Two Gays and a Movie

A Hilarious Way To Get An Easy A

2010-10-03T09:00:00.000-06:00

Hollywood has made hundreds of coming-of-age films, mostly told through the eyes of the films male star, on those rare occasions where the film is told through the female stars point of view, the film itself tends to have more depth, heart and is usually more believable. Although that's not to say these films are always very good, because they usually tend to be grueling to watch. This is not the case with "Easy A" a light comedy from director Will Gluck. Easy A is not just a coming of age film it is also a film of empowerment, if, as the film's major character refuses to do, you give your detractors power they will take it and use it to make themselves feel better at your expense.

Olive (Emma Stone) is not your typical high school student, she and her best friend Rhiannon (Aly Michalka) who she spends almost all of her free time with, she has what are the best on screen parents ever, Dill (Stanley Tucci) and Rosemary (Patricia Clarkson) and an adopted brother Chip (Bryce Clyde Jenkins). One day after being overheard telling Rhiannon some made up stories about a fictional boyfriend by the schools holy roller student Marianne (Amanda Bynes), Olive becomes the talk of the school. One afternoon in detention Olive befriends another student who is also the brunt of several school bullies. Brandon (Dan Byrd) is gay and everyone taunts him and he thinks that he has the perfect plan. He asks Olive to pretend to be his girlfriend at a party being thrown by one of the schools most popular girls. Thinking that nothing bad could come of this little prank Olive agrees.

When news of the episode gets around school, other boys start to ask Olive to pretend to sleep with them as well, Olive agrees reluctantly and news spreads like wild fire. Olive being the person she is refuses to let the school's gossip bring her down, so she decides to dress the part, wearing a red A on all of her outfits. This of course brings Olive to the attention principle Gibbons (Malcolm McDowell), but also to one of the schools counselors Mrs. Griffith (Lisa Kudrow) who is married to the one teacher Olive thinks is really cool, Mr. Griffith (Thomas Haden Church). Of course Olive and Marianne will come to a sort of truce and become almost the best of friends, until another misunderstanding occurs. Olive agrees to take responsibility for something in order to protect a school employee. The one guy who Olive really has a crush on is Todd, he is the schools mascot and Olive has liked him since they were young kids. Of course these types of movies will bring the two together in the end, after Olive turns the tables on those who have sided against her, even her one time best friend falls victim to Marianne and her friends.

Easy A is a very funny movie, there are several one liners that will make you laugh out loud, Olive's parents are probably the funniest twosome in the film, they make each others lines zing. Emma Stone is quickly becoming Hollywood's it girl. It is Stone's performance that definitely gives the film its best moments. Easy A takes a more honest look at teenage angst, this isn't the female version of Superbad, it is a stand alone film that is almost perfect. The films lone detraction is the cliche Hollywood ending, where every character gets exactly what is coming to them. Life's lessons are learned and everybody gets the chance to become a little bit better as a person.

I give Easy A 3 stars. The film is a joy to watch, Emma Stone is becoming a big star, she is far removed from her character from Superbad, here it is her delivery and physical comedy that really showcases her talent. Stanley Tucci seems to be the coolest father on the planet, his laid back style and his interaction with Patricia Clarkson that contain some of the movies funniest scenes, these free spirited parents help Olive overcome her anger and fears in ways that don't seem preachy, they simply tell her that she is the kind of person who isn't what others see her as but what she herself knows her to be. The film not only will make you laugh but it will make you feel good about yourself as well.

Easy A is rated PG-13 for Mature Thematic Elements Involving Teen Sexuality, Language and Some Drug Material.
Running time is 1 hr. 32 mins.
Distributed by Sony Pictures

A New Social Network That Became Facebook

2010-10-01T09:00:00.000-06:00

When it was announced that Ben Mezrich's book The Accidental Billionaires was being made into a film recounting the creation of Facebook and the legal fallout between its founders, many people (including me) didn't hold out much hope for a movie even worth thinking about. When it was later announced that David Fincher was going to direct and that Aaron Sorkin was writing for the new film, I began to believe in the film's success. Now after having seen "The Social Network" I can only say that this is hands down the best film of 2010.

Sorkin introduces us to Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) by letting us sit in on the creation of what is to become an internet sensation. Using different lawsuit depositions as the film's central theme, Sorkin takes us into the private life of a man who becomes the youngest billionaire in the world. After being jilted by an ex-girlfriend Erica Albright (Rooney Mara), Mark goes back to his dorm and with the help of his best friend, Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield), pulls off an incredible online stunt -- breaking into all of the nearby colleges computer systems and ranking its female students. This stunt lands him in trouble with the Harvard brass, but also gains him the attention of the Winklevoss twins, Cameron (Armie Hammer) and Tyler (Josh Pence). They ask him to help them create a site for the students of Harvard, to share their experiences at school. They later sue Mark, claiming he stole their idea and turned it into a site he calls The Facebook.

Eduardo agrees to help Mark fund his attempt to create what he calls a website for every one -- that is everyone who they allow access to. Mark meets and becomes enthralled with Napster founder Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake) who would convince Mark to take his site to several Silicon Valley venture capitalists, a move that essentially pushes Eduardo out of the picture and gets his shares in the company cut to next to nothing. This action causes Eduardo to also file suit against his former friend.

Sorkin and Fincher then cut between the two lawsuits and the testimonies given in the respective cases, we see the eventual start-up of Facebook, to its combative aftermath and Zuckerberg himself told through multiple points-of-view. The movie isn't necessarily about the site Facebook itself, it is ultimately about human behavior. Social Network takes care to show all the rage, vindictiveness, pettiness and pain that can come with taking on a venture with friends and letting that friendship become less important than the venture itself.

Zuckerberg is portrayed with little to no honorable qualities. The fact that no one will feel any remorse or pity for Zuckerberg is testament to the near perfect performance by Eisenberg himself.He brilliantly showcases Zuckerberg's anger, hurt and brilliance, as well as the character's arrogance, impatience and vulnerability.

The film is told through several flashbacks and rolls smoothly to it's inevitable conclusion. It is said that the Winklevoss group got over sixty five million dollars and that Eduardo got an undisclosed sum (one billion dollars) and his name put back on the company letterheads. The smooth way that the film progresses is a sign of how good the director is and Fincher is one of the best working today. Sorkin has a way with sharp dialogue and this only enhances even the smallest characters in the film.

I give The Social Network 4 stars. This is a gripping expertly crafted film, a modern story with all of the classic themes of life. A small jealousy fuels one man's desire to be better than everyone around him. The films co-stars are near perfect and Garfield is the best amongst the lot, he brings a warmth and humanity to the role of the wounded friend seldom seen in films today. Like him or not Zuckerberg had enough business savvy to create a website that everyone in the world has heard of.

The Social Network is rated PG-13 for Sexual Content, Drug and Alcohol Use and Language.
Running time is 2 hrs.
Distributed by Columbia Pictures.

Buried Is Truly A One Of A Kind Masterpiece

2010-09-26T09:00:00.001-06:00

No one thought that a movie with one lone actor in one location for over ninety minutes would work out, but this Cynic says that director Rodrigo Cortes has done the impossible with his new film "Buried". Working from a script written by Chris Sparling, Cortes makes the tension both palpable and believable. As the clock ticks down, the movie's motif of fear grows as one man comes to accept his own demise. The story works because Ryan Reynolds does an amazing job of bringing an emotional depth to his character.

Paul Conroy (Reynolds) wakes after his truck convoy is ambushed, where he finds himself buried alive in a small wooden coffin. Left with only a small zippo lighter, a cell phone, and a couple of light bars, he uses the lighter to assess his situation and that is exactly when his panic sets in. Paul has to find an immediate way to come to terms with his predicament. Once his initial panic recedes, Paul calms down and starts phoning anyone that he can think of for help. Paul runs into the typical Government bureaucracy, and his situation becomes increasingly grave as his phone drifts in and out of reception. Ultimately, Paul's fears are confirmed when he answers a mysterious call, to find that his captor Jabir (Jose Luis Garcia Perez) wants five million dollars ransom for his release.

As time ticks away, we hear other voices in conversations with Paul: Alan Davenport (Stephen Tobolowsky) who is Paul's Boss; Dan Brenner (Robert Paterson) a U.S. hostage team negotiator; and lastly his wife Linda (Samantha Mathis). To say that the impact of these calls hits hard would be an understatement. The urgency in Paul's voice as he fights to cling to any hope is hard to listen to and we hear the exact moment he realizes that he is doomed. To give away any more would take away from the films impact. As Paul frantically tries to figure out a way to escape, the audience is right there feeling the claustrophobia. Cortes does this especially effectively with camera work that zooms in and out of the confined space.

Sound and light are also used efficiently. The noises from outside the coffin help to ratchet the tension, and the differing light sources reflect Paul's fluctuating emotions. Clearly writer Chris Sparling was inspired by the master himself, as he cleverly toys with Paul and manipulates the emotions of the audience in a manner that would have made Hitchcock proud. There are a few moments where you will be shaking your head in disbelief, but for the most part, the story rings true, making the grim proceedings all the more terrifying.

I give Buried 3 and a half stars because of the performance of the lone on screen actor. Films of this type hinge on that actor's ability to take the audience along for the ride. Reynolds does just that with a truly amazing performance. Paul goes through a list of emotions throughout the movie but never allows himself to become overly melodramatic. We can clearly see that Conroy is no angel, with his attitude often exacerbating the situation, but yet he retains your sympathy thanks to the humanity with which he is played.

Buried is rated R for Language and Some Violent Content
Running time is 1 hr. 35 mins.
Distributed by Lionsgate Films

A Weak Wall Street Is Saved By Michael Douglas

2010-09-24T09:00:00.000-06:00

Hollywood's tendency to remake or retell semi popular movies is now in full swing, with the opening of another sequel - and possibly the last role for Michael Douglas - in "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps". It was in 1987 that Michael Douglas earned his first and only Best Actor Oscar for playing Gordon Gekko in Wall Street . Now we get the privilege to see the man work his magic, and it is his talent that makes Money Never Sleeps worth watching.

The film starts in the year 2001 when Gordon (Douglas) is being released from prison. As he walks out the gates into a world that has all but forgotten him, he is at rock bottom. His only possessions are an outdated cell phone and the manuscript he hopes to sell. We then flash forward to 2008 and meet a young couple, Jake Moore (Shia LaBeouf) and Winnie Gekko (Carey Mulligan). Jake is an ambitious Wall Street investment banker. Winnie is a liberal activist writer for an online website. She also happens to be Gordon's daughter and holds him responsible for her brother Rudy's overdose and her mom's nervous breakdown.

The movie's theme turns to one of revenge when KZI, the investment firm that Jake works for, teeters on the brink of bankruptcy. Jake's boss and mentor, Louis Zabel (Frank Langella) is forced to sell the firm to a rival investment house for less than a third of it's market worth. Jake takes the tragedy personally and seeks retribution against Bretton James (Josh Brolin), who he believes to be responsible for orchestrating the collapse of KZI. Turning to the one man that Jake believes can help him, he starts up a friendship with Gordon. Gordon, who also harbors an old grudge against Bretton, agrees to help if Jake will agree to reintroduce him into Winnie's life. Luckily for Jake, Bretton learns of him and so admires his audacity and drive that he decides to hire him.

This is the beginning of what should have been a well crafted movie but the pace bogs down with several double-crosses and even some artificially heartfelt moments. The expectation that this would be a film about money, power and greed, as opposed to be a film about human relationships and redemption, may disappoint the many fans of the original film. Douglas captures the elder Gekko's darkness, self-righteousness and vulnerability perfectly. He portrays Gekko with a quiet seething rage even though you can see his role in the many double-crosses coming. Shia is almost useless as the other lead actor; his screen presence is almost taxing to sit through. While Carey Mulligan once again shows that she was worthy of her previous Oscar nomination (her performance is at times dead on), at others she tends to overplay the part and her character feels almost heartless. The inevitable conclusion is like a shot out of left field and feels almost false.

I give Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps 2 and a half stars. It is a movie worth watching because Douglas gives everything to make Gekko a nicer person. There's one scene in particular that Douglas has with Mulligan that's so effective it feels as if we are listening to a personal litany of his real life tragedy. There is also an element of blame being laid on the everyday man with the addition of the character of Jake's mother Sylvia (Susan Sarandon). Her dependency on Jake to bail her out of her own self-inflicted debt showcases our own irresponsibility and participation in causing the fiscal crisis shown in the movie.

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps is rated PG-13 for Brief Strong Language and Thematic Elements.
Running time is 2 hrs. 10 mins.
Distributed by 20th Century Fox.

Affleck Does The Town

2010-09-17T09:00:00.000-06:00

It seems as if Hollywood isn't content to just give us one or two action movies at a time. They hit us with every conceivable idea in the book: Takers and The Expendables were made with dry and direct stereotypes of machoism. Now comes an action packed thriller with more heart and soul than the standard thriller. The second film directed by Ben Affleck, The Town harbors a story that, up until the very end, is not only believable but realistic as well. The Town stars some of today's hot young actors and they seem to give it their all in making this movie more than just a simple shoot-em-up.

The Town starts with what looks like a perfect bank robbery by a group of elite thieves. These thieves are simple men with few options. Ben Affleck plays Doug MacRay, the group's leader as well as it's calming voice. The group's hot head, James Coughlin, is played by Jeremy Renner, and Desmond Elden (Owen Burke) and Albert Magloan (Slaine) round out this quarter. Taking a bank manager, Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall) and calmly talking her through the opening of the safe Doug shows he can do the job he is forced to do, but also be calm and reassuring. James takes Claire as a hostage when they leave, the men later leave her on the beach and drive off.

The film's other side covers the F.B.I. agents tasked with what appears to be a never ending crusade to bring down MacRay's group of criminals. Special Agent Adam Frawley (Jon Hamm) and Agent Dino Ciampa (Titus Welliver) work this case as if it is the only one they have; it consumes them and they find themselves not unwilling to bend a few rules to see that it solved. When they find what appears to be the magic clue, things fall into place a little too pat, but this doesn't detract much from the film.

Doug meanwhile started to date Claire, but he tries to hide this fact from the rest of his crew. The conflict of this film arises mainly from that fact that things never seem to work smoothly for Doug. At one point he had a relationship with Jame's sister, Claire (Rebecca Hall) ,and this will of course implode on Doug as does most every other thing he tries. There is a little side story about the disappearance of Doug's mother when he was six, and the incarceration of his father (Chris Cooper), but by the end of the film, even these side plots are wrapped up a little to neatly. By the time the revelations come, we are waiting for the confrontation between the men who live on both sides of the law.

When James tells Doug that Fergus Colm (Pete Postlethwaite) has a job for them he tries to back out, Fergus who runs the neighborhood rackets knows it is Doug alone who can get his team to do this job, so he lays the facts out for Doug, even going as far as threatening Claire. Even a blind man can see the penultimate confrontation between these two men coming. And giving nothing away Doug will have even more reasons to confront Fergus later. The men think they have an easy inside track to their new job and things seem to be going smoothly until the first bullets fly.

The ending of this movie is of course Hollywood fluff: the good guys win, but the likable bad guy lives to fight another day, or at least one sequel. The action jump starts mid-way through the film as a second Armored car robbery leads to a wild chase through the back streets of bean town. The cities landscape is seen in bright details, its lusterless and its beauty are both seen throughout the film. Ultimately, the climax of course takes place in what is one of the most famous tourist locations in Boston -- Fenway Park.

I give The Town 2 and a half stars. The action is plausible, until the ending, when it gets in over it's head with the way the film is wrapped up. Hollywood's belief that American movie audiences need for the good guy to win takes away the heart of a story like this. In an earlier film I remarked that I was glad that the antagonists didn't all walk away into the sunset. Here Doug does just that and it feels as false as the idea that he does it so effortlessly. It's too bad really, as The Town was one movie that I had looked forward to seeing.

The Town is rated R for Strong Violence, Pervasive Language, Some Sexuality and Drug Use.
Running Time is 2 hrs.
Distributed by Warner Brothers.

Come Along And Join In With These Takers

2010-09-12T09:00:00.000-06:00

We all love the gritty crime thriller, there is just something about guns going off that makes everyone's heart pound rapidly in our chests. A few years ago it was Heat that garnered a lot of attention, mainly because it stared two of Hollywood's A-list actors together on screen for the very first time. * Please don't count Godfather 2, they were never on screen together. Today we can count on this adrenaline factor times six with "Takers" a heist film with character. Takers has it all, not only do we get to watch the heist as it unfolds, we also get the expected double crosses, gun fire and the good guys vs. the bad guys. In Takers though the girls also get the eye candy. This movie is tailor made for everyone.

For all intents and purposes the men of Takers are all bad guys. Shamefully we will all root for them to get away. Of course we all know that option isn't feasible with the life style these men choose to live. The protagonists, a group of self - entitled 'Takers' are A.J. (Hayden Christensen), Gordon (Idris Elba), brothers Jake (Michael Ealy) and Jesse (Chris Brown) and John (Paul Walker). After another successful robbery the boys go to the club owned by Jake to cool down. They seem to be members of all the swankiest clubs in L.A. and when John gets home he runs into an ex member of their little group, nicknamed "Ghost" (Tip 'T.I'. Harris). Ghost has recently been released from prison and has plans to settle some old scores and get rich in the mean time.

Okay now that the premise has been set up, Ghost convinces the guys to join him on a million dollar armored car heist. Unfortunately for these takers, common sense doesn't win out. Greed is the catalyst that fuels so many movies of this type. The guys agree to undertake the heist. All the while being pursued by two dogged police detectives. One is a loose cannon who doesn't play by anyone's rules but his own, the other is a family man who has a sick child. Jack Welles (Matt Dillon) and Eddie Hatcher (Jay Hernand), are two men who will get closer and closer to the Takers, while one of the two is pursued by another officer. Lt. Carver (Steve Harris) is an internal affairs officer investigating one of the detectives.

Thrown into the mix is Rachel Jansen (Zoe Saldana), who happened to be dating Ghost before he went to prison in 04 but now seems to be happily engaged to Jake. Another semi strong female performance is that of Naomi (Marianne Jean-Baptiste). Naomi is the drug addicted relative of Gordon's who happens to show up at all the wrong times and causes more headaches then seems plausible. I know cliche ridden scripts usually mean garbage on the screen, and though this movie is riddled with more holes then I can count the script works, the camaraderie between the stars feels real. And at the end of the day that's all we really want.

I give Takers a 3. This is based solely on the fact that the film didn't fall back on its cliche script. That's a statement for how well the actors did coming across as genuine. The scene where one of them falls is heartfelt. In this scene one can feel the emotion and the sense of lose of a friend. Action packed movies usually have the final confrontation between the good guys and the bad guys but takers offers us not one but two confrontations. These spell the doom for many of these men and this Cynic is glad that director John Luessenhop didn't fall for the sappy cheesy ending where the men walk off into the sunset. Men of this type seldom do.

Takers is rated PG-13 for Intense Sequences of Violence and Action, a Sexual Situation, Partial Nudity and Some Language.
Running time is 1 hr. 47 mins.
Distributed by Sony Pictures

Favreau & Downey Jr. Do It Again....And So Do I

2010-05-07T04:46:00.013-06:00

Wow, it's been quite awhile since we've (I) posted anything. I've been a busy beaver as of late. I've been overseas and back numerous times and I haven't had a lot of time for movies, but during my recent trip to Madrid I made it my business to see see Iron Man 2, which just happened to be released 1 week before it was released in the US. Was it enough it bring me out of my semi-retirement? Read on...

Tony Stark is not nearly as mainstream as Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne, or Peter Parker, there was no guarantee that the Iron Man movie would strike a chord with general audiences. Well, it did. As a matter of fact, Iron Man presently stands as the fourth highest-grossing Marvel adaptation so far (behind all three of the Spidey flicks), and that explains why we're looking at a sequel precisely two years later. But with screenwriter changes, casting switches, and a more hurried production schedule ... how would Iron Man 2 turn out? Pretty darn solid, this Iron Man fan is happy to say, although not without a few minor-yet-nagging reservations. As pedantic as it sounds, if you dug the first one a lot, you'll enjoy this one too ... just a little bit less, I suspect.

In true comic book form, Iron Man 2 picks up precisely where the last movie left off, and Tony's now-memorable "coming out" speech is being witnessed by a dying man. This guy, it turns out, used to be Tony's dad's research partner, but once that's established -- the old guy dies. (Weird timing.) This inspires his lunatic genius son (Mickey Rourke) to use all his skills to create a suit that will rival the now-famous "iron" one belonging to Tony Stark. Mr. Stark, for his part, is quite enjoying his role as "the man who privatized world peace," and dismisses his detractors (like a pompous senator and a fast-talking competitor) with a wink and a quip. He has recently turned Stark Industries over to his ever-loyal assistant Pepper Potts, he's knee-deep in responsibilities both personal and professional, and (oh yes) he's dying. Rather rapidly, according to the nifty "blood test" timer that Stark keeps handy at all times. Full-bore comic book fodder all the way, and it's a good thing that director Jon Favreau and screenwriter Justin Theroux keep giving their ensemble cast members fun (and funny) things to say -- because the simple truth is that Iron Man 2 is hardly a wall-to-wall action-fest. In fact, aside from a brief (and slightly silly) sequence at a car race and a non-dangerous battle between Stark and his frustrated pal Rhodey (Don Cheadle), ALL of the Iron Man 2 action is saved for Act III. Fortunately Act III is a whole lot of fun and, better yet, Acts I and II are no worse off for being so light on the mayhem.Downey deserves much of the credit for keeping Iron Man 2 so much fun, even when it's mired in its frequent chatty bits. The actor's trademark sardonic charm is, again, in full effect -- and while much of the Iron Man 2 praise will go to the effects and action crews, one feels a large sense of gratitude for the casting directors. Mr. Downey would probably be amusing just talking to himself for two hours, but his frequent and fast-paced bicker sessions with Gwyneth Paltrow (as Ms. Potts) are really quite entertaining. It's tough to get annoyed by a lack of action scenes when the banter frequently reminds you of old-fashioned screwball comedies. Replacing Jeff Bridges in the head baddie department is Mickey Rourke, who certainly strikes an imposing figure and has no problem conveying a comic-book villain, but is given little to work with aside from an intellect and technological know-how that's pretty tough to swallow, all things considered. Faring much better as "boss villain" Justin Hammer is Sam Rockwell, who is asked to play sort of a sleazy mirror image of Tony Stark, and has a whole lot of fun doing it. Don Cheadle takes over the Rhodey role from Terrence Howard, and delivers a character who's both a potential sidekick and an interesting guy in his own right. Sam Jackson pops up in a few scenes, if only to remind Tony (and the audience) that we'll one day see a big, crazy flick in which Iron Man, Nick Fury, Captain America, and a bunch of other costumed crusaders team up! One can only hope that Iron Man 2 newcomer Scarlett Johansson stays with the franchise, because she adds a great little touch of playful sexiness to this flick -- and of course she gets to kick some serious ass in one crazy scene. Hell, even director Favreau (reprising his role as bodyguard Happy Hogan) throws himself a funny little action scene. Also back: Leslie Bibb (in one funny sequence) as a Vanity Fair reporter, Clark Gregg as a mysterious "S.H.I.E.L.D." agent, and Paul Bettany as the voice of Stark's long-suffering computer. Hey, it's the little touches that the fans appreciate.

Simple answer? Nope, it's not better than the first flick. But while I didn't really expect it to be, any film (even one with a "2" in the title) deserves to be judged on its own merits. As such, I have no problem recommending Iron Man 2 to anyone looking for a (mostly) mindless comic book sequel that comes from a team of filmmakers intent on keeping the fans happy -- while not doling out the exact same stuff. So while Iron Man 2 doesn't break any fresh ground (like its predecessor did), it's still impressive enough for a flick to be called "a worthwhile sequel to a superior film," and Iron Man 2 is certainly that. This gets a 4 on my "Go See" scale.

P.S.: As with most of the past Marvel Comics movies, stick around until after the credits roll for and extra scene!

WTF Moment(s) : 1) When Tony Stark is on stage at the Stark Expo, his dress-shirt is white. Immediately after he walks off stage to check his blood toxicity in the wings, his shirt has turned to a black one. It then changes again when we get a POV shot of him walking through the crowd to his car: you can see his cuffs are white, but when we get a reverse shot of him walking out of the building not only is his shirt black again, but he is not wearing his jacket.

2) (Explain this) Ivan was waiting for Tony disguised as a mechanic in the Monaco F1 track. However, there was no way for him to know Tony would be driving. He had decided to drive his F1 himself on an impulse, mere minutes before the race. He wasn't even attending the race personally.... and... On the first half of the movie, Ivan Vanko's mustache changes in size and lip coverage several times.

Madness Martin Scorsese Style

2010-02-17T09:00:00.003-06:00

Martin Scorsese has been thrilling movie goers for many years. His last thriller, "The Departed" had everything going for it, big stars at their peak, up and coming stars and even a few that have since become a household name. The Departed, though splendidly wicked was tame compared to his latest, a movie that will essentially keep you on the edge of your seat. I consider Scorsese the master of suspense, and "Shutter Island" based on a novel by Dennis Lehane gives you thrills right from the start. Adapted for the screen by Laeta Kalogridis, the film weaves in and out of flashbacks, hallucinations, and fantasies, and plays with time and our very own notion of reality.

Set in 1954, the disappearance of a patient, multiple murderess Rachel Solando (Emily Mortimer) at Ashecliffe Hospital, a maximum security hospital for the criminally insane, brings the Federal Marshal's to investigate. Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his new partner Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) are working together for the first time. Once they dock on Shutter Island, Daniels hidden agenda slowly comes to focus. He is a widow, whose wife was killed in an arson fire set by an inmate at Ashecliffe. The men in charge of the facility are Dr. Crawley (Ben Kingsley) and his partner Dr. Naehring (Max Von Sydow) both look as guilty as the cat who ate the canary.

Grounding the film in realism is DiCaprio’s intense portrait of a World War II hero who’s also battling personal demons of his own. His dead wife Dolores (Michelle Williams) appears in his dreams to warn him of impending disasters. Ben Kingsley also offers a spellbinding performance as Dr. Cawley who hides one of the island’s biggest secrets. Max Von Sydow plays another mysterious figure, Dr. Naehring. Daniels immediately dislikes him, only because he is of German decent. What is sure to be my favorite among the supporting cast is Jackie Earle Haley as the mysterious George Noyce. A man whom Daniels has interviewed in the past, the man who stared Daniels on his investigation of Ashecliffe in the beginning.

Scorsese, using the same theme as he did in Taxi Driver, sets the mood early on as we set out to learn about a man who slowly comes to believe he is losing his mind. The topic that Scorsese wrestles with here is one that is prominent in today's society, what do we do with the people that for one reason or another lose site of reality and either become a threat to themselves or others? I for one am glad that Scorsese didn't drag out a soap box and lecture us on this injustice. To say that the movie contains a little twist is an understatement, if you have read the book than you will be glad to know that Scorsese didn't trample on his right of artistic license and completely change the story or the outcome. And I can't say enough about the fact that we don't get that sappy Hollywood ending where the good guy always wins, nor do we get the whole plot explained to us from a to z. Leave it to the genius of Scorsese to make us think.

I give Shutter Island a 3 and on my avoidance scale I'm giving it a 0, this is based on the fact that this intelligent thriller is directed by Martin Scorsese, stars Leonardo DiCaprio and is just plain good. This isn't the type of movie to take you girlfriend to see nor is it recommended for young children. It contains some nudity and some violence, but not enough that it should turn you away. This is a very well made movie, right from the opening sequence where we see the boat coming out of the fog, only Scorsese would take the time to give us that little tidbit.

Shutter Island is rated R for Disturbing Violent Content, Language and some Nudity
Running time is 2 hrs. 18 mins.
Distributed by Paramount Pictures

The Nominations Are In For The 82nd Academy Awards

2010-02-02T14:09:00.005-06:00

Early this morning Hollywood woke America up (or so the hoped) to announce the nominations for the 82nd Academy Awards. There were little to few surprises this year, I myself think that's because there were little to few good movies to choose from. The one major difference this year was the addition to the Best Picture category, there are ten nominations in that one category.

Here is the breakdown of nominations by film: Avatar 9, The Hurt Locker 9, Inglourious Basterds 8, Precious 6, Up in the Air 6, Up 5, District 9 4, Nine 4, Star Trek 4, Crazy Heart 3, An Education 3, The Princess and the Frog 3, The Young Victoria 3, The Blind Side 2, Fantastic Mr. Fox 2, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus 2, Invictus 2, The Last Station 2, The Messenger 2, A Serious Man 2, Sherlock Holmes 2, The White Ribbon 2.

Some of the nominations seem like a shoe in while others are making a race out of it. Meryl Streep's nomination for Julie & Julia is her 16th, further distancing herself from Katharine Hepburn, who has 12 and Jack Nicholson, who also has 12. Though Hepburn won 4 Best Actress Oscars and Nicholson 2 Best Actor Academy Awards as well as 1 Best Supporting Actor, Streep has just 1 Best Actress Oscar and 1 Best Supporting Actress. Streep was one of the nominated stars whose victory was thought to be a sure thing until the late resurgance of Sandra Bullock in The Blinde Side.

Best Motion Picture
Avatar James Cameron and Jon Landau, Producers (20th Century Fox)
The Blind Side Nominees to be determined (Warner Bros.)
District 9 Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham, Producers (Sony Pictures Releasing)
An Education Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers (Sony Pictures Classics)
The Hurt Locker Nominees to be determined (Summit Entertainment)
Inglourious Basterds Lawrence Bender, Producer (The Weinstein Company)
Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness, Producers
A Serious Man Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Producers (Focus Features)
Up Jonas Rivera, Producer (Walt Disney)
Up in the Air Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman and Jason Reitman, Producers

Achievement in Directing
James Cameron: Avatar
Kathryn Bigelow: The Hurt Locker
Quentin Tarantino: Inglourious Basterds
Lee Daniels: Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire
Jason Reitman: Up in the Air

Actor In A Lead Role
Jeff Bridges: Crazy Heart
George Clooney: Up in the Air
Colin Firth: A Single Man
Morgan Freeman: Invictus
Jeremy Renner: The Hurt Locker

Actress In A Lead Role
Sandra Bullock: The Blind Side
Helen Mirren: The Last Station
Carey Mulligan: An Education
Gabourey Sidibe: Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire
Meryl Streep: Julie & Julia

Actor In A Supporting Role
Matt Damon: Invictus
Woody Harrelson: The Messenger
Christopher Plummer: The Last Station
Stanley Tucci: The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz: Inglourious Basterds

Actress In A Supporting Role
Penélope Cruz: Nine
Vera Farmiga: Up in the Air
Maggie Gyllenhaal: Crazy Heart
Anna Kendrick: Up in the Air
Mo’Nique: Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire

Animated Motion Picture
Coraline Henry Selick
Fantastic Mr. Fox Wes Anderson
The Princess and the Frog John Musker and Ron Clements
The Secret of Kells Tomm Moore
Up Pete Docter

Many of these motion pictures were very good to watch and some others were like a visit to the dentist, Deserving or not some one will walk away a winner of an Academy Award. My list (guesses) of winners will be posted on Febuary 10th.

Edge Of Darkness Is Gritty. But Dialogue Is Childish

2010-01-27T00:09:00.000-06:00

Movies that deal with a gritty loner, who must battle the bad guys who just happen to have major power behind them, often make for a good movie. Hollywood has been making these types of movies for decades. Usually the plot has a top notch script, but "Edge Of Darkness" the first film to star Mel Gibson in almost seven years has the tired feel of repetition. The movie has every cliche in it, and this along with the simple dialogue overshadows the plot. Mel Gibson makes his return to the silver screen in what should be the seemingly perfect role for him, his character is one he has portrayed several times before, its like Lethal Weapon meets Mad Max in Boston.

Boston homicide detective Thomas Craven (Mel Gibson) is forced to trace the past few days of his activist daughter, Emma's life (Bojana Novakovic) when she is shot and killed on his front porch. At first he is sure he was the intended target, but the more he looks into the recent activity of his daughter he becomes more and more convinced that she was the one the gun man had targeted. One night Craven is visited by the mysterious Jedburgh (Ray Winstone) he decides that not only will he find his daughters killers but bring them to his form of justice. His search leads Craven from the under belly of Boston to it's highest level of politcos. Craven deals out his own brand of justice along the way, he leaves behind him a pile of body, as his search for the truth brings him closer to finding out something he may wish he never knew.

The movie does build suspense, but once the plot is revealed it very quickly spirals downward, the ease in which Craven is able to get near the people responsible is a little to pat. This isn't the worst thing about the movie, the worst is the cheesy dialogue, it's as if it was written as a high school project. Governmental conspiracies have been the center of several dozen Hollywood movies for years, but here we get the addition of corporation compliance, and the secret building of nuclear weapons. Emma had discovered this fact and tried to deal with this legally, this is the reason that Emma was targeted. The movie has several one liners that seem cheap and forced, there are no sex scenes but the violence is upfront and in your face, so this may be one movie that parent may want to ensure that there teen children do not see.

Edge of darkness is an intense movie about family and a man with nothing left to lose. The love between Thomas and his daughter Emma is made abundantly clear, it takes up a huge portion of the beginning of the movie and are also the subject of several flashbacks that seem more a gimmick than a plot point. His will to find the truth keeps the movie entertaining, and fast paced, it gives the viewer what they want to see, a bad ass Mel Gibson again. Gibson's Craven is as good a performance I have seen in a while, he is at once angry and distraught, and at times he shows his human side.

I give Edge Of Darkness a 2 and on my avoidance scale a 1, this movie will find it's audience and that may be action movie fans, the movie has tons of action from shoot outs to car crashes to Mel beating up the bad guys, This movie packs a punch and has what many of American movie goers want, a plot that's easy to follow and an ending with the good guy handing out his own brand of justice. I wish that Mel Gibson had taken a little more time to reread this script before he thought that this was the perfect movie for him. there are worse movies out right now so if you choose to see this one you shouldn't be disappointed.

Edge Of Darkness is rated R for Strong Bloody Violence and Language
Running time is 1 hr. 56 mins.

You Are Fantastic Mr. Fox

2010-01-25T14:14:00.008-06:00

Animation has come along way from the drab mostly hand drawn days of Walt Disney. In no way am I saying that the classic Disney cartoons were drab, but there is something about the animation process today that I myself can't help but think that what we have today is such a change from my youth. Kids today will not grow up and appreciate just how good animation has become. Pixar has had free reign on most of today's animated projects, until recently when Disney released "The Princess And The Frog" but many of today's stop motion animation isn't very well done, most seem jerky at best, that is until the "Fantastic Mr. Fox" a captivating story with a message of right and wrong, the moral is that no matter what you may want, its the "how" you try to achieve it that matters.

Wes Anderson has a flair for telling a story with a captivating style. His amazingly designed backgrounds and scenery have an incredible attention to detail, the film is full of this care and attention. Each character feels full of personality unlike many of the 3D characters we are forced to sit and watch. The fluid way that the scenery moves along with the animals makes this movie well worth watching.

Mr Fox (George Clooney) and his wife Felicity Fox (Meryl Streep) are caught in a trap as the movie opens we learn that Felicity is pregnant and then we jump several years later, many many years later in fox years. Living underground with their son Ash (Jason Schwartzman) who is at best the oddest character in movies all year. Mr Fox has gone from stealing chickens to writing a piece for the area newspaper. He has left behind the danger of his youth but the desire is still in his heart. So when he decides to move his family out of the ground into a nearby tree his attorney Mr. Badger (Bill Murray) tries to advise him against it, stating the tree is to close to the property of the three meanest farmers in the valley. Boggis, Bunce, and Bean.

Going on night time raids with his friend Kylie (Wallace Wolodarsky), Mr. Fox soon angers the farmers. Even though he has his tail shot off Mr. Fox decides he has still beat the farmers, his family is put in danger, along with the other families in the area when the farmers decide to dig out the Fox family and his friends. Once the story picks up though, this movie could very well be the best animated story of the year, the story has a quick pace and the motion of the scenery behind the animals seems flawless and right on the mark.

The movie is a revolutionary step toward a better animation technique that may bring about a much needed change in film making today. The little things that happen on screen are as amazing to watch as the film is itself, the scene where the animals are washed down the sewer system and we see their arms flailing is a step some other film makers wouldn't have bothered with. This little scene just adds to the wonderful experience that is watching Fantastic Mr. Fox.
I give Fantastic Mr. Fox a 3 and on my avoidance scale a 0. The movie is garnered ore to the young adult and adult, it contains nothing that younger children wouldn't understand or enjoy, so take the whole family and move into the valley of Mr. Fox.

The Fantastic Mr. Fox is rated PG for Action, Smoking and Slang Humor
Running time is 1 hr. 28 mins.
Distributed by Fox Searchlight

From Ho Ho To Ho Hum As Hollywood Gets Set For January And February

2010-01-01T00:01:00.001-06:00

This is usually the time of year where Hollywood releases the rest of it's films that didn't or couldn't muster an earlier release date. January usually is a month of blah weather and an assortment of blah movies. While February lacks the blistering coldness of January the films released in February also seem to lack something. Usually a good plot. This year doesn't look any better than previous years at this time. Sit back and try to catch up on some of the better movies of 09 that you might have missed out on.

January brings Vampires and the messiah, A spy next door and the tooth fairy, A trip to Rome and to Ireland. What ever your fancy, you may find something for you in January. But if you do see something that interests you on this list, my suggestion is don't wait to see it, the movie may be gone in a blink of the eye. And for some that won't be quick enough.

January 01st

The White Ribbon (Wide)

January 08th

Bitch Slap (Limited)

Crazy On The Outside (Limited)

Daybreakers

Leap Year

Youth In Revolt

January 15th

The Book Of Eli

Hoodwinked Too! Hood Vs. Evil

The Last Station (Limited)

The Spy Next Door

January 22nd

Creation (Limited)

Extraordinary Measures

Legion

To Save A Life (Limited)

The Tooth Fairy

January 29th

Edge Of Darkness

When In Rome

February brings Crazies and A prophet, Lovers and takers, A wolfman and an Olympian. Some of these movies will appeal to an older audience, this is after all the month of love. Hollywood won't disappoint you this month, there are several movies slated to be released with the Love Story Theme. God Help all us guys.

February 05th

Dear John

From Paris With Love

Frozen

I Love You, Philip Morris

February 12th

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

Saint John Of Las Vegas

Valentine's Day

The Wolfman

February 19th

Shutter Island

February 26th

Cop Out ( A Couple Of Dicks)

The Crazies

The Takers

This is, again only a partial list that has been published as of this posting. Dates are subject to change on the whim of the Hollywood machine. Movies are still a great form of family entertainment. Why now, when families need to have something interesting to sit and watch, are the smaller Independent Film Companies being closed down? Why does Hollywood think we are not ready to witness another Slumdog Millionaire but that we will sit through a movie based on board games and comic books? Because it is true, movie goers will flock in the hundreds to see a Transformer or Iron Man movie but only in the dozens to see a well made independent movie. I challenge you to search out a smaller independent movie and tell me that it wasn't a better crafted more intelligent movie.

The Cynic

The Cynics List Of The Worst Movies Of 2009

2009-12-23T12:22:00.011-06:00

2009 was not a very good year for movies, this list of the worst films could have very easily been filled out before the summer movies rolled through. But I was willing to give most of them a more than just a second look. I was barely to try to JUST come up with a list of the top ten very worst films of 2009.

10. Transformers 2: Revenge Of The Fallen - Michael Bay's ode to noise and explosions. This sequel offered nothing to enhance the previous story. We got nothing worth cheering for except of course for Bumblebee.

09. The Unborn - What was supposed to be a horror movie turned out to be boring and dull, the special effects were as dumb as they get, even the big stars in this silly movie couldn't save it. This movie should be avoided at all costs.

08. Fame - Another remake of a classic film that shouldn't have been made. This movie showcases a lot of talent that seems unnecessary. Megan Mullally can sing but she doesn't do enough of it here. The young cast members are the only thing going for this film, its all glitz and no story.

07. Fired Up - A coming of age story at a cheer leading camp. What could have been funny and awkward was just stupid. American pie ripoffs should be a thing of the past. Its unfortunate that movies like this are made year after year.

06. Jennifer's Body - Megan Fox proves beyond any doubt that she is completely untalented. Thank God for CGI or Megan's career would have been over long before this stupid and dull movie was.

05. The Twilight Saga: New Moon - Why is it that so many teens love this boringly dull story of love between a male vampire and a human girl? I guess there's no accounting for taste. A bare chested Jacob can't even save this movie. You can go in sixty minutes after this movie starts and not feel like you missed anything.

04. All About Steve - Why a studio would think that a movie that makes fun of a handicap would make audiences laugh is beyond me. The fact that this dog attracted the likes of Sandra Bullock and Bradley Cooper didn't help. The studio that released this piece of filth should be boycotted.

03. White Out - Kate Beckinsale in the frozen tundra? No not Wisconsin, but it should have been. Maybe that would have made a better movie. The story of a Marshall in the Antarctica tracking a killer. Sounds good? No.

02. I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell - What was one of the stupidest stories brought to the silver screen in a long time. Movie goers are assaulted every year by vulgar and stupid movies, having one movie that is offensive and vulgar doesn't make it funny just stupid and unworthy of the time or money spent to watch it.

01. Crank: High Voltage - What can I say about this dog except that the most offensive scene is near the end where Jason Statham flips the audience off. It feels as if the director, writer and the star is saying this is what we thing of you, the fact that you spend up to eleven dollars to sit through this movie is bad enough but to be flipped off is just more than we deserve.

It's Elementary, Sherlock Will Be Downey's Next Franchise Machine

2009-12-22T08:45:00.004-06:00

Director Guy Ritchie has a style all his own, it has worked for him in several of his films. It is a style that many others have tried but have not been as fortunate with it. This filming style is like stop motion, it is done in almost all of his action or fight scenes. We get a slow look at what is about to happen, and we also get an informative narration telling us, then we see this same action in what looks like fast motion. Ritchie utilizes this format several times in his newest action comedy, "Sherlock Holmes"

The first thing that you will notice about this Sherlock Holmes is that the mood of the era seems to be recreated perfectly, the next is how perfect the balance between comedy, drama, and mystery seem to meld together. When the mysterious Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong) is finally apprehended by Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) and his partner Dr. John Watson (Jude Law) merry old England thinks that the latest murder spree is over and can breath easier. This illusion is short lived, and when the body of Lord Blackwood appears to have magically been rejuvenated, Inspector Lestrade (Eddie Marsan) once again calls upon the great mind of Sherlock Holmes.

Holmes is confronted by an old nemesis in Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams). Adler has been a bane in his side for so long, that Holmes can't imagine what life would be like if she was caught. Holmes deals with her because he knows that deep down he wouldn't be happy without her nearby. When Holmes is hired by Adler, to find a missing person he at first acts as if he isn't interested. Everyone knows that Holmes and Adler will be hip deep in the London underground muck before the movie is over. It is enjoyable watching the two try to outfox the other.

Downey Jr. has shown he has the flair to create a character, he has made a name for himself with his other franchise character, Tony Stark in the Iron Man movies. With the addition of Jude Law, Guy Ritchie is sure to have a hit on his hands. The running time of Sherlock Holmes is just over two hours and at times the movie does lag, but this is a minor snag and doesn't take anything away from the story. The back and forth between Holmes and Watson is very funny, but when ever Holmes needs help, Watson is always there. The story arc about Black magic and the take over of British Parliament is kinda far fetched and at times seems stretched beyond comprehension. The game is afoot, when the man that Adler needs found is indeed found in the coffin that is supposed to hold Lord Blackwood. When body after body starts to turn up Holmes is sure that Lord Blackburn has inside help. The source of this help is closer to home than one would believe.

The ease that Holmes solves the case will baffle some viewers, his wit is world renowned, but this is so Hollywood cliche like it must be a cliche. Everything is wrapped up neat and tidy, Holmes spots little clues throughout the film that leads him to solve a big mystery. The fact that the movie shamelessly leads itself to a sequel is not that big a deal anymore. Most Hollywood movies try to leave an ending that can easily be explained away in a sequel. This movie may go a long way to help resurrect a career that was at one time about as low as it could go, now that same man commands millions of dollars and can pick and choose his roles, like A DeNiro once did. There are few stars of this caliber left in Hollywood.

I give Sherlock Holmes a 3 and on my avoidance scale a 0, this is a perfect movie to send the family off to see early Christmas morning while the food is being prepared. Get the teens out of the house, it's this or the chipmunks mom and dad, and sending your teen kids to see one of the free worlds most read detective will be the wiser choice. Of course Rachel McAdams lights up the screen when ever she is on it and that's a huge help. A leading lady that bogs down almost every scene she is in, is death to any movie.

Sherlock Holmes is rated PG-13 for Thematic material Including Violence, Disturbing Images and A Scene Of Suggestive Material

Running time is 2 hrs. 09 mins.

Avatar Will Be Cameron's Next Masterpiece

2009-12-18T12:07:00.007-06:00

Sci-fi fans can rejoice, James Cameron has unveiled his long anticipated blockbuster. A decade in the making, a CGI spectacular that will insure success all over this globe. "Avatar" should surpass Titanic in domestic gross. The movie will be a success because of the legacy of Cameron himself, this project has so much going for it, that it will have at least one thing for everyone that watches it. The running time is a little extreme at just over hours thirty minutes, but the first ninety minutes moves at a pace that will captivate everyone as we are introduced to Pandora, a world of luscious foliage and violent creatures. What most sci-fi lovers desire are fantasy and exploration and Avatar delivers.

The movie is set in the year 2154 and stars Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), as an ex-marine, bound to a wheel chair. He is recruited to fulfil his brothers slot in a major project on the planet Pandora, He agrees because he believes in the motto "once a marine, always a marine". The project involves Jake taking over an Avatar to try to find a way to get the people of Pandora, called the Na'vi, to relocate peacefully. The Na'vi race are a blue skinned species that are very tall, with long tails that they use to communicate with other creatures. The Na'vi people live in a small village that just happens to be over a huge deposit of a valuable mineral called unobtainium. The reason why the relationship between the Na'vi and the humans has become so hostile, that they even need Marines on site is never explained. The controllers go into a chamber and then can take over the body of an avatar. Jake using his avatar Goes into the forest, where he is chased by a wild beast and left behind. He is saved later that night by Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) who reluctantly takes him back to her village, where he is not really a welcome sight to her people.

Of course Jake is told that the company bottom line means more to the investors than any bad press, Jake is also told he will have enough time to convince the Na'vi to peacefully relocate, but the company wants the mineral more then they care about the Na'vi. Several of the scientist on Pandora try to convince the Na'vi to move as well, Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver) even tried to teach the Na'vi English. The Marine unit is lead by Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) who is gung ho for the "shock and awe" part of the negotiations to begin. Each day as Jake gets closer to being accepted into the village the man running the show, Parker Selfridge (Giovanni Ribisi) is growing inpatient for results.

When the second half of the movie kicks in, the movie turns from a compelling story to just another war picture, it becomes an alien Apocalypse Now, reminiscent of a Vietnam era movie and even brings to mind Dances with Wolves, where the lone man who reunites the clans to defeat the evil empire. When the epic battle takes place, and from the start we knew it would, the marines attack in fly ships and on the ground. The Na'vi join Jake as he tries to push back the marines, Jake is also joined by Marine helicopter pilot Trudy Chacon (Michelle Rodriguez) as the final battle takes place. When the inevitable battle between Jake and Colonel Quaritch takes place, Jake faces Quaritch in full battle gear that brings to mind the loader in the Aliens movie.

The ending won't come as much of a surprise to anyone, Cameron gives us the classic Hollywood ending setting up what may become the next big franchise. Cameron gives us a bit of everything, the CGI brings us into the Na'vi village and showcases a brilliant use of color and special effects. The plants appear to come to life in the 3D format, and this movie is being shown in several formats, I can't recommend enough seeing this film in one of the 3D formats. There is the standard format and an even better HD 3D format. The IMAX screen has it's own special 3D that has to be seen to be believed. The standard 3D format brings the images to life, the HD3D format brings them into your lap while the IMAX format takes you into Pandora and sets you free to explore.

I give Avatar a 3 and on my avoidance scale a 0, what ever format you choose to witness this grand masterpiece, you wont be disappointed. The special effects in any of the formats will blow you away, the fact that Cameron took over a decade to get his dream onto the silver screen shows his desire for his craft. Avatar is an exceptionally well crafted movie. The revolutionary 3D graphics will be long talked about. The running time may have a few people asking was it really all necessary? My short answer is Hell Yes.

Avatar is rated PG-13 for Intense Epic Battle Sequences and Warfare, Sensuality, Language and some Smoking

Running time is 2 hrs. 43 mins.

Disney's Newest Princess, Comes With Song, Dance And A Frog.

2009-12-05T12:00:00.002-06:00

Animation has come along way in the course of the last several years, we have gotten stop motion animation that looks so good it is almost not animation anymore. Over the years Walt Disney Studios have given us many animated cartoons that we have come to treasure, Snow White is one of my all time favorites, the little known Fox and the Hound is still my favorite. Now comes "The Princess And The Frog" the classic telling of what true love can accomplish. Disney gives this story a little shake and stirs in a helping of evil and we get what is essentially a great cartoon.

This story centers on a young woman named Tiana (Anika Noni Rose) who is working two jobs to fulfill her fathers dream of owning a restaurant. Working as a waitress she runs into a long time friend Charlotte (Jennifer Cody) and her father, 'Big Daddy' La Bouff (John Goodman) who has just been named King of the Mardi Gras (hint hint). Charlotte has found out that Prince Naveen (Bruno Campos) is visiting New Orleans and wants Tiana to cater dinner for him. Thinking this would help her reach her goal that much quicker she agrees.

Prince Naveen is transformed into a frog by a conniving voodoo magician, Dr. Facilier (Keith David) and sees Tiana in a beautiful gown, asks her to help him become a Prince again by kissing him. At first Tiana is frightened but reluctantly kisses the frog. Here Disney turns from the classic Frog Prince story to tell their own. When Tiana kisses the frog she herself is transformed into a toad. Hearing of an old blind lady, Mama Odie (Jenifer Lewis) who lives in a boat in a tree, the pair set off to find her. Mama Odie has magical powers and they think she will help them.

The story builds on friendship and trust, the pair meet a trumpet playing alligator, Louis (Michael-Leon Wooley) who helps them on their journey, they are also aided by a Cajun firefly, Ray (Jim Cummings) offers to help the pair as well. The four set out to find Mama Odie and when they get there, they find her to be less of a help then they anticipated, or so they thought. The friendship amongst the four is what saves the day, each one is able to do just a little more than the other, but combined they save the day. Prince Naveen must be kissed by a Princess in order to turn back into a human, and thinking that Charlotte's daddy was named King that she is the perfect one to kiss him.

The story takes on a little bit of sadness throughout the story, it is set in the golden age of Jazz and Tiana's father goes off to war, he doesn't come back. Tiana holds onto his dream because of her love for him. She is able to pull it off and in the end everyone gets what is coming to them. Classic Disney fair. This is a very well crafted cartoon, one the whole family will enjoy it has comedy, song and dance. I know, I know what Disney cartoon doesn't? The Princess and the Frog will take it's place with the other classic Disney cartoons. Disney also deserves some credit for making their first African American Princess. Tiana should be welcomed by every little girl and yes every little boy in America.

I give The Princess And The Frog a 3 and on my avoidance scale a 0. it is such a pleasure to see that Disney has gone back to their original animation format. The hand drawn animation is still amongst the best of it's kind. CGI and Stop Motion are both great but nothing beats the talent and desire it takes to craft a story by hand. Animation fans stand up and cheer for Tiana and run out and see this fantastic motion picture.

The Princess And The Frog is rated G

Running time is 1 hr. 35 mins.

Coming Up On Your Blindside Is One Very Good Movie

2009-12-04T10:32:00.003-06:00

Hollywood has told the sports hero story so many times that they seem to be run of the mill cliche stories now. Every so often one comes along that will actually get you to smile and cheer. This year it is "The Blind Side" the story of Michael Oher, a homeless African-American youngster from a broken home, taken in by a well-to-do white family who help him fulfill his potential. At the same time Michael slowly becomes a part of the family.

Leigh Anne (Sandra Bullock) the leader of the Tuohy household spots Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron) walking in the cold rain one night she stops him and discovers he has no where to sleep, she offers him a room in her stately home and in just a short time Michael is living in his own room under the Tuohy roof. Leigh Anne's husband Sean (Tim McGraw) is at first skeptical of taking Michael in but soon learns that he is just a gentle giant. The Tuohy kids S.J. (Jae Head) and Collins (Lily Collins) both come to accept and love Michael.

Michael's grades are so poor that at first the school board thinks they have made a mistake but letting him enroll in their program, but with the help of a tutor, Miss Sue (Kathy Bates) his grades improve enough so that he can go out for football, a sport that he is built for. On the field Michael is at first a tentative player until Leigh Anne tells him he must protect his teammates like he would his family, and in an instant he goes from inept to unstoppable. When Michael gets so good and college recruiters start calling on him the NCAA thinks the Tuohys led him to their college Ole Miss.

There is a even balance of drama and humor in this film, it is dramatic but doesn't get heavy the laughs feel genuine and are perfect for the moment. The drama comes when we as the audience get a look into Michael's childhood, we learn he has been removed from his mother's home because she is on drugs, we learn that Michael lives in a dangerous project on the "other side" of town, and we learn that Michael really has a knack for protective instincts. The movie does have its little quirks as well, the Tuohy family is too perfect, they never fight or argue. Blind Side also glosses over several racial and class stereotypes, the movie bashes Democrats, as well as some Southerners, a scene where Leigh Anne tells her friends they should be ashamed of them selves because of several statements that Michael was Leigh Anne's newest project. Her "Project project" as it were.

I give The Blind Side a 3 and on my avoidance scale a 0, this is a very good movie to take your family to see, even if your not a sports fan and a college football fan in particular. That's not to say the movie has a few faults, the one biggest is the fact that once Michael gets into the private school, Steve Hamilton, the boy whose family Michael was staying with when he started attending Briarwood is gone from the movie, and Bullock's Southern accent slips in a few scenes. If that is all this cynic can pick out then you should believe that this movie is going to be around for awhile and I can't recommend it enough. In a time of family dramas and Oscar contenders the Blind Side scores a touchdown.

The Blind side is rated PG-13 for One Scene Involving Violence, Drug and Sexual Referneces

Running time is 2 hrs. 06 mins.

Up In The Air Is By Far Clooney's Best

2009-12-03T13:43:00.004-06:00

The classic Hollywood Road movie that we have all fallen in love with takes on a new direction with Jason Reitman's new film "Up In The Air," based on the novel by Walter Kirn we see the everyday man forced to deal with what every one secretly fears being terminated from his job and having no prospects to look forward to.

Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) is a corporate downsizing expert who is hired by employers to afraid to fire their own employees, Bingham comes in to help ease the transition of long-term employees from a daily work environment to the unemployment line. Bingham takes his job very seriously and he loves the 290 days he spends away from home each year, the only problem with this is the 75 days he is forced to spend at home in his empty apartment in Omaha Nebraska. Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick) is a young upstart in the company who has come up with an idea to save the company money and her idea is to fire people over the internet, Bingham is shocked that his boss Craig Gregory (Jason Bateman) loves the idea of no longer sending his guys out on the road.

Ryan has issues with his family, he tries to avoid them at all costs, this is impossible since his younger sister, Julie (Melanie Lynskey) is getting married to Jim Miller (Danny McBride), his older sister, Kara (Amy Morton) has asked him to take a cardboard cutout of Julie and Jim around with him taking pictures of it at some of the more well known tourist sites. He agrees reluctantly, and goes out to fire people, Ryan has met a very nice older woman that he thinks can be someone special in his life, Alex (Vera Farmiga) is also a weary traveler and they click because they both have ideas of greatness when it comes to their collection of travel cards, and hotel keys. On the road with Natalie, trying to teach her that it takes a human to fire someone and not a picture of one on the internet in front of them, Natalie is confronted with the heartache that comes along with this endeavor. Being on the road takes it toll on both Ryan and Natalie, Alex is a staple in Ryan's life until the inevitable confrontation of ideals. Several shots were taken of real people interviewed and fired, their reactions are some of the best scenes in the movie.

Clooney plays confident and successful well but here he is allowed to also branch out and express the pent-up frustration that comes with an isolated loneliness, he has a passion for a job that seems horrible yet, he treats it with respect, he feels it is a job that should be taken seriously. The evolution Ryan undertakes is really pretty amazing and credit goes to where it is due, to both Reitman, and Clooney for pulling it off with grace and laughter. The thing that really stands out in this movie is that it doesn't get the standard happy Hollywood cliche ending, everything doesn't turn out ok in the end and life seldom does, Kendrick's plays the naïve Natalie to masterfully. She was at the top of her class, and able to get a job in her field wherever her heart desired, yet settled for this firm specializing in firing people, but her eyes are opened to the intimacy and fragility with which a person's mental state can be affected by mere words, and she becomes a better person for it.

I give Up In The Air a 4 and on my avoidance scale a 0, this movie will open in limited run and should be searched out it is well worth the time it will take you to find where this gem is playing. Up In The Air is hilariously funny almost every second of the way, but yet it is still unafraid to dig into the dark moments of life and treat them with the respect and relevancy they deserve. George Clooney is my front runner for a Best Actor Oscar, Reitman should also be a strong contender for a Best Director nod, Up In The Air is on the short list of Best Picture of the year as well. It is a sad thing that 2009 has had very few pictures so far that can be called Best Picture of the year, but if any one can contend with Precious it is Up In The Air.

Up In The Air is rated R for Language and Some Sexual Content

Running time is 1 hr. 49 mins.

War Brings Tragedy Home For These Brothers

2009-12-01T13:49:00.004-06:00

War movies are a Hollywood favorite, they entertain as well as being informative, sometimes they make a political statement that is so obscured it is almost unseen and sometimes they make one so loud it echos long after walking out of the screening. Director Jim Sheridan brings his new story to the screen, he has a unique way of telling a story that makes you care deeply for his characters and when they cry it impacts you deep in your core. With "Brothers" he tells the story of The Cahill Family, and what happens when tragedy strikes in their midst. Brothers is a remake of the Danish film Brødre, where one brother went off on a peace keeping mission and the other stayed behind and became a better person to support his brothers wife. In Brothers things are a little more defined and trouble is soon knocking at their door.

Capt. Sam Cahill (Tobey Maguire) is happily married to Grace (Natalie Portman) they have two daughters, the older precocious Isabelle (Bailee Madison) and the younger Maggie (Taylor Geare), the family appears perfect but they, like most families have some troubles as well, dad, Hank (Sam Shepard) drinks, and is more stubborn than loving, Sam's brother Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal) is getting out of jail, as Sam has reenlisted to go to Afghanistan for another tour. Trouble starts when the family is together for the first time and Hank makes it clear to everyone that he respects Sam but cares less for Tommy.

During his tour, Sam's helicopter takes enemy fire, Sam and Private Joe Willis (Patrick Flueger) survive, but back home, the marines have sent a messenger and a Chaplain (Kevin Wiggins) to tell Grace that Sam is dead. Tommy steps up and decides that he will change his stripes and protect and help Sam's family. he helps to redecorate her kitchen and slowly Grace sees Tommy for the caring person he is. Things do get decidedly hairy one night when Tommy kisses Grace, things could have gone further but they are stopped before crossing the line.

