Changeling

OK, I've been in a funk and it doesn't help that work is having me bring back the sports blog (plus multiple other things). When I get home I don't want to write anymore, the ideas are in my head, but the will is forcing them to stay in there. The Wife and I finally got out and went to see a movie and I had to write about it.

Changeling is one of the best movies I have seen in years. From start to finish it was a quality movie were the plot did not fade nor did I lose interest half way through. The basic premise of the movie is; in 1928 A woman loses her son and the police try and help, but instead of finding her son they give her another child. I will try and not give too much away, but if you want to see the movie I'd probably stop reading and come back to this post afterwards. The story too many strange turns at one point the police threw Christine Collins (Angelina Jolie) in a mental ward.

I've had many mixed feelings about the acting skills of Angelina, but she did an outstanding job. Then you had Jeffery Donaovan, who The Wife loves from the TV show Burn Notice, the way I can tell if someone does an outstanding villain role is if The Wife hates the actor after the movie. She now despises Jeffery Donovan. He played the unapologetic and manipulative police captain to a tee. His arrogance and undercutting of Christine Collins was wonderfully done. Rounding out the major cast was John Malkovich, he played Reverend Gustav Briegleb and minister who wants to expose the sins of the cities police department. Early on you get the feel he wants to help and for me in the middle I got the sense he did not care about the plight of Christine and was using her to take on the city. Yes, he was fighting for a noble cause, but his intentions were not true. He did end up helping and causing change within the system, yet he could not have done it without Christine.

I made the statement that this was the best movie I have seen in years, and honestly that is not a hard statement to say. I feel we have fallen into a blackhole of crap with movies. Most are not complete and missing some key element. For some reason we take the phrase "independent" and make it grander than it is (Juno, Little Miss Sunshine), or a big budget "Oscar" movie as of the past few years have fallen short, either the story wasn't great but the acting made it better (There Will Be Blood) or it was "ground breaking" yet there was no real substance (Brokeback Mountain). Looking at the list of past nominees Changeling rivals Crash and my favorite (post Lord of the Rings) Finding Neverland.

It appears most critics are giving Changeling either an A or a C. Most of the C are based on technical merit and how the critic yearns for the old Eastwood days. Honestly I loved this movie, maybe this could be the start of Hollywood coming back to its senses and will start to give us substance instead of the drivel that has been forced upon us.

Movies

I love to go and watch movies, but for a few months I haven't been able to go and watch, mixture of timing, crappy movies and money. Somehow over the holiday I got to see two movies and both were pretty good:

I Am Legend
I was not 100% wanting to see this movie, as most of you know I am not a fan of horror movies or anything that involves strange creatures that can jump out and make the audience jump. Yet, I wanted to see if Will Smith could pull off a movie on his own. In all honesty he did a pretty good job, for me the bench mark for a solo performance in a movie is Cast Away. Tom Hank's made me almost cry for a beach ball. I always thought he was the only actor who could pull off a movie where he is, well 90% of the movie. Will Smith, might make that list of actors who can pull of a movie solo. There is a touching moment that made everyone in the theater cry, all I will say it is like Wilson from Cast Away. I'd recommend seeing I Am Legend, be prepared to jump and if you don't like weird zombie type things, you may not like it. I'd give it a B

National Treasure: Book of Secrets
The Wife really liked the first one and it has grown on me the 80 trillion times it has been shown on USA. The premise is the Gates family name has been connected to the Lincoln assassination because of a piece of a diary. Ben Gates (Nick Cage) goes on a search to clear his family name and then finds himself on a quest to find the "City of Gold." The movie is over the top and full of little coincident that form a bigger picture that lead to treasure. Everything is a leap of faith and if you are watching this movie, then you know that you need to suspend reality and go with it.

