Zack and Miri Make a Porno: That's right, a movie about a porno

If there is one director whose films I will rush out to see no questions asked, it would have to be Kevin Smith. Somehow his profanity-laced, pop culture referencing comedies connect with me and not only make me roll on the floor laughing my butt off, but also make me take stock of human relationships and all of those things (good and bad) that affect them. And while his latest film, Zack and Miri Make a Porno, delivers on the laughs, the deeper emotional touchtones are missing.

Zack and Miri are best friends who are struggling to get by. But after a fortuitous meeting at their 10 year high school reunion they come up with a plan to solve their financial issues, they'll make a porno. However they both discover that once the camera starts rolling, things become a little more complicated than they expected.

Some people become nervous when they hear the word "porno" in a film title and while there is a fair amount of nudity and sexual situations in "Zack and Miri" that should not prevent one from checking it out. In fact, Smith used the "staged" sex scenes between Lester (the always hilarious Jason Mewes) and Stacey as a counterpoint to the tender, more personal sex scene between Zack and Miri. It's obvious that Lester and Stacey were simply playing parts in a film so their sex scenes become almost comical whereas Zack and Miri, while trying to convince themselves that it was all for the movie, had deeper emotions attached to the act. Speaking of those two, Seth Rogen (Zack) and Elizabeth Banks (Miri) shared a great chemistry on screen. Their dynamic relationship propelled the story and their discussions (on subjects ranging from the proper title for their porno to the differences between male and female sex toys) were hilarious. More hilarious than those two however was Justin Long as Brandon St. Randy, the catalyst that inspired Zack to his pornographic business plan. All the character benefitted from the script which contained the type of dialogue Kevin Smith is known for.

Where the movie failed was in getting the audience completely invested in Zack and Miri's romance. Their actions and reactions after the on-screen tryst, as well as their prior personal history needed to be expanded upon. Yes, they have been best friends since elementary school, so how about some flashbacks to key moments in that friendship where romance which could have blossomed was cut short. Not only was their relationship mishandled but the ending felt rushed and almost too easy. It seemed as though Smith (or, more likely, the studio) just gave up after an hour and a half and plopped down the ending they thought everyone in the audience would like to see.

Still, Zack and Miri Make a Porno provided the kinds of laughs few comedies deliver anymore.

Grade: B

The Haunting in Connecticut: A not so scary trip

For some, there's nothing better than popping in a scary movie on a Friday night and seeing if it's creepy enough to make them check under their bed bfore they turn off the lights. Unfortunately, it is rare to find scary movies like that anymore because most, including The Haunting in Connecticut, have a hard time even keeping an audience entertained.

After her son Matthew is diagnosed with cancer, Sara decides to move him and the rest of her family up to Connecticut so he can be closer to the hospital for treatment. Soon after moving into their new house though strange things start happening, and the family begins to wonder if their new home is haunted.

Having previously read about the true events which inspired this movie, it was rather disappointing to see the "Hollywood spin" which was grafted upon the story of the Campbell family, but even audience members unaware of the real life events are likely to find the film both repetitive and commonplace when viewed against most recently released horror films. It's true that there were some effective jumps and scares scattered throughout but not enough to make one check their closets before saying good night. It seemed as though that instead of drawing upon the true experiences the real life family went through, and showing how those events affected their relationships as well as the paranormal vs. religious questions the incidents raised, screenwriters Adam Simon and Tim Metcalfe decided to turn the film into something preposterously mundane that has been done to death in the horror genre. The result was a messy story which tried, and failed, to be effectively scary or even entertaining on a regular basis.

However if you're desperate for a few cheap scares on a dark and stormy Friday night then The Haunting in Connecticut just might be able to help you out.

Grade: D

Watchmen: So how complex do you like your superhero movies?

When you hear the words, "comic book adaptation" the first images that probably pop into your head are of Spider-Man swinging on a web or Batman brooding on a dark rooftop. The last thing on your mind would be images of heroes philosophizing on how the world is not worth saving or those same heroes discussing the need to sacrifice a few in order to save the many. But this was the case with Watchmen

In an alternate universe, one in which Richard Nixon is still President and the Cold War between the U.S. and USSR still threatens to destroy the world, masked heroes are being murdered. It is up to the remaining members of the superhero group known as the Watchmen to figure out why this is happening.

Director Zack Snyder (of "300" fame) was very faithful in keeping to the source material (a graphic novel) in bringing the story of Nite Owl, Silk Spectre and all the rest of the characters to the screen. His trademark visual style was certainly on display as the audience was treated to the same kind of slow-motion, stylized action sequences present in 300 as well as some truly breathtaking scenes (i.e. Nite Owl and Silk Spectre kissing as a nuclear blast envelopes them). These heroes were far from being carbon copies of ones who came before them as time was spent building up their backstories. By doing this, the audience was shown all the moral dilemmas each Watchmen faced as they struggled in making sense of their own lives both professionally and personally.

But therein lies the catch - 22 of Watchmen, how many audience members are willing to sit through an almost 3 hour film in which the action sequences seem few and far between when compared against a Spider-Man or Batman film? The universe that the Watchmen inhabited certainly was not for the faint of heart (kinda made Gotham City look like Beverly Hills) as the heroes killed indiscriminately, fought amongst each other, and seemed to blur the line between good guy and psycho vigilante from time to time (especially Rorschach). In this way the film challenged the audience to think beyond their normal expectations for a comic book movie and take a journey in which the greatest accomplishments of its heroes were not the apprehension of supervillians or the simple battle of good vs. evil, but the philosophical breakthroughs made when the hero realizes that the world is not pure black and white but a shade of gray which can grow lighter or darker depending upon where you are standing morally.

Watchmen just might be the most literate comic book movie you're likely to run across, which might enthrall some but discourage others.

Grade: B-

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest; When too much of something is a bad thing.

Captain Jack Sparrow is in trouble (again). It’s time for him to repay the blood debt he owes to the evil Davy Jones. In order to save himself, he goes searching for the Dead Man’s Chest, the only thing that can stop Jones and the rest of his bloodthirsty crew aboard the Flying Dutchman. But he cannot find it by himself, so enlists the aide of Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann to help him (even though they have problems of their own).

As with the first Pirates, Dead Man’s Chest contained a terrific blend of dazzling action pieces; the three way sword fight between Jack, Will and Norrington as well as Jack’s escape from cannibals have to be seen to be believed, and enough goofy shtick to make everyone happy. Using another famous middle part of a trilogy as its model (it did remind one of The Empire Strikes Back in its structure, plus there’s even a visit to a mystic in a swamp for god’s sake), Dead Man’s Chest furthered the story of Captain Jack, Will, Elizabeth and the rest, introduced some new wrinkles into the Pirates universe and set up the finale nicely as the audience was left with unanswered questions. The star of the film, of course, was Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack. Director Gore Verbinski did right by letting Depp run wild again and the result was nothing short of jovial absurdity no audience member could resist.

However, there was an inferiority present in the pacing of the film and its story telling which made it harder to sit and digest this film in comparison to the first one. With so many characters and sub-plots to introduce and explore it was only natural that Dead Man’s Chest would run for over two and a half hours, unfortunately some of those things Verbinski and the screenwriters put up on screen were totally unnecessary (Will meeting up with his father while he was in the clutches of Davy Jones for example). While we’re on the subject of the villain of the piece, his design was uniquely intriguing, however the rest of his minions looked like rejected villains from bad Saturday morning cartoons (or distant cousins of Jar Jar Binks). All of the action and jokes one expected with the film were present, but Dead Man’s Chest lacked the spirited fun so prevalent in The Curse of the Black Pearl.

