John & Becky’s Movie Review Of Evan Almighty

Becky and I took the kids to see the new Evan Almighty at the Colorado Cinemas theaters in Castle Rock, Colorado on opening weekend. The Yahoo movies website at Evan Almighty describes the movie as follows:

“Newly elected to Congress, the polished, preening newscaster, Evan Baxter, is the next one anointed by God to accomplish a holy mission–walking in the footsteps of Bruce Almighty. Evan leaves Buffalo behind and shepherds his family to suburban northern Virginia. Once there, his life gets turned upside-down when God appears and mysteriously commands him to build an ark.”

The Review
Call me nuts, but I thought this movie was going to be really stupid going into it. It looked to me like it was a remake of Bruce Almighty and the script had to be so bad that they couldn’t get Jim Carey to come back and play the starring role again. The critics really creamed the movie too, so I wasn’t expecting much going into it.

Sometimes it pays to not have high hopes going into movies and this was one of them. The movie isn’t bad, but it’s not great either. The kids really liked it, the story was pretty silly and it really didn’t make much sense to have elephants, monkeys and giraffes showing up in an area where they weren’t being threatened by a flood. It made it look like God didn’t really understand the geographical area that was threatened by the flood, which was pretty goofy.

Beyond the obvious problems with the story, the acting was good and there were some very funny lines in the film. It doesn’t matter though because the kids really liked it. I thought it was rental.

John – ** Rental
Becky – *** Worth The Trip

The Kids Review
Corban – *** Worth The Trip
Bianca – *** Worth The Trip
Conroy – **** Don’t Miss it

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John BoydAuto Broker – John Boyd: The Cool Car Guy
John is an auto broker with JFR & Associates in Denver, Colorado. He can help you save time and money on any make or model, new or used, lease or purchase – nationwide! Call or email John about your next vehicle!
jboyd@coolcarguy.com

John & Becky’s Movie Review of Nancy Drew

Nancy Drew PosterBecky and I took the kids to see the new Nancy Drew movie at the AMC theaters in Highlands Ranch, Colorado on Sunday. The Yahoo movies website at Nancy Drew describes the movie as follows:

Nancy Drew, the resourceful teen detective, leaves her friendly hometown of River Heights for the West Coast and enrolls at Hollywood High School. There, her unique personal style immediately sets her apart from her self-absorbed, fast-living peers, especially reigning fashionistas Inga and Trish, who can’t quite figure her out but know that everything about her is different–from her super-smarts…

The Review
Nancy Drew
is based on the famous children’s books, Nancy Drew mysteries that many young women grew up with. I remember reading the Hardy Boys as a kid and they were always worth reading. In this movie the young Emma Roberts, who is the daughter of famous actor Eric Roberts, plays the resourceful and sluething character Nancy Drew.

Emma does a great job as Nancy Drew and makes the character very beleivable. The story is fun and the movie was very creative and really done well. The directing and acting were great and the kids really enjoyed the movie and so did we.

Keep in mind that this is a kids movie, so some parts will be unbelievable, but it’s enough fun that we all thought it was worth the price of admission – if you have kids.

John – *** Worth The Trip
Becky – *** Worth The Trip

The Kids Review
Corban – *** Worth The Trip
Bianca – **** Don’t Miss It
Conroy – *** Worth The Trip

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John BoydAuto Broker – John Boyd: The Cool Car Guy
John is an auto broker with JFR & Associates in Denver, Colorado. He can help you save time and money on any make or model, new or used, lease or purchase – nationwide! Call or email John about your next vehicle!
jboyd@coolcarguy.com

John & Becky’s Movie Review of Fantastic 4

Fantastic 4 PosterBecky and I took the kids to see the new Fantastic 4 movie at the AMC theaters in Highlands Ranch, Colorado on Saturday. The Yahoo movies website at Fantastic 4 describes the movie as follows:

The enigmatic, intergalactic herald, The Silver Surfer, comes to Earth to prepare it for destruction. As the Silver Surfer races around the globe wreaking havoc, Reed, Sue, Johnny and Ben must unravel the mystery of the Silver Surfer and confront the surprising return of their mortal enemy, Dr. Doom, before all hope is lost.

The Review
Fantastic 4
is the second movie installment of this popular Marvel comic book series. The new episode has an alien visitor that they name The Silver Surfer since he rides on a surfboard like spacecraft. Unfortunately, his mission is to destroy the planet and nothing anyone can do can stop him from carrying out his mission. Of course, this crisis brings the Fantastic 4 into action, along with the infamous Dr. Doom.

The Silver Surfer character was extremely cool, but the story was really pretty silly and it’s definitely a kid film even though there are a number of adult situations. The kids liked it much better than Becky and I did, but I’m always a fan of Super Heros. The characters are fun in this one, but I think I liked the first one much better. The acting was kind of lame in this one compared to the first, it’s almost like they just kind of showed up and didn’t really try to make it a blockbuster.

