Undiscovered (2005)

Netflix Synopsis: Aspiring model Brier (Pell James) takes her shot at Hollywood stardom in this romantic comedy. With the support of her agent (Carrie Fisher) and an acting-class friend (Ashlee Simpson), Brier’s on her way, and when she meets struggling musician Luke (Steven Strait), she can’t resist helping him out by inventing a little career-boosting publicity. Luke becomes the next big thing, but will it tear him away from something far better than celebrity?

Review: I LOVED this movie!!!!!!!!!

It has that hottie from Sky High, Steven Strait, in the lead role and he really gets to show his acting skills in this movie more than he did in Ski High.

The movie has a gritty B-movie feel as far as the actual cinematography goes but I was so wrapped up in the plot I soon forget about the low quality filming. The plot centers on the lightning fast rise and the equally fast fall of a budding “rock star” and the plot interwines with fate and the love of his life.

Ashlee Simpson’s acting was forgettable but was redeemed by the sweet sound of her voice in the musical parts of the movie.

The music in this movie is wonderful, I loved every song…they were all “just my style”. You can tell that Steven is used to singer at a faster pace because he warbles a bit on the ballads but his voice is premium during the heavier rock songs. It was enough to convince me to buy Steven Straits band’s album as soon as it’s released in 2006!

If you love musicians, rock n roll and understand the passion behind the true talent and the pure soul of a musician for his music, you will like this movie. The best scene takes place in an airplane’s kitchen when an old-timer gives the advice of a lifetime.

Submitted by: Brandy 12/31/05

Must Love Dogs (2005)

Netflix Synopsis: Divorcée Sarah Nolan (Diane Lane) isn’t ready for romance. But when her sister (Elizabeth Perkins) signs her up for an online dating service, love-seeking mates come calling. While one Mr. Maybe (Dermot Mulroney) is rife with possibilities, another (John Cusack) is even more intriguing. Still, there’s just one problem: While this second eligible bachelor’s ad states that his dream woman “Must Love Dogs,” neither he nor Sarah actually owns one.

Review: Cute movie; I liked it. I liked the actors in the movie. This was a nice, sit back & be entertained chic flick. Loved the ending.

Submitted by: Mel 12/31/05

The Skeleton Key (2005)

Netflix Synopsis: Caroline (Kate Hudson), a 25-year-old hospice worker, is sent to New Orleans to care for an aging stroke victim (John Hurt) who lies bedridden and speechless in a rambling antebellum mansion. Alone in the house with no company aside from the man’s unfriendly wife (Gena Rowlands), Caroline finds a key that opens every door and soon comes across a hidden room. But what she finds inside is a Pandora’s box of voodoo, secrets and lies.

Review: We watched this last night. I thought the beginning of the movie was slow, but enjoyed the last 45 mins. There are some twists and turns at the end that I didnt see coming, so that was pretty cool. I’ve seen better and I’ve seen worse.

Rating:

Submitted by: Lisa 12/30/05

The Dukes of Hazzard (2005)

Netflix Synopsis: Look out, Boss Hogg, the Duke boys are back in this comedy based on the TV series. Join Bo (Seann William Scott) and Luke (Johnny Knoxville) as they tear around Hazzard County in their Dodge Charger, The General Lee. Aided by short-shorts-clad Cousin Daisy (Jessica Simpson) and moonshining Uncle Jesse (Willie Nelson), the boys must stop commissioner Boss Hogg (Burt Reynolds) and Sheriff Roscoe (M.C. Gainey) from stealing the family farm.

Review: The Dukes of Hazzard was cute, in a silly way. Some parts of it I liked, some parts had me rolling my eyes. Wasn’t impressed with Jessica, but I guess she did what she was hired for. Liked Burt R’s, (rofl!) Willy Nelson, Linda Carter. It was probably a one time movie for me. Glad I watched it, but not one I’ll rush to watch again.

Submitted by: Mel 12/28/05

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)

Netflix Synopsis: Lucky Charlie Bucket’s one of five golden-ticket holders treated to a tour of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory in Tim Burton’s reimagining. Along with the other four (rather naughty) contest winners, good-hearted Charlie (Freddie Highmore) visits the factory and encounters Oompa Loompas, eats wonderful candy creations and meets the fascinating Wonka (Johnny Depp) himself. From the time he enters the factory, Charlie’s life changes forever.

