Neverwas

Zach Riley(Aaron Eckhart) is a psychiatrist who gives up a blossoming career for a position at the small mental hospital that treated his father(Nick Nolte). His father was the author of a children's novel titled "Neverwas" about a boy named Zachary who must save the king of the title fairytale land. Zach soon runs into an old friend (Brittany Murphy) from his home town who is in love with his father's book and a man named Gabriel(Ian Mckellen) who thinks himself to be from the very land of Neverwas.

Director: Joshua Michael Stern
Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Brittany Murphy, Ian McKellen, Nick Nolte, and William Hurt
Rating: PG-13 This is the greatest underrated movie I have ever seen. What a gem. Neverwas released only in foreign theatres and went straight to dvd here in the U.S. one year later. I'm still trying to figure out why this film never went to U.S. theatres. Regardless of why it didn't I'm so glad it is available now. The diversity of characters, excellent pacing, and a sense of wonder kept me engrossed in this film until the very end. They never really give away whether Neverwas is fact or fiction and that's the beauty of the movie. You never know how it's going to end until it ends. This movie had me wishing that a book called Neverwas actually existed.
Aaron Eckhart delivers yet another great role. Brittany Murphy delivers a fantastic role as Maggie, a childhood friend of Eckhart's character. She provides the smile that the other characters can't give. Ian McKellen plays the best character since Gandalf and in my opinion could've won awards for this role. Nick Nolte, who has had his share of troubles, plays the father of Eckhart's character. The character loses himself in the world he created and Nolte plays it to perfection. The only acting that I wasn't fond of is Jessica Lange's portrayal of Eckhart's mother. She is supposed to be a bit eccentric but the performance is a bit too manic for my taste. This movie is rated PG-13 because it deals with mental disorders as well as suicide, niether in a negative way. If your kids enjoy a dramatic movie than this would be fine for anyone old enough to understand the above issues

This is one of the best dramas I have EVER seen. I give it 2 & 1/2 buckets of popcorn and encourage you the buy this movie because you'll want to watch it again and again. Go out and FETCH IT!


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No Reservations

Kate (Catherine Zeta-Jones) is the perfectionist chef at an upscale Manhattan restaurant. She is so meticulous and reclusive that her boss, the owner of the restaurant, sends Kate to therapy. Kate’s world revolves around fine food until her sister is killed in a car crash and Kate becomes the guardian of her 10 year old niece Zoe (Abigail Breslin). Kate must now deal with the trials of raising a grief laden girl and a new chef (Aaron Eckhart) hired at the restaurant in an attempt to ease Kate’s stress.

Director: Scott Hicks
Starring: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Aaron Eckhart, Abigail Breslin
Rating: PG
When it comes to romantic comedies “No Reservations” doesn’t crack my top 25. It is a very well intentioned film, however, it falls short of the mark in many areas. Some parts of this movie are done very well and others seem grounded somewhere other than reality. The acting, with the exception of one character, is quite bad and the story as a whole has been overdone. Girl meets Boy. Girl hates Boy. Girl starts to like Boy. Girl gets mad at Boy. Girl and Boy make up. The End. We all know the drill by now.

I began this film thinking it would purely be a romantic comedy and had no idea that Abigail Breslin even had a role in the film. I was excited to see her because she was fantastic in “My Little Sunshine”. My excitement quickly faded as her acting slipped to being nearly as dismal as Catherine Zeta-Jones portrayal of Kate. I liked her in “Entrapment” and “Ocean’s Twelve” but on the whole she’s not one of the better actresses working today. The upside is that Kate and Zoe being played medium-rare at best, seemed to work well together. The problem arises in the scenes between Kate and just about everyone else, especially Aaron Eckhart’s character, Nick. Eckhart is the shining light in this movie. He is growing to be one of my favorite actors. I loved him in “The Dark Knight” and, even though “No Reservations” is not one of my favorite movies, his portrayal of the Zubaz wearing, Italian trained chef is done to perfection.Even though this movie carries a PG rating, I wouldn’t recommend it for young kids at all. I just don’t think it’s entertaining enough to carry the attention of young minds.

I only give this film One Bucket of Popcorn. If you are an Aaron Eckhart fan, give this one a go because he’s great. If you’re a Catherine Zeta-Jones fan, go ahead and TRY IT because it’s about as good as any other movie she’s done.

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The Spiderwick Chronicles

Upon moving into the run-down Spiderwick Estate with their mother, twin brothers Jared and Simon Grace, along with their sister Mallory, find themselves pulled into an alternate world full of faeries and other creatures. Unable to explain the strange disappearances and accidents that seem to be happening on a daily basis, the family blames it all on Jared. When he, Simon and Mallory investigate what's really going on, they uncover the fantastic truth of the Spiderwick estate and of the creatures that inhabit it. A book of all the secrets of the unseen world, compiled by their great uncle Arthur Spiderwick, is the reason a battle begins between the family Grace and the goblins of the world. Based on the collection of books by Toni Diterlizzi and Holly Black.

Director: Mark Waters
Starring: Freddie Highmore, Mary-Louise Parker, Sarah Bolger
and the voices of Nick Nolte, Seth Rogen, and Martin Short
Rating: PG
A slight disclaimer to start. The authors of the books composed them from stories they received from a family much like the one in the books. The authors describe these as true stories and that the world of fairies and goblins exists just beyond our sight. That said, let’s all use our finely tuned sense of reality and simply look at this as any other fanciful tale that comes across the big screen.

The story is told from young Jared’s perspective. Jared and twin brother Simon are played by one of the greatest young actors I’ve seen in a long time in Freddie Highmore. The way he plays Simon and Jared as completely different characters is a skill that many, like Lindsay Lohan in “The Parent Trap”, haven’t quite figured out. He plays Jared perfectly as the young rebel who is soon entrusted with the fate of the world and Simon as the quirky brother who is soon dragged along for the ride. Their older sister is played by Sarah Bolger and their mother by Mary-Louise Parker. Both deliver fairly forgettable performances but don’t detract from the story as a whole. Nick Nolte provides the voice of Mulgarath, the evil goblin king. Nothing special here but the character definitely works. There are two phenomenal voice talents at play in this story. Seth Rogen provides the voice of Hogsqueal and Martin Short the same for Thimbletack. You’ll love both of these characters by the end of the film.
This movie is what I thought “Bridge to Terabithia” was going to be, a fantasy tale that isn’t hindered by the creatures. The visual effects aren’t anything that will blow your mind but they are done very well. Everything, from the evil goblin captain, with his pirate hat, to the smallest fairies who disguise themselves as flowers, look excellent and don’t pull your attention away from the story itself. Mulgarath is a little overly done. His tree like appearance is a slight eyesore in the final scenes but the transitions he makes between forms are seamless.I would recommend this film for kids and adults alike. If you are a fan of fantasy then see this movie. You may want to keep younger kids away because of frightening fantasy violence and green goblin explosions. Also, there is one use of the phrase, “What the h***” used by Jared Grace. Other than that the film is family friendly and should be enjoyed by all.

I recommend that everyone CATCH IT and I give it two Buckets of Popcorn.

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