AMB Reviews

Hello everyone and thanks for checking out my new movie review website! My name is Anthony and this website is filled with my reviews on various movies. Keep checking back to see if some of YOUR favorite movies have been reviewed! I'm adding new ones every week!

~Anthony~

PS- Feel free to Contact me either by the online submission form or my e-mail, requesting me to review a movie. As long as it's not explicit and/or inappropriate, I'll probably end up reviewing it! 

You are the  visitor!   

*BREAKING NEWS (5-21-09)!*

Anthony's movie review of "Rachel Getting Married" (also published on this website) was just recently published in the March issue of the popular teen magazine, "Teen Ink." This magazine reaches thousands of schools, teachers, and teenagers every month and one of his movie reviews now appears in it! To look through this magazine ONLINE FOR FREE, simply click on the link below and check it out!

http://www.teenink.com/Issues/2009-March.php

Hey guys... it's Anthony. I just wanted to let you all know, that just because my reviews date back only to October 2008... I will still review a movie for you older than that. Just shoot me an e-mail or use the online "Contact Me" page, and give me the title. I won't post it on the website, but instead will send it straight to your e-mail inbox! Make sure to give me your e-mail address and I will try and send you the review within a week. Thanks and I hope this helps!

Title

1. New Moon

2. The Blind Side

3. 2012

4. Planet 51

5. A Christmas Carol

6. Precious

7. The Men Who Stare At Goats

8. Couples Retreat

9. The Fourth Kind

10. Law Abiding Citizen

Below is a list of several upcoming movie reviews to be looking for (they'll probably be released anytime in the next week or so):

Fantastic Mr. Fox (Available Thanksgiving Day)!

(Possibly) Planet 51

(Possibly) The Stepfather

The following movies are a list of the most recent films I have reviewed, so that you can stay on top of everything! (If these reviews are not posted on the homepage, they can always be found in the Movie Review Index).

Old Dogs

New Moon

The Blind Side

2012

A Christmas Carol

Old Dogs: 5.5/10 Stars

Release Date: November 25, 2009

Content Advisory: Rated PG for some mild rude humor. Several suggestive jokes are sure to go right over the heads of littler ones. A couple scenes of gross out/slapstick humor (nothing that hasn't been done before).

Review:

I didn't really know what to think when I sat down in the early screening of this film, but I did know that the trailer was not promising...

In Short:

"Old Dogs" stars two of my least favorite actors: John Travolta and Robin Williams. They play two best friends who are close to breaking into a great business deal. But when Dan (Williams) is asked to have lunch with his ex-wife, he realizes that maybe he still has feelings for her. And there's one other problem: she has two kids. His kids. And when she's in desperate need of a two-week babysitter, he accepts the job on impulse. Now he counts down the days when he is free from the challenging and often hilarious problems the kids bring about. But along the way, maybe he and his friend, Charlie (Travolta) will learn a few life lessons. It's corny, yes. But it's also quite funny. It's stupid, yes. But it also left me smiling. The acting was pretty decent, even though the dialogue bordered on stupid. It's no gem, but it's funny and... well, that's about it.

In Full:

Dan thought he had it all. That is, until he went through two divorces in the time span of 24 hours. His friend, Charlie, has never had a "real" girl in his life, and the two only have work to rely on. They're right on the brink of a huge business deal. That is, until Dan's ex-wife asks him out for lunch. Finds out, they might have feelings left for each other after all. Oh... and she has two kids. His kids. And when she is sent to jail for two weeks, she is in desperate need of a babysitter. Dan accepts and then realizes his mistake: he doesn't know how to take care of kids. At all. The rest of the movie follows Dan and Charlie's crazy adventures with the two youngsters, as they get themselves into many hilarious situations and even learn some good lessons. It's all very corny, predictable, unoriginal and filled with the typical "slapstick" humor. That being said, it had a decent pace and was quite humorous, despite its lack of originality.

I can't say that I'm a fan of John Travolta or Robin Williams. Williams is getting old and is just losing his humorous touch, while Travolta just never hit me as a good actor. Here, however, I tried to leave that behind me, and found them to turn in good performances. They weren't earth shattering but they weren't horrible either. The script they were given wasn't horrible either, but it just didn't give them much to work with. But these two are experienced actors. They did the best they could with what they were given, and though it still hasn't changed my opinion on them, this is one film that I won't hold against them. Kelly Preston and Seth Green turn in smaller roles that ended up quite cardboard and corny.

Walking into this movie, I could almost predict what I was going to see: slapstick and gross out humor with some corny "Disney-fied" morals thrown in the mix. Is that what I got? You can count on it. Now, many times this ended up being quite funny. But don't expect anything new. The visuals were typical. Trips to the tanning salon, a violent game of ultimate frisbee, shooting and burning down statues, and hitting people in the crotch with golf balls. You ask for it and this movie has it. It's typical stuf with typical visuals set in the midst of a busy city. Nothing stood out, but then again, nothing really stood back. Everything just was.

As I mentioned above, the dialogue was mostly wooden, the humor unoriginal, and the plot predictable. This is Disney. As corny as most of it was, it did leave us with the importance of family and friendship. Dan and Charlie exhibit an example of two great friends who make mistakes. They're imperfect beings like all of us, but still show the strength others can bring us. Dan's kids also help him realizes that maybe there is more to life than just his work. Maybe taking time to teach his kid how to ride a bike or sit down and have a tea party with his daughter is more important than blowing them off for a conference call. It's stuff we've all heard before, but it was nice to hear it once again, as it's all completely true.

