Category Archives: Uncategorized

John & Becky's Movie Review of Star Trek

star trekBecky and I took the kids to see Star Trekfor date night last night at the AMC theaters in Highlands Ranch, CO. I know, kids on Date Night? What’s up with that? We see so many movies together, as anyone who reads our reviews knows, that we figured we would introduce the kids to Capt. James T. Kirk and the famous Vulcan, Spock. The Fandango

website at Star Trek describes the movie as follows:

“Mission: Impossible III director and Alias creator J.J. Abrams resurrects the classic science fiction franchise created by Gene Roddenberry with this feature film that embraces the rich history of the influential television and film series while also exploring some uncharted territory…” Redemption: A Mile from Hell on dvd

The Review
Star Trek is a Summer Blockbuster that has arrived in the Spring. I’m not a big fan of Star Trek. Although, the original television series was great when I was a kid and Gilligan’s Island wasn’t on, but this movie delivered. I had seen the previous Star Trek’s where goofballs showed up in their costumes and this was nothing like the previous attempts to bring Star Trek to the masses. It has plenty of action!

Goblin Network AdThe story takes place before Capt. James T. Kirk becomes the Captain of the starship Enterprise and you meet all the characters from the original series. This was really cool, similar to how Star Wars went back and introduced how Skywalker became Lord Vader, but way better. There is action, drama, character development and conflict, including Spock struggling with his human emotions from his Mother’s gene pool.

There is also an appearance by the original Spock, Leonard Nimoy, that was very well done. It’s cool that Nimoy and William Shatner are still able to pull off parts in films at their ages. They were both born in 1931 and Nimoy has the same birthday, March 26th as our son Conroy, which is funny because I told Conroy he reminds me of Spock. He’s just way to logical. An interesting note by the way, is that Shatner was born on March 22, 1931, so he and Nimoy were born just four days apart…co-incidence?

The cast for this film was perfect with Chris Pine, from Bottle Shock, as Capt. Kirk. He got his butt kicked a couple times, which was believable. You may not recognize Eric Bana as the evil Nero, along with some other actors you’ve seen in other films, but not over the top star power. I think that was a good move for this film, instead of going for major movie stars. It’s one of the things that made the original Star Wars so successful because we hadn’t seen much of Harrison Ford and other cast members at the time.

We went with the Tactaquins and they brought their tribe, so we pretty much filled a row at the theater. We all liked it and Conroy commented that Harry Potter dealt with time travel way better than Star Trek, which I thought was pretty funny. Conroy and Corban were a bit lost in Spock’s attempt to master a black hole, but beyond that it was a great flick. It’s probably too adult for most kids under about 11 years old, since it’s easy to get lost in the characters, so we kind of missed it there.

Becky even liked it though and followed along and she hates these kind of movies, if that tells you anything. I thought it was a great flick and don’t think you should miss it on the big screen. They are even showing it on the IMAX for a few more bucks which could make it even more fun.

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

The Killing Fields dvdrip

Corban – *** Worth The Trip
Conroy – *** Worth The Trip
Bianca – *** Worth The Trip

The Shootist move

_________________________________________________________________________
John Boyd

Auto Consultant – John Boyd: The Cool Car Guy

John is an auto consultant with JFR & Associates in Denver, Colorado. Find his consignments at JFRCars.com Death Ride aka Haunted Highway dvd . 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 17 Again

17againposter2Becky and I took the kids to see the movie 17 Again last week when we were in Tucson, AZ. We saw about four movies while we were down there, so I’m a bit behind on the movie reviews and playing catch up. The Yahoo Movies website at 17 Again describes the movie as follows:

“What would you do if you got a second shot at life? Class of 1989, Mike O’Donnell is a star on his high school basketball court with a college scout in the stands and a bright future in his grasp. But instead, he decides to throw it all away to share his life with his girlfriend Scarlett and the baby he just learned they are expecting. Almost 20 years later, Mike’s glory days are decidedly behind him…”

The Review
17 Again

Road to Bali move
Patriot Games film

is a a fun movie about wanting to go back and do your life again because of the missed opportunities then actually getting the chance to do it. The two actors didn’t really fit because they looked nothing like one another, but they both played their parts very well. Leslie Mann was fantastic in this movie and all the actors were very funny.

