Talking Pictures

Tony Toscano reviews “Dinner for Schmucks”

Rich Bonaduce — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 05:05:09 +0000

Based on the 1998 French farce “The Dinner Game” as well as the stage play, “Dinner for Schmucks,” starring Steve Carell and Paul Rudd, is a wonderfully funny and touching story about caring and friendship.

Although Steve Carell is a bit over the top from time to time as a wide-eyed imbecile, he is perfectly counterbalanced by Paul Rudd’s stick-in-the-mud corporate ladder climber.

Overall “Dinner for Schmucks” is well worth the ticket in. It gets a B and is rated PG-13.

Tony Toscano reviews “Cats and Dogs 2: The Revenge of Kitty Galore”

Rich Bonaduce — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 05:03:50 +0000

Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore is an enjoyable romp with a tip of the hat to James Bond films and other spy films. Both kids and adults will enjoy the humor, action and gadgets as well as the satirical humor peppered throughout the movie.

For being a surprisingly fun summer film, I’m giving this one a B. It carries a PG rating for animal action and humor.

Tony Toscano reviews “SALT”

Rich Bonaduce — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 05:01:31 +0000

At first glance, Angelina Jolie’s latest film “Salt” is a rehash of the Bourne films with a bit of the “Fugitive” thrown in.

However, as the film progresses, the story gets sillier and sillier and more implausible as the film progresses. So much so, the audience is abruptly jarred from their suspension of belief and into the hard reality of “that just can’t happen!”

Jolie and co-star Liev Schreiber do well in their roles, with Schreiber doing the most credible work in this cat and mouse spy thriller.

But by the final reel, it’s just not enough to shake off the movie’s foolishness.

“Salt” is only average and deserves a C. It’s rated PG-13.

Tony Toscano reviews “Charlie St. Cloud”

Rich Bonaduce — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 04:59:49 +0000

Let me begin by saying I have a place in my heart for a good sentimental love story. But “Charlie St. Cloud” isn’t one.

The film continuously hovers between being a sappy romance and a ghost story, but successfully never accomplishes either.

Unfortunately caught in between all this is Zac Effron, who is desperately trying to break out of his “High School Musical” persona and bite into meatier parts.

Effron is actually a good actor, but like a lot of good actors at the beginning of their careers, the parts offered them aren’t always good. Hopefully Effron will have better luck next time.

“Charlie St. Cloud” gets a D and is rated PG-13.

Talking Pictures’ 61st Podcast; July 28th, 2010

Rich Bonaduce — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 20:14:17 +0000

Greetings! The 61st podcast from Talking Pictures takes place at the Cinemark 24 at Jordan Landings, minutes before viewing “Scott Pilgrim VS The World”… but since THAT won’t open for a bit, Rich, Tony and Luke Hickman (from thereelplace.com), will have to be mum about it for awhile. But they can certainly talk about the latest box office, what’s to come, and the latest in Blu-ray deals! Listen in…

Talking Pictures’ 60th Podcast; July 19th, 2010

Rich Bonaduce — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 05:43:04 +0000

INCEPTION rules the box office and THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE gets lost in the shuffle! Meanwhile, SALT and THE REVENGE OF KITTY GALORE are set to try and knock INCEPTION off its perch; and a whole SLEW of new Blu-ray deals hit the market.

And don’t forget, YOU can drink what THEY’RE drinking – check out ROXBERRY JUICE here: http://www.roxberryjuice.com/locations.php

Talking Pictures is talkin’ OVERTIME; July 19th, 2010

Rich Bonaduce — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 05:32:54 +0000

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t seen INCEPTION yet, you may want to check it out FIRST, before listening to this!

Tony Toscano reviews “Inception”

Rich Bonaduce — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 23:00:45 +0000

Either you will love “Inception” or you will not. Christopher Nolan again has managed to create an incredibly multi-layered story around a simple premise.

And the deeper you go into the film, the more questions you have. Which is why “Inception” works. It doesn’t present itself “dumbed down” but celebrates the viewer’s intelligence.

Nolan also put together one of the best ensemble casts for this sci-fi thriller. Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Ellen Page are all pitch-perfect!

I guarantee this will be on everyone’s top 10 lists for the year. Don’t miss it on a big screen as the special effects are mind boggling on a big format screen

“Inception” gets an A. It’s rated PG-13.

Tony Toscano reviews “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”

Rich Bonaduce — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 22:56:32 +0000

“The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” is what summer movies should be.

From beginning to end, the movie is a high-octane thrill-ride, which doesn’t spare the laughter.

Nicolas Cage is perfect as the ageless sorcerer looking for the perfect student to help him save the world from a nefarious wizard, played by Alfred Molina.

Caught in the middle is Jay Baruchel as the reluctant milquetoast student who has yet to discover his own self-worth.

Well worth the ticket price in, “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” is just plain fun.

It gets a B+ and is rated PG.

Tony Toscano reviews “Despicable Me”

Rich Bonaduce — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 22:54:22 +0000

“Despicable Me,” after all is said and done, isn’t a bad film but that doesn’t make it a particularly good film either.

Opening in the shadow of “Toy Story 3” is hard enough for any animated movie, especially for a film that doesn’t have the heart and soul or the reputation of a Pixar Film.

What “Despicable Me” does have is a fiendish and harmless charm, which I think children will like while watching the film. After leaving their seats, however, the story and characters will not stick with them.

“Despicable Me” gets a C and is rated PG.