All posts by The Cool Car Guy

John & Becky’s Movie Review of Body of Lies

Body of LiesBecky and I went to see Body of Lies this weekend at the Kerasotes theaters in Castle Rock, CO. The MSN movie website at Body of Lies describes the movie as follows:

“Fresh off of their success with director Martin Scorsese’s The Departed, star Leonardo DiCaprio and screenwriter William Monahan team with director Ridley Scott for this screen adaptation of David Ignatius’ novel Body of Lies. When CIA operative Roger Ferris (DiCaprio) uncovers evidence indicating that a major terrorist leader may be operating out of Jordan, he enlists the aid of CIA veteran Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe) in infiltrating the elusive saboteur’s vast underground network. During the course…”

The Review
Body of Lies stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe with plenty of explosions, torture, Middle Eastern politics, phony love interest and a story that goes nowhere. The movie is way to long for the amount of content that it provides because it is so boring you will want to leave after about thirty minutes.

Russell Crowe looks terrible in this movie and his character is not believable at all. It’s not because of Crowe’s acting, but the character is a goofball launching his own war during a war. DiCaprio tries really hard to bring his character to life as well, almost like Matt Damon in the Bourne Identity series, but his character wasn’t that interesting either.

Goblin Network AdBody of Lies could have been a good flick, but it was really lame because the story just isn’t interesting. It goes something like this, America is fighting terrorism abroad to keep from fighting it at home. The Middle East countries don’t trust America and America doesn’t completely trust our allies in the Middle East. The soldiers and operatives on the ground on both sides are caught in the middle of the half-truths and lies that go on between the governments of the world. Finally, terrorists are nuts and they will cut off your head while you are still alive to make their point.

After all of this, your response will probably be the same as ours. Tell us something we don’t know and at least make it interesting. It definitely wasn’t worth the price of admission, even after we waited for it to hit the $5 club.

John – ** Rental Katyn the movie
Becky – * Don’t Bother The Unearthly release
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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 The Last Templar move

John & Becky’s Movie Review of High School Musical 3: Senior Year

High School MusicalBecky and I took the kids to see the much awaited High School Musical: Senior Year last week at the Kerasotes theaters in Castle Rock, CO. The MSN movie website at High School Musical 3 describes the movie as follows:

“High School Musical 3: Senior Year continues the ongoing tune-filled love story between basketball player Troy Bolton (Zac Efron) and brainy beauty Gabriella Montez (Vanessa Anne Hudgens). As they head toward high-school graduation, the couple realizes that they’ll be separated when they head to different colleges in the fall, so they join with their friends to produce a spring musical that will help them express their hopes and fears about the future. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide”

The Review
High School Musical 3 is the third installment of the wildly successful High School Musical from Disney starring Zac Efron and the rest of the Disney Channel crew. It’s the first time it’s hit the Big Screen though and it’s cranked out $42 million at the box office so far. Apparently, the Disney machine knew what they were doing with this series. I mention Zac because he’s been on more magazine covers this year than any other actor. He’s actually been dating his on screen love interest, Vanessa Anne Hudgens, for the past few years as well, but you probably already know that if you’re reading this article.

Our daughter Bianca, who is seven, along with every little girl in our neighborhood and at her Elementary school, have seen the other High School Musicals too many times to count. Needless to say, we were not getting out of seeing this one, and Becky’s apparently a fan of this series as well, so Corban (our 8 year old) and I were stuck going. Conroy, who is 10, was neutral and likes the series more than Corban for sure.

Goblin Network AdLike Grease for a new generation is the best way to describe High School Musical, but I have to admit that it is very well done. I’m not a huge fan of musicals, but the music and the dancing were very good. I have always had a hard time watching what is more like a play while at the movies. It’s really hard to believe that people will suddenly break into song during a basketball game or out with their friends. I know, I’m missing the point of the musical genre.

It’s the number one movie in America and probably won’t be knocked off anytime soon. Expect to see plenty of elementary and teenage girls when you go to see this one. Corban had a buddy who was there and his friend loved it. I can’t say the same for Corban, but we were overruled this time for sure by the rest of the family.

