The Game of Their Lives -- PG
Based on a true story, this movie tells the story of the 1950 US soccer team, ranked absolutely last in World Cup standings having to play the number one ranked team, Britain, in Brazil. Having lost to Britain earlier in the trials, the US team seemed certain to lose. Soccer wasn't even popular in America in 1950. Only one newspaper, The St. Louis Post Dispatch, sent a reporter to cover the World Cup. That was only because half the team was a group of Italians from a St. Louis region called The Hill. The team learned the hard way that whether you win or lose is not the determining factor to the content of your character, but the respect you generated by how hard you played the game. Mild language caused the PG rating.
Garfield: The Movie -- PG
Part animation, part live action, this movie is about the cuddly, lazy, selfish cart character from the catoons of a few years ago. Unfortunately, the audience for the movie is too young to remember the series. The first half of the movie is for everyone; both adults and children. The last half is mainly for children. A good movie for the kids.
George of the Jungle 2 -- PG
One of the few Disney sequels that should not have been made. This movie was not only bad, but it kept referring to the first movie and the fact that Brendan Fraser was not in this one. Maybe he knew just how bad this one would be.
Georgia Rule -- R
I can't really judge this one. I can't stand smart mouth children (Lindsey Lohan) or Jane Fonda; both of whom are in this relational moving.
Gigantic: A Tale of Two Johns -- R
This documentary is about the musical group, They Might Be Giants; innovative alternative rock singers, who produced some of the first alternative rock videos on MTV in the mid 80's. This movie highlights their fascinating career in an entertaining and educational way. The rating is for the language.
Gigli -- R
"Gigli. It rhymes with really." And when the lead character has to explain his names, the viewer is in for a long day. The movie wasn't as bad as I had heard. There was much about it I liked. J-Lo was sexy and funny, as a lesbian hit-man. Ben Affleck was good as a West Side Story, small time New Yorker gangster and Justin Bartha was good as the mentally deficient kidnap victim. The best parts, probably, was the Al Pacino, Laine Kazan cameos; but most especially the Christopher Walker one. The excessive use of vulgar language is getting pretty pervasive in recent movies, and I think Hollywood -- in it's infinite wisdom and desire to excel -- is trying to reflect societies' mores, rather than set them. Film could be so much more. The sexual content, language and violence earned this movie an R rating.
The Girl Next Door -- R
I would have enjoyed this movie if it had been about college students living next to porn stars rather than high school kids. If it has an R rating, why have it about kids who can't see it? The nudity, adult language and sexual situations are the reason for the rating.
Glory Road -- PG
Another, in a long line of outstanding inspirational true sports stories told by Disney. This tells the story of the Texas Western basketball team that fielded the first all-Black starting line-up in NCAA tournament history (1965). Not only is it inspirational, it's funny and full of action. Be sure and stay through the creditsa for some exciting extra features.
Godsend -- PG-13
This movie couldn't decide whether it wanted to be a horrtor story, or a social commentary on the ethics of scientific discovery. Hence, it's not good at being either. Robert DeNiro acted like he was phoning this one in. PG-13 because of the adult situations\al ethics and some sensual scenes.
The Golden Compass -- PG-13
The world of a little girl (Dakota Blue Richards) is disrupted when her friend and other children are kidnapped. Her sponsor at a prestigious school (Nichole Kidman) wants the girl with her, but the girl wants to follow her uncle (Daniel Craig) on an expedition to the north to find some magical and mysterious dust. In her world, all people have a daemon present with them. A daemon is their soul presented in animal form. Children's daemons are unstable and can change form while adult daemons cannot. The writer of the book the movie is based on, Phillip Pullman, is an atheist that is very anti-Catholic, and the book and movie reflects those values.
Gone in 60 Seconds -- PG-13
When a retired, legendary car thief's (Nicolas Cage) brother (Giovanni Rabisi) botches a job, the criminal who ordered it wants to kill him. The only thing that will satisfy the man is the fullfilment of the order – 50 exotic cars in a week. Cage assembles his old crew, with the help of an old friend (Robert Duvall) and attempts the impossible. Car crashes vulgar language and violence adds the 13 to this PG-13 movie.
