You Don't Mess with the Zohan

Release Year: 2008
Review: What Adam Sandler was thinking with this film is beyond me. 'You Don't Mess With the Zohan' is an uninspired, unfunny and altogether train-wreck of a movie. It was as if it were an exceptionally bad SNL skit went on for two hours. The character's were not funny and were pretty detestable all around. The jokes were immature and obvious, the physical humor childish. There is very little to say that is positive about this film. It seemed like there was no effort put into it at all. It was a complete waste of time.
Rating: 1/5

Up

Release Year: 2009
Review: 'Up', Pixar's latest picture, only furthers the almost unfathomable string of truly remarkable films that the company somehow turns out. Every year I expect Pixar to slip up and not be able to live up to their previous greatness, and every year I'm left in awe at the quality of film they are able to produce. 'Up', like all other Pixar films, is on a different level than any other animated features. They have mastered the perfect blend of humor, heart and humanity that exude from all of their films and make each one enjoyable to an audience of any age. Going into 'Up' I wasn't excited by what seemed to be a pretty dull premise, but it turned out to be a very sweet, honest and uplifting film. More than just being a kids movie, it takes a serious look at life and how you spend your time in it. While this message might be lost on young kids, there is plenty of fun to be had for them as well, with talking dogs and a flying house. This is Pixar's magic. Their ability to create quality films that transcend genres and that are both meaningful and entertaining is astounding.
Rating: 5/5

Baby Mama

Release Year: 2008
Review: 'Baby Momma' brings the welcome change of having two women as the leads in a comedy, and while it was a good effort, the movie felt too generic to be anything memorable. There was a lot that could have been done with the premise of surrogacy, but it always felt like they went for the easy joke rather than really pushing any boundaries. Amy Poehler tries too hard as the white trash surrogate mother, and is more annoying than funny. It was good enough to make me look forward to Tina Fey's next film, but I'd hope that this was just an awkward first film and not indicative of all her future work.
Rating: 3/5

Swing Vote

Release Year: 2008
Review: 'Swing Vote' tries to parody the election process and the value of a politician's word by pinning the results of the election on the vote of one everyday American. Unfortunately what could have been an interesting plot with an endless supply of political humor is stifled by thin characters, safe jokes and a very generic feel. Kevin Costner's character, the average, blue collar worker is nothing but a low life who I can't imagine much of America would identify with, or embrace as they did in the film. Just as bad, is the Costner's daughter, who is supposed to balance out her simple father by being the voice of reason, but just comes off as annoying. Nothing is really said about politics and there wasn't that many laughs. It felt like this was a comedy just going through the motions.
Rating: 2/5

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Release Year: 2009
Review: The sixth installment in the JK Rowling's wizard franchise. In preparation for watching the movie I read through all the books again and watched all the movies. It was probably a mistake to read the books again since the films should be viewed as a separate entity, and missing parts in the movie from the book seem glaring if you have just read them. None the less, this was the best of the Potter movies thus far, viewing it strictly from a movie perspective. It told a cohesive story with just enough humor, action and suspense. The acting of the young wizards, while still not up to par with the greats cast in the adult roles, has improved vastly since the first films. Above all the other improvements is the cinematography, done by Bruno Delbonnel (who also did Amelie), which is absolutely stunning. As I've said for all the other films, the Potter franchise still isn't at the top tier of fantasy films, but its getting closer with each installment.
Rating: 4/5

JCVD

Release Year: 2008
Review: A completely unconventional heist movie starring Jean-Claude Van Damme as himself. JCVD basically plays a fictional version of himself, although everything leading up to the events of that day could be biographical. The aging, washed up and broke action star finds himself in the middle of a very real bank hostage situation. The juxtaposition of reality and Hollywood fiction are an important theme throughout the film. Credit is due to French director Mabrouk El Mechri for rooting JCVD in a very realistic character. While the film is shot very stylistically, everything seems very natural and realistic. JCVD is nothing more than a man, not a super hero like he is in the movies. He is flawed, he can get hurt and above all he doesn't try to be the hero. To Van Damme's credit he plays the role very well. Even though he is playing himself, the role allows him to show that he is a decent actor and can play a different kind of role. The film isn't without its flaws, but even without the intrigue of JCVD playing himself, the movie holds up as a compelling thriller.
Rating: 4/5

Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix

Release Year: 2007
Review: The best in the franchise to date, 'The Order of the Phoenix' is the first of the films which feels comfortable being an entity in of itself. While missing a lot of content from the book, the movie still manages to feel complete and has a satisfying story arch. The best aspect of the film is the introduction of the Order members who are all played by talented actors, easing the acting load on the younger and far less talented school age wizards. It's still not at the top level as a stand alone film, but its a step in the right direction for the series and certainly does the book justice.
Rating: 4/5