The Matador is a hilarious spoof. Nevertheless, it manages to convey some thought-provoking emotions.

The Matador introduces us to the lives of a hitman and a salesman, who meet at a bar in Mexico City. Pierce Brosnan throws off his smooth James Bond image, and gives a fantastic performance as Julian, the crude and rough-around-the-edges hitman. Greg Kinnear plays Danny, the average American businessman.

Although Julian and Danny are complete opposites, they end up sharing a bond. Julian is struggling to cope with his chosen career as a “facilitator of fatalities.” Danny is dealing with the pressures of trying to succeed as a businessman. The unlikely duo strike up a friendship, which leads to a bond between them.

So why is the movie called the Matador? One very strong point in the movie is when Julian and a top bullfighter (the Matador) both demonstrate how they must possess clever skills, and devise certain maneuvers to achieve their respective “missions.”

The movie’s other interesting character is Danny’s wife, played by Hope Davis. Davis gives a good performance as the dutiful wife.

The Matador has neither a complex nor a challenging plot (but does have an interesting twist at the end). Despite the lack of complexity, The Matador is worth seeing for the humor and fine performance by Brosnan.

Let me know if you enjoyed this movie as much as I did by adding your comments below.

I am not very fond of Usher’s music, but I definitely think that he is a talented vocalist. And he is also a pretty decent actor too, when he allows himself be. His performance in Light It Up was rather good, as was his stint in The Faculty. But In The Mix really shows that the singer just doesn’t have what it takes to be a lead actor yet.

Maybe it just happens to be the bad plot and dialogue, but Usher just is not with the program in this flick. He is trying hard to look cool, but he isn’t doing much on the acting front, just looking buff and living up to that Will Smithian “street wise yet nice and hip black guy” archetype. Honestly, there would be nothing wrong with that if it was pulled off right. I actually like Will Smith’s acting. But in this scenario, with Usher doing it, it’s just plain awful.

As said before, Usher is actually able to be a competent actor, and that is why this movie is so annoying. The whole time I was in the the theater absorbing the silly boy meets girl plot I kept thinking “Wow. What happened to this guy?” Usher does actually have talent, but none of it is displayed in this film.

But to be fair, he is not the only reason this is a bad film. All the other actors do a poor job as well, and as mentioned, the plot and dialogue is pretty asinine too. Even the title - which oh so cleverly references the bi-racial love affair between the two characters - is dumb. Avoid this movie at all costs, unless of course you enjoy being bored and annoyed for 90 minutes.

Benchwarmers is about three guys, Gus (Rob Schneider), Richie (David Spade) and Clark (Napoleon Dynamite’s own John Heder) who are sick and tired of being bullied and teased. Gus runs his own landscaping company and has a beautiful wife, played by model turned actress Molly Sims. They’re planning on starting a family someday. However, Gus has some secrets he’s keeping.

Gus is also very protective of his friends. He doesn’t like to see people being bullied. Richie and Clark have seen their share of bullies in their lives. Richie, who has a fantastic Dorothy-Hamill bowl-cut from the 70s, works at a video store and has never kissed a girl. He lives in a trailer with his agoraphobic, coiffed-alike brother, Howie (Nick Swardson). Howie eats sunblock and is afraid that the sun is trying to destroy him. Clark is a helmet-wearing, bicycle driving paperboy who still lives with his mother.

One day, Gus watches some bullies pick on a curly-haired little boy named Nelson (Max Prado). He is incensed and comes to the boy’s aid. He challenges the bullying little leaguers to play him and his friends in a ball game for rights to the field. Despite the fact that Richie and Clark have never played baseball in their lives, the trio wins. Nelson tells his dad all about the guys. His dad, Mel, played by Jon Lovitz is a billionaire geek who got picked on as a kid too. He has decided to put his money behind the Benchwarmers.

