Movie: The Simpsons Movie (PG-13)
Released: July 27th, 2007
Runtime: 1 hr. 27 min.
Ticket Price: $7.50 Matinee
Refreshments: Lg. Pop Corn and Lg. Cherry Coke
Starring: Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith & Hank Azaria
Director: David Silverman

Rating: Worth a Full Price Ticket

Synopsis: Homer creates a catastrophe that he must then save us all from. It turns out that Homer, his pet pig and a leaky silo full of droppings are not a good combination. The family barely escapes when a mob converges on the Simpson house. The problem is so bad that the president and the EPA have taken note. Homer then attempts to redeem himself and be forgiven by Marge all while saving the town and the world from ultimate doom.

Review: The Simpsons Movie is the funniest movie I have seen this year. Granted, I have yet to see Knocked Up, which is said to have been really good, but the Simpson clan has done themselves very well.

If you like The Simpsons or are a fan of pop culture satire or just laughing in general, then this is the movie for you. From the opening scene until the familiar Gracie Films logo and sound effect play, laughing is what you’ll be doing.

The Simpsons Movie shows that a movie with a background story of saving the environment can actually be worth watching, unlike Evan Almighty. But, it is more than that. They take a shot at just about everything. From government to movies to religion, nothing goes unscathed.

As with the TV show, sight gags abound. You really have to keep you eyes on the screen, so you don’t miss anything. I am trying to resist the urge to mention some of them, as it is more fun finding them on your own.

Yet, the movie is a bit more risqué in places than the TV show, as a naked skateboarding Bart or Homer flipping the bird to the town mob would probably never make it to air on broadcast TV.

The Simpsons Movie is worth a full price ticket and if you go see it, remember not to get up at the first sign of the credits rolling, as there is still some fun to be had, which about two-thirds, of the packed theater I was in, missed in their haste to get out of the theater.

What did you think of The Simpsons Movie?

This week there are eight new movies being released. Four open wide and four are in limited release.

Opening Nationwide on Friday, July 27th:

Movie: I Know Who Killed Me (R)
Starring: Lindsay Lohan, Julia Ormond & Neil McDonough
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Synopsis: A young woman who has a talent for the piano and a desire to be a writer gets abducted by a serial killer. Upon her rescue she tells everyone that she is not who they think she is. This brings up questions as to whether she is just suffering from such a traumatic event or if something more is going on.
First Thoughts: She may know who killed her, but does she know whom the cocaine belongs to?

Movie: No Reservations (PG)
Starring: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Aaron Eckhart & Abigail Breslin
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Synopsis: An intimidating Master chef who lives her life like she is running her trendy Manhattan eatery kitchen, in a no-nonsense intense way. Kate’s a perfectionist and when she has to take on her 9-year-old niece and at the same time deal with her new impetuous sous-chef, all bets are off. When rivalry becomes romance, Kate has to find a way to express herself beyond what she knows in the kitchen.
First Thoughts: Could be decent. Will probably see it someday, but not this weekend.

Movie: The Simpsons Movie (PG-13) (Read Review)
Starring: Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith & Hank Azaria
Genre: Animated Comedy
Synopsis: Homer creates a catastrophe that he must then save us all from. It turns out that Homer, his pet pig and a leaky silo full of droppings are not a good combination. The family barely escapes when a mob converges on the Simpson house. The problem is so bad that the president and the EPA have taken note. Homer then attempts to redeem himself and be forgiven by Marge all while saving the town and the world from ultimate doom.
First Thoughts: This is one of the movies I have been looking forward to this summer. Spider-Pig makes me laugh every time I see the commercial.

Movie: Who’s Your Caddy? (PG-13)
Starring: Antwan Andre Patton, Andy Milonakis, Faizon Love & Finesse Mitchell
Genre: Comedy
Synopsis: A superstar rapper tries to join a country club and is denied entry. Not one to take no for an answer, he buys land next to it and uses it to gain entry into the club. Once inside, he and his crew set about to mess with the stuffy club. The members try and get him ejected, but he finds out about his families secret golf history and sets out to fight them at every turn.
First Thoughts: The title is funny, but I have a feeling this is no Caddyshack and probably not even a Caddyshack 2.

Movies in Limited Release this Friday:

• Arctic Tale – Nature movie about polar bears and seals.
• Moliere – A comedy drama period piece.
• No End in Sight – Documentary about the fall of Baghdad and the aftermath with footage from government officials.
• This is England – Coming of age period film about a boy who lost his father and joins a skinhead gang and ends up on the wrong side of things.

The movies Introducing the Dwights, Rescue Dawn, Sunshine and Talk to Me all expand to more theaters this week.

For New Movie Friday there are four new movies at a theater near me this week. They are I Know Who Killed Me, No Reservations, The Simpsons Movie and Who’s Your Caddy? What new movie will you be heading out to see this week?

