All About Evil

Local Maryland boy, Joshua Grannell, better known as the infamous Peaches Christ from San Francisco's Midnight Mass makes his big screen directorial debut with this gem. What adds to the movie is the live pre-show production at the AFI's Silver Spring location with Grannell performing with his drag queen cohorts for the 4D experience. Outside of the theatrics the movie is a bloody good time with plenty of horror to go around for horror fans old and new. The film stars Natasha Lyonne as our femme fatale, Deborah Tennis, who turns around the failing theater with her new horror themed short films that are all to real with other cult film icons like Cassandra Pererson, sans Elvira, and Mink Stole to fill out the cast. If you like horror then see this film made by a true fan of the genre but be sure to not drink the punch if you want to make it out alive!

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Takers

The trailer for this move has been out forever so it is about time this finally got to the screen. I wonder if any of the hold up was due to Chris Brown's troubles? Either way the movie is a caper movie with your current crop of popular young actors and rappers with Paul Walker thrown in for a little of The Fast and the Furious vibe for good measure. The plus is that Zoe Saldana is in the movie but unfortunately she is only eye candy which is a shame. This movie would be fine for an HBO late night action flick but is nothing to write home about event with the few decent names attached so save you cash.

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The Last Exorcism

Nothing says fun will be had at the old cinema like a good exorcism picture. Like zombie movies, exorcism is back in vogue and this latest film follows traveling evangelist Rev Cotton Marcus, played by Patrick Fabian, as he tries to help a local possessed girl with a few magic tricks and show that possession is not real but all smoke and mirrors. The scare factor is mostly off screen but Ashley Bell as the possessed Nell is very creepy and the coven-like ending sequence is a bit of a surprise. I like my horror movies with a little bit more in front of the camera but for a pseudo-documentary they got the look and fell right. Not a great scare but and ok movie that you may want to wait for on Netflix.

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Batman: Under The Red Hood

DC Comics has just released one of its most anticipated story lines from Judd Winick that brought back Jason Todd, the second Robin, to the DC Universe. The story starts out with the death of Jason Todd at the hands of the Joker, one of Batman's greatest defeats, and then follows the rise of a new Red Hood that is taking over the Gotham City criminal underworld by force. This time out we get Nightwing, voiced by Neil Patrick Harris, and Batman, voiced by Bruce Greenwood, chasing down the Red Hood, voice by Jensen Ackles, to save the Black Mask, voiced by Wade Williams, and his crew from the escaped Joker, voice by John Di Maggio. Another DC comics DVD gem that all comic fans should check out ASAP.

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DC Showcase Presents: Jonah Hex

We all know that Thomas Jane wanted to be Jonah Hex and even did a promo photo donning the signature scarring but the role went to Josh Brolin instead. Lucky for us, he did get to do the voice over for this short released with the Batman: Under the Red Hood DVD. He was also joined by the voice talents of Linda Hamilton, Michael Rooker and Michelle Trachtenberg. The short is quintessential Hex and the script from Joe R. Lansdale is very tight and dark. Don't forget to check out this DVD extra.

The Switch

As romantic comedies go this is an odd one to place. The story is about best friends Kassie and Wally, played by Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman, and how Wally drunkenly replaces Kassie's sperm donation but does not tell her about it until they reunite a few years later and the kid shockingly has the same mannerisms and hangups as Wally. There are some funny moments but the movie itself is not funny or really fun. I like Aniston and am a huge fan of Bateman's ever since seeing him on the sitcom It's Your Move but there is no chemistry between the two and I cannot decide if it is because of the two actors themselves or their two characters and that is how it should be. Skip this for date night because there are no points for seeing this movie for either of you.

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Get Low

Robert Duvall stars as Felix Bush, an infamous loaner and hermit, who decides to throw his own funeral before he dies but to attend you have to tell a true story about him. Bush has his own story to tell that is painful and full of regret that gets to the crux of why everyone either loves or hates him but no one knows the full truth or wants to. The movie is a drama but it has great comedic beats that are delivered with the help of Bill Murray, Lucas Black and the lovely Sissy Spacek. Duvall has a long list of memorable on screen performances but I do believe this to be one of his best and most honest. Be sure to check this move out before it disappears from the theaters.

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Nanny McPhee Returns

I loved the first Nanny McPhee film and this sequel does not disappoint at all. Nanny McPhee, played by Emma Thompson, is back to help out the Green family whose father, played by Ewan McGregor, is off to war and cannot help them save their family farm. Things get further complicated when the family cousins show up to live with the Greens and Nanny McPhee must get them to work together to save the farm. Other notable cast members are Maggie Gyllenhaal as Mother Green, Rhys Ifans as Uncle Green, and Ralph Fiennes as Lord Gray. Nanny McPhee is no Mary Poppins but I will take McPhee's tough love over Poppin's spoon full of sugar any day.

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Lottery Ticket

Bow Wow stars as Kevin Carson who wins the Lottery but needs to keep it hidden from the neighborhood until he can cash in his ticket after the Lottery offices re-open after the long July 4th weekend while avoiding the local thug who wants to beat him up. Black comedy ensemble regulars abound like Ice Cube, Loretta Devine, Charlie Murphy, Terry Crews, and Mike Epps with a little help from new stars Naturi Naughton and Brendon T. Jackson. The movie follows the formula set out by movies like Friday and Barbershop but it is still a fun ride. The best part of these films are the neighborhood characters and how they help each other and pull together as a community behind the local hero. A good movie that does not break any new ground but is a fun way to kill an afternoon at the movies.