The best part of the movie was not actually the movie. It was the Goofy short shown before the movie. I love the old Goofy shorts where Goofy tries to show you how to do something; like playing football, cooking, general things that are not that hard, but Goofy can't do it and makes a mess of it. This short was Goofy learning about HDTV. It was GREAT! They had a electronic store called Buy Stuff, which NO WAY looked like Best Buy. He buys the largest TV in the store, everything needed and tries to hook up the TV and surround sound. I hope Disney does more of these shorts in the future. Half the time they are better than the movie.

OK Back to National Treasure, besides the leap of faiths it was an OK movie and I enjoyed it. Was it great, well no, but I think this sequel was better than the original, except for one thing. They made it clear that there will be a sequel. I hate this more than anything else. I'm tired of the sequel, I understand why they do it, because idiots like me will go because I've seen the first few and must finish the series. We need more creativity in Hollywood, I want something new, not something recycled.

Previews
OK what's with all the Lord of the Rings Harry Potter rip offs coming out. I am sick of seeing elves and trolls in movie previews. Every one seems to be the exact same movie with a different cast. Someone finds a secret land and they have to save it. Out of the eight previews I think there were 4 movies just like the one I mentioned. maybe I need to give up hope for the movie industry.

Original?

I've been watching the ALCS on Fox this week and they obviously have a deal with the Transformers Movie, which came out this past Tuesday. I don't have a problem with the movie or the pimping of said movie. Its part of sports now, TBS ran promos for their new show Frank TV every 5 seconds, well it felt like every five seconds.

I have a problem with one of the commercials. I keep hearing the announcer say "It's been call one of the most original movies of the year." WHAT?!?! Original? How can a movie be based off a cartoon/comic books/action figures from the 80s. I keep missing who wrote that, because I want to find that person and smack them in the back of the head. Are we to the point where a movie based off a cartoon considered original? I know just about every movie this summer was a sequel, or at least felt like a movie I'd already seen. Hell, there was a movie based off a musical that was based, get this OFF A MOVIE! Sweet mother of pearl, Hollywood needs a kick in the head.

Edit: After Levy mentioned that he heard original in the commercial I believe he is right. So I have made corrections.

17 Years In the Making

If you could go back in time to January and said "I could only see one movie, what would it be?" It would not be Harry Potter, nor any other movie sequel that came out over the summer, I wouldn't even say Transformers. I could give you an answer in a blink of an eye. It is The Simpsons Movie. I've mentioned in the past my love of these lovable yellow cartoon characters, but really can't tell you how much joy they give me. As a young kid my dad HATED the Simpsons (Well, because Rush Limbaugh told him too) but I would sneak up stairs on Thursdays and watch.When they moved to Sunday nights I tried my hardest to get out of going to Sunday night church, even though it would be done by 7:30 I knew we would go to Bob Evans or Shoney's afterward, and I would miss something funny.

I still remember a time in Toledo when you could get 2 and a half hours of the Simpsons. 4:30 and 5:00 the CBC, then 5:30 till 6:30 on the local Fox station. I even remember when Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie actually beat every news cast at 5:00! I use to have a Krusty the clown doll in my news truck until the bastards in West Virginia made me take it down.

For months Shawn and I planned on seeing the movie on opening day. It looked like our plan was fading away when he was shoved of nightside to midday, but fate stepped in and I screwed up my thumb and it was on! Shawn, Melissa (his wife, my friend) and I (The Wife had to work) get our tickets, eat a burrito at Moe's and head into the theater. My biggest fear was that if was going to be like reason years. It seems The Simpsons have lost subtlety and well crafty stories and quick humor and has more of a hit you over the head with humor. I blame shows like South Park and Family Guy for making the Simpsons change, are the other show good...at times, but with the Simpsons it's too much.

