Charlie St. Cloud

I had no desire to see this movie after being inundated with the never ending trailers for it and I believe I also got free advanced screening passes that I let go but I had time to kill time today due running late to the theater to see Dinner for Schmucks due to the never ending weekend maintenance on the DC Metro's Yellow line. Zac Efron stars as Charlie who loses his brother in a car accident and gives up going to college and his career as a sailing champion to keep a promise to his brother's ghost to play catch with him every day. The movie plot is a bit hokey but scripted well enough to suspend disbelief until the reveal is made. Efron is a decent actor and does deliver a good performance but it seems like this should be a Lifetime movie versus being on the big screen. Not a bad movie but not my cup of tea so I would say rent it for date night and you would be fine.

Click here to check out the official website.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

Not being at San Diego Comicon this year was a drag especially with all the pics coming out about this film but at least I lucked in to an advanced screening and man is it totally awesome! This movie is very stylized and if you grew up with video games then the hook is set and the movie adheres to the rules of the game and the defeating of the big bosses. Basically Scott, played by the every popular Michael Cera, falls for Ramona, played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who must defeat her seven evil ex's, who are know as the League of Evil Exs, to be with her. The movie is fun, the music rocks, he game inspired final fight sequences are amazing and Kieran Culkin is so friggin' hilarious he steals all the scenes he is in hands down. The director, Edward Wright, hits another home run for gamers just like he did for zombie fan's with Shaun of the Dead and I can't wait to see what he does with Marvel's Ant-Man.

Click here to check out the official website.

Salt

Angeline Jolie has been everywhere else except on the big screen since 2008's Wanted but that drought is now over with the release over her latest action thriller costarring Liev Schreiber. Salt is a CIA Agent who must go on the run after being accused of being a Russian sleeper agent by a defecting Russian spy but is she really trying to save her husband or carry out some deep covert operation after breaking free from CIA HQ? As expected the action is fun and the effects are top notch with some killer fight sequences delivered by Jolie and her stunt team. The plot is good and the twists are decently hidden but not completely for those paying attention. If you are a Jolie fan then this is a must see film with the final villain's death scene a joy to behold - I can still here the snap!

Please click here to check out the official website.

Manimal

The trip down sentimental lane brings me back to another beloved TV show of my youth that hooked me because the main character could change in to any creature at will to save the day with creature effects brought to us by the late Stan Winston. The show does not hold up as expected, and to be honest it is quite bad which is why it only got eight episodes, but the effects are what hooked me and the transformation in to a panther, hawk and snake were very cool given what was being done as special effects on TV at the time with the late William Conrad providing the series narration. Yes they recycled the effects constantly but I didn't care - hell I was only thirteen at the time - and besides Melody Anderson was a babe. As for Simon MacCorkindale, aka Professor Jonathan Chase aka the Manimal, also stared in another fun film that year when 3D was popular for horror films in the early 80s - Jaws 3-D. NBC may have struck out on this show back in 1983 but it will always be an in the park home run for me and part of my youth's horror inspired wellspring that I still revel in.

Click here to see the tv show's weekly intro.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

For a movie inspired by a segment from the 1940's Walt Disney animated film, Fantasia, that featured Mickey Mouse, Jerry Bruckheimer and Jon Turteltaub deliver a fun little movie that will go over well with the kids and has some great homage moments for us bigger kids even if the classic mop and bucket scene is just a bit to cartoonish. Jay Baruchel, who is a dead ringer for a human version of Mickey, stars as the apprentice to Nicolas Cage's sorcerer who must stop the return of Morganna LaFey, played by genre favorite Alice Krige, who wants to raise up her long dead followers to destroy the world as we know it if evil sorcerer Horvath, played by the always sinister Alfred Molina, can break her from her imprisonment. The visuals and effects sequences are kinda cool as you would expect in a Bruckheimer production and do over shadow the plot but this is what I expected. The high point for me was seeing the beautiful and sensuous Monica Bellucci, from such films as Shoot 'Em Up and Brotherhood of the Wolf, in a Disney family film even if it was a small part. Not a bad movie to see during a weekend matinée with the kids but there are better films out currently to spend you money on.

