NEXT

Daja vu? Oh wait that is the Denzel Washington movie where he sees something really bad happen in the future and then tries to stop it. I didn't see that movie, so I can't really compare NEXT to that one. I had low expectations for this film so I was pleasantly surprised to find that I liked it pretty well.

Nick Cage plays Chris Johnson, a.k.a Frank Cadillac a magician with a special talent. He can see about two minutes ahead in the future and then change it if he wants. Julie Anne Moore, plays FBI Agent Callie Ferris who has clued in to Johnson's special power.

Currently some sissy French terrorists have smuggled a nuke into the U.S. and want to set it off for kicks and jollys. The plot never really gets to deep into the terrorists motivations. (Where's Jack Bauer when ya need him?) Anyway it doesn't really matter why, we just want to see Johnson's parlor trick put into action.

Early on Chris finds that a certain female, Liz, played by Jessica Biel (yes folks the sexiest woman alive) can extend his future seeing powers by hours. So Chris chases Liz and Ferris chases Chris trying to get him to help stop the big bomb from going off. (Confused yet?)

Nick Cage is having a bit of a dry spell lately. Johnny Blaze didn't really set me on fire in Ghost Rider, now this character is a reluctant, washed up, loser who somehow charms the sexiest woman alive? (Why did I like this movie again? I forget.) And what was with that hair? He had dyed jet black hair and hair extensions. It was long and stringy and I suppose represented his strung out life? But at least when they give Bruce Willis hair, it looks real!

It was an interesting story and a neat idea for someone to be able to see a few minutes into the future. It was charming. But overall, save your popcorn money for Spiderman 3 and catch NEXT next time you see it on cable!

HOT FUZZ

This movie was extremely funny! If you saw Shaun of the Dead and loved it as I did, then this one is a must see. It's almost a sequel as it reunites Nick Frost and Simon Pegg as police partners in a sleepy English village where all is not as it seems.

I was chuckling (not giggling, that's what girls do.) at the opening scene as Simon Pegg comes marching into the police station. Nothing funny about it, I just knew the absurd comedy was coming and I was anticipating laughing my arse off.

Despite being a bit slapstick, the film actually has a decent plot, er well a decent story. And the British actors played their roles brilliantly. Even defunct bond, Timothy Dalton does a superb job as a wacky, off kilter supermarket manager.

The climax of the film is worth the full price of admission. It was freaking amazing and totally hilarious! If you are in the mood for some absurd humor and non-stop laughs check out Hot Fuzz as soon as possible. Don't get pulled over for speeding!

Perfect Stranger

I knew who the killer was before the preview trailers ended. I had it all figured out. I was wrong. They got me. It was a great twist at the end that I did not see coming. Was Perfect Stranger a perfect murder mystery movie? Maybe it had all the elements of a whodoneit, but they dropped off the "thriller" part.

I never felt tense the whole movie. In fact I was just relaxed watching the story unfold, still confident I had it solved. I like Halle Berry, and I love Bruce Willis, so the film had that going for it. I also thought the characters were well developed. There was quite a bit of exposition, some of which was shown in flashbacks, but once that was out of the way, the character interaction began.

Halle Berry's character, Rowena Price is an investigative reporter that is convinced Harrison Hill (Bruce Willis), a powerful Ad Executive has killed her childhood friend and she is determined to prove it. I felt the chemistry between Bruce and Halle was forced. It didn't come naturally. Bruce really needs to stick to what he does best. Kill bad guys.

Several supporting roles pop in and out of Rowena's hectic life, most notably her tech savy partner, Miles Hailey played by Giovanni Ribisi whose character has a glaring crush on her. (Who doesn't? Why don't stars ever stalk anyone? "I was at the market yesterday, picking up some perogis, and there was Halle again! She followed me from the ice creme cases to fruits and veggies! Sheesh!")

Well as I said this movie was no thrill ride like Vacancy was. (Go see that one!) The only cool part was the twist at the end and perhaps smarter people than me saw it coming and if so kudos to you!