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

The Kids
Corban – * Don’t Bother

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Bianca – **** Don’t Miss It
Conroy – ** Worth The Trip
_________________________________________________________________________
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 The Changeling

The ChangelingBecky and I went to see the new Angelina Jolie movie The Changeling at the AMC theaters in Highlands Ranch, CO yesterday. I haven’t written a review on our trip to see High School Musical, but I wanted to get this review up tonight. The MSN movie website at The Changeling describes the movie as follows:

“Inspired by actual events that occurred in 1920s-era Los Angeles, Clint Eastwood’s The Changeling tells the story of a woman driven to confront a corrupted LAPD after her abducted son is retrieved and she begins to suspect that the boy returned to her is not the same boy she gave birth to. The year was 1928, and the setting a working class suburb of Los Angeles. As Christine said goodbye to her son Walter and departed for work, she never anticipated that this was the day her life would…”

The Review
The Changeling is Directed by Clint Eastwood and is inspired by a true story. The critics apparently didn’t like this movie, but I think everyone who saw it in our theater liked it. The movie is really unbelievable. I don’t want to go into too much detail of the film beyond what you see on the Previews because what happens in this movie is downright disturbing.

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Angelina Jolie should win an Oscar for her performance in this movie. John Malkovich was great in the movie too and it was very well Directed. The LAPD was run by criminals back in 1928 and what happens to Christine Collins for trying to find her missing son was unbelievable. However, there are surprises in this movie that are completely horrifying. I left this movie feeling terrible about what took place and unable to shake a couple scenes from my mind.

If you have kids this movie will probably rock your world as it did mine and Becky’s because of what happens to Walter. The fact that it takes place in 1928 compared to what goes on in our society today will make you want to think twice about not keeping an eye on your kids.

Becky and I both thought it was a Don’t Miss It because the story is just so powerful.

John – **** Don’t Miss It
Becky – **** 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 Turn the River the movieThe Air I Breathe release

John & Becky’s Movie Review of Max Payne

Max PayneBecky and I went to see the new Mark Wahlberg film Max Payne

at the Kerasotes theaters in Castle Rock, CO last week. I’m a bit behind in writing movie reviews, but I wanted to get this one up tonight. The MSN movie website at Max Payne describes the movie as follows:

“Rockstar Games’ double-gunned action franchise comes to the big screen thanks to director John Moore (The Omen) and Mark Wahlberg, who embodies the title character of Max Payne, a widowed cop hell-bent on delivering justice no matter what the cost as he investigates a string of killings in his city. Mila Kunis and Chris O’Donnell head up the supporting cast, with Beau Thorne adapting the screenplay for the 20th Century Fox production. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide”

The Review Practical Magic dvd
Max Payne was not rated very well by the critics. They didn’t like it for the most part, but most people who I know that saw the film really liked it. Becky thought it was kind of wild and didn’t like it as much as I did. It’s very graphic and action packed. After all, it is an action flick based on a video game, but I really liked the storyline because it was so different and over the top.

Goblin Network AdIf you’re a Mark Wahlberg fan you should like Max Payne since it allows him to be one of his off-the-wall characters for maximizing his personality. The story is really wild. It’s about a drug company that develops an experimental drug for the military that allows a person to see into the spiritual realm and calls force an ancient demonic force for making men in the military the ultimate fighting machines.

Wahlberg’s character is a cop who discovers that his wife who worked for this drug company is killed, along with their child because she knew too much. He’s trying to find out who was responsible for their death when he discovers this crazy drug conspiracy. It’s a creative story and I thought it was pretty cool, even though it was graphic and really wild.

I liked it more than Becky did, but we both liked it more than some of the other films we’ve seen this year.

John – *** Worth The Trip
Becky – *** Worth The Trip
_________________________________________________________________________ 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 Pride and Glory

Pride and GloryBecky and I went to see Pride and Glory at the AMC theaters in Highlands Ranch, CO last week. The Fandango movie website at Pride and Glory describes the movie as follows:

“A gritty and emotional portrait of the New York City Police Department, the film follows a multi-generational police family whose moral code is tested when one of two sons on the force investigates an incendiary case involving his older brother and brother-in-law. The case forces the family to choose between their loyalties to one another and their loyalties to the department.”

The Review
Pride and Glory is a dramatic film starring Jon Voight, Edward Norton and Colin Farrell, which is a pretty all-star cast. The film centers around Ed and Colin’s characters who are brothers by marriage and both cops. One is a good cop and the other is bad. Not just bad, but downright wicked.

Goblin Network AdThe acting is really good, but it was extremely graphic and disturbing in parts. It’s definitely not a feel good movie and it was too predictable knowing what was going to happen next.

Pride and Glory is another cop movie that reminded us a bit like Copland or so many of the other cop movies we’ve seen before. I can’t say we really liked this film. At best it’s a rental and wasn’t worth the price of admission for having the big name stars.

