107. The Time Traveler's Wife

107. The Time Traveler's Wife

Of all the reviews I've written so far this year, this was probably the one I was looking least forward to. When it comes to movies in general, my favorite genres are horror, action and comedy. Least favorites would be drama and romance. This one managed to hit both of my least faves in one fell swoop. That didn't really bode well for this movie's chances with me. Honestly, I really had no interest in even seeing this particular movie. The wife had recently read the book and was interested in seeing this adaptation. The other big reason I've put this review off somewhat is that while I didn't care for this movie, I didn't necessarily hate it either. It just was. I found reviews of this nature to be the toughest to write because there isn't anything there to really expound on. I'm gonna give it a shot anyway because that's what I do.

The Time Traveler's Wife is based on the novel by Audrey Niffenegger. I'm not going to lie....when I saw her name, I nearly lost my mind with laughter. That's a hell of a handle. It tells the story of a man with a genetic disorder that inexplicably makes him travel through time with no sort of warning whatsoever and the woman who loves him unconditionally.

I'm alright with suspending disbelief while watching a movie but the whole time travel thing was too much for even me to take. If there were some sort of explanation given, I might have been okay with it. Instead, it's just what he does and we have to accept that at face value. In other words, it is what it is. Don't expect anything else. It seems as if the author just wanted to go with the most far-fetched manner that a person can lose a loved one. Literally. And just keep rehashing it repeatedly, wringing emotion out of the viewer until they can't take it any more. After about an hour of watching this guy vanish into thin air, I'd had enough. From what I understand, the book was even worse. The wife seemed to like it though.
*shrugs*

Honestly, I'd say the only good parts of this movie were the leads. Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams were both good, considering what they were given to work with. I have a pretty big crush on McAdams so seeing her is always a good thing, I suppose.

Overall, The Time Traveler's Wife is a sappy, melodramatic thing. If romances and dramatic flicks are your thing, you might like it. Otherwise, it's safe to say, skip it.

She's Out of My League

She's Out of My League

She's Out of My League tells the story of Kirk Kettner. Kirk works at the airport as a security checkpoint officer. One day, a beautiful girl comes through his line and manages to leave her cell phone behind in the security bin. She and her friend call the phone and are relieved to find that Kirk has it. So, she sets it up for him to meet her the next night to return it. Upon returning the phone, she invites him out to a hockey game the following night. As it turns out, to Kirk (and everyone else's) surprise, she's into him.

Honestly, this movie was a lot better than I was expecting it to be. The choices at the theater last week seemed pretty slim but I had an overwhelming urge to get the hell out of the house and not spend a ton of money doing so. I picked this one because it seemed to have the most potential. Also, I like to support R-rated movies at the theater as often as possible. The more money they make, the more R-rated flicks will hit screens. Win-win situation for me. Anywho...

This movie combined the raunchiness of American Pie with the sweetness of your typical romantic comedy. It straddled the line and crossed it from time to time but it really blended well. The story has been done to death with a beautiful woman in love with an average guy so there's nothing new to report on that front. However, the cast here really shines and makes this thing work well. Jay Baruchel and Alice Eve are the leads. They have a good chemistry together and work pretty well as a couple. Eve is just a gorgeous woman but she has some acting chops as well. The supporting cast really deserve the most credit though. T.J. Miller, Nate Torrance and Mike Vogel are just awesome as Kirk's friends. The majority of laughs come from this trio. Krysten Ritter is also solid as Eve's best friend.

Overall, She's Out of My League was a good movie. I recommend it.

106. Sex Drive

106. Sex Drive

Sex Drive is one of those raucous teen sex comedies that I am a pretty big fan of. My teenage years were never like these flicks so I kind of live vicariously through them. Come to think of it, my adult years aren't exactly living up to my dreams either. Hmmmm...

The premise here is that a geeky guy has been chatting online with a total babe. One night, she tells him that if he drives out to meet her, she'll "take care" of him. Upon hearing this news, his buddy convinces him that a road trip is in order. Naturally, hijinks and shenanigans ensue.

There really aren't many new aspects a movie like this can bring to the table. Bullying older brother? Check. Younger brother hogging the spotlight? Check. Attractive best friend whom our lead has a crush on? Check. What makes this one work is the cast. Josh Zuckerman, Amanda Crew and Clark Duke are our leads. Together, the three have a chemistry that just works really well. James Marsden is the older brother and Seth Green has a memorable turn as a sarcastic Amish guy.

