Opening 8/27-29/08

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

Opens Wednesday, 8/27/08

HAMLET 2 [R] 1 hr. 30 min. Comedy Trailer Cast: Steve Coogan, Catherine Keener, Amy Poehler, David Arquette, Elisabeth Shue, Melonie Diaz. Plot: an irreverent comedy centering on one teacher's overzealous quest to mount a high school musical, a sequel to Shakespeare's "Hamlet", disdaining both political correctness and dramatic credibility. Showing at: Northrock 14, 13th Avenue Warren, 21st Street Warren.

TRAITOR PG-13 1 hr. 30 min. Thriller Trailer Cast: Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Jeff Daniels, Neal McDonough, Archie Panjabi, Alyy Kahn, Said Taghmaoui. Plot: a taut international thriller set against a jigsaw puzzle of covert counter-espionage operations. Showing at: Northrock 14, 13th Avenue Warren, 21st Street Warren.

Opens Friday, 8/29/08

BABYLON A.D. [PG-13] 1 hr. 30 min. Sci-Fi/Thriller Trailer Cast: Vin Diesel, Gérard Depardieu, Michelle Yeoh, Charlotte Rampling, Mark Strong, Radek Bruna, Melanie Thierry, Lambert Wilson. Plot: In the near future, a mercenary known only as Toorop lives by a simple survivor's code: kill... or be killed. His latest assignment has him smuggling a young woman named Aurora from a convent in Kazakhstan to New York City. As he does, he comes to understand he is the custodian of the only hope for the future of mankind. Showing at: Northrock 14, 13th Avenue Warren, Warren Old Town, 21st Street Warren.

COLLEGE [R] 1 hr. 35 min. Comedy Trailer Cast: Gary Owens, Ryan Pinkston, Drake Bell, Kevin Covais, Andrew Caldwell, Haley Bennett, Nick Zano, Camille Mana. Plot: three high school seniors visit a local college campus as prospective freshman anticipating the best weekend of their lives. Instead, they are subjected to endless humiliation...until they decide to fight back. Showing at: Northrock 14, 13th Avenue Warren, 21st Street Warren.

DISASTER MOVIE [PG-13] 1 hr. 30 min. Comedy Trailer Cast: Matt Lanter, Vanessa Minnillo, Carmen Electra, Kim Kardashian, G-Thang, Nicole Parker, Crista Flanagan, Ike Barinholtz. Plot: the filmmaking team behind the hits "Scary Movie," "Date Movie," "Epic Movie" and "Meet the Spartans" puts its unique, inimitable stamp on one of the biggest and most bloated movie genres of all time – the disaster film. Showing at: Northrock 14, Movie Machine, 13th Avenue Warren, 21st Street Warren.

In addition to the above, WALL-E and a sing along version of MAMMA MIA will also be returning to a limited number of theatres.

Leaving 8/26/2008 (8/28/2008)

Derby Plaza -
Movie Machine - (Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants, The Mummy)
Northrock 14 - Pineapple Express, Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants (Swing Vote, The Mummy)
Palace West - (The X-Files, Don't Mess With The Zohan, Sex And The City)
Starlite Drive-In - Open weekends only
Warren East 13th - Hancock, (Henry Poole Is Here)
Warren Old Town - (The Step Brothers, The Mummy)
Warren West 21st - Hancock, Swing Vote, (Nothing)

Worthwhile (or not) 8/20-22/08

Here's MetaCritic's numerical rank of this week's films (xx/100 - the higher the number, the better the critics liked the film). They're really cleaning out the shelves this week with about as unforgettable a collection of new pics as you'll ever suffer through. With the popularity of the Olymics, that's perfectly understandable.

41 Death Race,
55 House Bunny, The,
52 Longshots, The,
52 Rocker, The

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

Another Wednesday opening next week, TRAITOR. Friday openings next week: BABYLON A.D., COLLEGE, DISASTER MOVIE.

DEATH RACE **

Written and directed by Brit, Paul W.S. Anderson, this action pic stars: Jason Statham, Joan Allen, Tyrese Gibson, Ian McShane, and Natalie Martinez. Rated R for strong violence and language, it's ninety minutes long.

