Worthwhile (or not), 10/30/09

Here's MetaCritic's numerical rank of this week's films (xx/100 - the higher the number, the better the critics liked the film). A combination of bad weather and lack of interest in seeing the MJ film kept me from reviewing anything this week (a review is completely unnecessary for MJ, you're either going to see it or you're not). I've heard good comments about the MJ film although early grosses are quite disappointing for the distributor. The Coen brothers are an acquired taste so if you've liked them before, the numerical rating would indicate you'd probably like A SERIOUS MAN.

67 Michael Jackson's This Is It,
79 Serious Man, 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, 10/30/09

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

HALLOWEEN II [R] 1 hr. 45 min. Horror Re-Release of the Rob Zombie treatment, originally opened 8/28/09.

A SERIOUS MAN [R] 1 hr. 45 min. Comedy/Drama Trailer Cast: Michael Stuhlbarg, Fred Melamed, Richard Kind, Aaron Wolf, Sari Wagner, Jessica McManus, Adam Arkin. Plot: this black comedy by the Coen brothers is the story of an ordinary man's search for clarity in a universe where Jefferson Airplane is on the radio and F-Troop is on TV. It is 1967, and Larry Gopnik , a physics professor at a quiet Midwestern university, has just been informed by his wife that she is leaving him. His unemployable brother is sleeping on the couch, his son is a discipline problem and a shirker at Hebrew school, and his daughter is filching money from his wallet in order to save up for a nose job. Struggling for equilibrium, Larry seeks advice from three different rabbis. Can anyone help him cope with his afflictions and become a righteous person – a mensch – a serious man? Showing at: Warren East.

Leaving, 10/29/09

Derby Plaza -
Movie Machine - nothing
Northrock 14 -
Palace West - Harry Potter VI, All About Steve
Starlite Drive-In - Open Fri/Sat only
Warren East 13th - The Boys Are Back
Warren Old Town - nothing
Warren West 21st - nothing

Opening Wednesday, 10/28/09

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

MICHAEL JACKSON'S THIS IS IT [PG] 1 hr. 52 min. Musical Trailer Cast: Michael Jackson. Plot: offers Jackson fans a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the performer as he developed, created and rehearsed for his sold-out concerts that would have taken place beginning this summer in London's O2 Arena. Chronicling the months from April through June, 2009, the film is drawn from more than one hundred hours of behind-the-scenes footage, featuring Jackson rehearsing a number of his songs for the show. Showing at: Derby Plaza, Movie Machine, Northrock 14 (starts 10/27), Warren East (starts 10/27), Warren Old Town (starts 10/27), Warren West. See SHOWTIMES At: in the left column for times.

Leaving, 10/27/09

Derby Plaza - The Stepfather
Movie Machine - Couples Retreat
Northrock 14 -
Palace West - nothing
Starlite Drive-In - Open Fri/Sat only
Warren East 13th - Toy Story 1/2
Warren Old Town - The Stepfather
Warren West 21st - The Invention Of Lying, Whip It, Toy Story 1/2

AMELIA ***

Mira Nair directed this Biographical drama starring: Hilary Swank, Richard Gere, Ewan McGregor, and Christopher Eccleston. Rated PG for some sensuality, language, thematic elements and smoking. Run time is one hour and fifty-one minutes.

An account of legendary aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart (Swank), her husband and promoter George Putnam (Gere), her lover, Gene Vidal (McGregor), father of author Gore Vidal, and the navigator on her final flight, Fred Noonan (Eccleston).

I wasn't all that enthused about seeing this film. After all, I already knew the ending. But this turned out to be a very enjoyable picture. Swank does a very credible job and is a dead ringer for the real Earhart. The rest of the cast is fine and the production values are very good. This is an impressive looking film with a very lush musical score. The plot is a little convoluted, using flashbacks where I didn't think they were necessary, but the pace is good and the time passes quickly. I learned several things about Earhart and the people in her life I didn't previously know and that added to the enjoyability. This is a good date or couples movie and will be best appreciated on a large theatre screen.