Vacancy

I loved this movie! If horror flicks of the "Psycho" genre are your thing, then Vacancy is a must see! It was an intense thrill ride. A bit predictable, but director Nimrod Anatal (I'll have to think twice before calling someone a nimrod now), more than made up for it with an excellent cast, Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson, and he never let the suspense die down from start to finish.

Amy and David Fox are lost on the back roads in the middle of nowhere. We quickly learn their marriage is falling apart and as it turns out, so is their car. They end up stranded at a flea bag, roach infested motel managed by Frank Whaley (Mason).

But they don't get any rest here as they soon learn that guests literally check-in but don't check-out. Mason is running a little snuff-film factory at his motel, and Amy and David realize they are the stars of the next film.

I was a little afraid Luke Wilson would revert to his usual sleepy eyed and dim witted drawl when he spoke, but I was pleasantly surprised he sounded like a normal married man on the edge of divorce. He did a great job and casting him turned out to be a good call. Same goes for Frank Whaley being cast in his role. He usually plays snarky side kicks for comedy relief but he pulls off the snarky psycho bit rather well. I guess it wasn't much of a stretch to go from laughs to screams!

If you're looking for a good jump out of your seat scream flick, check out Vacancy!

Disturbia

This is a movie that takes place in the middle American suburbs. This is the scary version of the Tom Hanks movie, The Burbs. Which is a must see comedy by the way! Disturbia stars Shia LaBeouf (what a name) who plays Kale, a high school student that lost his dad in a car crash a year ago. Kale was driving and saw his dad die, so he has issues.

Kale punches a teacher in the face at school near the end of the year and is ordered to spend the summer under house arrest. He is fitted with an electronic ankle bracelet that won't allow him to leave his yard, or else the cops come running. The real horror begins as his mother, Julie played by Carrie-Anne Moss (Trinity/Matrix), closes his itunes account (gasp), snips the power cord to his Hi-Def TV in his room (scream!), and cancels his XBOX LIVE account (run from the theater in terror now!!).

Fortunately she didn't take his PSP! But with all his other entertainment laid to waste Kale soon busies himself with spying on the neighbors. The most interesting of which is the hot new neighbor, Ashley (Sahra Roemer). She has just moved in from the city with her parents and he quickly becomes obsessed with watching her. (who wouldn’t?). She catches him peeping with his buddy from school and oddly they all become fast friends.

I was an hour into the movie and I was like where is the psycho path? Where are the dead bodies? The Horror? Was this a scary movie or Napoleon Dynamite? They tease us with a couple of scenes where Kale discovers a few clues and starts to suspect his neighbor is a killer, but they keep us guessing till the climatic end. Until then it’s just a coming of age flick and a spoiled teenager fighting his demons (and two or three little neighborhood kids.) That’s why I give it a 3 out of 5. David Morse does a fair job of being the creepy guy next door, and the film picks up a little bit at the end, but to steal a line from the girlsonfilmshow, catch it on cable!

TMNT

Okay, Okay...no funny remarks....oh wait, I never get ANY remarks! Yes I saw an animated film this Friday! I got two boys that love ninjas, mutant turtles, and lottsa of fighting!! The boys were outta school so it was only fitting to raise them in the Friday tradition of catching a flick.

As to the TMNT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for those of you not in the know) movie, I thought the animation was amazing! Not that bubble-gum looking eye candy that PIXAR and DISNEY usually shovel. It was dark and REAL looking. Loved it. IMAGI Animation studios did a superb job.


I liked the rockin soundtrack as well, scored by Klaus Badelt. There were a few powerhouse voices provided by the likes of Patrick Stewart (Maximillian Winters), April O'Neil gets an upgrade in this version and gets to kick some bad guy butt with the Terrapin Tornadoes. She is voiced by Sarah Michelle Gellar, (Go Buffy!). The film is narrated by Lawernce Fishburne.

The story was mediocre. I had hoped they would avoid the infighting between the reptilian brothers, and just let them fight stuff, but it was not to be. Mostly Leonardo and Raphael are at each other's throats. But there is plenty of fighting monsters and of course their arch enemies the Foot Ninja Clan. Thankfully Shredder was not the big bad guy of the film.

Well if you want to see some great animation and you have some mutants of your own at home. Load em up in the mini van and head to the movies!

