Category Archives: Two Stars

Four Christmases (Theaters)

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Four Christmases was such a huge disappointment for me I’m not even sure where to begin. I had actually expected a decent film based on its strong cast and the trailers released over the course of the year but unfortunately for me, this film did not live up to my expectations.

Now the film wasn’t horrible to say the least, but there was absolutely nothing that stood out for me. The comedic value was mediocre and I never felt any chemistry between co-stars Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon. During the Christmas season, these types of films should help prepare you by getting you into the holiday spirit, but this film seemed to forget it was a Christmas movie altogether. There was absolutely nothing “spirited” about it. The film seemed to focus more on vulgarity and sexual references to get by rather than sharing any real gifts of Christmas to its audience.

Personally, I would recommend that you skip this film this holiday season and wait for its release on DVD. It does have its moments but its definitely not worth the price of admission.

synopsis:

When upscale, happily unmarried San Francisco couple Kate and Brad find themselves socked in by fog on Christmas morning, their exotic vacation plans morph into the family-centric holiday they had, until now, gleefully avoided. Out of obligation–and unable to escape–they trudge to not one, not two, but four relative-choked festivities, increasingly mortified to find childhood fears raised, adolescent wounds reopen…and their very future together uncertain. As Brad counts the hours to when he can get away from their parents, step-parents, siblings and an assortment of nieces and nephews, Kate is starting to hear the ticking of a different kind of clock. And by the end of the day, she is beginning to wonder if their crazy families’ choices are not so crazy after all.

Twilight (Theaters)

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When I first saw the previews for Twilight, there was a part of me that really wanted to watch it. I’m a huge fan of vampire and zombie movies, especially when they are done right. I had no idea that it was based on a very popular series of books that mainly catered to the teeny bopper and tween set. When I was told of this, I decided to wait for the DVD release. I asked many of my friends who have seen the film to give me their review and they were split into two extremes. They either loved it or they hated it. I thought it was funny that there were no gray areas with how they felt about the movie. So, I decided to see it for myself.

At it’s most basic point, Twilight is a teen love story with vampires sprinkled in for good measure. That’s it.

Right away, it was painfully obvious that this was a teeny bopper movie. The dialogue not only required you to leave your brain at home, but it was cheesy and filled with cliches. The performances by the actors were decent…as long as they did not have to talk! The acting was so bad that there were unintentional laughs created because of the way the actors delivered their lines. At least they look good.

It’s quite easy to see why the tween and teen set would enjoy this movie. It was built specifically for their age group the same way “She’s All That” catered to mine when I was in high school. You can probably view Twilight as this generation’s Romeo & Juliet. And oh yes, Robert Pattinson [one of the main characters], will have young girls claiming he is the greatest actor ever. He reminds me of the female version of Jessica Alba. Good looks. No talent.

Since this is based on a book series, and the movie has already made a bucket load of money, we can expect more sequels. Hopefully the story matures. Even though the movie was pretty bad, it was easy to see that the series does have potential to be good. There is a bit of a charm to be found. There were times where Twilight entertained me, too bad those moments were unintentional.

The Happening (DVD)

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What has happened to the great M. Night Shyamalan? The once promising film maker is now running on vapors and seems to have completely lost his mind and screenwriting savvy. His work in the films The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable were extraordinary. Signs and The Village? Respectable. Lady in the Water and The Happening? Appalling!

I had really wanted to enjoy this movie. The premise was unique and intriguing, and as Roger Ebert had put it, “a wake-up call from nature”. However, the execution of the script was terrible and the acting was wooden and disjointed. I could not believe how terrible the dialogue was, and how horrible Mark Wahlburg performed. (hopefully he will redeem himself in his latest film release Max Payne)

Yet, despite its overall mediocracy, you have to love the environmental message behind the film. The human race has destroyed and abused our planet for far too long and Mother Nature wants her planet back. Go Green or DIE! haha

Synopsis:

It begins with no clear warning. It seems to come out of nowhere. In a matter of minutes, episodes of strange, chilling deaths that defy reason and boggle the mind in their shocking destructiveness, erupt in major American cities. What is causing this sudden, total breakdown of human behavior? Is it some kind of new terrorist attack, an experiment gone wrong, a diabolical toxic weapon, an out-of-control virus? Is it being transmitted by air, by water.. how?

For Philadelphia high school science teacher Elliot Moore (Mark Wahlberg) what matters most is finding a way to escape the mysterious and deadly phenomenon. Though he and his wife Alma (Zooey Deschanel) are in the midst of a marital crisis, they hit the road, first by train, then by car, with Elliot’s math teacher friend Julian (John Leguizamo) and his 8 year-old daughter Jess (Ashlyn Sanchez), heading for the Pennsylvania farmlands where they hope they’ll be out of reach of the grisly, ever-growing attacks. Yet it soon becomes clear that no one–and nowhere–is safe. This terrifying, invisible killer cannot be outrun. It is only when Elliot begins to discover the true nature of what is lurking out there–and just what has unleashed this force that threatens the future of humanity–that he discovers a sliver of hope that his fragile family might be able to escape what is happening. – MOVIEFONE