Movie Reviews.

Figured I would offer up my assessments of some of the movies I have seen during the Thanksgiving holiday.


1. Jarhead: Two exasperated thumbs down.

I thought this movie would have it all. The trailer was almost perfectly crafted, the cast was stellar, and the subject was topical. But it was all for naught. Probably one of the most boring movies I have ever seen. If you wanted an anti-war film you left disappointed, if you wanted a pro-war film you left disappointed. I understand a nuanced approach, but I just felt like the film said nothing important.

Jake Gyllenhaal's performance was wooden and possessed none of the sparkle he showed in October Sky. Jamie Fox was a shining light in the movie and reminded everyone how much he deserved that Oscar.

The tag line of "Welcome to the Suck" seemed all too appropriate for Jarhead.

2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: Two even more emphatic thumbs down.

As a massive Harry Potter fan, I had such high hopes for this film. After being extremely disappointed by The Prisoner of Azkaban, I anticipated that the new directing style of Mike Newell would take the film back in the direction of the first two. Alas he seemed to just rewarm the Prisoner of Azkaban.

The acting seemed unnecessarily over the top at times and Michael Gambon became less convincing as Dumbledore with each passing scene.

3. Just Friends: Two thumbs up.

This is not your typical gross out holiday movie, and that is a pleasant surprise. The jokes are well timed and the fight scenes between Chris (Ryan Reynolds) and Mike (Christopher Marquette) are so well done that they must have been impromptu.

Reynolds plays the ugly (and fat) duckling with an unrequited love for his best friend Jamie, who is the most popular girl in school. After an embarrassing post-Graduation party, Chris flees his small New Jersey town for LA where he becomes a powerful, cold-hearted, womanizing record executive. Trapped in his small town after a flight mishap, he seeks to get the girl he has obsessed over for the last ten years. What follows is a hodgepodge of misadventures that ends with the typical Hollywood ending.

I highly recommend this movie to anyone over 13 this holiday season.

Well that is it. See you all soon.