I learned everything I needed to know about the movie in 5 minutes. They give you one of the best supporting characters, Ralph, right of the top doing the 20th Century Fox theme, launch into a great Itchy and Scratchy bit and then Homer insults the audience... This was classic Simpsons. As with the show you get great comedic moments, touching moments and a good story. With this being a film the constraints of TV were lifted and they pushed farther than they every could... all I will say is Homer... middle finger. With most films they put all they funny parts in the trailers... I will tell you the bits in the trailer are the least funny moments, it's a joyride that ended to soon.

The one thing I can not get out of my head is the damn spider pig song. Spider pig, spider pig, does what ever a spider pig does, Does he swing from a web, no doesn't because he's a pig, watch out, for a spider pig. The big is great and steals a few scenes, but the greatest moment about the pig for Shawn, Melissa and myself is during the credits they play a supped up spider pig song and we hear a child in the front of the theater say. "Whatever happened to spider pig?" I nearly fell out of my seat laughing.

Did the movie meet my expectations... well not quit, I've been waiting too long and wanted too much. Was it worth $8.50? Yes it was. Will I make The Wife go see it? Oh you better believe it! Will I see it a third time if there is nothing else to do? For a matinee, probably I will, so take that for what it's worth. Go see the movie and relive the glory days of the Simpsons

It Will Be Awesome and You Know It!

As DCZ has already mentioned this month will be awesome because we have the full length The Simpsons Movie! I was in junior high when The Simpsons first hit the air waves. I loved it and my father hated it. "It's tearing apart the American family." So I wasn't allowed to watch, well at least not in the living room. I usually went up stairs and watched it in their bedroom. I have actually spent WAY too much money and currently own the first 10 seasons on DVD. I've had conversaions that were about nothing but The Simpsons I probably can figure out a Simpsons reference to any situation in life. While in college I created a theory that the Simpsons' made a money reference every fifth episode, I almost turned that in to a college paper (Thank you Bowling Green for having a Popular Culture department).

I may sound like a geek, but this show makes my day a little better. So while at work the other day it was mentioned that if you go to the Simpsons Movie website you can create a Simpsons' character. HOLY CRAP THAT IS AWESOME! I first made one that sort of looked like me, but I hated it so I started to create really stupid looking ones. My favorite is "what the average fan in line will look like the night the movie opens" guy. I know it's harsh, but you will probably see this guy at any theater you will go to. So go to the Simpsonsmovie.com and make your own character... and ok here what I might look like and yes I made my self a little slimmer... don't you judge me!

Best Picture?

Over the weekend I rented the movie Babel. I kept hearing it was a great movie and I thought it got great reviews and was nominated for best picture. Well, I was horribly let down and did not like Babel at all. To me it was nothing more than an international version of Crash starring Brad Pitt, but more boring. I seriously could have cut about 45 minutes out of this 2 hour 22 minute snooze fest. I won't give too much away, but I figured out everything about 50 minutes in (that was with three long sections without dialog).

The main point is I've noticed a trend with Academy Award nominated movies... most are crap. I feel that most of the nominations do not go to the "best" movies, but movies that are artsie or controversial. Let me give you a few examples.

Last year the nominees were The Departed (winner), Babel, Letters from Iwo Jima, Little Miss Sunshine and The Queen. Personally I only have seen three of these movies (in bold) and only like The Departed, I know people who liked Little Miss Sunshine, but I wasn't into it. So with that how did they do at the box office(domestic only)?

The Departed $133 million
The Queen $56 million
Little Miss Sunshine $54 Million
Babel $34 million
Letters From Iwo Jima $14 million

If you took those numbers and put them into one year like I don't know 2006 where would they be in the money list:

12. Mission Impossible III
13. The Departed
14. Borat
53 Eragon
54 The Queen
55 The Guardian
56 Little Miss Sunshine
57 The Omen
92 Take the Lead
93 Babel
94 Snakes on a Plane
578 One Last Thing
579 Letters Too Iwo Jima
580 I Trust You to Kill Me

I know that most of the movies in the top ten are aimed to make money and do not deserve an Oscar, but Babel barely beat out Snakes on a Plane! Here are a few movies that people actually saw that I though could have made better choices.

