Our Family Wedding

Goolphipp Award: 2 (See the Cheap Matinee)

Phipps:
Unfortunately, I had some expectations for this movie, which is probably why I was disappointed. The biggest letdown was by far Carlos Mencia, who should never try to act in a movie again. His character was a huge part of the movie, and he was a horrible actor. This is another case of sacrificing the role for a big name.

In general, I feel like the screenwriter didn't take advantage of the clash of cultures. The focus of the clash was hurling insults in the dialogue between the fathers...which was funny for the first 2 minutes and then got old. The grandmother was by far the best character - although, I didn't pick up on most of the Spanish...which probably should have been subtitled. I don't think there is much else to say. I wasn't that entertained. The movie wasn't that memorable. In fact, I think the only thing I'll remember was being jealous of America Ferrera's clothes.

Phipps overall: 2
Just didn't cut it.

Goolsby:
The gist of the movie - Mexican girl gets engaged to black guy; families collide. I agree with Phipps. Mencia was a let down. I was pretty excited for this movie. We had seen the trailer and it looked golden. The grandmother fainting in the preview was the best part of the movie. So it looks like we might have another Just-Watch-The-Trailer movies. Which is sad. I'm reminded of Did You Hear About the Morgans.

I caught a good chunk of the Spanish, but didn't realize Phipps didn't know what was going on till about half way through. I thought the families depicted were great. Poor Mencia just didn't compare to Forest Whitaker's father role. It's pretty sad when the minor characters upstage the leading roles.

Goolsby overall: 2
Had so much potential.

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Remember Me

Goolphipp Award: 3.6 (Worth 11 Bucks)

Goolsby:
Well, it's no wonder why we went to see this movie. Pattz and the promise of a teaser trailer for Eclipse - we're suckers.

This movie sort of grows on you, but only after you forgive it for it's extremely slow place. This movie takes its sweet time on getting to the point. I would say that this movie doesn't follow a typical plot line. It is more of a snapshot of someone's life. Sure, you get the background like any plot, but it's only in the interaction between characters that it all comes out. Once you accept the slow meandering pace, it starts to get good.

Who stole the show? A little girl. Ruby Jerins plays the younger sister Caroline to the lost older brother Tyler, played by Robert Pattinson. Every scene she was in, she steals the stage. I was reminded of Jae Head from The Blind Side. These up and coming actors are grade-A all the way.

The ending packed a punch for me. I had done no research on this film and was a little surprised at how it ended. The title of course hints at someone dying... Remember Me... "Someone's got to die," is what we kept saying during the previews. I won't spoil anything, but it was handled very well.

Some odd things, Pattz's kissing style is exactly the same as in the Twilight series. It was strange to see him opposite someone other than Kristen Stewart. Emilie de Ravin played the role of Ally Craig, Tyler's love interest. I'm familiar with her from Roswell, but hadn't seen her in a while. All the performances were okay. Pierce Brosnan plays a strong father role, and I was impressed with his ability to cover up his accent. Kudos. I wish there were more similarities between the son and father.

Goolsby overall: 3.75
I was expecting horrible and was surprised.

Phipps:
Well, as Goolsby said, you go into this movie knowing that someone is going to die. So, I wasn't all that surprised, but I felt that it was done well...and respectfully, I might add. I think that covers the biggest point of controversy for Remember Me.

As Goolsby said, the pace was incredibly slow. So slow that we pretended to slit our wrists a couple of times, which is actually quite disrespectful since one of the themes in Remember Me is suicide. I felt like I lost two years of my life in this movie. That being said, I've sat through worse...such as The Assassination of Jesse James (which made watching paint dry sound like attending the Superbowl). The cause of the slow pace was lack of plot, this movie is completely character driven.

The actors portraying those characters did a great job. I swear, Pierce Brosnan never gives a bad performance, and it was a good transition role for him too - playing the older guy/dad roles. Pattz is learning, and my one complaint is that he needs to learn to quit looking away on important lines/scenes. In life, when people deliver those lines, we generally look people in the face. That's about my only complaint. Ruby Jerins reminded me of Dakota Fanning in terms of acting ability. I agree with Goolsby, she stole every scene.

At the end of the day, I cared about the characters. And while the ending was tough to watch, all the conflict had been wrapped up in a tidy bow, which made the ending tragic, but not senseless. In fact, I'd say the last 5 minutes of the movie were the best moments.


Phipps overall: 3.5
For the last 5 minutes.

