Becky and I went to see the new George Clooney movie The American on Friday at the AMC theater in Castle Rock, CO. The Fandango website at The American describes the movie as follows:

“Academy Award winner George Clooney stars in the title role of this suspense thriller. As an assassin, Jack (Clooney) is constantly on the move and always alone. After a job in Sweden ends more harshly than expected for this American abroad, Jack retreats to the Italian countryside. He relishes being away from death for a spell as he holes up in a small medieval town. While there, Jack takes an assignment to construct a weapon for a mysterious contact, Mathilde (Thekla Reuten). Savoring the peaceful quietude he finds in the mountains of Abruzzo, Jack accepts the friendship of local priest Father Benedetto (Paolo Bonacelli) and pursues a torrid liaison with a beautiful woman, Clara (Violante Placido). Jack and Clara’s time together evolves into a romance, one seemingly free of danger. But by stepping out of the shadows, Jack may be tempting fate…”

The Review
Becky and I were apparently just a little too American for The American because we both thought this movie sucked, along with most of the movie theater we were in that were actually booing at the end of the film. I can’t say we’ve seen that happen in a movie in a long time. That’s because after watching this terrible movie for an hour and forty-five minutes it had an ending that sucked too. Which should have been no surprise. There were about five characters in the entire film. A priest, George’s character who is an assassin, his boss that he talks to on the phone periodically and a woman assassin. It could have been a really bad play or a short story instead of a major motion picture.

All we could figure is that George Clooney decided he wanted to do a movie and heard that he could go to Italy and film this low budget “thriller (?)”. There is no music in this movie, so you’ll hear everyone in the theater eating their popcorn. That was a bit annoying. You will see George do plenty of push-ups and pull-ups, along with having sex with a prostitute he is apparently in love with by the end of the movie, if that interests you?

What was the point of this film? Is it a movie about his character being an assassin or a guy trying to find himself after he realizes his job really sucks or about how getting into a relationship with a prostitute might workout after all? Is it about butterflies? or… It’s right up there with trying to figure out how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop, “the world may never know”.

Unless you’re in the mood for some soft porn that’s included in this movie, which wasn’t what we were wanting to see, but unfortunately was the most exciting part of the film, we can’t even suggest this as a good rental. It’s beyond boring and a complete waste of time.

John – * Don’t Bother
Becky – * Don’t Bother

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Auto Consultant – John Boyd: The Cool Car Guy

John is an auto consultant with his license at a car dealership in Denver, Colorado. He can help you save time and money on any make or model, new or used, lease or purchase – nationwide! Call or email John about your next vehicle! jboyd@coolcarguy.com or Twitter @coolcarguy

Becky and I went to see the new Julia Roberts movieEat, Pray, Love a couple of weeks ago at the AMC theater in Flat Irons Crossing. The Yahoo website at Eat Pray Love describes the movie as follows:

“Liz Gilbert had everything a modern woman is supposed to dream of having — a husband, a house, a successful career — yet like so many others, she found herself lost, confused, and searching for what she really wanted in life. Newly divorced and at a crossroads, Gilbert steps out of her comfort zone, risking everything to change her life, embarking on a journey around the world that becomes a quest for self-discovery. In her travels, she discovers the true pleasure of nourishment by eating in Italy; the power of prayer in India, and, finally and unexpectedly, the inner peace and balance of true love in Bali…”

The Review
Eat Pray Love is a movie I can describe in just one word – “painful”. This movie was over two hours long watching Julia Roberts’ character go through what amounts to a major mid-life crisis for a woman who has decided she’s married to the wrong man. Her solution to her misery, after leaving her husband is to hook-up with a younger guy, follow his “guru” and set off on a quest to Rome Italy, Bali and of course India. She meets a number of interesting characters along the way and of course is in search of her true love.

There are some funny parts to the film, like when she finally reaches India to meet her guru only to discover that her guru is in New York where she came from. All I could think of is how this woman is trying to become more like her “guru” and get in touch with herself, while her “guru” would like nothing more than to get out of India and live in New York. The irony was actually quite funny. The movie is whacked though and beyond boring.