This project saves Mel from buying more geek paraphenalia such as Star Wars trinkets, the Batman car and ‘Kit’ from Knight Rider. The Benchwarmers will be taking on a bunch of Little League teams in a single-elimination tournament. The prize is a fully-functional baseball field with fantastic amenities like a swimming pool. The field also boasts the best of Wrigley Field, Fenway Park and other ‘legendary’ ball parks.

As the Benchwarmers start to play, geeks across the world resonate with their message. The games are available over the internet, complete with nerdy commentators. The bullies get angry that the geeks are besting them in this competition and start to play dirty. They hire a Central American ball player with depression and an alcohol problem to pose as a 12 year old boy. The Benchwarmers retaliate by buying him some tequila and beer. Their tactic works best as the Benchwarmers remain undefeated until the championship game.

However, the bullies do find some dirt out about Gus. It seems that Gus, although he’s very short, wasn’t a geek as a child. He was a first-class bully. He was the enemy. He tormented a poor, little person so ruthlessly that the boy went to a mental hospital to try to recover. Gus, who’s wife didn’t know he was playing for the Benchwarmers, sees his story on the news and urges her husband to ask for forgiveness so that he can move on with his life.

He does; but, will the geeks and Benchwarmers forgive him? Will he get to play in the championship game? Will the nerds prevail?

This story has a feel-good ending. In fact, the film is pretty feel good throughout. The makers of the film take a message that could be preachy and make it entertaining, funny and fun. I’d highly recommend that you take your kids to this film. It’s great for bully and nerd alike! Admit it - we all were one or the other, right?

Let me know what you think of this movie by adding your comment below.

The general plot of Just Friends is this: A fat kid named Chris is in love with his friend Jamie, but she just wants to be friends, so he moves to L.A., loses the weight and becomes a successful womanizing music executive. Then Chris has to come back to his hometown where he is reunited with Jamie, and becomes the awkward teen he tried so hard to forget about all over again, trying to persuade Jamie to go out with him. That is basically the plot. Original, no?

Okay, first things first: The fat suit that Ryan Reynolds wears in this film is absurdly bad looking, like most fat suits have a tendency to be. Also, the humor in this film just really is not funny. I think I laughed a whole two times while watching this flick, and I think both of those times I was laughing about how bad the fat suit looked.

And outside of the bad jokes and the fat suit, the rest of the movie is just unremarkable. You never really care about the characters, and while the acting is not outright bad, it is not exactly great either. All in all, Just Friends is a stinker that you are probably better off avoiding.

Let me know what you think of this film by adding your comment below.

Chicken Little is a kids movie, so I wasn’t expecting that much when I saw it. The only reason I saw the thing in the first place was because my little sister wanted me to go with her to the theater. I have to say, even for a kids movie, Chicken Little is pretty mediocre.

The general plot of the film is this: Chicken Little is trying to clean up his reputation after upsetting the townspeople by claiming the sky was falling, when he realizes that the sky actually is falling. He and some of his friends set out to solve this problem without alerting anybody in the town or causing any type of panic.

I don’t know about anybody else, but when I think of a children’s movie, I think of films like The Lion King, Bambi, Aladdin, Toy Story, or stuff like Finding Nemo.

These are films that are made for kids, but still have enough in them that adults can actually watch them without feeling too annoyed. Chicken Little has none of that. The plot is thin and hard to follow, the dialogue is silly, and the way the characters randomly break into classic 70’s and 80’s songs every 20 minutes is really out of place and horribly annoying. It just has no real entertainment value to it, unlike some of the more recent Pixar/Disney films.

While I was in the theater I noticed that it was packed with kids my sister’s age (around 8 years old), and most of them were quite visibly bored. This is really a film that is suitable for toddlers, not children over the age of four. Your kid may possibly like this film, but be prepared to be bored and annoyed out of your mind.

Let me know what you think of this movie by adding your comment below.

