Opening, 10/2/09

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

BRIGHT STAR [PG] 1 hr. 55 min. Romance/Drama Trailer Cast: Ben Whishaw, Abbie Cornish, Paul Schneider, Kerry Fox. Plot: a film about the secret love affair between 23-year-old English poet John Keats and the girl next door, Fanny Brawne. Showing at: 13th Avenue Warren.

CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY [R] 2 hrs. 7 min. Documentary Trailer Cast: Michael Moore. Plot: explores a taboo question: What is the price that America pays for its love of capitalism? Showing at: 13th Avenue Warren.

THE INVENTION OF LYING [PG-13] 1 hr. 45 min. Comedy/Romance Trailer Cast: Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill, Louis C.K., Jeffrey Tambor, Fionnula Flanagan, Rob Lowe, Tina Fey. Plot: a film which takes place in an alternate reality where lying--even the concept of a lie--does not exist. Showing at: 13th Avenue Warren, Warren Old Town, 21st Street Warren.

TOY STORY & TOY STORY 2 [G] 1 hr, 21 min. & 1 hr. 32 min. Animated Trailer Cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Jim Varney, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger. Plot: debut of the Disney Digital 3D™ versions of "Toy Story" and "Toy Story 2". This double feature, taking the latest advances in digital 3D technology "to infinity and beyond," will play exclusively in 3D. Showing at: Derby Plaza, 13th Avenue Warren, Warren Old Town, 21st Street Warren.

WHIP IT [PG-13] 1 hr. 51 min. Action/Comedy/Drama Trailer Cast: Ellen Page, Marcia Gay Harden, Kristen Wiig, Julieete Lewis, Eve, Jimmy Fallon, Daniel Stern, Drew Barrymore. Plot: a rebellious Texas teen throws in her small town beauty pageant crown for the rowdy world of roller derby. Showing at: Derby Plaza, Northrock 14, 13th Avenue Warren, 21st Street Warren.

ZOMBIELAND [R] 1 hr. 28 min. Comedy/Horror Trailer Cast: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin. Plot: Columbus has made a habit of running from what scares him. Tallahassee doesn't have fears. In a world overrun by zombies, these two are perfectly evolved survivors. But now, they're about to stare down the most terrifying prospect of all: each other. Showing at: Derby Plaza, Movie Machine, Northrock 14, 13th Avenue Warren, Warren Old Town, 21st Street Warren.

Leaving, 10/1/09

Derby Plaza - Jennifer's Body, G.I. Joe, Time Traveler's Wife
Movie Machine - Jennifer's Body
Northrock 14 -
Palace West - The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard
Starlite Drive-In - Open weekends only
Warren East 13th - Sorority Row, Whiteout, District 9, Extract, Final Destimation
Warren Old Town - All About Steve, Inglourious Basterds
Warren West 21st - Jennifer's Body, Gamer, Sorority Row, Whiteout

SURROGATES ***

Jonathan Mostow directed this Sci-Fi/Thriller starring: Bruce Willis, Radha Mitchell, Rosamund Pike, Boris Kodjoe, James Francis Ginty, Michael Cudlitz, James Cromwell, Ving Rhames. Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, disturbing images, language, sexuality and a drug-related scene. Running time is one hour and twenty-eight minutes.

In a world where people live their lives remotely from the safety of their own homes via robotic surrogates, a FBI agent (Willis) discovers a vast conspiracy behind the surrogate phenomenon and must abandon his own surrogate, risking his life to unravel the mystery.

This features the action you expect from a Willis film and adds an interesting sci-fi element to spice things up. For me, it worked on all levels. There are plenty of explosions and car wrecks for the action fans and those who like sci-fi will not be disappointed either. Due to the action sequences you'll enjoy this in a large screen theatre more than you will at home.

PANDORUM ½*

Christian Alvart directed this Horror/Sci-Fi/Thriller starring: Dennis Quaid, Ben Foster, Cam Gigandet, Antje Traue, Cung Le, Eddie Rouse, Andre Hennicke, Norman Reedus. Rated R for strong horror violence and language. Running time is two hours.

Two crew members aboard a spacecraft awaken from hyper sleep and discover the rest of the crew is missing and there are other inhabitants of the ship that mean them harm.

