GROWN UPS

Grown Ups stars Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, Rob Schneider, Salma Hayek, Maria Bello and Maya Rudolph. Directed by Dennis Dugan. Rated PG-13 with a running time of 1 hr. and 42 mins.

Sandler, James, Rock, Spade and Schneider play best friends who gather to mourn the loss of their championship basketball coach 30 years after said championship. With their wives and kids they hang out at a lake house and pretty much crack joke after joke and well yeah basically thats it.

Grown Ups was a semi funny kinda good movie. It had its laughs and it definitely had its misses. My main problem with it was lack of story and how lazy the whole thing felt. In the very beginning I was very worried because it seemed to be like the director just set up a camera and the five guys (Sandler, Rock, James, Schneider and Spade) basically started telling jokes about each other. Another alarming thing was that once a joke was told the five stars would start laughing right in the movie. So it just had the feeling that it was lazy and without a story.

Things did start to move towards a somewhat kind of story dealing with martial problems, spoiled kids and a four year old that still breast feeds. The latter being pretty funny. There is also a funny bit with Schneider's character having super model looking daughters while he looks like well ummm Rob Schneider. One thing I didn't get was how Salma Hayek and Maria Bello came to be in this movie. They weren't really funny and and didn't do much. It is wierd because they tend to do more serious dramatic roles. Oh well.

Basically this movie had funny moments and very unfunny moments. But the entire cast is like able so its not dreadful with its sappy moments where it tries to be serious. Definitely not a step up for Adam Sandler comedies but I wouldn't call it a step down either. Grown Ups is not a Big Daddy or even Happy Gilmore but its definitely way better than the dreadful You Don't Mess With the Zohan. Just enough here to recommend. Flawed but worthy.

C+

KNIGHT & DAY

Knight and Day stars Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Peter Sarsgaard, Viola Davis and Paul Dano. Directed by James Mangold. Rated PG-13 with a running time of 2 hrs. and 10 mins.

A chance encounter thrusts a woman and a charming but lethal operative into a series of adventures across the globe. As if dodging assassins and uncovering world-changing secrets weren't enough, she must now figure out if he is a good guy, a traitor or just plain crazy.

This movie is Tom Cruise's first full on action movie since Mission Impossible 3 back in 2006. I have to say he did a great job. Cruise just looks comfortable playing an action hero and he is very convincing. He also does most of his own stunts which is pretty impressive. There were plenty of outlandish action sequences but they were all very fun and entertaining. I loved the action part of the movie but when it tried to be funny and romantic I think thats when it failed.

Cameron Diaz plays the woman caught up in the action with Cruise's Roy Miller who is a spy possibly gone rogue. I have to say that I often found Diaz annoying in the movie. Throughout the action she is basically screaming and running around like an idiot. I know that it is supposed to be funny but its not and it grew very tiring. Then in the final act Diaz's character is all of a sudden a world class driver and knows how to use a gun effectively. I wish that would have been explained but oh well. I just thought that the parts that were supposed to be funny and romantic were the very weak parts of the movie.

This is Tom Cruise's movie and it just reminds you of why he is one of the worlds biggest actors. He is very like-able and a great actor. Anytime Cruise was onscreen strutting his action skills the movie was great. Any other parts though the movie was not. I know Cameron Diaz was supposed to be the comic relief of some sort but it just didn't work for me. Because of Cruise this is a fair movie.

B-

JONAH HEX

Jonah Hex stars Josh Brolin, John Malkovich, Megan Fox and Michael Fassbender. Directed by Jimmy Hayward. Rated PG-13 with a running time of 1 hr. and 21 mins.

Jonah Hex (Brolin) is a scarred drifter and bounty hunter of last resort, a tough and stoic gunslinger who can track down anyone and anything. Having survived death, Jonah's violent history is steeped in myth and legend, and has left him with one foot in the natural world and one on the "other side." His only human connection is with Leila (Fox), whose life in a brothel has left her with scars of her own. But Jonah's past is about to catch up with him when the U.S. military makes him an offer he can't refuse: in exchange for his freedom from the warrants on his head, he must track down and stop the dangerous terrorist Quentin Turnbull (Malkovich). But Turnbull, who is gathering an army and preparing to unleash Hell, is also Jonah's oldest enemy and will stop at nothing until Jonah is dead.

Well this movie is unbelievable and definitely not in a good way. I blame the studio because they hired an unexperienced director to helm this action picture. The director is Jimmy Hayward and his only other directing job was the animated Horton Hears a Who. Yes you read that right. Another thing that blows my mind about this movie is that Hayward turned in his cut of the movie and I guess Warner Bros. hated it. So they made a bunch of cuts and supposedly they did reshoots and if they did those reshoots did not help one bit. So Warner Bros. decided to release this 1 hr. and 21 min cut of the film. Why they decided to do so is beyond me because Jonah Hex can hardly be called a movie. The entire movie feels rushed and you will probably laugh at how little blood there is even though more than half the movie Hex is killing people. It is very obvious that Warner Bros. wanted to go with the weaker PG-13 rating and you can tell where they cut it to hide the blood. I imagine Hayward's cut had more blood and sex based on the first trailer.