CIRQUE DU FREAK: THE VAMPIRES ASSISTANT **

Paul Weitz wrote and directed this Fantasy/Adventure which stars: John C. Reilly, Ken Watanabe, Josh Hutcherson, Chris Massoglia, Ray Stevenson, Patrick Fugit, Orlando Jones, Willem Dafoe, Salma Hayek. Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense supernatural violence and action, disturbing images, thematic elements and some language. Run time is one hour and forty-eight minutes.

Based on the popular series of books by Darren Shan, the film is a fantasy-adventure about a teenager (Massoglia) who unknowingly breaks a 200-year-old truce between two warring factions of vampires when he's turned into a "half vampire" by the real deal (Reilly) who's trying to help him. Pulled into a life of misunderstood sideshow freaks and grotesque creatures of the night, he leaves the safety of a boring existence, battles his former best friend (Hutcherson), and moves toward his destiny in a place drawn from nightmares.

Vampires just aren't what they used to be in yet another take on the increasingly popular vampire genre. Reilly's character is a wry, reasonably friendly 200-year-old vampire with a dry sense of humor, but without fangs, who takes the occasional sip of blood from unsuspecting humans. Because the producers of this film are obviously hoping for sequels, you never learn much about what's happening or why. And the ending leaves you completely up in the air. I enjoyed Reilly's character. The two boys are not at all compelling, although that may not make much difference to the intended audience of tweener girls. The rest of the cast is interesting with a surprising number of recognizable names. The film is juvenile, although again, considering the intended audience that may be a plus. I really doubt this film will do well enough to justify a sequel which means you're probably better off reading the books (there are twelve of them). At least that way you'll be able to find out what happens in the end.

Worthwhile (or not), 10/23/09

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 national critics don't seem to be overly impressed with anything this week. I thought AMELIA was a much better film than this rating would indicate and I enjoyed CIRQUE DU FREAK although it is on the juvenile side. ASTRO BOY would appear to be for families while SAW VI is clearly for the tweeners and gore fans. The fact the distributor didn't screen it shouldn't come as much of a surprise and reviews or the lack thereof won't effect its attendance. I expect it to be the number one film this week.

41 Amelia,
53 Astro Boy,
43 Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant,
xx Saw VI

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 AMELIA and CIRQUE DU FREAK will be posted after 4:30 pm.

Opening, 10/23/09

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

AMELIA [PG] 1 hr. 50 min. Biographical drama Trailer Cast: Hilary Swank, Richard Gere, Ewan McGregor, Christopher Eccleston, Mia Wasikowska. Plot: a vast, thrilling account of legendary aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart. Showing at: Warren East.

ASTRO BOY [PG] 1 hr. 34 min. Animated sci-fi adventure Trailer Cast: Freddie Highmore, Nicolas Cage, Kristen Bell, Nathan Lane, Bill Nighy, Eugene Levy, Matt Lucus, Donald Sutherland, Charlize Theron. Plot: about a young robot with incredible powers including super strength, x-ray vision, unbelievable speed and the ability to fly. Showing at: Derby Plaza, Movie Machine, Northrock 14, Warren East, Warren West.

CIRQUE DU FREAK: THE VAMPIRES ASSISTANT [PG-13] 1 hr. 49 min. Fantasy/Adventure Trailer Cast: John C. Reilly, Ken Watanabe, Josh Hutcherson, Chris Massoglia, Ray Stevenson, Patrick Fugit, Orlando Jones, Willem Dafoe, Salma Hayek. Plot: based on the popular series of books by Darren Shan, is a fantasy-adventure about a teenager who unknowingly breaks a 200-year-old truce between two warring factions of vampires. Pulled into a fantastic life of misunderstood sideshow freaks and grotesque creatures of the night, one teen will vanish from the safety of a boring existence and fulfill his destiny in a place drawn from nightmares. Showing at: Derby Plaza, Movie Machine, Northrock 14, Warren East, Warren West.

SAW VI [R] 1 hr. 31 min. Horror/Thriller Trailer Cast: Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell, Mark Rolston, Peter Outerbridge, Shawnee Smith, Samantha Lemole, Caroline Cave, George Newbern, Darius McCrary, Shauna MacDonald, Devon Bostick, Tanedra Howard. Plot: Special Agent Strahm is dead, and Detective Hoffman has emerged as the unchallenged successor to Jigsaw's legacy. However, when the FBI draws closer to Hoffman, he is forced to set a game into motion, and Jigsaw's grand scheme is finally understood. Showing at: Derby Plaza, Northrock 14, Warren East, Warren Old Town, Warren West.

