John & Becky’s Movie Review Of The Simpsons Movie

The Simpsons PosterBecky and I took the kids to see The Simpsons movie at the Colorado Cinemas in Castle Rock, Colorado this week. The Yahoo movies website at The Simpsons Movie describes the movie as follows:

“Who cares? It’s The Simpsons! They’ve been on the air for 18 seasons and the trailer for the movie looks hilarious. Truth be told, the plot is being kept under tight wraps, and there are reports that the producers are deliberately leaking false story lines to throw off the Internet crowd. What we do know is that the world has to be saved…by Homer. Saved from some sort of a calamity created…by Homer. The core creative team from the TV show is on board for the movie, and all the regular characters too. Woo-hoo!”

The Review
The Simpsons Movie didn’t do it for Becky and I. I’ve used to like The Simpsons, especially the unique characters of Bart and Homer. Of course, this is when Homer could actually hold down a job and wasn’t a complete idiot, Bart was always in trouble with Principal Skinner, Marge had a brain and there was a joke about this dysfunctional cartoon family that still got along and loved each other with Lisa and Maggie showing some level of intelligence over their brother and Dad.

However, those writers who actually showed The Simpsons as a strange family in a upper-lower-middle class society have long since gone away. They have been replaced with morons equal in brain power and creativity only to their newly revised retarded Homer and Bart Simpson characters. This movie was like watching three episodes we could have stayed home and watched on FOX without having to hear Marge take God’s name in vain, which is something that her character never would have done years ago with far better writers.

Of course, that’s the problem with this movie. The Simpsons are total idiots and there is nothing fun or funny about this film. It’s stupid. The should change the name to The Stupids. I didn’t even mind grandpa ripping on Christians, like many people who saw the film said they were offended, since so many Christians lately have proven to be knuckleheads, but this movie fell fall short of the hype and didn’t do justice to the original Simpsons episodes.

Our kids liked it more than we did, but I don’t think I could recommend this movie for kids and I wouldn’t let them buy this video or watch it again for sure. I didn’t think it was even a good rental choice and certainly not worth the money we paid to watch it.

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

The Kids Review

Corban – *** Worth The Trip
Bianca – ** Rental
Conroy – *** Worth The Trip
_________________________________________________________________________ John Boyd

Auto Agent – John Boyd: The Cool Car Guy

John is an auto agent 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 No Reservations

No ReservationsBecky and I went to see the new Catherine Zeta-Jones movie No Reservations at the Colorado Cinemas in Castle Rock, Colorado on Saturday night. The Fandango website at No Reservations describes the movie as follows:

Master chef Kate Armstrong (Catherine Zeta-Jones) lives her life like she runs her kitchen at a trendy Manhattan eatery—with a no-nonsense intensity that both captivates and intimidates everyone around her. Kate’s perfectionist nature is put to the test when she ”inherits” her 9-year-old niece Zoe (Abigail Breslin), while contending with a brash new sous-chef who joins her staff. High-spirited and freewheeling, Nick Palmer (Aaron Eckhart) couldn’t be more different from Kate, yet the chemistry between them is undeniable. Rivalry becomes romance, but Kate will have to learn to express herself beyond the realm of her kitchen if she wants to connect with Zoe and find true happiness with Nick.

The Review
No Reservations is a cute romantic comedy that surprised both Becky and I with a great deal more emotion than we had expected. The movie is definitely a chick flick and a great date movie. It’s funny and light hearted most of the time, but at other times it’s very touching.

It’s a bit strange because it’s not just about the character Kate and her relationship with her boyfriend, but the challenge of raising a young niece after her Mother passes away with zero experience in child rearing. The movie was definitely worth the price of admission and we had a good time.

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

_________________________________________________________________________
John Boyd

Auto Agent – John Boyd:The Cool Car Guy

John is an auto agent 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 SiCKO

Sicko PosterBecky and I went to see the new Michael Moore movie SiCKO at the AMC theaters in Highlands Ranch, Colorado on Sunday night. The Fandango website at SiCKO describes the movie as follows:

Filmmaker Michael Moore diagnoses the malady afflicting America’s health-care system and talks about why millions of Americans are still without adequate health coverage and treatment.

The Review
SiCKO is controversial film maker’s Michael Moore’s latest documentary on the state of the Health Care Industry in the United States. I’m not a big fan of Michael Moore. He’s a comedian and a political activist who is a bit nuts for most people, including myself, but he definitely gets people talking about issues that we are normally all asleep to unless we’re one of the millions of Americans dealing with it. When it comes to Health Care in this country it is something the vast majority of us can relate to.

