Worthwhile (or not) 5/30/08

Here's how MetaCritic numerically ranks the films (xx/100). Because of the length of SEX I didn't get a chance to see STRANGERS but I talked to several who did attend that screening and they all thought it was good and very scary. Evidently TWISTED hasn't been seen by enough reviewers to rate a listing.

53 Sex and the City: The Movie,
52 Strangers, The

Click on the title links to see if the ratings change as more reviews come in.

SEX AND THE CITY **½

Michael Patrick King who produced and directed many of the TV airings of this series is the director of the film version which stars: Sarah Jessica Parker (Carrie), Kim Cattrall (Samantha), Kristin Davis (Charlotte), Cynthia Nixon (Miranda), Chris Noth (Mr. Big), and Jennifer Hudson (Louise). Rated R for strong sexual content, graphic nudity and language. The drama is two hours and thirty minutes long.

This feature film adaptation of the hit HBO television series follows the continuing adventures of the series' four main characters as they live their lives in Manhattan four years after the series ended.

I can't say I was looking forward to attending this screening and it turns out my foreboding was well deserved. The two and a half hours seemed interminable and for me, the highlight of the film was the start of the end credits. However, my guess is women will love this pic. It's filled with love, romantic entanglements, attractive unclothed men and a continuing parade of clothing fashion. There were about twenty other people at the screening I attended, all of them female, and they all said they loved it. The production values are good and the pace of the story is fine, it's just there wasn't much that interested me. The R rating is well deserved as there is both male and female frontal nudity in addition to the other items mentioned above. This will probably be a good date picture and there is no doubt it's going to do a lot of business but men, if you find yourself in the audience, make sure you bring some NoDoze and an Ipod with earplugs.

Opening 5/30/08

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

SEX AND THE CITY [R] 2 hrs. 20 min. Comedy Trailer Cast: Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon, Chris Noth, Jennifer Hudson, Lynn Cohen. Plot: feature film adaptation of the hit HBO television series which follows the continuing adventures of the series' four main characters - Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda - as they live their lives in Manhattan four years after the series ended. Showing at: Derby Plaza, Movie Machine, Northrock 14, 13th Avenue Warren, Warren Old Town, 21st Street Warren.

THE STRANGERS [R] 1 hr. 25 min. Suspense/Thriller Trailer Cast: Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman, Gemma Ward, Kip Weeks, Laura Margolis, Glenn Howerton. Plot: a terrifying thriller about a couple whose remote getaway becomes a place of terror when masked strangers invade. The confrontation forces them to go far beyond what they thought themselves capable of if they hope to survive. Showing at: 13th Avenue Warren, 21st Street Warren.

TWISTED: A BALLOONAMENTARY [NR] 1 hr. 50 min. Documentary Trailer Plot: takes you right into the heart of Twist and Shout, one of the world's premier balloon twisting conventions in this story about people who discover once you can make a balloon dog, you can do anything. Showing at: 13th Avenue Warren.

Leaving 5/29/2008

Derby Plaza - nothing
Movie Machine - What Happens In Vegas
Northrock 14 -
Palace West - Nothing
Starlite Drive-In -
Warren East 13th - The Countefeiters
Warren Old Town - What Happens in Vegas
Warren West 21st - Nothing

Worthwhile (or not) 5/22/08

Here's how MetaCritic numerically ranks the films (xx/100). I bet I know which film will do the most business no matter what the rating score is!

66 Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,
75 Young@Heart

Click on the title links to see if the ratings change as more reviews come in.

INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL **½

Nineteen years after the last Indy, Steven Spielberg directs the fourth in the series featuring: Harrison Ford, Shia LaBeouf, Cate Blanchett, Ray Winstone, Karen Allen, John Hurt, and Jim Broadbent. Rated PG-13 for adventure violence and scary images. The action/adventure film is two hours and five minutes long.

In 1957 – Indy (Ford) meets rebellious young Mutt (LaBeouf), who carries a proposition for the adventurous archaeologist: if he'll help on a mission with deeply personal stakes, Indy could very well make one of the most spectacular archaeological finds in history – the Crystal Skull of Akator, a legendary object of fascination, superstition and fear. Since he's just been fired from his University job by his friend and Dean (Broadbent), he agrees. Soviet agents are also hot on the trail of the Crystal Skull. Chief among them is icy cold, devastatingly beautiful Irina Spalko (Blanchett). Indy and Mutt must find a way to evade the ruthless Soviets and stop the powerful Crystal Skull from falling into the deadliest of hands. Along the way he spars with his sometime partner 'Mac' (Winstone) and becomes reacquainted with Professor Oxley (Hurt) and old flame, Marion Ravenwood (Allen).

