The Ruins (UR)

"The Ruins" is sort of like a fast-food horror flick. At 90 minutes, the run-time is just right, as the movie goes along at a very nice pace, setting up the story quickly, keeping the characters in peril and ratcheting up the tension and then hitting a quick resolution. The concept, on its surface, is sort of silly: A group of tourists become trapped in a Mayan excavation site with killer vines, but it is pulled off believably. It is based on a best-selling novel, but other than the basic framework and the main characters, the movie pretty much follows its own course. The vines are, pardon the pun, very creepy as they prey on the young tourists, particularly feasting on any open wounds they could find. If the vines weren't bad enough, there is also a group of local villagers at the base of the dig site who make it very clear that they will kill the tourists if they try to leave. Finishing the fast-food analogy, the movie was fun, somewhat satisfying and did not require too much of an investment of your time. It also wasn't anything approaching "must-see". I liked it and horror buffs will also sort of like it, but won't exactly rave.

Grade: B-

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The Dark Knight (PG-13)

Unless you having been living in seclusion somewhere, you have probably heard all of the hype attached to this movie: Heath Ledger's performance, an epic companion to "Batman Begins", etc. Does it live up to all that hype and all those expectations? The answer is: Ab-so-freakin'-lutely! "The Dark Knight" opens very strongly with a bank robbery sequence and never lets go. Ledger's "Joker" is no cartoon character. This Joker is wildy sadistic and clearly psychotic. The violence is not sugar-coated in this movie. Ledger nails the Joker character in every single way. His delivery of the "WHY..SO....SERIOUS?" line is so chilling and horrifying, as he attempts to explain his background. He has no motives and seems to do the horrific things he does just because he has so much fun doing it. He is a self-proclaimed "Agent of Chaos", who thrives on disorder. One of the best parts of Ledger's performance was a scene in which he is being interrogated by Batman (Christian Bale), while happily turning the screws on Batman's psyche and own emotional issues. "See, to them, you're just a freak like me". The mind-play is reminiscent of the great sequence in "Seven" between Kevin Spacey and Brad Pitt, as one character revels in getting into the head of another. Great stuff. Now, aside from Ledger, there are so many good performances in this movie: Bale returns strong as Batman and Bruce Wayne, Aaron Eckhart as DA Harvey Dent, Gary Oldman as James Gordon, Michael Caine as Alfred, Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox and Eric Roberts as mobster Sal Maroni. There are many others as the entire cast hits all their marks beautifully. The run-time of over 2 1/2 hours is slightly long, but I can't really pick out any sequence that seemed extraneous or unnecessary. In fact, its pace is so frenetic, it actually leaves you feeling a little agitated as it draws to a close. There are enough plots points and story lines that it felt like an entire season of "24" compressed into 2 1/2 hours. It is all pulled off perfectly. I am officially a huge fan of the Christopher Nolan/Christian Bale "Batman". They are not afraid to explore the gritty reality and mental complexity of a man so obsessed with stopping crime that he feels the need to wear a bat suit at night! I'm not sure how they can top these first two films, but it will sure be fun to see them take another shot.

Grade: A

P.S. A quick theatre story: As we waited outside the theater on line, Nancy looked at me and said "Hey, you're not wearing a Batman T-shirt." I responded that I didn't want to go that far down the "geek road" (The fact that I HAVE a Batman T-shirt puts me well on that road already!). Literally, just as we finished this exchange, a theater patron walks by us in full Joker make-up. I turned around and said "Well, at least I would only have had a shot for second place."

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The Spiderwick Chronicles (PG)

If the past few years are any indication, there are only two sources of Hollywood movies: Children's book series' and comic books. In both genres, there have been hits and misses. "The Spiderwick Chronicles" is one of the former. While there is nothing really new here (ogres, goblins and flying lion-birds, oh my), the movie still manages to feel somewhat fresh and is very entertaining. The story follows the Grace family, who are dealing with the separation of the parents and the single mom (Mary Louise Parker) takes possession of an old family house to try to makes ends meet. Jared Grace (Freddie Highmore, who does a nice job playing twins) is having the most trouble with this new situation and has been a little rough on his mother. When he finds an old journal from his great uncle, Arthur Spiderwick (David Strathairn), and he begins to describe the creatures in their midst, they all think he is just "acting out" again. The story then follows this family on their adventure against these new creatures as they try to keep the evil ogre, Mulgarath (Nick Nolte), from getting his hands on the book. The movie was very entertaining and exciting, sometimes scary, but not enough to make it unfit for a younger audience. "The Spiderwick Chronicles" is one of the better entries in this genre. It is not quite as dark and foreboding as the "Harry Potter" series and does not have the religious overtones of "Narnia" and "The Golden Compass". It is more straight-forward adventure and very enjoyable.

Grade: B

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"Dark Knight" review coming soon!