Click here to check out the official website.

Inception

There are very few writers/directors that always bring their "A" game to the big screen like Christopher Nolan who shoots and scores without any disappointment in his latest thriller that delivers on the fantastic that we have been waiting for as glimpsed in the trailers. I am not going to go in to the plot because you already know it is going to be great and half the fun of a Nolan film is being sucked in to the plot twists and nuances with amazing visuals that blows your mind ands never trumps the story or the characters but lays the foundation for an immersive movie going experience like no other. The casting is superb which includes Leonardo DiCaprio and Ellen Page, who both seem to have the Midas touch when selecting film roles, Michael Caine a Nolan regular, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who seems to be finally making in to the big films after a very successful run of indie films. As much as I enjoyed Predators last week, I do have to admit this film floored it and I expect to see it rake in the big bucks this summer based on the huge cross-section of patrons I saw packing the theater at the 10 A.M. matinée. Nothing else to say but go see this film - hell see it twice!

Click here to check out the official website.

Predators

Although I liked the idea of Aliens versus Predators when it came out in the comics several years back it never did live up to my expectations of the films and it did not do justice to either franchise but thank goodness for producer Robert Rodriguez and director Nimrod Antal who deliver us a new action-packed thriller that restores the Predators back as the bad asses we came to love from the original 1987 movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. From the opening sequence where we find Adrian Brody waking up as he is free falling to the Earth and lands quite painfully to instantly being joined by other falling bodies, some live and some die in the fall, fully armed and with no idea as to why they are here or how they got there but they all know they need to figure this out quickly if they are to survive. The plot is simple, straight forward, and compact with just the right amount of special effects to deliver the tension and carnage we all came to see. I never think of Adrien Brody as an action guy but I will be damned if he does not pull it off convincingly like he did in King Kong but this time covered in mud instead of being chased by stampeding dinosaurs. I will have to go out on the limb an say that this is the must see action film for the summer of 2010 that every one should see and will love and it is the film Predator fans have been waiting for for a long time.

Click here to check out the official website.

Despicable Me 3D

The animated kids movie that has been hyped all year long and stars the voice talents of comedy regulars Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Will Arnett, Russell Brand, and Kristen Wiig has finally made it to the theater and it is funny and I dare say a bit heart-warming even with the umpa lumpa like minions. Gru, voiced by Carell, is our evil genius who is being eclipsed by the heists of his Spy vs Spy rivalry with Vector, voiced by Segel, and sets his sights on stealing the moon with the aid of three little girls he adopts to help him steal a device to make his scheme a reality. The animation is top notch but not up to Pixar's benchmark and the story is good but there is no real benefit from seeing this in 3D so save your three dollars. The movie trailers featuring the bursting of the kid's balloon animal and the freezing of the guests in line at the coffee shop are literally the openibg sequences of the film but like in all trailers some things are left out so the boy does not show back up to get his revenge on Gru as you would expect. A good family outing at the movies is to be had here and plenty of laughs for dad with a great fart joke set up by Brand's character Dr. Nefario - who doesn't like a good fart joke?


Click here to check out the official website.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

The forever tween vampires and shirtless werewolves are back this week to rake in more of the cash from the Stephenie Meyer's rabid fan base. Just like in the books this is were the story starts to actually get interesting and deliver for us horror fans that actually want some horror in our stories. We finally get a combined vampire and werewolf royal rumble as they go up against Victoria, played this time out by Bryce Dallas Howard, and her new born vampire army while the Volturi are coming to check on Bella to see if she has been made in to a vampire yet by Edward. The royal rumble is fun to watch but ultimately unsatisfying because all you get are shattered vampires all over the place but not a single drop of blood spilled except for Bella cutting herself to distract a set of vamps attacking a new werewolf cub and Edward trying to protect her. This will be the big movie of the July 4th weekend and is so far the best in the series if you like sparkly vamps and unconsummated teenage lust.

Click here to check out the official website.

