Maggie Fitzgerald comes from a “white trash” family that thinks nothing of her. She works doing the only thing she has ever known; waitressing. But, Maggie is a woman on a mission, a mission to become a professional boxer. She begins working out at a local gym and asks the owner, Frankie, to train her. Frankie refuses, stating that he doesn’t train girls. Maggie’s persistence eventually pays off and Frankie agrees to the task. In no time flat, Maggie goes from a nobody to a big name contender with a title fight lined up. Everything changes in a flash when Maggie is injured in the ring and can no longer box.

I remember when this movie came out back in 2004 and it was snagging a ton of awards. I couldn’t help but to think it was silly; a female boxing movie, winning all these awards… what gives?

Now, after watching this movie… wow. The boxing aspect really has little to do with the actual plot of the film. I don’t want to give everything away for those who have yet to see it, but I can easily say this is one of the saddest and most touching movies I have ever seen.

I give Million Dollar Baby 10 out of 10 stars.

The Longest Yard tells the tale of Paul Crewe (played by Adam Sandler). Crewe is a former football quarterback who finds himself in prison and is forced to play on the cell block football team. Crewe must put together a worthwhile team from his cell mates to play against the guards in annual guards vs inmates game.

This movie had its funny moments, but for the most part I was pretty let down. Maybe it’s just me, but all of Adam Sandler’s movies seem to be going down hill lately. I wouldn’t even bother checking out this one unless you are a true Sandler fan

I give The Longest Yard 5 out of 10 stars.

Will Smith plays the role of Chris Gardner, a medical equipment salesman struggling to make ends meet after the mother of his child 5-year-old kid bails out on him. Gardner gets lucky and lands an internship at a stockbroker firm, but still must work his day job to support himself and his son. This only get worse as the duo is kicked out of their apartment and forced to sleep wherever they can; shelters, public restrooms, etc.

Will Smith is a fantastic, versatile actor and he really shines in this film. The film is based on a true story and is very motivating, proving that you can do just about anything if you have the “Will” and determination. My only gripe about the film is that it ended too early! But I won’t spoil it for those who haven’t seen it yet.

I give The Pursuit of Happyness an 8 out of 10 stars.

Sacha Baron Cohen plays the role of Borat, a tv personality from Kazakhstan who is filming a documentary about his trip to (and subsequently, across) the United States.

Borat makes his way across the country with the goal of meeting (and marrying) Pamela Anderson in California. The film documents his trip and the various people that he comes in contact with. Borat has a unique sense of humor and manages to piss off a lot of people along the way.

Borat is a funny movie if you are into that sort of stupid, offensive humor. It wasn’t quite as good as the film previews and media made it out to be, but it’s still worth a look if you are into comedy.

I give Borat a 7 out of 10 stars

I have always been a fan of the Rocky movies. When I first heard about this movie last year, I was really looking forward to seeing it. I never got a chance to catch it in theaters, so this film was high on my list of “must see” DVDs.

The film picks up where the last movie left off: Rocky is still retired and is having to deal with the death of his wife. After a virtual television fight pits the retired Balboa against current champion Mason Dixon, one thing leads to another and the fight becomes a reality.

I really enjoyed the first 80% of this movie, but the fight at the end of the film really let me down… not so much by the outcome of the fight, but the fight itself. I won’t spoil it here for those who have yet to see the movie…

If you are a fan of the previous five Rocky films, you owe it to yourself to check this one out (if you haven’t already). Don’t expect a lot, but it does a decent job of wrapping up the Rocky series.

I give Rocky Balboa a 8 out of 10 stars.

Happy Feet is an animated movie that tells the story of Mumble, a penguin born without the ability to sing. Normally, this would be fine, but in Mumble’s penguin community, singing is the key to finding your life partner, your soul mate. Without music, Mumble faces a life of ridicule and lonesomeness.

I typically like animated movies such as this, but this one didn’t really do it for me. The film starts off slow, but by midway through, things start to pick up. In the end, we get the happy ending that everyone would expect but still, I was left wanting more. The star studded cast helped the film along, but without a true comedic character, I found myself only laughing at a few scenes.

If you are a sucker for animated flicks, I’d recommend giving this movie a look, but don’t expect something as good as Shrek or Shark Tale.

I give Happy Feet 7 out of 10 stars.

I recently signed up for Blockbuster’s Total Access program ( One Month Free Coupon Code ). The program is very similar to Netflix. Once registered, you can go online and add DVDs to your queue and they will be shipped in the order that you desire.

You are able to receive up to three movies at a time. Blockbuster has the advantage over Netflix in the fact that you can return movies directly to your local store and the next one will be sent from your queue. With Netflix, you must ship the movie(s) back and wait until they are received before the next one(s) will be sent.

I have received three movies thus far: Rocky Balboa, Happy Feet and Turistas. I am planning to do mini movie reviews on each DVD that I receive. Look for the mini review of Happy Feet later this evening