Little Fockers

            As I said in my last review, Hollywood will make a sequel to anything as long as they believe a profit can be made and they don't care how good or bad it turns out. It always comes down to the money. Sometimes though I wish they'd just put the viewer first and decide, "You know what? This isn't needed." Instead that decision, if made, usually comes down to the actors deciding they don't want to play the same character again, and even then the studios sometimes go on without them.
            However, if it seems as if I'm getting all riled up to absolutely trash this movie I'm not. The movie wasn't great though either. The thing when it comes to sequels is that to make them good there are a bunch of things to do and not do. Unfortunately, with Little Fockers they do to many of the don'ts. One of the big don'ts is to not use your predecessors as a crutch and Little Fockers relies on the two movies before it heavily. No thought is put into the plot as it fully relies on continuity from the previous movies.
            In Little Fockers, Greg (Ben Stiller) and Pam (Teri Polo) have twins (little Fockers haha get it?) now. With the twins' birthday approaching the whole family is coming to town to celebrate. From both sets of grandparents to even Pam's ex love Kevin (Owen Wilson). Due to all of these expenses cash strapped Greg begins moonlighting for a pharmaceutical company thanks in large part to the sexy sales rep Andi (Jessica Alba). This causes some familiar problems between Greg and Jack (Robert De Niro), as Jack is looking for a successor to the Byrnes' family legacy. Jack begins to feel he can't trust Greg, thus causing for friction and mayhem between the two.
            As I stated above the plot is weak and relies heavily on the formula from the previous movies, especially the first, just with the necessary upgrades. It is nice they were able to get all of the same actors to come back. Blythe Danner is back as Pam's mom Dina, while Dustin Hoffman and Barbara Streisand reprise their roles as Greg's parents Bernie and Roz. Though that is nice, you don't always have to bring back every single character from previous movies. It gets to crowded trying to fit them all in and that's one of the problems here.
           Overall, with its problems Little Fockers could have been much worse than it was. Though some of its jokes and gags are recycled there's enough fresh or seemingly fresh material throughout to keep you from being terribly upset. In the end, this movie wasn't necessary and they should've stopped after the second one.
           Though through all of my negativity I'm going to give this movie a thumbs down, yet 2 out of 4 stars. I still laughed enough throughout to be able to look past the obvious errors and weak storyline. If you liked the first two movies as I did, I say feel free to give this one a whirl. You'll probably enjoy it enough and if you go to Redbox it's only a buck. You can also get this movie via Netflix or OnDemand on Xfinity. Enjoy!

Editor's Note: Alright I finally got around to Little Fockers. However, now I'm not to sure what to review next so you have any suggestions please feel free to let me know and comment below. I do have one request for the animated movie Surf's Up so that could be next.

Limitless

            Have you ever imagined what you could do with your life if you were smarter? Probably, right. I know I have. Have you ever thought that you weren't using your brain to it's fullest extent. Maybe, at times, but that's not necessarily something I tend to think about. Regardless though, when you go see the new movie Limitless questions like that tend to rise into your thought process.
             Limitless, based on the book The Dark Fields, stars Bradley Cooper as Eddie Morra, a down on his luck writer who is having trouble writing. Eddie's life is already down in the dumps when his girlfriend Lindy (Abbie Cornish), breaks up with him. Depressed, Eddie is uncertain what to do next when he runs into his old brother-in-law Vernon. Vernon seeing Eddie in such a situation offers him this new drug that he's representing called NZT. Vernon promises Eddie only good things from the drug and though skeptical at first Eddie decides, what the hell.
             What NZT does is allow the user to access the entire functionality of their brain; not just up to 20% were told we're able to access. This does wonders for Eddie as he starts performing on levels he's never even dreamed off. However, a wonderful drug doesn't come out of the blue and create better lives with no complications. From this point on Eddie must navigate himself through all of the very high positives and very low negatives that comes with such a powerful drug.
               I loved the premise of this movie as it was something fresh and new and it made you think. However, the movie did have its holes. There were a few times I found myself questioning different things happening in the movie if they were realistic or needed or just plain odd. Don't get me wrong though I was thoroughly entertained. Most of the stuff I'm talking about is ticky-tack stuff that doesn't really need to be worried about and some of you might not even notice.
               The acting in the movie was nothing Oscar worthy, but wasn't bad either; it did the trick. Bradley Cooper did a fine job going between a hot shot and nothing. I was disappointed in Robert De Niro's part as it wasn't as large as I thought it was going to be and almost seemed pointless and unneeded as well.
               All in all, I enjoyed the movie as it's fresh plot was passable enough to cover for its holes and somewhat weak ending. If anything it was enjoyable to imagine what one could accomplish not only if they can put their mind to it, but their "entire" mind to it. I give this movie a thumbs up and a solid 2 out of 4 stars.
                If you don't feel like spending the money to see it in theaters, that's fine, but I recommend seeing it once it's available on DVD and all other devices. It's something I believe both men and women would enjoy seeing as well.

Look out for my next review which will be on the movie Takers starring Matt Dillon, Paul Walker, T.I., and many others.