Reviews

Anybody who says they're too old to watch an animated movie needs to get their head out of their ass. The animation creates endless amounts of possibilities, and makes the movie so stunning that we are immediately drawn into their world. But it can also create stories that live-action movies can't. How could you make Toy Story with people? Put a cowboy hat on Tom Hanks and put wings and a helmet on Tim Allen? I don't think so. How to Train Your Dragon is another movie that could only be made through the magic of animation. It has heart, intelligence, and humor that some live-action movies could only dream of.

Here is the plot summary from IMDb.com: A hapless young Viking who aspires to hunt dragons becomes the unlikely friend of a young dragon himself, and learns there may be more to the creatures than he assumed.

That's the plot, but this isn't a movie about plot-it is about the relationship between a young boy and his dragon. If you've ever had a dog or a cat that you were close to, then this will definitely remind you of it. Like when he scratches the dragon's chin and it falls to the ground in ecstasy; when the kid shines a light on the ground and the dragon tries to catch it; or when the dragon brings a dead fish for the boy to eat. They have the best kid-pet friendship since My Dog Skip.

I would very much recommend this film to anybody. The kids will like it for its cool animation, light comedy, and charming story; but an adult will like it because it is smart, deep, emotional, and very funny. It has some very subtle dirty moments, and I'm pretty sure I heard the f-word a couple of times. Just go see it, you definitely won't regret it.

Check out my movie review site, where I review new, classic, and independent movies. Recent posts include a countdown of the Top 10 movies of 2010 so far, Top 10 fantasy movies of all time, and reviews of Just Wright, Date Night, and A Nightmare on Elm Street. franklinreviews.blogspot.com

"Just Wright" is the latest rom-com starring Queen Latifah, and it is not bad considering some of the awful work she's done in the past ("Last Holiday," "Bringing Down the House"). It is sweet and charming, with a decent enough story to make it worth watching. There are a few funny parts, but I didn't really laugh out loud once. It kept my interest and I found myself rooting for Latifah's character throughout the movie.

Queen Latifah plays Leslie Wright, a physical therapist who is tired of being the girl that guys want to hang out with but not be with. She lives with her beautiful childhood best friend, Morgan, who wants to be an NBA trophy wife. Both of them are huge basketball fans, but Leslie knows everything there is to know about the Nets and their star player, Scott McKnight.

After attending a Nets game, she goes to get gas and sees McKnight. He is having trouble finding the gas tank, so Leslie helps him find it, and he invites her to his birthday party. She goes and takes Morgan with her, but of course McKnight is immediately attracted to Morgan. They start a romance, and Leslie is once again just the friend. McKnight gets injured, and Leslie becomes his physical therapist.

If I say any more there would be no point in watching the movie. It is a chick flick, but it is enjoyable enough for men as well. Queen Latifah is a little too likable, and I had a hard time believing the character. All in all it's pretty entertaining, but in the end "Just Wright" is just slightly above the average romantic comedy.

Check out my movie review site, where I review new, classic, and independent movies. Recent posts include a countdown of the Top 10 movies of 2010 so far, Top 10 fantasy movies of all time, and reviews of Iron Man 2, Date Night, and A Nightmare on Elm Street. franklinreviews.blogspot.com

Green Zone is very original in that it represents the idea that the United States invaded Iraq under false pretenses, and does so in a vastly entertaining fashion.  The idea of the movie is that Iraq's supposed weapons of mass destruction never existed and were fabricated by the US government to justify going to war.  Matt Damon plays US soldier Roy Miller, who continually goes to different Iraqi locations that are believed to be holding WMDs, and keeps coming up with nothing.  He starts to question the intel given to him, and even brings up at a meeting that they keep acting on false intelligence from which they don't even know the source.

Other characters include CIA agent Martin Brown (Brendan Gleeson), who works with Miller on finding the source of the false intel; Poundstone (Greg Kinnear), a US intelligence agent who tries to get in the way of Miller's rogue investigation; and a reporter (Amy Ryan) who is also questioning the claims of WMDs.

It is directed by Paul Greengrass, who rose to fame with United 93 and the last two Bourne films.  It is shot in his trademark shaky-camera style, which would normally be distracting, but it is executed in such a way that brings an edgy realism to the all of the chaotic action scenes.  I usually find movies like this to be confusing, but Greengrass brings precision and clarity to a story that could have easily been baffling and incomprehensible.  This is clearly his best movie yet.

