Nuke's Blog
Periodic ramblings by an old geek…

Stargate Atlantis: Season 5 (2008)

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I didn’t realize this was the final season of SG: Atlantis until after watching the final episode and wondering how the series picked up next.  What I did find out was that there might be some direct-to-DVD movie(s) produced to continue and/or finish off the story.  Guess I’ll have to continue to get my SG fix through SG: Universe, which I enjoy better than this version anyway (it’s a bit more serious).

 

The Book of Eli (2010)

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I have to admit to watching this twice before really catching how good it was.  The first time I simply wasn’t paying enough attention, and missed some of the best content while watching in my peripheral vision.  This is a well-done post-apocalyptic movie, and Denzel plays his part very well.

 

The Road (2009)

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While I think this was an incredibly well-done post-apocalyptic movie as well, it was simply not fun.  It was quite graphic and far too depressing to enjoy by the end.  In other words, a fairly realistic look at what a post-apocalyptic world would be like is simply too much to take.  Viggo played his part well, by the way.  If you like this kind of thing, and don’t mind being depressed, this might garner an easy 5-star rating.

 

The Karate Kid (2010)

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This remake of the 1984 Pat Morita/Ralph Macchio classic would better be named The Kung-Fu Kid, though I imagine it wouldn’t have sold as well.  It roughly follows most of the plot from the original, and tends to be just as fun as I remember.  Jackie Chan causes several good laughs, making a great replacement for Pat.  However, what really dragged it down for me was the “romance” between the two 12-year old’s (Will Smith’s kid and some other girl), and they even looked younger than that.  I think it would have been a far better movie if the kids were in their late teens like the original.

 

The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009)

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Well, this seemed to have some awesome potential, getting quirkier and funnier by the minute (even though one of my least-favorite actors, George Clooney, is on-screen too much).  However, as the movie progressed closer and closer to the end, it eventually became apparent that it wasn’t going to go anywhere at all… and it came through on that in spades.  Oh man, was I so annoyed as the credits rolled.

 

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (2010)

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This was really, really close to a 5-star movie.  I simply had to hold back to not insult those other flicks I’ve given that rating to.  Also, though it was quite neat to see the homage paid to the Disney cartoon in the middle of the movie (yes, there are dancing mops), it took up too much time and was just too dorky.  Speaking of dorky, the actor playing the apprentice made a perfect geek-turned-magician.  This movie is laugh-out-loud funny, and is a definite must see, even if you can’t normally stand Nicolas Cage anymore.

 

Edge of Darkness (2009)

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I definitely got my hopes up too much, getting excited to watch another thriller/action flick with Mel Gibson at the helm.  Within the first few minutes of the movie, his daughter is murdered so abruptly and in such a disgustingly violent manner that I ended up going back to doing something else while it continued to play.  I simply couldn’t pay attention to it anymore and should have just shut it off.  Oh, and his accent was quite annoying, no matter how little I was paying attention.

 

Alice in Wonderland (2010)

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The family ended up watching this twice the weekend we had it, so it definitely passed the “T and kids” test.  I enjoyed it as well… the animation was great, the story had a new, fresh feel to it, but what holds it back for me is Johnny Depp’s presence on the screen.  He’s been playing the same quirky character in far too many movies lately, and I simply can’t take it anymore.

 

Letters to God (2010)

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Produced by the same folks as Fireproof and Facing the Giants, this is another fairly well-done Christian-based film.  It has a good message based somewhat on a true story, and walks us through another set of folks as they come to faith or are bolstered in their faith.  Check it out if you enjoy these types of movies.

 

The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009)

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Thanks to Brian for loaning me the sequel to the first flick.  I haven’t read the books, and I don’t plan to, but I understand pretty much every girl out there loves them.  The movies are fairly well-done themselves, especially if you get a kick out of vampire and/or werewolf action.  While that’s not one of my favorite genres, I still enjoy these enough to keep watching.

 

The Red Baron (2008)

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This was more enjoyable and felt possibly more accurate than the recent Flyboys version of the early days of aviation fighting during WWI.  I haven’t gone down the rabbit hole to find out how many things are totally wrong, and I guess this time I don’t care.  Perhaps I’m finally growing out of my obsession with rabbit holes?  Oh man, I just realized I reviewed Alice in Wonderland up above and didn’t mention anything about rabbit holes.  Can’t believe I forgot to do that.  I’m losing my edge.

 

Whip It (2009)

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What could be more fun that watching two hours of roller derby?  I can think of lots of things, now that I’ve sat through it.  It seemed like such a great idea back when I added it to my Netflix queue.  Silly me.  I must have added this sometime after watching Ellen Page in Juno, which was far more fun to sit through.

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