I’m somewhat of a conservative individual since I try to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ and admit that I fail most of the time. One of my relatives who is more on the other spectrum when it comes to politics was surprised that I went to see a Michael Moore movie, but I have talked with a number of people about this film already, including friends and relatives and my reason was simple. I think the health care in this country is totally screwed up. I’m sure that many of you can agree.

Millions of people have family members that have to take low paying jobs just to get health insurance. That sounds like a form of economic slavery to me, but apparently it’s okay with most of my Conservative friends. That is until they reach their 70’s and have to work at a 7-11 to get health insurance. Millions more have no health insurance coverage and the rising costs of health care are destroying companies like Ford, General Motors and other large corporations.

Lawsuits were not addressed in this movie, but that’s a big issue related to health care costs for sure. It’s hard to sue the government for services that you get for free. Try suing the Fire Department for not arriving to your home on time if your house burns to the ground. The film does assert that those who are against government health care programs don’t seem to have a problem with government controlled fire, police, our military and other government subsidized and performed services.

Michael Moore blasts Republicans and Democrats in this film and accuses them of taking legal bribes to keep millions from getting quality care. Not to mention people with pre-existing conditions that limit people from getting covered. Not everyone can qualify or afford health insurance in America and wait until you have a claim denied and realize the real problems this movie is addressing.

SiCKO is a very well done film, regardless of what your political views are because it does make you think about the issue of health care. Michael Moore, regardless of whether you like him as a person or not has done a great job pointing out the problems with the health care industry. However, I don’t think that he offered a viable solution to this problem. I figure you could do it on a State by State basis instead of on a National scale, but he never interviews or offers anyway to carry out this mission.

Nor did he explain the cultural differences between government employees in America and the rest of the world. He showed doctors in England and France being paid very well for their expertise and loving their jobs with the motivation of helping their fellow citizens, but he didn’t show how many government employees in America love their jobs and serving their fellow citizens.

In fact, I left the film totally fired up that we need to get a new radical government Health Care system in America and then I had a massive reality check when I had to go to the Colorado Department of Motor Vehicles and watch 70 dis-illusioned people sitting around waiting for 7 disgruntled, angry people who hated their jobs to help them. One lady came out and yelled at everyone that if we lost our numbers they had better get in line again and that the computers were down. We even had an appointment for our kid’s au pair from Paraguay to take her driver’s license test the second time. They were only a half-hour late for the appointment to administer her test and she failed for the second time, which was our third trip to the DMV.

Our new kids au pair wasn’t a bad driver, but she kept failing for some reason and I realized it was the angry government workers who were administering the test and having to treat everyone like a number. I couldn’t blame the employees entirely since our fine State of Colorado shut down the other facility in Castle Rock after a vandalism took place, didn’t reopen a new facility, and has never staffed the one in Parker properly to handle the growth of Douglas County, but I’m quite sure the same problem would happen with health care. If our government can’t handle passing out driver’s license tests without completely frustrating the public I’m not convinced they could tackle something as large as a health care crisis.

So, I walked next store to a private driver’s education place, paid $40, set an appointment for the next day and she passed her test after missing one point out of 20 that she could have missed. Good thing we had a choice or we would be making another trip to get her driver’s license at the State run DMV.

Nevertheless, our advice is to put your prejudice of Michael Moore aside and go see this movie, but keep in perspective that just complaining about a situation doesn’t solve it. Becky and I both thought it was definitely Worth The Trip or even a Don’t Miss It, but you can certainly wait for the rental to watch it. It’s definitely one you will want to see when it comes out on video or at the theater.

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

_________________________________________________________________________
John Boyd

Auto Agent – John Boyd:The Cool Car Guy

John is an auto agent 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 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Potter PosterI took the boys to see the new Harry Potter film at the Colorado Cinemas in Castle Rock, Colorado on Saturday. The Fandango website at Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix describes the movie as follows:

Harry Potter returns for his fifth year at Hogwarts and discovers much of the wizarding community has been denied the truth about his recent encounter with Lord Voldemort. Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge appoints Professor Dolores Umbridge the infamous position of Defense against the Dark Arts teacher…seemingly leaving the young witches and wizards to fend for themselves. Harry takes matters into his own hands and secretly forms a self-proclaimed group of students, “Dumbledore’s Army,” prepping them for the extraordinary battle that lies ahead.

