Movie Review
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U2 3D - National Geographic Films - Rated G
U2 3D is what you might expect from a U2 concert. Political, a bit preachy, and without the backstage extras you might expect, but is a well produced if somewhat sterile documentation of the band in concert. 3D adds a dimension but there is still a palpable disconnect. U2 fans should like it, but it probably won't make any new fans. I liked it, but it didn't blow me away. 3 Stars Out of 5
The Ugly Truth - Sony - Rated R
The Ugly Truth stars Gerard Butler and Katherine Heigl in a strictly by the book, formulaic romantic comedy that adds in a good dose of crass and rude situations and is actually funny at times. Butler and Heigl display some good chemistry, and there is a scene that will go down in infamy involving a pair of vibrating underwear at a restaurant. The movie might be mostly average, but it is never ugly. 3 Stars Out of 5
The Ultimate Gift The Ultimate Gift is well made and inspirational but suffers slightly from some cartoonish secondary characters. The main characters are all well acted while James Garner, Bill Cobb and Abigail Breslin steal the show. Here's a word of warning, it's a tearjerker. You'll probably need a box or so of tissues. But it's worth it. 3 ½ Stars Out of 5
Ultraviolet
Ultraviolet is a film packed with ultra-cheesy special effects, ultra-atrocious dialogue, worse acting and it's all done with an ultra-straight face! The bad guy has this thing in his nostrils that I guess is supposed to be some kind of filter but I laughed every time I saw it. Even the music is horrific! It sounds like it belongs in a 70's porn film. Ultraviolet is an unintentional ultra-laugh riot!
1 Star Out of 5
Unaccompanied Minors
There is nothing to like in Unaccompanied Minors. It's another spoiled brat, precocious kids behaving badly movie. Stay away at all costs. Atrocious plot, atrocious dialogue, atrocious kids, atrocious film. 1 ½ Stars Out of 5
The Unborn - Rogue Pictures - Rated PG-13
While it has a few good early jumps and PG-13 chills, and star Odette Yustman does look good in her underwear, The Unborn starts out promising but about a third of the way through, it degrades into a silly plotline involving the Nazi's and the holocaust, and borrows liberally from almost every horror movie convention, winding up with a mishmash monster-ghost yarn yawner. 2 ½ Stars Out of 5
Under the Tuscan Sun
In Under the Tuscan Sun Diane Lane just sparkles in a beautifully shot film. She is such a great actress, she could turn in a great performance reading the phone book. She is so much better than the other actors in this, they seem almost invisible. She is also much better than the script, which, while better than the phone book, is a bit contrived, leaves a few loose ends and fails to give us much more than a sketch of anything but the main character.3 Stars Out of 5
Underclassman
In Underclassman, Nick Cannon is appealing. The rest of the movie is not. There is nothing new in this bland, barely entertaining, run of the mill cop comedy that tries too hard and fails.
2 ½ Stars Out of 5
Undercover Brother
This is the funniest movie so far this year. The very talented Eddie Griffin has finally found his element. Chris Kattan can be hard to take at times, but is very funny here as the main bad guy working for "The Man." And don't leave when the credits start...you'll miss some very funny segments. Undercover Brother is.....Solid!4 Stars Out of 5
Underworld
Underworld has cool special effects and a unique feel but with some stolen conventions from The Matrix and Blade. This also takes a lot of liberties with the vampire and werewolf legends. And I had my doubts, but Kate Beckensale pulls it off…No masterpiece here, but it is entertaining.3 Stars Out of 5
Underworld Evolution
I was bothered with Underworld Evolution by a muddled plot and hard to identify characters, along with the look of the film being so dark that sometimes I couldn't tell what was going on. What I could see was buckets and buckets of blood. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing, but here it seems like excess. It has its moments, but this is not nearly as good as the first. 2 ½
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans - Sony - Rated R
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans wasn't screened for critics. That's because the studio knew that this prequel stinks as bad as the decaying flesh between a werewolf's fangs. It suffers from bad casting, bad writing, and a paper thin plot. It's so dark, it's hard to tell what is going on, and it's boring! There's too much talk. I've never seen vampires talk so much! Talk, talk, talk. But what they say is sometimes downright silly…awful even. It's all bark and no bite. 1 ½ Stars Out of 5
Undiscovered