John – ** Rental
Becky – ** Rental

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_________________________________________________________________________ John Boyd

Auto Consultant – John Boyd: The Cool Car Guy

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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

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John & Becky’s Movie Review of City of Ember

City of EmberI took the day off last week with the kids and we went to see City of Ember at the Kerasotes theaters in Castle Rock, CO. The Fandango movie website at City of Ember describes the movie as follows:

“For generations, the people of the City of Ember have flourished in an amazing world of glittering lights. But Ember’s once powerful generator is failing… and the great lamps that illuminate the city are starting to flicker. Now, two teenagers in a race against time, must search Ember for clues that will unlock the ancient mystery of the city’s existence, and help the citizens escape before the lights go out forever.”

The Review Rain Man hd
City of Ember is an interesting story about the end of the world and how the last people alive move underground with the understanding that they would eventually go back to the surface of the Earth at the right time. Unfortunately, as time passes the plan gets lost and the people go about their business living in the City of Ember until it’s too late.

The Hitcher download Venom movie The movie is pretty well done and interesting. It’s a kid’s film, but it was entertaining. I don’t think it’s an amazing piece of work, but it was fun. Bill Murray was good and so was Tim Robbins, as well as the young star actors. The directing is good too.

City of Ember isn’t a blockbuster, but I think it’s a good rental for the family. The kids liked it more than I did, but I was glad I took them for a matinee.

John – ** Rental

The Kids Review
Conroy – *** Worth The Trip
Corban – *** Worth The Trip
Bianca – *** Worth The Trip
_________________________________________________________________________ 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

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John & Becky’s Movie Review of The Duchess

The DuchessBecky and I went to see The Duchess last night at the Landmark Theater, in Greenwood Village, CO. The Fandango movie website at The Duchess describes the movie as follows:

“Long before the concept existed, the Duchess of Devonshire, Georgiana Spencer (Keira Knightley), was the original “It Girl.” Like her direct descendant Princess Diana, she was ravishing, glamorous and adored by an entire country. Determined to be a player in the wider affairs of the world, she proved that she could out-gamble, out-drink and outwit most of the aristocratic men who surrounded her. She helped usher in sweeping changes to England as a leader of the forward-thinking Whig Party.”

The Review
The Duchess is a well done film with wonderful cinematography and extraordinary costumes. The acting is great and the story is fascinating, but incredibly odd. Almost too odd to enjoy it as much as you might expect for an all-star cast and being based on a true story.

Goblin Network AdAccording to this film, the Duchess of Devonshire, Georgiana Spencer (Keira Knightley), was supposedly this strong willed, beautiful woman who had no ability to persuade her husband from allowing another woman, a friend of hers of all people, to move in and take him from her. Her husband, the Duke of Devonshire (Ralph Fiennes) was a total womanizer, until he got together with her friend and I think that was what was so disturbing about this movie.

Maybe it was more realistic than we wanted to believe when you see how many Hollywood actors leave their beautiful wives for other women. I’m sure you can think of a few and that’s what this goofy Duke of Devonshire was like, a total moron when it came to relationships.

The Duchess was a good film, but not a great film. It was pretty depressing watching this woman get treated by her husband like a dog or a piece of personal property. It just didn’t do it for us, even with the great acting. We would recommend waiting for the rental on this one.

John – ** Rental

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Becky – ** Rental
_________________________________________________________________________ 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 The Express

The ExpressBecky and I went to see the new movie The Express yesterday at the theaters, in Dillon, CO. The Fandango movie website at The Express describes the movie as follows:

“Born into poverty, Ernie Davis (Rob Brown) overcomes many obstacles to get into Syracuse University’s football program. Under the guidance of Coach Ben Schwartzwalder (Dennis Quaid), Davis becomes one of the school’s best players, even surpassing Jim Brown’s achievements. In 1961 Davis becomes the first black player to win the Heisman Trophy, but there is one more obstacle in his life that he must overcome.”

The Review
The Express is an incredible film that I thought should have done much better at the box office than it did for it’s opening weekend. Dennis Quaid was really great in this movie, and so was Rob Brown with the only complaint that Quaid’s character took God’s name in vain, which was offensive and unnecessary. Beyond the language, this movie is both inspiring and an amazing true story about Ernie Davis and the challenges he faced at a time when our country was divided by race and there were few opportunities for people of color.

