YES MAN

Plot:

Unable to deal with his divorce, Carl Allen (Carrey) begins to detach himself from his friends, co-workers and just having fun - period.He would rather stay at home watching rented movies than party with his best friends Peter (Cooper) and Rooney (Masterson) or his kooky boss who wants to be his friend Norman (Darby) who routinely throws these costume parties. Carl constantly uses the word "No" in his daily life, as a loan officer at a bank he denies every loan and any offers that are presented to him. This soon changes when he encounters an old friend Nick (Higgins) who strongly suggest that he attend a Yes seminar hosted by Terrence Bundley (Stamp), whose motto is say yes to everything. When Carl accepts the quest to say yes to everything, his life takes a tornado spin from a loner to mister popular to finding his true love.

Reel Talk:

It's been awhile since we have seen the silly and hilarious antics that made Jim Carrey the comedic genius he is. Now this is not an all out laugh fest movie but Carrey does what he does best to assure some laughs.So it was refreshing seeing him go old school in this film, because you will get a laugh. He does get a little help from his supporting cast with Zooey Deschanel playing his mysterious love interest, Rhys Darby as his boss Norman who wants to be the man badly and John Michael Higgins as Nick who was very funnyl . Oh yeah and not to mention the horny old lady that is his neighbor. Good movie to see, not only for the laughs but the subliminal messages that it provides about life and love.

Starring: Joim Carrey, Zooey Deschanel, Bradley Cooper, John Michael Higgins, Terence Stamp, Rhys Darby and Danny Masterson
Directed by: Peyton Reed
Rated: PG-13

I give it 3 and a half eaten corndogs

By: Corndog - The Reel Hustler

THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL

Plot:

In this remake of the classic 1951 movie of the same title, Keanu Reeves plays Klaatu, an alien sent to Earth along with a giant robot to destroy the inhabitants because they are living destructive lives anyway.Helen Benson (Connelly), a scientist summoned to assist with understanding the intentions of the extraterrestrial visitor along with her step-son Jacob (Smith) are the only ones with any chances in trying to convince Klaatu to spare the humans from extermination. With the giant robot standing guard of the enormous sphere that landed in the middle of Central Park, no holds barred Secretary of Defense Regina Jackson (Bates), feeling that the alien's intentions are hostile must do whatever she can to prevent any attack on the civilians of the United States.

Reel Talk:

I remember seeing the original as a little boy and being that it was the first movie enticing me with the idea of aliens from other planets, I was curious to see if the remake would have any renewed impact. Wee ell, they tried! They were not able to sell me on the alien issues. Although Keanu, with his robotic style acting was a good fit to play Klaatu, the rest of the acting was flat. It was like the film was just bouncing around trying to find the right direction to go into without succeeding. The special effects were decent, not spectacular. There was nothing about this movie that wowed me, it was just another day at the movies.

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Kathy Bates, Jaden Smith, John Cleese and Jon Hamm
Directed by: Scott Derrickson
Rated: PG-13

I give it 2 corndogs

By: Corndog - The Reel HustlerREMEMBER: IF IT'S NOT GROSSLYSTATED YOU AINT SAYING NOTHING

NOTHING LIKE THE HOLIDAYS

Plot:

It's Christmas time and Edy (Molina) and Anna (Pena) Rodriguez are looking forward to celebrating it with their children - returning Iraqi war hero Jesse (Rodriguez), broker Maricio (Leguizamo) along with his wife Sarah (Messing) and aspiring actress Roxanne (Ferlito). Also in on the celebration is family member Johnny (Guzman), family friend Ozzy (Hernandez) and a long lost love interest of Jesse's. Everything is suppose to be joyous until Anna announces that she wants to divorce Edy,that's when dark secrets and true feelings are revealed, leaving the dysfunctional family with a not so happy holiday.

Reel Talk:

Nothing like a good holiday movie. Holiday movies are pretty much all along the same format, you know, there is always a person or people that are not really in the holiday spirit but something happens that sparks the joy to everyone. This film offers no exception, but it is still a good movie. With the mostly all-star Latin cast, this is a touching and humorous film, with Leguizamo and Guzman naturally providing most of the humor.Now there are some unrealistic moments in this film, but overall a very enjoyable holiday movie.

Starring: Alfred Molina, Elizabeth Pena, Freddy Rodriguez, Luis Guzman, Jay Hernandez, John Leguizamo, Debra Messing and Vanessa Ferlito
Directed by: Alfredo DeVilla
Rated: PG-13

I give it 4 corndogs

By: Corndog - The Reel Husler

CADILLAC RECORDS

Plot:

Cadillac Records tells the true story - as narrated by Willie Dixon (Cedric The Entertainer), about Leonard Chess (Brody), a young man with dreams of marrying his dream girl and owning a Cadillac. To achieve this goal he starts a record label and signs a young sharecropper named Muddy Waters (Wright), a master on the slide guitar who along with a superior, but hothead young harmonica player named Little Walter (Short), together they help put Chess Records on the map. To keep the label afloat and to continue driving Cadillacs he later signs the talents of the Howlin' Wolf (Walker), Chuck Berry (Mos Def) and the fiery Etta James (Knowles) along with the song writing skills of Willie Dixon. But with the fame and fortune, came the problems, the drinking and drugs, and arrests and death, which soon brought the demise of the once powerhouse label.

