DVD Review: Old Dogs

Rated PG

Starring Robin Williams, John Travolta, Seth Green, Rita Wilson, Kelly Preston

Dan and Charlie have been best friends forever and are co-owners of a successful sports marketing firm, living the high life. In the midst to closing the biggest deal of their lives, Dan's ex-wife Vicki (whom he married on a whim 7 years prior while on vacation, their nuptials not even lasting 24 hours) shows up, desperately needing someone to watch her 2 kids while she spends 2 weeks in jail for activist shenanigans. Dan quickly realizes, the children are his - the result of their brief nuptials 7 years ago.

Reluctant at first, Dan evenutally agrees, wanting to get to know the kids a bit (not to mention he never got over Vicki either). However as Dan struggles with figuring out fatherhood, him and Charlie continue to attempt to close their business deal.

In the end, they learn what's important in life (and it's not living the high life) and grow as people as well.

Much like Travolta's previous Disney family flick Wild Hogs, Old Dogs is geared towards the same audience catering more towards adults although kids will enjoy the youngsters meddling in their father's (and "Uncle Charlie's") life. It's definitely a feel good movie.

Thor

Rated PG13 for superhero action violence

Starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Stellan Skarsgard, Kat Dennings, Anthony Hopkins, Tom Hiddleston, Idris Elba, Jaimie Alexander

While researching some strange disturbances in the weather in New Mexico, Jane Foster, assistant Darcy and her mentor Erik come across a distraught and confused strong man in the middle of the desert.

Turns out, that strongman is Thor - son of Odin and heir to the throne of Asgard. However, Thor wasn't quite coronated as king yet. During his coronation ceremony Frost Giants break into the vault of the palace in hopes of retrieving the source of their power - the casket of ancient winters. Quick to react, Thor wants revenge and justice for the Frost Giants coming there and breaking the peace between Asgard and Jotunheim. Knowing how to press his buttons, Loki talks Thor into attacking the Frost Giants himself despite Odin's warning to leave them be. Taking Loki and his friends, Thor and crew travel the Rainbow Bridge and inadvertently start a war. Upset at his failure to heed his words, Odin banishes Thor from Asgard and exiles him on Earth. He also makes it so that Thor cannot use his infamous hammer until he is worthy of it.

Lost and confused and wanting to go home, Jane eventually gives in and helps Thor, giving him a lift to the site of where his hammer is rumored to be.

However, with Thor gone and Odin suffering a heart attack, Loki is left in charge of Asgard, much to the dismay of Thor's friends, and is running a muck, refusing to undo Thor's exile. Taking matters into their own hands, Thor's friends venture to Earth in search of him, however Loki sends a Destroyer to put an end to his brother once and for all.

Will Thor be able to regain his strength and obtain his hammer in time to save Earth and the Frost Giants and put a stop to Loki's evil plans?

As the first big superhero film of this summer, Thor was an excellent fun family thrill ride. Despite being based on Norse mythology, the film plays it off without shoving it so much in your face. Basically, the "gods" are just really strong with an advanced form of technology - only when they came to Earth were they deemed "gods" at the time.

Be sure to take the whole family to this fun flick this summer!

DVD Review: The Social Network

Rated PG13 for some language, some sexuality

Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Rashida Jones, Armie Hammer

After being dumped by his unofficial girlfriend, Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg has a night of binge drinking and posts on his Livejournal throughout the night as he creates a Hot or Not type website database of most of the girls at school, getting their pictures by hacking through the school's network. By 3am, his site has gone live and the link is out. Thousands of students flock to the site to check it out and rate their fellow co-eds. The site gets so much traffic so quickly that the network crashes.

It's eventually traced back to Zuckerberg and after hearing what he did, he is soon approached by the Winklevoss twins to create a Harvard social network site so the students can connect and hook-up, sort of like a dating site. Seeing the potential of a social networking site for college students, Zuckerberg puts the Winklevoss project on hold and starts his own social networking site - The Facebook.

This film primarily shows the early haydays of the Facebook social networking site and the first of several lawsuits Zuckerberg has had to dealt with since the site was created. In this film, the main case is the Winklevoss's claiming Facebook was their idea while Zuckerberg claims that their site was more of a dating/hook-up site whereas Facebook is something different.

It was interesting to see the evolution of the now very popular site (which is no longer just for college students - anyone with a valid email address can be on Facebook). It was also interesting to see the part that Napster founder Sean Parker played in Facebook.

One thing to note though, while the film at first glace seems to be autobiographical, it is anything but. Several sources have coming saying that the real Mark Zuckerberg is nothing like the character that portrays him in the film.

If you like docu-dramas be sure to check this one out as it was definitely worth seeing. Also, the movie's score by Trent Rezner and Atticus Ross was excellent as well!

DVD Review: The Other Guys

Rated PG13 for action violence, slapstick violence, brief language, some sexuality

Starring Will Ferrell, Mark Whalberg, Eva Mendes, Michael Keaton, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Samuel L. Jackson

In every police force there are guys like detective Chris Dansen and PK Highsmith - the cool guys who chase after the bad guys much like the crime-fighting duos you see in all the action movies. And then there are the other guys like Allen Gamble and Terry Hoitz, the pencil pusher who sit at the desks and do all the research.

