Becky and I went to see The Illusionist on Friday night at the AMC Movie theater in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. This film has been out for a while and we were shocked to see that it was almost sold out with mainly an older crowd. The Fandango website at The Illusionist describes the movie as follows:

“A master magician named Eisenheim (Edward Norton) vies with Crown Prince Leopold of Vienna for the hand of Sophie (Jessica Biel), the woman he once loved. He brings his considerable powers to bear on the prince, as she is about to be named royal fiancee. However, a police inspector named Uhl (Paul Giamatti) tries to warn Eisenheim that he is playing a very dangerous game. Based on a story by Steven Millhauser.”

The Review
The Illusionist is an interesting love story that takes you through the strange life of a magician and the beautiful woman of his youth.  Ed Norton’s character is a brilliant man who cannot have the woman of his dreams because of position in society, so he sets out around the world to become a Master Magician. 

As fate would have it, he eventually comes back to Austria and discovers that his first love is about to be married to the crown prince who is a first class jerk.  All of this conflict and intrique makes for a very entertaining and fascinating movie.

The Illusionist was very well done with great acting and directing.  There were a few teenagers that left the movie, probably bored with the romance, but overall everyone really liked the movie.  There are several plot twists and surprises in the movie that made it a very fun film and we both thought that it was definitely worth the trip.

John – *** Worth The Trip
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 Gridiron Gang on Saturday Night at the AMC Movie theater in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. There was a good turn out for this film now that we’re in football season, so the studios timed the release of this film right. The Fandango website at Gridiron Gang describes the movie as follows:

“Columbia Pictures’ Gridiron Gang tells the gritty and powerfully emotional story of juvenile detention camp probation officer Sean Porter (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson), who, along with another officer, Malcolm Moore (Xzibit), turns a group of hard core teenage felons into a high school football team in four weeks. Confronted with gang rivalries and bitter hatred between his teammates, Porter teaches some hard lessons (and learns a few himself) as the kids gain a sense of self-respect and responsibility. In a world where 75% of these juvenile inmates return to prison or meet with violent ends on the streets, Porter and Moore face seemingly insurmountable barriers. No one wants to compete against convicted criminals, but through relentless pursuit and a jolt of inspiration, Porter and his team fight their way to redemption and a second chance.”

The Review
Gridiron Gang is a pretty intense film that makes you stop and think about how many young people in America are being lost to divorce, neglect, abuse and the appeal of joining a gang at the expense of their future.  It’s a story about a former football player who sees a revolving door for juvenile facilities, just like prison for the inmates, and wants to do something about the situation.  It takes the audience through the lives of the inmates, as well as the challenges of the people who want to make a difference and forces you to think and want to get involved.

Becky and I both enjoyed this movie and thought it was definitely worth the price of admission.  Be forwarned that the language is pretty rough and their are some situations that are disturbing, but it’s very real to life and is based on a true story.  Make sure you stay for just after the end of the flim to watch the credits and some of the original footage of the first “Gridiron Gang”.

Gridiron Gang stars the famous wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and I think this is the best movie he’s done so far.  The movie is very emotional and exciting as you get emotionally involved in the lives of the characters and the acting and directing was good.  I think it’s one of the better movies that we’ve seen this year and Becky thought it was worth the trip.

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 Hollywoodland Thin Red Line, The movie download last night at the Colorado Cinemas Movie theater in Castle Rock, Colorado. There was a much older crowd for this movie, I don’t think we saw one teenager in the theater. The Fandango website at Hollywoodland describes the movie as follows:

“June 16, 1959. The glamour of Tinseltown permanently fades for actor George Reeves, the heroic Man of Steel on TV’s Adventures of Superman, as the actor dies in his Hollywood Hills home. Felled by a single gunshot wound, Reeves (Ben Affleck) leaves behind a fiancée – aspiring starlet Leonore Lemmon (Robin Tunney) – and millions of fans who are shocked by his death. But it is his grieving mother, Helen Bessolo (Lois Smith), who will not let the questionable circumstances surrounding his demise go unaddressed. The Los Angeles Police Department closes the case, but Helen hires – for $50 a day – private detective Louis Simo (Adrien Brody). Simo soon ascertains that the torrid affair Reeves had with Toni Mannix (Diane Lane), the wife of MGM studio executive Eddie Mannix (Bob Hoskins), might hold the key to the truth. But truth and justice are not so easily found in Hollywood.”

The Review
Hollywoodland is an interesting murder mystery that kept my interest throughout the film. The story follows the lead private investigator, Adrien Brody, as he tries to solve the death of his son’s television super-hero, Superman, played by Ben Affleck. The movie jumps from the life of the private investigator to the life of the dead actor and introduces a number of characters in both of their lives, along the way.

Becky thought that the movie moved to slow and she didn’t like the ending. I thought it was a pretty good movie that created a number of different scenarios for how a famous movie star of the day could have met his fate.  It used a unique way of creating possibilities that went beyond the “case closed”, death by suicide, police report of the Los Angeles Police Department. It also showed the struggles of the private investigator, which Becky didn’t really like, as he tried to solve the mystery while dealing with his own personal problems.

Hollywoodland wasn’t a great film, but it very good acting, including the part played by Diane Lane as George Reeve’s wealthy mistress and was directed well. Becky would recommend waiting for the rental and I thought it was a little better than that and would rate it as being worth the trip.

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

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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.comdownload Dungeons & Dragons: Wrath of the Dragon God

Becky and I went to see Crank last week at the AMC Movie theater in Littleton, Colorado with my brother Bob Boyd. There were quite a few people in the theater, which was surprising for a film like this. The Yahoo website at Crank describes the movie as follows:

“Chev Chelios is about to begin his morning with an unexpected wake-up call. Groggy, practically unable to move and with a heart that’s barely beating, he hears the voice of thug Ricky Verona, who reveals Chev has been poisoned in his sleep and only has an hour to live. As it turns out, Chev is a hit man who freelances for a major West Coast syndicate. A run of the mill job the night before instead…”

The Review
Crank started out nuts and continued being a film loaded with non-stop violence, drugs, sex and harsh language. It was complete nonsense and if it wasn’t so graphic and wicked it would have been comical. My brother commented to me that it reminded him of Pulp Fiction meets Scarface with some insane scenes that made you want to cringe.

Becky was smarter than my brother and I since she got up and left within 10 minutes of the start of the film. She went to another movie and was glad she did. I kept hoping that it would get better, but it just got worse! In the end, it was a complete waste of time.

This movie absolutely sucked and wouldn’t have been good at the dollar theater. I don’t even think it will make a good rental, but it seems to be doing well at the theaters. Our advice is to save your money and pick another movie.

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

Becky and I went to see Accepted last week at the AMC Movie theater in Littleton, Colorado. The theater was packed with a bunch of teenagers and a bit rowdy with a typical PG-13 audience. The Fandango website at Accepted describes the movie as follows:

“After being turned down by a bunch of colleges, a high school senior and his pals decide to start their own university. The plan becomes complicated as more rejected students begin to enroll, a nearby school offers competition, and the freshman struggles to keep up the ruse for his parents and dream girl.”

The Review
Accepted was a very goofy movie that had a number of good laughs for such a ridiculous story. It’s a bit like Animal House meets Old School with a story that was complete nonsense, but funny nevertheless. The story is actually pretty funny and Justin Long, the guy on those Apple commercials, is good for this part and half-way believable that he could pull off his zany plan.

There are a bunch of silly characters in Accepted and you will need to get past the premise because it’s not at all realistic. If you can do that then you will have plenty of laughs in this film. The audience was cracking up in this movie and most people really enjoyed it.

In reality, it’s probably a movie to wait for the rental for, but we both thought it was enough fun to think that it was worth the trip.

