Worthwhile (or not) 2/1/08

This has not been a particularly pleasant week. I got to enjoy a second stomach virus which resulted in a couple of lost days and then a lot of "catchup" to get my regular work done. Taking that into consideration along with the weather, this is one of the rare weeks when I didn't attend a screening. Nothing really caught my eye anyway so instead of a review or two you'll have to use the MetaCritic rankings for this weekend's new openings in Wichita (remember, if you click on the film title you'll be presented with more reviews than you can possible read):

92/100 Diving Bell and the Butterfly, The

xx Eye, The (no critic screenings...never a good sign)

59/100 Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour

36/100 Over Her Dead Body (this review ranking is dropping as new reviews are added...another bad sign.)

xx Strange Wilderness (again, no advance screenings).

If you'd rather wait until next week here are a couple of the offerings for 2/8: FOOL'S GOLD with Matthew McConaughey / Kate Hudson and WELCOME HOME ROSCOE JENKINS with Martin Lawrence.

Opening 2/01/08

For showtimes select your theatre under the SHOWIMES AT: header in the left column. Weekend times normally start appearing on Wednesday.

Sorry for the delay. Managed to catch another stomach virus and have been out of commission most of the week.

THE EYE [PG-13] 1 hr. 35 min. Horror drama Trailer Cast: Jessica Alba, Parker Posey, Alessandro Nivola, Tamlyn Tomita, Chloe Moretz. Plot: a blind, accomplished, concert violinist undergoes a double corneal transplant and soon experiences unexplainable shadowy and frightening images. She is soon convinced her eye donor has somehow opened the door to a terrifying world only she can now see. Showing at: Derby Plaza, Northrock, 13th Avenue Warren, 21st Street Warren.

HANNAH MONTANA/MILEY CYRUS: BEST OF BOTH WORLDS CONCERT TOUR 3-D [G] 1 hr. 15 min. Music Trailer Cast: Miley Cyrus, Jonas Brothers, Kenny Ortega, Billy Ray Cyrus. Plot: Hannah Montana" fans everywhere will have a chance to see their favorite singer, songwriter and actress, Miley Cyrus, perform her sold-out concert tour on the big screen, exhibited in state-of-the-art Disney Digital 3D™. One week only. Showing at: 13th Avenue Warren exclusively.

THE DIVING BELL & THE BUTTERFLY [PG-13] 1 hr. 55 min. Drama Trailer Cast: Max Von Sydow, Emmanuelle Seigner, Marie-Josée Croze. Plot: the remarkable true story of Jean-Dominique Bauby, a successful and charismatic editor-in-chief of French Elle, who believes he is living his life to its absolute fullest when a sudden stroke leaves him in a life-altered state. Nominated for 4 Academy Awards including Best Director.In French with English subtitles. Showing at: 13th Avenue Warren exclusively.

OVER HER DEAD BODY [PG-13] 1 hr. 35 min. Comedy/Romance Trailer Cast: Eva Longoria Parker, Paul Rudd, Lake Bell, Lindsay Sloane, Jason Biggs. Plot: Devastated when his fiancée is killed on their wedding day, the groom reluctantly agrees to consult a psychic. Despite his skepticism over her abilities, he falls hard for her. But she's being haunted by the fiancée's ghost, who considers it her heavenly duty to break up the fledgling romance. Showing at: Northrock, 13th Avenue Warren, 21st Street Warren.

STRANGE WILDERNESS [R] 1 hr. 25 min. Comedy Trailer Cast: Steve Zahn, Allen Covert, Jonah Hill, Ashley Scott, Harry Hamlin, Robert Patrick, Joe Don Baker, Blake Clark, Justin Long, Jeff Garlin, Ernest Borgnine. Plot: the host of an ailing wildlife TV show, "Strange Wilderness," hatches a Hail Mary scheme to find the one animal that could truly turn the show around and change the nature show landscape forever – Bigfoot. Showing at: 13th Avenue Warren, 21st Street Warren.

