10,000 BC | Movie

10,000 BC | Movie Review

My 12 year old son made an understatement when he said that the movie 10,ooo BC was boring. It is also scientifically and historically inaccurate and downright misleading as it is not really about the 10,000 BC era that we know of (even by Hollywood’s lax standards). It makes the 1966 movie “One Million Years BC” look like a National Geographic documentary.

The creator said that 10,000 BC was not meant to be a documentary. Well thank you very much, Mr Roland Emmerich! Why not put a sign on the movie posters saying “Warning: This movie was meant for kids who want to get an “F” in geography, history and science!” Well, let’s hope he doesn’t make yet another Ice Age movie, for at least another 10,000 years.

10,000 BC is an illogical mix of Apocalypto, Atlantean, African folklore with tame wooly mammoths, saber-toothed tigers, big flightless birds and anti-slavery dreadlock gladiators. You have glacier-bound mountains set in close proximity to deserts and jungles. Wow, is it a theme park?

The 10,000 BC movie’s draggy story line, dull dialog and dumb action sequences won’t cut it even as a fantasy movie set in a planet far, far away from earth. Cloverfield movie looks like a cinematic work of art in comparison to 10,000 BC.

After Roland Emmerich’s impressive “The Day After Tomorrow” and “Independence Day“, this is a real letdown. The CGI and special effects looks like a decade old compared to what we are used to seeing in recent movies. Sci-fi fans looking to experience the panoramic vistas of a prehistoric Ice Age (circa 10,000 BC) will be sorely disappointed.

If your family haven’t seen 10,000 BC, take them to see the other age appropriate movies.

Suitable for Children
Though there are lots of violence in 10,000 BC, most of it is bloodless and therefore won’t upset younger kids. The lack of energy of the movie makes the intense action scenes look boring even for kids. As can be expected in films about prehistoric times, there are some scenes in the film about paganism – the worship of men claiming to be gods, the veneration of dead “fathers” and the seeking guidance of the “great mother”.

While it is commendable that the movie producers are promoting the “anti-slavery” theme – such basic human rights, unfortunately, did not exist until the last two centuries. There is a very good 2006 movie titled “Amazing Grace” which chronicles the efforts of William Wilberforce who was instrumental in getting the English Parliament to pass the Slave Trade Act in 1807 and the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833. In spite of the enactment of similar laws worldwide, slavery still exists in many parts of the world today. In some nations, like in Africa, people prefer to be slaves rather than face starvation and certain death as freemen. As long as there are bad and/or corrupt governments, such conditions will continue to exist right into the modern era – and we are not even talking about “white slavery”.

Watch streaming video from YouTube on 10,000 BC movie trailer:

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http://teamrich.wordpress.com – 10,000 BC | movie

Alvin & Chipmunks | Movie

The Chipmunks are soooo cute, you just want to see this movie again or go out & buy a real chipmunk.

The movie is based on a ’50s hit novelty musical act named “Alvin and the Chipmunks” and is true to its original incarnation. It was made to a cartoon TV series in 1961-62 and 1981-90. The CGI chipmunk characters are so realistic visually, their “acting” would put many real life actors to shame. Definitely one of the best animated movies released this year. So realistic are the animated characters, they look like small kids. So it is no surprise Alvin and the Chipmunks was one of the animated movies submitted for consideration for the Oscar awards. This movie puts Fox Animation in the same league as other leading animation studios like Disney, Dreamworks and Pixar. Forget the Golden Compass, Alvin and the Chipmunks shows the way to truthful entertainment, leaving both the parents and the kids more than satisfied.

Not only is the storyline well constructed, you also get Alvin and the Chipmunks‘ ’50s hits like “the Chipmunk Song (Christmas don’t be late)“, “the Witch Doctor” etc updated for today’s audience, making it a perfect Christmas movie. The Chipmunks’ new version of “Funkytown” is also a real party booster. Ross Bagdasarian Snr, the creator of Alvin and the Chipmunks won 5 Grammys for songs by this novelty recording act in 1958-63. The Chipmunks have released recordings almost every year from 1958-68, 1980-83, and 1990-96 making them one of the most enduring recording acts in music history! Ross Bagdasarian Snr died of a heart attack in 1972 and his son, Ross Bagdasarian Jr. carried on his father’s musical tradition.

The movie is set in smalltown USA that is all decked out for Christmas so you get an old fashion Christmassy feeling throughout the movie. The lead character, David Seville (Jason Lee) is a down and out song composer whose life is turned upside down by 3 talking, singing and dancing, mischievous chipmunks. There are many funny moments that will have you laughing silly. Jason Lee also voiced for the title character in “Underdog” movie another live-action/CGI movie.

