Blu-Ray Review: Did You Hear About The Morgans?

DYHATM is a bad film. Not Chipmunks bad...but bad anyways. It just stretches for laughs and feels convulated and thrown together.

Meryl Judith Morgan and Paul Michael Morgan are a couple on the verge of breaking up...until they witness a murder and are forced to stay together thanks to a witness protection program. Now in the country, they'll have to survive the outdoors...and each other.

This film has nary a funny moment (a good Palin joke is ruined in the trailer) and the film is just rushed throughout with a feeling of no conclusion. In a way, the movie just rushes around, hoping for money and laughs to come. But they never do. Hugh Grant looks bored and Sarah Jessica Parker is obviously faking that smile she has on. As usual, Sam Elliot does what he can with this material. But even this country boy can't keep this floppy "comedy" afloat.

Rating: 5.0 out of 10 or D+

SYS

Here he Comes To Save The Day...er, Film

Who here remembers..Mighty Mouse? Well, Paramount is looking for a director and writer to take on the smallest superhero of them all. Obviously, they're trying to get that Chipmunks money and Mighty Mouse fits the bill..I guess.

The horrors of remaking continue.

SYS

FOX Wins The Quarter

Some small buisness news. 20th Century FOX won the first quarter with 742 million. Most of this came from the juggernaut of Avatar and Alvin and The Chipmunks 2 certainly didn't hurt the bonfire.

Warner Bros. came in at number 2 and Disney was number 3. Columbia was last in terms of major studios and was the only one to be down from last year.

SYS

Film Review: The Spy Next Door

Jackie Chan sure has taken a nose-dive in quality. Not only had he aged a lot, but he hasn't been in a action movie since The Forbidden Kingdom. What has he filled his time with? This atrocity.

Bob Ho is dating a mother who has to leave town. So Bob volunteers to baby-sit. The kids, predictably, don't like Bob but soon, that all changes when he reveals he's a world-wide spy...

Jackie Chan really doesn't fit the role of exasperated father well. Neither do the kids or anyone else in this film. In fact, you almost guess everyone just knew this film would bomb and needed to buy a condo so they were in this dreck. But I will admit that I am being a LITTLE too hard. At least the film isn't as anooying as Alvin and The Chipmunks 2. It's better than a root canal (the Chipmunks made a root canal look like a chocolate sundae) and I guess an adult could take a nap during it. If you can ignore the adult video reference and a few bad one-liners, The Spy Next Door is a forgettable excursion.

Rating: 5.4 out of 10 or C-

SYS

Blu-Ray Review: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

Sony Animation has created 4 films now and are starting to become a competitive force in the animation world. Their latest, Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs, is a fine film, though just barely able to stand out of the gigantic animation film crowd.

Flint Lockwood is an inventor. However, he can't make a good machine. That all changes when he makes a machine that converts water into food. However, too much food starts falling and a disaster of giant portions...er, proportions, begins...

The film has many humorous moments and I really liked the monkey. He's voiced by master of Awards Shows Neil Patrick Harris, but it still feels funny. James Caan and Bill Hader are also nice and it's brilliant to see Bruce Campbell again, though like David Cross in Alvin and The Chipmunks 2, you wish he'd do better stuff.

The animation is also nice. The main flaw of the film is it's just a bit too short and breezy to be really grand. Also, emotion just dosen't come through as well as even in 9. Still, the film does have many funny moments, some hillarious, but it's good for the kids and enjoyable enough for everyone else.

SYS

Film Review: Alvin and The Chipmunks 2

The first Alvin and The Chipmunks film was harmless but stupid. The sequel was just flat out stupid, with nothing to back it up. The only thought during the whole mess was if I could get a popcorn refill now.

The Chipmunks are forced to go to school and are left in Dave's (Jason Lee) cousins (Zachary Levi) care. Whilst Dave recover's from some injuries, Alvin and the gang meet The Chipettes, who are run by their old evil manager Ian Hawke (David Cross).

It's sad to see the talent being wasted here. Amy Phoeler, Anna Farris & Christina Applegate voice the Chippetes..yet they aren't even recognisable! David Cross, a fine actor, is wasted here as well. Too many slapstick (and a reeeeeeeeeeealy bad fart joke) just add to the pain.

The only thing keeping the film dangling from an F is the music. When The Chipmunks and Chippetes bust out Flo Rida & Beyonce', they're irrestible. If this thing had been like a musical (think Glee with rodents) it could've been a really great film. Instead, it's flatter than cardboard.

The film is stupid as heck and half as funny. This film needed to remember what PIXAR films do: make laughs for kids & adults. Making jokes just for kids may be profitable, but it sure don't win you points from this critic.

Rating: 4.4 out of 10 or D

SYS

Avatar Makes A Billion,Holmes Drops 38.5%, Chipmunks A Hit, Complications Continue, Princess Increases, Up In The Air A Smash

Avatar made the biggest 3rd weekend ever, landing 68.3 million dropping a mere 10%. The film has made 352.1 million here, but has reached over 1 billion worldwide. The film has surpassed the juggernaut that was The Dark Knight worldwide and overseas. It'll soon surpass Pirates of The Caribbean 2 and beat The Return of The King. Avatar could even beat Titanic.