Leaving 1/31/2008

Derby Plaza - Mad Money
Movie Machine - Nothing
Northrock 14 - Alvin And The Chipmunks, National Treasure
Palace West - Beowulf, 30 Days Of Night, This Christmas
Starlite Drive-In - Closed until Spring
Warren East 13th - Veggie Tales Movie, Sweeney Todd, One Missed Call, P.S. I Love You
Warren Old Town - Nothing
Warren West 21st - One Missed Call, Veggie Tales Movie, Sweeney Todd, P.S. I Love You, First Sunday

Worthwhile (or not) 1/25/08

The top film for the week according to MetaCritic is, There Will Be Blood with 92/100. How She Move with 64/100 follows next although it's hard to imagine this will be a major hit. Rambo follows with 41/100. Untraceable with 31/100 is toward the bottom. Meet The Spartans has no rating as of this writing which means it wasn't screened for the critics (read the synopsis and you'll see why).

If none of these strike your fancy, next week you have these to look forward to: Jessica Alba's new horror film, The Eye; a romantic comedy with Eva Longoria, Over Her Dead Body; and a rather strange looking comedy (I consider any film with Bigfoot and Ernest Borgnine as strange), Strange Wilderness.

RAMBO ***

Directed by Sylvester Stallone this action/drama stars: Sylvester Stallone, Julie Benz, Paul Schulze, Matthew Marsden, Graham McTavish, Rey Gallegos, Tim Kang, Jake LaBotz, Maung Maung Khin, and Ken Howard. One hour and forty minutes in length, the film is rated R for strong graphic bloody violence, sexual assaults, grisly images and language.

Twenty years after his last epic, Rambo, currently living in Thailand, is asked to guide a group of missionaries up the Salween River and drop them off, so they can deliver medical supplies and food to the Karen tribe in Burma. While initially reluctant, he finally agrees to take them. When they are captured by the Burmese army, he sets out to rescue them along with a group of mercenaries their church has hired.

The question I imagine you have is, how well does Stallone look now that he's over 60? The answer is, pretty good, actually. He's not as "bulked up" as he was in his prime and his face is definitely showing signs of his 60 some years, but I imagine he'd give anyone his age a real run for their money. As for the film, if you liked the earlier Rambo films, you'll like this one just fine. It's definitely for the action, "exploding body party" fans, but there are enough of those to make this at least an initial success. The squeamish are well advised to stay away though, because this is really bloody and graphic. Maximum impact and enjoyability will be obtained from watching this in a large theatre with good sound.

UNTRACEABLE **

Directed by Gregory Hoblit this thriller stars: Diane Lane, Billy Burke, Colin Hanks, Joseph Cross, and Mary Beth Hurt. It is one hour and 45 minutes long and is rated R for grisly violence and torture, and some language.

A tech-savvy internet predator leaves the fate of each of his tormented captives in the hands of the public: the more hits his site gets, the faster his victims die. And, as you might expect, with each new victim the time it takes for their death grows shorter and shorter. As the FBI Special Agent in charge and her team close in on the killer he decides to take their attention personally and begins stalking and striking back at them.

Lane is a lovely and very talented actress but this seems a little beneath her abilities. The film starts well and for a good portion of its length holds your attention as the plot unfolds. But as the ending approaches it's almost as if the money started running low and the director was told to wrap it up as quickly as possible. As a result some of the closing activity is silly and the actual ending isn't realistic and lacks the tension needed to make the film successful. Too bad, as there was potential here for a really good thriller. I'd wait for the DVD. I think you'll be much happier with that cost.

Opening 1/25/08

For showtimes select your theatre under the SHOWIMES AT: header in the left column. Weekend times normally start appearing on Wednesday.

