End of Watch

L.A.P.D. is all about dope, money, and guns and this film shows just that. The film is basically a snapshot of the lives of two officers who have to deal with the aftermath of going up against the Mexican drug cartel. Both Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena are creditable as boys in blue and make you feel like you are in the cruiser with them on patrol. There is no new ground traveled here or any great surprises but it is worth checking out. Hopefully this movie does better for Anna Kendrick then her other film currently out, Pitch Perfect.



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Pitch Perfect

Rebel Wilson is popping up everywhere and this is the second film she has out currently but instead of being the bride she is part of the ensemble in an all-girl a capella group trying to make it to regionals and then nationals to win the coveted trophy. Does this sound familiar to anyone else? Unfortunately, none of the singing can measure up to Glee and their winning edge is to perform a mash-up? Rebel does have some of the best one-liners but the standout performer has to be Brittany Snow as the only character that you are really routing for. If you watch the trailer below you will have seen most of the best moments in the film so you may want to pass on this and just watch an episode from the new season of Glee instead.



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Hotel Transylvania

Adam Sander and gang are back at it again with another animated "holiday" themed movie and this time they get it right. All credit for making this awesome movie has to go to Genndy Tartakovsky who brought us such cult classic cartoons like Samurai Jack, Dexter's Laboratory and The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy. The story is top notch, the animation is classically perfect, and the characters are hilarious. There is no trace of Eight Crazy Nights in this production. This is a great, fun, family film that truly shows how much fun Halloween can be for one and all at any age.



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In Search of Lovecraft

I am a big Lovecraft fan and it's great seeing new crops of low budget Cthulhu myth films hitting DVD and streaming. One thing you must have for a watchable low budget horror film is either an interesting story or good use of creative effects or some decent acting or great T & A but unfortunately this does not have one of them. I assume they spent most of their budget on getting Rachel Robbins to participate who stared is such soft core horror classics like Screaming Dead and Vampire Lesbian Kickboxers. What is the deal with all the lisping? If you like bad movies like I do you will just want to see this to see where the train wreck finally comes to a crashing halt.

V/H/S

It is good to see that indie small budget horror is still alive and well and that horror anthology films are still getting some attention. This film is well done with five vignettes in a wrapper story which adds a nice nuance to the title if you think about it. I did not see this in the theater but was able to check it our on Amazon VOD as part of their Pre-Theatrical Rental program on a large HD display. My favorite vignette is the first one and proves nothing can be scarier than those three little words of I love you. A must see for the avid horror fan with some nice creepy moments that pluck the nerves of some of us older fans who think they have seen it all already.



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Looper

Now that Premium Rush has already been released, we finally get to the other Joseph Gordon-Levitt movie about gangsters and hired assassins wrapped in a time travel bow. First off the story is engaging, very smart, makes you think, and still delvers a good twist ending in the most subtle of ways that will have you pondering it when you leave the theater. I have known for a while that Gordon-Levitt is one of the great actors for his generation but his dead-on acting and mannerisms really make you believe he is a young Bruce Willis. The make-up and effects to help achieve this are second to none and would surpass any of Dick Smith's best efforts. All in all a really great movie that delivers on all fronts so you will want to check it out.



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Shakespeare Theatre Company's The Government Inspector

Who knew the Russians could be so funny? The 2012-2013 season opening play is hilarious and features a boatload of STC regulars led by Derek Smith from last season's Much Ado About Nothing. The stage is impressive and the jokes just keep coming. When Hlestakov woes Marya to win a bet with his servant buy singing her a poem that ends in a rap - genius. Definitely make your way over to the Lansburgh Theatre for a great night of comedy and grab a lobster roll from Luke's Lobster before the show.

Click here to get your tickets to the show.

