Menudo's Movie Reviews

[Perchoutofwater]

Gran Torino

 

Another "hit" for Clint Eastwood. Does this guy ever miss with anything he does ? For my money, there isn't anyone better in Hollywood, both as an actor and a director. The guy is phenomenal. This was a great movie. Definitely one of my favorites since I started doing these reviews. Eastwood was able to show off both his dramatic and comedic skill. I was surprised by how funny this movie was at times. The scene where he goes to the barber shop to teach the boy how to "talk like a man" was hilarious. Seeing Eastwood's character face his demons and develop some unlikely friendships was enjoyable. Even at an older age, his character was recognizing his flaws and trying to learn from them.

The ending was phenomenal. I remember thinking to myself, if all of the gang members somehow miss and he dives around and kills them all, I will be VERY disappointed. However, that didn't happen, as, he had planned it out perfectly and came up with a way to bring peace to his new, young friends.

Fantastic movie, as usual, for Eastwood.

10.0

 

I caught it the other night on one of the cable channels. This movie easily makes the top 5 of the decade for me.

[buddahj]

Gran Torino

 

Another "hit" for Clint Eastwood. Does this guy ever miss with anything he does ? For my money, there isn't anyone better in Hollywood, both as an actor and a director. The guy is phenomenal. This was a great movie. Definitely one of my favorites since I started doing these reviews. Eastwood was able to show off both his dramatic and comedic skill. I was surprised by how funny this movie was at times. The scene where he goes to the barber shop to teach the boy how to "talk like a man" was hilarious. Seeing Eastwood's character face his demons and develop some unlikely friendships was enjoyable. Even at an older age, his character was recognizing his flaws and trying to learn from them.

The ending was phenomenal. I remember thinking to myself, if all of the gang members somehow miss and he dives around and kills them all, I will be VERY disappointed. However, that didn't happen, as, he had planned it out perfectly and came up with a way to bring peace to his new, young friends.

Fantastic movie, as usual, for Eastwood.

10.0

+1

this was an awesome movie.

[nuke'em ttg]

"hey Dragon Lady get me another beer"

[tazinib1]

Gran Torino

 

Another "hit" for Clint Eastwood. Does this guy ever miss with anything he does ? For my money, there isn't anyone better in Hollywood, both as an actor and a director. The guy is phenomenal. This was a great movie. Definitely one of my favorites since I started doing these reviews. Eastwood was able to show off both his dramatic and comedic skill. I was surprised by how funny this movie was at times. The scene where he goes to the barber shop to teach the boy how to "talk like a man" was hilarious. Seeing Eastwood's character face his demons and develop some unlikely friendships was enjoyable. Even at an older age, his character was recognizing his flaws and trying to learn from them.

The ending was phenomenal. I remember thinking to myself, if all of the gang members somehow miss and he dives around and kills them all, I will be VERY disappointed. However, that didn't happen, as, he had planned it out perfectly and came up with a way to bring peace to his new, young friends.

Fantastic movie, as usual, for Eastwood.

10.0

 

Except the asian cast was HORRIBLE. Yes....horrible. But Clint has been doing alot of projects with up and coming talent (not in this case sorry) so it didn't really surprise me.

 

 

Ok...now...go watch BARAKA!!

[Menudo]

Except the asian cast was HORRIBLE. Yes....horrible. But Clint has been doing alot of projects with up and coming talent (not in this case sorry) so it didn't really surprise me.

 

Ok...now...go watch BARAKA!!

 

 

I knew that was coming. I watched the last two movies in pieces, while I exercise. I want to watch Baraka some night with my wife, but, I just haven't found time to do it yet. It's coming soon.

[BeeR]

Planet 51 - (animation) - "cute" movie that kids should like but parents should be able to enjoy too. Not "amazing" and totally predictable, but so what - good overall IMO.