Sex Drive isn't a top of the line flick. It's essentially a B-movie at heart. If you're a fan of this particular genre however, it's really well worth watching.

105. From Paris With Love

105. From Paris With Love

From Paris With Love tells the story of James Reese. Reese is the personal aide to the US Ambassador in France. On the side, he works as a (very) low-level CIA operative. His assignments are pretty mundane, often consisting of switching license plates on vehicles. That all changes when he's offered a gig driving Special Agent Charlie Wax. To say that Wax isn't your typical CIA operative would be a massive understatement.

This movie is a lot of fun. It's action packed and extremely over the top. The screenplay, by Luc Besson, crams a lot of excitement and action into its 92 minute run time. Sure, it's far fetched and implausible but it's also a freaking blast. I often say that from time to time you need a good, mindless action flick. This is one of those flicks for one of those times.

Jonathan Rhys Myers is Reese with John Travolta chewing up the scenery as Wax. Travolta dives into the character and truly looks like he's having a great time with the role. His enthusiasm really made the movie for me.

From Paris With Love is certainly not for everyone. However, if you're as big a fan of over the top action as I am, then you're definitely going to want to check this one out.

104. Shutter Island

104. Shutter Island

Shutter Island is the 4th collaboration between Leonardo DiCaprio and director Martin Scorsese.

The year is 1954. US Marshall Teddy Daniels is on a ferry to Shutter Island, home of the Ashcliffe Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Along with him is his new partner, Chuck Aule. Together, they are called to the island to find a patient who has vanished. The patient, Rachel Solando, has seemingly evaporated into thin air. What is going on on Shutter Island?

This is just an excellent movie. Since first viewing it on Sunday, I've gone back and watched it twice more. Given what I'm trying to accomplish here, that's quite an achievement. First off, don't be fooled by the trailer. This is not a horror flick. At one point, I actually thought that it was. There's no real blood and gore or anything even remotely scary. This is a mystery, straight up. It's the type of movie that deserves multiple viewings, just so you can go back and catch those subtle nuances that you might have missed the first or second times around.

Let's start with the story. While the story is nothing particularly new, it's done well here. It's extremely engaging and just sucks you right in from the very start. The performances here are top notch. I'm not a big fan of DiCaprio but he's excellent here. Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley and Max Von Sydow are also all great. Michelle Williams and Jackie Earl Haley also provide solid turns in supporting roles.

Overall, Shutter Island is just a great movie and is well worth watching. I highly recommend checking it out.

REVIEWS: Dear Me: A Blogger's Tale and More Than a Game

102. Dear Me: A Blogger's Tale
103. More Than a Game


Dear Me: A Blogger's Tale tells the story of Samantha Billows, a young woman who takes care of plants in an office building. She'd love a job as a copy writer at an advertising agency but she suffers from a case of "foot-in-mouth syndrome" that hinders her from moving on. Her psychiatrist suggests that she start a journal as a form of self treatment. A bizarre turn of events leads to her getting a job at the agency where her blog is eventually discovered, leading to all types of awkward situations, initially unbeknown to her.

Honestly, if it weren't for the casting of Felicia Day, I'd have never had any clue that this movie even existed. I'm not even sure how I discovered it really. I discovered that it was available on Netflix and the rest is history.

As it turns out, this is not that great of a movie. The 1.9 rating on IMDB is a bit harsh but if I were grading on a 1-10 scale, it wouldn't go much higher than a 4. The story is nothing new, as its just another romantic comedy. The blogging aspect is really the only original aspect and it's just very generalized and overly simplified. As someone who has kept some form of blog for nearly 8 years, I can say that some of the stuff they've come up with is just asinine in this day and age. The only part of the movie that actually works well is the cast. Well, some of them anyway. Sarah Thompson, David O'Donnell, David DeLuise, Dan Lauria and Felicia Day are all pretty likable and turn in good performances. For Lauria and Day, the parts are woefully small. The rest of the cast consists of faces that you might recognize somewhat but won't be able to place them. At least that was my experience when searching the IMDB for them.

All in all, Dear Me is just not worth checking out. And that's coming from someone who is quite possibly in love with Felicia Day. The lead, Sarah Thompson, is pretty damn easy on the eyes too. But still...


More Than a Game is a documentary following the rise to fame of NBA player Lebron James. Starting off on a grade school team and moving on to a traveling youth team before eventually settling in at St. Vincent/St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio.

