Jack Ketchum's The Girl Next Door

For a long time I have always said Bret Easton Ellis' American Psycho was the scariest book and movie I had ever read or seen until I just watched this film based on Jack Ketchum's novel which was based or inspired by a true story. As my friend Geoff always says, if the "based on a true story" tag line is there it is always a hook to see a movie but it seems most of the films that have this moniker are always horrific in nature. This story is about a young girl in the 50's who is brutalized and tortured by the woman and her sons that she and her sister are forced to live with after the death of her parents and how the neighborhood kids are pulled in to participate in the domestic violence. The movie could have easily just fallen in to pure exploitation but it does not cross the line and the moral outrage and the inability of our child protagonist to stop what is happening to Meg is truly heart wrenching. This is not an easy film to watch but it does show that the 50s where not the happy times that nostalgia would have us believe and is well worth seeing if you can take it.

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Let The Right One In (Lat den ratte komma in)

I have been hearing about this film for a while now and decided to pick it up Saturday at my local BestBuy. The premise is about a 12 year old boy who is tormented at school by bullies but finds friendship with the new girl across the hall who turns about to be a vampire who has been 12 years for awhile. A very unique movie that delivers a great coming of age story and shows that even vampires need friends and are not the glamorous or sparkling things that are the current craze. The English dubbing is a bit off but the movie delivers good horror that fits the realistic setting and does not require any effort to suspend disbelief. I recommend this film as a must see for all jaded vampire fans to show that creativity and good storytelling still exists in the genre.

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Clash of the Titans

1981's Clash of the Titans gets the remake treatment and opened this weekend starring new action thriller go-to-guy Sam Worthing, as Perseus, who must save Alexa Davalos, as Andromeda, and the people of Argos from the wraith of the Gods they no longer pray to. The story has changed a bit from the original film but still hits all the same core beats and is worth seeing if you are a fan of Greek mythology. Ray Harryhausens's classic stop motion has been replaced with new state of the art CGI and the new Kraken does look cool but the sentimental kid in me still prefers the classic special effects. My favorite part was seeing the Bubo cameo that may be lost on a lot of the new viewers but did put a huge shit-eating grin on my face. It did suck to hear that the new film was done in 3D only after the film was completed to bring in more money from the audience; so I passed on this and opted to see it on the screen as it was suppose to be seen and save my wallet an undue diet.

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Chloe

Not my typical movie fare but since I had the time to kill I decided to stop in and see this art house film of marital infidelity, betrayal and starring one of my favorite actresses, Julianne Moore. Catherine, played by Moore, believes her husband, played by Liam Neeson, is cheating on her so she hires an escort, played by the lovely and sexy Amanda Seyfried, to trap her husband and confirm her suspicions. A rather subdued movie but well acted and has an amazingly hot make-out scene between Moore and Seyfried. Seyfriend appears to be pulling a Gerard Butler and is the hot commodity star appearing in multiple films this year. A decent enough film but there are other films out that you may want to see instead and just wait to rent this one for date night.

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Hot Tub Time Machine

If you don't get the premise from the title of this film or the trailer, I can't help you here. Being a teenager of the 80's and a fan of the John Cusack classics like The Sure Thing, Better Off Dead, and One Crazy Summer, this was a must see movie for my generation. The comedy is good but not raunchy as is the norm for the current crop of comedies and it does deliver on the 80's tradition of T&A, spandex, and parachute pants. Hearing someone yell, "I want my two dollars", on the screen and in the audience met my expectations so I got my money's worth. Stand out comedy moments and laughs all come from Rob Corddry who rules fronting Motley Lue.

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How To Train Your Dragon: An IMAX 3D Experience

After getting over the sticker shock of the $10 surcharge on my regular matinee fee for 3D and IMAX, I really enjoyed this film and recommend it to every one as a real visual and story telling treat. The story is about a young viking who wants to be a dragon hunter like his father but gets derailed when he befriends and takes care of a mysterious dragon that he helps recover from the lost of a tail fin. The voice cast includes stars you would not expect in a typical kid film but an adult comedy like Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Kristen Wiig and T.J. Miller. The various dragons are really cool and fun to learn about much like my joy of reading the Dungeon & Dragons Monster Manuals from TSR back in junior high school - enjoyed the manuals more than playing the game. I will definitely be getting this little treasure for my movie collection when it hits DVD - maybe even Blu-ray.

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Bitch Slap

If you want an updated and cool twist on the Russ Meyer sexploitation flicks of the 60's then this movie has everything you want to see as repeated by Michael Hurst in the DVD extras with lots of "tits and guns". Our three femme fatales, Hel, Camero and Trixie, are played by Erin Cummings, America Olivo and Julia Voth and they are smokin' hot and deliver a fun flick with further plot twists a la Memento and The Usual Suspects. Besides Hurst there are plenty of cameos by your Hercules and Xena favorites like Lucy Lawless, Renee O'Conner, Kevin Sorbo and stunts coordinated by the awesome Zoe Bell. Besides the wood-inducing trailer, I knew this was going to be a great movie when the clips shown during the opening credits rolled by with classic scenes from all of the great B-movies from my youth that I was not allowed to watch until I was older. A balls out fun film and a definite must see for all guys who have not had their man card punched in a while,

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Justice League: Crisis On Two Earths

DC Comics brings us a new straight to DVD movie featuring the Justice League and a tale of the DC multiverse where they are recruited by a "good" Lex Luther to help take down criminal superheroes from a parallel earth. The voice talents include William Baldwin as Batman (really?), Mark Harmon as Superman, and Chris Noth as Lex Luthor with James Woods as Owlman and Gina Torres as Superwoman. Any DC story dealing with the "mirror mirror" version of the Justice League always seemed lacking to me in the comics and unfortunately the movie suffers the same fate. Why could DC not keep with the actors who have voiced these characters well in the past? The best reveal in the film is how Wonder Woman gets her invisible plan and the DVD extra, DC Showcase: The Spectre written by Steve Niles, made a better film then the DVD's namesake.

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The Bounty Hunter

Gerard Butler is a bounty hunter who is tasked with taking his bail jumping ex-wife, played by Jennifer Aniston, to jail but things get complicated when he finds out she may be actually telling the truth about a faked suicide and a police cover up. The chemistry between the two is OK but not really convincing. The best laughs are to be found in the trailer with Christine Baranski giving the movie a touch of class as the lounge singer mother of Aniston. Will 2010 be another high profile year for Butler? Only time will tell but let's hope the rest of the year is filled with the action films he does well.

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Diary of a Wimpy Kid

The trailer for this movie hooked me from the start. The kids are adorable and the depiction of middle school bullies, cooties, and the "cheese touch" are hilarious. Steve Zahn and Rachel Harris play the parents of our wimpy kid and make me wish my parents where that much fun when I went to ol' Central Junior High School. Chloe Moretz, who will be staring in Kick-Ass as Hit-Girl later this summer, plays the older and wiser school reporter who documents our wimp's exploits to be the number one kid in his grade but just fails miserably. A fun movie for the kids that will bring back bitter sweet memories for the parents - check it out.

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Repo Men

Early critics of this movie did not seem to like it because of the violence and the blood but what did they expect from the film? The story is about two friends, Jake and Remy, played by Forest Whitaker and Jude Law, who repossess artificial body parts from clients who have defaulted on their payments - of course it is going to be violent and bloody! The story is interesting and has potential but the climax is unsatisfying but to be expected. Liev Schreiber plays a great asshole an steals all the scenes he is part of. The movie is worth checking out but too bad it is not a must have for my movie collection regardless of the red stuff.

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Green Zone

Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon have teamed back up to bring us this new political action thriller based on the US's efforts to locate Iraq's WMDs, or weapons of mass destruction. Unfortunately, this movie is nothing like the successful Bourne films and the political intrigue is dumbed down and spoon feed to the audience. The film is rather meh to be honest and forgettable which does a real disservice to the subject matter. How about just giving us another Bourne film because that is what we wanted anyway and were lead to believe from the trailers. Definitely wait to see this on cable and save yourself the price of admission.

