Jim's Movie Reviews

To Advertise on www.MIentertainment.biz click here

"Tropic Thunder" A Bizarre, Confused Movie
"Pineapple Express" Predictable Fun
Clone Wars Drones On
Mummy Better than Expected
Swing Vote Swings into Predictable Territory
Ferrell & Reilly a Riot in "Step Brothers"
Dark Knight A Good One for Fans
"Mamma Mia" Stays True to the Show
"Wall-E and His Friends are Delightful
Get Smart is Smart Fun
The Happening Doesn't Happen
The Promotion a Big Waste of Everything
SOP not Your Standard Film
Kung fu Panda is Fun
Sex Just for Fans
Indiana Jones is Back
Iron Man is Solid Fun
21:A Flashy Film
Semi-Pro: Will has Been Funnier
Jumper: The Movie
Blood a Disappointment
Cloverfield is Fast and Frightening
"Missed Call" Misses the Mark
Bucket List a Hit with Heart
Juno: a Cute Offbeat Film
No Country Nothing Special
Wilson's War a Historic Treasure
Sweeney Todd Disappointing
Chipmunks Cute but Predictable
Diving Bell Oscar Material
Atonement a "Don't Miss" Film
Enchanted is a Fun Romp
Hitman
Rush in to See Rush
BeoWulf Doesn't Do It
Lions for Lambs
Buzz into Bee Movie
Michael Clayton is a Winner
The Kingdom is One Great Movie
Past Reviews

"Tropic Thunder" A Bizarre, Confused Movie  (posted 8-16-08)

 Rating: 2 out of Fordyce

Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. lead an ensemble cast in "Tropic Thunder." This is an action comedy about a group of self-absorbed actors who are making an expensive epic film about the Viet Nam war. After ballooning costs force the studio chief (Tom Cruise) to threaten to fire the director, that frustrated director takes the cast into the jungles of Southeast Asia, where they encounter real bad guys. While the premise seemed good and the all-star cast made this movie an attractive "must see" on my movie list, I was disappointed. The big problem is this film can't decide if it is a comedy or a drama. The strange story lines hover between the two genres leaving viewers confused. A few things, like how a Hollywood agent got to Viet Nam to save the day and why a 12-year-old cigar smoking boy is running one of the world's largest drug rings are not explained and hard to swallow. The film does have some good lines and some funny moments. The special effects are also well done. But those things don't make up for the shortcomings in the film that should have been much better. This one gets a mediocre 2 out of Fordyce.

[back to top]

"Pineapple Express" Predictable Fun  (posted 8-16-08)

 Rating: 2 out of Fordyce

The guys who brought us Superbad are back, this time for the action-comedy "Pineapple Express." Seth Rogen is the stoned out process server Dale Denton. While trying to serve a subpoena, he witnesses a murder. The murderers trace Denton to his pot dealer Saul, the only one in the city who sells the rare new weed called Pineapple Express. Saul and Dale take it on the lam and that's is of course where the funny stuff starts. This movie has some good lines and action. James Franco is great as Saul and he carries this movie. But this is more of the same from Rogen who seems to always be playing the exact same character. In this film he appears to be in his early 30's inexplicably has a teen-age girlfriend who is still in High School. First of all no way this guy would have amber Heard as his gal pal and this part of the plot makes no sense in the beginning and even less sense when he visits her family for dinner. I also am still trying to figure out how they continued to drive a car after the air bag went off. So this one is funny, but not that funny. I will give it 2 out of Fordyce.

[back to top]

  "Clone Wars" Drones on  (posted 8-15-08)
 Rating: 1 out of Fordyce
  I am a big Star Wars fan. I have been since I  first saw Luke, Han and the Princess at the Lafayette Theater in Suffern, NY in the 1970’s.  So I was not going to miss “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” but now I wish I had.  I was first in line at the midnight show for this animated adventure which was obviously  made as a thinly veiled reason to get money out of Star Wars fans.
The weak plot here has something to do with a clone war, but you are not quite sure what is going on. The clone war is a sub plot with Obi-Wan Kenobi and Master Yoda, badly woven in to a semi related story line with Anakin Skywalker and his Padawan learner Ahsoka Tano on a mission to rescue Jabba the Hutt’s son.  The Padawan character is one of the most annoying beings ever put on screen.  She whines and complains for two hours. I kept hoping a light saber would seal her mouth shut.
 The voices in this film are from mediocre actors trying to imitate the original stars who wisely avoided being involved in this mistake. This cast is just plain stiff. It’s like they sat around a living room and passed around a Mister Microphone between beers.
The studio says: "Star Wars" takes on a dazzling new look in the first-ever animated feature from Lucasfilm Animation
Jim says: The animation looks like it was drawn with crayons from a 64 count box where the built in sharpener did not work.
So here is a tip: Skip this one. It only gets one out of Fordyce. If you need a Star Wars fix, get out your DVD’s and watch the real thing

