  The acting by the principles is more than up to par and the sets and production values are high for this type of movie.

I found myself rooting for both the main characters even though there was some ambiguity regarding each of their motives.  The last act brought everything together nicely.

Overall rating: 8 eggs because it was interesting and the acting was good.

Flawless on IMDB

Then I’ll give you a link to IMDB which has everything you want and more about the movie, you can even rate the movie yourself there.

//*Ergin

A summer hit … yeah …

I was not too sure about this movie mainly because it stars Robert Downy Jr and it is a Marvel character that is unfamiliar to me, however, I was pleasantly surprised at the movie as a whole. The story is not too bad, the main character (??? Stark) is a ruthless arms dealer who is equally brilliant. Having been kidnapped by some terrorists he is instructed to make a weapon of mass destruction, he uses the materials and time to come up with Iron Man V1.0 which he uses to escape.

Back home …

He goes back to the US and starts building Iron Man V2.0 which is sleeker, faster and stronger than the first, I liked the scenes where the project goes wrong, Downy is perfect for these scenes because of his sarcastic attitude. Eventually he gets the suit working correctly and this is where the fun starts.

His side kick ..

Gweneth Paltrow makes a welcome appearance in this movie (and return to the big screen), she plays Stark’s butler and general dogsbody. Her obvious affection for Stark gives the movie that something special that wants you to believe that these people should be together.

The final battle (and special effects) …

The final battle is full of special effects that keep you glued to the screen, they have done a good job with the effects in general, sometimes they are over the top but hey, this is the Marvel world so what do you expect.

Bottom line …

A good action movie that deserves to be up there as the top movie of the summer, Downy and Paltrow work well together and there are enough twists and turns to keep you interested in the plot. Make a date for next summer for the sequel.

Ratings
Overall rating:	9/10
Special effects:	9/10 (the best in a while)
Acting:	8/10 (par for the course)
Music:	8/10 (fine for this type of movie)
Where seen:	Movie Theater
Perceived length:	Short

//*Eggbox

Don’t expect anything that is meaningful or deep in this popcorn of a movie, the jokes are crass and over the top, the characters are over the top and the action (if that is what you call it) is puerile; stuff of the gods.

It’s a spoof, get over it …

One of the reasons I liked this is because it is (sort of) a spoof of all those crappy kung fu movies where the main character goes from being a bum to an enlightened world champ in the course of 90 minutes saving the world in the process.. This is the theory here but he is a ping-pong champ who has fallen from grace and he gets a chance to redeem himself.

So the plot revolves around the main character relearning his talent for ping-pong and getting into an illicit ping-pong championship on a remote island.

The characters …

The main character is Randy Daytona (played by Dan Fogler), I have never seen this dude before in anything but I like him, he is a fat ugly toad of a guy that has an innocent look on his face all the time throughout the film, makes me feel like an Adonis.

The best thing is that he plays it straight and makes you like him (even though he looks better in the dark).

Christopher Walken is the best …

The bad guy is Feng played by the ever weird and crazy Christopher Walken, I think that he has got to the stage in his career where he just plays himself because that what people expect. The one liners he comes out with are great (the one about sudden death is the best). My opinion is that you could have got rid of a few characters and still pissed yourself laughing looking at Christopher Walken.

Other notible characters …

The FBI agent Ernie Rodriquez is played by George Lopez who does a reasonable job but I expected more from him.

A chinese heavy Siu-Foo is played by the great Jason Scott Lee, in fact he uses quotes from the movie Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story that he actually said. It’s good to see him in a comedy role, he made me laugh, the part where he makes a bet with the main character for $5 and asks for change because he only wants to bet $4 is classic, the missus and my son missed it but I was rolling around with that line.

Bottom line …

I wouldn’t put this up there with Harold and Kumar go to White Castle but it is worthy of a look if you need to get out of it for an hour and a half. Some of the gags don’t really do that well and you have probably seen some of the better ones in the trailer but there is enough there to keep you amused.

The DVD is not too bad, the extras are pretty cool, don’t forget to see the one about the Ball Wrangler

Ratings
Overall rating:	7/10 (For making me laugh)
Special effects:	7/10
Acting:	5/10
Music:	6/10
Where seen:	DVD at home
Perceived length:	Short

//*Eggbox

]]> http://eggbox.wordpress.com/2008/05/18/balls-of-fury-2007/feed/ 0 eggbox http://eggbox.wordpress.com/2008/05/11/speed-racer-2008/ http://eggbox.wordpress.com/2008/05/11/speed-racer-2008/#comments Mon, 12 May 2008 03:09:25 +0000 eggbox http://eggbox.wordpress.com/?p=15 Continue reading →]]> What a blast …

I enjoyed this movie for a number of reasons that will be explained as we go along, the basic plot is that there is a kid; surname of Racer, forename of Speed, hence the name of the movie.

