Becky and I went to see The Wicker Man on Tuesday at the Galaxy Neonopolis 11 theaters in Las Vegas, Nevada with Becky’s Mom. This movie has been out for a long time and we were surprised to see it was still showing, but we decided to check it out. The Fandango website at The Wicker Man describes the movie as follows:

“A sheriff (Nicolas Cage) investigates a young girl’s mysterious disappearance on a remote island off the coast of Maine. The community tells him the girl never existed. He continues his search, and is led into a web of deceit and pagan rituals.”

The Review
The Wicker Man is a very strange flick that takes you into a bizarre community that is out of touch with the modern world.  It story takes place on this private island where women rule and men follow their every direction, as they all worship and serve the nature goddess.

Yep, it’s pretty whacked!  However, it’s also interesting and surprising as the audience follows a former police officer, Nicholas Cage, on a wild journey to try to locate a young missing girl that he saw in a burning vehicle.

The Wicker Man is not a great movie by any stretch, but it kept our interest and made us wonder what was happening or going to happen.  It all leads to a very surprising, disturbing and shocking ending.

I don’t think any of us liked the movie enough to say that it was the price of admission, but it should make a pretty good rental.  It should be coming to the video store racks fairly soon, so be on the lookout.

John – ** Rental
Becky – ** Rental

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Auto Broker – John Boyd “The Cool Car Guy”
John is an automotive consultant 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

Becky and I went to see The Illusionist on Friday night at the AMC Movie theater in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. This film has been out for a while and we were shocked to see that it was almost sold out with mainly an older crowd. The Fandango website at The Illusionist describes the movie as follows:

“A master magician named Eisenheim (Edward Norton) vies with Crown Prince Leopold of Vienna for the hand of Sophie (Jessica Biel), the woman he once loved. He brings his considerable powers to bear on the prince, as she is about to be named royal fiancee. However, a police inspector named Uhl (Paul Giamatti) tries to warn Eisenheim that he is playing a very dangerous game. Based on a story by Steven Millhauser.”

The Review
The Illusionist is an interesting love story that takes you through the strange life of a magician and the beautiful woman of his youth.  Ed Norton’s character is a brilliant man who cannot have the woman of his dreams because of position in society, so he sets out around the world to become a Master Magician. 

As fate would have it, he eventually comes back to Austria and discovers that his first love is about to be married to the crown prince who is a first class jerk.  All of this conflict and intrique makes for a very entertaining and fascinating movie.

The Illusionist was very well done with great acting and directing.  There were a few teenagers that left the movie, probably bored with the romance, but overall everyone really liked the movie.  There are several plot twists and surprises in the movie that made it a very fun film and we both thought that it was definitely worth the trip.

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

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Auto Broker – John Boyd “The Cool Car Guy”
John is an automotive consultant 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

Becky and I went to see Gridiron Gang on Saturday Night at the AMC Movie theater in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. There was a good turn out for this film now that we’re in football season, so the studios timed the release of this film right. The Fandango website at Gridiron Gang describes the movie as follows:

“Columbia Pictures’ Gridiron Gang tells the gritty and powerfully emotional story of juvenile detention camp probation officer Sean Porter (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson), who, along with another officer, Malcolm Moore (Xzibit), turns a group of hard core teenage felons into a high school football team in four weeks. Confronted with gang rivalries and bitter hatred between his teammates, Porter teaches some hard lessons (and learns a few himself) as the kids gain a sense of self-respect and responsibility. In a world where 75% of these juvenile inmates return to prison or meet with violent ends on the streets, Porter and Moore face seemingly insurmountable barriers. No one wants to compete against convicted criminals, but through relentless pursuit and a jolt of inspiration, Porter and his team fight their way to redemption and a second chance.”

The Review
Gridiron Gang is a pretty intense film that makes you stop and think about how many young people in America are being lost to divorce, neglect, abuse and the appeal of joining a gang at the expense of their future.  It’s a story about a former football player who sees a revolving door for juvenile facilities, just like prison for the inmates, and wants to do something about the situation.  It takes the audience through the lives of the inmates, as well as the challenges of the people who want to make a difference and forces you to think and want to get involved.

Becky and I both enjoyed this movie and thought it was definitely worth the price of admission.  Be forwarned that the language is pretty rough and their are some situations that are disturbing, but it’s very real to life and is based on a true story.  Make sure you stay for just after the end of the flim to watch the credits and some of the original footage of the first “Gridiron Gang”.

Gridiron Gang stars the famous wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and I think this is the best movie he’s done so far.  The movie is very emotional and exciting as you get emotionally involved in the lives of the characters and the acting and directing was good.  I think it’s one of the better movies that we’ve seen this year and Becky thought it was worth the trip.

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

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Auto Broker – John Boyd “The Cool Car Guy”
John is an automotive consultant 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

Becky and I went to see Hollywoodland Thin Red Line, The movie download last night at the Colorado Cinemas Movie theater in Castle Rock, Colorado. There was a much older crowd for this movie, I don’t think we saw one teenager in the theater. The Fandango website at Hollywoodland describes the movie as follows:

“June 16, 1959. The glamour of Tinseltown permanently fades for actor George Reeves, the heroic Man of Steel on TV’s Adventures of Superman, as the actor dies in his Hollywood Hills home. Felled by a single gunshot wound, Reeves (Ben Affleck) leaves behind a fiancée – aspiring starlet Leonore Lemmon (Robin Tunney) – and millions of fans who are shocked by his death. But it is his grieving mother, Helen Bessolo (Lois Smith), who will not let the questionable circumstances surrounding his demise go unaddressed. The Los Angeles Police Department closes the case, but Helen hires – for $50 a day – private detective Louis Simo (Adrien Brody). Simo soon ascertains that the torrid affair Reeves had with Toni Mannix (Diane Lane), the wife of MGM studio executive Eddie Mannix (Bob Hoskins), might hold the key to the truth. But truth and justice are not so easily found in Hollywood.”

The Review
Hollywoodland is an interesting murder mystery that kept my interest throughout the film. The story follows the lead private investigator, Adrien Brody, as he tries to solve the death of his son’s television super-hero, Superman, played by Ben Affleck. The movie jumps from the life of the private investigator to the life of the dead actor and introduces a number of characters in both of their lives, along the way.

Becky thought that the movie moved to slow and she didn’t like the ending. I thought it was a pretty good movie that created a number of different scenarios for how a famous movie star of the day could have met his fate.  It used a unique way of creating possibilities that went beyond the “case closed”, death by suicide, police report of the Los Angeles Police Department. It also showed the struggles of the private investigator, which Becky didn’t really like, as he tried to solve the mystery while dealing with his own personal problems.

Hollywoodland wasn’t a great film, but it very good acting, including the part played by Diane Lane as George Reeve’s wealthy mistress and was directed well. Becky would recommend waiting for the rental and I thought it was a little better than that and would rate it as being worth the trip.

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

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Auto Broker – John Boyd “The Cool Car Guy”
John is an automotive consultant 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.comdownload Dungeons & Dragons: Wrath of the Dragon God

Becky and I went to see Crank last week at the AMC Movie theater in Littleton, Colorado with my brother Bob Boyd. There were quite a few people in the theater, which was surprising for a film like this. The Yahoo website at Crank describes the movie as follows:

“Chev Chelios is about to begin his morning with an unexpected wake-up call. Groggy, practically unable to move and with a heart that’s barely beating, he hears the voice of thug Ricky Verona, who reveals Chev has been poisoned in his sleep and only has an hour to live. As it turns out, Chev is a hit man who freelances for a major West Coast syndicate. A run of the mill job the night before instead…”

The Review
Crank started out nuts and continued being a film loaded with non-stop violence, drugs, sex and harsh language. It was complete nonsense and if it wasn’t so graphic and wicked it would have been comical. My brother commented to me that it reminded him of Pulp Fiction meets Scarface with some insane scenes that made you want to cringe.

Becky was smarter than my brother and I since she got up and left within 10 minutes of the start of the film. She went to another movie and was glad she did. I kept hoping that it would get better, but it just got worse! In the end, it was a complete waste of time.

This movie absolutely sucked and wouldn’t have been good at the dollar theater. I don’t even think it will make a good rental, but it seems to be doing well at the theaters. Our advice is to save your money and pick another movie.

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

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Auto Broker – John Boyd “The Cool Car Guy”
John is an automotive consultant 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