Many British children’s fiction books and films contain a lot of darkness. This includes the Harry Potter books and Ronald Dahl. It always seems there are many obstacles to overcome and numerous close calls before the story ends. Nanny McPhee is no exception.

Nanny McPhee is the eighteenth governess to be employed by the Brown family since the death of the wife and mother. Cedric Brown, played by Colin Firth, has been left on his own to raise seven boisterous and energetic children, all whom were born in about an eight year span. They resemble a gang of outlaws and love nothing better than driving nannies out of the house. The audience watches as several nannies flee the household, seemingly in fear of their lives. One screams, “They’ve eaten the baby,” as she makes a fast departure from the Brown household.

About this time Cedric begins receiving mysterious messages that read: “What you need is Nanny McPhee.” Then, suddenly, Nanny McPhee appears and she is certainly a foreboding and formidable presence who seems to possess magical powers. She has a kind of fire in her eyes, warts on her face and she wears a black dress to cover her bulk; it somewhat resembles a flour sack. She keeps a walking stick close at hand and whacks it on the cobblestones frequently, sending off an arc of sparks.

The Browns live in an old house in the country that is an architectural monstrosity. There are numerous gardens and staircases that could only be owned by a man facing financial ruin in a work of fiction.

Cedric is the local funeral home director and is deeply in debt. He is counting on a large inheritance from his Great Aunt Adelaide, played by Angela Lansbury, to save him from financial ruin. However, Great Aunt Adelaide has thrown a curve into the mix. She’s stated that in order for Cedric to gain her fortune, he has only 30 days to marry. He knows this will be impossible because of his out-of-control children. Can Nanny McPhee save his inheritance?

Nanny McPhee sets out a list of rules for the children to learn. Her frown sends waves of terror over the children. Soon, she has them whipped into much better shape and a kind of uneasy peace settles over the Brown household.

In his search for a wife, Cedric overlooks the obvious choice; Evangeline, the scullery maid. She’s loved by every member of the household. Instead, he seems to be doomed to marry Mrs. Quickly, who is somewhat a bit of a tart. As plans for the wedding move forward Nanny McPhee rules with an iron hand and the children’s behavior improves drastically. Furthermore, every time that one of her rules are enforced, a wart vanishes from Nanny McPhee’s face and her figure slims, which is somewhat of a mystery.

Will Cedric marry Mrs. Quickly, or will he recognize the fact that his true love is really Evangeline? Will the children reform enough under Nanny McPhee’s watchful eye that Cedric will be able to find a wife, or will they remain little hooligans? All of these questions and more are answered by the end of the film. Be sure to see it. It’s great family entertainment.

Let me know what you think of this movie by adding your comment below.

This is Dumb and Dumber, Australian style, and while Angus Sampson and Nathan Philips are no and Jeff Daniels in the acting stakes, they serve a plateful of Aussie humor so thick that it will probably be incomprehensible anywhere else.

The film opens with scenes from the childhood of best mates Jeffrey and Phillip, accompanied by the repeated refrain of “You and your stupid mate..!” It’s a bit heavy handed but we get the point. These two could be living next door to anyone.

Jump a few years and Jeffrey and Philip are settled in a lifestyle that is nothing short of idyllic, living in a user-friendly caravan park on the dole, eating beans and watching their favourite soap, Sons and Surf.

It looks like nothing can get these two lovable slackers off their behinds and out into the world in search of real jobs. Phillip is deeply involved with the Gang Show, a Scout revue that takes place once a year, while Jeffrey devotes himself to maintenance of the Sons and Surf fan website.

Naturally, a combination of events catapults the pair out into the jungle – Sons and Surf is cancelled, and they get a new case manager at the Jobs 4 U job agency.

The writers, two stand up comics from Melbourne called Mark O’Toole and Dave O’Neil, obviously intended this to be an hilarious look at life in modern Australia, and strangely enough, in spite of production values that came out of a carton of breakfast cereal, they do succeed. You and Your Stupid Mate is like your best mate – he’s a bit of dill, but you can’t help liking the mongrel.

