Due Date

This is such a late review...oops. But, hey, if you haven't seen it and you're considering picking it up as a rental then I am still able to assist you with your decision. I have recently become more of a Robert Downey Jr. fan. It seems as though he has finally left all of his wild days behind and has chosen to be the actor he was meant to be. Not to mention he has REALLY HOT hair...yes, I said his hair is HOT! Anyway, I really love his character in this movie; Peter Highman. He is a well-out-together kind of guy who is obviously very devoted to his wife and soon-to-be-born child. Peter is responsible- working a job that requires him to travel, obviously very adverse to breaking any laws, and completely against the use of drugs!

The dude that Peter gets 'stuck' with, Ethan Tremblay/Chase, is quite the opposite! He has some VERY nasty habits, doesn't have gainful employment and is using leaves from a certain plant "medicinally"...although I'm not sure we saw the carrier's card...

Through the movie these guys stumble into some very awkward and crazy scenarios. With their opposing personalities, the humor is in seeing how each one responds.

Anyway, the plot is decent, the character development is good, the humor is mostly good ( watch out for the rest-stop scene), and the ending was fitting. Not a two-thumbs-up kind of movie...but still not bad.

My advice, rent the movie when the kids won't be present!

~Cinema Sampler

The Lovely Bones

I'm not sure why I even rented this movie... The previews looked intriguing but, really, why would a mother of two beautiful daughters want to watch a movie about a neighbor who kills a young girl?!?! So, Mark Wahlberg did a great job (as I'm sure you know). The most emotion that I could attach to in this movie was from his character. I don't believe that Rachel Weisz performed as well...or maybe the focus was supposed to remain only on the father.
Stanley Tucci played a convincing role. As an ordinary neighbor man he looked and seemed to blend into his surroundings so well yet he was a serial murderer! The thought sends chills down your spine and makes you want to upgrade your door locks.
The daughter was a typical 14-year-old girl with an active social life and a loving family. As frustrating as it was to see how easily she fell into the trap, it was common in that time for people to be more trusting. I didn't like the new "place" she went to...it was very strange. I think that really detracted from the whole movie. I know this type of thing has been done before (Ghost 1990) but this approach was, ...well....lame.

Anyway, my suggestion: PASS ON THIS MOVIE...even as a rental it's not that entertaining for the money!

~Cinema Sampler

Taken

I have never thought of Liam Neeson as the star of an action/suspense/drama. He's not a Gerard Butler or a Mel Gibson, or even a Russell Crowe...so how does he do in Taken? Very well actually! It didn't take long to make a believer out of me. He is capable of holding the intensity of a scene and building up the plot without seeming out of character. I was pleasantly surprised.
The story was well developed also. A daddy who just wanted to make his little girl happy after years of being kept from her by his career...who, despite his ex-wife's ignorance, wants to ensure that his daughter is always safe...finds himself in his worst nightmare! She's been taken! By whom and for what reason is the really interesting part. The suspense is built even more by the imaginary clock that is ticking away her chances of ever being found again!
It reminds me of a different movie about naive travelers: "Brokedown Palace" (1999). Another good rental!

My opinion: RENT THIS MOVIE!

~Cinema Sampler