The Music Never Stops Screenings:

The Music Never Stops is playing all over our regions.  Click the link below that corresponds to your area to get your passes. This is not gofobo.com so you may have to set up a quick 30 second account with them to get on board.

Sacramento, CA
March 8

http://www.filmmetro.com/events/view/8441


Roseville,CA
March 23

http://www.filmmetro.com/events/view/8447

Berkeley, CA

http://www.filmmetro.com/events/view/8443

Santa Cruz, CA

http://www.filmmetro.com/events/view/8442

Monterey, CA

http://www.filmmetro.com/events/view/8446

Screenings all over Sacramento this week :D

Monday is Beastly at Natomas.  Tickets were given out via cell phone text.

Tuesday we have a screening of The Adjustment Bureau.  Join us?

Tuesday is also Rango, this time its a weeknight for the big kid in all of us.

Wednesday is a screening of Beastly in Roseville.

Stay with us for more next week!  Check on CYCLONEMOVIES.COM for more contests and events.

***if you have spare tickets or want to trade, feel free to post the offers here or on the CycloneMovies.com forum on the homepage.

Cedar Rapids Screening / Review

“Cedar Rapids” is a dramatic comedy that takes place primarily at an insurance convention in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  Starring roles are filled by Ed Helms as insurance guru Tim Lippe, John C. Riley as insurance zealot Dean Ziegler, Anne Heche as Joan Ostrowski-Fox, and Isiah Whitlock as the “gangsta” Ronald Wilkes.  All the lead actors are insurance reps of some sort.

Tim Lippe works as an insurance salesman at BrownStar Insurance in a small town.  His boss dies just before the annual ASMI Double Diamond Award Convention in Cedar Rapids.  Tim is selected to represent BrownStar and runs into some typical small-town meets big-city problems upon his arrival.  It starts with the working girl Bree, played by Alia Shawkat, and then enters Dean, Joan, and Ronald into the picture.  They encounter an abundance of alcohol, drugs, sex, bribes, parties, and religion.  The convention gets them to a hotdog eating contest, rock climbing wall, and into the swimming pool.   BrownStar is a two time Double Diamond Award winner, and Lippe is expected to bring home the trophy for a third term.  Will he?

The characters in “Cedar Rapids” work very well together as an acting team.  It is like watching “The Office” and seeing how the paper people work together in that show.  The story is very simple for this movie, but it is told in a humorous and smooth format.   The lines seemed easy for the cast, which made the film much more believable and subtle.  Hearing Tim sing was quite astonishing.  Viewers don’t always get to see certain sides of the characters, and Cedar Rapids gives viewers much of what they didn’t know they wanted.  These insurance reps could pull off a road trip and keep the audience entertained for hours.  Great work is done by all the leads.

Certain moments will last in my movie memory.  The terms used and doors set up for Tim to walk through were priceless.  The rock climbing wall and pool disasters will keep you laughing all the way out of the theatre.  These were all in the “ASMI-azing Race” put on with the convention.  Tim and crew also end up at a party in rural Cedar Rapids and the substance inside the evening will remain in memory. 

There is a hint of Will Farrell from “Old School” in watching “Cedar Rapids.”  If viewers are fans of “Office Space,” “Little Miss Sunshine,” or “Tommy Boy” then they won’t be disappointed.  The R rating is for language, adult situations and drug content.  The rating is a bit rough for the story.  The truthful situations, characters, and dialogue in “Cedar Rapids” let us believe good stories can still be told without having to sit through shock and awe.  Granted the movie was anti-climactic and didn’t have the jaw dropping moments of a “Hall Pass” style comedy, but it was simple and well done on a visibly small budget.  “Cedar Rapids” earns 3 out of 5 Cyclones.

-Jeremy Brickner-

The CycloneMovies.com Critic

Hall Pass Review

“Hall Pass” is a crude comedy by the Farrelly brother, set in current day suburban America.   The lead actors are Owen Wilson as Rick, Jason Sudeikis as Fred, Jenna Fischer as Rick’s wife Maggie, and Christina Applegate as Fred’s wife Grace.  

Rick is a realtor and Fred is an insurance salesman in the typical life of middle-aged Americans.  They are both married and there are kids in the picture.  The girls are frustrated with their husbands’ constant gawking at other women and indifference.  The wives have a psychiatrist friend they work out with and she informs the ladies of the “Hall Pass” concept of allowing the men to have one week free from marriage and spousal responsibilities.  The ladies let their husbands give it a try….enter classic Farrelly brother comedy.  Days one through seven are spent in turmoil and awkward moments for all the parties involved. Is the hall pass more for the husbands or wives in the end?  There is potty humor galore; enough nudity to satisfy both genders, and catchy terms used which will live on in infamy.  

Day one is spent at chain restaurants filling up on junk food and becoming tired from the caloric intake.  Day two is spent at a golf course eating brownies.  The men spend day three working their new found pick-up lines at the local bars.  Day four is spent sleeping (recovering).  Day five is a failure at the local massage parlor. On day six the guys hook up with veteran mare-slayer Coakley, played by Richard Jenkins.  Day seven is spent in the hospital meeting back up with the spouses.  

The terms used in the film will be viral in social interactions for the near future.  Without spoiling their use, keep an ear out for “Gawkers,” “Knight Rider,” “Spank Bank,” “Crawl-by” and others.   The full frontal nudity was a bit shocking to some audience members.   Married couples were heard squabbling during the movie and appeared to be living vicariously through the characters on the screen.  The movie touched many relationship and comical chords.

 Viewers beware that the verbal and visual humor is pushed quite far in “Hall Pass” and is not intended for a younger audience.  There is a “Break Up” meets “Due Date” feel to the film.  This movie has been done a half-dozen times over the past few years, just told in a different (more subtle) way.  There was an abundance of LOL humor for everyone in the theatre.  Remember to stay put through the credits for additional footage.  After the screening, 9 out of 10 said it was an instant classic, the others said it was the worst thing ever put on screen.  Just an offense to the humor I presume.  Given the intended effect of the film, “Hall Pass” will earn 4 out of 5 Cyclones.

JEREMY BRICKNER

CycloneMovies.com

Hall Pass this Tuesday!

Get there early, by 530, and hang out in line with the other Clones and ponder the upcoming trivia for the evening.  Just know we love the Farrelly brothers and Jim Carrey.  Fans of Larry, Moe, and Curly??? So are we!  Bring that refillable soda to Century and get on board with their coupons as well. Or be like me and find the folks with the fortune cookie rejects in the theatre and chow down :D

SHIRT!

Want a high quality CycloneMovies.com shirt?  you can order it here and pick it up at any of the screenings in the Sacramento/Roseville area.  We are always there as you know.  We give away the promo shirts from time to time to contest winners (trivia, Twitter, reviews, etc.) and loyal followers.  We also have multi-color logo shirts some of our Clones are wearing.  They all look great!  If you want a certain size/color, we can usually work it out for you.  The shirts are $10 for pick up at the site or $15 dollars shipped to you.  Let us know your email and size and we will take care of the rest of the details with you.

Cedar Rapids Screening

Sorry about the screening cancellation on Thursday 2/17  :(  The wrong reels were sent to Tower Theatre for the event.  The studio has told us they will reschedule and the passes will be reissued through gofobo.com to those who already had them.  Stay tuned for more information!

Unknown

By Jeremy Brickner, Cyclonemovies.com

Reviewing Liam Neesons newest film “Unknown” will be quick and easy.  The movie begins with  Doctor Martin Harris and his wife, played by Liam Neeson and January Jones, landing in Berlin Germany for a BioTech conference. 

Mr. Harris leaves his briefcase at the airport and quickly jumps back into a taxi to return and get it after arriving at the conference hotel without it, but he is involved in a tragic auto accident and suffers a 4 day coma as a result.  He awakes to have his identity stolen and find total chaos in his life. Doctor Harris finds a man in his place and doesn’t understand why and his wife doesn’t acknowledge his presence.  He is connected with Gina the driver of the cab, played by Dianne Kruger, and Jurgen, played by Bruno Ganz in an attempt to regain his reality. These two fill a void in the acting and provide the support Neeson needs for his role.

