Dance Flick

Rating: PG-13

Movie Release Date: May 22, 2009

DVD Release Date: September 9, 2009

Plot 411: As the title suggests, it's a movie about dancing that spoofs a bunch of teen rom com and dance movies from the past 10+ years.

Review: Thomas (Damon Wayans Jr.) and his crew enter a dance battle only to lose both their pride and money. Sugar Bear (David Alan Grier), a big syndicate-type fellow in the same vein as Jabba the Hut, sends guys after them to collect his money. At school, Thomas meets Megan (Shoshana Bush), whose mom recently died in a car accident and who has come to the ghetto to live with her father. Megan is out of her element but quickly makes friends with Charity (Essence Atkins), Thomas' sister. Despite being a product of the Wayans brothers (and their brood), this movie does not live up to its potential. The gags are all pretty lame, even though there's a diverse selection of movie parodies. Even the dance numbers aren't on par with the original dance flicks out there. The main plot follows Save The Last Dance pretty closely, but it doesn't even do that movie justice. Many of the characters are just plain annoying and not funny at all. Also in this film are Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Keenan Ivory Wayans, Kim Wayans and Amy Sedaris.

Watch It: At your own risk. You've already been warned how bad it is.

Skip It: And watch the originals. Those movies are superb works of art compared to this one.

The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard

Rating: R

Movie Release Date: August 14, 2009

DVD Release Date: December 15, 2009

Plot 411: A high-volume car sales team is hired by a failing dealership to

Review: Jeremy Piven plays Don, the leader of a slick team of car salesman (and one woman) who are hired by low-volume dealerships to turn things around. They pull into the lot of Ben Selleck (James Brolin) to throw down a huge Fourth of July sale and school Selleck's guys on how to sell cars. They use all the gimmicks they can to bring in the crowds. Their sales goal is 211 cars. Otherwise, Selleck's future son-in-law Paxton (Ed Helms) and his father (Alan Thicke) are going to purchase the lot and turn it into a practice studio for Paxton's boy band. Don's band of bandits include Jibby (Ving Rhames), Brent (David Koechner) and Babs (Kathryn Hahn). I think most people will find this movie just a step above retarded, but somehow I actually enjoyed it. It may be because I worked part time at the front desk of a car dealership and can actually see some of the guys in these characters. Oh sure, they're not as suave as Don, but there are many similar traits. Piven does a tremendous job in this role. He's able to pull off being both arrogant and sympathetic at the same time. Nice. Also in this film are Jordana Spiro, Rob Riggle and Ken Jeong. I definitely think Jeong was under used in this one. What a waste.

Watch It: If you've got the faintest connection to car dealerships. You'll bust a gut.

Skip It: If you've ever had a bad experience at a car dealership. You'll probably just feel worse afterwards.

Robin Hood: Men In Tights

Rating: PG-13

Movie Release Date: July 28, 1993

DVD Release Date: September 5, 2006

Plot 411: The famous tale of Robin of Loxley . . . with a twist.

Review: I'm always afraid to revisit films I've loved in my youth. You never know if the enjoyment is really warranted or simply the creation of youthful naivety. So you can imagine my trepidation when I started this film. It could be a hoot or it could be a damn shame. Luckily, after the initial scenes rolled out I was able to truly immerse myself in the movie and just enjoy it. It turned out to be just as funny as I remembered. What a relief! The movie stars Cary Elwes as Robin, who is just returning to England after fighting in the Crusades. He comes home to find his family's lands repossessed by King Richard's (Patrick Stewart) brother John (Richard Lewis). Robin is determined to get his homeland back and help the poor people of England at the same time. Along the way he creates his band of merry men, including Blinkin (Mark Blankfield), Ahchoo (Dave Chappelle), Little John (Eric Allan Kramer) and Will Scarlet (Matthew Porretta). The movie is a complete spoof on other Robin Hood flicks and is filled with tons of pop culture references. The same jokes I laughed at when I was 12 were still funny over 15 years later. I wonder if that means the movie's awesome or if my sense of humor hasn't evolved from a 12 year olds? The movie also stars Amy Yasbeck as Marian and Roger Rees as the Sheriff of Rottingham and has cameos by Tracey Ullman, Mel Brooks.

Watch It: For a '90s flashback and some comical song-and-dance numbers. Unforgettable really.

Skip It: Because it does come off dated and the gimmick of speaking to the camera gets old fast.

Fanboys

Rating: PG-13

Movie Release Date: February 6, 2009

DVD Release Date: May 19, 2009

Plot 411: A group of Star Wars uberfans try to break into George Lucas' ranch to watch Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace before it's released.

Review: Four long-time friends, Eric (Sam Huntington), Linus (Chris Marquette), Hutch (Dan Fogler) and Windows (Jay Baruchel), embark on a cross-country journey from Ohio to California. Their mission? Break into George Lucus' Skywalker ranch and catch a glimpse of Episode 1 before it hits theaters. Along the way, the boys are tested (like any real Jedi knight would be) and must trust in each other to make it through. This is the ultimate movie for Star Wars fans because it not only pokes fun at them but also embraces all their quirkiness. It's a good-spirited movie that honors all the world's fanboys and fangirls. There are so many references to Star Wars and Star Trek that you kinda need to be aware of the history of the two movies to really get it. I can honestly say that I'm a fan of neither and still laughed my head off at some of the jokes. Also in this film or playing cameos are Kristen Bell, Seth Rogan, Billy Dee Williams, William Shatner, Carrie Fisher and Kevin Smith.

Watch It: And don't be afraid to geek it up. Best viewed with other fanboys to enhance the total experience.

Skip It: If you're a Trekkie (or Trekker). The jokes are harsh.

Grindhouse: Planet Terror

Rating: Unrated

Movie Release Date: April 6, 2007

DVD Release Date: October 16, 2007

Plot 411: A town tries to survive the onslaught of zombies.

Review: This was an interesting experience. There was a lot of blood and guts so this is definitely your movie if that's your sort of thing. The plot was transparent, but I think that's what Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino were going for after all. This movie is basically a throw back to films and the movie going experience of the '70s? I can't verify though as it is a little before my time. They even play up this fact with the splotchy film reels and the cheesy pre-movie commercials. However the contrast is that the movie is definitely modern because of all the technology the characters have on hand. I tried to sit through the sister movie, Grindhouse: Death Proof, but couldn't. That one was even worse than this. It was really slow in the beginning and I lost patience with it.

Watch It: For memories of old and some good zombie killing.

Skip It: If the above is not your cup of tea. It'd be a waste of your time otherwise.

Trailer:

Meet The Spartans

Rating: PG-13

Movie Release Date: January 25, 2008

DVD Release Date: August 18, 2008

Plot 411: A spoof of "300" - 'nuff said.

Review: This was a pretty funny spoof movie, but if you have time to listen to the commentary, it was actually better. Nothing surprising as far as the jokes - lots of homosexual Spartan jokes; Carmen Electra/sexy girl jokes; you know, the regular stuff. They actually covered quite a bit of films in this movie as well as pop culture. As you know, I love dance bits and there's a pretty awesome dance bit right before the fight scene. Not anywhere near the best spoof or comedy but it was good for what it's worth.

Watch It: If you're up-to-date with movies so you can get all the jokes.

Skip It: If humor involving body fluids, T&A or being gay insults you.

Trailer: