After a family member expressed disappointment, I was moved to watch ‘Goya’s Ghosts’, but I have to say that the plot kept me lingering for the duration. There is deceit, heartache, hardships, internal demons, religious conviction, and tortured souls (literally). In the middle of it all is painter Francisco Goya (played by Stellan Skarsgard), who loses his muse, Inez (Natalie Portman) to the Spanish Inquisition. Goya, his muse, and the monk (Javier Bardem) responsible for her fate all lead intertwined lives – set within the horrific backdrop of history. Interesting movie with several plot twists. I was especially pleased with the scene portraying a father’s desperate love for his daughter. It was quite intense.

How freaky is this? I’m standing in front of Redbox, returning my rentals and my nephew asks me to rent ‘Puss ‘N Boots’, but that is like a death sentence for my credit card because he’s notorious for misplacing movies and their cases. I declined and we went to run errands and when I got to my parent’s house, guess what was waiting for me – the same Puss ‘N Boots DVD that he wanted to see.

I do not remember requesting to review this movie, but once I saw the information – it jogged my memory. My nephew was completely amazed…I should have told him it was magic…We immediately watched the movie together after all the amazement wore off.

The Animation and Color

One of the first things I noticed was the vibrant color and artistic elements of the film. It was like seeing an illustrated book come to life with 3D characteristics – Puss ‘N Boots is an animated CGI film, which gives it certain qualities that make characters look more realistic and less like a cartoon.

The Plot

I’ve heard of the tale of Puss in Boots (originally by Charles Perrault) before, but couldn’t have told you anything beyond the fact that it centered on a cat that wore boots. The storyline of the DVD follows the son of a miller (Peter) who is gifted a special cat that promises to change his life and help him realize his destiny. Along the way, we are introduced to a bad guy, queen, king, jester, ogre, and a princess – the object of Peter’s affections. There is singing and dancing, and even lyrics in French. It’s a well-rounded piece of entertainment for kids (and adults too) meant to encourage people to follow their dreams no matter who they are – even the son of the miller can marry a princess.

Puss ‘N Boots reminds me a bit of the ‘Shrek’ movies, where some of the humor is questionable for kids. My nephew is six and some of the things I thought were a bit borderline, he had absolutely no clue why my mouth was hanging open. One thing I could not get over was the size of the princess’s derrière. In my opinion, her pants were too tight in some scenes and she looked too curvaceous for a cartoon geared towards children. On the other hand, I applaud the movie for straying from the typical princess character with long flowing hair. The Princess has a very short haircut in the film – this might be the first time I’ve personally ever seen this.

Buy It!

The True Story of Puss ‘N Boots DVD was released on October 4, 2011 with William Shatner (of ‘Star Trek’ and Priceline.com fame) providing the voice of the cat. You can purchase the Blu-Ray/DVD Combo Pack for $24.99 or the DVD for $19.99. The entire movie runs for 79 minutes.

Disclosure: I received a DVD of the True Story of Puss ‘N Boots to review. I chose to review the DVD on my blog and all of my opinions are 100% my own. I was not compensated for this review.

It was a quiet Monday night that my mother, brother and nephew sat down to watch Spy Kids 4D – “the movie that you can feel and smell” according to my nephew. He was under the impression that you could actually feel and smell things in the movie theater. As he bounced off the walls for the entire day, I started to think that the theater would somehow emit special scents throughout the movie.

Advertising can be so cruel. The ‘scents’ came in the form of an Aromascope, which was really a scratch-and-sniff card…and not even a good one. I’ve gotten a better experience with fruity-smelling stickers out of a box of Trix. When a specific number popped on the screen, you were supposed to scratch the corresponding number of the card. After the first one, my nephew handed the card back to my brother. My brother did two. I, like the stubborn person I am, scratched everything except for what was supposed to smell like a fart. EVERYTHING smelled like blueberry candy, except for one slightly chocolate scent. This was very disappointing.

I have never been to a 3D movie, and this is the only reason I was able to stay engaged. Some objects really seemed to inch their way closer and closer. I must admit, at times, wearing the glasses hurt my eyes, but not enough to say I’d never do it again.

My nephew had a good time and that’s all that matters. He exclaimed, “we have the whole movie theater to ourselves, this is our own party.” As for the movie, it tested my patience as an adult. Jessica Alba has a part where she zip-lines and karate kicks the bad guys with a 9-months pregnant belly. This was a bit ridiculous to watch, especially when her water broke. The plot of the timekeeper stealing time was interesting. Jeremy Priven provided some relief.

I was 6 years old when the A-Team TV show aired in 1983. I remember watching the show with my father and I loved it. In the beginning of the movie, there is a scene where Faceman is barreling down a hill in a roll of tires and I swear I saw that in one of the episodes as a child.

Last week, I insisted on going to see the film in a movie theater to truly experience the surround sound and action. They had a lot of explosions, gunfire, flying in the air, and fight scenes.

Pros: Exceptional job choosing actors that really capture the original cast, especially with Liam Neeson, who wears the Hannibal look very well. I liked when the characters went over their plans and then show everything unfold in the next scene. Once again, the movie kept my interest because it brought back memories of the old show and the actors truly resembled the original cast. I think people who never watched the TV show will appreciate it less (like my sweetie).