[back to top]

“The Mummy 3" Better than Expected (August 13,2008)

 Rating: 2 out of Fordyce

I was in Toronto the other day on a business trip and caught up with my friend Jesse after my meetings. After the best ribs I have ever eaten at a place called “Baton Rouge” (check it out when you visit Toronto) we wanted to go see “Pineapple Express” but the movie schedule didn’t fit ours, so we headed to see
“The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor”
This fim premiered a few weeks back, but neither of us had seen it so in we went.
This is the third in the Mummy series and I have not seen the first two, so I must say right up front that the filmmakers did the right thing and made this move stand alone. You learn enough in the beginning to know the characters and get right into the plot

In  "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor." Brendan Fraser returns as explorer Rick O'Connell to combat the resurrected Han Emperor (Jet Li) in an epic that races from the catacombs of ancient China high into the frigid Himalayas. Rick is joined in this all-new adventure by son Alex (newcomer Luke Ford), wife Evelyn (Maria Bello) and her brother, Jonathan (John Hannah). And this time, the O'Connells must stop a mummy awoken from a 2,000-year-old curse who threatens to plunge the world into his merciless, unending service.
 As the monarch roars back to life, our heroes find his quest for world domination has only intensified over the millennia and needless to say they must stop him.
The plot in this one is a little predictable, but it is one of the fun action flicks that don’t require a lot of thinking on your part. .  You can sit back and enjoy the creativity of the writers and some great special effects. I thought they went a little over the edge with the abominable snow men, but if you can believe in a mummy coming back to life, I guess you can accept that too
I give this one 2 out of Fordyce, but I imagine the fans of the series will like it more than I did

[back to top]

"Swing Vote" Swings into Predictable Territory(August 8,2008)

Rating: 2 out of Fordyce

With the presidential race in full swing, “Swing Vote” is a movie that focuses in on America’s political system and the importance of one vote. In this case, it is the vote of Bud Johnson.  Kevin Costner plays the apathetic, beer-slinging, lovable loser who has custody of  his precocious, over-achieving twelve-year-old daughter Molly played by newcomer  Madeline Carroll.   On election Day, she accidentally sets off a chain of events which culminates in the election coming down to one vote... her dad's.

 With one man about to decide the future of the republic, the two candidates running for the nation’s top office and their staffs swoop in on the small New Mexico town where Johnson lives in a beat up trailer. Kelsey Grammer is marvelous as the Incumbent President and Dennis Hopper is equally good as his democratic opponent. The two candidates set out to get the only vote that matters. They wine, dine and try to impress Bud and change their views depending on what they think Bud thinks.  The movie is cute and has nice social message, but the premise is very far fetched and it has the most predictable ending I have seen in ages. I give this one 2 out of Fordyce. Political junkies will like it more than most.

[back to top]

Ferrell & Reilly are a Riot in "Step Brothers" (posted:7/23/08)

Rating: 3 out of Fordyce

More than a week before it opened, some of us got a chance to catch this new comedy at a "MIentertainment.Biz - Ebling and You" sneak preview screening. That means we already know the secret here.This very crude movie is funny. Will Ferrrell and John C.Reilly play two spoiled adult "boys". One lives with Mommy, one with his daddy. when Mom and Dad meet and get married, they have to move in together and share a room. Putting it bluntly, this is a silly premise that makes no sense, but it does make for a lot of laughs. Ferrell and Reilly just go with it and the result is little bad boy humor being played out by adult men. Ferrell and Reilly both helped write the script and they were smart enough to put in characters they could play off of. Among them: Adam Scott as the "good" yet evil brother , Mary Steenburgen and Richard Jenkins as Mom and Dad and Seth Rogen in a cameo of a guy almost as weird as our stars. Bottom line here is this movie is full of silly, meaningless and very crude humor. It gets a funny three out of Fordyce, but if you are easily offended skip it and this one is rated R for a many good reasons so leave the kids at home. You don't want your kids tuning out like this guys.

[back to top]

The Dark Knight is A Good Movie especially for Fans (posted:7/18/08)