 

No Country for Old Men - I like the Cohen Bros but I lasted for about an hour (longer than I should've, kept thinking "It's Cohen Bros it'll get better") before I gave up. Either have great dialogue/characters or lots of action - this had neither. Slow as molasses and mostly just plain boring.

[wildcat2334]

No Country for Old Men - I like the Cohen Bros but I lasted for about an hour (longer than I should've, kept thinking "It's Cohen Bros it'll get better") before I gave up. Either have great dialogue/characters or lots of action - this had neither. Slow as molasses and mostly just plain boring.

 

yer a strange one - No country is a great effing movie

[tazinib1]

yer a strange one - No country is a great effing movie

 

 

+1...the cinematography is top shelf. There are alot of reasons to watch movies....plot,cast etc etc....cinematography is a category alot of people don't recognize...its a shame.

[BeeR]

yer a strange one - No country is a great effing movie

yer effin daft. Sucked. The whole thing was a joke. Schmuck tries to get away with sneaking off w/tons of drug money in huge 100 dollar bill wads (what was the plan? "Hi I'd like to open up a bank account and just happen to have a million bucks in 100s here.....") - meanwhile we have joe psychopath, cheesy cliche character if ever there was one, killing anything he bumps into. Which you're actually glad for because that's about the only time anything really HAPPENS in the freakin movie. Then suddenly Woody from Cheers shows up looking ridiculous in a 10 gal hat and that's when I said no mas, before Cliffy popped in with an uzi going "that's a very salient point there Nahmy..."

 

To each their own

[Menudo]

Baraka

 

First off, I would like to thank Tazinib. He took the trouble to mail me a Blu-Ray copy of this film, just because he knows I like movies and thought I would enjoy this. It was an incredibly kind gesture and I appreciate it. Also, Taz was right about my reaction to this movie. It is really hard to put in words how great this film is. It is very different, in that it doesn't really have a normal plot. There is no dialogue, just cameras showing the world we live in. It shows both the beauty and sadness that occurs in this world. It truly is a remarkable piece of work, and words will never do it justice. I had never heard of this film before Taz recommended it. If you haven't seen it, do yourself a favor and watch it. If possible, try to do so on Blu-Ray, as the pictures will amaze you.

10.0

[Menudo]

Star Trek

 

First off, I am as far from a "Trekkie" as you can get. I never really got into the Star Trek TV shows, and only saw the first "original" Star Trek film when I was young. I remember not liking it all that much, which is probably why I never got into it. When I saw they were making a remake, I really wasn't that interested, but, I saw it was getting solid reviews and was told that whether you were a Star Trek fan or not, you would enjoy this movie. I definitely did enjoy it. There was a new-age infusion into this one, and, of course, the visual and sound effects were phenomenal. I thought they did a good job casting, especially Kirk & Spock. Of course, you have to suspend some reality, but, what can you expect in a Sci-Fi thriller. I thought this was very well done, and I'm looking forward to the sequel(s), which I'm sure are on there way.

8.0

[Puddy]

Baraka

 

First off, I would like to thank Tazinib. He took the trouble to mail me a Blu-Ray copy of this film, just because he knows I like movies and thought I would enjoy this. It was an incredibly kind gesture and I appreciate it. Also, Taz was right about my reaction to this movie. It is really hard to put in words how great this film is. It is very different, in that it doesn't really have a normal plot. There is no dialogue, just cameras showing the world we live in. It shows both the beauty and sadness that occurs in this world. It truly is a remarkable piece of work, and words will never do it justice. I had never heard of this film before Taz recommended it. If you haven't seen it, do yourself a favor and watch it. If possible, try to do so on Blu-Ray, as the pictures will amaze you.

10.0

Sounds cool. Feel like paying it forward

[BeeR]

paying it forward

God that movie sucked esp the end. Hideous waste of a lot of talent.

