Shrek 4

After delaying this movie as much as I could, I broke down and took the kids to see it the dollar theater on fifty cent day. After watching Shrek the 3rd years ago, I was a little apprehensive about seeing the newest, and possibly, last installment of the Shrek franchise. After the movie was over, I walked out of the movie feeling pretty good that I finally saw it. By far, this movie put the last one to shame. I enjoyed the storyline of Shrek playing the "what if" scenario. I thought Eddie Murphy's donkey wasn't too over the top like he was in previous movies. I thought Mike Myers and Cameron Diaz did a great job in re-creating the characters that we all came to know and love from Shrek. All in all, the movie ranks in my top 5 of summer movies this year, even though I have probably only seen 5 movies this summer.

It's Complicated

Coming from a person who isn't the biggest Meryl Streep fan, I have to say I'm starting to buy into how great of an actress she is. I thought Alex Baldwin was great as the ex-husband who wants a "friends with benefits" relationship with his ex-wife. My only problem with the movie was Steve Martin. While I like the character he played, I wished his character could of been funnier. I know that this is rather picky, but when he turns out genius roles in The Jerk, My Blue Heaven, and Parenthood, you kind of expect that in every other movie. Even in Father of the Bride, Steve Martin can play it straight and just have the comedy fall around him. Like I said, I know it's picky. All in all, the movie was good, buy not great! It does drag a little for me, but the ending doesn't leave you hollow, like most movies do nowadays.

Swing Vote

For what I thought was going to be a blow off movie, I really enjoyed this film! I loved the premise about how two presidential candidates only need to campaign to one person to become president. Kelsey Grammer was excellent as The President of the United States, who would be willing to switch his party's direction to get Bud (Kevin Costner) to vote for him. I also thought, even though it was evident that he was on his way out, that Dennis Hopper came off as being believable as the Democratic hopeful. My only issue with this movie was Kevin Costner. His character was comparable to his character in Tin Cup. Bud and Roy McAvoy were almost the same person to me. That didn't deter me from liking the movie, however. I thought Madeline Carroll stole the show as Bud's daughter. This movie is a must see!

The Karate Kid (2010)

This movie is truly a remake! Everything from the storyline to the dialogue, this movie is a copycat of the 1984 version of The Karate Kid. Even with the story taking place in China, as opposed to California, I was sitting there telling myself what the next scene would be. However, that's not a bad thing! Jaden Smith is a true star in this movie (God knows the last thing the world needs is for Will Smith and Jada Pinkett to have successful off-spring). Jackie Chan is, well Jackie Chan. While he's not as lovable as Pat Morita, he is enjoyable enough for me as Jaden's teacher. It's a great movie, and it will be interesting to see if they follow up with it.

Toy Story 3

Far and above, the Toy Story franchise sets the standard of Disney animation. Toy Story 3 closes the chapter in one sense, but possibly opens a new book with this one. I loved the characters, as I did in the first two, and the story was very heartwarming. To be honest, I found myself tearing up a few times in the movie. By far, the best family movie of the summer. Hopefully, it's not the last of the series, but if so, it went out with a bang!

Wonderful World

This movie isn't in my top 5 of Mathew Broddrick movies! Granted, I didn't expect Ferris Bueller, but I was looking for a little bit more than what I got. The story is pretty simple, lonely guy's roommate collapses, flies in sister, falls for sister, they break up, he finds himself throughout all of this. I thought he did a good job in the movie, but I was pretty bored with the love story. The biggest problem I had was the title. No where in this movie did I get the impression that this was a wonderful world for him. The movie is worth a shot, just don't get your hopes up!

I Think I Love My Wife

Chris Rock doesn't normally make movies that make people gravitate to the theaters, and this one was no exception. As it was just starting on TV, I figured I'd give it a shot. This movie surely lacks Chris Rock's humor in it. The story was okay, watchable, until the end. The ending will make you wish you spent two hours doing something else. There were no "laugh out loud" moments for me, yet I was interested to know if he was going to leave his wife for Kerry Washington. All in all, this movie proves that Chris Rock is not a solid lead for movies.