There was a movie review by a local movie “critic” who said that the only entertaining thing about the movie was the talking chipmunks. She must be half dead or a sleepwalker. Everybody knows that all animated movies have talking characters and viewers expect more than just talking chipmunks to be entertained.

Alvin and the Chipmunks – Suitable for Young Children:

The movie teaches kids good values like:

• holding on to your dreams because something great is just around the corner
• if you show kindness, you will be rewarded
• be careful what you wish for, for you may get the worst part of it
• love and family is more valuable than fame and fortune.

The “mild rude humor” comprise the fart joke scene and a chipmunk eating poo sequence. So the movie is suitable for all kids.

Fantastic CGI, great story, good music, superb entertainment for the whole family (from grandparents to kids) make Alvin and the Chipmunks a movie worth seeing. So go and see the movie and later buy the DVD because some memories are worth keeping.

Here is the streaming video movie trailer of “Alvin and the Chipmunks” on YouTube:

Please visit our new movie review blog: goingtomovies for the latest movie reviews and the most anticipated movies for 2008 and beyond.

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Enchanted | Movie

Enchanted | Movie Review

An inventive story, great casting, intelligent direction and feet tapping music makes the movie “Enchanted” enchanting and the best fantasy movie released this year.

Enchanted – Suitable for Young Children:

What makes this movie unique and delightful is the way Disney contrasts the positive and happy characteristics of the Disney classic fairy tale characters against the negative and empty lives of the real world people. The fantasy world is represented by a commix of characters from Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and Cinderella. This together with Disney’s wonderful blend of comedy, romance, musical, animation and adventure genres makes Enchanted as much fun for adults as it is for children. The movie re-establishes Disney as the leading studio for fairy tale / fantasy movies.

This movie will surely be translated successfully into a Broadway hit musical like the Lion King as it has great music by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz. Menken and Schwartz previously collaborated on the animated films “Pocahantas” and “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” and Composer Alan Menken — teamed up with Disney in “The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin,” & “Beauty and the Beast.” The choreographed song and dance throughout the Enchanted are excellent.

Amy Adams is outstanding as the would-be princess Giselle and she really lights up every scene she appears in. Amy was nominated for the Oscars for Best Performance from an Actress in a Supporting Role (Junebug in 2005). Patrick Dempsey’s on-screen daughter, Rachel Covey bears a strong resemblance of a young Drew Barrymore.

So go out and catch Enchanted. If you don’t enjoy Enchanted, you have probably seen too many negative movies. This movie has a strong motivational theme and provides useful life lessons for those who are receptive enough to benefit from them.

Here is an enchanting streaming video movie trailer from “Enchanted” at YouTube:

Please visit our new movie review blog: goingtomovies for the latest movie reviews and the most anticipated movies for 2008 and beyond.

© teamrich.wordpress.com – movies with values: Enchanted

Fred Claus | Movie

Fred Claus | Movie Review

If you want to see a movie that is true to the Spirit of Christmas, see “Fred Claus” not “Golden Compass“. It has lots of good things going for it, fantastic Christmas characters, great music, good values and an interesting story line.

Unlike the Golden Compass, Fred Claus is based on a true character, St. Nicholas which has been transformed to legendary status as Santa Claus. In this movie, we get an entertaining Hollywood version of the life of Santa Claus from baby to adulthood. Santa’s North Pole is also more fleshed out over the previous Santa movies. So if you are a fan of the Santa legend, you’ll get a visual treat on Santa Claus and the traditions of Christmas.

Fred Claus – Suitable for Young Children:

Children will love this movie because it has all their beloved characters in it. More than this, it has lots of good motivational themes which will teach kids about generosity, always seeing the good in people, the value of maintaining traditions and carrying out one’s responsibilities. We were at the 9.30pm show and there were a lot of young children and they were enjoying Fred Claus tremendously, judging from their reactions to various parts of the movie.

I asked my young son if he wanted to see the Golden Compass when the trailer was playing before Fred Claus came on. He said “no”. He said that it looked like a copy cat Narnia with a Star Wars Chewbacca lookalike character and some Harry Potter characters. He did not know about the anti-God controversy behind the Golden Compass movie as we did not discussed it with him.

The music is also great with some well known 60s songs. It also has some superb traditional Christmas songs rarely seen in today’s movies like “Silent Night“, “The First Noel” etc. The song “Silent Night” featured in Fred Claus is a very moving traditional version by Sinead O’Conner. If you watched the movie, I’m sure you’ll want to buy the CD Soundtrack of Fred Claus. But note that the excellent songs by the Rolling Stones’ “Beast of Burden” and the Byrds “My Back Pages” are not in the CD probably because they are not Christmas songs.