Not to give anything away, the movie makes it obvious from the start that the two marines survive, it is what comes after the two men are sold to the Taliban, the torture the two men face is extreme, it is mainly off screen but we do see the consequences of it. When Sam is forced to do something that he believed himself incapable of his world is forever shattered, when he is rescued and told he is going home he responds that he wants to speak to his wife. having some problems that Sam thinks he can deal with himself, he goes home and things slowly get out of hand, when he confronts Tommy and asks if he slept with Grace, he doesn't believe Tommy when he tells him they didn't sleep together, things go from bad to worse when Isabelle gets upset at Maggie's birthday party and tells Sam that mom would rather sleep with Uncle Tommy, and that she has been doing it every day.

The Oscar buzz is sure to surround this film, it is the best work I have seen by both Maguire and Gyllenhaal, Portman does a fine job with the limited script she is given. The film itself is not an anti war film although it could have been, the previews make it appear to be a family drama and that is exactly what it is. The family at the core of the story isn't perfect ,they struggle with the day to day like everyone else and they are barely making it. The film is more about the family and their emotions not the war itself, little scene time is actually given to the war and it pays off in a big way. I found myself fully immersed into their struggles to cope, on a daily basis. When Sam is thought to be dead, grace has to deal with these struggles alone and when Tommy steps up she begins to see him for more than the loser she had up till now believed him to be.

I give Brothers a 4 and on my avoidance scale a 0, the torture scenes may keep a few light hearted people away, they are not graphic but some viewers may wince at a few scenes, this movie comes around at a time when thirty thousand more men and women are being called to duty, and the story may resonate with several families. If you or a loved one has a son or daughter in the service take them to see this heart warming family drama, I can not say any thing bad about this film Sam Shepard plays the mean drunk to perfection and when he comes around and accepts Tommy for what he is, it isn't cheap and all mushy like Hollywood likes. We do get the happy ending and we know in these situations the ending isn't always happy, here though it works, just because of its simplicity and charm.

Brothers is rated R for Language and Some Disturbing Content

Running time is 1 hr. 50 mins.

When The Messenger Knocks It Means Sorrow And Sadness

2009-11-25T14:58:00.008-06:00

Very few movie today can bring a touching story to the screen that may have an emotional impact on the viewers. With this Country at war in several places, director Oren Moverman brings the touching drama, "The Messenger" is the story of two men who bring to the doorsteps the most devastating news that they will ever hear. The news is that their loved one has died in combat. For every family member who has lost a loved one fighting for this Country, we the people of America salute you.

Staff Sergeant Will Montgomery (Ben Foster) has been wounded in battle, he has been given medals to showcase his bravery, so he is a little confused when he gets home and is basically forced to work with Captain Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson) delivering the news of a soldiers death in battle. The first day of his new duty finds the two men at the home of one soldier, his pregnant girlfriend answers the door, they can't tell her because of the Army's rules and regulations, they can only tell his mother, who isn't home at the moment. When she does come in, the scene is done with grace and tenderness, the mothers reaction is genuine and heartbreaking. When Will meets Olivia (Samantha Morton) he goes against protocol and gets involved in her life, it is clear that he is falling for her, but she is afraid that he will misunderstand her emotional state, and take advantage of her weakness.

The story doesn't get bogged down in sentimentality or emotion and at times some of the humor seems out of place. Some of the supporting roles of family members were played by well know actors and this took away some of the real genuine emotional impact of the film, Steve Buscemi plays the father of a fallen soldier and his reaction is near flawless but would have had a greater emotional impact if it was played by an unknown instead of such a great actor like Buscemi. This was one of two things that stopped this film from being a great movie, the ending is a little bit wrong as well, through out the film we hear that will is a hero, but we never hear why, the end has Will and Tony talking about what happened to get will his medals, this conversation seems forced and out of place its like one second the two men are doing one thing and then they are sitting on a couch talking about what happened over there. This showcases the inexperience of the director, it almost feels as if he thought "Well I dangled it in front of you so long I might as well tell you" thanks but no thanks.

The military does have a unit of men called casualty notification agents, usually they appear with a chaplain in tow and always bring bad news. When they knock on the door the devastation of that knock is always the same. One thing the director did with this movie was not tell the two stars what actor would be at the home when they knocked, he wanted the stars to be unprepared for whoever it was who answered. This worked because this made the emotions more realistic, it forced the stars to be on their toes, this fact alone makes each knock more sensitive and created a deeper impact not only on the viewer but on the stars as well.

I give The Messenger a 3 and on my avoidance scale a 0, this is a well crafted movie, except for the minor flaws, it is well worth the time it will take to search out this movie, both the performances by the main stars are exceptional, the supporting stars make their scenes work, but it is the performances of the actors who answer the knock on the door that carry the most weight and make this movie work. Bravo for taking that risk.

The messenger is rated R for Language and Some Sexual Content/Nudity

Running time is 1 hr. 45 mins.

Chock Full Of Ninja Goodness

2009-11-24T13:47:00.004-06:00

In Ninja Assassin, Raizo (Rain) is one of the deadliest assassins in the world. Taken from the streets as a child, he was transformed into a trained killer by the Ozunu Clan, a secret society whose very existence is considered a myth. But haunted by the merciless execution of his friend by the Clan, Raizo breaks free from them…and vanishes. Now he waits, preparing to exact his revenge.

Ninja Assassin isn't just one of the year's best action films; it's one of the best this decade with each fight outdoing the last leading to an exciting climax that will have audiences spellbound if they can handle the sight of a lot of blood. The script, penned by J. Michael Straczynski and Matthew Sand is serviceable in bridging the gaps between the next spectacular fighting sequence, but anyone looking for a gripping plot might not bother watching a film about ninjas in the first place. An Europol investigator Mika (Naomie Harris) is looking into mysterious assassinations and her research has her convinced that the notorious Ozunu clan is taking in orphans and training them to be ninjas emotionless, deadly silent killing machines. Ozunu (Sho Kosugi), reinforces failure to follow his implicit orders completely with vicious beatings. Ozunu's prized student Raizo (Rain) turned his back on the clan after Ozunu ordered the senseless killing of Raizo's one friend and has vowed revenge the old fashion way by killing every one of his former associates. Straczynski and Sand primarily use flashbacks to detail Raizo's ninja training, which help explain his deadly proficiency in killing and his torment in trying to gain revenge on Ozunu. Rain plays the brooding loner expertly and displays the type of charisma that could make him a major star in the U.S. if he chooses to continue to crossing over in the film world. Realizing that even with his skills he cannot defeat the entire clan by himself, Raizo partners with Mika in the hopes of bringing down Ozunu once and for all.

Director James McTeigue stages some amazingly unflinching fighting scenes from a rainy battle on a rooftop with raindrops being sliced through with ninja stars and flashing swords to a final battle waged amid a burning dojo. McTeigue smartly paces the battles in a manner to keep raising the stakes and intensity so there's not an hour left of the film after the best fight. McTeigue knows a thing or two about directing blockbuster action sequences as he's worked as assistant director on 'The Matrix' trilogy and there's definitely a 'Matrix' feel to the action without an overreliance on the now over done slow-mo effects. Playing up on the ninja aspect of the film, McTeigue keeps the ninjas to the shadows, moving across the screen as if they were ghosts. The action is not for the faint of heart as the violence is very graphic, with Raizo's opponents spraying out blood like geysers and getting their arms, hands, legs and even heads chopped off with relative ease. The fights make The Bride's clash with the Crazy 88 in Quentin Tarantino's 'Kill Bill' seem like a very intense game of dodge ball by comparison. At first glance, the action is almost a bit too cartoonish and over the top, but McTeigue makes it work by making the Ozunu ninjas nearly as credible as Raizo so the only way he can keep them down is by incapacitating them. Ninja Assassin is a throwback to the 1980s action flicks where one highly skilled man could take out seemingly overwhelming odds and there's no sense in explaining the logic, but just to sit back and enjoy the ride. This gets an ass-kickin' 4 on my "Go See" scale.

Early Oscar Predictions

2009-11-20T10:52:00.003-06:00

2009 hasn't been a great year for Hollywood, most of the movies that have opened this year have closed within a few weeks, a few of the big Hollywood summer blockbusters were just plain busters. The last few months of the year will see what The Cynic hopes will be movies worth talking about throughout the remaining months of this year, a year that I consider one of the worst for movies. I'm not saying that there have not been any movies that have actually been worth seeing this year, I'm saying that there have been only a handful of movies worth seeing a second time. This time last year I had a list of about twenty movies to opt from to fill out my year end best of list. This year I have five. Here's to that hoping December rocks.

The academy has opted to increase it's best picture category to ten. This is the only category that has been increased the other five remaining categories stayed at five options. So here are what I feel deserve the distinction of a nomination in all six categories for 2009.

Best Motion Picture

A Single Man > Colin Firth and Julianne Moore

An Education > Carey Mulligan and Peter Sarsgaard

The Hurt Locker > Jeremy Renner and Anthony Mackie

Inglourious Basterds > Brad Pitt and Christoph Waltz

Invictus > Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon

The Lovely Bones > Rachel Weisz and Stanley Tucci

Nine > Marion Cotillard and Daniel Day-Lewis

Precious > Gabourey Sidibe and Mo'Nique

Up > Edward Asner and Christopher Plummer

Up In The Air > Vera Farmiga and George Clooney

Best Director

Clint Eastwood > Invictus

Lee Daniels > Precious

Jason Reitman > Up In The Air

Kathryn Bigelow > The Hurt locker

Peter Jackson > The lovely Bones

Best Actor

Colin Firth > A Single Man

Daniel Day-Lewis > Nine

George Clooney > Up In The Air

Jeremy Renner > The Hurt Locker

Morgan Freeman > Invctus

Best Actress

Carey Mulligan > An Education

Gabourey Sidibe > Precious

Meryl Streep > Julie & Julia

Penelope Cruz > broken Embraces

Saoirse Ronan > The Lovely Bones

Best Supporting Actor

Alfred Molina > An Education

Christoph Waltz > Inglourious Basterds

Matt Damen > Invictus

Stanley Tucci > The Lovely Bones

Woody Harrelson > The Messenger

Best Supporting Actress

Anna Kendrick > Up In The Air

Judi Dench > Nine

Julianne Moore > A Single Man

Mo'Nique > Precious

Susan Sarandon > The Lovely Bones

The nominations are revealed on February 02nd, check back and see how many of my choices were actually picked by the Academy Of motion Pictures. I will reveal my pick for winners in a later entry.

The Cynic

A Love Triangle Unleashed In New Moon

2009-11-19T09:16:00.006-06:00

In the second installment of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series, the romance between mortal and vampire soars to a new level as Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) delves deeper into the mysteries of the supernatural world she yearns to become part of—only to find herself in greater peril than ever before in The Twilight Saga: New Moon.

While this second chapter of Summit Entertainment's four-part franchise is as good as Twilight and arguably a shade better, it's indisputably darker in its depiction of the throes and woes of adolescent love, especially when one gets dumped. That's how things kick off for Bella Swan (Stewart), whose 18th birthday begins with a nightmare and ends with vampire heartthrob Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) telling her he's moving away, with no plans of maintaining a long-distance relationship. Bella quickly slips into a massive depression that resembles a full-scale heroin withdrawal, while her cop dad (Billy Burke) and barely visible school pals can do little but look on. As foreshadowed in the closing minutes of part one, help soon comes in the form of Native American dream boy Jacob Black,(Taylor Lautner), who's clearly been working out since the first film (as Bella remarks several times). Although they start off as friends, it's no secret where things are headed, and Bella engages in several near-suicidal acts that leave her torn between Edward's far-reaching grasp and Jake's bulging biceps. Bella and Jacob's growing relationship is paralleled by rumors of random animal attacks in the woods, as well as the increasingly menacing presence of Jacob's macho buddies (all of whom, like Jacob, prefer to remain bare-chested, especially after it starts raining). When vampires from the first go-round resurface to take revenge on Bella, a pack of colossal werewolves comes to her rescue, and it doesn't take a degree in occult studies to make the connection between the beasts and the boys. The movie's first half maintains a somber atmosphere that is broken by spells of PG-13 violence (a decapitation, a few gory closeups) and some nifty cinematic tricks, including a twirling 360-degree shot that shows the passing of time as Bella recovers from the break-up. Director Weitz, taking the reins from "Twilight" helmer Catherine Hardwicke, and lenser Javier Aguirresarobe painstakingly depict the gloomy, dreamlike state of Bella's extended blues, and then pick up the pace about an hour in with several action sequences set in the rain-soaked woods near Forks, Wash. As expected, Edward soon reappears, albeit for confused reasons, and the quid pro quo eventually carries the action to a royal Italian vampire council (known as the Volturi), providing some handsome locations and a brief turn by Dakota Fanning as a mind-controlling, heavily made-up vampiress. The shortcuts needed to propel the narrative homeward feel a tad rushed, but screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg wisely keeps things focused on Bella's ever-changing, mostly darkening emotional states, and whether she will end up choosing Edward or Jacob.

Stewart is the heart and soul of the film, and not only because her Bella is surrounded by characters who literally have neither one nor the other. She gives both weight and depth to dialogue ("You're just warm. You're like your own sun") that would sound like typical chick-lit blather in the mouth of a less engaging actress, and she makes Bella's psychological wounds seem like the real deal. Fangirls may be disappointed by Pattinson's reduced presence here, as his Edward appears predominantly in mumbling visions until a cliffhanger that brazenly sets up the next episode. Lautner's Jake provides a strong alternative to Edward's pale dreariness, though the filmmakers overdo the "strong" part in an ongoing effort to keep their target audience enraptured. This sequel is by far a step better than the first, but some fans may be a lil disappointed with some things that were left out from the book, but it gets the point across. Vampires and Werewolves are pretty hot. So, which team are you on? Team Edward or Team Jacob? Go and see New Moon and make your choice. I sure have. This gets a 4 on my "Go See" scale. It will undoubtedly become the number one movie this weekend. Tween girls are gonna flock to the theatre to see Edward Cullen, but i'm a bit more partial to seeing Jacob running around shirtless for half of the movie.

It May Be A New Moon, But The Story Is Still Boring

2009-11-19T09:08:00.006-06:00

Hollywood is quick to latch onto what they consider a huge hit, when they purchased the rights to the Twilight books written by Stephenie Meyer, they figured they had a runaway freight train on their hands. Its sad to say that so many teen girls and many teen boys have made this a reality. "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" is the second in what looks like an inevitable barrage of teen vampire movies with stupid special effects. The second story arc doesn't give us anything to believe, it builds on this idiotic notion that vampires glow like diamonds in the sunlight. Growing up on vampire movies like I'm sure many of you have, we have come to expect certain things when we watch a vampire movie, the Twilight movies throw these ideas away and try to force us to accept what is truly stupid. The idea of vegetarian vampires is as stupid as trying to get through any of these boringly stupid books.

The movie opens with Bella (Kristen Stewart) having a nightmare, she sees herself getting older but yet Edward (Robert Pattinson) is still young and vibrant. This is the start of what is an increasing boring and stupid story arc. I know every teen girl across America is sighing at the thought of seeing Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) shirtless. I'm happy to say that he is repeatedly thus. At first Jacob has long hair and not to spoil anything, when he becomes a wolf he cuts it short. There are many of the first movies cast returning to this movie as well, the Cullen clan make an appearance in the movies beginning birthday party and then are basically Persona non Grata the rest of the way. The only one who appears later is Alice (Ashley Greene). She returns to inform Bella that Edward thinks she is dead and he is about to reveal himself to the world, the Volturi expressly forbid this action and Edward is sure to be killed. Rushing to Rome to stop him Bella and Alice make it in just in time to do so.

This movie does nothing to pick up the pace of the original, you can actually go into this movie an hour after it started and not feel as if you missed anything. It is slow and tepid, nothing heats up, not even the love interest between Bella and Jacob. The wolves are not the typical werewolf form but the down on all four legs variety. They are typical CGI effects and not all that amazing. The pointless, cliched dialog is dummied down for the audience, whom Hollywood assumes has the attention span of a five year old. The action picks up a little bit toward the end as Edward has to fight the Volturi to stay alive. The Volturi are centuries old clan leaders that keep the existence of vampires a secret. Michael Sheen and Dakota Fanning both play these pasty face leaders with all the dullness you come to expect from this story arc. The action takes place mainly off screen, Jacob tells Bella that his wolf pack has killed Laurent (Edi Gathegi) and are looking for Victoria (Rachelle Lefevre) who is back in town looking to revenge her clan by killing Bella. We do see the wolves attacking Laurent, but in flashback.

I give The Twilight Saga: New Moon a 1 and on my avoidance scale a 3, wait for this one to pop up on a Saturday night that you wont mind losing a little bit over two hours watching. To be fair I must admit that I have not read any of these books and have no intention of doing so. Therefore I can not say with any accuracy how closely the films follow the story written by Stephenie Meyer. I can say that there is a much better vampire show on HBO, one that is worth the time to watch. Girls of all ages may swoon over Edward and after this movie Jacob to, but the story is just plain dull and mind numbing.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon is rated PG-13 for Some Violence and Action

Running time is 2 hrs 10 mins.

Hopefully By 2012 We'll Get A Better Disaster Movie

2009-11-12T11:39:00.005-06:00

Never before has a date in history been so significant to so many cultures, so many religions, scientists, and governments. 2012 is an epic adventure about a global cataclysm that brings an end to the world and tells of the heroic struggle of the survivors.

Roland Emmerich has a new movie out, which means it’s time to start rebuilding our infrastructure, finding new places to live, dusting off memories of what it means to successfully duck-and-cover, and slapping bandages on the world’s landmarks. Or at least what’s left of them. His latest epic, 2012, once again finds the director wandering around the world, casually smashing it to bits with joyous ease, and all while delivering the destruction with some of the worst, most risible and predictable writing of the year. Any year. Pick a year. Doesn’t matter the year. The film, which Emmerich co-wrote with Harold Kloser, makes one wonder what Emmerich would be handed for a sentence if he were making movies during the McCarthy era. Would he be considered an American-hating communist for taking out the White House in not one but two movies (this film and “Independence Day”)? For felling the Washington Monument? For crushing our cities flat? Oh, likely, he would. And yes, he’d be on that list--the black one. And not just so he could look thinner. About the movie. Well, it’s just a work of art, and to some degree, I’m serious. Special effects have come a long way, baby, and this movie is a showcase for the cheesy best of the best. There is no denying the sheer pleasure that goes into watching disaster movies when the disasters are played up with the sort of sheen presented here. This movie is a spit-and-shine miracle of special effects, so much so that occasionally, you do slip out of the clutch of cliches Emmerich hurls at you and marvel at how talented computers have become. If only it were so easy for some writers. Talk about devastation--they can take out the world (and ruin a good time) with the swipe of a pen. That’s sometimes the case here, with the film’s slim shred of a plot going down like this: The year is 2012. John Cusack is Jackson Curtis, a divorced dad of two who is trying to be civil to his ex-wife, Kate (Amanda Peet), when the Earth’s crust starts to shift. Though the scientist Adrian Helmsley (Chiwetel Ejiofor) predicted this day would come and has warned the President of the United States (Danny Glover) as well as his staff, few others knew, with the exception of Charlie (Woody Harrelson), a pot-smoking hippie living high up in Yellowstone, where he has a radio show that long has declared the end of the world.

When the end comes, it hits hard (that’s the fun part), but who wants to bet that Jackson and Kate will be thrown together, in spite of the fact that Kate is re-married to another man (Tom McCarthy)? Will they all suck up their differences in an effort to survive? Will they squeak out creaky old dialogue that could crumble Rio? And what about their daughter, who is 7 and must wear pull-ups because, for sheer character development alone, we learn that she has bladder issues? Will those be solved by the end of the movie? Will the world live on? What do you think? What’s so frustrating about 2012, which nods its head broadly at Mayan prophecy, is that it could have been a great action movie. If the special effects team can do their jobs, certainly the producers behind the movie, which was budgeted at nearly $300 million, could have hired better writers that didn’t dumb down the proceedings. Not once in this film is something not telegraphed. Just try finding a surprise. It won’t be there, but the explosions will, and for some, that will be enough. Just not enough for me. This is lucky enough to get a 2 on my "Go See" scale. The special effects are the best thing about this movie.

2012 Is A Disaster Film That Is Truly A Disaster

2009-11-12T09:00:00.002-06:00

Disaster movies have made audiences cringe in their seats for many years, The Towering Inferno was one of the best, Earthquake was probably the best. In between we have seen so many that are forgotten just as quickly as they played on the screen. In "2012" we get big special effect destruction scenes of California (would we really care), several National Parks, Hawaii and even Washington D.C. Along the way the CGI special effects wow you and disappoint you, nothing in this film is perfect but it isn't trying to be. The earthquake where California falls into the ocean is almost flawless, except for the buildings toppling over instead of crumbling to the ground, but who will be paying that much attention to detail, besides me?

The movie starts off in the year 2009 where we meet geologist Adrian Helmsley (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who has traveled to India to meet a friend who has discovered that the Earths core is heating up and that this will cause devastation under the crust until it explodes outward. Adrian returns to Washington D.C. to inform White House Chief of Staff Carl Anheuser (Oliver Platt) and US President Thomas Wilson (Danny Glover) that this will instigate a chain of events that will bring about the end of the world. Move forward to 2012 and we meet Jackson Curtis (John Cusack) is a writer in Los Angeles who works part time as a limousine driver for Russian billionaire Yuri Karpov (Zlatko Buric). Jackson's ex-wife Kate (Amanda Peet) and their children Noah (Liam James) and Lily (Morgan Lily) live with her new boyfriend, plastic surgeon and amateur pilot Gordon (Thomas McCarthy). Jackson takes Noah and Lily on a camping trip to Yellowstone National Park, where they find their usual camping spot fenced off. Instead of turning around they climb over and are soon captured by the military. They Meet Charlie (Woody Harrelson) who runs a ham radio, end of the world program, he claims he has a map to where the government is building huge arcs to take people off world.

Taking his family home, just as the earthquakes start, saving his family in the nick of time we see California slide into the Pacific Ocean. Jackson decides he has to get the maps that Charlie claims he has, they fly back to Yellowstone, just as the Yellowstone Caldera erupts, Jackson finds the maps but Charlie doesn't want to leave, the movie loses all believability from here on in. The Earth's Poles shift and the South Pole is now in Wisconsin but yet the planes guidance devices don't mess up and they are still able to land in China, even though they are running out of fuel. The ships turn out to be huge sailing vessels that the government has sold seats to the worlds richest people. like they are the best ones to repopulate the Earth. There is another unbelievable scene where the ship is taking water, once Jackson and his family manage to gain entry to it. The ship has a system where if it takes water on board, water tight doors close to ensure the rest of the ship won't take on the water, but yet Tamara (Beatrice Rosen) who is on board because she was sleeping with Yuri, drowns, and she was in a separate compartment, one that should not have taken any water once the compartment was sealed off from the others.

If you are going to see 2012 for the special effects you may like the movie but if it is story and believability you want don't bother, you will walk away shaking your head. I enjoyed the first half of this movie then it stopped taking itself seriously and then so did I. The performances almost seem phoned in, Danny Glover does an almost half backed performance as the President Thomas Wilson and we stop caring for anyone including Jackson and his family.

I give 2012 a 1 and on my avoidance scale a 2, wait a few months and catch this one on a late night cable channel, it may be worth the few hours you put into it, once the first destruction scenes happen, and they are about an hour into the movie, 2012 has nothing good to offer anyone. Woody Harrelson has given better performances in other movies this year, Zombieland and The Messenger are two much better movies of note for Woody.

2012 is rated PG-13 for Disturbing Disaster Sequences and Some Language

Running time is 2 hrs 38 mins.

These Carriers Deliver More Than The Mail

2009-11-08T09:03:00.004-06:00

Hollywood has given us so many horror movies that an original idea is so hard to come up with, so they rehash what has proven effective in the past, Satan is one favorite as is the viral pandemic film. This has been a staple of the horror genre for a long time. In Alex and David Pastor's new film "Carriers" we learn of a virus that has already killed most of the Earth population, we learn little of how it began or how it spreads, at first it is thought to be by the infected breathing on another person but soon find out it is airborne. The story centers on two brothers and their girlfriends as they journey to an abandoned beach the boys used to visit as children. During the journey they discover that the true danger isn't the virus but each other.

Brian (Chris Pine) and his younger brother Danny (Lou Taylor Pucci) are driving across the country, they are headed to a place where they once spent so much of their childhood, they believe nothing can hurt them there, they are hoping this will be true because most of the Earths population is dead or dying from a viral infection that spread so fast, no one knows how to protect themselves from it. Along for the ride is Brian's girlfriend Bobby (Piper Perabo) and Danny's school mate, Kate (Emily VanCamp). The journey is filled with enough tension that is is palpable and it only gets worse when they are confronted by a stranded vehicle in the road, the driver, Frank (Christopher Meloni) is standing in the road yelling that he is in need of gas, Kate sees a little girl in the backseat who is infected and Brian drives the car around the vehicle and speeds away. When their car breaks down the group is forced to walk back to Franks car, they think they can wipe the car down and it be safe for them. When they get there Frank tells them he is taking his daughter Jodie (Kiernan Shipka) to a medical center that claims they have a vaccine for the virus.

Reluctant to let the two come Brian decides that if they tape up the back of the car they four of them should be safe, so they set up what they think is a shield between the father and daughter and themselves. Of course this isn't going to protect them or the movie would be a standard run of the mill spoke fest. The virus is spread to one of the four and that person tries to hide it from the others, knowing that they are surly infected this person decides to ride the virus out and hope to not be discovered by the others. Of course this one person infects a second, although it is the second persons fault, (I am purposely leaving out who gets infected for a reason). When the group is confronted by what at first appears to be military they are forced to strip and that is when the virus is discovered amongst the group. Later this person is forced to get out of the vehicle and is left to fend for themselves on the side of the road. Later when the three try to rob some gas from another passing vehicle the group is forced to use violence when Brian is wounded by the passenger of the vehicle. When the second person discovers that they are infected it is up to one of the brothers to make the hardest choice he has had to face in his life. Dealing with the issue takes all of his courage and something more.

The movie ends all to sudden leaving a lot of unanswered questions, to say this disappoints the viewer is to say that the movie entertains us to start with, Carriers is cheaply made and looks it from start to finish, the script seems more rehashed than original, and the characters don't really come off as sympathetic just pathetic. This movie could have been so much better, but its sad to say this movie has nothing worth recommending it, not even Chris Pine.

I give Carriers a 0 and on my avoidance scale a 4, this is one movie that leaves the viewer with anything but a bad taste in their mouths, Hollywood has given us so many horror movies that are worth going to see, Paranormal Activity is amazing and Zombieland is awesome take your money and go see either of these be glad you didn't waste it on this movie.

Carriers is rated PG-13 for Violence, Disturbing Content and Language

Running time is 1 hr. 24 mins.

Beware Of Creepy Old Guys....And Buttons

2009-11-06T11:03:00.004-06:00

What if someone gave you a box containing a button that, if pushed, would bring you a million dollars…but simultaneously take the life of someone you don’t know? Would you do it? And what would be the consequences? The year is 1976. Norma Lewis is a teacher at a private high school and her husband, Arthur, is an engineer working at NASA. They are, by all accounts, an average couple living a normal life in the suburbs with their young son…until a mysterious man with a horribly disfigured face appears on their doorstep and presents Norma with a life-altering proposition: the box. With only 24 hours to make their choice, Norma and Arthur face an impossible moral dilemma. What they don’t realize is that no matter what they decide, terrifying consequences will have already been set in motion. They soon discover that the ramifications of this decision are beyond their control and extend far beyond their own fortune and fate in The Box.

I love movies that are divisive. And I've been on both sides of that equation - really digging or really detesting them. What makes such films special is that they almost demand that you ponder them afterwards, which is more than you can say for the majority of stuff that comes out on a week-to-week basis. The Box (based on Richard Matheson's short story "Button, Button") is destined to be one of the most divisive movies of 2009. It comes from writer/director Richard Kelly, a man who specializes in love-it-or-hate-it cinema, such as Donnie Darko (loved it) and Southland Tales (hated it). Kelly starts off with a basic "Twilight Zone" premise, only to spin it into a story about religion, morality, and the unrecognized interconnectedness of strangers. Set in the 70's, the movie stars Cameron Diaz and James Marsden as Norma and Arthur Lewis. Norma is a schoolteacher, while Arthur has just been inexplicably passed over for a promotion at NASA. They are desperate for money. One winter afternoon, a facially scarred gentleman named Arlington Steward (Frank Langella) knocks on their door. He presents them with a wooden box that has a conspicuous red button on the top. Steward makes a simple proposition: If they push the button, they will receive one million dollars in tax-free cash, but someone whom they don't know will also die. The first half of The Box finds the couple debating the moral and ethical merits of pushing that button. They need the money for sure, so it's a matter of deciding whether they can live knowing they've caused an unseen death somewhere on the planet. The second half goes into much spacier territory, when Norma and Arthur start demanding that Steward give them answers about the box, only to discover that his proposition was never as straight-forward as it seemed.

