Becky 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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Auto 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

Becky and I took the kids to see Shrek the Third at the Colorado Cinemas in Castle Rock, Colorado on opening day. The Yahoo movies website at Shrek the Third describes the movie as follows:

“ Being king isn’t for everyone–especially if you’re a prickly ogre who smells like the shallow end of a swamp. When Shrek married Fiona, the last thing he wanted was to rule Far Far Away, but when his frogger-in-law, King Harold, suddenly croaks, Shrek is quickly fitted for the crown. Now, unless the reluctant would-be king can find a suitable replacement, he’ll be royally screwed for the rest of his…”

The Review
Shrek the Third was the third Shrek installment and it was a good flick, but the franchise is getting a bit tired now, even though it broke all the box office records on opening weekend. We did witness two guys nearly go to blows over not having enough seats in the sold out theater and that was something we didn’t expect to see in a kid’s film.

The storyline was the same as Happily Never After, which was a great kids flick that I realized when writing this review that I never wrote a review about that animated film. We own it on DVD by the way and it’s a definite Don’t Miss It.

All of the kids loved Shrek the Third and couldn’t wait for it to come out. I didn’t think it was as good as the first two installments of Shrek. It seems that as the second and third installments of kids movies like this come out, the writers direct too much of the dialogue in the film toward the adults in the theater, instead of the kids. Such as having a conversation between Shrek, the Donkey and Puss and Boots about where babies come from was a bit much for the age of the the target audience.

I think the critics and most adults would have liked it much more had they kept the story and conversations directed toward the kids more than the adults. These movies are actually more fun when the kids are cracking up in the audience, rather than sitting there wondering why only the adults are laughing at jokes that are over their heads. Let’s face it, not many adults are going to go on their “date night” to see Shrek the Third. The only reason we end up at a movie like this, and spend a fortune to get into the movie theater with our tribe, is for our kids entertainment and not for ourselves.

Becky and I thought that it was worth the trip, although I would wait for the rental if you don’t have children. Our kids all thought it was a don’t miss it since they like the characters so much, but Conroy and Corban both said they liked the other two better. Bianca didn’t really care either way.

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

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

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Auto 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

Becky and I went to see the Independent Film Fay Grim on our 17th year wedding anniversary at the Esquire theater in Denver, Colorado. The Yahoo website at Fay Grim describes the movie as follows:

“Fay Grim, a single Mom from Woodside, Queens, is afraid her 14 year old son, Ned, will grow up to be like his father, Henry, who has been missing for seven years. Fay’s brother Simon is serving ten years in prison for aiding in Henry’s escape from the law. In the quiet of his cell, Simon has had time to think about the tumultuous years of Henry’s presence among them.”

The Review
Fay Grim is an Independent film starring Parker Pose and Jeff Goldblum, which were definitely the two best actors in the film.  The movie started out with a few good laughs, which was a bit strange for a thriller and it actually seemed pretty interesting for a while.  Within an hour into the film, the guy sitting next to us was sound asleep in his chair and snoring.  No kidding, he was totally crashed out.

Fay Grim was a complete waste of our time. I don’t need to say much more than that.  The story went from ridiculous to absurd to ridiculous to goofy complete with flash cards that came up to tell you things like, “Her dress didn’t have pockets” to explain why Parker had to put her cell phone down her panties.

Unfortunately, we both thought that Parker Pose and Jeff Goldblum got ripped off with this movie by the Producers and Director.  It could have been a good movie that went completely South.  I’ve seen television commercials with better background music than this film had.

There isn’t anything good about this one, so our recommendation is not to bother with it.

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

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Auto Broker – 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

Becky and I went to see Georgia Rule two weeks ago at the AMC theaters in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. The Yahoo website at Georgia Rule describes the movie as follows:

“Rebellious teenager Rachel screams, swears, drinks and is, in a word, uncontrollable. With her latest car crash, Rachel has broken the final rule in mom Lilly’s San Francisco home. With nowhere else to take the impulsive and rambunctious girl, Lilly hauls her daughter to the one place she swore she’d never return–her own mother’s Idaho farm. Matriarch Georgia is not your typical sweet and doting grandmother…”

The Review
Georgia Rule stars Jane Fonda, Lindsey Lohan and Felicity Huffman and is a pretty strange film. The critics pretty much hated this movie and it’s had mixed reviews from most of the people who saw it. The acting wasn’t very good and the story was pretty dull, but it had a few funny moments. The language was pretty rough, which explains the Rated R rating for the film.