The Last Airbender 3D

M. Night Shyamalan is back with the big screen adaption of an anime favorite that features the return of the Avatar who is destined to restore balance between the nations of the elements: Earth, Air, Fire and Water. The best thing about most anime is that it is not just for kids but Night seems to have taken all of the adult interest out and condensed it down to an anemic story with a few iconic scenes, all found in the trailer of course, with no form of character development that is instead handled by narration. M. Night built his career on having fantastic characters that you care about in great films like The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, and Signs but seems to have left that all behind for just simple telegraphed plot twists as in The Village and The Happening. Also, the 3D adds nothing to the film and justs works to take $3 out of you wallet that you could have spent towards a soda or popcorn - from me its the Producer's Combo - a large soda and two hot dogs with ketchup and mustard. Although not an avid fan of the anime series like some of my friends, I did have high hopes for this film in the hands of M. Night and am sorry to say those hopes where dashed again and recommend a pass on this to rent it later so you can save your $10 bucks to spend elsewhere this July 4th weekend.

Click here to check out the official website.

Mary Poppins @ The Kennedy Center

As part of an annual traditional, or expectation :), I bought tickets to this show for my good friend Sharon to celebrate her birthday. The production was spectacular with amazing wire work for the chimney sweep number and the farewell of Mary as she leaves the Banks family because she is no longer needed. Normally having little kids behind me in a theater talking during the performance drives me nuts but the little girl behinds us was so enthralled and mesmerized by the show that it was just plan adorable. Mary Poppins, played by Caroline Sheen, and Bert, played by Gavin Lee, are wonderfully cast and deserved their standing ovation at the final curtain call. As always, the Kennedy Center gets some great Broadway performances and this is definitely one you and your family should see before it closes on August 22nd.

Click here to get information on the Kennedy Center production.

Knight and Day

Tom Cruise is back on the big screen this weekend with a new action-thriller-comedy and it is good. Cameron Diaz stars a June who accidentally bumps in to Roy Miller, a rogue secret agent, on the run from the government and June's life becomes very complicated very fast with her only hope of surviving in the hands of Roy. The chemistry and comedic timing between Cruise and Diaz is spot on and makes for a very fun and funny film. As in any Cruise action film, there is no skimping on the special effects and the acrobatic fight and flight sequences. There are other big name films out there right now and Cruise is not the name draw that he use to be but you should check out this movie because you will have an entertaining night out at the movies when all is said and done.

Click here to check out the official website.

Grown Ups

Unlike the abysmal MacGruber, this reunion of former Saturday Night Live alumni delivers a very funny guys movie about best friends who have grown up with their own families and drifted apart but are brought back together by the death of their beloved basketball coach. Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade and Rob Schneider play the five best friends with their wives played by the lovely Salma Hayek, Maria Bello, Maya Rudolph, and Joyce Van Patton . Outside of the peeing in the pool that is shown in the trailer, the stand out comedic moments are Bello's breast feeding scenes, the arrival of Schneider's estranged daughters, and the visit to the water park. An all around good ensemble comedy that delivers regardless of what Ann Hornaday of the Washington Post says. One thing I still don't get from Hornaday's review is how a farting grandmother is sexist but I recommend seeing the film regardless.

Click here to check out the official website.

SeaQuest DSV - The Complete Series

On the list of shows I always wanted to watch but never got to see when it was on, SeaQuest DSV ran for three seasons and tried its best to be the Star Trek of the sea but just could never reach that status. Although produced during the last years of Star Trek: The Next Generation, the production values just do not hold up and the stories are rather weak. The late Roy Scheider starred as Captain Nathan Bridger with the late Jonathan Brandis as the young Lucas Wolenczak, a boy genius much like Wesley Crusher on ST:TNG, with the rest of the cast filled with TV regulars. The second season seems to be the "hippy" years as the crew comes back with longer hair and a more lax military structure but returns to the strict military format in the final season when Michael Ironside joins the crew as captain after the SeaQuest disappears at the end of season two. I enjoyed the flash from the past and recommend the series to Scheider fans but don't expect a performance anywhere close to either Chief Martin Brody in Jaws or Office Frank Murphy in Blue Thunder.

Click here to check out the season one trailer.