Set in the post-industrial wasteland of tomorrow, an ex-con (Statham) is framed for the murder of his wife by a prison warden (Allen). Given the choice of participating in the prison organized Death Race or rotting in jail, he chooses to drive a monster car outfitted with machine guns, flamethrowers and grenade launchers in an attempt to win the most twisted spectator sport on Earth, and his freedom. His co-pilot is Martinez, his mechanic is McShane and his main competitor is Gibson.

This is exactly what I thought it would be: a film filled with gratuitous violence, non-stop action, and with a testosterone fueled plot. The only surprise is how they managed to convince a classy actress like Joan Allen to be in it. I can only guess the failing housing market in California influenced her to take the cash and run. That's not to say I didn't enjoy the film, because I did. If you occasionally like watching car racing, violence, explosions, flying body parts and cheesy B-movie plots...you'll probably like it also.

THE ROCKER *½

British director Peter Cattaneo is at the helm of this comedy starring: Rainn Wilson, Christina Applegate, Josh Gad, Teddy Geiger, and Emma Stone. Rated PG-13 for drug and sexual references, nudity and language, it's one hour and forty minutes long.

The story of a failed, over-the-hill drummer (Wilson) who, 20 years later, gets a second chance at fame when his nephew (Gad) asks him to be the drummer for a band he's in (which includes Geiger and Stone). When the underage band goes on tour the mother (Applegate) of one of the group goes along as chaperone.

It's been some time since I've seen a picture like this...and that's a good thing! You have to wonder what film exec thought this would be a good idea. Geiger and Stone (she's also in HOUSE BUNNY this week) are attractive and competent young actors and Gad is appealing as the teen nerd. Applegate is basically wasted in a do-nothing part. Wilson is in an unattractive role as an overweight, middle aged loser although he plays that role well. The film contains a lot of very forgettable music along with a plot to match. It all adds up to a complete waste of time and money.

Opening 8/20-22/08

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

Opening 8/20/08

THE ROCKER [PG-13] 1 hr. 40 min. Comedy/Romance Trailer Cast: Rainn Wilson, Christina Applegate, Josh Gad, Teddy Geiger, Jane Lynch, Emma Stone, Jason Sudeikis, Howard Hesseman, Jeff Garlin, Bradley Cooper, Lonny Ross, Will Arnett, Fred Armisen. Plot: the story of a failed, over-the-hill drummer who, 20 years later, gets a second chance at fame. Showing at: Derby Plaza, Northrock 14, 13th Avenue Warren, 21st Street Warren.

Opening 8/22/08

DEATH RACE [R] 1 hr. 45 min. Action Trailer Cast: Jason Statham, Joan Allen, Tyrese Gibson, Ian McShane, Natalie Martinez, Jason Clarke. Plot: set in the post-industrial wasteland of tomorrow, an ex-con is framed for a gruesome murder he didn't commit. Given the choice of participating in the Death Race or rotting in jail, he chooses to drive a monster car outfitted with machine guns, flamethrowers and grenade launchers in an attempt to win the most twisted spectator sport on Earth, and his freedom. Showing at: Northrock 14, 13th Avenue Warren, Warren Oldtown, 21st Street Warren.

THE HOUSE BUNNY [PG-13] Comedy Trailer Cast: Anna Faris, Colin Hanks, Emma Stone, Kat Dennings, Dana Goodman, Katharine McPhee, Rumer Willis, Christopher McDonald, Beverly D'Angelo. Plot: a Playboy Bunny teaches the awkward members of a college sorority about the opposite sex – only to learn that what boys really like is what's on the inside. Showing at: Derby Plaza, Northrock 14, 13th Avenue Warren, 21st Street Warren.

THE LONGSHOTS [PG-13] 1 hr. 50 min. Family comedy Trailer Cast: Ice Cube, Tasha Smith, Keke Palmer, Jill Marie Jones, Earthquake. Plot: a down-on-his-luck former high school football star turns his niece into the quarterback of a local team and gets his stride back when he becomes the team coach. Showing at: Derby Plaza, Northrock 14, 13th Avenue Warren, 21st Street Warren.

