Opening 9/4/09

For show times select your theatre under the SHOWIMES AT: header in the left column.

ALL ABOUT STEVE [PG-13] 1 hr. 39 min. Comedy Trailer Cast: Sandra Bullock, Thomas Haden Church, Bradley Cooper, Ken Jeong, DJ Qualls, Katy Mixon, Howard Hesseman. Plot: tale of a woman who falls hard for a guy and thinks they're an item; unfortunately, he thinks she's stalking him! Showing at: Derby Plaza, Northrock 14, 13th Avenue Warren, 21st Street Warren.

EXTRACT [R] 1 hr. 30 min. Comedy Trailer Cast: Jason Bateman, Kristen Wiig, Ben Affleck, Mila Kunis, J.K. Simmons, David Koechner, Clifton Collins Jr., T.J. Miller, Beth Grant, Gene Simmons. Plot: a blue collar boss and small business owner employs an odd cast of losers, loners and misfits in his flavor extract factory. Showing at: 13th Avenue Warren, 21st Street Warren.

GAMER [R] 1 hr. 35 min. Action/Thriller Trailer Cast: Gerard Butler, Michael C. Hall, Alison Lohman, Amber Valletta, Logan Lerman, Kyra Sedgwick, Ludacris, John Leguizamo, Zoe Bell, Terry Crews. Plot: set in a near future when gaming and entertainment have evolved into a terrifying new hybrid where millions act out their most savage fantasies online in front of a global audience, using real prisoners as avatars with whom they fight to the death. Showing at: Northrock 14, 13th Avenue Warren, Warren Oldtown, 21st Street Warren.

PAPER HEART [PG-13] 1 hr. 20 min. Documentary/Comedy Trailer Cast: Charlyne Yi, Michael Cera. Plot: a girl embarks on a quest across America to make a documentary about the one subject she doesn’t fully understand, love. Showing at: 13th Avenue Warren.

Leaving 9/3/09

Derby Plaza - nothing
Movie Machine - Ice Age 3, Aliens In The Attic
Northrock 14 -
Palace West - Land Of The Lost, Public Enemies, I Love You, Beth Cooper, X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Starlite Drive-In - Open weekends only
Warren East 13th - Post Grad, Spread, The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard
Warren Old Town - The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard, G.I. Joe
Warren West 21st - Post Grad, Spread, The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard, The Ugly Truth

Worthwhile (or not), 8/28/09

Here's MetaCritic's numerical rank of this week's films (xx/100 - the higher the number, the better the critics liked the film). No review from me this weekend. I took a look at the schedule and simply couldn't find anything I thought was worth watching. The fact the two horror films weren't screened should tell you all you need to know about them. The national reviews on the others are low enough I'd be inclined to wait for further word and the DVD.

56 Adam,
xx Final Destination, The,
xx Halloween II,
39 Spread,
54 Taking Woodstock


Click on the title links to see if the ratings change as more reviews come in, and to read your favorite national critic's review.

Opening 8/28/09

For show times select your theatre under the SHOWIMES AT: header in the left column.

ADAM [PG-13] 1 hr. 30 min. Comedy/Romance Trailer Cast: Hugh Dancy, Rose Byrne, Peter Gallagher, Amy Irving, Frankie Faison. Plot: Adam is a handsome but intriguing young man who has led a sheltered existence - until he meets his new neighbor, Beth a beautiful, cosmopolitan young woman who pulls him into the outside world, with funny, touching and entirely unexpected results. Showing at: 13th Avenue Warren.

THE FINAL DESTINATION 3D [R] 1 hr. 21 min. Horror Trailer Cast: Bobby Campo, Shantel VanSanten, Krista Allen, Mykelti Williamson, Haley Webb, Nick Zano, Andrew Fiscella, Richard T. Jones. Plot: a man has a horrific premonition in which a bizarre sequence of events causes multiple race cars to crash, brutally killing him and his friends. As a result, he persuades his girlfriend and friends to leave... escaping seconds before his vision becomes reality. They believe they've cheated death, but it is only the beginning as the crash survivors begin to die one-by-one. Showing at: Derby Plaza, 13th Avenue Warren, Warren Old Town, 21st Street Warren.