Jonah Hex

DC Comics cult favorite western comic finally gets to the big screen this week with Josh Brolin sporting the classic facial dis-figuration that the character in known for. Hex's nemesis, Quentin Turnbull, is played by John Malkovich who killed his family and sets him out on his trail as an infamous bounty hunter seeking revenge who is also approached by the government to track down Turnbull so the bounties on his own head can be expunged. With any western you need a local saloon/whorehouse and the whore with a heart is played by Megan Fox who unfortunately does not bring anything to the role that could not have be done by any other young starlet. The movie is pretty short but the story is complete and does have some nice re-animated dead scenes that push the narrative along. This film is not going to make much money at the box office unfortunately but it does deliver for the fan in me who counts Jonah Hex as one of his favorite DC Comics.

Click here to check out the official website.

Toy Story 3

Pixar and Disney have brought back to us our favorite toys with a new coming of age story that plays on the heart strings like a master violinist. Andy is heading off to college and is faced with leaving his beloved childhood toys behind but while cleaning up his room his toys get sent to a local day care facility in error that turns out not to be the nirvana the toys hoped it will be. All the familiar voices are back with new toys voiced by Ned Beatty as Lotso the Pink Teddy Bear, Michael Keaton as Ken, and Bonnie Hunt as Dolly. Pixar is true to form delivering a fantastic film that is for all ages and a marvel of storytelling with animation that is second to none. Also the expected opening short film, Day & Night, is pure genius with a perfect blend of traditional and computer animation that shows Pixar is a master of animation in any form.

Click here to check out the official website.

The A-Team

Growing up in the 80's made seeing the big screen adaptation of The A-Team tv series a must and I am happy to report the casting was dead on. My favorite team member from the old series was Murdock and Sharlto Copley, who starred as Wikus Van De Merwe in last year's sci fi hit District 9, was perfectly crazy with Bradley Cooper a close second as the smooth talking con man known as Faceman. If you were a fan of the show in spite of the inability for anyone ever being killed or hit by the flying bullets you will love this update that does include a respectable and deserving body count with the requisite over the top shenanigans that only could be delivered on a Hollywood budget. Be sure to stick through the credits to see the cameos you want as a fan of the show and they are worth waiting for through the credits. This is one adaptation of an old favorite tv series that does not disappoint - check it out and you will have a blast.

Click here to check out the official website.

The Karate Kid

This weekend at the movies is a throw back to some of the best of the 80's and the first thing up is the remake of 1984's The Karate Kid that starred Ralph Macchio and the late Pat Morita. This time out the story is much better in that that it takes place in China where Dre Parker, played by Jaden Smith, has relocated with his mother for her job and as an outsider crosses paths with the local teenage boys who do not accept him and attack him until he learns to defend himself and earn their respect after confronting them at a local martial arts tournament under the tutelage of his apartment building's maintenance man, Mr. Han played by martial arts legend Jackie Chan. The movie keeps the key plot points of the original but avoids the cheesiness that easily comes out in the original film. Jaden is quite the little martial artist and growing in to a decent actor under the watchful eye of his parents, Jada Pinkett and Will Smith. Judging from the clapping and cheering in the theater during the tournament finale, the audience enjoyed the movie as much as I did and if have kids that will love it even more..

Click here to check out the official website.

The Lottery

Some days I get really over-whelmed by the opportunities my job affords me. Right now I am watching this wonderful documentary on the charter school system and am awestruck by the emotional and visceral impact of the film. Kudos to Madeleine Sackler on delivering a very thoughtful and relevant film that everyone should see. I am proud knowing that Citybridge Foundation will be assisting in getting this film a wider audience in the local DC community and thank them for letting me attend the screening in their office. Eva Moskowitz you are a champion of education and one of my new heroes - continued good luck.

Click here to check out the official website.

Splice

Producer Guillermo del Toro brings us Vincenzo Natali's science fiction thriller dealing with two scientists and their offspring that is the result of their genetic splicing tests. Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley star as the two scientists with Delphine Chaneac staring as the unique and mature Dren who tries to fit in to the world around her. Although there are some horrific and bloody scenes in the film, to call this film a horror film is to do it an injustice. The effects are amazing and you do come to believe the creature Dren is very real even before she matures. As always, you can not go wrong in seeing anything directed by, written by, or produced by del Toro because it will be a unique and immersive film experience that should not be missed.