I want to tread lightly here. Transmissions from Mars, a lightning strike, and portals to the afterlife come into play. How this happens I will let you discover for yourself. Suffice it to say that Kelly is interested in much more than just making a standard thriller; he's interested in taking on bigger themes, using the sci-fi genre as a pathway. The thing that so many people (myself included) loved about Donnie Darko was that it obviously said something profound, even if you couldn't quite grasp it upon initial viewing. The Box is, I think, a little easier to get the point of on the first try. For a lot of its running time, you aren't sure what is going on, but in the final five minutes, it all comes together and you're left with a parable about how one individual's ability (or failure) to act responsibly can impact other people in ways we may not be conscious of. There's no doubt that The Box is a head-trip. Whether or not you like it may depend on how willing you are to have your head messed with. Personally, I love the approach Richard Kelly takes with his films. He assumes the audience is smart enough to keep up with his big ideas, so he jumps into them wholeheartedly. Many filmmakers, especially those working in the sci-fi genre, are content to stick to time-honored conventions and themes. Kelly, on the other hand, is genuinely fearless, choosing instead to see how far out he can go. Perhaps more than anything, that is what I responded to most about The Box - I wanted it to keep going further out, and it happily obliged. Cameron Diaz is really good here, playing a kind of role she hasn't before. Since this is an admittedly out-there kind of story, she's not required to give a conventional performance; Norma is a low-key woman placed into an extraordinary circumstance, which she cannot begin to comprehend. Diaz effectively sells the "I'm trapped in the Twilight Zone" vibe. She has fascinating scenes with Frank Langella, who does that thing where Steward is so unfailingly polite that you just know he's not so benign underneath. The Box is not the masterpiece that Donnie Darko was. That film had a dark, lyrical beauty that this one never quite achieves. Still, I think this is a really adventurous, provocative piece of entertainment. And I got something from it as well. If you stick with it, the finale does offer a poignant message. When a movie is as unapologetically freaky as The Box is, one of two things happens: you either sit there wondering what you've gotten yourself into, or you get so involved as to become transfixed. That's what happened with me. Many people will hate this thing, and I completely understand why. But other people will really dig it and see what a cool, philosophical mindfreak The Box really is. This gets a mindblowing 3 on my "Go See" scale.

As The Weather Gets Colder Hollywood Heats Up.

2009-11-01T00:01:00.004-06:00

Hollywood has a habit of saving the best movies until the end of the year, I for one can only say thank God. So far this year has not been overly great for movies. Finding five movies to place on a best of 2009 list was hard enough, Finding ten was next to impossible. Thankfully November and December will bring about twenty movies that could fit the list. For the older more mature audience member take a deep breath and relax the good movies are coming.

November brings comedy, and horror, alien abduction and world destruction and vampires and werewolf's. Some of these movies are sure to be playing long into the coming weeks, some maybe even months. I'm sure that every one will find at least one movie this month that they will be talking about for several weeks.

November 06th

A Christmas Carol

The Box

The Fourth Kind

The Men Who Stare At Goats

Precious

November 13th

2012

Pirate Radio

November 20th

The Blindside

Broken Embraces (Limited)

The Messengers (Limited)

Planet 51

Red Cliff (Limited)

The Twilight Saga: New Moon

November 25th

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Me And Orson Welles (Limited)

Ninja Assassin

The Road

December brings cartoons and musicals, Nelson Mandela and the Morgans and avatars and Sherlock Holmes. I'm sure that many of these movies that are going to be released in December will find a wide audience to spend their hard earned money to watch them over and over again. I can spot at least three that I will want to see at least twice.

December 04th

Armored

Brothers

Everybody's Fine

December 11th

Invictus

The Lovely Bones

The Princess And The Frog

December 18th

Avatars

Did You Hear About The Morgans?

The Young Victoria (Limited)

December 25th

Alvin And The Chipmunks: The Squeakuel

A Single Man (Limited)

The Imaginarium Of Doctor Panassus

It's Complicated

Sherlock Holmes

Nine

Up In The Air (Limited)

Several of the movies scheduled to be released during this time frame will earn Academy Award nominations, and several will disappear long before consideration is even given to any Award. There will be movies for adults opening just about every week, with a small list of movies for the children. The movies The lovely Bones and Precious will hit close to home for alot of people, the subject matter is a very serious one and may be hard for many people to watch.

This is the time of year for adults to cheer about, the next few weeks will be like an oasis for the mature movie goer. My suggestion to all of you who love movies is to go out and enjoy several of these, the first few months of 2010 will bring another wave of seriously bad movies. So rush out and take in several of the above listed movies. I know I will.

The Cynic

This Goes Beyond Just Being Precious...Straight To Amazing

2009-10-29T12:11:00.006-06:00

Lee Daniels’s Precious: Based on the novel "Push" by Sapphire is a vibrant, honest and resoundingly hopeful film about the human capacity to grow and overcome. Set in Harlem in 1987, it is the story of Claireece “Precious” Jones (Gabourey Sidibe), a sixteen-year-old African-American girl born into a life no one would want. She’s pregnant for the second time by her absent father; at home, she must wait hand and foot on her mother (Mo’Nique), a poisonously angry woman who abuses her emotionally and physically. School is a place of chaos, and Precious has reached the ninth grade with good marks and an awful secret: she can neither read nor write. Precious may sometimes be down, but she is never out. Beneath her impassive expression is a watchful, curious young woman with an inchoate but unshakeable sense that other possibilities exist for her.

Claireece "Precious" Jones (Sidibe) is a sixteen-year-old African-American who lives in Harlem in 1987. Although she is in the ninth-grade, she has not yet learned to read and write. This is no wonder given the ridicule she suffers from her peers who view her as a loser and a fat pig (they make oink noises when she walks by). Precious has one child by her father already: a daughter with Down Syndrome, who is looked after by her grandmother. After discovering that she is pregnant again, the principal of the school says that she must leave. Thankfully, Previous's math scores are exceptional and so she is assigned to an alternative school, Each One Teach One. There she is taken under the wings of Blu Rain (Paula Patton), who prepares troubled young women for the GEDs. She is a beautiful and charismatic mentor who inspires her students to express themselves in journals and to share the stories of their lives with each other. It is a perfect way for these girls to deal with the demons that have dragged them down. Precious is a survivor who has been severely abused physically and verbally by her horrific mother Mary (Mo' Nique), a lazy and angry woman who treats her daughter like a slave, denigrates her appearance and mental ability, forces her to eat more so that she becomes heavier, and blames her for stealing her husband's attention and sexual passion. The only way Precious can ward off the depression and emptiness of her daily life is by escaping into a fantasy world via her imagination. There she sees herself as a model, singing star, celebrity, or beautiful blonde. Precious is buoyed in her mind's eye by a fairy godmother (Susan B. Taylor) who bequeaths her with a beautiful orange scarf.

Precious is an emotionally poignant film directed by Lee Daniels and adapted from Push, a 1996 bestselling novel by Sapphire. This is a deeply spiritual film that conveys the many ways in which loving, kind, and compassionate people can be catalysts for real change in the lives of others. Blu Rain serves as a surrogate mother for Precious and offers her what she has never experienced before: someone who believes in her and nurtures her soul with love. Others who also offer lifelines are Nurse John (Lenny Kravitz), whose kindness surprises Precious, and Ms. Weiss (Mariah Carey), a welfare case worker whose professional detachment is shattered when she learns of the hellish dimensions of this degraded girl's home life. Precious is an inspirational film about one young woman's transformation thanks to the care and concern of those who take her into their hearts. Lee Daniels's Precious combines brutal domestic violence with be-all-you-can-be inspirationalism. Gabby Sidibe is remarkable as Precious, an obese black teenager in 1980s Harlem who is bullied at school, tormented by her mother and repeatedly raped by her stepfather. Precious maintains a stoic calm and dignity, taking comfort in poignant fantasies of a better life. This movie here is hands down, without a doubt in my mind THE BEST movie of the year and should not be missed. This gets a 5 on my "Go See" scale.

Life Is Precious No Matter Who You Are

2009-10-29T10:42:00.005-06:00

In my review of Motherhood, I mentioned that it was the opening film in the International Film Festival, I also mentioned that the film didn't deserve that honor, and that luckily there were other, much better films that followed it and saved the Festival. One of those films was "Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire" This is one of the most emotional movies that I have seen in awhile. This movie will touch almost everyone, and some it will touch on a personal level. I found myself captivated by the power that this simple story contains.

Clareece 'Precious' Jones (Gabourey Sidibe) is an overweight, illiterate teen who is pregnant with her second child, the consequence of incest, by the boyfriend of her mother Mary (Mo'Nique). This isn't her only problem Precious is literally a shut in she goes to school, has fantasies about her teacher, comes home to cook and clean for Mary. Precious goes out to buy Mary's lotto numbers and then spends the rest of her night inside the house, her only activity is when she becomes a punching bag for Mary. One day at school she is called to the principals office, Principal Lichtenstein(Nealla Gordon) suspends Precious because she is pregnant. Later that night Mrs. Lichtenstein comes to Precious' house to tell her that they have enrolled her into an alternative school and that she starts the following morning. Mary blows up because she thinks that her welfare depends on this woman being happy. There is a later scene in the movie that is especially heartbreaking. The scene is where the grandmother brings Precious' first child, who is autistic to the house so that the welfare social worker can think that Mary is taking care of her, and this is truly a heartbreaking scene, the aftermath is gut wrenching.

When Precious gets to the alternative school her teacher Miss Rains (Paula Patton) takes special care to include all of the students in every project. The other students are not any where near the perfect role model but when Precious delivers her second child, a boy, they are there to support her. The movie conveys a dreary Harlem existence that is profane, hard-edged and brutal, but also has some rays of humanity and compassion that leave room for hope. With the help of Miss Raines and another social worker, Mrs. Weiss (Mariah Carey) Precious goes from a young woman in an impossible situation to a strong willed individual with the determination to push through it all, breaking free from the stereotypes that plague her, the past that haunts her and her mother's abusive control over her.

The films directing is of a high enough caliber that Lee Daniels deserves some praise this awards season and may be among several cast members to receive such a well deserved nod. The script is so well written that it never feels slow and the pacing of this film is steady enough that we're engrossed the entire time. Some praise should be given to Lenny Kravitz, who appears on screen to become a sort of guardian angel to precious in her time of need. This is one movie that you will walk out of thinking that no matter what your problems are, they are nothing compared to what you just witnessed. Precious has faced many such adversaries and has risen above everything thrown at her.

I give Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire a hearty 4 and on my avoidance scale an even heartier 0, this movie is hard to watch and several scenes will have you crying, this is not a movie for the entire family, this is one of those take you mom to see films and then spend some time talking about how fortunate you really are.

Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire is rated R for Child Abuse including Sexual Assault and Pervasive Language

Running time is 1 hr. 49 mins.

This Is It. The Way MJ Would've Wanted To Be Remembered

2009-10-28T11:15:00.001-06:00

Michael Jackson's This Is It will offer Jackson fans and music lovers worldwide a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the performer as he developed, created and rehearsed for his sold-out concerts that would have taken place beginning this summer in London's O2 Arena. Chronicling the months from April through June, 2009, the film is produced with the full support of the Estate of Michael Jackson and drawn from more than one hundred hours of behind-the-scenes footage, featuring Jackson rehearsing a number of his songs for the show. Audiences will be given a privileged and private look at Jackson as he has never been seen before. In raw and candid detail, Michael Jackson's This Is It captures the singer, dancer, filmmaker, architect, creative genius and great artist at work as he creates and perfects his final show.

Ever since the project was first announced in August, the new documentary Michael Jackson’s This Is It has been shrouded in mystery. According to initial reports, Sony Pictures paid $60 million to acquire hundreds of hours of behind-the-scenes footage showing Jackson–who had died a little over a month before–rehearsing for his big comeback concert series in London. What exactly would that footage reveal? Would Jackson be a slurry, stumbling mess? Or would we see a flicker of the great entertainer– the King of Pop–who dazzled audiences for decades with thrilling dance moves and unstoppable tunes? Sony stoked the mystery by putting the footage on instant lockdown; aside from a short trailer, no scenes from This Is It have found their way onto TV or the web, which, in theory, only heightens its must-see appeal. To further fuel the hype, the studio decreed that the movie would only play in theaters for two weeks, borrowing a successful gimmick that Disney employed last year for its Hannah Montana concert flick. Not even critics got the chance to check out This Is It ahead of time. So, I did what any other good MJ fan would do. I went to the premiere scheduled for 11 PM Tuesday night. Surrounded by hundreds of fans, I found my seat, got completely comfortable and waited patiently for the actual movie to start. After a few movie trailers, at around 11:10, the lights went down, the screen went dark and…and…and…

And we saw a movie. The world didn’t spontaneously heal itself, the future of the music industry didn’t automatically become brighter and Michael Jackson didn’t rise from the dead and start doing the moonwalk. After all the pre-release and pre-show hype, This Is It is just a movie–a surprisingly well-made and compelling movie, but a movie nonetheless. In a way, all the studio-manufactured brouhaha surrounding the film may be doing it a disservice, as it leads viewers to expect a cinematic spectacle to rival a summer blockbuster like Star Trek or Transformers 2. But in reality This Is It is a more modest picture. This isn’t a concert movie–it’s a movie about the making of a concert. Director Kenny Ortega, a longtime Jackson friend and colleague, takes the audience through the show’s set list song by song–beginning with “Wanna Be Startin’ Something” (of course) and concluding with “Man in the Mirror”–revealing how each tune was going to be performed live onstage from the choreography, to the special effects to the King of Pop’s own vocals. Much of the footage is taken from a series of almost complete rehearsals, where the dancing is in place, but not all of the effects are complete and Jackson often sings along to backing vocals in order to go easy on his voice. There are also clips of additional material that would have been worked into the show; for “Smooth Criminal,” Jackson had himself digitally inserted into a series of film clips from old ’40s gangster pictures and Ortega shot new 3D footage of monsters tearing it up in a graveyard to accompany “Thriller.” In some cases, CGI-animatronics stand in for effects that were never finalized; “Earth Song,” for example, would have climaxed with an actual bulldozer rolling onstage to confront Jackson. If you’re at all interested in the art of stagecraft, This is It provides an invaluable look at what goes on behind-the-scenes of a mega-budgeted concert. Indeed, in some ways, seeing the process by which the show was put together is almost more interesting than the finished product ever would have been.

But what about the man at the center of the spectacle? Well Jackson–or as the entire crew calls him, MJ–is alternately engaged, enraged, enthusiastic, impatient and joyful. In other words, he’s an artist in his element, doing what he loves to do. His voice is strong and clear and he moves with the same grace he displayed throughout his life. Clearly the film has been edited to show him at his best, but, to his credit, Ortega does occasionally allow us to see behind his beautiful exterior. In some scenes, Jackson is visibly frustrated when the band misses a note or a dancer doesn’t execute a move correctly. And while we never see him offstage, a few moments do hint at his personal troubles. After rehearsing “Beat It” Jackson is so winded, he can barely speak–his age finally catches up with his body. Earlier, Jackson stops singing right in the middle of a medley of Jackson 5 tunes and launches into a rambling, nonsensical speech about his inner ear problems while Ortega humors him from offstage. One wonders how many more moments like that one are on the cutting room floor. Clocking in at almost two hours, This Is It does feel overlong. Part of that can be chalked up to the normal ebb and flow of a concert–some songs are simply better than others and everyone will have their own opinions about which tunes they would rather have seen cut from the set list. Personally, I could have watched Jackson rehearse “The Way Your Make Me Feel” and “Billie Jean” for a half-hour without growing tired of either song. On the other hand, his renditions of “Earth Song” and “They Don’t Care About Us” wowed me, but may almost put others to sleep. This Is It is far better than it had any right to be, largely because Ortega avoids turning the film into an overly sentimental obituary for Jackson. There are no images of teary-eyed fans despondent over the sudden death of their idol or awkward testimonials from Jackson’s peers and colleagues. In fact, the movie never addresses his death at all beyond a closing dedication. The focus here is entirely on the work that Jackson did while he was still alive. There is obviously much more to Michael Jackson’s legacy than this single concert, but that’s for future films to explore. For now, This is It provides a valuable service–it allows a gifted musician to deliver the career-capping performance he wanted the world to see, but never got the chance. This documentary gets an astounding 5 on my "Go See" scale. There will never be another quite like MJ and this is the way he should be remembered.

This Is IT. The Spotlights Last Shine On an Icon

2009-10-28T11:05:00.002-06:00

Hollywood has long taken music icons and turned them into silver screen stars. The "Concert" film has been done with many of today's big music stars, U2, and The Rolling Stones to name a few, and now Michael Jackson stars in what is listed as footage shot solely for his own personal collection. "This Is It" is footage shot of Michael's final rehearsals before what would have been his return to the stage after a twelve year absence. The final fifty performances of this tour were sold out in advance and the King Of Pop wanted his fans to see perfection, this films delivers, albeit on a sad note.

The film showcases the dedication Michael had to his fans, the time and effort he took to make sure that every note of every song was perfect. He not only wanted the music to be right, he also wanted the dancers to be showcased and to become in essence a part of him. The movie is directed by long time friend Kenny Ortega that is a compilation of interviews, rehearsals and backstage footage of the Legend himself. Each song showcased in the film are among Michael's greatest hits, Billy Jean, Beat It, Bad, and of course Thriller. The dance portion of the show is toned down for Michael, he was, one must remember in his fifties, the biggest dance routine was for Thriller, Michael takes it easy during this song, and seems at times more worried about being able to carry the vocal portion of the songs then anything else. This dedication to each song, each step in the rehearsal process takes the fan deeper into the man's mind. he wants the fans who come to watch him to experience something that they wont ever forget.

It must have worked because the sold out audience clapped along with the songs, snapped their fingers and even sang along with their hero. One thing that should be pointed out is that this really isn't a "concert" film it is more of a making of film. Although this does nothing to distract from the movie at all, the fans deserve to understand what it is that they will be seeing. Michael would have wanted it that way. Would Michael have wanted his fans to see this film? It is after all nothing but rehearsal footage of Michael and Kenny directing the musicians, and dancers, leaving Michael to say over and over again, that this is why we rehearse. The movie studio, having paid an extraordinary sum of money for the rights to the footage, want the mans fans to go in thinking they will get a behind the scenes look at one of Michael's concerts, that isn't what you get, it is close but it is after all just footage of several rehearsals. We see as Michael oversees several facets of the show, some new animation sequences that were shot just for the concerts, we see how eleven dancers are turned into eleven hundred, we see new 3D footage being shot for the Thriller number, we get behind the scenes as Michael adds footage for Smooth Criminal and we see some footage for Earth Song, this number ends with a huge bulldozer coming onto the stage and stopping just short of Michael who would be standing at the stages edge.

I must confess that I am not nor have I ever been a Michael Jackson fan, but seeing the way the man took the time to make sure he delivered the best for his fans, and also the way that the beat grabbed you, no matter your taste in music, and soon has you snapping your fingers right along side the man or woman next to you. I must say that I now have an admiration for the man and his talent. The Michael we see on screen in This Is it is far removed from the man in his twenties, even his thirties, but he still has the desire and drive to put on a great show. Even if it is just archive footage.

I give This is It a 4 and on my avoidance scale a 0, I can not recommend this movie any more so than by saying it is nearly as flawless as the man himself. I understand that Michael was marred by controversy throughout his life, but this movie isn't about his life it is about his talent, his love and his ability to make people happy, just with his voice. Take your family, maybe introduce the kids to the King of Pop, if they don't already know more about the man then you do. if you have never seen a concert performance by this man this is your ticket to what would have been his farewell, and if you have seen one of his shows then by all means don't miss his last.

This Is It is rated PG for some Suggestive Choreography and Scary Images

Running time is 1 hr. 51 mins.

The Fourth Kind... Real Or Just A Mind Game?

2009-10-28T10:10:00.003-06:00

Horror movies are all the buzz this time of year, we have so many thrown at us that it is hard to sort out the good from the bad, we have seen the small budget movie (Paranormal Activity) that has become overnight one of the biggest grossing films of the year, not to mention one of the best. We have gotten the countless remakes, of what were originally semi poor movies (The Stepfather) to begin with. We also get the movie that leaves you shaking your head in disbelief. That is exactly what "The Fourth Kind" does, it makes you wonder, and along the way it has a few little scares in store for you.

Dr. Abigail Tyler (Milla Jovovich) follows up on a study that was started by her late husband, she began videotaping sessions with traumatized patients and unwittingly discovered some of the most disturbing evidence of alien abduction ever documented. Their accounts of being visited by alien figures all share disturbingly identical details, the validity of which is investigated throughout the film. Some of the movie is archive footage and at the films start is almost more of a disturbance than entertaining, by the middle of the movie you hardly notice it.

When Dr. Tyler's patients all recount the same stories, about waking up around three AM and seeing an owl outside their window Dr. Tyler decides to place them under hypnosis. Her first subject is Tommy (Corey Johnson) when he goes under we witness his trauma, the fear in his eyes is incalculable and later when Dr. Tyler is called to his home by Sheriff August (Will Patton) Tommy murders his family and then commits suicide. Joined by her colleague (Elias Koteas) and a Sumerian translator (Hakeem Kae-Kazim), Dr. Tyler puts another patient under, Scott (Enzo Cilenti) the results are just as scary, we see through distorted camera footage what we will undoubtedly think of as demonic possession where Scott appears to be levitating off the bed. When Scott is paralyzed by the experience Sheriff August comes to Dr. Tyler's house to arrest her, it is the lone fact that Dr. Tyler had witnesses present that the sheriff doesn't arrest her. Leaving an officer outside of the Tyler house, the sheriff leaves, he is soon back when the officer reports something hovering over the house. We later find out that Ashley (Mia McKenna-Bruce) was abducted by the Aliens, this is what is considered The Fourth Kind.

The archive footage is scary at points and sometimes it is not much more than static, it is during these moments that the movie takes an almost unreal feeling, we see through the distortion that the person on the other side of the camera is almost something like a distorted human, mouth hanging agape beyond what we assume is normal, the sounds coming from the person are guttural and menacing.

I give The Fourth Kind a 3 and on my avoidance scale a 0, this is one of those small budget movies that will leave an impression on you long after you have walked out, and if you are a believer or not, you will be astounded by some of the footage and one in particular, the scene where they show the space craft hovering over Dr. Tyler's home seconds before her daughter is said to be abducted. The special effects are so intense that you feel drawn into the story, the archive footage becomes more of a character than some of the others, it becomes something that feels more real than the story itself. When we see Dr Tyler in the footage we immediately see that life has not been easy on her, and as the movie unfolds we see why it hasn't and we become attached to her and what it is that she appears to be going through. As a cynic I started to think about what plot twist Hollywood would throw at us and I am glad to say that they spare us this usual tactic.

The Fourth Kind is rated PG-13 for Violent/Disturbing Images, Some Terror, Thematic Elements and Brief Sexuality

Running time is 1 hr. 39 mins.

Come and Play A New Game With Jigsaw

2009-10-25T15:08:00.009-06:00

The makers of the Saw films continue to make Rube Goldberg roll over in his grave with this sixth film in the series. Saw VI finds Detective Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) the target of a FBI investigation, but that won’t stop him from continuing the murderous mayhem started by Jigsaw (Tobin Bell).

After SAW V, I was convinced there was nothing that could be done to make this sixth installment of Saw work. As the torture and violent murders still are a huge part of the latest, it once again focuses on a couple of main relationships. Yet this time, Tobin Bell is featured in a very satisfying way as his connection to many of the characters in the series is explained. Now, it is a bit of a challenge to talk about what worked without giving too much away. What can I tell you without revealing too many secrets and surprises? If you don’t want to hear any spoilers at all, I suggest you stop reading because as much as I don’t want to ruin it for anyone, there will be spoilage (although very minimal, I promise). The key reason why Saw has been a successful franchise stems from the web that it spins. While it started off fairly simple in the beginning, it has expanded this time to a large and frightening subject… health care. Much of John Kramer’s frustration comes from how his doctors and all the so-called experts handled him as his sickness spread. And this chapter explores the chances at life that are rejected and simply not taken, simply for the almighty dollar. If this sounds overly preachy, it kind of is, but at the same time it is very relevant and also a little more relatable than you’d expect. But, as the traps are set and the game is played, one man in particular is given the chance to roll the dice. Peter Outerbridge is William, a man who has made a career out of deciding what and how much health insurance he should provide. He is a key player in the vicious life lesson many receive. I won’t say anything more about the plot, well, for the most part I won’t. It is hard to imagine the sixth film in this series would pack quite the punch as this did. But much like the third, this second trilogy finale answers the questions that have been asked and even supplies a conclusion that mostly works. It is terrific to see a couple of familiar faces whether it be in flashback, or possibly somewhere else. It is also great to see the expanded role of the lovely and talented Betsy Russell. She is quite good as Kramer’s widow and yes, we finally get a glimpse inside that box of hers. While there were a couple of choices that weren’t explored nearly as well as they should’ve been, the film has the sense to really focus on what the hell is going on. I even warmed up to Costas Mandylor as Jigsaw’s apprentice, Detective Hoffman and why he became Kramer‘s bitch. While he didn’t quite work for me when his true nature was revealed earlier in the series, I think he had a bit more to work with this time around.

There was an interesting look that each one of these films have contained. Both James Wan and Darren Lynn Bousman gave the series the stylistic, visually orgasmic look as the camera speeds around a potential victim (or student), and that bit of trickery is used here, but only slightly. There is a very cold and colorless atmosphere as the detectives investigate the continuing murders, but the traps and such are hot and bright. It feels like a Saw film, yet somehow first time director Kevin Greutert is able to cut down a tad on the visual acrobatics, and focus on telling a story. As the editor of the previous five, he adds a clarity to it that hasn’t been seen for awhile. In many ways, the look and feel of six is like a crossbreed of one and three. And yes, it really does work. Any qualms about six? Sure. With any sequel, especially when you are up to six, you could stand to lose a few pointless characters. One of the lead players wasn’t utilized quite as well as they could have been, thus, they don’t generate all that much sympathy or interest. I also felt that another main character was sort of shortchanged with their big final moment. It is too quick and they just seem to get off too easily, purely with an interest of making the ending scream sequel. Sure we already know there will be a sequel, so I don’t think making it so blatantly obvious is necessary. And yes, a couple of performances aren’t always hitting the right mark, but for the most part, I really gave two cents about folks I didn’t care about before. In the end though, Saw VI works and it works much better than I would’ve ever expected. The franchise might even benefit from ending here, but we all know that won’t happen. We’ll just have to wait for a whole new set of games to leave riddles and clues with… or will we? Whatever happens, Saw VI will still be one of the best and most fascinating in the series. This one gets a gory 3 on my "Go See" scale.

Two Many Saw Films Doesn't Make This One The Charmer

2009-10-25T15:00:00.003-06:00

Once again Hollywood, with little or no originality left has brought out the retread machine and released another one in what appears to be a long line of stupid unnecessary movies. "Saw VI" is just another excuse for the filmmakers to try to outdo the last movie, here they fail miserable. Once again we get the story mainly told in a flip flop between present, past and flashback. This wasn't good in any of the first five so why do they think it will be better here?

Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) is finally dead, his wife, Jill (Betsy Russell) picked up a mysterious box and another test is running, all this before the opening credits are flashed across the screen. FBI Special Agent Peter Strahm (Scott Patterson) is dead, in what is a very uniquely cool way, and Detective Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) has emerged as the unchallenged successor to Jigsaw's legacy, or will he, Jigsaw has claimed that every one must be tested. When Det. Hoffman gets back to the police station he finds out that Agent Lindsey Perez (Athena Karkanis) is still alive, and back working the jigsaw case. When she and Dan Erickson (Mark Rolston) find a tape at the scene of a new jigsaw crime they tell Det. Hoffman that they are having it worked on to determine the real voice. Hoffman knowing it is his voice on the tape has to deal with these two individuals quickly, and he does.

All this time we are looking in on another person who is dealing with his test, William Easton (Peter Outerbridge) is an insurance agent dealing with a law suit, we also find out that he was Johns agent as well, one who turned down John's request for payment on a new cancer treatment. He is told via the old grainy television tape that he will have four tests to beat, the first is him against an older man who is the janitor (Gerry Mendicino) in the building where William's office is located. Each test that William beats he will get a key that will unlock one of the four explosive devices on his body. After besting the first test William is freed from the device he was trapped in, following the clues painted on the wall William comes across another person he knows all too well, William must help her cross a room full of hot steam pipes, the only way he can do this is to turn the steam off so she can walk across the open pipes, but when he does this the pipe next to the control valve opens and William is burnt by the steam. Getting to the end of the walkway William finds out the key to open the door has been surgically implanted in his body, he now must defend himself. This test ends in William's favor and he gets the second key.

The test for the third key includes all six of the employees that William has working to find flaws in peoples insurance claims, they are handcuffed to what looks like a spinning amusement ride. William is told he can save only two of them and while doing so he will lose something in the process, the group of six fight amongst themselves offering William everything under the sun to save them, the two he does save earns him the third key. During this test we meet Tara (Shauna MacDonald) and Brent (Devon Bostick) they re in a cell and in the cell is a vat that contains acid, in another cage we see Pamela Jenkins (Samantha Lemole) she is Williams sister. Tara and Brent are the family of the man who died when his claim was denied by William's company.

Unlocking all his shackles, and making it to the final room, William finds himself between the cell that holds Pamela and the cell that holds Tara and Brent, Tara and Brent decide William's fate, Tara can't kill him but Brent is so mad at William he has no problem pulling the lever. All of this is rolled out in between flashbacks of John (Jigsaw) talking to his wife, setting up tests and grabbing the new people. Jill opens the box with six envelopes in it but yet only gives Det. Hoffman five, this is not done cleverly it is shown several times, so when the final test is done we are not surprised it is Jill testing Det. Hoffman. Putting him into a contraption that he knows how to unlock and best was silly, if John knew Hoffman was going to be tested why not save a new device just for him.

These movies will continue to come out, every year until people wake up and see that it is the same retread over and over, we meet new people in the next story arc that as supposedly helping Jigsaw all along, while just in the previous movie they went out of their way to make it look like he was working alone. Scripts can be manipulated to do anything and the script writers of these saw movies have no moral fiber to speak of. Or money talks loud in Hollywood.

I give Saw 6 a 1 and on my avoidance scale I give it a 2 this is the type of movie where if you have seen any of the first five then you have seen this one, nothing new or creative here, just one trap to out do the previous one. If this is your type of movie, well I'm sure you are eagerly awaiting the seventh one, I'm sure it has already been green lighted. Again Hollywood lacks creativity and this is what we get year after year.

Saw VI is rated R for Sequences of Grisly Bloody Violence and Torture and Language

Running time is 1 hr. 31 mins.

Tinkerbell

2009-10-25T11:05:00.004-06:00

Tinker Bell's greatest adventure yet takes place in Autumn, as the fairies are on the mainland changing the colors of the leaves, tending to pumpkin patches, and helping geese fly south for the winter. The rare Blue Moon will rise, and when its light passes through the magical Fall Scepter that Tinker Bell has been summoned to create, Pixie Hollow's supply of pixie dust will be restored. But when Tinker Bell accidentally puts all of Pixie Hollow in jeopardy, she must venture out across the sea on a secret quest to set things right in Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure.

The second volume in the new Disney fairy series, Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure, is really superior--mostly because it addresses some of the complaints I had about the first installment. While "Tinker Bell" was aimed at and appealed mostly to little girls, the hackneyed direct-to-video (and "catty" plot) was jettisoned in favor of a narrative and style (i.e., more humor and adventure) that holds greater appeal for boys in the family, and yes, adults. I was impressed that this time, Disney created a "world." From the magical opening sequence that shows fairies helping animals prepare for winter and ripening corn, you know you're in for some stunning animation. Beads of water roll down the threads of a spider web, a cricket cuckoo clock brings back memories of Gepetto's workshop, and the fairy wings themselves look like marvelous. Like "The Flintsones," there are sequences where the delight comes from just seeing the animators' take on an everyday activity sized down to a Pixie world, whether it's a Pixie dust factory or a little boat that Tink makes to deliver the dust. You can't help but smile and marvel at each sequence. But let's face it, the whole idea of a movie based on fairies is going to appeal mostly to little girls. It's almost as if someone at Disney woke up and said, "Hey, why do they have the market cornered on fairies? We have the most famous fairy of them all . . . Tinker Bell!" Once again, Mae Whitman, who gave voice to Shanti in "The Jungle Book 2," handles the voiceover chores for the main character, while Lucy Liu is Silvermist, Raven-Symoné is Iridessa, Kristin Chenoweth is Rosetta, and Anjelica Huston is Queen Clarion. But the main secondary character this time is Tink's friend Terrence (Jesse McCartney), an earnest young man (I mean, pixie) who screws up because of clumsiness and causes a temporary rift in their friendship. And I can't help but think that someone at Disney may have slyly suggested that a boy character might broaden the family appeal. More humor and adventure makes it more palatable to boys, too. But my chief complaint about Tinker Bell in the first film was that she was almost unrecognizable. Sure, characters evolve, but "Tinker Bell" presented a golly-gee good girl whose flawless goody-two-shoes act seemed galaxies away from the character in Peter Pan who ordered Wendy shot down and pulled her rival's hair. This time, Tink has a temper, and that's good, because nothing's worse than a two-dimensional character in a three-dimensional CGI movie. At least now she's more believable, and that temper and impatience of hers ins nicely woven into the plot.

In the animation department, Disney does a fantastic job once more. Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure is a visual delight, and the cartoonists' and animators attention to detail gives the stunning picture quality something to showcase other than the clarity and style itself. The animation is superb. We're not talking TV-quality drawing or animation. This is feature-quality work. The plot may not be the most original, but at least it's not the kind of high-school jealousy nonsense we got in the first installment. This outing, the queen decides to entrust Tinker Bell with the job of constructing a scepter which will hold a rare moonstone. Then, like something out of Indiana Jones, that scepter has to be placed in just the right spot so the Blue Moon can hit the stone and somehow create pixie dust. Don't try to think about this too hard. It's a fairy world. It doesn't have to make sense. Anyway, tinkers are builders and repair specialists, which is good, because with a friend like Terrence around, things tend to get broken. It's when the moonstone itself crashes that the adventure part begins, for Tinker Bell decides to go off in search of a magic mirror that went down in a shipwreck, a mirror that contains one last wish. Now, see, you're thinking again, and I told you to suspend belief. That's why Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure is still going to appeal mostly to little girls. Boys will wish for more moments like the bat trying to chase down and eat Tink's firefly friend, Blaze. Maybe the next installment will address this deficiency. Certainly there's more humor this outing, and Tink has more personality because she's allowed flaws. Maybe people at Disney are reading the reviews and taking them to heart. Stranger things have happened. This gets a 3 on my "Go See" Scale.

Enjoy Toy Story In A New Dimension

2009-10-25T10:03:00.006-06:00

Disney and Pixar started a very beautiful (yet sometimes rocky) relationship way back with a little movie called Toy Story. It was a story about toys… specifically, a boy named Andy’s toys. You see, his favorite, a little cowboy doll named Woody (Voiced by Tom Hanks) is starting to get replaced by another, more expensive doll named Buzz Lightyear (Voiced by Tim Allen). But the trick is, these toys are alive when the humans aren’t watching. The Toy Story films were early indications that Pixar would become the monumental name that it is now. And for the first time ever, you can watch the first two Toy Story films in the glory of 3D with a fun intermission for all you trivia buffs. It’s a theatrical double feature that goes to infinite and beyond with in Toy Story 1&2 Double Feature in 3D.

When Toy Story was released in 1995, it was met not only with critical praise, but audiences loved it. Pixar’s animation was beautiful, bold and exciting. But it wasn’t simply a good looking animated movie, it was also a wonderful script with a story that not only pleased the young, but also the young at heart. In fact, the original film was so popular that in 1999, Toy Story 2 once again delighted critics and audiences. It was the birth of a new and exciting company that continues to make classic after classic. And after fourteen years, in preparation for a brand new sequel, Pixar has revived the first two films in a two week theatrical release. That alone would be worth checking out for an even younger generation, but the fact that they are being released as a double feature, in 3D is an exciting way to revisit Woody, Buzz Lightyear and all the other toys. When I sat back to watch these gorgeous films, it was easy to get excited as the new 3D element was really quite magical. Sure these films worked back in the day without the new technology, but when Buzz Lightyear goes “falling with style” around Andy’s room, it looked better than you can imagine. In fact, this new RealD version of the Toy Story films feels just as alive and relevant as it did upon its original release. In many ways, it felt more relevant. Many times, the 3D versions of animated features are sometimes better in just plain old 2D as it really doesn’t add to the experience, that is not the case here. The eye-popping effects burst off the screen and really seem to bring out a sense of fun in a story about a young boys toys coming to life. After all, theatre chains are still desperate to bring in audiences to enjoy the complete movie going experience, and this is certainly one way to do it. Especially since it is two movies for a single admission, and a fun intermission filled with trivia and all sorts of Toy Story goodness. When it comes to the films, I have to say that they really do hold up remarkably well. Toy Story was very unique. It was nice to see the kind of friendships that are explored in the films. From Woody (Tom Hanks) to Buzz (Tim Allen), all the way to the young boy Andy (John Morris) who is like every other kid who loves a toy one minute, and is ready to move on to another the next. I really enjoyed the original film. There was just he right amount of humor and even the slightest bit of drama. There was definitely a precursor to the later Pixar films as there are some serious subjects explored here. The most heartbreaking includes a bunch of toys that have been twisted beyond recognition by one mean little boy named Sid (Erik von Detten). The only thing that really changed from my first viewing of this film so long ago, to seeing it today, is that it seemed much darker in 1995. The misfit toys are both inspiring and sad, but not quite as dark as some of the recent Pixar fare.

As for Toy Story 2, I was more of a fan of this one than of the first one. I remember seeing it the first time and thinking it had more heart and humor than the first and who wouldn’t feel a little bit of heartbreak when Sarah McLachlan sang “When Somebody Loves You”? Yep, it brought a tear or two to my eyes. But I have to admit, seeing this baby in 3D made for a much more satisfying experience. Watching it again made me hope for even more talking toy fun when part three comes our way. But I think the basic idea of toys having this sort of longing to be loved and such is a really good one and Toy Story (and Toy Story 2) hold up very well in this classic double feature. Now for the bad news. If you are a parent, and you are hoping to relive the magic of both films with your kids, be careful, this is a long event. For some children, sitting in a theatre for merely an hour and a half might be a little painful, imagine three hours plus. Sure they have an intermission, but they may actually want to stay for that… I got at least half the trivia correct, a paled in comparison to the young tykes that surrounded me! But seriously, if you have a mini van full of children and are looking for some movie magic, you’d better hope that everybody really loves their Toy Story! Or else just check out the first one and wait for the special 3D version of Part 2 on DVD. This was well worth the wait and I'm now looking forward to Toy Story 3. This double feature gets a 4 on my "Go See" scale.

If Motherhood Was This Bad There Would Be No Kids

2009-10-20T09:00:00.001-06:00

When a movie has the honor of being chosen to open The International Film Festival, you would imagine that it would be such a great film that you would be talking about it long after you have walked out of the screening. Such is not the case with "Motherhood" this movie has nothing going for it except it's main star. It comes off disjointed and appears to be nothing more than a senseless rant. The idea of sitting for ninety plus minutes listening to one actor complain over and over again about life's simple chores doesn't make a compelling movie, and the script seems as if it was written by a first time writer, who was given a small time frame to come up with a movie script and this was his final draft.

Eliza Welsh (Uma Thurman) trudges through life one task at a time, on the day of her daughter Clara's (Daisy Tahan) sixth birthday, Eliza feels that she alone has to deal with everything. Her husband (Anthony Edwards) walks around lost most of the time. Eliza is running around trying to move her car when she has to but not so far that she loses her spot, they have two rent controlled apartments in Manhattan, and Eliza wants to write again but has no time. When she hears about a contest she decides she is going to blog her entry, it of course must be submitted by midnight that night.

Eliza's best friend Sheila (Minnie Driver) steals her away for a little shopping, like she has time, Eliza is of course so busy that she is running around all over town trying to get stuff together for Clara's party, she goes to the party store where she is accosted by several of the others in line, it seems that no matter where she goes, there is always something going on that will slow her down. A film company has started filming on her street so her car was towed away and she has to take a bicycle to the store to pick everything up. At the bakery she finds out that they have misspelled her daughters name.

When she gets home she finds a messenger waiting at her door, he helps her up with all the groceries and almost becomes more then just a messenger, this leads to one of the most horrible gut wrenching scenes that I'm sure was supposed to be emotional but comes across as plain campy and over emoted. The party and its aftermath, the clean up and the movies payoff, for what it is doesn't come along fast enough, this movie is almost a chore itself to sit through, it is hard to believe that Uma Thurman would attach herself to a project such as this. I guess it's true a paycheck is a paycheck. What this movie needed was a different direction to start with, there is simply nothing going for it, the plot is silly and plain dull, the script is horrible written and drags in several areas. Uma Thurman may be the the only saving grace this movie offers but can I recommend it solely for her? NO I can not, although you can see that she tries to make this drivel work it is just not gonna happen with the script she has to work with. Given an A list director, this movie would still have fallen flat, I can not give you reason to go out and see this movie, Given the fact that this was the opening night film in the International Film Festival one would expect nothing but unmitigated nonsense to follow. I am glad to say that other movies that followed this one in the Festival saved the day.

I give Motherhood a 1 and on my avoidance scale a 3 this movie is one of those slow summer night cable movies, where it should have been released from the start, there it may have gotten a wider viewing then it deserves on the screen. The idea of the blog that Eliza writes would have made for a better movie.

Motherhood is rated PG-13 for Language, Sexual References and a Brief Drug Comment

Running time is 1 hr. 30 mins.

One Kid's Imagination Takes Him To Where The Wild Things Are

2009-10-12T22:53:00.008-06:00

Innovative director Spike Jonze collaborates with celebrated author Maurice Sendak to bring one of the most beloved books of all time to the big screen in Where the Wild Things Are, a classic story about childhood and the places we go to figure out the world we live in. The film tells the story of Max, a rambunctious and sensitive boy who feels misunderstood at home and escapes to where the Wild Things are. Max lands on an island where he meets mysterious and strange creatures whose emotions are as wild and unpredictable as their actions. The Wild Things desperately long for a leader to guide them, just as Max longs for a kingdom to rule. When Max is crowned king, he promises to create a place where everyone will be happy. Max soon finds, though, that ruling his kingdom is not so easy and his relationships there prove to be more complicated than he originally thought.

What an impossible task Spike Jonze has set for himself, adapting one of the few works that can be confidently called “perfect.” Maurice Sendak’s illustrated children’s book Where the Wild Things Are is the tale of a little boy’s tantrum and his fed-up mother’s rejection, and of the dream that transports him over the sea in his wolf pajamas to a land of monsters that crown him king and help him act out all his rowdy, infantile impulses—until the rage goes out of his system, melancholy comes, and he longs to return home. The huge creatures are right on the border between stuffed-animal cuddlesome and mythically grotesque. Childlike fantasies in Sendak’s world are always double-edged: They can liberate you or eat you up—or both. Jonze’s film is a different animal from Sendak’s. It’s tamer and more domesticated, and its characters come with a backstory. As with many compact works, to expand is to decompress and diminish. Jonze, who wrote the script with Dave Eggers, fills in too much of the life of Max (played by Max Records—his real name, fancy that), now a lonely casualty of his parents’ divorce who freaks out when his mom (Catherine Keener) gets frisky with a date (Mark Ruffalo). One alteration is unpardonable: Max dashes out of the house and into the woods instead of getting sent to bed without supper, so there are no bedroom walls melting away and no waves rolling in—one of the book’s most archetypal images. No warm supper awaits Max’s return. What can you say? Bad adapters, bad. But once the boy is in his boat being tossed on the waves, things go swimmingly. That’s when Jonze’s Where the Wild Things Are begins to cast a spell all its own. Jonze and Eggers’s most agreeable innovation is turning Sendak’s rather anonymous beasts into complex, conflicted personalities. They sit around quarreling, smashing things, making holes in trees, staring into space, and wishing for a leader. And then comes little Max, who proclaims himself a king to keep them from devouring him. Max Records has a mop of dark hair and a sweet face, but his Max is petulant and edgy. It’s a wonderful performance; you’d never know he was acting opposite nine-foot puppets.

If you’ve seen the trailers, you know that the setting is real and the creatures are decidedly not. The mix of an unruly landscape, a live boy, and kiddie-show fakery shouldn’t jell—or should jell only on the level of a Muppet movie. But it works like a dream. Instead of being bombarded by computer illusions, we’re allowed to suspend our disbelief, to bring our own imaginations into play. For all the artfulness, the feel of the film is rough-hewn, almost primitive. It’s a fabulous tree house of a movie. There is CGI, but it’s largely used for the creatures’ expressions. Outside of Gollum, I’ve never seen facial movements so evocative. Jonze rehearsed the voice actors together instead of taping them separately, and they’re like a crack repertory company. Catherine O’Hara is Judith, who sounds like a whiskey-soaked biker momma; Paul Dano is Alexander, the woebegone little guy with ram horns who’s always ignored. James Gandolfini has tender, plaintive cadences (all New Jersey gangster inflection expunged) as Carol, the tempestuous lummox whose stringy-haired hippie-chick girlfriend K.W. (Lauren Ambrose) has left him. Carol needs a king, a firm dad, someone to direct his wayward energies. He’s the one who asks Max if he can “keep all the sadness away,” and Max says he has “a sadness shield”—a mistake in a world of such up ups and down downs. I’m of two minds about how Jonze and Eggers go soft in the end. These wild things don’t turn carnivorous when Max wants to leave. They act more like the Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion, etc. But this isn’t Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are, and the creatures aren’t projections of Max’s id. They’re a family, which is what this fatherless boy needs. They don’t eat their own. Such a great adventurous story deserves the 4 on my "Go See" scale that it gets.

Max Rules A Tamer Kingdom, The Wild Things Are Gone

2009-10-12T22:04:00.004-06:00

The idea to make what was such a controversial children's book into a full length motion picture took a lot of nerve and desire. Maurice Sendak's classic book comes to the big screen with the visionary aide of director Spike Jonze, "Where the Wild Things Are" follows the adventures of a young boy who sets out one night and finds himself alone on an island filled with wild creatures. The images on screen are a mixture of real actors, computer animation, and live puppetering, yes the creatures are men in six, eight and nine foot tall costumes.

Max (Max Records) is a lonely child, he has a loving family, his mom (Catherine Keener) spends as much time with him as she can, but she has to support the family and find time for herself as well. Max's sister Claire (Pepita Emmerichs) spend little to no time with Max, in her only scene she is going out with some friends. After she leaves Max goes into her room tracking ice and snow, he jumps on her bed and breaks Claire's things. He then goes into his room to lay in bed, later when mom comes home, she and Max clean up the bedroom. Later mom has a man over (Mark Ruffalo) and max acts up, when Mom tries to control him, Max bites her and runs off into the night.

Max finds a small sea craft and sets out, that this little lagoon turns into what is obviously an ocean, that leads Max to a small island is one of the movies little flaws, it is inconceivable that this ocean would end up as a small little lagoon in what is the center of a city. Anyway Max lands his craft on the beach, after a harrowing journey that lasted several days and nights, alone on the ocean with no food, water or compass, but yet Max finds land, and on his return trip he not only finds his way home, but he finds the exact spot from which he left in the first place. I'd buy that for a dollar.

Max's adventure starts when he comes across several creatures, Max at first has the idea to hide until he can determine what it is he is seeing. Max has come across some wild creatures one is destroying the houses of the others, max finds him intriguing and decides to go out and help him. Carol (James Gandolfini) appears to be the leader of the group and Max wants to make an impression on at least him. Max doesn't know that Carol is upset because the love of his life is gone. K.W. (Lauren Ambrose) has had enough of Carols meanness and has decided to go live somewhere else. When Max is confronted by the other creatures he yells out to stop, that they can't eat him because he is a king. Ira (Forest Whitaker) and his girlfriend Judith (Catherine O'Hara) seem to buy into Max's story, while others like Alexander (Paul Dano) seem to be waiting for the others approval first. Still others like Douglas (Chris Cooper) stand back and just act as if they believe. It appears that every story has a wild old owl here we get two, they are friends of K.W. Friends whom Carol is jealous of, and wants nothing to do with.

This is a story of a selfish child who needed to come to grips with his emotions, if you pay attention to each one of these characters you will see almost every emotion of a small child, the scared shy child, Alexander often mentions that no one is paying attention to him, that no one ever listens, truth be told that is every child's fear, that no one is paying attention to them. The needy child, Ira just about begs to be a bad guy when they decide to play a game of mud clump, he wants to be with Judith so bad, that he holds his hand up and repeats over and over to let him be a bad guy. The loner is The Bull (Michael Berry Jr.) he seems to always be alone, until the end when his need for confirmation makes him seek out Max.

Of course all good things come to an end, Carol finds out that Max isn't a king and feels betrayed, another emotion that every child feels at some point in his life, that what he is told just isn't fact can be an especially crippling emotion. Max decides that it is time for him to leave, Judith mentions that he is the only King that they haven't eaten, O.K. so they were wild, but waiting to see anything happen took forever. The kingdom that Max would have ruled was vast and wide, forest desert and fertile fields abound. Max never had time to enjoy the place, he wanted to make the creatures happy an in that need as a child he failed. As a movie this adaptation comes close to perfection, but it too fails, the story is more uplifting then adventurous, more sappy than scary, more tender then heartbreaking. The book stands as a perfect story still, and should be read before you go out to see this film.

I give Where The Wild Things Are a 2 and on my avoidance scale a 0, this movie will entertain every young child and many teenagers as well, lovers of the book may feel a little disappointment but not enough to really say the movie didn't deliver on it's promises. Max Records does a superb job as an angry child who wanders away and finds that he really does need and love his family that things may not be perfect but he does have people that care about him and that family is important. A lesson that many of us as adult may still need to learn.

Where The Wild Things Are is rated PG for Mild Thematic Elements, Some Action Adventure and Brief Language

Running time is 1 hr. 34 mins.

These Pirates Really Know How To Rock

2009-10-11T13:08:00.005-06:00

Pirate Radio (titled "The Boat That Rocked" overseas) is the high-spirited story of how 8 DJs love affair with Rock n Roll changed the world forever. In the 1960s this group of rouge DJs, on a boat in the middle of the Northern Atlantic, played rock records and broke the law all for the love of music. The songs they played united and defined an entire generation and drove the British government crazy. By playing Rock n Roll they were standing up against the British government who did everything in their power to shut them down.

Life on board the good ship Radio Rock (loosely based on Radio Caroline) is seen through the eyes of sheltered teenager Carl, played by winsome up-and-comer Tom Sturridge. Nighy is cast as aging hipster Quentin, Carl's godfather, who's asked to watch over him in the summer of '66 while trying to keep the station afloat. That's after resident shock jock The Count (Philip Seymour Hoffman) turns the airwaves blue. On top of the raunchy rock 'n' roll music - essentially banned on mainstream radio - that's enough to rile grey-suited government minister Dormandy (Kenneth Branagh), who organizes a committee to shut them down. Curtis treats the story like a live-action cartoon, splashing the screen with lots of colorful mayhem - Branagh's mustachioed villain being the most caricatured element. There's skulduggery aplenty and yet this sabotage plot serves more as background to the madness of everyday life on the boat. It's basically a waterborne fraternity house with girls frequently shipped in. Carl is keen to get his cherry popped and seeks advice from slobby DJ Dave (a cheeky Nick Frost) while Chris O'Dowd does his puppy dog thing as sensitive Simon and gets trampled by groupies. A pimped-out Rhys Ifans further troubles the waters as a new recruit, an A-lister to rival The Count.

It's a comically gifted cast also featuring Emma Thompson as Carl's 'swinging' mum. Curtis takes a 'loose' approach behind the camera as well, allowing the actors to improvise in addition to delivering carefully scripted punch-lines. The result is dialogue that fizzes and crackles like your favorite vinyl record and is able to stand up to repeated plays. Of course the soundtrack is outstanding, chockfull of classics from The Kinks to Cream (and a bit of Cat Stevens…). And between the hard rocking, there are warm and fuzzy moments too. A subplot has Carl wondering if Quentin is his real dad, but thankfully Curtis avoids too much slushiness in resolving that issue, instead emphasizing the familial dysfunction between these rebel broadcasters. This is, nonetheless, a Richard Curtis film so in the end there's no escaping a free expression of love. But hey, it's the '60s and that's counterbalanced by some close-to-the-knuckle humor. A few of the set-ups feel lifted from a sitcom; for instance skinny Carl acting as a body double for Big Dave (in a bid to lose his virginity). But Curtis sets the tone early on so instead of jarring, these moments are laugh-out-loud funny. He also makes the most of the widescreen canvas, filming on a real boat and staging a finale so ambitious it'd make James Cameron's eyes water. The runtime is also 'Cameronesque' and could have been cut to make Pirate Radio flow better. A Richard Curtis movie that isn't a romantic comedy is a welcome change. The sharp script and deft touch of the former Blackadder writer deserves more. Here he turns to his true passion, music. His love for the sounds of the 60s shines through in this fond homage to the illegal floating pirate radio stations, such as Radio Caroline, which soundtracked the era in reaction to the ludicrous restrictions of mainstream broadcasting. Sensational stuff from one of the best writers of his generation and a film which will appeal to every age. That said, Curtis's reluctance to jettison scenes is understandable; it's a delight to be in the company of this crew, so much so that you'll be tempted to book a roundtrip. This gets a definite 4 on my "Go See" scale.

These Pirates Rock The High Seas With Radio Waves

2009-10-11T12:06:00.007-06:00

England has long given American movie goers something to talk about, several English stars have made the jump to Hollywood and have been successful. The comedies from England have played well here in the States, the main reason being we as Americans want to laugh at other peoples exploits. In "Pirate Radio" we get enough to laugh at and we even get to like several of the limey stars.

Carl (Tom Sturridge) arrives on the pirate radio ship, Radio Rock, after being sent to stay with the ship's Captain, his godfather, Quentin (Bill Nighy), to hopefully set his life on a different track after being expelled from school. Here he meets Radio Rock's crew of ramshackle disc jockeys, led by The Count (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a buoyant rock-loving American, along with the suave and bawdy Dave (Nick Frost) and the naive but good hearted Simon (Chris O'Dowd). Also filling the airwaves is self proclaimed New Zealand "nut," Angus (Rhys Darby), the mysterious Midnight Mark (Tom Wisdom) and the even more mysterious and downright disillusioned Smooth Bob (Ralph Brown). Serving as the ship's crew are the shy lesbian cook Felicity (Katherine Parkinson) and radio assistants, Harold (Ike Hamilton) and the appropriately nick-named Thick Kevin (Tom Brooke).

Dave takes Carl under his wing so to speak and tries to get him his first encounter with a woman. it of course goes wrong, for his birthday his godfather Quentin introduces him to his niece, Marianne (Talulah Riley), this as well turns out to end bad for Carl. Love strikes another crew member, Simon who meets and ends up getting married to the too good to be true American Elenore (January Jones) only to find her affections are really placed with the returning king of the airwaves, Gavin (Rhys Ifans). The Count objects to Gavin's antics with Elenore, leading to a clash of egos that ends in a truce after both suffer physical injuries jumping from the top of the ship's radio mast.

Radio Rock's controversial on-air antics have ruffled the feathers of a government minister, Dormandy, (Kenneth Branagh), who instructs his subordinate Twatt (Jack Davenport) to find a way to take down pirate radio, they find loop holes and they enact laws to stop this rock invasion. Dormandy proposes the creation of the Maritime Offences Act, which passes through Parliament without any shown opposition. This act makes it illegal to be broadcasting from anywhere on the high seas. The crew of Radio Rock choose to defy the act, for various different personal reasons, and continue to broadcast.

The jokes are mostly sexual in nature, what else would there be on a ship inhabited by mainly young men? Branagh comes off as tight and restrained. When the boat tries to escape from the police raids and the inevitable happens Twatt tries to get permission to save the crew members, he is told that better people have perished but the radio's listeners take note and decide to save the people that they have come to love. Making a small cameo is Emma Thompson as Charlotte, Carl's mother. The movie hits all the right notes, literally. The soundtrack is of several hits from the early and mid sixties. The music alone is worth going to see this movie. The cast includes some of Britain's heavy weight stars and they come across as some one that is likable and friendly enough.

I give Pirate Radio a 3 and on my avoidance scale a 0 This high seas adventure is fun for the entire family, there is some language that may not be suitable for the youngsters but they may not get all the innuendos that come fast and hard throughout the movie. The adults will love this movie and any fans of early rock will absolutely love this movie. I can not recommend this movie any more highly.

Pirate Radio is rated R for Language, some Sexual Content Including Brief Nudity

Running time is 2 hrs. 14 mins.

There's A Lot Of Paranormal Activity Going On Here

2009-10-08T09:57:00.004-06:00

A haunted house makes no secret of the fact it is not pleased with its new tenants in this independent tale of supernatural horror. Katie (Katie Featherson) and Micah (Micah Sloat) are a twentysomething couple who've just moved into a new home in San Diego, California. Katie has an interest in the paranormal and believes that malevolent spirits have been following her since childhood, though Micah is not so easily convinced. However, after several nights of loud noises and strange happenings, Micah starts to agree with Katie that some sort of ghost may have followed them to the new home in Paranormal Activity.

The Blair Witch comparison has become remarkably over-used in the years since the film's release, becoming increasingly synonymous with genre stories presented as real life events and captured using low-tech, hand-held equipment. Most recently, it's been used to describe films such as Cloverfield or Quarantine, which told of an attack on New York by a giant monster and a building populated by the carnivorous undead, respectively. But the comparison is never truly appropriate. It focuses too much on execution and not enough on the spirit in which Blair Witch was created – small, low-budget, no polish or visual effects, a cast of everyday people, and a not a whiff of film studio influence within a hundred miles. And for as thrilling as a first-person account of a rampaging Godzilla or a horde of hungry zombies might seem, they still, at the end of the day, feel very much like movies. Paranormal Activity, however, actually deserves the comparison. Made seemingly for the cost of the camera on which it was filmed – plus, perhaps, some fishing line and baby powder – the film presents an intensely escalating ghost story from a single point-of-view. In truth, it's shoe-string scary, delivering a terrifying, unsettling 90 minutes without a single bit of CG or foam latex in sight, and all confined to a single house. The story itself is incredibly simple: Katie and Micah, yet to be married, own a home together. Katie has, throughout her entire life, experienced strange, innocuous occurrences which some would refer to as a haunting were it not for the fact that the events have apparently followed her from house to house. Whatever activity she's experiencing is potentially attached to her, not a specific place. Micah, more amused than concerned, decides to film the house while they sleep to see if they can capture anything on video, an act which appears to antagonize the entity into a new level of performance. The activity happens mostly at night, while the couple is asleep, and what begins as simply a door quietly moving in the shadows quickly becomes something much, much worse. The couple's interactions during the day – all filmed my Micah – document their increasing discomfort, but when the scene fades and the next image is revealed to be the bedroom, darkened at 2AM, one can hear the audience shift in their seats, anticipating some ghostly assault, more and more uncomfortable as the activity becomes increasingly aggressive.

To spoil what actually happens in those moments would no doubt diminish the incredible level of suspense and terror that the film so brilliantly creates. But rest assured, Paranormal Activity works because of its naturalistic simplicity. It feels real. It feels plausible. And even at its most intense – which, in any other movie, would be yet another bit of over-produced, supernatural spectacle – the film uses relatively simple methods to illicit a huge reaction from its audience. This is the kind of film that makes you pull the covers closer, ensuring that your body isn't exposed to whatever might drift beside you during the night; the kind of film that leaves you wondering what you might feel if you woke up in the moonlight to see a shadow standing in the doorway. Paranormal Activity is a small yet hugely effective horror film that any fan of the genre must absolutely see. It's opening in a very limited release, though Paramount has created a program where fans can jump on the company's website and "demand" that the film play in their town. Presumably, the company will consider opening the film wider as more demand is generated, but if you can get to a theatre, then go. If you can't, then demand the film and hope that it plays in your area soon. This is small, smart, inventive filmmaking that illustrates the best of what the horror genre can offer. This one is a definite must-see for any true horror fan. This gets a 5 on my "Go See" scale.

When There IS This Kind Of Paranormal Activity Get OUT

2009-10-08T09:23:00.002-06:00

Scary movies are a staple of Hollywood come this time of year, seldom do we get one that leaves the viewer on the edge of his seat. When a movie like "Paranormal Activity" comes along I for one wonder just what the heck I'm in store for. Then when the news that writer Oren Peli also directed the film, and that the budget was about ELEVEN THOUSAND dollars, I am already scared. Then the fact that the films two major stars are newcomers to motion pictures and also that the movie was filmed in the home owned by Oren Peli, well I had no hope for this movie. I am glad to say that after watching this film, one where I was glued to my seat, what little I was actually sitting on, yes this is an edge of your seat horror flick. The beginning starts out slow and that is of course the development stage of the film, but it picks up its pace rather quickly. I can't reiterate how much I really appreciate a film like this. Hollywood take stock, a true horror movie made for less than you pay to advertise a piece of crap like Jennifer's Body.

A young, middle class couple, Micah (Micah Sloat) and Katie (Katie Featherston) become increasingly disturbed by a presence that may or may not be somehow demonic, Katie has been plagued by this ever since she was a child. She has bad memories of this thing following her from home to home. Now that she and Micah have moved in together things start to happen. Noises in the middle of the night, thumps, scratching and even whispers bring the couple to the the same conclusion. They want to try to see if there is actually something going on in their home. Micah buys a camera and they set it up in their bedroom, the noises seem to be the worst during the night.

Several nights go by and nothing happens, when Micah tries to make the experiment into a joke, Katie gets upset, things actually start to happen one night, I won't reveal any of the events, but I for one was glad that the director didn't throw ghosts and demons at us at every turn, the thrills build into a quiet crescendo, and the scares will come but they are not rushed and that slow pace helps build the terror. Each night as we watch the couple sleep, we wait, we hold our breath, we scream at the littlest creak and when things do happen we jump right off our seats. The movie has a level of suspense so intense that the smallest sound makes your heart jump. We are forced to constantly think about what we just witnessed, watching an almost empty room in dead silence for 30 seconds turns out to be one of the most horrifying scenes in the entire film.

Katie gets increasingly jittery and frightened. Neither is sleeping well, and they start snapping at each other, she tells Micah she wants to hire a Psychic (Michael Bayouth) he at first thinks he is a fraud, maybe he is but we buy his act when he returns at a later date and tells the couple that he must leave the house, that the energy he feels is malevolent in nature. When the demon starts to manifest itself the couple find things getting out of hand, The ending is true Hollywood horror, their is a rumor that Steven Spielberg helped this movie find life, that he saw it and along with Oren Peli created a brand new ending. I for one am glad, cause the ending is what most everyone will be talking about.

I Give Paranormal Activity a 4 and on my avoidance scale a hearty 0 go see this movie, watch as night after night the scares build and the terror mounts. Now that Hollywood has a true horror gem, there is talk already of a remake, one with bigger special effects, a bigger budget and better known stars. STOP. This movie, AS IS is one of the best movies to open this year, it was slated to be screened later this month at the International Film Festival, but pulled when a midnight screening brought out literally hundreds of horror fans to watch this movie. It was given a release date but shown only at a few midnight screenings last weekend, the movie did rather well. Today news comes that the movie will get a small release window, I can't recommend enough that every fan of horror go out and support this soon to be cult favorite.

Paranormal Activity is rated R for Language

Running time is 1 hr. 39 mins.

Tony Jaa Rules! Ong Bak Is Back

2009-10-06T09:25:00.002-06:00

Martial Arts movies have captivated American audiences for many years, we have watched Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Brandon Lee, Jackie Chan and many many more. Americans love the brutality of these movies they capture us heart and soul. Audiences don't care about plot or substance in these movies as long as there is plenty of action, blood and gore we are happy. Now comes the next great Martial Arts champion Tony Jaa, he not only does his own stunts but he also is one of the movies two directors. "Ong Bak 2: The Beginning" captivates the audience right from the start. The opening sequence is dramatic and heartfelt, and by the time we learn what happened we are completely hooked.

Tien (Tony Jaa) is a man who was born into nobility but had it stripped from him after his parents were brutally murdered. His parent knowing that their lives were in danger hid Tien within a monastery where he learned Khon, a form of dance. What he didn't realize was this was his first taste of the arts of defending himself. After seeing his parents murdered at the tender age of 10, Tien is forced to live on the streets where he is eventually captured by a group of thieves who take him in and teach him how to steal and fight.

Tien's expertise as a thief and fighter grows and it isn't long before he is made head thief. Tien was happy fighting alongside the men he grew up with, he takes it personally when he comes across the man who tried to kill him as a child, he is a slave peddler and Tien fights him and his men by himself. Throwing the peddler into the crocodile pits Tien is through fighting. He learns that the man who was responsible for killing his parents is nearby and Tien must go and revenge them. The fight sequences here are amazing and Tien barely escapes, getting back to the village where the rest of the thief clan is Tien finds it abandoned. Tien is attacked by several members of the kings army, he fights valiantly until he is just outnumbered.

The Martial Arts sequences in the movies several fights are truly amazing, Tony Jaa uses his complete body to wreck havoc no part of his body is left unused. Jaa performs his own stunts in the movie and a couple of them will have you staring open mouthed, Jaa tries to tame a herd of elephants and he has to get to the bull he runs atop the elephants, he uses no wires or stunt men for this trick, later during one of the major fight scenes Jaa again is atop of an elephant, his opponent during the filming uses guide wires where again Jaa doesn't.

The movie is filmed in Thailand and is a huge hit over there, it is being shown here with subtitles so expect that if you chose to go see this movie, and you should for the amazing fight scenes alone. Tony Jaa also wrote this story and credit him for trying to put together a movie of this sort that has an actual plot line, the one problem that many viewers will have is the confusing ending, it tells nothing, except maybe the inevitable sequel is coming. This is only a minor thing and doesn't detract from what really is a terrific film all round. The production in this movie is epic. There are costumes, settings, and sequences that are a feast for the eyes. That is if the Martial Artistry is enough to be in awe of.

I give Ong Bak 2: The Beginning a 3 and on my avoidance scale a 0, this movie wont get the attention it deserves and will mainly play at the smaller art house theatres, I can only say that it is worth the effort to find this wonderful movie, you may learn something about the splendor of Thai culture, but even if you don't you will still get your moneys worth.

Ong Bak 2: The Beginning is rated R for Sequences of Violence

Running time is 1 hr. 37 mins.

When Law Abiding Citizen's Strike Back

2009-10-02T11:05:00.004-06:00

Action thrillers have drawn audiences in for many years, the idea of the common man fighting back against an evil has been a fan favorite for a very long time. In the new revenge thriller "Law Abiding Citizen" that is what one man does, when evil comes knocking at his door. Too bad for the bad guys this man is able to fight back, but he does it on his terms and his time frame. He is able to take what he knows and use it to enact his revenge.

The plot focuses on Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) who, ten years after his wife and daughter are brutally murdered, returns to extract justice, not only against the two men who were responsible for the crime, but also against Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx) the assistant district attorney who prosecuted the case against their killers. Nick fearing a loss of his near perfect conviction rating offers a plea to Clarence Darby (Christian Stolte) if he testifies against Rupert Ames (Josh Stewart). The two men had broken into the home of the Shelton's, looking to rob them, but things quickly turn from bad to worse. After Darby testifies against Ames his case is plea bargained down to nothing and Clyde is forced to watch as one of his families killers walks out of the court room.

Ten years later Ames is to be executed and things take a turn for the worse, his execution, instead of being painless is made to be as painful; as possible, at first the police think Darby is responsible but quickly and with very few clues they zero in on Clyde. When Darby is also found dispatched all clues point to Clyde, the police capture him and while he is standing trial he is sent to a prison?? Ok I will buy that for the sake of the story. As Nick is drawn closer and closer into Clyde's game people who helped Darby and Ames start to disappear. First the two men's attorney, Bill Reynolds (Richard Portnow) is taken, Clyde tells Nick he will make a deal, a steak dinner for information on Bill Reynold's whereabouts.

As more and more bodies start to pile up the Mayor of Philadelphia (Viola Davis) tells Nick and the District Attorney Jonas Cantrell (Bruce McGill) not to travel alone anywhere. When Nick brings the entire District Attorneys office to the prison he is just walking them into the lion's den. As another deadline passes Nick watches as several members of his team including his protege, Sarah Lowell (Leslie Bibb) are killed, soon after the District Attorney himself falls victim. Clyde is able to do these deeds from the comfort of his solitary cell, one that looks as if the prison went back in time. Nick is forced to use his skill to outwit a sociopath, one who it seems can kill without actually being there.

By the time that Nick and Detective Dunnigan (Colm Meaney) find out how Clyde is actually killing people the movie loses alot of what it had going for it, the suspense up until the big revelation seemed intense and gripping, but after the revelation it almost becomes another excuse for shoot outs and explosions, almost. Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx save this movie with an intense portrait if just how easy it is to push a man past his limits. Charles Bronson has turned this story arc into a mega hit, he has made moviegoers cheer for the little guy, and that is really all we want deep down inside. The chance to right a wrong, the chance to take an evil and turn it back on perpetrator, the right to say ENOUGH. Fans of these types of movies really get into these types of movies solely for the release they offer. Gerard Butler with his t-shirt off isn't a bad thing either.

I give Law Abiding Citizen a 3 and on my avoidance scale a 0. This is a well acted movie Jamie Fox does a great job playing his character, a heroic yet corrupt lawyer. An angry Jamie Foxx, back to the roles that showcased his talent? I say it's about time. This is the type of movie that alot of us have been waiting for, this movie will excite just about everyone, it is easy to follow and the plot is simple, bad guys hurt his family, Clyde strikes back. We are never sure whether Clyde is the hero or villain, and this adds to the excitement.

Law Abiding Citizen is rated R for Strong Bloody Violence and Torture, a Scene Of Rape and Pervasive language

Running time is 1 hr. 49 mins.

When The Shrink Has More Problems Than You Do Where Does He Go

2009-10-02T09:15:00.005-06:00

What happens when the people we count on to hold us together...are barely holding it together themselves? Jonas Pate's Shrink is a striking, fast-paced expose of the "other" Hollywood, featuring folks living outside their comfort zone and the people who put them there. A tart, funny, and uplifting drama about the courage it takes to achieve happiness.

I'm starting to wonder about pothead shrinks. Are they a problem in real life? I don't know because I've never actually observed one in nature. Only at the movies have I met the Stoner Therapist — in 2008's The Wackness (which featured Ben Kingsley, long of hair and large of bong) and now Shrink. Bette Midler had a few tokes as Mel Gibson's marriage counselor in What Women Want, but the strung-out, midlife seediness of these latest incarnations marks a new cinematic low for mental-health professionals. These folks aren't just high. They're pathetic. As this new one puffs along, red-rimmed and rambling, we grasp the irrelevancy of his job and the inefficacy of his drug use. Kevin Spacey, always an excellent choice for cynical outsiders, brings a wary defeatism to his role as Henry Carter — a grief-stricken therapist-to-the-stars — that recalls Jack Lemmon's toughest work. Only later did I remember Lemmon's significance to Spacey as mentor and muse; there's a cellular kinship between them, a gift for sharp-edged American despair, that I frankly hadn't noticed before. It's the best thing going in Shrink, an ensemble piece that follows Carter through day-to-day encounters with various lost souls. Many are patients: a Hollywood glamour couple (Saffron Burrows and Joel Gretsch), an alcoholic lech (Robin Williams) and, my favorite, a way-past-neurotic agent who pops his cork with hysterical brio (Dallas Roberts). Also in the mix are a pert assistant (Pell James), a bad-boy A-lister (Jack Huston), a dealer named Jesus (Jesse Plemons) and an aspiring screenwriter (Mark Webber) in need of shampoo.

Henry, the best-selling author of such self-helpful titles as Happiness Now and Stop Feeling Mad, doles out advice with the slackened delivery of a man who's long past caring. His loved ones stage a useless intervention. But then his therapist-dad (Robert Loggia) hooks him up with a pro bono client, a troubled girl (Keke Palmer) with a knack for cutting through bull. If you've seen enough movies (say, Half Nelson), you'll probably guess that the African-American teenager and the drug-addicted white guy will find some common ground. In the scenes that follow, Kierkegaard gets quoted (“The sufferer must help himself”) and comedy mashes it up with drama, the tone zig-zagging from nippy Hollywood satire to drifting reflections on loss. As Webber's character observes, “Life isn't really one or the other.” Too true, too true. The plot relies heavily on pat betrayal, forced coincidences — and the sort of closure that lands, with a thud, in a tidy package of clichés. Yet some of the humor is delicious. And there are a few fine moments of truth and pathos, most of them addressing a subset of grief often ignored on film. Where the drama succeeds, it succeeds as a portrait of suffering: Had director Jonas Pate and screenwriter Thomas Moffett limited themselves to the bags under Henry's eyes and the emotional hollow behind them, they might have produced a minor classic. As it is, American Beauty remains the singular masterwork of Spacey-in-crisis — and Spacey-on-pot, but he does a good job here also and that's why it works. This gets a 3 on my "Go See" scale.

Barrymore Proves She Has What It Takes To Be Behind The Camera As Well

2009-09-30T10:20:00.006-06:00

Drew Barrymore makes her directorial debut with this feisty, female-friendly action-comedy. Juno's Ellen Page stars as Bliss Cavendar, a young woman who longs to break free of her small-town bonds by joining the rough-and-tumble sport of roller derby in nearby Austin, Texas in Whip It.

Imagine my surprise at the fact that Whip It ended up being a total blast. For her first film as a director, Barrymore's done a bang-up job. Whip It is a fun, quirky, and cool coming of age flick, that also sheds some light on the growing women's roller derby cult- which is fairly big here in Montreal, and has been catching on big time in recent years. It also gives star Ellen Page a worthy follow-up to Juno, which, despite the growing backlash, I still think is a great film. When I heard Barrymore was casting Page as her heroine, I assumed she's pretty much be playing Juno on roller skates, but I was wrong. While Bliss does have a few things in common with Juno (primarily love of indie rock), they're not all that similar. For one thing, Bliss is a lot tougher, and less smart-alecky than Juno, and, most importantly, does not use the pop-culture infused patois Diablo Cody invented for her. She also is a lot less socially awkward- as Juno was a misfit, but Bliss actually could fit into the popular cliques at her high school- she just doesn't want to. I really liked the character, and I thought Page was great, as was Alia Shawkat, from Arrested Development, who plays her best pal. I also really enjoyed SNL's Kristen Wiig as the experienced skater that befriends young Bliss. Wiig's one of my favorite comedienne's working today, and here she gets to try something a little more serious (but still funny), and excels. I hope she starts landing lead roles soon, as I really feel like she could be a breakout star if she gets the chance. As for Barrymore, she plays a smaller part, mostly serving as comic relief focusing her attentions behind the camera. As for the rest of the cast, everyone does a great job, including Juliette Lewis, who gets her first truly substantial role in years, as Page's roller skating rival. Another familiar face retuning after a long absence is Daniel Stern, who gets a gem of a role as Page's brow-beaten, sympathetic father.

My only real issue with Whip It, is that the romantic subplot between Page, and her indie-rock boyfriend, played by Landon Pigg, is a little weak, with their underwater love-scene being the only part of the film that really struck me as phony baloney, maudlin crap. That aside I still genuinely liked Whip It. While it's utterly predictable, I still had a lot of fun with it, and I think others will too when it comes out in a few weeks. As for Barrymore, she shows surprising talent as a director, and I look forward to seeing what she does next. Like some of her acting, Drew Barrymore’s directing debut Whip It is a mite too adorably ingratiating, especially for a story of a 17-year-old (Page) groomed for pageant life who gravitates to snarling girl punks and roller derby. But Barrymore hovers over her actresses like the nicest, most nurturing den mother imaginable, and on its own, Go For It formula terms the movie delivers. Page is softer than in Hard Candy and Juno. Without Diablo Cody comebacks, she’s even more marvelous. Under Barrymore's direction Page really shines. This was a nice look into the lives of the women of roller derby. Funny and heartfelt, this movie works on all levels. A 4 on my "Go See" scale.

Here's To Hoping Roller Derby Whips Itself Into Oblivion

2009-09-30T10:00:00.003-06:00

Sports movies have taken on many diverse subjects, both the life of and the death of an athlete has been portrayed on the silver screen, many of the best sports stars have had their life story told on the screen. Hollywood considers this a lucrative thing and has given us serious stories and even some on the not so serious side. One of the newest not so serious movies is "Whip It", directed by first timer Drew Barrymore, and tells the story of a poor little rich girl turned rebel when she notices a new and exciting sport for the first time. Women's roller derby. No I swear, women's roller derby. Women have been entertaining the masses on skates for longer than men but for this movie the idea comes as a new and very exciting prospect.

Bliss Cavendar (Ellen Page) is the apple of her mothers eye, Brooke (Marcia Gay Harden) thinks her daughter should be winning more beauty pageants, but Bliss thinks she just doesn't fit in. Shania (Eulala Scheel) Bliss's younger sister seems to win almost every one that she enters, while dad, Earl (Daniel Stern) just sits at home being the support the family needs. he is an easy going man who lets mom decide just about everything. One day when mom takes the two girls shopping, Bliss notices several girls riding around on skates, they leave flyer's for a roller derby event and Bliss grabs one.

The night of the derby Bliss gets her friend Pash (Alia Shawkat) to drive her to Austin so she can watch the derby, Bliss is so taken with it that she gets up the nerve to approach one of the women, Maggie Mayhem (Kristen Wiig) when Bliss tells her that she is her new role model, Maggie tells her to put some skates on. Of course that is the start of the standard cliche sports moment, it reads like a litany of standard cliches. 1 the team is so bad that they have yet to win a game, but the new girl joins the team and they not only start to win but make the championship game. 2 the family of the star know nothing about what he or she is up to but will find out and be against it, until they realize just how important it is to that person, and lastly the person will face an obstacle that will mean they are going to be barred from the big game but at the last minute all is swell and they get to play anyway.

The team rallies around Bliss and helps her out, Bloody Holly (Zoe Bell), Rosa Sparks (Eve), Smashley Simpson (Drew Barrymore) and even a competitor Iron Maven (Juliette Lewis) all seem to be looking out for Bliss. Although it is Maven who originally threatens to blow the whistle on Bliss. When Earl confronts Brooke and tells her he isn't about to let his daughter be unhappy, that if derby is what she wants then she will get to be in the derby. The only thing that doesn't fall into the standard cliche is the ending, but now so many movies are starting this trend it is slowly becoming the new cliche.

Along the way Bliss falls in love with Colby (Doug Minckiewicz), the lead singer of his brothers band, but falls out of love just as quickly, will that become the second new cliche? Here's to hoping not. The movie ends with the family all happy, the fans happy and even the athletes themselves happy. Everyone is happy except the person who paid nine dollars to see this trite boringly dull movie. This isn't to say that Drew Barrymore does a bad job of directing, she does a fantastic job, she doesn't center the screen on her character as much as some directors would have done, she leaves the others to tell the story, her character, Smashley is almost an after thought. This movie should have been an after thought itself.

I give Whip it a 2 and on my avoidance scale a 1, wait a few months and you can watch this dud at your leisure, on one of those cold snowy winter nights, when its to clod to do anything but curl up in front of the fire, then when your done watching this DVD you can throw it into the fire as well.

Whip It is rated PG-13 for Sexual Content including Crude Dialogue, Language and Drug Material

Running time is 1 hr. 51 mins.

Gervais Learns How To Lie And It's Pretty Hilarious

2009-09-29T11:22:00.005-06:00

The Invention of Lying takes place in an alternate reality in which lying--even the concept of a lie--does not exist. Everyone--from politicians to advertisers to the man and woman on the street--speaks the truth and nothing but the truth with no thought of the consequences. But when a down-on-his-luck loser named Mark (Gervais) suddenly develops the ability to lie, he finds that dishonesty has its rewards. In a world where every word is assumed to be the absolute truth, Mark easily lies his way to fame and fortune. But lies have a way of spreading, and Mark begins to realize that things are getting a little out of control when some of his tallest tales are being taken as, well, gospel. With the entire world now hanging on his every word, there is only one thing Mark has not been able to lie his way into: the heart of the woman he loves.

Whenever we hear a politician or a sales clerk promise something that simply can’t be done, it’s easy to wish we lived in a world without lies. As writer-directors Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson demonstrate in The Invention of Lying, such a world isn’t necessarily ideal. Set in an alternate universe much like our own where no one has or is even able to tell a fib, the new film begins like an odd vision of hell. It’s particularly infernal for a struggling screenwriter named Mark Bellison (Gervais). Because fiction is literally inconceivable in this environment, Mark can’t think of a way to make the 14th century and the Black Plague anything other than dreary. In this realm, movies consist solely of readers telling viewers the naked facts, so Mark is about to be fired because his assignment for Lecture Films is futile. Mark gets no sympathy because compassion is as scarce as deception. People bluntly admit their hostilities without any thought of another’s feelings. When Mark goes on a first date with the attractive and successful Anna (Jennifer Garner), she flatly tells him that his pudgy build and dead career prevent her from every considering him as a mate. Conversations like these are the norm in Mark’s universe. Her rejection and his dimming job prospects put him into a deep depression. When he discovers he doesn’t have enough money in the bank to pay his rent, Mark simply tells the clerk he does and receives the cash. This is not a fluke. Mark gradually discovers that no matter how blatant the falsehood, any other person believes every word coming out of his mouth. When he tells his best friend Greg (Louis C.K.) outrageous fibs, his pal believes them even when they’re contradictory. The Invention of Lying is based on a simple idea, but Gervais and Robinson come up with seemingly endless ways to maximize it. All of the buildings are bluntly named for what occurs in them, and people say goodbye by wishing never to see each other again. The cast, which features great cameos by Philip Seymour Hoffman, Tina Fey and Edward Norton, wisely play all the absurd situations with an appropriate lack of irony. It’s not funny if they appear in on the joke.

With The Invention of Lying, however, the actor demonstrates a range he hasn’t been asked to use before, so he easily adapts to playing a likable character for a change. It’s easy to go along with Mark’s ruses because he’s one of the few people in his world who feels empathy. While he initially enjoys getting bankers and casino owners to hand over unearned cash, he’s too soft hearted to use his gifts to hurt others. Imagine the agony he feels when some simple whoppers he tells his dying mother turn into a full-fledged religion. Gervais and Robinson use this little plot point to raise all sorts of fascinating questions: Is it better to follow a mendacious faith if it keeps people from misery or evil? Is imagination itself only falsehood or a truth that others can’t see? Is honesty a vice if it isn’t accompanied by concern for others? Gervais and Robinson manage to probe all of these ideas while coming up with 100 solid minutes of comic irrationality. The Invention of Lying easily exceeds its quota for honest laughs. This gets a 4 on my "Go See" scale.

What Was Needed Was The Invention Of A Better Movie

2009-09-29T10:30:00.006-06:00

Comedies have one simple rule, to work they need to make us laugh. It is a simple rule and with some of today's talented writers should be easy, it is not an easy thing to do, humor is a hard thing to make work, it is something that can be as simple as walking into a pole or a joke so dirty that you can't help but laugh. In the new comedy "The Invention Of Lying" there are simple not enough jokes to garner the accolades this movie believes it deserves. the one thing that I found the funniest, was the name of the senior citizens home. A Sad Place For Hopeless Old People.

Mark Bellison (Ricky Gervais) is down on his luck but believes that things can't get any worse, so he is excited about his upcoming date with Anna McDoogles (Jennifer Garner), she immediately shoots him down. This is normal because the story takes place in an alternate world where no one can lie, every truth is point blank and as blunt as can be. The date goes as expected and is over before it actually starts, Anna is a shallow person who is looking for a man with the best genes so that her kids will be better than the other kids. Mark has a job as a script writer - why didn't he write a better script here? His job is boring and dull, he writes about the thirteenth century, and the black plague isn't something people want to go to the movies for. A neighbor, Frank (Jonah Hill) is trying to kill himself and is looking for clever ways to do it. His isn't the only crass character in the movie, there is Marks boss, Anthony (Jeffrey Tambor) is working up the courage to fire him, his secretary Shelley (Tina Fey), is a callous bore, the star of the department, Brad Kessler (Rob Lowe) is obnoxious as well as creepy. The day he is actually fired comes and when he gets home his landlord demands the rent which Mark doesn't have, he is told to get out. Mark goes to the bank and is told the system is down, but they can still help him he says he needs eight hundred dollars. The only thing is, Mark only has three hundred in his account. The teller believes him and gives him the eight hundred dollars.

Not fully understanding what he just did, Mark goes to a bar where a friend is drinking, the bartender is a well known star making one of the movies two best cameos. The second of the two best cameo's, is the police officer that pulls Greg and Mark over. The friend, Greg (Louis C.K.) tells Mark that if he could lie he would go find women and have sex with them, Mark tries this, telling the woman that the world is about to end unless they have sex. Yes this is the extent of this movies jokes. Trashy dirty bombs. Mark can't go through with this and goes back to the bar, he decides that going to a casino and telling them that he has won a huge jackpot is alright, it seems that greed is be a better sin than perversion. Mark's mother Martha (Fionnula Flanagan) is in the nursing home and on the day she dies, Mark tells her that the place she is going is beautiful that she will get a mansion in the sky and she will be young again and every one that has already passed will be there to meet her. There are other Catholic jokes in the movie, where Mark, fed up with his life refuses to shave and when Anna comes to his Mansion he looks like Jesus. Contrite but not funny. Martha's Doctor (Jason Bateman) is so enraptured with this news he asks Mark to tell them .

When people here about what Mark told his mother they camp out in front of his apartment, Anna convinces Mark that he has to tell the world what he knows and he makes up a Man In The Sky, he says if you do wrong you won't get into this beautiful place. Mark gets famous and is able to live a better life, but he is unhappy because he can't get a very shallow Anna to fall in love with him. But have no fear, the Hollywood cliche machine won't let that happen and of course at the wedding of Anna and the best gene pool available to her Mark tells her that she really doesn't want to marry Brad. Anna and Mark end up married, happy and with a son with a pudgy nose. You will have to sit through about twenty minutes of this boring movie to understand the pudgy nose line.

I give The Invention Of Lying a 2 and on my avoidance scale I give it a 1, don't waste your time going to see this movie, it is dull unfunny and plain obnoxious, the two cameos in the movie and the name of the senior citizens home are the only funny things this movie has to offer, Ricky Gervais splits writing and directing duties with Matthew Robinson, maybe he should have stuck with one or the other, Gervais can be included in the short list of funny English stand up comedians, but somewhere along the line he lost his edge when he moved on to films. Gervais almost seems too tight and withdrawn, that's to bad, the teaser trailers make this movie look funny as all heck.

The Invention Of Lying is rated PG-13 for Language Including some Sexual Material and a Drug Reference

Running time is 1 hr. 39 mins.

A Bachelor Party Gone Wrong Teaches Tucker Max Something About Friendship

2009-09-29T09:15:00.005-06:00

I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell–based on the shocking, ridiculous and hilarious real life adventures of Tucker Max–is the story of an impromptu bachelor party gone horribly awry thanks to a midget, a fat girl, a gaggle of strippers, an overly destructive public intoxication ordinance, and the consequence of Tucker’s unflinching narcissism. A tireless and charismatic novelty seeker, Tucker (Matt Czuchry) tricks his buddy Dan (Geoff Stults) into lying to his fiancée Kristy (Keri Lynn Pratt), so they can go to an legendary strip club three and a half hours away to celebrate Dan’s last days of bachelorhood in proper style. Tucker drags their misanthropic friend Drew (Jesse Bradford) along for the ride, and before they know it Tucker’s pursuit of a hilarious carnal interest lands Dan in serious trouble with his both the law and his future wife.

If you think the most disgusting bathroom scene in movie history occurs in Danny Boyle’s “Trainspotting,” that the most vulgar description of university life in America is in John Landis’s “Animal House,” and the grossest humor in recent years is in most of the stuff by Judd Apatow, think again. Though I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell received an “R” rating instead of the killjoy NC-17, Bob Gosse who directs and Tucker Max who wrote the screenplay from his own best-selling novel, must have avoided the dread letters and number by a pubic hair. Tucker Max, who serves as a producer and writer, is played by a most personable New Hampshire-born fellow with the all-American Texas look, Matt Czuchry—whom you may have never come across if you’ve never seen stuff like “Eight Legged Freaks,” though you’ll get a chance to see him on the initial telecasts of “The Good Wife.” His bio states that the thesp played tennis in college: he looks the part exactly, and though he has passed his 32nd birthday, he easily convinces as 25-year-old law school student in “Beer.” In this mostly entertaining and unremittingly vulgar frat-boy comedy advanced to graduate school, Tucker, a chronic liar who in one classroom scene acts like the kid you sent to the principal in middle school, takes off on a discussion, baited by the professor (Edward Hibbert—who was in the audience at the screening I attended), delivering what even a conservative Republican would call politically incorrect. Political correctness takes a vacation throughout the film’s 105 minutes, as three guys in law school, best friends despite their possessing distinct personalities, head off to a (presumably) Texas town of Salem, a bachelor party given by Tucker and Drew (Jesse Bradford) as a bachelor party sendoff for square-jawed Dan (Geoff Stuits). Dan is coaxed to lie to his perky fiancé, Kristy (Keri Lynn Pratt), who believes they’re going to a bar in the locale. While Tucker is the most articulate, able to lie convincingly even to his pals, Dan comes off like more of a straight-arrow fellow who’d probably prefer to have a beer with his pals at home rather than with Mephistopheles in Hades. For his part, Drew is a misanthrope to turns women by insults to their faces, delivering monologues in monotone to display his apparent displeasure with the night’s activities.

As they three cavort with a variety of women in a bar and later in a strip club, they discover that the various members of the fair sex, who are labeled "sluts" one and all by Drew, are as different in temperament as the fellows. After a series of events, each one fair game for a Saturday Night Live skit—some coming off just as Tucker would want to happen including a roll in the hay with a midget—the stage is set for redemption, for an attempt by Tucker, in particular, to think of drinking tea in heaven rather than pursue what would have inevitably been his fate. Is Tucker really redeemed? Hardly, but he has a way to convince one and all that the halo around his head is the genuine article. Some crafty, if stereotypical side roles are played nicely by Meagen Fay, an actress with an impressive resume here in the role of the bride’s mom, and Marika Domincyzk as Lara, an alleged "slut" who gets the better of the misanthropic Drew, thereby redeeming him. Remember, though: the toilet scene is so off-the-wall realistic you’ll find it difficult to keep your eyes on the screen. It's not perfect, but it has its moments. A 3 on my "Go See" scale.

Get A Surrogate, You Won't Have To Leave Home Again

2009-09-27T12:11:00.005-06:00

In Surrogates, FBI agents (Bruce Willis and Radha Mitchell) investigate the mysterious murder of a college student linked to the man who helped create a high-tech surrogate phenomenon that allows people to purchase unflawed robotic versions of themselves – fit, good looking remotely controlled machines that ultimately assume their life roles – enabling people to experience life vicariously from the comfort and safety of their own homes. The murder spawns a quest for answers: in a world of masks, who’s real and who can you trust?

In Surrogates, almost everyone in the world never leaves the house anymore. There's no need, thanks to the proliferation of "surrogates," robotic doubles that look like you (only smoother and prettier) that you can control from the comfort of home. You send them out in your place and live life through their eyes and sensors, safe and sound back at home. It started as a luxury item for people who wanted to experience, say, skydiving without risk of injury, but now everyone uses surrogates for everything. Well, that's the way with these things, isn't it? Less than 15 years ago the Internet was an entertainment and information tool that we might use for a few minutes a day. Now it's so vital to our lives that we have it on our phones, lest we ever spend a moment without access to it. (Oh, yeah -- we also carry phones around with us all the time.) Surrogates caught on in the same way: once a novelty, now utterly indispensable. Willis plays Greer, an FBI agent who, like nearly everyone else, conducts his public life entirely via surrogate. (His model looks like him only younger, with softer skin and an absurd blond head of hair.) Most of his private life is conducted that way, too -- he and his wife, Maggie (Rosamund Pike), haven't seen each other for real, in person, in ages, even in their apartment. (They have separate bedrooms. If they ever have marital relations anymore, one assumes there's a separate room for that, too, where the surrogates do it.) In the tradition of the hard-boiled detective, Greer -- who is grizzled and careworn in person, barely resembling his more presentable surrogate (you tend to let yourself go when no one ever sees you) -- has grown weary of all this and is wondering if mankind might have been better off before the surrogates came around. Then, as if to prove the point, someone gets killed. A mystery man deploys a strange weapon against a surrogate, frying its motherboard and somehow sending a charge back to the user and melting his brain. Needless to say, this goes against the whole point of surrogates, which is to protect the user from harm. And anyone who can melt your brain via remote control is obviously not to be trifled with.

Greer and his partner, Peters (Radha Mitchell), are assigned to the case, which grows more interesting when they learn the victim was the son of Lionel Canter (James Cromwell), the billionaire who invented surrogates and was subsequently forced out of the company that makes them. Is someone trying to get back at the inventor? Maybe one of the rising number of people who oppose surrogacy and have started living in machine-free communes on the outskirts of major cities? Maybe their leader, an enigmatic fire-and-brimstone fellow who calls himself the Prophet (Ving Rhames)? Like most good sci-fi, the story considers the human ramifications of advanced technology while still doling out plenty of just-for-kicks entertainment and nifty "what if?" scenarios. (What if you connected to someone else's surrogate?) Greer and his wife lost a son a while back, which helps account for their desire to draw inward. There is more than one shot of a character disconnecting from his or her surrogate and crying over what he or she has seen through its eyes. (When someone disconnects, of course, the surrogate just stands there, blank-faced. If a conversation gets too intense, you can escape by literally shutting yourself down.) It's a very sad idea, this notion of trying to experience life safely, without truly interacting with anyone. Greer and Maggie's fractured marriage could have been explored better than it is, and Radha Mitchell's performance as Greer's FBI partner is rather wooden. (Yes, she's a robot most of the time. But so is everyone else, and they don't act like that.) Like I said, this isn't groundbreaking stuff. But it's smart and enjoyable, and the message is "go outside, nerds!," which is always nice to hear. This gets a hard 3 on my "Go See" scale.

Surrogates Make Life Easy, Untill You Drop Dead

2009-09-27T12:00:00.003-06:00

Hollywood has given roles to an actor because he or she has proven that his star power can draw fans into the movie, that power is usually enough to draw people into paying for what they believe is going to be a power house movie, but tends to be more and more just trite, loud action. In "Surrogates" we get the star power, we get the action, but we get nothing else. The plot is weak, far fetched and silly. As a movie to watch just for the fun of it Surrogates works, the sci-fi aspect is one that has been done to death, most recently in I, Robot. In Surrogates the robots are doing the work that people would normally do, but this time they have people controlling them, and if something happens to the surrogates the people are supposed to be protected, of course that isn't actually the truth.

When two surrogates are shot down in the street, with a new laser weapon nothing is different except that one surrogate is unregistered and the owners are found dead. When it is revealed that the owner of the unregistered surrogate, Cantor (James Francis Ginty) is the son of the creator of the surrogates Older Cantor (James Cromwell). Detective Tom Greer (Bruce Willis) is assigned to the case. He is an old veteran and along with his partner Peters (Radha Mitchell) they try to speak with Old cantor but are forced to speak to one of his many surrogates. The interview ends abruptly and the two detectives leave.

The case becomes a little more dangerous when the police get a lead on the suspect and trap him in an area where surrogates are not allowed to go. It seems that a band of humans who refuse to accept to use a surrogate have formed areas where no surrogate can travel, the suspect leads Det. Greer, who is a surrogate himself, into this area after he used the weapon on several police officers who were surrogates, killing them all. The humans don't take lightly the surrogate coming into their area and they band together and kill it. The real Det. Greer, who has not been out in the world for several months has to go into this area to find the suspect. This area is lead by The Prophet (Ving Rhames) and they don't want Greer coming onto their property either, they make this clear when they beat him senseless.

Of course the movie has a quick pace to it, the man behind the weapon is revealed rather quick, but who gave it to him remains a mystery until near the end. The reason is rather silly but it seems to work for this movie, viewers are not ask to think outside the box here, truthfully they are not asked to think at all. The plot rolls along and when another surrogate is used to get to the ultimate goal of the man behind the plot, it should become rather obvious who it is. The ending is trite and is somewhat laughable, the good guy wins the bad guy thinks he has the upper hand and takes his own life, but at the last second Greer takes control and decides that the mans original plan may not be such a bad idea after all. The fact that he does allow to happen one of the parts of the mans plan to rid the world of surrogates is rather funny, a man of the law taking the law into his own hands, if he had done this earlier in the movie maybe it would have been good. Boris Kodjoe is wasted as the boss of the unit that Greer is a part of, he has screen time but his character is implausible and goofy.

I give Surrogates a 2 and on my avoidance scale a 1, wait a few months for this one, it won't be around for very long and you can sit back and take your time to see this one, it really has nothing to offer except some pretty decent special effects and CGI. Surrogates can be watched one time and then can join the rest of the DVD's that you regret buying.

Surrogates is rated PG-13 for Sequences of Violence, Disturbing Images, Language, Sexuality and a Drug-Related Scene

Running time is 1 hr. 44 mins.

A Summer Rental That Comes With Aliens In The Attic

2009-09-26T10:00:00.004-06:00

Movies aimed at children usually do pretty well, when you add a comedic touch and aliens to the mix, kids will flock to it unless it opens in mid summer amidst all the other loud annoying movies, "Aliens In The Attic" made that critical mistake and may pay for it with a loss of viewership. That's a shame, because this movie is cute and would be enjoyed by almost every adult that comes along with their children. The aliens are not scary, nor is there any nudity or foul language, perfect for every child, as long as their not watching some mind numbing action flick.

The Pearson Family take a long needed vacation to their summer home where an advance scouting party of aliens have crashed landed. Stuart (Kevin Nealon) and Nina Pearson (Gillian Vigman) have brought their entire family on the getaway, including Nana Rose (Doris Roberts) their oldest son, Tom (Carter Jenkins) and daughter Bethany (Ashley Tisdale) coming for the ride is Uncle Nathan (Andy Richter) and his son Jake (Austin Robert Butler). The youngest children include twin boys, Art (Henri Young) and Lee (Regan Young) and Hannah (Ashley Boettcher) and last is Ricky (Robert Hoffman) Bethany's unwelcome boyfriend.

Clouds form around the summer house and the Pearson family thinks they are watching a light show of some kind, this turns out to be alien spacecraft crashing into the attic. Inside the craft are four members of an advance scouting party set out to find a beacon that will bring the rest of the alien species to Earth, with the intention of taking it over. Inside the craft are Skip (J.K. Simmons), the tough commander, Tazer (Thomas Haden Church), the warrior of the group, Razor (Kari Wahlgren), a lethal female soldier; and Sparks (Josh Peck) a four-armed techie, who is the only non-threatening alien intruder.

After a paint ball mishap Tom is told he must make amends with Ricky, Ricky looking to cause trouble tells Stuart that he and Tom will go up to the attic to look at what is wrong with the antennae, what neither know is that the alien craft has crashed into it. Jake comes up to see what is taking them so long and they find the alien group, at first the group tries to persuade the boys they are friendly but soon give up. The boys just make it back into the house, Ricky isn't so lucky and is hit with a device that allows the aliens to control the persons body. Left to their own devices, the kids unleash their imaginations, creating makeshift weapons, like piping rigged as a home made potato spud gun. They even learn to use the mind controller, taking control of Ricky and turning him against the aliens. A touching friendship is struck up between Hannah and Sparks, the friendly alien. Who unlike his alien cohorts, Sparks has no stomach for battle; he just wants to return home to his Zirkonian family.

Nana Rose comes under the spell of the alien mind control device, which gives her super-human powers. She comes to the kids' rescue -and into a battle with Ricky, who is again under alien control. Nana Rose gives Ricky a huge jolt causing the alien plug to dislodge. The kids think they have the situation under control but soon find out that the device that Skip is using can make him larger then the humans can battle alone. Sparks helps the kids defeat Skip and at the end of the day the earth is saved because the kids set aside their family differences and their determination and strength are enough to defeat Skip, and send the incoming space craft fleeing back to their planet.

I give Aliens In The Attic a 3 and on my avoidance scale a 0, this is a good enough movie for the entire family, the young ones will really love the alien creatures and mom and dad won't have to worry about anything happening on screen that may be to mature for the younger kids, there is nothing at all like that here, this is truly a family film so take the family and see it before it is buried under the summer blockbusters.

Aliens In The Attic is rated PG for Action Violence, Some Suggestive Humor and Language

Running time is 1 hr. 26 mins.

Pandorum Is Hollywood's Answer To My Prayers

2009-09-25T10:00:00.002-06:00

Science fiction movies usually tend to have the same recurring theme, a few brave men and women trapped in a scary surrounding, an unknown until now alien species hunting them while they hunt it, and dark recesses of the ship that until required to walk or run through were never shown on camera before. In the latest sci-fi adventure we get something Hollywood seldom gives us, an ending that isn't explained to us as if we were fifth graders. In "Pandorum" They leave it so that we are required to THINK for ourselves and I for one say BRAVO.

Cpl. Bower (Ben Foster) awakens from hyper-sleep he is in a sleeping chamber aboard what appears to be a seemingly abandoned spacecraft. Walking around he discovers Lt. Payton (Dennis Quaid) starting to awaken from his hyper sleep. When Cpl. Bower confronts Lt. Payton they discover that they can't remember anything. They also think that they may be the only surviving members of their crew. As Cpl. Bower investigates the ship he discovers that he and Lt. Payton are not alone, he runs into another survivor, as well as a band of roving mutants. The film starts off with obvious references to Pitch Black, Alien, and Aliens. Once the mutants appear, however, the film shifts into overdrive, and it becomes Resident Evil and The Descent.

The mutants are super-fast and super-strong, they run along the sides of the ship and appear as if out of nowhere. Several times Cpl. Bower narrowly escapes them. Lt. Payton stays behind and repeatedly asks over and over again to Cpl. Bower if he can hear him? Couldn't they afford to pay Dennis Quaid to say anything more? As Bower makes his way further into the belly of the ship, trying to find out if his family is still alive and to get to the reactor to turn it back on, he discovers some other survivors. Nadia (Antje Traue) who attacks Bower several times, thinking he may be a mutant, why she would think this is beyond me, Bower doesn't shriek, he doesn't run fast and he isn't strong like the other mutants, plus he LOOKS human. Bower is saved by Manh (Cung Le) who is very adept with a blade. The three make their way towards the sleeping bay only to discover that the mutants have been using the bay as their very own hunting grounds, as the humans awaken from their sleep and are disoriented the mutants attack and eat them.

The three escape and run into another survivor, Leland (Eddie Rouse) who has been eating other humans who mistakenly enter his chambers. The group once they convince Leland he would be better off releasing the three so they can turn the generator back on, make their way to the generator room only to discover that the mutants are using it to sleep in. Lt. Payton has had his hands full as well all this time he has discovered another survivor himself, Gallo (Cam Gigandet) who with the hidden twist turns out to be someone who has been on board the ship for a very long time.

The movie has its flaws as well, we really never get a definitive answer to what the mutants are or even where they come from, we get the scary sound effects the hunt and the kill, but what they are we never fully get to know. We don't get the huge epic fight between the mutant leader and Cpl. Bower, he is dispatched by Manh in a battle to the death. The mutants attack and corner the few remaining survivors and pick them off one by one, the child mutant is cute, right up until he slices you up and smiles while he is doing it.

I give Pandorum a 3 and on my avoidance scale a 0, 2009 has been a surprisingly good year for sci-fi thus far (Star Trek, Moon, District 9) and sitting through this one won't distract from that at all. In terms of horror, Pandorum should be a breath or fresh air for those who've endured films like Halloween II, The Final Destination, Sorority Row or even earlier movies like The Unborn and The Uninvited.

Pandorum is rated R for Strong Horror Violence and Language

Running time is 1 hr. 48 mins.

Learn How To Fly With Fame

2009-09-24T12:42:00.007-06:00

A reinvention of the original Oscar-winning hit film, Fame follows a talented group of dancers, singers, actors, and artists over four years at the New York City High School of Performing Arts, a diverse, creative powerhouse where students from all walks of life are given a chance to live out their dreams and achieve real and lasting fame...the kind that comes only from talent, dedication, and hard work. In an incredibly competitive atmosphere, plagued by self-doubt, each student’s passion will be put to the test. In addition to their artistic goals, they have to deal with everything else that goes along with high school, a tumultuous time full of schoolwork, deep friendships, budding romance, and self-discovery. As each student strives for his or her moment in the spotlight, they’ll discover who among them has the innate talent and necessary discipline to succeed. With the love and support of their friends and fellow artists, they’ll find out who amongst them will achieve Fame.

The "reinvention" of the 1980 high school musical Fame — please, people, don't call it a remake — stays faithful to the spirit and structure of Alan Parker's original while sucking out all the raciness. There's no nudity in this PG-rated version, no one gets an abortion. No one even lights a single cigarette. So no, it's not exactly the most realistic depiction of modern high-school life. But at the same time, dancer and choreographer Kevin Tancharoen, making his feature directing debut, doesn't turn "Fame" into the kind of slick, overly edited eye candy you might expect. It's stylized, yes, and it movies really fluidly while still maintaining some urban grittiness. And in a world where people aspire for instant recognition by making idiots of themselves on reality TV, there's still something appealing about the idea of working hard for artistic glory — potentially failing and suffering rejection, but persevering nonetheless. Starting with Debbie Allen's famous "you got big dreams, you want fame" speech over the opening titles, Fame follows a group of aspiring singers, dancers, actors and musicians from their auditions for New York's competitive High School of Performing Arts until their graduation four years later. Among the familiar types are Denise (Naturi Naughton), a classically trained pianist who longs to branch out creatively; good-looking Marco (Asher Book), who sings like Justin Timberlake; aspiring actress Jenny (Kay Panabaker), who's too self-conscious; the privileged dancer Alice (Kherington Payne); the shticky wannabe film director Neil (Paul Iacono); and the misunderstood actor-rapper Malik (Collins Pennie). Among the faculty are Charles S. Dutton as the acting teacher helping his students hone their craft, Kelsey Grammer as the stern but fair piano teacher and Bebe Neuwirth, formidable as always, as a dance instructor. (Frasier and Lilith don't have any scenes together, sadly.) Megan Mullally plays a perky voice coach and Allen herself, in all of two scenes, appears as the school's principal. Some of these kids are obviously going to make it — they're going to live forever, as the song goes — and some aren't. It's pretty easy to figure out. Similarly, you can see some of the plot developments coming from a mile away in Allison Burnett's script, even if you've never seen the original. The young cast attending the fictional New York High School of Performing Arts is uniformly great. They're all plugged into the collective notion of entertaining, rising to the challenge of a solo -- Payne's dance sequence is a beautiful escape -- yet finding ways to stand out when collaborating as an ensemble (in the graduation scene, for instance). You just know that the moment Denise's strict parents see her on stage, singing in a way they never knew she could, they'll achieve a newfound appreciation for her talent.

Naughton, who played Lil' Kim in "Notorious," also sings the hell out of "Out Here on My Own," the only song carried over from the original. ("Fame" plays over the closing credits.) And understandably, given Tancharoen's background, the dance scenes dazzle. The mousey Jenny will flourish by senior year, the keyboard player who hates Bach will learn to enjoy classical music, and at some point they'll all burst into spontaneous song and dance in the cafeteria. These are inescapable truisms. Familiar? Yes, but not nearly as vapid as most of the musical material out there that encourages teens to believe fame is all that matters. Because Fame trades in creativity and artistic stimulation, the left-brain functions of an ordinary screenplay -- plot, character development -- take a back seat to the high-powered singing and high-energy dancing. But the talent on screen is so impressive, you don't really mind. Fame is a front-row seat to a rousing Broadway production. It's a calling card for Tancharoen -- the right man for this particular job -- and a solid demo reel for many of the artists who should ascend to the top of the Hollywood ladder and stay there. Too many remakes flooding multiplexes are easily forgettable. Fame is one I'll remember (remember, remember…) It's not exactly a remake and that's not a bad thing. This reinvention of a classic film is brilliantly done with stellar performances that made the original so damn good. This gets a 4 on my "Go See" scale.

This Fame Deliver's Flash But No Substance

2009-09-24T10:00:00.007-06:00

A reinvention of the original Oscar-winning hit film, "Fame" follows a talented group of dancers, singers, actors, and artists over four years at the New York City High School of Performing Arts, a diverse, creative powerhouse where students from all walks of life are given a chance to live out their dreams and achieve real and lasting fame, the kind that comes only from talent, dedication, and hard work. In an incredibly competitive atmosphere, plagued by self-doubt, each student's passion will be put to the test.

In addition to their artistic goals, the students have to deal with everything else that goes along with high school, a tumultuous time full of schoolwork, deep friendships, budding romance, and self-discovery. As each student strives for his or her moment in the spotlight, they’ll discover who among them has the innate talent and necessary discipline to succeed. With the love and support of their friends and fellow artists, they’ll find out who amongst them will achieve Fame. Many of the students who make the schools limited availability are talented to start with, but by the time the movie ends we see them performing as if they are major stars, what we don't see is how they got so good.

Jenny Garrison (Kay Panabaker) has the look of the scared fish out of water, Marco (Asher Book) has some experience singing in his fathers restaurant. Malik Washburn (Collins Pennie) has a deep anger toward life and he thinks that the stage is the best place to expel this anger, his best friend in the school is Victor Taveras (Walter Perez) who has a talent and an ear for music. They discover the one true bright star amongst the group, Denise Dupree (Naturi Naughton) whose music ability is clearly the best, it also doesn't hurt that her voice is like that of an angels. These are the best students that are showcased, there are several others that we learn of but not about. The Iowa farm boy Kevin (Paul McGill), the spunkiest student, Joy (Anna Maria Perez de Tagle), the best dancer Alice Ellerton (Kherington Payne) and the aspiring film director, Neil (Paul Iacono). The cast of teachers is eclectic in and of itself, The ballerina teacher Ms. Kraft (Bebe Neuwirth) the music teacher Mr. Martin Cranston (Kelsey Grammer) the vocal teacher Ms. Fran Rowan (Megan Mullally) the drama teacher Mr. James Dowd (Charles S. Dutton) and of course the principle Ms. Angela Simms (Debbie Allen). To whom I say welcome back.

The cast is the best thing this movie has to offer, the soundtrack is a collection of both old and new songs that have a nice beat and are catchy. The performances are amazing in that the talent that it takes to perform on cue is hard on its own, but to perform over and over again on a directors cue is even harder. The ending concert performance is one of the best, the graduation performance is a mix of all the students talents brought together as one act. The little we do see of the students seems thrown together, we don't see as the student progresses from scared beginner to talented musician, singer or dancer. Too bad, that alone would have made this a better picture to sit through, as it is though, unless you go to just see the dancers dance, the singers sing and expect no plot then this movie should be put last on what may be an already long list of must see movies.

I give Fame a 2 and on my avoidance scale a 1, musical work so well if the performances of the leads work and in this movie they do, barely. they also work if the songs have a nice beat and the songs here have that in spades. What Fame lacks is an interest in the characters, we see nothing of their home lives except in little snippets and here that just isn't enough. This movie will make a great addition to your DVD library, where you can watch it over and over again at your leisure.

Fame is rated PG for Thematic Material including Teen Drinking, Sexual Situations and Language.

Running time is 1 hr. 47 mins.

Learn The Rules And You May Just Survive Zombieland

2009-09-23T11:13:00.004-06:00

In Zombieland, Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) has made a habit of running from what scares him. Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) doesn't have fears. If he did, he'd kick their ever-living ass. In a world overrun by zombies, these two are perfectly evolved survivors. But now, they're about to stare down the most terrifying prospect of all: each other.

Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), one of the few fresh humans left in a post-apocalyptic world overrun with bloodthirsty zombies, has devised a method in which to preserve himself (and his sanity… kind of). That hide-saving scheme is comprised of following 47 imperatively important rules for survival, most of which center around driving (Always Check The Backseat, Always Wear Your Seatbelt) — and that's apropos, as Zombieland is more road-trip yuk-fest than it is a horror yuck-fest. (Still, zombie zealots will be drooling over the wide array of wicked undead on display.) The first character we meet is Columbus, and it is through his eyes that we see the first signs of the zombie outbreak and its early aftermath. The fallout leads to a bleak and devastated country populated by the few survivors who're forced to become outlaws, living by the skin of their teeth and always on the move in search of sanctuary. Right from the beginning there is a good sense of the tone of the film — fun, irreverence and total lock-n-load rock 'n roll. Before long Columbus teams up with the brash and bold Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), a gonzo road-warrior whose only real goal is to scarf the last Twinkie on Earth. So as luck would have it, he finds everything but a Twinkie (there's a hilarious scene involving a mother-lode truckload of coconut Snowballs) as he and his younger protégé zoom through the highways, byways, trading posts and supermarkets.

Tallahassee is the fully liberated id to Columbus' over-cautious fraidy-cat, a cowboy road warrior who enjoys gratuitously stomping zombie arse. But both are hoodwinked when they run across two young sisters in apparent extremis, Wichita (Emma Stone) and 12-year-old Little Rock (Abigail Breslin), who are also in search of solace — not in the form of sponge cake, whipped cream and preservatives, but rather in the form of ferris wheels, funhouses and tilt-a-whirls. You see, Little Rock has always dreamed of going to a famed seaside amusement park in California, and her big sis will stop at nothing to make that wish come true. Which means Wichita will lie, cheat, steal and kill anyone who might stand their way. So, at gunpoint, the girls alleviate the boys of their SUV and weapons, though the four soon form a reluctant alliance, with Columbus crushing on Wichita and Tallahassee taking a fatherly shine to Little Rock. When Wichita suspects that Columbus and Tallahassee may be trouble, the high-jinks ensue as the never-ending barrage of zombies continue to complicate matters. Wary cohorts in the battle against the undead, all four begin to wonder if it might be better to simply take their chances alone, but they continue on in a road trip like no other. As they head westward from their Texas starting point -- chasing rumors of a zombie-free theme park outside L.A. -- not a lot happens, really, though Ruben Fleischer's direction is slick and busy. Eventually, they get to Hollywood, grab a map of stars' homes, and settle in at the luxurious manse of Tallahassee's hero, Bill Murray (playing himself, is worth the price of admission alone). If Zombieland doesn't grade at the head of its class -- the valedictorian still being "Shaun of the Dead" -- this lively splatstick item is nonetheless way above the remedial likes of "Zombie Strippers," to name one among many recent lower-budgeters. Benefiting from the very different but very appealing comedy styles of Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg even when the script's wit runs thin, this should be catnip to jaded genre fans. A definite must-see for diehard zombie fans. This gets a 4 on my "Go See" scale.

Antichrist Will Definitely Stick With You

2009-09-23T09:23:00.006-06:00

Only two actors, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Willem Defoe, inhabit the space of this supernatural thriller directed by Lars Von Trier. The stars play a couple who attempt to grieve for their dead child by living in seclusion in the middle of a forest. But their story does not end there: in the forest, they encounter pure evil in Satan. With Von Trier at the helm, Antichrist promises to be a challenging, intelligent film that doesn’t adhere to the conventions of cinema or religion.

Lars Von Trier's Antichrist is a rarity: a great film that I will never, ever subject myself to again. The physical and emotional anguish on display here has not been exaggerated. Von Trier has used a story of grief — Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg as parents devastated by the loss of their toddler son — as a jumping-off point for what I can only call gender horror. On a surface level, Antichrist is Don't Look Now for the torture-porn era. Many will be content to leave it at that, and I do not blame them, for to apply a close reading to such a painful and disagreeable work is to grant it longer passage in one's head than one really wants to allow. This movie hurts to watch and to think about. The film, has been theorized, unfolds in an alternate universe where Satan, not God, created the world. Therefore, the suffering the husband and wife (they are identified in the credits only as He and She) inflict on each other is par for the course in the movie's reality. There will doubtless be other readings. Anything can be made palatable if you abstract it enough. The wife is practically insane with grief and guilt — the couple, you see, had been making passionate love when their little son climbed up onto a window and fell to his death. The husband is a therapist, and at first, encouraged by Dafoe's soft-spoken and tender performance, we think that surely he will understand her; surely he will help her through her torment. But she accuses him of arrogance — he dismisses her psychiatrist as unseasoned and too quick to dump meds onto her pain. He may be right, or he may be jealous. She falls into anxious hysterics, and he deduces that her problem is fear. But fear of what? It would seem that the worst thing she could've imagined has already happened.Without getting into spoilers, Antichrist appears to be a dread-ridden meditation on misogyny and its deranging effects on male and female alike. The key here may be the subject of the wife's aborted thesis paper: "gynocide," or the systematic oppression, demonization and destruction of women over the centuries. The husband approaches the wife's pain with the poor hegemonic tools of "rationality," reducing her to a child by way of "games" and "role-playing" to break her out of her "fear." But what she fears can't be talked out in therapy. (Therapist = the rapist.)

Von Trier throws in many uncanny and bizarre touches, like "the three beggars" (pain, grief, despair) in the form of mutilated or self-mutilating forest animals. The husband takes the wife to "Eden," a cottage in the woods where she had gone the previous summer with their child, hoping to finish her paper. The cottage seems constantly attacked by nature: there's a steady hail of acorns thundering down onto the roof. The wind, in the wife's mind, becomes the breath of Satan. She is in hell, for reasons we will slowly gather. The rumbling, ominous soundtrack and occasional camera fixations (a slow zoom into a flower vase in a hospital room, for instance) recall Lynch, but elsewhere Von Trier uses his trademark handheld style and jump-cuts. The effect, as always with this provocateur, is to keep us unbalanced. What does Von Trier feel about women? I don't know. He probably doesn't either, which is why he keeps making films about them. By showing them in extremis, he may hope to get at some sort of female truth. His women are insane because they exist in an insane system, and by lashing out violently, like an R.D. Laing construct, they become purified in their madness. Von Trier makes deadly serious psychodramas with complex heroines who alienate us because we're part of the system they're rejecting. In Antichrist, the gender conflict reaches a particularly excruciating pitch. It is true philosophical horror, hard to shake off and harder, I suspect, for many to justify. But here we are retreating into interpretation. Is the film, past a certain point, meant to be taken literally? I doubt it. Are the things we're seeing actually happening? There comes a point in the narrative when we seem to be witnessing ancient hatreds and grievances acted out; the quotation marks around some of the events are almost visible. I've seen appalled lists of the various offenses to the flesh in Antichrist, but such a litany misses the point. It's a film of ideas, not shocks. It's also a nightmare movie, not subject to waking logic or the usual immediate, derisive response to challenging art. The film may have a maximalist meaning — He and She are all men, all women — or it may simply be a heightened emotional portrait of the aftermath of grief. Only Von Trier knows for sure, except I'm not sure he does. The movie is a workout, definitely. It will be condemned, praised, argued about. It feels like Von Trier getting down to the distilled basics of what he's always been driving at — it feels like a summing-up. It is also more frightening, of course, than most of the "horror movies" you snicker at in the multiplex. Those movies really just want to horse around, give you a good time, make you jump and laugh. Antichrist is the real deal and will be one of those that will have everyone talking about it long after they leave the theatre. A Powerful 4 on my "Go See" scale.

