I went to see Ghost Rider on Tuesday afternoon at the AMC movie theater in Westminster.

The Yahoo website at Ghost Rider describes the movie as follows:

“A motorcycle stuntman, Johnny Blaze, makes a pact with a dark force, selling his soul to save his girlfriend. When the bargain goes sour and the girl isn’t saved, Blaze is transformed, gaining raging superpowers. Based on the Marvel comic series.”

The Review
Ghost Rider was a movie about a crazy comic book character that makes a deal with the Devil and then has to do his bidding.  The movie is strange with a goofy story, but it was much more entertaining than I thought it would be. 

It’s pretty ridiculous, but a pretty fun and at times funny adult flick.  It’s definitely too scary for smaller kids with the wild demons wanting to take over the world that the Ghost Rider has to battle.  The PG-13 rating is something you’ll want to take note of before bringing smaller kids.

If you’re a Nicholas Cage and comic book fan than you’ll like this movie, even if it’s a bit hokey.  If you’re like Becky you’ll want to skip it all together.  It’s a good one to grab on the rental rack instead of spending the money on a movie ticket.

John – ** Rental
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

Becky and I went to see Breach on Friday night at the AMC movie theater in Highlands Ranch. The Fandango website at Breach describes the movie as follows:

“Eric O’Neill, a low-level surveillance expert with the FBI, believes his dream of becoming a full-fledged agent is coming to pass with his unexpected promotion and assignment to work with renowned agent Robert Hanssen. He soon learns the reason for his promotion is to gain Hanssen’s trust and find proof that he is a traitor to the country. Based on a true story. Hanssen was ultimately convicted of selling secrets to the Soviet Union.”

The Review
Breach was an interesting film about the worst breach of National Security in the history of the United States. The movie moves pretty slow in the beginning and is quite a sleeper, but it picks up in the middle and gets interesting toward the end of the film. Becky and I liked it and thought it was pretty good. It isn’t a great film, but the acting is good and the story was interesting since it’s based on a true story.

I don’t think this movie is going to appeal to everyone since it moves so slow and doesn’t have a great deal of action, but it’s a pretty good cerebral spy movie. It seemed pretty real to life since working in the FBI and having to spy on people within the organization is probably as boring and tedious as it showed in the film.

Becky and I both enjoyed the movie and thought it was worth seeing, but you can probably save some money and wait for the rental rack.

John – ** Rental
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 The Queen on Friday night at the AMC movie theater in Highlands Ranch. The Fandango website at The Queen describes the movie as follows:

“Following the death of Princess Diana in an auto accident, Great Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II (Helen Mirren) and Prime Minister Tony Blair (Michael Sheen) struggle to reach a compromise in how the royal family should publicly respond to the tragedy. In the balance is the family’s need for privacy and the public’s demand for an outward show of mourning.”

The Review
The Queen is up for a 6 Academy Award Nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actress (Helen Mirren), Directing, Original Screenplay, Original Score, and Costume Design.  Unlike the film we saw last week that is being nominated for awards as well, The Queen actually delivered.

This is a very good film from start to finish that we both enjoyed.  It was a very interesting and fascinating film about the period of time when the death of Princess Diana shocked the world.  It wasn’t just about her death though, in fact, it would have been really boring had it only been about that.  It was really a unique glimpse into the politics and challenges facing the British Monarchy during that time, but also the establishment itself.

In America, most people snub their noses at the idea of having a Monarchy, since after all our forefathers had a tea party and a Revolution over the idea.   However, I really gained an appreciation for Queen Elizabeth and her role as being appointed by God to lead her country and provide an advisory role to the Prime Minister.  Frankly, I found her “true grit” a breath of fresh air compared to the spineless politicians we so often see catering to big business in this country.

One part of the film that really stuck with me was in the beginning when soon to be appointed Prime Minister Tony Blair has his first meeting with The Queen.  In this dialogue, Mr. Blair starts explaining why he should be appointed and she interrupts him to let him know that she is the one who is to be doing the talking.  She has him take a seat and makes a point to mention that there had been 10 Prime Ministers sitting where he sat in front of her, one of which was Sir Winston Churchill. 

That really put her position and leadership role as an icon for the people in perspective for me, which I think was unjustly lost by the media during the Princess Diana auto accident.

Becky and I both enjoyed this movie and I’m rating it as a Don’t Miss It and Becky thought it was Worth The Trip.  Either way, we both believe you will enjoy this film, even if you’re not a fan of history.

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 Notes on a Scandal yesterday at the AMC movie theater in Highlands Ranch.  The Fandango website at Notes on a Scandal describes the movie as follows:

“Barbara Covett (Judi Dench), a veteran teacher at St. George’s, senses a kindred spirit in Sheba Hart (Cate Blanchett), the school’s new art teacher. The charismatic younger woman draws Barbara, and the two become friends. Then she learns of Sheba’s illicit affair with a teenage student and becomes the keeper of the explosive secret. Based on the novel ”What Was She Thinking?” by Zoë Heller.”

The Review
Notes on a Scandal is up for a few awards, including 2006 Academy Award Nominations (4) : Best Actress (Judi Dench), Supporting Actress (Cate Blanchett), Adapted Screenplay, Original Score.  We figured it would be a pretty good movie with that kind of star power and nominations from the Academy.  We’re we wrong.  This movie was lame.

We were expecting more of a thriller or mystery based on the Previews instead of a drama.  This is definitely a drama and it doesn’t take long to lose interest in this film.  It’s about a middle aged school teacher (Cate Blanchett) who is bored with her life, her marriage and her children, so she has an affair with her good looking 15 year old student. 

There is another teacher, played by Judi Dench, who is a lonely old lady that befriends the younger teacher and discovers her friends affair with the student.  We then learn that this old teacher is a lesbian and she wants to have an affair with the younger teacher.

Notes on a Scandal is definitely one to skip all together regardless of how much the Hollywood elite liked it.  The movie stinks!

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