HOW SHE MOVE [PG-13] 1 hr. 40 min. Drama Trailer Cast: Tracey Armstrong, Clé Bennett, Nina Dobrey, Romina D'Ugo, Kevin Duhaney, Shawn Fernandez, Brennan Gademans, Jason Harrow, Jai Jai Jones, Tristan D. Lalla, Daniel Morrison, Dwain Murphy, Mya, Rutina Wesley. Plot: a gifted young woman defies all the rules as she step dances her heart out to achieve her dreams. Showing at: Northrock, 21st. Street Warren.

MEET THE SPARTANS [PG-13] 1 hr. 35 min. Comedy Trailer Cast: Diedrich Bader, Kevin Sorbo, Method Man, Ken Davitian, Jim Piddock, Sean Maguire, Greg Ellis, Crista Flanagan, Nicole Parker, Emily Wilson. Plot: a spoof of 300. A leader with only leather underwear and a cape leads a group of 13 Spartans against the invading Persians who include: Ghost Rider, Rocky, the Transformers, and a hunchbacked Paris Hilton. Showing at: Movie Machine, Northrock, 13th Avenue Warren, 21st. Street Warren.

RAMBO [R] 1 hr. 35 min. Action/Drama Trailer Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Julie Benz, Paul Schulze, Matthew Marsden, Graham McTavish, Rey Gallegos, Tim Kang, Jake LaBotz, Maung Maung Khin, Ken Howard. Plot: 20 years after his last epic Rambo is asked to guide a group of missionaries up the Salween River and drop them off, so they can deliver medical supplies and food to the Karen tribe in Burma. When they are captured by the Burmese army, he sets out to rescue them. Showing at: Derby Plaza, Northrock, 13th Avenue Warren, Warren Old Town, 21st. Street Warren.

THERE WILL BE BLOOD [R] 2 hrs. 40 min. Trailer Drama Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Dano, Ciaran Hinds, Kevin J. O'Connor. Plot: chronicles the life and times of a man who transforms himself from a down-and-out silver miner raising a son on his own into a self-made oil tycoon. But as the well raises their fortunes, conflicts escalate and every human value is imperiled by corruption, deception and the flow of oil. Showing at: 13th Avenue Warren exclusively.

UNTRACEABLE [R] 1 hr. 30 min. Thriller Trailer Cast: Diane Lane, Billy Burke, Colin Hanks, Joseph Cross, Mary Beth Hurt. Plot: a tech-savvy internet predator leaves the fate of each of his tormented captives in the hands of the public: the more hits his site gets, the faster his victims die. When this game of cat and mouse becomes personal, an FBI Special Agent and her team race against the clock to track down the virtually untraceable technical mastermind. Showing at: Northrock, 13th Avenue Warren, 21st. Street Warren.

Leaving 1/24/2008

Derby Plaza - Pirates Who Don't Do Anything
Movie Machine - Enchanted, The Great Debaters
Northrock 14 - I Am Legend, In The Name Of The King, One Missed Call, P.S. I Love You, The Water Horse
Palace West - Lions For Lambs, Fred Claus
Starlite Drive-In - Closed until Spring
Warren East 13th - The Orphanage, In The Name Of The King, The Water Horse, Charlie Wilson's War
Warren Old Town - I Am Legend
Warren West 21st - The Water Horse, Charlie Wilson's War, No Country For Old Men, In The Name Of The King

JUNO ***

Directed by Jason Reitman, JUNO is a comedy/drama starring Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Allison Janney, J.K. Simmons, Olivia Thirlby, Jason Bateman, and Jennifer Garner. It is 1 hour and thirty-five minutes long and is rated PG-13 for mature thematic material, sexual content and language.

When an intelligent, smart-mouthed 16-year-old discovers she's pregnant after a one time coupling with a fellow student, she sets out to solve the problem by finding a couple willing to adopt. Luckily, she finds just such a couple in the want ads but there are still a few hurdles to overcome before everything is resolved.

A film with this plot could have gone several different directions but what we've got is an intelligent and very amusing drama about growing up and the problems that can occur when doing so. Page is very, very good as Juno but so is everyone else in this perfectly cast film. Cera as the father-to-be, Janney and Simmons as the parents of Juno, Thirlby as her witty/understanding girlfriend and Bateman and Garner as the prospective adoptive parents. Oh, the plot resolved a little too neatly but I was enjoying it enough I really didn't care. There's nothing here that requires a big screen so it won't hurt if you choose to wait for the DVD. Either way, it's worth seeing.