Click here to check out the official website.

Marmaduke

Everyone's favorite Great Dane makes his feature film debut thanks to the voice talents of Owen Wilson, Kiefer Sutherland and Sam Elliott. The plot centers around the Winslow family as they relocate due to a new job opportunity for the father and their teenage dog, Marmaduke, tries to make friends with his fellow pets at a local dog park. The movie is your typical family fair with nothing that you have not seen before in other feature animal films. The best parts involve the live animals with select CGI for the talking animals that is not too distracting. An adequate family film but there are better films currently out to spend you dollar on that you will enjoy more.

Click here to check out the official website.

Killers

Katherine Hegel continues her box office run with a new action-romantic-comedy with Ashton Kutcher. Jen is on vacation with her family when she meets Spencer who she falls for not knowing he is in fact an assassin for the government and is in town on an assignment. The action is pretty good and the comedy OK with the best moments being delivered by veteran actress Catherine O'Hara as Jen's mother who likes her Bloody Marys. Other comedy notables making an appearance are Martin Mull as Spencer's handler, Alex Borstein and Kevin Sussman as their assassin neighbors, and Rob Riggle from The Hangover. Save your money for a matinee if you want to see this film and then you will get your money's worth.

Click here to check out the official website.

Terry Pratchett's Going Postal

The Discworld is back on the BBC with the Ankh-Morpork Post Office being rejuvenated by a reformed con man who must outwit the owner of the popular clacks system to keep his position and most importantly his life. As always in a Terry Pratchett story the characters are the key with the ever sinister Lord Ventinari, played by Charles Dance, the con man forced to be Post Master General named Moist von Lipwig, played by Richard Coyle, Adora Belle Dearheart who over sees Golem rights, played by Claire Foy, and Reacher Gilt the owner of the clacks network, played by David Suchet. As a fan of the Discworld and all of the novels, I have enjoyed all of the BBC dramatizations, The Color of Magic and Hogfather, with this one being no exception. My favorite part was finally seeing Sergeant Angua realized for the screen as the sole female werewolf on the City Watch. If you love the Discworld and all things Pratchett like me, you will not want to miss this.

Click here to check out the official trailer.

The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie!

The ribald and raunchy Big Brother cartoon spoof from Comedy Central now gets it big movie treatment if only for the straight to DVD market. The plot is that our cast of animated housemates find out that their show has been canceled by realizing that they can now curse and show nudity without the normal bleep outs and censor bars and the plot gets more bizarre from there. The knocks at Disney princess films and South Park abound with Seth MacFarland of Family Guy riding along as the hunter-killer robot I.S.R.A.E.L. stalking our crew. Foxy Love, voiced by Cree Summer, is still my favorite character with Spanky Ham, voiced by Adam Carolla, a close second. If you are a fan of the show you will love the movie but if not you will hate it - no in between to be found here.

Click here to check out the official website.

Deadwood: The Complete Series

Since I purged my home of cable TV, I have been discovering and revisiting TV series that I never got a chance to see or that were highly recommenced by my friends that I should check out with HBO's Deadwood being at the top of the list. Once you get use to the ever flowing use of the words fuck and cunt, this was a great western series with all the trappings of The Godfather, Shakespeare, and Unforgiven sprinkled in to make it savory. The show featured Ian McShane from Kings as the wonderfully contemptible Al Swearengen, Timothy Olyphant currently starring as another lawman in Justified, Paula Malcomson who is no longer a whore but a distraught mother in Caprica, and Powers Boothe as Al's competitor and nemesis. It was a shame the show did not get a fourth season to deal with the fallout from George Hearst's strong arm take-over of the town, played by Gerald McRainey, and the departure of Alma Garrett, played by Molly Parker. I recommend checking out this show on Netflix or Amazon but you will not want your children to watch it due to the really strong language, nudity and violence: the old west at it's darkest and finest hour on television.

Click here to check out the teaser trailer for the first season.