Leaving, 10/22/09

Derby Plaza - Toy Story 1&2, Whip It, Zombieland
Movie Machine - Zombieland, Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs
Northrock 14 -
Palace West - Up, Sorority Row
Starlite Drive-In - Open Fri/Sat only
Warren East 13th - Whip It, Capitalism, Surrogates, Fame, The Informant
Warren Old Town - The Invention Of Lying
Warren West 21st - Fame, Love Happens, The Informant, Surrogates

LAW ABIDING CITIZEN **½

F. Gary Gray directed this Psychological Thriller starring: Jamie Foxx, Gerard Butler, Bruce McGill, Colm Meaney, Leslie Bibb, Michael Irby, Regina Hall, and Viola Davis. Rated R for strong bloody, brutal violence and torture, a scene of rape, and pervasive language. Running time is one hour and forty-eight minutes.

An upstanding family man's (Butler) wife and daughter are brutally murdered and the prosecutor (Foxx) assigned to the case offers one of the suspects a light sentence in exchange for testifying against his accomplice. Ten years later the man who got away with murder is found dead and the father coolly admits his guilt and issues a warning: either fix the flawed justice system that failed his family, or key players in the trial will die.

You won't be looking at your watch during this film. The plot is nicely paced and keeps you involved throughout. Cast and production values are fine. The only problem is, once the film is over and you think back on what happened, it becomes obvious there's no way this could have actually occurred as shown. The thrills of the pic are based on implausible events. If that doesn't bother you, action fans will really enjoy this. If you insist on at least a semblance of reality, you're likely to be at least a little disappointed (color me one of those). Seeing this on a big screen with good sound will definitely add to the film's impact.

Worthwhile (or not), 10/16/09

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 only saw one of the films this week, LAW ABIDING CITIZEN, which should be a good couples movie. BOYS is aimed at the family crowd as is WILD THINGS. PARANORMAL is a $15,000 movie that has been sold like BLAIR WITCH and appears to be an indoor version of that pic, and the fact STEPFATHER wasn't screened tells you all you need to know about it.

34 Law Abiding Citizen,
56 Boys Are Back, The,
68 Paranormal Activity,
xx Stepfather, The,
70 Where the Wild Things Are

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 LAW ABIDING CITIZEN will be posted after 4:30 pm.

Opening, 10/16/09

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

THE BOYS ARE BACK [PG-13] 1 hr. 40 min. Drama Trailer Cast: Clive Owen, Laura Fraser, Emma Booth. Plot: a widower struggles to raise his two sons. Based on the novel, The Boys Are Back In Town. Showing at: 13th Avenue Warren.

LAW ABIDING CITIZEN [R] 2 hrs. 02 min. Psychological Thriller Trailer Cast: Jamie Foxx, Gerard Butler, Bruce McGill, Colm Meaney, Leslie Bibb, Michael Irby, Regina Hall, Viola Davis. Plot: an upstanding family man's wife and daughter are brutally murdered and the prosecutor assigned to the case offers one of the suspects a light sentence in exchange for testifying against his accomplice. Ten years later the man who got away with murder is found dead and the father coolly admits his guilt and issues a warning: Either fix the flawed justice system that failed his family, or key players in the trial will die. Showing at: Movie Machine, Northrock 14, 13th Avenue Warren, Warren Old Town, 21st Street Warren.

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY [R] 1 hr. 26 min. Supernatural Thriller Trailer Cast: Katie Featherston, Micah Sloat, Mark Friedrichs, Amber Armstrong, Ashley Palmer. Plot: a young, middle class couple moves into what seems like a typical suburban "starter" tract house only to become increasingly disturbed by a presence that may or may not be somehow demonic but is certainly most active in the middle of the night. Showing at: 13th Avenue Warren, 21st Street Warren.

