Sheep Movie Review: Trouble with the Curve

Trouble with the Curve, directed by Robert Lorenz, stars Clint Eastwood, Amy Adams, Justin Timberlake, and John Goodman. Clint again goes for the grumpy old man like he did in Gran Torino but I wasn't as impressed this time around. It was a nice attempt but the film comes across more corny than authentic. 

Plot:

Gus Lobel (Clint Eastwood) has been one of the best scouts in baseball for decades, but, despite his efforts to hide it, age is starting to catch up with him. Nevertheless, Gus-who can tell a pitch just by the crack of the bat-refuses to be benched for what may be the final innings of his career. He may not have a choice. The front office of the Atlanta Braves is starting to question his judgment, especially with the country's hottest batting phenom on deck for the draft. The one person who might be able to help is also the one person Gus would never ask: his daughter, Mickey (Amy Adams), an associate at a high-powered Atlanta law firm whose drive and ambition has put her on the fast track to becoming partner. Against her better judgment, and over Gus's objections, Mickey joins him on his latest scouting trip to North Carolina, jeopardizing her own career to save his.

I'm a big fan of sports movies, such as Moneyball, but with any great drama you need to have some suspense and Trouble with the Curve lacked that emotional "umph" I crave. The Clint one-liners became annoying after a while and the predictable plot just added to the overall lackluster quality of the script. I think there was some serious potential here, but somewhere along the line the powers that be lost sight of the end game. 

Surprisingly, Justin does an extremely great job with his character, and though it's not a role which needed a wide range of acting ability he presented the part with flawless effort. Plus the man has a smile that can win the devil over! Amy Adams yet again brings her A-Game to the role of aside pushed aside hardball daughter, though you are left wondering why she even puts up with all her old man's antics.

Predictable bar scenes, miraculous stumbles into late night clogging sessions, as well as midnight river skinny dips with amazingly great lighting and the kid no one saw coming that can throw some heat. The list of sports cliches goes on and on.  

Overall the film gives the audience very little it can substantially cling on to. You root for the good guys and despise the bad guys just because the film gives you no other option. You witness, yet again, how backstabbing in the corporate world can be and feel the woe-is-me from the gal just trying to make a name for herself. I'm suggesting you wait for the dvd on this, it's worth a dollar rental but not much more. 

Getting 2 and 1/2 'swing away' Sheep 

KD

Sheep Movie Review: 'In Time' directed by Andrew Niccol

In Time, written and directed by Andrew Niccol, stars Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Cillian Murphy, Vincent Kartheiser, Olivia Wilde and Alex Pettyfer. An interesting premise to this alternate reality film with a heavy helping of moral issues giving In Time a middle of the road rating from this reviewer.

Plot:

When scientists unlock the secret to immortality, time becomes the new currency and one desperate man comes under attack from a mysterious group known only as the "Time Keepers." In the not-too-distant future, scientists have discovered a way to turn off the aging gene. As the threat of overpopulation looms over society, money becomes a thing of the past. Now, assets are measured in time; those with the most time also possess the most power. Meanwhile, the lower classes are forced to barter with the new elite if they want to live forever. Suddenly a young commoner stumbles across a treasure chest of time. With the "Time Keepers" in hot pursuit, however, he may never get a chance to use it.

First off let me start by saying the film isn't a total waste of time, there's some really good points to the movie I'd like to touch on. The picture itself is beautifully shot with vivid blues and shades of grey throughout that give the film a very futuristic feel. Amanda looked stunning in her high class outfits with Justin and Alex holding it down strong for the men. Beef cakes fill the screen from scene to scene which is ALWAYS a plus in my book. The more shirts that fly off the better! Anyway, back to the story. The premise of the story was solid and the scenes that translated well came at you like a ton of bricks. But by the end of the film it felt like we were being force-fed the film's moral message. The audience gets it and we are with you, but the overuse of the moral message made the film start to feel redundant.

With a Bonnie and Clyde or Robin Hood type of theme, the story takes on the issue of time and what would you do if you had all the time in the world. Or on the other side of the coin what would you do with only a day on the clock? If everything you did was based on gaining and losing minutes of your life how would you survive and would you even want to live forever? It carries a class warfare message that many people can relate to in this economic environment. Some intense action and emotional scenes did reach out and grab me, helping the movie move things along. Unfortunately gaps in the dialog and overall plot of the film left me frustrated and disappointed with the movie as a whole.

Some strong performances from the cast were overshadowed by the lack of script. I felt that more time needed to be dedicated to the interaction of the actors and buildup towards the ending. Something I noticed, as a woman, it was pretty unrealistic for Amanda and Olivia's characters to be running around in 6 inch heels all the time. I mean take them off or something because I personally know there's no way you would be able to run that fast without breaking your neck! A lack of sexual chemistry also added to the unbelievability between our main characters. You could tell they both came to do a good job with the parts they had, but as a couple it felt a bit disjointed. They seemed more like good buddies then lovers.

Overall the movie was pretty okay, with a few majors parts missing in the script, overuse of moral plot issues and lack of chemistry In Time is generating an average rating from this reviewer. I'd check around to read what other folks are writing if you're still on the fence or pop in to catch the cheap showing. For the ladies that love some man candy you'll get a good dose with this one.

Getting 3 Timekeeper Sheep

KD

Friends With Benefits, it works.

Friends with Benefits, directed by Will Gluck stars Justin Timberlake, Mila Kunis, Patricia Clark, Richard Jenkins, Jenna Elfman and Woody Harrelson. A cute and funny romcom with an all too familiar plot somehow finds its way with witty dialog and some heartfelt family dynamics. Pleasantly surprising but definitely for the adult audiences.

Plot:

Dylan (Justin Timberlake) and Jamie (Mila Kunis) think it's going to be easy to add the simple act of sex to their friendship, despite what Hollywood romantic comedies would have them believe. They soon discover however that getting physical really does always lead to complications.

Friends with Benefits, is savvy with strong sexual content as I stated before, but really I can't stress this point enough for those parents thinking the under 18 crowd can handle this one. The younger group would do better off with director Gluck's Easy A if you ask me. But back to this film, the chemistry between Timberlake and Kunis was sizzling hott! Kunis looked beautiful and Justin...well he's a man fest any day of the week already! ;) The cheesy dialog at times adds to the overall charm of the film, while the movie does take jabs at other romcoms it somehow ends up finding its own way down that road as well. I don't want to give away any major details but I will say that while I'm not a fan of Nicholas *gag* Sparks books and films and I usually dislike movies of this nature, somehow this one dug its way to my sweet spot.

Aside from the sex and goofy nature of our main characters there is also an underlying realness that takes note of and addresses issues such as mental illness, divorce and emotionally unstable families. I found the emotional core only added to the overall likability of the movie. Throw in some classic New York "charm" and pop-culture finesse and you might just find yourself having a great deal of fun. A good date night movie or girls night out film this one is getting a strong; sure, why not? rating from me. :)

Getting 3 and 1/2 Flash Dance Sheep

KD