Author: Andy Labis

Click

MPAA Rated – PG-13
It’s 1:37 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

Click
Movie Stats & Links
Starring: Adam Sandler, Kate Beckinsale, Christopher Walken
MPAA Rated: PG-13
Released By: Columbia Pictures
Release Date: 2006
Kiddie Movie: It actually gets kind of sad.
Date Movie: This is a toss-up. It’s not really funny, but actually more of a drama. Good luck.
Gratuitous Sex: Michael skips through foreplay. Good for him, bad for her.
Gratuitous Violence: Nah.
Action: Nah.
Laughs: Ehh.
Memorable Scene: I saw the rest of the movie in my head from the time Michael’s head rested on the “Bed, Bath, & Beyond” bed.
Memorable Quote: None.
Directed By: Frank Coraci

If you do not want to read any spoilers about this movie, “Click,” stop reading now, because for this movie I have no problem giving away key plot points, and I will be quick to give some key plot points right away in this review. I will even give you my rating now so you don’t have to continue if you don’t want to, and for “Click” I give the movie 1 ½ stars out of 5. It does have some funnies, but not many, and Kate Beckinsale is smoking hot and pretty much the movie gets 1 ½ stars because of her and the fact that she likes to role-play, but that’s another story for another time.

“Click” gives us Adam Sandler as Michael, in a movie that had a lot of potential to just be a funny, goofy movie, but tried to get way too preachy, and it didn’t work. As it is, Michael is an architect in a firm where he is trying to get the next promotion. His boss is Mr. Ammer (David Hasselhoff). As such he has to work too much and sacrifice family time for getting the next project done. At home things are hectic, with his two kids, and his smokin’ hot wife, Donna (Beckinsale). Time after time Michael misses family things because of work things, and somehow every remote control for the family is in his family room. That’s right, you’ve got the remote for the ceiling fan, the remote for the garage door, the remote for a remote-controlled car, etc. The remote that seems to be missing is the remote for the TV, and when he really needs this remote he heads to the place in the middle of the night that you would think would have a Universal Remote, “Bed, Bath, and Beyond.” Alright, it is the only store that is open this late at night. Well, Michael gets there, meets a creepy dude, and lays down on a bed proclaiming he is tired. This is the instant that I lost it because I knew, from there, that the rest of the movie was pretty much a dream, although the movie folks tried to show, in the end, it wasn’t.

So Michael, now in his dream-state, finds a door labeled “Beyond,” and he finds Morty (Christopher Walken), who gives Michael the Universal Remote he has been looking for. This remote isn’t just for his TV, it’s for his life. It can control the volume of his dog’s barking, it can let him fast-forward through fights with his wife, it can fast-forward, well, pretty much this remote is all about the fast-forwarding, and it learns what Michael wants to fast-forward through, and then does so automatically. Suddenly Michael is fast-forwarding through his life, a lot of times at ten years at a time, and wondering how he got divorced from his wife, how his little girl grew up into a hottie with big boobs, how his dog died, how he got fat, and how he ends up at his son’s wedding. And so, yes, with the help of Morty, he learns his lesson, that he shouldn’t have made his life about work, that he should have made his life about his family, and in his last, dying breath (doesn’t this sound like a great comedy), he tries to convince his son that going on his honeymoon is more important than going to a business meeting.

Next thing you know, Michael wakes up.

Yup, there Michael is, in the bed in the “Bed, Bath and Beyond” he found himself “tired” in, realizing his life isn’t over, that he can make it better, if only he becomes a family man instead of letting Mr. Ammer rule his life. Ahh, lessoned learned, but to try to say “Michael wasn’t dreaming,” when Michael gets back home from “Bed, Bath and Beyond,” low-and-behold, there on the kitchen table, it the “Universal” remote, and a note from “Morty,” asking Michael if he knows how to use the remote know. Duh, Michael throws the remote in the trash (could a sequel be there if the movie makes enough money?).

There have been way-too-many movies proclaiming that you should make sure you spend time with your family as opposed to your work, and a lot of them did a decent job. This movie didn’t because it publicized itself as a movie about a dude getting a remote control that can control his life, and it is supposed to be funny. Instead it ends up a way-to-sort-of-serious movie, preaching the importance of family. And even with the funny, it wasn’t really funny. There was a way overdone subplot of the family dog humping a giant, stuffed duck; The funny moments were pretty much already in the trailer; and one of my gauges as to how good a movie will be still holds true – when they publicize the hell out of the movie, it will leave a lot to be desired.