Much of the movie cannot be shared for the obvious reasons….a spoil of the ending.  This film did do a great job of keeping the viewers guessing and taking us on a ride of “oh yeas” as we watched.  The car chases and action scenes are nothing to lose sleep over.  The concussion and memory lapse is believable, but the movie did make quite a leap in expecting us to think a man suffering from a head bump in an auto accident can go from one extreme to another in his everyday life.

This movie has an easy PG-13 rating, but may not be appropriate for all 13 year olds.  If you are a fan of Taken, Ronin, Bourne Identity, Davinci Code, or The Adjustment Bureau, then this movie may be for you.  Many viewers should be fine with waiting for it on DVD.  As for the CycloneMovies.com critic rating, Unknown will receive 3 out of 5 Cyclones.

See the video review and screening trailers on our YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/user/CYCLONETRAILERS

Just Go With It Review

By Jeremy Brickner, Cyclonemovies.com

The movie is set in current day Long Island, NY. “Just Go With It” is a romantic comedy, as are many Adam Sandler films. Sandler fills the role of Dr. Danny Macaby, Jennifer Aniston is his assistant/crush Katherine, Nicole Kidman is Devlin Adams, Nick Swardson is Danny’s cousin Eddie, Brooklyn Decker is Danny’s ‘young’ girlfriend Palmer, and the star roles are filled out by Dave Matthews as Ian Maxtone Jones the alleged lover of Devlin.

Viewers are given the standard set up characters. There is the decade old relationship throwback to show where the characters come from and how they get to the spot they are in today. Katherine is Danny’s assistant in his plastic surgery office. They compliment each other well. The chemistry is visible from the start, but they have polar opposite lifestyles. The dilemma they face is distinguishing and reading everybody’s true feelings compared to their “acted out” feelings. The humor of the plastic surgery mishaps Danny has to fix with the help of Katherine get the audience rolling for the first part of the film. It is perfect Sandler comedy and followed up with sheep Heimlich maneuver, a flamboyant hairstylist, and the Coconut Smoochy (perfected by Ian) brings us full circle.

It is difficult to tell how much of the humor is improvised compared to the scripted portions of the movie. Adam Sandler is getting older and his humor is a bit more mature in “Just Go With It,” leaving some disappointed this isn’t another “Happy Gilmore” or “Big Daddy.” Sandler fans will love this film like his others. Why? Because it is Adam Sandler! He always gets the girl. He always gets into sticky situations. Plus, we always get a few great wonderful laughs as Danny abuses the kids and cuts their dreams short. Unfortunately it wasn’t Sandler who carried this film; it was Nick Swardson as Eddie and “Dolph”.

The audience sat mute for about half of this film. The middle half of “Just Go With It” had few ROFL moments. We were not sitting on the edge of our seats; we were sitting with our hand in the popcorn bucket, enjoying the empty carbohydrates more than the empty movie. There were so many twists, and trying to follow the scripted lies in the movie got so distracting (almost as much so as with “Black Swan”) that I got discouraged and found myself wanting to text people to sort out my own life as opposed to watch the movie.

“Just Go With It” was terribly wonderful. Nobody left unhappy, yet they were all glad it was free. I didn’t mind the two hours for the movie (it felt long!) but I enjoy the comedians in the movie. If you like Adam Sandler films, “Reno 9-1-1,” or “Scary Movie” then spend the time watching “Just Go With It.” Teens and adults appeared to have a similar response to the movie. It has a PG-13 rating, and is appropriate for 13 year-olds to enjoy unaccompanied. As for a rating, 2 out of 5 Cyclones is all I can give up.

Justin Bieber: Never Say Never Review

By Jeremy Brickner, Cyclonemovies.com

Justin Bieber’s new film begins with some images of his performances and life in Canada and the United States. It is based over the past decade or so of his life. There are significant appearances by Usher, Miley Cyrus, and Jaden Smith. The film is a predominately a musical biography.