Goblin Network Ad

The story was really good and it makes you realize that you need to enjoy where you are right now. Too many people live in the past, instead of embracing the Scripture that says “It came to pass.” and being in the moment right now. The movie has a very redeeming aspect to it and has a fantastic message about putting God and family first. It’s more directed toward teenagers and adults than little kids and there are parts of the film that were not for our children based on their ages, but most of those scenes went over their heads.

We all thought it was a good movie and definitely worth the trip to the box office.

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

Corban – *** Worth The Trip
Conroy – *** Worth The Trip
Bianca – **** 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. Find his consignments at JFRCars.com

Redemption: A Mile from Hell ipod

. 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

Pulse 3 movie

John & Becky's Movie Review Of The Soloist

soloist_posterMy parents came over last night to hang out with our kids and see Bianca for her birthday, so Becky and I went to the AMC theaters in Highlands Ranch to see the new flick The Soloist. I’m still way behind on movie reviews, but I figured I would stay current by writing a review of this movie first.

Redemption: A Mile from Hell movies

The Curse of El Charro film The Secret of Moonacre on dvd

The Fandango website at The Soloist describes the movie as follows…

“The Soloist is a biographical drama about real-life musical prodigy Nathaniel Anthony Ayers, who dropped out of Julliard after developing schizophrenia and became a homeless musician on the streets of Los Angeles. Journalist Steve Lopez discovers the former classical music prodigy, playing his violin on the streets. As Lopez endeavors to help the homeless man find his way back, a unique friendship is formed, one that transforms both their lives.”

The Review
The Soloist is a drama about a newspaper reporter and a musically gifted homeless person having an encounter in Los Angeles at a time when Hurricane Katrina is in the news and newspapers are starting their layoffs. It’s really about the gifted musician, turned homeless man, Nathaniel Anthony Ayers, who went crazy while living in the basement of his home as a young man and losing himself in his music.  Of course, the famous University that he was accepted to never picked up on his illness and let him head to the streets.  There’s a shocker, that is never brought up in the film.  However, it’s also about Steve Lopez and his desire to change the man and save him from his demons. It’s pretty slow at times, so it’s a thinking flick and not a “Wow, that’s cool.” film, which is why I am rating it as a Rental, but a good rental.

Goblin Network AdIt’s not really implied in the film, but as you watch this movie pay attention to how isolated he is a a young man living in the basement of an old home and the glimpses you get of what’s going on around him. It seemed to me, like Nathaniel had seen a ghost or something paranormal, with voices speaking to him and he is living in a life of fear. Call it schizophrenia or whatever you want, but when external voices are speaking to you and you’re afraid to go into a closed apartment because of monsters in your head, that’s beyond the natural realm of reality.

However, the movie isn’t about changing him or freeing him from his demons and I think that’s what I didn’t like about it. It’s a good movie, but they slam the Christian guy who wants to help him get free of what is tormenting him, by arranging a solo concert to overcome his fears.  Even though that’s the ultimate goal of Lopez until the end of the film when he realizes he has no power to set anyone free.  The Christian guy is evil by association with Christ, but Lopez is great because he works for a newspaper, was what I felt was being portrayed.  The acting is really superb in this movie.

In spite of its shortcomings, The Soloist was a good film, if for nothing else, to see that there are some serious problems in America today that are all too often ignored. We have Drug America, Rich America, Middle-Class America, Poor America and Psychotic America. This comes out loud and clear in this movie and your heart breaks for the 90,000 homeless people living in Los Angeles alone, but you should also be disgusted that our politicians suck as bad as they really do, by not taking care of these people in need.