What sort of makes me sad is that Adam Sandler can be very funny, but lately he has been involved with movies that just fail to remember how to make the funny and instead try to get a little serious. The little kids were great in the movie, and Kate Beckinsale, just being the gorgeous dudette she is, left me getting this movie above the 1 star mark, so like I said at the beginning, it’s 1 ½ stars out of 5 for “Click.” I’m almost afraid Adam Sandler has lost the funny. That would be too bad.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!

Clerks II

MPAA Rated – R
It’s 1:38 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

Clerks II
Movie Stats & Links
Starring: Brian O’Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Rosario Dawson, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Trevor Fehrman, Jennifer Schwalbach Smith, Kevin Weisman
MPAA Rated: R
Released By: The Weinstein Company
Release Date: 2006
Kiddie Movie: For the hope of mankind, please keep the kids at home 🙂
Date Movie: If she gets this type of humor.
Gratuitous Sex: Lots of talk and an almost boob shot.
Gratuitous Violence: Nah.
Action: Nah.
Laughs: Only if you can appreciate them.
Memorable Scene: One had me laughing uncontrollably. I can’t explain it.
Memorable Quote: There are way too many quotes that made me laugh.
Directed By: Kevin Smith

Here’s the problem I have with writing this review: If you didn’t see “Clerks” because it was in black & white, saw “Jersey Girl” because you are a big J-Lo fan, or went to see “Dogma” because you heard it was an interesting take on religion but found yourself appalled when the good Cardinal Glick introduced “The Buddy Christ,” I have no way to convince you to go and see “Clerks II” because the only way to do so would be to give away too many of the jokes. And then you still might not go see it because if I gave one of the jokes away, one that I nearly ended up rolling on the floor with laughter, you might wonder what was wrong with me, and tell me I need sensitivity training, and not my niece (this might sound cryptic, but if you are one of our podcast subscribers, you might understand). In any case, let’s at least start with the a quick look at the story…

Dante (Brian O’Halloran) and Randal (Jeff Anderson) are back. Sadly for Dante, well, Randal left the coffeepot on again at the Quick Stop and a fire ensued, leaving our duo working at the local Mooby’s fast-food joint. Dante, though, has found love in the likes of Emma (Jennifer Schwalbach), and she has set him up with what will be a new house, a better job, and no more New Jersey if Dante marries her and moves near her parents down in Florida. Randal is none too pleased with Dante’s plans for advancement, especially since he loses his best friend in the process. Meanwhile, Jay (Jason Mewes), sporting a way-cool “got Christ” t-shirt, and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith), back from rehab, find themselves now camped outside the Mooby restaurant, still selling pot, with Silent Bob trying to keep Jay from being bored so he doesn’t stray back to the world of getting high on his own supply.

With that simple story synopsis you might think Dante’s life is finally on the right track, or at least on a track to get him to be a grown-up, but enter Becky (the ever-cute Rosario Dawson). She’s the manager of the Mooby’s. Randal suspects something more is going on between Dante and Becky, but both of them keep insisting they are just “good friends.” And then all of the stories come out in the open: Emma is none-too pleased with what she finds out; Kinky Kelly and a donkey, well; Elias (Trevor Fehrman), a co-worker at Mooby’s obsessed with “The Lord of the Rings” and the upcoming “Transformers” movie (although I still can’t understand all of the slams about “Transformers” because that was one of the best television cartoon series’ in the late eighties, but I’m sorry, I digress), Elias also, is involved with a ‘well’-moment; And well, all of a sudden Dante realizes he called 9-1-1 and forgot to cancel the alarm. It is now time for enlightening thoughts about love, friendship, slight wealth, and who gets in how much trouble when donkey love is arrested.

That story synopsis might sound slightly convoluted, but for those of you who are Kevin Smith fans and haven’t seen the movie yet, I think most of it makes sense. But I will say this, “Clerks II” is not for the easily offended, whether it is about sex talk, politically incorrect talk, and sex talk. Yup, that’s right, I said “sex talk” twice, because there is a lot of it in this film, and most of it funny if you aren’t uptight.