Angus Sampson plays Jeffrey as an innocent boofhead who doesn’t realize when he is being given the flick by a TV soap star, while Nathan Phillips capers happily as the gang Show-obsessed overgrown boy scout Philip.

Some strong supporting performances help the pair keep a grip on the material. William McInnes plays the case manager Peter Rossiter, whose efforts to get the pair employed finally drive him to madness; Tayler Kane, who played the dumb security guard in The Dish, gives a nice performance as soap star Evo, who befriends the boys.

Surprisingly, one of the highlights is leggy Rachel Hunter as Karen, a hippy earth mother type, surrounded by children and playing the harp outside her caravan. Clearly, Karen is a goddess and we are left in no doubt of that.

Madeleine West as soap star Emma obviously relishes the funny side of soap stardom, mugging her way through the Sons and Surf scenes, and sweetly learning that even her dumbest fans have more merit as human beings than TV executives.

All right, it’s not Shakespeare, but it delivers some real belly laughs and some genuinely inspired moments. But, if you are not Australian, don’t see it without an Aussie in tow to explain the gags.

Friends With Money is a romantic comedy directed by Nicole Holofcener. The story revolves around the lives of 4 female friends (1 single, 3 married). There is no plot to the movie; instead it focuses on how each friend reacts to their problems.The first woman in the quartet is Olivia (Jennifer Aniston). She is a single woman down in the dumps. She works as a maid, likes to smoke weed, and lets people walk over her (while on a blind date, she allows the guy to chat up another woman, then agrees to go out with him again). It doesn’t help that Olivia’s friends think all her problems would be over if she “got married.” The irony is that their own marriages all have problems.

Jane (Frances McDormand) is a bitter woman in an unhappy marriage. She is getting older, and life has not turned out as she expected. Jane is so angry at life that she overreacts to everything (she goes into a rage when another car beats her to a parking spot, and she gets really mad when she thinks a couple are cutting in line in front of her at a store). Everyone thinks Jane’s husband Aaron (Simon McBurney) is gay. He is an effeminate man who loves clothes. Aaron gets hit on by another man at a clothing store. The movie plays on the stereotype that if a man cares about clothes, then he must be gay. Entertaining performances by both McDormand and McBurney.

Christine (Catherine Keener) is married to fellow writer David (). The couple no longer notice each other. Christine asks “why do you look different?” David responds that he shaved his beard 3 weeks ago. Christine reacts to her problems by getting depressed and eating junk food. She doesn’t appreciate it when David tells her she is putting on weight around the “derriere.”

Franny (Joan Cusack) is the last of the quartet. She has lots of money, and has the most “successful” marriage compared to her friends. Her most serious “problem” is when her husband Matt (Greg Germann) buys their daughter $80 shoes from France, to which Franny protests that she thinks their daughter will outgrow them in a few weeks. As Franny is non-confrontational, Matt gets his way most of the time.

This story of friendship also shows how people judge each other, and how they can change over the years. Christine acknowledges that although she and Olivia have been friends for many years, if she met Olivia for the first time today, she doubts they would become friends.

The characters themselves were interesting, but the movie didn’t go anywhere and at times seemed very slow. I kept expecting something to happen, but all that happened was an abrupt ending!

Humorous movie, but I wouldn’t worry too much if you miss it.  Let me know what you think of this movie by adding your comments below.

If you enjoyed Cheaper By the Dozen, you’ll love the sequel. Though sequels are not always what they’re cracked up to be, this one is great.

Steve Martin plays Dad Baker, who is affectionate to his family and it comes through as realistic affection, not a lot of sappy goo. Bonnie Hunt plays the mother and puts on a great performance managing her brood. Alyson Stoner plays daughter, Sarah, who is entering adolescence and her performance is brilliant. The scene of love’s first kiss comes off so well that it will take you back in time to your first kiss. The scene is tastefully done with elegance and the innocence and shyness of youth.