Casino Royale
The Pursuit of Happyness
Inside Man

I have seen two of the three and heard good things about The Pursuit of Happyness and since Blockbuster sent it to me, I'm probably going to watch it this week. Inside Man had a great twist and was well thought out, the only thing I can thing of... It's a Spike Lee film. Casino Royale is a Bond movie, but it revived the series and was well done. Maybe not Oscar winner worthy, but at least 23 million tickets were sold for it.

Maybe I'm getting older and I'm not as hip as I use to be and that is why I don't like most Oscar movies. Lets look at just a few pictures from the 90s

Winners
90 Dances With Wolves (Lots of people still like it)
91 Silence of the Lambs (Classic!)
92 Unforgiven (Good movie)
93 Schindler's List (Great movie!)
94 Forrest Gump (How can you not like this film?)
95 Braveheart (Show at least once a week on some movie channel.)
96 The English Patient (eh)
97 Titanic (The Wife loves it and I get to see a naked Kate Winslot)
98 Shakespeare in Love (eh)
99 American Beauty (Controversial, but not bad)

Honorable Losers
A Few Good Men (You wanted the truth)
Scent of a Woman (Good movie)
In the Name of the Father (Highly under rated movie)
Pulp Fiction (Classic of the 90s)
Apollo 13 (Big money movie that was actually good)
Good Will Hunting (Great movie that brought us Matt Damon. crap... it did bring us Ben Afflack)
LA Confidential (Great old school crime movie)
Saving Private Ryan (Personal favorite)
Sixth Sense (I see a great movie)
The Green Mile (Tom Hanks at his prime)
The Insider (Not great, but good movie about a real event.)

That's a pretty good list and you can probably give me two or three that I did not use that you love and can will be upset why I did not include them. Out of all 50 movies nominated I have seen 26 of the movies and actually shocked that have have not watched 6 of the nominees.

Percentage wise I have actually watched more of the nominees in the 2000s (23 with three years to go), but I have hated a lot more of them. The other trend has been a movie I feel is better gets shut out for the more artsie film. The two biggest years are 2002 when Chicago beat Lord of the Rings: Two Towers and then in 2004 when Million Dollar Baby beat out Finding Neverland. I would have put 2001 with the first Lord of the Rings, but you can't complain when Beautiful Mind gets the win, but Chicago was nothing but a musical with a lot of sharp camera angles. Even if you didn't think a movie with an elf should have won you still had The Pianist. I know Roman Polaski directed it but that was a great movie about the Holocaust and was much better than Chicago. Just a miss all the way around.

Then in 2004, I think Finding Neverland was a great movie and never got the love it deserved. Million Dollar Baby was a sports film with an agenda attacked. It was a good movie, till the end. I'm not even talking about how it ended, I'm talking about the pace. I have never watched a movie drop off so fast. I actually stopped watching and started to search the web as The Wife finished watching. She really liked it and we even had a discussion on euthanasia and how we both don't want to be stuck on a respirator. Still, she will even say she liked Finding Neverland more than Million Dollar Baby. It's well crafted movie that also deals with death, but I actually almost cried at the end. A powerful movie that no one saw and did not bring up an issue so it never had a chance.

Maybe with age I have become more mainstream and just want a good movie, if I learn something then that's a bonus. I guess I just have to not really care about the trailers pimping me that this is an "Oscar" movie and just worry about if I actually want to watch it.

Feeling Old

I know the saying "You are only as old as you feel," but certain things will make you feel old. While working with the reporter who shall be named Hyperactive Pop Culture Loving Reporter or HyPCLoR I mention somethings that made us feel old. These things are items that everyone around our age group knows about here is a small list.

U2's The Joshua Tree was released in 1987... take that in. Where the Streets Have No Name was released 20 years ago! It's almost able to drink!