Reel Talk:

Let me start by saying that Beyonce is starting to close the year with another sure to be blockbuster movie much like her other film Dreamgirls that closed out 2006. There are already buzzes about awards for the performances in this film and rightly so. If it were up to me (but its not) everyone would get an award. The performances were that good, from Wright who is a true rising star that shines in the role as Muddy, Short as Little Walter was outstanding, Walker who looks just like the menacing Howlin' Wolf (check the web for pics of the real Wolf). And Beyonce who has been trying to be acknowledged as an established actress might just get what she wants with this one. Then there is Brody as the smooth Chess, of course the hilarious Cedric The Entertainer and the talented and versatile Mos Def. It is truly a great cast assembled for a great movie. The best thing about movies depicting true stories is the history that they provide, I mean the knowledge that you learn about these musical legends is priceless. This is truly one of my "you must see movies".

Starring: Adrien Brody, Jeffrey Wright, Beyonce Knowles, Gabrielle Union, Columbus Short, Cedric The Entertainer, Eamonn Walker and Mos Def
Directed by: Darnell Martin Rated: R

I give it 5 corndogs and a soda

By: Corndog - The Reel Hustler

PUNISHER:WAR ZONE

Plot:

Ray Stevenson takes on the role of Frank Castle, a modest man who while on a picnic with his family witnesses a gangland hit and his wife and kids are then murdered, turning him into the vigilante killer The Punisher. While racking up piles of murders toward mobsters and gangs, he accidentlly murders an undercover Special agent while trying to get to his arch enemy gangster Billy Russoti (Dominic West), who later becomes Jigsaw because of a disfiguring accident. While he is feeling bad about the agent's death and wants to retire, Special Agent Budiansky (Salmon) is hot on his tail seeking revenge for his partner's death and Jigsaw along with his brother Loony Bin Jim (Hutchinson), go after the dead agents wife and daughter to recoup the gangster's missing money, causing the Punisher to serve up his own style of justice one last time.

Reel Talk:

Warning: For those who want to take the family out for a movie outing, this is not for the children. Unlike the previous Punisher movies, this one is far more violent and bloodier with scenes of bizaare cannibalism, butchery and lots of bullets.This one plays up on the various ways to kill people, mainly because it lacks any celebrity screen presence. But for blood and gore enthuiasts, they should enjoy this movie. It's not a great movie but an entertaining one.

Starring: Ray Stevenson, Dominic West, Doug Hutchinson, Colin Salmon and Wayne Knight
Directed by: Lexi Alexander
Rated: R

I give it 2 corndogs

By: Corndog - The Reel Hustler

MC Breed has died

Flint, Michigan rapper MC Breed has died at the age of 36 as a result of kidney failure.

According to the Detroit News, Breed died Saturday (November 22) at a friend's home.

Breed, whose given name was Eric Breed, had recently been wrestling with health issues and was admitted to a hospital in his adopted home of Atlanta in September after suffering from kidney failure. Breed was put on life support with his kidneys only at 30 percent functionality.

His condition improved and he was removed from life support.

Breed is best known for his hit "Ain't No Future In Yo' Frontin'."

QUANTUM OF SOLACE

Plot:

Daniel Craig returns as James Bond in this sequel to Casino Royale. This time Bond is on a mission of revenge, since the woman he loved was murdered during his last assignment. Despite the pleas to not make this a personal agenda by his boss M (Dench), he sets out to track a ruthless environmentalist with goals of taking over the water system in Bolivia, named Dominic Green (Amalric) who can lead him to the man that killed his lover. He soon teams up with the sexy but dangerous Camille (Kurylenko), who also wants Green to put her in touch with the brutal General of Bolivia that murdered her family. Together the two encounter death defying escapes and double dealing double crosses to get their man.

Reel Talk:

As I mentioned before when I reviewed Casino Royale, and take nothing away from Craig who I think is a good actor, but it's hard placing him in the Bond role. The charming wit and one liners, along with the flashy gadgets are missed - weren't those the things that made the agent famous? Signature watches and drinks - Gone! Previous Bonds never took anything seriously, Craig barely breaks a smile and what about the villains, they used to be charismatic as well. Now don't get me wrong the action is awesome in this film, which makes for a good action movie, but just not a good James Bond movie. So if you are an action junkie you will enjoy this one, but if you are a true Bond fan, you will probably be disappointed

Starring: Daniel Craig, Olga Kurylenko, Mathieu Amalric, Judi Dench, Giancarlo Giannini and Jeffrey Wright
Directed by: Marc Forster
Rated: PG-13

I give it 3 corndogs

By: Corndog - The Reel Hustler

ROLE MODELS

Plot:

Facing life with a ho-hum attitude Danny (Rudd), who just wont even try to enjoy life, causes his live-in girlfriend Beth (Banks), to break up with him. Unable to deal with it Danny has a breakdown that puts him and co-worker/want to be his friend Wheeler (Scott) into some serious legal troubles. Beth, an attorney, manages to keep the duo from going to jail but they must conduct community service at a youth mentoring camp run by no b.s. founder Gail Sweeny (Lynch). Both guys may have met their match, womanizer Wheeler is placed with Ronnie (Thompson), 4 ft of foul mouth dynamite and Danny with Augie (Mintz-Plasse), a cape wearing dungeons and dragons fantasizer whose has a crush on a girl but is afraid to tell her. The guys must do whatever to win their partners over so that they can stay out of jail.