Movie: I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (PG-13)
Released: July 20th, 2007
Runtime: 1 hr. 50 min.
Ticket Price: $7.50 Matinee
Refreshments: Swedish Fish
Starring: Adam Sandler, Kevin James & Jessica Biel
Director: Dennis Dugan

Rating: Check it Out When it Hits the Likes of HBO or Showtime

Synopsis: A firefighter who has lost his wife finds out that his children will not receive his pension if something happened to him on the job, due to his error in waiting to long to make the switch. To get around this he needs to be married, but with no prospects, he asks his buddy to be his domestic partner. In doing so, they inadvertently become front-page news. This leads to some outrageous situations where they must try to keep the façade up, especially when a government worker starts to become suspicious of that their relationship is a fake.

Review: I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry should have been titled, I Now Pronounce You Completely Unfunny. It wasn’t Norbit bad, but it was trying really hard. If jokes based on gay stereotypes, Adam Sandler’s character incessantly wondering why everyone assumes he’s the girl in the relationship and fat jokes are your thing, then by all means, check out Chuck and Larry. If not, then this movie should be avoided.

The only redeeming thing about this movie is Jessica Biel (Next, The Illusionist), who is, as always, beautiful to watch on screen. She does what she can with the material provided, but mostly her assets, other than acting, are on display, as she is basically just eye candy for the junior high and high school boys that will probably be this movie’s core audience.

Unfortunately for them, they will also get an eye full of way more of Ving Rhames (Mission: Impossible, Dawn of the Dead) than you would ever care to see, along with a few others. This, along with much of the attempted humor, makes me wonder, how could’ve this movie received a PG-13 rating? Other than, without it, their core audience wouldn’t have been able to see it.

I laughed a couple of times and chuckled a couple more, but that isn’t a whole lot over the course of an hour and 50 minutes. When a theater is relatively full, as it was here, and a movie is actually funny, you usually hear one giant laugh in unison or you don’t really notice it at all because of that. But, when a movie isn’t funny, as it was here, you hear a smattering of laughter here and there. It is also never a good sign when you laugh more in the 10 minutes of previews for upcoming comedies than you do in the whole movie you have just paid to see. Not that any of those upcoming flicks will actually live up to their trailers, it just isn’t a good sign.

You may want to check it out when it hits the likes of HBO or Showtime, but only if you are one of those few comedically demented people mentioned above or you just have no life and need something to pass the time on some lonely Saturday night. But, even then, there has to be something else on that is better, doesn’t there?

Feel free to pronounce your thoughts on Chuck and Larry in the comments.

Nice to be back to movies opening on Friday again, as this week there are five new movies being released. Two open wide and three are in limited release.

Opening Nationwide on Friday, July 20th:

Movie: Hairspray (PG)
Starring: John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, Nikki Blonsky, Amanda Bynes, James Marsden & Queen Latifah
Genre: Musical
Synopsis: It is the 1960s and a Baltimore teen who loves to dance tries out for a spot on “The Corny Collins Show” and gets it. Once there, she becomes an overnight sensation and people start to follow her lead in dance and fashion. Maybe this newfound celebrity could be used to bring down the reigning dance queen of the show and racially integrate it. It is based on the 1988 film and the Broadway musical it inspired.
First Thoughts: This seems like one of those, you got to see it, to understand what it is that people like about it. Because, from the trailers and commercials, it just looks dumb.

Movie: I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (PG-13) (Read Review)
Starring: Adam Sandler, Kevin James & Jessica Biel
Genre: Comedy
Synopsis: A firefighter who has lost his wife finds out that his children would not receive his pension if something happened to him on the job. To get around this he needs to be married, but with no prospects, he asks his buddy to be his domestic partner. In doing so, they inadvertently become from page news. This leads to some outrageous situations where they must try to keep the façade up, especially when a government worker starts to become suspicious of what their relationship actually is.
First Thoughts: Could be funny. Could devolve into a giant pile of stereotypical joke retreads that aren’t very funny. Sounds right up Adam Sandler’s alley though.

Movies in Limited Release this Friday:

• Cashback – A man who has recently had his girlfriend break up with him develops insomnia. He decides that he should get a job and be paid for these extra hours he now has. Quirky drama ensues.
• Goya’s Ghost – Biographical drama set during the Spanish Inquisition with Natalie Portman playing the muse of artist Francisco Goya.
• Sunshine – Sci-fi drama set fifty years in the future where the sun is starting to die out. A team set out in a spaceship with a device that is supposed to pump up the juice of the fading star.

The movie Introducing the Dwights continues to expand to more theaters this week.

For New Movie Friday there are four new movies at a theater near me this week. They are Hairspray, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, Cashback and Goya’s Ghost. What new movie will you be heading out to see this week?