Nancy Drew

3.5 STARS

Cute, with some punch. I rather enjoyed this one - for a girly-kid movie. I wasn't expecting much, but I thought it was pretty fun. The bad guys are the same old infamous goofy "Horace and Jasper" characters, but it fit the movie.


Tabi says: 4 maybe 4.5 stars

I loved this one. It's the best kid's movie I've seen in a while. A one word description might be "cute." It's not the same "Nancy" as the books but still a lovable one. It wasn't over the top cheesy like a lot of kid's movies, although I could have done without the annoying, "surface-y " California girls. The story was engaging and more action-packed than expected (for a kid's movie).

I think this is one even boys would enjoy.

Oh, and if anyone from the family is reading this: the scene with the cameo is shot on Olvera Street in Los Angeles which we visited on our big family vacation in the summer of 2005. It's the street with all of the little vendors, a fountain, and of course, being that it was a trip with Dad, a Mexican restaurant.

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

3 STARS

This was a pretty good film, but it was pretty random. Don't expect a normal movie. This is definitely The Odyssey. Take Clash of the Titans, Big Fish, the Great Depression, an old 30's Hollywood gangster movie, and a whole lot of bluegrass music and blend it all together...

Like I said - random.

But I liked it okay.

~Will


Tabi says: 4 STARS

A fun rendition of the Odyssey. I recommend familiarizing yourself with the story before watching the movie. I think I would have liked it better if I had done so. Parts of it were hilarious. It reaffirms what I've often thought about George Clooney, that he is a man of words. He seems to often play verbose characters. (Goodnight and Good Luck: a newscaster, the Ocean's movies: a fast talking con-artist) Days later when I was discussing the movie with a friend, the realization hit me that the dialog was great; southern, backwoods, but great. I even came back and "up-ed" my rating because of it.

It was fun to see a movie done by the Coen brothers who did so well at the Oscars this year (best picture: No Country for Old Men). I'm curious to see what another one of their movies is like.

Just as a fun side note: the actress that plays George Clooney's wife, Holly Hunter, also does the voice for Helen Parr, Elastigirl, in The Incredibles.

Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium

2.5 STARS

This was a fun kids movie. It reminded me a lot of Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang, the old Dick Van Dyke movie. Some of the characters were well portrayed, and parts of it were very good. The ending... was a little lacking - probably because it was a bit cliché. It was not as good as other recent kid shows like The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe or Bridge to Terabithia, but was more like The Last Mimzy.

~Will


Tabi says: 2.75 STARS

I thought this was a fun idea, and there was a whimsicality about it that I loved. However, I didn't feel as emotionally pulled into the story as I wanted to be. It seemed kind of "surfacy" to me.

The look totally fit the movie, very colorful and creative. The sets were fun, and I would love to live in the store. Overall, it was okay, but not a movie I see myself remembering with fondness in 5 years.

No Reservations

1.5 STARS

No Reservations can't decide if it's a drama or a comedy - and it drags on WAY TOO LONG. When it tries to be a drama, it's not very moving; and when it tries to be a comedy, it's not very funny.

It is surprisingly long feeling. It had a couple moments that were somewhat reasonable - they were few and far between (and almost all on the trailer).

This is NOT a must see. If you really like "chick-flicks" it might be okay.

~Will

Tabi says: 1.5 STARS (and that's a stretch)

I don't think even if you REALLY liked "chick flicks" this would be okay. I have to admit, I was disappointed in that it wasn't as much of a "chick-flick" as I thought it would be. Like Will, I think it was not moving, not funny, and that the best parts were in the trailer. Honestly, I think it was a better trailer than a movie. Oh, and don't run through the "special features" on the DVD. They're not that special.

Vantage Point

2.5 STARS

This was an interesting idea. You watch the same 30 minutes like FIVE times. It's a little much, but I thought it was interesting. Then, the movie finishes off by slapping on an ending that pulls everything together.

Other than that, this is a pretty typical action movie. My favorite part was Forest Whitaker. I thought his character was excellent.