Grade: B-

Letters From Iwo Jima: A stunning achievement

War films are another one of those Hollywood genres which tend to follow very well - worn patterns when it comes to plot, action and characters. We, as American, are used to seeing the American experiences on the battlefield and are usually only shown the cruelty of our enemy. But Letters From Iwo Jima challenges those conventions and presents the audience with the story from the other side of those battle lines.

As the Allied forces prepare to storm the beaches of Iwo Jima, Japanese General Tadamichi Kuribayashi and his troops know they are facing staggering odds. With a limited amount of time and resources, all of the Japanese troops realize that the impending fight just might be their last.

How is it that Mr. Dirty Harry, Clint Eastwood, was able to create such a stirring and devastatingly emotional war film about the Japanese experience during the famous World War II fight? He humanized the Japenese solider and gave the normally faceless enemy, (at least in most American made war films), soldiers names and stories, Western audiences are only used to experiencing war through the eyes of an American soldier but by doing this, he opened the audiences' eyes to the insanity that is war and the trials that all sides face. Eastwood also broke standard war film tradition by showing the loosing side of war and all of the chaos, loss and mourning they had to work through. This served to, again, humanize a normally cliched set of characters. To see the depth to which the Japanese went to in order to stave off the enemy, including a terrifyingly realistic scene in which some soldiers committed suicide via grenade to avoid capture, was remarkable and fell into sharp contrast with the way Westerners view warfare. One came away feeling a great respect for the Japanese soldiers’ plight and, hopefully, a deeper desire to make sure destructive conflicts such as World War II never happen again. As the companion piece to Flags of Our Fathers, Letters from Iwo Jima carried a heavy burden of trying to match or surpass it in emotional resonance and overall magnificence, a task which it achieved in stunning fashion.

Grade: A

Just Friends: Just funny.

Sometimes actors can carry an average film and make it into something more. Just Friends is a good example of this as both Ryan Reynolds and Anna Faris turned a standard romantic comedy into a knee - slapping good time.

Chris has had a crush on his friend Jamie since he was an overweight high schooler. Time has passed and now he’s a fit and successful music executive who, upon returning to his hometown, attempts to woo her. But there are a number of obstacles in his way, including his psychotic pop-diva client Samantha and a rival suitor named Dusty.

When a movie succeeds in just makes an audience laugh, its flaws can be overlooked, such was the case in Just Friends whose jokes were non-stop from start to finish. Sure some of the antics could be construed as adolescent and pandering and there were a number of breakdowns in the story, with some plot points became lost altogether (such as Chris’ job and whether or not he was able to keep it or not by the end of the film) but the positives far outweighed the negatives. Besides, it was hard not to laugh when both Ryan Reynolds and Anna Faris were on their games acting wise. Faris especially deserves credit for she stole every scene she was in as Samantha (think Britney Spears’ lack of talent and Paris Hiltons’ lack of intelligence). The film contained a surprisingly wistful romance between Chris and Jamie, one that those people stuck in the "friends zone" could relate to. Just Friends was just freakin’ hilarious.

Grade: B

Van Helsing: (or the reason why I'm not going to catch the new G.I. Joe movie)

It was recently brought to my attention that, for the most part, I give high marks to most of the films I review. I guess I've had the good fortune to watch good movies so far but trust me, I do not intend to rubber stamp every film that I run across. By a bizarre coincidence (go figure), the film I'm about to discuss is one of those that deserves to be thrown under the bus. And that's a shame because it's directed by the guy who directed the soon to be release G.I. Joe movie.

Written and directed by the same man, Stephen Sommers, who created The Mummy and The Mummy Returns, Van Helsing is the story of a man without a past who roams the earth ridding it of monsters. After successfully dealing with one, the Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde monster, in the beginning Van Helsing and his weapons man Karl are sent to Transylvania to hunt down Dracula and protect a local princess named Anna. Not only does Van Helsing have to deal with Dracula, but his three brides, Frankenstein, Igor, and the Wolf Man as well (I guess the Invisible Man and the Mummy were busy elsewhere and couldn’t get in on the action).

For all the millions of dollars spent on this film one would believe that the special effects would look spectacular, but this is not the case. It’s hard to be scared of monsters that look many pixels short of completion. Sommers ran into this same problem with the effects work in The Mummy Returns but apparently didn’t see fit to tell the effects guys to correct it. There was no coherence to the story. The characters and any kind of backstory or relationships they may have were never really explored due to the time needed for the next bit of action. We are told of Van Helsing’s mission but never really understand why Dracula was doing what he was doing. And any flow the story started to develop was bogged down by big, loud action pieces with bad CGI. Some people, myself included, might object to the misuse of the monsters in the film. Sommers was given free reign to use most of the Universal (movie studio) monsters but never should have been for he twisted the classic characters that most people recognize into bad caricatures. Dracula became some Eurotrash wiener who’d rather do his best Lionel Ritchie impersonation of walking on the ceiling rather than emote evil. One wonders if he’d scare a five year old. Frankenstein was turned into a pontificating wuss. He spent most of his time on screen quoting the Bible or whining about how “all is lost.” It felt as if Sommers had all of these great ideas for action pieces in mind and wanted to get them all into the final cut but he forgot that he needed to have a story that could match his vision. The utter ridiculousness of the story, lousy dialogue and amateurish special effects make this move a big waste of time and one prays that it's not the same for G.I. Joe (but if you've seen the trailer, you're pretty much resigned to the fact that it is).

Grade: D

Annie Hall: I'm no longer bitter.

If you've read this blog for any amount of time you realize that I am a huge Star Wars honk. To that end I was always curious as to why Episode IV did not win the Academy Award for best picture when it was released in 1977. This film, perhaps the best in the Woody Allen canon, took home the Oscar that night and I never understood why, until I watched it.

Comedian Alvy Singer seems to be unlucky at love, till he meets Annie Hall. Soon their relationship begins to grow but like all relationships, must endure some rough spots. But can Alvy and Annie survive these trials and tribulations and stick together for the long haul?

First and foremost, the film was funny. From the first drink that Alvy and Annie shared on a rooftop to his driving experience out in Los Angeles the film kept the audience chuckling throughout. To go along with the humor the film presented a great love story. Alvy and Annie seemed like typical people facing those good and bad times in a relationship that most regular people face. Their story was very accessible and easy to relate to. The way in which the film was presented, going back and forth in time and showing things in a non – linear fashion, made it interesting. It kept the audience more entertained than a straight forward linear film would have. Woody Allen was terrific in the lead role. He was a neurotic comedian that could quip one – liners with the best of them, but also had a serious and caring heart. Diane Keaton’s Annie was the real treat of the film. When she first appeared on screen she was a timid country girl unsure of herself and her abilities (she wanted to be a singer). By the end of the film she had become a modern, independent woman capable of doing anything. Hollywood tries but fails to make films like this nowadays, which makes watching Annie Hall quite a treat.

Grade: A

Big Trouble in Little China: It's all in the reflexes!

There are some movies that you can just throw into the dvd player on a Tuesday night and kick back and enjoy no matter how many times you've seen them. You know all the best one - liners, know when the jumps are going to take place and still, you watch the movie again and again. They're sort of like comfort food, they just make you feel better after your done watching the credits roll for the 372nd time. Big Trouble in Little China is one of these films.