Ashlee Simpson DOES lip-sync in Undiscovered. And her Dad is one of the producers. So of course, she lip-syncs a lot in it. The film is like a low rent version of "The O.C." crossed with "Fame" but worse. It has cheesy dialog that tries to sound current by adding references to blogs and google. This is an overblown soap opera that feels as contrived as Ashlee's recording career. 1 Star Out of 5
Unfaithful
I marveled at the acting ability of Diane Lane in the first half of Unfaithful. You really see her inner conflict as she begins her adulterous affair. The second half of the movie is when Richard Gere really shines. There is loads of tension in this very fascinating, sometimes difficult to watch film, with great acting performances and an interesting ending.4 Stars Out of 5
An Unfinished Life
An Unfinished Life has been sitting on the shelf for two years. That's usually an indication that the studio knows it's a bad movie. In this case, nothing could be farther from the truth. This is a wonderfully rich character driven movie with great performances by every member of the cast. Robert Redford is the best he's been in years, Morgan Freeman is always great, and it even made me like Jennifer Lopez again. It's beautifully filmed with breathtaking scenery, and is a great movie that you won't want to miss. 4 ½ Stars Out of 5
The Uninvited - Paramount - Rated PG-13
The Uninvited is a remake of the Korean film A Tale of Two Sisters. And that's a lot of its problem. It has too many typical Asian horror film conventions. It seems cobbled together. There are a few good jumps and chills but no real suspense. The twist ending turns everything on its head but doesn't really work, and doesn't make any sense. Neither does the title. Who was uninvited? No one in the movie, so it must be the audience. 2 Stars Out of 5
United 93
It's not too soon for United 93. On the contrary, we need to see it now. It is told in a realistic documentary style that makes it feel like you are there. I was surprised that the film has no agenda. It's not exploitive, and it doesn't pander to one political view. It just tells the story in a very straightforward way. It's gripping, and gut wrenching. After the first 30 minutes, my palms were sweaty and my heart was in my throat. Every American should see this powerful film…and remember.
4 ½ Stars Out of 5
Unleashed
In Unleashed Jet Li does a pretty good job. He's normally a cardboard actor, but here, he does more acting than I've ever seen him do. Morgan Freeman elevates the film and Bob Hoskins is just plain nasty. (That's a compliment) While most of the cast is pretty good, the film has a ridiculous plot that I never believed for one minute, but the performances do help to pull it off. The action sequences are everything we expect in a Jet Li movie, and then some For the most part this is no dog.
3 Stars Out of 5
Untraceable - Sony - Rated R
Untraceable is another torture porn film that the producers tried to make more palatable with the presence of Diane Lane. Her solid acting somewhat rescues this pulpy, tawdry "Saw" clone, but in the end, even she can't elevate this film above what it is, another celebration of a serial killer and the gore he produces. 2 ½ Stars Out of 5
Up - Disney/Pixar - Rated PG
Continuing the Pixar tradition, Up begins with a wonderful Pixar Short called Partly Cloudy. Then, the feature begins, and several minutes into the film, I wrote in my notes, "How can Pixar keep getting better?" I don't know, they have the bar set so high they're already way above everyone else who produces animation, and they keep improving. Up is completely original, funny, adventurous, very touching, brilliant and absolutely exceptional in every way. How many more superlatives can I jam into this review? Here's a few more: endearing, packed with heart, beautiful looking with a great plot that will most definitely appeal to kids, but is a movie adults will probably enjoy even more. It is glorious and flawless! I am very high on Up! It is the best movie so far this year. 5 Stars Out of 5
Up in the Air - Paramount Rated R
George Clooney has never been better than he is in Up in the Air. This is a brilliant movie, brilliantly directed with a great supporting cast. Vera Farmiga is terrific and so is Anna Kendrick who plays a young hot shot who is assigned to learn from Clooney. I see several Oscar nominations for this one. It's one of the year's best! 4 ½ Stars Out of 5
The Upside of Anger
The Upside of Anger features terrific performances from a great ensemble cast. It's Kevin Costner's best work in years, and Joan Allen is outstanding and may well be remembered at awards time. This is a comedy that isn't really a comedy. It's got several funny moments, and some with pure drama. The ending is a bit contrived, but the film as a whole works. I liked it.
4 Stars Out of 5
Uptown Girls
Uptown Girls ends up being a contrived, ill-conceived movie, that, while not as bad as Gigli, shows us what bad direction can do for talented actresses...make them into unappealing buffoons.2 Stars Out of 5
Archive
U
U2 3D - National Geographic Films - Rated G
U2 3D is what you might expect from a U2 concert. Political, a bit preachy, and without the backstage extras you might expect, but is a well produced if somewhat sterile documentation of the band in concert. 3D adds a dimension but there is still a palpable disconnect. U2 fans should like it, but it probably won't make any new fans. I liked it, but it didn't blow me away. 3 Stars Out of 5
The Ugly Truth - Sony - Rated R
The Ugly Truth stars Gerard Butler and Katherine Heigl in a strictly by the book, formulaic romantic comedy that adds in a good dose of crass and rude situations and is actually funny at times. Butler and Heigl display some good chemistry, and there is a scene that will go down in infamy involving a pair of vibrating underwear at a restaurant. The movie might be mostly average, but it is never ugly. 3 Stars Out of 5
The Ultimate Gift The Ultimate Gift is well made and inspirational but suffers slightly from some cartoonish secondary characters. The main characters are all well acted while James Garner, Bill Cobb and Abigail Breslin steal the show. Here's a word of warning, it's a tearjerker. You'll probably need a box or so of tissues. But it's worth it. 3 ½ Stars Out of 5
Ultraviolet
Ultraviolet is a film packed with ultra-cheesy special effects, ultra-atrocious dialogue, worse acting and it's all done with an ultra-straight face! The bad guy has this thing in his nostrils that I guess is supposed to be some kind of filter but I laughed every time I saw it. Even the music is horrific! It sounds like it belongs in a 70's porn film. Ultraviolet is an unintentional ultra-laugh riot!
1 Star Out of 5
Unaccompanied Minors
There is nothing to like in Unaccompanied Minors. It's another spoiled brat, precocious kids behaving badly movie. Stay away at all costs. Atrocious plot, atrocious dialogue, atrocious kids, atrocious film. 1 ½ Stars Out of 5
The Unborn - Rogue Pictures - Rated PG-13
While it has a few good early jumps and PG-13 chills, and star Odette Yustman does look good in her underwear, The Unborn starts out promising but about a third of the way through, it degrades into a silly plotline involving the Nazi's and the holocaust, and borrows liberally from almost every horror movie convention, winding up with a mishmash monster-ghost yarn yawner. 2 ½ Stars Out of 5
Under the Tuscan Sun
In Under the Tuscan Sun Diane Lane just sparkles in a beautifully shot film. She is such a great actress, she could turn in a great performance reading the phone book. She is so much better than the other actors in this, they seem almost invisible. She is also much better than the script, which, while better than the phone book, is a bit contrived, leaves a few loose ends and fails to give us much more than a sketch of anything but the main character.3 Stars Out of 5
Underclassman
In Underclassman, Nick Cannon is appealing. The rest of the movie is not. There is nothing new in this bland, barely entertaining, run of the mill cop comedy that tries too hard and fails.
2 ½ Stars Out of 5
Undercover Brother
This is the funniest movie so far this year. The very talented Eddie Griffin has finally found his element. Chris Kattan can be hard to take at times, but is very funny here as the main bad guy working for "The Man." And don't leave when the credits start...you'll miss some very funny segments. Undercover Brother is.....Solid!4 Stars Out of 5
Underworld
Underworld has cool special effects and a unique feel but with some stolen conventions from The Matrix and Blade. This also takes a lot of liberties with the vampire and werewolf legends. And I had my doubts, but Kate Beckensale pulls it off…No masterpiece here, but it is entertaining.3 Stars Out of 5
Underworld Evolution
I was bothered with Underworld Evolution by a muddled plot and hard to identify characters, along with the look of the film being so dark that sometimes I couldn't tell what was going on. What I could see was buckets and buckets of blood. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing, but here it seems like excess. It has its moments, but this is not nearly as good as the first. 2 ½
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans - Sony - Rated R
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans wasn't screened for critics. That's because the studio knew that this prequel stinks as bad as the decaying flesh between a werewolf's fangs. It suffers from bad casting, bad writing, and a paper thin plot. It's so dark, it's hard to tell what is going on, and it's boring! There's too much talk. I've never seen vampires talk so much! Talk, talk, talk. But what they say is sometimes downright silly…awful even. It's all bark and no bite. 1 ½ Stars Out of 5
Undiscovered
