brian090888 Reviews

Just My Luck (2006)

A Good Escape

[7/10 · 20 May 2007]

I thought it was a great escape from all the negativity. I laughed and smiled at parts. Sure, it was no blockbuster! But I don't think it was meant to be... it's a kind of feel-good flick that everyone ought to see once in a while. It was very romantic!

For those people who keep claiming that it was a lousy movie need to lighten up a bit. We all need a little bit of magic once in a while and the negativity kind of brings me down. Go see the film.. enjoy it.. it's shallow but it's fun. Don't try to take any hidden meaning out of it... but enjoy the simplicity.

Oh, and by the way, this is the only Lindsay Lohan movie that I thought was any good.

A 7/10

Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj (2006)

It really wasn't that bad

[7/10 · 13 May 2007]

The bad reviews are kind of astonishing. I'm not sure what people were expecting for a National Lampoon's flick. I mean, the things we can compare it to are: "Adam and Eve," "Going the Distance," and "Barely Legal." The series is now just a raunch-fest of low-brow humor. If that's not what you're into, why did you watch the movie? The soundtrack of this movie was priceless, and people who point out the formulaic nature of the story should realize that it was the point. It wasn't a film that took itself seriously. It was a NATIONAL LAMPOONS movie. The series hasn't involved any family friendly humor since Christmas Vacation.

It's funny for a laugh, and I think people need to lighten up a bit. I'm tough to please, and I thought the movie was worth a few chuckles. The final scene (which I won't spoil, but can tell you it has to do with swords) was the coup de grâce for this underrated film. I give it a 7, out of 10.

Spider-Man 3 (2007)

An Interesting Sequel

[7/10 · 5 May 2007]

Overall, Spiderman 3 was very good. It offered some more insight into the characters of Spiderman and Harry.

Yeah, there was a little bit of cliché. Harry not remembering how Spiderman killed his father for about half the movie and Harry forgiving Spidey for being a jerk and blowing off half his face...

There was also one scene that was supposed to be really poignant, when Harry was dying, where everyone in the theater laughed because Tobey Maguire couldn't conjure up the tears.

That being said, it found a way to regain some of its depth from the first film and had more refined action than the 2nd. People say it was too convoluted, but it was a rather simple story to follow if you have half a brain. I'm sick of people asking Hollywood to dumb down its films just because some people can't keep up.

Falling somewhere between the first two films, it was a satisfying sequel. I would give it a score of 7.7/10... but I can't vote that number and it just wasn't good enough for an 8.

Step Up (2006)

A Pleasant Surprise

[9/10 · 3 February 2007]

I went into this movie thinking it would be the same old story. In many ways, it was; however, I found that it added a certain spice to the dance-movie genre which is becoming quite trite as of late. I do have some complaints, such as the scene where Skinny was killed. It was predictable, and I thought detracted from the rest of the film . . . but the acting was inspired, the dancing was phenomenal, the music was excellent, and outside a few very cliché moments, the story was good.

It is now one of my favorite movies, primarily because I thought the acting ability of the leads was amazing. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys this kind of angst-ridden but artistically executed drama.