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Starting off with fast dialogue, that seems a bit contrived, the jokes and funny bits are nicely spaced between each other. Later on, the dialogue feels more natural. The first half will keep both corners of your mouth pointed upwards, although the story is quite predictable. Acted fairly standardly, there’s nothing suprising here to be found from either Jack Nickolson or Diane Keaton. Then comes the second half, a bit long winded. And the fourth quarter is nearing… slowly. By now, time has almost stopped, with only the law of linearity keeping it going. It keeps going on and on and on with no jokes, only cliches. It ironically becomes what it was meant for. Old nagging grannies. So, basically, here are the points earned for the first half. 6+.

A tiny drama inspired by a real story. All the acting is up to par (piece of cake for Cuba Gooding Jr. and Ed Harris), but the story progresses slowly. Mixed with very appropiate seventies music, and the light drama, it’s actually quite uplifting. But with no real highs or lows, after the first half, the only thing the only real question remains the motivation of the coach. All in all, a satisfying small movie.7½.

A western focusing more on the drama, and therefore shot intimately by Kevin Costner, somehow doesn’t come off that intimate at all. The personal quests do not bear any particular weight for the viewer, and hence may exuberate a tinny feeling on the movie as a whole (as opposed to the epic feeling some bigger movies have). Of course, not all is bad. No one can deny Robert Duvall, Kevin Costner or Annette Bening are good actors, and that does the character development well, albeit most dialogues are somewhat slow. The final shoot-out not that of a standard shoot-miss-shoot-hit type either. Somehow weaving in the drama in a special way, Costner sets himself apart as one of the few ego-tripping actor/director (only matched by Clint Eastwood and Kevin Smith), but then in a good way.7+.

A very slow week at the box office due to the Super Bowl. With $16 million on number one is You Got Served, a hip-hop comedy. Second is Along Came Polly with $10.1 million. Third is The Butterfly effect with $10 million. A not so flattering 42% drop from last week.
Big disappointing openers are The Perfect Score (starring Scarlett Johansson) at the fifth place with $5 million and The Big Bounce (a Hawaiian comedy starring Owen Wilson and Charlie Sheen) on nr. 10 with $3.3 million.

Inspired by a true story. NOT ! Inspired by a bored screenwriter is more like it. The usual hack and slash watch out you dumbass behind you no don’t hide _in THERE_ run harder movie. The movie drags on and on and on. With not that many victims to start out with, you can only imagine the massacre. That of my braincells that is.
The only positive thing is of course hotty Jessica Biel. But I’d rather have skipped this one and seen Blade: Trinity (coming late this year) instead.3.

Everybody knows The Rock isn’t a genius actor, and everyone can respect that (as they respect him more so in the wrestling ring). His offerings so far have been the non-liner The Mummy Returns, quickly followed by evenly nonsensical The Scorpion King (as I remember absolutely _NOTHING_ about this movie, you can imagine the impact it made). Basically this makes it his second big role, and quite frankly, it’s very acceptable. The story itself is simple, but the action kicks in high gear from the word go. Simple one liners get thrown here and there, and keeps a smile on your face. Enter Seann William Scott, and the party is on. His natural comedic charm works well, as usual. A female, and a bad guy, and the formula is complete. Director Peter Berg uses his fast cut skills and throws in a few nice slowmo’, while The Rock takes care of the acrobatics and his trademark wrestling moves. For 90 minutes of brainless fun, it’s perfect.7½.

Just a day after the Golden Globes have been handed out, the nominee list for the 76th edition of the Academy Awards has been announced. Look at it here.
11 for The Return of the King. Earned. A few for Pirates, Finding Nemo, and a few more for Lost in Translation. Also very much earned.
But 10 for the ultra-boring Master and Commander: The bblablabalalsoboring long title ?? Hope they’ll sail away with NONE !

The Butterfly Effect (opens here 29 Jul) landed on the number one spot with $17.1 million, proving Ashton Kutcher has enough star power to carry a movie all by himself. Still doing well on nr. 2 is Along Came Polly with $16.6 million. Third is romantic comedy Win a Date with Tad Hamiltion, starring Kate Bosworth, a few unknowns and a bunch comedian cameos with only $7.5 million.

Big opener for the mildly criticised Ben Stiller- JenniferAniston team-up, Along Came Polly (opens here 8 Apr). $27.6 million for this week’s number one. Second was last week’s number one, Bif Fish, with $10.4 million. Third was for the premiere of motorcycle actioner Torque with $10.3 million. Number 4 is for the King, still barely touching the throne with his aging fingers, $10.2 this week brings the total to a massive $328.9 million, enough to buy yourself a whole Hobbit valley.

A fair story, combined with some fair acting, directed in a fair way. Nothing spectacular, but the effects are fair. Besides, paying a few bucks to see Kate Beckinsale in a dark and tight leather clad during the whole movie IS pretty fair, right ? So, all in all, a fair grade.7-.

Nothing but praise for another screenplay well done, by John Logan (following The Gladiator and Star Trek: Nemesis). Director Edward Zwick has always been capable of shooting strong intense dramas, and it shows again. The action scenes are very well directed too. The battles are not overly bloody but still brutal, the faint hearted should be wary. The story is a bit simple and focuses more on the characters. Tom Cruise of course, delivers another top-notch performance. Samurai customs and beliefs are shown but kept to a minimum, though the essence becomes quite clear after a while. To finish the movie, the score is not overly melodious or themic, but lingers in the background. Combined with the romantic and panoramic shots it does a nice job to complete the movie.8½.

A slow week: Finally, the King has been dethroned by a Big Fish, a Tim Burton directed fantasy, $14.5 against $14.1 million. Cheaper by the Dozen has a great run too, third place with $12 million, and a total of $101.4 after three weeks.

Not having seen it in the movie theatre due to a crowded schedule, combined with bad critics and box office cume of just $30 million, still makes you wonder why 2 hunks from 2 generations didn’t attract a large crowd. The movie itself isn’t that bad. Overall, it’s lightly entertaining. The story hobbles along like a car on imperfect wooden wheels, but it’s still moving nonetheless. In the end, the whole experience feels tinny, and the humor is not worth rolling on the floor for. But still, with an open mind, it’s entertaining.6½.

Robert Rodriguez’ third El Mariachi movie, which comes off pretty standard, compared to his own standards. There are no surprises or awe inspiring scenes while watching this movie. It’s the usual action scenes with gun shots, followed by a falling body with a bit of flair. Most done with a bit of fireworks, some wire work, showed in high speed. The story however, turned out to be a bit better than I expected. Johnny Depp has another marvelous role that fits him like a glove, and without him, the grade would definitely have been lower.7.

Nothing surprising happening, The King still on his throne with $30.8 million. Last week’s number 2, Cheaper by the Dozen, stays with $21.9 million. Something’s Gotta Give climbs back to number 3, in its fourth week, with a 10% uptick, $12.5 million