Cons: Some of the action scenes were too far-fetched to digest and annoyed me at times. I don’t want the implausibility of a scene to glare me straight in the face. The movie may have been a tad too long – my sweetie actually fell asleep and doesn’t remember much of it.

Other actors to take note of in the movie include Bradley Cooper (Faceman), Jessica Biel, and Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson (B.A. Baracus).

Cool Fact: The original Faceman and Murdock have cameos in the movie. Mr. T declined to appear in the film. The original Hannibal passed away in 1994.

Just got around to renting “Things We Lost in the Fire.” Don’t know what I expected from this movie, but it was successful in keeping my attention until the very end. If you appreciate the craft of an actor and actress, then consider “Things We Lost in the Fire” brilliant – with Halle Berry and Benicio Del Toro delivering heartfelt, riveting performances centered on the theme of loss.

You can actually feel the anger and conflict surround you in regards to Berry’s character. Del Toro was able to execute a touching portrayal of a drug addict with a sense of humor. Throughout the movie, special attention is paid to the eyes and hands, which is quite beautiful in itself.

I would have to say that the movie possessed a quality much like watching a play unfold across a stage instead of a film that entertains mainstream theatergoers. All in all – it was a visual treat for the senses if you allow yourself to accept it.

The previews for “Deception” (with Ewan McGregor and Hugh Jackman) showed thrilling suspense with a twist…I was hooked…but…it turned out to be the most overdone plotline/psychopath/poor Joe Lonesome/typical love story. The events of the movie were glaringly obvious from the very start – as early as 10 minutes into the movie. I was highly disappointed.

I will say that I think Michele Williams looked radiant in the film, but she was wasted in a predictable plot with not much room to truly shine. Other bit roles went to Lisa Gay Hamilton, Natasha Henstridge, and Maggie Q – refreshing faces, yet once again wasted. This movie could have been so much more! The way I see it, the only thing this movie is good for is furthering adolescent wet dreams…guess you’ll have to see it to know what I’m talking about. Good luck…

“21″ is an interesting tale of greed, desire, financial hardship, ambition, and card counting that stars Kevin Spacey as a professor that takes student extracurricular activities to a new low (or high) – depending on who you speak to. It’s also intriguing to watch because the plot is based on a true account regarding five college students who succeeded in besting Vegas casinos for millions of dollars.

If you’re a quick study, you can learn to count cards in Blackjack, but it also helps to already have a knack with numbers. Card counting isn’t even illegal. There is no law against figuring out numbers, statistics, and the probability of the next card in your head. However….if you go to Vegas…there are all sorts of rules and regulations they fall back on since the casinos are situated on “private property.” Casinos in Las Vegas also have the right to kick you out you’re identified as a card-counter…and believe me – the cameras in a casino are there for a reason.

With that being said, “21″ is a decent movie. In the end, the college kids must find a way to outsmart the ‘bad guy.’ There are a few plot twists and by the end of the movie – you may even feel sorry for the shifty professor. Other actors and actresses featured in the film include Jim Sturgess (as the lead character), Lawrence Fishburne (as head of casino security), and Kate Bosworth (the love interest).

Gerard Butler has been churning out movies left and right for the past two years and I’ve been waiting for his movie “Gamer” to come out on DVD. The film takes place in the future, where prison systems are overloaded and the government winds up resorting to a radical solution to ‘clean up the streets.’

Using advanced technology, the government and an exclusive company rigs the brains of inmates, drug addicts and other underlings in such a way to create the ultimate video game – one where humans control other humans in a game-like setting similar to “Call of Duty.”  If an inmate survives 30 sessions, they are granted their freedom.

Gerard Butler plays the main character – one of the best ‘slayers.’ Overall, the movie offers action, shootouts, fighting, advanced technology, issues of morality, and the underlying theme of a man fighting for the love of his family. The concept is clever and I believe they packed a lot of information into a short period of time. It left me pondering about the future of our jail and judicial system, as well as the frightening abuses of technology that places excessive power into the hands of the wrong people.

“Gamer” won’t be winning any Academy Awards anytime soon, but it was certainly entertaining, thought provoking, and watchable.

After seeing a commercial for ‘Book of Eli’ that states Denzel Washington has “never been better”, I’m motivated to write a review on the film. I was thoroughly upset that I chose to watch this movie on a pleasantly cool night at the drive-in. If I were Denzel, I’d be upset too. I think this movie is one of the worst I’ve seen in awhile. Yes, there is a slight twist at the end of the movie, but at what cost – nearly 2 hours of watching Denzel trek through a dusty, futuristic setting, where water is called ‘the good stuff.’

I like Gary Oldman (from ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’) as an actor and was pleasantly surprised when I saw Jennifer Beales (from ‘Flashdance’ fame) get a role as a blind woman at the mercy of her lover. The movie offers a couple flashes of action. A sword fight here. Some flying bullets there. However, I was unimpressed and so were the two males accompanying me, so I swear it’s not a ‘female’ thing.

However, to say this is the best work of Denzel Washington is an atrocity. What about ‘Glory?’ Do you remember his Oscar-winning performance as bad guy Alonzo in ‘Training Day?’ But this? My final thoughts: the movie was as dry as the desert he travels across.