More like Batception... amirite?  Seriously though, with so many cast members, the same look and feel, and even the charging music throughout the last 30 minutes this felt more like a sequel to Inception than a Batman movie.  Batman himself wasn't even in it very much.  I felt myself asking if there was even going to be any Batman in this Batman movie.  Regardless, Christopher Nolan is amazing filmmaker and this was a pleasing film with enough surprises and suspense throughout to amuse me. (Personally Batman Returns is my favorite Batman film.  "Still, could be worse, my nose could be gushing blood.")

3.5 Stars (out of 5)

The world that was created for this movie is believable and it's nice to see a science fiction backdrop that feels real.  Things like the new Total Recall reboot look more like iRobot with all its computer generated backgrounds and green screened action scenes.  Prometheus feels more organic.  I loved the first two-thirds of the film but when it came time for everything to wrap up in the end I was left disappointed.  The entire film is worth it for the C-Section scene and Michael Fassbender's David.
Overall it left me feeling that this was more of a set-up for a new trilogy than a prequel to Alien.  I would've rather had a more in-depth Prometheus film than 3 watered down cash cows.

3.5 Stars (out of 5)

This was several times better than the second film.  I'm still not sure we needed another Men in Black film, but I'm glad it was at least enjoyable.  For me, it really comes down to the bad guy.  Vincent D'Onofrio's creepy and funny Edgar in the first film is hard to top, but Jemaine Clement does a good job here as Boris the Animal.  The female 'bad guy' in the second movie was just terrible; not scary, and having Johnny Knoxville with two heads just made things worse.  MiB 3 is entertaining, but the deadbeat dad back story is weak and the overly sentimental ending is undeserved... but that's alright with me because I liked the villain.  And of course Brolin's Tommy Lee Jones impression is pretty impressive.

3.0 Stars (out of 5)

I am a huge fan of the earlier ventures from Sacha Baron Cohen and Larry Charles: Borat and Brüno.  I was disappointed that there wasn't any "real" footage in The Dictator, something the first two films are built upon.  For me the draw was always the clever way they used unwitting people to carry out a predetermined storyline.  The Dictator easily would've fit this mold, (although I'm sure it's harder now that he's so famous).  Had the health food grocery store actually been set in a real city, they could get endless reels of Aladeen treating real customers terribly, and not just a montage of shameless cameos and unknown actors.  It's just a regular 'ol ho hum Hollywood comedy, which is fine, but it's not what I was hoping for.

In my mind Religulous is the third movie in the Larry Charles docu-style movie trilogy.  Whether it was Brüno interviewing a gay converter in the deep south and visiting the Middle East, or Bill Maher doing the very same things, Larry Charles was right there directing.  Even though Religulous is technically a documentary and Borat & Brüno are narrative films, they're really all documentaries, and good ones at that.  It's a shame The Dictator isn't in the same format, but it's still a pretty funny comedy.

3.0 Stars (out of 5)

If I am comparing this film to any in the Twilight series I would say this is not only a better movie, but the messages are far more positive or at least relevant to our real world. I've not read the books, but I love the distinct differences between the affluent characters of the capital and the hard-working "regular" folks of the other 12 districts. This was probably the film's strongest point. The wealthy folks live life without a care. They have time for crazy make-up and hairstyles. There's always huge banquets of foods laid out as if they were kings. They have the audacity to point out how lucky these common-folk are just to simply enjoy these spoils for 48 hours, even though all but one are about to die in a battle to the death... The crazy thing is most of them actually buy into this. The elites talk of what an honor and privilege it is for these poor children to "serve their district" and they actually believe it. ...continue reading →

Finally a movie where people get superpowers and don't become superheros. They play pranks on people, show off at the high school talent show, and try to get laid. It's probably how most of us would react if we found ourselves with powers. More interesting to me was the dark subtext of a troubled young man who snaps after being picked on his whole life. Whether he got his hands on superpowers or semi-automatic weapons it seems like his life was going to inevitably reach the same apex no matter what. The film was shot entirely POV style like Cloverfield which made the outlandish special effects seem more genuine.

3.5 Stars (out of 5)

It was fun while I was watching it but in the end it's just another movie in a series where they all feel pretty much the same. Since James Bond has become more realistic and less cheesy recently, it seems these films have picked up the slack. With their high-tech spy gadgets and dry humor you'd think this was an American version of Bond. I bet they're going to keep making these movies. And that's fine by me, as long as Simon Pegg is in them all.

3 Stars (out of 5)

While it's great to see the Muppets get the gang back together, this film felt a little off to me. Pieces seemed to be missing, left out for time perhaps. I would have liked a back-story about why the bad guy is incapable of laughing that could also explain why he despises the Muppets so much. Maybe in his childhood his father ridiculed him for laughing at the Muppet Show or something? At least Jim Parsons was in it for a moment. That's all that matters.

3 Stars (out of 5)

This film wisely uses a super-cool Robert Rodriguez film style and the delightful music of Rodrigo y Gabriela. The two sequences with songs by Rodrigo y Gabriela were the best things in the film for me. They're fun songs even without the visual elements. The story is somewhat weak and I hated the Humpty Dumpty character, but it's still a fun (and adorable) ride overall. "How *dare* you do the Litter Box at me!"

3 Stars (out of 5)

Way better than Funny People, a similar film also starring Seth Rogen. This film has some credibility because it's based on an actual true story about the writer and Rogen. The authenticity is what makes it okay to laugh (especially considering we know he survived to be able to write the film). I enjoy Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen in anything they do so it's nice to have them together in one place, and with some decent writing to boot.

3.5 Stars (out of 5)