Truck driver Jack Burton is a no-nonsense, take charge kind of guy. However his life takes a strange detour when he goes to visit his friend Wang. After Wang’s fiancée is kidnapped by a group of street thugs and then held prisoner by an evil magician name Lo Pan, Jack must venture into a world of the supernatural to help his buddy rescue his fiancée and defeat the evil Lo Pan.

Kurt Russell’s performance as Jack Burton was the main attraction in the film. Not only was he able to make Jack seem like a legitimate action hero, but he also imbued him with humor and a sense of self-doubt that most normal people would have if they were stuck in his situation. One got the feeling that Jack grew up watching too many John Wayne movies and that he was using those performances by The Duke to help him get through the supernatural world he found himself in. However that world of dark Chinese magic and mysticism became confusing at points and was never clearly explained from the audience. While that never distracted from the film as a whole, it was noticeable. The film was also aided by Russell the great chemistry Russell shared with Kim Cattrall as his Jack and her Gracie Law traded snappy dialogue and provided romantic sparks. The film, which moved at a solid pace, was full of kung fu action, hilarious one liners and had a unique story. Altogether, it was a great piece of entertainment.

Grade: B

Run Lola Run: An international adrenaline rush.

Another lesson I took away from my film classes was that one needed to expand their viewing habits and see what kind of movies the rest of the world had to offer. Sure you might have to deal with subtitles but if the movie is good, like Run Lola Run, you can be entertained none the less.

Time is running out for Lola. After receiving a frantic phone call from her boyfriend Manni, who explained that he lost 100,000 marks of mob money, she has twenty minutes to somehow replace the money or Manni will pay dearly. With the clock ticking, Lola has few options and must choose the right one or watch Manni suffer the consequences.

Rather than having a traditional straight-forward Hollywood type narrative the film featured a unique narrative structure in which multiple possibilities of how Lola and Manni’s story would play out were shown. To go along with its distinctive narrative, the film also featured a rapid pace and non-stop action as Lola fought through numerous obstacles to try and obtain the money. The use of quick cuts and edits as well as a driving soundtrack also kept the film moving at a break neck pace. At the core of the film was the romantic story of the two main characters. Lola, played by the beautiful Franka Potente who played Matt Damon's love interest Marie in the first two Bourne movies, was out to save her Manni no matter what. If she had to move the mountains, rob a store or even talk to her uninterested father, she would. The love they shared for one another was what made the entire plot plausible and no doubt struck a chord with some viewers as they wondered how much they would do for the love of their lives. Run Lola Run was a pure adrenaline rush of entertainment.

Grade: B

Shaun of the Dead: A zombie comedy.

Now here's an interesting take on the zombie film! Shaun of the Dead is a zombie comedy which was able to take those typical genre conventions one would expect in a film about the living dead and turn them on their heads.

Shaun is just like every other regular guy out there. He’s stuck in a dead end job, has a girlfriend that wants him to be more than he is and has a roommate that is permanently attached to the couch playing video games. He is trying to make sense of his life but there is the little complication of a horde of zombies attempting to kill him and the people his loves.

The story of Shaun (played to the hilt by Simon Pegg) and his attempts to change and understand what exactly he wanted to do with his life was what carried the film and made it a kick to watch. Before he even faced down his first zombie, he was dealing with problems most people must grapple with; dead end job, girlfriend who wanted him to change and be something more and an overall directionless life. The zombies, while the main villains of the film, were also the things that spurred along Shaun’s attempts to change. What also propped this film above other zombie movie was It was how the director, Edgar Wright, made sure to show how all the regular people around Shaun’s neighborhood acted like zombies before they actually turned. His little social commentary went a long way in framing the world Shaun and friends lived and our own by extension (take a look at the person in the cubicle next to you at work and you'll see what I mean).

Shaun of the Dead was thick with laughs throughout, (usually provided by Shaun’s lazy flat mate Ed), and contained the typical blood and gore one would expect in a horror film.

Grade: B

King Arthur: Does a classic need to be "reinterpreted?"

Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table are sent on one last mission in this “reinterpretation” of the classic story. Based on historical accounts, the film tells the tale of how Arthur and his men, after having served under the Roman flag for they ruled Britain at the time, were due to leave the service and begin their lives as free men. But the last mission, one to rescue an important Roman ruler, leads to a discovery that makes them question what it is they are fighting for. Plus an army of evil Saxons are on their tails, looking to conquer the land the Romans are giving up as they withdraw from Britain and destroy anyone who gets in their way.

This “reinterpretation” of the Arthur tale had a distinct take on the timeless story. Instead of being a fairy tale, it was presented as more of a war story with Arthur as the commander of a group of battle - hardened veterans who are trying to earn their freedom from Roman rule without loosing their lives. The look of the film reflected that with gritty battle sequences plus sets and locations that were dark and earthy as opposed to the bright, shimmering appearance you would see in a fairy tale version. The performance of Clive Owen as Arthur was intense, although there were points where his "Braveheart - ish" speeches and distant gazes slowed the film. He played Arthur as a man divided by his idea of how the world should be and the way it was. Other characters are shuffled around and given different back stories which made the film unique and interesting. Merlin was still a wizard, but commanded a tribe that fought against Arthur while Guinevere was a warrior who fought along side Arthur, not a fragile princess. One consequence of the reworking of the legend which hurt the film overall was the fact that the Arthur, Lancelot, and Guinevere love triangle was merely hinted at and never fully explored. Without it, Lancelot played a lesser part and a plot device that could have added more emotional intensity to the movie was never explored.

The action was there in King Arthur but it felt as though the viewer had to trudge through too much in order to get to and enjoy it.

Grade: C

My Darling Clementine: The classic Western

Westerns were a stable of film studios during the golden age of Hollywood and while most of them are viewed as nothing more than Saturday matinee fun some of them, such as My Darling Clementine, still resonate deeply with audiences in these modern times.

Wyatt Earp and his brothers are driving cattle to California. They stop at the town of Tombstone for a bit of relaxation but find it to be awash in lawlessness. Wyatt, a former sheriff, is offered the position by the town but does not want it. However after his youngest brother is murdered and their cattle rustled, he and the rest of his brothers become the law in Tombstone. With the help of Doc Holliday, Wyatt hopes to not only solve his brother’s murder, but clean up the town as well.

Directed by the master of the American western, John Ford, the film featured a seamless balance of action, humor, intelligence, romance, good and bad guys, and magnificent scenery. The performances in the film were exceptional as well, specifically those of Henry Fonda as Wyatt Earp and Victor Mature as Doc Holliday. Fonda portrayed Earp as a man’s man, unable to forget about his brother’s murder or watch as Tombstone turned into a sinful city. Dignified, thoughtful, yet able to take action, Earp was the archetypal western hero. Mature’s Holliday, on the other hand, was a classic anti-hero. Haunted by his troubled past, he gave up on practicing medicine and fell into a bottle and the call of the West. Aside from the gun-slinging and fisticuffs, there were also lighter moments such as the romance between Earp and Doc’s former love Clementine (the scene of Earp and Clementine dancing made the movie). Those moments helped to humanize Earp and make his quest to clean up the town easier to swallow. My Darling Clementine was a quintessential western that everyone could enjoy.

Grade: A

Audition: Seriously, this one is....tough to watch.

I used to be a big horror film fan (I say used to because as I grow older I find that I just do not have the stomach for them anymore or at least the ones that have no plot and only wish to fill the screen with as much blood and carnage as possible). After watching all the Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street films, I thought there was no horror film that could get to me. And then I rented this film and, as the title of this post says, even I found it tough to watch.

