The Lazarus Project

I know what you're thinking - Paul Walker - seriously Heather. Yes, I was curious. The plot will sound familiar. A man is wrongly accused and executed for a crime he didn't committ. He was reformed and loved his wife and daughter. Yes, you guessed it after the execution he wakes up to find himself part of a mad science experiment. He is exception and makes it back to his family. What? You already guessed that's how it would end?! All in all, I say: SKIP IT chances are that you have seen the same plot but with better actors.

EntreNos

An illegal immigrant with two kids is left by her husband in New York City. She starts out trying to find work to earn money to fly to Miami to find her husband, but ends up needing to find work to get money for survival. It turns out her husband owes months on the rent. She keeps doing the best she can. The daughter is the one who made this movie about that time. All in all, I say: too depressing: SKIP IT.

Wise Social Studies Teaching in an Age of High-Stakes Testing

A series of articles from researchers on how teachers can still use wise practices in the classroom even though they must adhere to strict standards and high-stakes tests. The is mostly qualitative research with some mixed methods in the articles. Interesting material that I might use to model my dissertation. All in all, I say: READ IT if you are a social studies teacher otherwise, what's the point.

Terribly Happy

A cop from the city pulls his gun on his wife. He is reassigned to the country, given some pills to manage the anger, and is now divorced. In the small town there are 3 men: a doctor, a store owner, and I forget what the last one was. They know and see everything in town. They need a fourth for cards. The local bad guy and his wife are constantly causing trouble. Through circumstances slightly out of the cops control he kills both of them. The 3 men blackmail him to stay so they have a fourth for cards. Wierd! All in all, I say: SKIP IT too drawn out unless you like Dutch Films then RENT IT.

The Last Train

The last train taking Jews out of Berlin. The beginning introduces you to the Jews that will be trapped together in one particular car. The argue over water - there is little. One of them gets shot - very sad. And then the train stops and.... the movie is over. I'm not kidding it is only 26 minutes long. Talk about gipped! All in all, I say: RENT IT if you think you can handle the abrupt ending or else SKIP IT.

Salt

Liev Schreiber and Angelina Jolie are CIA operatives. SPOILER ALERT!!!! They are both deep undercover double agents for the Russian government. Their leader has been planning a DAY X since they were children. DAY X is the day when the Russian operatives kill the Russian and American Presidents in order to gain control of weapons to set in motion a war that will end the US for good. Sounds cold war 'ish - it is, but the action makes it worth while anyways. There is a lot of green screen and some it is was edited poorly. All in all, I say: SEE IT or RENT IT depending on your money situation.

High Heels and Low Lifes

Minnie Driver and Maey McCormack overhear a robbery and blackmail the gang for money. Everything goes wrong. It was light. The editing and cinematography were surprisingly good. All in all, I say: RENT IT.

The Kids Are All Right

A lesbian couple with two teenagers are surprised to see their sperm donor in their life. Their daughter, Joni, is going off to college. Their son, Laser, is just struggling with typical teenage stuff, but he wants to know his dad - so to speak. Mark runs a co-op organic garden and a restaurant. Annette and Julianne are going through some typical marriage stuff, so having Mark around is going to make things more complicated. All in all, I say: RENT IT when it comes out.

Just Like the Son

A young man is caught stealing and is given community service hours. He spends them cleaning up an elementary school that cannot afford a janitor. One day a sub is late showing up to her K class. The principal asks him to read to the students. By doing this he connects to one young man. He promises the little boy that he won't have to go to an orphanage. He really wants to follow through on his promise so he kidnaps the boy from the orphanage to take him to his sister in Dallas. A road movie but cute. All in all, I say: RENT IT.

Predators

An excellent follow-up to the other 3 movies. Just like the previews say a group of killers from all over the world are dropped off on a planet designed as a game ranch. 3 Predators at a time land and hunt down the people. There is a surprise with Topher character. I liked all the characters. All in all, I say: SEE IT.

One Peace at a Time

A photojournalist starts with the Children's Rights as determined by the UN and then shows people, Nobel Prize winners, that are making a difference in the lives of children. The film gives lots of ideas and inspiration for people to get up and do something for their community. I cried at least half a dozen times. All in all, I say: SEE IT every year to remind yourself.

