Ron's Popcorn Reviews
Your source for information and reviews on movies and the Oscars
NEWEST REVIEWS
ICE AGE: DAWN OF THE DINOSAURS
3/4 STARS
Posted July 3, 2009
By Ron Rapoport
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs was practically panned by most people the moment it was announced, and who can blame them? After a movie as bad as Ice Age: The Meltdown, no one can have high hopes for a sequel. Though not as great as the 2002 original, Dawn of the Dinosaurs succeeds at overcoming the 2006 sequel and being, above all things, a really good and original animated feature. Read More>>>
4/4 STARS
Posted July 2, 2009
By Ron Rapoport
John Dillinger was public enemy No. 1 and he robbed banks. Melvin Purvis caught bad guys. They were both the best at what they did. Michael Mann's nearly flawless Public Enemies doesn't attempt to describe what drives these men. There is no deeper meaning. There is no special bond or moral agenda between them. There is just Dillinger and there is just Purvis, robbing banks and catching bad guys. Read More>>>
3.5/4 STARS
Posted June 30, 2009
By Ron Rapoport
Power. Women. Money. Freedom. That life is appealing, but at what cost? Sin Nombre is a brutal and raw image of gangland life in
TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN
1.5/4 STARS
Posted June 28, 2009
By Ron Rapoport
You know who deserves to suffer through the unbearable sequel to the 2007 blockbuster Transformers? The morons who stand in line and buy a ticket stub. And they can have it, just like they can have Transformers 3,4, 5, and so on. After all, they’re responsible for this prospering franchise. If they didn’t over flood the theaters for these movies, the film itself wouldn’t make any money and then no production company would provide a big enough budget to make them. Problem solved. The only hole in this idealized vision of cinema is that mass crowds are too dumb for any other movie, and find something like Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen entertaining. Read More>>>
3/4 STARS
Posted June 24, 2009
By Ron Rapoport
Let’s get one thing straight: I generally dislike war movies, with a few exceptions like Miracle at St. Anna, Saving Private Ryan, and The Deer Hunter. I wasn’t really expecting The Hurt Locker to join that list, and as I guessed, it didn’t. After hearing all the praise circling around this movie, I was some what eager to see it despite my criticism of practically every
2.5/4 STARS
Posted June 21, 2009
By Ron Rapoport
The most common flaw in romantic comedies is a lack of chemistry between the leads. The Proposal, starring Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock as the unlikely couple, has plenty of that. The only problem is a lack of originality. Being far better than the sum of its trailer parts, The Proposal still fails to exceed expectations set for average movies. Read More>>>
THREE TO SEE July 3-5, 2009 2. Moon 3. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
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DVD/BLU-RAY PICKS June 30, 2009 Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (I can tell it's the wosrt movie of the year just from the trailer.) The Education of Charlie Banks Dark Streets (seemed interesting but I never got around to seeing it.) 12 Rounds (John Cena is in it. OSCAR TIME!) Jonas Brothers: 3D Concert Experience (well now that there are 10 nominees for Best Picture I'm keeping my fingers crossed.) DVD PICK: (At least there's one movie worth renting this week. Two Lovers is a subtle but moving film about misfits searching for love in all the wrong places with great performances from Joaquin Phoenix and Vannessa Shaw.) 
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NEWEST BLOG ENTRIES
2 Tragedies in 1 Day
Posted June 26, 2009
By Ron Rapoport
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Just as the entertainment world was mourning the death of Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson passed away. Mrs. Fawcett's death was upsetting but not unexpected. Everyone knew she was in extremely poor health. But Jackson. This was shocking. It was like when Heath Ledger died a year and a half ago. Jackson was definitely not someone I admired but in the wake of his death, I find myself really saddened. Read more at my blog
WTF Sid Ganis?!?!
Posted June 24, 2009
By Ron Rapoport
Today I read that the Oscars will now include 10 nominees in the Best Picture category. WTF!? WHY!? 5 is fine for me. With 5, the category is spacious enough to include the deserving films but tight enough so you don't have to start picking films just to fill up the slots. This idea was probably conceived after folks were pissed about The Dark Knight not getting a Best Picture nod. Oh well. Let's just hope there are enough great movies to nominate so they don't go picking at the bottom of the barrell to find Bride Wars. Read more at my blog
The holy grail of 2009
Posted June 14, 2009
By Ron Rapoport
Every year, I usually look forward to a couple movie more than any others. In 2008, I anxiously awaited The Dark Knight. Of course then I never heard of Slumdog Millionaire which would eventually be my favorite movie of the year. In 2009, I've anxiously awaited Watchmen, which is incredible, Star Trek, which may be my favorite movie of the year so far, and the final movie that I can't wait for is Shutter Island. It is directed by Martin Scorsese, the greatets director ever. Yes, even better than Alfred Hitchcock. I don't care whose names you throw out. Michael Mann, Francis Ford Coppolla, Quentin Tarrantino, Steven Spielberg, Clint Eastwood, Hitchcock. None of them are as good as Scorsese. He's directed two movies that easily fit into my top 5 of all time: GoodFellas and The Departed. Read more at my blog
Battle of the late night hosts
Posted June 14, 2009
By Ron Rapoport
In the midst of the controversy involving David Letterman's jokes about Sara Palin's daughter, I thought it would be a good time to talk about which hosts are the best. The controversy itself was blown out of proportion by Palin. In his apology statement, Letterman sounded somewhat genuine when he said that he would never tell a joke involving a 14-year-old girl. The jokes were in bad taste but I rather enjoyed the one about Palin shopping for makeup at Bloomindale's to look more like a slutty flight attendant. Read more at my blog