The Good Shepard – R
If you are a student of history – in particular, political history, you will love this movie. Other than that, it was rather slow and dull. I enjoyed it, but I couldn't recommend it to most of my friends
A Good Year -- PG-13
Unfortunately, it hasn’t been a very good year for Russell Crowe. This is a romantic comedy about a man who has been a jerk all his life, but an especially obnoxious jerk as a monied adult. (What a stretch in character for Russell Crowe.) This movie is, however -- and there’s always a however in life -- pretty doggone good. It is funny and romantic, with an excellent, though predictable, ending.
Goodnight and Good Luck -- PG
This movie is in black and white and directed by George Clooney. Those two things alone would suggest a comedy. However – and there’s always a however in life; this movie is anything but a comedy. It tells the story of the televised battle between Edward R. Murrow and the junior senator from Wisconsin, Joe McCarthy. With this movie being in black and white, the filmmakers used archival film of Joe McCarthy. This prevents anyone from saying words were put in his mouth or taken out of context. They were his words and you see the context. There are several side stories going that allows for great acting from the support staff. The rating, PG is appropriate.
Gothika -- R
The chemistry between Penelope Cruz and Halle Berry was exceptional. The acting of Halle Berry was better than A Monster's Ball. The problem with this movie was it's indecision. It couldn't decide how to end. It couldn't decide whether to be a ghost story or a murder mystery drama. It couldn't decide whether to excel or be mediocre. It compromised and was a decent movie with a lackluster ending. The violence gave it an R rating.
The Great Debaters -- PG-13
A movie based on the true story of of a small black college, Wiley College in Texas, during 1935. Their debate team was taught by Professor Melvin Tolson (Denzell Washington), and they debated against white colleges, after defeating some of the best colleges in the country. Their goal: the National Championship against Harvard. Very inspirational movie with a stellar cast. (Kimberly Elise, Forest Whitaker, Denzell Washington and Denzell Whitaker)
The Great Raid -- R
Possibly the most accurate military movie I have ever seen. This movie, based on true events that occurred during WWII in the Philippines, has got to be one of the five best movies made in 2005. Soldier do not just disobey orders, they don't scream as they shoot at the enemy and they don't run at the enemy and shoot accurately. They plan and execute. Hollywood has a tendency to make soldier and police either corrupt or stupid. This movie shows that they are neither. The R rating is for language and violence.
The Greatest Game Ever Played -- PG
This movie is made by the same people who made Rudy, Remember the Titans and Miracle. Based on the true story of the 1913 US Open Golf Tournament, this movie shows the same moral story of intestinal fortitude that those other movies showed. This movie is good for the entire family.
Grind -- PG-13
This movie let me know I'm getting old. It's about skateboarders trying to live their dream of skateboarding professionally, and all I thought was, "why don't they go to college and get a job?" The teenagers in the theater loved it. I thought it was too overtly sexual for the PG-13 rating it got. I started worrying about my granddaughters!
Grizzly Man -- R
A documentary about a man who lived with wild bears for 13 summers. The last four summers he photographed them. He was determined to roam with the bears, without a weapon, and to understand them and their way of life. The R rating is for language.
The Grudge -- PG-13
A remake of a Japanese horror movie with the original director and Sarah Michelle Geller and Bill Pullman starring in it. An American student, trying to earn nursing credits in Japan is sent to a house that has a supernatural presence in it, and a patient in a catatonic state. The presence was there because of a murderous rage that filled the house several years prior. This was a frightening movie and I originally thought the PG-13 rating was too tame. After thinking it over, I realized I didn’t "see" a lot of the stuff I thought I saw. I just imagined it.
The Grudge 2 -- PG-13
As good as the first one, though not as scary. If you saw the first, you know about the little boy, so you're not as frightened when you see him. Don't think, however – and there's always a however in life – that there isn't something frightening in this movie. It will make you jump. Enjoy.
The Guardian -- PG-13
This movie is a combination Officer and a Gentleman and Top Gun. Kevin Costner is very good in this role of an older Coast Guard rescuer who teaches the younger kids his skills. Ashton Kutcher is the talented, smart alec youngster, too talented to be humble and too dumb to be scared.
