Entertainment Guide: Summer Movie Review(s)

It's been a long time since I've done much in the way of movie reviews. A few weeks ago, I did review the Dark Knight and Journey to the Center of the Earth. Prior to that, it looks like my previous reviews can be found here from May. I have watched many movies (lots of DVDs and a few in the theaters). So here's what you can expect in this post...number of stars (out of 5) and a few short lines about all movies. Without further ado, the movies I've watched since the start of the summer (sans Iron Man, Prince Caspian, and the Orphanage which I reviewed in May).

The Great Debaters - 3 1/2; An excellently acted and scripted film. Fairly predictable, but that doesn't take away from the power it has. Worth the viewing.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - 4; Didn't quite meet my sky-high expectations, but still was a very enjoyable movie. The setting works. The references to the past works. The story may be far-fetched, but so have the previous installments. A solid adventure.

Reign Over Me - 3 1/2; A surprisingly good drama. True concern for the main characters (excellently acted by Don Cheadle and Adam Sandler) really drives this film.

Flawless - 2 1/2; Fairly slow...but the payoff at the end was interesting. Certainly not tense, but interesting heist flick. Michael Cain and Demi Moore star.

Diary of the Dead - 3; Didn't completely embrace the handheld footage concept. That said, it was an interesting way to view the zombie apocalypse. An enjoyable zombie flick though. George A. Romero directs.

The Brave One - 2 1/2; Not the best film ever. I'd rather have seen more cat-and-mouse between Jodie Foster and Terrence Howard. Death Sentence was the better revenge movie.

Semi-Pro - 1 1/2; Pretty much unfunny from start to finish. No real redeeming quality. Will Ferrell is just not a funny leading man.

Untraceable - 3; A decent thriller. A little predictable, but still entertaining. Definitely has a little Saw in it, though. Diane Lane stars.

Fool's Gold - 3 1/2; I was pleasantly surprised. Entertaining story, with a good mix of humor, action to balance the romantic comedy aspects. Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson star.

Atonement - 2; A decent start, but painfully boring after the first hour. Lots of walking around with music playing, and no real story. Nominated for best picture (how?).

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford - 2; Solid acting, an overall decent story, but boringly executed. No action and way too bloody long. Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck star.

The Spiderwick Chronicles - 3 1/2; Not much explanation about the fantasy world, but a decently entertaining kids movie. Solid acting by Freddie Highmore.

In Bruges - 2 1/2; Occasional funny banter, but very slow. Falls well short of the coolness that is Snatch. Colin Farrell stars.

Vantage Point - 3 1/2; A fairly unique film. Reshowing the same event from different points of view gets a little repetitive, but the payoff is decent. Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox, and Forrest Whitaker star.

Grandma's Boy - 3; I was in the mood for dumb comedy, and this movie worked for me. Enough funny points to make it enjoyable. Still a dumb comedy though.

Be Kind Rewind - 3 1/2; An entertaining movie from the get go. Jack Black avoids being annoying. Watching them refilm classics is pretty hilarious. Also stars Mos Def and Danny Glover.

The Ruins - 2; I was hoping for a Descent-like movie taking place in a Mayan ruin. It was nothing like that, and actually really dumb. Not scary at all.

Day of the Dead - 2; Super cheesy zombie flick. NOT a remake of Romero's Day of the Dead though. A small step (barely) above SciFi channel originals.

The Omega Man - 3; Fairly entertaining, but very dated (part of the entertainment, actually). The bad guys really weren't that terrifying. 2 versions down (I am Legend and this one), one to go (the last man on earth). Charlton Heston stars.

The Dark Knight - 5; In a word...awesome. I really have no complaints about this movie. Good plot, excellent acting, and overall phenomenal. Christian Bale and Heath Ledger star.

Journey to the Center of the Earth 3-D - 4; Good solid family fun. Entertaining from start to finish. The 3D effects were pretty neat. Good for audiences of all ages. Brendan Fraser stars.

[more detailed review of TDK and Journey to the Center of the Earth in this post here.]

Conspiracy - 2 1/2; Pretty standard action movie. Nothing really new gets done here. Along the lines of First Blood. Val Kilmer stars in this direct to DVD film.

Charlie Bartlett - 3; I thought the character of Charlie was well developed and acted. The story as a whole was okay, but far from great. Drags a bit for the last half-hour. Anton Yelchin and Robert Downey Jr. star.

Team America: World Police - 2 1/2; Has it's moments of being humorous, but on the whole fairly dumb. I laughed, but don't really ever need to see it again. Not for the easily offended.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army - 4 1/2; A fantastical movie. Guillermo del Toro creates a fantasy world with great detail, and keeps the movie entertaining. I really like the Hellboy characters. Ron Perlman stars.

Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay - 2 1/2; Basically more of the same as the first. Not quite as good. Has moments, but not enough throughout the film.

The Bank Job - 3; A decent heist movie. Less about the actual job and more about the surrounding plot. Slow start, but well set-up in the end. Jason Statham stars.

The Final Season - 3; Your standard underdog sports movie. No real twists or surprises. Sean Astin stars.

Doomsday - 3; A silly action movie. Combination of Mad Max and Resident Evil (minus zombies, but same feel). I enjoyed it. Here's a hint to help: Do NOT think during the movie. Rhona Mitra stars.

The Exorcism of Emily Rose - 4; A surprisingly good movie. A solid mix of courtroom drama and supernatural. Highly recommend. Tom Wilkinson and Laura Linney star.

Flightplan - 2 1/2; Really not that great of a flick. Watching Jodie Foster freak out on a plane for an hour isn't really my idea of a good movie. Too long of a setup before the plot ever gets going. 21 - 3 1/2; Overall a solid movie. Gets a bit slow in the middle and is somewhat predictable throughout. Pretty good ending though. Worth the time.

Starship Troopers 3: Marauder - 2 1/2; This is what the sequel to Starship Troopers should have been (not the crapfest that was ST2: Hero of the Federation). Dumb, but entertaining. Still missing something from the original, but silly fun to watch.

Khartoum - 4; Surprisingly excellent movie. Charlton Heston plays a very memorable General Gordon. Action is well paced. Kingdom of Heaven (one man won't leave or back down from a stronger opponent) meets Zulu (outnumbered brave fighters...and 1960s style action).

Shutter - 2 1/2; What you expect from a Japanese style horror movie. On pace with the Grudge, but not as good as the Ring. Rachael Taylor was pleasant to watch though.

Street Kings - 3 1/2; Some predictably, but still a good film about dirty cops. Keanu Reeves and Forrest Whitaker star. Well, there you have it. My summer viewing with recommendations.

Best movie I saw all summer was The Dark Knight (5 stars). Followed by Hellboy II (4 1/2 stars), Indiana Jones, Exorcism of Emily Rose, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and Khartoum (rest 4 stars). So if you haven't seen any of these be sure to check them out. Disagree, or did I miss a great movie this summer, let me know. Chances are I'll get around to it when the DVD hits.

Peace out home skillet.