We went to see the movie ‘27 Dresses‘ last night. *sigh* =) It was a standard fare chick flick whose plot is standard for chick flicks. The actresses – Hawt!

The acting was good, nothing overly inspiring but good. ‘P.S. I Love You’ was a far better movie and much more powerful and evocative. If you want to take your girl to it go ahead. There probably will not be any surprises. I think that I we would have preferred to have rented it. It kind of sits on the border for me.

My wife and I went to see ‘The Golden Compass‘ last night even though we were told to wait to rent it. This movie is in the stylistic vein as Narnia and is about as tense. A good movie for older children.

It was a high fantasy movie with a little lesson about truth and about the length that some will go to stop the people from knowing the truth, especially when it conflicts with their interests, power, and control. It was a little thought provoking for me. =)

Tanya, in general liked it, but it really upsets her when a movie leaves something open for a second movie. She prefers more of a ‘Terminator’ ending where everything is closed and you feel that the movie is completed. The special effects were great. I liked the fantasy world and the way that they created it. The acting was good. The script was OK. The stories moral is world is quite evocative for me.

Was it worth the full $8.50? Well… there are better movies out there and I would have preferred to see but the high fantasy was a welcomed break from what has been coming out.

To put this a little in perspective I watched the first three Aliens movies this week and I think I was sitting a few rows too close to the front. I had heard a little bit about the plot online – specifically that it breaks from canon a little bit.

Aliens vs Predator: Requiem was fun to watch. The character action of the humans did not detract for me as some have said. There were plenty of Aliens to look at and a prominent Predator. They introduced some new Predator technology (as far as I know) which was cool. I cannot say that it wowed me but it was fun to watch. The ending had me asking a question. I am hoping that they did not do that so that they had room to make a sequel. They have not found someone to do either the Alien or Predator franchise real justice since the orignals.

The original Predator movie rocked. I played the original ‘AVP: Aliens vs Predator’ game as a Predator and loved it. The PG-13 ‘AVP: Aliens vs Predator’ movie was fun to watch, but it was PG-13; need I say more. ‘Predator 2′ was decent and the ending was interesting. The first 3 Alien movies were tense and great.

We went to see Alvin and the Chimpmunks” because this was the only movie that we could agree upon and see before she went to work. The movie that we would have preferred to see was “The Golden Compass“. There are a lot of movies that I want to go see, but, guys, you know what I am talking about. =)

My wife was expecting this to be one that she would end up wanting to rent, and at the end that is what she thought. I grew up watching the cartoon and I was afraid of how this was going to turn out, but I was not disappointed. We both enjoyed the movie well enough and if you have kids they will enjoy it.

If it is just you and the guys or you and the girls – wait and rent it. If it is just you and the kids – sure give it a spin

Me

Here is some information about us so that you can put our reviews in perspective:

I am a guy and I really like guy movies. I am also a geek and I like geeky things, especially those that are about computers and fantasy. I like action, adventure, guns, violence, Martial Arts, and special effects; a plot helps too. I grew up on ninja and vampire movies, as well as action and adventure.

Some of my favorite movies are Lord of the Rings, Matrix, Star Wars (IV, V, VI), Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, White Men Can’t Jump, Saw, Unbreakable, Identity, Enemy at the Gates, Hackers, Sixth Sense, Pitch Black, A Knights Tale, Scent of a Woman, Legend, From Hell, 300, and Romeo Must Die.

The Wife

My wife is a woman (imagine that); not only that but she is also Belarussian so she European tastes. She likes chick flicks: romance, comedy, a little bit of suspense is OK, and she likes some semblance of realism.

Some of her favorite movies: Wimbledon, Prime, P.S. I Love You, Sabrina, Pretty Woman, and Stranger Than Fiction.

Some will say I lack a spine. Some will say that I am whipped. Some would even venture to say that I am gay or not a man. I will say in the face of all of this, that I really love my wife and I do watch these chick flicks for her, because I love her. =) Do I see more chick flicks than ‘manly‘ movies? Yes, yes I do. *sigh*

So, we went to see the movie ‘P.S. I Love You‘ after basically finishing our Christmas shopping. My wife spent most of the movie in tears. It is deeply moving and powerful movie about the human experience, relationships, transcendent love, what we deal with we lose a loved one.

I enjoyed the movie very much. The acting was great and believable, and is what makes the moments so powerful. If any of you guys out there are in the doghouse, take your woman to see it, bring a small pack of tissues, and then hopefully you’ll get a bunch of points back.

I have seen a few movies lately and I am going to catch you up on my thoughts of them.

The Departed

The Departed was tense, bloody, and fun. This a a guy movie with enough violence to whet your testosterone laden palette, a great plot and script. The acting was excellent and I really loved Mark Wahlberg’s part. See it. My wife does not like violent or bloody movies and this was a bit much for her, she did however enjoy the plot.

Casino Royale

I enjoyed Casino Royale quite a bit. At first I was not sure if I was going to like Daniel Craig as the new Bond, but in the end I did. This is a new take on who and what James bond is. It is a little darker and grittier and we get some character development to boot. Now that is a welcomed change.

March of the Penguins

March of the Penguins was an interesting and educational documentary on the life of the Emperor Penguins. I am glad that saw it just to be exposed to their life long and dedicated saga to their children. If that does not catch ya, then you will want to see this movie before Happy feet, as it will allow you to appreciate it more.

Happy Feet

Happy Feet is a fun, fun movie with Robin Williams’ voice which is always a treat. The movie has a small statement and there is ‘almost’ too much singing. Almost. It was a great time and a lot of fun. A great movie for kids and adults.

Apocalypto

I might be reading more into Apocalypto that was intended, but here’s what struck me about this movie: It appeared that Mel Gibson was doing a statement movie on cultural evolution. The acting is great. The effects somewhat gruesome, much more so than The Departed from above.

The beginning seems to have been done, and was done well, to allow the viewer to connect with the characters and setting. It shows that even though they are an old society that we are all still humans with human needs and relations, sense of humor, in-laws, and so on. Great job with that. Then through the rest of the movie I see a statement about societal evolution on how it changes and yet stays the same. The same cultural standards it just changes focus or form. This was especially driven home for me with the end.

Maybe I am off my rocker. Most likely. But that is what I thought. This is not a movie for the feint of heart.

Flushed Away

As far as I am concerned any non-Disney and/or non-Pixar film (which are now one and the same’ish) is just going to be enjoyable and not great. That is my bias. Now that this is out of the way… Flushed Away was an interesting movie. The animation good. The plot and script quirky but fun. For me it would be renter, especially if you have kids.

Rent was playing locally and my wife and I went to see it. I was soo excited… giddy even. Some of the small scenes like the answering machines were spoken instead of sung and there were a few scenes like that, but it worked well. Scenes were added to songs to help give context to that characters and what had or is happening to them such as April and the Cat Scratch Club, which were good additions.

Again, if you have not seen it go out and see it. For me it is one of the most powerful movies I have seen. It is not because of the social situations. Its the music. There is something about the music that just hits me just right. I loved it and my wife liked it as well. I want to see it again and will definitely going to buy it when it comes out on DVD!