STAR STAGE AND SOUND 
General Information and
Mission Statement Stage
Dimensions National and Regional Acts Audio
Gear Pics of Stage
Mobile DJ Main New
Cedar Studios Links Mobile DJ Entertainment Weddings
MOVIE BUZZ
HOME
With BUZZ
Here's how my
rating system works
5 Stars - You absolutely MUST see and buy this movie. Why are you
still reading this and not rushing out to the theater, Wal
Mart, or Best Buy? Movies receiving the 5 Star rating create the
mold in which all other movies should made
from. If you buy one DVD a year, this is the one you need to
purchase. These movies will be watched over and over.
4 Stars - An excellent movie.
Avid DVD buyers will want to add these to their stable as you will probably
want to watch it more than once and tell your friends about it.
3 Stars - The typical movie,
nothing stunning, nothing abysmal. Although enjoyable,
you probably only want to see it once and then get on with your life.
If you miss a 3 Star moive, the sun will still come
up tomorrow....trust me.
2 Stars - Movies that only fans of the genre
will want to see. I wouldn't recommend purchasing the DVD unless you are
completely enamored with the subject matter. Save your money unless you
are one of these types.
1 Star - Run as fast as you
possibly can to get away from these movies! After watching 1 Star movies, you'll be making statements like, "There's an
hour and a half of my life I won't get back".
In this
issue:
Volume V Dated MAY 28th
2008
I've been
sitting on this review for a while, waiting for the right time to have viewed
enough films to make this worth your read. However, I've discovered that
some movies will be weeks old before you read this. I guess I really need
to break down and start an online movie blog and
review each film as I see them. That way you can subscribe to the reviews
and read the immediately as I write them as they would be e-mailed directly to
your inbox. It would make more sense to do it this way. I wonder
why I haven't done this already? I have no
excuses...
Warning:
Some of these reviews contain "spoilers" (storylines/plots are
revealed). Read at your own risk if you haven't seen them yet.
In theaters now:
Stars (notables): Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Shia
LeBeouf, and Cate Blanchet.
Director: Stephen Spielberg (check out this
resume: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000229/)
Rating: PG-13
Running
Time: 2
hours, 3 minutes
Genre: Action Adventure
Synopsis:
Bottom
Line: I
actually went to see this with an open mind, hoping for a recreation of the
magic from "The Raiders of the Lost Ark". I was somewhat
disappointed. Don't get me worng, this is a
good movie. I can't see Harrison Ford doing another one of these unless
they portray him as they did Sean Connery in the "Last
Crusade". It appears they tried to pass the torch to Shia LeBeouf near the end, or did
they? Ford is looking his age (now 66 believe it or not). How can
Han Solo get old? Believe me, he has kids. Indiana (Ford) gets called
back into action and finds himself right in the middle of a Soviet plot to
scarf up any treasure or artifact that has super natural powers. Sound
familiar? (the Germans in Raiders of the Lost
Rating: 4 Stars (only because I'm a big fan of the series)
Iron Man
Stars (notables): Robert Downey Jr, Jeff Bridges,
and Gweneth Paltrow.
Director: John Favreau
(Elf, Zathura, but more famous as an actor)
Rating: PG-13
Running
Time: 2
hours, 6 minutes
Genre: Action Adventure, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Synopsis: The story of Marvel superhero
Iron Man springs to life to save the day.
Bottom
Line: When I
was a kid, I only read two comic books with regularity. Iron Man and Thor. One of my secret fantasies has come
to the big screen. I've been waiting for this one with much
anticipation. Tell me what kid hasn't fantasized about being the
Invincible Iron Man? Ok, maybe just me. I really didn't think
Robert Downey Jr. could pull this one off. Was I wrong or what?
After seeing this one in the theaters twice, I couldn't imagine anyone else
playing this role. Good for you Robert, I'm glad you proved me
wrong. Stan Lee makes his usual cameo appearance as Hugh Heffner. Gotta love Stan
Lee. The billionaire Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is the CEO of
Stark Enterprises, the leading military weapons producer in the world.
With the death of Stark's father, the company has been left to Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges) until Tony becomes of age.