We have seen "The Dark Knight" over the weekend. When time permits, a full review will be posted. Stay tuned to Gallagher Movie Reviews for my take!

The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (PG-13)

"The King of Kong" takes you behind the scenes in a world most of us probably don't even know exists, the world of competitive video gaming. I'm not talking "Madden" or XBox Live, but old-school arcade gaming and players who hold or are determined to hold world records for those games. Every story needs a villain and every story needs a hero, so whether it is the editing of this documentary to tell a story or not, they give you a hero in Steve Wiebe and a villain in Billy Mitchell. Mitchell has held the semi-official world record in "Donkey Kong" since 1982 and Wiebe is a down-on-his-luck family man who decided he wants to go after that record. Mitchell is quite a character: a cocky, wily gamer who has gone on to be a successful businessman, but still keeps close tabs on the world of competitive video gaming. Between these two stands Walter Day, the video game "referee" who has anointed himself the official scorekeeper of world records and is sort of partial to Mitchell. The story that unfolds is the classic theme of David vs. Goliath, the outsider who dares to enter this world to stake a claim. The "good vs. evil" storyline makes this a very entertaining documentary as we follow Wiebe in his pursuit and watch Mitchell continue to enjoy his mantle as the legend he believes he is. Some of his dialogue is so self-loving, it is hilarious. This film is for every one who pumped quarters into "Donkey Kong" (where "Mario" was born, by the way) while they whiled away an afternoon. I really enjoyed this and the classic games and the classic storyline certainly helped.

Grade: B

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College Road Trip (G)

The "G" rating should tell you one thing: "College Road Trip" is written, produced and packaged for the younger set. That is not a bad thing, but most adults will probably find the humor to be predictable. Although Martin Lawrence is the co-headliner, it is more of a film showcasing Raven-Symone. Martin Lawrence does what he can, but he can't really elevate the humor to make it satisfactory for adults. I suspect kids who follow her on "That's So Raven" would probably enjoy this movie, but I wasn't one of them. While it is funny at times, a lot of the humor seems forced, not the least of which is the inclusion of a "smart pig" as the family pet. It's not a bad time spent for families with younger kids, but that's about it. I would never have watched this on my own and I would not feel like I missed anything, but, for what it's worth, my 8-year old daughter laughed at all the right times. The brightest spot in the film may be Donny Osmond, of all people, who plays an over-the-top spoof of his clean-cut persona. Sure, the character is sort of predictable and silly, but it is one of the elements of the movie that actually works. So, basically, a pleasant family night if you have pre-teens, but otherwise, you won't really find much to love.

Grade: C-

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The Kingdom (R)

"The Kingdom"makes an effort to portray the complexity of the Middle East and our uneasy alliance with Saudi Arabia with an entertaining story as a backdrop. The film succeeds in doing just that on many levels. Not only is the story-line entertaining, but it manages to tackle this subject matter without being preachy and certainly without being black and white. The film begins with a terrorist attack on Saudi soil against an American contractors' family compound. The terrorists manage to do so using Saudi police uniforms, which also helps to build mistrust. Ronald Fleury (Jamie Foxx) is the leader of an elite FBI team who is pressuring his bosses to get his team in there to investigate. They manage to get that invite, but it is clear that they are not really welcome. Fleury's tense relationship with Sergeant Haytham (Ali Suliman) of the Saudi police serves as the microcosm of the American-Saudi relationship. Each of them is never quite sure he can trust the other. The film has great performances by Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman. Jamie Foxx, however, stands out most of all. He proves his acting in "Ray" was no fluke. So, in essence, you get a tense, entertaining drama with great performances and excellent storytelling, while at the same time getting a bit of a lesson on global politics, especially as it applies to the Middle East.

Grade: B

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The Bucket List (PG-13)

Take director Rob Reiner, give him veterans Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman and you really can't go wrong. Sure, this is another heartwarming Reiner film and Nicholson plays his usual smarmy wild man and Freeman plays his usual wise man character, but the performances and the script hit all of their marks. It is hard to imagine that you can take the story of two men with terminal cancer and make it funny and uplifting, but they succeed at doing just that. From a personal standpoint, some of the cancer scenes (hospital, diagnosis, etc.) hit a little close to home, but that does not detract from a very good film. Nicholson plays Edward Cole, a rich investor who specializes in turning failing hospitals into profit-makers. Freeman plays Carter Chambers, a working-class family man. The two of them are roomed together in an oncology ward and both learn that they have terminal cancer at around the same time. Chambers starts to write a "bucket list", things to do before you kick the bucket. It is full of idealistic goals. When Cole finds the list, he explains he has it all wrong, that he should have a list of fun, crazy things to do. Cole offers to finance this last hurrah and off they go. It is a journey of craziness and self-discovery that changes both men. For a cancer monie, you will be surprised how many laughs you get, but it is more a relationship film than an outright comedy.

Grade: B