Mass Effect 2

I don't normally review games on this site, but Mass Effect 2 (and the original Mass Effect) are as much movie as game.  But unlike most "playable movies" out there. Mass Effect 2 is not only a good story, but one where your choices are important and can greatly impact gameplay (and, as hinted in the game, can impact how Mass Effect 3 is played).  You can choose the look and gender of your character, Commander Shepard, as well as the characters that make up your team.

The first Mass Effect was a bit buggy and required really high end hardware.  Although this one also requires a gaming system, it's not as picky as the first, and not nearly as buggy.  For any longtime gamers out there, it's like a 21st century version of Starflight.  It has the potential to be a bit rough, thus the mature rating, but overall it's a great deal of fun.

4.5 out of 5 stars

Plot Summary

Two years after Commander Shepard repelled invading Reapers bent on the destruction of organic life, a mysterious new danger has emerged. On the fringes of known space, something is silently abducting entire human colonies. Now Shepard must work with Cerberus, a ruthless organization devoted to human survival at any cost, to stop the most terrifying threat mankind has ever faced. To even attempt this perilous mission, Shepard must assemble the galaxy’s most elite team and command the most powerful ship ever built. Even then, doubters say it would be suicide. Commander Shepard intends to prove them wrong.

Pandorum

Pandorum was a surprise.  I didn't expect much, but it was a very entertaining movie.  It combined the science fiction element of a sleeper ship (made famous by the story "Universe" by Robert A. Heinlein), the horror element of a morlock type enemy, and a twist or two at the end.  More than just a typical slasher. 

3.5 out of 5 stars

Plot Summary:

Upon rousing themselves from hyper-sleep, Payton (Dennis Quaid) and Bower (Ben Foster), a pair of crewmen assigned to work on a spacecraft, discover startling gaps in their collective memory -- including who they are and what, exactly, their mission was in the first place. The plot thickens when they realize they're not the only ones on board the ship. Cam Gigandet co-stars in this gripping sci-fi thriller.

Mirrors

Mirrors, with Kiefer Sutherland, was an okay horror movie.  Not great, as the idea wasn't new, and Sutherland had some unrealistic moments, but not bad either.  Worth renting.  And the ending was pretty good, although the fight scene was a bit unrealistic (Sutherland is more durable than I would have expected).

The best "evil mirrors" story ever, in my opinion, is the novella  "The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag" by Robert A. Heinlein.

3 out of 5 stars.

Plot Summary:
This creepy supernatural thriller from director Alexandre Aja stars Kiefer Sutherland as troubled security guard Ben Carson, a man who discovers malevolent spirits living within the mirrors of a fire-ravaged department store. When their murderous nature comes to light, Ben turns to his estranged wife (Paula Patton) to help him save their family -- and himself. The supporting cast includes Amy Smart and Jason Flemyng.

Zombieland

A nice take on the saturated zombie genre. It's end of the world with a dark sense of humor. But it's more about the time after the zombies first appear to ravage the world. It's a bad of misfits who are trying to survive in an impossible situation. It has a great cameo about halfway through, and the zombies aren't the shambling kind, but the much worse running at you kind.

Although it doesn't exactly do anything new, it does it in a fun way, and if you're a zombie fan, you should like this one as well. It's pretty gruesome, but that's part of the charm. It does have a few tender moments, but they enhance the movie rather than slow it down.

Enjoy, and remember your double tap!


3.5 out of 5 stars

Plot Summary:
An easily spooked guy, Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), joins forces with wild man Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) to fight for survival in a world virtually taken over by freakish zombies. As they destroy scores of the undead, they meet up with two other survivors, Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) and Wichita (Emma Stone), and journey to a supposedly safe abandoned amusement park. Ruben Fleischer directs this horror romp.

Motherhood

My wife rented this based on the description.  She couldn't finish it.  I tried to, and I couldn't finish it.  It was just too annoying.  Uma Thurman plays a mother with a lot on her plate.  The problem is, she doesn't really have that much on her plate, she's just an idiot.  For example, she has to deal with getting a birthday party ready while handling all the nuances of living in a big city, like being able to park.  I could see this being a problem if she was supposed to have just moved, but the character had been living there for a while.  But she was acting as if she had never had to park before.  And she was soooo busy getting ready for a party in a few hours, yet she had plenty of time to take her kid to the park and hang out.  I have ADD, but even I know that it's a good idea to get ready for something before it actually begins.  And being stupid isn't the same as being overworked.

Minnie Driver was cute, but not cute enough to make up for Thurman's character being just too stupid to reproduce.  Maybe if you're an Uma Thurman fan it would be okay.  Or if you had the choice between this movie or a root canal.  Otherwise, just save the time and do something else.

1 out of 5 stars

Plot Summary
Financially strapped Eliza Welch (Uma Thurman) wants to throw her 6-year-old daughter a great birthday party, but all of Manhattan, her goofy dog, and her 2-year-old dynamo of a son seem to be conspiring against her. Besides the pressure of the party, Eliza must battle an invasive film crew, fend off a flirtatious messenger boy and keep up appearances at the playground. Katherine Dieckmann directs; Minnie Driver and Anthony Edwards co-star.

Mr. Brooks

I didn't expect much from this movie since it starred Kevin Costner, and I haven't liked anything of his since No Way Out.  But this one was actually enjoyable enough that I could forget Costner was even there.  It's sort of like a version of Dexter where the main character isn't out to help the world through his illness.  Demi Moore wasn't that annoying, either.  The story could have been fleshed out a bit more around her character and Costner's, but I'm not sure if the actors would have been up to the challenge.

3 out of 5 stars

Plot Summary:
Kevin Costner plays against type, starring as a man caught in a deadly downward spiral -- and at war with his own alter ego (William Hurt) -- in this psychological thriller from writer-director team Bruce A. Evans and Raynold Gideon (Stand by Me). Demi Moore co-stars as a sharp-witted police detective whose passion for her job attracts the attention -- and respect -- of the very serial killer she's tracking.

Serenity

I missed Firefly when it first aired.  No idea why.  Maybe I was too busy working or chasing skirts.  Or I didn't have cable.  But about five years later I sat down with the whole series and watched it through.  I loved it.

So then I saw Serenity (the name of the spaceship).  It nicely wrapped up most of the storylines yet hadits own plot.  It was really pretty good science fiction.  And that's hard to do.  If you like SF flicks, then this is a must-see.  And don't worry if you haven't seen the series, it has enough backstory for you to easily catch up.

4.5 out of 5 stars.

Plot Summary:
Picking up where his cult show "Firefly" left off, writer-director Joss Whedon's tale of galactic unrest follows Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion), captain of the transport ship Serenity, and his scrappy but loyal crew. When the ship picks up two fugitives from the powerful coalition ruling the universe, "Mal" and his mates find themselves at the center of a cosmic conflict, pursued by military forces and space-roaming savages.