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

“In the late 1960s and 1970s, fear grips the city of San Francisco as a serial killer called Zodiac stalks its residents. Investigators (Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards) and reporters (Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey) become obsessed with learning the killer’s identity and bringing him to justice. Meanwhile, Zodiac claims victim after victim and taunts the authorities with cryptic messages, cyphers and menacing phone calls.”

The Review
Zodiak was a marathon three hour film with a variety of characters and situations that just dragged on and on. The acting was good, the story was insane, but interesting, however the directing of the film was terrible. Several parts of the movie were extremely graphic where the Zodiak killer murders several people, which was very disturbing. The fact that it is based on a true story and that there are actually demonic influenced psychopaths walking the streets willing to murder people for fun is even more alarming.

Of course, all you have to do is watch the evening or national news and learn about child molestors and murderers without going to a movie like Zodiak. This movie was definitely a rental and possibly not even worth watching since it took three hours of our time to learn that they never caught this diabolical madman until he had a heart attack in 2002.

I’m giving this one a big don’t bother.

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

_________________________________________________________________________
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

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
_________________________________________________________________________
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

_________________________________________________________________________
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

_________________________________________________________________________
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

_________________________________________________________________________
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 Primeval yesterday at the AMC movie theater in Highlands Ranch. The Fandango website at Primeval describes the movie as follows:

“In one of the most remote places on earth, a serial killer has claimed over 300 victims, and is still at large. This horror-thriller follows an American news crew determined to capture this terrifying murderer alive. The danger begins as producer Tim Freeman (Dominic Purcell), cameraman Steven Johnson (Orlando Jones) and their rag-tag team set out on a journey up-river in search of their subject. But the deeper they probe into the mystery of this elusive assassin, the deadlier their trip becomes.”

The Review
Primeval is promoted as a horror movie about a serial killer who has killed over 300 people in Africa and is still at large.  The serial killer happens to be a 20 foot crocodile called “Gustave” who is dining on people up and down the African river banks.

It’s based on a true story about this crocodile and I happened to watch the documentary that is mentioned in this movie where they try to catch the infamous croc, which I thought was much better than this film.  You can find out about the real Gustave by visiting one of the many links about this man-eating crocodile.  Also, I found a website about the Everglades that said the largest alligator ever found in the United States was over 19 feet in length.

One of the stars in Primeval is Orlando Jones who is pretty funny and the other actors did a good job, but it’s not a scary film at all.  The crocodile is created completely with computer graphics and you can tell.  Of course, they made the crocodile bigger than it really is and I thought I was watching JAWS in Africa. 

The scariest part of the movie is not the crocodile, but the sideline story that graphically shows the maniacs in Africa who are killing their own people for political power and financial gain.

Primeval is definitely one you will want to skip at the theater and wait for it to hit the rental rack.

John – ** Rental
Becky – ** Rental

_________________________________________________________________________
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 Freedom Writers last week at the AMC movie theater in Highlands Ranch. The Fandango website at Freedom Writers describes the movie as follows:

“A dedicated teacher (Hilary Swank) in a racially divided Los Angeles school receives a class of at-risk teenagers the system deems incapable of learning. Instead of giving up, she inspires her students to take an interest in their education and planning their futures. She assigns reading material that the youths can relate to and encourages them to keep journals of their daily lives. Based on the true story of Erin Gruwell.”

The Review
Freedom Writers was a very good film that made you think about the challenges facing many young people living in America today and the failure of our costly public educational system.  Freedm Writers was an eye opening film starring Hilary Swank that is based on a true story, about a young teacher who risks her marriage and career to invest into the lives of her troubled students.

The film was very well done and really addresses some challenging issues such as racism and gang violence that faced kids in the 1990’s and still is facing them today.  It takes place in an English class and the teacher encourages the students to write their stories of life, which they share with the teacher and eventually with one another. 

As the students tell their stories, the film becomes very relevant. You feel tremendous empathy for these kids and understand why they are the way they are based on the environment and challenges many of them have had to face. The best part of the film is how it ties in the Holocaust and portrays one of the greatest gangsters of all time, Adolph Hitler, for his ignorance and prejudice that led to the murder of millions of innocent people.

The message of this film is extremely important in a world when so many people are judged by the color of their skin or their ethnic background.  It’s important for all of us to remember that Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world and to save all people from every race, tribe, nation and tongue. There simply is no substitute for faith, hope and the greatest of all – love.

Becky and I both thought this movie was Worth The Trip and recommend that you go see it.

