tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40337601862719242032011-10-24T00:38:30.726-05:00Arthur Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015176193401826546noreply@blogger.comBlogger361100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033760186271924203.post-72335938351234849872011-10-24T00:38:00.000-05:002011-10-24T00:38:30.748-05:00

RATING:*** (3 stars) The hot-headed young D'Artagnan along with three former legendary but now down on their luck Musketeers must unite and defeat a beautiful double agent and her villainous employer from seizing the French throne and engulfing Europe in war.Despite what you're hearing from a lot of critics out there, The Three Musketeers is actually an enjoyable movie. The twist this time

Arthur Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015176193401826546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033760186271924203.post-22195103298885139072011-10-15T11:09:00.001-05:002011-10-15T11:10:33.642-05:00

RATING:**** (4 stars) At a research site in Antarctica, a team of scientists are elated at the finding of both an alien craft and a specimen frozen in the ice... until it wakes up and they realize that one of them may be the creature in disguise.If the title didn't already give it away, the plot should indicate a strong similarity to John Carpenter's The Thing (1982)--and rightly so as this film

Arthur Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015176193401826546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033760186271924203.post-37297188196066477642011-08-14T06:29:00.000-05:002011-08-14T06:29:22.205-05:00

RATING:***** (5 stars) Jackson, Mississippi circa 1961. A young woman returns home from college with aspirations to be a journalist and a writer to realize just how bad the lives are for the black women in the segregated south who take care of white families.For lack of a more succinct way to put it, The Help is the emotional Oscar-contender for late summer. At varying parts you will be smiling,

Arthur Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015176193401826546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033760186271924203.post-10587918922929432512011-07-11T01:17:00.000-05:002011-07-11T01:17:13.708-05:00

RATING:*** (3 stars) Reaching a turning point in their lives, three friends decide they need to kill their bosses if they are going to be happy.What should have been a funny and raucous popcorn comedy flick this last week turns out to be a kind of funny popcorn movie that just... seems... to... keep... going. Seriously, I checked my watch at least a half dozen times during this film, eacy time

Arthur Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015176193401826546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033760186271924203.post-90311522503311433372011-06-21T01:04:00.000-05:002011-06-21T01:04:07.208-05:00

RATING:**** (4 stars) When test pilot Hal Jordan is granted a mystical ring, he is given the honor of being a member of an intergalactic peacekeeping organization--but he is not sure if he is up to the task.Green Lantern is one of the few movies that you can say with reliable certainty could not have been made even a decade sooner because the technology simply wasn't there. For those unfamiliar

Arthur Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015176193401826546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033760186271924203.post-44271844402817295582011-06-14T00:55:00.000-05:002011-06-14T00:55:24.856-05:00

RATING:***** (5 stars) In the summer of 1979, a group of young boys filming an amateur movie witness a train crash that might not have been an accident after all, and might also explain some of the strange disappearances and phenomena happening in their small Ohio town.The latest to come from the imagination of producer/director/writer J.J. Abrams is a must-see thriller for the summer of 2011.

Arthur Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015176193401826546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033760186271924203.post-41480917700236144292011-06-07T00:30:00.000-05:002011-06-07T00:30:56.220-05:00

RATING:**** (4 stars) In the early 1960s, Charles Xavier forms a group of people with wondrous genetic mutations that give them amazing powers. Among them is his closest friend, Erik Lensherr...Hopefully if you are a serious X-Men fan, you have thrown classic canon to the wind by now with the X-Men films. That being said, X-Men: First Class is a rather good film easily on par with the first

Arthur Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015176193401826546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033760186271924203.post-29407653852123100652011-05-29T09:01:00.000-05:002011-05-29T09:01:11.350-05:00

RATING:**** (4 stars) Shortly after their adventure in Las Vegas, Phil, Stu, Alan, and Doug jet to Thailand for Stu's wedding. Despite precautions, mayhem ensues when they wake up the next morning and try to piece their night back together.If you are looking for something wildly different from the first outing with the "Wolfpack", you won't find it here. What we get is actually not that

Arthur Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015176193401826546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033760186271924203.post-57029602283867931262011-05-17T00:15:00.000-05:002011-05-17T00:15:53.924-05:00

RATING:*** (3 stars) A priest disobeys an edict from the church and goes out to hunt down the vampires who kidnapped his niece.Priest is actually a pretty solid post-apocalyptic science fiction thriller, despite the lack of love from critics across the country. Paul Bettany and Karl Urban are the big players in this one, and both do a respectable job in their roles--Bettany as a man who has seen