This movie might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it is definitely my cup of tea. It mixes my life in the land of the easily amused with the life of someone who loves a great argument about which is better, “Star Wars” or “The Lord of the Rings,” (I’m on the “Star Wars’” side), even though I am looking forward to the “Transformers” movie, for reasons I can’t go into here.

I absolutely loved this movie, even with the sentimental stuff that creeped in, mostly because it worked all-around, and Jay was there to break up the sentimental with the funny. Some might not like the sentimental, but a lot of us have grown since the original “Clerks” came out some twelve years ago. Sometimes our heroes from twelve years ago have to grow up, too. Just not too much, thank Alanis.

For me it’s 5 stars out of 5. One scene alone was worth 3 ½ stars because I haven’t been able to stop laughing that much during a movie in a long time, and the rest was just gravy. I only have a couple of regrets about this movie: One is that I failed to major in “Speed-Reading” in college because towards the end of the credits there seemed to be a lot of funny “Thank You’s” that I missed (I suppose I’ll have to wait for the DVD and put it in “slow-motion” to catch them all) as they scrolled by; The other is that I never set up a MySpace page and added myself as a friend of “Clerks II” so I could be listed in the credits of a major motion picture. It would have been pretty cool to see “The Dude on the Right,” or maybe “Entertainment Ave!”, or maybe “entertainmentavenue.com”, or maybe “e-ave.com”, or maybe Andrew LaXXX. In any case, it would have been cool to actually wait through all of the credit and see my MySpace name scrolling through. I can’t believe I didn’t pay enough attention to setting up a MySpace page, and getting it linked to “Clerks II.” Even my sister, and my niece, have a MySpace page.

Enough lamenting, if you want funny, and aren’t easily offended, see this Alanis Damn Movie!

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

City of Ember

MPAA Rated – PG
It’s 2:03 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

City of Ember
Movie Stats & Links
Starring: Harry Treadaway, Tim Robbins, Bill Murray, Saoirse Ronan
MPAA Rated: PG
Released By: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Release Date: 2008
Kiddie Movie: It’s probably better for them, at least the little bit older ones.
Date Movie: My BFF woke up and hated it. Umm, I’ll state this as iffy.
Gratuitous Sex: None.
Gratuitous Violence: A giant rat/anemone eats people.
Action: Nah.
Laughs: Nah.
Memorable Scene: At the end, wouldn’t Ember be further underground?
Memorable Quote: None.
Directed By: Gil Kenan

The DVD I had, and from what I’ve read, doesn’t really have anything extra, so unless you love the story, this isn’t a DVD to buy.

I watched “City of Ember” with my BFF, and after it was over, well, we both kind of agreed on the rating of the film. 2 1/2ish stars out of 5. Then my BFF woke up the next morning and all hell broke loose in her final analysis. I suppose we’ll just start with the story.
“City of Ember” is based on a book by Jeanne Duprau, and I’m guessing the book explains things maybe just a little better because the movie left a lot to be answered. In any case, the movie starts explaining that for reasons unknown to us viewers, Earth is in disarray, and to save humanity, the brightest minds got together and built an underground city called Ember. The bright minds of the day figured that 200 years would be enough for the Earth to heal itself, and to signify this time, well, they made a box, with a timer, that in 200 years would open to let the current Mayor of Ember figure out how to get the citizens of Ember back to the surface of Earth. Little did “The Builders” know that government corruption, stupidity, and the lack of learning and science might be a detriment 200 years later.

You see, sometime before the 200 year mark, the box with the instructions on how to get out of Ember disappeared, but the problem is that the city was only designed to last for 200 years, and now that Ember has passed their bicentennial, well, things are going bad. For starters, the generator that provides power for the city is giving out, and no one really knows how to fix it. And to top that off, the food storage areas are nearly depleted, although most of the residents don’t realize that starving will be the name of the day soon. Enter Mayor Cole (Bill Murray). He’s a bloated government blow-hard, only looking out for himself. And also enter Doon (Harry Treadaway), who thinks he can fix the generator. And lastly enter Lina (Saoirse Ronan), who is the link to the old box. Mayor Cole doesn’t give a damn about the citizens, but Doon and Lina are friends, and when Lina comes across the box to save them, both her and Doon piece together the puzzle that The Builders left them, and through perils of a giant rat that has somehow mated with a sea anemone, and the fact that Mayor Cole just wants his food, Doon and Lina realize that the only hope for the people of Ember is to find a way out of Ember, and somehow they have the key.