Rating: 3 out of Fordyce

It was a critic's nightmare. Two movies I have been dying to see both starting at the same time. The latest Batman movie and The move made from my favorite musical "Mamma Mia!" I was actually heading into see "Mamma Mia" at the first midnight show. Part of my reason was simple. The two theaters I frequent were both sold out. I figured I could see MM then since I am part vampire, I could catch the Dark Knight at the 2:30 am showing. (Yes that is 2:30 in the morning and it was sold out too.) and be back in my coffin, err.. bed.. yah that's it, bed befor sunrise. But as I walked into the theater I was handed two tickets to the Batman Movie and who could resist he temptation to follow people dressed as bats and jokers into a packed theater fo devoted fans ready for this sequel. After more coming attractions than I have seen in years "The Dark Knight" began. The Batman movie reunites director Christopher Nolan with star Christian Bale, who returns to continue Batman's war on crime. With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) and District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), Batman sets out to destroy organized crime in Gotham for good. The triumvirate proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a rising criminal mastermind known as the Joker played wondefully by the late Heath Ledger. The man with the quirky habits and painted on smile thrusts Gotham into anarchy and forces the Dark Knight ever closer to crossing the fine line between hero and vigilante. Fans were not disappointed. Morgan Freeman was back as Wayne Industries go high tech guy and you can't help but love Michael Caine as Alfred the butler. The crowd I was with seemed to like the film and enjoyed the typical Batman requirements. His batmobile, his gadgets, and his girls. Those ladies of course are with the Batman's alter ego millionare Bruce Wayne. The plot is a little predictable, a little slow and in many places far fetched even for a comic book movie. It is also too long. The movie was 2 hours and 30 minutes, after arriving at 11:45 and sitting through all the pre movie stuff, we spent three hours in the theater. Most of the crowd was getting a little fidgety as the clock approached 3 am. I would be OK with a long movie, if it had to be that long, but this one did not. Although my young freind Nolan said he would give this one a four, I can ony give it a very good three out of Fordyce. A little trim around the edges would have would have made this the perfect 2 hours of fun.

By the way I wasn't alone at the Midnight Movies.
This just in from Variety: (6/18/08 9 am edt))

The Dark Knight grossed the most ever for midnight shows, earning a massive $18.5 million from 3,040 theaters. The number did not include the 3:00 a.m. and 6 a.m. showings.

The Batman Begins follow-up broke the previous midnight record set by 20th Century Fox's Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith which grossed $16.9 million from 3,663 theaters. "Sith" went on to make $50 million in its first day, which was a Thursday. The highest single day opening record is currently held by Sony's Spider-Man 3, which made $59.8 million
[back to top]

“Mamma Mia!” is Lot’s of Fun,
but Fans will enjoy it More Than Most (posted:7/18/08)

Rating: 3 out of Fordyce

The regulars know I love “Mamma Mia”. I will see the stage version for the 15th time when it returns to Wharton Center later this year. Meryl Streep leads an all-star cast in the feature-film adaptation of the beloved musical that has been seen by more than 30 million people in 160 cities around the world.  It is a simple story about a girl getting married who does not know who her father is. She reads Mother’s diary and learns Mommy had three guys enjoy her company in a very short time some two decades ago. So she invites all three to her wedding Now let’s face it, this show was written as an excuse to sing a lot of ABBA songs and lots of people have liked it on stage. I am one of them and know this show backwards and forwards.  My first fear when I heard it was being made into a movie was that Hollywood would change it around. The filmmakers left it alone and gave us a big screen version shot on location in Greece. It is worth the price of  admission to just look at that gorgeous scenery. but you can also sing along. Come on, you all know the songs, even if you won’t admit it. It is dark in the theater and no one will see you tapping you toes. You can also laugh out loud at some funny lines and enjoy some big productions numbers that are expanded from their limitations of the stage show into a form that only can be done on the big screen.

When the cast was announced, there were many who wondered if Meryl Streep could sing.  She can! There were those that wondered if co-star Pierce Brosnan could sing. He can’t. His acting was good and mercifully, the chorus joined in a lot to draw attention away from his lack of musical talent.  He was there to play the mature stud muffin. Dominic Cooper was the young stud muffin and he like Brosnan should not try to start a career as a singer. I can only imagine what Simon would have to say about these two if they headed for American Idol. Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård, Christine Baranski, Julie Walters, and Amanda Seyfried  round  out the cast very well.

Another thing I thought of as I went into the theater is how will the producers handle the famous ending. On stage, the cast comes out and sings ABBA songs in the appropriate garb. There is nothing quite like an orange jumpsuit with 6 inch platform shoes to make you long for the late 70’s. Depending on the cast and the audience, I have seen this ending last anywhere from five minutes to well over a half hour. It is one of the reasons I always leave this show smiling. Well I won’t reveal anything, but I will say I left the theater smiling and was not disappointed. I give “Mamma Mia” a very good Three out of Fordyce. Fans of the group and the show will like it more than most, but after the rest of you see the Dark Knight, go and escape into this one. It is 108 minutes of light fun.
[back to top]

Wall-E and Friends are Delightful (posted:6/27/08)

Rating: 3 out of Fordyce

It is plain and simple Wall-E is cute and so is his girlfriend Eve. If you have been under a rock, Wall-E is the newest animated film from Disney and Pixar and it is a fun two hours.
After hundreds of lonely years of doing what he was built for, Wall-E (short for Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) discovers a new purpose in life when he meets a sleek search robot named EVE. EVE comes to realize that Wall-E has inadvertently stumbled upon the key to the planet's future, and races back to space to report her findings.