This is a major disappointment. There's an interesting story buried somewhere in this confusing plot but it's hidden so well I can't imagine many will find this film at all satisfying. Production values are good and the actors are fine but none of that can overcome the lack of a coherent story. I can tell you when this film was over there were only two of us left of the original group of watchers, and neither of us was happy we were still there. Save your money, this isn't even worth waiting for the DVD.

Worthwhile (or not), 9/25/09

Here's MetaCritic's numerical rank of this week's films (xx/100 - the higher the number, the better the critics liked the film). I've seen two of the three new films this week so I can tell you not to waste your money on PANDORUM, which was not screened for the national critics for good reason, and Sci-Fi/Action fans should consider giving SURROGATES a look. I'm guessing FAME was made for the tweeners and that's about all it will get.

45 Fame,
xx Pandorum.
50 Surrogates

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 PANDORUM and SURROGATES will be posted after 4:30 pm.

Opening, 9/25/09

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

FAME [PG] 1 hr. 47 min. Drama/Musical Trailer Cast: Asher Book, Kristy Flores, Paul Iacono, Paul McGill, Naturi Naughton, Kay Panabaker, Kherington Payne, Collins Pennie, Walter Perez, Anna Maria Perez de Tagle, Debbie Allen, Charles S. Dutton, Kelsey Grammer, Megan Mullally, Bebe Neuwirth. Plot: a reinvention of the original Oscar®-winning hit film follows a talented group of dancers, singers, actors, and artists over four years at the New York City High School of Performing Arts. Showing at: Derby Plaza, Movie Machine, Northrock 14, 13th Avenue Warren, Warren Old Town, 21st Street Warren.

PANDORUM [R] 1 hr 48 min. Horror/Sci-Fi/Thriller Trailer Cast: Dennis Quaid, Ben Foster, Cam Gigandet, Antje Traue, Cung Le, Eddie Rouse, Andre Hennicke, Norman Reedus. Plot: two crew members stranded on a spacecraft quickly realize they not alone and that the survival of mankind hinges on their actions. Showing at: Northrock 14, 13th Avenue Warren, 21st Street Warren.

SURROGATES [PG-13] 1 hr. 29 min. Action/Thriller Trailer Cast: Bruce Willis, Radha Mitchell, Rosamund Pike, Boris Kodjoe, James Francis Ginty, Michael Cudlitz, James Cromwell, Ving Rhames. Plot: in a world where people live their lives remotely from the safety of their own homes via robotic surrogates, a FBI agent discovers a vast conspiracy behind the surrogate phenomenon and must abandon his own surrogate, risking his life to unravel the mystery. Showing at: Derby Plaza, Movie Machine, Northrock 14, Starlite Drive-In, 13th Avenue Warren, Warren Old Town, 21st Street Warren.

Leaving, 9/24/09

Derby Plaza - Sorority Row, Inglourious Basterds
Movie Machine - Ponyo, G.I. Joe
Northrock 14 -
Palace West - Blood Creek, Star Trek
Starlite Drive-In - Open weekends only
Warren East 13th - Adam, Food, Inc., G.I. Joe, 500 Days Of Summer, The Hangover, The Time Traveler's Wife
Warren Old Town - Sorority Row, Whiteout
Warren West 21st - The Final Destruction 3-D, G.I. Joe, 500 Days Of Summer, Julie And Julia

LOVE HAPPENS **½

Written and directed by Brandon Camp this Romance/Drama stars: Aaron Eckhart, Jennifer Aniston, Dan Fogler, Judy Greer, Joe Anderson, John Carroll Lynch, Frances Conroy, Martin Sheen. Rated PG-13 for some language including sexual references. Running time is one hour and forty-nine minutes.

When a self-help author (Eckhart) arrives in Seattle to teach a sold-out seminar, he unexpectedly meets the one person (Aniston) who might finally be able to help him help himself. But will two people who have met the right person at exactly the wrong time be able to give love another chance?

Well, of course they will. You wouldn't go to this type of movie if you weren't pretty sure the couple in question wasn't going to get together by the end of the film. This is a familiar plot with a competent cast in a film designed to reaffirm love and togetherness. As long as the lead characters do their jobs well and appear attractive those buying tickets are satisfied. Most of those attracted to a story of this type will be satisfied with this offering. A large screen isn't particularly necessary and this will be just fine as a DVD.