Pulp Fiction and Forest Gump were released in 1994... making them 13 years old.

Nirvana's Nevermind is 16 years old and has it's driver's licence.

House of Pain's angry white guy rap anthem Jump Around is turning 15.

The sketch comedy show Kids in the Hall was created 19 years ago.

Cult classic and pivotal movie for Bruce Campbell, Bruce Campbell Vs The Army of Darkness is 15. (how does that feel Wilson)

Micah this is for you, Super Mario Brothers was released in 1985... 22 years ago!

That's just the stuff from around high school and earlier. What about things I remember from college.

The movie Se7en is 12 years old.

What about Adam Sandler's movies? The Waterboy is one year away from a decade, Happy Gilmore is 11 (and loves That's So Raven), and Billy Madison is also 12 years old.

The we are women hear us sing Lilith Fair was started 10 years ago.

I wasn't a fan, but Garth Brook's No Fences was released in 1990 making it 17 years old. According to Wikipedia his last gasp of glory was a free concert in Central Park happened almost 10 years ago.

Kevin Smith's black and white art film that was I believe is the lynch pin for most of the post Gen-Xers Clerks is now a teenager at 13, Mallrats is 12 and one of the last times Ben Affleck was considered "talented," Chasing Amy is 10.

I know I am 31 and I am no longer "cool" and the music I like is considered lame by most of the kids today. I remember when my sister Julie would listen to something and I would think, wow that sucks, when I get older I will never listen to crap... I'm going to be cool FOREVER! Well, just like Homer Simpson I am not longer cool. Fortunately, I do not have Color Me Badd rulz tattoo to remind me of my past... I'm looking at you Wilson.

A final stomach punch is Britney Spears' Hit Me Baby One More Time is eight years old. Damn I feel old. If you can think of something that will make me or anyone else feel old post it.

We Are

Tonight The Wife and I went and watched We Are Marshall and before I get to the review I need to give a little back ground. The film is about the Marshall football team that died in a plane crash and the following year as the team starts to rebuild. I grew up outside Huntington, WVa where Marshall is located. I knew the story growing up. I even when to some games in the mid-eighties and early nineties until I graduated from high school. One of my dad's account was Marshall's athletic department so that's another connection. I remember when a player from my home town of Ironton died suddenly (I can not remember or even find his name right now), Marshall was on a national championship run in 1-AA and they were playing in his memory. That's the good part of my Marshall past.

Now the bad, once it was announced that Marshall was joining the Mid American Conference (same conference as my Bowling Green Falcons) and all of Marshall's fans and media writers blasted the MAC and said it was beneath them. The fans were rude to every MAC team including one game that a high level school officials pregnant wife had to be surrounded by security to protect her from the fans. Also, how can I for get about the student section being forced to move to the home side because teams complained about racial slurs. I made a personal agreement with myself after Marshall left the MAC that I could not consider not hating them until they had been out of the MAC for five years.

It's not been five years, but the story of a tragedy that effected everyone in the area forced me to want to see this movie. In 1970 Marshall's football team was flying back from a game against East Carolina when the plane crashed outside of Huntington. Pretty much everyone died. The university had to decide if it wanted to field a team the following year and the challenge to field a team the following year.

This was a great movie, The Wife and I started to tear up withing the first 10 minutes. It is a well written and shot movie the football action was shot in double time and slowed down which gave it a very crisp feel. Also I was surprised at Mathew McConaughey, normally in every movie he is in he plays Mathew McConaughey, but i seriously believed he was Jack Lengyel. Then there was co-star Jack Sheppard, I mean Matthew Fox he played Red Dawson the surviving coach from the 1970 team that switched spots with another coach and drove back to Huntington. He was emotional and you could feel the pain he had because of fate and losing a coach and players he recruited to play.

This film mas mostly shot in Huntington so throughout the most of the movie I'd lean over to The Wife and say I know where that is! That for me made the movie even more real. It was shot on campus, places that all locals know. They did not fake locations, they even used a lot of locals as extras and bit rolls.