HALLOWEEN II [R] 1 hr. 31 min. Horror/Thriller Trailer Cast: Scout Taylor-Compton, Tyler Mane, Danielle Harris, Daniel Roebuck, Ezra Buzzington, Mark Christopher Lawrence, Jeffrey Daniel Phillips, Dayton Callie, Richard Brake, Matt Bush, Howard Hesseman. Plot: it's that time of year again, and Michael Myers has returned home to sleepy Haddonfield, Illinois to take care of some unfinished family business. But the town's got an unlikely new hero, if they can only stay alive long enough for the unstoppable to be stopped. Showing at: Derby Plaza, Starlite Drive-In, 13th Avenue Warren, Warren Old Town, 21st Street Warren.

SPREAD [R] 1 hr. 37 min. Comedy/Romance Trailer Cast: Ashton Kutcher, Anne Heche, Margarita Levieva, Sebastian Stan, Rachel Blanchard, Sonia Rockwell. Plot: a look at the trials and tribulations of sleeping your way to a life of privilege in this "immorality tale" about a gorgeous guy who gives women what they want in order to live exactly as he likes. Showing at: 13th Avenue Warren.

TAKING WOODSTOCK [R] 2 hrs. o1 min. Comedy/Drama Trailer Cast: Demetri Martin, Emile Hirsch, Imelda Staunton, Henry Goodman, Jonathan Groff, Mamie Gummer, Eugene Levy, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Liev Schreiber. Plot: a new comedy inspired by the true story of a man and his family who inadvertently played a pivotal role in making the famed Woodstock Music and Arts Festival into the happening it was. Showing at: 13th Avenue Warren, 21st Street Warren.

Leaving 8/27/09

Derby Plaza - X-Games, Julie & Julia
Movie Machine - nothing
Northrock 14 -
Palace West - Terminator Salvation, Imagine That, Taking Of Pelham 1-2-3
Starlite Drive-In - Open weekends only
Warren East 13th - Funny People, The Perfect Getaway, Bandslam, The Hurt Locker, X-Games
Warren Old Town - X-Games, The Goods
Warren West 21st - Bandslam, Funny People, Perfect Getaway, Ponyo, X-Games

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS ***

Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino this War Drama stars: Brad Pitt, Diane Kruger, Melanie Laurent, Christoph Waltz, Daniel Bruhl, Eli Roth, Samm Levine, B.J. Novak, Til Schweiger, Gedeon Burkhard, Paul Rust, Michael Bacall, Omar Doom, Sylvester Groth, Julie Dreyfus, Jacky Ido, August Diehl, Martin Wuttke, Richard Sammel, Christian Berkel, Sonke Mohring, Michael Fassbender, Mike Myers, Rod Taylor, and Denis Menochet. Rated R for strong graphic violence, language and brief sexuality. Running time is two hours and thirty-six minutes.

A group of Jewish soldiers (Pitt, et. al.) engage in targeted acts of retribution to WWII German soldiers and join a German actress/undercover agent (Kruger) on a mission to take down the leaders of The Third Reich. Throughout the film they are continually watched by a brutal, opportunistic SS Col. (Waltz).

This isn't so much a war drama as Tarantino's idea of what an entertaining war drama should be. If you're expecting historical accuracy, forget about it. Pitt is very good as Lt. Aldo Raine (I can't help wondering if this name is a tribute to the 50-60's actor Aldo Ray who made a number of war films), but the shining star in the film is Christoph Waltz, who is outstanding in his portrayal of a sadistic SS. Col. The pic is unnecessarily long and would have been much better if at least forty-five minutes had been trimmed. Still, the time passed fairly quickly and it was fun spotting Mike Meyers and Rod Taylor (remember him) in their heavily made up roles. The language is graphic, there's lots of violence, and there are those scalping scenes which will cause many to cringe. The picture looks and sounds good and should be seen on a large screen for best effect.