The Review
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the fifth installment of the Harry Potter series and Harry and his friends are definitely growing up. I couldn’t get Becky to see this one since she is anything but a Harry Potter fan and Bianca had no interest either, so it was off to the movies with Conroy, Corban and Conroy’s friend Connor along with his Dad, neither of which had ever seen a Harry Potter movie.

I was surprised at the end that they both liked it and said that even though they hadn’t seen any of the previous films they could still follow along. I definitely didn’t expect that with this movie since it builds up from the other four previous films and isn’t that easy to follow.

Does this movie deliver? Yes and No. The kids loved it and definitely thought it was a “Don’t Miss It”, but I was a bit tired of the dark wizard trying to whack Harry Potter. I think he needs to see Anthony Robbins or a motivational speaker for wizards, so that he can achieve his goal, instead of being foiled once again by the misfit Potter kid with the lightning bolt on his head. It’s a bit tragic for the evil foe, kind of like a Rocky and Bullwinkle episode with Boris and Natasha.

The special effects were great as always. Another strange teacher who is up to no good at Hogwarts has joined the school for a Season causing trouble for the kids and giving Lord Voldemort easy access to the children. It ends with the audience wanting more to happen, but it was still worth seeing if you’re a Harry Potter fan. I would say that it’s a bit like going on the small roller coaster ride at the amusement park and having to get back in line for a second trip.

Hopefully, they will make all of the books into movies and eventually bring this film series to a conclusion before Harry Potter has gray hair and his pal Hermione is married with children.

John – *** Worth The Trip
Becky – * Don’t Bother

The Kids Review
Corban – **** Don’t Miss It
Bianca – * Don’t Bother
Conroy – **** Don’t Miss It
_________________________________________________________________________ John Boyd

Auto Consultant – John Boyd:The Cool Car Guy

John is an auto 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

John & Becky’s Movie Review Of Transformers

Transformers PosterBecky and I took the kids to see Transformers at the AMC theaters in Highlands Ranch, Colorado on Independence Day. The Yahoo movies website at Transformers describes the movie as follows:

“The Earth is caught in the middle of an intergalactic war between two races of robots, the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons, which are able to change into a variety of objects, including cars, trucks, planes and other technological creations.”

The Review
Transformers is a wild ride into science-fiction that is non-stop action and totally off-the-wall excitement. I have to confess that we took the kids to this movie and they were all too little, even though Corban who is 7 knew all the characters and I didn’t know any of them. Conroy thought it was awesome and so did Corban, even though there are a number of adult situations, a tremendous amount of violence and a few teenager moments that were definitely over their head. In fact that was the benefit is that the situations were over their heads, especially one scene where Becky and I cringed that we had brought them to this movie.

This is one movie where we should have listened to the rating where it said that it was rated “PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action violence, brief sexual humor and language”, and trust the rating that is totally true. However, as I mentioned those situations flew right over the kids heads, they didn’t get any of the situations, closed their eyes at any kissing, and the two boys loved it.

Bianca on the other hand tried to talk us out of taking her to it, so that she could play with her friends on the block and she apparently had seen the preview and thought that a movie about giant robots from another world looked totally stupid. Becky felt the same way and didn’t really have any idea what she was in for, but went along for the family experience, which was not a good idea. I should have just taken the boys for a glimpse into their future adolescence and met the girls for pizza.

Okay, so that pretty much sums up Transformers. If you’re a female you can pretty much skip this movie since odds are pretty darn good that you’ll hate it and if you’re a male between 7 and 45 this is definitely a don’t miss it (with caution for kids under 13 of course), especially if you like cool cars, giant robots from another world and to see things blow up.

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

The Kids Review
Corban – **** Don’t Miss It
Bianca – * Don’t Bother
Conroy – **** Don’t Miss It
_________________________________________________________________________ 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 License to Wed

License to WedBecky and I went to see the new Robin Williams comedy License to Wed at the Colorado Cinemas in Castle Rock, Colorado this week. The Yahoo movies website at License to Wed describes the movie as follows:

“Newly engaged Ben Murphy and his fiancée, Sadie Jones, plan to live happily ever after. The problem is that Sadie’s family church, St. Augustine’s, is run by Reverend Frank, who won’t bless Ben and Sadie’s union until they pass his patented, “foolproof” marriage-prep course. Consisting of outrageous classes, outlandish homework assignments and some outright invasion of privacy, Reverend Frank’s rigorous..”

The Review
License to Wed is a bit of a cheesy romantic comedy with few laughs and a somewhat shallow story. Many of the situations are not very believable and it’s definitely a chic flick date movie for sure. If you’re trying to decide between this and Knocked Up go and see Knocked Up instead.