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She's Out of My League

Jay Baruchel, from Knocked Up and Tropic Thunder, stars as the an average guy who lucks in to a relationship with a "hard 10" played by Alice Eve to the surprise and ribbing of his close friends and family. Jay and Alice make a cute couple and the story has some very funny moments but it does not make it to the the level of There's Something About Mary. The trailer leads you to believe the movie would be a bit more raunchy but it tops out as a feel good movie. I enjoyed the film and look forward to seeing Alice Eve again on the big screen. Another highlight was seeing Debra Jo Rupp from That 70's Show but I wish her part was bigger because she is always funny and fun to watch.

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Alice in Wonderland 3D (2010)

I must say I have never been a fan of the Alice in Wonderland movies I had seen or have I ever read the actual books those movies were based on but if Tim Burton was doing a new film then I needed to see it. Luck had it that I got to see this opening night in 3D with a group of my good friends in celebration of floogee's birthday - Happy Birthday Mike - and also an impossible thing happened that night in that this was the first film we had all seen with our friend Abigail that see actually liked! The effects were amazing in 3D and the story was very engaging with Johnny Depp's Madhatter retelling of the Jabberwocky tale the highlight of the film for me. All of the Tim Burton faithful where in the audience and were as happy with film as we were. The film is truly a marvel and a must see for everyone - especially in 3D!

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Cop Out

I am a huge fan of Kevin Smith's and was looking forward to this film until I found out it was not written by him but that he was just directing it for the "paycheck". There are a few funny moments in the film but after the opening interrogation scene they are few and far between and the film just lacks the dialogue you would expect in a Kevin Smith project. There where plenty of people in the theater when I went and they were laughing at scenes that I just could not find any humor in. The stars abound in the film which included Bruce Willis, Tracy Morgan, Kevin Pollack and Sean William Scott but none of their performances really clicked with me and Adam Brody was the worst. Skip this movie and check it out on cable - you will be thanking me later.

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The Crazies

If you cannot come up with an original horror movie idea then your safe bet is to go to the well of a master who has has done it all before and "re-image" or remake one of his. So far, remakes of George A. Romero films have been paying off well for younger directors and let's hope they continue to do so. The story is that town folks have been going crazy and killing each other and the government is stepping in to lock down the town for the citizens own protection but with all Romero stories this is never the case. The new film stars genre favorites Timothy Olyphant and Radha Mithell with relative newcomers Joe Anderson and Danielle Panabaker as a last remaining town members trying to get out of the city and away from the government that is set on killing them to hide their secret. Horror fans should be pleased with the fast pacing and appropriate levels of gore - check it out.

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Crazy Heart

Jeff Bridges stars as Bad Blake in the twilight years of country music career who is scrapping by going from one small time gig to another subsisting on whiskey, one-night stands, and a beat up pickup truck. But as he is going from town to town he falls for a local journalist and tries to start a relationship that is doomed to fail. Bridges is great and seems to channel the very soul of Merle Haggard who the story is supposedly based on. Maggie Gyllenhaal is the local love interest but other cast members include Robert Duvall as an elderly bartender and Colin Farrell as Tommy Sweet, Bad Blake protege whose star is surpassing his mentor's. This is one of Jeff's finest performances in a long time and definitely worth the Oscar buzz he is getting.

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Valentine's Day

A sappy movie with an all star cast directed by Garry Marshall. Not sure how many boyfriends and husbands got subjected to this but based on the box office it does not seem like many had to endure it. Plus side was that it did have a few of my favorite hot actresses like Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Jennifer Garner, and Anne Hathaway. The funniest part of the movie was Anne Hathaway's phone sex operator business while Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner where just plain annoying. Stick with flowers and chocolate this year and avoid this flick if you want to make through to another Valentine's Day together.

