I Am Number Four

I Am Number Four, based on the novel by Jobie Huges and James Frey, stars Alex Pettyfer playing an alien (Number Four) who had to flee his home planet, Lorien, to hide from an invading species who have destoyed their planet, the Mogadorians (who has an uncanny resemblance to Lord Voldermort from Harry Potter). There are nine alien children who were sent to Earth, all with a guardian to protect them as they grow up. They develop powers as they grow, called Legacies, and each of the nine has different powers. John Smith (Pettyfer) has to move everytime he might be discovered and he moves to Paradise, Ohio, going to highschool there where he meets Sarah Hart (Dianna Agron), who loves photography. Number Four falls in love with Sarah, but when the Mogadorians find him, he has to learn to control his powers and protect the people he cares about.

I haven't read the book and after watching the movie trailer, I still didn't know what to expect, so going into this movie was a bit of a surprise. I thought it was a very interesting story, though very typical and similar to countless tv showers, movies and books we've all seen and read before (boy has superpower, gets girl, must save world - sound familiar? Much like Smallville or Spiderman) but there are some good special features to keep you entertained and may make it worthwhile to watch in theatres. I Am Number Four is not exactly the best movie I've seen in a while, but I think younger audiences would enjoy it.

I Am Number Four comes out in theatres February 18th.

From Prada to Nada

From Prada to Nada is a Latino spin on Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility. Camilla Belle and Alexa Vega play sisters Nora and Mary who are left penniless after their father suddenly dies and they find out he is bankrupt They discover they have a long-lost half brother and with him, his fiancee who sends the two sisters packing. They then have to move in with their aunt who lives in East Los Angeles, which is very different from the lifestyle they are accustomed to.

The movie was a bit awkwardly put together and was a bit hard to believe, especially the love stories each of the sisters had. Okay, make that very hard to believe. It felt very rushed at the end, sort of like, oh wait a minute, the movie is ending, the characters better get together now! I found myself falling asleep near the end of the movie (though it was probably from all the chemical fumes I inhaled at work today!!). There were a few good laughs, and it was nice that the girls started to embrace their Mexican heritage, but this is no Oscar winner by far.

From Prada to Nada comes into theatres February 11th.

The Mechanic

I was lucky enough to go to an advanced screening of The Mechanic tonight, starring Jason Statham. Statham plays Arthur Bishop, one of the best hit men in the business. When he is ordered to kill one of his friends for leaking information, the table is turned when he finds out he has been lied to. He reluctantly takes his friend's son in and trains him to be an assassin as well while he goes on the hunt for his employer.

I have never watched any movies starring Jason Statham before but my coworker raves about him! I thought it was a good, mindless movie to go watch. While the acting is sub par (it looks like Statham plays the same character over and over in all his movies!) and it's by no means a deep storyline, but it has plenty of explosions and gun fire to keep you entertained. There are some pretty gory scenes, so don't bring your kids (like some guy did tonight!! It's rated R for a reason, sheesh!).

The Mechanic comes out in theaters January 28, 2011.

Slumdog Millionaire

I'm trying to watch a movie or two every week, and last week was Slumdog Millionaire. I've been hearing what a great movie this was so sister bought it on Boxing Day (only $5!).

Slumdog Millionaire is a romantic drama about Jamal Malik (Dev Patel), from the slums of Mumbai, who goes on the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? He goes onto the million dollar question, so the game show host and police all believe he is cheating somehow. The movie plays out in flashbacks of Jamal's life, and you see how he knew the answers of the game show questions - because he lived through it. He is also trying to find his childhood sweetheart Latika (Freida Pinto), which was his reason for going on the gameshow in the first place.

It was an excellent movie, and very feelgood. Very interesting to see all the colours even in the slums!

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Continuing watching older movies during my extra day(s) off during the holidays, I watched X-Men Origins: Wolverine, starring Hugh Jackman as Wolverine today. I was a fan of the first three X-Men movies, so I was excited to finally see this one. The movie goes into the history of Logan/Wolverine and how he came to be. Liev Schreiber plays his brother, Victor. Logan is trying to live a normal life but his past keeps catching up to him and we learn about the mutant Weapon X program and how he gets adamantium in his skeleton to become the Wolverine. It's a good action movie and great for X-men fans. It's on sale now for only $5 on DVD at Walmart if you're looking to buy it on the cheap!

Marley & Me

I watched a bunch of movies while on Christmas Break (all of three days - the weekend and Monday. So sad.) and the first one was Marley & Me. I read the book a few years ago and thought it was a sweet story and the movie looked okay. The book and movie follows the life of John Grogan and his dog, Marley. Owen Wilson plays John and Jennifer Aniston his wife, Jenny. The movie stays relatively true to the book and it has a bit of a sad ending but it's a decent movie. Only $5 at Best Buy or Walmart right now for Boxing Day! ;)

The Tourist

I went to watch The Tourist today to use up the last of my movie tickets from iCoke.ca before they expired. The reviews for this movie wasn't great but I thought what they hey. Boy, should I have listened!