Reel Talk:

Paul Rudd plays one of the best non chalant characters in this film and some of his previous movies. It's almost like that's how he really is as a person, dry and humorless. Sean William Scott is just naturally funny, got sorta like a Jim Carrey vibe. Together the two work which provides a funny movie. Jane Lynch as the former drug addict turn mentoring camp founder is hilarious as well as Bobb'e J. Thompson's constant swearing character Ronnie. Although it gets to a point when you say, ok somebody needs to pop this little guy in the mouth (mainly his mother). Christopher Mintz-Plasse following up his super performance in Superbad, puts in another good performance as the shy but heroic Augie. If you need a good pick me up movie, this is a movie worth catching for the laughs.

Starring: Sean William Scott, Paul Rudd, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Elizabeth Banks, Bobb'e J. Thompson and Jane Lynch
Directed by: David Wain
Rated: R

I give it 3 corndogs

By: Corndog - The Reel Hustler

SOUL MEN

Plot:

Group members Louis Hinds (Jackson) and Floyd Henderson (Mac) - who haven't spoken to each other in over 20 years, are asked to perform at the Apollo Theater for a concert honoring their recently deceased lead singer Marcus Hooks (Legend) who left the group high and dry to pursue a promised solo career. Trying to get the two together is like mixing gas and fire, you're bound to get a explosive reaction, because of the bad history between them (Floyd stole Louis' wife). While on their road trip to New York, they decide to drop in on the woman they both loved, only to find that she has passed and had a daughter who is now grown, with the question of whose the father? Cleo (Leal) who now lives with her abusive wanna be thug boyfriend Lester (Crockett), decides to hit the road with the duo, to see how it is to be an entertainer. But this won't be an easy journey for the group as they encounter all types of obstacles on their way to the reunion concert.

Reel Talk:

Right off the rip, this was one funny movie. Honestly I don't think there was one moment that I didn't laugh. R.I.P. to Bernie Mac, but why is it that when an actor passes, their last film turns out to be their best performance (remember Heath Ledger R.I.P.). This was Mac at his best, as they say in entertainment "he left it all out on there on the stage". Samuel L. Jackson plays the perfect compliment to Mac's character, making up most of the laughs. Even with smaller parts, these actors proved to be scene stealers: Adam Herschman as the entertainment company gopher, Affion Crockett as the rapping thug Lester and Mike Epps' cameo will have you rolling with laughter. There's also cameo appearance from porn legend Vanessa Del Rio and the late great legendary soul singer Isaac Hayes (R.I.P.). I know most of you may be like me and cut out at the beginning of the credits, but you may want to stick around for this one. Director Malcolm D. Lee does a good job of honoring the two deceased legends (Mac and Hayes) with special out takes from the films taping. Must see movie to see comedy at its best.

Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Bernie Mac, Sharon Leal, Sean Hayes, John Legend, Affion Crockett, Adam Herschman, Isaac Hayes and Vanessa Del Rio
Directed by: Malcolm D. Lee
Rated: R

I give it 5 corndogs and a soda

By: Corndog - The Reel Hustler

ROCKNROLLA

Plot:

In London, where real estate is gold, gangster Lenny Cole (Wilkinson) along with his right hand man Archie (Strong) rule the city's real estate business.When One Two (Butler) and Mumbles (Elba), members of a thug club called the Wild Bunch who do short order work for Lenny try to purchase property but come up short on cash, they must come up with a plan fast or catch a cold from Lenny (a term referring to being murdered). Things appear to look up for the boys when Stella, an high powered accountant with a thirst for danger, hires the Wild Bunch to rob her client (a Russian gangster who is trying to build a stadium in London) of seven million dollars. Things continue to go wrong when the Russian's lucky painting that he lends to Lenny is stolen by a crackhead rocker named Johnny Quid (Kebbell).

Reel Talk:

Having enjoyed Guy Ritchie's previous movies, I can say I was not disappointed with RocknRolla. It is a movie filled with everything from action, comedy, intrigue and corruption. The casting is by far Ritchie's best, from Wilkinson as Lenny, Butler and Elba as thugs, Newton as the sultry accountant, to the smaller roles provided by Jeremy Piven and Ludacris who play entertainment managers who get caught up in the middle of all the chaos. All around a good movie to go check out.

Starring: Gerard Butler, Idris Elba, Tom Wilkinson, Thandie Newton, Mark Strong, Jeremy Piven, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges and Tobey Kebbell
Directed by: Guy Ritchie
Rated: R

I give it 4 corndogs

By: Corndog - The Reel Hustler