Worthwhile (or not) 1/18/08

Between the bad weather Wednesday and a sudden and very uncomfortable viral attack I didn't make it to any of the screenings this week. The MetaCritic ratings will keep you informed, however, and clicking on the link of any picture you're interested in will get you way more reviews than you'll have time to read: The Kite Runner 61/100, Cloverfield 59/100, 27 Dresses 46/100, Mad Money 41/100.

Opening 1/18/08

For showtimes select your theatre under the SHOWIMES AT: header in the left column. Weekend times normally start appearing on Wednesday.

27 DRESSES PG-13 Comedy/Romance Trailer Cast: Katherine Heigl, James Marsden, Malin Akerman, Ed Burns, Melora Hardin, Judy Greer. Plot: A young woman who's made a career of being a bridesmaid but never a bride faces her worst nightmare when her sister becomes engaged to the man of her dreams. Luckily, the wedding brings around the man who will change her bridesmaid status for good. Showing at: Derby Plaza, Movie Machine, Northrock, 13th Avenue Warren, 21st St. Warren.

CLOVERFIELD [PG-13] 1 hr. 25 min. Sci-Fi/Drama/Thriller Trailer Cast: Michael Stahl-David, Mike Vogel, Odette Yustman, Lizzy Caplan, Jessica Lucas, T.J. Miller. Plot: five young New Yorkers throw a friend a going-away party the night a monster the size of a skyscraper descends upon the city. Told from the point of view of their video camera (gee, unknown cast, handheld camera; you think this might be another Blair Witch Project?), the film is a document of their attempt to survive the most surreal, horrifying event of their lives. Showing at: Derby Plaza, Movie Machine, Northrock, 13th Avenue Warren, Warren Old Town, 21st St. Warren.

THE KITE RUNNER [PG-13] 2 hrs. 10 min. Drama Trailer Cast: Khalid Abdalla, Homayoun Ershadi, Atossa Leoni, Zekiria Ebrahimi, Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada, Wali Razaqi, Said Taghmaoui, Shaun Toub, Nasser Memarzia. Plot: based one on of the most acclaimed novels in recent memory; a profoundly emotional tale of friendship, family, devastating mistakes and redeeming love. Showing at: 13th Avenue Warren exclusively.

MAD MONEY [PG-13] 1 hr. 40 min. Crime/Adventure/Comedy Trailer Cast: Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah, Katie Holmes, Ted Danson, Adam Rothenberg, Stephen Root, Roger Cross, Christopher McDonald, Finesse Mitchell. Plot: three ordinary women form an unlikely friendship and decide to rob one of the most secure banks in the world by smuggling soon-to-be destroyed currency out of the supposedly airtight Reserve. It looks like they've pulled off the perfect crime—until a minor misstep alerts the authorities. Showing at: Northrock, 13th Avenue Warren, 21st St. Warren.

Leaving 1/17/2008

Derby Plaza - One Missed Call, P.S. I Love You, I Am Legend
Movie Machine - National Treasure: Book Of Secrets, I Am Legend, The Water Horse
Northrock 14 -
Palace West - Saw IV, Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married, American Gangster
Starlite Drive-In - Closed until Spring
Warren East 13th - Golden Compass, AVP: Requiem, Enchanted, The Great Debaters
Warren Old Town - Charlie Wilson's War
Warren West 21st - Golden Compass, AVP: Requiem, Enchanted, The Great Debaters

Worthwhile (or not) 1/11/08

This is kind of a blah week for movies although one does stand out. The Orphanage with 72/100 is easily the top ranked film of the week but it's hard to imagine it will find a large audience since it's a Spanish horror film with English subtitles. The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie with 46/100, First Sunday with 43/100 and The Bucket List with 41/100 are kind of bunched together as far as their rating is concerned although their plots are widely varied. Finally, In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale has no ratings as of this writing which tells me it wasn't screened for viewers, and tells you all you need to know about it's potential desirability.

