Hamlet 2 (R-2008)

"Hamlet 2" is supposed to be a spoof of the "inspirational teacher" movies. Dana Marschz (Steve Coogan) is a drama teacher in a school district in the middle of cut-backs. One day, he finds his class filled with gang-bangers and thugs who showed up only because all of the programs they were interested in were cut. He sees this as an opportunity to "reach these kids" and teach them the magic of drama. Instead of the normal dramatic fare, he decides to write a musical sequel to "Hamlet". Of course, this sequel is full of politically incorrect characters and songs ("Rock me sexy Jesus", "Raped in the face"). The problem lies in that the movie is just not all that funny. It certainly has its moments, but there are just not enough of them to make the extremes in poor taste work. From where I sit, it is perfectly OK to go completely politically incorrect and "shocking", but...it has to be funny. For this movie, that test was just not met often enough. The one character that makes this film almost watchable is Elizabeth Shue as "Elizabeth Shue". Shue has a lot of fun playing "herself" as the school nurse who has given up acting because of her disgust with Hollywood. Overall, I can't say that this was an awful movie, but I can't say it was very good, either.

Grade: D+

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Seven Pounds (R-2008)

"Seven Pounds" is a SLOOOOWWW film, but is very captivating at the same time. This is the story of Ben Thomas (Will Smith), who is doing some very strange things as the movie begins which seem to have no rhyme or reason. As you get deeper into the film, you find he is looking for people that he can help in a big way. How he will help them varies and it is not at all clear why he is doing this, but it is clear that he is a tortured soul. When he meets Emily Posa (Rosario Dawson), he finds himself getting closer and closer to her and faces the dilemma that the only way he can help her involves never seeing her again. The movie lets you in on his motivation and his predicament piece by piece, building to the agonizing decision he must make in order to complete his objective. Will Smith gives a great performance and is much more subtle than much of what he is known for. I found the movie captivating from beginning to end. This is a completely human drama, taking place in the hearts and souls of the characters and not through any "dramatic" events. It is interesting to piece together what is going on with Ben Thomas as all of his seemingly disconnected actions start to click together and make some sense. Although it seems like Smith was gunning for an Oscar with this role, it does fall short of that lofty standard, but it is a very good movie nonetheless.

Grade: B

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Burn After Reading (R-2008)

As a follow-up to "No Country for Old Men" for the Coen brothers, "Burn After Reading" is quite a drop off. However, it is more typical of their style of film-making. This is sort of a silly re-make of "Fargo". The movie follows a cast of characters who mesh together in the strangest tale of espionage you will ever see. Brad Pitt is the centerpiece and gives a great performance as a gym employee who ends up with a CD containing the memoirs of an ex-CIA agent (John Malkovich), which is believed to contain major national secrets. He decides, along with a colleague (Frances McDormand), to blackmail the CIA for the return of the disc with the threat to sell it to the Russians. What neither of them understand is that they know nothing of the espionage game or who they are dealing with. George Clooney is along for the ride as a philandering government employee who ends up involved with McDormand's character and, therefore, smack in the middle of this mess. The appeal to this film is the cast, led by Pitt. Pitt gives an amazing performance as a complete airhead who thinks he is about to hit it big. McDormand is great and manages to fit these Coen films perfectly. Clooney is OK, but it does seem at times that he is trying to "out-goofy" Pitt. The performance that nearly steals the movie is JK Simmons (best known as J. Jonah Jameson from "Spider-Man"), who plays the CIA chief who is completely incredulous when he receives reports on all of the goings-on. This is a quirky-funny movie in typical Coen brothers fashion, but does not meet the level of a lot of their prior work, like "Raising Arizona", "Fargo" or "The Big Lebowski". I enjoyed it, as I am a fan of the Coens and a lot of the cast, but this movie is not for everybody.

