Avatar (2009)

An advanced romp through a distant land of unimaginable splendor... made imaginable and brought to life right before your eyes.

Mega-movie director James Cameron (Titanic, True Lies) unleashes his massive imaginative of Jake Sully (Sam Worthington, Terminator Salvation), a recently paralyzed marine, who after his brother is killed, is persuaded into filling in where his brother left off as a member of a group of scientists lead by Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver, Baby Mama, Vantage Point), who are studying the local Na'vi people by "driving" human/Na'vi engineered beings. These bodies allow them to remotely control and interact with the alien environment and the local inhabitants. At the same time a greedy, power and money hungry corporation, with the help of the military, is trying to evict the locals and rape the planet of it's natural resources. Lead by Jake and his newly found love of the Na'vi people, specifically of Neytiri (Zoe Saldana, Star Trek), he organizes and fights with the locals to repel the human invasion.

I'm not alone in this, but seriously... BEST MOVIE EVER!!! The acting, perfection. The special effects, supreme. The story... unoriginal? That's right, I said it. But it's kind of like FernGully... just done in live action and with super amazing visuals. I was lucky enough to watch this opening night in 3D IMAX, and I must confess that it is the ONLY way to see it. On your standard screen, I really can't see it having the same awe inspiring effect. This is a movie I'd seriosuly pay to see over and over again, and even once more to buy it on Blu-Ray.

9.3/10

Rated: PG-13
162 mins

Race to Witch Mountain (2009)

The fun, thrilling, family adventure scf-fi flick that you never saw!

Andy Fickman (She's The Man, The Game Plan) directs this soon to be family, live action classic from Disney in which an ex wheel-man, now gone straight as a Las Vegas taxi driver named Jack Bruno (Dwayne Johnson, Get Smart, The Game Plan), inadvertently picks up a couple bizarre kids who are in a big hurry to get somewhere. Along the way, Seth (Alexander Ludwig) and Sara (AnnaSophia Robb, Bridge to Terabithia, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) reveal themselves as children from a distant planet who have come to retrieve a device that is capable of saving their world from dieing. Being tracked by not only a secret US government agency similar to the "Men In Black", the kids must fight for their lives as they try and outrun an alien assassin sent from their home planet with orders to take them out. Enlisting the help of the denounced scientist Alex Friedman (Carla Gugino, Watchmen, Sin City), they race to Witch Mountain to reclaim their ship and make it back home before it's too late.

So if you didn't know, this film is a remake... well not re"make", but re-imagining of the 1975 film Escape to Witch Mountain. So apparently it's been done. But for what's it's worth, this movie is a lot of fun, filled with plenty of action for Dad, an adult romance for Mom, and two kids who can do all sorts of cool stuff! Though the film opened at #1 in the box office when it came out, it fizzled quickly. I don't think I know a single person other than me who has seen it. But if you fall into that category, you're missing out on an hour and a half of entertaining cinema. Now sure, the acting is well... come on, it's The Rock for eff's sake, but would you have rather they stuck Vin Diesel in the role? Didn't think so, but I'm pretty sure Vinny's got another Disney movie or two on his contract, so I'm sure he was considered. Good special effects and nice work behind the lens was more than enough to keep the acting and redone script from drowning. Grab some popcorn and a drink, and spend a few with the kids... enjoy.

A side note. In the bar scene, the waitress and the sheriff, they played the roles of Sara and Seth in the original 1975 film.

6.2/10

Rated: PG
98 mins

Land of The Lost (2009)

Movies made from TV shows usually can't hold their own. Especially those made from old TV shows... old TV shows that they themselves didn't last very long, though well received they may have been. But in spite of that, Land of The Lost shines with the humor we've come to expect from it's stars while bringing new life to a thirty year old classic.

Brad Siberling (Lemony Snicket, City of Angels) directs this outlandish romp through a parallel dimension where shunned theoretical scientist Rick Marshall (Will Ferrell, Step Brothers, Semi-Pro), his swooning admirer Holly (Anna Friel, Pushing Daisies) and their uneducated, redneck of a cave guide Will (Danny McBride, Tropic Thunder, Pineapple Express) are transported to a world where "past, present and future mash up together." With the help of primate like being, they travel the land in search of the device that brought them here, and ultimately, can bring them home. Against all odds facing starved, monster mosquitoes and intellectual Tyrannosaurs, they must come face to face with the Sleestak not only to get home, but to save the world as they know it.

