Movie Reviews and Ratings

Free tickets to ‘How to Train Your Dragon 3D’

2010/03/18 at 12:00am

Free tickets to ‘How to Train Your Dragon 3D’

03.18.2010 | By Jack Rico |

ShowBizCafe.com invites you to see an advanced screening of the comedy ‘How to Train Your Dragon 3D’ starring the voice of America Ferrera on Saturday morning, March 20th at an undisclosed theater in Manhattan, NY.

Synopsis: A hapless young Viking who aspires to hunt dragons becomes the unlikely owner of a young dragon himself, and learns there may be more to the creatures than he assumed.

Send us your name and email to our COMMENTS section below and we will then proceed to send you the electronic ticket to attend the screening!

Good luck!

Tickets are limited and are allocated to a random sampling of respondents. Limit one (Admit-One) pass per person. Seating is first come, first served. No purchase necessary. While supplies last.

PG for sequences of intense action and some scary images, and brief mild language.

The theatrical release will be Friday, March 26th, 2010. All winners will be notified by e-mail.

http://www.howtotrainyourdragon.com/

Passes are not for sale.

By Namreta Kumar

2010/03/18 at 12:00am

Reviews

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

03.18.2010 | By Namreta Kumar |

Unfortunately Diary of a Wimpy Kid does not make nearly as strong of an impact as the books do. The film never seems to capture the same charm, although it does have some reminiscent moments.

Greg Heffley, played by Zachary Gordon, is the middle child starting is first year at middle school, and his “diary” catalogs his plan for survival and the year. He is accompanied by the usual suspects: his older brother, Rodrick (Devon Bostick), whose favorite pass time is picking on Greg; the seriously weird kid, Fregley (Grason Russell), who is so far down the social ladder it almost seems like they had to create an underground; the overachieving spoiled, Patty (Laine MacNeil), who is hell-bent on revenge from kindergarten; and the endearing best friend, Rowley (Robert Caron), whose sincerity completely off-sets Greg’s “ambitions.” Along with that you have the cheese touch, the myth of the school, the one no one knows where it began but everyone continues to live by.

Jeff Kinney’s cartoon filled novel is filled with nostalgia without making anything epic or any of his characters highly noble. The driving force behind the story is with the kids, and as we all know kids can be cruel. Middle School is that ground where we begin to define and rank ourselves and Greg plans on being ahead of the curve, however there is no predicting what his schemes lead to.

Thor Freudenthal cleverly adapted the cartoons into the film’s treatment and never lost Greg’s original voice. Unfortunately it seems like it took Zachary Gordon a little while to warm up to the character of Greg and that off set the start of the film. As it rolls forward though the relationship between Greg and Rowley, becomes the focal point of the film and the contrasts give the film its own charming moments.

Although the film has its own magnetism, it failed to capture the appeal of the illustrated novel. The fun that children of all ages (and adults alike) can have with the “diary” in their own hands is almost lost in film form. The visual element of the film can be appreciated best in certain scenes that are larger than the book, for example Halloween, and the school play. However overall the charm lies in the book and the film is best appreciated by a family movie night.

By Jack Rico

2010/03/15 at 12:00am

DVD Reviews Reviews

Los Abrazos Rotos

03.15.2010 | By Jack Rico |

Rating: 3.0

Rated: R for sexual content, language and some drug material.
Release Date: 2009-11-20
Starring: Pedro AlmodÃ³var
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:Spain
Official Website: http://www.pedroalmodovar.es/PAB_EN_Cap01.asp

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One of Spainâ€™s most talented sons gives cinema a new work titled â€˜Broken Embracesâ€™. Pedro AlmodÃ³var reunites with PenÃ©lope Cruz to once again give us a visually sensual and beautiful, bold and impressive theater of the mind, but one that regrettably doesn’t break new ground. It is not his best film and thus the reason it wasnâ€™t selected to participate in Spainâ€™s Oscar selections for this upcoming ceremony. It is by no intention a bad film, it simply isnâ€™t overwhelming. Were we asking for too much? Was that the problem?

The premise is interesting and very Almodovar. Harry Caine (LluÃs Homar), a screenwriter/director, suffers a near fatal crash that leaves him blind. After healing from his wounds 14 years later, he finds himself directing and editing his last movie which starred his eternal love.

There is beauty in his work, but I believe there was also writers block, which is why he recycled so much of his favorite films such as Elevator to the Gallows, Voyage to Italy and his own Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. Pedro took the opportunity to become Tarantino in this film and craft a class in filmmaking to us all. His new work combines amour fou, crime-noir melodrama, satirical comedy, complex structures and subplots and anything else his head could devise. Heâ€™s good but his ambition got the best of him and the construction of the story ultimately did not rise to the levels of his previous works. It looks as if his focus left the narrative and shifted to the technical aspects and look of the film. Almodovar is accountable for his own success and it burns him here.

Nonetheless, the minor imperfections do not damage his reputation as a dexterous helmer nor should it influence your decision to see the movie. Penelope Cruz gives another mesmerizing performance as the â€œfemme fataleâ€ but one that doesnâ€™t rival her character in passion and charm from â€˜Volverâ€™. The rest of the cast shows why Spain is a gold mine full of talented actors.

In a broad comment, this year was specifically a great year for Spanish movies. The box office has reaped the benefits of their marvelous stories and productions and weâ€™re all the better for it. Almodovar is being challenged by other filmmakers such as Isabel Coixet, Fernando Trueba, Daniel SÃ¡nchez ArÃ©valo and Alejandro AmÃ©nabar (half Chilean). I hope to see their work rival his because Hollywood awaits them desperately.

‘Green Zone’

By Jack Rico

2010/03/12 at 12:00am

Reviews

Green Zone (Movie Review)

03.12.2010 | By Jack Rico |

‘Green Zone’ is the army version of the Bourne movies. It’s a full blown political thriller a la Tom Clancy with high octane action. The acting is superb, but the action is relentless. From the tense opening scene, and then for almost two hours, it’s non stop bullet battles, zig-zagging car and helicopter chases, and enough explosions to uncomfortably increase your heart rate and blood pressure! Is it as good or better than The Hurt Locker, another action war drama? No way. But it is definitely more entertaining. Read More

By Namreta Kumar

2010/03/11 at 12:00am

Reviews

She’s Out of My League

03.11.2010 | By Namreta Kumar |

She’s Out of My League is quite possibly the best romantic-comedy out, thus far, this year. The best part about this bromance is that it is equally a chick-flick.

In a nutshell she (Alice Eve) is a 10 and he (Jay Baruchel) is desperately trying to hold onto the status of 5. Essentially his family, friends, and lack of any real aspirations fail him; but she tiers of “perfection” and finds it all refreshing. The multitude of characters is what makes the film so much fun. From Kirk’s friends down to Molly’s parents everyone lends great talent and character to the film.

Kirk is more than just a five and Jay Baruchel makes this a reality. I must equally commend Jim Field Smith for this as well, because his direction gives each actor/character their shining moment. And at the end of it all, what makes this film work are those shinning moments. Smith’s direction has created a comedic piece that every guy can enjoy, and every girl will adore.

What makes the comedy here fun and unique is that all the characters are just that, characters. All of Kirk’s friends remind you of those same guys from high school down to your office and the advice they honesty dole out to Kirk make them all the more real. On the other hand Molly’s best friend and sister make this equally a chick flick, with their own frankness about her imperfections.

She’s Out of My League is not as good as Wedding Crashers but it does equal I Love Your Man. It has a lot of little laughs and plenty of charm to finally leave you satisfied with a romantic comedy this year.

By Karen Posada

2010/03/11 at 12:00am

Reviews

Remember Me

03.11.2010 | By Karen Posada |

â€˜Remember Meâ€™ does a fine job at making you part of it without you realizing it. If you are into romantic dramas you are going to love it, it is more than just romance though, the importance of family is felt strongly as well. The plot is made up of love and loss and the sense that we have to ‘live in the moments’ because we don’t know when our last day on Earth will be. It is your typical boy-meets-girl story but with a sense of reality in it and a twist of faith.

Our main character Tyler Hawkins (Robert Pattinson) is a troubled soul, who feels completely helpless, he wants to be a hero or a voice to those that need it, like his younger sister Caroline (Ruby Jerins). He had a privileged life growing up, but now wants to make it on his own, away from his workaholic father (Pierce Brosnan); who doesn’t expect anything good out of him. With his poetic boy looks and the sadness he has about him, he has a way with the ladies. His roommate Aidan (Tate Ellington) convinces Tyler to date the daughter of a police officer (Chris Cooper), to spite him for arresting them one night. Tyler has no problem sweeping Ally Craig (Emilie de Ravin) off her feet. Tyler gets lost in his own game and ends up falling for Ally’s quirky personality. She has the ability to show him through their connection by their troubled pasts, that he can live again despite of all the pain he’s felt. She brings out the best in him.

The love connection here is strong; Pattinson and de Ravin make the romance as well as their life stories very real to the audience. It’s hard not to fall in love with Pattinson in this film; he is the typical artsy passionate guy every girl would want. The quarrels among characters, especially “the big fight” between the couple is a bit ridiculous. The script tries to create drama where there really isn’t.Â Admittedly the ending is the strongest part of the movie, the filmmakers took a cheap shot at the audience, but it is the reason for the Â½ star. It is a cheap shot that works, without it the movie wouldn’t have an impact and it would be easy to forget. We are given subtle hints about the ending throughout the whole movie but we only connect the dots when we arrive to it, it is what will make the audience feel a stronger connection to the story.