Grade: C

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Wanted (R-2008)

If you have seen any of the advertising for this movie (including the poster shown here), you probably believe this is an Angelina Jolie action piece. In actuality, "Wanted" follows the story of Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy), a frustrated office worker who just can't seem to get anywhere in life. When an attempt is made on his life, he learns that he comes from a long line of assassins throughout history called "The Weavers", whose objective is to eliminate people who will become a threat to society. Jolie plays Fox, one of the members of this group who becomes Wesley's mentor. The action is completely over-the-top, "Matrix"-style, and if you are fond of the laws of physics, this movie is not for you. This is almost an office-worker fantasy piece as this lowly office worker finds himself tapped to be an action hero/savior of the world. "Fantasy" is the right word here as the action sequences are so completely over-the-top and unbelievable. Visually, however, it is definitely a fun thrill-ride. About 2/3 of the way through the movie, there is a great plot twist that would have M. Night Shymalan saying "Oh, so THAT'S how it's done!!!". Overall, it is sort of a silly movie, but is definitely entertaining, somewhat mindless fun. James McAvoy does a really nice job going from the pathetic desk jockey to the bad-ass action hero as the film progresses.

Grade: B-

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Borderland (R-2007)

"Borderland" is a horror/torture movie in the tradition of "Hostel" and "Turistas". I might even go so far as to say this was better than either one of those films. As the movie opens, we are shown two Mexican police officers who are finding the site of a human sacrifice cult and are given a good feel for what this cult is capable of. We then jump to three American friends, Ed (Brian Presley), Phil (Rider Strong) and Henry (Jake Muxworthy), who are about to embark on a trip across the border as a last "fling" before they enter law school. The mix among the group is fairly typical: You have the party animal, anything goes guy, the level-headed guy and the sort of pathetic virginal guy. After spending a little time partying and looking for women, one of them falls into the clutches of this cult. When the others figure out where he is, they make it their mission to save him. Unlike "Hostel", neither the partying or the violence are over the top. This is a much more realistic, creepy film. Sean Astin, of "Lord of the Rings" fame, does an amazing job as a psychotic American who has hooked up with this cult to help indulge his thirst for violence. He makes it seem like some kind of "serial killer charm school". This is a compelling, believable horror film and a solid story. Although the point of the boys excursion into Mexico is to, uh, sample the local talent, there is almost no gratuitous sex (unlike "Hostel", which sets up the first half of the film as a borderline porn movie). The story is the thing and everything in the film supports that. Yes, there is gore, but it is not over the top and used only to further the horrific actions of this cult. The cult members are appropriately horrifying. This is a very good film.

Grade: B

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Paul Blart: Mall Cop (PG-2009)

Kevin James continues the transition from TV star to movie star with a very funny performance in "Paul Blart: Mall Cop". James plays a lonely mall security guard who can not seem to pass the State Police physical tests. One of the kiosk girls, Amy (Jayma Mays), catches his eye and he decides to make a play for her. Amongst all of this, a group of bandits seize the mall, take hostages and are looking to obtain the credit card data from all of the stores. Paul Blart finds himself in the position to rescue the girl he loves by taking down the crooks one by one. After some early establishing material, some of which is very funny, the film settles in to a beat-by-beat spoof of "Die Hard" which works perfectly. James pulls off the physical humor very effectively and makes Blart a very funny, if not pathetic, hero. The movie was produced by Adam Sandler's production company and some of Sandler's signature elements are present: cast members you will recognize from any Sandler film and a pop music soundtrack that is fantastic. The humor in this movie is aimed at a family audience, so there is nothing too risque or controversial here. This is by no means a classic comedy, but it is definitely a good time at the theatre. I will disclose that I am a huge Kevin James fan, so perhaps I am biased, but a packed house was laughing out loud throughout the film. James made a smart move by hitching onto Sandler's team. Say what you want about Sandler, but the guy knows how to pump out hits.

Grade: B

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The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (PG-13-2008)

This review was almost very different. As this movie started, I was thinking of how "The Mummy" has managed to outdo "Indiana Jones" at its own game. Brendan Fraser is perfect in the role of Rick McConnell, keeping the perfect blend of action and humor to deliver an entertaining character. However, as the movie went on, it started to become apparent that there was almost nothing original about it and that many of the key sequences were lifted directly from one "Indiana Jones" film or another. You can't really "outdo" Indiana Jones if you are just redoing all of the material they have already done. The effects are great and the movie is pretty entertaining at times, but you can't escape the comparisons. I stand by the Brendan Fraser casting. He is perfect for these roles. He has the toughness needed to pull off the action stuff and has no problem with the comedic stuff. This could have been so much better with a good script. Jet Li is also underused in the movie as his character is set up well early on, but then not seen (outside of special effects) until the movie is almost over. So, we end with quite a schizophrenic review: An entertaining visual movie with some great moments that leaves you frustrated at how unoriginal it all is.