SHOOTER

This movie reminds me of the Bourne Identity. Which is better? Well I haven't seen Identity in a while, so I'm not sure but I think I liked Bourne Identity a little better than Shooter. Mostly because Bourne Identity had a more interesting hook, Jason Bourne couldn't remember who he was. Still I enjoyed shooter, even if it got a little campy at the end.

It starts out introducing us to Bob Lee Swagger (Wahlburg), a special forces sniper. The mission he is on doesn't end real well and three years pass and we find Bob being a recluse in the mountains, a hunting dog his only companion, almost a una-bomber type, except he does use technology.

Well one day the government shows up saying they need his expertise. They play on his patriotism and he says he'll help. That's when the plot and the plot twists kick in. This movie didn't "WOW" me like Casino Royale or 300, but it was a great matinee. Wahlburg does a decent job, and looks cut for the part. It also stars Danny Glover who should really just stick to Lethal Weapon sequels.

If you haven't seen 300, go see that. If you have seen it and are looking for something new at the popcorn stand, take a shot at Shooter and check it out!

300

Buttered popcorn? Check! Frosty Cola? Check! Darkened theater? Check! The most Epic battle movie since Lord of the Rings? Double Check! Ahhh. You could not ask for a much better day at the movies. 300 delivers! Outstanding story, excellent acting, nothing over the top, just unwavering discipline and devotion to the ideals all free peoples hold dear. And an ageless truism that we as Americans know so well today...Freedom is not Free.

Call the baby sitters and march to the theater to check out this dark tale of ancient Sparta! It's a must see!

Ghost Rider

Ghost Rider is a really nice looking film. The effects are superb and visually appealing. The licking flames, the chain whip, and the evil guys with their chilling touch of death all make it a great special effects film.

Unfortunately, the story is okay if not a little flat. And the fight scenes were so boring, I found myself yawning!

Ghost Rider, the devils bounty hunter, has to find four evil bad guys and destroy them. Each one in turn harasses the guy with the flaming head, but in just a minute he has them figured out and defeats them easily. Come on! After the Matrix and Spiderman set the bar for stunning and Epic fight scenes, Ghost Rider is a big let down in that department.

Speaking of let downs, I'm a huge Nicholas Cage fan boy, but I was expecting more from him as well. He usually has very funny and quirky breakouts when he play characters like this. And in Ghost Rider he tries to deliver. For example he stands before his mirror and makes boogey man faces at himself after turning into a walking zippo lighter the night before. But it failed to even bring a smile to my face. Has Nick lost it or was I in a foul mood? Who knows!

So if you are a marvel fan, and grew up on comics and super heroes as I did, then take your marshmallows and stick to the theater and catch a ride with the Ghost Rider!! PS- His side kick, Sam Elliot does a good job giving his usual gruff, grisly old man spiel. Check it out!

Breach

This movie was a rather somber tale, and there were only a couple of scenes the director attempts to get your pulse pounding, but fails.

The movie is based on the true-life story about how the FBI nailed the most damaging turncoat in American history, Robert Hanssen. We see everything through the eyes of Eric O'Neill (Ryan Phillippe), the young aspiring agent planted with Hanssen as his new assistant to gather information on the older man without knowing the true intent of the probe.

Chris Cooper plays a stern-faced and intimidating Robert Hanssen. He is an interesting character that sizes up and is suspicious of everyone he meets. What spy wouldn't be? We learn he is deeply religious, but also into porn as a hobby. I could never tell if one or the other was a facade.

As I stated, don't expect a thriller (only two Russian spies are killed), but it is a fascinating story and the film leaves us still wondering the "why" of it all.

Hanssen is currently serving his sentence at ADX Florence, a Supermax federal penitentiary in Florence, Colorado, where he spends 23 of 24 hours a day in solitary confinement.

This flick would be just as good on cable or a rental as it was on the big screen. I just had nothing better to do on President's Day. Check it out!!

Pan's Labyrinth

Decisions Decisions...I found myself on a business trip to Nashville this week and I always mix business with pleasure (who doesn't?). So there I stood at the door to the Regal theater trying to decide between Bable (oscar nominated for best picture) and some obscure Spanish film called Pan's Labyrinth about faun's and faeries.