While on a weapons demonstration (the Jericho Missle) in
Rating: 4.5 Stars
The
Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Stars (notables): Ben Barnes, Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, William Moseley, and Anna Popplewell.
Director: Andrew Adamson (The other Narnia, Shrek 1 and 2)
Rating: PG
Running
Time: 2
hours, 20 minutes
Genre: Action Adventure, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Synopsis: The four kings and queens return
to Narnia one year later (1300 Narnia years) to save the kingdom once again.
Bottom
Line: Almost
a yawner. I nodded off twice. The first Chronicles of Narnia had magic, intrigue, and suspense. This
one lacked all of the above. Aslan (voice of
Liam Neeson) was only in the last 30 minutes of
the film, it seemed. The movie was about one hour too long. Maybe
it was just me, but I went to the theater thinking I was going to get much of
the same as I did from the first film. I kept waiting for the movie to
deliver, but it never did. There were a few highlights that warranted your
attention, but not for two hours and twenty minutes. The special effects
were adequate, but nothing out of the ordinary. The acting was, well
terrible. I honestly don't know what else to say. I didn't think a
sequel could do a 180 as bad as this one did, but I was wrong. Pass on
this one unless you are a glutton for punishment or fantasize about living in Narnia.
Rating: 3 Stars (I'm being generous)
On Blu-Ray:
National
Treasure: Book of Secrets
Stars (notables): Nicolas Cage, Justin Bartha,
Diane Kruger, John Voight, Helen Mirren,
Ed Harris, and Harvey Keitel.
Director: Jon Turteltaub
(Cool Runnings, National Treasure, Jericho-TV)
Rating: PG
Running
Time: 2
hours, 3 minutes
Genre: Action Adventure, Thriller
Synopsis: Ben Gates' ancestors are accused of being
involved in the plot to assasinate Abraham
Lincoln. Determined to prove their innocence, another grand adventure
ensues.
Bottom
Line: How can
you not rush out right this minute and buy this Blu-ray?
The only reason I can think of is because you don't own a Blu-ray
player yet. I pre-ordered this one, then bought the first one (National
Treasure) while I was at the counter. It's not often a sequel comes
along and is as good as the first movie. This is one of those rare
cases. This movie picks up where the first one leaves off. Riley
(Justin Bartha) gets his Ferrari confiscated by the
IRS due to back taxes. Abigal (Diane Kruger)
and Ben Gates (Nicolas Cage) are splitting up and the Gates family is accused
of being involved in the
Rating: 5 Stars
On TV:
Deadliest
Catch
Stars
(notables):
Narrated by Mike Rowe (Dirty Jobs)
Director: No clue
Rating: Not rated (but I'd give it a PG)
Running
Time: 1 hour
(Tuesdays at 9pm EST on the Discovery Channel)
Genre: Documentary
Synopsis: Documentary about the deadliest
job in the world, Alaskan King Crab fishing.
Bottom
Line: Ok,
who's been living in a cave? You must have been if you've never seen this
series. Deadliest Catch, now in it's 4th season
on the Discovery Channel, chronicles the lives of Alaskan King Crab
fisherman. It's amazing what these guys go through to bring us crab
legs. The crew is pushed to the limits every episode, sleeping an average
of 3-4 hours in a 24 hour period. That's if the captain is being very
lenient. The conditions they work in are terrible. That's an
understatement. For those of you that have been to
Rating: 5 Stars
I skipped on
Speed Racer. I'll wait until it comes out on DVD and rent it first.
However, there are some promising movies headed our way in the coming months;
You
Don't Mess With the Zohan (Adam Sandler)
The
Happening (M. Night Shalamalamalan)
The Incredible Hulk (Ed Norton)
Get Smart (Steve Carrell)
The Love Guru (Mike Myers strikes again)
WALL-E (Pixar - need I say more?)
Hellboy II: The Golden Army (Ron Pearlman)
The Dark Knight (Christian Bale as Batman)
WALL-E will give
Iron Man a run for it's money at the box office, wait
and see. There's too many kids (like me) that
are hooked on Pixar and Disney. I'm still
scratching my head on why they made ANOTHER Incredible Hulk. There was
nothing wrong with the first one. It's all about money. Also, I
don't think they could have cast a more perfect person to play Maxwell Smart
than Steve Carrell. I'm very optimistic
concerning the block busters this summer. I can see myself spending a lot
of time in the theaters. And just think think of all the hotdogs
I'll get to eat! I'll see you at the movies.