Shigeharu has been living as a widower for far too long in the eyes of his family and friends. So in order to obtain a new wife with all of the qualities he seeks, he holds a fake movie audition. It is during this process that he meets Asami, a seemingly perfect woman. But there’s more to Asami than he could ever imagine.

Even days after you’ve watched the final moments of Audition, you are terrorized by the whole endeavor. What starts off as a faux romantic comedy devolved into a disturbing psychological thriller/horror film whose context and imagery will forever be burned into a viewers’ mind (especially male viewers). And it was this startling turn in tone that hit the viewer like a sucker punch for they cared for both Shigeharu and Asami, wanted them to fall in love and live happily ever after but wound up realizing, like Shigeharu, that you can never judge a book by its cover, even the most delicate flower can have a penchant for garrote wire and torture. One of the film's bigger missteps was the number of times it tried to misdirect the audience with dream sequences posed as reality. Audition ask a lot of the audience just with its visual content alone, and to play with their emotions in that way seemed unfair. A quick word of warning, if you thought the actions and reactions in Fatal Attraction were harsh, you should stay away from this movie for it takes you to a level so far beyond boiling a bunny that you honestly have to remind yourself, “it’s only a movie."

Grade: C

Spaceballs: May the Schwartz be with you!

Parody, when it is done right, it can not only pay homage to the subjects it is parodying but also take on an existence of its own, becoming something more than a series of bad one - liners and pratfalls. When done badly,...well you get most of the Scary Movie sequels or any of the most recent parodies done by the guys who wrote the Scary Movie sequels. Leave it to comic legend Mel Brooks to deliver a parody that hits the mark.

When Princess Vespa is captured by Dark Helmet it’s up to Captain Lone Starr and his sidekick Barf to save her. But after they rescue her they must evade capture by traveling, (actually crash landing on) to a distant planet where they encounter a mystical being named Yogurt who teaches Lone Starr about the ways of the “Schwartz” so he can defeat Dark Helmet.

The film not only excelled in parading Star Wars but other science fiction movies like Star Trek, Alien, Planet of the Apes, and others. Fans of the aforementioned Star Wars films easily distinguished which characters in the film were lampooning those of the beloved trilogy. There were numerous scenes which made laughing quite easy including Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis at quite possibly his funniest) playing with toys of himself and other characters of the film, a cross-eyed gunner on the Spaceball ship doing his best to fire a warning shot, and Yogurt revealing how “merchandising” was where the real money of the movie was made (damn you George Lucas, you're the one that forced me to spend all my allowance money upon action figures and other assorted pieces of plastic!). From sight gags like jamming the radar with a really big jar of jam to the use of an instant VCR tape to discover where the heroes escaped the jokes came at lightspeed (yes, I wrote that, it was cheesy but hey, it's six in the morning, what are you going to do?) and left the audience begging for more. It's true that if a person was not a fan of the science fiction films lampooned in Spaceballs, they might not have caught some of the jokes. But Spaceballs the movie is something everyone can enjoy.

Grade: B

The Grudge: Finally, a horror film with an effectively creepy kid (and so much more).

Before Hollywood started remaking and Americanizing Japanese horror films like Ford use to mass produce the Model T, films like The Grudge laid the ground work for the onslaught. However, unlike all the rest of those "J-horror" remakes, The Grudge is actually a good movie.

After the original caretaker is reported missing Karen, an American student, is sent to look after an older woman in a house where strange things are occurring. She has an encounter with something she cannot explain. Soon after she attempts to discover what it was she saw and what happened to the previous owners of the house.

What made the film such an effective horror picture was the fact that the scares and frights were constant throughout. A person would barely be recovered from the last terrifying situation when another would pop up out of nowhere and cause them to jump in their seat (again). The scares in the film were also effective because they were accomplished via quick cuts with the camera or editing or by creepy CGI work. The sound design also deserves special mention here due to the fact that the "death rattle" that comes from Yoko (the violent ghost haunting the house Sarah Michelle Gellar has the misfortune of being in) will haunt a viewer for days on end. Add to that Yoko's eerie staccato movements and she becomes one of those keystone horror icons that is so often immitated, but never duplicated. If the filmmakers had depended on excessive blood and gore to achieve a scare, it would have diminished the frightening parts and the movie as a whole. The Grudge also benefited from have a non – linear story presentation. By cutting forward and back in time, director Takasi Shimizu was able to show why the house was the way it was without alienating the audience with extraneous exposition. This was a great haunted house film with more scares than Jason, Freddy, or any other manic killer could muster.

Grade: B

The Exorcist: Even after twenty years, it's scary.

So why review a well known film that a person could safely assume everyone has seen? Well, the truth of the matter is some people have not seen all the movies that most film nuts would consider classics. I don't know how many times I've ran across someone who looked at me funny when I started discussing how the scenes between Yoda and Luke on Degobah changed my life (some of you are probably giving your computer screen that same look right now). Classic films can still work their magic 20 or so years after their theatrical release, and The Exorcist is certainly one of them.

Based upon the novel of the same name The Exorcist tells the story of how a young girl named Regan, daughter of a famous film actress, comes to be possessed by the devil and the attempts of her mother and two priests to rid her of the possession.

Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of the film was the possession of Regan and the way she behaved after it happened. Aside from being able to spew more curse words than a sailor, she physically assaulted those people, such as her doctors, nurses and her mother, that were trying to help her. She also performed some acts that are too horrifying to discuss in this text. The fact that all of these things were being done, by and to a little girl, made the film all of the more intense. All of the actors gave terrific performances considering the subject and content of the film, especially Linda Blair as Regan. She had the toughest task to go from little girl to possessed hellion but she pulled it off. Director William Friedkin did an excellent job of building the tension and making the audience wonder whether Regan was just physically sick or if something more sinister was taking place. Even though the novel from which the film was made was based upon a real life event, the audience was left to ponder if what the film presented could happen. And that made The Exorcist all the more frightening.

Grade: A

Love Actually: the character's the thing.

Films with big ensemble casts are a tricky proposition. If a director spends too much time on a character no one in the audience really likes, then they will loose them altogether. If they do not spend enough time with a character the audience does identify with, then they will still feel cheated and might just start a blog where they rip said film (not that I'd know from personal experience or anything). But when it's done right, a film with a big ensemble cast can work wonders because there is one character that each individual in the crowd identifies with, Love Actually is that film.

The romantic lives of a number of different characters are explored in the film Love Actually. Be it the Prime Minister of Great Britain, a man with unrequited love for his best friends’ new wife or a housewife who fears her husband may be cheating, all of these characters (and more) must find a way to get, forget or deal with that most human of emotions; love.

The strongest parts of the film, aside from many genuinely funny parts, were the interconnecting storylines and characters. With all of the characters and situations they were in it would have been easy for writer/director Richard Curtis to loose control of the film and have it turn into one giant mess. Instead there was just enough of every storyline and character to keep the film interesting and entertaining. In fact, some of the individual storylines were so good that they could have been made into their own stand alone films. Most romantic comedies nowadays are too sickly sweet for their own good and seem excessively phony with endings that are too good to be true, but in this film the happy endings were actually heartwarming because the audience cared whether or not love would prevail. Jam packed with laughs and enough happy endings to make even a pessimist crack a smile, Love Actually was a top notch romantic comedy that everyone could enjoy.

Grade: B

The Bourne Identity: The spy thriller reborn.