"Old Dogs" is not meant to blow away. It's not meant to astound. Like "The Shaggy Dog" before it, Disney offers us a simple, corny, unoriginal, yet quite funny and touching movie about family and friends. It gives us nothing new, but it still tastes somewhat good. Like your favorite food, you can eat as much as you want, and still enjoy it. "Old Dogs" is like that. It's not as good as the first ten times we saw the same type of plot being offered, but it still remains humorous and cute. It's quite stupid in many parts, but it's a family friendly movie that will make you smile. And sometimes that's all a movie needs to do. Not all the time, but in this case, it's all that it can do. It may not be enough for some, but it should be just enough for a family wanting a laugh.

New Moon: 8/10 Stars

Release Date: November 20, 2009

Content Advisory: Rated PG-13 for some violence and action. Several vampires are slammed into floors and walls, thrown about, and severely injured (bloodless). A girl is shown with a bloody arm. Several bloodless yet intense fights between werewolves. A girl goes cliff diving and nearly drowns, and is also flung off a motorcycle (minimal blood). Several passionate kisses.

Review:

Let me first tell you that "New Moon," the novel, was my least favorite in the series. However, this movie may have surpassed it...

In Short:

"New Moon" takes place after Twilight: Bella and Edward are desperately in love... for now. The movie starts off on Bella's birthday. Everyone knows she hates celebrating it, but the Cullens give her a huge bash anyways. It goes downwards from there, though, when Bella gets a paper cut and Jasper almost attacks her. Edward, feeling guilty, leaves Bella, declaring it the "last time you'll ever see me again." Bella, devastated, looks to her friend, Jacob, for help. But there's some things she doesn't even know about Jacob. And the fact that Jacob is also a huge, fierce werewolf that is against all vampires may up the tension a tad bit. Overall, the movie was faithful to the book and most definitely surpassed the original. The camera-work was not shaky this time around and the special effects ten times better. The acting still felt robotic to me, but as a whole, "New Moon" was entertaining.

In Full:

"New Moon" begins on Bella's birthday. She hates making a big deal out of it, but Alice Cullen couldn't resist throwing her a huge celebration. But when Bella cuts herself and Jasper tries to attack her, you can guess where it goes from there. From then on, Edward feels guilty about not always being able to protect her, and finally decides to leave her... forever. Bella, depressed and alone, seeks comfort in her best friend, Jacob Black. Though they at first share many good times, when Jaco turns out to be a werewolf (who hates all vampires), the tension and suspense in the story is tightened. Of course, if Edward never came back, there wouldn't be any third of fourth stories, but all in good time. In the end, the plot stayed on close track with the book, just like its predecessor, and kept a good flow that had me entertained throughout.

The acting is where things begin to slow down. Though I like Kristen Stewart and find her to be a mature actress with an impressive resume (especially seeing her age), the dialogue she was given bordered on weak. She did well with what she was given, and beat her performance in "Twilight," but it still felt a bit robotic. Speaking of robotic... can you say Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner? Girls are going to shoot me for saying this, but I care more about how many times they rip off their shirts in slow motion. They just aren't very good actors. Lautner takes up more of the screen this time around, and though he did better than his previous attempt at Jacob, he still was very... corny. Pattinson was even more so, delivering his lines in such a formulaic and cardboard way. Dakota Fanning, however, turns in a very brief yet stunning performance as an evil vampire, Jane. The rest of the cast from "Twilight" returned, but none are given too much to do.

Things speed up again when we reach this film's visuals. Though I did enjoy "Twilight," it felt like the work of amateurs, and the handheld camera work didn't do the book justice. This time around, however, we are given a steady camera with great special effects. The production budget must've been higher, as the action scenes that were in this movie were three times better than "Twilight." The introduction of the werewolves added more excitement to the screen, and towards the end, when Bella and Edward visit a group of nasty vampires, the special effects really get a chance to show off. I tired of the almost constant action scenes filmed in slow motion, but overall, the visuals were a triumph compared to the weak and draggy ones of the first.

What I also liked was how similar the movie was to the book. Yes, I have read them. All four. Once (just to clarify). I found them all quite enjoyable, but not amazing enough to re-read seventeen times like the rest of the world. "New Moon" was actually my least favorite, as after Edward left Bella, it slowly slid downwards, becoming more dry with each chapter. The movie, however, doesn't have hundreds and hundreds of pages to waste. This movie is two hours long, and spends its time wisely following key points in the book. Sure, they added in a few action scenes here and there, but it was only to keep up the suspenseful flow and keep some of the males entertained. Yes... there is both romance and action in this one, making it a bigger appeal to both sexes.

I attended "New Moon" with seven other girls. The moment the lights dimmed, the theater erupted with screams, while I sat there awkwardly, waiting for it to start. I felt quite out of place. However... "New Moon" is not just for girls. Though that is where the main fan base lies, guys should find something enjoyable here, whether it be the eye-popping werewolves or the suspenseful climax. Yes, the acting was wooden and quite unbearable at times. Yes, at times this movie just felt formulaic and corny. But on the other hand, it followed the book's path almost completely, the special effects have definitely improved, and the whole direction of the movie has just... improved. A lot. Fans of "Twilight" will most definitely find something to love here, and even those who didn't care for the movie should be able to tell that this movie is different from its predecessor. And in this case, that's a good thing. In this case, it means that "New Moon" tromps "Twilight" (movie-wise.)