Good Burger

Nickelodeon's popular duo of Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell star as two L.A. teens who get summer jobs at the local hamburger joint -- Good Burger. But when corporate giant Mondo Burger moves in across the street and threatens to close them down, the pair must help save their small restaurant from going under. Sinbad co-stars in this tasty comedy, and look for a cameo by Shaquille O'Neal.

You may be surprised by this one.  Yes I liked it.  I didn't think that I would, but to my surprise, it was a lot of fun.  Most of all, it was clean humor.  Relax, don't expect anything too intellectual, and you'll have fun. Kimball ***

Netflix link to Good Burger

August Rush

After cellist Lyla (Keri Russell) and guitarist Louis (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) share an enchanted night together, circumstances rip them apart, and the child (Freddie Highmore) produced by the union is raised by an opportunistic stranger (Robin Williams) who nurtures the boy's musical talent. Determined to find his parents, the boy -- known as August Rush -- relies on music to draw his mother and father to him. Terrence Howard co-stars.

After watching this film the first time, I could only remember the child prodigy in the story.  I completely missed the love story.  Furthermore, there's the character played by Robin Williams, who is story himself of lost dreams and opportunities.  It's a great story.  The love story is a great one as well, allthough it starts far too unbelievably as a sephisticated young woman spends the night on the roof of a building with a complete stranger and gets pregnant.  From there, the story develops quite well.  The music is original and fun. Kimball ****

Netflix link to August Rush

The Rundown

When Travis (Seann William Scott), the mouthy son of a criminal, disappears in the Amazon in search of a treasured artifact, his father sends in Beck (Dwayne Johnson), who becomes Travis's rival for the affections of Mariana (Rosario Dawson), a mysterious Brazilian woman. With his steely disposition, Beck is a man of few words -- but it takes him all the discipline he can muster to work with Travis to nab a tyrant who's after the same treasure.

I've watched this film several times.  Each time I like it more.  I love Christopher Walken in this one.  He is just too funny, but the violence is too much for the little ones.  The humor is great and I've got to say that I have not seen Johnson "The Rock" any better in anything else. Scott is great as well.  I just wish that someone would put The Rock in a super hero suit. Kimball ****

Netflix link to The Rundown

The Last Legion

With his empire crumbling and his parents dead, 12-year-old Roman Emperor Romulus (Thomas Sangster) is exiled to Capri with his mystical tutor (Ben Kingsley). While there, he discovers a magical sword once owned by Caesar that foreshadows his destiny. Assisted by general Aurelius (Colin Firth) and warrior Mira (Aishwarya Rai), they escape and set out to avenge the death of Romulus's family -- and to save Europe from the rule of the brutal Goths.


I wasn't sure about this movie, but wow, was I please.  This is a great story.  Good action, and generally clean.  I especially enjoyed the goodness of the heros and the very clear badness of the bad guys.  It's probably too much for the little ones. Kimball****

Netflix link to The Last Legion

Something the Lord Made

Play Preview This Emmy-winning HBO film based on a true story follows white surgeon Alfred Blalock (Alan Rickman) and his black assistant, Vivien Thomas (Mos Def), who teamed in the 1940s to develop a procedure to save children suffering from a heart defect. But Thomas's status as a second-class citizen prevented him from getting recognition, as Blalock took all the credit. Their relationship, while close, was complicated by the social realities of the time.

I have grown to appreciate the acting capabilities of Alan Rickman. In this film he plays the roll of Doctor Blalock. He’s very convincing in the roll. Mos Def is another great actor. This film was moving and very interesting. Doctor Blalock has a language problem which may be offensive to some.Kimball ***

Netflix link to Something the Lord Made

Music of the Heart

Play Preview In director Wes Craven's inspiring Oscar-nominated drama -- which is based on a true story -- violinist and single mother Roberta Guaspari (Meryl Streep) struggles to convince the administration at an East Harlem high school to let her establish a music program. Having won that battle, Roberta nonetheless continues to face an uphill climb as budget cuts threaten her determined and deeply felt efforts to bring the arts to underprivileged kids.

I love music anyway.  This is a great story and Meryl Streep is fantastic in her roll as Roberta.  Music is a powerful medium for both good and evil.  I praise those who use it for good.  The acting is great, the script well written, and the story is heart warming. Kimball ****

Netflix link to Music of the Heart

Avatar

Disabled Marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) travels to planet Pandora to become an avatar, ingratiate himself with the natives and help Americans mine lucrative unobtainium. But he finds himself in an interstellar conflict after falling for Na'vi warrior Neytiri (Zoe Saldana). James Cameron writes and directs this Golden Globe-winning CGI odyssey that has broken box office records. Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang co-star.

I was not ready for what I was about to experience. I admit, I expected this one to be pretty good. Ticket sales were going through the roof and the trailer was pretty good. As I stood at the ticket counter and forked up the dough for six adult tickets plus two more dollars for the 3-D glasses I thought to myself, “This better be worth it.” When the show was ending I couldn’t believe how fast time had gone by. I was 100% entertained for over two hours. I don’t know when that has ever happened before. Forget all the hype about it being a “Save the Earth” film, this was a wild ride that will be hard to beat. The story has been told many times over; bad white guy persecutes poor simple minority group, and is converted by beautiful woman. But, put the story is this setting, of a far away planet that literally comes alive in 3-D and it’s like it’s never been told before. The computer animation, the sets, the wonder of it all is just beyond words. I found myself wishing that I could go to Pandora, no, wait a minute, does it really exist? I don’t know, maybe it does. Anyway, I can hardly wait to buy my own copy of this movie. Kimball **********+

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