Overall I teared up at least four times and I don't think The Wife ever stopped. We heard sniffling throughout the theater. If you love football, movies, or movies based off of real events, or you want to see how tragedy can be turned into good then you need to see this movie. I will be in line the night this movie is released on DVD. A++

Movie Watching

Just before we signed our leese on Fried Chicken Drive I signed up for the Blockbuster Online Movies. Before I moved Gostomski told me that Netflix because they have a faster deleivery. I will admit that may be true, but here is why I signed up with Blockbuster not only do you get 1 free store rental a week, you can take the movies sent you and return them to the store and pick up another movie for free.

Let me brake it down this way. In the mail I get A Muppets Christmas Carol, The Wife and I watch it, I take it back and pick up Little Miss Sunshine at the store, then Blockbuster sends me Ray. To compound that we signed up for the three movies at once deal so those three movies become 6-7 per week if not more!

So in the first month of this deal here are the movies we watched with my little rating on each movie.

1. A Christmas Story B+
   
2. Saints and Soldiers A
3. Ferris Bueller's Day Off B+
4. Christmas With the Kranks C-
5. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation B
6. The Muppet's Christmas Carol B-
7. The Manchurian Candidate C-
8. Pirates of the Caribbean 2 B+
9. Little Miss Sunshine C
   
10. Invincible A-
11. Lady in the Water C+
12. Clerks 2 B-
    
13. Thank you for Smoking C
14. An America Haunting C
15. Hostel D-
16. Cars B

The we still have two at the house

1. Garden State
2. Four Brother

So with in a month we have watched 16 movies and the plan cost 18 dollars a month. We are averaging a dollar a movie. I don't know how much longer we can last at the torrid pace, but I think I'm getting bed sores from sitting and watching so many movies.

Movie review 2: The electric-boogaloo

Three movies this time and wow I should have picked two different ones.

Over the Hedge- First of all it's a kids movie so the plot is not going to be as complex as Syriana. But it was a cute movie with a fairly good cast. Bruce Willis and Garry Shandlling did a good job with the lead rolls, but there were three cast members that made the movie for me. Steve Carrell as Hammy the Squirrel. How can you not love him! He is just funny in almost everything he does. I just hope he does not pull a Will Ferrell and try to do too much too fast and make some crappy movies like bewitched. William Shatner was great at parody-ing himself as a opossum. His over acting in his death scenes reminded me of old Star Treks. Finally Thomas Hayden Church played a great evil villain, reminded me his role on Wings as Lowell. The movie was smart, witty and had moments for adults. Find a kid and take them (with the parents permission, cause I don't want ya going to jail for child abduction.) 7 out of 10

Domino- I love Kira Knightley, but this movie was bad with a capital suck. It was shot very art house-y and just kind of rambled around a story about three bounty hunters that get caught up in a money scam that involves gangsters. The story was dull and I did not care about Domino or her bounty hunting friends. I seriously am upset at Kiera Knightly. She needs a spanking for making a movie this bad and I am the to do the spanking... Well if the wife never finds out. 2 out 0f 10

Munich- Hmmmmm. Not what I was expecting form a Spielberg movie. It never really moved. I felt like it plodded along and just wasn't interesting. You know it's going to be a long movie when you have to stop it and explain things to people. The wife kept getting lost (I blame boredom) so I'd have to stop it and explain what happened in real life, then what was going on in the movie. She gave up and hour and a half in, but I struggled through the story of how the Israeli government plotted to kill the terrorist involved in the Munich Olympic killings. Eric Banna was just OK and didn't help the movie. The end scene with him and his wife and his flash backs was a little strange and a little creepy. 3 out of 10

I have two more movies that I may review shortly, well unless every thinks my reviews suck.

Lots of Movies!

