Another comic book movie (Spiderman, X-Men, Batman, etc.)....but Daredevil wouldn't exactly be mainstream to most people. So, it's essentially just another fun movie with action heroes donning plastic garb and fighting crime on the streets of New York (it's always New York isn't it?). Ben Affleck stars as Matthew Murdock: bad lawyer by day, badass crimefighter at night. What makes his special is that he's blind; and because he's been blind since childhood, his other 4 senses are heightened to a sonar-like level. So he uses sound and scent to "see." His turf is Hell's Kitchen and his nemesis is all the crime caused and lead by Kingpin (Michael Clark Duncan). Kingpin hires hitmen, among them Bullseye (Colin Farrell) to defeat his opponents. Ok ok....so enough about the plot. The movie's about fighting and kicking butt. The chick factor is Jennifer Garner, who is martial arts trained Elektra and daughter of a tycoon. She plays the love interest of Daredevil and fights a couple of fights. The movie is fun to watch, but lacks in substance. The characters are only minimally portrayed and I felt they could have delved deeper into their comic-book psyches. I think the great thing about comic-book movies is that the heroes and villains have such depth. Their motivation to be good or evil often has a deep psychological explanation. But Daredevil doesn't really get into too much of that. The movie skims the surface of a lot of stuff. Ok, that's all.
GRADE: C+

Strange and bizarre, yet predictably dark, Death to Smoochy is the revenge story by Rainbow Randolph (Robin Williams), a defunct children's television star, against squeaky-clean Smoochy (Edward Norton), a Barney-esque rhino. I think the movie is hilarious enough on Norton alone dressing in a rhino costume. But director Danny Devito leaves some tricks up his sleeves by imploying Irish-mob-type people (Pam Ferris). Anyway, mix in a cynical Catherine Keener as a television executive and you've got a movie that's mostly funny cause of the bizarre casting. Without that, I don't think the movie would be very enjoyable.
GRADE: B

Devilish! And very near Satanic. Keanu plays a "I-can't-lose" lawyer who moves to New York to work for Al Pacino's law firm. His wife goes mental, but he's still focused to win the case he's on. Pacino turns out to be more than just an old law firm owner. The moral at the end of the movie is great, but the movie itself almost makes the NC-17 rating (some scenes are just not in great taste). Yet overall, it's a pretty compelling film.
GRADE: C

This movie wasn't upto Brad Pitt or Harrison Ford's usual standards. Why they chose to do this movie I can only guess. Pitt's a bad guy who travels to America to escape other bad guys but he's still a bad guy in America. He houses with Ford's family who ends up getting involved in all this badness. (It's only inevitable.) Not very good, but it's not terribly bad. See it if you're bored or a die-hard Pitt or Ford fan.
GRADE: C+

I'd say Bond movies are way too cliche: gadgets, fast cars, smart women, slutty women, and of course, all that James Bond Suave. Well, this movie is easily that case. With the exception that Bond (Pierce Brosnan) is sorta betrayed in this episode. So he's captured by the North Korean and tortured, then traded back to the West for a captured North Korean (Rick Yune). His boss, M (Judi Dench), is not a happy camper and was against getting him back. His mission now is to clear find out what the North Koreans are up to, why a British daredevil jeweler is involved, and sleep with Halle Berry, the American intelligence who's also after the North Koreans. Honestly, the plot is so minor when compared with the explosions and car chases. That's why I watched the movie. Sometimes I forget there is a plot going on! Just kidding. But, it really is cliche...and cliche only works for so long before Brosnan decides to stop being Bond.
GRADE: B

This is a ridiculous movie starring Dawson's Creek's Katie Holmes and James Marsden They ironically portray the Cradle Bay High School "weirdos" who are trying to stop the ironically "perfect" students. The plot is actually not as lame as the movie, but the movie did not perform well. It was predictable and looked like it should have premiered on the small screen. I don't suggest it because it's NOT worth the $3.75 I paid. You'll probably pay more, so dont watch it.
GRADE: D

The memories of youth are what this movie is made of. Chick flick? Yes. Siddalee (Sandra Bullock) and her mother (Ellen Burstyn) have a falling out that was built on years of personal turmoil . Her mother's friends (Maggie Smith, Fionnula Flanagan, and Shirley Knight) intervene in their affairs by kidnaping Siddalee and sharing with her their youth and all the things that made her mother the way she is. The four older women make up the "Ya-Ya Sisterhood" (it takes a girl to fully understand what that is). James Gardner plays Siddalee's gentle and patient father. Angus MacFadyen is her fiance. The movie is sometimes sad, sometimes funny, sometimes happy...all the stuff that makes up family, the bonds between friends, and the relationship between mothers and daughters.
GRADE: B