The rating above is really for those who are very familiar with the earlier films in the series. If you aren't, then a three star rating is probably more appropriate. I say this because if you know the previous plots, you know this one. This looks more like a remake than a new film. Either way, this is very well done (you wouldn't expect less from Spielberg) with very good CGI effects and a first rate cast. Nineteen years haven't slowed Ford down appreciably and Allen has aged nicely into the role she has. LaBeouf doesn't have the impact Ford does but he's clearly being handed leadership of the franchise. My grandchildren (six to thirteen) all seemed to enjoy the film but there are some parts involving skeletons, decaying corpses, etc. which may be a little scary for the younger ones. A large screen and good sound will add to your appreciation.

Opening 5/22/08

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

INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL PG-13 2 hrs. Action/Adventure Trailer Cast: Harrison Ford, Shia LaBeouf, Cate Blanchett, Ray Winstone, Karen Allen, John Hurt, Jim Broadbent. Plot: in 1957 – Indy meets rebellious young Mutt, who carries both a grudge and a proposition for the adventurous archaeologist: If he'll help on a mission with deeply personal stakes, Indy could very well make one of the most spectacular archaeological finds in history – the Crystal Skull of Akator, a legendary object of fascination, superstition and fear. The Soviet agents are also hot on the trail of the Crystal Skull. Chief among them is icy cold, devastatingly beautiful Irina Spalko. Indy and Mutt must find a way to evade the ruthless Soviets and stop the powerful Crystal Skull from falling into the deadliest of hands. Showing at: Derby Plaza, Movie Machine, Northrock 14, Starlite Drive-In, 13th Avenue Warren, Warren Old Town, 21st Street Warren.

YOUNG@HEART PG 1 hr. 50 min. Documentary/Music Trailer Plot: a documentary on a chorus of senior citizens from Massachusetts who cover songs by Jimi Hendrix, Coldplay, Sonic Youth, and other unexpected musicians. Showing at: 13th Avenue Warren.

Leaving 5/21/2008

Derby Plaza - Baby Mama
Movie Machine - Speed Racer, Baby Mama
Northrock 14 - Nim's Island, Redbelt, Baby Mama
Palace West - Leatherheads, Fool's Gold, Bucket List, Spiderwick Chronicles
Starlite Drive-In - Open full time 5/21
Warren East 13th - Redbelt, Under The Same Moon, The Forbidden Kingdom, 21
Warren Old Town - Speed Racer, Baby Mama
Warren West 21st - Nim's Island, Redbelt, Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Worthwhile (or not) 5/16/08

Here's how MetaCritic numerically ranks the films (xx/100). Counterfeiters is for the art film fans while Narnia is for those with really long attention spans.

78 Counterfeiters, The,
61 Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, The

Click on the title links to see if the ratings change as more reviews come in.

CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN ***

Directed by Andrew Adamson the fantasy/adventure stars: Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Ben Barnes, Peter Dinklage, and Sergio Castellitto. Rated PG for epic battle action and violence. The film is two hours and twenty-five minutes long.

The characters of C.S. Lewis' timeless fantasy come to life once again in this newest installment in which the Pevensie siblings (Henley, Keynes, Moseley and Popplewell) are again magically transported back from England to the world of Narnia. Since their last visit, the Golden Age has become extinct as Narnia has been conquered by the Telmarines (humans) and is now under the control of the evil King Miraz (Castellitto). The four children soon meet Narnia's rightful heir to the throne, the young Prince Caspian (Barnes), who has been forced into hiding as his uncle plots to kill him in order to place his own newborn son on the throne. The children are aided by the original inhabitants of the world, Narnians, including Trumpkin (Dinklage).

I've never read the Lewis books so my opinion specifically concerns only the entertainment value of this film. That value is high for the first hour and a half and then starts declining as the film goes on and on, never seeming to know when to end. This film is simply too long for its intended audience, children, and it was really pressing its luck with me. There are some terrific CGI effects, suitably impressive battle scenes and stirring music. And, a large theatre will allow you to be immersed in the spectacle, but this film is long enough that an intermission might be in order. At least the eventual DVD version will let you take a break every once in awhile. The religious allegory will be obvious to an adult but I doubt most children will be aware of it. Even with its excessive length, this is impressive movie making and deserves to be seen whether in a theatre or at home.