Grade: C-

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Freedomland (R-2006)

"Freedomland" is a movie driven by performances. Part "Gone Baby Gone", part "Do the Right Thing", it is a powerful movie fueled by escalating racial tension. When Brenda Martin (Julianne Moore) is carjacked while driving through the projects and informs the police that her son was still in the car, it brings down a rain of cops from the "white side of town" who have the projects under siege until they can locate and rescue the little boy. Caught in the middle is Det. Lorenzo Council (Samuel L. Jackson), who is heading the investigation while trying to keep the racial powderkeg from exploding. The more time he spends with Brenda Martin, the more it seems like she is hiding something. This is a riveting movie from beginning to end and Jackson and Moore give great performances. At first, Moore comes off as really annoying. She is shaking and crying, but takes forever to mention that her son was in the car, but as the story unfolds, she is able to convey the tension and stress that she is feeling. Jackson is solid from beginning to end, wanting to do what's right, while still keeping his "street cred" with the residents of the projects. The one minor critique is that Det. Council has asthma, which seems to be a throw-away character trait. He has two attacks in the film, but neither seems to have any effect that is relevant to the story. When I was watching "Resurrecting the Champ", it seemed like an Oscar-grab film for Jackson in which he plays a down-trodden character who looks and sounds different from himself to demonstrate his acting chops. THIS film, however, really shows how good Samuel L. Jackson is. The movie also features excellent performances by Edie Falco and Ron Eldard. Great performances, great movie.

Grade: A-

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The Chronicle of Narnia: Prince Caspian (PG-2008)

The first installment of this franchise, "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" was a fun fantasy film with interesting characters and a good storyline. For some reason, this installment attempts to become the new "Lord of the Rings" and falls well short. The first half of the movie is terribly boring as new villains are introduced and Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes) is also brought onto the scene. That is a huge part of the problem. Although the four kids we followed in the first movie are here, they have been reduced to mostly supporting characters in the quest to restore Prince Caspian to the throne of Narnia. In fact, it can be argued that those four characters did not even need to be in this film. It seems like this is almost a completely different universe with the "Narnia" tag just slapped on it. There is little continuity or connection to the first movie. By the time the epic battle begin, you have pretty much tuned out the movie altogether. Glaringly missing from most of the film is Aslan, the lion, and when he finally appears, it is too little, too late. Even with all of that, this may have been a very good film if the runtime was just tightened up a little. Not every fantasy movie needs to emulate "Lord of the Rings" (you could argue that each of those films were way too long, but I know the die-hard "Rings" fans would have my head for that comment!).

Grade: D+

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Resident Evil: Extinction (R-2007)

Movies based on video games are always a tough adaptation. For one thing, the storylines in video games are derived from the fact that they must be interactive, so translating them to a passive medium loses something in the process. With the "Resident Evil" series on its third film, it appears they have found a way to solve this dilemma. That solution: just have fun with the concept. This does not mean any of these are "good movies", but they are fun to watch and just the right amount of mindless. As the series continues, it has developed into "Night of the Living Dead Beyond Thunderdome". A weary group of survivors are traveling the country trying to find others of the same ilk to increase their number while fighting off the "infected", aka zombies. There is also a side plot about the scientist trying to develop a serum to "domesticate" the zombies to use as cheap labor. Needless to say, things do not go well for him. Milla Jovovich returns as the survivor/escapee from the Umbrella Corporation's labs who seems to be slightly super-powered. So, to wrap up, you have a fairly stupid, mindless movie which just has fun with its concept. It is not something I would go out looking to see, but if it's on, it's not a bad way to kill and hour and a half.