Volume III Dated April 7th
2008
In this
issue: 21, The Guardian, Pixar Short Films,
Planet Earth, and Galapagos.
HD-DVD is dead
and Blu-ray reigns supreme. For those of you
that are thinking about making the jump, now is the time. Recently,
department store giant Wal-Mart, inked a deal with Sony to sell only Blu-ray disks. As you see the HD-DVD inventory
diminish, expect to see a climb in Blu-ray availability
and sales. Prices are starting to drop as well. If you haven't made
the jump to digital, you better do so soon. Congress has mandated that
all television broadcast after Feb 11, 2009 (less than a year away) will all be
in a digital format. You can read more about the transition here (http://www.dtv.gov/consumercorner.html#faq3).
You're really missing out if you're holding on to that old analog set with both
hands. The digital age is upon us and to be quite honest, I haven't
seen TV until I saw HDTV. The difference is stunning!
In theaters now:
21
Stars
(notables):
Jim Sturgess, Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth, Laurence Fishburne.
Director: Robert Luketic
(Monster in Law, Legally Blonde)
Rating: PG-13
Running
Time: 2
hours, 2 minutes
Genre: Drama
Synopsis: Top MIT students learn how to
count cards at Black Jack in Vegas for big money, until they get caught.
Bottom
Line: This
movie kept my attention. It has a solid plot, although predictable until
the end. The acting was good, but not enough to win an Oscar or
anything. Basically your typical "Let's count cards in Vegas while
playing 21 and see how much money we can win before we get caught" type of
movie. Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess) is a top
honor student at MIT (Massachusetts Institue of
Technology) who applies to be accepted into
Rating: 3 Stars
On DVD:
The
Guardian
Stars
(notables):
Kevin Costner, Ashton Kutcher, Sela
Ward
Director: Andrew Davis (Holes, A
Perfect Murder, Collateral Damage)
Rating: PG-13
Running
Time: 2
hours, 19 minutes
Genre: Drama, Action/Adventure
Synopsis: How the US Coast Guard goes places in
inclement weather when all the other armed forces shut down (especially
the US Navy). The story of a Senior Chief that
trains a promising young recruit with a troubled past.
He learns more than just how to be a rescue swimmer.
Bottom
Line: Just
when you think that Kevin Costner can't make anything other than a Baseball
movie, he goes and does this. I enjoyed every minute of this movie.
I missed this one in the theaters when it came out, and as usual, I took a
chance on the DVD. I was not disappointed. Now I'm glad I own it.
Senior Chief Ben Randall (Kevin Costner) is the US Coast Guard's #1 rescue
swimmer. After a fatal crash and all his crew members are lost, Randall
is sent to the US Coast Guard's
Rating: 4 Stars
On Blu-Ray DVD:
Pixar Short Films
Stars (notables): Nobody.
Director: Tony Kaplan/Erica Milsom
(both worked on Toy Stoy, The Incredibles,
and Finding Nemo)
Rating: Not rated (but I'd give it a G)
Running
Time: 54
minutes
Genre: Computer Animation, Comedy,
Documentary
Synopsis: A compilation of 13
"short films" produced my Disney/Pixar, to
include behind the scenes and a history of Pixar
Animation Studios.
Bottom Line: If you own a Blu-ray
player, you need to own this title. The quality of animation coming
from the Pixar studios is unmatched. Plus,
they'll make your HDTV look good. I've been watching this title at
Best Buy for a while now. I've
actually had it in my hands twice, headed for the register. Put it back
both times. However, Best Buy was running a promotion for National
Treasure: Book of Secrets, and you can get $5 off any
Disney movie if you pre-order National Treasure 2. So I did and chose
this one to get the $5 off. This one will give you an early look into Pixar's animation as well as the latest and greatest
shorts. I love Pixar and who can argue with the
quality. They're only getting better and better.