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Vampires Suck

The Twilight saga has many parodies out but one finally makes it to the big screen today and how bad can it be? Well its big name stars are Diedrich Bader and Ken Jeong who I like and the film makers do follow the ridiculous plot of the movies and novels so I guess the only difference between a cult tween phenom and a spoof are the cast and the producers - and yes it is gloriously bad just like the Stephanie Myer shiny vampires.

There are a few great sucker punches to the source material as future plot points are given away, Jacob's pack is really a pack of gay chihuahuas, and father Frank likes inflatable women. They even take on the fact that key characters from the films where replaced a la Bewitched's Darren.

Like I said these genre parodies almost always suck but at least we get to see the smoking hot Arielle Kebbel as another vampire babe even if it was not as good as her role as Lexi in The Vampire Diaries.

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Piranha 3D

Remakes are the staple of the horror genre at the moment with 3D being the new marketing strategy so it was a given that a remake of a classic horror 3D film was going to have to happen sooner or later and today it is here. For this new outing we get better 3D, more tits and ass, and buckets of vibrant red gore that puts the original to shame even if the piranha are not really any more realistic with the CGI enhancements.

But this time out it is a prehistoric version of the classic piranha that terrorizes a lake front community as it is over run with students on spring break and the local sheriffs played by Elisabeth Shue and Ving Rhames are out to save the revelers with the help of Adam Scott and Christopher Lloyd as the resident scientists. But if they can save the spring breakers and stop the piranha will the threat be over?

Althought Playboy's September 2010 cover girl, Kelly Brook, is the red bikini hottie getting our tongues wagging it will be the head splattering demise of Eli Roth that will get my fellow horror fans howling - all a must see in my book.

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Carnivale

Since being on vacation this week I finally got the chance to watch this HBO series that I have always heard good things about and seemed to be up my alley. The essence of the show is a showdown between good and evil with a whole lot of gray in between where miracles can be done but a balance has to be maintained - in order to give life, one must take life. I have always been a fan of Clancy Brown ever since his role as The Kurgan in Highlander and his role as the corrupted Brother Justin Crowe was fun to watch unfold. It was great to see some of my genre favorite actors making up the carnies like Adrienne Barbeau, Patrick Bauchau, and Michael J. Anderson along with other mainstay and indie actors like Nick Stahl, Clea DuVall and Tim DeKay. Too bad it only got two full seasons but they did close the current series story arcs with a hook for a possible continuation which would have made for a really interesting start to a third season.

Click here to check out the series weekly lead in.

The Expendables

With the action star line up of this film you have to know what you are getting and it lives up to expectations. The story is good but it ain't Shakespeare, the action if violent and fun to watch, and each star gets their moment in the spotlight but with enough comedic banter to make it not seem that anyone was trying to out do the other. Jason Statham seems to be the one star to rise to the top with the best subplot and the most screen time. The barbs that are tossed back and forth between Stallone, Willis and Schwarzenegger are great and show they do have a sense of humor about their reps which is great to see. Kudos to Sylvester Stallone on another fun action film and hopefully the band will get back together again for an encore.

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Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore

Where as the first movie, Cats & Dogs, had the great voice cast and a really good plot for a kid's movie this movie's plot is really weak and the voice cast really cannot save it. This time out our villain Kitty Galore, voiced by Bette Midler, is trying to take down both the secret agencies of the Cats and the Dogs who must join together to stop the rogue former agent. The one hilarious highlight of the film is the return of Mr Tinkles, voiced by Sean Hayes, in a Hannibal Lecter inspired role to help the agencies bring down his unworthy successor. The best take away from the film was the Shirley Bassey cover of P!nk's Let's Get This Party Started - a great cover of the song hands down. You may get suckered in to seeing this by your children but remember I warned you first.

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Step Up 3D

As I admitted to my co-workers I do like dance movies - even the bad ones - and I have seen Step Up 2: The Streets so why not see this one. First off 3D adds nothing to the movie but makes the cool dance moves look cartoonish which is hopefully not what the film makers were looking for - not everything needs to be done in 3D people. One of my favorite characters, Moose played by Adam G. Sevani, is back in this sequel and his story line is the strongest one in the film and the dance sequence with Alyson Stoner in the street is fun to watch. The plot is nothing new and the focus of the film are the battles which are fun with the cool robotic slam sequence from the trailer still being my favorite. If you like these types of films then check it out but don't be suckered in just because it is in 3D.

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The Kids Are All Right

Annette Bening and Julianne Moore star as same sex parents with their oldest child getting ready to head off to college but before she can head out her brother wants her help to find out who their mutual natural birth father is much to their parents surprise. I was intrigued to see this movie based on the trailer and was glad that it did not disappoint. The movie portrays family in a very realistic light, with all its troubles and complications, but all the time honestly with gay parents making for an interesting perspective that is not really different from other family types. A good drama with great comedic moments that come up naturally from the situations. Thanks to Lisa Cholodenko for writing and directing a very good movie that everyone should make a point of seeing and hopefully they will enjoy it just like I did.

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The Other Guys

Will Ferrell movies tend to be hit or miss with me but I am happy to say this one hits home. Allen Gamble and Terry Hoitz, played by Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg, try to fill in the gap when the two super cops of their department, played by Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson, die in pursuit of criminals by ridiculously jumping after them from the top of a building because they think they are invincible. The rest of the cast includes Michael Keaton as the Police Captain who an odd second job, Eva Mendes as Allen's unbelievably hot wife, and Steve Coogan as the investment broker trying to save his own ass before those he has slighted can get him. For a comedy it has a good plot that holds up amongst the antics with a few good plot turns. If you need a good laugh and missed Dinner For Schmucks, this is a good second choice.

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