If you want to know more about these films take the Metacritic links above.

THE BUCKET LIST **½

This comedy/drama stars Jack Nicholson, Morgan Freeman and Sean Hayes. Directed by Rob Reiner, it is one hour and 35 minutes long and is rated PG-13 for language, including a sexual reference.

The story is about a corporate billionaire and a working class mechanic who are both dying of cancer, share a hospital room, and discover they have a desire to spend the time they have left doing everything they ever wanted to do. They embark on the road trip of a lifetime in order to achieve that desire and end up enriching each other's life in the process.

This film is a little more than the sum of its parts. It has a very formulaic plot without a shred of ingenuity. It has Nicholson hamming his way throughout although he isn't as bad about that as I had feared. For the most part the plot isn't really believable. But, it does feature a good performance by Freeman, some nice scenic views, and quite a few laughs throughout. It's a film middle aged and older couples will enjoy a great deal more than the critics. It's not a film that must be seen in a theatre, a DVD will do quite nicely. However, if you're in the mood for a pleasant hour and a half with two of our better known actors, this will fill the bill nicely.

Opening 1/11/08

For showtimes select your theatre under the SHOWIMES AT: header in the left column. Weekend times normally start appearing on Wednesday.

THE BUCKET LIST [PG-13] 1 hr. 35 min. Comedy/Drama Trailer Cast: Jack Nicholson, Morgan Freeman, Sean Hayes, Rob Morrow. Plot: a corporate billionaire and a working class mechanic share a hospital room and discover they have two things in common: a desire to spend the time they have left doing everything they ever wanted to do and an unrealized need to come to terms with who they are. Together they embark on the road trip of a lifetime. Showing at: Derby Plaza, Movie Machine, Northrock, 13th Avenue Warren, Warren Old Town, 21st Street Warren.

FIRST SUNDAY [PG-13] 1 hr. 40 min. Comedy Trailer Cast: Ice Cube, Katt Williams, Tracy Morgan, Loretta Devine, Michael Beach, Keith David, Regina Hall, Malinda Williams, Clifton Powell, Nick Turturro, Chi McBride. Plot: two bumbling petty criminals come up with a desperate scheme to rob their neighborhood church. Instead, they end up spending the night in the presence of the Lord and are forced to deal with much more than they bargained for. Showing at: Northrock, 13th Avenue Warren, 21st Street Warren.

IN THE NAME OF THE KING: A DUNGEON SIEGE TALE [PG-13] 2 hrs. 5 min. Adventure/Fantasy Trailer Cast: Jason Statham, Leelee Sobieski, John Rhys-Davies, Ray Liotta, Matthew Lillard, Burt Reynolds, Will Sanderson, Ron Perlman, Claire Forlani, Brian J. White, Kristanna Loken, Gabrielle Rose. Plot: a simple family man is forced to take up arms after an evil sorcerer unleashes an army of bloodthirsty beasts that destroy his small village and capture his beautiful wife. The once peace-loving peasant and his two companions venture into perilous, uncharted terrain on a daring rescue mission in this breathtaking fantasy adventure which conjures up a medieval world filled with royal treachery, dark magic and spectacular battles. Showing at: Northrock, 13th Avenue Warren, 21st Street Warren.

THE ORPHANAGE [R] 1 hr. 40 min. Drama/Horror/Thriller Trailer Cast: Belén Rueda, Fernando Cayo, Geraldine Chaplin, Montserrat Carulla, Mabel Rivera, Andrés Gertrúdix. Plot: a woman purchases her beloved childhood orphanage with dreams of restoring and reopening the long abandoned facility as a place for disabled children. Once there, she discovers the new environment awakens her son's imagination, but the ongoing fantasy games he plays with an invisible friend quickly turn into something more disturbing. She looks to a group of parapsychologists for help in unraveling the mystery that has taken over the place. Showing At: 13th Avenue Warren.

