Every movie that Jason Stratham is in is the same (you could say the same for every Guy Ritchie movie, too). That said, this one had a more far fetched and interesting premise and I wasn’t disappointed. Give it a shot.
3 stars
Pineapple Express (2008)
This was fun, but not very original. Danny McBride’s character slays as an invincible and disloyal associate. Although it’s farcical throughout, the end takes farce to a new, not unenjoyable level.
Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)
Aside from the usual, ‘If you’ve seen one Woody Allen movie…’ this move also had the, ‘If you’ve seen one movie about a crazy love triangle’ thing. As far as movies with the word Barcelona in the title, I like Barcelona better than Vicky Cristina Barcelona. On the other hand, this one was much prettier to watch.
Body of Lies
You know what you’re getting when you watch a movie like this. It wasn’t spectacular, but it was watchable, enjoyable even, in a Spy Games kind of way. Actually, I think this might have been Spy Games 2.
True Blood Season 1
True Blood was exciting and creative for the first 8 or 9 episodes until it turned into Vampire Veronica Mars. For some reason, I didn’t pick up on the fact that the murders were the overarching theme of the show until it was too late. And then I just got mad because I learned to despise Veronica Mars something fierce.
Seven Pounds (2008)
I’m not going to review a Will Smith movie without noting my affection for him, so get that out of your head, but this was a dud. If you’ve seen Memento and any movie where someone is trying to do something to repent for something, you don’t really need to see Seven Pounds. If this movie was starring anyone else, it would be one star less.
Burn After Reading (2008)
Lots of people don’t like this movie, but it’s Coen Brothers, and I can’t help feeling that it was at least average. I think the people who don’t like it have forgotten what a Coen Brothers movie is. For every No Country, Raising Arizona, Big Lebowski, there’s a Lady Killers.
Lee Child, Nothing To Lose
When my dad visits, he can always be counted on to leave behind some hyper-masculine paperback trash (what’s the counterpart of chick-lit, will “dude-lit” work?). The Reacher series can be summed up as the continuing adventures of an unbelievable bad-ass who goes around doing bad-ass things for, essentially, the sake of pure bad-assery. The writing isn’t spectacular, and the plots aren’t realistic, but there are worse ways to spend a few hours.
What Happens in Vegas (2008)
Shouldn’t Cameron Diaz have a better career than doing crappy movies like this? Shouldn’t Ashton Kutcher be doing better movies than this, too? That said, there were some surprisingly funny parts in this movie.
This American Life (2007)
We realized half way though the season that this is much better on the radio. I don’t know that the video adds much, and certainly not in half an hour. I hope they’re still making the show in 10 years when that kid who swore off love gets re-interviewed.
