Movie Review - Winter Passing

Winter Passing (4 of 5): Zooey Deschanel (the blonde department store employee from Elf) plays the angry, often ignored daughter of 2 famous writers. After a publishing company contacts her and offers to pay big if she returns home and retrieves a lost manuscript her deceased mother was believed to have written; she returns home to find an alcoholic father (Ed Harris) who now lives in the garage, a former literary student acting as his caretaker, and Will Ferrell, an out of work, former Christian rockgroup frontman, living in the house. I thought the story was excellent, and the characters were very well developed. Ferrells' character is hillarious even when he isn't trying to be, or maybe he was trying....Regardless, it was a very unique story, and great soundtrack.

Congratulations to the Golden Ticket Holder!

2 Movie Guys want to thank our very first blog visitor/commenter who isn't one of our mothers. Her name is Jami and she runs a great blog called The Very Important Thoughts of Jami. Make sure you check it out.

Thanks for getting in line so early Jami!

Your Gold Star for the Day

Hopefully, no review is necessary. However, for those of you who have not figured out our star rating system yet, it is basically the same as Netflix's rating system. Allow me to explain.

1 Star - Hated It: These are movies we absolutely despise. We don't have to watch them to know they suck. You wouldn't even wish their viewing on your worst enemies. Examples include Glitter, Spice World or Son of the Mask.

2 Stars - Didn't Like It: These movies are not very good. After watching one, you feel you wasted two hours that could have been better spent at the dentist or at a wedding.

3 Stars - Liked It: You know what your going to get with these movies and they are pretty run-of-the-mill. Most movies fall into this category. Usually, you can watch a three star movie without worrying about wasting your time.

4 Stars - Really Liked It: These movies keep you very entertained throughout. Many just have a few small problems that keep them from being a five. Your friends won't laugh at you anymore if you recommend four star movies.

5 Stars - Loved It: Five stars is reserved for the cream of the crop. Usually, you can enjoy these movies multiple times. They are technically and artistically superior to other movies. Examples of five star movies include: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Godfather II or Star Wars: A New Hope.

So, there you have it, our ratings system at a glance.

Movie Review - Grandma's Boy

Grandmas Boy (3 of 5): If you are into juvenile, gross-out humor in the same tradition as "Waiting" and "The 40 Year Old Virgin" this movie will be right up your alley. I thought it was hillarious. The movie revolves around a 30 + year old video game programmer who has been evicted from his apartment and is forced to move in with his grandmother and her 2 elderly (1 is a basketcase, the other a whore) roomates, while upholding his stoner, partying lifestyle. His workplace dynamic is very relatable as he is the oldest "geek" at the company in a sea of younger video game enthusiasts and one truly creepy prodigy. It is a lot of the same cast from films like Big Daddy and Happy Gilmore. Fortunately Adam Sandler does not make a cameo appearance.

Movie Review - United 93

United 93 (5 of 5): A tale of the ill-fated Flight 93 that crashed in a PA field on 9-11. We have all heard the heroic stories regarding the flight, and it's passengers, and imagined what it must have been like, and theorized on what we might have done in the situation. This movie makes no excuses, or political statements whatsoever. Simply a picture, and story of all the events that took place on the day of Sept. 11. In fact I became very angry watching it, seeing that the whole situation could have been avoided if it had not been for some serious military, FAA, and airline executive errors. Thankfully, relatively unknown actors were used in the portrayal of the story. At times it is hard to watch, from an emotional level, and due to the fact that ocassionally, the picture shakes like "The Blair Witch Project" and can make you a little queazy. The film is incredibly powerful, and serves as a stark reminder that there are a a lot of people in this world who would like to kill us all.

Movie Review - The Pink Panther (2005)

The Pink Panther (2005) (1 of 5): Why the hell did I watch this? Furthermore, why did Steve Martin, a very respected actor, writer, feel it was necessary to be involved in this? The story is not a sequel, or prequel to any of the former installments. It is more of a re-invention. The Pink Panther diamond has been stolen from the murdered coach of the French soccer team. Martin plays the bumbling Inspector Clouseau who is brought in as the lead investigator on the case. The attempts at Clouseau's patented physical comedy fail miserably. The falls, tripping, and general clumsiness that Peter Sellers brought to the franchise died with him. Other, more modernized attempts at humor including Clouseau surfing the internet, and references to him in adult chat rooms are just as embarrasing. Hopefully, Steve Martin signed onto this project to pay homage to a great comedian; Peter Sellers. Not to expand his acting career. Fingers crossed on "Cheaper By The Dozen 3".

