I have seen Princess Bride more times than I can keep track of. Every time I end up seeing it (except for the first time) is because someone else in the room where I was had never seen it, and the rest of the people in the room agreed that because they had not seen it, we were obligated to watch it. Everyone knows these movies; half the time they aren’t even great movies, but you “have to see” them anyway.

Princess Bride is simultaneously an adventure, a comedy, and a romance. Seriously, it’s #50 on Bravo‘s 100 Funniest Movies and #88 on the American Film Institute’s top 100 film love stories. I doubt many other movies are able to hold a spot on both lists. It all starts in modern day (well, what is now more than two decades ago), in the room of a boy who is feeling sick. His grandfather has come to tell him a story about the beautiful Buttercup and her love, Westley, who initially works as her farm boy. (This presentation of the movie helps preserve the narrative style of the text it was based on.) After Westley is presumed to have been murdered by the Dread Pirate Roberts as a result of a quest at sea to find his fortune, Buttercup, though she has sworn to never love again, is set to marry Prince Humperdinck. However, Buttercup and Westley had true love, and nothing could keep them apart. Sounds exciting? Throw in some swords, a six-fingered man, ROUSs (rodents of unusual size), a giant, a genius kidnapper, a miracle worker, and an evil prince, and you have the entire fairy tale. Say what?

Yes, if this film had been produced today it would simply fail and be regarded as a joke, but that doesn’t matter now; it’s a classic. In conclusion, Princess Bride is a bit crazy, far-fetched, and dramatic, but I’m agreeing with the crowd that you still “have to see it.” Sorry, there are just too many classic moments and lines that you can’t get away without know. It’s inconceivable! Trust me, you’ll understand after you watch the film.

I wasn’t that excited to watch Date Night. Although I loved Steve Carrell and Tina Fey in their TV personas, I wasn’t sure they had the right chemistry for a movie. But I still decided to watch the movie with an open mind.

And whoa! I am glad I did. Date Night is hilarious!

Directed by Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum, Night at the Museum 2) and written by Josh Klausner (Shrek: The Final Chapter), the movie is just one funny scene after the other. Steve Carrel definitely toned down his acting, which I really loved. And Tina Fey doesn’t play an “always single, career-driven woman” role again.

Their comedic timings were naturally delivered and they played off each other quite well. Even the outtakes felt natural and they never forced their funny sides to come out. It just came out naturally. The cameos worked well, too. The appearances of Ray Liotta, Mark Wahlberg, Leighton Meester, James Franco and Mila Kunis were spot-on but never stole the spotlight from the Fosters (Steve Carrell and Tina Fey).

There were, however, times when there was too much happening and the audience never gets a break from all the action. I had to slow down some times and step away from the movie, missing scenes in the process. And there were some shots that I didn’t get, including the scene where they came from the police station. They both had long shots that seemed as if somebody was watching them. But there was no one there. It just seemed a bit out of place for me.

Other than that, I thought the movie was hilariously funny. Go see it on date night!

I saw Diary of a Wimpy Kid while I was on a family vacation in Maine. There wasn’t much to do that night, so we decided to watch a movie. In all honesty, we were looking for a “bad” movie, something we could laugh at because of the way it was produced, not because of its script. We were drawn in by the title of this film.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a live-action adaptation of Jeff Kinney’s book series by the same name. (You can actually check out the book for free online.) Greg Heffley is the protagonist, who has just entered the 6th grade. The movie touches upon many of the troubles of a typical middle-school student: cooties, popularity, the “right” friends, being picked on by older siblings, etc. In the end, the message is essentially that you should always “be yourself.” Naturally, this is a great message, but its presentation is rather weak. Of course, Greg Heffley learns to “do the right thing” by the end of the movie, but he spends a great deal of the movie being selfish. He is not a very likable character, a bad role model for kids.

Thus, while I give Diary of a Wimpy Kid some credit, it’s not a movie I plan to view again any time soon. I’m also not enough of a fan of it to go out to a theater to see the sequel, Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2: Rodrick Rules, which is currently in production and will probably hit theaters around March next year. The DVD for the original will probably hit stores around the same time.

My recommendation: wait until it comes out on DVD and rent it then. If you’re a parent renting it for kids, you may want to take the time to view the movie in advance and decide on your own if you feel that the movie is overall a positive influence on kids. Though it is, in essence, a good idea, its weakly portrayed message may not be enough to make up for the rather rude and egotistical character that Greg Heffley initially is.

I like John Cusack. I have for a long time. I was just the right age to enjoy his farcical 80’s romps like Better Off Dead and One Crazy Summer. He was great in Identity. His likeability made the over-the-top disaster flick, 2012, bearable. And so, with all that history between us, I settled in this weekend to watch Hot Tub Time Machine (HTTM, for short).

