Cop Out

Rating: R

Movie Release Date: February 26, 2010

DVD Release Date: TBD

Plot 411: Two suspended cops stumble upon a kidnapping when they try to sell a baseball card.

Review: Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan play veteran cops Jimmy and Paul, who have an interesting nine-year partnership on the force. After a drug bust goes bad, they are suspended for 30 days without pay. This throws a kink into Jimmy's plans because he needs the money to finance his daughter's (Michelle Trachtenberg) wedding. Jimmy decides to sell his prized baseball card but is robbed in the process by Dave (Seann William Scott). Tracking Dave down leads Jimmy and Paul to a Mexican drug lord, who is attempting to expand his territory, and a kidnapped woman (Ana de la Reguera). Also featured in this buddy cop comedy are Rashida Jones as Paul's wife, Adam Brody and Kevin Pollak as cops in the gang unit and Jason Lee as Jimmy's ex-wife's second husband. Willis plays the straight man to Morgan's funny man routine in this raunchy bromance. The movie probably deserves a second viewing because Morgan has some hilarious lines that get lost because you're still laughing at his last joke. He also spends a lot of time yelling, which garbles up what he's saying. Throw in Scott and the laughs keep rolling in. I'm sure there are going to be tons of outakes in the Special Features reel on the dvd. The movie took me by surprise. I thought there'd be a lot more action in it, but it was a pleasant surprise that this movie was a laughfest. It ended up being better than I thought it'd be. The plot and everything else is pretty irrelevant though. I just wanted to see more of Willis and Morgan together.

Watch It: For a surprisingly funny flick about two friends just trying to get through the day. It's their ninth anniversary after all.

Skip It: If you're offended by a bunch of swearing or are looking for more of an action thriller cop show.

Planet 51

Rating: PG

Movie Release Date: November 20, 2009

DVD Release Date: TBD

Plot 411: An astronaut lands on an alien world but finds that he is like an alien.

Review: This was a cute animated film starring Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) as Chuck, the captain of a space shuttle, and Justin Long as Lem, the alien teen who discovers him. When Chuck's shuttle lands on a planet, he confidently bounds outside and stakes the American flag into the land to claim it. Little does he know, the land is already claimed by a group of little green beings who live in an idyllic world similar to Earth's 1950s. The green men quickly form a manhunt to capture him because they think he is trying to invade their world and turn them into zombies. The rest of the movie is about Lem's attempt to reunite Chuck with his ship and the obstacles that prevent this occurrence. The movie was mostly light-hearted fun and was filled with many movie and song references throughout. The highlight of the film was the 1950s music. The world of the little green people was a highly stylized version fo the 1950s with hippie protesters and secret government experiments. There was even a hidden base similar to all the Area 51 conspiracies. The movie was humorous and had a quick pace throughout. It didn't spend too much time setting up plot points, which I suppose is very good in a children's film. There were moments of cleverness, but it's mostly just adequate and nothing special. Seann William Scott was very unrecognizable as Skiff, Lem's best friend. Jessica Biel was almost nonexistent as Neera, Lem's crush. Her presence was barely felt and could probably have been eliminated altogether.

Watch It: For your kids beg you to go see this.

Skip It: If you don't have any kids. This isn't a must-see like Wall-E.

Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs 3D

Rating: PG

Movie Release Date: July 1, 2009

DVD Release Date: TBD

Plot 411: Manny and his herd discover a whole new world below theirs when they venture into it to save Sid.

Review: First of all, I think this movie would've been just fine without the 3D effect at $3.50 a pop. Unlike other recent 3D movies, this one didn't really utilize it to full effect. Besides that though, I thought this was a fun and entertaining movie for both kids and adults. There were some scary parts that younger kids might not enjoy (after all, there are dinosaurs in this one), but overall I think it was really good. It's impressive how the animation has progressed throughout the years. There's a scene when Scrat (the squirrel) and his girlfriend are falling through the sky. You can see all the individual strands of fur blowing in the wind. The technicality is amazing and yet you're still able to enjoy the artistry of it all. In this movie, Sid (John Leguizamo) is kidnapped by a mommy t-rex because he's stolen her eggs in an attempt to start his own family. The herd rushes off to save him, even though Ellie (Queen Latifah) is pregnant, like any good herd would do. They encounter a warm, tropical world where dinosaurs exist underneath their cold and icy one. They meet up Buck (Simon Pegg) down under and he helps them track down Sid and avoid the nastiness that is Rudy. Also along for the ride are Manny (Ray Romano), Diego (Denis Leary) and Ellie's brothers - Crash (Seann William Scott) and Eddie (Josh Peck).

Watch It: If you're already in love with the Ice Age franchise. I think the best movie is a toss up between this one and the first one.

Skip It: If you're child is too young because some of the dinosaurs are scary-looking and come with loud roaring sounds.

Bulletproof Monk

Rating: PG-13

Movie Release Date: April 16, 2003

DVD Release Date: September 15, 2003

Plot 411: An immortal monk must find a successor to protect a scroll that is the key to unlimited power.

Review: This was a pretty good movie if you don't take offense to commercialized Buddhism and martial arts. Basically a monk with no name (Chow Yun-Fat) has protected a magical scroll for 60 years from a power-hungry Nazi set on world domination. The monk is in search for a new protector and meets a pick-pocketing thief (Seann William Scott) who just might fit the bill. When you throw in a mafia princess (Jaime King) leading a double life, you've got yourself a unique plot. Scott doesn't use this film to deviate from his tried and true comedic slacker roles. However, the obnoxious characters he normally plays is tempered with a good heart in this one. (I'm still waiting for this guy to mature and play some dramatic roles. But, at this rate, that might take a lifetime of waiting. Have you seen Role Models?) There are several hand-to-hand battles between the good and bad guys, but it's nothing we've never seen before. In fact, for the most part, this movie looks and feels like it's just another mass-produced action/comedy flick. Except for some wire work, most of the effects aren't really great. The makeup could use some work as well.

Watch It: For Hollywood's attempt to commandeer and contemporize Asian martial arts movies or if you like Chow Yun Fat.

Skip It: Because it doesn't bring anything new to the genre and just seems like an attempt by Hollywood to make money.

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Role Models

Rating: R

Movie Release Date: November 7, 2008

DVD Release Date: March 10, 2009

Plot 411: Two friends fulfill their court-appointed community service by being big brothers to two troubled kids.

Review: Let's say this movie wasn't as funny as the previews made it seem. However, it was ok. I suppose it was on par with other Seann William Scott flicks. He played his typical character - a sex-crazed delinquent. Paul Rudd played the straight man (pretty typical as well) to Scott's beast. What made this film so great was the two kid actors - Christopher Mintz-Plasse (of Superbad fame) and Bobb'e J. Thompson. They were both hilarious, especially Thompson with his continuously dirty mouth. Fun-E! The gist of the movie is that Rudd's girlfriend breaks up with him and he gets crazy sad, commits some stupid crime with Scott's character and is sentenced to community service or else faces jail time. At first the two hate the idea of being some little's big but are forced to when the idea of anal sex in jail scares them straight. The go from half ass to whole hearted in no time. Awwww!

Watch It: For stupid humor, lots of swearing and some nudity.

Skip It: If you've seen enough of these movies since American Pie to last you a lifetime.

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