Movie Night: The Bucket List.

Review #640: The Bucket List.

Cast
Jack Nicholson (Edward Cole), Morgan Freeman (Carter Chambers), Sean Hayes (Thomas/Matthew), Beverly Todd (Virginia Chambers), and Rob Morrow (Dr. Hollins) Directed by Rob Reiner (#108 - This Is Spinal Tap, #232 - The Princess Bride, and #363 - North)

Review
I do wonder how it is in real life for patients with lung cancer after they are diagnosed. Evidently after about a few days, you can be fine enough to go travel around the world to cross off stuff to do. Yes, it truly is a good idea to go cross stuff off a list before you die with somebody you barely met (the setup to them meeting could be compared to how couples meet in terrible romance films) instead of going home and settling things with your family. Granted, it seems he probably did that beforehand while in the hospital, but let's not forget that after he gets home, he gets to spend a grand total of one day before he get sicker. Is it selfish? You decide. These are characters that are at best just okay, it's the performances that make the movie look interesting because without these performances by Nicholson and Freeman, the movie would lose a lot of its strength. The supporting cast is small and barely focused on, but I guess Sean Hayes is okay, he's really just playing a cliche snippy assistant, which you can see done better in other movies, such as Arthur (1981). Is the movie funny? I guess so, but the movie hinges on if you like the premise. If you like the premise, you'll probably watch the movie. If you feel that people don't just spend of their time away from their families to go globetrotting with their friend before dying like me...you'll have to forget the movie immediately. Is it a well made movie? Yes, but it is not well made in its script, the key element. Or in this case, bucket.

Overall, I give it 5 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: The Cat in the Hat.

Review #210: The Cat in the Hat.

Cast
Mike Myers (The Cat in the Hat), Spencer Breslin (Conrad Walden), Dakota Fanning (Sally Walden), Kelly Preston (Joan Walden), Alec Baldwin (Larry Quinn), Amy Hill (Mrs. Kwan), Sean Hayes (Mr. Hank Humberfloob / The Fish), Danielle Chuchran and Taylor Rice (Thing One), and Brittany Oaks and Talia-Lynn Prairie (Thing Two) Directed by Bo Welch.

Review
I almost considered doing this whole review in rhyme, to make it a bit like the book. It would be more likable then then the whole film. The film's opening credits start out nice, but looks can, and in this case, are deceiving. The film starts out meh, with our characters being introduced (Some decent, some...weird) Then...We get our Cat. I...don't know how to describe it. The costume looks decent, but Myers simply doesn't capture the spirit of the original (I almost forgot to mention the 1957 classic by Dr. Seuss [Theodore Geisel]) We get into the second problem afterwards: The humor. Look, there can be humor, it lightens the tones, but in this film, it simply feels out of place. It feels like something you would find in a PG-13 comedy (I'd mention the content, but...No.) The film is simply a mess, with more uses of the color green in the film then fun (Green cars, green trees, green walls, green curtains, green hills, green clothes, green signs) Let me try to do a rhyme:

This film is a dull bore,
Watching it feels like a chore.
Spend your time reading the book,
As this film made my head shook.
Even the Grinch has a better film,
With this not footing the bill.
There are plans for a CGI remake,
It will not be as fake.
This film is dullingly lame,
As you shake your head in shame.

Well, I tried.

Overall, I give it 2 out of 10 stars.