The Tourist stars Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie. Depp plays Frank, an American tourist visiting Italy and Jolie plays Elise, an undercover cop who is trying to catch Alexander Pearce who is wanted for stealing two billion from a gangster as well as for tax evasion.

The critics were right - there was absolutely no chemistry between Depp and Jolie and it was very hard to believe that they can fall for each other so fast...and the ending is even worse! I couldn't believe I wasted my time on this movie! Don't watch it in theatres, definitely not worth it. The cool part was I recognized some of the places in Italy that I've been to before!

For more information on The Tourist, go here.

Tron Legacy

I went to an advanced screening of Tron: Legacy tonight! I've never seen the original movie so I didn't really know what to expect, and the trailers I watched left me confused still haha. The movie is a sequel to Tron and stars Garrett Hedlund as Sam, Kevin Flynn's son. Jeff Bridges reprises his role as Kevin Flynn. The story picks up with Kevin's friend, Alan Bradley, telling Sam that his father paged him and gives him the keys to the abandoned Flynn's Arcade. Sam finds a secret room behind the Tron arcade game and gets transported into the digital world that his father created, The Grid. There, he finds his father and they set out to go back home. Of course, it's not easy, but I won't spoil it for you!

The movie was in 3D, which is so bothersome because I wear glasses when I watch movies, and there didn't seem to be too many 3D effects. The majority of the movie took place in The Grid so it was a digital world, full of lights, which was kind of cool! Lots of special effects which makes it a worthwhile movie to see in theatres, especially with the booming music on surround sound. I would recommend the movie to any Tron fan, though I was a bit impartial to it, but I do think it's a decent movie.

Tron comes out in theatres on Friday, December 17th. For more information, go here.

Burlesque

Saw Burlesque tonight to use up my Cineplex movie tickets I got from iCoke. Burlesque stars Cher and Christina Aguilera, with Aguilera playig Ali, a waitress from a small town who goes to Los Angeles to follow her dreams about becoming a singer/dancer. She stumbles upon The Burlesque Lounge where she gets a job as a waitress. Cher plays the club's owner, Tess, who is trying to raise enough money to save her club.

While a fairly predictable movie, I thought it was enjoyable, besides the awkward number that was randomly thrown in so that Cher could sing and the love story between Ali and bartender, Jack (Cam Gigandet). It was quite reminiscent of Moulin Rouge (which I love!), and who doesn't like a movie with singing and dancing haha.

For more information on the movie and show times, go here.

Tangled

Got up early to watch an advanced 3D screening of Disney's newest animated movie, Tangled, today. Tangled is Disney's adaptation of the fairy tale Rapunzel, following the lost princess Rapunzel and a rouge thief Flynn Ryder as she escapes from her tower to see lanterns at the palace. Like all Disney movies, it was really fun to watch, with a great score and enjoyable songs. There was a lot of humor that kept me laughing and the animation was great. I definitely recommend this movie to young and old! Let's face it, has Disney ever had an animated movie that wasn't good?

Tangled comes out in theatres November 24th.

The Next Three Days

Paul Haggis directs The Next Three Days, starring Russell Crowe and Elizabeth Banks. Banks plays Laura, who is wrongly accused of murder and is put into prison for life. Her professor husband (Russell Crowe) has an unwavering belief that his wife is innocent and goes to extremes trying to free her from prison, and take his wife and son away so they can live their life together.

I thought this thriller was a really good movie and will have you at the edge of your seat rooting for Crowe's character. He just wants to keep his family together, and get his wrongly accused wife out! Great fun to watch, I definitely recommend it!

The Next Three Days comes out in theatres November 19th.

Morning Glory

I snagged a pair of advanced screening passes to Morning Glory, starring Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton. McAdams plays Becky, a young producer hired to revive a dying morning show. Harrison Ford plays Mike Pomeroy, a crotchety semi-retired news anchor who is set on spending the next two years of his contract just relaxing, until Becky badgers him into being a cohost on the morning show, something he is against since he only likes to cover "real news".

The entire cast pulls off solid performances and the movie is thoroughly enjoyable and really funny. The guy sitting beside me couldn't stop laughing and he was LOUD. The best quote of the movie: "Mike Pomeroy before your morning coffee? Why don't you say watch Mike Pomeroy before your morning dump?" HAH!

Morning Glory opens in theaters November 10th.

Free Advanced Screening to The Next Three Days

Maple Pictures is offering advanced screening passes to The Next Three Days. Just click on your city and enter the promo code - MAPLENEWS. There are limited quantities and will be first come, first served. 

Ottawa
Montreal
Vancouver
Calgary
Edmonton
Halifax
Winnipeg

Conviction

Rushed down to watch Conviction tonight, starring Hilary Swank as Betty Anne Waters, who gives up her whole life to prove that her brother, Kenny Waters (Sam Rockwell) who has been put away for life without probation, is innocent.

