Premium Rush

 

Premium Rush is sort of a bike messenger action movie, which didn't really appeal to me.  But it was getting good reviews, so the hubs and I gave it a shot last night.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars in as Wilee, a bike messenger who is called upon to deliver a highly mysterious and valuable document, and finds himself pursued across New York City by a crooked police detective who wants the item for itself.  It was fun and fast-paced.  Plus, I could watch Joseph Gordon-Levitt ride a bike all day long.  I just think he is so adorable!  The movie did feel a bit targeted to teenagers - which is probably to be expected, since it is rated PG-13.

Side note - Gordon-Levitt's character is a law school graduate who doesn't want the buttoned-up, 9-5 lifestyle.  He prefers the adrenaline rush of riding a bike with no brakes instead.  As a fellow law school graduate who had a quarter-life crisis during law school where I decided I wanted to work with my hands instead of my brain, I totally get it.  Not that I've ever created anything with my hands in my life, but I'm just saying.....I get it.

And another side note - if you happen to be in the Columbus area, check out the new dine-in theaters at Easton.  We saw the movie in one of these theaters last night and I really liked it.  The seats are groups of two, and you actually reserve your seats in advance.  You can order food, drinks and snacks right from your seat.  The food was pretty good, too.  Prices are a *little* high for what you get, but it's a fun way to do dinner and see a movie all at the same time.  We'd definitely go back.

Back to the subject - Premium Rush gets a 7.5 from me.  It's worth seeing for the adorableness that is Joseph Gordon-Levitt alone.

Quickie DVD reviews

Love and Human Remains

Watched this a couple of weeks ago.  I'd never heard of it but my husband remembered loving it about 20 years ago, so we gave it a shot.  I guess I'd say it was about two sexually ambiguous roommates seeking love and happiness in a city with a serial killer of women on the loose.  It was OK, but it didn't really do much for me, and, of course, it's been a while since I watched it so my memory isn't the greatest.  I'll give it a 6/10.


Coma

I read this book by Robin Cook when I was a teenager and loved it, but had never seen the movie.  Fun fact - there was a movie poster on the back of the book and I used to always giggle over the name "Rip Torn."  I guess I still think that's a funny name.  Anyway - Coma follows a young female doctor as she uncovers a disturbing trend in her Boston hospital of healthy young people going in for routine surgeries and coming out in comas.  She takes it upon herself to find out why this has been happening and uncovers a grim conspiracy of sorts.  I liked it!  Fun, interesting, creepy, and mysterious story.  We watched this just in time for the new miniseries to come out on TV, so now I'm excited to see the update.  Even though the original is from the 1970's there's nothing dated about the storyline, so I have high hopes for the miniseries.  7.5 out of 10.

The Intouchables

 

French film about a wealthy quadriplegic (Philippe) who hires a young ex-con from the projects (Driss) to be his live-in caretaker.  Supposedly based on a true story, the men become close friends.  Philippe learns to enjoy life and love a bit more, and Driss matures and expands his cultural horizons.

I found The Intouchables very enjoyable to watch.  There was lots of irreverent humor, and I found it a joy to watch the friendship grow between Philippe and Driss.  I also loved the character of Driss and found him quite charming.  However, there was a subplot involving Driss's troubled family life, and I found this aspect of the film lacking.  It felt like the issues were never fully explained, so I didn't really care about it.  Also, I wanted to know how Philippe managed to stay so wealthy, what with not being able to work, yet requiring round-the-clock care from several live-in aides.  Not that it really mattered, but I was curious.

So - not perfect, but very enjoyable to watch nonetheless.  7.5 out of 10.

The Hunger Games

I kinda missed the boat on The Hunger Games when it came out months ago.  I hadn't read the books and I was mildly interested in seeing it, but not interested enough to battle the droves of people that were packing the theaters.  But last night we discovered that it was still playing at our local dollar theater so we figured what the heck.  By the way, "dollar theater" is a bit of a misnomer - Friday and Saturday night showings actually cost $2.50.  The horror!

Anyway, I am sure everyone knows this by now, but The Hunger Games takes place in a futuristic nation where each of the Capitol's 12 districts must send forth one teenage girl and boy ("tributes") to fight to the death in the televised hunger games.  From the moment of selection, 23 of the tributes will be dead in a matter of two weeks, while the lone winner will be lavished with riches.  Our heroine is Katniss, from depressed District 12, who volunteers herself as a tribute after her younger sister's name is drawn from the lottery system.  Along with Peeta, the male selection from District 12, Katniss is whisked off to the lavish Capitol for training and competition.

I knew The Hunger Games had gotten pretty good reviews, but I was honestly surprised at how much I liked it.  I was enrapt throughout the entire 2:20 runtime.  I loved Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss.  The acting was good and the story was entertaining, and all in all, I found it extremely enjoyable.  8 out of 10.

Bubba Ho-Tep

To preface this review, let me explain that the way my husband and I typically choose movies to watch at home involves him making a preliminary selection of 3-5 movies, and I pick which one to watch.  Bubba Ho-Tep had been in his preliminary selections pretty much nonstop for the last six months.  I never chose it - it just sounded stupid to me.  Finally, last Thursday night, I realized it was never going to go away until we watched it, so in my words, "we should just get it over with."  So Bubba Ho-Tep it was.

In a nutshell, Bubba Ho-Tep is about two brave old men (played by Bruce Campbell and Ossie Davis), who may or may not be Elvis and JFK,who take down the ancient Egyptian mummy who has been attacking the souls of the poor folks at their old age home.  And you know what?  It was pretty stupid, but it was also entertaining and kinda touching.  6.5 out of 10.