Over the last two weeks I have seen a lot of movies, so I thought I'd give a little review on each film.

Elizabethtown- I read reviews that were not kind, so I went in a little aprehensive. Actually, it was pretty good for a chick flick. Elezabethtown is about a shoe designer (Orlando Bllom) who makes a shoe that nobady likes, tries to kill himself but a phone call about the death of his dad forces him to put that on hold to go to semi-rual Kentucky to get the body. He meets a flight attenedent (Kirsten Dunst) is the love interest. The director Cameraon Crowe loves music to play an important roll in his films which adds a nioce touch. This film I will admit gets a little schlockie, but it's a chick flick so you have to expect that. Overall I'd give it a 6 out of 10.

Jarhead I remember that this film was suposse to be conteversial and question why we are in Iraq right now. A new Apocolipse Now. Well if you made Apocolipse Now suck then you would get Jarhead. How the hell was this critically acclaimed! It was Blackhawk Down mixed with Three Kings and then both scripts were combined while drinking a fifth of Wild Turkey. It was nothing but a bunch of guys walking around the dessert and going back to base to masterbate and THAT IS ALL. I wish I would have rented a better movie like Biodome or anything else by Paulie Shore. 2 out of 10

Davine Code- The new big contraversial movie. Supposively there are two secret sects of the Catholic church 1. the Templars that believe christ had kids and 2. Opus Dei who don't and want all proof of Jesus' kids gone. Taking out all the religious subtext that I'm told is evil, I went and looked at this movie for what it was... Fiction. As a suspense thriller it was pretty good. It had twist and turns, you were for sure what was real and who was good and bad or who would stay bad or good. One thing though Paul Bettany played one of the creepiest characters in years. Every time I saw his albino ass (yes you see his ass) I was freaked out. Tom Hanks was wll Tom Hanks. I need to do a post on how you believe what ever character he play. If he would have played an Umpaloompa in Willy Wonka it would have been the awesomest Umpaloompa EVER! Sir Ian McKellen is an unbelievalbe character actor. He just adds presense to what ever project he does. Enough with the praises. I figured out fairly early what was going to happen, but still not that bad. I thought the ending was a little hokey but not bad. 6.5 out of 10

X-Men 3: The last Stand (this time is personal)- OK I am a geek. I love X-Men and the Wife loves the movies, but I'm not for sure if it's the movie or Hugh Jackman whe actually loves. This is the third movie and the series and generally the third movie sucks and ruins the series (Matrix, Godfather well 1 is still top 5 of all time but man does 3 drag it down a bit, Jaws, Police Acadamy), but X-Men 3 delievers like a shot to the face by one of Wolverienes Adamantian claws. All three X-Men always add a bit of social commentary that may not be readily seen by all, but there is one there and I will let you figure it out. For the second time in two days I saw a movie with Sir Ian McKellen. He plays evil so well, and it's not a I'm a bad guy so you will hate me. He makes you almost impathize with Magneto and his misguided hate. I though Halle Berry's increased roll was a shocking suprise. I was afraid she would ruin the film, but she was back to her top form after such master pieces like Cat Woman and Password: Swordfish. Another suprise is Kelsey Grammer as Beast he did a good job, but there were moments where I heard Sidshow Bob and expected Bart and Lisa to come in and foil the X-Men. I'd love to discuss more about X-Men 3, but I'm afraid of giving away a lot of suprises within the movie. 9 out of 10. P.S. Famke Janssen as a red head... HOT!

Finding Neverland- Wow! how could I have not seen this film before now. Johnny Depp and Kate Winslot do an unbelievable job telling the story of Sir James Matthew Barrie and how he may have written Peter Pan. I don't know why, but Johnny Depp has started to become one of those actors I love. At one point in time I thought he'd be just that wierd actor guy that does wierd rolls. He has become a actor that I look forward to see. I can't believe he did not win Best Actor for this film. Go rent this movie 9 out of 10