Worthwhile (or not), 8/21/09

Here's MetaCritic's numerical rank of this week's films (xx/100 - the higher the number, the better the critics liked the film). The title with the terrible spelling appears to be #1 this week. Shorts appears to be OK for families and kids and the X Games crowd won't care at all about ratings. Post Grad doesn't appear to have impressed many (although Roger Ebert liked it) which is too bad because I've always liked Bledel.

70 Inglourious Basterds,
35 Post Grad,
53 Shorts,
43 X Games 3D: The Movie

Click on the title links to see if the ratings change as more reviews come in, and to read your favorite national critic's review.My reviews of INGLOURIUS BASTERDS will be posted after 4:30 pm.

Opening 8/21/09

For show times select your theatre under the SHOWIMES AT: header in the left column.

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS [R] 2 hrs. 32 min. War Drama Trailer Cast: Brad Pitt, Diane Kruger, Melanie Laurent, Christoph Waltz, Daniel Bruhl, Eli Roth, Samm Levine, B.J. Novak, Til Schweiger, Gedeon Burkhard, Paul Rust, Michael Bacall, Omar Doom, Sylvester Groth, Julie Dreyfus, Jacky Ido, August Diehl, Martin Wuttke, Richard Sammel, Christian Berkel, Sonke Mohring, Michael Fassbender, Mike Myers, Rod Taylor, Denis Menochet, Cloris Leachman, Maggie Cheung, Samuel L. Jackson. Plot: a group of Jewish soldiers engage in targeted acts of retribution to WWII German soldiers and join a German actress/undercover agent on a mission to take down the leaders of The Third Reich. Showing at: Derby Plaza, 13th Avenue Warren, Warren Old Town, 21st Street Warren.

POST GRAD [PG-13] 1 hr. 29 min. Comedy Trailer Cast: Alexis Bledel, Zach Gilford, Rodrigo Santoro, Jane Lynch, Fred Armisen, Bobby Coleman, Andrew Daly, Kirk Fox, Catherine Reitman, Craig Robinson, Carol Burnett, Michael Keaton. Plot: a college student's plans for her life after graduation fall apart and she must move back in with her eccentric family. Showing at: 13th Avenue Warren, 21st Street Warren.

SHORTS [PG] 1 hr. 29 min. Comedy/Adventure Trailer Cast: Jon Cryer, William H. Macy, Leslie Mann, James Spader, Jimmy Bennett, Kat Dennings, Trevor Gagnon, Leo Howard, Devon Gearhart, Rebel Rodriguez, Jake Short, Jolie Vanier. Plot: a boy just wants to make a few friends...until a mysterious rainbow-colored rock falls from the sky, hits him in the head and changes everything, because it grants wishes to anyone who holds it. Showing at: Derby Plaza, Movie Machine, 13th Avenue Warren, 21st Street Warren.

X-GAMES 3D: THE MOVIE [PG] 1 hr 32 min. Documentary/Sports Trailer Cast: Bob Burnquist, Ricky Carmichael, Kyle Loza, Travis Pastrana, Danny Way, Shaun White, Emile Hirsch. Plot: captures the drama and spectacle that play out every year at the X Games events. Showing at: Derby Plaza, 13th Avenue Warren, Warren Old Town, 21st Street Warren.

Leaving 8/19/09

Derby Plaza - G-Force, Harry Potter 6, Aliens In The Attic
Movie Machine - nothing
Northrock 14 -
Palace West - nothing
Starlite Drive-In - Open weekends only
Warren East 13th - Aliens In The Attic, Ice Age 2
Warren Old Town - The Ugly Truth, The Hangover, Funny People
Warren West 21st - Ice Age 2

THE GOODS: LIVE HARD SELL HARD **

Neal Brennan directed this very adult comedy which stars: Jeremy Piven, Ed Helms, Ving Rhames, James Brolin, David Koechner, Kathryn Hahn, and Jordana Spiro. Rated R for sexual content, nudity, pervasive language and some drug material. Running time is one hour and thirty minutes.

