The King's Speech

There is a lot of Oscar buzz for Colin Firth's portrayal of King George the VI and it is well deserved. This is a perfect little movie with outstanding casting that includes Helena Bonham Carter as George's wife and Geoffrey Rush as the speech therapist that helps the King overcome his speech impediment but all compliment the outstanding and constrained performance of Firth. The pressures on King George to overcome his stammer and be the voice of his country during the rise of Nazi Germany while maintaining the dignity and propriety of the royal family are overwhelming but Firth captures it all in a very credible and human performance that is deeplying moving. Firth has been an Oscar nominee before but I believe this perform just may snag it for him - damn it he is due! Everyone I know who has seen this film loved it so don't short change yourself by waiting for it to come out on cable - get a ticket now.

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Season of the Witch

Nicholas Cage is popping up everywhere and always seems to have a movie coming out and this week it is the Crusades and witchcraft. Behmen and Felson, played by Cage and the always cool Ron Perlman (any thinking The Name of the Rose besides me) , are two deserting Crusaders who are drawn back in by the Church to deliver a witch to a local monastery for judgement and hopefully end the plague afflicting the countryside. The movie is fun with good Crusade fight scenes and decent horrific plague imagery with ok CGI effects when needed for the witch showdown but the film is very short and no great leap in storytelling. I wonder how many more hell or magic themed movies Cage has left on his plate because that ship is starting to founder. With my AMC Producer's pack to keep me satiated it was still a good way to spend my Saturday afternoon.

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Country Strong

I am a sucker for country music themed movies and after seeing Gwnyneth Paltrow perform on an episode of Glee this season I knew I would be seeing this movie. The great thing about a movie like this is that the stars, or actors, actually sing the songs and it is funny that the one real country music performer, Tim McGraw, does not sing at all. The movie is supposedly about the comeback of a signer after she has fallen from grace and tries to make it back from rehab but it is more than that. The movie has good acting and even better music but it is the ending that that may through some people off track. If you like country music than you will want to see this but like country music it is about the story and that is not always pleasant or happy.

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Burlesque

Regardless of how much ribbing I will be getting for this I have to admit this is the Thanksgiving day movie I have been waiting to see. I am happy to say the movie is not another Showgirls - which I like - but it is campy fun, sexy girls and some great singing by Cher and Christina Aguilera. It amazed me how many people panned the movie before it even came out but it was good fun and I will admit that Christine is no Meryl Streep but damn if she does not sing incredibly and looks great in lingere. It is also nice to see Kristen Bell back singing and dancing again since Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical. If you like both of these these divas then you will want to see this movie and B-U-R-L-E-S-Q-U-E!

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Love and Other Drugs

Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal star as Maggie and Jamie who hook up after a chance encounter during a breast exam. As with all romantic comedies there is a dramatic element that tugs the old heart strings and this one has a humdinger. For the guys out there you do get plenty of sexy looks at Anne sans clothing and the girls are not left out either with Jake holding his own - literally! As date movies go it is not bad and the comedy around the pharmaceutical sales is great with the best scenes including Oliver Platt. The one great take away for this movie is aways knock before coming home when your brother is crashing at you place.

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Tangled 3D

Disney is back on the screen this holiday with their newest princess, Rapunzel, who with the help of a thief finally gets to venture out in to the world and learn the mystery of the floating lights. Although a little different from the Rapunzel fairy tale from my youth, Disney does create another animation classic that is heart warming, absolutely hilarious to watch, and just plain fun. Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi voice Rapunzel and Flynn Ryder, the theif, with other voices provided by acting notables like Ron Perlman, M.C. Gainey, Richard Keil, Jeffrey Tambor and Brad Garrett. Disney always creates great animal characters to flesh out their movies and Rapunzel's pet camelion and Maximus, the white stallion of the King's guard, are no exception. The latest Harry Potter may be a bit too grownup for your little ones to see but this movie is a great alternative for the whole family.

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Faster

The Rock is finally back in a non-Disneyesque film about vengeance with bloodshed, violence and high speed chases. It's about friggin' time! The plot is very streamlined with no real surprises but the cast is very notable in that it includes Tom Berenger, Billy Bob Thornton with the sexy requirement being filled by Maggie Grace and Carla Gugino. The vengeance is pure and great to watch but one loose end is left out there that seems like it should have been addressed. A fun action flick and worth a matinee veiwing but not full fair.