Leaving 8/19/2008 (8/21/2008)

Derby Plaza - Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants 2, (The Dark Knight, Pineapple Express)
Movie Machine - nothing
Northrock 14 - nothing
Palace West - nothing, (The Love Guru, Meet Dave, The Incredible Hulk, What Happens In Vegas)
Starlite Drive-In - Open weekends only
Warren East 13th - Space Chimps, Wanted, Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants 2 (The Wackness, Wall-E)
Warren Old Town - nothing, (The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor)
Warren West 21st - Wall-E, (Space Chimps)

Worthwhile (or not) 8/15/08

Here's MetaCritic's numerical rank of this week's films (xx/100 - the higher the number, the better the critics liked the film). This is one of those "let's clear out the inventory and get ready for the Holidays" weeks. MIRRORS has been on the shelf for a year and they still won't screen it for critics. That pretty much tells you what that score is going to be. CLONE WARS is simply a preview for a fall TV series. The 'art' films showing exclusively at the 13th Avenue Warren appear to be your best bet unless you're in the mood for the adult comedy, TROPIC THUNDER.

32 Fly Me to the Moon,
49 Henry Poole is Here,
xx Mirrors,
39 Star Wars: The Clone Wars,
72 Tropic Thunder,
72 Vicky Cristina Barcelona,
61 Wackness, The


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

Another Wednesday opening next week, THE ROCKER. Friday openings next week: THE HOUSE BUNNY, DEATH RACE and THE LONGSHOTS.

TROPIC THUNDER **½

Directed, written and starring Ben Stiller, the film also stars: Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Nick Nolte, Steve Coogan, Danny R. McBride, Bill Hader, Matthew McConaughey, and Tom Cruise. Rated R for pervasive language including sexual references, violent content and drug material, the comedy is one hour and forty-seven minutes long.

A group of self-absorbed actors (Stiller, Black, Downey Jr.) set out to make the most expensive war film, but after ballooning costs force the studio (Cruise, Hader) to cancel the movie, the frustrated director (Coogan) refuses to stop shooting, leading his cast into the jungles of Southeast Asia with the author of the book the film is based on (Nolte) and a demolitions expert (McBride), where they encounter real bad guys. While this is going on, one of the actor's agent tries to prove his worth (McConaughey).

It's long been my personal feeling that comedy actors shouldn't direct their own films. I think they lose perspective, thinking all of their comedic efforts are hilarious when, in fact many of them aren't. That's the case in this fitfully funny, very violent and incredibly crude film which I suspect many younger viewers will love but older audiences will be offended by, along with their laughter. The film consists of a number of sketches which fit into the plot outline above. Some of them are very funny, many of them aren't. To me, the funniest part of the entire film were the three fake trailers before it starts. That's the problem here, you can be very, very funny in two or three minutes but when it starts to drag on longer than that, the humor wears thin pretty quickly.

Opening 8/13-15/08

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

Opening 8/13/08

TROPIC THUNDER [R] 1 hr. 50 min. Comedy Trailer Cast: Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Nick Nolte, Brandon Jackson, Steve Coogan, Danny R. McBride, Bill Hader, Jay Baruchel, Matt Levin, Andrea De Oliveira, Reggie Lee, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Cruise. Plot: a group of self-absorbed actors set out to make the most expensive war film, but after ballooning costs force the studio to cancel the movie, the frustrated director refuses to stop shooting, leading his cast into the jungles of Southeast Asia, where they encounter real bad guys. Showing at: Derby Plaza, Movie Machine, Northrock 14, 13th Avenue Warren, Warren Old Town, 21st Street Warren.

Opening 8/15/08

FLY ME TO THE MOON 3-D [G] 1 hr. 25 min. Animated Trailer Cast: Nicolette Sheridan, Tim Curry, Christopher Lloyd, Robert Patrick, Kelly Ripa, Adrienne Barbeau, Ed Begley Jr., Buzz Aldrin. Plot: in this groundbreaking 3-D animated adventure, three young flies set off on a courageous mission to become the first insects on the moon by hitching a ride on the historic Apollo 11 space flight. Showing at: Warren 13th, Warren 21st.

