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“A Thousand Words” Movie Review
(Hilarious, Serious, Tearjerker)
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I did not have high expectations for “A Thousand Words”. I expected to have fun, but, was not expecting three different movies (and one outstanding performance) all rolled into one.
Eddie Murphy (a personal favorite) is outstanding as fast taker, over slick, book agent (who by the way does NOT read the books), Jack McCall. Jack is married, with a young child, and his mother is in a nursing home suffering from Alzheimer disease (she thinks Jack is her late husband, Raymond who left the family before he passed away).
Jack is angry….he would do anything to sell a book….and, although he loves his family…he does not show it (he talks a great game…but his true feelings never emerge).
Jack wants to sign up mega-popular, meditation guru, Dr. Sinja (Cliff Curtis) who he has learned has written a book. Visiting Dr. Sinja, Jack does what Jack does best….he talks his way into the book deal. Talk, talk, talk. Slick, slick, slick. In Dr. Sinja’s back yard, Jack leans against a tree and is pricked, drawing blood. From that moment on, Jack and the tree (which then grows in Jack’s backyard) are one. For every word Jack utters, the tree loses a leaf. If the tree is watered, Jack gets wet. When Jack tries to chop down the tree….he gets hurt.
Problem is…when all the leaves on the tree are gone…Jack dies.
To see what happens you will have to go see “A Thousand Words”.
Eddie Murphy is TERRIFIC as the three Jacks: The fast talking Jack, the Jack who tries not to talk, and the Jack who finally finds his true self.
Wow!
“A Thousand Words” is a surprisingly fantastic movie, with a fantastic message. No f-words, but, he does flash the bird and the tree loses two leaves…very funny. Ok for kids, I suppose, but the movie does get dark so beware that it changes from a comedy to a drama to a tearjerker very quickly.
Go to IMDb for more information. We watched this at Tracy, CA CineMark where our poster is STILL UP! Look up as you leave the theater! :-))))
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Drive Safe! Never Forget.
“Tower Heist” Movie Review
(TERRIFIC)
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Ben Stiller (as Josh Kovacs) and Eddie Murphy (as Slide) have a tendency to over act and get loud for no reason. Not here. They are both controlled (well…as controlled as Murphy can be) and terrific!
Stiller is the general manger of a fancy high rise apartment building in New York City (the credits at the end thank Trump…so the building could be Trump Towers). The staff takes very good care of the inhabitants, and do not accept tips.
One day, the FBI shows up and arrests Arthur Shaw (played by Alan Alda) for fraud (a la Madoff). Unfortunately, Stiller had placed his trust in Shaw and the employees of the Tower lost their retirement, and some lost much more.
Stiller is pissed and recruits a band of misfits to get the money back. Murphy is brought in as the resident expert in stealing.
“Tower Heist” is a much different movie than I expected. It introduces the characters (however briefly) so you get to know them and like them, and is less over the top than I expected. The plot unfolds nicely, and it is paced perfectly. It is alternately exciting, scary, and funny. We learn that Stiller is a very competent general manager who cares about his people. He also turns out to be a very good thief.
Not really for small kids as the language can get rough (I was so interested in the movie I do not recall any f-words, but….I may have missed it) and the action can get intense, but, older kids are ok. Adults should love it! Payback is wonderful. :-) It is PG-13.
Eddie Murphy is back….he is awesome, as is Ben Stiller. Matthew Broderick plays a terrific depressed unemployed recently divorced ex-Wall Street mogul.
Go here for more information. We watched “Tower Heist” at CineMark in Tracy, CA.
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Drive Safe! Never Forget.