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

_________________________________________________________________________
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 Stomp the Yard tonight in Castle Rock at the Colorado Cinema’s movie theater. The Fandango website at Stomp the Yard describes the movie as follows:

“After his brother’s tragic death, a troubled but gifted street dancer enrolls in Atlanta’s Truth University. As he tries to concentrate on his studies and woo a pretty classmate, he finds himself in the midst of a tug-of-war between fraternities, who want to utilize his talents in an upcoming dance competition.”

The Review
Stomp the Yard was a pretty interesting movie that had a good storyline and kept our interest.  It’s about a young man named DJ from L.A. who finds himself enrolled at a fictitious all African American college in Atlanta called Truth University.  He has a semi-affluent aunt and uncle who take him under their roof and get him enrolled in this prestigious school, after his brother is killed in a gang shooting for taking the money in a dance contest from a rival gang leader.

DJ doesn’t fit into Truth University until he “brings it on” with his funky dance moves and challenges the top dancers in the school with his L.A. hip-hop style.  He also finds his true love while he’s at school and discovers that there is a class system among the people of Truth between the “have’s” and the “have nots”.

Be prepared for a few things with Stomp the Yard not the least of which will be a movie filled with teenagers that will want to have conversations with their friends for the entire film.  It’s a bit annoying.  Also, be prepared to see no Caucasian people in this movie or any other ethnic people for that matter.  This was pretty ridiculous and took away from the believability of the movie, but in-spite of it’s shortcomings we both found the dancing, characters and story entertaining.

In the end though, we both thought that the movie was almost worth the trip, but probably is better watched as a rental.

John – ** Rental
Becky – ** Rental

_________________________________________________________________________
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 took the kids to see Rocky Balboa tonight at the Colorado Cinemas in Castle Rock, Colorado. The Yahoo website at Rocky Balboa describes the movie as follows:

“Former heavyweight champion Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) steps out of retirement and back into the ring, pitting himself against a new rival decades after his initial glory. When a computer simulated boxing match declares Rocky Balboa the victor over current champion Mason “The Line” Dixon, the legendary fighter’s passion and spirit are reignited. But when his desire to fight in small, regional competitions is trumped by promoters calling for a rematch of the cyber-fight, Balboa must weigh the mental and physical risks of a high profile exhibition match against his need to be in the ring.”

The Review
Okay, many of our friends thought we were nuts for wanting to see the final installment of Rocky, which is also called Rocky 6, but I was big fan of the Rocky series and figured this would be much like the first one. After all, Sylvester Stalone wouldn’t have a chance of getting this movie made unless it was better than Rocky 3, 4 or 5.

Becky was reluctant to bring the kids, even though it’s rated PG, but our two boys really liked it. Bianca didn’t like it that much though since she was too little for this movie and be forewarned that there are a few curse words in the movie. Conroy dinged it for that and said it should have been rated PG-13.

Rocky Balboa was a surprisingly good film that was much like the first Rocky in that it’s very inspiring. It takes a hard look at the issues of life that face people as they age, friends and family passing away and dealing with the next generation growing up. The story was great and you will definitely fall in love with Rocky Balboa and his realistic view of life once again.

It’s pretty believable, except for when he gets in the ring of course, but you do want to believe that he can go one more round. The boxing aspect of this Rocky wasn’t as good as the first one, but there are some great messages in this movie and we all enjoyed it.

If you’re looking for a good clean and inspiring movie to take your family to this one is worth the trip.

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

The Kids Review
Corban – *** Worth The Trip
Bianca – ** Rental
Conroy – *** Worth The Trip
_________________________________________________________________________
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 took the kids to see a Night at the Museum this past weekend with our relatives who were visiting and my parents. The Fandango website at Night at the Museum describes the movie as follows:

“A night watchman (Ben Stiller) at a museum of natural history makes a startling discovery. Thanks to the unleashing of an ancient Egyptian curse, the museum’s animals, birds, bugs and other exhibits spring to life after the building closes. Former President Teddy Roosevelt (Robin Williams) is among those the hapless guard encounters. Based on the book by Milan Trenc.”

The Review
Night at the Museum was a very fun and funny kid’s film that totally surprised Becky and I, along with everyone else that went to see this film with us. I have to admit that I thought that the Previews of this movie were pretty lame. They had me believing that this was going to be a very stupid and predictable movie that I would reluctantly have to take our kids to because of all the hype.

This was not the case at all. The movie had a very good story, great characters and was loads of fun for all ages. It’s definitely a far fetched plot that is hardly believable, but we really enjoyed the characters and the twists that the movie had to keep our attention. Ben Stiller was great and so were the other actors involved in the movie. The Special Effects are very well done too. It is definitely a movie that will be enjoyed by your entire family.

If you’re looking for a good clean movie to take your family to and just get lost in the imagination of an exciting story this is the one to see. We’re giving it a Don’t Miss It for the Christmas movie season.

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 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