DVD Roundup (Mr. 3000, The Notebook, Shark Tale)

Mr. 3000

I'm a sucker for baseball movies. I'll see pretty much any baseball movie and will usually like it. Even if everyone else thinks it is awful like Major League 3, I will still probably still dig it. So I rented "Mr. 3000" expecting a plotless comedy, and what I got was a relatively unfunny but decent film. With Bernie Mac playing the lead you would think that laughs are a given, but he plays this more more serious that I would have ever guessed. Bernie's thinly vailed Barry Bonds impression is pretty dead on and the story is better than I would have ever guessed, but at the end of the day it just wasn't funny. It had it's moments here and there, but it has nothing you haven't seen elsewhere. While the movie isn't really bad, it isn't really all that good either. It is the kind of movie you watch and are mildly amused by, and once it's over you forget you ever watched it.

The Notebook

So, I have been putting off seeing this movie for a while now. I had read the good reviews and heard from a few buddies that it is quite good, but it is still a chick flick. I can count on one hand the amount of chick flicks I have actually enjoyed, so "The Notebook" had it's work cut out for it. Much to my surprise however, this movie had me crying like a little girl with a scraped knee. Not openly weeping mind you (I am pretty sure I would get my man card revoked for that), but the eyes were a bit watery on more than a few occasions. If there is a better chick flick than this one, I have yet to see it. This movie was flat out good. The performances were good, especially from the 2 leads. Ryan Gosling (one of the very good young actors) and Rachel McAdams (relatively unknown, but on the verge of stardom) have terrific chemistry. They were electifiying together on screen. The movie really only slows down when they are separated. James Garner and Gena Rowlands are both good here as well. There is nothing better than watching great older actors who can still act circles around most of the youngsters. This was definitely a step in the right direction for director Nick Cassavettes, after the disappointing "John Q". Maybe John Cassavette's kid isn't just coat-tailing his famous parents after all (his mother is Gena Rowlands). Word to the wise here guys, if your like most men and you have to watch the occasional chick flick, do yourself a favor and beg your wife/girlfriend/date/callgirl to watch this one.

Shark Tale

The whole adult movie packaged as a kid film seems to work wonders for the "Shrek" movies, but it is a bit much here. If I were a kid I wouldn't have any idea what is going on in "Shark Tale", it tries so hard to be hip and modern that it must confuse anyone younger that 12 and also just sounds hokey half the time. The story is good enough about a fish who feels he is destined for bigger things and he decides to lie to get there, of course leading to all kinds of craziness. Will Smith voices the lead role, Oscar, and he does his best fresh prince impression. Jack Black as the shark with the heart of gold on the otherhand is absolutely hilarious. I didn't even know that Jack Black was doing the voice until the credits, but it did not surprise me one bit. Robert DeNiro, Renee Zellwegger, Angelina Jolie and many more voice other characters. This movie isn't bad by any means and at times is quite good, but I can't help but wonder how much better it would have been without all the random catch phrases and hip-hop jargon. Worth a watch, but Pixar quality it ain't.