Had I gone on my gut, or listened to any general reviews of this movie, I wouldn't have wasted my time. But being out here floating in the Gulf of Mexico you tend to watch things you normally wouldn't. But this is one of those rare occasions where I'm 100% happy I went against the grain. From start to finish this movie does what all movies intend, entertain you. It's no blockbuster, but it's completely engrossing and a pleasure to watch. Will Ferrell delivers exactly what I've come to expect and Danny McBride compliments him beautifully. The story seems to fast forward in some places, leaving you wondering why or how something might be going on, but it's subtle enough to allow you to get past it and continue on enjoying the humor which is intended for adults. That's one thing that threw me off. From the previews it appears to be geared towards children, but believe me, between the homosexual, psychedelically induced sleep pattern and the rest of the sexually charged humor, this is no kids movie. So go out and watch this with an open mind, and allow yourself to laugh, you'll be glad you did.

7.1/10

Rated: PG-13
102 mins

Night at The Museum: Battle of The Smithsonian (2009)

What's the old mantra about movie sequels? Oh right, they suck. There are few exceptions (Terminator 2, Aliens, The Empire Strikes Back), and this is surely not one of them. "When the lights go off, the battle is on," is right, the battle for a better movie.

Ben Stiller (Tropic Thunder, Dodgeball) reprises his role as Larry Daley, a once down on his luck night watchman turned incentive millionaire mogul, is this sequel to the extremely popular family, adventure comedy of 2006 directed by Shawn Levy (The Pink Panther, Cheaper By The Dozen). After learning of the NYC museum restructuring and all his old friends being whisked away to storage neverland in DC, Larry returns to his life of overnight shenanigans as he travels to the capitol in order to return his friends to their rightful place. However, the magical, life giving tablet has also made the journey and now Larry must go up against the likes of the evil Pharaoh Kahmunrah (Hank Azaria, Run Fatboy Run, The Simpsons) and his legion of historical tyranny before he unleashes his minions on an unsuspecting nation. Helping him in the fight is female flying ace Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams, Doubt, Sunshine Cleaning), who develops quite the crush. They are joined by a familiar band of archaic icons, as well as some new ones, as they battle to return things to "normal."

Just as its predecessor, based on the novel by Milan Trenc, this film was received to mixed reviews, and I'm one of them. As visually entertaining and overall pleasing as it may be, its really not a good movie in the classical sense. The acting is marginal, music is blegh, and the characters a bit much, but the special effects are mesmerizing and the story epic. But I think I know what happened here. The first one grossed so much that they couldn't not make another and hope for the same. And that's exactly what happened. This movie out-grossed the original. Thankfully it was marketed as a family comedy, otherwise it wouldn't have stood a chance. The real downside though to me was that the original cast played such a small part this time around. The new characters just weren't enough to sway me. I did enjoy the playful interaction between Stiller and Adams, and Hank Azaria was his normal, masterful character actor self. I especially liked the uncredited cameo by Jonah Hill, it was the only thing that was genuinely laugh out loud in the adult perspective. A must see family favorite, but if you don't have kids it'll be hard finding a valid excuse to see it.

6.8/10

Rated: PG
105 mins

Star Trek (2009)

Reinventing a classic is not an easy task to do, but Paramount gives us a young, star studded vision in to the hit series, enduring for nearly 40 years, that doesn’t disappoint.

A time traveling evil is on the loose and an unsuspecting Starfleet crew is going to encounter the toughest test their have young crew has ever faced. J.J. Abrams (Cloverfield) directs this epic tale chronically the evolution James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) as he enter the Academy and reluctantly follows in the footsteps that led to his father’s untimely death. Alongside his academic foe, Spock (Zachary Quinto), who will later become his greatest ally, he fights to stake claim to his destiny and save the future for all inhabitants of the universe. The strong supporting cast (Bruce Greenwood, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, John Cho and Simon Pegg) all contribute their roles as the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise as she sets out to defeat Nero (Eric Bana) and to “explore strange new words, seek out new life-forms and civilizations, and boldly go where no one has gone before.”

Not being a fan of Star Trek, let me start by saying I absolutely loved this movie. So much so I’m going to buy it, and I don’t do that often. I’ve had little exposure to series, but enough through pop culture references and my time spent in Iraq to be aware of the overall story and base characters. I’ve seen two other Star Trek movies (Nemesis and Insurrection) and they both fail in comparison to the grand scale of this one. The young cast, in most cases coming from smaller rolls or TV, does an amazing job of bringing the the characters and their subsequent development to life. The cinematography and special effects will surely compete in the awards at seasons end and I look forward to perhaps a sequel? True Star Trek fans might tear this flick apart, but for us casual folk who just want our $10 worth, you can’t go wrong. Not a fan of Star Trek? Not a fan of Sci-Fi? Don’t worry, you’ll like this movie as it spans many genres and appeals to more than just one group.

8.8/10

Rated: PG-13
127 mins