Back before Daniel Craig donned the tux and became 007, the cinema world was suffering through Pierce Brosnan's smug take on the role. Not only that, but the Bond movies back then were loaded down with "death rays" and cliched villians and seemed almost laughable. Enter Matt Damon and The Bourne series, whose realism and emotional depth made the spy genre matter again. So much so that if you look at a Bond film now you can see the Bourne influences.

A man is pulled from the sea with two bullet holes in his back and a case of amnesia. He comes to discover that his name is Jason Bourne and he has a violent past. With the help of a woman named Marie he hopes to uncover the truth behind his extraordinary abilities, and the reasons the U.S. government is so anxious to hunt him down.

Most spy thriller films tend to focus on action, be it hand to hand combat or exotic weaponry that the hero or villain employ. While The Bourne Identity contained a number of fierce fight sequences and an insane car chase, the main focus was on the story of Jason Bourne and his attempts to discover who he was. Bourne was not some suave secret agent that slurped martinis while spouting cheesy one-liners after he offed a bad guy. He was an intelligent, resourceful man looking to regain control of his life. To go along with having an uncommon spy as the hero the film also boasted a touching love story between Jason and Marie. Whereas in other spy thriller genre films in which the hero simply beds the lead actress because she was there, the romance between Jason and Marie did not feel forced. They came to care for one another and shared a terrific chemistry. The film had a heart to go along with the great action and intriguing story and was a distinctive entry in the spy thriller genre.

Grade: A

The Unborn: Creepy kids and a beautiful lead don't always make for a good film.

In The Unborn a young woman named Casey starts having bizarre dreams. In them, she is haunted by a creepy little boy and other weird creatures and images she does not quite understand. As she tries to discover the reasons for her restless nights she uncovers a hidden family secret that could forever alter her future.

Writer/Director David Goyer's tried to build the film around a believable/sympathetic character in Casey (played by Odette Yustman) and a religious myth in the "dybbak" which was haunting her dreams. Toss in some Nazis (yes, I said Nazis) and an exorcism and the film would seem to take of itself right? Well, not really. The rest of the characters were little more than humdrum by-the-numbers stereotypes one would expect to see in a film like this that failed to do anything but take up space (or be victims). Goyer also forgot to make the story original or even halfway interesting. Plot lines that should have been explored further were jettisoned in favor of more shots of Yustman in her underwear (not that most men would complain) or of her trying to convince people she was not going crazy. If he really wanted to blow an audience away, Goyer should have focused more upon developing those supernatural elements he had in the film instead of using them as nothing more than a crutch to prop up lame action sequences that seemed out of place, such as the ending.

Unfortunately, his attempt to make a new Exorcist for the 21st century failed to consistently deliver the thrills or chills one might have expected in a supernatural thriller, and The Unborn failed to be anything more than a half - realized attempt at supernatural chicanery.

Grade: D+

Bruno: Not as good as you would think.

Sacha Baron Cohen takes another satirical stab at the world, this time as Bruno, the uber-max fashion show host who is blacklisted after an unfortunate "velcro suit" incident in Milan. To regain his fame and celebrity status, he travels to America and tries everything (and I do mean everything) to get back on top.

I'm torn as to how I feel about Bruno for on the one hand, Cohen is once again able to show the insensitive and bigoted nature of people. One of the more shocking examples of this was the preacher who, while trying to turn Bruno straight, went on a diatribe on why even though women were (and I'm paraphrasing here) "a pain," man needed to be around them. Cohen also took a shot at American societies' obsession with celebrity. In order to promote himself and his new son O.J. (whom he traded an ipod to get), Bruno sets up a photo shoot and puts out a call for other child models to appear in the shoot. To sit back and watch the things the parents of these children are willing to put their 3 to 4 year olds through all in the name of getting the gig (playing with phosphorus and possibly undergoing liposuction) is both hilarious and horrifying.

However there were things which made this film less than equal to its predecessor Borat. Bruno, as a character, was missing the gleeful ignorance that Borat possessed and was not nearly as likeable. Borat's journey was one of self - discovery. As he traveled around the "U, S and A" he was able to grow as a character and, by the end of the film, had changed into someone better than the prejudiced fool he was in the beginning. Bruno, on the other hand, stayed the same throughout. The static nature of his character was due, in large part, to the vapid love story between himself and his assistant's assistant Lutz. As a result we never got to see Bruno grow as a character, he just tried to be "butch" and go straight in order to get himself into some awkward confrontations with people. Speaking of which, it seemed as though Cohen made Bruno more confrontational with the situations he got himself in as opposed to the way they geniuely flowed in Borat. I will admit that there were times in the film when I turned away from the screen beacuse I thought Cohen was going to get physically assaulted by his intended victim. Those types of situations can be funny once in a while but to base an entire movie around that setup makes for uncomfortable moments when the joke fails to connect, and that happened more than once in this film.

Bruno shows that Sacha Baron Cohen still knows how to make us laugh, but the joke is starting to run a little thin.

Grade: C+

Red Eye: As if you needed another reason to fear flying!

A good cinematic thrill ride is hard to find these days. Either the thrills don't jump up and grab you like you are hoping for or you find yourself shaking your head as a plot twist so unexpected comes along that you cannot help but feel ripped off. Red Eye is not one of those movies, it's a film that actually delivers the goods and gives you the white knuckle experience.

While waiting to catch a flight back to Miami, Lisa Reisert meets Jackson Rippner. They share a drink and some conversation before boarding the same flight and eventually find themselves seated together. But once they are in the air Jackson reveals the true reason he seems to keep meeting up with Lisa. Unless she helps him in his attempt to assassinate the Head of Homeland Security, her father will be killed.

Although it started off looking like it would be another disposable romantic comedy, Red Eye quickly turned into one hell of an intense thriller. It dispensed with all of the unnecessary cinematic fat found in most Hollywood films and concentrated on keeping its plot, story and character development economical and yet so rich that by the end the audience felt like it had just watched an epic. Uber horror director Wes Craven did his best Hitchcock impersonation by first playing with the audience, making them believe Jackson’s good intentions, and then cramming them into that claustrophobic cabin where Lisa had nowhere to go and no one to call for help. In a movie that relied heavily upon two actors to carry the story and the action (and make sitting in a plane for a quarter of the film seem interesting) Rachel McAdams and Cillian Murphy delivered with performances that kept the audience engaged . McAdams as the strong Lisa, a woman who refused to be a victim again, brought depth and power to a role that could have been overshadow by that of Murphy, who conveyed the kind of cool hostility which made it hard to root against him. He was never over-the-top in his villainy, rather he subtly exuded evil via looks and gestures and that in and of itself was more chilling than anything most villians in other thrillers could do with guns and knives and a bunch of cheesy, throwaway one - liners.

Grade: B+

One Fine Day: A romantic comedy for everyone.

Ah, romantic comedies. Most men run and hide when they hear they might have to watch one of these things because, 1. There will be no extended action sequences and 2. Their wife or girlfriend will come away feeling cheated that their significant other has never done any of the crazy things the protagonist did in said romantic comedy to prove his love for the female lead. All in all, it seems like a no win proposition, but there are a few romantic comdies out there that (gasp!) everyone (including men) can enjoy.

Single parents Jack and Melanie have a problem. Their kids missed their school field trip so now they must tag along with their parents. But Jack and Melanie have important things to do so they decide to take turns watching over one another’s child. And as the day wears on, they begin to realize that there might be a romantic spark between them.