And, yup, Doon and Lina eventually figure out the key to get out of Ember, and somehow a rock they throw down a hole finds its way to Doon’s dad, and Ember is saved, or at least so we think.

Okay. Look, “City of Ember” is a nice movie, and I really wanted to like it more, but for the most part there were too many topics unanswered, which sadly is probably because you can’t always take a novel and turn it into a movie. The story just kind of drags on and on until we get to the eventual ending, which, even so, is kind of, well, unanswered. I mean, we don’t know why Earth is in utter turmoil, so much so that scientists have exiled a group of people to a “perfect” city; We don’t know why the secret box ended up in the home of the yarn lady; We don’t know why mutant animals are in and around Ember; And thanks to my BFF, we don’t know how water can flow up-hill.

Part of me did like the movie, the adventure the kids eventually took was entertaining, but through it all even with the nice acting of Harry Treadaway, Saoirse Rona, Bill Murray, and Tim Robbins (as Loris Harrow – Doon’s dad), the movie just didn’t grip me like I thought the potential was there.

And, oh yea, the morning after watching the movie, my BFF began her over-analysis, which actually held up in my scientific mind. First off, as Doon and Lina were in their little canoe, escaping the city, flowing way downhill in the river and water, well, the staircase they had to climb was way too short for the depth that the city was supposedly in. Also, there was no explanation for the rat/anemone monster. And also, also, sure, maybe it was fate, but what the hell are the odds that a rock thrown from the Earth’s surface, down a dirt hole, would find itself in the hands of Loris? And, oh yea, yea, what kind of moron can’t figure out the kids are hiding behind the wall? My BFF woke up the next morning and decided her 2 ½ star rating was way too generous, that the movie had too many holes and was utterly preposterous. Now she decided the movie only deserved ½ star , or maybe 1 star, tops.

The worst part, as an engineer, I had to agree with her about the river/water thing, because as much as Ember is underground, a walking path to the Earth’s surface, complete with mutant monsters and peril, would have made a lot more sense than water being able to flow, supposedly, uphill.

I will admit that I have rambled, and “City of Ember” is a movie you can actually watch with your kids, if they are around 8 to 12, but in the end the movie had so much more potential and probably blew its load as a series of films by trying to fit too much in one episode, and after waking up the next morning, and listening to the analysis of my BFF, I have to only give “City of Ember” 1 ½ star out of 5. The potential was there, the acting was mostly there, but the thing that was missing was anything dealing with logic.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Cinderella Man

MPAA Rated – PG-13
It’s 2:24 Long
A Preview by:
– The Dude on the Right

Cinderella Man
Movie Stats & Links
Starring: Russell Crowe, Renee Zellweger, Paul Giamatti
MPAA Rated: PG-13
Released By: Universal Pictures / Miramax
Release Date: 2005
Directed By: Ron Howard

Russell Crowe stars in this movie as boxer Jim Braddock, he’s a real dude, and this movie comes across as kind of a “Seabiscuit” except with a boxer.

Pretty much Jim Braddock was a boxer who was really good, then failed a bit, and then as the depression hit and people were looking for any story of anyone, or anything, who was the underdog fighting their way back, he came along as their vision of hope.

This one looks emotional, has the fabulous Paul Giamatti who has really shown he is the actor to compete with, and has potential to be one of those movies the Academy Award people will forget because it’s in the middle of the year and not in December, sadly.

I hope to catch this one as I always like a good underdog story, and this has the makings, especially with the likes of Ron Howard directing, to be a great movie.

That’s it for this preview! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

The Chronicles of Riddick

MPAA Rated – PG-13
It’s 1:59 Long
A Preview by:
– The Dude on the Right

The Chronicles of Riddick
Movie Stats & Links
Starring: Vin Diesel, Judi Dench, Colm Feore, Alexa Davalos
MPAA Rated: PG-13
Released By: Universal Pictures
Release Date: 2004
Directed By: David Twohy

You know, I never saw the movie “Pitch Black” a few years ago, and because of that I didn’t even realize Vin Diesel was associated with that movie, and as I watched the trailer again I wondered about this movie.

