Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs – Cute for Kids
July 5, 2009 by Jane Boursaw
| Movie: Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs * Trailer * Official Site | In Theaters: July 1, 2009 |
| Runtime: 94 minutes | Directed by: Carlos Saldanha |
| MPAA Rating: PG for some mild rude humor and peril |  Gecko Rating: |
They’ve really mined everything they can out of these "Ice Age" movies, haven’t they? That’s not to say they’re not cute and fun and all that stuff. Just that maybe they’ve come to the end of the line on these particular characters and stories. Then again, they’ve added a few new characters in this movie, and let’s face it, they’re just at the dawn of the dinosaurs, which means this franchise could go on into infinity.
The first movie, 2002’s "Ice Age," was definitely the best. The second, 2006’s "Ice Age: The Meltdown," was cute, and this one is cute, too. They just seem to be losing their steam. But the animation continues to be fantastic, with every snowflake and furry animal popping off the screen at you (the 3D animation helps, too).
The Hangover Review – Smart and Funny
June 30, 2009 by Jane Boursaw
| Movie: The Hangover * Official Site | In Theaters: June 5, 2009 |
| Runtime: 100 minutes | Directed by: Todd Phillips |
| MPAA Rating: R for pervasive language, sexual content including nudity, and some drug material |  Gecko Rating: |
Sometimes a movie comes along that you think will be crude and stupid, and it turns out to be smart and funny. That’s "The Hangover." At first glance, it’s a crude buddy movie with lots of sex and drugs. Ok, it’s all that, but look a little further and you’ve got a smart, funny film with great writing and real characters, not movie cliches.
Basically, the story is about a Las Vegas bachelor blow-out that goes horribly, horribly wrong. Two days before his wedding, Doug (Justin Bartha) and three pals (Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis) head for Vegas for one last bash they’ll never forget.
Interview with Jerry Bruckheimer, producer of Confessions of a Shopaholic
June 17, 2009 by Jane Boursaw
Isla Fisher, Sophie Kinsella and Jerry Bruckheimer
I’ve heard people say that the timing of “Confessions of a Shopaholic” isn’t great, what with all of our personal and national economics woes. But as Val Kilmer said in “Tombstone,” I beg to diffah.
“Confessions” is the perfect movie right now, because a lot of us … ahem, not me, of course … are shopaholics, but this movie shows that you can overcome it and learn to curb your spending. At least, that’s what I’m hoping.
Jerry Bruckheimer, producer of “Confessions of a Shopaholic,” says the movie is perfect for our current times.
“It’s a tale of redemption,” he says. “It’s a tale of a girl who is going on a journey, who makes mistakes as most young people do … the credit card companies love sending you credit cards so you exceed your limit and they can charge you interest. And this is a girl who overcomes her problems and figures a way out of her financial crisis, and hopefully the world will do the same thing.”
See? I knew I was right!
Confessions of a Shopaholic DVD Review – Isla Fisher is a new Lucille Ball
June 17, 2009 by Jane Boursaw
| Movie: Confessions of a Shopaholic * Trailer * Official Site * BuyIt | In Theaters: Feb. 13, 2009; On DVD & Blu-ray: June 23, 2009 |
| Runtime: 112 minutes | Directed by: P. J. Hogan |
| MPAA Rating: PG for some mild language and thematic elements |  Gecko Rating: |
I’m a huge fan of all the Sophie Kinsella books, and "Confessions of a Shopaholic" is based on her book by the same name. It’s about a woman named Rebecca Bloomwood (Isla Fisher – pronounced "I-la")) who LOVES to shop.
There are more books in the series, including "Shopaholic Ties the Knot," "Shopaholic & Sister," "Shopaholic Takes Manhattan," and "Shopaholic & Baby," so I’m really, really (picture me in my most persistent voice here) hoping they make more of these movies, with Isla Fisher in the lead role. She’s so sweet and funny, and such a great comedic actress. She’s a Lucille Ball for the new age.
My Life in Ruins – Review from A Traveler’s Library
June 17, 2009 by Jane Boursaw
My friend Vera Marie Badertscher, who blogs at A Traveler’s Library, sent me a link to her review of "My Life in Ruins," a romantic comedy starring Nia Vardalos as a Greek tour guide.
I’m glad for the review, because I haven’t had a chance to see it yet. And maybe I won’t! Vera doesn’t give the movie high marks, calling it "an absolute stinker" with "incredibly lame" dialogue that you should wait to see when it comes out on DVD. Ok, then, Vera!
But she does have a few good things to say about it, too; namely, Richard Dreyfuss, magnificent scenery of "old broken marble stuff" and "Greek guys," not to mention great views of the Parthenon, Delphi and Olympia.
Sounds like maaayyybbeee the scenery might be worth a trip to the movie theater, for this movie girl anyway. I’ll try and ignore the not-so-good parts.