I definitely recommend it to the hopeless romantics; it will touch your hearts and leave you a little depressed. You are left with the sense that we do need to cherish every moment and live as if today was our last day.

By Jack Rico

2010/03/09 at 12:00am

DVD Reviews Reviews

Up in the Air

03.9.2010 | By Jack Rico |

Rating: 4.0

Rated: R for language and some sexual content.
Release Date: 2009-12-04
Starring: Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:USA
Official Website: http://www.theupintheairmovie.com/

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By Jack Rico

2010/03/06 at 12:00am

Movies

‘Oscar 2010’: My Winning Predictions

03.6.2010 | By Jack Rico |

With less than 24 hours away from the 2010 Oscars, fans of this big night have their thoughts of who will be the winners of the big awards. I’ll be personally looking at the Foreign Films category because that is where I think the best films of 2009 are! Two Latin American films are nominated. My peeps are putting their share!

Here at ShowBizCafe.com, I decided to predict the winners of all the categories for that big pool you guys are planning on having Sunday night.

Share your ideas and predict the winners along with me on Twitter on Sunday night at 8pm. I’ll be blogging live all 3-4 hours.

Without any more delays, check out my full 2010 Oscar Awards Predictions highlighted in bold:

Best Picture
The Hurt Locker (Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, Nicolas Chartier and Greg Shapiro, producers)
Avatar (James Cameron and Jon Landau, producers)
District 9 (Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham, producers)
An Education (Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, producers)
Inglourious Basterds (Lawrence Bender, producer)
Precious (Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness, producers)
A Serious Man (Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, producers)
Up in the Air (Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman and Jason Reitman, producers)
The Blind Side (Gil Netter, Andrew A Kosove and Broderick Johnson, producers)
Up (Jonas Rivera, producer)

Best Director
The Hurt Locker (Kathryn Bigelow)
Avatar (James Cameron)
Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino)
Up in the Air (Jason Reitman)
Precious (Lee Daniels)

Best Actress
Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side
Meryl Streep in Julie & Julia
Helen Mirren in The Last Station
Gabourey Sidibe in Precious
Carey Mulligan in An Education

Best Actor
Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart
Colin Firth in A Single Man
George Clooney in Up in the Air
Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker
Morgan Freeman in Invictus

Best Supporting Actress
Mo’Nique in Precious
Vera Farmiga in Up in the Air
Penélope Cruz in Nine
Anna Kendrick in Up in the Air
Maggie Gyllenhaal in Crazy Heart

Best Supporting Actor
Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds
Christopher Plummer in The Last Station
Matt Damon in Invictus
Stanley Tucci in The Lovely Bones
Woody Harrelson in The Messenger

Animated Feature Film
Up (Pete Docter and Bob Peterson)
The Princess and the Frog (Ron Clements and John Musker)
Coraline (Henry Selick)
Fantastic Mr Fox (Wes Anderson)
The Secret of Kells (Tomm Moore)

Foreign Language Film
The White Ribbon (Michael Haneke, Germany)
The Secret of Her Eyes (Juan Jose Campanella, Argentina)
A Prophet (Jacques Audiard, France)
The Milk of Sorrow (Claudia Llosa, Peru)
Ajami (Scandar Copti and Yaron Shani, Israel)

Writing (adapted screenplay)
Precious (Geoffrey Fletcher)
District 9 (Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell)
An Education (Nick Hornby)
Up in the Air (Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner)
In the Loop (Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci and Tony Roche)

Writing (original screenplay)
Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino)
The Messenger (Alessandro Camon and Oren Moverman)
The Hurt Locker (Mark Boal)
A Serious Man (Joel and Ethan Coen)
Up (Pete Docter and Bob Petersen)

Art Direction
Avatar (art direction: Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg; set decoration: Kim Sinclair)
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (art direction: Dave Warren and Anastasia Masaro; set decoration: Caroline Smith)
Nine (art direction: John Myhre; set decoration: Gordon Sim)
Sherlock Holmes (art direction: Sarah Greenwood; set decoration: Katie Spencer)
The Young Victoria (art direction: Patrice Vermette; set decoration: Maggie Gray)

Cinematography
Avatar (Mauro Fiore)
The White Ribbon (Christian Berger)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Bruno Delbonnel)
The Hurt Locker (Barry Ackroyd)
Inglourious Basterds (Robert Richardson)

Costume Design
The Young Victoria (Sandy Powell)
Coco Before Chanel (Catherine Leterrier)
Bright Star (Janet Patterson)
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (Monique Prudhomme)
Nine (Colleen Atwood)

Documentary (feature)
The Cove (Louie Psihoyos and Fisher Stevens)
Burma VJ (Anders Østergaard and Lise Lense-Møller)
Food, Inc (Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein)
The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers (Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith)
Which Way Home (Rebecca Cammisa)