Movie Review - Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas

Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas (4 of 5) : This is a weird movie about Johnny Depp as famous writer Hunter S. Thompson and Benicio Del Toro as his lawyer friend during their Las Vegas escapades during the 70s. Any curiosity I had in the use of recreational drugs has been satisfied after watching this movie. Just about every drug known to man was used. It presents such an education, the movie should probably be shown in Highschool health class. I liked it, but I am in to weird movies. Del Toro was great and, not surprisingly, Depp was perfect.

Movie Review - The Brothers Grimm

Brother's Grimm (2 of 5) : I gave this one a shot without much hope and was pretty much let down. It follows the Grimm Brothers as con artists who finally take a stand and do something honest by helping a town who is having its children kidnapped by a witch. You get to see the origins of the Grimm Fairytales as they happen to the brothers in their real life experiences. Sounds cool, but a poor story and crappy special effects make it rather boring.

Movie Review - Good Night & Good Luck

Good Night & Good Luck (4 of 5) : This movie chronicles Edward R. Murrow's personal and professional stand against Joseph McCarthy and his witch hunt for Communists in America. I really liked this movie. Clooney was good and Straitharn (Murrow) was excellent. Depending on how you look at it, the crux of this movie really parallels what our country has and is currently going through with the "War on Terrorism" and our presence in Iraq.

Movie Review - Millions

Millions (5 of 5) : This is a film by Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Shallow Grave, 28 Days Later). It is about two boys who find a bag of money (British Pounds) a few weeks before Europe switches over to the Euro. One wants to spend it, while the other wants to perform acts of charity. Of course, the bad guys come looking for it too. Although there is a lot of religious overtones, it never becomes preachy. The story is predictable but excellent. As you would expect from a Boyle film, great cinimatography and soundtrack.

Movie Review - Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (3 of 5): Based on the book by the same name, this documentary does a very good job of filling in all the details regarding the history of Enron and its collapse. It was very interesting to see how Enron and its leaders (Lay, Skilling, et.al.) are connected into the world of politics. After watching this, I got really pissed off over how many people besides Lay and Skilling made millions of dollars from Enron stock and business deals that will never see the inside of a prison or be punished in any way.

Movie Review - The Boondock Saints

The Boondock Saints (3 of 5): This movie is about two Irish brothers who, after surviving an attempt on their lives, decide it is their mission in life to kill all the evil scum bags in their neighborhood and city. An FBI agent (Willem DaFoe) gets their case and tries and bring them to justice. This is an entertaining action movie that vaguely touches on the rights/wrongs of vigilante justice. I really liked the characters in this movie - they all had their certain flare and quirks. The story was good too, with an interesting character development at the end. However, I got a little tired of the slow motion stylized violence, and one scene where DaFoe's character is breaking down the crime scene feels totally cheesy and out of place in the movie. This movie would make a great graphic novel.

Movie Review - Primer

Primer (2 of 5) : Primer is about two friends who unknowingly build a machine in their garage that ends up being a time travel device. I really wanted to like this movie, since I really dig movies about time travel. Unfortunately, it is one of the most confusing movies I have ever seen. The main characters just talk techno-babble to each other and the viewer is expected to understand what is going on. This is coupled with a story that doesn't make a whole lot of sense and leaves many unanswered questions, glaring plot-holes, and dropped plot-lines. Surprisingly, this movie won a couple awards at some independent film festival. I guess the judges understood it more than I did.

Behold! The Dawning of a New Era!

Welcome to the 2 Movie Guys weblog!

Want to know your best option for parting with $40 at the movie theater this weekend? Want a movie review that won't challenge your 6th grade reading level? Interested in ideas on how not to be a total ass while watching a movie in public?

These things, and much more, will be our topics of discussion in the weeks, months and years (okay, probably just months) ahead. Enjoy!