Antichrist Is Disturbing But It Is Worth Watching

2009-09-23T09:00:00.004-06:00

Movies written by or directed by Lars Von Trier can't be called ordinary. They are often shocking and disturbing. Leaving the viewer to wonder what it was that inspired Trier to make something that can be considered both magical and graphic. Such is the case with"Antichrist", a movie that falls into the same mold of previous movies directed by Trier. The male character seems like he is in charge and the women the meek character, until we are shown that all along it has been the opposite.

The movie never gives names to it's characters, they are only referred by the names, He (Willem Dafoe) and She (Charlotte Gainsbourg). Gainsbourg and Dafoe perform with so much confidence, dedication and tact that we stay with them even when their characters are making impossible transitions and their reactions are implausible. The prologue is the opening sequence and we see the two stars having sex, while their young son climbs from his crib and walks out onto a window ledge, when he falls to his death the scene is tragic, graphic and horrifyingly realistic. The grisly scene depicting the child's body smacking onto a snow covered pavement is juxtaposed with clothes in a dryer, a dripping faucet and the couple all at once.

The movie is told in four chapters with a prologue and an epilogue. Chapter one is the grief stage and at the child's funeral, She collapses and spends a month mostly unconscious in the hospital. When She wakes, She is crippled with grief and He, a therapist, takes it upon himself to talk his wife through the grief process. They journey to their cabin in the woods where She spent the previous summer writing. The fact that She was abusing the couple's child the summer before his death is revealed as a catalyst to her monstrous nature. In chapter three, when we think that She has taken things as far as She possible can, She crushes Dafoe's genitalia with a block of wood, She then performs a clitorectomy on herself, and this makes little sense unless we are to believe She is finally assuming the persona of a vindictive masculine abuser.

Antichrist is both inspired by and disabled by Von Trier's ambition to link a psychodrama art film to a horror movie. And this boils down to the film's evasive uncertainty about whether to represent Gainsbourg as a case of psychological trauma or an incarnation of evil. The events of the movie are recounted through a prism of grief, sacrifice and martyrdom. The telling of the tragic loss of their child conveys the grief and agony of the loss of innocence. This is a theme both real and grandiose that may just make Antichrist a masterpiece.

I give Antichrist a 3 and on my avoidance scale I give it a 0, this movie will shock and offend many people, there is graphic nudity of both the male and female bodies. The violence is so realistic that it left me cringing at several scenes. It is realistic and in your face, it can't be avoided, the violence is almost a character of the movie. The switch from normal grieving woman to a crazed violent woman comes swift for Gainsbourg. Dafoe, who looked as if he was in charge at the beginning falls prey to this evil violence. The last half hour of the movie will leave you on the edge of your seat. The ending seems a little confusing, but after the viewer takes the time and gives it the thought the movie deserves, the ending will become almost crystal clear. I can not recommend this movie to everyone, the squeamish should avoid this movie, but for those of you who love movies and can appreciate the story as it is told, even one as violent and graphic as Antichrist should go out and see this movie.

Antichrist is unrated

Running time is 1 hr. 44 mins.

Vaughn & Company Make This A Laughable Retreat For Couples

2009-09-22T09:14:00.006-06:00

Based on an original idea of Vaughn's, the comedy, Couples Retreat, follows four Midwestern couples who embark on a journey to a tropical island resort. While one of the couples is there to work on their marriage, the other three set out to jet ski, spa and enjoy some fun in the sun. They soon discover that participation in the resorts couples therapy is not optional. Suddenly, their group-rate vacation comes at a price. What follows is a hilarious look at real world problems faced by all couples.

Greatly silly and unexpectedly wise at times, Couples Retreat opens with a credit sequence featuring David Bowie's single "Modern Love." There's a good reason. This is less a romantic comedy than a timely maintenance comedy. Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman and Jon Favreau head a cast of faulty pairs who wind up at a resort for couples. Their counterparts are played by Malin Akerman, Kristen Bell and Kristin Davis, respectively. Also along for the misadventure: recently divorced friend Shane (Faizon Love) and his too-young paramour. Over the last few years, Vaughn has taken on the relationship comedy as a star, a producer and theorist of contemporary love. "The Break-Up," with Jennifer Aniston, was the most ambitious. Taking the contempt a couple might begin to feel for each other to heart, it turned out to be a very dark comedy. And last year's "Four Christmases" was the meanest, with its funny class riffs. Couples Retreat, which Vaughn co-wrote with Favreau and Dana Fox, may not be overly ambitious. It isn't nearly as pretty as the island the couples visit. Shot in Bora Bora, the sea is an uncanny azure, the sands pristine. The villas assigned to the couples are the stuff of the Conde Nast Traveler's "Room With View" feature. But the film makes up for that with a fine dose of (occasionally bitter) sweetness and a buoyant raft of witty lines. The joke is on the three couples who agreed to take the trip in support of their tightly wound friends Jason (a typically agile Bateman) and Cynthia.

They believed the "couples skill building" courses were optional. They're not. All of them must participate: Joey and Lucy, who are just waiting for their teen daughter to go to college to call it quits; frisky and foolish Shane and Trudy; and Dave and Ronnie, a couple able to maintain a decent batting average, making contact with life's curveballs more often than not. In a bit of delicious counter- casting, Jean Reno is couples guru Marcel. The writers maintain a good balance between making fun of the couples' discomfort with therapy and teasing the silliness of the resort and its staff. Couples Retreat seems primed to make sport of couples counseling. Kudos to the actors playing the therapists. Two you'll recognize: John Michael Higgins and Ken Jeong. And while it has its fun with the discomfort that comes of talking things through, the comedy takes the work of relationship surprisingly seriously. That admitted, fear not. There are plenty of dippy riffs. The couples don Chinese-style uniforms for their counseling sessions. A trust exercise with fish goes amusingly awry. The ripped yoga master (Carlo Ponce) has a sculpted bod and the tatty locks of Fabio. "The Wizard of Oz" gets a nod. And in a script that swings from high to low and back again, Harriet Tubman gets a shout-out, too. The video game Guitar Hero gets a full-on, shredding close-up. There are bawdy moments that barely skirted an R. And the ethnic shtick is occasionally too broad, but hardly cruel. Newcomer Kali Hawk is too loud by a few decibels as Trudy. But husky Shane is likable even as he confuses an extended booty call for a heart- mending romance. The director is Peter Billingsley — Ralphie in the holiday classic "A Christmas Story." A producer making his directorial debut, he does an able job of keeping things moving. He even winks at his own child stardom by gently mining an impossibly cute turn by Colin Baiocchi as Dave and Ronnie's youngest. What the unfettered will take away from Couples Retreat is anybody's guess. Maybe they'll consider it a funny "but for the grace of God" cautionary tale.For couples, it may be the oddest of hybrids: a too-close- to-home, yet goofball, date movie. This gets a hilarious 4 on my "Go See" scale.

Eden Is The New Couple's Retreat For Fun Times

2009-09-22T09:00:00.002-06:00

It seems that right now the new King Midas in Hollywood is Jon Favreau, he took the Marvel comics Iron Man character and turned it into a super franchise, now he brings a little bit of comedy to the silver screen, Favreau and long time friend Vince Vaughn have written what may be, at years end the funniest movie to open this year, "Couples Retreat" is by far, the stand out comedy hit it is sure to become.

Four friends and their wives make a journey to a tropical-island resort to help one of the couples, Jason (Jason Bateman) and Cynthia (Kristen Bell) try to save their marriage. Dave (Vince Vaughn) and Ronnie (Malin Akerman) appear to have the best marriage of the group, they seem happy together and have two really super cute kids Kevin (Colin Baiocchi) and Robert (Gattlin Griffith). Joey (Jon Favreau) and his wife Lucy (Kristin Davis) seem to have the most problems. Although Shane (Faizon Love) is divorced from Jennifer (Tasha Smith) he is involved with a younger woman, Trudy (Kali Hawk). When Jason approaches the group to ask them for a favor they are reluctant at first to help, then they decide that they all do deserve to go to a tropical island for some fun in the sun. what they don't realize until it is to late is that they must participate in the group sessions or they can't partake of any of the islands more exotic scenery.

The fun starts almost right away when the four couples get to the island, they notice that on the other side of the island is loud music, young people having fun and lots of liquor. During the group sessions things start to turn from good to not so good to down right nasty, Dave and Ronnie find that their marriage isn't so perfect, Joey and Lucy find that they both believe the other is to blame for their problems, and Shane comes to terms that he may just be to old to keep up with Trudy, he does love her enough to try to find her when she goes to the other side of the island, but he discovers that an old love is the one he wants and needs. Jason and his Cynthia discover that his being in control so much is the one thing standing in their way and when he is just oh so close to losing her he finds that being in charge isn't all that important when you really do love the other person.

Along the way to these discoveries though the couples have one hilarious adventure after another, Jason and Dave are in the ocean when sharks start to swim to close for Dave's comfort, an they all enjoy a yoga class taught by, Salvadore (Carlos Ponce) an Adonis in his own right. He convinces the three girls who are also looking for Trudy to join him at Eden East. Dave who sells video games has to out duel Stanley (Peter Serafinowicz) at Guitar Hero so he doesn't call Marcel (Jean Reno) to tell them the couples are not on Eden Est but instead tramping all over Eden East looking for Trudy. When this comedy romp is over every one of the couples will be happier then when they first came to Eden, things don't go from bad to perfect but they do get somewhat better for all involved.

Shane tells Trudy that he is not the man for him and as he turns away he spots Jennifer walking towards him, she has come to the conclusion that while she was the one who cheated and filed for a divorce it is in fact Shane that she loves, coming to terms with the fact that you ruined the love with the one person who is your soul mate can be a very hard thing to discover. Joey and Lucy have found peace within themselves to allow them to love their partner. Dave and Ronnie have discovered a new peace in their love life as well, they find that things don't have to be so neat and tidy, while Jason and Cynthia also discover a little less order in their lives can fulfil their every need. Ah true love wins again.

I give Couples Retreat a 3 and on my avoidance scale a 0, their is so much here to find amusing, the fact that Shane who is a huge man by any means can use the phrase Bang Bang with Trudy is as fun to watch as it is to imagine. Vince Vaughn, while not one of my favorite actors is slowly creeping in there, with his performance in Into The Wild and here he is making me sit up and take notice, and what can I say about Jon Favreau, except damn your good at your craft.

Couples retreat is rated PG-13 for sexual Content and Language

Running time is 1 hr. 47 mins.

Bring On The Nazi Zombies!!

2009-09-19T09:14:00.005-06:00

Depending on the audience, the sub-sub-genre of the Nazi zombie movie could sound like the best or worst of cinematic offerings. But Dead Snow received rave reviews from audiences at Sundance, promising that this Norwegian horror comedy will be a favorite for genre fans. In the film, a group of friends think they’re in for a trip filled with skiing, drinking, and hooking up, but a defrosting band of Nazi zombies have something else in store for the vacationers.

“Zombie Nazis” sounds like an unbeatable combination, but it turns out to be one of those great ideas that cannot sustain itself purely on the concept alone. Although Dead Snow has its heart in the right place (enthusiastically embracing the horror genre, it is eager to please its target audience), in execution it does not quite live up to the brilliance of its own premise; only occasionally does it mixture of horror and hysteria reach critical mass, igniting the explosions of screams and laughter promised by the coming attractions. For horror fans it is worth seeing, but this is one of those examples when the trailer is the movie. The film starts off with Sara (Ane Dahl Torp) being pursued through the snow by some shadowy shapes that eventually overtake her. We then see her friends driving to an isolated cabin owned by Sara, where they anticipate a weekend of snowboarding. The pristine photography and the likable performances cue us to expect something really exceptional as Dead Snow slowly builds up a head of steam, but instead of creating tension, the long first act gives the audience a chance to slip into its comfort zone. Not that things get boring. There interaction of the characters is intially engaging: ne is a film buff who notes the number of horror films that begin with a group of friends heading out to an isolated cabin. Unfortunately, hints of sloppy writing emerge: it takes way too long for anyone to worry about Sara’s absence. If you’re going to spend a half-hour making viewers like the characters before they get killed, it’s not a good idea to make them so indifferent to the fate of one of their own. When the zombies do show up (after a walking mouthpiece – who should have been named Basil Exposition – wanders in just long enough to deliver a brief history lesson of the Nazi occupation of the area), they deliver some entertaining kills, but Dead Snow still does not hit its stride until late in the third act, when the gross-out gore turns more overtly comical, and a pair of survivors (including a med student whose afraid of blood) engage the enemy in a bloody battle that leaves many heads, arms, and legs severed – and one penis badly damaged. In the frenzy of the fight, the fact that our queasy med student has overcome his fear is little more than a throw-away, never overtly stated, just left for the audience to observe. This is probably smarter than spelling the point out melodramatically, but it’s symptomatic of a weakness in the script, which shoe-horns in various plot elements without bothering to make them fully pay off. We never learn how long Sara has owned the cabin without encountering the undead Nazis, nor do we definitely learn what keeps the German soldiers walking around. The script introduces small box of gold objects (stolen by the soldiers from the locals during the war) as if it is the key, but the script is vague on details. A dream sequence implies that Sara found the box recently, but it’s not clear whether the Nazis target anyone who touched the contents or merely know about the box. This vagueness undermines the twist ending: a character thinks he has gotten away until he realizes he has a gold coin in his pocket. But the audience had little reason to think he was safe after seeing at least one previous victim die without ever laying eyes on the box, let alone purloining any of its contents. After all, are we really to assume that zombie Nazis cause trouble only when treasure they stole is in turn stolen back from them?

As confusing as this plot device is, it is interesting that Dead Snow bothers to use it to motivate its zombies. Most movie zombies don’t need motivation; they just want to eat you out of blind instinct. But rather like the Knights Templar in Amando de Ossorio’s Blind Dead movies, these zombies are not mindless; they still maintain military organization, the soldiers obeying the orders from Colonel Herzog (Ørjan Garnst), who communicates usually with gestures but bellows out a one-word order late in the film. This makes Dead Snow’s approach to its zombies relatively unique – instead of mindless eating machines, we have undead evil – but director and co-writer Tommy Wirkola does little with the concept. More than in any ordinary zombie movie, you really want to see the heroes put the dead back in their graves. The walking corpses are not just unfortunate victims of a plague or a bite; they are almost literal embodiments of evil, and seeing them mowed down by machine gun, chainsaw, hammer, and any other short implement offers a brief cathartic highlight – until the film takes a wrong turn with one of those “you thought it was over, but it’s not” moments, refusing to deliver the image promised in its poster. This last-minute descent into mechanical genre cliches (dramatically satisfying conclusions are verboten; mechanical twist endings rule) robs Dead Snow of the much greater impact it could have achieved, had it fully exploited the potential inherent in zombie Nazis. As a director, Tommy Wirkola proves he knows how to draw his audience into the movie’s world. Even though this is an unapologetic horror film, he avoids falling back on the “it’s only a movie” attitude (”Hey, it’s about zombie Nazis – what more do you expect?”), instead presenting the early events as believably as possible. When it comes to the horror, he’s a little uneven. The early suspense moments (before the zombies are fully revealed) should fray a few nerves, but the later pursuit scenes don’t generate as many thrills as they should. (He slightly bungles the punchline for one scene: after two women decide to stick together rather than separate, a zombie runs into frame, scaring them into opposite directions, but the camera angle doesn’t fully capture the visual irony; it simply loks as if they are running out of frame.) Fortunately, Wirkola delivers as much gross-out as any hardcore fan could want (including a head ripped apart and not one but two examples of trailing entrails). And he’s really great at going over-the-top with his action, which includes not only gore but such amusing sights as a snow-mobile mounted with a machine gun that takes out a platoon’s worth of zombies. Perhaps I’m being too hard on Dead Snow – which, all nitpicking aside, is an entertaining horror film – not to mention, hands down, the one of best zombie Nazi movie ever. If the finished film is disappointing, it is only because it had the potential to be even better than it is. As part of the recent wave of Scandinavian horror films like "Let The Right One In", Dead Snow initially looks as if it will rise above its genre trappings, offering something scary and sophisticated. But when you stop and think about it, a movie about zombie Nazis could have easily been nothing more than a piece of dumb exploitation; the fact that it could raise expectations high enough to allow for any level of disappointment at all is, in and of itself, quite an achievement. This one gets a zombie-fied 3 on my "Go See" scale.

The Glamour That Is The September Issue

2009-09-18T10:00:00.001-06:00

A documentary following legendary editor Anna Wintour and her creative director Grace Coddington as they work on putting together the autumn issue of the fashion magazine Vogue, traditionally the launching of the new fashion designs, winter collections and the start of what will be in style during the coming months. "The September Issue" is important to both the superficial designer and buyer.

The September Issue throws perceptions out the window, we get a first hand look at the making of, the set up and production of the biggest magazine issue that many consider the fashion bible. What we don't get is look at the production run, not until the end credits are ready to roll do we actually see the print process. We do get the passion that it takes to start wit ha blank slate and turn that into what the magazine has become, the ordeal of turning out a bigger and better issue every year takes it toll.

Director R. J. Cutler hints at how driven Anna Wintour is, we see her at fashion shows in Europe, we see many well know designers acting like small children called before the principal. They know that one bad word about their forthcoming designs or eve nan omission in Anna's magazine could be financial ruin for many of them. Anna is shown as being shrewd driven and in total control from day one right up to the actual print run is on the shelves.

Grace Coddington upstages Anna from her first scene, the two started at Vogue together, moved up together, so they know how far they can push each other, they both want the same thing a great issue for the readers, they just have different ideas about what is great. Grace is nothing at all like Anna, where grace has frizzy hair and pail skin Anna has a short bob and is seen mainly wearing sunglasses. Grace almost dresses herself as if she has no fashion sense at all, but as you watch her you will be won over by her sheer genius and eye for creative art form in directing photo shoots and dreaming up storyboards on the fly for the still pictures to tell a story. We get very little about any other member of the publishing giant, we do get a few scenes of the flamboyant contributing editor Andre Leon Talley but except for one small interview he is seen on the edge of everything.

I give The September Issue a 3 and on my avoidance scale a 0, this film showcases the two women who had a dream, and then turned that dream into a reality. In today's business culture that alone should be applauded. This movie is informative as well as entertaining, the audience is in for a treat here. A first hand look at how one person can change the way Americans shop.

The September Issue is rated PG-13 for Brief Strong Language

Running time is 1 hr. 28mins.

Tyler Perry & Cast Shine In I Can Do Bad All By Myself

2009-09-18T08:14:00.005-06:00

When Madea (Tyler Perry), America’s favorite pistol-packing grandma, catches sixteen-year-old Jennifer (Hope Olaide Wilson) and her two younger brothers (Kwesi Boakye and Frederick Sigler) looting her home, she decides to take matters into her own hands and delivers the young delinquents to the only relative they have: their aunt April (Taraji P. Henson). A heavy-drinking nightclub singer who lives off of her married boyfriend Randy (Brian J. White), April wants nothing to do with the kids. But her attitude begins to change when Sandino (Adam Rodriguez), a handsome Mexican immigrant looking for work, moves into April’s basement room. Making amends for his own troubled past, Sandino challenges April to open her heart. And April soon realizes she must make the biggest choice of her life: between her old ways with Raymond and the new possibilities of family, faith…and even true love in I Can Do Bad All By Myself.

I Can Do Bad All By Myself, Tyler Perry's endearing adaptation of the melo-comedic stage play that introduced his alter ego Madea, is a double shot of Saturday-night lowdown chased by a cheery chug of Sunday-morning uplift. Starring that spitfire Taraji P. Henson as a lounge singer who resists assuming guardianship of her late sister's children, the film is a variety show that successfully prompts laughs, tears, and song, culminating in heaps o' hope. The laughs come mostly from Perry in the guises of the silver-haired, profanely funny Atlanta granny Madea and her brother, Joe, whose Atlanta home is jacked by unlikely robbers. In a scene comparable to classic Groucho Marx and Mae West, with irreverent reverence Madea consoles one of the attempted robbers with a boisterous sermon conflating Noah, Jonah, and every other scriptural aqua-man.

The tears come mostly from April (Henson), the aunt too selfish to care for her niece and nephews, and the children unwanted by their family. The songs, which nicely amplify the film's themes of feminism, faith, and family, are delivered by Henson, Mary J. Blige (as a sister lounge singer), and Gladys Knight (Pipless, as a church lady), whose pipes still thrill.Hope is around the corner. Literally. For April's rowhouse is thisclose to the Baptist church that she once attended. The pastor there (Marvin Winans) is determined to shepherd her back. So is one of the parishioners, Sandino (Adam Rodriguez), a handsome Colombian refugee who proves to be catnip for both believers and fallen-away Christians. A dramatist of the old school, Perry makes films in which stormy weather is inevitably followed by blue skies. Though no one would cite him for the cinematic qualities of his visually pedestrian films, Perry is a master conductor of emotions. He elicits a top-notch performance from Henson, who is given more range here than in Talk to Me and Benjamin Button. And as foulmouthed Madea, he himself is irresistibly funny, an improbable mix of the madcap and the merciful. Highly enjoyable and emotional, this one gets a 4 on my "Go See"scale.

Sometimes Love Does Happen

2009-09-16T11:15:00.005-06:00

Aaron Eckhart and Jennifer Aniston star in the romantic drama Love Happens. When a self-help author arrives in Seattle to teach a sold-out seminar, he unexpectedly meets the one person who might finally be able to help him help himself.

Eckhart plays Burke Ryan, a widower who has turned his grief into something positive after his wife died in a car crash. Managed by the stressed out Lane (Dan Fogler), he's now a successful self-help guru. Author of the best selling 'A-Okay!', he also runs seminars to help others cope with loss of loved ones and is about to see his work syndicated nationally. Self-confident without being slimy, he seems modelled partly on Tony Robbins. When he arrives in Seattle, however, for his latest seminar, Burke begins to unravel. It doesn't help that this city is where his late spouse hails from - and when he encounters her father (Martin Sheen) it becomes clear that Burke hasn't stayed in touch with his in-laws since his wife's death. Amid all of this, he meets Eloise Chandler (Jennifer Aniston), a local florist who supplies flowers to the hotel where he is lecturing. While she's sworn off men, he begins his pursuit of her - and initially meets with resistance.

If their pairing off is as predictable as it is dull, fortunately it is secondary to the storyline dealing with Burke's own emotional problems - as he begins to realize he has yet to come to terms with the loss of his wife. There's also a particularly compelling subplot involving one of his seminar attendees, Walter (John Carroll Lynch), who lost his young son after he died on his own construction site. Lynch, the heavy-set actor probably best known as Marge's husband Norm in the Coens' Fargo, gives a memorable, moving performance. All of this goes to make Love Happens feel rather schizophrenic. Romantic comedy cliches abound - Eloise even has the wisecracking friend (Judy Greer). But ultimately the film emerges as a tearjerker, with Eckhart and Sheen particularly good in the final climactic scene. As for Aniston, she does what she does perfectly well - but that isn't saying much. Indeed, the most complicated function she performs here is arranging flowers, proving how little her character seems to matter to the story. As a romance story, Love Happens is nothing special, with the spark between Eckhart and Aniston almost non-existent. But as a drama about grief, it's much more interesting, though the blend of both does not always sit easily. This one was just barely likable so, it gets a 3 on my "Go See" scale.

Jennifer Is Scrumptious, And So Are You!

2009-09-15T11:16:00.005-06:00

A sexy horror film with a wicked sense of humor, Jennifer's Body is about small town high school student Jennifer (Megan Fox), who is possessed by a hungry demon. She transitions from being "high school evil" - gorgeous (and doesn't she know it), stuck up and ultra-attitudinal - to the real deal: evil/evil. The glittering beauty becomes a pale and sickly creature jonesing for a meaty snack, and guys who never stood a chance with the heartless babe, take on new luster in the light of Jennifer's insatiable appetite. Meanwhile, Jennifer's lifelong best friend Needy (Amanda Seyfried), long relegated to living in Jennifer's shadow, must step-up to protect the town's young men, including her nerdy boyfriend Chip (Johnny Simmons).

While Jennifer’s Body is hardly a great movie, it also isn’t nearly as bad as it’s been painted in some quarters. The Diablo Cody screenplay isn’t as good as the one for Juno, but it’s not dissimilar and has its share of memorable lines. Megan Fox is no better than you’d expect, but she’s effectively cast to her limitations. The horror element is no great shakes, but let’s face it, that can be said of most straight horror films these days—and, after all, it’s not meant to be taken seriously here. The biggest problem with the movie is that—apart from the shocking revelation that J.K. Simmons in a curly wig looks alarmingly like the late Sydney Pollack—it does just what the trailer promised and nothing more. So why the fairly strong negative reaction from critics? My guess is that a lot of it is Diablo Cody backlash. She was too popular too fast on the strength of her Juno screenplay, and there’s a sense of putting her “in her place” with her sophomore effort (even though this was written first). Plus, a percentage of the attitude was already in place from the “real people don’t talk like that” school of criticism, which overlooks the fact that real conversation is rarely entertaining—not to mention that Cody is making fun of high-school clique-speak, not trying to ape it. At the same time, Jennifer’s Body is more adequate than inspired—and a few bon mots shy of originality. Graft a horror story onto Heathers (1988), and you’ve pretty much got this movie. The premise has it that Needy Lesnicky (Amanda Seyfried) has been attached at the hip to the more attractive Jennifer Check (Fox) since early childhood. Even though—or because—Needy knows that Jennifer is self-absorbed and shallow, she constantly cuts her friend a great deal of slack, which comes to a head when Jennifer runs off with a creepy rock band and reappears possessed by a demon. Despite her better judgment, Needy opts to overlook her friend’s peculiar change—until Jennifer starts devouring the male populace. Since the film is structured as a tale being told by Needy from the confines of a padded cell, it’s not hard to tell where the tale is going.

That said, there are some interesting points along the way—not the least of which is that Cody realizes that Needy isn’t the needy one. That honor goes to Jennifer and her desire to be the hottest and coolest girl in school. It’s constantly suggested that Needy views herself as Jennifer’s one-girl support group, even in the full knowledge of her friend’s limitations. This is even clear on some level to Jennifer, who—even in demonic form—is about as bright as she is secure. Their relationship is interesting in other ways, too, since it’s casually lesbian in nature, despite all the boys involved. When Needy breaks away from a Sapphic encounter with Jennifer, it’s not because of the encounter, but because of Jennifer’s murderous activities. No, Jennifer’s Body is never as frightening as it should be, and it’s certainly never as hip and funny as it would like to be, but neither is it a disaster. With a better director than Karyn Kusama—whose direction of the 2005 dud Aeon Flux suggests a filmmaker with little sense of intentional humor—it might have worked much better. Still, that doesn’t keep Jennifer’s Body from being more interesting and more on target than has been claimed. It's a nicely done horror/comedy and I for one, enjoyed it. A 4 on my "Go See" scale.

Jennifer Has A Nice Body, But The Movie Is Crap

2009-09-15T11:00:00.000-06:00

Hollywood usually saves the better horror movies for release around Halloween, the bigger companies release several scary movies a year and the smaller companies struggle to just get one out. Sitting through the new movie by writer Diablo Cody was a struggle in mindless stupidity, "Jennifer's Body" offers nothing to be scared of, nothing to cringe over, the blood is all off screen and in shadows. I thought Rob Zombie gave us nothing to be afraid of, well he now has competition in that area, director Karyn Kusama uses the body and face of the movies lead actress to propel the story and it just doesn't work.

The movie starts in present time and soon after we are introduced to Needy (Amanda Seyfried) and learn about what we think is the outcome of the battle between good and evil, it gives us a flashback to tell just how Needy ends up where we first meet her, but if you are unfortunate enough to stick around through this boringly stupid movie you will of course find out that there is more than meets the eye about our little Needy. The movie is told in flashbacks, or I should say several flashbacks, yes we get the flashback in a flashback plot line here, and that makes little sense, leaving at least me to wonder did Diablo Cody run out of original ideas after Juno?

The town is called Devil Kettle because of a water fall that descends into a mysterious hole in the ground that no one knows where it goes, the school is in the center of town and all the towns kids go there, including Anita Lesnicky and her BFF Jennifer (Megan Fox) and her boyfriend Chip (Johnny Simmons) after a tragedy occurs Jennifer is whisked away by the members of a band Low Shoulder and things began to change in the town of Devil's Kettle. While the town is trying to cope with the death of several of it members, a new evil starts to make itself known. First to be killed is a school jock named Jonas (Josh Emerson) then the death's start to mount. The shameful thing is we NEVER see it happen.

The cast is full of memorable cameos, and that begins to make up for the movies dumb plot line, but it just doesn't make anything better. The kiss scene between Needy and Jennifer will make some people hoot and holler but again it doesn't save the mess that this film is. Diablo Cody had such a promising start with Juno, the one liners in that movie stung and hit home, in Jennifer's body they fall flat. This is a scary movie that just isn't scary, there is one scene where Jennifer spews some black goo that may make some cringe, it made me cringe only because it was dumb.

But the guy that steals every scene he is in is Adam Brody. Brody is the lead singer of Low Shoulder, a band who's single is played everywhere and becomes a sort of unofficial anthem for the town after a freak fire burns down the club they play at. To bad he couldn't be in every scene. Megan Fox couldn't save this movie even if she had tried to play it serious instead of campy.

I give Jennifer's Body a 1 and on my avoidance scale a 2 stay at home and watch this one when it comes on cable that way you will only be out the time you wasted on it. This is the time of year that horror reigns supreme, unfortunately with this movie, it gets off to a very weak start.

Jennifer's Body is rated R for Sexuality, Bloody Violence, Language and Brief Drug Use

Running time is 1 hr. 42 mins.