Review: I love the one with Gene Wilder. Have watched that version multiple times. Johnny Depp was weird, weird, weird in a creepy kind of way. Creepy in the kind of way I think of Michael Jackson now. Even though you get the story behind his childhood, he’s still creepy (to me). I think of Johnny in Pirates of the C (which I loved) and then this….. I liked Charlie & all of his family. I thought they did a great job. Grandpa was great. I didn’t like the changes to the umpa lumpas (spellings??). I had a headache by the time this movie was done. It’s a different version & I’ll stick to the other one, the next time I want to see the Chocolate Factory story.

Submitted by: Mel 12/28/05

Sky High (2005)

Netflix Synopsis: Will Stronghold (Michael Angarano) — the son of married superheroes known as the Commander (Kurt Russell) and Josie Jetstream (Kelly Preston) — is faced with an intimidating family legacy. And the kids at the elite Sky High School don’t make him feel any better about his lack of superpowers. Surrounded by classmates including a self-replicating cheerleader and a jock who can stretch himself silly, Will is beginning to look awfully normal.

Review: I actually first saw this movie in the theaters but my oldest son got the DVD in his stocking this year, we watched it again last night and I thought I would review it for ya’ll.

Sky High is one of those goofy, silly family movies that just makes you smile and it’s great to watch with your kids.

If you are expecting a serious Super Hero movie like Batman or Spiderman, you will be disappointed but if you watch it for the pure entertainment value, it’s pretty amusing and very entertaining. The plot centers around a family of Super Heroes, the son trying to fit in with his peers and of course, defeating the villian. Cute movie, a great cast and pretty surprising special effects. Watching the DVD extra about the special effects was really very interesting.

Side note….I was feeling very guilty about drooling over the actor who plays Warren Peace in the movie (he’s so hot, I had to crack a window, lol!) because I thought he was underage…turns out he turns 20 in March, meaning he is fair game and legal for drooling!!

I added Undiscovered to the top of my Netflix queue just because Steven Strait is in it, ROFL. I know, I am bad…..this guy is only 6 years older than my son!!! He also has a band….figures, I should have been a professional groupie, I have always been a sucker for a guy with a band since I was a teen.

Submitted by: Brandy 12/27/05

Stealth (2005)

Netflix Synopsis: After the U.S. Navy builds an elite computer-controlled fighter jet designed to study the habits of human pilots, the top secret machine begins to develop its own ideas, running dangerously amok through unfriendly skies. Now that the secret’s out, it’s up to three young pilots (Josh Lucas, Jessica Biel and Jamie Foxx) and their captain (Sam Shepard) to ground the renegade plane before it ignites nuclear war.

Review: This movie was pretty decent. The special effects were good. The plot was pretty standard…man, morals and the human mind overcome renegade machine…..although standard kitsch it still worked very well for the flick. I am glad I rented it instead of spending the money at the theater though. As mentioned before in an earlier review, the error with the 3 different hull numbers on the Carrier was so obvious, even a civvie could pick that error up, lol. I also saw it mentioned on the ImDb that a jet flying at Mach 3 breaks the sound barrier which means you see the plane and THEN you hear the sonic boom after. In the movie you hear the jet BEFORE it crosses the screen.

As a Navy wife, I have to mention that the Navy would not deal with the renegade pilot scenario in the first 20 minutes of the movie the way it was portrayed in the movie. Actually, the Navy probably wouldn’t have handled the entire scenario the way it played out but that’s the magic of Hollywood. I just get mildly annoyed when movies portray the renegade pilot scenario like this movie (and Top Gun and Iron Eagle and countless others) and I hope civilians don’t think our pilots walk away with a slap on the wrist for breaking protocol and endangering a mission or lives. It doesn’t happen like that in real life.

Hubby was totally into the first hour of this movie because he kept seeing his “babies” all over the screen. All the equipment you see on the carrier flight deck are his “babies”, his Navy rate maintains, repairs and is in all ways responsible for all that equipment. It was particularly annoying when we had to pause the movie so he could tell us all about how they pick the tow tractor that has to drag the net across the deck (the scene where the EDI has to make an emergency landing on the deck) ROFL!!

Anyway, back to the review…..decent action flick overall!