Of course I chose the Labyrinth! (duh!) So I picked up my free popcorn (Tuesday's at Regal are free popcorn days if you're in the club and oh baby! I'm in!) and headed in excitedly to see what this mysterious film had to offer.

First you have to realize it is a Spanish film and therefore...that's right those crazy actors are all speaking Spanish. But like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, the sub-titles didn't bother me as much as I would have thought and I was able to enjoy the movie.

The story quickly catches your attention with a scene and a haunting lullaby from the end of the movie, but soon jumps into the main story of a young child and her pregnant mother traveling on the road in a bouncing late model car. The girl clutches her fairy tale books while the mother clutches her stomach. They arrive at a mill/farmhouse where the mother's new husband and father of the soon to be born baby brother is waiting for them. He is a tyrant of the Spanish army, currently hunting down rebels in the nearby hills. It's his brutality that give the film its "R" rating.

As the movie progresses, it rhythmically sways between the world of fantasy and the cruel harsh realities of real life. It transitions so well that at times you can't tell where fantasy ends and reality begins. The movie drags just slightly in the middle (like my reviews) and the end grows more predictable, but the story is strong, the CGI (Computer Generated Images) affects are brilliant, and the film reflects our own lives like a mirror. Don't we all fantasize just a bit to escape our real life doldrums (who uses that word any more?). We all dream of winning the lottery, or being famous, or living in a world with out war or global warming.

If you dare to enter the labyrinth, then check out Pan's Labyrinth and never trust a fawn.

Bill's Search Engine

Blood And Chocolate

Tasty little treat of a movie. They re-envision the age old were-wolf legend, there is no bone cracking, snout extending transformations we have come to expect in our Loup Garou films. Instead werefolk are a race born unto their own rather than a disease and their shape shifting into wolf form is more angelic than a painful uncontrollable curse.

But even though the movie is touted as being brought to you by the creators of Underworld, this is far from it. In fact there's more wolves than blood in the film, so it should have been called Wolves and Chocolate.

It's a Romeo and Juliet type story, with a female werewolf (Agnes Bruckner) defying her kind and falling in love with a human. We are treated to the PG-13 love affair, (who makes a PG-13 werewolf film?) and then the fur flies when they are found out. The character's and story were interesting enough to hold my attention and the cinematography was nice as well. If you are looking for a good Valentine's Day movie to take your loved one to, then check out Blood and Chocolate!!

Smoking Aces

Well I can't say for sure if my movie viewing experience has gone up or down this week, so we'll just say it remained ... level. Sorta like a patient that has flat-lined on the operating table. But have no fear! I am anxiously awaiting a couple of new flicks to roll off the celluloid assembly line and light my fire this year.

Nick Cage's Ghost Rider might be fun. I like Nick, can't wait to see National Treasure II. Also looking forward to 300 men. It'll be like football but with lots of swords and arrows! And that folks is right up my alley!

As for Smoking Aces, I guess the writer was smoking something when he wrote it. The first part of the film hand holds the audience in order to explain everything to us simple minded viewers. So we understand, it's a bunch of crazy hit men out to kill one crazy playboy of a man. Oh and there's some pissed off feds sprinkled in the mix.

Then there's the fun part. Lots of guns, lots of killing. I want to say this film reminds me of another movie where they build up to this big show down in a hotel...but I can't think of the name of it. Might be Domino.

Then after all the killing, we are introduced to the clever twist at the end which isn't so spectacular, not even close to the Usual Suspects, but again the audience is handheld while they explain it all to us and we go "Oh...I get it!"

Save your 5.75 and buy some dental floss and a new toothbrush, you're mouth will be happy and you'll be happy. PS - Don't tell the movie studio I gave this one a pass, or they might put a five dollar hit out on me!

The Hitcher

While driving across the desert, Jim (Zachary Knighton) and Grace (Sophia Bush) stop by the side of the road to pick up a hitchhiker — who turns out to be a murderous psychopath (Sean Bean).