Julia’s character comes across like a spoiled rich woman in search of a new reality because she thinks that her life is so rough. It was torture. Becky and I both couldn’t wait for it to end. Can’t even suggest this as a good rental.

John – * Don’t Bother
Becky – * Don’t Bother

Looking for a great income opportunity with an awesome product?  Click here!

_________________________________________________________________________

Auto Consultant – John Boyd: The Cool Car Guy

John is an auto consultant with his license at a car dealership in Denver, Colorado. He can help you save time and money on any make or model, new or used, lease or purchase – nationwide! Call or email John about your next vehicle! jboyd@coolcarguy.com or Twitter @coolcarguy

I went to see the new comedy Dinner for Schmucks last week at the AMC theater in Castle Rock, CO. The Fandango website at Dinner for Schmucks describes the movie as follows:

“Tim (Paul Rudd) a rising executive, works for a boss who hosts a monthly event in which the guest who brings the biggest buffoon gets a career-boost. Though he declines the invitation at first, Tim changes his mind when he meets Barry (Steve Carell), a man who builds dioramas using stuffed mice. The scheme backfires when Barry’s blundering good intentions send Tim’s life into a downward spiral, threatening a major business deal and possibly scuttling Tim’s engagement to his fiancee…”

The Review
Dinner for Schmucks was a funny movie starring Steve Carell and Paul Rudd.  They actually have really good chemistry in this movie and there are some really funny parts in the film, but it’s also a bit serious at times and somewhat crude. I think that’s the one thing that takes away from the film is some of the humor is a bit too much.  Kind of like going to see a stand-up act where the comics just go a bit too far for the audience and you cringe a little bit in your seat waiting for applause or for people to get up and leave.

It’s still pretty funny though.  It’s without a doubt different than any movie I’ve seen before with characters that are totally nuts, but believable too. For example, Steve’s character is an artist that does panoramic scenes with dead mice and Paul’s girlfriend is dating an artist who is completely insane.  Paul’s character Tim is more of a normal guy who’s trying to get a promotion and will do anything to get ahead in his career, while Steve’s character is completely destroying his life, but actually saving him from himself in the process.  It all makes for an entertaining film that I thought was pretty funny too and it’s done quite well at the box office.

Becky saw it when she was in Arizona with her Mom and she liked it, probably more than I did. They both thought it was Worth The Trip. I’m right on the borderline of it being a good rental and worth the price of admission, but I’ll say it was Worth The Trip too because it was funny and definitely like nothing you’ve seen before. The acting is really good in this one and Steve isn’t his usual character, but over-the-top nuts, like Jerry Lewis used to be in some of his old movies with Dean Martin.

John – *** Worth The Trip
Becky – *** Worth The Trip
_________________________________________________________________________

Auto Consultant – John Boyd: The Cool Car Guy

John is an auto consultant with his license at a car dealership in Denver, Colorado. He can help you save time and money on any make or model, new or used, lease or purchase – nationwide! Call or email John about your next vehicle! jboyd@coolcarguy.com or Twitter @coolcarguy

Becky and I went to see the new Leonardo DiCaprio movieInception last night at the AMC theater in Castle Rock, CO. The Fandango website at Inception describes the movie as follows:

“Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a skilled thief, the absolute best in the dangerous art of extraction, stealing valuable secrets from deep within the subconscious during the dream state when the mind is at its most vulnerable. Cobb’s rare ability has made him a coveted player in this treacherous new world of corporate espionage, but it has also made him an international fugitive and cost him everything he has ever loved. Now Cobb is being offered a chance at redemption. One last job could give him his life back but only if he can accomplish the impossible—inception…”

The Review
Inception is a very bizarre movie about a crew that can get inside your mind by entering your dreams and steal your thoughts or ideas. It’s quite a bit like The Matrix, since it’s dealing with alternate realities, but it was a story within a story within a story. It’s extremely confusing with a great deal going on all the time and you don’t know what’s real and what’s in the dream state.