I have an affinity for time travel movies – as long as they provide a certain logic to the rules and consequences of time travel. The time travel aspect of the movie draws almost exclusively on the well-known rules established in the Back to the Future films. In fact, I think it was no coincidence that Crispin Glover, the elder McFly from Back to the Future, played a role in HTTM. Every mention of time travel came across as an homage to the BttF film trilogy.

The basic (spoiler-free) premise of the film is that three middle aged friends, plus one 20ish nephew, take a trip back to the scene of their high school glory days. While things have changed greatly in the decades since its heyday, they manage to enjoy themselves while drinking themselves into a stupor in the hot tub of their ski lodge. Given the name of the film, I don’t think I’m giving anything away when I mention that the hot tub is, in fact, a time machine.

Finding themselves back in 1986, the three friends find themselves in the bodies of their younger selves. The nephew doesn’t change from his 2010 appearance, as he would not be born for another nine months after their arrival in 1986 (leading to a revelation about his parentage that will surprise absolutely no one when it comes along). The heroes must fight the urge to change the past while trying to reenact exactly their activities in 1986 while seeking the key to returning to the present.

HTTM is silly and vulgar. It contains multiple scenes of drug use, over indulgence in alcohol, and a couple of gratuitous topless scenes. But it isn’t a terrible movie. It’s worth a rental if you’re willing to take it for what it is – light, escapist fun.

I saw How To Train Your Dragon on the plane and had to keep myself quiet less I wake up the people around me with my laugh. And if you haven’t watched it yet, you’re missing out on one of the best animated movies of 2010.

How To Train Your Dragon is the story of Hiccup, the Viking Chief’s only son, who works as a blacksmith’s apprentice. He’s a small Viking and doesn’t have the same skills and size that other Vikings possess to hunt and kill dragons. His father, Stoick the Vast, finds it hard to understand him but sends Hiccup into dragon training to bring out the man in him.

At the same time, Hiccup shoots down a rare dragon called a Night Fury but nobody believes him. He hunts the dragon and kills it to prove he’s telling the truth. But when he finds the Night Fury, he cannot find it in himself to kill it and instead befriends it and even gives it a name, Toothless. Hiccup and Toothless develop an unspoken bond and Hiccup uses Toothless, as a volunteer, to help him out with his dragon training.

Jay Baruschel provides the voice for Hiccup and Gerard Butler is the voice of Stoick.

How To Train Your Dragon was entertaining from start to finish. It would be amazing to have seen this on 3D, especially with the dragons flying around, but it’s fine otherwise. The story speaks for itself anyway. It was non-stop action all the way that made everyone root for Hiccup and Toothless. It’s the best film to watch for Family Movie Night because there is surely at least one thing that everyone will love about this movie.

I am a big fan of Greek mythology. When I found out about the Percy Jackson and the Olympians movie, I was excited. I didn’t know it was a book already so I had no idea what it was all about.

Percy Jackson is a demigod, the half-human, half-god son of Poseidon, god of the sea. But he didn’t know that until Zeus accuses him of stealing his lightning bolt – a weapon of mass destruction. With his life in peril, his best friend Grover takes him to Camp Half Blood. At Camp Half Blood, he trains with Grover, who turns out to be his protector, to harness with new powers and prevent a war among the gods.

There are a lot of things I loved about this movie. Casting was great. It’s an all-star cast. Sean Bean was cast as Zeus, Kevin McKidd as Poseidon, Catherine Keener as Percy’s mom, Uma Thurman as Medusa, Steve Coogan as Hades and even Pierce Brosnan as Percy’s trainer. But the three main characters were filled in by relatively lesser-known actors, who were able to compete with the more famous stars.

Script and editing was exceptional. Great pacing all throughout. The movie flowed smoothly and was never boring. Every scene will make you jump out of your seat. It’ll definitely keep you awake all throughout the movie.

It’s a definite must-watch for anyone who loves Greek mythology, a little adventure and watching great movies. This movie contains all three elements. It’s now out on DVD and Blu-ray so don’t miss your chance to watch it!

Micmacs is Jean-Pierre Jeunet‘s (Amelie) latest film. Micmacs stars Dany Boon as Bazil, a grown man, who never grew out of his childhood. He was accidentally shot while working at a video store. When they bring him to the hospital, the doctors decide not to take out the bullet, arguing that he may die if they don’t. He survives with the bullet in his hand but becomes homeless and jobless because of the accident. He starts to think of creative ways to make money until another man in the name of Slammer (Jean-Pierre Marielle) takes him in his wing and introduces him to his scrap-making family.

While looking for scraps they can make into something usable, Bazil happens upon the headquarters of the bullet and mine that caused his accident and his father’s death. Together with his new family, they execute a creative plan to exact his revenge on the company’s CEOs.