The love struck robot chases the object of his affection across the galaxy and sets into motion a great tale with humor, lots of social commentary an animation so life like you will want to invite them to your house. This treasure is from Academy Award-winning writer-director Andrew Stanton ("Finding Nemo") gets a good 3 out of Fordyce. Grab your friend aand the family and go and enjoy this one. All ages will love it. And lucky us. Before the movie you will be treated to a Pixar short that is just great. It has been a long time since we saw a cartoon before the movie.

Academy Award-winning writer-director Andrew Stanton

[back to top]

"Get Smart" is a Smart Bet for Fun (posted:6/20/08)

Rating: 3 out of Fordyce

I was a big fan of the TV series when I was a
young 'un and I couldn't wait to see the big screen adaptation of "Get Smart" WhenI saw the first promos a while back I thought Steve carell was the perfect choice to play Maxwell Smart, the bumbling secret agent and i was right. He said all along he tried not imitate the role's creator, Don Adams and he was successful at that goal, making his "Smart" a little smarter and a more 21st century. In this movie, we have a typical ploy for any spoy film. The bad guys, in this case "Kaos" the international organization of evil, steal the nuclear fuel and threaten the world and the recently promoted Agent 86 is assigned to work with Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway) and off they go. I saw this film with a young freind who had never seen the TV series and he liked it alot and had some good laughs, which means the writing staff which included series creators Mel Brooks and Buck Henry did a fine job of making a movie that stands by itself. They also did a great job of paying homage to the original. There were updated gadgets and a 21st century "Cone of Silence" that like its predecessor does not work well. The anitique shoe phone was cleverly worked into the plot as were the antique cars. Very few of us will catch the signifigance of the Sunbeam and the Karman Ghia, but I did and just laughed. (The series changed networks when it was TV and Max drove the Sunbeam on NBC and the Volkswagen on ABC) There was also a cameo from the original Seigfried Bernie Kopell.
The cast includes Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson as agent 23, Alan Arking who great as the cheif of Control and cameos from Bill Murray and Kevin Nealon. It's a fun film, grab the gang and enjoy. I give this one a good 3 out of Fordyce

[back to top]

"The Happening" doesn't Happen (posted:6/14/08)

Rating: 1 out of Fordyce

Fresh from his disaster "Lady in the Water " Director M. Night Shyamalan, ( "The Sixth Sense" and "Signs") brings us his new fright flick "The Happening" with Mark Wahlberg and Zooey Deschanel

"The Happening," is the story an airborne toxin that prompts people to kill themselves in some fascinating ways. Particularly amusing was all the construction workers jumping off the building and the man who threw himself under the runaway lawn mower. Wahlberg is our hero, but the wimpiest hero I have ever seen. Here is a science teacher who grabs his whacked out wife (Deschanel) and flees the city. Whalberg delivers his lines with his character's theories on what it might be with all of the excitement of a small dusty bowl of plastic fruit. I must assume the airborne toxin also snuffed out everyone's ability to act in this movie. Deschanel's character survives the whole movie, despite the audience wishing she was dead and The plot is silly and left unresolved as we never learn what really caused it. What we do learn is that they plan to make a sequel which is the most frightening part of this film which gets a mere 1 out of Fordyce.

[back to top]

The Promotion a Waste of Film, Time & Gas (posted 6-12-08)

Rating: 1 out of Fordyce

After an opening in NY and LA last week, "The Promotion" opens tomorrow (Friday June 13) in wide release and if you want to make your day really unlucky, head for this really bad movie. Oscar-nominated actor, John C. Reilly ("Chicago," "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby") and Seann William Scott ("American Pie") cant save this story about two assistant supermarket managers competing ruthlessly for the job as the manager of the company's new store     The studio PR says "the duo battle toward a hilarious final showdown that will leave you guessing until the very end" so lets start there and work backwards. The end is so obvious you will figure it out long before the inane ending. By the time you get to the end, you will have sat through a bad script about people you never really care about.  The story is so implausible, you don't believe any of it.. For instance, did you ever see the assistant manager of your local Kroger out patrolling the parking lot trying to reason with local hoodlums? Then there is the suggestion box that is in the parking lot where Scott's character keeps going to check the comment cards. Inside the grocery store no one is believable. And this film is full of un funny   jokes that are sure to insult Police, overweight people, African Americans, Hispanics, people with mental problems and Banjo playing homosexuals who you never see. I am kind of surprised they missed Jews, Arabs and Muslims. And the quality of the shooting was only slightly better than a mm 70's porno film.  The only reason this film doesn't get the dreaded NO DICE is a funny scene with a paper bag and a second one involving clam sauce, so I have to give it One out of Fordyce. I drove to Novi for the preview screening of this Turkey of a movie. The Mientertainment Van is not an economy car, so basically I spent $30 worth of gas and a 110 mile round trip to go witness this travesty of filmmaking. The only good part about wasting my time and money is the satisfaction I have of warning you not to waste even one drop of gasoline traveling to the theater to watch this one

[back to top]

"Standard Operating Procedure":
A Documentary to Make You Think and Question

Rating: 3 out of Fordyce

 A documentary I saw at a preview last month is now making its way to local theaters. "Standard Operating Procedure" is the story of the now famous Photographs taken by soldiers in Abu Ghraib prison

Director Errol Morris tries to answer the question "Did the notorious Abu Ghraib photographs constitute evidence of systematic abuse by the American military, or were they documenting the aberrant behavior of a few "bad apples"?

