What was the last movie you saw at the theaters?

Piranha 3D
2010, Alexandre Aja

I know trying to review such a flick is rather pointless, but even with zero expectations and the right attitude this one is barely worth a mention for me. Watchable trash, I suppose, but not nearly as fun as I had hoped, even when not expecting much. The reason I actually went to see it was for the Dreyfuss cameo. If you haven't heard, he reprises his role from Jaws. Well, sort of (his character is named Matt, but not Hooper). At least it was the very opening scene, so I didn't have to wait around for it. Dreyfuss, dressed in the familiar jeans and ski cap from the Spielberg classic, is sitting on a small boat in the middle of an Arizona lake, listening to and mumbling along with a rendition of "Show Me the Way to Go Home". While out there, an earthquake opens up at the bottom of the lake, causing a whirlpool and releasing a school of nasty prehistoric super piranha from the dark depths. Suffice to say, it is Dreyfuss' only scene in the film (though what is left of his mangled corpse does make an appropriate Ben Gardner-like appearance later). So there's that, you know...for any of you unscrupulous enough to buy a ticket for something else but sneak in just for the Jaws homage.

And that's about all the "plot" one needs. It's Spring Break so this Arizona lake is about to be full of young, dumb, scantily-clad (or nude) teenagers, all splashing around for the honor of being the next meal. Elisabeth Shue and Ving Rhames play the local deputies, Jerry O'Connell a crass Joe Francis type filming an episode of his trashy "Girls Gone Wild"-ish video, Adam Scott is the scientist called in to investigate the quake, Steven R. McQueen (the Hollywood legend's grandson) is Shue's teenaged son, Christopher Lloyd is the local fishstore owner, and everybody else is pretty much there to get naked and bloody.

If Piranha 3D's aim was to be a hip comment on '70s low-budget Creature Features (ala Scream and Slasher Flicks), it is devoid of any real wit and its mild bouts of playfulness come off mostly as forced. Joe Dante's 1978 flick for Roger Corman had more fun. If they were just going for gore, well, there's plenty of that. Zero surprises, although what surprises could there be, really? As I say, almost pointless to review, but as far as these things go...eh. On the Joe Bob Briggs scale of Drive-In Bs, it does have PLENTY of the big three: Blood, Breasts and Beasts. And in 3D! 3DD in some cases.


GRADE: D+

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"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra

Just saw The Expendables! Great film!

I think the last thing I saw in the theaters was the hilarious Get Him To The Greek. Good stuff. I laughed quite a bit. I really didn't think I'd like it at all, either.

Eat Pray Love and it was ok. Nothing as good as the book.

Inception (2010) - mind-blowing!

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Timetravelfan
www.timetravelmovie.com

The last movie I saw was Inception. It's very thrilling and I recommend it to you guys!

Just went and saw "The Other Guys" last night. I heard so many good things about it, but I really wasn't impressed. It dragged and most of the funniest parts were in the trailer. I was really hoping for some Anchorman type shenanigans. No Dice.

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Movies Music Girls Gear and Beer

Scott Pilgrim vs The World.... great music loved the feel! mmm its so preordered... ;p

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one cannot live without the other...
Ive tried and realized, theres something about you, something about your ways.... mwah

The Switch
2010, Will Speck and Josh Gordon

Typical RomCom with more Dramedy overtones that is given a bit of life by Jason Bateman and a well-cast child actor. The premise you've probably already gathered from the advertising: Jennifer Aniston is a thirtysomething who's biological clock is ticking, and without any obvious partner material she decides to go the donor route. Her best friend, played by Bateman, of course harbors deep romantic feelings for her, but she simply doesn't see him as a mate, not even as a potential donor. She cares about and trusts him, but he is highly neurotic and filled with self doubt, big turnoffs for her. The night of the insemination "party", Bateman's Wally Mars gets drunk (and inadvertently high), while already depressed and jealous as all get out, then he accidentally destroys the sample...replacing it with his own. He blacks out and represses the deed, and nobody else is the wiser. She moves away before the baby is born, and when she returns seven years later with her son Sebastion (Thomas Robinson) in tow, he exhibits most of Wally's depressive self-absorption instead of the confident athlete she had hand-picked, and Wally finally begins to remember what happened that fateful night.

Other than the concept, there really isn't much there as a story. It does tread more on the drama side of the tracks and doesn't have any over-the-top wackiness going on, not anything like the cartoonish insanity in the dual directors' debut, the Will Ferrell ice skating vehicle Blades of Glory. It's much more calm, character-based, and rooted in reality than that. But it's probably too subdued for its own good, needing either some true dramatic tension or some inspired screwball antics. The immensely likable Bateman's persona and the genuinely amusing and understated performance of young Robinson as the sadsack worrywort of a kid who collects picture frames and browses WebMD looking for obscure diseases and syndromes he's sure he probably has, they are what make The Switch a bit better than the material. Sprinkle in a few oddball line readings by Jeff Goldblum and it's worth a rental, down the line anyway.

GRADE: C

Thanks pikey but may give this a miss even on DVD not a big fan of Jen

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Buddha

Nice review Holden. I'd dismissed this as a "pass" when I saw the preview, but now I think I may Netflix it when it comes to DVD.

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Inception this is mind blowing picture...

Expendables.

I don't wanna ruin it for anybody but some **** blows up.

Separado!

Caught a re-run of this odyssey by music oddity Gruff Rhys. Having been entranced as a child by a be-caped Argentinian cowboy who sang in Welsh, Gruff discovered he was related to him, and now sets out to track him down.

The biggest criticism you could level at this fond, bumbling, multilingual, tongue-in-cheek mix of documentary, inept music tour, and comic music video, is that it doesn't really go anywhere. Or at least, what we get is a Welshman in 'Welsh Patagonia', which is kinda surreal, but then he's quite a surreal fellow. He doesn't really explore the context of any of his discoveries very deeply, just moves on to the next town, the next odd musician, or the next gentle plug for one of his own songs. But hey, when the backing track to all this can go from etheral to silly, and is all linked by his affable presence, it's still a fun ride...



++++

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Virtual Reality chatter on a movie site? Got endless amounts of it here. Reviews over here

Inception , would rate it 8.5/10

The Expendables - definitely 4/5!

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"Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should." - Dr. Ian Malcolm, Jurassic Park.

Saw The Expendables and loved it 8/10

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If at his council I should turn aside, Into that ominous tract which all agree, Hides the Dark Tower. Yet aquiescingly I did turn as he pointed, neither pride nor hope at the end descried, so much as gladness that some end might be.

Robert Browning 'Childe Roland to The Dark Tower Came'

Inception, I've seen it 3 times now.