The synopsis kinda goes that Riddick (Vin) has been on the run for the past few years as people try to hunt him down because there’s a bounty on his head. In the meantime, there’s this Lord Marshal dude (Colm Feore), who pretty much captures humans with these things called Necromongers. Well, Riddick gets captured, hooks up with some chick, and finds himself fighting Lord Marshal and his Necromongers, and because of this it’s up to him to save the planet he’s on.

Okay, so the story is as strange as any other trying to save another planet from evil people, but this one’s got Vin so you can pretty much assume the action gets kicked up a couple of notches. As Dwayne Johnson (that’s The Rock if you didn’t know) and Vin fight for bragging rights for action bad-ass, I think Dwayne’s got an edge with him in “Walking Tall,” but Vin is fun in his own right, so I plan on catching this movie even if I’m not really sure what it’s about.

That’s it for this preview! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Secretariat

Here’s a bit from The Dude on the Right’s Blu-ray review of “Secretariat”

… Whereas “Seabiscuit” was a movie about a horse that also had Tobey Maguire in it, “Secretariat” is a movie about a strong women, Penny Chenery, that also has a horse in it, and had I known that, I might have actually gone to see the movie in the theater, because really, all I thought from the commercials was that I was going to see a movie about a horse, and that’s too bad. Luckily I caught the Blu-ray because yup, “Secretariat” is just as good as “Seabiscuit,” just in a different way. …

Secretariat

MPAA Rated – PG
It’s 2:03 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

Secretariat
Movie Stats & Links
Starring: Diane Lane, John Malkovich
MPAA Rated: PG
Released By: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
Kiddie Movie: Not too young, it’s kind of drama-driven with cool horse scenes.
Date Movie: It’s a nice story for both of you.
Gratuitous Sex: Nope.
Gratuitous Violence: Nope.
Action: The horse racing scenes are fantastic, even if you do already know the outcome.
Laughs: John Malkovich is a hoot.
Memorable Scene: Penny getting all “horse whisperer” with Secretariat.
Memorable Quote: Nothing totally stands out.
Directed By: Randall Wallace
Cool Things about the Blu-ray?: I actually liked one of the deleted scenes for a change, the interview with Penny Chenery makes you just want to stop by and have tea with her, and the technical stuff was cool. You also get the audio commentary and a detailed look at Secretariat the horse, not the movie.

I remember when “Secretariat” was coming to the theaters. I saw the trailer and in my head simply said, “Didn’t I already see this story before, with ‘Seabiscuit?’” I mean, that was a movie about a horse, how different could this be?

Boy, was I wrong.

Whereas “Seabiscuit” was a movie about a horse that also had Tobey Maguire in it, “Secretariat” is a movie about a strong women, Penny Chenery, that also has a horse in it, and had I known that, I might have actually gone to see the movie in the theater, because really, all I thought from the commercials was that I was going to see a movie about a horse, and that’s too bad. Luckily I caught the Blu-ray because yup, “Secretariat” is just as good as “Seabiscuit,” just in a different way.

In a nutshell, the story of Secretariat is one about a woman, Penny Chenery, played in the movie by the stunning and super-talented Diane Lane. As the movie opens we learn of how Penny is being called to the family horse farm as her father has taken ill and things are in peril, namely they might lose the farm. Penny is married at the time, with a few kids and a loving husband, but this is the late 1960’s/early 1970’s, and women aren’t supposed to be the owners/managers of the horses, nope, they’re supposed to be there, supporting their man. But Penny is strong and sees her calling, and in this calling comes a horse, a racehorse with the potential to accomplish the rare feat, winning horse racing Triple Crown.

So, leaving her family behind, Penny works the horse farm, but she also needs some help if Secretariat is to become a champion, and she finds that help in the quirky horse trainer Lucien Laurin, played funningly by John Malkovich.

And so, as the movie goes, we know the outcome, that Secretariat will win, but in the course we see how Penny overcomes the challenges of being a women in a man’s sport, of being away from her children who are growing up in the peace and love movement, and in believing in herself, and Secretariat, so much, that she is willing to risk everything for the family legacy she believes in.

