Mel & Ray's Movie Review w/Guest Reviewers

Well yikes folks. I thought I had a mental tally on the movies I had seen recently. I should really learn that when I start to guess-timate, it's typically not even close. Case and point: I sat down thinking I had seen three or four I hadn't reviewed.

Nine actually.

Beginning to understand the panic I see on Rhett's face when I go to the store for "just a couple things."

Date Night

How many times can you go to a movie called Date Night while actually on a date night?? I mean really. Amazingly though, this cosmic anomaly wasn't enough, and I still had to sell it to my non movie loving husband. (I know, between that and my low sports watching threshold we're quite the pair.) But once he realized Steve Carell was in it and that it also met his hour and half movie time limit criteria, he was in. We kept cracking up considering that we had gone to dinner earlier and had made alot of the same jokes and observations not 20 minutes earlier. Combine that with also having been woken up that morning the same way the Fosters were woken up by their kids....and well, you get one of those funny cuz it's true type movies. While it earned it's PG-13 rating the last 5 or 10 minutes, it was a light, fun and sometimes downright hilarious movie.

Rhett gave it: (so sorry I couldn't make these any smaller and I swear I told him he could pick anybody!)


Prince of Persia

I always forget that Jake is the Gyllenhaal I like. This movie just rocked plain and simple. A tad violent at times for those considering taking kids, but for well desensitized adults, you should be just fine. The aforementioned JG plays an orphaned street kid who is recognized for his courage and honor, and then adopted by the King of Persia. Flash forward a decade or so and Dastan, adopted Prince of Persia, grows into his bravery and street smarts doing a sort of medieval Parkour, (so fun to watch) who is amazingly resourceful, smart and loyal. Tricked into invading a holy city and framed for a murder, Dastan finds himself on the run with with what turns into a myriad of fun and interesting characters to prove his innocence and protect an ancient relic. We didn't really know what to expect from the movie initially, beyond Raleen putting a smile on her face and supporting yet another one of "Melanie's sci-fi/action/boy movies." There was not a minute of this movie I didn't like. Well, that I saw. (Darn you large Diet Coke!! I can't resist that you are only a quarter more than the medium.) I'd say four thumbs way up but that's not really our shtick.

I gave it:


Raleen gave it:


Shrek Forever After

Talk about pleasant surprise, this Shrek is now my favorite after the first. Really! It didn't have the crudity that 2 and 3 took on, and it was just a bunch of good clean fun. Shrek, turned family man and living in a kingdom of peace, is finding that he misses the good ol days and makes a deal with the crafty and shady Rumpelstiltskin for just one day of Ogre scaring and fun. In exchange Shrek gives up one random day of his life to Rumpelstiltskin. The day of Shrek's birth being the day he chooses. Told you he was crafty. The hilarity that ensues with the lives of Fiona, Donkey and Puss 'N Boots, whose life courses are altered without Shrek, is worth your money. And Craig Robinson (Daryl from the office) is a scene stealer as one of the "new ogres." Funny stuff and great for the whole family.

I gave it:

Mom gave it:

Caroline gave it:


Iron Man 2

Well....if Spiderman 3 taught us nothing else, and truly it didn't, it's that sequels are rarely as good as the original. I mean clearly you have your exceptions like The Empire Strikes Back, Batman Returns, or X-Men 2, (insert nerdy snort) but for me this fell short of the first one's glory. RDJ is still so fun to watch like always and I didn't not enjoy myself (wait, is that? No yeah that's right), but I wanted to be blown away. While a stiff breeze stirred to be sure, it fell short of my expectations. It was a bit like biting into a chicken leg and finding it mostly bone. A bunch of new characters but with way more action than story development, making it feel disjointed to me. I wasn't sure of every one's role and who I should be rooting for or why. What exactly was Samuel L. Jackson doing? I was distracted by the eye patch. And who was really right in the Iron Man is a weapon/yes he's a weapon, buy he's my weapon feud? It was kind of like they hired a dozen writers, dumped everything in a pot and decided: Yes.