HENRY POOLE IS HERE [PG] 1 hr. 40 min. Comedy/Drama Trailer Cast: Luke Wilson, Radha Mitchell, Adriana Barraza, George Lopez, Cheryl Hines, Rachel Seiferth, Morgan Lily. Plot: the funny, poignant and uplifting story of a disillusioned man who attempts to hide from life in a rundown suburban tract home only to discover he cannot escape the forces of hope. Showing at: Warren 13th.

MIRRORS [R] 1 hr. 55 min. Horror Trailer Cast: Kiefer Sutherland, Paula Patton, Cameron Boyce, Erica Gluck, Amy Smart, Mary Beth Peil, John Shrapnel, Jason Flemyng, Tim Ahern, Julian Glover, Josh Cole, Ezra Buzzington, Ioana Abur, Aida Doina, Darren Kent. Plot: a troubled ex-cop must save his family from an unspeakable evil that is using mirrors as a gateway into their home. Showing at: Derby Plaza, Northrock 14, 13th Avenue Warren, 21st Street Warren.

STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS [PG] 1 hr. 40 min. Animated/Sci-Fi Trailer Cast: Matt Lanter, Ashley Eckstein, James Arnold Taylor, Dee Bradley Baker, Nika Futterman, Ian Abercrombie, Corey Burton, Catherine Taber. Plot: as the Clone Wars sweep through the galaxy, the heroic Jedi Knights struggle to maintain order and restore peace. Obi-Wan Kenobi and Master Yoda lead the massive clone army in a valiant effort to resist the forces of the dark side. Showing at: Derby Plaza, Movie Machine, Northrock 14, 13th Avenue Warren, 21st Street Warren.

VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA [PG-13] 1 hr. 35 min. Comedy/Romance Trailer Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Penelope Cruz, Rebecca Hall, Javier Bardem, Chris Messina, Patricia Clarkson, Kevin Dunn. Plot: two young American women come to Barcelona for a summer holiday and are drawn into a series of unconventional romantic entanglements in Woody Allen's funny and open-minded celebration of love in all its configurations. Showing at: 13th Avenue Warren.

THE WACKNESS [R] 1 hr. 40 min. [R] 1 hr. 40 min. Comedy Trailer Cast: Josh Peck, Sir Ben Kingsley, Method Man, Mary Kate Olsen, Olivia Thirlby, Famke Janssen, Aaron Yoo. Plot: a young man spends his last summer before college selling dope throughout New York City, trading it with his shrink for therapy, while crushing on his step-daughter in this edgy, bittersweet, and funny coming of age story. Showing at: 13th Avenue Warren.

Leaving 8/12/2008 (8/14/2008)

Derby Plaza - Step Brothers (Mamma Mia, Swing Vote)
Movie Machine - Space Chimps, Hancock, (Wall-E)
Northrock 14 - The X-Files: I Want To Believe
Palace West - (The Happening, Baby Mama, Nim's Island, Midnight Meat Train)
Starlite Drive-In -
Warren East 13th - Kit Kitteredge, X-Files, (Hellboy II, Brideshead Revisited)
Warren Old Town - Mamma Mia
Warren West 21st - X-Files

Worthwhile (or not) 8/6/08

Here's MetaCritic's numerical rank of this week's films (xx/100 - the higher the number, the better the critics liked the film). Looks like the national critics are evenly split on these two. Clearly males will favor PINEAPPLE while women will be attracted to the SISTERHOOD. Neither one of these are likely to be mega pics so KNIGHT may stay on top for another week.

67 Pineapple Express,
65 Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, The


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

Opening next week (8/15): TROPIC THUNDER, STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS, VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA, MIRRORS, FLY ME TO THE MOON 3-D, and HENRY POOLE IS HERE.

PINEAPPLE EXPRESS **

David Gordon Green is the director of this slacker action comedy starring: Seth Rogen, James Franco, Gary Cole, Rosie Perez, Danny R. McBride, and Amber Heard. Rated R for pervasive language, drug use, sexual references and violence, the film is one hour and fifty minutes long.

A lazy, stoner, process server (Rogen) visits his equally lazy dealer (Franco) to purchase a rare new strain of weed called Pineapple Express. When the stoner become the only witness to a murder (by Perez and her boss, Cole), he panics and dumps his roach of Pineapple Express at the scene. Because the weed is so rare, it is traced back to him and his dealer and the dealer's supplier (McBride). Soon the bad guys are hot on their trail, trying to kill all three, while at the same time a rival gang is trying to kill the bad guys.