Dad and Mom Baker decide to gather their clan together for the final fling of the summer at a rented cottage on Lake Winnetka. Unknown to Dad Baker, his high school nemesis, Jimmy Murtaugh has built “The Boulders,” a fabulous home directly across the lake from the cottage. The two men take up their rivalry where it left off years before. At a Fourth of July clambake, Jimmy shows off in his usual annoying manner. Mayhem sets in when the fireworks are inadvertently set off early and destroy everything within range.

Sarah falls in love the moment she sees Eliot Murtaugh, who played by Taylor Lautner and Eliot feels the same way about her. Sarah thinks she’s not pretty enough for Eliot and begins to experiment with makeup. The results are catastrophic.

Cheaper By the Dozen 2 takes us back in time to our early teens. It shows how sensitive thirteen year olds really are. One very heart warming scene is when Sarah’s older sister, Lorraine shows her how to properly apply makeup for a girl her age. Sarah is transformed into a beautiful young woman and the scene is done so well that it touches the hearts of the audience.

Surprisingly, Jimmy’s new wife, Sarina, who is played by Carmen Electra, is very nice. The audience has to wonder how she ever got hooked up with Jimmy. She loves all eight of her step children, is pretty and sexy and is well liked by Mom Baker. Sarina intervenes when husband, Jimmy, goes on his ego trip and puts him in his place, which delights all viewers.

If you want to take the entire family to a movie, take in Cheaper By the Dozen 2 because it is the one to see. It is much better than “The Family Stone,” or “Yours, Mine and Ours.” Cheaper By the Dozen 2 shines and is great family entertainment. Highly recommended.

Let me know if you enjoyed this movie as much as I did by adding your comment below.

Fun with Dick and Jane is a remake of the 1977 comedy by the same name that starred George Segal and Jane Fonda.

The new version stars Jim Carrey as Dick, who’s an executive at a mega corporation. He gets promoted to vice president of communication just in time for the company’s stock to plummet to next to zero. It is he who has to appear on cable tv to tell the stockholders that they have lost everything.

Jane, his wife, is played by Tea Leoni. Tea is a travel agent, but when Dick gets his big promotion, she decides to resign and does so one the same morning as Dick’s company takes the fall.

Instead of the couple looking at the bright financial future that they were when Dick got his promotion, they are not looking at a bleak existence. They are literally broke. Their savings are gone, their retirement fund is gone and all that they own is being repossessed faster than they can blink their eyes. This includes the lawn. The landscaping company sends men to literally roll up the sod and take it back.

Dick decides that he will find a job and goes out to numerous job interviews, with no success. It seems that all the employers that matter have seen his company’s fall from grace and Dick’s performance on cable tv. No one wants him to work for their company.

Dick and Jane decide to take up a life of crime to allow them to maintain the lifestyle to which they are accustomed. At first the couple takes up petty thievery. Then they get greedy and decide to turn to bigger and better things. That’s when everything goes wrong.

The fall from grace of Dick’s company is very much likened to the fall of Enron. In the first place, Dick’s company was built on the premise of lies. Richard Jenkins and Alec Baldwin do a great job of playing characters who remind the audience of Enron’s Jeffrey Skilling and Kenneth Lay.

The film doesn’t take advantage of opportunities to land Dick and Jane in the center of a political comedy. Instead, there are too many wigs, too much slapstick and too many false beards during the couple’s robbery attempts. Late in the movie, the executive played by Alec Baldwin tries to move his money out of the country. It’s too little and much too late.

Though Fun with Dick and Jane is not a sensation, it may be pleasing to those who haven’t seen the original 1977 version. It’s a mediocre attempt at a remake and I predict it will not make great money at the box office.

Let me know your thoughts on this move by adding your comments below.