The movie follows Justin’s life starting with YouTube and continuing with Twitter and other online popular sites. His transition from online stardom to his family’s move from Canada to the United States is significant. Throughout the movie we are given 3D performances by the tween star. Miley Cyrus and Jaden Smith are included in performances as Justin sells out Madison Square Garden and other tour stops. Fans and viewers are given intimate insight into JB’s staff, friends and family throughout the film.

Artistically we are hooked. Bieber does put on brilliant performances and is quite intimate with his fans. Fans feel attached to him via his Twitter posts and his cyber connections. Every aspect of his tour is made available to his fans. The star’s personality coupled with his vocal and guitar performances leave non Bieber fans wanting more, yet his choreography seems a bit rough. The 3D for this film works amazingly well. In particular his “One Time” performance had an amazing impact. The crowd was singing and swaying to his music throughout the movie. Viewers feel as though he is reaching out to them and connecting through the film.

The target age group is all in. The sold out theatre included over 300 12-15 year old girls and a few dozen parents and young men in attendance. The kids were convinced I was Scooter Braun out of sheer hope for a celebrity in attendance. This is one of the best pieces of marketing in quite some time. Sadly, it echoes Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” and had a bit of a “Jackass” feel at times. The movie will undoubtedly be stuffed all weekend with the tweens watching the movie over and over. They will be sneaking back in to see another few hours of JB as the parents are left in the parking lot wondering how long the movie really can be. The movie really was quite long and could have been cut an hour earlier or continued for another hour without much consequence.

Knowing the target group and the purpose of the movie, it is phenomenal. If you are a fan of the other Justin, Justin Timberlake, or you are a fan of Canadians, then “Justin Bieber: Never Say Never” is for you. If you are in middle school anywhere in the United States, then don’t be the only one on campus that has not seen this movie. The movie does what is expected and there could be no way moviegoers can be disappointed. The only major flaw is its exclusion of a majority of the viewing public as an audience. The movie is going to earn 4 out of 5 Cyclones.

Sanctum 3D - Video Review

The Rite Review

By Jeremy Brickner, Cyclonemovies.com

The Rite takes place primarily in Italy. The cast is made from Anthony Hopkins is Father Lucas Trevant, Colin O'Donoghue is Michael Kovak, Alice Braga is journalist named Angeline, Toby Jones as Father Matthew, and Ciarán Hinds as Father Xavier. The movie is a dramatic thriller.

There is a rather shallow series of events to follow. Michael Kovak is brought up in the world of a mortician and takes the role in his young life helping his father. He is skeptical of religion and the afterlife, but ends up in a seminary studying to become a minister. Father Matthew wishes to enroll him in an exorcism course at the Vatican, and sends him off to start his studies abroad. There he is guided by Father Xavier and given more interpersonal experience from Mather Lucas Trevant. They dabble in lies, truths, and hands on practice. Michael’s father passes away from a stroke while he is studying in Italy. The series of encounters, hallucinations, imagery and exorcisms continues for another hour of movie.

There was good scenery in the movie. The events are easy to follow. The effects needed for the story were provided. We are told at the opening of the movie that the film is based on true events. This helps keep viewers focused and hoping to get some insight into the matters on the screen. “The Rite” could have been called “The Exorcist: Part ½” and left the viewers to decide from there. This would have been more helpful than tricking us with some quality actors such as Hopkins to get our hopes up. The only thing I left enjoying about the movie was the free “The Rite” t-shirt from CycloneMovies.com and a belly full of popcorn. The zealot out in front of the theatre with the “Anti-Rite” sign was more memorable that the film itself.

Those with strong feeling about the subject of exorcisms may get more out of the film than other viewers. If you enjoyed “The Exorcist” movies, “Angels and Demons,” or slow thriller films, then maybe you can get more out of “The Rite.” The movie has a “PG-13” rating for violence, frightening images and language. This is an accurate rating. As for a critic rating on this film, “The Rite” will receive a generous 1 out of 5 Cyclones.

Gnomeo and Juliet Screening

Wow even Gnomes come to our screenings!!! A big thank you to everyone who came out to our screening of GNOMEO AND JULIET. For the kiddies who won prizes from Cyclone we hope you enjoy the awesome notepads, beanies, and t-shirts.