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We took Bianca and Corban to see this movie and although it’s rated PG-13 we were glad that we did. We talked about the movie on the way back to the hotel we were staying at in Breckenridge. Bianca who is only seven commented, “Dad, they really wouldn’t let Ernie into that hotel because of the color of his skin?” I said, “Yes, that’s what they used to do.” and without hesitation she said, “Well, that’s stupid!”. It’s amazing that a seven year old can figure that out, but that millions of Americans tolerated that kind of injustice for so many years. Corban had a similar response to Bianca, although he was really ticked that they swore in the movie so much and especially took God’s name in vain. He said, “I would have rated it as a Don’t Miss It, but now I’m only giving it a Worth The Trip because I didn’t like the swearing”.

There’s a great line in the film where a white guy on the Texas football team condemns a lineman on the Syracuse team for sticking up for Ernie and tells him that he’s not being a good Christian. The other guy replies, “I’m Jewish.”, which was really quite funny. Unfortunately, if Christians who are prejudice actually read their Bible they would know that God condemns behavior that discriminates against another human being based on race. President Abraham Lincoln understood this and it cost him his life.

This is a very powerful movie and we all really enjoyed it and thought it was definitely worth the price of admission. If you’re looking for a really good movie to take your family to that shows the hardships of American’s and what can happen when people persevere and beat the odds, you will enjoy this movie.

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

The Kids Reviews
Corban – *** Worth The Trip
Bianca – *** Worth The Trip

_________________________________________________________________________ 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 We’re No Angels dvdrip Winnie the Pooh: A Valentine for You ipod

John & Becky’s Movie Review of Appaloosa

AppaloosaBecky and I went to see the new movie Appaloosa last week at the Kerasotes theaters, in Castle Rock, CO. The MSN movie website at Appaloosa describes the movie as follows:

“Upon drifting into a troubled Western outpost and discovering that the helpless locals are being terrorized by a ruthless rancher and his brutish hired hands, two rugged, straight-shooting peacemakers decide to stick around and put things right in this Western adapted from the novel by Robert B. Parker, and directed by Ed Harris. Bragg (Jeremy Irons) is a rancher who believes himself to be above the law, a stance that’s forever cemented when he guns down the town sheriff and his deputy in cold blood…”

The Review
Appaloosa is a pretty good Western if you’re a fan of Western’s, but it moves really slow and seems a bit unrealistic at times. The acting is extremely well done and even the directing is great, but the story is kind of boring and almost like you’ve seen it all before. Guy falls in love with woman who’s a rascal and gets betrayed by her as he compromises his own values.

Goblin Network AdAppaloosa isn’t a terrible movie, but it’s just not great and with the price of admission these days we would suggest waiting for the rental. Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen, and Renée Zellweger all play their parts really well, but there just isn’t enough excitement to keep the average movie goer’ entertained.

Becky and I even commented about how bored everyone looked. During this one scene the two main characters are on a porch drinking coffee and hanging out. Viggo’s character says to Ed’s character about going out to investigate some bad guys, “Can I finish my coffee first.” Probably pretty realistic for that time in history, but that one scene summed up this movie.

We would recommend waiting for the rental on this one.

John – ** Rental
Becky – ** Rental An American Affair
_________________________________________________________________________ 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 Flash of Genius

Flash of GeniusBecky and I went to see the new movie Flash of Genius on Friday at the AMC theaters, in Highlands Ranch, CO. The MSN movie website at Flash of Genius describes the movie as follows:

“Greg Kinnear stars in director Marc Abraham’s man-against-the-system docudrama Flash of Genius as inventor Robert Kearns, the visionary who developed the modern intermittent windshield wiper. Kearns submitted the invention to each of the big three auto companies, each of which promptly rejected it; the companies then turned around and put the device to use. The enraged inventor spent several decades attempting to collect on his patent, and mounting lawsuits that traveled all the way to the Supreme…”

The Review
Flash of Genius is a great movie based on a true story about a University professor who had an idea to create the intermittent windshield wiper. He went to work in his basement with his family and talked with his friend who made millions of dollars as a car parts supplier to the big three automakers. Little did he know at the time, that Ford was going to steal his idea and leave him hanging with a boatload of debt rather than manufacturing the product for them.

Goblin Network AdThe acting is great in this movie, the story is unreal since Mr. Kearns decides to fight Ford Motor company against all odds and we were amazed at how important “ethics” were to this man, which is certainly something you won’t find in today’s society. The film drives that point home though early on when he opens the beginning of each classroom teaching with the responsibility of ethics as engineers. The cost though was incredible. We left wondering if it was worth losing so much that was dear to him to stand up against the company for his invention.

We would recommend seeing this movie and it’s definitely worth the price of admission. We both felt that it was great to see a really good movie for a change.

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