This film is centered on James but it goes much deeper to show the loyalty, respect and dedication that the entire team had to one another. It shows how their coach through the years helped mold them into men and respectable ones at that. Watching what Lebron has to go through in his senior year of high school due to jealousy from competitors makes you feel for him and his eventual overcoming of those obstacles brought a big smile to my face.

Despite my penchant for wearing NBA jerseys, I'm not a huge basketball fan. That being said, this was just an excellent documentary and is well worth checking out.

REVIEW: Wisdom

101. Wisdom


1987's Wisdom is the directorial debut of Emilio Estevez. It made him the youngest person to star in, write and direct a major motion picture.

It tells the story of John Wisdom, a young man just out of college. A conviction on a count of grand theft auto has branded him a felon and made him unable to get a decent job. Instead, he bounces around from one minimum wage job to the next. After getting fired from his job at a local burger joint, a report on the news leads to him having an epiphany. He sees the financial struggles that people are having and decides to play modern day Robin Hood. Only he's not robbing banks, he's torching their mortgage and loan records in an attempt to set people free of their debts.

Wisdom is just a decent movie. It's genuinely nothing spectacular. Estevez is solid except for a few scenes where he plays the drama a bit too over the top. He's trying a bit too hard in these scenes and it shows. Support is provided by Demi Moore, Tom Skerritt and Veronica Cartwright. Moore looks stunning here, helping to remind me of how big a crush I had on her in the 90s. Her performance is good, as Wisdom's girlfriend who joins him on the lam. There's also a cameo performance from Estevez' brother Charlie Sheen that made me laugh a bit.

My biggest complaint with the movie concerns the end. I won't spoil it for anyone but I will just say that it was a silly twist that happened far too often in the 80s. I'd seen this movie on VHS years ago and had somehow managed to forget that in the ensuing years. I can see why I did.

Overall, Wisdom is a decent movie. It's entertaining but nothing worth getting worked up over. If you're a fan of Estevez or Moore, it might be worth checking out.

REVIEW: The Descent: Part II

100. The Descent: Part II

The Descent: Part II takes place immediately after the events of the original. It has the survivor from the first being taken back down into the caves in an attempt to locate the other girls. Needless to say, things don't quite go according to plan.

There's not a ton that I can say in terms of details for this one. It's still about a month away from an official US dvd release so I don't want to spoil it for those who plan on seeing it. All I can really say is that the story closely resembles the first movie with a bunch of people heading down into the caves and managing to get a bit too far gone. They encounter the crawlers, as seen in the original. The design of the crawlers has been modified a bit for this one. I prefer the original look but this new design isn't too bad. If you're curious to see, the poster featured on this review shows the face pretty darn well.

The action here is pretty solid. The encounters with the crawlers is lit decently enough so that you can actually make out most of the action this go-round. I found that there's not quite as much tension in this one but I think that was mainly because I knew what to expect whereas I was in the dark going into the first. Plenty of gore and blood for the gorehounds here.

Overall, I enjoyed this one quite a bit. Perhaps not as much as the first but I'd still recommend it when it hits video on April 27th.

REVIEWS: Casual Sex and Smokin' Aces 2

98. Casual Sex?
99. Smokin' Aces 2: Assassins' Ball


Casual Sex? tells the story of two friends who go off to a swank holiday resort to try and find the perfect guys.

Lea Thompson and Victoria Jackson are the friends. Thompson has been promiscuous throughout the 80s until she develops a terrible fear of the HIV virus. The fear leads her to remain celibate for some time. Jackson is celibate as well, but not by choice. Thompson wants to find a guy who is clean so she figures that a vacation to an upscale resort would be a step in the right direction.

This movie's alright. Nothing special, honestly. It's a late 80s flick and it definitely shows its age, some 20-odd years later. The performances from Thompson and Jackson are pretty good. Solid support comes from Andrew Dice Clay and Jerry Levine. Clay actually gets the most laughs of anyone in this flick with some of his "Diceman" material.

Overall, there really isn't much to say about this movie. If you like 80s sex comedies, then it might be worth a rental for you. Aside from that, it's just another 80s flick that doesn't particularly excel in any areas.


Smokin' Aces 2 is the direct to video prequel to 2007's Smokin' Aces.

In this one, we've got Walter Weed, FBI desk jockey set to retire. However, someone doesn't want him to leave the bureau alive. A mystery man named Hal Leuco has put a 3 million dollar bounty on his head and sent the information out to a slew of assassins. There is a catch though...if Weed doesn't meet his maker by 3am, the whole deal is off. So, the race is on as the assassins try to find Weed and take him out before the deadline.

