Nerd in the 'Noke

Identity Thief (2013), R, 111 minutes - When I first saw the trailer for Identity Thief, my initial reaction was that it struck me as the kind of movie that used up all of its funniest material in the trailer.  Good news is, it didn't.  Bad news is, most  of the funny parts were in the trailer. The story is basic enough, Sandy Patterson (Jason Bateman) is the victim of identity theft.  Of course, he learns this at the worst possible time, just as he's beginning a new company with some co-workers after being fed up with the political b.s. they deal with on a daily basis at the large financial firm they are employed at.  Funny thing how poor financial standing doesn't look so great to one's employer when working in the financial industry.  The police aren't much help in this case either, saying that the culprit would virtually have to be standing in front of them before they could do anything because the questionable purchases were not made in their juri...

Silver Linings Playbook (2012), R, 122 minutes - Last weekend I finally had the opportunity to see Silver Linings Playbook.  I was actually amazed that it was still in theaters here as it first arrived back during the week of Christmas along with Django Unchained.  That's right, it has been in theaters here in the Roanoke area for three months!  The screening I saw it at was pretty well attended for a mid-day Sunday showing of a movie in its twelfth week in release. Silver Linings Playbook was written/directed by David O. Russell and focuses on Pat Solitano (Bradley Cooper) as he moves back into his parents' home after a stint in a mental institution following an incident stemming from his discovery of his wife cheating on him.  He is convinced that he is going to get his life straight and that he and his wife will get back together.  Everyone else feels like he is just getting his hopes up and will be crushed again.  While having dinner at his fr...

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (2013), PG-13, 100 minutes - As much as I enjoy comedies, over the last couple of years I've found myself not all that impressed with the majority of the films I've seen in that genre.  The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, while not groundbreaking, was an entertaining and enjoyable parody of a Vegas stage act personality. Title character Burt Wonderstone (Steve Carell) is a self made magician who discovered magic when he was given a Rance Holloway Magic Kit as a kid.  He and his childhood friend Anton Marvelton (Steve Buscemi) have headlined a Vegas show for years, the only problem being that they've never changed their act and the Vegas crowds are growing tired of the same old show.  Right about this same time, Steve Gray (Jim Carrey), a new breed of magician (think Chris Angel or David Blaine) is gaining popularity on the streets of Vegas with his crazy stunts.  In an attempt to modernize their act, Anton puts together a trick/stunt...

Oz the Great and Powerful (2013), PG, 130 minutes - Oz the Great and Powerful is the probably not-so-necessary prequel to the 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz .  But if you didn't already know that, you've been living in a cave and/or I'm not sure what brought you to my blog!  I'm actually finding it hard to figure out what I want to say about the film.  I saw it this past Sunday evening, and I've been having a hard to getting motivated to write this.  Generally that means that I didn't really enjoy the film I saw at all, which in this case, isn't true.  I did enjoy it, but I think I enjoyed it more for it's style and technical aspects than for the performances or the story itself. Those of course can be credited to Sam Raimi's direction.  If you are familiar with any of Raimi's work, you can tell this was a project of his.  His fingerprints are all over the film from certain shots having a very horror feel to them to the inclusion of Bruce Camp...