"...the master of my fate...the captain of my soul."

Invictus

Director: Clint Eastwood

Writers: Anthony Peckham, John Carlin(Novel)

Starring: Matt Damon, Morgan Freeman

Running Time: 133 minutes

Rating: PG-13

If you like rugby, see this movie. If you like political history in Africa or otherwise, see this movie. Just see this movie.

Going into this movie I expected another dime-a-dozen sports drama. I was pleasantly surprised. Matt Damon(François Pienaar) and Morgan Freeman(Nelson Mandela) pull off a very convincing act and kept me wanting to learn more and more about their characters. The plot develops nicely and really envelopes you in the story. You find yourself pulling for "the home team," by the end.

The fact that this movie is based on a true story is what sets it apart from other run-of-the-mill sports dramas. This movie is much more than a sports drama as it presents interesting social conflicts and moral dilemmas. It presents the audience with important "live-by-me" principles and offers an eye opening cultural perspective.

This movie made me want to learn more about rugby and the history behind Nelson Mandela. Films that inspire action are harder and harder to find these days. I enjoyed this movie and would recommend it.

CONTENT: The MPAA marked this one PG-13 for brief strong language. Overall this movie is very clean.

Invictus earns 3 out of 4 Popcorn Buckets™

Oh dear oh dear...

Dear John

Director: Lasse Hallström
Writers: Jamie Linden, Nicholas Sparks (Novel)

Starring: Channing Tatum, Amanda Seyfried, Henry Thomas, Scott Porter, Richard Jenkins
Running Time: 105 minutes

Rating: PG-13

Dear John,
Stay at home.

I went to this movie expecting a fairly standard romance drama/war film. Well, this certainly isn't a war film. In fact, it's really a love story between an oh-so-altruistic girl and a guy who also happens to be a green beret. There's only one real "war" scene and it was actually the most exciting part of the movie. The rest of the film is drenched in sappy and predictable 99¢ love story. Now, I'm not at all against romance/drama or "chick flicks." In fact, I've seen some really good ones. This one, however, just isn't up to par.

I like Channing Tatum and he usually pulls off his roles very well. He's the standard hardcore buff guy you can throw into a movie and expect great results. He does well in this role and does beat a few guys up. They just could have done so much more with the premise. You basically find yourself begging for some epic war scenes that show what "John" (Channing Tatum) is going through, not a dozen scenes of him loafing around camp daydreaming about his girl and reading her letters. You are pleading for a more believable romance between the girl and the guy or more scenes showing why it was so hard for Savannah (Amanda Seyfried) to wait for her man.

*SPOILER ALERT* The following will reveal some of the plot that actually makes this movie worth renting when it's at redbox and you're bored.

The only redeeming factors of the movie were John's dad and the fact that John didn't just die randomly for cheap dramatic effect points. From the first scene in the movie I got the idea that John was just going to die while at war and the rest of the movie would lead up to that event. He actually doesn't die and ends up with the girl of his dreams (Duh). But, of course, there has to be some twists. John's dad suffers from autism and collects coins. Savannah doesn't "Dear John" John for the guy you think she does either, tricky.

Overall, this movie really isn't that great and very nearly got 1 Popcorn Bucket™, however, since the plot tricked me, I'll throw in another half.

CONTENT: This flick has a saucy love scene and some people get shot. One guy also gets punched in the face. There is very little (if any, I can't remember) foul language.

Dear John earns 1½ out of 4 Popcorn Buckets™

Elementary, my dear Watson!

Sherlock Holmes

Director: Guy Ritchie

Writers: Michael Robert Johnson, Anthony Peckham, Simon Kinberg, Lionel Wigram, Arthur Conan Doyle

Starring: Robert Downey, Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong

Running Time: 128 minutes

Rating: PG-13

Elementary! (I love saying that) In this action mystery based off the old Sherlock Holmes books, we are treated with an entertaining film that puts you in 1891 London faced with a tantalizing mystery. Robert Downey, Jr. (Sherlock Holmes) pulls off the part very well alongside Jude Law (Watson). The duo takes us through an explosive and only somewhat predictable mystery to take down the seemingly immortal bad guy.

Going into the movie without any expectations, as I hadn't actually heard anything about it beforehand, I was pleasantly surprised. The plot develops nicely and you get to know the characters fairly well. There are a lot of elements in the mystery that could have been forgotten but they are all wrapped up nicely in the end. I would have enjoyed learning more about the characters and they could have built Holmes up a bit more as a reputable detective. For those who know absolutely nothing about Sherlock Holmes, it can be somewhat confusing. However, we get a good feel for his formidable skills of deduction and forensic investigation. In general, I think they could have done more and added a bit more "kick." Put the protagonists in more of a tight pinch or made the bad guys a bit tougher. They do very well until the end where it abruptly drops off and the antagonist is suddenly a push-over without his "magical" powers. You'll have fun at this movie but don't expect it to be amazing. You might want to wait until it hits the dollar theater unless you're a die-hard Holmes fan.

CONTENT: This is a fairly clean movie and the MPAA marked it for violence and some "startling images" as well as a suggestive scene.

Sherlock Holmes earns 2 ½ out of 4 Popcorn Buckets™

Dances with... blue aliens?

Avatar

Director: James Cameron

Writers: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, Sigourney Weaver

Running Time: 162 minutes

Rating: PG-13

This epic science fiction drama takes place in the year 2154 and throws us right into an internal moral struggle -- futuristic-style. Think: Dances With Wolves meets Star Wars. Sam Worthington (Jake Sully) and co. are working for an exploration mining corporation on the planet Pandora. This corporation has discovered a sentient species called the Na'vi and is considering destroying their homeland and driving them out in hopes of harvesting the valuable minerals that are found there. The plot takes a twist when Jake Sully, a paraplegic marine prancing around in the body of a Na'vi (I know, cool right?), learns more about this new and fascinating people. The ending may (or may not) surprise you.

This movie has beautiful scenery and CG graphics courtesy of Weta Digital. I still want to see it in 3D (if anyone already has, please post and let me know how you liked it!) The plot flows nicely and even though the running time approaches 3 hours, as is James Cameron's style, it never felt like it dragged on. The screenplay and acting is quite convincing and this was, overall, an entertaining movie even though the premise has been used before and there are very apparent political undertones, which turn many people off when we're dealing with aliens and epic space battles. I recommend this movie, you'll have fun.

CONTENT: A good amount of profanity, epic battle and although the MPAA seems to be more worried about "some smoking," I'd be more worried about half naked aliens/humans running around. This movie probably isn't appropriate for little kids.

Avatar earns 3 out of 4 Popcorn Buckets™