Georgia Rule is a chic-flick and it wasn’t great, but it had some definite plot twists that made it more interesting than most of the critics gave it credit for. It was actually pretty sad in parts with a pretty good ending.

There are some redeeming qualities to the movie, but it’s one you should wait to hit the rental racks.

John- ** Rental
Becky – ** Rental

_________________________________________________________________________
Auto Broker – 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

Becky and I went to see Lucky You last week at the AMC theaters in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. The Yahoo website at Lucky You describes the movie as follows:

“In the world of high-stakes poker, Huck Cheever is a blaster–a player who goes all out, all the time. But in his personal relationships, Huck plays it tight, expertly avoiding emotional commitments and long-term expectations. When Huck sets out to win the main event of the 2003 World Series of Poker–and the affections of Billie Offer, a young singer from Bakersfield–there is one significant obstacle.”

The Review
Lucky You stars Drew Barrymore, Eric Bana and Robert Duvall.  It’s really more about Eric Bana’s character than Drew’s character as he struggles with his gambling addiction and his broken relationship with his father.  It’s definitely a chic flick, but it’s not that great of a movie.  Unless you’re really into playing poker and watching the insides of the Las Vegas casino circuit.

You might even learn how to play poker watching this movie, so much of it is centered around playing that game, as the main character tries to get into the World Series of Poker.  It’s pretty boring because of all the poker playing going on.  It’s kind of like watching your kids play video games for two hours.

There are some redeeming qualities to the movie, but it’s one you should wait for the rental racks.

John- ** Rental
Becky – ** Rental

_________________________________________________________________________
Auto Broker – 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

• Big Wednesday movie download

Becky and I took the kids to see Spider-Man 3 this weekend. We went to the AMC theaters in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. Where if you go before 12PM on Saturday and Sunday, it’s only $5 a ticket. The Yahoo website at Spider-Man 3 describes the movie as follows:

“Peter Parker has finally managed to strike a balance between his devotion to M.J. and his duties as a superhero. But there is a storm brewing on the horizon. When his suit suddenly changes, turning jet-black and enhancing his powers, it transforms Peter as well, bringing out the dark, vengeful side of his personality that he is struggling to control. Under the influence of the suit, Peter becomes overconfident…”

The Review
Spider-Man 3 is the third installment of America’s favorite super hero and it definitely delivered. I think what everyone loves about Spider-Man is that he has some really neat attributes beyond his super spider sense capabilities that we can all relate to.

He’s a genius who is a bit of a nerd, never has any money as he drives around his cheap moped, has a beautiful girl friend that he doesn’t totally understand, a boss that doesn’t appreciate him at a dead-end job and he always seems to be the underdog against the villains that he faces. What’s not to like about a guy like that?

Well, in this episode he has to face an alien life form that could destroy him, his old friend that is out for revenge and a new character that has come on the scene more powerful than others that have appeared in the past. A great movie and fun for everyone.

However, there are a couple of swear words that our kids pointed out to us after the film, so be prepared for that. That’s what got it the PG-13 rating along with the violence, but kids of all ages love comic book super hero’s especially Spider-Man. There is also a cameo appearance by Spider-Man’s creator Stan Lee that you’ll want to watch for as well.

This is definitely one of the 2007 Blockbusters that you won’t want to miss.

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
_________________________________________________________________________
Auto 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

Becky and I went to see Next last week at the AMC theaters in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. The Yahoo website at Next describes the movie as follows:

“Las Vegas showroom magician Cris Johnson has a secret which is a gift and a curse which torments him: he can see a few minutes into the future. Sick of the examinations he underwent as a child and the interest of the government and medical establishment in his power, he lies low under an assumed name in Vegas, performing cheap tricks and living off small-time gambling “winnings.”

The Review
Next stars Nicholas Cage, Julianne Moore and Jessica Biel and is a pretty cool science-fiction, action-adventure movie about a guy who can see his own future two minutes before things happen to him. That is until he meets the girl of his dreams and in order to save her is able to see further into the future than ever before.

The story is a bit like an episode of 24 in that there are terrorists that have a nuclear bomb and the FBI wants Cage’s character to find the weapon before the whacko’s blow up a city. He’s not really interested in their offer and a chase begins to try to catch him, along with the bad guys who want him dead before the FBI can use his nifty talent.

The acting and directing were good and the story was different, but at times it seemed a bit far fetched. We still thought it was worth the price of admission, especially if you use a coupon.

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

_________________________________________________________________________
Auto Broker – 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