This would never be high on my list of "must see" movies. Having never had the slightest interest in drugs I simply had nothing in common with any of the players, which means I really didn't care what happened to them. There was, however, a fairly large group of older students who were laughing continuously at the on screen antics and seemed to enjoy the film immensly. To me it was boring and its stream-of-conciousness dialog got harder and harder to take as the film progressed. By the time the film was close to the end the violence level had risen to such an unbelievable level it was completely numbing. If you can relate to the characters in the film you might find this entertaining. I couldn't, and didn't.

Opening 8/6/08

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

PINEAPPLE EXPRESS [R] 1 hr. 50 min. Action/Comedy Trailer Cast: Seth Rogen, James Franco, Gary Cole, Rosie Perez, Danny R. McBride, Amber Heard, James Remar. Plot: a lazy stoner visits his equally lazy dealer to purchase a rare new strain of weed called Pineapple Express. When the stoner become the only witness to a murder, he panics and dumps his roach of Pineapple Express at the scene. Because the weed is so rare, it is traced back to him and his dealer. Soon the bad guys are hot on their trail, trying to kill them both. Showing at: Derby Plaza (starts Friday), Northrock 14, 13th Street Warren, Warren Old Town, 21st Street Warren.

THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS 2 [PG-13] 2 hrs. Drama Trailer Cast: Alexis Bledel, America Ferrera, Blake Lively, Amber Tamblyn, Jesse Williams. Plot: four young women continue the journey toward adulthood that began with "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants." Three years later, these lifelong friends embark on separate paths for their first year of college and the summer beyond, but remain in touch by sharing their experiences with each other as they always have--with honesty and humor. Showing at: Derby Plaza, Movie Machine, Northrock 14, 13th Avenue Warren, 21st Street Warren.

Leaving 8/5/2008 (8/7/2008)

Derby Plaza - Wall-E, X Files: I Want To Believe, (Space Chimps, Hancock)
Movie Machine - X Files: I Want To Believe
Northrock 14 -
Palace West - Nothing
Starlite Drive-In -
Warren East 13th - Get Smart, Mongol
Warren Old Town - Nothing
Warren West 21st - Hellboy II

THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR **½

Rob Cohen directed this action/fantasy pic which stars: Brendan Fraser, Jet Li, Maria Bello, John Hannah, Michelle Yeoh, Luke Ford, Isabella Leong. One hour and fifty-two minutes long, the film is rated PG-13 for adventure action and violence.

Explorer Rick O'Connell (Fraser) returns to combat the resurrected Han Emperor (Li) in an epic that races from the catacombs of ancient China high into the frigid Himalayas. Rick is joined in this all-new adventure by son Alex (Ford), wife Evelyn (Bello) and her brother, Jonathan (Hannah). And this time, the O'Connells must stop a mummy awakened from a 2,000-year-old curse (placed by Yeoh, aided by her daughter, Leong) who threatens to plunge the world into his merciless, unending service.

Not to be overly critical, but this is not a film to be taken seriously. It's strictly high-tech eye candy with enough mindless action and spectacular CGI effects to impress all but the most jaded. And, it succeeds in entertaining. The film was almost over before I thought to look at my watch. You'll forget this film ten minutes after you leave the theatre, but you will have a good time while watching. There's almost no bad language, a little blood and a lot of comic book violence that no one will take seriously. Kids should love this along with their parents.

Worthwhile (or not) 8/1/08

Here's MetaCritic's numerical rank of this week's films (xx/100 - the higher the number, the better the critics liked the film). Once again the exclusive art film is the picture with the highest rating (and it won't come close to the audience size of the others). MUMMY is more enjoyable than the rating indicates. I'll have to wait to see SWING later.

30 Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, The,
47 Swing Vote,
65 Brideshead Revisited

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

Opening next week: TROPIC THUNDER, STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS, VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA, MIRRORS, FLY ME TO THE MOON 3-D, and HENRY POOLE IS HERE.