Click here to check out the teaser trailer for the second season.

Click here to check out the gag reel from the third and final season.

Shrek Forever After 3D

The Shrek gang is back and this time in 3D - Disney's latest effort to squeeze a few more bucks out of a dying franchise. This time out Shrek, voiced by Mike Myers, makes a deal with Rumpelstiltskin, to give up a day in his life which ends up re-writing history and could lead to him being erased from existence. Not sure how this film was made better by being in 3D but it has a fairly good plot and is much better then the last two films. The high point of the film is what has become of Puss in Boots, voiced by Antonio Banderas, and how he has let himself go - very funny stuff. Unless your kids really want to see the 3D, save yourself the $3 surcharge and check it out at a weekend matinee.

Click here to check out the official website.

Just Wright

Queen Latifah and Common star in this romantic dramedy about a NBA pro who becomes injured and will lose his career unless his physical therapist get him back on to the court. Latifah is wonderful as the down-to-earth sister who takes a back seat to her gold digger sister, played by Paula Patton last seen in Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire, who leaves the player when his career appears over and then tries to worm her way back in after he makes his amazing recovery. All in all a good move with plenty of fun characters with a stand out performance by James Pickens Jr. as the father who can not complete the simplest home repair. No musical outing for Latifah this time but Common shows his chops at the piano . One of the better date night movies and it has basketball - what guy is not going to like this?

Click here to check out the official website.

Sex and the City 2

The girls are back and headed for Abu Dhabi as part of an all-expenses-paid boondoggle. This time out it is a year later in their lives and they are dealing with the issues of parenthood, falling in to a comfortable routine, being successful on your own terms, and menopause. The highlight of the movie was the gay wedding at the being that was completely over-the-top and hilarious to watch with a cameo by Liza Minnelli. A decent follow up to the first movie and actually more interesting. Sarah Jessica Parker has found the role of her life and seems to be milking it for all it is worth and this is a good thing as long as we do not have to sit through another outing like Did You Hear About the Morgans?

Click here to check out the office website.

Letters to Juliet

I did have free screening passes to see this movie but I let them go when the date I planned to see it with could not make it but since I had time to kill today and the times worked out between other movies I wanted to see I went ahead and checked it out. The movie stars the lovely and popular Amanda Seyfried and the wonderful Vanessa Redgrave as Sophie, who is about to get married, and Claire, a woman who missed a rendezvous with the young love of her life, who come together when Sophie finds Claire's letter to Juliet and responds to it as one of the "secretaries of Juliet" telling her she should try to find her missed love. A consummate chick flick but worth watching to see how Regrave makes acting seem effortless. The love affair that sprouts up between Sophie and Charlie, played by Christopher Eagan, seems a bit forced at times but does not derail the movie. If you have to see this film with your girl, make sure you get double brownie points to cash in later.

Click here to check out the official website.

MacGruber

It was about time for another Saturday Night Live skit to get converted to a movie to see if a repeat of the success of Wayne's World was possible. Unfortunately, even with Powers Booth, Ryan Phillippe, Kristin Wiig and Val Kilmer along for the ride, this should have just stayed as a two minute sketch because the laughs are forced and far between. When your go to sight gag is running around bare-assed with a celery stick hanging out of your ass, you maybe need to go back to the writer's table. Also, when did Kilmer actually decide the bloated image of the late Marlon Brando was a good performance look for film? Skip this and suffer through it on Comedy Central on a rainy Sunday afternoon if you cannot find anything else to watch.

Click here to check out the official website.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

Until the next Pirates of the Caribbean movie can make it our way, Disney has tried to repeat the formula again but instead of high seas, pirates, and Johnny Depp we trade up for desert sand, hassansins and Jake Gyllenhaal. Although no one can hold a candle to Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, this movie does pack in the action, huge effects, a hot Arabian princess played by Gemma Arterton, and the great Alfred Molina as the bandit leader turned friend. I did not have high expectations for this film based on the fact that it starred Gyllenhaal but the movie works and works well on all levels to score a win as the big popcorn muncher, summer event movie just behind Iron Man 2. Kudos to Mike Newell on his best film effort since Four Weddings and a Funeral - still a favorite of mine. So should we look forward to the Prince of Persia: 1001 Arabian Nights?