We saw this with a group of friends and for those way less nerdy and picky than myself they really enjoyed it. For real it wasn't that bad, but most times, less is more.

I gave it:

Xela gave it:


Letters to Juliet

Eat Lima Beans, stick dull objects into my eye, potty train my toddler....all things I would much rather do than watch this movie again. I am certainly not the end all be all in movie opinions, and I know that a certain movie reviewer's parents loved the movie. A certain father who will remain nameless may have even cried. AHEM.

You will probably enjoy it if you don't mind over the top predictable cheesy love stories.

"Not that there's anything wrong with that."

For me, it was an eye roll a minute, ending with an eye roll so huge, they almost got stuck like that.

I will say that with it's rare PG rating, it'd make a great clean show for moms out there with girls:)

I gave it:

Caroline gave it:

The Losers

I was really looking forward to this, but didn't have any emotional attachments or expectations going into it. (Well, besides looking forward to "Denny" from Grey's as one of the main characters.) This was one of those movies where the story made up for some awkward moments in acting. If the two elements had come together I would have left the theater of this not super duper promoted movie, thinking I had found a gem. Instead, I enjoyed myself but wasn't overwhelmed by it and had forgotten it almost as soon as it was over. With the movie being so tightly focused on a framed/thought for dead band of military misfits, the characters needed to be so much stronger. The framework to the story was good and kept me entertained even while wincing at some of the dialogue. All I know is the upcoming A-Team better not let me down in the same way or there's gonna be trouble.

I gave it:


Raleen gave it:


The Backup Plan

I mean, the title just encourages mockery and endless jokes if it turns out to be a bad film. I have no choice really.

Encouraged to go by the fact that Alex O'Loughlin was in it and I am one of about 6 people that I know who watched his short lived (but oh so awesome) vampire series, "Moonlight."

But I guess anybody, even former vampires, can struggle with a weak plot and bad lines.

While the movie had it's moments to be sure, the stink of weird and predictable was just too overpowering. JLo needs to stick to singing on "the block" and Alex needs to get back to being the super cool Vampire Private Investigator Mick St. John. (How did that ever get cancelled?!)

I gave it:

Caroline gave it:


The Last Song

This is a sad tale of poor casting. Hannah Montana as the romantic female lead, really?? You, casting director, needed a rebellious and tortured teenager and you thought, I got it! Miley Cyrus! Color me confused.

A few years ago, I went to Chicago with some girlfriends and we were all dieting. Not wanting to miss out on the amazing food though, we would eat our fill and then dump a ton of salt and pepper on the rest of it, rendering it unappetizing. Of all the Nicholas Sparks books-to-movies that I've seen lately, and there's been quite a few actually, this was my favorite story by far. Completely RUINED by the fact that at the end of the day you basically dumped a whole lot of Hannah Montana all over your movie.

Not tryin' to hate, just keeping it real.

I gave it:


Raleen gave it:

Clash of the Titans

I admit I did not see the original so I am probably not the greatest judge of this one, seeing as I may not have all the pieces to the puzzle. Personally, I was glad I saw it in 3D. That way I could sleep without drawing attention to myself. Boring, weird, cheesy and not at all what I thought it was going to be. A scene fighting a giant desert scorpion seemed to drag on for 20 minutes using every resource and weapons the characters had. So, when it finally bit the dust only to have like 30 more of them rise out of the ground, and I was still not exactly sure why they were traveling through the desert in the first place, that's when I said, "nighty night self, better luck at the movies next time."

I gave it:

Beth Ann gives it:

Matt Sands(Beth Ann's husband) gives it two Beth Ann Sands:


Well, that concludes this rousing round of reviews. So stay tuned because your motto should be: Why should I sit through a bad movie if Melanie will sit through it first??

Movies I am highly anticipating include:

Eclipse

A-Team

Toy Story 3

Knight and Day

Inception.