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Shutter Island

Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio are back together to bring us a mystery about the disappearance of an inmate from an insane asylum for the criminally insane. The story unfolds in the finest traditions of Alfred Hitchcock and Stanley Kubrick with plot twists, misdirection and genuine scenes of graphic horror you would not typically see from a Scorsese film. DiCaprio delivers his best performance to date with a supporting cast that includes Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Max Von Sydow, Ted Levine, and Patricia Clarkson. This movie is great and a must see for all Scorsese fans to see a true master at the top of his craft. Now we just need to see what Scorsese can do with a musical or sci fi film.

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Brooklyn's Finest

Antoine Fuqua, who brought us Training Day and Shooter, is back with his newest cop drama where the line between doing what is right and what is wrong has never been more obscure. I lucked in to an advanced screening of the film with the director and Wesley Snipes on hand afterward for a little Q & A but I opted for half-smokes from Ben's Chili Bowl across the street instead of the Q & A. The movie was good but deliberately paced and a bit slow in spots. Richard Gere was interesting as the retiring cop who just wanted to make it to retirement alive while Don Cheadle and Ethan Hawke both delivered power performances as the long under cover cop who is losing is family and the cop who can not get enough money to support his family except from the leftover cash during drug busts. Wesley Snipes was good too but his role was more understated that you would expect and not the break out performance as some critics where saying.

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The Wolfman

Of all of the Universal monsters, my favorite has always been the Wolfman and upon hearing that a remake of the classic tale was being done with a cast that included Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Hugo Weaving with creature makeup done by Rick Baker there was no way I was not seeing this as soon as humanly possible. Homages to the original film are as pervasive as I had hoped and the werewolf makeup just fantastic. There is a deeper story than found in the original film and the acting was all top notch but I did see the plot twists coming and could not have cared less. It was great seeing the classic monsters of my youth treated with the respect they deserved unlike in the ridiculous mashup called Van Helsing. Now I hear a remake of the Creature from the Black Lagoon is due in 2011 - as Stimpy would say - JOY!

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From Paris With Love

Luc Besson, who brought us the action thriller classics like Nikita, Leon, and The Fifth Element, brings us a new story starring a bald but cool bad-ass played by none other than John Travolta. Travolta plays the American spy come to stop a terrorist plot in Paris with the aid of a reluctant ambassador's aid played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers who discovers he is a key asset in the terrorist's plot. Travolta's performance steals the show and is a joy to watch on screen as he chews up the scenery with either fist fights, gun play, explosions or chase sequences. Besson films are always fun to watch unfold and worth the price of admission. Although not Besson's strongest story, Travolta more than makes up for this and redeems himself well after such a lackluster performance in Old Dogs.

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Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

Another popular children's book series gets the big screen treatment by Chris Columbus but this time out it focuses on the Greek gods and their human offspring better known as Titans. Our story deals with Percy, the hidden son of Poseidon, who has been tasked with retrieving Zeus's missing lightning bolt before the gods go to war and destroy the earth in the process. The cast includes Sean Bean as Zeus, Pierce Brosnan as Chrion, Rosario Dawson as an amorous and bored Persephone, Uma Thurman as the deadly Medusa, and Kevin McKidd as Poseidon. The movie has great effects and the story is pretty good too. Studio's are looking for the next big thing to fill in the void that will be created by the last installment of the Harry Potter franchise and I am not sure this series will be up to the task. Either way, this is definitely one of the better family films out right now and it will keep the kids happy and the parents entertained.

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When In Rome

Mark Steven Johnson, the director of Ghost Rider and Daredevil, takes a crack at the romantic comedy staring fanboy favorite actress Kristen Bell as Beth who is trying to find the right guy who she can love more than her work. While in Rome for her sister's wedding, Beth retrieved a few coins from the fountain of love causing her to be pursued, or stalked, by a quirky group of suitors that include a sausage king played by Danny DeVito, a self-absorbed male model played by Dax Shepard, a street magician played by Jon Heder and a want-a-be struggling painter played by the ever funny Will Arnett. The pleasant surprise for me was seeing Kate Micucci, of Garfunkel & Oates, playing Beth's co-worker and friend who I was recently introduced to by either @therealereed or @reesah. As romantic comedies go it is not the greatest but it does have some very funny moments that makes it worth seeing. But if you want a really good laugh thanks to Kate, check out this video - Pregnant Women are Smug.