The film uses interviews with the people involved. Yes, you do hear from the soldiers who where there taking the pictures and in the pictures. Some have served jail time for the event. You will also here the high points of  a million and a half words of interview transcript. This movie is presented in a style that seems like "60 minutes" on steroids. It is high tech and a fast movie as we are taken quickly form scent to scene. You will see the pictures uncensored and un cropped. While this is enlightening, there are some disturbing images, so this is not for the kids or the squeamish. It is for people who want to learn about this event and get some more insight into the story than they got from the short sound bites on the evening news. I did question if this was a little one sided, a point made at the end of the film. But this one is worth your time, I t gets a good three out of Fordyce.

[back to top]

Kung Fu Panda is Fun Film for All (posted:6/6/08)

Rating: 3 Out of Fordyce

I was off to Lansing Mall Cinema for opening night of "Kung Fu Panda". This animated delight stars Jack Black as the voice of "Po" an enthusiastic yet clumsy panda who is the biggest fan of kung fu around. We learn there are no accidents when he "accidentally" is chosen to fulfill an ancient prophecy as the dragon warrior. Po's dreams become reality when he joins the world of kung fu but of course being a big panda is a problem as his master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) tries to make him the fast fit warrior who can save the Valley of Peace from the vengeful and treacherous snow leopard Tai Lung. Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu, and Randall Duk Kim add their voices to this film. Like most animated flicks this one is aimed at kids so it has lots of cartoon "boings" and stuff falling on heads with big "kerplunks". The young ones in the theater with us really enjoyed that along with several silly sight gags. But there are enough gags and jokes to keep the adults laughing too. This film is very predictable and is a short 92 minutes, the perfect length to keep the kids from getting fidgety and the adults from getting impatient. It gets a good three out of Fordyce, but don't expect anything deep and cerebral, just grab the family and your friends and enjoy this one just for fun

[back to top]

“Sex” Only for Fans of the Show (posted:5/31/08)

Rating: 2 Out of Fordyce

It was promoted like no movie has been in ages, but Sex and the City is nothing more than a long, and I do mean LONG episode of the HBO series about 4 women in New York City. When the series ended we all wondered if Carrie would marry “Mr. Big”(Chris Noth) and we found out, but why did we have to wait 2 and a half hours to find out? The film reunites author Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) and friends. They all meet up again for girl talk about men and deliver some very funny lines and wear some really nice clothes. And that is about it.  Big fans of the show will disagree with me and that’s who this movie was made for. This film was marketed to the legions of Women and Gay men who religiously watched the series when it was broadcast. LOGO, the gay TV network had a whole weekend previewing the film and on “Life Time” (television for women) it seemed like every commercial break since the turn of the century has had a spot for the film. But there was no attempt made to bring the rest of us into the “club” At the showing I saw on opening night, I was one of a handful of men in the theater and I watched as those guys who attended with their wives and girlfriends went on very long trips to the snack bar and the men’s room. I suspect some snuck in to Indiana Jones.  I must say Jennifer Hudson as Parker’s assistant was a welcome addition to this cast and there is some amusing stuff here. It is about 80 minutes of good filmmaking wrapped up in a 148 minute package. This one gets only two out of Fordyce, but fans of the show will want to see it and add one dice to that rating.

Guest reviews:

The following report from upstate New York comes from Jim's brother Ken Fordyce:

A group of females from Evergreen Lane Hulrey went on Saturday night to see "Sex and the City."  Each one enjoyed the movie, at least one said they would go again.  First hand reports from Manhattan said it was impossible to get into see Sex and City over the weekend unless you have previously purchased tickets.    There is no surprise here, a loyal (and reasonably large group) of followers have watch many episodes multiple times.

For me, personally (Dr. Ken), it remains a very unappealing story line -- and the movie maintained this view ---- of people without purpose or depth of intellect.