Arthur Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015176193401826546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033760186271924203.post-68011268361640518002011-05-08T07:12:00.000-05:002011-05-08T07:12:34.154-05:00

RATING:*** (3 stars) When the mighty Thor is cast out from Asgard and sent to live among humans on Earth, he turns into one of humanity's most valuable defenders.Starring Chris Hemsworth in the title role, Thor sets up another of Marvel's heroes with an origin story before giving us The Avengers in 2012. The Norse god of thunder's story is fairly straight-forward, with both timeline and

Arthur Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015176193401826546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033760186271924203.post-83997104973895440092011-04-10T08:45:00.000-05:002011-04-10T08:45:40.588-05:00

RATING:** (2 stars) When Prince Fabious's bride-to-be is kidnapped, he embarks on a quest to save her... joined by his lazy brother Prince Thadeous.Danny McBride stars in what could have been a funny spoof on the fantasy genre, similar to what Blazing Saddles was for westerns. Instead the film quickly turns to little more than poor attempts at sexual humor... and stays there for the entirety of

Arthur Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015176193401826546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033760186271924203.post-6817340456281531242011-04-03T08:39:00.000-05:002011-04-03T08:39:03.346-05:00

RATING:*** (3 stars) An action thriller centered on a soldier who wakes up in the body of an unknown man and discovers he's part of a mission to find the bomber of a Chicago commuter train.The increase in the number of films dealing with alternate realities and and other fun science-fiction concepts could be analyzed, but for the purpose of our review here I'll just say that it has given us some

Arthur Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015176193401826546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033760186271924203.post-37175008284859983782011-03-27T07:40:00.000-05:002011-03-27T07:40:59.538-05:00

RATING:* (1 stars) A young girl is institutionalized by her wicked stepfather. Retreating to an alternative reality as a coping strategy, she envisions a plan which will help her escape from the facility.That synopsis is the most succinct and understandable way of describing Sucker Punch. From beginning to end, the whole narrative is extremely choppy and difficult to follow. If you want a better

Arthur Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015176193401826546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033760186271924203.post-78716080165293922372011-03-22T05:40:00.000-05:002011-03-22T05:40:58.958-05:00

RATING:*** (3 stars) A defense lawyer takes on a high-profile client only to learn that this new client is responsible for an innocent man being convicted of murder.The exciting thing about The Lincoln Lawyer is that while that little blurb might seem to give away the movie, the devil is really in the details. Matthew McConaughey plays Mickey, an attorney who quite literally conducts business

Arthur Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015176193401826546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033760186271924203.post-64482238655912446522011-03-08T00:21:00.000-06:002011-03-08T00:21:28.097-06:00

RATING:***** (5 stars) Rango is a simple, pet chameleon who stumbles into a lawless Wild West-style town in the desert in need of a new sheriff.There are a few things you can count on with Rango: beautiful animation, laughs aplenty, and a story (and soundtrack) chock full of satirical homages to spagetti Westerns of Hollywood-gone-by. From beginning to end, those above the age of 21 will be all

Arthur Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015176193401826546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033760186271924203.post-21270636405110068072011-02-27T07:49:00.000-06:002011-02-27T07:49:41.088-06:00

RATING:*** (3 stars) When an evil cult kills his only daughter and his infant granddaughter, a man escapes from Hell to bring them to justice.By all rights, I was expecting very little from Drive Angry. As you can see from the trailer below, it looks like very classic B-movie action fare... and ended up as a riotous good time for everyone in the sparsely populated theater. Now you will get

Arthur Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015176193401826546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033760186271924203.post-3463510386483177622011-02-20T08:48:00.000-06:002011-02-20T08:48:57.501-06:00

RATING:*** (3 stars) After his cab goes plunging into the freezing waters of Berlin, a man awakes in the hospital four days later to learn that no one--not even his wife--has been looking for him. Upon going to his wife, he is presented with the possibility that he is not who he thinks he is.Unknown is an exciting thriller that is going to keep you guessing, and for those who loved Taken (2008),

Arthur Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015176193401826546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033760186271924203.post-53078797454313205892011-02-01T00:54:00.000-06:002011-02-01T00:54:25.754-06:00

RATING:*** (3 stars) An elite hit man takes on an apprentice and teaches him everything he knows, but the young learner also has a connection to one of his former victims.Jason Statham stars as Arthur in this straight-ahead action movie, with Donald Sutherland, Ben Foster, and Tony Goldwyn in supporting roles. Really nothing notable to speak of in this film. There is lots of action and some