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Edge of Darkness

Mel Gibson is finally back on the big screen this week acting instead of directing and it is about time. Mel plays Thomas Craven, a homicide detective, whose daughter is accidentally murdered in a revenge hit on the detective but as the story unfolds it seems his daughter was the real target after all. Ray Winstone, who voiced Robert Zemeckis's Beowulf, costars as the dark government operative who plays by his own rules and has not made up his mind whether to help or hinder Craven's investigation. Nobody does revenge or anguish better than Mel and this role is by no means a stretch for him but it is fun to watch him go through the paces. A good film noir that is set in current headline events and intrigue.

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Tooth Fairy

I did not intend to see this film but the timing worked so I could get to see the other movies on my schedule for the day, Edge of Darkness and When In Rome. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson stars as Derek Thompson an aging hockey player that unfortunately dashes kid's hopes and dreams because he let his slip away due to an old injury. The movie has some great hockey hits as you would expect with the Rock and is a kids movie through and through. The cast includes Julie Andrews as the head of the Tooth Fairy department, Seth MacFarlane as a scamming Fairy with counterfeit supplies for sale, and Stephen Merchant as Derek's case worker who has "wing envy". One of the better kids films out right now that will give dads a few sight-gag induced laughs and moms the joy of the Rock shirtless - enjoy.

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Suicide Girls: The First Tour DVD

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Legion

After a last minute IT emergency, I just barely made it in time to see this film with @therealereed who met me at the theater with dinner from Chick-fil-A in hand - best friend ever! This movie was much better than we expected and we both really enjoyed it. Paul Bettany stars as the archangel Michael who refuses to carry out an order that he does not believe in to save the life of a single unborn child and possibly the whole human race from a God who has lost faith in his own creation again. The scares are very good and the special effects are top-notch with a cameo by Doug Jones as the freaky ice cream man. Although not quite a horror film to me, the film is well worth seeing just for the fight sequences between the archangels Michael and Gabriel alone.

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The Lovely Bones

Peter Jackson's film adaption of Alice Seybold's best seller has finally made it to screen and it is visually stunning as expected and the story is still very good if softened from the novel for the screen. As a last minute fill-in for the role of the father, Mark Wahlberg seems to do a fine job but the paid critics seem to not like his performance at all. The story is about Susie Salmon, played by relative newcomer Saoirse Ronan, who is killed by a neighborhood pedophile and must reconcile her life and that of her family by hopefully helping solve her murder from the "in between" so she can pass on. Stanley Tucci is terrifying as the pedophile and really sucks in the audience to his skewed world view and obsession that he cannot keep in check and is preparing to let loose again. Jackson really knows how to get every ounce of emotional tension from a scene - check this out if you have the time.

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The Spy Next Door

Jackie Chan is back as Bo Ho, an Undercover spy, who is trying to win over the children of the neighbor woman he is dating while not being discovered as a spy. Of course this does not last long and the Q like props come out and the over the top family-friendly fight sequences begin. The best part of this movie is the opening clip sequence of Jackie's past movies showing him as a spy. Supporting roles are fleshed out with Disney go to family guy Billy Ray Cyrus and George Lopez in very forgettable roles. Try to avoid this movie if you can until it shows up on the Disney Channel.

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Leap Year

Amy Adams stars in this romantic comedy about a girl, Anna Brady, who flies to Ireland to purpose to her boyfriend based on an old Irish legend. The premise is very weak and the comedy meager. The other drawback is that the chemistry between Anna and Jeremy, her current boyfriend played by Adam Scott, and between Anna and Declan, her new love interest played by Matthew Goode, is almost non-existent. No chemistry makes for a lackluster romantic comedy. Unfortunately this is a lame movie for a very talented actress so save your money and pass on this unless you are a die hard Adams fan.

