So I haven’t posted in a while. So what. I’ve been tired, lazy, and frankly enjoying summer. But part of enjoying summer is watching some movies. Some older ones, some newer ones, and some in 3D! So here’s a quick review of a bunch of movies I’ve seen somewhat recently:

Monsters Vs. Aliens (In 3D) -2009-
This movie was quite funny, suitable for all ages, features a good story, and the 3D was sweet. AND there was only gimicky moment of 3D, right at the beginning. I give it 8 ramheads out of 10. It runs 95 minutes.Up (In 3D) -2009-
This movie was funny, heartwarming, will entertain kids from ages 5 to 85, and the 3D was like second nature. It felt so right. The only thing telling me that I was watching in 3D was the glasses (which I kept). I really enjoyed this movie and it really hit me in my heart. 9 ramheads out of 10. It runs 96 minutes.The Princess Bride (not in 3D) -1987-
INCONCEIVABLE! This movie is a classic. I’ve never heard anyone say they disliked this movie. It features a solid cast, funny moments, action, cheesiness, and it’s a love story(but not a chick flick). What more can anyone ask for a movie? It is definitely a family film. Everyone should watch it. I give this movie 10 ramheads out of 10. It runs 98 minutes.

Jurassic Park -1993-This movie is directed by Steven Spielberg, was the true start and key to development of CG special effects, features an amazing story and great cast. It also co-stars Jeff Goldblum. I wouldn’t recommend it to younger children due to some scary/violent moments. This is a wonderful film. 9 ramheads out of 10.
This is part 1 of my summer short movie reviews. (Hopefully I’ll see Transformers 2 and some other good ones. Harry Potter 6 will get it’s own review. No worries.)

Last night I decided to watch Taken instead of going to bed. I do not at all regret this decision. Taken may have gotten some mixed review, many of which are bad, but I thoroughly enjoyed this short (about an hour and a half) action packed thriller.

Taken stars Liam Neeson as a retired “Preventer” that worked for the U.S. government. He retired to spend time with his now 17 year-old daughter, Kim (Maggie Grace), who lives with his ex-wife and her rich husband. The first fifteen or so minutes get you to really feel for the guy, he’s such a smart, genuine man who wants to patch up the relationship he has with his teenage daughter. Then his daughter wants to go to Paris with her friend, and, being underage needs her father’s approval. He’s hesitant but in an effort to preserve the thin relationship with his daughter and with the comfort of a satellite phone, he approves under certain conditions. After a couple of hours in Paris, Kim and her friend are kidnapped while Kim is on the phone with her father. He promises to find her. I won’t spoil it for you, but I’ll say he keeps his promise and does much more.

The film features a decent story, I thought it was compelling. It was slightly unrealistic in the abilities this man has, but it was severly entertaining. The special effects were tremendous, the action was fast paced, focused, and nearly non-stopped. I thought of Neeson’s character as a much cooler, more dangerous James Bond. Also, especially in the beginning of the movie, the music was AMAZING. The music played a critical role in captivating me. I felt like I was part of the film.

The film is rated PG-13 and runs 93 mins. I wouldn’t recommend it for children under 8th grade do to some pretty freakin’ awesome violent scenes. I give it 8 ramheads out of 10.

As a sophomore in high school, I read the book Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors. It was a good read, a true story, and included cannibalism. When I found out that there was a movie, I didn’t put the effort into finding it. Last week when I was wandering my college’s library, I saw it, sitting there, the Alive DVD. (The movie was released in 1993.) I was curious as to how they would compress the decently large book into a movie, so I decided to watch.

The story is about a Uruguayan rugby team (and family/friends) who’s plane crashed in the Andes Mountains. Most of them die in the end, either because of the plane crash, the cold, or starvation.  Some do survive and venture to Chilean civilization and bring help so the rest could be rescued.

Honestly, the filmmakers did a mediocre job at adapting the story. The movie was okay, but it didn’t hold a flame to the book. The acting was decent, but not outstanding. The movie flew by really fast, the only means of gauging the time in the movie were the on-screen subtitles (ex. “DAY 60”). Nothing about this movie makes me want to watch it again. It is not flashy, the special effects were done just well enough to be believable in 1993. This movie is definitely one that you wouldn’t want to spend any money on. Don’t buy, don’t even rent. Get it from the library, but only if you are interested.

This movie is runs 127 minutes and is rate R. This is the tamest “R”-rated movie I’ve ever seen. It probably would be PG-13 with today’s standards.

I give it an average 5 ramheads out of 10: