Curt’s
Corner is a periodic movie review written by Curt Burbach of Mesa, Arizona.
(Release
Date: Mar 30th, 2007)
I laughed nearly non-stop for the first 45 minutes of this whack-o comedy. Then, character development and story line growth took over and it became just another lame slapstick. Will Ferrell stars in the lead role and uses his basic Saturday Night Live repertoire to create an overconfident simpleton that’s easy to laugh at. I give it 2 bones out of four, just for the beginning laughs.
(Release
Date: Apr 5th, 2007)
It’s no coincidence that this film was released in the same week as the religious holiday, Passover. The story makes use of the ten plagues that were inflicted upon Egypt as Moses continued to deliver God’s message to the Egyptian King Rameses, which was “Let my people go!” If you are not completely familiar with this story, you could open a bible to the Old Testament, and quickly scan over chapters 7-12 in Exodus (which is only 2-3 pages of written text). This way, you’ll understand the basic premise. Passover, by the way, celebrates how the Israelites were passed over when the first borne of Egypt were all put to death during the tenth, and final plague.
Hillary Swank stars in this suspenseful thriller designed to scare you out of your chair. However, after completing the film, you’ll probably have the same reaction as I did, which is, “We’ve seen all this before.”
The story was somewhat interesting, but not hugely compelling. I give it 2 bones, as many of the movies released this time of year are nothing special.
*** (As seen on DVD) ***
(Release
Date: Nov 17th, 2006)
This film won the Oscar for best animated film at the last Academy Awards. I still think Cars was the better choice. But, Happy Feet sports a huge socially prevalent issue and apparently that is what motivated voters to select it.
It was cute, and the music was fun. The quick, Robin Williams-style of delivery makes it appealing to adults. I give it 2 Bones for being average. It did not deserve an Oscar.
(Release
Date: Nov 17th, 2006)
This film follows the activities of several people who are at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California, when Senator Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated by Sirhan Sirhan on June 6th, 1968. It stars an ensemble cast and does a marvelous job of depicting the significant events in their lives leading up to the shooting. It was written and directed by Emilio Estevez and produced by Sir Anthony Hopkins – both of whom play a role.
Aside from the great civics lesson it provides, it is also a very good historical accounting of how this situation affected these people. I didn’t realize the situation transpired like this – and I am the kind of guy that likes to watch documentaries on such milestones in history.
It’s a shame that it didn’t fare better at the box office, with film critics, and the awards season because I thought it was pretty good. Therefore, I highly recommend you rent it and I am happy to give it 3 bones for being good.
(Release
Date: Nov 10th, 2006)
Will Ferrell stars as boring IRS agent Harold Crick whose life is being narrated by author and novelist Karen Eiffel (Emma Thompson) as she continues to write out his story. Unfortunately for Harold, Ms. Eiffel has total control over what happens to him and she doesn’t even know it.
The story was pretty average. But I think what stands out the most is Will Ferrell’s performance which was much more dramatic than his usual corn ball roles. This is a step in the right direction for him, because he did very well. I still believe he needs to get away from the stupid comedy roles and get into some drama – perhaps a villain. Then his career will break out.
I give it 2 ½ bones for being above average, primarily because of Will Ferrell’s performance – and because Maggie Gyllenhaal is always fun to watch.
(Release
Date: Mar 22nd, 2006)
This serious tragedy involves a high school history teacher (Ryan Gosling) with a severe drug problem, who is befriended by one of his inter-city students. It is yet another reminder of how drug addiction can ruin and disrupt a person’s life, and how prevalent the problem is in our society.
Gosling was nominated for an Academy Award for best actor, but that’s as far as it goes. This film is only for the serious movie fan, so be careful selecting it. I’d like to give it 2 bones for being average because it just wasn’t very compelling.
(Release
Date: Dec 8th, 2006)
Not much to say, except that it was a chick-flick romantic comedy. It stars Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law & Jack Black (in a rare dramatic role). What a waste of good talent - except for Diaz. Very average – 2 bones.