Grade: C+

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The Contract (R-2006)

"The Contract" is sort of a less intense "The River Wild". Morgan Freeman plays an assassin who is setting up his next assignment with his team when he finds himself escaping the police through the forest. At the same time, John Cusack plays a man trying to reconnect with his son on a camping expedition. Of course, those worlds collide and Ray (Cusack) finds himself trying to bring Carden (Freeman) to justice while still trying to protect himself and his son. The movie plays some cat-and-mouse as Carden's team is trying to get him free, but they may not all have the same motives with a lot of money at stake. This is a fun "pursuit" and chess game movie with the expected good performances from Cusack and Freeman (who, as usual, is pretty much playing Morgan Freeman). It is a good movie in a lot of ways, but the total package ends up being just a little better than mediocre. Without Cusack and Freeman in these parts, you basically have a made-for-cable movie (and not the great HBO ones!!).

Grade: C

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Resurrecting the Champ (PG-13-2007)

"Resurrecting the Champ" has all of the earmarks of a feel-good movie. Josh Hartnett plays Erik Kernan Jr., a struggling young sports reporter who can't seem to get any of his stories into the paper. He happens upon a homeless man called "Champ" (Samuel L. Jackson), asks why he is called that and he is told that "Champ" was once a boxing legend who has fallen on hard times. Kernan realizes that this is his big break and if he could write a feature story on "Champ", it could help both of them. As they spend time together, they become friends. All is sailing along smoothly and then, the story is published to great accolades. It is then that it all begins to fall apart. The story, you see, is not true. Sure, "Champ" was a boxer, but not the one he claimed to be and really was not much of a boxer at all. The film deals with the fallout of this mess as Kernan struggles with the mistake he made and tries to find a way to make it all right. It is an entertaining movie with good performances. Jackson, in particular, looks to showcase the fact that he can do much more than his tough guy persona. It is also interesting to watch the rise and fall of a journalist who forgets the most basic rule of journalism: fact checking. I enjoyed the movie, but didn't love it. It was really just north of mediocre, with Samuel L. Jackson being the biggest factor in rising above that. Josh Hartnett was also very good, trying to become a hero again in his son's eyes.

Grade: C

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Valkyrie (PG-13-2008)

"Valkyrie" tells the story of a group of German officers who plotted to assassinate Hitler in the latter stages of WWII. Much of the press has centered around Tom Cruise and his performance (or lack of same) and I think it detracts from what is actually a very good movie. For the record, Cruise was absolutely fine in this role. Aside from the fact that he makes no attempt to pull off a German accent, his acting is quite good. He is also surrounded by a slew of top-flight character actors, all of whom you have seen before, but none of whom are "names". The cast overall was fantastic and the story was extremely interesting. For someone like myself, who was not all that familiar with the real story going in, it is amazing to see how close these men actually got to staging a coup and pulling Germany from the clutches of a madmen. The attention to detail on the sets was excellent. My only "issue" with the movie was Cruise's look overall. Very early in the film, he is badly injured in an explosion, losing a hand, some fingers on the other hand and his eye. He wears an eye-patch most of the time, but sometimes puts in a glass eye. It is these times that it struck me that he just looks too damn good. If he lost his eye in an explosion, I imagine there would be some scarring in the area of that eye. Cruise's face looks absolutely perfect. That issue did not really detract from my enjoyment of the movie one bit, but I did notice it. I found this to be an "incredible true story", as stated on the poster, and very entertaining.

Grade: B+

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Hellboy II: The Golden Army (PG-13-2008)

Let me set this up for you: I'm a sucker for comic book movies. I enjoy the "Hellboy" character. I liked the original movie a lot. I believe this one was equally well made. Now, somehow, despite all of that, I found "Hellboy II" did not keep my interest. Ron Perlman was once again very good as Hellboy. He has a great knack for these characters. Having a big, red, cigar-smoking man with sawed-off devil horns is just plain fun and Perlman completely captures this character. In this installment, there is a mythical Golden Army once controlled by the king of the magical people. When this army is far more destructive than her ever dreamed, he splits up the town that controls them and reaches a truce with humans, keeping their two worlds separate. Of course, many years later, his son, Prince Nuada (Luke Goss) decides to find the separate pieces and break the truce. Of course, Hellboy and his team will have something to say about that. The movie is visually fantastic to watch and is actually a very good script. I think the element that was missing was that there was just not enough Hellboy. When he is on the screen, it is great fun as he is a "hero" that just does not take himself seriously at all. Also, they added a pregnancy subplot that really did nothing for the movie itself. I understand it was designed to give some depth to the character and his motivations, but it really didn't move the plot along at all. If you are a fan of "Hellboy" or Guillermo Del Toro ("Pan's Labyrinth": HIGHLY recommended by the way), you will definitely enjoy this, but it is probably not something I'd recommend for the mainstream movie-watcher.