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Fair Game

Doug Liman forgoes the romanticized spies of literature for the real thing with his latest film dealing with the outing of Valerie Plame by the members of the Bush administration. Naomi Watts gives a great performance as the CIA agent who adheres to the code of her agency even while her superiors are throwing her to the dogs. Sean Penn also shines as Plame's husband who has to defend his reputation and integrity while confronting their accusers. The move is relevant since we are still dealing with the repercussions of being in a war that was based on misinformation and a lack of real facts. A worthwhile movie for all to see that shows you that you can not blindly trust the media or your superiors and to always question their actions.

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The Next Three Days

Russell Crowe is back on the screen in his regularly scheduled semi-annual outing and this time he is a father whose wife has been arrested for murder with no option for appeal. It doesn't sound like your typical thriller but once the breakout of his wife, played by Elizabeth Banks, happens the pace does not let up and the payoff at the end is great for the moviegoer. Liam Neeson makes a cameo as a veteran jailbreaker that Crowe seeks out for advice that sets the tone for the rest of the movie. Other cast notables are Olivia Wilde, Daniel Stern, and the recently seldom seen Brian Dennehy. A must see for Crowe fans and jailbreak enthusiasts.

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Harry Potter and the Deadly Hallows: Part 1 IMAX

For those who may have been stuck in a Chilean mine shaft or abducted by aliens, you might not actually know that the final chapter of the boy wizard that lived made its part one debut today across the country in time for the holiday season. If you don't know the story to date then mores the pity on your muggle soul but I will let you know that this is by far the best acted film to date and the characters shine through over the special effects. Harry, Hermione and Ron aka Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint are joined by a few of my favorite actors to make this penultimate installment shine such as Bill Nighy and David O'Hara. This movie does deliver on the scares and there are a few scenes that startled me in my chair that were most welcome. You don't need me to tell you to go see this movie, most likely you already have your tickets in hand, but as intended the movie leaves you wanting and ready for the conclusion due out on July 15, 2011.

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Lake Placid 3

I was a huge fan of the first Lake Placid film and the sequel was not too bad so how bad could the third film be? Pretty bad it seems and I am a huge fan of Colin Ferguson, Michael Ironside and Yancy Butler. I like blood, violence and gratuitous nudity like the next red blooded male but the story here is non-existent and none of the characters are engaging. I wanted them all to die and die painfully. I should have waited to see this on SyFy and saved my money on the Amazon VOD.

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Centurion

Neil Marshall, who brought us Doomsday, The Descent, and Dog Soldiers, takes on the Roman Empire for his next bloody foray to the big screen. The fights are brutal, the action top notch and the story is very tight - everything you would expect from a Marshall film. The cast is a Who's Who of European actors like Michael Fassbender, Dominic West, Noel Clark and David Morrissey for us Doctor Who fans, and the bad ass chick this time is none other than the sexy Olga Kurylenko, last seen in Quantum of Solace. The film plot invokes a little of Michael Mann's The Last of the Mohicans but oh the carnage.! Definitely rent this film and another must have for the DVD collection.

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30 Days of Night: Dark Days

Steve Nile's vampire creations are back for another installment that follows a year after the slaughter in Barrow, Alaska. Stella, played by Kiele Sanchez, our sole survivor is out exposing the existence of vampires by publishing a book on the Barrow massacre and doing a book tour to force the evil bastards out in to the light. But things get more interesting when she is recruited by a small band of Los Angeles vamp hunters who want to use her to help uncover a new plot being hatched by the the lead vampire Lilith, played by Mia Kirshner. The story follows the comic closely and has the great surprise ending still intact. Thanks to Niles for giving us more of the bloody vampires we deserve and keep them coming.

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Unstoppable

Denzel Washington moves from the New York metro system to the railroads of PA in his latest train picture. This time out he is joined by Chris Pine, a rookie engineer, who try to stop a runaway freight train before it derails and can take out a small PA town. Tony Scott still likes his shaky cam effects too much but the movie is engaging and the action intriguing. The cast includes Rosario Dawson, Ethan Suplee, Kevin Dunn and a new favorite of mine, Lew Temple, who was awesome in Trailer Park of Terror. A surprisingly fun ride and worth a night out at the movies.

