Movies: Review: Sky High

Good family movie - plenty of laughs, fun for everyone. Plus it didn't take itself too seriously, and featured two of the guys from The Kids in the Hall, who stole every scene they were in ("Remember when we used to use real citizens?" "Ah, yes..."). If you're too young to know who The Kids in the Hall are, this movie's for you. Kurt Russel made a great superhero celebrity - his swagger reminded me of Jack Burton in Big Trouble in Little China.

Bottom line: I recommend it - it's fun for everyone in the family.

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Movies: Review: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

This movie was great - my wife and I thought it was actually better than the original Willy Wonka. It had a nice blend of humor and drama and wasn't too long. Overall a really enjoyable film for the whole family. Plus, the new Oompa-loompas are hysterical.

Bottom line: Go see it with the whole family.

DVD: Review: Hostage

I don't even remember this one being in the theaters - it might have gone straight to DVD. It stars Bruce Willis as a former LAPD hostage negotiator who gets himself caught up in a hostage situation of his own. I was pleasantly surprised by it - plenty of action and a good story with tension and drama. Definitely worth the $4.

Bottom line: Go rent it tonight.

Movies: Review: Fantastic Four

I don't have too much to say about this one - pretty much what I expected from a summer blockbuster. Plenty of really cool effects, eye candy and a fairly decent script, considering it's a comic book movie. Overall, it wasn't quite as great as the Spiderman movies, but it was worth seeing.

Bottom line: Go ahead and see it in the theaters, but turn off your brain beforehand - it'll make it much more enjoyable.

Movies: Review: Bewitched

This was the most unfunny comedy I've ever seen. I think I now have less of a sense of humor having watched it. Good thing I got it for free as a bootleg.

Bottom line: Don't even waste $4 renting it.

Movies: Review: War of the Worlds

We were really excited to go see this movie, despite Tom Cruise's recent antics. The majority of the film was great - amazing special effects, edge-of-your-seat tension and some fine acting by Dakota Fanning and Tom Cruise. Then there was the ending. "That's it?!" "Are you kidding me?!" "Boo!!" were people's reactions as we shuffled out of the theater. I won't give any spoilers here, suffice to say that this blockbuster film truly lacked a blockbuster ending. After the sucky ending, we also started realizing some of the plot holes and superfluous family drama. It goes to show how big dramatic endings with explosions make us ignore the crappy parts of a film. (It makes sense - Joel Schumacher relies entirely on this phenomenon.) If War of the Worlds had a proper climactic ending, we would have thought this was the best movie so far this year.

Bottom line: You might want to see this in the theater for the cool effects and suspense, but don't expect much in the end.