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It's Complicated

Phipp award: 3.5 (Worth 11 Bucks)

Phipps:
I saw this movie with a bunch of women I go to church with. And we all laughed a lot. It's Complicated was a solid good time. This was a good transition movie for Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, and Steve Martin. Caters to the older crowd, but the humor was basically universal. It was a good look at divorce, and how it affects people in general...and how it affects your kids. I think my favorite character was Harley, played by John Krasinski, the future son-in-law and the only one privy to all the secretive happenings. He made me laugh. Overall, it's a fun movie. It's not as raunchy as you might think...for those who are worried about it. And it was nice to see a bit of Santa Barbara...which reminded me of Ojai. Anyway, if you have a chance, see this movie...it's actually a romantic comedy that lives up to the genre.

Oh, and one more thing, I'd kill to have Jane's (Streep) kitchen before the remodel. It was amazing.

Phipps overall: 3.5
A good time.

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Alice in Wonderland

Goolphipp Award: 4.3 (No Peanuts Chucked)

Where we stand: Excited fan and general watcher

Goolsby:
Call me the excited fan. I love Alice in Wonderland. When I was about six, my parents bought me an Alice dress from Disneyland, and I never understood why my hair couldn't be blond like hers. I love the story, and I love the characters. I was prepared to hate this film after my bad experience with Tim Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. So I was prepared for the worst. Turns out I didn't need to be so worried...

Phipps:
Honestly, I was never a big fan of Alice. I liked one scene from the Disney movie - the singing flowers. Apart from Goolsby, I doubt I would have seen the movie. From the start, I worried about the abundance of CGI-ness. I like seeing real sky. And, at the end of day, I'm not a fan of Tim Burton. There are very few of his movies that capture my fancy.

Audience: Family with discretion

Goolsby:

I think this movie might be a bit scary for small jumpy kids. I think it's fine for most families, but you never know. So fantasy fighting with monsters and what not.

Phipps:
Yeah, I agree, there are scary monsters and weird looking folks in this movie. Take your kid's personality into account. I'd say the 8-10 bracket of kids is the youngest you should go.

Special effects: Intense

Goolsby:
This movie was dark. The color scheme was dreary which is such a huge difference from what I grew up loving. The punches of color that the movie did have stuck out like headlights, which created an odd color palette. I loved the coloring and movement of the Cheshire Cat, it was on point the whole time. Johnny Depp's contacts were a bit distracting at times, but well done. I did notice the March Hare was a bit strange. He was completely animated and didn't look as well done as the White Rabbit. We did not see the movie in 3D so I cant comment on that aspect, but I have a feeling 3D would be great with this movie.

Phipps:
I was prepared for this movie to be all green screen, and I wasn't disappointed. It was done well. Most of the animation fit together seamlessly. I won't lie, I'm not a fan of green screen movies, but I suppose it was almost necessary in this case for all the wonderland-like components. I think the most successful integration was the work on the Red Queen, who sported a cranium the size of Jupiter - which probably allowed her to steal every scene she appeared in.

Story and continuity: Return to Wonderland

Goolsby:
Sometimes sequels or return movies feel strained or stretched. That wasn't the case of this movie. I appreciated that Alice refused to accept the fact that she was the "right" Alice. The one big complaint that I have with the movie is that I wanted it to return to the bright vivid colors. Once the White Queen came to power I wanted some type of magical transformation to happen in Wonderland. I wanted the colors that I grew up with to come back.

Phipps:
Storywise, I'm glad it was absolutely stressed before Alice was released that it was a sequel, which gauranteed that nobody was sitting there confused. The movie itself was action-packed. And while I don't think I'll ever own this movie, I wasn't bored. I had fun exploring Tim Burton's interpretation of Wonderland. I was wondering why the White Queen never lowered her arms though, she walked around with them slightly raised and away from her body. Reminded me of a ballerina meets space cadet. At any rate, I liked the story and how it developed. Character development was also good. I don't really have any complaints in this area.

What was the best: Cats and Clothes

Goolsby:
As I mentioned, I loved the Cheshire Cat. It was the attention to small detail that I really enjoyed in the film. The Cheshire Cat would be used as a shield by other characters then disappear. Loved it. I think the film did a great job keep all the small bits going. I also enjoyed the throwbacks to the original film -the flamingos and hedge hog made me smile.

Phipps:
Hands down, I loved how they dealt with Alice's clothes. It does stand to reason that Alice's clothes wouldn't grow or shrink with her, and with each resizing, she got a new dress. I thought that was quite clever...and it made for interesting dialogue and situations. A close second is the Red Queen herself. What a character. I have to agree with the rest of the world - Helena Bonham Carter is the real star of this movie.