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Morning Glory

Broadcast News it is not but it is fun and Rachel McAdams is a wonderfully perky replacement for Holly Hunter in this film about the turn around of failing morning show by a producer who will not fail. The anchors are played by the ever lovely Diane Keaton and the crotchety Harrison Ford who have to stop fighting long enough to make it through a single show before it gets yanked from the air. Other notable casting includes Patrick Wilson, Jeff Goldblum, Jon Pankow, and Ty Burrell. Nothing in this film will make you want to be a TV show producer or be a broadcast journalist but that is not the point. As comedies go it is one of the better ones out right now but it is not a must see and perfectly good to wait for it on cable.

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Hatchet II

Adam Green's sequel to his 2006 cult horror hit, Hatchet, gets released to the big screen this weekend and this time out it is unrated and uncut. Victor Cowley, played by genre favorite bad guy Kane Hodder, is back and is working his way through the the family of the kids who saw him killed as a child by his father. Outside of the buckets of blood and the in your face gore, plenty of genre favorites are back too including Tony Todd, Tom Holland, and Danielle Harris taking over the role of Marybeth. I did not see the first film, a situation soon to be remedied, but rarely does anything horror related get released unrated and uncut any more so I had to check this out and I even paid for my ticket. I knew I was in for a good old time when in the first kill of the film has Victor ripping out a man's large intestine, dragging him across the floor with it and then strangling him with the intestine until his head pops off in a geyser of blood - great stuff!

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Secretariat

One of the greatest race horses of all time stars in the latest Disney film to hit theaters for a sneak preview this weekend. The film stars Diane Lane as Penny Chenery who returns to her Virginia family home to help her ailing father after the loss of his wife and saves the family's horse business and reputation with the birth of a new foal that grows up and ultimately goes on to win the triple crown. Other cast notables are John Malkovich as Lucien Lauren the trainer, Margo Martindale as Mrs Ham the farm manager, and Nelsan Ellis as Eddie Sweat the horse's handler, who most will recognize as Lafayette from True Blood. Disney always deliveries in its bio pics and this one does not disappoint with re-enactments being augmented with actual footage from the time that I recall seeing live when I was a child. A great family film that make me nostalgic remembering watching all of the Disney classic films and cartoons on TV Sunday nights during The Wonderful World of Disney - good times.

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Case 39

Renee Zellweger has finally made it back to the horror genre in her latest film after a long hiatus since 1994's Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation. Zellweger stars as overloaded social worker Emily Jenkins who gets stuck with another case file that turns dangerous when the child's parents are stopped in the act of trying to burn their child alive in the kitchen's gas oven. Are the parents really insane or is there something else going on with innocent little Lilith played by Jodelle Ferland who we remember from other genre favorites like Silent Hill and Kingdom Hospital. The effects are rather tame and the story is nothing really new but the bathroom scene with Bradley Cooper is fun to watch and channels a bit of E.G. Marshall from Creepshow. If you want to see a good horror flick this weekend, go and see Let Me In instead.

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The Social Network

I have been looking forward to the release of this movie ever since first seeing the trailer and I can say the film does deliver and Jesse Eisenberg's performance is a tour de force. They say beware of the woman scorned but heaven help you if you are on the receiving end of a genius computer geek who can write code in his sleep, can hack networks in a single bound and is pissed because he just lost his girlfriend. As a friend on mine stated so aptly, this film is not about the rise of Facebook but rather the rise of an internet empire and the collateral damage to friends and enemies along the way. Justin Timberlake delivers a good performance as well as Napster founder Sean Parker but the question is will the singer turned actor ever go back to singing? Who cares about the singing but do go see this movie because it is incredibly good and entertaining to watch unravel.

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Let Me In

2008's Swedish sleeper hit, Let The Right One in, gets the American film treatment this weekend and stars our new favorite young actress, Chloe Moretz, just off her big staring role as Hit-Girl in Kick-Ass. Moretz stars as Abby, a twelve year old vampire who has been twelve for a very long time, who reluctantly befriends Owen, played by Kodi Smit-McPhee, a fellow apartment complex resident who is bullied at school and has no friends. Richard Jenkins plays Abby's father who must sacrifice himself to protect Abby from the local police when one of his dinner procurements goes horribly wrong. As remakes go this is a good one with more money for effects but it does not surpass the original film in any way. This is a great original story that everyone should see and will surprise you on just how good vampire stories can be.

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