Rating: 5 Stars
Planet
Earth
Stars
(notables):
Narrated by Sir David Attenborough (BBC,
Rating: Not rated (but I'd give it a G - it's nature)
Running
Time: 550
minutes (yep, 11 episodes on six discs)
Genre: Documentary / Nature / Television
Synopsis: The documentary about planet
earth.
Bottom
Line: Two
words, simply amazing. This documentary is reason enough to purchase a Blu-ray player on it's own.
For those of you that don't have HDTV, you can still see this on the Discovery Channel on Sunday nights.
However, if you don't watch it in HD, you're not watching it. In HD, it's
like they cut a window out of space and your TV becomes the pane (with no
glass). A professional photographer friend of mine, "Steve",
would really enjoy this, just for the photography alone. I'll say this,
it's a bit pricey ($65-100 depending on where you get it), but if you can
afford it and love nature, it's well worth it.
Rating: 5 Stars (I'd give this one a six if I could)
Galapagos
Stars
(notables):
Narrated by Tilda Swinton
Writer: Gail Willumson
Rating: Not rated (but I'd give it a G -
more nature)
Running
Time: 2
hours, 30 minutes
Genre: Documentary / Nature
Synopsis: The "defacto"
documentary on the
Bottom
Line: Another
great from the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) and this time, the National Geographic Channel. I didn't own
this Blu-ray for a long time. A friend loaned
it to me and after I watched it, I went and bought it the next day. I
didn't know a great deal about the
Rating: 5 Stars
I don't know if
any of you have something like this around where you live, but this is one of
my favorite places to go see a movie. It's called the Studio Movie Grill. Where else can you go
to the movies and eat a full meal? When you buy your movie tickets, they
give you a menu and one of those beeper/vibrating discs
(you know, the ones that tell you your table's ready). All the
semi-stadium seats have a table in front of them. Anytime you want
service, just press the little button on the side of your disc. They
basically wait on you hand and foot. For the same ticket price (or
cheaper compared to some other theaters), why would anyone go anywhere
else? The food is definitely not "gourmet", but it's comparable
in price and quality to Chili's, Applebee's, or the like. No, they didn't
pay me to say any of those things. They even sell ice cream.....mmmmm....ice cream...... Ironically, I've never had
popcorn at the SMG, or a hot dog. Now I'm scratching my head....
Buzz
Volume II Dated March 27th
2008
A friend of
mine, Dave Porter, always used to tell me, "Buzz, you only like movies
with fast cars, big explosions, and NASCAR." I do this partially
just to prove him wrong.
In theaters now:
Jumper
Stars (notables): Hayden Christensen (Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader in Star
Wars 1-3), Samuel L. Jackson,
Director: Doug Liman
(Mr. & Mrs. Smith, The Bourne Identity)
Rating: PG-13
Running
Time: 1 hour,
30 minutes
Genre: Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Synopsis: "Jumpers" can teleport
anywhere in the world in an instant. Paladins believe that only God
should have the power to be in all places at once, so they're sworn to kill
them.
Bottom
Line: They
could have done so much more with this movie. The special effects were
outstanding. One minute, David Rice (Hayden Christensen) is surfing on a
Big Kahuna, getting ready to be wiped out, and the
next minute he's sitting on top of the Sphinx eating a hogie.
It would be nice to have that power. Let gas get $200 a gallon! I
left the theater wishing there had been more. More
explanation that is. Unfortunately, what they gave me was
"vague and boring". If they had explained the "how and
who" a little better, this movie would have been excellent. I found out
that Doug Liman (the director) has already signed up
to do Jumper 2, set to release in 2011. I hope he didn't bank on the
premise that he's already told the story. He hasn't. Samuel L.
Jackson plays a Paladin (Roland), who believes that only God should have the
power to be in all places at once. He plays a bad guy with solid white
hair. They didn't develop his character at all, in my opinion.
Rating: 2 Stars
On DVD:
Yeah, I know,
I'm late getting to the prom on this one. But I have never seen this
movie until last weekend and a friend of mine loaned me the Blu-ray
to check out. I'm glad he did.
Stir Of Echoes
Stars
(notables):
Zachary David Cope, Kevin Bacon, Kathryn Erbe
Director: David Koepp
(Trigger Effect, Suspicious)
Rating: R
Running
Time: 1
hour, 50 minutes
Genre: Suspense, Horror, Thriller
Synopsis: The story of a simple man, a typical
husband and father, who finds himself transformed by irrefutable evidence that
supernatural forces beyond his understanding really do exist, after being
hypnotized by his sister-in-law.