Goolsby overall: 4.75
Call me an elitist if you want... almost perfect.

Phipps overall: 4
I like seeing real skies. Not my cup of tea (pun intended).

Goolphipp Award: 4.3 (No Peanuts Chucked)

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The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

Gool Award: 4 (No Peanuts Chucked)

Goolsby:

I saw this movie by myself and really enjoyed it. Overall this movie has a strange feel to it. I'm not sure if it was seeing Heath Ledger in his last acting role, or if it was the content of the film. I didn't have any strange dreams which is good, considering this movie is like consecutive acid trips. I knew that it would be like that coming in, so I was prepared. The movie is full of color and character. Good, evil, imagination, and reality. This movie constantly forces opposites together.

The basic plot - Dr. Parnassus can expose people to their full imagination by letting them pass through a mirror into an imagination reality controlled by his mind. Dr. Parnassus uses their imagination and multiplies it by a million. Once in the imagination world they are presented with an opportunity, here comes the good versus evil part. The plot pivots on a bet Dr. Parnassus makes with the devil.

Dr. Parnassus is played by Christopher Plummer and Tony is played by Heath Ledger, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell. Ledger died mid-way through filming and this movie used the imagination world to accommodate his passing. Every time Tony passes through the mirror into the imagination world his appearance changes. It was seamlessly done, and explained well in the very beginning of the movie.

This movie was dark and bright all at the same time. Ledger's performance was very strange. The character Tony is this sort of abandoned misguided guy.

Randomly, there were quite a few funny parts, and I appreciated that. I say go see this movie if you are up for a random crazy ride.

Goolsby overall: 4

I wonder what my imagination world would look like...

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Tooth Fairy

Phipp Award: 2 (See the Cheap Matinee)

Phipps:
I saw this movie because The Rock usually makes decent movies. They aren’t wonderful, but they are fun and light on crude. I also saw this movie because of Julie Andrews – she’s a legend. That being said, this was on the low end of good movies. It was a formula movie, but I was okay with the recycled storyline because it was a cute idea. The Rock in tights…strange and hilarious…and I have to say…he kind of rocked them. The wings were kind of lame looking – too papery. I get that fairy wings are different from bird wings, but come on, people! There was nothing cool about them – they didn’t move at all...a glorified Halloween costume. Everything in this movie seemed a little hollow. Performances weren’t solid. Overall, it could have been better.

Phipps overall: 2
Something was missing.

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When in Rome

Goolphipp Award: 2.25 (See the Cheap Matinee)


Phipps:
Well, I did see the cheap matinee of this movie, and I wasn’t disappointed. It was a typical romantic comedy, but I had fun. I laughed, mostly at Josh Duhamel, who used this movie to show off his comedic timing. He was arguably the best part of the movie. His performance was solid. Props to Danny Devito, he’s a real pro. The rest of the cast was sufficient. I’ll probably end up buying this movie, if that makes a difference to you. It’s a prefect movie for a Girls Night. Guys will probably hate this movie (in all honesty). I will say that this movie made me want to go to Rome, and toss a coin into a famous fountain…and hope for the best.

Phipps overall: 2.5
Charmed by Duhamel.

Goolsby:
I saw this separately with my mother. I was disappointed. I didn't find the physical humor that great. The previews showed most of the funny moments, and the rest was hit or miss. My biggest complaint for this movie is that it was so slow. It took forever to start. With funny movies you have to hop right in and keep the punches rolling. This film did not do that. Phipps is right that Devito Stole the show. All in all it was a little slow paced and run-of-the-mill. Honestly, I think I saw my mom nod out a couple times.

Goolsby overall: 2
Passable.

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Valentine's Day

Goolphipp Award: 3.1 (Worth 11 Bucks)

Phipps:
This movie was alright. I'm not a fan of vignette movies (not even Love Actually won me over), so if you like them, you will probably like this movie too. I have to say, I liked this movie better than Love Actually. I think this movie did a better job of connecting all the stories. Everybody and their brother (including both McDreamy and McSteamy!) was in this movie...all giving solid performances, except Taylor Swift. It was like the girl was on uppers. I did like where things landed at the end - spoiler alert! I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised that the 18-year-olds did not have sex...and that it was okay to wait (for a bit at least). In this society, I was quite shocked by that (although, I really appreciated it)! I think my favorite moment was the Moorpark Blvd. discussion, being that I live fifteen minutes away from Moorpark, California, and where everyone seems to get that Moorpark spelled backwards is "kraproom." It was a local joke and I laughed very loudly! And I did appreciate Taylor Lautner's falls and jumps in the movie - I'm always impressed by how talented the kid is. Overall, this is a fun watch. Don't overthink it.

