3D is back to supposedly reinvigorate another stale franchise. Unfortunately, it can not over come the cliches and wooden acting that permeate this installment. To seal the deal, a key scene is an audience getting killed while watching a 3D movie. Really? The one plus is that outside of the cartoonish 3D effects there was some good practical effects carnage for the gorehounds like me. 
Everyone's favorite slasher is back in Rob Zombie's follow to his 2007 re-imagining of John Carpenter's Halloween. Zombie continues his exploration of the mind of Michael Myers and delivers incredible imagery that let's us know just how fractured the Myers family really is. Scout Taylor-Compton is back as Laurie Strode and keeps delivering terrified performances that are hard to watch and gut-wrenching. A master stroke in this sequel is the realization of the Dr. Samuel Loomis and his profiting off of the Haddonfield carnage and aftermath. A good sequel for Rob Zombie and Michael Myer fans alike.
Quentin Tarantino is back with his next tribute to genre films and this time out it is the Nazi war film starring Brad Pitt, Eli Roth and and Diane Krueger. Basterds does deliver the Tarantino trademark violence and dialogue but unfortunately they are not as prevalent as you would expect from his past films like Kill Bill, Pulp Fiction or Reservoir Dogs. Being a fan of genre films I was hoping for some form of homages to classic Nazi exploitation films like Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS or Salon Kitty. Christopher Waltz does give a great performance as Col. Hans Landa and is oddly evil in a Sherlock Holmes kind of way and goes supernova in the strangulation of an American sympathizer. Ultimately Basterds is an OK movie which is not what I expected or wanted from Tarantino. 
Even though I am a huge fan of Zooey Deschanel and with a recommendation from my friend E, it was the back and forth between my friend's Alex and Diana while dining on our botched carryout order from Peking Gourmet Inn that got me to go see this movie. As the movie states at the on set it is not a love story but the life of a relationship from initial sighting to its demise. Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Leveitt, who also stars as The Doctor in this summer's CGI action thriller G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, deliver good performances in this non-linear story. As for the debate over Chinese, Alex is right that no guy ever wants to hear that the girl he loved could love someone else but just not him. This is a good film worth seeing and actually does have a hopeful, if not actual happy, ending. 
Jeremy Piven's new ensemble comedy is a scatter shot of laughs with some hitting the mark and others not even on the firing range. If you have seen the video snippets on YouTube then you have already seem most of the best moments from the movie. If you want to see a really funny car salesmen movie, you can not go wrong with watching 1980's Used Cars from Robert Zemeckis that starred Kurt Russell. Piven's signature role for me is still as Droz from the sleeper comedy hit, PCU, back in 1994 and he just has not been able to hit that benchmark again to date. Pass on this at the theater and just see it as a Sunday afternoon movie when it hits Comedy Central for unfathomable repeats within the next year.
Of all the movies slated to come out this summer, this movie was the one I wanted to see more than any other because it was produced by Peter Jackson and the trailer was just so friggin' amazing you just knew it was going to be something special with a great story. Neill Blomkamp's film delivered on all my expectations and is one of the best damn SciFi movies I have ever seen. The special effects are amazing, the prawns are even better then when we all saw Gollum for the first time in The Two Towers, the story is satirical and packs a mean punch, and the "gore" moments are never gratuitous. I dare say this film is the SciFi genre equivalent to the horror genre's Night of the Living Dead. SciFi fan or not - this movie is a must see for everyone.
Well it did not suck! Stephen Sommers' action-packed, non-stop, popcorn munching, cartoon come-to-life movie with cameos from his go to actors Brendan Fraser and Kevin J. O'Conner, was fun and Snakes Eyes is still the coolest Joe ever. Sienna Miller and Rachael Nichols were very hot as the Baroness and Scarlett but where was the bikini fight sequence? Well we can't have everything but maybe that will be in the sequel set up by a whistle from the President. As my friend Steven said, "it reminds me of Starship Troopers" and I agree but without the bugs and the sex. 
David Twohy brings us more of a suspense thriller than an actual horror movie with this film featuring a newly wed couple on their honeymoon when they discover that one of the other couples on the same trail are murderers and impostors. The film starts out well but the surprises and twists are expected. If you think you know what the twist is already without seeing the film you are correct. I am a huge fan of Mila Jovovich and Steve Zahn and was hoping for a better film. Save your money and watch this when it hits cable. 
Being a huge fan of the Food Network and Julia Child, there was no way I was not seeing this movie as soon as possible and my fellow movie watchers who jam-packed the 7:30 p.m. showing at my local AMC theater seem to have agreed. The movie did not reveal anything I did not know about Julie Child and her life but seeing her come to life again by the incomparable Meryl Streep blew me away. I always knew Meryl was a wonderful actress but her performance here was as spellbinding for me as Heather Ledger's was in The Dark Knight as the Joker. The parallel story of Julie, played by Amy Adams, is very good and interwoven with Julia's story expertly by Nora Ephron with great supporting performances by Stanley Tucci and Chris Messina. This is a must see film for all fans of Meryl Streep and Julia Child that showcases amazing talent and an extraordinary life. 
Warner Bros. and DC Comics has released their next straight to DVD origin story featuring the voice talents of Christopher Meloni as Hal Jordan, Victor Garber as Sinestro, SciFi hottie Tricia Helfer as Boodikka, and Kurtwood Smith as villian/pawn Kanjar Ro. Unlike the previous DVD release of Justice League: The New Frontier that introduced us to Hal Jordan as the Green Lantern, this film gives us his the complete story with his first mission under his mentor, Sinestro, as he is tested by the Guardians to prove he deserves the mantle of Green Lantern from Abin Sur. As a fan of the comics and DC's new line of PG-13 DVD releases, I enjoyed this thoroughly. The trailer for the next DC DVD release, Superman/Batman: Public Enemies looks great and I hope it is just as great as Jeph Loeb's original story arc. Keep up the good work DC and take that Marvel!