Click here to check out the official website.

Get Him to the Greek

Our favorite rocker from Forgetting Sarah Marshall is back and gets his own movie thanks to director Nicholas Stoller. Aldous Snow, played by Russell Brand, gets to make a comeback due to a brainstorming session in the offices of record producer Sergio Roma, played hilariously by Sean Combs, featuring a return to the venue where Snow was at the top and a rock god, The Greek Theater, and it is up to Aaron Green (Jonah Hill) to make sure he gets there and performs. The movie is very funny and the best scenes involve furry walls, the career ending swan song video African Child, where Roma explains mind fucking artists to perform, and the Sarah Marshall commercial. If you are in the mood for a good comedy then you will want to check this one out. Only question I have is how did Russell land Katy Perry in right life?

Click here to check out the official website.

Iron Man 2

For the first Iron Man film, I took my staff out to see the film as part of an "off-site IT meeting" so there was no chance this was not going to happen again with the sequel. With our popcorn, hot dogs and sodas in hand we were treated to a superb sequel from Jon Favreau that brought us War Machine (Don Cheadle), more chemistry between Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), a cool villain in Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) and we finally get more of old one eye himself, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) . This time out the government is trying to force ownership of the Mark 4 suit while Stark's competitors are trying to steal his arc reactor tech to make their own battle suits with the son of a fellow scientist seeking revenge for the discrediting and deportation of his favor by Tony's father who helped him develop the original arc reactor technology all the while Tony is being slowly killed by the element that fuels his suit. The film makes a good sequel and does set up Marvel to launch their other tie-in films that will hopefully get us to The Avengers movie in 2012. Be sure to stick through the credits to see what other hero will be coming our way and swinging.

Click here to check out the official website.

A Nightmare on Elm Street

Now it's Freddy's turn to get the franchise update with Robert Englund's shoes being filled by a very capable Jackie Earle Haley who brings us a darker monster with less gallows humor. First off the movie is well done and delivers most of the key visual sequences from the original film if not where you expect them and does flesh out Krueger's back story more than in the initial film. Being an avid fan of the series, I enjoyed the film but was overcome with a sense of "been there, seen that" that kept me from being as engrossed in the film as I wanted to be. One thing that never ceases to amaze me though is how manly parents bring their little kids to see these R-rated films in the theater - not teenagers but children under the age of ten. Even I have to draw the line somewhere never minding how much I look forward to taking my best friend's child to her first horror movie when she is old enough and ready to handle it.

Click here to check out the official website.

The Perfect Game

This movie was the perfect end to my day at the theater. It is based on the true story of a little league team from Monterrey, Mexico, and their undefeated season as they went to win the Little League World Series in 1957. The movie is heartwarming and wonderfully acted with a cast that includes Clifton Collins Jr., Cheech Marin, Emilie de Ravin and the seldom seen Lou Gossett Jr. It seems that some of the best movies are always sports movies especially if they are based on real events. All of the kids in the movie were amazing and it was great seeing the dads bringing in their kids to the theater in their baseball uniforms to see the film.

Click here to check out the official website.

The Joneses

Who knew a movie about the ultimate form of product placement would be so engaging or could it be that Demi Moore is still smokin' hot even though married to Ashton Kutcher and still can act? The premise is a fake family who are really shills for selling the "American Dream" to their neighbors brought to you by Sony and Ethan Allen. The cast includes the lovely Amber Heard last seen in Zombieland as the sexy girl from apartment 406, Gary Cole and Glenne Headly as the envious neighbors,and the wonderful Lauren Hutton as the creator of the marketing strategy. Honestly, I just checked this out because of Demi. It is worth checking out when it hits cable or DVD even if you are not in to Demi as much as me.

Click here to check out the official website.

