I’m a fan of Seth Rogan, and that’s pretty much why I wanted to see this movie.  Also, it came out right when Paul Blart: Mall Cop did,and with 2 mall cop movies out at the same time, this one definitely looked better.

In all honesty, I didn’t think it would be that good, but it looked okay enough to spend a few bucks at the cheap theater.  The trailer was not a good representation of the movie; I was expecting a whole “dork guy going after hot chick” plot, and instead was pleasantly surprised with a bit more deeper story than that.  The acting was good, a well-rounded cast of characters that played off each other rather well with their unique quirks.  There was a lot more action than I originally thought, usually the stuff you see in the trailer is the bulk of it, but there was quite a bit of good fight scenes and stunt work.  I’d have to say the best part was definitely the ending, not as cliche as you would expect from this movie’s premise.

My advice: This is a higher-brow dumb comedy.  Give it a chance, a rental at least.  I’ll check the DVD out because I’m sure there’s some great outtakes and deleted scenes to be had.

I went to this movie after being assured by my friend David that I had seen trailers for it and consented to watching with him.  I had a free ticket and nothing better to do, so I indulged him and went.  This being said, I went in to this movie not remembering what it was about or knowing anything about the directors and actors.

To sum it up in a few words without giving too much away, it’s a story of con artist brothers, starting with their first con and leading up to their biggest and final job to lead them into retirement from the criminal world.  The younger brother is an ever-reluctant party to the older’s schemes, and they get mixed up with an eccentric millionaire’s heiress.

The best way to describe The Brothers Bloom is a quirky, slightly artsy high-brow comedy.  It reminds me somewhat of Ocean’s 11 (I only saw the remake) between the content and iconic character types.  The movie was very enjoyable up until about the hour and 30 mark, where I felt it could have ended and I would have been satisfied.  Instead, it goes a bit further at a slow, and predictable pace where the movie concludes in what to me felt like a very cliché and expected end.

Even with a weak ending, it was a good watch overall.  The brothers had a great chemistry, and Rachel Weisz gave a great performance as Penelope, the isolated, quirky millionaire who gets wrapped up in their last adventure, unaware she’s the mark they’re conning out of millions.  However, I felt the best character overall was Bang Bang, the “Silent Bob” sidekick of the Brothers Bloom.  The movie could be watched focused solely on her and you’d enjoy yourself.  While not a central character, she serves as an easter egg in each scene, usually doing something completely random and unexpected to draw slight attention to her.

My advice: If you have 2 hours to spare and enjoy plot-driven, non-vulgar comedies with a bit of action, this is a good watch.  Not completely necessary to watch in a theater, but if you plan on watching elsewhere, make sure you can pay attention or you’ll lose yourself to the con as well.

Here’s something to tide everyone over until after the holiday weekend….

Early on in this blog, I outlined my theories on sequels and the need to recognize when stories are finished.  One franchise that I did not talk about was the Terminator series.

I was 14 when the first one came out.  While it was “life-altering” for some, to me it was another big action flick.  When the sequel came out in 1991, everyone, including me, was blown away by it.  T3 did little to impress me in 2003 and I remember remarking to Rich that it did not add anything to the franchise.  Given that, it is no surprise that I was ambivalent to the idea of yet another Terminator movie.

But this is the summer of franchise reboots…

Salvation centers around an adult John Connor and his continued struggle against the machines.  Christian Bale, who helped reboot the Batman franchise, plays the hero and Anton Yelchin, who just helped reboot the Star Trek franchise, plays a pivotal character in the series.  To give any more details of the story would require spoilers.

So what did I like?

• Overall look – this is a dirty, gritty looking movie; it is not a slick, clean, CGI world
• Sound – Sound editor did a good job of giving this world life
• Callbacks – Use of T2’s theme music as well as the Guns N Roses track; lines and visuals relating to moments in the first movie.

What did I not like?

• Story – flimsy at best, seemed to ignore logic established in previous movies
• Lack of suspension of disbelief – even in this series, there is a limit to this ability.  Unfortunately, there were a couple of times where I was wondering about certain justifications and possibilities.
• What is important – Nothing is made important by virtue of trying to make everything important…

My advice:  I am torn here…It is one that plays well on the big screen, but not sure it is worth the price.  The problems I have pointed out make me hesitant to recommend matinee or dollar theater.  Ultimately, matinee or dollar theater is the best option, but only to see the visuals…

The second part of my double-header included a midnight showing of Angels & Demons, the sequel/prequel to The DaVinci Code.  After a refill of my drink, I found my seat and relaxed.

If you have read the books, then you know that Angels comes before Code; however, with some quick wordplay, Ron Howard and Company turn this into a sequel from the movie perspective.  Tom Hanks returns as Robert Langdon, who is asked by the Vatican to help resolve a crisis involving ancient societies and missing cardinals.  What follows is decently-paced trek through Rome to find and prevent murder.  Ewan Macgregor is well-cast as the Camerlengo and the rest of the supporting cast handles their duties satisfactorily.

The movie is the equivalent of the Cliff Notes version of the book.  I know that a 700 page paperback is not going to scale well to a two-hour movie, but I give Howard credit for hitting most of the big plot points and story beats.  Still, there was a lot missing.  Given all of that, I am still glad I read the book before seeing it.

Unlike Code, which condemned the Church, Angels actually shows support for it.  This is why there wasn’t a massive backlash last week when the movie premiered.  While Howard did a great job of utilizing movie tricks to make the movie come to life, I can’t help but wonder what it would have looked like if they had actually gotten to film inside the Vatican.

My advice:  matinee or AMC-half-price – not quite worth full-price, but not that bad of a choice either.  It is definitely faster-paced than Code and more memorable…

After a fun meal with Lisa, I found myself wanting to see a movie.  Regal Winter Park, which I was close to, had a midnight showing of Angels & Demons, but it was 8 PM.  Looking at the times, I could either see Star Trek a fourth time or go to something I hadn’t seen.  I chose the latter, not having high hopes.  I killed an hour at Borders and then wandered over to the theater.  I settled in with my drink as the first person in the theater.  A few couples showed up, including one that sat right behind me and started taking phone calls.  After a few looks from me, they left.

The movie is what happens when studios combine two guaranteed moneymakers: anything Christmas-Carol related and romantic comedies.  Matthew McConaughey plays the “Scrooge” in need of saving, which is good because it allows him to play the jerk.  Given the press surrounding this guy for years, it is no surprise that he appeared comfortable in the role.  Jennifer Garner plays the role of the “one that got away”  Unfortunately she does not have much chemistry with the lead, much like many of her past movies.  It is a shame, but she seems so rigid in all of her roles.  The supporting characters are well-cast, including our “Marley,” Michael Douglas.  The movie follows a predictable course and has just enough laughs to keep you from giving up on it.

My advice:  wait for cable or DVD – this one does not need the theatrical treatment…