Could a movie's plot be any more twisted? Double Take repeatedly confuses you with who's the good guy and who's the bad one. It stars Orlando Jones as an investment banker who is framed for murder. He runs into Freddie Tiffany (Eddie Griffin), a lowly thief who's as ghetto as they come. Untrusting but in need of help, Jones' character relies on Tiffany to get him to Mexico where he thinks he can allude the framing. Meanwhile, the FBI, CIA, and Mexican police are all looking for Jones and Tiffany. It's a crazy mixed up story that seems to have been created while the movie was being shot. The jokes are mediocre, and worth maybe a few laughs, but that's about it. Strangely, I did find a lot of potential in Jones to be a good actor, so look for him in future movies.
GRADE: C-

If there's a movie that is just awful to watch, it would be this one. Dr. T (Richard Gere) is a Texan gynocologist whose life is amongst a bunch of girls: his looney wife (Farrah Fawcett), sister-in-law (Laura Dern), daughters (Kate Hudson and Tara Reid), secretary (Shelley Long), affair (Helen Hunt), etc. The movie is noisy and you never get the gist of the plot. Well, it's obvious that it's trying to say that women are all different and you gotta love us for that, but PLEASE!, say it better. I wanted to walk out of this movie. It wasn't until the last scene that I wish I had walked out. I'll leave you on that, because even though I wouldn't recommend this film, it is almost worth (or not worth!) sneaking in to see the final 5 minutes and why the ratings people should get their heads examined.
GRADE: F+

This is Kevin Smith at his analogy-symbolism-reference-making best. What do I mean? Let's just say, this movie explores religion (without defining it) in a very funny, very zany, yet very profane way. Kevin Smith fans should not pass this movie up, and if you're not a fan, I think it is still worth watching. Its cast is pretty impressive too: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Selma Hayak, Linda Fiorentino (Men in Black), and more! Oh yeah, it's about a woman (Fiorentino) who tries to stop two renegade angels (Damon and Affleck) from re-entering Heaven, because if they do, humanity ceases to exist. Interesting enough for ya...?
GRADE: B

This movie's got an interesting and good plot with lots of potential, but the movie just doesn't do it any justice. Ashley Judd plays Libby Parsons, mother and wife convicted of killing her husband. While in prison she finds out that her husband faked his death. She also learns that she can actually kill him without going back to prison because she can't be tried for the same crime twice (hence the name of the movie). Tommy Lee Jones plays her parole officer, Travis Lehman, who's merely doing his job of keeping her on good behavior. Anyways, Jones does his usual better than adequate effort. He reminded me of his role in The Fugitive. But Judd wasn't so hot (in terms of acting). The movie rolls along quite nicely (sans dragging), but it just doesn't reach the potential it could and should reach for such an innovative plot.
GRADE: B-

Talk about a difficult movie to describe. So my friend asked me a simple question: What's Dreamcatcher about? And my answer turned took nearly an hour. First I will tell you that Dreamcatcher is a very ridiculous movie from the very very strange mind of Stephen King. But it's ridiculousness mixed with the fun characters made is rather fun to watch. Second, this is a hodge-podge and very condensed summary of the movie: 4 friends (including a funny Jason Lee), strange telepathic abilities, aliens, snow, worms, militants (including Tom Sizemore), homicidal authority figures (Morgan Freeman), a strange and sickly childhood friend of the other 4 friends, a dog with a maggot, etc. Alright, I'll stop right there....
GRADE: C-

Plain acting, predictable plot, and all that other stuff that comes with making a low budget teenage movie that should have aired on television make Drive Me Crazy simply redundant. What am I talking about? Well, I saw this movie purely because I wanted to be entertained with a predictable and unrealistic, dreamy teenage scenario. In this one, Melissa Joan Hart teams with Adrian Grenier to play the heartbroken neighbors who try to win back their love interests, only to end up falling for each other. Yup, I just gave away the plot. (Hope you don't mind!)
GRADE: D+

Duets is a trio of stories about karaoke that ends at a karaoke contest. Without naming all the people in the movie, everyone is unique and special and makes for a beautiful story about life, friendship, and all that good stuff. Directed by Bruce Paltrow (and also starring his daughter Gwyneth), Duets has that Pulp Fiction-Magnolia style storyline where you cut from one story to another. It's got great songs sung with beautiful voices, making you want to belt out during the movie. All in all, it's a quaint movie that may have it's over sentimental and trying moments, but still ends up hitting just the right notes.
GRADE: A-

Wow, Elf was a surprisingly delightful holiday treat. Though it's not even December, it is sure to become a holiday classic. Will Ferrell is Buddy, a human-raised-as-elf character. His adoptive elf dad, a loveable Bob Newhart, finally tells him the truth one day and sends him off in search of his birth dad, a children's book publisher whose on Santa's naughty list (James Caan). Since his dad lives in New York City, Buddy treks on foot from the North Pole to the unforgiveable city only to find an unloving dad, a potential female friend (Zooey Deschanel), and rotating doors. The movie moves along patiently as Buddy tries to kindle a relationship with his real dad and prove to New York that Santa exists (and so do elves and reindeer). Really delightful stuff.
GRADE: A-