Grade: C

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Eagle Eye (PG-13-2008)

"Eagle Eye" mixes elements from "2001: A Space Odyssey" and the Will Smith film "Enemy of the State". Obviously, it is a lot closer to "Enemy of the State" as it follows Jerry Shaw (Shia Lebouf), who finds himself under attack and being chased by Federal agents for no apparent reason and being watched at every turn. As it begins, Shaw is a bit of a slacker, a smooth-talking retail clerk who finds a cache of weapons in his apartment with the FBI busting down his door. He receives mysterious phone calls by a woman dictating his every move while manipulating traffic systems and other machinery to get him to do her bidding. He is joined by Rachel Holloman (Michelle Monaghan), who is also being manipulated by the same voice with the threat of her son's life. This is a pretty solid action movie, but as with most of them, you don't want to take it too seriously. It is a fun thrill-ride and it was definitely entertaining, but not high-brow entertainment. As the movie progresses, it becomes clear why Shaw is dragged into this situation, but I never felt like it was clear why Holloman was picked, other than the fact that the movie "needed" a female lead. The performances were solid and the action scenes were fantastic. Some of the plot points also seemed to be a bit of a stretch. Great fun, though. What can I say? I like this stuff!

Grade: C+

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Bedtime Stories (PG-2008)

I'm going to make a bold statement here: "Bedtime Stories" may be Adam Sandler's best movie. Yes, "Happy Gilmore" and "Billy Madison" are both funnier, but "Bedtime Stories" works on a lot of levels. It is laugh out loud funny at times, warm at others and shows some depth in Adam Sandler's acting while still preserving some of his trademark comic tones and voice inflections. Simply put, it is a very fun movie for "children of all ages". Sandler plays a handyman at a luxury hotel who was hoping to run the place one day when his dad originally owned it. While babysitting his sister's kids, he finds that the bedtime stories he tells them sort of come true the next day. They even manage to find real-world ways to come true (the raining gumballs are not what they seem). He then decides to use these bedtime stories to make some of his dreams come true, but finds it is not that simple. His efforts lead to some very funny moments as he tweaks his stories to try to manipulate results and cringes when the kids add their own elements, often horrific in nature. Upon further review, maybe it is not Sandler's best film. That may have been a stretch, but it is definitely a very fun time spent at the movies.


Grade: B+

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Leatherheads (PG-13-2008)

"Leatherheads" is billed as a romantic comedy or as an "old-time football" movie. It some ways it is both, but in some ways it is neither. Sure, it has the romantic triangle angle and it also has pre-NFL, no holds barred football. However, it has a subplot that sometimes becomes the main plot about Carter "The Bullet" Rutherford (Jim Krasinski), a war hero football star who finds his sudden fame is causing people to look a little deeper into his "war hero" past. Renee Zellweger plays the reporter following him and digging into his past, while fighting off the advances of Jimmy "Dodge" Connelly (George Clooney). Connelly is a football star in decline, trying to keep pro football afloat, who recruits Rutherford to the pro league. This sudden attention is a boom for the league, but threatens to expose Rutherford. Connelly goes back and forth from ally to adversary as he becomes jealous of all the fame that used to belong to him. Clooney directs and does a nice job duplicating the feel of old time movies in the way the characters talk and move. In fact, for the first half, it was almost disorienting and seemed too gimmicky, but once it settled in, it fit the atmosphere Clooney was going far. As you may have guessed, I found the war hero plot to be more interesting than anything else in the movie. That really didn't start to get going until the second half.

Grade: C

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