The acting in this film is incredible, but that’s what you expect when you have DiCaprio. However, kind of like Shutter Island the movie is totally whacked. There are plenty of special effects and the cinematography was superb in a variety of locations, but at time the movie goes really slow and it’s almost two and a half hours long. Parts of the movie they show in slow motion, over and over again and it’s a bit annoying.

It has a strange ending and Becky really didn’t like this movie. She was pretty bored with it. I liked it more than she did since it’s a science fiction flick and had some cool elements to the story. However, I can’t recommend it for going to the theaters. I think it’s a better rental than seeing it on the big screen. You can pause it then or fast forward through at least a half hour of it.

I don’t think we’re in the minority here. The theater was packed and when we came out of the film some people asked us if we liked it. Several people shook their heads and said, “It was too weird.” I think I would rather take have taken a nap and created my own dreams.

John – ** Rental
Becky – ** Rental
_________________________________________________________________________

Auto Consultant – John Boyd: The Cool Car Guy

John is an auto consultant with his license at a car dealership in Denver, Colorado. He can help you save time and money on any make or model, new or used, lease or purchase – nationwide! Call or email John about your next vehicle! jboyd@coolcarguy.com or Twitter @coolcarguy

Becky and I took Bianca and her friend Kaley to see the new movie The Sorcerer’s Apprentice today. I guess my brother took our two boys Conroy and Corban and his son’s Brendan and Aidan to go see it as well. We’ll have to find out how they liked it when they get back home tomorrow night.

The Fandango website at The Sorcerer’s Apprentice describes the movie as follows:

“Balthazar Blake (Nicolas Cage) is a master sorcerer in modern-day Manhattan trying to defend the city from his arch-nemesis, Maxim Horvath (Alfred Molina). Balthazar can’t do it alone, so he recruits Dave Stutler (Jay Baruchel), a seemingly average guy who demonstrates hidden potential, as his reluctant protégé. The sorcerer gives his unwilling accomplice a crash course in the art and science of magic, and together, these unlikely partners work to stop the forces of darkness. It’ll take all the courage Dave can muster to survive his training, save the city and get the girl as he becomes The Sorcerer’s Apprentice…”

The Review
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is a very well done fantasy movie starring Nicholas Cage and Jay Baruchel as his apprentice. Cage’s character is a master sorcerer who trained under Merlin, along with two other sorcerer’s and they’ve found themselves in New York City about to battle for the fate of mankind.

There are some great special effects with this movie and I thought it was cast extremely well. I liked the characters and the young apprentice is hysterical as a total physics nerd trying to get a girlfriend that he lost when he was 10 years old. There are some very funny parts in the film, with plenty of action and suspense.

Don’t get me wrong, parts of this flick are super cheesy, but it’s a fun movie for the Summer and the kids really liked it. I don’t think Becky like it as much as we did, but she didn’t like Star Wars either or most other fantasy movies.

By the way, this is not the movie for the book The Last Apprentice, which is a totally different story and a great book series.

John – *** Worth The Trip
Becky – ** Rental

Bianca – *** Worth The Trip
Kaley – *** Worth The Trip

_________________________________________________________________________

Auto Consultant – John Boyd: The Cool Car Guy

John is an auto consultant with his license at a car dealership in Denver, Colorado. He can help you save time and money on any make or model, new or used, lease or purchase – nationwide! Call or email John about your next vehicle! jboyd@coolcarguy.com or Twitter @coolcarguy

Becky and I took Bianca and Corban to see the new kid’s movieDespicable Me today. The Fandango website at Despicable Me describes the movie as follows:

“A man (voiced by Steve Carell) who’s in the midst of making plans to steal the moon is sidetracked when he’s put in charge of three orphans in this computer-generated 3-D animated film by directors Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin. Jason Segel, Kristen Wiig, Will Arnett, Danny McBride, Russell Brand, and Julie Andrews also lend their voices to the Universal Pictures production. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide…”

The Review
Descipable Me is a fantastic movie with a great story and awesome characters. Steve Carell does the voice of the master villian Gru and you will not know it is Steve because he does the character so well. The movie is exciting with plenty of action, adventure and laughs regardless of your age. In fact, I delivered a vehicle to a client the other day who also went to see it with his wife, no kids, and they loved it too.