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Book of Eli

Albert and Allen Hughes's post-apocalyptic film starring Denzel Washington as a mysterious loner, Eli, who is on a quest to save a mysterious book from those in his path who would take it for themselves and overpower others with it, has made it to the screen. The cast includes Gary Oldman as the town's big boss who is trying to get his hands on any book he can find, Mila Kunis as the local bar maid who wants to learn from Eli how to survive, and Jennifer Beals as the boss's kept woman and mother of the bar maid. As one critic said, are there any post-apocalyptic films that aren't washed out and gray? I have to agree that this has been over done but it still works for this film. A descent film but I still have no idea way this kept getting pushed back for actual release and the twist makes the film even more poignant.

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Daybreakers

Finally a vampire movie that has blood, a real story beyond teenage hormones, and the vampires are the opposite of sparkly. Ethan Hawke plays Edward Dalton, a vampire hematologist, who is working against the clock on a human blood substitute before the world's supply disappears in the next thirty days in a world filled with vampires and only a few remaining humans. The blood and gore is not gratuitous but when the scenes come up an orgy of blood abounds and it rocks. Sam Neill and Willem Dafoe play the head corporate vampire in charge of the remaining human blood supply and a former vampire who was cured in a bizarre automobile accident respectively. In the finest tradition of George A. Romero's Dead films, the social commentary abounds and makes for a very a good film that I think all would enjoy - except Abigail.

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The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

Terry Gilliam and Heath Ledger's film is out and continues to confirm Gilliam's standing as a cult maverick director with a unique fantastical vision. The story is about a series of bets between Dr. Parnassus, played by Christopher Plummer, and Mr. Nick, played by Tom Waits, for the doctor's first born when she turns sixteen and the traveling show where the audience gets to choose between the the forces of light and dark in exchange for their souls. Tony, played in the real world by Heath and in the Imaginarium by Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell, joins the show and his own mysterious past is revealed. Although not as good as The Adventures of Baron Munchausen and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, the film is still vintage Gilliam and a must see for his fans. Tony was Heath's last film role and he will be remember for it but it still does not surpass his Oscar winning performance in The Dark Knight.

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Youth In Revolt

This film had a good trailer but with Michael Cera's last film, Year One, being a total waste I was hesitant on seeing this until I was handed a free screening pass. Being pleasantly surprised, I found the film was funny, darkly satirical, and brimming with teen hormones run amuck. There are not enough films based in trailer parks these days. Portia Doubleday was great as Sheeni Saunders, the focus of Nick Twisp's affections, hopeful taker of Nick's virginity as the very mature daughter of a local preacher. Cera's hits comedy gold this time out and it is very much worth the price of admission.

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The Road

Technically this was the second film for me in 2010 - the first being a repeat viewing of Sherlock Holmes - and to say it is a dismal story is being kind but it is a good film. A film that could easily shortcut itself in to horror manages to escape this trap by treating the more horrific elements as matters of existence and what you would expect to happen at the "end of the world". Viggo Mortensen turns in an Ocsar worthy performance as the father trying to save his world, or his son, after the loss of his wife. No spoilers here but I am still in awe of Charlize Theron, arguably one of the most beautiful starlets in Hollywood, who still pushes off the the glamor roles to play more realistic and unflattering roles and does them well. And for those who have followed Viggo's career, there is a cameo by Robert Duvall for the Western fans and the ladies get to see Viggo's bare ass again but it is not as enjoyable a scene as in Eastern Promises.

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Sherlock Holmes

First things first, the Iron Man 2 trailer on the big screen looked fantastic and I cannot wait to see the movie when it opens on May 7th, 2010.

Guy Ritchie, the cult favorite direct behind such gritty, hardcore, action films like Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, brings us an updated and adrenaline fueled re-imagining of the world's most infamous detective. Holmes and Watson, played by Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, are supposedly going their separate ways when their last case comes back to haunt them as Lord Blackwood seems to have risen from the dead to take revenge on London. All the elements you love being a fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's creation are here but tweaked to ramp up the pace and cement the duo's friendship. I could have done with a few more sexy scenes with Rachel McAdams but it looks like all of them were accounted for in the trailer. The film is fun and a must see for all Downey fans making it a worthwhile Christmas Day movie event.