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 Invincible tonight at the AMC Movie theater in Littleton, Colorado. The theater was pretty crowded with people of all ages ready to see this movie.  The Fandango website at Invincible describes the movie as follows:

“Lifelong football fan Vince Papale (Mark Wahlberg) sees his wildest dreams come true when he becomes a member of the Philadelphia Eagles. While working as a teacher at his high-school alma mater in Pennsylvania, the 30-year-old gets a chance to try out for his favorite team, and, except for kickers, becomes the oldest rookie in NFL history who never played football in college. Based on a true story.”

The Review
Invincible is a great flick that has been panned by a number of movie critics, including the key movie critic in the Denver Post who thought it was over-rated and unrealistic because of Papale’s record with the Eagles. Obviously, the guy is not a true sports fan and probably never threw a football as a kid. The fact is that this movie rocked!

It was a great film that had everyone in the theater cheering for the underdog. In fact, it was so inspirational that at the end of the movie the audience was clapping, which doesn’t happen too often in movies these days. If you’re tired of the bang, bang, ridiculous world of murder, mystery, horror garbage at the movies and ready to see something based on real-life, go and see this flick.
Mark Wahlberg, Greg Kinnear and Elizabeth Banks were all great in this movie and it was nice to see Disney putting out a film that mainstream America can enjoy. Although it’s rated PG and is being promoted as a family film based on a true story, little kids will be bored unless they are die hard football fans. It’s more of a clean teenager to adult film with a PG rating.
Becky and I both thought that the movie was definitely one you don’t want to miss at the box office. Especially, if you’re a sports fan, you won’t be sorry that you spent your money to see this movie and it’s worth seeing on the big screen rather than waiting for the rental.

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

Becky and I went to see World Trade Center last week at the AMC Movie Theater in Littleton, Colorado.The movie theater had a pretty diverse crowd with a number of teenagers to elderly movie watchers.

The Fandango website at World Trade Center describes the movie as follows:

“Academy Award-winning director Oliver Stone tells the true story of the heroic survival and rescue of two Port Authority policemen – John McLoughlin and Will Jimeno – who were trapped in the rubble of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, after they went in to help people escape. The film also follows their families as they try to find out what happened to them, as well as the rescuers who found them in the debris field and pulled them out. Their story shows how the best in people rose above the tragic events of that day.”

The Review
World Trade Center is a very emotional film that brought the massive destructive events of September 11th, 2001 down to the individual level and made you realize how many lives were truly effected by the terrorist attack. The movie moves pretty slow and forces you to experience the agony of being trapped under the rubble of the Twin Towers as you wait for the lead characters to die or be rescued.

For this reason, most of the young people in the theater didn’t like the movie and some of them got up and left. For anyone who experienced that day, where most of the world was glued to their television sets, the movie will have a much stronger emotional impact.

Becky and I both thought that the movie was definitely Worth The Trip and agreed that the acting and directing of the film was great. What makes it really important is that it’s based on a true story and it’s clear that Oliver Stone went to great lengths, along with the cast and crew, to keep the story as accurate as possible.

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 Talladega Nights on Saturday night at the Colorado Cinemas in Castle Rock, Colorado.

The movie theater was pretty packed as people still want to see this crazy movie with Will Ferrel and John C. Reilly.

The Yahoo movie website at Talladega Nights describes the movie as follows:

“Ricky Bobby (Will Ferrell) is a NASCAR racing sensation whose “win at all costs” approach has made him a national hero. He and his loyal racing partner and childhood friend, Cal Naughton Jr. (John C. Reilly), are a fearless duo, thrilling their fans by finishing most races in the top spots – with Ricky Bobby always leading the pack.…”

The Review
Talladega Nights is a crazy movie that is doing extremely well at the box office, but is not for everyone. The movie is absolutely ridiculous and downright stupid, but that’s what makes it so funny.