For our American cousins surname = last name, forename = first name.

Anyway, he is Speed Racer (played by Emile Hirsch) who is a race car driver like his brother (the brother is is dead), dad runs the garage (played by an aging John Goodman) and mum is the ever hot Susan Sarandon. The love interest is the equally hot Christina Ricci (although she looks like she is in a real cartoon).

This was a cartoon …

I know that this is based on an old cartoon but I have never seen it, from all accounts the quality was somewhat suspect and the stories a bit weak. That cannot be said for this movie (well the graphics anyway), the story is standard fare, the Speed Racer is good and he believes in racing as a sport. He comes down to earth with a bump when the evil business man Royalton (played by Roger Allam) tries to get him to race for him. It comes down to good vs. evil again.

The graphics …

This is probably the main reason to watch the movie, and I suggest that it is at the cinema (that’s the movie theater for you Americans). The colours are bold and brash, the colour pallet is mainly primary which adds to the cartoon feel of the movie as a whole. The directors and the set designers (the term set is probably wrong for this type of movie) must have made this a priority on the movie to give it an out of this world touch, in fact it looks somewhat 60′s style to me.

The races [ not to Formula 1 standards ] …

The real reason for watching the movie is to participate in the experience of the races throughout the movie, the Wachowski brothers have choreographed these to a tee. The track races are so divorced from reality that it is sometimes very hard to know what is going on but it does not matter. There are cars that jump over other cars, make wild turns that are physically impossible, they crash into each other and the only thing that happens to the car is a slight scuff on the paintwork, the drivers never get hurt because there is a system in place that protects them in a ball of bubbles.

On top of that each car has a secret weapon; technically illegal as per the WRL rule book (World Racing League) but it does not stop the teams and the drivers from being devious and creative. Some have rockets, saws, snakes and the like, each weapon matches the drivers personality, a very cool concept, a bit like The Wacky Races but much more violent; I like this :->

The back story …

The races are punctuated with the back story of the dead brother, a law enforcement officer and back stabbing between friends. The younger brother Spritle (played by Paulie Litt) and his chimp add the comic relief to the (sometimes) too serious story for this type of movie.

The Wachowski brother are on the money again …

Andy and Larry are the dudes that gave us the Matrix trilogy, let’s be honest the first one was very very cool, the second was OK and the third was somewhere in the middle. They have a knack of going the whole hog and they have really embraced computer generated movie making. Even the simplest scenes have computer generated effects, that’s why this gets a 10/10 for special effects.

Don’t expect to see photo realism in this movie, obviously the characters are real but the rest of it is probably real only in the computer. It looks like they wanted to make it look like a cartoon, if they did then they succeeded.

Something I didn’t expect …

One that I did not expect was to see so many British actors in the movie, it’s good to see that the Brits are still in demand even for an obviously Hollywood movie, the Wachowski’s know a good thing when they see it (that’s my opinion and I’m sticking to it).

Bottom line …

This is a good fantasy movie for all the family, me and my son thoroughly enjoyed it, good use of a couple of hours). It has something for everyone, the comedy of the younger brother, the computer effects for the for the geeks, the cars and the racing for the boy racers and the heart warming back story for the mums.

There is one final problem to consider, you may find yourself driving a bit faster and taking more chances on the road after watching the movie. In our case we got home 5 minutes quicker than we normally do, time well spent

Ratings
Overall rating:	9/10 For Special Effects
Special effects:	10/10 (the best in a while)
Acting:	6/10 (OK I suppose)
Music:	6/10 (fine for this type of movie)
Where seen:	Movie Theater
Perceived length:	Short

Te To say that I have been waiting for this movie to come out is an understatement, the first one [Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004)] was a blast. Now don’t misinterpret what I am saying here, the plots in both movies are 100% stupidity, the characters are larger than life and the situations they get into unbelievable if you think for more than a millisecond.

The setup …

The movie starts where the last one left off, right after the dudes have downed a number of White Castle burgers.