THE INFORMANT *½

Steven Soderbergh directed this Comedy (?) which stars: Matt Damon, Scott Bakula, and Melanie Lynskey. Rated R for language. Running time is one hour and forty-eight minutes.

Based on the book by Kurt Eichenwald about the highest-ranking corporate whistleblower in U.S. history (Damon).

The acting is fine and the production values and direction are first rate. But, unfortunately, this so called comedy isn't at all funny. In fact it's down right dull. To get involved in a film I find there needs to be someone I care/worry about. Damon's character is a polished, consummate liar who borders on the delusional. Why would I care about him or worry about his well being during his undercover activities for the FBI? This film was so uninvolving I felt like I was watching a tennis match: look at the screen, look at my watch, look at the screen, look at my watch, etc. The funniest thing in this film is the Smothers brothers are in the cast and are barely recognizable. There's no reason to see this in a theatre as long as you're willing to wait for the DVD. As a bonus, if you get the DVD you will also have a guaranteed cure for insomnia.

Worthwhile (or not), 9/18/09

Here's MetaCritic's numerical rank of this week's films (xx/100 - the higher the number, the better the critics liked the film). I've seen two of the four new films this week and find I don't agree once again with the national critics. LOVE HAPPENS will be far more enjoyable to couples and especially women than will THE INFORMANT which is a well done but dull film. MEATBALLS is obviously for children and families just as JENNIFER is for males.

66 Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs,
67 Informant!, The.
47 Jennifer's Body,
34 Love Happens

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 LOVE HAPPENS and THE INFORMANT will be posted after 4:30 pm.

Opening, 9/18/09

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

CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS 3-D [PG] 1 hr. 30 min. Animated Comedy Trailer Cast: Bill Hader, Anna Faris, James Caan, Bruce Campbell, Andy Samberg, Mr. T, Benjamin Bratt, Bobb'E J. Thompson, Neil Patrick Harris. Plot: inspired by the beloved children's book, the film focuses on a town where food falls from the sky like rain. Showing at: Derby Plaza (3-D), Movie Machine (3-D), 13th Avenue Warren (3-D & 2-D), Warren Old Town (3-D), 21st Street Warren (3-D & 2-D).

THE INFORMANT [R] 1 hr. 48 min.Comedy Trailer Cast: Matt Damon, Scott Bakula, Joel McHale, Melanie Lynskey. Plot: based on the book by Kurt Eichenwald about the highest-ranking corporate whistleblower in U.S. history. Showing at: 13th Avenue Warren, Warren Old Town, 21st Street Warren.

JENNIFER'S BODY [R] 1 hr. 42 min. Comedy/Horror/Thriller Trailer Cast: Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, Johnny Simmons, Adam Brody, J.K. Simmons. Plot: a small town high school student is possessed by a hungry demon and becomes a pale and sickly creature jonesing for a meaty snack. Her lifelong best friend must step-up to protect the town's young men, including her nerdy boyfriend. Showing at: Derby Plaza, Movie Machine, Starlite Drive-In, 13th Avenue Warren, 21st Street Warren.

LOVE HAPPENS [PG-13] 1 hr. 49 min. Romance/Drama Trailer Cast: Aaron Eckhart, Jennifer Aniston, Dan Fogler, Judy Greer, Joe Anderson, John Carroll Lynch, Frances Conroy, Martin Sheen. Plot: when a self-help author arrives in Seattle to teach a sold-out seminar, he unexpectedly meets the one person who might finally be able to help him help himself. But will two people who have met the right person at exactly the wrong time be able to give love another chance? Showing at: 13th Avenue Warren, 21st Street Warren.

Leaving, 9/17/09

Derby Plaza - Final Destination 3-D, Shorts, Halloween II
Movie Machine - Inglourious Basterds, G-Force, Shorts
Northrock 14 -
Palace West - Bandslam, A Perfect Getaway
Starlite Drive-In - Open weekends only
Warren East 13th - Extract, Harry Potter, Halloween II, G-Force, Proposal
Warren Old Town - Gamer, The Final Destination 3-D
Warren West 21st - Halloween II, Extract, District 9, The Hangover

WHITEOUT **½

Dominic Sena directed this Action/Thriller which stars: Kate Beckinsale, Gabriel Macht, Columbus Short, Tom Skerritt, Alex O'Loughlin, and Shawn Doyle. Rated R for violence, grisly images, brief strong language and some nudity. Running time is one hour and forty-one minutes.