As far as the film's political views go, people need to start realizing that it is not a documentary, but a fictional film with fictional characters.  It never even says it is based on true events, but people have criticized it for being anti-war and even anti-American.   Those people need to look at it as a movie, and put their own political views aside so they can look at it for what it is: a really good action thriller.

franklinreviews.blogspot.com

What is Pulp Fiction about? On the surface, it is about several unique people and how their lives connect in some way. The cast of characters includes a boxer (Bruce Willis), two gangsters (John Travolta), their boss (Ving Rhames), and his wife (Uma Thurman). The whole movie consists of several small stories that all connect to each other. One of them involves the two gangsters trying to get rid of a dead body and clean up the mess they've made. Another situation has Travolta taking his boss' wife out on a date, her overdosing on cocaine, and him trying to find a way to save her life. There are other story lines that I won't give away because part of the fun is seeing how everything comes together. But the story is not told in chronological order. It jumps back and forth between stories in a way that would normally be confusing, but the brilliant screenplay makes everything flow nice and smooth.

If you like to look at movies for their meaning and artistic value, then you could say that Pulp Fiction is about how people have lost all meaning and value in their lives. Instead of having individuality, people define themselves by what they see in pop culture. The movie has endless references to pop culture and it seems that everything in the movie is inspired by some aspect of pop culture. This is not a lack of originality, but a way to show that everything we do is inspired by something or somebody else. A perfect example is when Bruce Willis' character, Butch, is talking to a Hispanic cab driver who asks him the meaning of his name. He says, "This is America, honey, our names don't mean sh*t." To me, the meaning of Pulp Fiction is that each moment has its own priorities. Something might be important to you at one moment in time, but in another not important at all. One minute you could be racking your brain over what you are going to say in your next Facebook status update, and the next you could have a gun in your face. People think they know what is important to them until something else happens that completely changes their priorities. Take, for example, the part where Butch Coolidge sees the man who wants him dead. At one point, they are trying to kill each other, and suddenly one is trying to save the other from getting raped by some psychos in a gun shop. When it is all said and done, they don't even care about why they were fighting in the first place because something bigger and more important is happening.

One of the things that makes Pulp Fiction great is that if you don't want to think too much about the deep, philosophical meaning to it, then you can just enjoy the movie for what it is-a humorous, violent, and stylish portrayal of several characters and their encounters with one another. It has a little something for everyone, and the more times you watch it, the more you begin to understand and appreciate it.

The genius of the movie comes out in its dialogue. Everything the characters say has meaning or it foreshadows something that is going to happen. For example, when Travolta and Jackson are talking, Travolta says that in France, a quarter pounder with cheese is called a "royale with cheese." Soon after, when they are about to do a hit on a few college kids, Jackson asks one of them about the hamburger he is eating. He then uses the "royale with cheese" line on him, which leads to one of the funniest conversations in the history of movies.

The Academy-Award nominated performance by Samuel L. Jackson creates one of the coolest, funniest, and greatest characters ever. Despite how crazy the whole movie is (and how ridiculous his hair is), we never get the feeling that he is acting. He makes us think that he is a real person and truly believes everything he says. It is very exhilarating to watch how he starts off as a mob hit man with little meaning in his life and transforms into a deeper, more self-aware person.

Pulp Fiction is not only the best movie of the '90s, but it is one of the greatest films of all time. Whether you like hilarious comedies, violent action thrillers, or a deeply absorbing drama-you can enjoy it. The first time you watch it, don't try and think too much about it; just watch how the plot unfolds and everything comes together. Watch the funny conversations between Travolta and Jackson, the funky dance scene with Travolta and Thurman, and all of the other moments that make Pulp Fiction a truly memorable movie.

http://franklinreviews.blogspot.com/

$7.00 for the ticket, $9.25 for the popcorn and drink. I should have bought the popcorn and drink and gone home to watch a better movie, 'cause this one sucked. The Crazies is basically about people who turn into zombies because their water is contaminated with toxin. Other things happen but I won't bother to explain them because I would die of boredom.

I love horror movies, but 90% of them are as bad as this one. A good horror movie builds up the tension and never lets go. The Crazies builds tension for no more than a few seconds, and then releases it with a gun shot, an explosion, or someone getting stabbed with a pitchfork. It definitely will make you jump a few times, but it won't make you scared.

I can't figure out how movies like this make it to the theaters, and I really can't figure out why I go to see them. But if you normally like horror movies no matter what, then this might be for you. If you are like me and like your scary movies to actually be scary, then skip this one and rent a DVD of Halloween, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, or A Nightmare on Elm Street. If you're like most of America and won't watch a movie that was made before 2000, then go get The Descent, The Ring, or Paranormal Activity. Just don't go see The Crazies.

http://franklinreviews.blogspot.com/