The Sitter (2011) - 3 stars out of 10

The Sitter (2011) - 3 stars out of 10

"The Sitter" is a predictable comedy with hilarious characters and way too many f-words.  At first glance, it seems like this could be a fun family movie, but the sexually explicit scene that opens the film, discussion of homosexuality, and the extensive appearance of drugs make it pretty clear that this is not a movie intended for children.  Even though I thought that Max Records, Ari Graynor, and Kevin Hernandez were really funny as the three kids, I just didn't enjoy this movie.  I guess that it's funny if you're in the mood for stupidity, but it is so crude that a lot of the stupid humor is masked by shock-value profanity.  Amidst the chaos (or actually, at the center of it), Sam Rockwell gives an inspired performance as Karl, the weird/seemingly bipolar villain who wants to be your best friend one second and wants to kill you the next.  He puts 100% effort into his character and it's the biggest pay-off in this movie, as the rest is filled with racist stereotypes and offensive language.  In the end, this film goes back into "family mode" with an attempt at a heart-felt ending and a moral (since the drug dealers and gang violence) were so moralistic throughout)..  I know that a lot of people are working their way through the long list of Jonah Hill comedies, but this 80-minute "gem" might be the one that you should elect to skip.

Ip Man - 8 stars out of 10

Ip Man - 8 stars out of 10

"Ip Man" is a modern character-driven kung fu film that may not be historically accurate but pays tribute to one of the greatest martial artists in history.  Ip Man is often remembered as the mentor of Bruce Lee, but this film spotlights his mastery of Wing Chun amidst the Sino-Japanese War.  Even though much of the plot is fictional or embellished, it is amazing to realize that this man existed.  Ip Man is perfectly played by Donnie Yen, whose poise and calm demeanor in the face of danger is chilling.  The intensity of his eyes matched with the solemness of his face allow him to quickly transition between humorous father and killing machine.  You've got to love a hero who can defeat his sword-wielding enemy with a feather duster.  He has a great supporting cast, particularly Lam Ka-tung as the police officer-turned-Japanese suck-up.  At first, I was disappointed with Lynn Hung (who plays Ip Man's wife) because her acting wasn't convincing, but once I saw the desperation in her eyes during the final sequence, I understood why she was perfect in this role.  But it wouldn't be a kung fu film without excellent fight sequences, and this film is not lacking in that category.  Everything is perfectly choreographed, from one-on-one matches to a ten-on-one beatdown.  As long as you have the patience to read the subtitles that go by faster than usual, "Ip Man" is a complete package of acting, fighting, and a perfectly-portrayed legend.

Red Tails - 3 stars out of 10

Red Tails - 3 stars out of 10

"Red Tails" is exactly what you expect from the previews - an interesting historical story paired with a script and acting do not do it justice, relying on its impressive dogfighting special effects to leave audiences satisfied.  The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African American pilots in the armed forces and deserve a tribute to their trials and successes, but their story is not told the right way.  The casting of Cuba Gooding Jr. and Terrence Howard was smart and they earn their paychecks, but some of the supporting cast is just terrible.  Most of these pilots must have skipped the day that they taught "how to dub over an image of yourself on-screen" in acting school.  The vocal emotions never match their facial expressions, particularly the white pilots whose vocal inflections resemble Norm, the robot from Phineas and Ferb.  As if the acting isn't distracting enough, the script loses its identity with an unnecessary love story that begins to dominate the film and takes away from the tribute that we're trying to pay to these airmen.  I don't know if they wrote this overdramatic tangent into the script to create empathy for an otherwise annoying character or maybe just to lengthen the film, but it fails by completely taking away from the focus.  In spite of this script's self-sabotage, you can't help but get choked up at the end but be advised: If you are watching this film for its story, don't bother.  If you are watching this film for cool special effects and one of the most realistic portrayals of dogfighting that you can find, you might consider fast-forwarding or ignoring all of the acting between the action sequences.

21 Jump Street - 7 stars out of 10

21 Jump Street - 7 stars out of 10

"21 Jump Street" is another installment in the recent trend of overly-crude comedies, but is surprisingly good with a clever script that keeps you guessing.  Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum establish excellent chemistry from the very start and humorously play off of each other for the duration of the film.  One of the more entertaining aspects of the film is that their false identities are switched so the nerd ends up in the slacker classes and the jock ends up in the smart classes.  The initial joke is funny itself but ends up playing a vital role in both actors' character development.  The script manages to put the actors into humorous situations while maintaining a smooth flow to the story.  There aren't any moments when you think "They put them at his parents' house just so that they could show some embarassing pictures."  While the quality of acting isn't at a Shawshank level, the supporting cast enhances the comedy (particularly Ellie Kemper).  Even though he has a very minor role, Ice Cube has some of the most memorable moments of the film while Johnny Depp and Peter DeLuise sneak in with a clever cameo.  The number of f-words that were used for the sake of using the f-word really bothered me.  Most of the language is unnecessary, even though it seems to appeal to teenagers for some reason.  "21 Jump Street" is a great film, but it is worth waiting until it airs on TBS so that you don't have to sit through its cacophony of shock-value profanity.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars - 2 stars out of 10

Star Wars: The Clone Wars - 2 stars out of 10

This movie probably shouldn't have been made.  It is filled with cheesy dialogue, has a story that is just okay, and all in all it looks too much like a video game.  I was expecting it to be realistic computer animation instead of cartoon computer animation, I just shouldn't have seen this within a week of seeing "Avatar."  Really, the only thing that I liked was the version of the Star Wars theme played during the opening.  As a Star Wars fan I thought that I would like it (even with the expectation that it wouldn't come close to the live-action movies), but this really just did not do it for me.  I struggle to even find something nice to say about this film that was obviously designed with kids in mind.  I wouldn't watch it again, even if it was just on tv in the background.

20,000 Leagues Under The Sea (1954) - 5 stars out of 10

20,000 Leagues Under The Sea (1954) - 5 stars out of 10

"20,000 Leagues Under The Sea" is a classic Disney live-action film, and typically believed to be the best adaptation of Jules Verne's wonderful underwater adventure.  The film truely feels like an adventure as its many different segments (Finding Nemo, life on the Nautilus, the penal colony, the sea monster) give a sensation of progressing through chapters in a book.  Although it is not a musical like many of Disney's live-action films, the lone song "Whale of a Tale" really makes me wish that there was more music.  The film boasts strong performances by James Mason as Captain Nemo, Kirk Doulas as ned Land, Paul Lukas as Professor Aronnax, and Peter Lorre as Conseil.  In spite of some dialogue that drags, the layers of this story held my attention as I wanted to know what would happen in the end.  Could you really ask more of a sea adventure when it gives you sinking ships, unique characters, and a giant squid attack?  This is may be a "watch it once and put it back in the vault" Disney film, but it's definitely worth that one watch!

The Glenn Miller Story - 10 stars out of 10

The Glenn Miller Story - 10 stars out of 10

Wow, this could very well be the greatest biopic of all time.  Combine the acting talents of Jimmy Stewart with the amazing music of Glenn Miller and you simply cannot go wrong.  At times it is difficult to believe that these events actually transpired, and yet that's what makes it such a beautiful story.  It is inspirational to see the man who wanted to create a "new sound," but even more so to see his wife pushing him to pursue greater things because she believed in him.  If you are familiar with Miller's music, you will get chills down your spine every time that you see him composing the classics that we love so much and seeing the inspiration behind each song.  I love Henry Mancini's variations on Miller's greatest hits to craft a beautiful soundtrack to this film.  The song "Little Brown Jug" means so much more to me after seeing this film and it will to you once you've seen it, as well.