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

THE COUNTEFEITERS [R] 1 hr. 40 min. Drama Trailer Cast: Karl Markovics, August Diehl, Devid Striesow. Plot: the true story of Salomon Sorowitsch, counterfeiter extraordinaire and bohemian. After getting arrested in a German concentration camp in 1944, he agrees to help the Nazis in an organized counterfeit operation set up to help finance the war effort. Won the Oscar this year for Best Foreign Language film. Showing at: 13th Avenue Warren.

CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN [PG] 2hrs. 20 min. Adventure/Fantasy Trailer Cast: Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Ben Barnes, Peter Dinklage, Warwick Davis, Vincent Grass, Ken Stott, Pierfrancesco Favino, Sergio Castellitto, Liam Neeson, Eddie Izzard. Plot: the characters of C.S. Lewis' timeless fantasy come to life once again in this newest installment in which the Pevensie siblings are again magically transported back from England to the world of Narnia. Since their last visit, the Golden Age has become extinct as Narnia has been conquered by the Telmarines and is now under the control of the evil King Miraz. The four children soon meet Narnia's rightful heir to the throne, the young Prince Caspian, who has been forced into hiding as his uncle plots to kill him in order to place his own newborn son on the throne. Showing at: Derby Plaza, Movie Machine, Northrock 14, Starlite Drive-In, 13th Avenue Warren, Warren Old Town, 21st Street Warren.

Leaving 5/15/2008

Derby Plaza - Horton Hears A Who, Prom Night, Nim's Island
Movie Machine - Horton Hears A Who, Prom Night
Northrock 14 - Expelled, The Forbidden Kingdom, Harold & Kumar
Palace West - Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day, Vantage Point, Alvin And The Chipmunks, 27 Dresses
Starlite Drive-In - Open Fri/Sat only
Warren East 13th - Nim's Island, Harold & Kumar, Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed
Warren Old Town - Harold & Kumar, Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Warren West 21st - Prom Night, Harold & Kumar, 21, The Forbidden Kingdom, Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed

Worthwhile (or not) 5/9/08

Here's how MetaCritic numerically ranks the films (xx/100). The teen/gamer film this week is obviously Speed Racer while What Happens In Vegas is for the couples and dating crowd. I'm not quite sure who Redbelt is for but it looks as if whoever goes has a good chance of liking it.

69 Redbelt,
36 Speed Racer,
40 What Happens in Vegas...

Click on the title links to see if the ratings change as more reviews come in.

WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS ***

TV director Tom Vaughan helms this romantic comedy which stars Cameron Diaz, Ashton Kutcher, Lake Bell, Rob Corddry, Treat Williams, Dennis Farina, and Queen Latifah. Rated PG-13 for some sexual and crude content, and language,including a drug reference the film is one hour and forty minutes long.

Two strangers, Diaz and Kutcher, awaken together to discover they've gotten married following a night of debauchery in Sin City, and one of them has won a huge jackpot after playing the other's quarter. BGF Bell and lawyer and Best Bud Corddry pitch in to help as the newlyweds devise ever-escalating schemes to undermine each other, get divorced, and get their hands on the money – only to find themselves falling in love amid the mutual backstabbing. Along the way we meet Willams as Kutcher's demanding father, Farina as Diaz's demanding boss, and Latifah as a court appointed counselor assigned to make sure the couple actually try to make their marriage work.

Have you seen this story before? You bet. Do you know how it's going to end five minutes after it starts? Right again. Will that make any difference in how much you enjoy it. Not in the least. What we have here is a very familiar story, and a well matched cast that looks as if it's enjoying itself, going through their paces in a way that provides for an entertaining romantic comedy. Critics will not care for this film but I'm betting the viewing public will like it just fine.

Opening 5/9/08

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

REDBELT [R] 1 hr. 40 min. Action/Drama Trailer Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Alice Braga, Tim Allen, Emily Mortimer, Rodrigo Santoro, Rebecca Pidgeon, Randy Couture. Plot: the story of a Jiu-jitsu master who has avoided the prize fighting circuit, choosing to instead pursue an honorable life by operating a self defense studio with a samaurai's code. An accident on a dark, rainy night at the Academy between an off duty officer and a distraught lawyer puts in motion a series of events that force him to step into the prize fighting ring for the first time in his life. Showing at: Northrock 14, 13th Avenue Warren, 21st Street Warren.

SPEED RACER [PG] 2 hrs. 15 min. Action Trailer Cast: Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, John Goodman, Susan Sarandon, Matthew Fox, Hiroyuki Sanada, Richard Roundtree, Ji Hoon Jung, Benno Furmann, Kick Gurry, Paulie Litt, Roger Allam. Plot: loyal to the family racing business, led by his father, a boy teams with his one-time rival—the mysterious Racer X—to win the race that had taken his brother’s life: the death-defying, cross-country rally known as The Crucible. Showing at: Derby Plaza, Movie Machine, Northrock 14, Starlite Drive-In, 13th Avenue Warren, Warren Old Town, 21st Street Warren.

WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS [PG-13] 1 hr. 40 min. Comedy/Romance Trailer Cast: Cameron Diaz, Ashton Kutcher, Rob Corddry, Treat Williams, Dennis Farina. Plot: two strangers awaken together to discover they've gotten married following a night of debauchery in Sin City, and one of them has won a huge jackpot after playing the other's quarter. The newlyweds devise ever-escalating schemes to undermine each other and get their hands on the money – only to find themselves falling in love amid the mutual backstabbing. Showing at: Derby Plaza, Movie Machine, Northrock 14, 13th Avenue Warren, Warren Old Town, 21st Street Warren.

Leaving 5/8/2008

Derby Plaza - Forbidden Kingdom
Movie Machine - The Forbidden Kingdom, Nim's Island, 21
Northrock 14 - Horton Hears A Who, Expelled, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Leatherheads, Prom Night
Palace West - The Other Boleyn Girl, Never Back Down
Starlite Drive-In - Open Fri/Sat only
Warren East 13th - Deception, Horton Hears A Who, Leatherheads, Prom Night, 88 Minutes
Warren Old Town - The Forbidden Kingdom
Warren West 21st - 88 Minutes, Leatherheads, Horton Hears A Who, Deception

Worthwhile (or not) 5/2/08

Here's how MetaCritic numerically ranks the films (xx/100). The clear winner this week is IRON MAN although MADE OF HONOR may do some business with women who think they won't like the Downey Jr. film. I think they'll be pleasantly surprised if they give it a chance.

80 Iron Man,
37 Made of Honor

Click on the title links to see if the ratings change as more reviews come in.

IRON MAN ***½

Directed by Jon Favreau this Action/Drama/Fantasy film stars Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Jeff Bridges. Rated PG-13 for some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and brief suggestive content the film is two hours and five minutes long.

Downey Jr. is a billionaire arms manufacturer and genius inventor who is kidnapped during a missile demonstration for military officer Howard in an effort to force him to build a devastating weapon for a group of terrorists. Instead, using his intelligence and ingenuity, he builds a high-tech suit of armor and escapes captivity. Returning home he sets about building a highly advanced version of the armor suit while trying to convince his company's COO, Bridges, that changes in the company are necessary. When his loyal assistant, Paltrow, uncovers a nefarious plot with global implications, he dons his new powerful armor and vows to protect the world as Iron Man.

I can't say I was expecting all that much from this film as I've gotten pretty jaded with all the superhero movies. So, this movie came as a very pleasant and highly entertaining surprise. Downey was the real surprise. He's very good in a role that in retrospect seems made for him. He manages to be strong, intelligent, and with a quirky sense of humor and it's all carried off with aplomb. Howard plays a good "I've got your back" friend while Bridges is an officer in his company who may not be a friend. Paltrow doesn't have much to do but stand around and look attractive but she's really good at doing that! The suit itself and the special effects that go along with it are suitably spectacular. If you stay through all the credits until the very end you'll see a brief preview of what's coming next, and rest assured with the amount of business this picture will do, there will be a sequel.

MADE OF HONOR **

British director Paul Weiland is responsible for this comedy/romance which stars Patrick Dempsey, Michelle Monaghan, Kevin McKidd, Kathleen Quinlan, and Sydney Pollack. Rated PG-13 for sexual content and language. (edited; originally Rated R for some sex-related material) the film is one hour and forty minutes long.

Monaghan is Dempsey's delightful best friend and the one constant in a life of nonstop lechery. When she goes overseas to Scotland on a six-week business trip, he is stunned to realize how empty his life is without her. He resolves to ask her to marry him – but is floored when he learns she has become engaged to a Scot (McKidd) and plans to move overseas. When she asks him to be her "maid" of honor, he reluctantly agrees to fill the role... but only so he can attempt to woo her and stop the wedding before it's too late. Quinlan is the mother of Monaghan and Pollack is the much married father of Dempsey.

Basically, you have very good, attractive, and talented actors in a warmed over plot that doesn't give them anything fresh to work with. There's no doubt right from the start where this is going and how it's going to end. If you're desperate for a romantic comedy this is mildly entertaining. But, the complete familiarity keeps it from being anything you'll remember ten minutes after it's over. I hope they release an uncut director's version as I suspect the best parts are not being seen this time around. You'll be a lot happier waiting for the DVD.