After a freak accident where Dansen and Highsmith are killed, all the guys in the office are looking to become the next action crime-fighting duo. That is, all the guys except for Gamble who is quite content working a safe deskjob, much to the dismay of his partner Hoitz. Hoitz longs for being in on the action but ever since accidentally shooting Derek Jeter (he thought he was a trespasser) he hasn't been given much of a chance to redeem himself.

Gamble begins an investigation into a scaffolding permit violation though which as it would be turns out to lead to something much much bigger than him and Hoitz could ever imagine. And clearly they're on the right trail as someone with power and henchmen don't want them snooping around.

Will the other guys prevail and get their moment of glory out from behind the desk?

While it's supposed to be a comedy, the laughs were few and far between. Sure it had it's moments, but it went a little over the top when Will Ferrell's Gamble shares his backstory.

Definitely a forgettable film and not worth the time to watch.

DVD Review: Dinner for Schmucks

Rated PG13 for crude humor, language, sexuality

Starring Paul Rudd, Steve Carell

Tim is a financial consultant who hopes to be promoted among the executives after a spot opens up at his firm. After impressing his bosses and potentially landing a huge client, they are quick to consider him for the job however they say he must attend a "special" dinner. He soon learns that at this dinner, the execs bring the craziest, wackiest idiot they can find and whoever brings the best one wins!

At first Tim is turned off to the idea of making a fool out of some poor schmuck and his live-in girlfriend reminds him how wrong it is and tells him not to do it. But after running into Barry - the perfect schmuck to bring to the dinner - Tim can't resist the chance at a promotion and so he invites Barry to the dinner. Inadvertently he invites Barry into his life as well, popping up at all the wrong moments and making Barry's situation with his girlfriend and his potential new clients only worse! Basically, Barry is a walking disaster.

Will Tim ultimately decide to attend the dinner, with Barry in tow? Or will he do the noble thing and tell Barry the truth, saving him from humiliation?

Honestly, with funny men Paul Rudd and Steve Carell starring together, this movie wasn't as funny as it could have been. It had potential alright, and some laughs, but it just seemed a bit mean-spirited and in the end it didn't deliver.

Feel free to skip this dinner!

DVD Review: Easy A

Rated PG13 for sexuality, brief language, teenage drinking

Starring Emma Stone, Amanda Bynes, Thomas Hayden Church

What started as an innocent fib to get a best friend to shut up became the rumor heard 'round the school.

Not wanting to join her best friend Rhi and her kooky family on a weekend camping trip, Olive lies and says she has a date with college guy. On Monday, Rhi begs her for details, insisting that Olive must have slept with this college beau when in fact Olive spent all weekend at home, rocking out to the song "Pocket Full of Sunshine." Tired of Rhi pestering her, Olive gives in and tells her she slept with the guy, unbeknownst that one of the school's gossips is in the bathroom with them and overhears everything. Quickly the word spreads that Olive is sleeping around.

Having never been on the social map at school, Olive admits to initially liking all the attention she was getting from both the girls (who called her a slut) and the guys (who suddenly had an interest in her).

She learns that one of her best guy pals is gay, but hates being made fun of for it by the other kids at school. After Olive gives him the advice to just make up something up and spread around, like what happened with her, he suggests they go to a party together and fake have sex, that way Olive's reputation lives on and people will think he's straight. She decides to go along with it, however after that encounter, all the "loser" guys at school catch on to the trick and start offering Olive giftcards to various places in exchange for her to agree that she did something sexual with them.

Eventually it spirals out of control, and she decides she no longer likes having the slutty reputation, as it seems no guys in school actually have respect for her or want to date her - they just want to say they did things with her. Needless to say, Olive learns a very important lesson about how big one little lie can get and the importance of a reputation!

With the witty dialogue and just the right amount of sexuality, this film is almost like a 2010 version of Mean Girls as both have the same type of humor and clever dialogue, with the story being told by the main character and how they met their downfall and how they redeemed themselves.

If you liked Mean Girls, or even just funny teenage come-of-age flicks (with John Hughes references to boot!) be sure to check out Easy A! It's probably better than what you're expecting!

DVD Review: The Proposal

Rated PG13 for some language, some sexuality, obscure nudity

Starring Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Betty White, Craig T. Nelson, Mary Steenburgen

Margaret Tate is a very successful editor in chief of a book publishing company in New York, however when she learns from her board that her legal visa has expired (she's from Canada) and she will be deported she quickly and foolishly tells them that her and her assistant Andrew are engaged and will be married soon. Andrew, while fully aware that his boss is a demanding witch of a woman, plays along as she promises him she'll run his articles if he plays along long enough. With a long weekend coming up, Andrew has already made plans to go home and visit his family in Alaska, and in order to fool their co-workers, Margaret must tag along.

