Justin Wright » Movies

10 Movies I’ve Seen This Month

Justin Wright — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:41:53 +0000

Over the last few weeks I’ve been watching a lot of movies. I guess you can blame it on the 100+ degree weather. Or perhaps due to the fact my girlfriend and I both work from home.

Here’s a bunch of reviews of some of the movies I’ve watched over the last month:

500 Days of Summer

The main reason we went to see this move is because it was playing at the Alamo Drafthouse. If you’ve never heard of it, it is a movie theater that serves food and alcohol. I figured it was better to watch a random movie with beer than to go see a different one at a normal movie theater.

Luckily, this movie turned out to be a great movie. It was funny and a lot more entertaining that I would have thought. It’s a story of a guy that dates a girl for 500 days and over the course of the movie it looks back at each day of the relationship.

Highly recommend checking this one out if you get a chance.

District 9

I was not sure what to expect from District 9. I had never seen any advertisements or anything and simply heard of it through word of mouth. All I heard was that it was an awesome alien movie that was shot in a documentary style like Blair Witch Project.

Wow was I impressed! This movie was awesome from the beginning to the end. It’s basically a movie that shows exactly what it would be like if aliens really did come to planet Earth. The movie is seen though the eyes of a news channel so it feels like the real thing.

It sort of reminded me of Independence Day only better. Probably the best alien movie I have ever seen.

The Hangover

I’ve seen the Hangover a few times now and it’s still one of the funniest movies I have seen in a LONG time. The entire movie is straight up hilarious. From missing teeth to tigers in the bathroom, it’s a trip. And nothing beats watching Mike Tyson sing Phil Collins.

I would probably say this is going to be my favorite movie of the year. Unless something super funny comes along.

Public Enemies

One of the main reasons I wanted to see Public Enemies was because it was shot where I used to live in Wisconsin. I thought it would be cool to check it out and see if I could remember any of the buildings in the background.

The first thing I recognized in the movie was the Oshkosh Public Library. It was an easy one to spot out since there are two lion statues in the front of it. Here’s a picture I took of it back in college:

If you watch this movie, you’ll probably notice it as they drive by it.

As far as the movie goes, I really enjoyed it. It’s a gangster type movie about bank robbers and all that good stuff. My girlfriend on the other hand did not like it. It’s a long movie so you really need to be in to it otherwise you might get bored with it.

The Ugly Truth

Romantic comedies are usually a hit or miss for me. I’ve seen some I really liked while others I hated. This was one of the ones I liked. Gerard Butler was hilarious in this movie and I really liked it.

The plot of the movie is pretty funny as well. Gerard Butler is the host of a late night TV show about sex, dating, and women. He ended up getting a job on a regular news channel to spice things up a bit. He then ends up liking the producer of the show and the movie goes on from there.

Overall, it’s a pretty good movie and has some funny parts that will make you laugh.

Sunshine Cleaning

Just watched this one yesterday and actually thought it was pretty good. It was another movie I hadn’t heard of prior to watching so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Turns of it’s a movie about two sisters that start up a murder/crime scene cleanup business.

What can I say, it was pretty interesting. A good movie and different than some of the other ones I’ve seen lately.

The Brave One

The Brave One was a great movie. A very good thriller style movie that had me interested the entire time. Jodie Foster loses her boyfriend in a street beating and she is also hospitalized. She wakes up to find out that her boyfriend hadn’t make it and she struggles to pull it together.

She then decided to get revenge and buys a gun. From that point on, she starts to take out bad guys and ultimately hopes to kill the guys who attacked her and her boyfriend.

Great movie and I recommend checking this one out if you like thrillers.

Watchmen

I’m not going to lie but I hated this movie. Not only was it like 4 hours long but I could not get into whatsoever. I kept drifting off and ended up sitting on my computer the entire time because I was so bored with the movie.

I guess I’ve never really been in to comic books so that might be one of the reasons I was not in to this movie. Though I did love the Batman movies as well as Spiderman.

The Soloist

This was another one of my favorite. I’m a big fan of movies that are based on true stories because they feel so much more real. Jamie Foxx did an amazing job and made the movie was it was.

It’s a sad movie because it makes you realize that things can happen to anyone. It makes you look at people on the streets in a completely different way.

Lakeview Terrace

For me, this movie was nothing but a waste of two hours. The plot was pretty boring and it never took off. A couple moves into a new neighborhood and their neighbor is a cop who’s overly protective of the neighborhood.

That’s about all I have to say about this one.

Any Recommendations?

Have you seen any movies you would recommend checking out? If so, feel free to leave a comment and let me know. I’m always looking for some more movies to watch.

West Wind Scottsdale 6 Drive-In

Justin Wright — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 17:30:10 +0000

This past weekend, I did something I haven’t done in a few years. And I have certainly never done it in the month of January. What I did, was check out a move at a drive-in. Actually, I saw two movies for the price of one. Even better…

The Experience

The West Wind Scottsdale 6 drive-in is a pretty cool place. They have six screens all laid out in a circle type pattern and had a really good selection of movies. The price was $6.25 per adult, but this included two movies. It was even cheaper than seeing one movie at a movie theater.

