my 2 cents worth:
Oh boy... with George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez pairing off as a screen couple, all you gotta do is sit back and watch the pair sizzle, and sizzle they certainly did! Clooney oozes with charm while Lopez simply looks sexy from head to toe, and thank god Georgie boy finally hit the right note again after a series of forgettable films namely Batman.  (Speaking of Batman, in this show Jennifer dumped Michael Keaton for George Clooney! hahahah...poor thing)

Personally, I've never read an Leonard novel yet, but now fully intend to after watching this flick.  The story itself is a bit off-beat and definitely very interesting.  You got the "jump here, jump there" type of story telling (think: Jackie Brown which is another Leonard novel by the way) and best of all you got an interesting casting.  Aside from George and Jenny, there's Don Cheadle whom I like, and there's my man bad ass Ving Rhames too!

Let's see.. good story, good cast, great body...but the story did kind of get long winded in the middle as the story goes on, fortunately like all Elmore Leonard flicks so far the stories all lead up to an exciting climax! I can't wait to see the next adaptation come to screen.

rating:
$6 outta $7

fav quote:
*flashing his charms during the robbery*
"First time getting robbed?"

my 2 cents worth:
On the left you got Samuel L Jackson, charismatic, loud, vulgar and overall kick ass actor.  On the right, the smooth talking, cool looking and even more charismatic Kevin Spacey. What more could you ask for?

Good ol' Samuel is back in probably his most interesting character since Pulp fiction and he even  has a few lines in the movie which strikes some similarities to Pulp as well!  Meanwhile Kevin Spacey who plays the other negotiator in the film is at his usual excellent self.  What I do enjoy about this film is that it isn't exactly a mindless explosion movie, the two lead actors kept the movie going on by their good acting and interesting conversations (for a hostage situation)

However, the movie did dilly dally a tad too long for my liking and the local censors has once again snip away some of the vulgarities from the show, which pisses me off a bit.

If you like either Samuel or Kevin, this is one show you shouldn't miss.

Rating:
$6 outta $7

Fav quote:
"I've once managed to talk a man out of blowing up the Sears Tower but I cannot talk my own wife out of the bathroom and my daughter to put down the phone!"

my 2 cents worth:
I ain't no big fan of the horror genre though I read lots of Stephen King novels, I'm not too sure why pyschos such as Michael, Jason and Freddy get their kicks by running around stabbing up people, nor will I understand why these fellas never seem to die.  However, I was eagerly anticipating this movie because I thought that Kevin Williamson ( who wrote the very entertaining Scream movie) wrote the screenplay.  Alas, I was wrong. He only wrote a couple of the scenes from the movie.

Maybe I'm just not the type of people to watch horror flicks, but this movie really makes no sense to me.  Ok, when I first saw Michael in action, he didn't really seem to be that big a deal to me.  He don't talk, wears that ugly mask all day, walk at the pace of a tortise (yet can reach the spot to kill his victims before they can turn around) and seem to be invincible. BUT! maybe its not because I was the wrong type, maybe its because the movie sucked? This is because logic doesn't seem to exist in the movie.  You'd even ask questions like "What's the deal with the mask?" or "If he's human, how come he doesn't feel a thing even after being bashed on the head?"

The only thing I liked about the show is the original haunting score.  Overall, this is a very predictable movie and the director simply loves to use cheap tatics to shock the audience.  In other words, go bring a girl for the show.

rating:
$1.50 outta $7 *yawn*

fav quote:
"no sex games for you until I've had dinner..."

Trivia:
The actress playing Norma is actually Janet Leigh (whom is Jamie Lee Curtis real life mother) and the car she drove is the very same vehicle Janet herself drove in another famous horror flick known as "Pyscho" which she starred as the unfortunate gal in the shower.

my 2 cents worth:
The opening scene to the movie is simply ingenious.  The opening credits displays the actors names as it is on The Truman Show and not what it is in real life.  It is as if we the audience are too taking part in watching the Truman show with the people in the movie.

This is a major breakthrough for Jim Carrey who put his career on the line by not resorting to his usual rubber face slap stick comedy bits. (ie. no talking asshole)  After the diasterious "Cable Guy" (which I liked by the way), one would've expected Jim to think twice before doing something different again.  Well, he took a shot, and it paid off BIG TIME!  There are already Oscar buzz surrounding this movie.

The story may be a tad far fetched, but that's not the point, the director did a marvelous job at story telling.  The only thing I am not very satsified with is how the movie ended.  The whole movie engages you so much that you really wanted to know more about Truman's life after...uh, I better not spoil it.  Anyway, you would soon realise that you were like the "audience" in the movie, equally nosey and inhuman enough to let the poor soul suffer in the world's biggest hoax so you can enjoy its soap opera. Sheesh! Shame on us!

Rating:
$7 outta $7 (in short, a masterpiece..especially one that stars Jim Carrey)

Fav Quote:
"We accept the reality with which we're presented."

my 2 cents worth:
First of all, the bad news.  This show is produced and not directed by John Woo (you'll realise that Wesley Snipes name appeared in the producers credits too). Just because the show has some slow-mo gun touting action doesn't mean its directed by the master you know...  Now the good news: this is one helluva cool show !

Mark Wahlberg seems to have the hot hands these days with the shows he acts in, this time he plays a very nice guy Melvin whom fears not being liked by anyone.  Acting wise, it ain't no Oscar performance, but he's getting better.  Also, its great to see Lou Diamomd Phillps back in a wicked role since "Courage under fire", his potrayal as a money mad /loud mouth hitman is simply hilarious.  As for Ms China Chow...she's a babe and no acting is required for that.

Sadly, the "Staying Alive" song inside the trailer couldn't be found in the show.  While you can say that this movie is all style and much Gen X yakking without much of a story line...but who cares?  Just sit back and enjoy the ride...I did.

Rating:
$6 outta $7

Fav quote:
*referring to the hitmen's dress sense*
"So what are you, the Spice boys or something?"

my 2 cents worth:
I've been a long time fan of Ben Stiller, (for those who don't know who he is, well...he's a talented director/actor.  Credits includes "reality bites and "The Cable guy" *loved the show, no matter what the people say*) ever since he hosted the MTV Movie Awards, so naturally I am quite excited when he signs on with the Farrelly (Dumb and Dumber fame) brothers.

However, I was in a state of shock when during the first quarter of the show, the brothers seemed to have toned down on their slapstick quite a bit (as compared to D & D).  Overall, the movie gives me a kind of "Wedding Singer" feel but without a happening soundtrack.  What is sadder though is the fact that this movie is being disgustingly censored by the local board of censorship whom had removed the most talked about "hair gel" scene probably in the history of movies.

Matt Dillon whose career seems to be on a rebound these days is quite funny in the movie, Cameron Diaz did not that bad too, considering that all she needs to do for the movie is to look desirable (not that hard).

Good effort from the Farellys especially since this time they try to bring out a story into the show, but they still could've done a tad better if not for the local censors.  My advice, go get the pirated copy! Board of censors should have NC-16 the show !

Rating:
$5 Outta $7

fav quote:
*girl responding to Ted's proposal for a prom date*
"If everything goes horribly wrong..."maybe"  (ouch !)