The ending is a bit forced... something that always bothers me. But if you're not bothered by such things, the ending does a magnificent job of tying everything back together.

This is a good escapist film. It's rated "PG-13" - I would assume it's for violence, explosions, and typical action movie stuff. As for sexual situations it was totally clean.

~Will

Tabi says: 3 stars

The replay was a little much and made the ending seem almost too sudden. It was a fun movie. Worth watching, but not repeatedly. More of an action movie than I'd anticipated. Great car chases.

This movie redeemed Dennis Quaid for me. I've never really liked him a lot. I felt that this movie stretched his abilities and showed that he could be a better actor.

Forrest Whitaker was great even in such a small role. I might even say that he was the best part of the movie.

Gone Baby, Gone

4.5 STARS

Gone Baby, Gone is an EXCELLENT film. I love movies that make you think, and this was certainly one of those movies.

I can't say too much 'cause I don't want to give the ending away - but this is a great film. I reminded me a lot of the kids I teach at school. It shows a life that I can't imagine growing up in - but a life I believe many of my students have.

The theme of the movie is: Does the end justify the means?... and it does an excellent job of asking the question. Wow. Again, it was amazing.

The acting is solid, the cinematography is solid, the story is solid... This is a must see.

~Will

P.S. NOTE: This movie is rated "R" - We watched it with ClearPlay

Tabi says: 4.5 STARS

I agree, it was a SOLID movie. The opening sequence was fantastic as was Casey Affleck's acting. I'd only seen him in Ocean's, so this movie showed his versatility as it is a very different part. I prefer his acting over his brother, Ben. Though I would also say that Ben did a great job directing this one.

The movie was very real and gritty. Great supporting actors make it that way.

It definitely makes you think and makes you want to be better and makes you want to hold your children close.

Definitely a must-see.

Horton Hears a Who

3.5 STARS

It's pretty funny - but I'm a big fan of the CG (computer graphic) comedy. It wasn't as good as most of Pixar's films, but I thought it was an excellent rendition of the famous Dr. Suess story.

The characters were amazing. They looked like and acted like I imagine Dr. Suess would have imagined. I admit, there were parts that were less entertaining - parts that I'm sure were there only for the very young - but it certainly had it's moments of genius.

If you like CG cartoons, I recommend it. If your not a cartoon person... you should probably avoid this film.

Tabi says: 3 STARS

I thought this was fun, but not a favorite. Pretty average for a cartoon. I appreciated that Jim Carrey wasn't oozing Jim Carrey-ness in this movie and that he was not crude like in the Grinch. I felt like he was portraying "Horton" versus "Jim Carrey as Horton."

Our brother-in-laws would appreciate the dentist scene. It was hilarious and had Will laughing his crazy "I just can't take it" laugh (complete with knee slapping). You know, the laugh everyone else in the theater laughs at more than the actual scene in the movie. You may have heard it when we saw the little Muppet movie at California Adventure.

The Assassination of Jesse James

2 STARS

I thought this was an interesting film. There were some wonderful moments, but the overall pace of the movie was too slow. It is certainly one I wouldn't want to watch more than once.

Brad Pitt did a reasonable job, though Casey Affleck was quite good. The cinematography was beautiful, but again, it was slow.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is like a mix between A New World and Hollywoodland. It was better than A New World, but worse than Hollywoodland.

~Will

P.S. This movie is rated "R" - we watched it on our ClearPlay DVD player

Tabi says: 2 STARS

I agree with Will 100%. I thought there were some clever ideas and that it was a great story to portray, but it moved TOO slowly. I wouldn't mind seeing another's take on the Jesse James/Robert Ford story in the future.

Will and Tabi's Movie Reviews

Tabi and I have decided to create a portion of our website dedicated to reviewing the films we see. A question commonly put to us is, "Seen any good movies lately?" In order to answer this question, we've decided to review movies via an internet BLOG page.

The reason we chose the "blog" format is because it is easily searchable. Also, you can choose a movie from the list on the right to see what we thought. We hope this is useful!

Will