Arthur Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015176193401826546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033760186271924203.post-28529466602788720752011-01-17T10:13:00.000-06:002011-01-17T10:13:48.526-06:00

RATING:*** (3 stars) When Ronny catches the wife of his best friend and business partner cheating, he struggles with finding a way to tell his friend while they struggle to focus on an important business venture.Almost everything about The Dilemma is pretty straightforward, two couples that are best friends dealing with stress and generally humorous circumstances. Nothing particularly

Arthur Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015176193401826546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033760186271924203.post-28932257230848835282010-12-19T00:42:00.000-06:002010-12-19T00:42:47.391-06:00

RATING:**** (4 stars) Twenty-five years after the disappearance of Kevin Flynn, his son Sam goes to investigate his old office where apparently a call was made from a line that has been disconected for years. Sam is transported into the virtual world his father created and has been trapped in, and fights to escape and save them both.The sequel to the popular cult favorite from 1982 about the

Arthur Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015176193401826546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033760186271924203.post-2552192536452250372010-11-21T11:06:00.000-06:002010-11-21T11:06:38.217-06:00

RATING:***** (5 stars) With Voldemort beginning a reign of terror after the death of Dumbledore, Harry Potter and his friends Ron and Hermione embark on a search for the remaining horcruxes--the key to Voldemort's power.Disclaimer: Arthur has not read any of the Harry Potter books. Whether by popular demand from fans or otherwise, the final Harry Potter installment has been broken up into two

Arthur Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015176193401826546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033760186271924203.post-73975492105317528262010-11-13T19:57:00.000-06:002010-11-13T19:57:02.098-06:00

RATING:**** (4 stars) Two blue-collar men working together for the first time decide to chase down a runaway freight train with dangerous materials that threatens a heavily populated area.Starring Denzel Washington and Chris Pine as our two primary leads, the star power alone almost demands a theater viewing. Luckily, we are given a tense drama with very human characters that can deliver an

Arthur Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015176193401826546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033760186271924203.post-5675805985810325052010-11-06T09:14:00.000-05:002010-11-06T09:14:17.588-05:00

RATING:*** (3 stars) When a stressed-out father-to-be gets put on a no-fly list, he ends up taking a cross-country jaunt with the aspiring actor who got him put on the no-fly list.There has been a lot of buzz recently over Due Date, in no small part because of the trailers loaded with choice bits of comedy from the film. As expected, the story focuses on Peter Highman (Robert Downey, Jr.) and

Arthur Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015176193401826546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033760186271924203.post-71147711420378865982010-10-17T07:32:00.000-05:002010-10-17T07:32:55.173-05:00

RATING:**** (4 stars) When a retired CIA operative is targeted for elimination, he assembles his old team to find out who wants them all dead.Many Americans (myself included) have been looking forward to RED since the first trailer came our earlier this year. If you haven't even heard of this yet, prepare for another action movie in a year of action movies--except this one has an all-star cast

Arthur Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015176193401826546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033760186271924203.post-69168712432366105322010-10-09T06:47:00.000-05:002010-10-09T06:47:58.452-05:00

RATING:**** (4 stars) When their best friends die in a car accident, two godparents who can't stand each other are left to raise their friends' baby.I'm not going to deny that I can be rather picky when it comes to "date movies", but pickings have been pretty slim in the latter half of 2010. So it was with reserve that I went to Life As We Know It, and I was pleasantly surprised. The movie

Arthur Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015176193401826546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033760186271924203.post-24525486291241681052010-10-02T16:11:00.000-05:002010-10-02T16:11:08.413-05:00

RATING:*** (3 stars) A story about the founders of Facebook.Perhaps the most talked about film of the 2010 movie season has not been The Twilight Saga: Eclipse or Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows, Part 1, but the not-entirely-factual film about a website that has changed the way we interact dramatically over the last decade: FACEBOOK.In what seems almost a natural role for him, Mark Zuckerberg

Arthur Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015176193401826546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033760186271924203.post-83408870183557557482010-10-02T15:48:00.000-05:002010-10-02T15:48:16.209-05:00

RATING:**** (4 stars) As the world is on the brink of economic collapse, a young Wall Street trader allies himself with Gorden Gekko--a Wall Street mogul recently released from prison after having been convicted of insider trading.Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps is an astonishingly good sequel to Wall Street (1987), also written and directed by Oliver Stone. In this installment for the new