[Sunday Couch Potatoe]

Zodiac

 

This was a solid film. I'm a big fan of mystery / thrillers and this film did a good job. I wasn't blown away by it, but, I really enjoyed it. My biggest complaint is that at 2:45, it was a bit too long. The acting by Mark Ruffalo, Jake Gyllenhal, and especially Robert Downey Jr. was very good. All in all, an enjoyable film.

8.5

Hey Menudo first off great job I enjoyed all your reviews and must say we definitely have alot of the same tastes. I'm sure you already knew this but Zodiac is a true story(some people have never heard of the serial killer The Zodiac) and the movie hits real close to home! Matter of fact it was right in my hometown of Napa CA (wine country). Both my parents were knee deep in the drama as they were high school students in Napa at the times of the main murders. And the scene at the lake is Lake Berryessa which I take my kids to all the time still and have been to that spot several times its kinda eery. I have read the book about 10 times as it is a kinda weird obsession cause it all happened right in my backyard. The movie was very well done to tell most of the story. One of the main detetives Officer Narlow of Napa was one of my dads buddies dads. He was actually at the premiere of the movie with the actors as he was a big part of them writing the movie and giving insight to all the investigation. It is one of the all time greatest serial killer mysteries as he taunted the police with letters and phone calls one being right across the street from the napa police station on a payphone and he was never caught and the case is still open. They had 3 main suspects and the one they really suspected was the zodiac died a few years back and they tried to get a confession on his death bed but he still wouldn't budge. If you ever wanna good mystery novel to read get that book it was written by Robert Graysmith who was the editor in the movie that jake gylenhall played. It gives a little different spin on it as they go through all 3 of the suspects and there connections to the murders. Anyway great job again and keep em coming!

Edited January 13, 2010 by Sunday Couch Potatoe

[Sunday Couch Potatoe]

I don't know if you ever watched Land of the Lost as a kid but the rendition of it with Will Ferrell is pretty good some real funny parts. And he is somewhat calmer than usual so it's not him just being a complete dork the whole time Pretty good you should check it out. It may not be everyones cup of tea but some great one liners and overall it's pretty funny.

[buddahj]

you should check out "the hurt locker". the wife & i thought is was a really good movie.

[Menudo]

I Love You, Man

 

This is another movie that started off phenomenal, but, continued to lose steam as it went along. I've always found Paul Rudd extremely funny, and the other main guy was pretty funny in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall", so, I had some good expectations on this one. The first half hour was extremely funny and had some laugh out loud moments. However, I thought the laughs started disappearing as the movie went on. I still enjoyed it, as it was a fun comedy, but, not quite what I had hoped for.

7.5

[Seahawks21]

No Country for Old Men - I like the Cohen Bros but I lasted for about an hour (longer than I should've, kept thinking "It's Cohen Bros it'll get better") before I gave up. Either have great dialogue/characters or lots of action - this had neither. Slow as molasses and mostly just plain boring.

I thought "No Country" was an absolute masterpiece. Gets even better the 2nd and 3rd time. It has probably been since Kill Bill II since I have enjoyed a movie that much. Bardem plays one of the best villains in recent memory. I never left the edge of my seat. After you know the ending and what to look for, the dialogue all makes sense in your second viewing. A rare masterpiece.

[Jimmy Neutron]

I thought "No Country" was an absolute masterpiece. Gets even better the 2nd and 3rd time. It has probably been since Kill Bill II since I have enjoyed a movie that much. Bardem plays one of the best villains in recent memory. I never left the edge of my seat. After you know the ending and what to look for, the dialogue all makes sense in your second viewing. A rare masterpiece.

 

Yup. I really liked it too. Tommy Lee Jones was very good in it too, but his performance was overshadowed by Bardem's Oscar winning effort.

 

Interestingly, someone is attempting to make Blood Meridian into a film. Frankly, I can't imagine it - the book is so dark and graphic nobody would watch a film true to the level of the book. It will be interesting, however, to see someone play Judge Holden - the absolute baddest of bad guys. If you have not read the book, he's a very tall, bald albino cowboy that would scare the poopy out of satan.