Josh Brolin is a great actor and he tries his best in this role. The problem is though that the movie was cut so much it just turned out to be complete crap. Malkovich just looked like he was sleep walking through the whole thing. Megan Fox well you know was Megan Fox. She does absolutely nothing the entire movie. The climax was so rushed and choppy you are left there thinking "WTF!?!". I definitely felt cheated after this one. The trailer looked to be like it was going to be a great action sexy romp. I couldn't have been more wrong. One of the worst movies I have seen in a long time and easily the worst of the year so far.

F

TOY STORY 3

Toy Story 3 features the voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Don Rickles, John Ratzenberger, Wallace Shawn, Michael Keaton, Ned Beatty and Timothy Dalton. Directed by Lee Unkrich. Rated G with a running time of 1 hr. and 43 mins.

All the familiar faces are back along with some new faces. The toy's owner Andy is headed off to college. The toys including Woody, Buzz, Rex, Hamm, Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head and Jessie are uncertain about their future. After a few misunderstandings the gang ends up at a day care center. They believe it will be toy heaven: always being played with and once the kids outgrow them there is always a new batch of kids coming in to play with them. Upon arrival they begin to dread play time because of how rough the young kids are. They also learn there owner Andy is looking for them. The gang wants to leave but a certain pink stuffed bear won't let them leave. So they must pull of an escape like the ones in prison movies.

Toy Story 3 is a good movie but I believe the first two are superior. I just feel that the first two were funnier and they just came off as more of a surprise. It also seemed to be just a tad dull in the middle but that definitely didn't last long. I believe another factor was that I was 7 when Toy Story 2 came out and 3 when Toy Story came out. I think it was just hard to top years of watching those first two movies which I adored. Toy Story 3 was a great way to end the trilogy. There definitely does not need to be a Toy Story 4. It would probably only hurt the franchise.

Pixar definitely knows how to tell unique stories but ones that everyone can relate to. When you see the toys almost coming to a fiery end and they begin to hold hands it's impossible not to cry. If you do not cry or get watery eyes you are not human. The opening sequence was very entertaining and looked amazing. It looked better than most action films today. I saw this in 3D but once again the 3D does not add or take away anything from the film. Toy Story 3 was good but I just don't think it stands way up there with the first two.

B

THE KARATE KID (2010)

The Karate Kid stars Jaden Smith, Jackie Chan and Taraji P. Henson. Directed by Harald Zwart. Rated PG with a running time of 2 hrs. and 6 min. Obviously a remake of the beloved 80's classic The Karate Kid.

12 year old Dre Parker could've been the most popular kid in Detroit, but his mother's latest career move has landed him in China. Dre immediately falls for his classmate Mei Ying, and the feeling is mutual but cultural differences make such a friendship impossible. Even worse, Dre's feelings make an enemy of the class bully, Cheng. In the land of kung fu, Dre knows only a little karate, and Cheng puts "the karate kid" on the floor with ease. With no friends in a strange land, Dre has nowhere to turn but maintenance man Mr. Han, who is secretly a master of kung fu. As Han teaches Dre that kung fu is not about punches and parries, but maturity and calm, Dre realizes that facing down the bullies will be the fight of his life.

Well is The Karate Kid a worthy remake? Yes and No. I have mixed feelings about this one. Starting with the good, Jackie Chan is a worthy mentor but of course no one can replace the great late Pat Morita. It was nice to see Jackie Chan take on a more serious role and he did a good job. I wouldn't say his performance was oscar worthy but definitely a step in that direction. I also thought the fighting scenes at the kung fu tournament were filmed well and they looked better than the ones in the original Karate Kid.

Now the stuff that didn't work for me. The decision to make the main character a pre teen really didn't work. It just didn't seem believable that 12 year olds would be fighters like the teens in the original movie. Jaden Smith did fine but he was just too young for this movie. The original Karate Kid was more beliveable because the characters were older. I also missed the crane kick. The move used to defeat the bully at the tournament looked cool but it couldn't even compare to the original's crane kick.

This is a feel good movie and yes I did feel good at the end of the movie. Of course this remake is not even close to the original but it is enjoyable because of some solid acting by Chan and some cool fighting scenes. Flawed but worthy.

C+

THE A-TEAM

The A-Team follows the exciting and daring exploits of a colorful team of former Special Forces soldiers who were set up for a crime they did not commit. Going rogue, they utilize their unique talents to try and clear their names and find the true culprit. Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, mixed martial arts champ Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, and District 9 sensation Sharlto Copley, are "The A-Team." Directed by Joe Carnahan and Co-starring Jessica Biel and Patrick Wilson. Rated PG-13 with a running time of 1 Hr. and 57 Mins. Based on the popular T.V. show from the 80's.