I have to agree with the critics on this one that it’s worth waiting for the rental rack. The kids thought it was Worth The Trip, but there are other kids movies out that are better for the money, unless you want to wait for the dollar movie.

John – ** Rental
Becky – ** Rental

The Kids Review
Corban – *** Worth The Trip
Bianca – *** Worth The Trip
Conroy – **** Don’t Miss It

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John BoydAuto Broker – John Boyd: The Cool Car Guy
John is an auto broker with JFR & Associates in Denver, Colorado. He can help you save time and money on any make or model, new or used, lease or purchase – nationwide! Call or email John about your next vehicle!
jboyd@coolcarguy.com

John & Becky’s Movie Review of Ocean’s Thirteen

Ocean's Thirteen PosterBecky and I went to see Ocean’s Thirteen at the AMC theaters in Highlands Ranch, Colorado on Friday night. The Yahoo website at Ocean’s Thirteen describes the movie as follows:

What are the odds of getting even? Danny Ocean and the gang would have only one reason to pull off their most ambitious and riskiest casino heist–to defend one of their own. But they’re going to need more than luck on their side to break The Bank.Ruthless casino owner Willy Bank never imagined that the odds were against him when he double-crossed Danny Ocean’s friend and mentor Reuben Tishkoff

The Review
Ocean’s Thirteen is the third installment of the Ocean’s 11 series starring an all-star cast, including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and many, many more.  If you have seen Ocean’s 11 and Ocean’s 12 you will want to see Ocean’s Thirteen.  It’s not a great movie, but it’s pretty fun. 

It’s a bit campy since it seems that a bunch of Hollywood buddy’s got together to make a movie.  Of course, there’s nothing wrong with that, but the odds of being able to pull off their plan to beat the casion in the way that the film claims are astronomical. It’s clever and fun, but pretty ridiculous.

Becky and I both liked it, we didn’t love it.  It’s a film that is between waiting for a rental and going to see it at the theater.  If you’re a big fan of the movie stars that are in the film and you’ve seen the other two installments than you will probably want to go to this one, but if you haven’t then you should wait for the rental.

With that in mind, I’m giving it a rental rating and Becky thought it was Worth The Trip.  Probably because it has George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon and not so much because the story is over the top.

John – ** Rental
Becky – *** Worth The Trip

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John BoydAuto Broker – John Boyd: The Cool Car Guy
John is an auto broker with JFR & Associates in Denver, Colorado. He can help you save time and money on any make or model, new or used, lease or purchase – nationwide! Call or email John about your next vehicle!
jboyd@coolcarguy.com

John & Becky’s Movie Review of Knocked Up

Knocked Up PosterBecky and I went to see Knocked Up at the Colorado Cinema theaters in Castle Rock, Colorado on Thursday night. The Fandango website at Knocked Up describes the movie as follows:

“Rising journalist Allison Scott (Katherine Heigl) hits a serious bump in the road after a one-night stand with irresponsible slacker Ben Stone (Seth Rogen) results in pregnancy. Rather than raise the baby on her own, she decides to give him a chance to prove he is father material. However, he is unsure if he is ready to be a parent, and both wonder if they would be compatible lifetime partners.”

The Review
Knocked Up is a 110% adult comedy with a definite R rating for the language (non-stop use of the F bomb), sexual content and adult situations. There are a few scenes that are totally outrageous and over the top, but for the most part this film is hilarious.

I have to warn you though that if you have a problem with harsh language and sexual situations then you’re going to want to pass on this film. The movie is very funny though, especially for anyone who has had children or if you can remember how freaked out they got the first time they had a baby.

Parts of the film are so funny because you can’t believe they are saying what they are saying and the situations they find themselves in. The whole concept is really funny since this gorgeous woman ends up with this loser guy, who really turns out to be a pretty good guy after all.

We both thought it was worth the trip and a really funny film that had some very fresh ideas.

John – *** Worth The Trip
Becky – *** Worth The Trip

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John BoydAuto Broker – John Boyd: The Cool Car Guy
John is an auto broker with JFR & Associates in Denver, Colorado. He can help you save time and money on any make or model, new or used, lease or purchase – nationwide! Call or email John about your next vehicle!
jboyd@coolcarguy.com

John & Becky’s Movie Review of Mr. Brooks

Mr. Brooks PosterBecky and I went to a sneak preview of Mr. Brooks at the Regal Cinema theaters in Englewood, Colorado on Thursday night with some friends. The Yahoo movies website at Mr. Brooks describes the movie as follows:

Consider Mr. Brooks: a successful businessman; a generous philanthropist; a loving father and devoted husband. Seemingly, he’s perfect. But Mr. Brooks has a secret–he is an insatiable serial killer, so lethally clever that no one has ever suspected him–until now. Earl Brooks is a man who has managed to keep his two incompatible worlds from intersecting by controlling his cunning, wicked alter ego.

