Jason Cenzano (cenzano38)

The Men Who Stare at Goats R

The Men Who Stare At Goats is a funny movie with a great cast. McGregor isn't in near enough movies as far as I'm concerned, and Jeff Bridges is fantastic. As always. Kevin Spacey had his moment, and is still able to help move a movie along in an entertaining fashion. Clooney gives his standard oddball performance that would have worked if the movie hadn't fizzled.

Men sets a pace that is quite enjoyable and quirky. It doesn't seem like it would be too much to keep up for a couple of hours, but is for this movie. There is a very flat part in the movie toward the end that makes the ending a little harder to get right. You can't do a goofball movie like this and have a more serious part like Men does. You just can't.

The funny parts are funny. There is some pretty smart stuff under there, and it has a style of humor that I really appreciate. Just off the wall. Clooney does a great job of being someone who is completely crazy, but confident in what he (thinks he) can do. McGregor plays off of Clooney very well. I've absolutely loved Jeff Bridges since The Big Lebowski, and he's entertaining as always here.

Grant Heslov, the director, has some really great movies to his credit. I don't know what happened here. His latest movie besides this is Leatherheads, and if that were his only movie, I'd understand. But there is a much greater list above that. I'd think he could make Men work all the way through.

The actors make the movie better than it is, and the movie isn't anywhere near as good as the previews suggest. It's worth watching, but not worth going out of your way to see.

Amelia PG

Ahh. If only a movie about Amelia Earhart could be half as exciting as her life seemed to be.

Amelia was just boring. Sometimes flashing back and forth is good, sometimes not so much. Amelia is the later. Flat.

The movie, even with this spectacular cast, doesn't allow for attachment to the characters. Not even actors like Swank, Gere and McGregor can make the audience any more attached to the characters when a movie is edited this poorly. There are a couple of minutes where the director allows us in, but for only a moment. Then it's back to the grind of watching this scene and then the next. Mira Nair, the director of this..... thing, doesn't really have any great films in her library, and don't think she would have been my choice for something that they had so much to work with.

This isn't a movie I'm going to sit through again, and if you're expecting an Oscar caliber film, keep searching. This isn't one.