This is a great period-piece movie about the intricacies of Queen Elizabeth and her rise to power against her enemies. Cate Blanchett is perfect as the love/religion/loyalty-torn Elizabeth. (She looks exactly like the textbook pictures of Elizabeth and she seemingly plays her well.) The movie does a great job at capturing the ambience of 16th century England. Nevertheless, I was confused by the plot and the movie didn't clarify it very well. But it's still worth seeing because it is truly a well-crafted film. Also stars Geoffrey Rush, Joseph Fiennes, and Richard Attenborough.
GRADE: A-

Enemy at the Gates stars a Russian sharpshooter (Jude Law) who is proclaimed a hero by a political officer (Joseph Fiennes) to stir the pride of the downtrodden Russian during World War II. Rachel Weisz plays Law's love interest. The two have a gratiutous sex scene that's kinda funny, but mostly unnecessary. Ed Harris is a German sharpshooter who is out to find and kill Law. I enjoyed this movie because it kept me in suspense every time Harris was about to shoot Law and vise versa; there's a lot of those scenes. But I didn't like how the suspense began to drag with every new scene. Anyways, the movie is exciting and....based on a true story...yay!
GRADE: B+

This movie was intensely beautiful. Will Smith was brilliant as Robert Dean, a man whose life is ruined when he is framed by a corrupt intelligence official. He basically tries to clear his name and find out what he is framed for and who exactly is framing him. The plot, directing, and cast of this movie was all-around well chosen. I definitely recommend it!
GRADE: A

Sean Connery and Catherine-Zeta Jones are an interesting combination in this twisting, though not completely confusing, movie about stealing, lying, trusting, spying, and, of course, entrapment. The movie sets up with one hiest (which was not very fun to watch) and then a bigger hiest (which puts the movie into high-in-the-air excitement). The movie has a workable plot, but it never reaches its full potential.
GRADE: B-

Julia Roberts is great as Erin Brockovich, a twice divorced mother of 3 who gets hit by a car, loses her case against the driver, ends up working for the lawyer that represented her, and stumbles on a case about polluted water in a small town from a billion dollar corporation. Based on a true story, Julia plays sassy, skin revealing Erin, fighting for the people of Hinkley to have a say about how the polluted water has damaged their health. A great performance as well by Albert Finney who plays her lawyer/boss. There's nothing bad to say about Erin Brockovich (she'd probably kick my butt if I did), except that it's a straight-forward tale. Sometimes I wish they'd get more indepth about things, other times you just want the movie to speed up. But it's as pleasant as a home-cooked meal with a bit of zing (whatever that means).
GRADE: A-

A flawless performance by Angelica Houston as the evil stepmom is what really got to me in this beautiful, but non-traditional story of Cinderella. Drew Barrymore stars as the forced labor of her stepfamily after her widowed father dies. She befriends and eventually falls in love with the French prince (the story takes place in France) under unlikely circumstances, but the rest end up pretty much as you'd expect: "happily ever after". I enjoyed the movie for its nonconventional plot and how evil Houston was (have you seen Witches?!). It might be hard to become wrapped up in the "prim and proper" language of the movie, but the story and acting is likely is entertain you.
GRADE: B+

Funny funny movie. David Duchovny and Orlando Jones are two community college professors/scientists who come across a meteor in a small Arizona town. Alien organisms start to evolve from single to multi-celled creatures and the underground of the town is quickly overrun with the weird creatures. Seann William Scott stars as the goofie guy who first finds the meteor and Julianne Moore is the government scientist and love interest of Duchovny. The movie is really kick back and just fun cheeseball humor. Enjoy!
GRADE: B+

This is one prime horror movie. The story of a celebrity's daughter being possessed by a demon and then getting an exorcist to get the demon out of her is a very basic and fun to work with plot. The Exorcist lives up to being pure freakiness and gruesome. It's not an ultimate horror flick, but if you start thinking of realistic possibilities, then it's pretty "terror-fic."
GRADE: B

This eerie and psychological movie was not as bad as I anticipated. Perhaps on the surface, the movie gives the impression that it will be exciting and action-packed, but it isn't. From the first ten minutes of the movie, you're expected to enjoy it, but find out that you either don't (like the audience I was with) or you do (like me, to a certain extent). Ewan McGregor plays what you could describe as an introverted James Bond who never gets the girl. He's a private eye who lost his wife and daughter because of the life he lives and is haunted by the loss. He becomes obsessed with watching a criminal (Ashley Judd), and follows her everywhere. It's a pathetic love story, but still sad. You'll either like it or hate it.
GRADE: B-