When a used-car liquidator (Piven) is asked to help save an ailing local car dealership from bankruptcy, he and his ragtag crew (Rhames, Koechner, Hahn) descend on the town of Temecula like a pack of coyotes on a basket full of burgers. Selling, drinking, selling and going to strip clubs is their stock and trade. What he doesn't expect is to fall in love and find his soul.

This is a rude, crude comedy that contains something sure to offend almost everyone. There are occasional flashes of real comedy and I am embarrassed to admit I laughed several times. But, it's not a film I can recommend because it is so offensive throughout. Those with strong religious convictions—you have been warned! Hahn was a surprise to me. I used to watch her on Crossing Jordan and her role in this film is 180 degrees different in both look and character from that one. Who knew she could play a foul mouthed tramp so well and look so good doing it! To my way of thinking, Piven is the weakest link in this cast, adding nothing any number of actors couldn't have done just as competently. Nothing in this film requires a big screen although you will find it funner if you manage to find an auditorium with a large crowd.

DISTRICT 9 *

Neill Blomkamp wrote and directed this Sci-Fi/Drama which features: Sharlto Copley, David James. Rated R for bloody violence and pervasive language. Running time is one hour and 52 minutes.

28 years ago, aliens made first contact with Earth. Humans waited for the hostile attack, or the giant advances in technology. Neither came. Set up in a makeshift home in South Africa's "District 9", control over the aliens has been contracted out to a private company more interested in making the aliens' awesome weaponry work than in the aliens' welfare. So far, they have failed; activation of the weaponry requires alien DNA. Then one of their field operative (Copley) contracts a mysterious virus that begins changing his DNA.

There's been a lot of buzz about this film, mainly because it's being "presented" by Peter Jackson, whatever that means. It's a film critics are raving about, but unless I miss my guess, the average film-goer will not be happy. For one thing, this has a very meager plot. It's all been summed up in the paragraph above. This simple plot has then been stretched to fit almost two hours, utilizing a cast you've probably never seen before and are unlikely to see again. And, there are big enough holes in the plot to fit a Class M Starcruiser. Finally, it's presented as if it were a cable new story, and you know how stullifying those are. I get the allegory about race relations and immigration problems, but I'll bet this isn't what you expect or want when you go to an Aliens vs. Humans pic. If you absolutely insist on going, pick a seat on the back row and start counting the people who start leaving almost at once. That at least may provide a smidgen of entertainment. The big screen doesn't add much to this so feel free to wait for the DVD.

Worthwhile (or not), 8/14/09

Here's MetaCritic's numerical rank of this week's films (xx/100 - the higher the number, the better the critics liked the film). While the national critics seem to love DISTRICT 9 (*) my feeling is most of you won't like it at all although it may be fun to sit in the back row and count the walkouts. THE GOODS (**) is extremely rude and crude and with a few laughs, but you may feel like a shower after watching. It looks to me like the pics for this weekend are PONYO for families, BANDSLAM for teens and TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE for couples.

65 Bandslam,
80 District 9,
41 Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard, The,
90 Ponyo,
50 Time Traveler's Wife

Click on the title links to see if the ratings change as more reviews come in, and to read your favorite national critic's review.My reviews of DISTRICT 9 and THE GOODS will be posted after 4:30 pm.

Opening 8/14/09

For show times select your theatre under the SHOWIMES AT: header in the left column.

BANDSLAM [PG] 1 hr. 51 min. Family/Musical Trailer Cast: Alyson Michalka, Vanessa Hudgens, Gaelen Connell, Lisa Kudrow. Plot: when a gifted singer-songwriter asks a new kid in town to manage her fledgling rock band, she appears to have just one goal in mind: go head-to-head against her egotistical musician ex-boyfriend at the biggest event of the year, a battle of the bands. Showing at: Northrock 14, 13th Avenue Warren, 21st Street Warren.