Submitted by: Brandy 12/24/05

Must Love Dogs (2005)

Netflix Synopsis: Divorcée Sarah Nolan (Diane Lane) isn’t ready for romance. But when her sister (Elizabeth Perkins) signs her up for an online dating service, love-seeking mates come calling. While one Mr. Maybe (Dermot Mulroney) is rife with possibilities, another (John Cusack) is even more intriguing. Still, there’s just one problem: While this second eligible bachelor’s ad states that his dream woman “Must Love Dogs,” neither he nor Sarah actually owns one.

Review: What a delightful romance!! I LOVED this movie!! It was quirky, cute fun! A woman meets a guy via an internet dating service…..with a few twists, turns and chuckles along the way. There were enough “real” moments to make the movie believable. Just a generally fun movie with a cute ending….keep watching the credits for a little extra surprise!! I don’t know that I would buy it for my collection but it definitely rates a rerent for those nights when you just need to refresh and believe in “the one” again.

Submitted by: Brandy 12/24/05

The Brothers Grimm (2005)

Netflix Synopsis: Terry Gilliam’s adventure tale centers on brothers Jake (Heath Ledger) and Will Grimm (Matt Damon), who travel from village to village posing as exterminators of mystical, magical and enchanted creatures. But their reputations are on the line when French ruler Napoleon orders the brothers to investigate the mysterious disappearances of young girls. The brothers head into a haunted forest where true evil awaits. … Jonathan Pryce co-stars.

Review: What a wretched movie! The plot of this movie spins a fanciful yarn that the Grimm Brothers, Wilhelm & Jacob, are con artists who solve pest problems for villagers… ie ridding towns of ogres, witches and other beasts of lore & legend. Having read the Fairy Tales of the Grimm Brothers as a child this movie was very disappointing. There were vague references to a few of the more well-known characters like Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel and Hansel & Gretal. But since the movie was directed by Terry Gilliam, I should have known. If you are Monty Python fan, you will probably like this movie. I am not a Monty Python fan, obviously. It could have been a GREAT mainstream movie but it’s not played that way unfortunately. It is billed as an adventure-comedy. There were more “EWWW!!! GROSS” moments than comedy. There is adventure but very little real laughs, just a little dark humor and a whole lot of animal cruelty. Of course, it’s all fake movie-magic but even knowing it’s fake, it was not easy to watch and not amusing to me in any way. I love movies about magic and fantasy, lore and legend and this was just a HUGE let down for me, I expected so much more. I am extremely disappointed in Matt and especially Heath. I have had a crush on Heath since 10 Things I Hate About You. This movie was definitely not the high caliber movie I would expect from either actor.

Submitted by: Brandy 12/24/05

Is Wal-Mart Good for America?: Frontline (2004)

Netflix Synopsis: This PBS series dares to pose a question: Is one of America’s biggest corporations actually ruining the economy? Marching across the nation, the big-box chain brings jobs and much-needed retail options to many towns. But, as a major purveyor of goods, the company’s also hacked away at manufacturing jobs stateside, since the bulk of its products are made in China. Here, “Frontline” examines two cities profoundly affected by the Wal-Mart movement.

Review: This was another great movie, produced by the PBS series Frontline. It was completely different than The High Cost of Low Price, it was more about the way Wal-Mart can boss around the suppliers they purchase from, Rubbermaid was one example. Even when the suppliers cost to make a product increases and they have to raise prices, if they present the price increase to Wal-Mart, Wal-Mart can then reject that price increase, even if the company takes a loss on product. By rejecting Rubbermaid’s price increases they had a hand in Rubbermaid having to sell their company. It also went over the effects on the economy overall, and the way it has helped the Chinese market increase while putting many companies in America out of business because they were unable to compete with the production rate and price of the goods made in China. It also discussed how the profit margins of products made in America is 18%-22%, and the profit on goods imported from China is from 60%-80%, so clearly it is in Wal-Mart’s best interest to continue to import from China while refusing the competing American goods, because it doesn’t fit in to their bottom line. It dealt with Wal-Mart’s practices to get you into a department and spend money on the products that are not priced lower than the competitors. I found this film to be much more informative and insightful while The High Cost of Low Price was more human and tragic. They were both fantastic films.

Rating:

Submitted by: Heather 12/24/05