I honestly don't remember much about the original flick. I'm pretty sure that I fell asleep while watching it and never revisited it. I always planned on checking it out again before watching this one. However, I was assured that I didn't need to, as this one was pretty self contained. That was the case here. I didn't feel left in the dark at all.

This flick was pretty enjoyable. The story was well-paced and kept my interest throughout. The action sequences with the assassins attacking were well done. The cast was solid with Tom Berenger as Weed. The assassins got to have more fun though with Vinnie Jones, Autumn Reeser and the stunning Martha Higareda leading the way.

Overall, Smokin' Aces 2 is a fun movie and worth a watch.

REVIEW: My Bloody Valentine (2009)

97. My Bloody Valentine (2009)

My Bloody Valentine is a remake of the 1981 film of the same name.

The story starts off 11 years ago. A cave-in at the Hanniger Mine traps 6 mine workers. Some six days later, rescue workers find all but one of them dead. They weren't killed by the cave-in however. They were murdered by pickax at the hands of Harry Warden, the sole survivor. Lack of oxygen has rendered him comatose so he's unable to stand trial for his crimes. After a year in a coma, Warden comes to, killing everyone in his way before going to the old mine. Upon arriving there, he finds several teenagers having a party. He kills several before being shot by local police. Cut to the present day and see the murders start up again. Is it Harry Warden come back to finish what he started?

As I've said before, I don't have a problem with remakes. For the most part. This one, I just didn't care for all that much. It's not that I found it to be a terrible movie. It just didn't click for me. I'm all for suspending disbelief while watching movies but this flick just goes a bit overboard. Some of the huge holes in logic really took me out of the movie. About 30 minutes in, I predicted what was going to happen and started paying close attention to how it could work. At the end of the movie, I was convinced that my theory was wrong because it just couldn't happen. And of course, I was right. The things that couldn't happen, somehow did. Sorry for being so vague but I don't want to spoil anything, should you decide to watch this one. Story is typical slasher fare so if you've seen any slasher flicks, you've seen this one basically. The cast is pretty good with Jensen Ackles, Jaime King and Kerr Smith as the leads. All three turn in decent performances.

If you're a slasher fan, you might like this. Be warned though, it's really nothing special.

REVIEW: Possession (2009)

96. Possession

Possession tells the story of Jess and Ryan, a married couple who are saddled with Ryan's brother Roman. Roman has just gotten out of prison and is on probation. He's got nowhere else to stay so he lives with Jess and Ryan. One day, a big blow out occurs and Roman leaves. Ryan goes after him and winds up getting into an auto accident with him. Both men are seriously injured and rendered comatose. After weeks, Roman comes out of it. Only Roman is claiming to be Ryan.

This movie was filmed in 2007 and originally set for release in early 2008. Instead, the release date kept getting pushed further and further back before eventually coming out DTV in March of 2010. While the distributing company's bankruptcy kept it on the shelf, the fact is, it's just not a very good movie and probably should have stayed shelved.

First of all, this is a remake of a 2002 foreign flick called Jungdok. I didn't know that going into this one but I had a feeling midway through. Upon checking IMDB, it was confirmed for me. Everything I saw regarding this movie led me to believe that it was some sort of supernatural thriller or even a horror flick. Nope, not even close. There is nothing remotely supernatural in the works here at all. Nor is there anything horrific. Instead, it's a pretty slow moving drama with some thriller overtures near the end. The original working title here was Addicted. Personally, I feel like that works a lot better than Possession did. They should have gone that route. While watching this, I was intrigued by it, trying to figure out what was causing Ryan to be inhabiting Roman's body. I was completely underwhelmed and letdown when the movie finally got to its climax. From what I understand, there's an alternate ending floating around that makes much more sense and doesn't feel like a thrown together re-shoot like this one does. I might have to track that one down.

Sarah Michelle Gellar stars here as Jess. She does a pretty good job working with what she's given. I've always liked her so seeing her was pretty much the only highlight for me. Lee Pace, Michael Landes and Tuva Novotny round out the cast with Pace turning in a good performance as Roman. The story is interesting enough as the movie runs but once it gets near the end, it turns into standard thriller fare and suffers for doing so, ultimately taking me right out of the whole thing.

Overall, Possession is really not very good. It's safe to skip this mofo.