DISTRICT 9 [R] 1 hr. 53 min. Sci-Fi Trailer Cast: Sharlto Copley, David James. Plot: 28 years ago, aliens made first contact with Earth. Humans waited for the hostile attack, or the giant advances in technology. Neither came. Instead, the aliens were refugees, the last survivors of their home world. Set up in a makeshift home in South Africa's "District 9", control over the aliens has been contracted out to a private company more interested in making the aliens' awesome weaponry work than in the aliens' welfare. So far, they have failed; activation of the weaponry requires alien DNA. Then one of their field operative contracts a mysterious virus that begins changing his DNA. Showing at: Derby Plaza, Movie Machine, Northrock 14, Starlite Drive-In, 13th Avenue Warren, Warren Oldtown, 21st Street Warren.

THE GOODS: LIVE HARD SELL HARD [R] 1 hr. 29 min. Comedy Trailer Cast: Jeremy Piven, Ed Helms, Ving Rhames, James Brolin, David Koechner, Kathryn Hahn, Jordana Spiro, Ken Jeong. Plot: when a used-car liquidator is asked to help save an ailing local car dealership from bankruptcy, he and his ragtag crew descend on the town of Temecula like a pack of coyotes on a basket full of burgers. Selling, drinking, selling and going to strip clubs is their stock and trade. What he doesn't expect is to fall in love and find his soul. Showing at: Northrock 14, 13th Avenue Warren, Warren Oldtown, 21st Street Warren.

PONYO [G] 1 hr. 43 min. Animated adventure Trailer Voice Cast: Cate Blanchett, Noah Cyrus, Matt Damon, Tina Fey, Frankie Jonas, Cloris Leachman, Liam Neeson, Lily Tomlin, Betty White. Plot: a story inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale "The Little Mermaid."... the story of a young boy and an overeager goldfish named Ponyo and her quest to become human. Showing at: 13th Avenue Warren, 21st Street Warren.

THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE [PG-13] 1 hr. 48 min. Drama/Romance Trailer Cast: Rachel McAdams, Eric Bana, Arliss Howard, Ron Livingston. Plot: based on the best-selling book about a love that transcends time... a woman falls in love with a time traveler—a man cursed with a rare genetic anomaly that causes him to live his life on a shifting timeline, skipping back and forth through his lifespan with no control. Showing at: Derby Plaza, Northrock 14, 13th Avenue Warren, Warren Oldtown, 21st Street Warren.

Leaving 8/13/09

Derby Plaza - Funny People, The Ugly Truth
Movie Machine - Harry Potter 6
Northrock 14 -
Palace West - Year One
Starlite Drive-In - G-Force, Ice Age 3, The Proposal
Warren East 13th - Transformers 2, Public Enemies, Orphan, The Collector
Warren Old Town - G-Force, Harry Potter 6
Warren West 21st - The Collector, My Sister's Keeper, Orphan, Aliens In The Attic, Transformers 2

JULIE & JULIA ***

Written and directed by Nora Ephron this Comedy/Drama stars: Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stanley Tucci, Chris Messina, and Linda Emond. Rated PG-13 for brief strong language and some sensuality. Running time is two hours and three minutes.

Based on two true stories, "Julie & Julia" intertwines the lives of two women Julia Child (Streep) and Julie Powell (Adams) who, though separated by time and space, are both at loose ends...until they discover with the right combination of passion, fearlessness and butter, anything is possible.

This is a film that shows you what really good actors can do on the screen. Streep simply disappears and becomes Julia Child. It's extremely impressive to watch. Tucci is excellent as always as Child's husband. Adams is good as the journalist cooking and blogging her way through Child's cookbook although she doesn't have as much material to work with as does Streep. Even though the film is too long the time passes pleasently enough. I was mildly disappointed in the ending as I thought Adam's character was shortchanged, but that's a relatively minor point. This will be almost as good on DVD as in the theatre although the theatre audience was really into this and laughed throughout, adding to the enjoyment.

G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA *

Directed by Stephen Sommers this Action/Adventure film features: Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Christopher Eccleston, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Byung Hun Lee, Sienna Miller, Rachel Nichols, Ray Park, Said Taghmaoui, Channing Tatum, Marlon Wayans, Dennis Quaid. Rated PG-13 for strong sequences of action violence and mayhem throughout. Running time is one hour and fifty-eight minutes.