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Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel

As the movie title states it is a squeakquel and all of the stops are pulled out. Those stops of course being the appearance of The Chipettes voiced by none other than Christina Applegate, Anna Farris - luv her - and Amy Poehler. Alvin causes trouble, there is a rift between the boys while Dave is recuperating in a hospital, a musicical competition is on the line and the Chipmunks and Chipettes band together to save the day and their school. The plot is a given for anyone over the age of ten but who does not love a signing Chipmunk? My niece Morgan will love this film when she finally gets to see it and it was an OK diversion for me as I wait to go to my best friends's house for the holiday.

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Happy Holidays to one and all!

Did You Hear About the Morgans?

I walked in to see this movie because it was there and it was not going to cost me anything except my time. The chemistry between Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker is non-existent and the the comedy painful and best served by the trailer. The only saving grace for me in this film is Sam Elliott and Mary Steenburgen - who I can watch in anything - as the Wheeler's who must protect our witness relocated couple. No matter how much your date loves SJP and Sex In The City, skip this film and go see Up In The Air. You will be thanking me later.

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Up In The Air

Jason Reitman, the director of Thank You for Smoking and Juno, brings us a comedy drama dealing with a traveling corporate killer, played by George Clooney, who is being pulled from the field due to budget cuts but gets one last reprieve as he must mentor a new start colleague, played by Anna Kendrick. The movie seems appropriate for the times we are living in and the comedy moments involving Ryan Bingham's travel rules of the road are hilarious. Vera Farmiga plays a traveling love interest for Clooney who shares in his travel obsession who is too perfect to be true. Clooney is always good and gives a great performance here but I don't think it is Oscar award winning worthy. A good date movie and an alternative to seeing It's Complicated.

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Avatar

The wait is finally over and James Cameron's much hyped and anticipated 3D epic is now playing on the big screen and I got my ticket. Unfortunately I did not pre-order a ticket for the IMAX version so I will be waiting awhile to see it in that format. The film is glorious, beautiful and everything I hoped for even if the plot was telegraphed to me like a haymaker - you just have to see it. The best comment on the movie was Cameron's interview with Kevin Pereira on Attack of the Show where he said the goal of the CGI animators was to ensure that Neytiri - played by Zoe Salana - was doable and oh my she most certainly is! Lastly, Sam Worthington adds another big action film to his resume to go along with Terminator Salvation and next year's Clash of the Titans remake - grab that golden ring my man while you can!

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Young Frankenstein @ The Kennedy Center

My friend Sharon promised me we would go see this show for my birthday when it came to the Kennedy and we lucked in to box seats - the box left of the Presidential box in the Opera House - oh yeah! Outside of this being a live musical version of one of my favorite horror comedies by Mel Brooks, it had the bonus of featuring the original Broadway cast leads such as Roger Bart and Shuler Hensley as Dr. Frederick Frankenstein and The Monster. The stage set was awesome and I got to snap a pic of the stage before a couple next to us got busted by the ushers because they used a flash - how foolish can you be. All in all a great evening with fantastic music even if some of the jokes worked better in the movie than on the stage. A great birthday treat and thank you again Sharon - smooches!

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The Princess and the Frog

I have always been a fan of the classic Disney animation style and liked the look and sound of this film from seeing the first trailers in the theater. Mixing up the classic fairy tale with a New Orleans sensibility was inspired and the featuring of a black heroine has been long overdue for Disney. I was not expecting the story to deal with the death of a main character so well and have to attribute this to Executive Producer, John Lasseter, who we all know as the genius behind all of the Pixar films. The original soundtrack by Randy Newman is awesome and will definitely have to be added to my iPod collection. If there is one family film out there you need to see this holiday season, it is this soon to be Disney classic.