As a movie “Secretariat” is great. It looks beautiful, the horse racing scenes are phenomenal, Diane Lane, John Malkovich, and the rest of the cast is great, and the story is truly one of inspiration, especially for women. But, and I give this only as a word of subtle warning, for me “Secretariat” plays more like a drama than a fun-filled family movie so I’m worried if the little one will be able to stick with it. It is only rated PG, so it’s safe for them, but not having kids, I wasn’t able to test it.

So, it does look good, the story is great, and in the end, as a full-blown movie I’ve got to give “Secretariat” 4 stars, but as a drama there are some slow parts, some deep parts, which might not really be what you are expecting. But then again, I was expecting another “Seabiscuit” and got something different, so go ahead and get this one, and watch it on your big screen in all of its Blu-ray glory!

As far as extras, I have to say that “Secretariat” isn’t overloaded with tons of stuff you probably won’t watch, but there are a couple of things I liked. Yup, there’s the standard audio commentary by the Director, Randall Wallace, but as much as I liked the movie, I really didn’t want to spend another two hours for any director insight. Instead I did watch the Deleted Scenes, and actually thought the directors Alternate Opening was better than the movie opening, but then the rest of the deleted scenes were, like normal, better off deleted. I did like the “Choreographing the Races,” because, well, technical stuff always gets me some how, but the extra I really liked, almost surprisingly to me, was the “A Director’s Inspiration: A Conversation With The Real Penny Chenery.” It was fascinating hearing her take on the movie, how some things were slightly different, and how some parts of her life, or changes to some scenes, she actually wishes might have made the film. She just seems like a fun lady to hang out with, and it showed in the interview. And, if you want to learn more about Secretariat, the Heart of A Champion bonus will help you out.

All in all I liked “Secretariat” the movie, actually liked some of the bonus features, so in the Blu-ray world, I say go ahead and watch a great story about a strong woman. And, oh yea, there’s a horse mixed into the movie, too.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

MPAA Rated – PG
It’s 2:24 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

The Chronicles
of Narnia:
Prince Caspian
Movie Stats & Links
Starring: Ben Barnes, Liam Neeson, Skandar Keynes, William Moseley, Georgie Henley, Anna Popplewell
MPAA Rated: PG
Released By: Walt Disney Pictures
Release Date: 2008
Kiddie Movie: It’s very violent. I hope the 5 year olds are ready for it.
Date Movie: Only if she is a Narnia fan.
Gratuitous Sex: It’s from Disney. There’s a kiss. And it’s “PG” for battles and violence.
Gratuitous Violence: The Narnians pretty much slice and dice their way through the Telmarinina army.
Action: There’s some fighting and chasing.
Laughs: Nope.
Memorable Scene: I did like the collapsing battlefield.
Memorable Quote: None.
Directed By: Andrew Adamson

Okay, sure, they don’t actually show the decapitation portion of the decapitation, and all we really see on the ground is the top of the helmet, but for the life of me I assumed “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” was rated PG-13 and found it kind of odd the parents bringing in kids as young as about 5 years old to the movie. Then, when I’m doing my research on who played whom, I say to myself “Holy crap, that thing is only rated PG?” as I notice what the the MPAA rating is. Can you tell I’m sort of flabbergasted by the rating? I guess sometimes there are things, like the decisions the MPAA rating’s people make, that we are never meant to understand.

Now, since I never saw the first Narnia movie, the one about the lion, the witch, and bedroom furniture, and many of you know my stance on reading books (of which this movie series is based on those by C.S. Lewis), and since they didn’t really give us any back-story on the first film during the second, from what I can gather our four main characters, Lucy (Georgie Henley), Edmund (Skandar Keynes), Susan (Anna Popplewell), and Peter (William Moseley) were some kind of royalty/fighters when Narnia was having trouble with this crazy white witch looking to put down the big lion, and for whatever reason the four of them ended up back in London. But while they’re living their lives over the course of one year, we know, from the trailer, that it’s 1300 years later in Narnia, something has beaten down the Narnians, and there’s trouble afoot in the land of the Telmarines as Lord Miraz (Sergio Castellitto) wants to be king, with only Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes) in his way.

So our good Prince escapes certain death by entering the land of Narnia, where, much to his surprise, some Narnians still exist, but he blows the big horn that summons our four heroes, who arrive just in the nick of time as the evil Telmarines are hell-bent on wiping out the Narnians, and Prince Caspian, once and for all.