Documentary (short subject)
China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province (Jon Alpert and Matthew O’Neill)
The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner (Daniel Junge and Henry Ansbacher)
The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant (Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert)
Music by Prudence (Roger Ross Williams and Elinor Burkett)
Rabbit à la Berlin (Bartek Konopka and Anna Wydra)

Film Editing
Avatar (Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron)
District 9 (Julian Clarke)
The Hurt Locker (Bob Murawski and Chris Innis)
Inglourious Basterds (Sally Menke)
Precious (Joe Klotz)

Makeup
Star Trek (Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow)
Il Divo (Aldo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano)
The Young Victoria (Jon Henry Gordon and Jenny Shircore)

Music (original score)
Up (Michael Giacchino)
Avatar (James Horner)
Fantastic Mr Fox (Alexandre Desplat)
The Hurt Locker (Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders)
Sherlock Holmes (Hans Zimmer)

Music (original song)
The Weary Kind, from Crazy Heart, by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett
Almost There, from The Princess and the Frog, by Randy Newman
Down in New Orleans, from The Princess and the Frog, by Randy Newman
Loin de Paname, from Paris 36, by Reinhardt Wagner and Frank Thomas
Take It All, from Nine, by Maury Yeston

Short Film (animated)
Logorama (Nicolas Schmerkin)
A Matter of Loaf and Death (Nick Park)
French Roast (Fabrice O Joubert)
The Lady and the Reaper (Javier Recio Gracia)
Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty (Nicky Phelan and Darragh O’Connell)

Short Film (live action)
The Door (Juanita Wilson and James Flynn)
Miracle Fish (Luke Doolan and Drew Bailey)
Instead of Abracadabra (Patrik Eklund and Mathias Fjellström)
Kavi (Gregg Helvey)
The New Tenants (Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson)

Sound Editing
Avatar (Christopher Boyes and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle)
The Hurt Locker (Paul NJ Ottosson)
Inglourious Basterds (Wylie Stateman)
Star Trek (Mark Stoeckinger and Alan Rankin)
Up (Michael Silvers and Tom Myers)

Sound Mixing
Avatar (Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Tony Johnson)
The Hurt Locker (Paul NJ Ottosson and Ray Beckett)
Inglourious Basterds (Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti and Mark Ulano)
Star Trek (Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson and Peter J Devlin)
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Greg P Russell, Gary Summers and Geoffrey Patterson)

Visual Effects
Avatar (Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R Jones)
District 9 (Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros and Matt Aitken)
Star Trek (Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh and Burt Dalton)

By Alex Florez

2010/03/05 at 3:22pm

Movies

Casino online nj

03.5.2010 | By Alex Florez |

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh_luIZoS0E

By Jack Rico

2010/03/05 at 12:00am

Movies

Movie Review: ‘Brooklyn’s Finest’

03.5.2010 | By Jack Rico |

‘Brooklyn’s Finest’ is a very good film that brings together some wonderfully gritty acting, an engrossing storyline and a riveting ending. There are some twists that you’ll enjoy and overall it’ll remind you of films such as ‘Crash’ and ‘Serpico’.

The plot goes like this – three Brooklyn cops who work at the same precinct wind up at the same deadly location after their personal problems converge them there.

Kudos to the comeback kid Ethan Hawke, who continues to deliver powerful, intense and captivating performances. One of my favorites from him is ‘Before The Devil Know’s You’re Dead’ from legendary director Sydney Lumet. Just a wonderful small film that didn’t get much play in 2007. He now reunites with helmer Antoine Fuqua from their days in ‘Training Day’ to deliver an impressive and fervent interpretation of a cop doing anything to provide for his family.

The rest of the cast, Don Cheadle, Wesley Snipes and Ellen Barkin also delivered magnificent performances as well. Wesley Snipes, who hasn’t been in much of note in nearly a decade, settles into this role as if he was born for it. And Ellen Barkin is unforgettable as the foul-mouthed, tough-as-nails FBI agent who makes life hell for Tango. I don’t mention Richard Gere because I thought he was the weakest link. His range is limited in these fiery films and what’s worse, he plays the same guy in every movie. Romantic dramas like his ‘Nights in Rodanthe’ or ‘An Officer and A Gentleman’ are a better fit.

Outside of the great acting the film does dribble into some typical police cliches, such as the dirty cop attending confession or undercover officers agonizing over turning against a friend they’ve made in the hood. These scenes are here, but they don’t distract you or make you say, ‘WTF, again!?’. It fits well with their characters and it didn’t bother me at all, I doubt it will for you.

Ultimately, it’s all about being entertained and taken to a world you submerge for two hours to then came back satisfied. ‘Brooklyn’s Finest’ does that and in a fine way.

Other films like this:

We Own The Night

Pride and Glory