Yes Man Review

t’s been awhile since we have seen Jim Carrey on the big screen, (His voice can be heard in Horton Hears a Who) and he is back to his comedy roots. Carrey plays a banker who says no to everything and after his friend convinces him to go to a self help seminar he begins to say yes to everything, and I mean everything. Ultimately saying yes to even the most bizarre things starts to make his life better and makes the movie funny. Yes Man is silly but never stupid like some of Carrey’s other work. However Jim Carrey hit his comedy heyday quite some time ago. Yes Man is cliched and predictable and has the same basic plot as Liar Liar. (Although Yes Man is better). It just seems to familiar while watching the movie I felt I had seen this movie several times before. I’m a fan of Jim Carrey but he needs to break out of his typical role and give us something different. He was fantastic in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Truman Show and it proves he can act as well. Carrey will next be seen in the independent film I Love You Phillip Morris about a gay man (Carrey) who goes to prison and falls in love, and in A Christmas Carol. Yet another computer/live action movie from Robert Zemmeicks (Beowulf), Carrey will play Scrooge and all three ghosts. So if you want to get your Jim Carrey fix before you see him next christmas then Yes Man is for you. If you’re not a Jim Carrey fan and are just looking for a comedy to rent then Yes Man is a maybe. 3 out of 5

Quantum of Solace Review

Bond is back and well, not better than ever. Daniel Craig returns as James Bond in Quantum of Solace, the follow up film to 2006’s Casino Royale, and is just as good as he was before.
However, Quantum is not as good as its predecessor. The problem does not lie with Quantum, but rather with Casino. Casino set the bar so high it was almost impossible not to mess up. Now don’t get me wrong, Quantum is still a really good film, just not fantastic.
In the opening scene, when we first see Bond again. It’s apparent he’s pissed. He also stays this way for the whole movie as he copes with the loss of his loved one and seeks revenge on those who did him wrong. Joining Craig is Olga Kurylenko as Camille, the new Bond Girl. She is not as memorable as some of the other girls, or as important as Vesper was in Casino, but still a good addition to the line up of Bond Girls.
The action is breathtaking as usual with the series, and features some really impressive stunts and special effects. However, where the movie hurt the most was in the directing. Marc Foster might be a great director for bringing us films such as “The Kite Runner,” but big budget action is just not his forte. Often some of the scenes are confusing and hard to follow because of strange cuts to unrelated events. Foster doesn’t totally butcher the movie though, he just decides to cut the story and romance and give us more booms.
Overall, I did enjoy Quantum of Solace and though it was not anywhere near as good as Casino Royale, Quantum’s still a worthy addition to the Bond canon. Earns a 3.5 out of 5

Twilight Review

If you could live forever, what would you live for? This is the question Twilight tries to ask but never really goes into detail. The story centers around Bella Swan, a teen who just moved to the small town of Forks, Washington, with her dad. There she meets Edward Cullen in her biology class, and what do you know, he turns out to be a vampire. The two immediately begin to fall in love but Edward has to keep control over his thirst for her blood or else he will kill her. Then some other vampires show up and complicate things.

The cinematography was respectable all around and helped keep the mood and intensity of the story. Director Catherine Hardwicke did a nice job of telling the story both visually and through dialogue. The main actors Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson did a nice job of acting as well. I felt that both characters were believable (well as believable as vampires get). I think the overall acting was good among the supporting cast as well. Except for one character: Jacob, a Native American (who had the whitest teeth I have ever seen). His acting felt forced and cold most of the time. The color palette that Hardwicke chose to use was too much. Everything was so blue, even the clothes they wore were a shade of blue. I know this is the effect she was going for, but it could have been eased up a bit. In the small town of Forks there must only be one clothing store that sells nothing but gray shirts because Pattinson and Stewart seem to trade off wardrobes. The dialogue overall was good and felt natural but in some cases it felt like it had been taken directly from George Lucas’ latest misadventure. Such as when they were describing how Bella and Edward felt for each other, it was like watching Anakin Skywalker all over again.

Overall, Twilight was entertaining but just kind of average. I have never read the books and I am reviewing this movie on an entertainment basis only. It was a notch above other teen dramas but not by too much. I enjoyed some scenes but others felt too long and out of place. There was an entire story arc I personally thought was wrong to include. ( I know it was in the book.) If you are a girl you will love this movie, but to the guys who are forced to see it I have just one thing to say: It’s not that bad. 3 stars out of 5.