[Menudo]

Inglorious Basterds

 

I had read the thread discussing this movie and was surprised at how divided people were. Some thought it was a great movie, while others came away disappointed. I was surprised at the disappointment, as the movie got great reviews from critics, as well as the IMDB users. Put me on the side of those that thought it was a great movie. It doesn't get up to "Pulp Fiction" level, but, very few movies reach that rarified air. As someone mentioned in the thread, I loved the way that Tarrantino, through cinematography, great dialogue, and music, created tension in his scenes. Often, it had the audience wondering "Does he know......and if so, when and how will he reveal this ?" Tarrantino's movies are unique and always come with entertaining dialogue, and I thought this one fit that bill. The actor who played "The Jew Hunter" was phenomenal. I saw that he one a Golden Globe, and it was well deserved. I also thought Brad Pitt was very funny in his role. The movie was 2.5 hours long, but, I thought the time flew by, and really had no issue with the length. My only issue is that I would have liked to have seen Pitt's character and the Basterds together more throughout the film. Overall, I though this was another great effort from the unique mind of Quentin Tarrantino.

9.0

[Skippy]

I don't know if I can give the Basterds a 9 but a solid 8 I would feel comfortable with. I was very surprised to see what time it was when the movie was over as I had no clue the movie was that long and never while watching it did I think anything about the length. Great movie that I will watch again.

[keggerz]

The Hangover

 

This was the first movie my wife and I went to since Borat, so, it was an exciting date night for us. Being that I absolutely LOVE comedies, this movie came with more hype than any in recent memory. I had friends calling it the funniest movie they ever saw. I don't know if I can go that far until I watch it a few more times, but, it definitely ranks up there with "Dumb & Dumber", "There's Something About Mary", and "Holy Grail" for me. The movie had me laughing from beginning to end. I always liked Ed Helms playing Andy Bernard in the Office, and he was good here. The entire cast was pretty funny in their roles, but, Zach Gallifanakis absolutely stole the show and emerged as a future star of comedy. The movie had me laughing or at least smiling the entire time.

I loved the way they tied the entire thing together at the end with the hilarious pictures.

This was definitely the best comedy I've seen in quite some time.

10.0

Just watched this and me and my wife laughed our asses off the entire time...easily 2 Thumbs up....we watched it because it won the golden globe and both of us were curious as to why...if initially figured it would be just another predictable crude humor type movie but it was anything but...i would almost be willing to call it brilliant

[irish]

Just watched this and me and my wife laughed our asses off the entire time...easily 2 Thumbs up....we watched it because it won the golden globe and both of us were curious as to why...if initially figured it would be just another predictable crude humor type movie but it was anything but...i would almost be willing to call it brilliant

 

I guess I really need to give this flick another shot as I really wasn't all that entertained. Sure, there were funny parts but on the whole I was a bit disappointed. Maybe because of how much the media and people I know were blowing it up, it just couldn't live up to the buzz it was getting.

[whomper]

I guess I really need to give this flick another shot as I really wasn't all that entertained. Sure, there were funny parts but on the whole I was a bit disappointed. Maybe because of how much the media and people I know were blowing it up, it just couldn't live up to the buzz it was getting.

 

 

I probably liked it a little more than you liked it but I can see where you are coming from. People made this out as the greatest comedy of all time. I laughed and thought it was a good movie but it didnt scratch the surface of my favorite comedies like Airplane , dumb and dumber, ace ventura, animal house and others

[Skippy]

I probably liked it a little more than you liked it but I can see where you are coming from. People made this out as the greatest comedy of all time. I laughed and thought it was a good movie but it didnt scratch the surface of my favorite comedies like Airplane , dumb and dumber, ace ventura, animal house and others

It made it to instant classic for me. We laughed at this movie from start to finish and really I can't think of a whole lot of them that did that for me. I am not saying it this the best ever just saying that for me it is up there with some of the best.