The lone U.S. Marshal (Beckinsale) assigned to Antarctica is investigating the continent's first murder and must solve the crime before Antarctica is plunged into darkness and she is stranded with the killer. To add to the tension, she's not sure whether the U.N. Representative (Macht) who flies in to aid her with the case is helping or hindering.

I've probably watched more movies than most of my readers but it didn't take long for me to figure out who the villain was. Still, there were enough red herrings to hold my interest and Beckinsale is nice enough to look at (although I wouldn't get my hopes up about her nude scene). The rest of the cast is fine and the production values are good. It was filmed in Manitoba rather than Antarctica but it still looked really, really cold. This is no award winner but if you're looking for an entertaining thriller this will do nicely. A large screen and especially good sound will add to the impact.

Worthwhile (or not), 6/11/09

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 only one of these I've seen is WHITEOUT and I thought it was a little better than its MetaCritic rating. 9 has a fairly high rating but most reviews I've read have said the animation is fantastic but there's virtually no plot. Two of the films haven't been rated so you know what the distributors thought their rating would be. Finally, FOOD, INC. looks interesting and informative but it's hardly what I'd call entertaining (can you say PBS).

60 9,
80 Food, Inc.
xx I Can Do Bad All By Myself,
xx Sorority Row,
36 Whiteout

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 review of WHITEOUT will be posted after 4:30 pm.

Opening, 9/11/09

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

9 [PG-13] 1 hr. 29 min. {Starts Wed. 9/9/09} Animated Sci-Fi Trailer Cast: Elijah Wood, Jennifer Connelly, Martin Landau, Christopher Plummer, John C. Reilly, Crispin Glover. Plot: when 9 first comes to life he finds himself in a post-apocalyptic world. All humans are gone and it is only by chance he discovers a small community of others like him taking refuge from fearsome machines that are intent on their extinction. 9 convinces the others hiding will do them no good; they must take the offensive and discover why the machines want to destroy them. As they'll soon come to learn, the very future of civilization may depend on them. Showing at: Northrock 14, 13th Avenue Warren, 21st Street Warren.

FOOD, INC. [PG] 1 hr. 34 min. Documentary Trailer Cast: Michael Pollan, Eric Schlosser, Gary Hirschberg, Joe Salatin. Plot: filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation's food industry which is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers, and our own environment. We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, insecticide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won't go bad, but we also have new strains of e coli-and are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults. Showing at: 13th Avenue Warren.

SORORITY ROW [R] 1 hr. 40 min. Horror Trailer Cast: Briana Evigan, Leah Pipes, Rumer Willis, Jamie Chung, Audrina Patridge, Carrie Fisher. Plot: when five sorority girls inadvertently cause the murder of one of their sisters in a prank gone wrong they agree to never speak of it again so they can get on with their lives. But, after graduation a mysterious killer goes after the five of them and anyone who knows their secret. Showing at: Derby Plaza, Northrock 14, 13th Avenue Warren, Warren Old Town, 21st Street Warren.

TYLER PERRY'S I CAN DO BAD ALL BY MYSELF [PG-13] 1 hr. 53 min. Comedy/Drama Trailer Cast: Tyler Perry, Taraji P. Henson, Brian White, Hope Olaide Wilson, Adam Rodriguez, Kwesi Nii-Lante Boakye, Frederick Siglar, Mary J. Blige, Gladys Knight. Plot: when America's favorite pistol-packing grandma catches sixteen-year-old Jennifer and her two younger brothers looting her home she decides to take matters into her own hands and delivers the young delinquents to the only relative they have: their aunt April. Showing at: Northrock 14, 13th Avenue Warren, 21st Street Warren.

WHITEOUT [R] 1 hr. 41 min. Action/Thriller Trailer Cast: Kate Beckinsale, Gabriel Macht, Columbus Short, Tom Skerritt, Alex O'Loughlin, Shawn Doyle. Plot: the lone U.S. Marshal assigned to Antarctica is investigating the continent's first murder and must solve the crime before Antarctica is plunged into darkness and she is stranded with the killer. Showing at: Northrock 14, 13th Avenue Warren, Warren Old Town, 21st Street Warren.

