Reviews

I am a huge fan of the Inkheart trilogy, so I was really excited to see this movie! For those who have read the boo, there are quite a few adaptations (some of which prevent a sequel) However, I still enjoyed it. It's hard to make a near 600 page book into a 1:45 movie.

Inkheart follows the story of Meggie and Mo Folchart. Mo possesses the ability to read things out of books, but with one consequence--whenever something is read out, something goes into the book. A brush-in with one of the characters Mo has read out, the Folcharts are thrust into an action-packed adventure with many of the wicked characters that were read out of "Inkheart." With many twists and turns, the secrets of this book and Mo's power are revealed.

Fraser was fine as Mo--Not bad, not great. He didn't show a lot of emotion. Apparently, the author, Cornelia Funke, modeled Mo after him. Eliza Bennett was a good Meggie. It was odd, though, that she had a British accent while Mo did not. I accepted that perhaps Mo was raised in the US, while she was raised in England. Bettany was absolutely incredible as Dustfinger!!! Definitely the star of the show! His ever-changing emotions, facial expressions, and internal struggle were all perfect. Helen Mirren was very entertaining as the outspoken and quirky aunt. Jim Broadbent was just as I imagined Fenoglio, and had some great one-liners. There are several other key characters, and most were good in their roles. Overall, I thought the cast was pretty rock-solid.

The settings and effects were amazing! Many were exactly how I pictured them in the book!! The special effects are definitely some of the best--Comprable to the "Pirates" and "Harry Potter" series. Absolutely magical.

I would recommend this movie to almost everyone--Young, old, boys, girls, those who have read the book, and those who haven't. The only people who might not enjoy it are those who do not like movies that change the books in some large aspects. Overall, I give this movie an 8/10. It held my attention the entire time, and everyone in the theater seemed to enjoy it. Inkheart effectively combines emotion, action, mystery, and humor to create a truly compelling story.

I personally am not a Hannah Montana or Miley fanatic, but I truly enjoy "Hannah Montana." I don't get the Disney Channel, so I had only seen the few episodes they play on Saturday mornings. I then looked up the rest of the series on the internet, and I'm about halfway through the first season. And I have to say, I've been pleasantly surprised. I'm not a huge fan of Disney Channel shows, other than That's So Raven. Hannah Montana is probably the next best Disney Show after that. It follows the life of Miley Stuart (played by Miley Cyrus), who lives a double life as pop-superstar Hannah Montana. She chooses to keep her identity secret so her peers won't swarm over her and treat her differently. Each episode shows a different aspect of Miley's life, as she learns the values of friendship and life in general. Miley Cyrus definitely has both singing and acting talent. Most of the cast is great, especially Emily Osment (who plays Lily, Miley's best friend, who is a little ditsy) and Mitchel Musso (who plays Oliver, Miley's best guy friend, a bit of a clutz). Jason Earles is good as Miley's off-beat brother, and the episodes featuring Cody Linley as Miley's boyfriend/friend are especially entertaining. Billy Ray Cyrus, who plays Miley's dad, is definitely the worst actor on the show, but it doesn't distract too much from the plots. I'm not sure why people rip on this show so much. Sure, it can be cheesy, and it's hard to believe that no one would recognize her as Hannah Montana, but so what? The show is still cute and refreshing in a time of repetitive reality contests and medical shows. People also say that Miley disrespects her friends, and sends the message that being cool is everything, but I disagree. Yes, she gets angry with her friends, but she always resolves the problem. I never get the idea she feels the need to be cool, either. By no means are her friends and her popular in school, nor do they give in to peer pressures. The show is mainly geared towards a female audience of the early teen years. Some of the plot lines follow boyfriends and social problems typically found in high school or middle school, but others follow more simple friendship lines. However, I know all ranges of people who enjoy it. I am a 16 year old female. Most of my friends enjoy it, as does my 10-year-old cousin, my mom, and even my uncle!

I give Hannah Montana an 8/10, and encourage you to check it out.

Step Brothers, starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly, delivers pretty much what you would expect from this duo. Profane, ridiculous, and outlandish humor, with little story line.

The basic plot is this: two middle-aged men, each with a single parent whom they still live with, become step brothers when their parents marry. They hate each other at first, but then become best friends. Their parents then decide they should get their own jobs and move out. They help each other discover their capabilities, blah blah blah...the plot is mostly lost anyways. What really matters is that there are 2 middle-aged men acting like 10 year olds.

There are some gut-bursting laughs and one-liners in this movie. Most of the film is filled with just senseless, stupid humor, as is with most Ferrell films. However, some things went a little too far, and the swearing went a little overboard. Yes, I know the movie is rated R, but the movie would've been fine without all of the crudeness.