There were a number of things that made the film simply not another formulaic romantic comedy. First was the story, which moved at a quick pace and was absorbing. The audience was shown not only Jack and Melanie’s dilemma in dealing with their children, but the problems they faced at work as well. It gave the film a more realistic feel for Jack and Melanie couldn’t dump their kids off and go on with their days (a problem many parents, single or not, face all the time). Perhaps the best part of the film were the performances of George Clooney and Michelle Pfeiffer. Clooney excelled as Jack, the charming and immature father who had a laxed view on parenting while Pfeiffer was a hoot as Melanie, the single mom who wanted nothing more than to do everything by herself without the help of a man. Their chemistry on screen was undeniable and fun to watch. Altogether, this made One Fine Day an effective romantic comedy with more than enough laughs and happy endings for everyone.

Grade: B

The Day The Earth Stood Still: Not the crappy remake, the original

Remember that soap box I was on earlier about how remakes were just bad in general? Well, recently Fox decided that The Day The Earth Stood Still needed to be remade and decided to slicken up the timeless masterpiece with overwrought CGI, a story with more plot holes than you could count and the dude who played Neo in The Matrix Trilogy. Said remake turned out to be as putrid as day old sewage so my advice for you, gentle reader, is to check out the original, which is a classic.

A flying saucer lands in Washington D.C. and the alien onboard, named Klaatu, wishes to meet with every government on earth. He refuses to reveal the reason why he came until he can talk with the governments. After his request is denied he seeks to understand the people of earth and soon befriends a young boy and his mother. As the military continues to search for him he unveils his mission to a few, unsure if he will be able to deliver it to the world.

The film was not an action-packed thriller with a marauding group of alien invaders looking to conquer earth with their death rays. Instead, it was the tale of a peaceful alien attempting to teach the people of earth that their ways and methods of war and powerful nuclear weapons could ultimately lead to their destruction. Also the film carried a message about how man’s intolerance of those different from themselves and fear of the unknown were nothing more than destructive stupidity which needed to change. Far from being excessively preachy the films’ messages of tolerance and understanding were universal and timeless. There were excellent special effects and Michael Rennie’s performance as Klaatu was extremely convincing.

Grade: A

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind:Yeah, love is that complicated.

Let's be honest, everyone has had one of "those" relationships where you're never quite sure where you stand with your significant other. When the times are good, they are good, but when they're bad, it's like something your wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. But would you want to get rid of all the memories even after the good times stopped?

In Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind a guy named Joel falls in love with a girl named Clementine. Eventually though they split up and when Joel learns that Clementine has undergone a memory erasing procedure, so she doesn’t remember him or their relationship, he decides to do the same. But during the process, he realizes that he wants to keep his memories of Clementine and attempts to stop the procedure.

Jim Carrey’s performance as Joel, a self-doubting introvert, was human and terrific. It is such a switch from the way he usually acts that it elevated the entire film. He had great chemistry with Kate Winslet (who gave a good performance as the free spirited Clementine), and the rest of the cast was solid. The originality of the story along with the dialogue was another strong aspect of the film and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (who scripted Adaptation and Being John Malkovich) deserves all the accolades he gets for this screenplay. Michel Gondry’s direction was top notch as he takes us into Joel’s mind and then proceeded to literally rip away at his memories using a myriad of special effects and photographic tricks. The best aspect of the film however had to be that it was a compelling love story. Not ripe with the sickly sweetness you would see in a Meg Ryan romantic comedy, this film gave you a picture of love, the good and bad parts, and made you realize that all those experiences you’ve had in dealing with it, makes you the person you are and to take them away would turn you into something less than a human being.

Grade: A

The Hills Have Eyes: and you need to know that this film has a nasty streak to it!

Horror films are a staple of Hollywood but recently some of them have taken on quite a rough edge to them. These uber-gore fest seem to be more concerned with inventing new ways to realistically crack a skull rather than make the audience freak themselves out by pulling the camera away just as the monster approaches its victim. The Hills Have Eyes is certainly one film that did not hold back and wanted to show you every nasty little detail of its gruesome universe.

On their way out to California, a family takes an unknown desert road in order to save time and wind up fighting for their own survival against a group of grotesque hill dwellers who have devolved into blood-thirsty monsters.

If a gritty, no-holds-barred, gore-fest is what you’re in the mood for, then The Hills Have Eyes is for you. This re-imagining of the original low budget Wes Craven classic was so intense and unflinching when delivering its visceral ferocity that even the most harden horror film fanatic might have to turn away at points. The absolute beauty in which the film was shot only heightened the grisly nature of “The Hills”. The desert became something of an alien landscape, further hindering the family and aiding the hill dwellers. Unfortunately the film spoiled its opulent look by failing to capitalize upon it and tell an equally stunning story. These characters and the film's plot have been done to death (not only because it was a remake) by a million other directors and writers. It seems the only way to put a unique spin on a horror film anymore is to see how bloody you can make it, damning the characters and story to the background or sometimes dispensing with them all together. There was no grey area in the film, there were good guys (Bobby, Doug, Brenda, etc.) and bad guys (the hill dwellers), but to make an audience take a journey with those good guys it would have been worthwhile to make them believable and human instead of cardboard and clichéd. That didn’t happen here so when you get down to it, The Hills Have Eyes was nothing more than a faux snuff film that some of the ADD generation can watch over and over again in order to see their favorite death scenes.

Grade: C-

Children of Men: A glimpse of what might be...

Films, in general, do not have much to say anymore. They simply go about their business of (trying to) entertain the audience. However, a film like Children of Men is a rare exception for it not only entertained but also attempted to take a deep philosophical look at the modern world and some of its issues.

In the year 2027 humans can no longer reproduce and society has begun to rip apart as extinction seems inevitable. However, hope is rekindled when a young woman becomes pregnant and the responsibility of keeping her safe from the numerous factions who want her unborn child fall upon a despondent government officer named Theo.

Director Alfonso Cuaron gave the audience a terrifying glimpse into the future, one where playgrounds and schools were devoid of children and refugees were tortured and kicked out of the last country not knee deep in anarchy (Britain). It was a bleak and nihilistic portrait, but the most disturbing thing was the realistic way in which it was presented. Given the fact that we as people are facing things such as global warming, Europe’s population becoming older with fewer young people, intolerances of all types flourishing and Armageddon still only the push of a button away, it is hard not to be the least bit dismayed every time someone turns on the news. Those disturbing facts we face everyday made it easy to relate to Theo (a wonderfully broken Clive Owen), a man who long ago lost faith and had only been drifting along in life thanks to a bottle of whisky. But he rediscovered that faith when he met up with Kee, the pregnant refugee. Through her and the baby growing inside of her, he hoped to find mankind’s second chance at peace in the midst of chaos. And even though Kee eventually gave birth to her child, Cuaron was not above indicting modern man and his propensity towards violence. In one of the most surreal scenes, the violence between the government and rebel forces finally spilled into the streets, erupting into some of the most gritty and intensely filmed urban combat seen. But when people caught sight of Kee and her child, the guns stopped and for just that moment life was about hope and change. But as soon as she and the baby moved out of range, the gunfire (symbolically) started up again with man killing man in the name of something neither of them could ever truly understand. Intelligent and significant, Children of Men is not to be missed.

Grade: A

Bringing Up Baby: Blame it on film class

Before I ever stepped foot in a film class I thought all old films were the same. I thought my parents and grandparents would watch them so they could relive their younger years and point out to me that "this is the way movies should be, not littered with violence and bad language like most modern films." For the longest time I didn't believe them, but then I walked into my first film class and I was blown away by the classic films, like the one I'm going to talk about, we watched. I gained an appreciation for movies that were not bursting at the seams with CGI or curse words that would make even a sailor blush.