House at the End of the Street

Katniss is back...err Jennifer Lawrence...but instead of having to survive the Games she is trying to survive relocating to a new town, attending a new high school and that eerie house from across the way. The plot smacks of remake to this horror junkie and ground well traveled but at least we get Elizabeth Shue back from her starring role in Piranha. The acting is good and Max Thieriot does play on your sympathies for the ostracized kid much better than in his previous snoozer, My Soul to Take. The movie would be fine but suffers from the filmmaker's need to show you the obvious flashback moment that is not ever needed for anyone who has been watching the movie. Stop spoon feeding us these gratuitous end scenes that only give us the impression that you think your audience is not intelligent enough to get it already.



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Dredd 3D

Well it seems that fans of the original source material can now finally purge the bad taste from their mouths left by Sylvester Stallone's 1995 ham-fisted send up to the most notorious bad-ass judge to mount a lawmaster. It seem you can actually deliver the character of Dredd just fine with your helmet on for the duration of the film. Karl Urban's Dredd works while taking the character seriously with no need for camera winks or jokes made at the character's own expense. The 3D is used as a significant plot tool to elevate the film's drug elements and violence and not just as an after thought to add a surcharge to your movie ticket. I really enjoyed this movie and hope it makes big bank at the box office this weekend so we can all have a little more Dredd in our lives.



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Bachelorette

Mover over Bridesmaids it is now time for the girl of honor to step up or at least her entourage. This movie is funny and all of the bride-to-be's friends are hot just like in real life, right?. The scene stealer is Lizzy Caplan whose blow job discussion as viewed in the trailer just gets better in the film. Ilsa Fisher does have a nice rack and Kirsten Dunst does seem to feel at home as the bitchy and controlling friend. Thank you Amazon for letting me see this from luxury of my own couch.



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AMC Theaters presents...The Indiana Jones Marathon

It was great seeing Indy back on the big screen in a marathon movie session thanks to their release on Blue-Ray DVD. Blue-Ray is nice but one thing that the new format shows is obvious film overlays and super-imposed elements. This can get distracting but not enough to stop your enjoyment of the films. I have never bought in to the Blu-Ray marketing hype - DVDs will be gone shortly...long live digital download and streaming - but I may pick this up for some of my friends who would love to have this as a gift for Christmas or Hanukkah and possibly Kwanzaa.



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Premium Rush

It seems like this movie has been advertised forever in the theaters and now it it is just getting its big screen wide release. Maybe it was Joseph Gordon-Levitt's appearance in The Dark Knight Rises that final got this pushed along. This is actually a fun, fast-paced action movie brought to you by your local bike messengers who you really don't want to mess with. Not really date night fodder but well worth seeing in the theater at matinee rates.



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Resident Evil: Retribution

The zombies are back as well as plenty of former cast members in this fifth installment of the first person shooter video game turned movie. Milla Jovovich still looks good as Alicia and kicks butt but is starting to show her age a bit. As with the last film it is all about the 3D with enough plot to get you through to the next movie. Do not expect any great leaps forward in story telling here where it is mainly CGI visuals and wire work that shine through. The only thing missing at the end was the release date for film six.



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The Possession

I have been wanting to see this film ever since the trailer first popped up in the theater showing the fingers coming up through the little girl's throat in the mirror. I am a nut for a good exorcism film and it was refreshing to see one based on something other than Catholicism. Natasha Calis gives a great performance as the innocent girl being obsessed with and possessed by the strange wooden box she picked up from a local yard sale. Jeffery Dean Morgan is great too as the displaced father trying to understand what is happening to his little girl and willing to try anything to save her. Of all the different horror films out right now, this one is the must see gem for the ardent horror fan.



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Hit & Run

Move over Roger Corman, Dax Shepard is in town with his own summer car film.  Dax enlists his friends and his own car collection to bring us a sorta funny film with only one cool car.  Tom Arnold is no longer funny and has no range so why is he still showing up in films?  Kristen Bell is hot and looks great on screen but no real acting stretch here for her.  A matinee film at best but you may want to wait for it to hit Comedy Central and save your pesos.

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