This is NOT a movie for kids and is definitely more of a Rated R film than a PG-13 rating. There is absolutely zero intellectual value for this film. The story is goofy, the characters are nuts and the situations are totally far-fetched, but it’s pretty darn funny. It reminded me of a Saturday Night Live skit gone awry. There will be a ton of people who see this movie and hate it, but there will be many more people who find this zany and sick sense of humor hilarious.

Becky and I found ourselves laughing outloud on a number of occassions during Talladega Nights. However, be forewarned that some of the language and situations are a bit crude.

In spite of the laughs, I would recommend waiting for the Rental on this one, but just barely. Becky on the other hand, thought it was Worth The Trip, which I didn’t expect given how goofy this movie really is.

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 Miami Vice on Friday at the UA Theater in Las Vegas, Nevada on Las Vegas Boulevard.

We were surprised that the movie theater was not located in one of the monster hotels on the Las Vegas Strip, especially the MGM Grand since MGM is are known for movies. Instead it’s kind of a hole in the wall UA / Regal theater just off the strip located in a parking garage called The Showcase.

The Yahoo movie website at Miami Vice describes the movie as follows:

“Ricardo Tubbs is urbane and dead smart. He lives with Bronx-born intel analyst Trudy, as they work undercover transporting drug loads into South Florida to identify a group responsible for three murders. Sonny Crockett is charismatic and flirtatious until-while undercover working with the supplier of the South Florida group-he gets romantically entangled with Isabella, the Chinese-Cuban wife of an…”

The Review
Miami Vice was a movie loaded with violence, sex, more violence, more sex and more violence, along with drugs and prostitution. It was about on the same lines as Scarface for graphic violence without Al Pacino saying, “Say Hello To My Little Friend”.

The bottom line is that there was absolutely nothing original, entertaining, interesting or worthwhile about Miami Vice. It’s a bang, bang, shoot em’ up, catch the bad guys, mindless trip into the base world of drug lords and mobsters. The movie Heat with Robert Deniro, Al Pacino, Val Kilmer and a number of other well known actors was more entertaining and that’s not saying much.

If you decide to see this movie you will probably leave feeling numb to the violence, bored and wishing you would had spent two hours doing something else. The fact that we saw it in Las Vegas, “Sin City”, probably didn’t help much, but there isn’t much you can really do for this movie since there isn’t much too it.

Our advice for Miami Vice, pardon the pun, is to wait for the rental, if you are a Jamie Foxx and Colin Farrell fan, otherwise skip it all together and watch something with more substance.

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 took the kids to see Ant Bully on Saturday morning at the AMC Theater in Highlands Ranch. The MSN movie website at Ant Bully describes the movie as follows:

“A kid who hates ants finds himself living among the six-legged critters in this computer-animated comedy-adventure. Lucas Nickle (voice of Zach Tyler Eisen) is a ten-year-old boy whose family has just moved to a new town, and Lucas isn’t enjoying it much — he hasn’t made any friends yet, his big sister ignores him, his parents (voices of Larry Miller and Cheri Oteri) are occupied with their upcoming vacation in Mexico, and his loving but slightly crazy grandmother (voice of Lily Tomlin) is convinced space aliens are casing out the neighborhood. To make matters worse, the local bully has found Lucas and is making his life miserable, so the boy looks for someone he can push around — and he soon finds a large colony of ants in his yard. Lucas takes out his frustrations by stomping, drowning, and burying the bugs, little realizing the ants see him as a threat to their safety and aren’t about take his attacks lying down.”

The Review
Ant Bully reminded us too much of the movies Ants and A Bug’s Life with a little kid from Honey I Shrunk The Kids finding himself in the insect world to make it a bit different. Of course, all of these films were successful at the Box Office, so I’m sure that Ant Bully was a sure thing for Hollywood producers to get into production.

Becky and I were both bored with this film, having seen enough ants in cartoons over the years, along with a predictible storyline, but the kids really liked it. In fact, all of our kids thought it was a movie that you and your kids shouldn’t miss. So, don’t expect much as a parent, but the odds are pretty good that your kids will like it.
John – ** Rental
Becky – ** Rental

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