Doctor David Huxley’s life appears to be heading in the right direction. He has just received the final bone that will complete the brontosaurus skeleton he’s worked on for four years, plus he’s about to marry his fiancé Ms. Swallow. Everything seems great, until he meets Susan Vance. After the two share a series of unfortunate events, they head to Connecticut in order to deliver a leopard named Baby to her aunt.

The premise of the film was very screwballish, but the film itself was fun and entertaining. The main reason for that were the performances of the lead actors, Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn. Grant’s Huxley was a bit of a bumbler prone to pratfalls and other physical humor. He was a book worm, the type of character one would not have expected the usually suave Grant to portray. He played the perfect foil to Hepburn’s Susan. She was the exact opposite of David, free-spirited and wanting to have a good time at any price. When they were together on screen the dialogue snapped back and forth and it was hard to not laugh uncontrollably as Susan antagonized David into another precarious situation. It's a shame that more modern filmmakers cannot seem to duplicate what happened on the screen in this movie for director Howard Hawks gave the audience everything they could want in a comedy. Not only did you get Grant slipping on his hat, or Hepburn imitate a gangster's moll but you got to see those characters interact and actually build their relationship. They were not just slapped together due to some silly happenstance as is so rampant in a modern romantic comedy rather, they were allowed to figure each other out and grow so that when they finally did get together the journey they endured seemed believable and satisfying. Bringing Up Baby was a classic screwball comedy everyone could enjoy.

Grade: A

The Descent: (or why I'll never go into a cave ever again!)

Today's film audiences have acquired a sort of "seen it all, heard of it all" attitude toward movies and this is especially true in the horror genre. Think about the number of Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street and Halloween movies you yourself have watched. Now think about how pedestrian the scares and chills have become as each successive sequel has come out. You might start to wonder if there are any films out there that can actually scare you? I think this one might do the trick.

A year after a tragic event, six friends decide to go caving. However after they become trapped in those caves, their friendships are tested as they must struggle to find a way out and also face a horrifying terror that unknowingly stalks them.

Writer/director Neil Marshall was able to turn what could have been a cheesy and predictable horror flick into an absolutely terrifying white knuckle experience that had the audience pinned to their seats until the final credits rolled. He was able to do this by first creating a group of characters that the audience could identify with and feel for. It’s true that the group of friends was comprised of all women, but they were far from damsels in distress. Each had their own uniqueness and held their own against not only the natural elements, but the evil creatures they encountered. Marshall, paying homage to Ridley Scott’s Alien (an obvious influence on the film), only gave the audience noises and quick glimpses of those creatures in the early parts of the movies, building the tension to an overwhelming degree until they finally appeared and scared the bejesus out of everyone (cast and audience). The audience was so unnerved and on edge throughout due to not only the lack of light in the caves, but their cramped nature as well (claustrophobics need not apply for this one). The Descent will make you sweat, laugh, cringe, scream and everything else a good horror film should.

Grade: A

Alien Vs. Predator Requiem: This time, it's a bore.

If you ever wanted to see an example of a film that was not only horrible, but also succeeded in alienating its built - in fan base then look no further than this wretched movie.

The film picks up where the previous AVP left off, this time around the Alien/Predator hybrid escapes to earth and, along with a menagerie of other Aliens, begins to tear up a small town in Colorado. So it's up to a Predator to hunt them down and destroy them (along with anyone who gets in its way).

Herein lies the part where I explain how I could despise a film which featured two of my favorite movie monsters. For starters, the story was a mess and really had no narrative to speak of other than, "Alien fights Predator in sewer, Alien fights Predator in hospital, etc." The whole purpose of the film was to allow the monsters the room to kick each other's butts, which might work for some viewers but not everyone. It also didn't help that the actors (a bunch of no - namers that I swear the filmmakers snagged from a community theater troop close to where they shot this "masterpiece"), were just included to be fodder for said monsters. When they did try to deliver serious lines of dialogue it came off as hokey and just made you laugh. Finally there was the directing. My Mother always said that if you don't have anything nice to say about someone then don't say anything but I'm sorry Mom, I have to. The directors (The Strause Brothers) were uninventive, repetitive and dilluted. Even to the untrained eye it looked as though they simply reframed some of their favorite scenes from the previous Alien and Predator films in lieu of a fresher more dynamic look. In their minds I'm sure they thought they were paying homage to those great films, but it just came off as lazy and uninspired. They seemed to forget that what made those original films so good was the fact that every one of them was unique and brought something new to the table. Alien Vs. Predator Requiem was just a dreadful attempt at filmmaking which failed miserably at even being entertaining.

Grade: D

Public Enemies: It stars Johnny Depp, what else do you need to know?

I have to confess, I came into Public Enemies hoping to see another Heat (one of the best crime dramas ever made, which was directed by Michael Mann), this one set in the 1930's gangster era. With two strong actors in the lead roles (Johnny Depp and Christian Bale) and the man behind films like Collateral, The Last of the Mohicans and Manhunter (Miami Vice really shouldn't be counted in the canon of Mann) doing the directing, my expectations were high.

For those of you unaware, Public Enemies tells the story of notorious bank robber John Dillinger and Melvin Purvis, the FBI agent tasked with bringing an end to his reign of terror. The film certainly delivered the same kind of intense action that most Mann films are known for, with tommy guns and BAR's blazing every time Dillinger and his gang were holding up a bank or shooting it out with the Feds. Johnny Depp absolutely killed it as Dillinger, turning a true life criminal into a sympathetic anti - hero whom you not only rooted for and cared about but wanted to see survive until the last reel. Part of that has to do with the love story between Dillinger and Billie Frechette (played by Marion Cotillard). We learn that she is cut from the same cloth as Dillinger (raised in a broken home, never really done much of anything with her life) and, due to that kindred nature, she is able to bring out a side of him that makes him human. Sure the love story sub-plot is a tad clunky but it gives Depp the time and space to create a wholly realized character, a character whose every action exuded cool, confidence and believability.

Unfortunately, it dragged in the parts where Depp was not on the screen. Christian Bale's Purvis certainly did not help the cause for he seemed to bring little to no energy to the fray. He was more uptight and straight laced than a librarian on a Tuesday afternoon (it figures, the one time his now infamous temper should be on display, he holds back). The result is that your interest wanes when he and the rest of his G-Men are sharpening their sticks in the office trying to come up with new ways to stop Public Enemy #1.

It's true, Public Enemies is no Heat, but Depp and Mann make it a welcome break from all those big, loud and dumb summer blockbusters currently littering the multiplexes.

Grade: B

Borat: It's very nice!

Before the madness that will be Bruno hits movie theaters, the world was introduced to another creation of Sacha Baron Cohen named Borat. A journalist with a peculiar slant on things in America.

Intrepid Kazahkstani journalist Borat travels to America to report on the greatest country in the world. But that endeavor is soon pushed aside when he decides to go on another quest, to find and marry Pamela Anderson.