Bottom
Line: This
was an excellent movie. I like a movie that scares the crap out of me at
least once and makes me jump. Get's the old
ticker a pumpin'. This one did, at least
once. Tom Witzky (played by Kevin Bacon) is a
normal father/husband that works as a line man (no Bootsy,
he's not a line man for the county) in the city. His sister-in-law
hypnotizes him and now he can sense the supernatural. I hope I never get
hypnotized and see the junk he saw. I can't afford to dig a city block up
to find something I know is buried. See the movie and you'll
understand. Bacon plays a strong role, one which you can relate to right
away. How many movies has he made anyway, a gazillion? Tom's wife,
played by Kathryn Erbe (of Law & Order
fame), does exactly what a wife would do in this situation. To me,
the movie was plausible. Once the suspense started rolling, I didn't want
to turn away from the TV, afraid I'd miss something. I'd buy this one on
DVD, but I think I picked it as one of my free "rebate" one's (that
haven't come in yet) from when I bought the Blu-ray
player. I hope so. Great movie, surely not to
disappoint.
Rating: 4 Stars
Stop Loss looks interesting. I'll probably
see that one. I kinda feel obligated as I was
once almost stop lossed.
That's it for
now kids. Sorry it's so short this week, I've been busy and not had much time
for movies. Until next time, save me some popcorn and a hotdog....I'll
have the mustard.
Buzz
P.S. Some
movies I'm really looking forward to this summer:
Indianna
Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
....maybe Porter
was right?
Volume I Dated March 19th
2008
In theaters now:
Vantage
Point
Stars
(notables):
Dennis Quaid, Forrest Whitaker, Sigourney Weaver, William Hurt.
Director: Pete Travis (first major film direction
- mostly TV up to this point)
Rating: PG-13
Running
Time: 1 hour,
30 minutes
Genre: Drama
Synopsis: Eight points of view on an assasination attempt of the President.
Bottom
Line: I
wanted to get up and leave the theater aftrer about
30 minutes. Mainly because it held me in suspense.
I hate movies that "flash back" (like Memento). But I suffered
through it and stuck it out. I'm glad I did. After about 31
minutes, it hooked me with a twist and there was no way you were going to pry
me out of that seat, unless there was a fire. Dennis Quaid
(plays a Secret Service agent) protecting the President (William Hurt).
Both delivered strong performances. No, I'm not going to spoil it for
you, but the movie got better as the plot trudged on. I don't think they
could have ended it any better. It has one of those endings that left you
satisfied after the movie was over. Would I go see it in the movie
theater again? No. Would I buy it on DVD? No. Did I
enjoy it? Yes.
Rating: 3 Stars
On DVD:
Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium
Stars (notables): Dustin Hoffman, Natalie Portman,
Jason Bateman, Zach Mills
Director: Zach Helm (first major film direction -
mostly TV and a writer up to this point. Wrote this movie)
Rating: G
Running
Time: 1 hour,
34 minutes
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Kids/Family,
Fantasy
Synopsis: Mr
Edward Magorium (Dustin Hoffman), an avid shoe wearer
and toy maker extraordinarie, owns the most
wonderful/magical toy store in the world. Magorium
has finally decided to "depart" this world and leave the toy store to
Molly Mahoney (Natalie Portman), who doesn't want it. Or at least she
doesn't know she wants it.....yet.
Bottom
Line: We
actually went to the theater to see this and I've been waiting for it to come
out on DVD like a caged lion, ready to pounce. When this movie came
out (in 2007), the critics gave it an average score of a C+. In this
instance, the majority of them must have been high on crack cocaine right
before they wrote their reviews. This movie is simply outstanding.
