March Movies - Hits and Misses : Movies

[poojasingh]

Every month hundreds of movies hit theatres… many of which we never even get to see. And mind you, we should definitely be glad of that fact because some the trash that is churned out by directors in the name of entertainment is preposterous. And so, generous souls like myself sift through this visual extravaganza to pick out the good films from the bad, telling all you guys what to go watch and which ones to give a miss.

It’s a job of great responsibility and we do it with sincere dedication!! This month, there were ten films that piqued my interest enough to review them from the rest of the ones that will only burden the film department with more reels than necessary.

The first of these was 10,000 BC. I must admit the slick visuals looked great and I was pretty eager to watch the film – also because most critics had written it off. How I wish I had believed every word they said and NOT gone to waste my time. The film was offensive in its assumption that we as viewers will watch anything directors dole out. For those of you who haven’t read my review, please do and save yourselves the trouble of watching this visual monstrosity.

Then came a slew of unoriginal themes, but I decided to give them a chance since many of them showed a glimmer of hope. I was brutally disappointed in most cases. Lets take College Road Trip for example. An over protective father who doesn’t want his daughter to go to a college far away, relents to her stubborn stand but insists on driving her there – a sort of bumpy and not-funny road trip for the family. Once would expect more from actors Martin Lawrence and Raven Simone, but the duo only dished out the expected laughs. A miss for sure…

Then came Sleepwalking, something – and I call it something because it hurts me to call it a film – loosely based on child abuse. Oh my gawd…. what about viewer abuse?? Has anyone ever thought of that??? Definitely not Charlize Theron and Nick Stahl who play major characters in the film. The other actors do a good job but still not enough to carry the film. Yaaawwwn… a definite no-no!!

Where should I start about Doomsday? Rhona Mitra definitely surprised me in this sci-fi thriller. And the film itself had enough to keep me watching through till the end. A one-time watch for those with a stomach for director Neil Marshall’s usual dose of blood and gore.

Remember Michael Haneke’s Funny Games in 1997? Well, the director has remade the film in 2008 with a different cast. The story was a kick in the groin the first time around, and it still packs a punch with the newer version. But the melancholy and the helplessness of the first film isn’t as strong in the later one. I don’t understand why someone would want to play around with an original! The answer escapes me… but you can definitely check out this film to draw your own comparisons.

But all was not lost this month – directors offered great fare as well. We had good drama in films like Snow Angels and Tyler Perry’s Meet The Browns. Both films take a look at human relationships on various levels and superb acting by all actors in both films ensured great viewing. Read my reviews on them for a better idea before checking out the films.

Comedy ruled with The Grand and The Hammer – while the first has actors participating in a real life poker tournament which makes for great laughs, the latter offers a middle aged man pursuing his dream of winning an Olympic gold in boxing. Excellent comic timing and detailed thought in making the films has ensured that the audience remains in splits throughout. Must watch for both!

Another comic caper that released this month is Drillbit Taylor. Funny in parts, the story has three teenage boys hiring a man to protect them from a high school bully. Owen Wilson and the boys offer good laughs but not consistent in the second half of the film. On the whole, not a bad film to waste an afternoon.

So, these are the films I thought were worth a mention this month – hits as well as misses. Will keep up the good work of reviewing and come back to you with more very soon… happy viewing till then!

[skydancer]

Great information. There was a great deal of variety in the March line ups. But it does look like the summer is going to make some great ones for all of us to watch!

[jaye]

I couldn't finish watching 10,000 BC -- it was awful and I turned it off after about 30 minutes. And what's with the fake looking monsters; the computer graphics were so corny looking like paper machete. The people who made this film should be ashamed to insult movie viewers.

[deanac24]

Yeah I watched 10,000 BC too and I fell asleep about half way through it. It was the worst movie I have ever seen. Okay maybe not the worst but pretty close. I do not recommend this movie to anyone unless you need something to put you to sleep.

[michaelinnc84]

10,000 BC was such a waste of time. I was excited about this film because it looked like it could be very interesting. Boy was I wrong. I wish they would spend a little more time on these films because this movie was rediculous.

[rob332]

I think the only three movies I've liked in the past several months were No Country For Old Men, Michael Clayton, and There Will Be Blood. That was around Oscar time, and I usually don't go for Oscar movies, but this time I was impressed. I'm not sure why a lot of movies are hit and miss, and I don't sense the enthusiasm for any of these flash-in-the-pan movies either. For some reason I'm a little hesitant to see The Hammer, because Adam Carolla (who does morning radio at KLSX-FM Los Angeles as his main gig) hasn't been in too many movies--he has done voiceover and other comedy work in TV and stage, but not too much in feature or indies--and I'm afraid it's going to be flat. They tried to get it out in small theaters, and after a few months, it's already sent out DVD sales. But I haven't seen it yet, so I've got to make the effort.

[gogo99]

10,000 BC is a long time...

[CleanX]

I watched Doomsday not too long ago, and I wasnt impressed, the commercials suggested amuch more interesting movie than what was filmed. Call me whatever, but I got lost so many times in that movie I thought I was Getting transported from Kansas in a Twister! But that is just my opinion, however I will give props to the visual effcts in the movie, they were very eye appealing.

[WAffen_Panzer]

My wife works Friday nights, so I make that movie night..

I go ahead and rent a movie, rather then go, so a couple weeks ago I rent 10,000 BC..

It was painfully boring and so difficult for me not to just turn off the tv, but seeing that I had paid $6.00 I felt obligated to watch it till the end..

Anyone thinking of seeing this I highly discourage wasting money on it.

[lktennis55]

I completely agree. 1000 BC was a total miss. The beginning seemed ok for me, but then the storyline just began to drag on and on and on.................
I didn't even finish it.