The Review
Mr. Brooks
is a movie about a serial killer played by Kevin Costner and starring Demi Moore and William Hurt as well.  It’s a very graphic film that is disturbing on a number of levels.  Costner and Hurt definitely make this film and save it from becoming a slasher flick, but it’s still terribly violent and not for the weak stomached.  There are some parts of the movie that you want to close your eyes because they are so intensely violent, but what makes the movie appealing is that the story is done extremely well.

The character played by Kevin Costner is struggling with his addiction problem and even shows up at AA meetings with alcoholics and drug addicts.  Of course, he doesn’t tell the other members at the meeting that his addiction is that he likes to kill people.  He clearly doesn’t want to be a murderer, but like someone struggling with an addiction he can’t control himself and his “demon”, played by William Hurt, continues to motivate him to want to kill again and not get caught.

There are a number of plot twists and parts of the film that you haven’t seen before in another movie.  Such as his daughter having some personal issues that she has inherited from her father and another psychopath who wants to kill people as well, along with a cop that is hot on his trail.  It moves quickly and you’ll have to keep up with the different aspects of the movie.

Surprisingly, Becky liked this movie more than I did this time.  I’m usually the one who can handle a movie with more violence, but this one was too whacked for me.  It’s a little too disturbing and crazy, but I can’t say that it’s a rental because it’s done extremely well.  Our friends that went with us really liked it too. 

Be forewarned though that this movie is not for anyone who has a hard time with graphic violence and it’s definitely rated R.  Be prepared to see blood and get into the mind of a serial killer and for many people that will be a don’t bother for sure.  Otherwise enjoy the movie.

John – *** Worth The Trip
Becky – **** Don’t Miss It

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John BoydAuto Broker – John Boyd: The Cool Car Guy
John is an auto broker with JFR & Associates in Denver, Colorado. He can help you save time and money on any make or model, new or used, lease or purchase – nationwide! Call or email John about your next vehicle!
jboyd@coolcarguy.com

John & Becky’s Movie Review of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End

Pirate's PosterBecky and I took the kids to see the third installment of Pirates of the Caribbean at the Colorado Cinemas in Castle Rock, Colorado on opening day. The Yahoo movies website at Pirates of the Caribbean describes the movie as follows:

Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) are allied with Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) in a desperate quest to free Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) from his mind-bending trap in Davy Jones’ locker, while the terrifying ghost ship, The Flying Dutchman and Davy Jones, under the control of the East India Trading Company, wreaks havoc across the Seven Seas.

The Review
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
is the third episode of this popular epic and it’s number one at the box office right now with almost $175 million in sales.  It’s almost three hours long and unfortunately it feels like it’s three hours long with new characters, a crazy totally unrealistic and outrageous story and writers and directors who tried to include every ethnic background on the planet to appeal to a wider audience.  In a word – “absurd”.

Like millions of other movie fans I was looking forward to seeing this flick, but it was a real let down.  The characters have turned into super heros now, only they are not as believable as Spiderman (can’t imagine why) and the story’s as goofy as it guessed.  The best of the Pirates saga was definitely the first one “Curse of the Black Pearl” where the characters were fresh and vulnerable and the fact that the ghosts of the Black Pearl were cursed.  Like the second one, “Dead Man’s Chest”, not much of this movie made sense.

Even though the kids are fans of Pirates of the Caribbean, they liked the first one the best and this one better than the second one.  They still thought it was Worth The Trip and Corban and Bianca said it was a Don’t Miss It.  Which should tell you something about the intellectual value of this film since they are in 1st and 2nd grade. 

Unfortunately, it’s a movie that is much more suited for kids, but came out with a PG-13 rating and is too graphic for the biggest fans of this film (Hollywood should have figured that one out) with a sequence in the beginning where they hang pirates, including little kids and our kids hated that part of the movie. We wouldn’t have taken them to it again had we known that it was going to be as graphic as it was. They all liked Shrek the Third better.

I have to agree with the critics on this one who have given it a C+ and suggest that you wait for the rental and save your time and money, unless your kids are pirate fans like ours and you just want to take them to see the characters.  There are better movies out right now, like Spiderman and Shrek the Third.

John – ** Rental
Becky – ** Don’t Bother

The Kids Review
Corban – **** Don’t Miss It
Bianca – **** Don’t Miss It
Conroy – *** Worth The Trip

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John BoydAuto Broker – John Boyd: The Cool Car Guy
John is an auto broker with JFR & Associates in Denver, Colorado. He can help you save time and money on any make or model, new or used, lease or purchase – nationwide! Call or email John about your next vehicle!
jboyd@coolcarguy.com