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Invictus

Any Clint Eastwood directed film is a must see and his latest film retelling the story of Nelson Mandela and how he helped inspire the South African national rugby team to win the 1995 Rugby World Cup and unite the South African people in a common goal is no exception. Toss in Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela and Matt Damon as Francois Pienaar, the rugby team captain, and you have a trifecta. The story is truly inspiring and the rugby is so real that Damon had to let his stunt double fill in for him because it was so rough and nothing was being pulled in the scenes. I like biopics and this was a pleasant surprise to see there were still great stories to be told dealing with the final fall of Aparthied and the rise of Nelson Mandela as President of South Africa. I recommend seeing this film to everyone.

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The Slammin' Salmon

The Broken Lizard troupe who brought us Puddle Cruiser, Super Troopers, Club Dread, and Beerfest now take their swing at the restaurant business with Kevin Heffernan taking the directorial reins. The Slammin' Salmon is a high end Miami restaurant owned by boxing great Cleon Salmon who sets up up a contest that the highest selling waiter gets a $10,000 bonus and the lowest earning one gets a beating all so so he can pay off a gambling debt. This is only a premise the Lizard guys could pull off and they do it well with a huge roster of Hollywood favorites making cameos. These cameos include Vivica A. Fox, Morgan Fairchild, Lance Henriksen and Michael Clarke Duncan as Slammin' Cleon Salmon himself. If you are a fan of the Broken Lizard guys like me, this movie is a must see and great for huge belly laughs.

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It's Complicated

Yes it is a chick movie through and through; and yes I saw it any way; yes it is hilarious and I loved it. Alex Baldwin, Meryl Streep and Steve Martin are as great and funny as you would expect but the stand out scene stealer is John Krasinski as Harley. Harley discovers that Jake and Jane are hooking up for a booty call at the same hotel he and Lauren are having lunch and the hilarity that ensues is great to watch. The dialogue is witty and sharp and Nancy Meyers' comedic direction is flawless. A perfect date night movie that is funny, engaging, and well worth seeing.

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Fear Itself

I picked up this series from my local Best Buy to add to my DVD horror collection because it really was the third season of the great cable series, Masters of Horror. With the move from premium cable to network TV, Mick Garris' original series of one hour mini-horror films got a tamer opening credits sequence and brought in a difference set of director's to try their hand at horror with a few of the legends still participating even though the network TV curbed alot of the visuals and subject matter. The stand out episodes are Family Man directed by Ronnie Yu, Eater by Stuart Gordon, and The Spirit Box by Rob Schmidt with Family Man being the best story of the anthology. It seems that the move to network TV has killed the series which is truly a same but was to be expected. If you have not seen this show and want to see a few of your favorite director tackle the TV medium for horror, this is definitely worth putting in your Netflix queue.

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Transylmania

David and Scott Hillenbrand bring us a teenage horror comedy with the latest movie craze of vampires. The film is weak as a comedy with mostly no name actors and lacks any form of horror that I could see. The only decent effects scene was when the college stoners tried to sew the female body back together before getting found out by the returning evil doctor / dean of the school. Cast notables are the nubile Jennifer Lyons, genre favorite babe Musetta Vander, and the up and coming James DeBello. There is some vampire / stripper nudity and fart humor to keep the movie rolling along but nothing that stands out as memorable or worthy of a repeat viewing.

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Armored

2007's Vacancy director, Nimrod Antal, brings us a good heist-gone-wrong movie this week with a full cast of Hollywood stars to keep it rolling along. The cast includes Matt Dillon, Jean Reno, Laurence Fishburne, Fred Ward and Columbus Short as an actor to keep your eye on. Short stars as Ty Hackett a returned war veteran who is trying to take care of his younger brother and keep their family home after the loss of their parents and is offered a part in an armored truck heist by his long time friend that involves his security guard co-workers. The action is fast paced and the plot tight and crafted well. This is not Shakespeare but it is a heist moving worth seeing and enjoying until the last handful of popcorn is gone.

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