Thanks for the review, Vera!
Read Vera’s full review at A Traveler’s Library.
Image: TM and © Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Revolutionary Road DVD Review – Lives of Quiet Desperation
June 16, 2009 by Jane Boursaw
| Movie: Revolutionary Road * Trailer * Official Site | In Theaters: Dec. 26, 2008; On DVD: June 2, 2009 |
| Runtime: 119 minutes | Directed by: Sam Mendes |
| MPAA Rating: R for language and some sexual content/nudity |  Gecko Rating: |
As a rule, I generally don’t like movies that revolve around couples arguing. But as you can see above, I gave "Revolutionary Road" 5 out of 5 Geckos, and the reason is simple: Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio.
As I was watching this movie, I kept thinking, here’s a couple who really work well together. It’s like they’re hardly acting, because they’re so natural with each other, their dialogue and actions playing beautifully off each other. They’re a modern-day Kate Hepburn and Spencer Tracy, only way more intense and dramatic.
Land of the Lost Review – CG Effects Steal the Show
June 6, 2009 by Jane Boursaw
| Movie: Land of the Lost * Trailer * Images * Official Site | In Theaters: June 5, 2009 |
| Runtime: 93 minutes | Directed by: Brad Silberling |
| MPAA Rating: PG-13 for crude and sexual content, and for language, including a drug reference |  Gecko Rating: |
If you’ve seen the 1970s series on which “Land of the Lost” is based, you know it’s low-budget and cheesy. The movie has some cool special effects, but overall, the plot tries to re-create the cheesiness of the TV series. It doesn’t really succeed, which is saying something. Or saying nothing, take your pick. Still, the movie has a few moments that click.
Like the TV show, the movie tells what happens when three people are transported to a world of dinosaurs and pod people. Only instead of a scientist and two kids, it’s a scientist and two mismatched adults.
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian Review
May 25, 2009 by Jane Boursaw
| Movie: Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian * Preview * Official Site | In Theaters: May 22, 2009 |
| Runtime: 105 minutes | Directed by: Shawn Levy |
| MPAA Rating: PG for mild action and brief language |  Gecko Rating: |
I’ll say right off the bat that my kids liked "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" better than I did. I LOVED the first "Night at the Museum," and this sequel seems like a throw-away to capitalize on the first movie and showcase all the stuff in the Smithsonian. That said, there are a few things I like about it; namely, Amy Adams as the plucky Amelia Earhart.
Ben Stiller returns as Larry Daley, only instead of working as a night guard at the Museum of Natural History in New York City, he’s running a big corporation now and doing infomercials for all his products, like a glow-in-the-dark flashlight.
Angels & Demons Review – A mix of talk and action
May 18, 2009 by Jane Boursaw
| Movie: Angels & Demons * Clips & Trailers * Official Site | In Theaters: May 15, 2009 |
| Runtime: 138 minutes | Directed by: Ron Howard |
| MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sequences of violence, disturbing images, and thematic material |  Gecko Rating: |
One thing people didn’t like about “The Da Vinci Code” was that the first part of the movie included lots of talking and explaining of the symbols and history. Still, it would be difficult to have a movie like this without the explanation, unless you’re a symbologist yourself and know what’s going on.
“Angels & Demons,” a sequel to "The Da Vinci Code" also based on a book by Dan Brown, includes quite a bit of explanation in the early scenes, as well. It’s kind of funny, because at one point, Tom Hanks’ character, Robert Langdon, looks at the Cardinals and says something to the effect of “Don’t you people even know your own history?” I had to laugh, because while I felt like Langdon was explaining a lot to moviegoers, it’s probably true that many Cardinals and priests don’t know their own history either.
A Plumm Summer – DVD Review
May 14, 2009 by Jane Boursaw
| Movie: A Plumm Summer * Official Site | On DVD: May 5, 2009 |
| Runtime: 99 minutes | Directed by: Caroline Zelder |
| MPAA Rating: PG for thematic elements and some mild rude language |  Gecko Rating: |
"A Plumm Summer" is one of those sweet little movies that will probably fly under the radar of most DVD watchers. It’s a home-spun tale reminiscent of the live-action Disney movies of the 60s, only with an edge to it.
Based on a true story, the movie takes place in a small town in Montana, where kids wait impatiently to see a green marionette named Froggy Doo and his buddy Happy Herb on TV every day at 3 PM. All the kids LOVE Froggy Doo, especially Rocky Plumm (Owen Pearce), whose older brother Elliott (Chris Kelly), can’t understand the obsession at all.
When Froggy goes missing from the TV station one day, the FBI’s attempts to recover the missing frog go nowhere. So Rocky convinces Elliott to start their own investigation into the disappearance. With help from a cute neighbor Haley (Morgan Flynn), the group set out to find the frog.