John – ** Rental

Becky – ** Rental

Still Waiting… dvdrip

_____________________
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 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid rip Donnie Darko rip

John & Becky's Movie Review Of X-Men Origins: Wolverine

wolverineposter3I met my brother Bob and my sons Conroy and Corban up at the AMC theater in Thornton last night to see the new flick X-Men Origins: Wolverine. I am so far behind on movie reviews, but I had to get one up on this one first because it’s just so darn cool! The Fandango The Curse of El Charro trailer Contract Killers film website at X-Men Origins: Wolverine describes the movie as follows…

“Leading up to the events of X-Men, X-Men Origins: Wolverine tells the story of Wolverine’s epically violent and romantic past, his complex relationship with Victor Creed, and the ominous Weapon X program. Along the way, Wolverine…”

The Review
X-Men Origins: Wolverine The Promotion movie is the story of the character Wolverine of the X-Men series, along with Sabertooth and some of the other mutants in this ongoing Marvel saga. If you’re an X-Men fan or a Hugh Jackman fan, you will love this flick! It’s violent, as you would expect, but the storyline is fantastic with plenty of action and drama. The characters are major cool and you learn how Wolverine becomes the indestructible mutant that he is in the other episodes.

Goblin Network AdKind of like Star Wars, the X-Men series did three movies and then went back to explain how these mutants came to be who they are with this episode focusing on Wolverine and his mutant brother. His incredible healing powers are explained, along with his amazing alloy blades and bone structure. It’s super cool, especially if you’re a super hero movie fan and in particular the mutants of X-Men.

Be sure and stay for the credits and watch them to the end because like IronMan and other flicks, there is another wild scene at the end of the flick. I would have to say that this X-Men was more like IronMan for overall fun and story quality. It may not get the greatest reviews, but we all thought it was well worth the price of admission and a trip to the big screen.

John – **** Don’t Miss It

Bob – **** Don’t Miss It XXx: State of the Union movie full

Slap Shot movie


Conroy – *** Worth The Trip
Corban – **** 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 State of Play

state-of-play

Becky and I escaped the Denver Spring snow storm yesterday to see State of Play, at the AMC theater in Highlands Ranch, CO yesterday afternooon. The Fandango website at State of Play describes the movie as follows…

“Oscar® winner Russell Crowe leads an all-star cast in a blistering thriller about a rising congressman and an investigative journalist embroiled in an case of seemingly unrelated, brutal murders. Crowe plays D.C. reporter Cal McCaffrey, whose handsome, unflappable U.S. Congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck) is the future of his political party: an honorable appointee who serves as the chairman of a committee overseeing defense spending. All eyes are upon the rising star to be his party’s contender for the upcoming presidential race. Until his research assistant/mistress is brutally murdered and buried secrets come tumbling out…”

The Review Tarzan movie full
Sate of Play is a blockbuster spring thriller that has plenty of star power, with Rachel McAdams, Russell Crow and Ben Affleck.  The story is definitely different and it’s pretty entertaining, while thought provoking.  There is a political conspiracy with a company that is getting paid billions to manage war profiteering, which makes the film believable given what we’ve seen in recent years.

Goblin Network AdState of Play is the complete opposite of a blow up everything, unrealistic flick like Fast & Furious and instead is a thought provoking, edge of your seat thriller that is very well done.  The characters are entertaining, the acting is great and the story is realistic.  Although, it was probably funded by a newspaper because part of the story is about the newspaper being controlled by a media giant and competing with online bloggers.

The bottom line is that State of Play is a great flick that we both enjoyed.  It’s one of the better movies we’ve seen this year for quality of content and entertainment value.  If you’re looking for a blow-up, shoot em’ up type flick go to Fast & Furious because this is not your film, but this is more like a Michael Clayton type film.

We both thought it was worth the price of admission and are rating it as Worth The Trip.

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 Hannah Montana: The Movie

hannah-montanaBecky and I took the kids to see Hannah Montana: The Movie

Georgia Rule on dvd

last week at the Kerasotes theaters in Castle Rock, CO. The Fandango website at Hannah Montana describes the movie as follows:

“Director Peter Chelsom takes the Disney Channel phenom to the big screen in a feature film extravaganza. Miley Stewart (Miley Cyrus) struggles to juggle school, friends and her secret pop-star persona; when Hannah Montana’s soaring popularity threatens to take over her life – she just might let it. So her father (Billy Ray Cyrus) takes the teen home to Crowley Corners, Tenn., for a dose of reality, kicking off an adventure filled with the kind of fun, laughter and romance even Hannah Montana couldn’t imagine..”

The Review
Hannah Montana: The Movie is a great new movie starring Miley Cyrus and her real life Dad Billy Ray Cyrus.  It’s about her fictitious character Miley Stewart who plays the character Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel and the challenges the young girl faces being a superstar.