A quick explaination for those people who do not live in the US; White Castle is a fast food chain where the burgers are incredibly small but are very tasty. The only problem is that the meat is … well … not prime and the affects on the body are somewhat random. You usually purchase more than you should eat (along with loads of fries and too much soft drink). They are affectionatly known here as “sliders”, they slide in and they slide out the other end.

So we get the picture of Harold (the Asian dude) (played by John Cho) in the shower feeling good about himself because the connected with the hottie in the lift (elevator for our US cousins), smooth music and slow motion, probably the most artistic shot in the whole movie. Luckily this does not last long because Kumar (the Indian dude) (played by Kal Penn) punctuates the moment by taking a dump of mammoth proportions and shattering Harold’s moment.

Guantanamo Bay here we come …

As the title of the movie suggests the pair end up in Guantanamo Bay through a series of events that are just classic, Kumar tries to get into the Mile High club, not in the biblical sense, think of it as more as the Mile High As a Kite Club, he has even invented a battery powered bong to get the most out of the weed, what a guy!

Another aspect of the pot is Kumar’s lost love who they meet when they are at the airport, we see that there is a spark there but the plot takes a twist when we find out that she is marry Kumar’s mortal enemy from college. This dude (Colton played by Eric Winter) is your run of the mill slime ball who you just want to slap, be patient and everything will work itself out

They get on the plane and get arrested by sky marshalls, taken back to the US and interrogated by a secret service offical who is wonderfully played by Rob Corddry, he is an idiotic simpleton who cannot see past his pressed shirt and stupid tie. I just hope that his character is not based on fact but I feel that may not be the case.

So they get to Guantanamo Bay and after a short spell in the cells and some interesting dialogue with the other inmates and guards they get out and back to the US, thus ensures a road trip like the previous movie but with the added suspense of being hunted down by the government.

Where now …

They end up in Miami Florida where they meet a friend who they ask for assistance, this is a great scene, the dude drop in while there is a party going on. Ok, here is where the smut level hits 10, it is not a topless party (which would have been fun) but bottomless, there are some very interesting designs where most men will be looking when the opportunity arrises, I saw a mohawk and a US flag, very creative. The scariest thing here is their friend who is also bottomless, that dude needs a haircut, not on his head.

So the guys borrow a bright yellow open top Mustang and are dressed like Crocket and Tubbs from Miami Vice, so they start their trip, as you can imagine they lose the car are end up with the KKK. This is a short scene that does a great job of making the KKK out to be a bunch of simple, stupid wankers, I don’t think the writers had to make up much stuff here.

The creepy house …

They end up in a hunters lodge with a hottie wife and a cyclopes kid, this is reminisent of the scene with Freakshow in the last movie, it plays out Ok but I felt that it was a bit forced.

Neil Patrick Harris is a God …

What a guy, he is such a sport and a mental at the same time. We meet him as the guys flag down a car and (what a surprise) it’s NPH. He is munching on magic mushrooms, swilling beer and Jack Daniels and still drives better than most people. The scene where he sees the unicorn talking to the FBI man is wonderful, the only problem is that he takes an exit too early in the film.

The final reel …

So it comes down to Harold and Kumar meeting up with good ole George Bush, the movie makes him out to be a pot head (pretty accurate from my perspective) and they get a pardon and a trip to Kumar’s ex-girlfriends wedding. The bottom lines is that Kumar gets the girl, they go to Amsterdam and Harold gets his girl, the last montage is worth sitting through some of the credits for.

Bottom line …

This movie had a lot to live up to, the writers did a good job getting all the things you (now) expect from a Harold and Kumar movie, they did not hold back on the bad taste and everyone gets their just desserts (except NPH).

As you have probably worked out I liked this movie and am giving it a 9 out of 10 because it lived up to the hype and it did make me laugh (boy do I need that at the moment). I don’t have any inside information but I really really hope that they come out with another one sooner rather than later, there is so much that they could take the piss out of, here are some suggestions.

• Harold and Kumar run for President
• Harold and Kumar buy a House and don’t get it Repossessed
• Harold and Kumar run the Federal Reserve
• Harold and Kumar stick it to the Oil Companies
• Harold and Kumar run the United Nations

The possibilities are endless, put these guys in charge of something big, give them a big bag of weed and see whether they can cock it up any better than the guys running it now, I think not.

Ratings
Overall rating:	9/10 For making me laugh
Special effects:	6/10 (not much really)
Acting:	5/10 (par for the course)
Music:	6/10 (fine for this type of movie)
Where seen:	Movie Theater
Perceived length:	Short