Ashlee Simpson DOES lip-sync in Undiscovered. And her Dad is one of the producers. So of course, she lip-syncs a lot in it. The film is like a low rent version of "The O.C." crossed with "Fame" but worse. It has cheesy dialog that tries to sound current by adding references to blogs and google. This is an overblown soap opera that feels as contrived as Ashlee's recording career. 1 Star Out of 5
Unfaithful
I marveled at the acting ability of Diane Lane in the first half of Unfaithful. You really see her inner conflict as she begins her adulterous affair. The second half of the movie is when Richard Gere really shines. There is loads of tension in this very fascinating, sometimes difficult to watch film, with great acting performances and an interesting ending.4 Stars Out of 5
An Unfinished Life
An Unfinished Life has been sitting on the shelf for two years. That's usually an indication that the studio knows it's a bad movie. In this case, nothing could be farther from the truth. This is a wonderfully rich character driven movie with great performances by every member of the cast. Robert Redford is the best he's been in years, Morgan Freeman is always great, and it even made me like Jennifer Lopez again. It's beautifully filmed with breathtaking scenery, and is a great movie that you won't want to miss. 4 ½ Stars Out of 5
The Uninvited - Paramount - Rated PG-13
The Uninvited is a remake of the Korean film A Tale of Two Sisters. And that's a lot of its problem. It has too many typical Asian horror film conventions. It seems cobbled together. There are a few good jumps and chills but no real suspense. The twist ending turns everything on its head but doesn't really work, and doesn't make any sense. Neither does the title. Who was uninvited? No one in the movie, so it must be the audience. 2 Stars Out of 5
United 93
It's not too soon for United 93. On the contrary, we need to see it now. It is told in a realistic documentary style that makes it feel like you are there. I was surprised that the film has no agenda. It's not exploitive, and it doesn't pander to one political view. It just tells the story in a very straightforward way. It's gripping, and gut wrenching. After the first 30 minutes, my palms were sweaty and my heart was in my throat. Every American should see this powerful film…and remember.
4 ½ Stars Out of 5
Unleashed
In Unleashed Jet Li does a pretty good job. He's normally a cardboard actor, but here, he does more acting than I've ever seen him do. Morgan Freeman elevates the film and Bob Hoskins is just plain nasty. (That's a compliment) While most of the cast is pretty good, the film has a ridiculous plot that I never believed for one minute, but the performances do help to pull it off. The action sequences are everything we expect in a Jet Li movie, and then some For the most part this is no dog.
3 Stars Out of 5
Untraceable - Sony - Rated R
Untraceable is another torture porn film that the producers tried to make more palatable with the presence of Diane Lane. Her solid acting somewhat rescues this pulpy, tawdry "Saw" clone, but in the end, even she can't elevate this film above what it is, another celebration of a serial killer and the gore he produces. 2 ½ Stars Out of 5
Up - Disney/Pixar - Rated PG
Continuing the Pixar tradition, Up begins with a wonderful Pixar Short called Partly Cloudy. Then, the feature begins, and several minutes into the film, I wrote in my notes, "How can Pixar keep getting better?" I don't know, they have the bar set so high they're already way above everyone else who produces animation, and they keep improving. Up is completely original, funny, adventurous, very touching, brilliant and absolutely exceptional in every way. How many more superlatives can I jam into this review? Here's a few more: endearing, packed with heart, beautiful looking with a great plot that will most definitely appeal to kids, but is a movie adults will probably enjoy even more. It is glorious and flawless! I am very high on Up! It is the best movie so far this year. 5 Stars Out of 5
Up in the Air - Paramount Rated R
George Clooney has never been better than he is in Up in the Air. This is a brilliant movie, brilliantly directed with a great supporting cast. Vera Farmiga is terrific and so is Anna Kendrick who plays a young hot shot who is assigned to learn from Clooney. I see several Oscar nominations for this one. It's one of the year's best! 4 ½ Stars Out of 5
The Upside of Anger
The Upside of Anger features terrific performances from a great ensemble cast. It's Kevin Costner's best work in years, and Joan Allen is outstanding and may well be remembered at awards time. This is a comedy that isn't really a comedy. It's got several funny moments, and some with pure drama. The ending is a bit contrived, but the film as a whole works. I liked it.
4 Stars Out of 5
Uptown Girls
Uptown Girls ends up being a contrived, ill-conceived movie, that, while not as bad as Gigli, shows us what bad direction can do for talented actresses...make them into unappealing buffoons.2 Stars Out of 5