The film does not lack the colorful, creative and playful world that has always dominated Jeunet’s previous films. The whole mood and atmosphere is still timeless and universal and it always feels as if we’re transported to another world, and even another dimension. There is a distinction between the good guys and the bad guys and we never replace them with each other.

It has to be noted though that, despite its playfulness, the film still lacks the same color and amazement as his other films. The story was clear enough once we knew what was going on. The set-up wasn’t quite clear why he wanted to exact revenge on the mine company when we weren’t quite sure with the relationship with father.

But despite the large number of characters in the movie, Jeunet manages to create and maintain their different personalities while working with the other characters in the film.

Micmacs is a nice and creative film about revenge but don’t expect it to have the same aura as his earlier films.

It’s been more than 1o years since Toy Story 2 came out and 15 years since the first Toy Story was first shown in theaters. I actually didn’t think they were making a third one until previews and news started coming out early last year. Imagine, for a fan, waiting for a year for the next movie. Torture!

But Toy Story fans do not need to wait any longer because it’s finally here!

WARNING! Spoilers ahead.

It started out with a bang, Woody on a rescue mission with Buzz, Jessie and Bull’s Eye. And then it shifted to Andy in his room, reenacting the scene. And then it became a home video and we realize it’s an old video and that Andy is no longer a kid. He’s about to go to college and he needs to figure out what to do with his toys. He packs them up but they get mistakenly donated to a day care center. Now the toys must find a way to get back to Andy.

Just like the first two Toy Story movies, there was never a dull moment in the movie. I felt it lasted longer than 109 mins. They introduced a lot of characters here including Lotso, Ken, Baby and a lot others. One of the funniest moments in the movie was Ken, emerging from his dream house to introduce himself and noticing Barbie for the first time. Ken was, I must say, very well-developed. They instilled insecurities (“I’m not a girl’s toy!”) and weaknesses, especially with clothes (“No one appreciates clothes here like I do.”) Well done, you guys.

Now, when I heard Andy was going to college in Toy Story 3, I was a little worried about the story. I didn’t know how they would play with it. And then they introduced the day care center and Bonnie. Then it became clear, it was a movie about moving on and new beginnings. And the toys were given a chance to begin and lead a new life.

Toy Story 3 had so many funny moments. Even if someone didn’t like how the story progressed, the funny moments were enough to keep them in their seats. The opening scene with Woody’s rescue mission was reminiscent of the ones before but is more familiar now. And the forces of Woody and Buzz in the Wild West against One-Eyed Bart, One-Eyed Betty and MISTER Dr. Evil Porkchop was classic. And the special appearance of Spanish Buzz was unexpected but hilarious!

It was heartwarming, touching and a perfect ending to a great trilogy. I read a Lee Unkrich (director of Toy Story 3) interview and he said this is the absolute last Toy Story movie. And I’m glad because it will definitely lose its appeal if they drag out the story too much. Oh, I will miss Woody, Buzz, Jessie, Mr. & Mrs. Potatohead, Rex and the rest of the toys. It was such a great adventure knowing all of you.

But don’t worry fans, in the same Lee Unkrich interview, he also said this will not be the last we’ll see of them. He’s planning, along with the team at Disney Pixar, to develop shorts featuring the toys of Toy Story. Something to definitely look forward to!

Toy Story is now out in theaters.

It’s summer, and you want to go out and watch a movie. But which one to watch? These are the newest movies to open in San Francisco this weekend.

1. Thirst

Directed by Park Chan-Wook (Oldboy, Sympathy For A Vengeance, Mr. Vengeance), Thirst is the story of Sang-hyun, a priest who will do anything to save humanity. He agrees to participate in a secret vaccine development program designed to wipe out a deadly virus. But something goes wrong and he finds out the blood he was injected with was infected, and he turns into a vampire.

2. Shrink

Written by Thomas Moffett and directed by Jonas Pate, Shrink is the story of Henry Carter, played by Kevin Spacey, a shrink who works in Hollywood and treats A-list celebrities that have left him jaded and cynical.

3. The Answer Man

John Hindman, in his directorial debut, brings us The Answer Man. Jeff Daniels plays Arlen Faber, author of Me and God, which has touched the lives of many people. Now on its 20th anniversary, people all over continue to seek him for the answers to their questions, but he’s a recluse and has succeeded in keeping himself away from the public eye.

4. 24 City

24 City is the story of three factory workers and how their lives changed when the China State-owned munitions factory they used to work for falls into ruin and is converted into a high-rise condominium building. 24 City was nominated for Best Cinematographer and Best Composer at the 2009 Asian Film Awards and Golden Palm for the 2008 Cannes Film Festival.

5. In The Loop

A British government minister, played by Tom Hollander, makes a mistake in front of a national television audience and tries to fix it.

What do you think? Which movie do you want to watch?