The problem, though, for our heroes, is that one year is enough for Edmund, Susan, and Peter, to forget the magic that is Narnia, but Lucy still believes, which is a damn good thing because she seems to be the only one that thinks Aslan the lion, (voiced by Liam Neeson), is still alive, and that maybe the trees will wake up.

Fine, maybe I would have liked “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” more had I seen the first one, thereby understanding a little bit more about what is going on, but even as a movie I didn’t care for it that much on its own. I mean, how did our Narnias actually think they would be able to storm the castle? And how come the armies of the Telmarines seem to suck so bad? And what’s with crappy look of the epic battle scene, although I have to say the collapsing battlefield was pretty cool. And why did they seem to think they had to cast Prince Caspian as a pretty-boy wimp type rather than a pretty-boy warrior?

I could go on and on, but I think, if you are a fan of the first Narnia movie you will probably like the continuing story, but for me, this version didn’t make me want to seek out the first one so I could catch up. It’s 2 ½ stars out of 5 from me, but if you are a Narnia fan, you will probably give it a few more stars. Oh yea, one more thing, what’s with the water dude actually being able to “eat” someone? I guess I have so much more to learn about Narnia, it’s just too bad I won’t read about it.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe

MPAA Rated – PG
It’s 2:23 Long
A Preview by:
– The Dude on the Right

The Chronicles of Narnia:
The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe
Movie Stats & Links
Starring: Georgie Henley, William Moseley, Skandar Keynes, Anna Popplewell, Tilda Swinton
MPAA Rated: PG
Released By: Disney Pictures
Release Date: 2005
Directed By: Andrew Adamson

I’m pretty sure I have never read anything by C.S. Lewis, let alone recalling him as a classic, but supposedly he is an acclaimed author, and this movie, “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe” is based on his classic novel. Fine. I have no idea what any of that really means, but the trailer does show a magical adventure movie about four kids sent to a weird house.

So the four kids end up in this weird house with this weird professor dude, and they are pretty bored except for playing hide-and-seek. One of them opens up this wardrobe while trying to hide, and low and behold finds this weird world where animals talk and life seems grand, although it isn’t. It seems some evil witch is keeping things perpetually cold, even winter-like, and it’s up to the kids to join together with the animals to get rid of the witch.

The movie looks good, but it’s only shot at a blockbuster is that Potter-mania has died down and the kids are ready for another adventure because “Goblet of Fire” opens a mere three weeks prior.

I can’t say I’m excited about this film, but then again, it’s not really meant for me. I does look like a good one for the kids who enjoy adventure stories and talking animals.

That’s it for this preview! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Christmas with The Kranks

MPAA Rated – PG
It’s 1:38 Long
A Preview by:
– The Dude on the Right

Christmas with The Kranks
Movie Stats & Links
Starring: Tim Allen, Jamie Lee Curtis, Julie Gonzalo
MPAA Rated: PG
Released By: Sony Pictures
Release Date: 2004
Directed By: Joe Roth

What a bummer for John Grisham. Alright, I guess it won’t kill his pocketbook, but you write a book called “Skipping Christmas,” it’s pretty popular in the story circles, and you license the story to a movie studio. The problem is the MPAA folks tell the studio folks that they can’t name the movie “Skipping Christmas” because it is too close to the Ben Affleck movie “Surviving Christmas,” a matter of first come, first named. I suppose, in the end, it might be better for the “Kranks” movie people because of all of the crappy press “Surviving Christmas” has gotten.

Anyway, Tim Allen, who is quickly cornering the “if it’s a Christmas movie it better have Tim Allen in it” market, plays Luther Krank. When their daughter decides she won’t be home for Christmas, and being a little dismayed with the entire Christmas scene, Luther convinces wife Nora (Jamie Lee Curtis), that a tropical climate is a much better place to spend Christmas. She reluctantly agrees, much to the dismay of the neighbors, who always looked forward to the Krank’s Christmas displays and general yuletide cheer. Then, at the last minute, Blair, the daughter, decides she can’t be away from home for Christmas, and mom and dad only have hours to set up the beautiful Christmas they are known for. Oh, and yea, hilarity ensues.

Rated PG, this looks like a really cute family film for Christmas time. Grisham is always a great storyteller, even in his branching away from legal stuff, so this has tons of potential to be tons of fun.

That’s it for this preview! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!