This is one you'll want the kids to see. And when you're
sitting there watching it, you'll discover that there is still a kid
living inside of you. The story line is excellent. I love Dustin
Hoffman and this is one of the best roles he's ever played. Jason Bateman
(the "mutant"), takes a break from his normal "deer in the
headlight" role (like in Dodgeball) to deliver a
solid performance. I'm not too overly fond of Natalie Portman, but she
pulls it off to make it work. Eric Applebaum
"the Hat collector" (Zach Mills), plays a kid that really has no
friends outside the toy store, delivers an added innocence the movie
portrays. I bought this on Blu-Ray DVD. I
wish I had not since the Blu-Ray has NO EXTRAS at
all. The DVD version is packed with extras. The movie is very
colorful, but not worthy of a Blu-Ray purchase.
Stick with the DVD just to get the extras. I want to give this movie a 5
Star rating, but I can't. However, this is one movie you'll not regret
watching.
Rating: 4 Stars
On DVD:
August
Rush
Stars
(notables):
Freddie Highmore, Robin Williams, Keri Russell, Terrence Howard, Mykelti Williamson (Bubba in Forrest Gump)
Director: Kirsten Sheridan (I've never
heard of any of her other movies)
Rating: PG
Running
Time: 1
hour, 53 minutes
Genre: Drama, Music/Performing Arts
Synopsis: An orphan boy in search of
his parents (a rocker and a concert cellist), takes a journey through the
city on his search for them. Turns out, he's a musical child prodigy and
finds his way into Julliard, but "The Wizard" (a street musician
played by Robin Williams) could stand in his way....or not.
Bottom
Line: We
missed this when it came out in theaters and we really wanted to see it.
I took a chance and bought it on DVD and I'm definitely not depressed about
that. This is a great movie. Reminded me a lot of Mr. Holland's
Opus. It's a very sentimental movie that leaves you with a warm feeling
in your heart. If you cry at movies, this one will jerk a tear out
of your eye involuntarily. It's a little predictable, but delivers strong
performances throughout. Although Robin Williams plays a role completely
different than what I had my head around, he played a good part. I liked
his character less as the movie progressed. I will watch it more than
once, just not in the same week. The music in this movie is nothing short
of outstanding. I'm glad I own it on DVD. It's one the whole family
will enjoy, especially if you like music. Some of you might think it's a
stretch at 4 Stars, but it's much better than a 3. If you like music or
"child prodigy" movies, this will be one of your favorites.
Rating: 4 Stars
On TV (HBO):
John
Adams
Stars
(notables):
Paul Giamatti, Laura Linney,
David Morse
Director: Tom Hooper (mostly TV)
Produced
by: Tom Hanks
Rating: Not Rated (I'd say R based on war
and violence)
Running
Time: An epic
7 part mini-series
Genre: Biography, Drama, History
Synopsis: A mini-series on the life of John
Adams and the first 50 years of the
Bottom
Line: If you
don't have cable/satellite TV and HBO, this series would be a very good reason
to get it. I've only seen the first two episodes (that's all they've
aired so far). There's no question about this one, if they release it on
DVD, I'll own this. I'll probably buy it on Blu-ray
just because of the detail HD delivers. If you love this country and have
an ounce of patriotism in your viens, you'll love
this series. These folks did their homework with the research prior
to filming this series. In my opinion, Paul Giamatti
(John Adams) delivers the strongest role of his career. Here's some useless trivia, his father, Bart Giamatti, was the Comissioner of
Major League Baseball during the Pete Rose scandal. Sorry, I digress.
Giamatti is also know for
his roles in Lady in the Water, Cinderella Man, and Saving Private Ryan.
I'm not much on Laura Linney (Abigail Adams), but she
does an ok job. In my opinion, she's the only mistake the casting
director(s) made. Some of you will disagree with that. David Morse
(George Washington) is one of those guys that you see in movies all the time,
but never know his name. He plays the role of George Washington
perfectly. (like I know what kind of
person George Washington was! LOL).
But pull out a $1 and you'll see what David Morse looks like in
character. My DVR is set to record anytime the words "John
Adams" comes across the schedule. Watching this movie is like being
a fly on the wall at the Continental Congress, Boston Tea Party, and signing of
the Declaration of Independence. I'm chomping at the bit to see the rest
of this.
Rating: 5 Stars
That's it for
now kids. Warm up the nacho cheese, get the nacho's ready, and chill the
jalapenos....it's movie time!
Buzz
HOME
Copyrighted material: Do not use without expressed written permission
from author.