Some recent movies

I'm not much of a movie reviewer, but here's a snapshot of some recent ones we've seen:

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - Not bad. A little over the top with the effects in the end and the story line is a little fishier and convoluted compared to the earlier movies. However, it certainly gets back to the fanciful and adventurous theme of the first one. My expectations were a little high, and so felt a little underwhelmed afterwards. But all in all, not really bad and worth seeing in the theater.

Iron Man - Very good. Full of action with good effects. The effects were well done and never distracting. The story was very true to the version I know as well. Downey was perfect for the part -- maybe he can stay off the blow long enough to do a few more good movies. This one also opens the door for more second-string hero movies and/or more Black Sabbath song movies. War Pigs anyone??

Semi-Pro - Average. I'm a big fan of Will Ferrel's stuff, but this just kind of falls flat. Some good chuckles here and there, but this wasn't even as good as Blades of Glory - which was just above average helped by the supporting cast. I can't recommend spending money to see this, but there are worse movies out there.

Mr. Brooks - Interesting. It's a Costner movie, so is short at 2 hours. A fairly dark movie, but kept moving and in good directions. The twists weren't all that surprising, but you find yourself rooting for characters here and there. Demi Moore was not all that good, and this role was a stretch for Dane Cook -- but Costner and William Hurt were good for their parts.

The Jane Austen Book Club - Better than I thought. Yes, it's a chick flick that I grabbed for the wife. However, it wasn't overly sappy and was pretty well done. It's got a nice happy ending too, which isn't the way I'd have written it but should make Jane Austen fans happy. Maria Bello is still hot, but Jimmy Smits looks like crap.

The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything - Not good. As a family, we like a good deal of the Veggie Tales music, but I really can't stand it when they get preachy. However, most of the moral stuff is decent and, well, moral. I couldn't see how they'd make a decent move out of a song (even if it is a fun, good song). And they didn't. Weak story and very little singing. A few action scenes kept the kids involved, but the story was so convoluted it didn't really make much overall sense. Skip it.

Horton Hears a Who! - Not bad. Better than expected and Jim Carry wasn't too over the top this time. The book just isn't that long to go beyond about a 45 minute movie, but they did a pretty good job. Some of the side characters were pretty well done, but that should almost be expected with the all-star supporting cast.

And a few more one-liners:
Rambo 2008 -- good action ending, but a bit rough. If you like Stallone/Rambo, it's really not that bad.
Bee Movie -- yes, Jerry Seinfeld's voice gets annoying, even as a bee, but this is a cute well-done movie worth renting.
Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium -- the kids didn't get a lot out of it, but it's an imaginative and interesting movie. Dustin Hoffman was excellent, and Natalie Portman looked pretty good too.
Sweeny Todd -- not as good as I though it would be and I love Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp.