Dream House

I liked this one. It was pretty suspenseful and had a nice twist. It reminded me of another movie with a similar plot but the ending was completely different, so I forgive it for the "sameness". The story is of a family (Rachel Weisz and Daniel Craig) that moves into a house and then find out that the mother and two young girls of the last family that lived there was murdered in the house.  And so they try to learn more about the past and what really happened in the house.  There are some surprises!  I give it a 2 and 1/2, I think you should see it, if you don't mind some violence and a lot of suspense.

The Help

I liked this, but I wasn't as in love with it as everyone else seemed to be.  It's a good story, about a young woman, Skeeter (played by Emma Stone) in the 1960's.  She's trying to get a start as a writer but isn't taken too seriously.  She starts to notice the world of the black maid, who is usually closer to the children of the white woman than the mother herself.  She builds a friendship with two of the women and starts to record their story.  Not everyone wants the story to be told!  The acting was good and the story was good, but there wasn't anything that made me think, "Wow, this is a great movie."  I give it 2 1/2 stars.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

I thought this was pretty good.  James Franco plays a scientist who is working on a drug that he hopes will cure his father's Alzheimer.  John Lithgow plays the father.  They all think it is not working, but then James realizes it worked on this chimp that he's adopted.  (The monkey was supposed to be killed after the project was closed down, but a friend couldn't kill this little one.)  


The apes were awesome.  I ended up rooting for them!  There's a few villains, and some heroes.  The story is engaging and the acting is good.  I liked it.  I give it two and a half stars.  I debated with giving it three.  It's a must see if not just to see the effects of the apes.  I guess it could be sort of creepy, but I liked it!

Our Idiot Brother

I liked this!  It might not be a must see for everyone, but I thought it was cute.  The story of a family with 3 women and 1 guy, who just trusts people too much.  He has a tendancy to be too truthful; inadvertently spilling the beans too often.  Which makes him not very popular with his family.  I think he's lovable though.  I also like Paul Rudd, and he fits this character pretty well.  If you want a fun, carefree movie, without a lot of deep thinking, this is the one.  And if you're a Paul Rudd fan, well of course, it's a must see.  I give it 2 1/2 stars.

Hangover 2

Yes, this isn't as good as the first one, but I liked it.  It's funny, has some good jokes, some bad ones thrown in, but overall it was enjoyable.  It is a bit hard to believe they did it again, but the explanation works; a stretch but it works.  Same guys, with a new one here or there.  Ed Helms character is getting married this time, and he doesn't want a big bachelor party.  But he agrees to "one drink" with the boys down on the beach, and that's where it all starts again.  Don't have high expectations thinking it's going to be as good as the first one, and I think you'll enjoy it.  I give it 2.5 stars.

Fast Five

I've seen the previous "Fast" movies, and I do like this one more.  It follows the same kind of plot, a group of bad guys want to steal some cars and someone will be chasing.  There is a lot of action; sooooo many cars are destroyed.  Someone complained to me about it being so "violent" and it's funny, I didn't see it like that.  Not too many people get whacked, there's not that much blood and guts, it's mostly cars that get it.  There are some chase scenes (lots of chase scenes) where I doesn't seem very realistic, but then if these movies were realistic, the main characters would have to spend too much time in the doctor's office and hospitals.  I didn't like some of the story line and dialogue with the law enforcement characters, but overall this was fun with lots of action.  I give it 2 1/2 stars.

Scream 4

If you've seen the other ones, you should go see this one.  If you liked the other ones, you'll like this one.  I thought it was better than the last couple.  The survivors from the past Screams return, Sydney's written a self-help book and comes back for a book signing, and it all begins again, but with some new twists, and updating for the new technology.  I like the beginning and the ending the best.  Fun, bloody fun.  I give it 2 1/2 stars out of four.  

Your Highness

This is one of those comedies with lots of sexual innuendos, and some outright naughty jokes, that get bigger laughs because of the actors delivering them.  James Franco does a great job as the serious-minded "favored prince" while Natalie Portman plays a daring female warrior.  It's interesting to see her in this kind of a role, and I thought she carried it off pretty well.  This is one of those movies where you have to be in the mood for some somewhat juvenile humor.  I liked it overall.  I'd give it 2.5 stars.

Red Riding Hood

I was surprised how much I liked this one.  It might be geared more for teenage girls, but I thought it was a great twist on the classic fairy tale.  It was dark and suspenseful, and not too obvious as to what was coming up.   The love triangle may turn some people off, but I liked it ad how it played out.  It's another werewolf story; it seems like there have been a lot of them.  It was nice seeing Julie Chistie again.  This one worked for me, though I'm sure it wouldn't for a lot of other people.  I'd give it 2 ½ stars.  

Paul

Think of an "R" rated "ET" and you've got Paul.  The humor was pretty good in parts, sort of stupid in others, but overall I liked it.  There was some very inventive curses, lots of action and the villains were easy to hate.  There's even a little twist at the end.  I think this is a good one, but maybe not a "must see" for everyone.  I give it 2 1/2 stars.

Just Go with It

I liked this movie, though I don't think everyone will.  I thought it was fun.  Adam Sandler's character's sidekick was a little too much.  Most of his comments were gross, and if you take him out of it, the rest is fun.  Nicole Kidman's role seemed different for her, but I liked it.  Jennifer and Adam's relationship seemed very natural.  And I love the Grand Wailea, the resort they go to in the movie.  I've heard some folks not like the movie because of how Adam's character treats them, but it didn't bother me because the kids seemed to take it in stride.  I say "Go".  2 and 1/2 stars.

Sanctum

I wasn't sure what to expect with this one; wasn't sure if I was going to go to it.  So my expectations were low, and yes, I was surprised how much I liked it.  Very suspenseful, a little gruesome in just a couple spots.  The last half was better then the first, the first had a few slow spots.  There were a lot of scenes of people floating in underwater caves, and yes it was pretty, but not all that interesting.  The action in the second half made up for it.  All in all, I think you'd enjoy it.  I give it 2 and a half stars.