Leaving, 9/10/09

Derby Plaza - District 9
Movie Machine - District 9, Post Grad
Northrock 14 -
Palace West - Funny People
Starlite Drive-In - Open weekends only
Warren East 13th - Paper Heart, Ponyo, The Ugly Truth, Shorts, Taking Woodstock
Warren Old Town - Halloween II, District 9
Warren West 21st - Harry Potter & Half-Blood Prince, Shorts, Taking Woodstock, G-Force

ALL ABOUT STEVE **

Phil Traill directed this Comedy which stars: Sandra Bullock, Thomas Haden Church, Bradley Cooper, Ken Jeong, DJ Qualls, Katy Mixon, Howard Hesseman. Rated PG-13 for sexual content including innuendos. Running time is one hour and thirty-eight minutes

Tale of a woman (Bullock) who falls hard for a TV cameraman (Cooper) and thinks they're an item because of a reporter's encouragement (Church); unfortunately, he thinks she's stalking him!

It's hard for Bullock to make a really bad film but she's getting closer with this one. The problem is she's the only character you really like, and then only part of the time. There is no romance and Cooper's character verges on the unlikeable. The rest of the cast is competent but don't really matter when you're looking for a romance. The comedy is rather mild but all of it is due to Bullock doing embarrassing bits your average actress wouldn't. Still, it is entertaining with women and couples being the target audience. There's nothing here that requires a large screen so you can feel free to wait for the DVD.

EXTRACT *

Mike Judge wrote and directed this Comedy which stars: Jason Bateman, Kristen Wiig, Ben Affleck, Mila Kunis, J.K. Simmons, David Koechner, Clifton Collins Jr., T.J. Miller, Beth Grant, Gene Simmons. Rated R for language, sexual references and some drug use. Run time is one hour and thirty-one minutes.

A blue collar boss and small business owner (Bateman) employs an odd cast of losers, loners and misfits in his flavor extract factory. When he decides he wants to have an affair with one of them (Kunis) because he's not getting along with his wife (Wiig) he has his bartender friend (Affleck) help him find a way.

A competent cast and good production values but this film is only mildly amusing, certainly not the comedy I was hoping for. The plot is rather pointless and when the film is over you're asking yourself, "why did they make that?" Nothing in this film requires a big screen so my recommendation is to wait for the $1 DVD.

GAMER **½

Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor wrote and directed this Sci-Fi/Action/Thriller which features: Gerard Butler, Michael C. Hall, Alison Lohman, Amber Valletta, Kyra Sedgwick, and John Leguizamo. Rated R for frenetic sequences of strong brutal violence throughout, sexual content, nudity and language. Running time is one hour and thirty-five minutes.

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. One of the prisoners (Butler) realizes he's been tricked into becoming a prisoner by the creator of the game (Hall) and fights to regain his freedom and family (Valletta).

The first forty-five minutes of this film were not particularly interesting or enjoyable, mainly due to the rapid cut style of direction which at times seemed to be going for multiple cuts per second. Upon later reflection I understand why this was done but at the time I found it annoying. As the film progressed, however, it began to lose its frenetic pace and the story became more linear and much easier to follow. Production values are very good and the leading cast is fine. You should know this is an intensely brutal, bloody and violent film with a fair amount of degrading sex thrown in for good measure. Obviously, this film is aimed at the violence gamer crowd which I'm guessing is young males. Women and older patrons are not likely to care much for it. If it sounds like something you want to see, by all means do so in a well equipped theatre...your TV screen will not be a good venue.

Worthwhile (or not), 9/4/09

Here's MetaCritic's numerical rank of this week's films (xx/100 - the higher the number, the better the critics liked the film). I watched three of the four new films this week and my "entertainment ratings" certainly differ from the mainline critics. Steve will be enjoyed by most, Extract is dull and Gamer is a film only male gamers will love. Paper probably won't be seen by many.

13 All About Steve,
61 Extract,
xx Gamer,
53 Paper Heart

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 ALL ABOUT STEVE, EXTRACT and GAMER will be posted after 4:30 pm.