Latest movies

Saw a bunch of movies over the last week:

The Lincoln Lawyer - Larry and I watched this in the theater; it was very good, especially the first half - great cast, interesting story.  It got a little bogged down toward the end - too cliche and contrived.  But still an enjoyable movie experience.

RED (2010) - Cal and I watched this on video; it was pretty good; like The LL, it relies too much on cliches, but it was elevated by terrific performances (guilty secret: I love Bruce Willis).  Karl Uban (who played "Bones" in the Star Trek reboot) is definitely someone to watch - he held his own with a powerhouse cast (his line, "Fuck you, Cynthia" was my favorite in the movie, based obviously on delivery as opposed to the sheer brilliance of the words).  **Spoiler Alert** I have to mention that it was a huge error to kill off Morgan Freeman so early in the movie, his (admittedly stock) character was missed in the second half, and the movie was worse for his absence.

Dragon Hunters (2008) - something we watched on Netflix Instant Play and what a treat!  Gorgeous animation (especially in early scenes), and a weird and charming story, full of offbeat characters and odd plot twists (it's French, though dubbed into English).  Might even be good enough to recommend to my adult friends!

Just Wright (2010) - I enjoyed this rom-com, which pairs the decidedly un-rom com presence of Queen Latifah with the breathtaking beauty of Common.  The movie is very predictable, of course, and not really fresh, other than the premise and some fun scenes of basketball.  As usual, the first half was stronger than the second half, and it's biggest crime is the way it wastes some terrific secondary characters, especially Phylicia Rashad as the mom, who appears in a measly 3 or 4 scenes.  But overall, not a waste of time. 

Our Family Wedding (2010) - another offbeat rom-com, revolving around the bi-racial marriage of America Ferrera (looking really gorgeous) and  Lance Gross (also delicious), but this is more about the uncompromising fathers, played by Carlos Mencia and Forest Whitaker.  The movie has some great moments, and overall, it's quite good.  Their error was in shoe-horning some silly comedy moments into the film, especially a food fight at the cake tasting and a randy goat at the reception - those, and a couple other scenes, should have ended up on the cutting room floor!