There is another character who competes with Gru known as Vector and he is like a young Bill Gates, if he were a villain, and the character is hilarious. This movie has plenty of adult humor and it is funny from start to finish.

We loved this flick and definitely recommend it for every age.

John – **** Don’t Miss It
Becky – **** Don’t Miss It

Corban – **** Don’t Miss It
Bianca – **** Don’t Miss It

_________________________________________________________________________

Auto Consultant – John Boyd: The Cool Car Guy

John is an auto consultant with his license at a car dealership in Denver, Colorado. He can help you save time and money on any make or model, new or used, lease or purchase – nationwide! Call or email John about your next vehicle! jboyd@coolcarguy.com or Twitter @coolcarguy

Becky and I went to see the new Tom Cruise movieKnight and Day last week. The Fandango website at Knight and Day describes the movie as follows:

“A wholesome, Midwestern woman accidentally gets involved with an international super spy and is forced to flee the country with him while he protects a dangerous new piece of technology…”

The Review
Knight and Day is a pretty fun movie with Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise that has plenty of excitement. It’s a bit like a light-hearted version of the Mission Impossible movies. Tom Cruise is really good in this role and he’s not a total whack job. Actually his character is a bit of a whack job, but he plays the part really well. It was the perfect role for him. The movie is action packed with some crazy scenarios and a few wild scenes between the two actors.

Cameron Diaz was really good in this movie and you could tell she was having fun with the role. There was a great 1960′s Pontiac GTO in the flick too and that’s worth something in itself.

The bottom line is that Becky and I both really liked this movie.

John – *** Worth The Trip
Becky – *** Worth The Trip
_________________________________________________________________________

Auto Consultant – John Boyd: The Cool Car Guy

John is an auto consultant with his license at a car dealership in Denver, Colorado. He can help you save time and money on any make or model, new or used, lease or purchase – nationwide! Call or email John about your next vehicle! jboyd@coolcarguy.com or Twitter @coolcarguy

Becky and I took Corban, Bianca and our nephew Aidan to see the new The Twilight Saga: Eclipse movie at the AMC theater in Castle Rock, CO last week. The Fandango website at The Twilight Saga: Eclipse describes the movie as follows:

“Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger as Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob — knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella is confronted with the most important decision of her life.”

The Review
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse continues with more vampires and werewolves battling over the young girl Bella.  Aidan’s brother Brendan had seen the first movie and read all the Twilight books and he didn’t want to see this movie because he thought it would wreck the books.  Corban and Aidan didn’t care and decided to go with us to see this flick.  Unfortunately for them, there was much more kissing than action.

Becky and I both thought Eclipse was the best of the three in the series so far, but the film is still pretty lame.  It’s a love story about a teenage girl who is torn between loving a werewolf and a vampire.  She’s also extremely stupid, which is one of the problems with this movie series in general.  The vampires in the first film were very difficult to kill, but by the second film they were much easier for other vampires to whack and now they are not that difficult to kill at all, which makes no sense.  Becky didn’t care about such details, but was focused on the love story.  She liked the movie much more than I did, along with Bianca.

Corban summed up his and Aidan’s take on the film pretty well when he said, “I thought it was going to be a movie about a war between vampires and werewolves and it turned out to be a stupid love story about a girl wanting to marry a vampire.”.  Needless to say, Aidan and Corban didn’t like it at all.  I didn’t think it was that bad, but it wasn’t a great flick by any stretch and is probably at best a rental.

If you’re a Twilight fan you’ll either love it or hate it.

