Eragon

I really don't need to spend much effort or time writing a review for this film because the Oklahoma City Gazette nailed it with their critique. Basically, this is a poorly done remake of "Star Wars". You've got all the signature characters just with different names. The plot is amazingly similar as well: Young Eragon goes to join the rebel forces to stop the destructive power of evil ruler over the land. You could also say this movie is the off-spring of Narnia and Harry Potter because they share common traits like directing style, editing, and scripting elements.

With all of that said, I'm not going to say that this was a bad movie. Even though it is not very original it is at least respectably made. You can tell the budget for it must have been quite high. Jeremy Irons also does a fanatasic job in the movie bringing his character to life. The other actors seem like unknown amateurs cast to save money that the director thought was better spent on special effects.

If you've got a child between the ages of 7 and 9 then they should enjoy the film. I myself found the film watchable though not memorable.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10

Black Christmas

There's nothing like celebrating the holidays with a remade slasher flick. I really don't understand it. How could Hollywood possibly give the green light on remakes whose original film didn't make a lot of money? It just doesn't make any sense to me. Black Christmas isn't the only one. House on Haunted Hill, 13 Ghosts, and the up coming The Hitcher. Do we really need to see how a director can breathe new life into a film that never had a life to begin with? I guess so.

That's not to say that Black Christmas isn't a complete waste of time. If you're looking for a good slasher flick to catch at the theater, this is pretty much you're only choice. All the other slasher flicks are stuck in the video isles of your local Blockbuster. So the story goes that a now-occupied sorority house used to be the residence of a small child who was horribly abused as a child. The child and his sister come back to the sorority house to take out their Christmas angst on the many unsuspecting house sisters.

The directing is solid and the acting is above par for this type of film. The story and characters are solid enough and a lot of the stereo-typical plot elements are played upon creatively turning this into a who-done-it kind of film. The ending is solid enough to be satisfying but overall the movie is too over-the-top and tongue-in-cheek to be taken too seriously.

Rating: 3.5 out of 10

Night at the Museum

Fun and whimsical, Night at the Museum takes us back through history to help inspire a younger generation that the past can be cool and that museums can be enjoyable. The movies is about a man with dreams who can't keep a job getting a chance at employment at a museum. Each night, because of a golden Egyptian tablet, the museum comes to life. Comedy ensues as the amateur night watchman tries desperately to keep the exhibits under control.

Ben Stiller does a great job at providing the slap-stick and comic dialogue going through the movie. I personally think he upstaged Robin Williams in the film which is no small task. The highlight of the film though is definitely not its real characters, but the special effects that brings the other characters to life. Along with the superb special effects, the jokes and dialogue were well written. Overall, the story was weak.

So to wrap up my thoughts on the movie. It was well-paced, great family-fun but lacked depth, story, and substance. But the eye candy and comedic moments more than made up for its short-comings.


Rating: 7 out of 10

Rocky Balboa

I'm not really looking for a lot of character depth and self-examination in my boxing movies, that's why I was never really a fan of the first Rocky. Now Rocky IV, where he goes fist-to-fist with Dolph Lundgren, the unstoppable Russian powerhouse. Now there's a plot. Watching this latest Rocky was like watching a old person re-tell stories of the glory days over and over again. It was for the most part, tiresome and uninspiring.

There were some funny moments where the now decripit boxer stumbles over himself trying to get his emotions, thoughts, and feelings out, but overall, the movie was unsatisfying and weak. Maybe I just never got over how bad the last Rocky movie was with Tommy Morrison. Maybe I just can't get over the past. I guess that's what Rocky and I have in common. But instead of focusing on the glory years like Rocky does, I just focus on all of the bad years that the Rocky movies gave us.

All and all it's a fair tribute to a great and long-lasting movie franchise. The movie should have ended with Rocky's death, to assure us that no more films would be made in his name.

Rating: 4 out of 10