[back to top]

Indiana Jones is Back is Still Lots of Fun! (posted:5/22/08)

Rating: 3 Out of Fordyce

We waited a while to see him again and now Indiana Jones has returned to the big screen and in my opinion, it was worth the wait. I was off to Lansing Mall Cinema on opening with Josh, Sarah, and Nolan. We said Hi to manager Jason and the staff, grabbed some popcorn and welcomed Harrison Ford back in "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." I must admit, the plot here is a little thin, but it is a typical Indiana Jones adventure. There are two great chase scenes. One on a motorcycle with Shia LaBeouf, our co star with a secret,and one through the jungle that is just as exciting as the ones we have seen in past movies of the series. There is no attempt here to make indiana Jones still young. He has aged and we a reminded of that, especially when Karen Allen returns as Marion Ravenswood. You may remember her from "Raider of the Lost Ark" and after a 27 year separation from Indy, the relationship re kindles with lots of wise cracks and fighting and that undertone of affection we all loved the first time around. That first time around was in the 1930's and we were after the Nazi's a few year prior to World War II. In this film we fast forward to the late 1950's and the beginning of the cold war, so naturally there are soviet spies trying to get Cindy to lead them to the treasure. This time it is the Crystal Skull, a possible link to a lost city and beings we cannot begin to understand. The head russian spy is Irena Salk played wonderfully by Cate Blanchett as a cross between Adolf Hitler and Natasha of Rocky and Bulwinkle fame. It is worth the price of admission just to see her. But when you add in Ray Winstone and the charming rogue "Mac", John Hurt as Professor Oxely and the man eating ants, you have two hours of good fun that gets a good three out of Fordyce. Go and enjoy it, just don't try to analyze it.

Guest reviews:

Daisy Wilson wrote:

My daughter, Kay Lynn Wilson, stayed up to go see the Indiana Jones midnight movie.  I was too tired to go with her. 
She said , "she was glad to stayed up to go..it was worth it..she was surprised so many people were there especially on a work day.

Daniel Hogan Wrote:

I am a big Indiana Jones fan, so I have been waiting for this movie ever since they started filming it. Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of my all time favorite movies, so I was really excited when I heard that Karen Allen was reprising her role as Marion Ravenwood for this final(?) installment of the adventures of Henry Jones, Jr.
The important thing to remember when going in to see Crystal Skull is that you really can't compare it to the original trilogy, nor is it fair to. Many things have changed since 1989's Last Crusade, including the way films are made—which brings me to one of my first criticisms of the film, its occasional over-use of computer generated effects.
Yes, I'm aware that Indy movies are meant to be over the top pulp-fiction-comic-booky fun, but I really think there is such a thing as too much special effects when it comes to using computers. Thankfully, this did not plague the entire film, only in a few spots was this apparent—and even then it was towards the end when you'd expect nothing less from a Spielberg/Lucas film. But there were a few times where I found myself thinking, "OK, this is a little much." I can't really go into too much detail without giving away spoilers, but the final climatic/big special effect money shot really reeked of overkill.
Next is the subject matter/theme of this chapter.
Lost cities? Yes, please!
Haunted graveyards? Awesome!
Stolen treasure? Woo-hoo!
Aliens? Huh?
Physic powers? Uh…what?
While I was originally intrigued by the idea of Indy visiting Area 51 and being connected to the Roswell Crash, I decided that Indiana Jones and aliens just don't mix. Save that stuff for X-Files. It was just too left field for an Indiana Jones movie. There are plenty of other cool legendary artifacts they could of have centered the film around. What about the Spear of Destiny? The plot could have been that Hitler originally had it, lost it, and the Russians are trying to find it and Indy gets mixed up in the whole mess (and he'd have to fight the Nazis and the Russians! How crazy would that have been?)
Or what about something with Atlantis? I could go on and on. Don't get me wrong: I enjoyed the movie, it was a lot of fun. I just didn't like all the alien stuff.
Harrison Ford did a decent job reprising the role and once they finally got the 'Oh man, I'm too old for this' jokes out of the way, I found myself forgetting how old he really is. Some of his stunts and action scenes could have easily been from any of the older Indy movies—he's still got it.
One thing that didn't seem to stand the test of time was the chemistry between Harrison Ford and Karen Allen. I don't know if it was just the script or what, but some of their lines between each other seemed forced or lacked any kind of spark. But they had a few exchanges that were pretty darn good, usually when they were fighting with each other.
I'm still not sold on Shia LaBeouf as the big blockbuster star that Spielberg seems to think he is. Sure he was ok, and he had a few good scenes but overall I wasn't that impressed with him or his character, Mutt Williams.
Oh and Jim Broadbent was horribly underused. He was a great choice as a replacement for Marcus, but I would of liked to see a little more of him. And I got sick of all the Red Scare stuff they kept throwing at us. Yes, I get it. It takes place in the 1950s and that was going on, and the bad guys are Russians in the film, but c'mon.
I also wasn't a fan of some of the cinematography and lighting. Some of the film had this 'made for TV reunion movie' look/feel to it; I felt that lighting could have been way more interesting at times. There were parts where it was very flat and boring.
What I DID like: the casual references to what Indy has been up to for the past 20 years. Very neat, especially what he did during World War II ("Colonel Jones…"). John Hurt was great and Cate Blanchett was convincing in her role. The chase scene in the jungle with the trucks and such was thrilling to watch on the big screen, I loved that part. It was wonderfully over the top.
Thankfully, this film did not suffer from the same fate as Episode I: The Phantom Menace, it captured some of the charm of the original and is fun to watch (which can be chalked up to the fact that Spielberg has been making movies for the past 20 years, unlike Lucas who had a very long hiatus between Howard the Duck and Phantom Menace).
Despite its faults, this is a film worth seeing in the theater and a fun way to spend two hours. My expectations weren't set too high going in to this, so thankfully I wasn't too disappointed.