I'm not a huge Ferrell fan, but I thought he and Reilly had great chemistry, and delivered the comedy well. They both really seemed to be 10-year-olds trapped in a middle-aged body, which seemed to be the whole point of the movie--laugh at some immature adults. I think there could've been a bit more story line, and this coming from me, a HUGE stupid-humor and slapstick fan! I think this is one of my favorite Ferrell movies, and overall the movie delivers what it promises--big laughs. 7/10

"The Final Season," from the director of the Sandlot, is based on the true story of the Norway, Iowa high school baseball team. Norway is a small Iowa town who holds a lot of pride in its baseball team, who has won 19 state titles in 24 years. When the school board threatens to merge the school with the large school of Madison, the town is enraged. They disagree with all of the boards claims and reasons for merging the school, and hate to see their baseball team and players disappear. Will the team get to play another season? Will the school be merged, or will it stay independent? The acting is pretty good, although at times the actors seem to be reading off a prompter. These incidents are few and far apart, however. The movie is a bit predictable, but isn't that the nature of sports films? It is still a fantastic movie that will be enjoyed by not only baseball fans, but sports fans is general. I recommend this movie for all ages. The film overall is inspiring, emotional, and entertaining. I strongly recommend you see this movie.

I just watched Meet Bill last night, and while it wasn't fantastic, it was definitely worth the watch.

This movie follows the main character Bill, who, after a series of downfalls, realizes life isn't going they way he wanted. He then offers to mentor a rich, self-assured high school student. In the end, the student more or less ends up mentoring Bill, and helps him to change his views on life.

I thought the chemistry between Logan Lerman (the kid) and Aaron Eckhart (Bill) was fantastic! they both did a great job with their role, and stole the whole show. These roles were out of style for both actors--I've never seen Eckhart do comedy, and Lerman's character was much more rebellious than usual. It just shows the talent of both actors, especially the versatility of Lerman. The rest of the supporting characters were slightly under-developed.

The style of comedy in this movie is more..."old school" in my opinion. It's not slap-stick or non-stop laughter, but the comedy is inter-weaved throughout the film, with several vary funny scenes and one-liners. I would say the film is geared toward audiences from the mid 20s to mid 40s. However, I am a 16 year old female, and I enjoyed the film.

The plot does get lost a bit, and some characters are under-developed, but overall it's a good independent film. Is it the best or funniest movie you'll ever see? Probably not. But it delivers a style of comedy not found often these days, and if you connect with the style and the story, you will definitely like this movie.

I personally love the first Sandlot, and didn't hate the second one. Many people complained the second one was too copy-cat, and ruined the first movie. For this reason, I think many people will decide not to watch this film, as they only expect the worst. The Sandlot 3, however, is very different from the original, and is as well-acted as the first. Tommy, a cocky pro baseball player, is sent back to re-live his childhood when he is struck by a baseball. He has the mind of his 41 year old self, but is in his own 12-year old body. He learns many lessons along the way, and changes the course of his whole life. It's a familiar story line, but it works. It was really fun to see the original actor who played Squints back in this movie! I thought all of the child actors did a good job, especially Keneau Pires (Tommy...who is very good-looking, by the way=]) And Alexander Ludwig (EJ) I think those two did especially well with their roles. Most people probably are familiar with Ludwig, but Pires was a pleasant surprise. This is a wholesome movie with some funny parts, and is entertaining the whole way through. I would definitely watch the special features. I liked the deleted scene, and the video montage with Ludwig and Pires.Overall this movie is an improvement over the second, and definitely is in league with the first one. I watched this with a group of friends (all 16 year olds) and everyone seemed to enjoy it a lot. Don't let your hatred towards the second Sandlot film stop you from seeing this one.

This show is one of the reasons I wish I had cable! Zoey 101 is one of those shows that is so cheesy you just have to love it! I think the intended age group is 12-17 year olds, but I know several adults who enjoy it. It is about a group of teenage kids who go to a boarding school that is accepting female students for the first time. Despite a young cast, the acting is surprisingly good. The following members I will talk about are the cast members of the newer seasons. Jamie Lynn Spears does a good job as the relaxed, calm main character, but I think is the weakest of the actors. Christopher Massey 's character is indifferent to all the problems, and acts as the mediator of the group. Sean Flynn does a great job of the lovable nerd, I absolutely love his character! Erin Sanders is great as the girl dork, and her voice fits the part so well! Matthew Underwood plays a stereo-typical guy, and does a fantastic job! (Not to mention he's very good looking...)Victoria Justice does a good job as the bubbly new comer, and the part seems to come naturally to her. Paul Butcher is adorable as Zoey's little brother, and you have to love him! I would definitely give this show a shot. It has the innocent, cheesy humor that today's TV is missing. It's one of those shows you watch, and you either want to be acting in it, or live like they do! Who says shows HAVE to be realistic? People keep writing reviews that it's not realistic. Who cares? How boring would a show about kids going through their school classes be? I really like this show, and hope my review helped you!

After hearing a lot of negative comments about this movie, and how poor the acting was, I expected it to be one of the worst movies I would ever watch.

However, I actually thought the acting was very good in some points. Bree Turner was AMAZING as Tina!!! She played her role as nasty head cheerleader so well I actually wanted to go in there and tell her off! Her part was so believable, and I think she deserves props for her acting skills.

I thought the plot line was OK, but a bit copy-cat of the original. Some parts of the movie were hard to believe and a little corny, but I don't think it distracted too much from the overall message. Although the original was much better, I don't think this movie was a complete downfall.