Before the Fall: Tres Dias

A woman convinces her son to take her to the country to stay with her four grandchildren. She breaks the radio and is glad when the TV and phones stop working. She wants her grandchildren to not worrying. She dies. Her son then takes it upon himself to continue his mother's plans. A serial killer escapes from prison. He is determined to kill the four kids of the man that put him in jail. How did he get out? Well, the world is going to end in 3 days. Ale, the kids uncle, fights the serial killer to save the kids. In the end, they have nothing to fear. Would you want to know you were going to die in 3 days? All in all, I say: RENT IT!!!

I Love You Phillip Morris

Two gay men meet in prison. Jim's character is a con man and even though he is in love and has a great job his greed takes over and he cons again. Half the movie is how he escapes numerous times. Texas and George Bush don't appreciate it and he is still locked up to this day. Based on a true story. All in all, I say: NOT SURE I'm going to have to keep thinking about it.

Despicable Me

Was so cute. "It's so fluffy!" I love the little girls in it. How else do you have someone who is evil become a hero - adopt little girls and have lots of cute minions. There was some stuff for adults too. The voices, actors, were awesome. I loved the theme song. All in all, I say: SEE IT.

Triage

"It is only the dead that have seen the end of war." Plato

Colin's character is a photographer. He and his best friend are in Kurdistan just before the beginning of the 1st war in Iraq. His friend is expecting a baby and decides to leave early. Until the end of the movie we think the 2 have parted ways. Colin's character comes back alone and wounded. His wounds are getting worse because of psychological problems. His wife, played by Spanglish actress Paz, asks her grandfather for help. He is well known for helping people with war trauma. It was unexpected and well done. All in all, I say: RENT IT. There are many graphic war scenes though.

Death at a Funeral

This is actually a remake of an English Film - which was much better. Both have a lot of famous people and both have the same plot. Father is dead and his two sons are trying to have a funeral that goes off without a hitch. That doesn't happen. See there is this bottle of valium that isn't valium, and there is this little person who isn't who he seems. The same little person played in both films - I couldn't believe it. All in all, I say: SEE IT the English version then if you want this one.

Ondine

Colin's character was once a drunk. He has a daughter who needs a kidney. Neil Jordan - Crying Game - has death, hope, and faith in this film too. Colin's character catches a woman in his net. His daughter is convinced the woman is a mythical seal creature - like in Secret of Roan Inish - but sadly she is just a Romanian Drug Mule. Wierd, I know but it works. Funny movie too. All in all, I say: SEE IT or RENT IT when it comes out.

The Warlords

Who said Jet Li retired? He did a lot less action in this one. There is one good war scene - kind of graphic - but that's about it. Love triangle, Chinese politics, and a blood oath are - as always - nothing but trouble. And as we always see in a period piece done in China - most everyone dies. All in all, I say: SKIP IT it didn't impress me. There was a preview for a new John Woo though.

Knight and Day

The action was amazing. The dialogue was good. The acting was surprising. I just ignored the fact I don't really like thos two, but together it worked. There were some unbelievable parts, but aren't there always in action/romance movie. I was in the mood for it. Oh, I did I mention "The Prince of Independent Film" was in it? Peter Sarsgaard. All in all, I say: SEE IT.

Brooklyn's Finest

They are not so fine. One is an undercover cop going through a divorce who wants to sit behind a desk until a guy who saved he when he was undercover in prison shows up. One guy has five kids with twins on the way and a wife having lung problems because his house has mold. He needs more money to make a down payment on a new house. One is 7 days to retirement and is saddled with rookies and a prostitute that doesn't want to be saved. Spoiler alert: In the end, the two that make the illegal choices are dead and the one that finally does the right thing is alive. All end up at the same complex - tower - in the end. A little doubtful. All in all, I say: SEE IT on HBO or Showtime if you are bored.

Limits of Control

A man - who does NOT speak Spanish (you will get it if you see the movie) goes to Spain and meets with a handful of people (lots of cameos). Each person speaks to him about a random topic (or so it seems. Each one gives him some instructions. I fast forwarded through most of it because he only says about seven words the entire movie. I HAD to see what would happen in the end. Bill Murray comes in at the end and sums up everything that has been said the whole movie. I am sure I missed all the deep stuff, but I think out of the four things I was supposed to get one was: Life Imitates Art. All in all, I say: if you like deep, deep stuff RENT IT.

Don McKay

So, Don gets a letter from his high school sweetheart. She is dying and wants him to visit. Her doctor tries to kill him, but Don ends up killing the doctor. Dr. goes missing - taken by sweethearts nurse & her husband as blackmail. They say Don's is about to inherit a lot of money. Turns out sweetheart wanted Don to kill her husband - who is - surprise the Doctor. Sweetheart kills the nurse and nurse's husband then calls the cops. Don then confronts her with a story from when he was in high school. Turns out he accidently killed his sweetheart and two of his best friends in a fire. The cops then arrive...who will they believe. All in all, I say: DO WHATEVER YOU THINK IS BEST - it was out there.

Stolen

Lucas is a father of three in the 50s and Hamm is a father of 1 in 2001. Both have lost a son to a serial killer - the same one. Lucas dies never knowing what happened. Hamm is a detective that uncovers the secrets. Slow paced, lots of long drawn out scenes, but interesting none the less. I like that it was father's. All in all, I say: RENT IT.

The Last Airbender

The first of three movies. There are four kingdoms: air, water, earth, and fire. There is an Avatar that is always being reborn that can control all elements. There is a mix of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Tao in this film. Most of the characters are children so my niece and nephew liked it. The dialogue and story are easy to follow (even though a complicated story) which for an adult may seem like overkill, but the kids can understand better. We see the Avatar learn to control water. The next films he will control earth and fire - then a fight a guess with the King of fire. All in all, I say: SEE IT - now that I have I think 3D would be a good idea - if you can afford it.

Jonah Hex

Based on a comic - supernatural comic. Jonah is ex-confederate army avenging his wife and son's death by evil military leader who wants to destroy DC and take the country for the confederates. Action is only so, so. Arnett is not funny. All in all, I say: SKIP IT maybe read the comic though.

In Tranzit

Takes place after the war in Soviet Union. An empty women's prison is being used to hold German male war criminals. A pretty doctor must keep her crazy husband from being taken away, fend off the advances of a creepy commander, prevent a mole from within the prison from reporting her, and try not to fall in love with a German Profesor. International cast - recognizable faces. All in all, I say: SEE IT if it comes on TV.

An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving

From an Alcott short story. A widow and her three kids struggle to make ends meet, but wait there just happens to be a wealthy grandmother. The eldest girl is in love, but writes stories and must see the world before she marries - sounds a little like Little Women. The mother is played by the actress on the Canadian show Murdock Mysteries. All in all, I say: SEE IT only if it ever comes on the Hallmark channel.

The A-Team

An excellent TV show turned movie. Skip Woods helped write it, so there was some crazy action. There was cheesy humor, but come on - it's A-Team. After the credits there was a cameo of 2 of the original guys. Bradley Cooper with his shirt off was worth the $10. All in all, I say: SEE IT on thr big screen.

Flying Biscuit Cafe

Organic food, turkey & chicken instead of beef. Fried green tomatoes are amazing. Jambalaya is so good. The buscuits - you guessed - are sooooo gooood. You have got to go to Candler Park site though. All in all, I say: EAT IT, EAT IT, you stupid cow.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

The third book was the most boring and the movie - more painful than the last two. Things keep getting worse - acting wise. Michelle and I were cracking up the whole time. The special effects were a little better than the 1st, but no much better. All in all, I say: RENT IT if you are a fan. SKIP IT if you are not.

Funny People

Apatow movie which was...well... NOT FUNNY. There were tons of guest appearances by famous comedians and...well... they were NOT FUNNY. Most of the humor was crude. All in all, I say: SKIP IT it's not too late!!

Funny People

Apatow movie which was...well... NOT FUNNY. There were tons of guest appearances by famous comedians and...well... they were NOT FUNNY. Most of the humor was crude. All in all, I say: SKIP IT it's not too late!!