The elite G.I. JOE team uses the latest in next-generation spy and military equipment to fight the corrupt arms dealer Destro and the growing threat of the mysterious Cobra organization to prevent them from plunging the world into chaos.

Paramount was so adamant about not letting anyone see this in advance you knew they thought it was a turkey. They were right. It's not that it doesn't look good on the screen; for the $175 million it supposedly cost, it should. But, it has a threadbare plot, and characters and action so predictable and cartoonish it's simply impossible to care about any story. What it does have is an unbelievable number of explosions and killings. To my way of thinking its only potential audience is juvenile boys and perhaps their fathers. I can't imagine a DVD of this will be effective so if you've got to see it go to a large theatre with really good sound. And, don't say I didn't warn you. By the way, they've clearly set this up for a sequel so consider the fact if you go see it you're just encouraging them!

Worthwhile (or not), 8/7/09

Here's MetaCritic's numerical rank of this week's films (xx/100 - the higher the number, the better the critics liked the film). Paramount did their best to make sure no critic saw G.I. JOE before opening day, and well they should have. This * groaner is something only an immature male could love. JULIE & JULIA on the other hand is a delightful *** film, even if you don't like to cook. The numbers on GETAWAY look look a little high to me but I've heard nothing but good things about SUMMER. My reviews of JOE and JULIE will be posted after 4:30 pm today.

76 (500) Days of Summer,
28 G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra,
65 Julie & Julia,
65 Perfect Getaway, A

Click on the title links to see if the ratings change as more reviews come in, and to read your favorite national critic's review.

Opening 8/7/09

For show times select your theatre under the SHOWIMES AT: header in the left column.

500DAYS OF SUMMER [PG-13] 1 hr. 35 min. Comedy/Drama/Romance Trailer Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel, Geoffrey Arend, Chloe Moretz, Matthew Gray Gubler. Plot: a young man falls in love with a woman who doesn't believe true love exists. Showing at: 13th Avenue Warren.

G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA [PG-13] 2 hrs. Action/Adventure Trailer Cast: Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Christopher Eccleston, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Byung Hun Lee, Sienna Miller, Rachel Nichols, Ray Park, Said Taghmaoui, Channing Tatum, Marlon Wayans, Dennis Quaid. Plot: the elite G.I. JOE team uses the latest in next-generation spy and military equipment to fight the corrupt arms dealer Destro and the growing threat of the mysterious Cobra organization to prevent them from plunging the world into chaos. Showing at: Movie Machine, Starlite Drive-In, 13th Avenue Warren, Warren Old Town, 21st Street Warren.

JULIE & JULIA [PG-13] 2 hrs. 4 min. Comedy/Drama Trailer Cast: Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stanley Tucci, Chris Messina, Linda Emond. Plot: based on two true stories, "Julie & Julia" intertwines the lives of two women who, though separated by time and space, are both at loose ends...until they discover that with the right combination of passion, fearlessness and butter, anything is possible. Showing at: 13th Avenue Warren, 21st Street Warren.

A PERFECT GETAWAY [R] 1 hr. 45 min. Action/Drama/Thriller Trailer Cast: Timothy Olyphant, Milla Jovovich, Steve Zahn, Kiele Sanchez, Chris Hemsworth, Katie Chonacas. Plot: an adventurous young couple celebrating their honeymoon by backpacking to one of the most beautiful, and remote, beaches in Hawaii comes across a group of frightened hikers discussing the horrifying murder of another newlywed couple on the islands. Unsure whether to stay or flee they join up with two other couples, and things begin to go terrifyingly wrong. Showing at: 13th Avenue Warren, 21st Street Warren.

Leaving 8/6/09

Derby Plaza -
Movie Machine - Transformers 2, The Proposal
Northrock 14 -
Palace West - Angels And Demons
Starlite Drive-In - The Hangover
Warren East 13th - Up, I Love You, Beth Cooper, Moon, Cheri
Warren Old Town - Transformers 2
Warren West 21st - Public Enemies, Up