What she didn't plan on was meeting a family who genuine cares and accepts each other regardless. We learn she never really had much of a family life growing up, which is why she's so cold of a person. She quickly begins to fall in love with Andrew's family and begins to realize it's not fair to drag him into a marriage of convience.

But what will Andrew's family think once the truth comes out? Will Margaret eventually be deported? Or will Andrew still play along with her scheme?

If you like romantic comedies, be sure not to miss this one as the performances by the cast were all quite fun!

DVD Review: The Runaways

Rated R for language, sexuality, drug and alcohol use

Starring Kristen Stewart, Dakota Fanning, Michael Shannon, Scout Taylor-Compton

It's the 1970s and a late teenage Joan Jett is a rockin' female guitarist wanting to be in a band. 15 year old Cherie Currie is into the glam rock of David Bowie.

After a chance meeting a teenage hangout, music producer Kim Fowley likes Joan's idea of an all girl rock group and puts her in touch with drummer Sandy West, telling them to put something together. Liking what he hears, Fowley decides to audition a bombshells for a singer and spies Cherie in one of the teen hangouts. Despite her hesitation to sing suggestive lyrics, she gives in to Fowley's demand and lands the gig.

The girls head out on the road for a tour that summer, with Cherie quickly losing her good girl looks and innocence on the road. It's a time the girls - Cherice, Joan, Sandy and Lita Ford will never forget and for some of them a launching pad to even bigger careers.

While this film is based somewhat on the autobiography put out by Currie, it is to be noted that a good bit of the film is fiction, as they cut out certain parts of the band's history and condensed the timeline as well. It was definitely an interesting film to watch, despite it not entirely being an accurate documentary.

Also, even though it is Fanning's movie (and boy does she play jailbait well!) with Stewart backing her as Joan Jett, I do wish they gave a little more screentime to Scout Taylor-Compton's Lita Ford, as she went on to have a bit of a well-known career as well. Lita and Sandy were just background characters, having very little dialogue or screentime in the film.

If you like autobiographical films (regardless of accuracy) or The Runaways, Joan Jett and/or Cherie Currie you might be interested in checking out The Runaways, however put the kiddies to bed first as there's quite a bit of sexual content in this one!

DVD Review: Saw VII - The Final Chapter

Rated R for graphic violence, torture, language

Starring Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell, Sean Patrick Flannery, Cary Elwes

Leaving off where the the previous film ended, Hoffman is still alive and furious with Jigsaw's widow Jill for setting him in the reverse-beartrap headpiece and leaving him to die (only he managed to escape by mutilating his face instead), he spends most of the film chasing after Jill and trying to get to her for revenge despite her being in police custody.

Meanwhile, another Jigsaw game is being played, this time with a self-help guru named Bobby Dagen who has made his living off pretending to be a Jigsaw survivor and traveling all over speaking about how he overcame his fears and fought for his survival. While his story is inspiring, none of it is true - him and a few friends, who are now his PR publicist and manager, came up with the idea after hearing a Jigsaw survivor share their story on the local news. In his game he has to overcome several traps in order to save his friends and eventually his wife as well as himself - the final test being the so-called trap he claimed to have survived previously (which was made to his claimed specifications).

Will Bobby be able to really survive Jigsaw's game? Will Hoffman get to Jill before he is ultimately stopped?

Despite this being the supposed last chapter of the Saw franchise, the ending was pretty lame, as it wasn't completely resolved and felt open ended in case they ever wanted to revisit the franchise. They did keep to their word though - as it was originally stated there would be 7 Saw films in the series. Just many like myself wish we were given more closure for sticking it out and enduring all 7 of them!

If you've seen all the Saw films up to this point you might want to check it out just to say you saw the whole series and see how they finally ended things. If you never got into the series or gave up watching several movies, feel free to skip this one!

The Mechanic

Rated R for language, violence, action, some sexuality

Starring Jason Statham, Ben Foster, Donald Sutherland

When someone needs "a job" done just right, they hire "a mechanic." And Arthur Bishop is one of the best mechanics around.

After finishing a job, Bishop goes home and learns that his next contract is to kill his mentor, Harry McKenna. After confirming that the hit is in fact correct, Bishop learns that McKenna was part of an operation where all the men involved in carrying it out were killed and that only 2 people - McKenna and his partner (who put the hit out on him) knew about the mission and the details. Bishop sadly follows through with the contract, making McKenna's death look like a carjacking.

At the funeral, Bishop meets McKenna's wayward 20-something son Steve. After witnessing Steve take his anger of his father's death out on a random carjacker, Bishop decides to take the kid under his wing (kinda like a younger brother, as McKenna was more of a father figure to him) and teach him how to be a mechanic as well.

The question though, is how well will Steve take Bishop's training? And will he ever find out that it was in fact Bishop who killed his father and not some random carjacker?

While I never saw the original 1972 film, I've heard that the plot is similar but the missions are different.

Either way, this film is standard Jason Statham fare, with Ben Foster pulling his weight and joining in on the ass-kicking fun! It's got everything you would expect - guns, action, explosions, things breaking, etc.

While a bit predictable, it was still a fun action flick worth seeing if you like Statham films!