The story line is also pretty interesting too. It is about Santa’s elder brother, Fred, who became alienated from the Claus family because he felt overshadowed by the illustrious Santa. However, when Santa suffers a back injury and is unable to fulfill his Christmas obligations, Fred steps in and saves Santa’s reputation and at the same time the upholds the Christmas tradition – which Fred previously used to despise.

The movie also addresses the issue of “Santa’s list of bad kids” and underprivileged kids. It teaches them that no matter what their situation is, they can rise above and break away from their circumstances and be better persons.

So I don’t understand why Fred Claus is getting so much bad press. The critics are probably so busy scribbling something “profound” to say about the movie, the missed all the great parts. Or perhaps, they rather see an adult-orientated movie than a family movie. Perhaps the movie, clocking at 1 hour 50 minutes, may be a trite too long for their short attention spells.

Fred Claus has a great cast including Oscar winners Kevin Spacey and Kathy Bates.

Christian viewers should take note of the adult themes in the movie like rude humor and adult situations like unmarried people living together.

Apart from that, Fred Claus is a movie you want your kids see and hopefully it will encourage them to carry on the Christmas spirit long after you are gone. Have Yourself a Merry Christmas!

Here is a “Fred Claus” streaming video movie trailer from YouTube:

Please visit our new movie review blog: goingtomovies for the latest movie reviews and the most anticipated movies for 2008 and beyond.

© teamrich.wordpress.com – movies with values: Fred Claus

Game Plan | Movie

The Game Plan | Movie Review

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Want to see something new from Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson like singing, being funny and actually acting? Then see “The Game Plan”.

To be quite frank, I didn’t really want to see the Game Plan as the muscle-bound former pro WWF wrestler, “the Rock” didn’t impress me with his acting skills in his previous movies – which basically featured more action than acting from him. But I went along to oblige my 11 year old son who is an avid WWF fan. Though not one of the best actors in Hollywood from the WWF stable, he has improved on his limited acting skills somewhat by handling some of the comedic and sad scenes somewhat convincingly. I particularly liked the part where he began talking like Daffy Duck due to an allergic reaction to cinnamon in a biscuit.

Though not a very good singer, the Rock also manages a pull off a nice rendition of Elvis Presley’s “Are You Lonesome Tonight“. If you are an Elvis fan, you will love the Elvis memorabilia in the Rock’s Kingmen character’s exclusive uptown and hi-tech apartment.

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At the beginning of the movie I thought The Game Plan was going to be a pretty straight forward family comedy with a sports element thrown into it but I was pleasantly surprised by its inspirational values and tear jerking moments.

The Game Plan’s strong motivational theme like determination, passion, teamwork, patience, and selflessness makes it one of the good “feel good” movies to come out this year. The Rock’s Kingman character’s motto: “Never quit, never say no” (i.e. “Never say die” and “Never give up.”) is inspirational too.

The Rock, though an inexperienced dad, does an admirable job taking care of his newly discovered 8 year old daughter played with gusto by Madison Pettis. Even when things are going wrong, Kingman exudes confidence and grit. In one particular scene in the Game Plan, though he has doubts about doing a ballet performance in public, he manages to convince himself to do it by saying to himself: “I will not quit. Power to the dad. Power to the dad who doesn’t quit”. Great stuff for anyone overwhelmed by a seemingly difficult task.

As a bonus, you get an inside look of the lifestyles of successful football stars in the US.

To sum up, don’t expect fantastic acting or a thoroughly original story line in the Game Plan. Just let it be an evening of good entertainment where you can leave your head behind and let your heart take over. The 110 minute movie running time does not seem so long when you are having fun and not acting like a movie critic.

Game Plan – Conditionally Suitable for Young Children:

So yeah, go and see the movie “The Game Plan” or catch it on DVD but be warned that it has some disconcerting amount of suggested sexuality for a PG movie – surprising for a Disney family movie.

Watch the “Game Plan” streaming video movie trailer on You Tube and get into the feel of the Game:

Please visit our new movie review blog: goingtomovies for the latest movie reviews and the most anticipated movies for 2008 and beyond.

© teamrich.wordpress – movies with values – the game plan

Bee Movie | Review

I don’t know why the critics are raving and ranting against the Bee Movie. I thought it was a pretty darn good and fun movie for the whole family. It won’t win the best movie of the year award, but who cares? Maybe they were expecting a Jerry Seinfeld comedy monologue throughout the film because he was in the creative team of the Bee Movie?

I’m no fan of Jerry Seinfeld, but I really like this movie and parents should not be deterred to taking their children to see this bee movie because of what the critics said.

The Bee Movie is a high flying animation movie by DreamWorks studio and it will give you a joy ride like only bees can experience. You also won’t get a more positive and motivated character in a family movie than the lead character Barry (voiced by Jerry Seinfeld).

Here are my reasons for giving the Bee Movie a “thumbs up” but watch out for the sting:

Firstly, the Bee Movie story is pretty good with an original plot. It teaches us to explore the world before we make a career choice. To fight big corporations, no matter what the odds are. Even small guys can win, if we stick together. Never being afraid of making friends. If we create a ecological disaster, we should have the courage and resolve to undo the damage in every little way we can. You even get to learn how a car works in the Bee Movie.

AO Scott in the New York Times wrote on the Bee Movie: “There is a plot – the usual big, elaborate story with the usual important messages about saving the planet, living together in interspecies harmony and believing in yourself – but it’s a little beside the point. The real fun is the insect shtick.”

Secondly, the jokes are funny too. There are jokes about being small, being exploited, about blood sucking lawyers etc and of course bee and sting jokes and puns. I don’t quite like the cross species relationships jokes though as it may confuse the younger viewers.

Thirdly, the CGI on the Bee Movie is innovative and impressive. The CGI’s multi-dimensional fantasy background looks real as if it was filmed on an actual site in an alternate universe of the bees. The bee characters are deliberately human shaped in much the same vein as “Toy Story“. The animated characters also had faces that resembled the numerous well known actors voicing them including the many TV personalities featured in the movie like Oprah and Larry King.

Fourthly, it has two memorable bee songs namely, one by my favorite insect band, the Beatles with their fabulous “Hear Comes the Sun” and TV Cartoon band, the Archies‘ with their catchy song “Sugar Sugar“.

In terms of box office receipts, the Bee Movie is 6th highest grossing animated movie released in 2007 (with only 6 days of screening) after Shrek 3, Ratutouille, Simpsons movie, Meet the Robinsons, Surf’s Up, and TMNT. The people have voted with their feet and Jerry Seinfeld and company are laughing all the way to the honey (er… I mean money) bank!

Get the buzz with the Bee Movie.

Review “the Bee Movie” on this YouTube streaming video movie trailer:




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© teamrich.wordpress.com – the Bee Movie review

Stardust | Movie

Stardust | Movie Review

Stardust is a strange brew of fantasy, action, adventure, mystery, romance and comedy. It has all the elements of a perfect fairy tale with witches, flying pirate ships, kings, princes and princesses, unicorns, ghosts etc. Based on Neil Gaiman’s “high fantasy” novel, Stardust is an entertaining adult fairy tale that will satisfy grown-ups but may leave younger kids restless because of its complex story line and rather wordy dialog. Also, the adult humor, scary witches and violence (minus blood and gore) may deter some parents from taking their younger kids to see Stardust.

The movie comes across like a better “The Princess Bride” with touches of Terry Gilliam here and there. It has a slow build up (some would say the randomness of the plot build up) to introduce the many characters in Stardust and after many twists and turns, the movie comes to a thundering finish. Some scenes seemed to have been rushed, ending rather too quickly for my liking – indicating that a longer story may had ended up in the movie editor’s cutting floor. The movie is over 2 hours long, but you won’t feel that it is that long.

Although Stardust has some admirable values, I thought the part exposing Robert de Niro’s character as a gay pirate (as in closet cross-dressing) was totally unnecessary and didn’t really advance the humor quotient. Robert de Niro was performing admirably as a fierce some pirate until this unfortunate “campy” scene.

Though Stardust could work equally as well in a modern setting as a science fiction movie, thankfully the makers had the good sense to set the movie in good ol’ England affording it a gorgeous sleepy Medieval town setting. Neil Giaman’s mythology behind Stardust’s alternate universe of Stormhold provides a fascinating backdrop for this story much like the Lord of the Rings though not in the same breath and scope of imagery as Tolkien’s Middle Earth.

Sci-fi fans will be happy with the realistic special effects and CGI in Stardust, which are very good though not exactly ground breaking. Big star names like Michelle Pfeiffer, Peter O’Toole etc in the movie was also a big boost to the acting department.

The main selling point of Stardust is the good story line which unfolds like a good murder mystery leaving you guessing of what is going to happen next – provided you had not read the full movie synopsis off course. The story is about an ordinary boy who goes on a simple quest to win the hand of a local town beauty but gets diverted by the problems of other people. The true object of the quest is not known to him until the very end and I won’t be a spoiler by telling you.

Go and experience the magical kingdom of Stardust and find out the mystery for yourself. You won’t be disappointed.

Review the “Stardust” on this streaming video movie trailer via YouTube:

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