Forget the fact that there are so many golden comedic moments during Borat that an audience found it hard to catch its collective breath (the destructive trip to the antique store and the driving lesson he undertook are shining examples), the thing they should come away with after watching the movie is a new perspective not only on themselves but of foreign opinions on Americans in general. Borat's journey across the "U.S. and A" shed light on some vicious bigotry and hatred still present in the supposedly enlightened modern American society, bigotry and hatred that seemed just as bad (if not worse) than what was going on in his backwater home of Kazahkstan. Sure there were the over the top comedic moments such as when he found an interesting way to use the facilities while he was dining with some Southerners and his naked wrestling match with his manager was enough to make any person cringe but there was a method to Cohen's madness. The viewer who simply chuckled and didn't realize they were laughing at their own ignorance and bigotry missed the point to the film. Not only this, but Cohen also took a swing at Americans obsession with celebrity and beauty. After seeing Pamela Anderson in full Baywatch mode while in an American hotel, he became obsessed and that desire to take her led to the cross country trek. Once he finally met her however, he came to realize that those things that are truly beautiful are usually the things right in front of you, not former Playmates with plastic parts. His incisive look at America made Borat a great success indeed.

Grade: B

Closer: Wait, this isn't an action film?

I'll admit, if you've looked at my blog the bulk of the films I've reviewed so far have had a definite action/sci-fi feel to them. So I decided to step out of my comfort zone and tackle a film about something I know little about (according my last girlfriend at least) relationships.

Four people have their lives turned upside down as they search for love. Even though Dan has a successful relationship with his girlfriend Alice, he can’t get another woman named Anna out of his mind. And although Anna is in a serious relationship of her own, with a doctor named Larry, she still finds herself attracted to Dan. Soon they begin a passionate affair which destroys their other relationships. But can it last or will it end with everyone being heartbroken?

Though it started out like one, the movie was not another maudlin romantic comedy with a predictable storyline and absurd plot. It was a sophisticated look at adult relationships and not really a love story per se. While all of the characters were in search of love, they certainly did not find it. The bleak ending, to go along with dialogue that seemed to pop from the screen for it sounded genuine, gave the film a true to life feeling that most romantic comedies and dramatic movies lack. The performances by the actors also made the film a pleasure to watch, specifically Natalie Portman and Clive Owen. Portman was dazzling as Alice, a free spirited woman whose innocent looks hid an old, world weary soul able to control her life on her terms. Owen was astonishing as Larry, the good doctor who seemed like such a gentleman on the outside but had a deviant sexual side which flawed him. Closer was a brutally honest look at how love could be seen in many different lights, sometimes very harsh ones.

Grade: A

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines: No McG, three was enough.

It seems as though there is a lot of mixed emotion for Terminator fans concerning this film. They either love it (like me) or hate it (like my friends, who almost seem to question my sanity when I tell them why I thought it was a good film), there is no middle ground. One thing I'm sure they could all agree upon though, when you make a Terminator film, you should probably use Mr. Swarzenegger for more than just a virtual "cameo" appearance (see Terminator Salvation for an example of this).

John Connor thought he had stopped Judgement Day, but soon he discovers that was not the case. Once again the future leader of the war against machines is being pursued by one, a T-X model more than capable of destroying him. But he is aided by a familiar face in a T-101 Terminator model, (much like the one that helped him before), and a woman named Kate Brewster. Together they hope to once again avert the total destruction of the human race.

Like the two Terminator films which preceded it, Rise of the Machines was chock full of amazing gun battles, fight sequences and some truly astounding car chases. Arnold Schwarzenegger provided his usual Terminator-like performance and Kristanna Loken heated up the screen as the T-X, a terminator most men would enjoy being chased by (except for what would happen to them once she caught them, yikes!). But unlike most big budget action films, it had a compelling story to counterbalance the intensity of the action. The story connected elements of the first two films and expanded upon them as the audience discovered things such as the fate of Sarah Connor (John’s mom) and why Kate was so important to John’s future. Indeed John and Kate, and their adventure, were the main component of the film’s story. Both Nick Stahl as John and Claire Danes as Kate did outstanding jobs in making their characters believable and personable. One of the best parts of the film was the finale which could have caught some viewers off guard if they weren’t paying close enough attention throughout. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines was a triumphant addition to a fine series of films.

Grade: B

Casino Royale: The reboot they got right!

Hollywood reboots, they are a growing scourge these days with studios seemingly unwilling to take a chance on an original story. But sometimes, reboots work, and can breathe new life into a film franchise that had become a shell of its former self.

British secret agent James Bond has just been given his license to kill and for his first assignment, he must face a mysterious villain named Le Chiffre in a high stakes game of poker. If he looses not only would the money help finance terrorists, but he could wind up dead as well.

Truth be told the James Bond franchise had been dying over the past couple of films. On the watch of former Bond Pierce Brosnan the films were wrought with lousy stories, an over-reliance on gadgets or ludicrous villains and Brosnan’s oh so smug turn as the British super spy. With Casino Royale, a new era in the 007 franchise was born, one that concentrated less on jet packs, stealth boats and vacuous quips everytime Bond did something cool and gave the audience the type of action they have come to expect from the series along with a richly developed story and fully realized characters. Speaking of which, Daniel Craig, though initially ridiculed as the choice for the new 007, just might be the best Bond since Sean Connery perfected the iconic character. His Bond was a brute when he had to be, unafraid of getting his hands dirty when it was necessary and yet human and vulnerable enough to worry about how his life as a trained killer might affect his soul. That vulnerability extended to the female agent along on his mission, Vesper. Their interplay and dialogue was among the best in the film, making the fate that befell her all the more bittersweet. I have not even gotten into the stylish black and white shot opening, the breathtaking high wire confrontation Bond had in the beginning or the collapsing building on the Italian Riviera at the climax but the action more than matched the marvelous story and made Casino Royale a film you do not want to miss.

Grade: A

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith; The circle is complete (for now)

Fans all over the world were excited when George Lucas announced he would be making a new trilogy which focused upon the rise and fall of Anakin Skywalker, aka Darth Vader but after the release of Episodes I and II, even the most ardent faboy wondered if any of the new trilogy would come close to matching any of the original films. Revenge of the Sith was their only hope.

As the Clone Wars draw to an end, Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker finds himself at an impasse. His loyalty to Supreme Chancellor Palpatine is questioned by his fellow Jedi Knights and their apparent lack of faith in him and his abilities leads to his seduction by Palpatine to the dark side of the force. Anakin is then consumed by his new persona, Darth Vader, and becomes the ultimate evil in the galaxy.

The film was chock full of wonderful special effects and CGI work, but two sequences stood out above everything else. The first was the epic space battle which opened the film. Even when one was following the main characters of Anakin and Obi-Wan in their respective ships, it was hard not to become distracted by the other layers of action happening all around them. That battle was topped only by the climatic lightsaber duel between Anakin and Obi-Wan on the volcanic planet of Mustafar. This was the lightsaber battle fans had been longing to see and writer/director George Lucas delivered with more than ten minutes of the most insanely cool swordplay ever committed to film. That battle alone was worth the price of rental. And while the prior two prequels were remembered for their excellent special effects/CGI work and dreadfully wooden acting, Revenge had not only the special effects, but also some effective acting. Ian McDiarmid brought an evil glee to his performance as Palpatine and Ewan McGregor excelled once again as Obi-Wan. One of the most emotional scenes, Padme’s confrontation with Anakin on the planet of Mustafar, was perhaps the finest in all of the prequels for it dripped with actual emotion. The film was everything a fan of the series could have hoped for, complete with the births of the heroes of the original trilogy; Luke and Leia, and of the most feared villain in the galaxy, Darth Vader. There will be critics who bemoan the fact that this film had stilted acting, no real emotion and only good special effects but don’t believe them. This one delivered the goods on all accounts

Grade: A-