Goblin Network AdThe story was great and there is a very good moral message about the importance of family and not getting caught up in fame and fortune.  The movie was very well done and we all enjoyed it and thought it was Worth The Trip.  Bianca of course, is a huge Hannah Montana fan, so she liked it more than any of us, but it was a great family film.

I was surprised that our boys liked it too and it’s very clean cut movie with great music and plenty of fun.

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

Corban – *** Worth The Trip
Conroy – *** Worth The Trip
Bianca – **** 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. Find his consignments at JFRCars.com. 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 Fast & Furious 4

fast-and-furious-poster-2Becky and I went to see Fast & Furious 4, at the AMC theater in Highlands Ranch, CO on opening night. The Fandango Georgia Rule buy website at Fast & Furious describes the movie as follows…

Vin Diesel and Paul Walker return to the film franchise that helped to launch each of their respective careers as the Fast and the Furious series winds to a close under the creative eye of Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift director Justin Lin. Fugitive ex-con Dom Toretto (Diesel) is back in Los Angeles to seek out the truth behind a high-profile crime, but his presence in town doesn’t sit well with Agent Brian O’Conner (Walker)…

The Review 
Fast & Furious 4 Nomad on dvd Zathura: A Space Adventure ipod

Vampires vs. Zombies video  is a guy flick for sure.  Beautiful women, muscle cars, fast cars, plenty of adrenaline and action from start to finish.  The story is a continuation of the previous films with Vin Diesel’s character running from the law and Paul Walker’s character working for the FBI undercover to catch the bad guys.

Goblin Network AdThere was a waiting line to get into this film and it was pretty much sold out at AMC when we went to the theater.  Of course, what does that say about our society when there is a waiting line to get into see the fourth installment of this film.  I was surprised there was enough content to make four of these movies, but it’s all about the action and the cars.

There is plenty of action and a bunch of extremely far fetched scenes, like most action films, but it wasn’t as bad as many that we’ve seen in the action genre over the years.

If you’re a car fan, you’ll love this film because there are so many great vehicles.  You will also scratch your head a few times and say, “That’s not possible!”, but it’s still pretty darn fun.  There are few parts of the film that should have made it rated R instead of PG-13.  They definitely pushed the ratings envelope with this one.  It was funny though listening to some of the teenagers talk about the cars they couldn’t afford and one of them said to his buddies, “I can watch that movie at least five more times!”

and I could see it again too.

I was surprised Becky liked it as much as she did.  I thought for sure she was just seeing it for me.  If you’re a car guy, it’s a Don’t Miss It, otherwise it was Worth The Trip.

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

Auto Consultant – John Boyd: The Cool Car Guy

Outlaw Trail: The Treasure of Butch Cassidy trailer

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 Adventureland

adventurelandBecky and I had the kids sleep over at my brother’s tonight, so we decided to see Adventureland Cinderella Man rip , at the AMC theater in Highlands Ranch, CO. The Fandango website at Adventureland describes the movie as follows…

It’s the summer of 1987, and James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg), an uptight recent college grad, can’t wait to embark on his dream tour of Europe. But when his parents (Wendie Malick and Jack Gilpin) announce they can no longer subsidize his trip , James has little choice but to take a lowly job at a local amusement park. Forget about German beer, world-famous museums and cute French girls-James’ summer will now be populated by belligerent dads, stuffed pandas, and screaming kids high on cotton candy…

The Review
Adventureland is promoted by the studio as a comedy with a few actors from Saturday Night Live, so we were expecting a comedy. Instead of a comedy, we got a two hour drama that was more depressing and boring than actually funny.

Becky and I saw the trailer for this movie a number of times and thought it was going to be a pretty fun flick, but the best thing Goblin Network Adabout this movie were the cars. There was a Pacer that one of the main characters drove and a Plymouth Duster was driven by another of the characters. That’s pretty sad when the most exciting thing in the movie are those two vehicles! There were a couple funny parts, but overall it was a very lame attempt at comedy.