First off I have to say that this is a damn good cast and each person contributed to make the movie entertaining. Liam Neeson plays the leader of the team and he is very good. A true badass if I might say. Bradley Cooper plays the smooth good looking guy but whom also is smart. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson takes over the role who was famously played by Mr. T in the t.v. show. Surprisingly Jackson does a great job for this being his first acting role. He is funny and convincing as a action hero. Sharlto Copley who came out of nowhere with his brilliant performance in District 9, plays the team's helicopter pilot but he is also a little crazy. Copley was very funny in this movie. He is an actor who proves he can play very different roles and I believe he has a bright future in film. The only actor who is forgettable in this movie is Jessica Biel. Her role was just forgettable but she did fine with what she had to do. Patrick Wilson plays a mysterious man who may have different motives then you might think at first. Wilson was fine as the bad guy. Its not a great bad guy role but its good enough for this movie.

The plot is a little predictable and it may be a little far fetched at times. Actually who am I kidding, all of the action sequences are very far fetched but its all in good fun and I think it works for the movie. The ending does set it up for a sequel of course and I had a good time so I would love a sequel for this movie. To me this movie is like the movie The Losers from earlier this year, but with a bigger budget and better cast.

Overall The A-Team is good, but not great but hey its ok it entertains. The A-Team is casted perfectly and thats what really makes this movie work. You should definitely check this one out.

B

SPLICE

Splice stars Adrien Brody, Sarah Polley, and Delphine Chaneac as the creature Dren. Directed by Vincenzo Natali. Rated R with a running time of 1 hr. and 44 mins.

Clive and Elsa are superstars of the genetic engineering world. They specialize in splicing together DNA from different animals to create fantastical new hybrids. The couple wants to use human DNA in a new hybrid, something that could yield astronomical medical benefits. The pharmaceutical company that funds their research, however, is more interested in exploiting their earlier triumphs for easier, short-term profit. Clive and Elsa secretly conduct their own experiment. The result is Dren: an amazing creature who exhibits an array of unexpected developments, both physical and intellectual. Dren exceeds their wildest dreams and, ultimately, their most terrifying nightmare.

Wow. Thats the first thing that I said when the credits rolled after Splice. But Im not sure that it was a good wow. First off let me start with the things I did like. The two leads Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley are fine actors. I would not have changed the cast at all. Brody and Polley were pretty convincing as scientists. The special effects were done very well for a movie with a somewhat low budget. The creature Dren looked very real and the frightening climax looked pretty badass.

Now the things I didn't like. To me there was an unecessary sex scene which was just weird and well yeah just simply weird. If the director was going for seriousness in that scene then I believe he failed because everyone in the theatre was laughing or really disturbed. I mean technically it was beastiality. Could you be really so confused that you would have sex with a half human half anphibious creature with wings?!? To me that was pretty far fetched.

Overall Splice was a good idea but I do not think that it pushed the boundaries on issues with splicing/cloning. It just wasn't executed right for me. Kind of a disappointment.

C-

GET HIM TO THE GREEK

Get Him to the Greek stars Jonah Hill, Russell Brand, Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, Rose Byrne and Elisabeth Moss. Directed by Nicholas Stoller. Rated R with a running time of 1 Hr. and 49 Mins.

Aaron Green (Hill) is a 20 something man who works at a record company called Pinnacle. His demanding boss (P. Diddy) wants new great ideas to get his company on the map. Aaron is a huge fan of rocker Aldous Snow (Brand). He comes up with an idea to have a 10 year anniversary concert of one of Aldous's most famous shows at the Greek Theatre in LA. So he is sent to London to escort the crazy rocker to LA. As you can imagine crazy things happen and it just might put a strain on Aaron's relationship with his girlfriend.

This movie was absolutely hilarious for the first hour and 20 minutes. It was really funny seeing this average guy partying with a rockstar and seeing all the outrageous things that happen while they are partying. There were some really funny pop culture jokes especially the one with P. Diddy's character and rapper Pharrell who makes a brief cameo. Jonah Hill and Russell Brand are very funny together, they play off of each other very well. I also thought Sean "P. Diddy" Combs was hilarious. He stole almost every scene he was in and his comic timing was just perfect. I also really liked the easter egg in the movie that refers back to Forgetting Sarah Marshall. It was clever and funny. Now the last 30 mins= wtf.

The last 30 minutes completely went off in this weird and unfunny tangent. It was like a completely different movie. I honestly didn't laugh once in these last 30 minutes. They threw in a random threesome scene with Aaron, Aldous and Aaron's girlfriend. It just felt out of place and completely unnecessary. The movie also got ultra serious in the last 30 minutes. Especially the scenes with Aldous's ex-girlfriend. It just didn't feel right and was very random. That being said I absolutely loved the first hour and 20 minutes because it was funny and I really enjoyed the characters. The last 30 minutes held it back from being a stand out comedy but Get Him to the Greek is still a good comedy, but not great.

B