Hilary Swank pulls off another strong performance. I thought it was a good movie, and very heartfelt, since it was based on the true story of Betty Anne Waters and Kenny in 1983. It's nice to know that there are some people that feel so close to their family and siblings that they'd give up so much. Betty Anne Waters now works to help free people who are wrongfully convicted of crime.

Convicted comes out in theatres Friday, October 15th. For more info on the film, go here.

Nowhere Boy

Went to watch Nowhere Boy tonight. It tells the story of John Lennon's adolescence, and his life with his Aunt Mimi and his relationship with his mother, Julia. It goes through how his first band, The Quarrymen, came about and his meeting of Paul McCartney.

I am not a Beatles fan, so I wasn't too interested in the movie, but it was very interesting to see this biopic about Lennon, and what he went through in his earlier days. Good movie for Lennon/Beatles fans!

For more information on Nowhere Boy, go here.

Buried

I went to an advanced screening of Buried, starring Ryan Reynolds. It's a low budget movie about Paul (Reynolds), a U.S. contractor working in Iraq as a truck driver. His convoy was attacked by Iraquis, and he wakes up to find himself buried inside a wooden coffin with only a lighter and a cell phone. He has to call to get help but the results are very disappointing.

The whole movie is just Ryan Reynolds in a box, you don't see anything else (super low budget!). It's all in the dark, with just bits of light from his lighter, cell phone and briefly from a flashlight and glow sticks. After the shocking ending, the movie left me feeling so bad and uncomfortable, and I think a lot of the other movie viewers thought the same. What a terrible, scary movie! I don't recommend this movie if you don't want to watch a man trapped in a box in the dark talking on a cell phone, because that's what the whole movie is about. Go for the big budget action flicks! Just rent this one on DVD if you're curious.

Buried comes out in theatres October 8th.

Secretariat

I just got back from an advanced screening of Disney's Secretariat!

Secretariat is the story of Penny Chenery, played by Diane Lane, who was the owner of the racehorse Secretariat. She tries to save her father's farm and believed in Secretariat to win the US Triple Crown (The Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes). He was the first horse in 25 years to the Triple Crown in 1973, and set the record for fastest time, winning by 31 lengths! I thought it was an excellent movie and the horse races have you at the edge of your seat, even though you already know the outcome. Diane Lane did a great job playing Penny, and John Malkovich injected some humour playing the trainer Lucien Laurin. It was a nice feel good movie that has you rooting for Penny and Secretariat. I'd definitely recommend it!

Secretariat comes out in theatres Friday, October 8th.

The Social Network

Went to an advanced screening of The Social Network tonight. When I first saw the trailer, I thought it was stupid. People will make a movie out of ANYTHING nowadays. After watching the movie, I still think it's stupid. But interesting too, lol. The movie revolves around how Mark Zuckerberg started up the giant social networking site, Facebook (as if you don't hear enough about Facebook now). It was interesting to see the back story, but at the same time, I don't know how much of it is true. After all, it is a movie, made to entertain.

And in the first minute of the movie, I was already really annoyed with the actor playing Zuckerberg - is he like that in real life?! I found all the main actors had very distinctive voices that bordered on annoying. A decent movie all around and interesting to those who like to know how billionaires are made hahaha.

< rant >ALSO, there were these two ladies next to me that kept TALKING AND TALKING very loudly throughout the whole movie! They weren't even whispering but talking in normal voices. ARGH. < /endrant >

The Social Network comes out in theaters tomorrow, October 1st. For more information on the movie, click here.

Going The Distance

Going The Distance is a romantic comedy about the long distance relationship between Erin (Drew Barrymore) and Garrett (Justin Long). Garrett lives in New York City and Erin in San Francisco. They meet in New York where Erin was interning. Despite the fact that neither were looking for a long term relationship, they eventually fall in love after spending six weeks together after which Erin had to return back to San Fran. They both decide that they want their relationship to continue and keep in touch with each other. However, friends, family and jobs start to get in the way and only seeing each other every three months begins to strain their long-distance relationship. But these two love-birds are determined to make it work because they think what they found in each other may be the real thing.

Overall it was a very funny movie. Most jokes revolve around the sexual kind though. Justin Long seemed to get naked a lot. Besides that, Erin and Garrett showed real chemistry together and even when they were not. 

Going the Distance opens in theatres September 3rd, 2010.


 - written by guest blogger from dpotato.blogspot.com

FREE Passes to The Last Excorcism - ONE PAIR ONLY!

My sister won a pair of advance screening passes to The Last Excorcism from The Georgia Straight for Wednesday August 25th at 10pm at Cinemark Tinseltown. We aren't able to go, so I'm giving my readers a chance to go for us!

You need to be able to pick up the passes yourself by Wednesday, August 25th by NOON (my sister will forward the winning email to you for pick up) at The Georgia Straight office (1701 West Broadway).

First person who lets me know they are interested gets the tickets!