John – ** Rental
Becky – *** Worth The Trip
Aidan – * Don’t Bother
Corban – * Don’t Bother
Bianca – *** Worth The Trip
_________________________________________________________________________

Auto Consultant – John Boyd: The Cool Car Guy

John is an auto consultant with his license at a car dealership in Denver, Colorado. He can help you save time and money on any make or model, new or used, lease or purchase – nationwide! Call or email John about your next vehicle! jboyd@coolcarguy.com or Twitter @coolcarguy

Becky and I took the kids to see the new Toy Story 3 movie at the AMC theater in Castle Rock, CO last week. The Fandango website at Toy Story 3 describes the movie as follows:

“The creators of the beloved “Toy Story” films re-open the toy box and bring moviegoers back to the delightful world of Woody, Buzz and our favorite gang of toy characters in TOY STORY 3. Woody and Buzz had accepted that their owner Andy would grow up someday, but what happens when that day arrives? In the third installment, Andy is preparing to depart for college, leaving his loyal toys troubled about their uncertain future. Lee Unkrich (co-director of “Toy Story 2” and “Finding Nemo”) directs this highly anticipated film, and Michael Arndt, the Academy Award®-winning screenwriter of “Little Miss Sunshine,” brings his unique talents and comedic sensibilities to the proceedings. TOY STORY 3 will be presented in Disney Digital 3D™ in select theaters.”

The Review
Toy Story 3 is the third installment of the famous Toy Story movie with Woody and his band of toys. This time their boy is going off to college and they are trying to figure out what their future holds, whether they will ever be played with again. The story was really well done.

I honestly wasn’t looking forward to this movie and thought it would be fun to see with the kids, but pretty much a waste of time. I wasn’t sure how they could make it entertaining after all these years, but they tied it into the original movie and the sequel extremely well. It was really funny, with plenty of adult humor and the kids really liked it. In fact, we all thought it was definitely worth the trip to the box office and the characters were a riot.

John – *** Worth The Trip
Becky – *** Worth The Trip

Conroy – **** Don’t Miss It
Corban – **** Don’t Miss It
Bianca – **** Don’t Miss It
_________________________________________________________________________

Auto Consultant – John Boyd: The Cool Car Guy

John is an auto consultant with his license at a car dealership in Denver, Colorado. He can help you save time and money on any make or model, new or used, lease or purchase – nationwide! Call or email John about your next vehicle! jboyd@coolcarguy.com or Twitter @coolcarguy

Becky and I took the kids to see the new Karate Kid movie at the AMC theater in Castle Rock, CO. The Fandango website at The Karate Kid describes the movie as follows:

“Twelve-year-old Dre Parker could’ve been the most popular kid in Detroit, but his mother’s latest career move has landed him in China. Dre immediately falls for his classmate Mei Ying — and the feeling is mutual — but cultural differences make such a friendship impossible. Even worse, Dre’s feelings make an enemy of the class bully, and kung fu prodigy, Cheng. With no friends in a strange land, Dre has nowhere to turn but maintenance man Mr. Han, who is secretly a master of kung fu. As Han teaches Dre that kung fu is not about punches and parries, but maturity and calm, Dre realizes that facing down the bullies will be the fight of his life.”

The Review
The Karate Kid is a remake of the original Karate Kid movie starring Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith. This time it takes place in China and rather than Karate, the main character learns Kung Fu from a Kung Fu Master to defend himself. It’s very well done and an exciting film to watch.

The movie is pretty cool with some great action and a good storyline. Jaden is a really good actor and I guess he did all his own stunts in this movie. It was a very entertaining and we all really like it. Corban and his cousin Aidan were pretty funny when they were talking to each other and said, “Who wouldn’t be good at Kung Fu if Jackie Chan was your teacher?”, which was a really good point.

John – **** Don’t Miss It
Becky – **** Don’t Miss It

Conroy – **** Don’t Miss It
Corban – **** Don’t Miss It
Bianca – **** Don’t Miss It
_________________________________________________________________________

Auto Consultant – John Boyd: The Cool Car Guy

John is an auto consultant with his license at a car dealership in Denver, Colorado. He can help you save time and money on any make or model, new or used, lease or purchase – nationwide! Call or email John about your next vehicle! jboyd@coolcarguy.com or Twitter @coolcarguy