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Monday:
Shrek the Third (2007)

...disappointing...

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Shrek has gone soft. I enjoyed the first two films because they were clever, and knew how to make you laugh. Unfortunately, they've thrown almost all of that material away. He is no longer the butt scratching, nose picking, burping ogre we know. It could be because he is too busy babysitting Arthur, future king, and dealing with his hangups on having children with Fiona. Is that really an excuse?

Shrek 3 begins fairly peaceful. You are shown the lives of almost everyone that starred in the previous film and what has happened since. The king is sick, so naturally Shrek (Myers) and Fiona (Diaz) must take over the job until he gets better (probably one of the funniest parts of the movie). There is only problem...he doesn't. So, Shrek must find a replacement to rule Far, Far Away and pubescent Arthur seems like the only option. Fiona, to add on to the drama, informs Shrek of her pregnancy. You can imagine how he felt about that. When they return they find chaos as Prince Charming has taken over the kingdom and has locked away the princesses.

I have not seen the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie yet, but I almost wish that I had. It was disappointing to see Shrek dealing with his emotional issues. Donkey (Murphy) was off dealing with his children, and Fiona...was Fiona even in the movie? Oh, yes, for her whole two minutes. Puss in Boots (Banderas) was the only person you could truly rely on. He was still raw and funny. If you want a great movie to see with your children then I would suggest nothing else at the time, but if you are used to a more mature movie, then I highly suggest you see something else.

My Rating =

Rent

Wednesday:
Eddie and the Cruisers (1983)

...monotonous...

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Some people probably think that I don't dip into the classics, but I do occasionally. I am able to appreciate them when it is called for. Unfortunately, some movies that may have seemed like great additions to any movie collection are now less than average. Eddie and the Cruisers is easily fits into that category.

In the early 60's, a band named Eddie and the Cruisers (hence the title) were the hottest thing around. They topped charts with every release, until the heartthrob lead singer mysteriously disappears. Investigators find his car at the bottom of a river where construction work on a bridge was incomplete. To their surprise, no body was found along with the vehicle. Twenty-years later, a television reporter decides to do an investigative story on the band and Eddie's (Berenger) disappearance. The more the reporter researches the story, the more she suspects he may still be alive.

My biggest complaint for this movie is the monotonous dialogue. It feels like they are saying the same things over and over. Not only that, but most of the songs sound the same and the bad acting doesn't help. There is nothing that can redeem it except for the last twenty minutes which are full of suspense. I believe that it actually had me intrigued. Eddie and the Cruisers was a great idea, but something went terribly wrong while writing the script.

My Rating =

Rent

Friday:
Failure to Lauch (2006)

...dialogue felt unnatural...

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Matthew McConaughey was the actor on the tip of everyone's tongue since the release of We Are Marshall, but only because he visited our state for a brief time to finish shooting the movie. To tell you the truth I could care less. I don't find him that funny. This movie is only watchable because of the off-beat friends of the betrayer and the betrayed.

Failure to Launch is about a guy in his thirties that will not leave his parents home. So, they do what any logical thinking person would, hire a prosti- woman to go out with him and convince him to move out. Most of the movie is spent watching McConaughey going on dates. Fortunately, though, his or her friends occasionally appear to spice things up a bit.

I had high expectations for this movie. It really looked promising. Sarah Jessica Parker was average in the movie, but most of her dialogue felt unnatural. At one point, it felt like she was reading off of notecards. The parents weren't in the movie as much as I would have liked. What can you expect? The highlight of this movie was watching the friends make situations worse, yet there feels like there could have been a way to fix that odd chemistry between Parker and McConaughey.