Phipps overall: 3.25
A fun, fluffy movie.

Goolsby:
I'm a huge fan of Love Actually, so this movie was right up my alley. In these types of movies you always like some stories more than the others. I really like Julia Robert's story and Ashton Kutcher's too. This movies gives you a wide range of the walks of love, and I liked being able to see all of them.

Here is a complaint, in Love Actually the story of father-son duo, (Daniel) Liam Neeson and (Sam) Thomas Sangster is the basic little boy in love plot. The girl that the little boy goes after is Indian. In Valentine's Day, we've got the same plot down to the Indian girl! If Hollywood if trying to be "diverse" then why not make her some other race? Goodness. So I was a little upset to see some all too similar plot lines when compared to Love Actually. I guess when a good formula works, you use it.

I like this movie, not as much as other similar types though. Oh... I had heard some stuff before seeing the movie about Taylor Swift's poor acting chops. I'm afraid everyone is right. I know she was supposed to be playing a ditz, but if we look to Anna Kendrick, who plays a ditsy teenager in Twilight, the comparison is easy to read. You can play a ditz but still act- Anna Kendrick wins that race any day.

Goolsby overall: 3
Good laughs.

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Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

Phipp Award: 3.75 (Worth 11 Bucks)

Phipps:
When Greek mythology invades the 21st century, you'll find me there. It's an interesting idea. I think the only real compliant is Percy doesn't completely fall apart after his mother disappears (and presumed dead). I'd be inconsolable for a while, and Percy doesn't freak out - he's oddly stoic about the entire thing. I suppose it could be argued that he was in shock combined with information overload, but even that doesn't fly well. I thought the performances were solid. Cinematography wasn't sensational, but also solid. Sometimes Pierce Brosnan's centaur effects looked awkward, but it wasn't enough to really complain about. I'm a fan of Sean Bean and I'm glad that he landed Zeus...I wouldn't want to be on that kid's bad side. This movie in general does a decent job of refreshing it's audience of Greek mythology - I'd feel stupid, and then the movie would explain it. Overall, I think it's worth seeing on the big screen. Give it a chance, and you'll have fun. I also have a sneaking suspicion that I will like it much better the second time around.

Phipps overall: 3.75
Nicely Done.

Dear John

Goolphipp award: 3.8 (Worth 11 Bucks)

Goolsby:

We're suckers for a good love story. I really enjoyed this movie. I understand why they marketed this movie the way they did - with it following in the footsteps of the now classic Notebook, but I felt the real gem of this movie was not the main romance. The on screen bond between Channing Tatum and Richard Jenkins was really special to watch. Jenkins plays John's developmentally challenged father. It was never clarified if the father was autistic or suffered from Asperger's Syndrome, but either way, Jenkins did a stellar job. Whenever the two were on screen together they stole the whole shebang. Kudos for one of the best father-son performances I've ever seen. I would also say that their relationship was more profound and intense than the chemistry between Tatum and Amanda Seyfried. I must say, the father-son duo brought the most water works from me.

I have never read a Nicholas Sparks book, but I enjoyed the current plot setting of this story. John meets Savannah while on leave, and ends up enlisting for a further stay. We get to follow his journey through the 9/11 attack and onward. Unlike a period piece, I think this story hit home a bit harder for some people.

The soundtrack was also well placed and matched. It never felt too over powering or interfered with the movie.

Goolsby overall: 4.25

Bring the tissues.

Phipps:

I liked this movie. I definitely cried...and probably would have bawled like a baby if the group of ladies in front of us hadn't been talking up a storm. I think what I liked most about this movie is it didn't feel fake. I mean, the characters didn't do anything extraordinary...they weren't super special. Instead, they felt like ordinary folk living an ordinary life, which is in no way a dig. I like romances that are realistic (as well as sweet). I don't think this movie matches The Notebook, and I don't think it will be as widely embraced by men. So, it might be best to keep this a Girls Night Out movie...then you can let yourself get all splotchy from crying. As Goolsby said, the father-son aspect of this movie was amazing. It was difficult to watch, but you understood why things were the way they were. One more thing, Channing Tatum is a pretty decent crier, and that's important when you are trying to build your career. I would like to see him in a role that incorporated less action, even though he excels in projecting emotion through action. As a whole, Dear John didn't disappoint.

Phipps overall: 3.5

A snapshot of real life.

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