And to be honest, I can't wait to see it again.

Grant Kenney Wrote:

It was a pleasure to see my childhood hero back on the big screen. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull recaptures some of the classic Indy atmosphere, but loses its ground in other places. We follow Dr. Henry Jones Jr. on his latest adventure to reclaim a mysterious Crystal Skull to return to what is basically El Dorado. The movie starts off with Indy and sidekick Mac (a useless accessory to the film's
plot) as they've been kidnapped by Soviets. They are searching for the Skull to take over the world (sound familiar Indy buffs?). The opening action sequence inside Area 51 is just awesome. Indy kicks some serious butt in classic fashion. He escapes into the dessert and survives what could be the funniest atomic blast in movie history. This is the highest point in the movie. After that it seems to try and jump into the action and unloads too much historical information on the audience at one time in the film. Indy end up meeting Mutt Williams, played by Shia la Boef, who ends up being his son. I have to admit, I was VERY skeptical about this casting, mainly because Shia just annoys me. However, he pulled the part off extremely well. The movie takes Indy and Mutt into South America to combat the Soviets for the Crystal Skull, save the world and save the girl. The movie takes too much from the alien B-movies of the 50's that Lucas wanted to base the film on. It just doesn't suit Indy. I won't spoil it, but the end is rather anti-climatic as well. Harrison Ford performed a lot of his own stunts, but the movie just never seems to put Indy in that "oh crap, how does he get out of this?" moment. I mean Harrison Ford is 65, and it just looked too easy for Indy.
Overall, I was glad I saw the film, but walked away slightly disappointed. Going off the Fordyce scale of movie rating, I give Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and 2-and a half out of Fordyce.

[back to top]

"Iron Man" is Solid Fun (posted:5/2/08 1:30am)

Rating: 3 out of Fordyce

After a long dry spell at the movies, the first of the “summer blockbusters” has made its debut. I was among the first in line Thursday night to see “Iron Man”. Finally, we are back to fun at the movies!    Based on Marvel's comic book Super Hero, Robert Downey, Jr stars  in the story of Tony Stark, the genius inventor who is taken prisoner in a warzone and forced to build a weapon.  But our hero builds a high-tech suit of armor and escapes. When he returns to America,  he uncovers a sinister plot and launches into the air as Iron Man doing what any good superhero would do: Save the world, himself and the pretty girl. The first good thing about this movie is the producers resisted the temptation to overdo the story and the special effects. That made for believable fun if you just suspend a little bit of reality. Downey is perfect in the role. He plays his character as warm and charming, with a lot of bad boy attitude and genius thrown in.  Gwyneth Paltrow plays Tony’s ever loyal assistant, Pepper Potts. As in all good superhero movies, she is in love with him and watches while he heads off with the other babes, but does what she must to help save the day.  This film has a bevy of villains all out for themselves. But the one you love to hate the most is Obadiah Stane. Jeff Bridges has fun being one of the most evil men on the planet and it shows in his performance.  The plot is a little predictable and the men in the opening night crowd seemed to like this more than the ladies. It is two hours of movie fun that gets a good three out of Fordyce. Grab the popcorn and enjoy!

Guest Review from Daniel Hogan:

I'll admit that my expectations were set very low when I finally went to see Iron Man this past weekend. And perhaps this was the reason why the film was able to exceed all of my expectations.  It certainly can be added to the list of very enjoyable comic book adaptations, and most of that credit goes to the wonderful acting by Robert Downey, Jr.

I'll openly admit that my knowledge of Iron Man canon is minimal at best (I'm more of a Spider-Man, X-Men, Batman and Hellboy fan), but I know enough that the film did a more than passable job of condensing over 40 years of Iron Man lore in a way that is pleasing to both comic book and non-comic book fans.

Now back to Mr. Jr's acting.  Robert Downey's portrayal of playboy/inventor Tony Stark was, aside from the lovely effects by ILM, the high point of the film.  This role could have very easily been turned into another brooding Bruce Wayne/Batman- like character—both have similar traits: orphaned, very intelligent, non-super powered, inventor billionaires turned crime fighters– but Robert Downey made this character his own, and I'm very thankful for it. 

The scenes I enjoyed the most were those in which Tony is fine tuning his suit and figuring everything out through trial and error (usually with comedic results). This adds a great human element to the story, even a super genius like Tony Stark makes mistakes—but he learns from them and keeps going.  When he finally finishes his Iron Man suit, the audience shares Tony's feeling of accomplishment and is excited to see what the suit can do.

