Dave Evans’ Mini - Movie Reviews

Reign Over Me
In a conversion that must have Jim Carrey green with envy, Adam Sandler puts in a strong performance in a serious role. Playing a man whose family dies on 9/11, Sandler convincingly works through a wide range of emotions, never allowing things to tip over into sentimentality.

The Lookout
Scott Frank, the writer behind Minority Report, finds himself in the director’s seat for this noirish tale of an injured high-school athlete who finds himself unwillingly involved in a bank heist. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is excellent as the lead character, showing a palpable adolescent rage married to a certain strength. It’s a long way from his days on 3rd Rock.

Blades of Glory
Will Ferrell and Jon Heder take the reins here as two duelling Olympic ice skaters. Expect all the standard Will Ferrell feel-good grinning, and the usual cheap laughs that come from focusing on such an easy target. Sure it’s funny enough, but wouldn’t it be nice to see someone pushing the envelope a little further?

Are We Done Yet?
How Ice Cube ever got involved in this family-targeted franchise is beyond me, but here he is once again as the put-upon lead in the sequel to 2005s Are We There Yet? Here he and his new family find themselves coming up against an unscrupulous property development when they move to the suburbs.

Firehouse Dog
Nauseating as it may sound, Firehouse Dog comes with good directorial pedigree. Todd Holland has worked on the low-key but excellent Malcolm in the Middle and manages to bring some of that sleight of hand to this unappealing offering. Hollywood’s top canine star goes astray and is adopted by firemen, and helps out in their efforts to save their station. Surprisingly painless.

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