To add on to this, the film had the biggest 3rd weekend ever and is the biggest Non-Sequel since Steven Spielberg's E.T. Avatar is the 1st film in 12 years to outdo Titanic and become the biggest film of all-time.

Sherlock Holmes made 38.3 million and has reached 140.6 million thus far. The film could wind up with 225 million and become the next big franchise for Warner Bros.

Alvin and The Chipmunks 2 went down 25% with 36.6 million. It will make around 240 million, beating it's predecessor and guranteeing a third film.

It's Complicated did amazing, dropping the least out of all of last weekends new releases, dropping 15%. The film made 18.7 million and has made 59 million. Meryl Streep seems to have, like Sandra Bullock, hit her stride late in ehr life.

Speaking of Sandra Bullock, her film The Blind Side made 12.6 million this weekend. It's total now stands at 2009 million and could reach 250 million by the end of it's run.



Up in The Air made 11.3 million this weekend. The Best Picture possible film has made 45 million, handily doing it's 25 million budget back.

The Princess and The Frog increased this weekend by 10%. The masterpiece has made 86 million and will have a total similar to Bolt, Disney's 2008 CGI flick.

The Top 12 overall made 214.1 million estimated and up 62% from last year. This could bode well for 2010 overall.

Blu-Ray Review: G-Force

G-Force is the defenition of harmless. Unlike alvin and The Chipmunks 2, this film dosen't have any really stupid moments. It is dumb as a whole, but you never want to gauge your eyes out.

The government has secretly been making animals (like moles and Guina Pigs) into secret agents. Now it's up to their top agents Darwin, Blaster and Juarez to stop an evil CEO from taking over the world.

G-Force may look like Beverly Hills Chihuahua, but it's actually some kind of action film. Hey, this IS Jerry Bruckheimer we're talking about. Sure, there's plenty of fart gags t ogo around (always cringed at them I did), but there is a finale that looked alright, though like the film itself is nothing real special.

The cast is ok, although as usual Nicolas Cage is brilliant. You barely recognoize the guy. Sam Rockwell sure sounds lfat here despite being grand in Moon (wish he'd get an Oscar for that film). Penelope Cruz..this is how you follow your Oscar? Wow. Tracy Morgan is decent as Blaster, though he's just a rodent version of his 30 Rock personality.

This film is alright for the kiddies, but besides some fine voicing and and OK action, the film as a whole can even become anooying. But I guess, compared to a certain recent Squekquel, that's perfectly ok.

Rating: 5.8 out of 10 or C-

SYS

Avatar Drops Miraculously, Holmes With Bells On, Chipmunks a Powerhouse, Complications? Nah, The Blind Side Continues, Nine Zero, Up In The Air Flies

Avatar led the biggest weekend of all-time, making 75 million. It only dropped 3.6% and could become the biggest second weekend of all-time when all the money is counted tomorrow. Avatar has also become the biggest IMAX film ever and could surpass Transformers 2 by the end of the year.

Sherlock Holmes had the second biggest debut at the 2nd spot this weekend making 65 million. The film will likely make 230 million and become a new franchise for Warner Bros.

Up in The air made 11.7 million and made 11,000 per theatre. The film has made 24.5 million and could become a huge OScar contender soon.

The Chipmunks Sequel became the first film at number 3 to make 50 million. This sequel could be a rare film to surpass it's predeccesor at the box office.

Nine was a bomb, making only 5 million. Unlike Invictus, reception has been tepid so Oscar noms are unlikely.

The Blind Side went up 17% and will make 210 million total. Sandra Bullock's year continues fabuosly.



The Princess and The Frog has made 63.3 million and dropped 28.4% this weekend. A 100million gross may not happen after all.

The weekend was overall stupendous, shattering records and capping of the greatest year in film history.

SYS

Alvin And The 19 Million Dollars Opening Day

Good god. ALavin and The Chipmunks 2 just opened to 19 million. to boot, it beat Avatar which made another stellar 16 million.

My lord. I'll try to watch the film soon. BEcause if this many people saw it it's either so good you ahve to see it or so bad you have to see it. Etiher way, I'm screwed.

SYS

Editorial: No More Stupid Animal Comedies...Please?

When ALvin and The Chipmunks came out in 2007 it was suspected to be a small hit, maybe make 120 million dollars. But it made 214 million dollars instead. Wow. When that happened Beverly Hills Chihuahua was greenlit. When it was a hit, every studio needed to have a stupid family with a CGI star.

The following have been released or are coming along the lines of Alvin and the Chipmunks:

*G-Force
*Alvin and The Chipmunks: The Squequel
*Yogi Bear (2010)
*Tom and Jerry (2011)
*The Berenstain Bears (2011)
*The Smurfs (2011)

And next summer we will have the worst one of them all: Cats and Dogs: Revenge of Kitty Galore. This is a sequel of Cats and Dogs, that 2003 hit film. And this sequel dosen't use any of the cast from the 1st film. And has some of the stupidest gags ever in history.

So Hollywood...follow Avatar and The Princess and The Frog and make original films and you'll have success. Do not make anymore stupid CGI animal films or I'll explode.

SYS