The first act of the film drags a bit, especially while Tony is held captive in Afghanistan, but after that things kick into high gear.  The special effects are great and look very believable, I found myself forgetting at times that the Iron Man on screen was just computer generated.  I love the shots where we see what Tony is 'seeing' through his suit's heads up display, those were very detailed and great eye candy.

I really enjoyed that they didn't turn this into some kind of love story and just focused on building the romantic tension between Tony and his assistant (played by Gwyneth Paltrow) Pepper Potts. 

Iron Man was an enjoyable kick off to what will surely be a fun summer movie season and hopefully things just keep getting better.

Oh and make sure to stick around after the credits for an extra scene. It is worth the wait.

[back to top]

21: A Flashy Fun Film (posted:4/6/08 1:30am)

Rating: 3 out of Fordyce

I know, I ws a week behind the rest of the world in catching's last weekend's number one movie, but I got there saturday night to see the story of the MIT students who beat the system at the black jack tables in Las Vegas. According to the studio "21" is the fact-based story about six MIT students who were trained to become experts in card counting and subsequently took Vegas casinos for millions in winnings. Jim Sturgess stars as young Ben Campbell, who is lured onto the black jack team by his math professor Micky Rosa played by Kevin Spacey. Campbell is very believable in his role as the young man who gets lured into the glitter and glamour of Vegas and Spacey is wonderful as the teacher. You know he is hiding something from everyone, nd you don't find thatt out until the end of this fast paced story line. Laurence Fishburne does well as the casino security consultant with more than one score to settle and when you add in Kate Bosworth for some pleasant scenery and her OK acting and you have a good film that gets 3 out of Fordyce.

[back to top]

Semi Pro Only Semi Funny (posted:2/29/08)

Rating:2 out of Fordyce

If they want to survive, Jackie and the Tropics must now do the seemingly impossible – win enough games to achieve at least 4th place. The film follows Moon and a team that includes Woody Harrelson as a washed up player on the journey to win. The problem is most of the journey isn't that funny. While I laughed so hard I cried watching Anchorman and almost split my side open at the jokes in Talladega Nights, this film makes you wait a long time between the laughs and the gags. Harrelson seems out of place and the rest of the team is kind of hard to embrace. But the are some good sight gags, some funny lines, pretty ladies and a bear so it is not a total loss. I also enjoyed the authentic 70's clothes, the classic 76 Cadillac and Ferrell's outrageous big hair which he called his "man-fro" and told me was all his. And we can't forget this is a hometown movie with lots of scenes shot in Michigan. So there is another good reason to go. I give this one two out of Fordyce.

[back to top]

Jumper: The Movie (posted:2/17/08)

Rating:3 out of Fordyce

I went by Lansing Mall Cinema Saturday night to drop off some posters for our Oscar Party and slipped into Theater 1 to catch "Jumper" which was the number one movie this weekend. This is the story of a young man named David with a genetic anomaly that allows him to teleport himself anywhere. He discovers this gift has existed for centuries and finds himself in a war that has been raging for thousands of years between "Jumpers" and those who have sworn to kill them because according to them, "Only God should have that power". This movie did not get good reviews from my colleagues, but I though it was better than other accounts I have read. The story line wasn't bad. Samuel L. Jackson is excellent as the head of the zealots sworn to find the jumpers at any cost and Hayden Christensen was believable as our young hero Jumper, who of course has a love interest (Rachel Bilson) and his mysterious Mom (Diane Lane) keeps jumping in and out (No pun intended). I can't understand why the producers had one actor (Max Thieriot) play the the teenage David and then have Christensen play him from 20-ish on up. It made no sense and the two do not look alike. But the action in this film was good, the plot was plausible and the special effects were great. So I will give this one a good three out of Fordyce.

[back to top]

"Blood" is a Let Down..(posted:1/27/08)

Rating:2 out of Fordyce

The only nominee for Best Picture I had not seen finally came to Lansing. "There Will Be Blood" chronicles the life and times of single father Daniel Plainview played brilliantly by Daniel Day-Lewis. Based on the 1927 Upton Sinclair Novel "Oil" this is the story of a down and out silver miner who turns himself into a self-made oil tycoon.
After a mysterious, (but hard to follow) tip that there's oil is oozing out of the ground in a small California town, Plainview heads there with his son.and locks horn with the young preacher preacher Eli Sunday played by Paul Dano. While the story is interesting, and the film is beautifully shot, you would think in an almost three hour long movie, they could take the time to explain everything. I left the theater with a few questions. What was the deal between the preacher and his brother? What was the purpose of the storyline with Plainview's brother? How come everyone else ages when we fast foward in time, but the teenage preacher, doesn't? And the big question "Why was this nominated for best picture?" This one didn't do it for me. It only gets two out of Fordyce