REVIEW: Fatal Beauty

95. Fatal Beauty

Fatal Beauty is a new type of cocaine that is flooding the streets of Los Angeles. Unfortunately, for some users, there is a bad batch that is cut with enough PCP to either kill you or drive you insane within 30 seconds. Whoopi Goldberg is LAPD Detective Rita Rizzoli and is on the case, trying to figure out where Fatal Beauty came from and how to get it off the streets.

I'm not gonna lie here...I can't stand Whoopi Goldberg. Never have, never will. Of all the movies that she's done over the years, there isn't a single one that she makes better. It seems like she's essentially playing the same character in each movie with very slight variations. That being said, the only reason I own this movie is because I got it in a twin-pack with Running Scared. I had two choices on Amazon. Either purchase Running Scared for $13.49 on its own or get the double feature with this for 50 cents more. While watching this movie, I realized I should have saved the 50 cents. I can understand why people like Goldberg, I just can't do it myself.

The only slight saving grace this movie has is the rest of the cast. Sam Elliott, Ruben Blades, Harris Yulin and Brad Dourif are all good. There are also a few other familiar faces here so that was a highlight. The story isn't anything special. It's been rehashed countless times by countless other cop movies.

There just really isn't anything worth recommending here. Skip it.

REVIEW: Brooklyn's Finest

94. Brooklyn's Finest

Brooklyn's Finest is the latest from Training Day director, Antoine Fuqua. It tells the story of 3 NYC police officers. One is trying to do right for his family, even if it means crossing the line. Another is deep undercover, infiltrating a drug gang. And the other has had an unspectacular career on the force and is set to retire in 7 days.

When I first saw the trailers for this, I really wanted to see it. It's been out in theaters for a couple of weeks now but haven't had the opportunity to go see it. Luckily for me, a screener hit the net and hooked me up big time. I'm extremely glad it did. Worked out pretty well for me.

I liked this movie a lot. The plot isn't anything that hasn't been done before but the cast makes it work. Ethan Hawke is the officer on the verge of going bad. He has quite a few kids with a set of twins on the way. They're all crammed into a fairly small home, with the pregnant wife showing signs of mold poisoning due to mold in the walls of the home. Don Cheadle is the undercover officer who just wants his life back. Problem is, he's been under so long that his wife is divorcing him and he's starting to forget who he was and where his allegiances lie. And Richard Gere is the cop with a week left. He's had a long but undecorated career and just wants to make it through his final week. These performances are all excellent. Plus Wesley Snipes makes a return to the big screen here, after a few years in DTV purgatory. He's solid as the kingpin of the drug gang. The movie is a bit over two hours but it never really feels long. It moves along at a nice pace, building interest as it goes along.

The other thing I liked a lot that some folks might have missed was the soundtrack. One of Cheadle's first scenes has him in a restaurant. The song in the background is "The Great Pretender'. Pretty suitable given his role. And later in the movie, a character is looking for money while a Busta Rhymes song about trying to find money is playing. These were just nice touches that I liked quite a bit.

Overall, Brooklyn's Finest is a really good movie and I recommend it.

3.5.2010

93. Running Scared (1986)


1986's Running Scared is a Peter Hyams film starring Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines. It tells the story of two Chicago detectives who end up on a drug dealer's bad side. A bust that turns a bit sideways finds them sent on vacation while things cool off. They go to Key West, Florida and fall in love with the city, deciding to buy a bar after they take an early retirement from the force. Back in Chicago and working through their notice period, they discover that the drug dealer from the earlier bust is back on the streets. They decide that they're going to bring him to justice before wrapping up their careers.

This is a pretty good action/comedy in a vein similar to 48 Hours. Hines and Crystal play well off of each other and have a great chemistry together. Supporting cast includes Dan Hedaya, Steven bauer, Joe Pantoliano and Jimmy Smits. All are good.

Overall, Running Scared is not a great movie but it is definitely an entertaining one. Kind of a rainy day flick, if you will.

3.4.2010

92. Hangin' with the Homeboys


Hangin' with the Homeboys tells the story of 4 friends from the South Bronx going to the city for a night out. Things don't go quite as planned and their friendships get taken to the limit.

The friends are Tommy, Willie, Johnny and Fernando. Tommy is an actor, Willie is a wannabe militant slash moocher. Johnny is the youngest of the group, working part-time at a grocery store. Fernando is Puerto Rican but wants to be Italian, even going so far as to have his friends call him Vinny. Tommy is supposed to be going on a date but his girl is sick so he gets the guys together instead.