I did not get to see this at my local AMC art-house theater in Shirlington Village because it was only there for a week. But as fate would have it with Asian films being released to the US, I was able to pick up a copy the same day from the same martial films DVD stand where I picked up Gwoemul, or The Host. Buffy the Vampire Slayer this is not it but it does remind me a little of American Ninja in a way but much better acting and plot and no vampires. The killing of the big boss at the end could have been more drawn out for me because it seem to end rather quickly. If you like anime, vampires, and school girls swing swords, then this is the next movie to add to your Netflix queue.
Marcus Dunstan, one of the writers for Saw IV, V, and VI, branches off to create a new pop-culture serial killer to rival Jigsaw. The twist here is that, instead of being caught inside a trap and having to figure out why you are there and how to get out, Arkin discovers the traps and must see how he can save the family he is stealing from before the killer discoveries he is in the house. Josh Stewart, last seen by me as Holt McLaren in the series Dirt, plays Arkin and delivers a great performance and some genuinely gut-wrenching escapes that give us plenty of the red stuff. A good horror flick but it does remind you of the Saw franchise without Jigsaw's rules of game play. Definitely worth a look for my fellow horrorphiles! 
Let's just say it now that there is not an "ugly" person in the movie anywhere and it is a good date movie for men and women. The ugly truth antics are fun to watch and Katerine Heigl learning to flirt and become even sexier - what man is not going to enjoy this? Heigl has grown up and out alot since My Father the Hero and I like it! Gerard Butler is there for the ladies to love but I am looking forward to his next film Gamer even more. Dudes, if you have to see a "chick flick" to make your girls happy at least make it this one. 
"..the depraved, worthless piece of filth that is Orphan..." per Ann Hornaday of the Washington Post. With a review like this I had to see this film because it obliviously had to have something more to it than the classic The Bad Seed or the remake The Good Son to bring out such vitriol for a movie from a jaded critic. After seeing the film, I can see why this was said but the twist makes the movie and works to bring out the genuine creepiest and horror of the ending. I can understand now why Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard agreed to do this film because it is not what you are expecting and does deliver the goods. The true gem of the film is Aryana Engineer as Max who is the cutest thing you have ever seen on screen and juxtaposes Esther perfectly to make her even more horrific - well done everybody! 
Denzel Washington and John Travolta update the 1974 film featuring a hijacking of a New York metro train which starred Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw. The cast is rounded out with Luis Guzman, John Turturro and everyone's favorite Soprano, James Gandolfini as the Mayor. All in all a good film, solid performances, easily paced and a good remake like 1991's Cape Fear. If you have some free time to check it out at a matinee like me, you won't be disappointed. I recommend the number three combo from the concession stand with ketchup and mustard - happy viewing.
Our favorite teenage wizards are back in the sixth install of the J.K. Rowling film franchise based on her books. The film is first rate and the story does deliver on the plot of the the sixth book even if a lot of the finer points were left out so they could actually get it on the screen. I wonder what the splitting point will be to deliver the two remaining films that are due out based on the last book in the series. The quidditch match is awesome and I cannot wait to see the film again when it makes its release in IMAX and with select 3D scenes. Will it beat the take so far by Transformers 2 this summer - only the fans will decide. 
I didn't get to renew my season tickets this year for the Shakespeare Theatre and to rub salt in my wounds a limited performance run of Phedre starring Helen Mirren is scheduled to kick-off the 2009-2010 season of performances. But before the play is scheduled to come to DC, a live HD performance would be broadcast as part of Britain's National Theatre Live program. Thanks to my friend Svetlana we scored tickets and was treated to a wonderful play with an expected fantastic performance by Helen Mirren. I love Helen Mirren in everything she does! I wish I could see her in person performing on the Sidney Harman stage but all 12 performances are completed sold out and I am glad I got to see the broadcast if nothing else.
Kudos to Duncan Jones on this sophomore effort that stars the magnetic Sam Rockwell. Although there are great effects and realism in the sets, the power of this film is the performance of Rockwell as the sole inhabitant of a moon mining base who is just a few weeks shy of completing his three year contract when he loses communication with the Earth and his family. Kevin Spacey voices his only companion, an operations robot called GERTY. Even though I figured out the plot pretty quickly, the story is well plotted and the revelations of Sam Bell's predicament is fully engaging. If you do not get to see this in the theater, then definitely add it to you NetFlix's queue to watch when it hits DVD. 
I admit I only saw this movie because it stars the sexy and cute Hayden Panettiere. The plot is OK with a few chuckles thrown in even if it was not Shakespearean like O or 10 Things I Hate About You. I still prefer the American Pie films for my laughs and fun. Where are this generations' teen film classics like Porky's, The Last American Virgin, or Fast Times at Ridgemont High which I had back in the 80's? Come on Hollywood don't let down your new crop of horny teens with films their grandparents would approve of. 
The motley crew of Manny, Sid, Diego and Scrat are back with some toothy new friends. To kick off this adventure Manny and Ellie are pregnant, Sid wants his own family and finds one by accident, Diego is feeling a little too domesticated, and Scrat finally finds a love greater than the ever elusive acorn. It is nice to see the dinosaurs make it in to this series and they are big, scary and fun on screen. The scene stealer this time out is Buck, voiced by Simon Pegg, who is the motley band's crazy wilderness guide as they try to track down one of their own who was taken by a perturbed mother dino. I am a huge fan of this animated series and recommend it to all families to see. 