Overall, this place had a lot of positives.. First off, it’s nice being able to pack a cooler and bring your own food. It’s also nice to be able to lay back in your car with some blankets and not have to listen to screaming children in the background. During the first movie, I even sat outside for a few minutes since the weather was nice. We had no problems finding a good place to park and the movie was pretty clear on the screen.

The only negative I can think of was the sound. During the second movie, the radio was picking up some static but it went away. It seems like the radio is better in certain places depending on where you park. If you keep that in mind when you are driving around, you will be fine.

Now I’ll give you a quick review of the two movies I saw.

Seven Pounds

I really enjoy Will Smith movies and this one was pretty good. I believe it was made by the same people that did The Pursuit To Happiness so it did have a little bit of the same feel. However, this was a much more dramatic and sad movie than that one was. Even reading the synopsis for this movie bummed me out.

After seeing it, I would definitely recommend seeing it. It’s a little long but the ending is where it all comes together.

Gran Torino

The main reason we went to the drive-in was to see this movie. I had seen previews in the theater for this movie and it looked great. As it turns out, it was even better than that. The movie was awesome. Clint Eastwood was amazing in this movie. It is true that movie is pretty racist and does have a lot of foul language in it. However, the movie is very entertaining has sends a strong message.

I would recommend this to anyone going to the movies. It’s a great flick and easily once of the best ones I have seen in the last 6 months.

A Great Place To Spend A Saturday Night

Overall, going to the drive-in is a great place to spend a Friday or Saturday night. It’s cheap and it’s a great alternative to going to the bar. Next time around, we plan on picking up a pizza and eating that while we are there. So just plan ahead and bring something to drink and some food. That way you will save a lot of money.

Zack And Miri Make A Porno Review

Justin Wright — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 16:42:53 +0000

Last night, I went and checked out the movie “Zack And Miri Make A Porno.” If your not familiar with the movie, it is a movie about two people that are broke so they decide to make a porno to pay off their debt. The movie stars Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks as the two main characters.

Check out this trailer to see a glimpse of the movie:

If you can’t see the video, click here.

What I Thought

I personally thought this movie was hilarious. I laughed more during this movie than I have in a long time at the movie theatre. What isn’t there to laugh about when people are making porn?

There are a few guest stars including Jason Mewes, the guy that plays Jay in other Kevin Smith movies. Justin Long also has a short appearance in the movie sporting none other than a…iPhone. He plays a gay porn actor visiting a high school reunion with his boyfriend. Very funny.

The movie sort of resembles “40 Year Old Virgin” when it comes to the comedy which is probably why I enjoyed it. Some of the things that happen during the “filming” of their movie are downright hysterical. Lets just say constipation is one of the things that results in something…

Go Check It Out

So there you have it, my Zack And Miri Make A Porno Review. If you’re looking for something to do this weekend, go check it out and let me know what you thought. If you enjpy funny sex humor and awkward moments, you will love this movie!

The Dark Knight

Justin Wright — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 07:34:50 +0000

I went and checked out the new Batman movie, “The Dark Knight” this weekend. I thought I would share my thoughts about the whole experience.

Purchasing Tickets

From what I heard, a few theaters here in Phoenix were sold out of tickets to see “The Dark Knight.” However, I did not have any problems purchasing tickets online prior to the show. I thought it would save a lot of time if I bought them online.

Arriving At The Theater

When I arrived at the theater the first thing I saw was this:

The line may not look big there, but it starts inside, loops around to the outside, and then loops one more time around the outside wall of the theatre. At first, I figured it was the line to purchase tickets to the movie if you did not already have them.

WRONG!

It was actually the line to get in to the movie to get your seats. So I ended up having to stand in this line just to get in to the movie. If you have never been to Phoenix, it is hot right now. Like 110 degrees hot! Standing outside is not all that fun right now…

Luckily, the line ended up being for two showings at the same time in to different auditoriums, so it made finding a seat a little more bearable. But of course, I still ended up being a pain in the ass

When I first got in the theatre I saw a bunch of open seats. But people apparently like to hold seats for their 9 closest friends. Every fricken’ seat was “taken”, even though there were no people in them. UGGGHH!

I ended up sitting in the 4th row, which was 4 times better than the first row. My neck was a little sore at the end, but not broken.

The Movie

“The Dark Knight” was an awesome movie. By far the best I have seen this year. I thought it was better than the first one “Batman Begins”, which was also a great movie.

Heath Ledger played the Joker better than I would have ever imagined. I heard he was good, but I wasn’t expecting that kind of performance. He was terrifying, yet funny at the same time. He literally was the Joker. I couldn’t even tell it was him because he took on the role so well.

Christian Bale did another amazing job playing Batman. He is a far better Batman than the older films I remember watching as a kid. Batman got a new outfit, a little more modern from the looks of it.

The film was a little long, but it wasn’t boring long. I have been to a lot of longer movies where I was itching to get out before it was over, but not this one. The ending was a little different than I would of expected, but I don’t want to ruin it for anyone.

My Rating

I would give this film a 5/5 any day. It was a little long, but I recommend it to anyone. If you haven’t seen it yet, go check it out. Just beware that you may end up standing in line…

Have You Seen it?

If so, please let me know what you thought of “The Dark Knight.”