This isn’t a bad movie, but it’s not a great movie either. Robin Williams gives you his character “well done” instead of “medium rare”, so by the end of the movie you’ve kind of had it with his jokes. It’s a bit like Meet The Parents, but not nearly as funny and that may be the problem with the movie. It’s as though it’s been done before, only now with a third-party thrown into the mix to assist the couple in figuring out if they are compatible. Robin Williams character has a sidekick fat little kid who is nothing short of annoying as well.

I didn’t hate the film, I thought it was pretty funny at times.  However, some of the best jokes were on the television commercial and in the previews which was pretty stupid on the part of the Studio since it took away from the film. Becky liked it much more than I did and she thought it was Worth The Trip, of course that’s expected, since we disagreed on Transformers that we saw on Saturday.

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

_________________________________________________________________________

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 Ratatouille

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

A rat named Remy dreams of becoming a great French chef despite his family’s wishes and the obvious problem of being a rat in a decidedly rodent-phobic profession. When fate places Remy in the sewers of Paris, he finds himself ideally situated beneath a restaurant made famous by his culinary hero, Auguste Gusteau. Despite the apparent dangers of being an unlikely – and certainly unwanted – visitor…

The Review
Ratatouille is a fresh new Pixar film with great characters and a fantastic story. This movie was a blast and very funny. Ratatouille is really a hoot and it’s fun for all ages. It’s not just a kid flick, Becky and I ended up seeing it twice, once with the kids and the first time on opening night with a bus load of teenagers and adults from the Vacation Bible School we helped earlier in the week. Everyone loved it.

At the beginning of the film is a short skit about an alien abduction that was a riot, so make sure you don’t show up late. The bottom line on this film is that Pixar has done it again and created a real winner with Ratatouille. We’re giving it a Don’t Miss It rating.

John – **** Don’t Miss It
Becky – **** Don’t Miss It

The Kids Review

Corban – **** Don’t Miss It
Bianca – **** Don’t Miss It
Conroy – **** Don’t Miss It
_________________________________________________________________________ John Boyd

Auto Agent – John Boyd:
The Cool Car Guy
John is an auto agent 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 Live Free or Die Hard

Live Free or Die Hard PosterBecky and I went to see the new Bruce Willis flick Live Free or Die Hard last week.  We each went to the movies at different locations and times.  I saw it at the Colorado Cinemas theaters in Castle Rock, Colorado last week. The Yahoo movies website at Live Free or Die Hard describes the movie as follows:

On the July 4th holiday, an attack on the vulnerable United States infrastructure begins to shut down the entire nation. The mysterious figure behind the scheme has figured out every modern angle — but he never figured on an old-school “analog” fly in the “digital” ointment: John McClane. No mask. No cape. No problem.

The Review
Live Free or Die Hard
is a crazy thrill ride with the famous Bruce Willis, John McClane, character back in action.  I have to admit that I thought this movie was going to suck based on the previews and I went into the film with really low expectations.  Becky said the exact same thing when she went to it with some friends.

To our surprise we both found this new and improved Die Hard movie quite entertaining.  The story was very cool with many plot twists and loads of action.  Granted the character is hardly believable as a modern day super hero, but you don’t seem to mind if you realize that it’s very far fetched going into the film. 

In spite of the lack of believability, the acting, directing and action made the film fun enough to recommend it.  We both thought that it was worth the price of admission.

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

_________________________________________________________________________
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 1408

1408 PosterBecky and I went to see the new Stephen King thriller 1408 at the AMC theaters in Highlands Ranch, Colorado last week. The Yahoo movies website at 1408 describes the movie as follows:

Renowned horror novelist Mike Enslin believes only in what he can see with his own two eyes. But after a string of best-sellers discrediting paranormal events in the most infamous haunted houses and graveyards around the world, he has no real proof of life–afterlife. But Enslin’s phantom-free run of long and lonely nights is about to change forever when he checks into suite 1408 of the notorious Dolphin…

The Review
1408
is a pretty spooky film, especially for a PG-13 movie.  Although, I was surprised to hear the “F” word being allowed in a PG-13 rated film. 1408 is a bit nuts, but it has a good story, good acting and it’s wild ride into the Supernatural.

It’s not a great film by any stretch and it’s not a slasher, gore flick either, but it was a pretty good horror movie that was above our expectations.  Becky and I both liked it enough to give it a rating of being worth the trip.

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

_________________________________________________________________________
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