THE PIRATES WHO DON'T DO ANYTHING: A VEGGIE TALES MOVIE [G] 1 hr. 25 min. Animated adventure Trailer Plot: in a new story of heroism in the beloved VeggieTales' world we follow the comic misadventures of three animated veggie pals who reluctantly set sail for adventure and discover that real heroes don't have to be tall, strong, handsome...or even human. Showing at: Derby Plaza, 13th Avenue Warren, 21st Street Warren.

Leaving 1/10/2008

Derby Plaza - Water Horse, Charlie Wilson's War
Movie Machine - Nothing
Northrock 14 - Alien Vs. Predator: Requiem, Enchanted, Walk Hard:The Dewey Cox Story
Palace West - Nothing
Starlite Drive-In - Closed until Spring
Warren East 13th - Walk Hard:The Dewey Cox Story
Warren Old Town - Walk Hard:The Dewey Cox Story, Alien Vs. Predator: Requiem
Warren West 21st - Walk Hard:The Dewey Cox Story

Worthwhile (or not) 1/4/08

Evidently the company releasing ONE MISSED CALL decided not to risk screening this epic for the reviewers. They were right in doing so but that should tell you all you need to know about the film.

Sorry I haven't written any reviews lately. I saw several films but didn't seem to find the time to actually write a review. Here's a quick summary of the holiday films I've seen to date:

ALIEN VS. PREDATOR * (and that's being generous). Strictly for teen males who find blood and gore more necessary than a plot.

ATONEMENT ***½ Very definitely an "art" film but it will hold your attention throughout. A little hard to follow but all is made clear at the end.

CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR ***½ Manages to achieve the impossible...make history laugh-out-loud funny.

NATIONAL TREASURE 2 *** About as silly historically as the first one but just as enjoyable.

ONE MISSED CALL *

Directed by Eric Valette and starring Shannyn Sossamon and Ed Burns, this supernatural thriller is 1 hr. and 25 min. long and is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and terror, frightening images, some sexual material and thematic elements.

A chain of people receive terrifying cell phone messages of their own final fatal moments. In each case the date and time of the phone call is in the future, the precise time of the recipient's death. Together, a woman whose friends have died after the calls and a police detective whose sister died in the same manner work feverishly to unravel the mystery behind the ominous calls.

I enjoy a good horror movie. I didn't enjoy this one. The cast is fine and there are a few eerie moments throughout, but no real "grabbers." The problem is when it's all over you're left in the auditorium saying, "huh?" Perhaps if you choose to go you'll see it differently, but to me the director was so intent in leaving a link to a potential sequel he forgot to conclude this first installment. I'd save my money on this one. It'll be on the Sci-Fi Channel before you know it.

Opening 1/4/08

For showtimes select your theatre under the SHOWIMES AT: header in the left column. Weekend times normally start appearing on Wednesday.

ONE MISSED CALL [PG-13] 1 hr. 25 min. Supernatural thriller Trailer Cast: Shannyn Sossamon, Ed Burns, Ana Claudia Talancon, Ray Wise, Azura Skye. Plot: a chain of people receive terrifying cell phone messages of their own final fatal moments. Together, a woman whose friends have died after the calls and a police detective work feverishly to unravel the mystery behind the ominous calls. But even as they get closer to the truth, the woman's cell phone begins to ring with an eerie tune, and the readout says One Missed Call... Showing at: Northrock, 13th Avenue Warren, 21st Street Warren.

Leaving 1/3/2008

Derby Plaza -
Movie Machine - nothing
Northrock 14 - The Golden Compass, Charlie Wilson's War, Alien vs. Predator
Palace West - We Own The Night, Across The Universe
Starlite Drive-In - Closed until Spring
Warren East 13th - This Christmas, Fred Claus
Warren Old Town - Nothing
Warren West 21st - Fred Claus