While the couple quickly ditches their would-be assassin, the maniacal killer follows them along the dusty backroads and they engage in a nasty game of cat-and-mouse. A remake of the cult horror film starring Rutger Hauer, C. Thomas Howell and Jennifer Jason Lee.

If I had not seen such a dud last week I might have given this film a dud rating. However after seeing Children of Men, I can only go up. This is basically a film that has no real plot or point to it other than senseless violence and gore. They were even skimpy on the gratoitous sex. What an outrage! ;)

I was surprised that such a talented better known actor like Sean Bean would take such a low brow role after doing films like James Bond, and The Holy Lord of the Rings Triology. He only had about five lines in the whole movie. My favorite was when the police detective asked him why he was on a murderous rampage he replied. "Why not?" which is probably the same thing he said when he accepted the role. Hey, gotta pay the bills!

It's a definate pass at the theater, but if you see it on late one night on cable or there is nothing else to rent at the video store then catch a ride with The Hitcher!

Children of Men

"Children of Men" is set in the near future where the human race is on the brink of extinction.

Global violence, loss of civil liberties, illegal immigration, destruction of the environment, obsession with celebrity - all paint a bleak and depressing future. Oh wait those headlines are the same as today's headlines. Be warned this is a depressing movie with death and acute oppression around every corner.

Based on a novel by P.D. James, "Children of Men" shows a world were females have become infertile. No babies have been born for more than 18 years. The story takes place in the United Kingdom, where the military keeps order. Foreigners are rounded up, placed in detention camps and sent back to their home nations, with only a few Brits protesting the government's insensitive treatment.
The main character, Theo (Clive Owen) doesn't care that the world's demise seems inevitable. Once an activist, now a bureaucrat, he numbs himself with alcohol, or pot that he gets from his only friend, Jasper (Michael Caine), an aging hippie who lives in the country.

He is suddenly thrust into the chaos around him when a woman from his past, Julian (Julianne Moore), a leader in the refugee-rights movement, contacts him. Julian needs transit papers that will get refugee Kee (Clare-Hope Ashitey) out of the country and into the hands of the Human Project, a group devoted to saving mankind from self-destruction. Kee has a secret that could give the world hope again, but it also puts her in jeopardy.

Owen dose fine as the reluctant hero, but Michael Caine, who is usually a pleasure to watch comes off as an annoying over the top hippy whose only line seems to be "amigo!" Several of the other cast members all seems to have strange quirks as well making the film as painful as hearing the pots and pans rack in your kitchen fall and strike the tile floor.

As if that wasn't enough, the filmmaker must be a dog lover because nearly every scene of the movie has a yapping, whining, underfoot dog in it, which I found very distracting. I think the movie had potential to make a statement as to where the world is headed, but I lost that message in the unnecessary "noise" the other elements created.

Calvin and Hobbes

Happy Tanksgiving!!!

Casino Royale

I am a huge bond fan. Of course no one can out class Sean Connery, but I did think that Pierce Brosnan was the best looking bond and I loved his films.

I was disheartened when the franchise decided not to continue with Pierce, and I did not like the looks of the new guy, Daniel Craig.


However, a bond film is a bond film, and I was willing to give Craig a shot. While I still don't agree with his looks, or even his on screen charm as a perfect bond, he did an excellent job with the role. Casino Royale captured the style and feel of a some of the Connery films and yet added its own fresh style at the same time. We see the smooth, elegant, charming Bond, but at the same time a rough on the edge, sometimes out of control Bond as he learns the ropes (sometimes painfully) as a super secret agent.

The film had a great story, and thankfully the arch villan was not over the top and there was even a twist or two in the plot. And even no "over the top" stunts we have seen in recent bond films. They kept it simple, and I liked it.

This is a MUST see! Check it out or be eliminated!

Flags of Our Fathers

Shouldn't the title be FLAG of our fathers? I mean the movie is about the men that planted the FLAG in the famous picture taken in Iwo Jima. Although in the movie we learn that it was the second flag being planted on the hill that got in the picture. So maybe that explains the plural of the word flag in the title.

It was a good story, about the lives of the men that planted that flag, but the film was no Saving Private Ryan. Check it out!