Death at a Funeral

Chris Rock leads an ensemble cast in this new comedy about a family who comes together at the funeral of the family patriarch and the hilarity that ensues. The standout comedic performance is given by James Marsden as the fiance of Zoe Saldana who is accidentally dosed with a hallucinogen and freaks out overturning the coffin and eventually ending up naked on the roof. Also worth mentioning is Peter Dinklage's role as the pint-sized former lover of the deceased and his extortion of the Aaron and Ryan, played by Rock and Martin Lawrence. It is odd that the best comedy performances are given by the only white members of an all black ensemble. The movie is a remake of the 2007 Frank Oz feature film which begs the question of why this film was needed so soon but, all and all, it is funny and worth seeing at a matinee if you have the time to kill.

Click here to check out the official website.

The Runaways

Being a huge fan of Joan Jett and her music, I was thrilled when I learned about this bio-pic and happy to see Kristen Stewart in something other than the Twilight films. The story centers around Stewart and Dakota Fanning as Jett and Cherie Currie and the formation and eventual break-up of a 70's all-girl, teenage, rock band. The music is great and Stewart's portrayal of Jett seems dead on while Fanning pulls out the sexy stops as the reluctant front-woman who gets caught up in a drug frenzy and implodes. Although I enjoyed the film thoroughly an older couple decided to leave the theater when Jett and Currie started making out. Hey it's rock-n-roll - what where you expecting?

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Date Night

Steve Carell and Tina Fey star as Phil and Claire Foster who up the ante of date night by taking another couple's reservation at a popular restaurant and then run in to trouble when two thugs show up looking for them as the couple who stole from their boss. The trailer looked funny and thankfully the movie lived up to my expectations with a great depiction of a well-grounded married couple. Other cast notables were Kristen Wiig and Mark Ruffalo as a couple splitting up making the Foster's question their own relationship and Mark Wahlberg as a hunky former client of Claire's that turns out to be a spy. The car chase sequence is one of the best I have seen in a comedy in awhile. The film is well worth seeing and would make a great date night viewing regardless of the title.

Click here to check out the official website.

Kick-Ass

Matthew Vaughn, the director behind Layer Cake and Stardust, brings Mark Millar's comic to the big screen about a nobody teenager who decides to be a real life superhero who has no powers or any training and runs in to some unsavory characters on both sides of the mask. Like the comic, this movie has very adult themes and definitely relishes its R rating which lets all of the colorful characters from the comic come to life on the screen in hilarious and ultra-violent brilliance. The hero everyone loves and that steals every scene she is in is Hit-Girl, played by Chloe Moretz, who is a 12 year old spitfire who loves weapons, kills like a ninja in a full on blood fury, curses like a sailor but loves her Big Daddy played by Nicolas Cage. After you get past the comedy, the violence, and costumed vigilante heroes you still have a great little story that made the transition for the illustrated page to the screen without losing a single drop of its charm or wit. I loved getting a chance to see this advanced screening and have already twittered my peeps to see who are up for seeing this with me again once it is out in general release on April 16th - just f@#king awesome!

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Boarding House

This C grade movie holds a special place in my heart as being the first R-rated movie I saw in the theater much to the chagrin of my mother with a supposed best friend and his mother at the time back in 1982 in good old Bluefield, WV. The movie, and now the DVD in my collection, was everything a 13 year old boy could want to see - nudity, horror featuring "horror vision", and without my mother's knowledge, permission or consent. There was a bet between my friend and his mother on who could stay in the theater the longest without leaving and I can proudly say I won hands down and laughed loudly as they both left the theater and I was still there watching the "sinful" movie - nothing was budging me from my seat until the end credits rolled by. The joke of it was that with horror vision, a 70's & early 80's riff on the tactics of William Castle and Alfred Hitchcock, the film would flash a black glove or play some odd music to let you know when a scene of "intense" horror was coming up. The trailer below gives the plot but basically it was a movie about a bachelor setting up a house with all girl roommates so he could bed them all but a crazy mental patient daughter of the previous owner escapes to find her house over run but she possesses telekinetic abilities which she uses to kill off the the tenants until the final showdown of telekinetic wills between the bachelor, paired with his conquest of the day, and the nut case daughter ends the movie - just what every pubescent male teen wants to see!

Click here to see the official trailer.

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.

Click here to check out the official website.

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.

Click here to check out the official website.