Old Dogs is an entertaining enough comedy about 2 old friends trying to manage newly acquired children and an important career move at the same time. It isn’t a laugh-out-loud movie that will have your side aching, but it does have its slapstick moments that provide a chuckle. It is a decent family film that everyone can watch and be entertained without having to worry about censoring to protect the kids. John Travolta and Robin Williams are the main characters with Kelly Preston, Seth Green and Justin Long all playing smaller roles. Most of the laughs rely on physical comedy (such as repeatedly hitting a golf ball into a man’s nether regions) rather than dialogue like we are used to from Williams and Travolta. Don’t expect a spectacular film and you’ll be pleasantly surprised as it’s a good family rental.
Planet 51 was a major disappointment for me. It had all the potential having an American astronaut landing on an unknown planet and meeting an entire community of aliens. However, the writers didn’t have any fun with the script at all. The movie is made for kids, yet they didn’t bother bringing out their inner kid in the movie. Everything on the planet was named exactly what it is named on Earth. They even speak better English than most people in the country today. They should have had fun with it by saying something like “let’s take the trash can to the tree” instead of the car to the store. The voices were cast just fine, nothing really standing out one way or the other. Kids will probably still enjoy the film because it’s a cartoon, but it could have been a great film in the same breath as Shrek, enjoyable by all. If you have little kids then it is worth a rent, otherwise just wait until its on cartoon network and watch it then.Precious – A- (Gotta Rent)
The fact that such strong performances were given by an unknown teenager, a stand-up comic and a multi-platinum singer is what really makes this film stand out. The story rivals that of Revolutionary Road and Requiem for a Dream as one of the most depressing stories that’s been told. The story is about a girl named Precious who has a terrible life, living with an alcoholic and abusive mother, a teenage mother herself, and has nothing going for her. The movie is also very well written and directed. That being said, with all of the hype that it got as one of the top 5 movies of the year, I think it’s quite a bit overrated. It is well made and well acted, but I would never watch it again. The story is very depressing, and is basically just a mixture of many stories before it. I’ve seen the same plot of a teenager living in poverty with nothing going her way and just trying to make the best of it many times before. It is definitely worth watching once as it is really a testament to great acting, but I wouldn’t place it as a top-5 movie of 2009.Boondock Saints 2 – B+ (Gotta Rent)
The first Boondock Saints is such a classic that it is hard to live up to, however this does come pretty close. All of the original characters return as the brothers return to avenge the murder of a priest. The film is very similar to the first one with its style of action and dialogue. The new girl that plays the investigator (Julie Benz) comes across a little annoying at first and isn’t nearly as good as Willem Dafoe in the first one. The action scenes are all just as impressive as the first one, including an awesome climactic ending that rivals any of the scenes in the first film. The new characters don’t add all that much to the movie, if anything they detract from it a little bit. Any fan of the first Boondock Saints will enjoy this, although not quite as much.Up in the Air – A (Gotta Own)
It is hard to turn such a tough situation as massive layoffs into a very comical film, but Jason Reitman was able to do just that. George Clooney turns in an Oscar-worthy performance as a man whose job is to go around to various companies throughout the country and fire its employees. Firing someone is one of the most uncomfortable and gut-wrenching tasks of running a business and Clooney adds a very humorous touch to it without coming across as a complete jerk. Reitman also does a great job at showing the hardships that many of today’s workers are going through as the country suffers through a recession. Anna Kendrick gives out a career performance as the new hot-shot of the company who wants to remove the personal aspect of firing someone and streamline it into a computer program. What really makes this film great is that there are so many layers to the story and to the overall tone of the film. It is just as much about George Clooney’s life in the air as it is about the rapid increase of unemployment. Just when you think you’re watching a drama you find yourself laughing at the situation instead. Up In the Air is one of the best films of the year and shouldn’t be missed.
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