One of the main character’s Mom had died and her Dad had married a bald woman to replace her Mother, so she was whacked out and sleeping with a married guy.  The other main character was super smart, but smoked dope the entire movie and was working at Adventureland to try to raise money to go to graduate school at an Ivy League school where he had been accepted.  Another really pretty girl in the film was an air head who’s Dad had lost his job and she was whacked out.  The entire movie was about a bunch of misfits who had to work at this lame amusement park and their lives were depressing.

We can’t even recommend Adventureland as a good rental. Our advice is to skip this flick all together and you’ll be glad that you didn’t waste your time or money. It’s sure to be showing up on one of the cable channels as a late night movie sooner than later, so if you’re really bored some night you can tune in then.

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

Auto Consultant – John Boyd: The Cool Car Guy Up in Smoke movie
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.comSurf’s Up divx

John & Becky’s Movie Review Of 12 Rounds

12roundsposter1Last week Becky and I decided to go see the new movie with John Cena called 12 Rounds, at the Kerasotes theater in Castle Rock, CO. The Fandango website at 12 Rounds describes the movie as follows.

WWE star John Cena headlines his sophomore action picture as a police officer whose wife is kidnapped in New Orleans. Daniel Kunka provides the script, with Deep Blue Sea’s Renny Harlin handling the directing duties for the 20-million-dollar Fox Atomic/WWE Films production. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide…

The Review The Merry Gentleman movie
12 Rounds stars another professional wrestler turned movie star, John Cena, as an ordinary cop with amazing abilities.  His character finds himself at the wrong place at the wrong time and ends up busting a mass murderer by accident.  In the process of the arrest he accidentally gets the criminal’s girlfriend killed while trying to arrest them both.  It wasn’t really his fault, but the bad guy thinks he was responsible and is out for revenge.

Goblin Network Ad12 Rounds is like a cross between a Bruce Willis Die Hard film and Speed, if you ever saw that one, with Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves.  There is plenty of action and excitement as you go on 12 Rounds of mayhem caused by the bad guy sending the cop on wild goose chases around the city to prevent potential disasters from taking place.

The movie has some great plot twists and it’s actually pretty exciting and not a bunch of sex or swearing in the film, just plenty of non-stop action.  We both thought it was pretty entertaining and although we didn’t know the actor from his wrestling career, he pulled off this character really well.

Becky and I both thought 12 Rounds was Worth The Trip and if you don’t get a chance to see it in the theater, be sure and put it on your rental list.  We both like action flicks, so this one lived up to its expectations.

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 The Breed the movie 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.comFour Rooms release

John & Becky's Movie Review Of Monsters vs. Aliens

monstersvsaliensposterBecky and I took the kids to see Monsters vs. Aliens on Saturday, along with a few other neighbor kids for Conroy’s Birthday, at the Kerasotes theaters in Castle Rock, CO. The Yahoo

website at Monsters vs Aliens The Merry Gentleman ipod describes the movie as follows:

“When California girl Susan Murphy is unwittingly clobbered by a meteor full of outer space gunk on her wedding day, she mysteriously grows to 49-feet-11-inches tall. Alerted to the threat of this new monster, the military jumps into action and Susan is captured and secreted away to a covert government compound…”

The Review
Monsters vs. Aliens is another great Dreamworks animated film that is knocking it doing monstrous sales at the box office. Like Shrek and other Dreamworks flicks, this one is very entertaining and had a great story to go along with the animation. It’s also available in 3D, but we cheaped out and didn’t spring for the $9 for the 3D version. We spoke with a number of friends who saw it in 3D and said it was worth the extra dough, so keep that in mind if you decide to go see it.

Goblin Network Ad Observe and Report movie download By now, you’ve probably seen the commercials for Monsters vs. Aliens and there are plenty of funny scenes to keep you laughing. There’s some good adult humor too, like the “convenient truth” line was a pretty good one from the Missing Link. If you don’t pay attention you’ll probably miss some of them.

The kids loved this movie and I’m sure we’ll be buying it when it hits the DVD racks. In the meantime, it’s definitely Worth The Trip and probably a Don’t Miss It.

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

Corban – **** Don’t Miss It Cinderella Man movie download
Conroy – **** Don’t Miss It
Bianca – **** 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. Find his consignments at JFRCars.com Home on the Range download . 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