This is not an action-packed flick. Not much happens at all, honestly. But for some reason, the movie works. The cast is good. Comedians Mario Joyner and Doug E Doug are joined by Nestor Serrano and John Leguizamo in an early role are all great. And this comes from someone who really doesn't care for Leguizamo. They're all believable in their roles which is needed in a movie that is very dialogue driven.

One sad note of trivia regarding this movie concerns director Joseph B Vasquez. He was the child of heroin addicts who managed to put himself through college and eventually getting a degree in filmmaking from City College of New York. He made one small film on his own before having the script for Homeboys picked up by New Line. During filming, he was attacked on the subway and had his face slashed. Having always dreamed of acting, this destroyed him. As filming went on, he began acting erratically and ended up alienating nearly everyone. In early 1995, he essentially had a breakdown and was found to be manic-depressive. During one of his hospital stays, it was discovered that he had AIDS. By the end of 1995, he'd passed away due to AIDS-related complications. It's sad because Hangin with the Homeboys seemed like the start of a promising career.

This movie is recommended.

3.3.2010

The Crazies (2010)
91. Did You Hear About the Morgans?


The Crazies is a remake of George Romero's 1973 film of the same name. This one takes place in a small town in Iowa. A government plane has crashed into the town's water supply causing toxins to contaminate the water. When the water hits the town and starts being ingested by the people, the townsfolk slowly start to lose their minds and become the titular crazies. The town's sheriff, his wife and his deputy try to figure out what's going on and try to make their way out of the now-quarantined town.

The story here is nothing new as biologically created "zombies" have been done fairly often in recent years. The action and sense of dread that build up as the movie plays out are the things that make it work better than it should. There really aren't many dull moments here. I know that jump scares aren't the most popular thing with genre fans but I enjoy them. Not because they scare me or anything but because of the effect that they have on my wife. She'll practically jump out of her skin at the littlest thing. This movie had her jumping a few times and squeezing my hand. Love that. The cast here is solid with Timothy Olyphant and Radha Mitchell as the leads. Olyphant is quickly becoming one of my favorite actors and this movie helps his cause out considerably as he does a great job. I'm not particularly sold on Radha Mitchell though. There's something about her that I just don't care for. Danielle Panabaker and Joe Anderson provide excellent support.

Overall, I liked The Crazies a lot and definitely recommend it.


Did You Hear About the Morgans tells the story of Meryl and Paul Morgan, a Manhattan power couple. Paul is a lawyer and Meryl is a real estate agent. They're newly separated and on the verge of divorcing when they witness a murder. The killer gets away so the Morgans are sent into the Witness Protection Program to keep them safe until the killer can be brought to justice. They're sent to a small Wyoming town to stay with the Wheelers, a married pair of US Marshalls. Meanwhile, the killer is trying to track them down and take them out before they can testify against him.

I have but one word to describe this movie....blah. It's not particularly good nor did I want to gouge my eyes out while watching. The story doesn't have a single original idea and is extremely predictable. The performances don't really bring anything special to the table. Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker are the Morgans. Grant phones in his traditional romantic comedy performance while Parker seems to be playing a watered down version of her Sex and the City character. Support is provided by Sam Elliott, Mary Steenburgen and Wilford Brimley.

One slightly interesting trivia note is that this is director Marc Lawrence's 3rd feature film. All 3 of them have starred Hugh Grant. Kind of odd.

Overall, Did You Hear About the Morgans is neither good, nor bad. It just is. If you insist on seeing it, it hits store shelves on March 16th.

3.1.2010

90. The Invention of Lying

The Invention of Lying takes place in a world where everyone is perfectly honest with each other. Even if you receive an answer you do not like, you are guaranteed to receive the truth. People just do not have the ability to lie. One day, Mark Bellison, a fairly unattractive and unsuccessful screenwriter manages to eke out a lie. He quickly realizes what he's done and realizes that he's the only person in the entire world with this ability. Of course, he winds up biting off a bit more than he can chew and winds up in the media spotlight.

I liked this movie quite a bit. The story is original and well done. It does get a tad bit predictable near the end but I can forgive it for that minor misstep. I was really amused by the very idea that people can't lie and the conversations that it would lead to. I spent a good part of this movie laughing at the chatting. Ricky Gervais is cast as Bellison and he's perfect for the role. He has a certain everyman look and charisma that work great here. You've got an extremely solid supporting cast as well with Jennifer Garner, Rob Lowe, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill and Louis CK. All bring good performances to the table and serve to make this movie just that much better. In the hands of a lesser cast, this one might not have been very good. Instead, this one gets recommended.