Larry Crowne (3.5)

(Trailer)

2011 comedy/drama written, directed and starring TOM HANKS (the best). Larry Crowne loses his job because he does not have a post secondary education. So he heads to college for the first time and turns his life around.

I love Tom Hanks. I wish Tom Hanks was my dad...or maybe an uncle OR I would even settle for a neighbour (please be friends with me, Tom Hanks!).

I wasn't sure how to prepare myself for this film though as I love Hanks but the movie received bad reviews and then sort of disappeared. I thought I'd chance it and I am glad that I did because it's a really cute, little movie.

Tom Hanks ( The Burbs, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close )was great as always. Julia Roberts ( Eat Pray Love )was bearable but I haven't been able to stand her for years now so that is actually impressive. What I love most about the acting in this film is that I truly felt that every character gave something to this movie. It is, after all, a movie about people and I thought that the lack of any one character would have made the film less enjoyable.

I thought that it lagged near the end and that the last 30 minutes should've been compressed into a 10 minute ending that would've kept the pace of the movie and hence would've kept my attention on the film and not to the dirt on my living room floor (I need to clean...).

Before the ending though I loved the characters and I laughed literally out loud several times and some times uncontrollably (my neighbours probably think I'm crazy).

...the one thing I cannot get over is how Julia Robert's character was the main person who changed Larry's life. I honestly just do not see it. She is not even really a part of his life until the end and I think that's the one major flaw in this movie. It should've stuck with being more of a comedy and less of a romance but then it switches over and becomes this weird chick flick and it just didn't work.

If you like cute, witty drama/comedies or Tom Hanks or feel like a light hearted movie then I suggest this flick. It won't change your life but it will make you smile.

Bonus: Wilmer Valderrama. It's good to see his face again. Oh, how he made me laugh!

3.5/5 (I would give it a 3/5 but it did make me laugh several times) ADSENSE HERE

John Carter (3)

(Trailer)

2011 action/adventure/fantasy movie by director Andrew Stanton.

John Carter wakes up in a weird place that is in the midst of a war only to realize that he is not so far away from home as he originally thought.

Okay, this movie did not do well in the box office and didn't make near enough money to even break even but I honestly think that it just didn't come out at the right time and that people refused to go see it without even caring what it's about.

I liked it. I mean, it was not a great film but I would totally watch it again and was really entertained while watching it.

It was looong though. It was about 30 minutes too long. The story is really fast paced but then it slowed down near the END, which is the OPPOSITE of what any movie should attempt to do. The reason it slowed was because the movie had to stop and go back to the events that were shown at the beginning of the movie and it just didn't work and halted the flow of the story.

Taylor Kitsch was good as John Carter and I thought he was kind of sexy in this movie. Maybe it was due to the fact that he wasn't wearing pants for a lot of it and running around with weird alien weapons...alas, I liked him. his performance wasn't nearly as painful as I thought it would be. Hat tip my man.

Just like every other super action movie that decides it wants to be sentimental here and there the emotional aspects of the character and the story didn't break past the fourth wall. It rarely does though so I wasn't upset by not caring about the 'romance' bits of this film.

The rest of the movie and your liking of it will be up to you. If you can accept this alternate world and these strange creatures and allow yourself to sit back and enjoy the action the this movie may very well surprise you. If you, on the other hand, have already decided that you hate this movie even though you haven't seen it then you will hate this movie.

I thought it was cool and liked the main character and the story itself is interesting. The effects are meh at times and the movie is far too long but in the end I am glad I watched it.

3/5 ADSENSE HERE