Arthur Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015176193401826546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033760186271924203.post-32040496497763802992010-09-19T07:41:00.000-05:002010-09-19T07:41:22.235-05:00

RATING:*** (3 stars) As he plans another job, a long-time thief runs into a serious conflict of interest when he falls in love with the bank manager of his last heist--and the only person who could possibly give him away to the FBI.In Ben Affleck's directoral debut, we get an edgy drama centered on Boston. For a film that has numerous opportunities to bog itself down, I was rather impressed at

Arthur Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015176193401826546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033760186271924203.post-63961746372276389772010-09-13T20:49:00.000-05:002010-09-13T20:49:37.678-05:00

RATING:*** (3 stars)   A few months after helping some survivors escape to Alaska, where there are rumors of a city untouched by the T-virus, Alice (Milla Jovovich) continues her vengeance against the Umbrella Corporation--the ones responsible for the biological weapon that turns people into zombies and has all but destroyed the human race in the process. Resident Evil: Afterlife picks up

Arthur Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015176193401826546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033760186271924203.post-49969299529472538852010-09-04T13:43:00.000-05:002010-09-04T13:43:25.046-05:00

RATING:*** (3 stars) An ex-federale who is betrayed stops at nothing to hunt down the people who set him up and uncovers a web of dirty dealings. Machete is an action movie targeted at a very specific segment of the action film crowd--particularly those who like over-the-top violence (the kind that is just as likely to make you laugh) a la Kill Bill (2003/2004) and Grindhouse (2007).  In fact,

Arthur Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015176193401826546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033760186271924203.post-66685991840659731132010-08-27T23:50:00.000-05:002010-08-27T23:50:10.025-05:00

RATING: ** (2 stars)   The Last Exorcism is a documentary-style film (NOT BASED ON ACTUAL EVENTS) following an evangelical minister who allows his last exorcism to be filmed. The Last Exorcism is a kind of movie that appeals to a particular niche audience that unfortunately I am not a part of.  Films in a similar vein would include The Blair Witch Project, meant to frighten and scare less from

Arthur Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015176193401826546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033760186271924203.post-14236925714932018522010-08-14T13:47:00.000-05:002010-08-14T13:47:51.366-05:00

RATING:**** (4 stars) When Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) sees the woman of his dreams--literally--he does everything he can to win her heart. Then he finds out that by pursuing her he also has to defeat her seven evil exes. Hilarity ensues. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World was made with a careful eye for story and a good knowledge of just who the target audience was. While I myself have not read the

Arthur Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015176193401826546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033760186271924203.post-60628201623483851412010-08-07T15:11:00.000-05:002010-08-07T15:11:42.495-05:00

RATING:*** (3 stars) When New York City's two famous police action heroes die in the line of duty, it falls upon the rank-and-file, the other guys, to step up to the plate. The latest film starring Will Ferrell is in a similar comedic vein, while at the same time paying homage to the fact that it is the little guys on the police force that are usually responsible for keeping us safe instead of

Arthur Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015176193401826546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033760186271924203.post-29612304901295653822010-07-30T19:35:00.000-05:002010-07-30T19:35:24.169-05:00

RATING:** (2 stars)   Tim (Paul Rudd) is an executive at a firm that is just barely treading water and looking for the next big money maker. He finds it, but before his promotion becomes official he has to attend a dinner held by the owner of the firm.  At this special dinner each of the members is supposed to bring along an idiot.  Tim is ready to call of the whole thing until he meets Barry (

Arthur Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015176193401826546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033760186271924203.post-46645334013923628542010-07-23T18:18:00.000-05:002010-07-23T18:18:35.157-05:00

RATING: *** (3 stars) Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie) is a CIA officer who has served her country faithfully for years. When a Russian intelligence officer defects and names her as a Russian spy, it becomes a race against time to prove her innocence. In a summer loaded to the brim with action movies, Salt adds another one to the mix. Really nothing fancy or noteworthy about it save for a few 

Arthur Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015176193401826546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4033760186271924203.post-15406840973955320652010-07-20T03:05:00.000-05:002010-07-20T03:05:38.235-05:00

RATING:***** (5 stars) In a future where technology allows people to enter other's dreams, Dom Cobb has made a mercenary living all over the world doing extraction--using this shared dreaming to steal information. When a potential employer offers Dom the opportunity to return to the children he has not seen in years, he is eager to hear what the job is. It is a job assumed to be impossible--

Arthur Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17015176193401826546noreply@blogger.com