My Movie Reviews

Release Date: 13 March 2009
Time: 1 hr 38 min
Distributor: Walt Disney Pictures
Rating: PG
My Rating: PG
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, AnnaSophia Robb, Alexander Ludwig
Grade: B+

Synopsis: Former professional wrestler Dwayne Johnson (aka "The Rock") makes family-friendly fare with director Andy Fickman’s (THE GAME PLAN) sci-fi adventure, RACE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN. Johnson plays Jack Bruno, a surly former felon who is trying to stay out of trouble by driving a cab in Las Vegas and who embarks upon the adventure of a lifetime when two teens appear in his taxi and need a ride to (seemingly) the middle of nowhere. He quickly realizes that the mysterious siblings, Sara (AnnaSophia Robb) and Seth (Alexander Ludwig), are far from average--especially when they are pursued by a villain wearing a high-tech suit of armor. With the help of Dr. Alex Friedman (Carla Gugino), the trio travels to Witch Mountain, a secret government outpost in the Nevada desert, with the hopes of evading their pursuers and sending Sara and Seth home--and saving Earth in the process. This latest installment in the Witch Mountain series comes more than 30 years after the release of the first two films, ESCAPE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN and RETURN FROM WITCH MOUNTAIN. Kim Richards and Ike Eisenmann, who played siblings Tia and Tony in the original films, appear in small but pivotal roles as a waitress and a sheriff. Johnson makes Bruno likable, even though the character barely likes himself. Robb and Ludwig are well cast as the earnest siblings who hold the fate of the world in their hands. Chase scenes abound and special effects that highlight the teens’ special powers are prevalent, but the film remains kid-friendly. Cheech Marin and Garry Marshall make brief cameo appearances

My Review: I've been meaning to watch this film for sometime. I found the film quite entertaining and I enjoyed all of it. Dwayne Johnson gives a good performance and as always has his moments. The kids he meet are pretty good in the film as well and I thought that Dwayne and AnnaSophia had a great on screen relationship going. This film is fast paced and funny which made it great.

Recommend: This is one for the whole family to enjoy.

Release Date: 20 June 2008
Time: 1 hr 50 min
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Rating: PG-13
My Rating: PG-13
Starring: Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Dwayne Johnson
Grade: B+

Synopsis: 40-Year-Old Virgin star Steve Carell steps into the telephonic shoes of television's most beloved bumbling detective in this big-screen adaptation of the hit 1960s-era comedy series created by Mel Brooks. The evil geniuses at KAOS have hatched a diabolical plot to dominate every living man, woman, and child on the planet, and their plot gets under way as they attack the headquarters of the U.S. spy agency Control. As a result of the attack, the identity of every agent working for Control has been compromised. Realizing that the only way to thwart KAOS' evil plan is to promote eager but inexperienced Control analyst Maxwell Smart (Carell) to the rank of special agent, the Chief (Alan Arkin) reluctantly teams Smart with Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway) -- a veteran super-spy whose beauty is only surpassed by her lethality. With no real field experience to speak of and nothing but sheer enthusiasm and a handful of fancy spy gadgets to help him accomplish his deadly mission, Maxwell Smart his new partner, Agent 99, will be forced to faces malevolent KAOS head Siegfried (Terence Stamp) and his loyal army of minions in a decisive fight that will determine the fate of the free world. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, David Koechner, Terry Crews, and Ken Davitian co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

My Review: This film was funny at times. There were times when it felt like it was crawling along. I thought the film got better as the film went along. I thought the story between Carell and Hathaway was pretty good and better than I was expecting because to me it seems like Carell is much older. The film definitely had its laughs - especially the dance scene.

Recommend: Family film. This movie was fun and funny. The kids will like it as well because of the action.