THE STEPFATHER [PG-13] 1 hr. 50 min. Horror/Thriller Trailer Cast: Dylan Walsh, Sela Ward, Penn Badgley, Sherry Stringfield, Jon Tenney, Paige Turco, Amber Heard. Plot: after returning home from military school a young man finds his mother happily in love and living with her new boyfriend. As the two men get to know each other, the son becomes more and more suspicious of the man who is always there with a helpful hand. Is he really the man of her dreams or could he be hiding a dark side? Showing at: Derby Plaza, Northrock 14, 13th Avenue Warren, Warren Old Town, 21st Street Warren.

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE [PG] 1 hr. 34 min. Family fantasy Trailer Cast: Catherine Keener, Max Records, Mark Ruffalo, Lauren Ambrose, Chris Cooper, James Gandolfini, Catherine O'Hara, Forest Whitaker. Plot: a rambunctious and sensitive boy who feels misunderstood at home escapes to where the Wild Things are. The Wild Things desperately long for a leader to guide them, just as the boy longs for a kingdom to rule, but he soon finds that ruling his kingdom is not so easy and his relationships there prove to be more complicated than he originally thought. Based on the book of the same name by Maurice Sendak. Showing at: Derby Plaza, Movie Machine, Northrock 14, 13th Avenue Warren, Warren Old Town, 21st Street Warren.

Leaving, 10/15/09

Derby Plaza -
Movie Machine - Fame, Surrogates
Northrock 14 -
Palace West - Transformers 2, Aliens In The Attic, The Ugly Truth, Night At The Museum 2, Orphan
Starlite Drive-In - Open Fri/Sat only
Warren East 13th - Julie & Julia, Inglourious Basterds, All About Steve, 9, Tyler Perry, Love Happens, Pandorum, Bright Star
Warren Old Town - Toy Story 1-2, Surrogates, Cloudy With Meatballs
Warren West 21st - All About Steve, The Proposal, Inglourious Basterds, Tyler Perry, Pandorum

COUPLES RETREAT *½

Peter Billingsley directed this Comedy which stars: Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman, Jon Favreau, Malin Akerman, Kristin Davis, Kristen Bell, Faizon Love, Kali Hawk, Jean Reno. Rated PG-13 on appeal for sexual content and language. (originally Rated R for some sexual material.) Running time is one hour and forty-seven minutes.

Four couples embark on a journey to a tropical island resort. While one of the couples is there to work on their marriage, the other three set out to enjoy some fun in the sun, but discover participation in the resort’s couples therapy is not optional.

This was a disappointment. For a film classed as a comedy it wasn't all that funny and at least a couple of the characters, Favreau and Hawk, were unlikeable. There was way too much boring conversation and the ending looked like: "hey, we're out of money, let's hurry and wrap this up." For a cast of this caliber, which included the writers (Vaughn and Favreau), I think we had every right to expect a much better film. On the other hand you might be able to write off your admission price as a medical deduction since so much time is devoted to therapy sessions. My advice is to save your money for the holiday films which are just around the corner. If you do go and if you stay through all the credits you get to watch the four male leads urinate in unison into a hedge. I think they were sending a message but you can decide that for yourself.

Worthwhile (or not), 10/9/09

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 think the national critics score is a little harsh for the only new film this week but it clearly wasn't as good (funny) as I'd hoped it would be.

27 Couples Retreat

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 COUPLES RETREAT will be posted after 4:30 pm.

Opening, 10/9/09

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

COUPLES RETREAT [PG-13] 1 hr. 54 min. Comedy Trailer Cast: Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman, Jon Favreau, Malin Akerman, Kristin Davis, Kristen Bell, Faizon Love, Kali Hawk, Jean Reno. Plot: four Midwestern couples embark on a journey to a tropical island resort. While one of the couples is there to work on their marriage, the other three set out to enjoy some fun in the sun, but discover participation in the resort’s couples therapy is not optional. Showing at: Derby Plaza, Movie Machine, Northrock 14, 13th Avenue Warren, Warren Old Town, 21st Street Warren.

Leaving, 10/8/09

Derby Plaza - Fame
Movie Machine - Harry Potter & Half-Blood Prince
Northrock 14 - 9
Palace West - Post Grad, My Sister's Keeper
Starlite Drive-In - Open Fri/Sat only
Warren East 13th - Gamer, Jennifer's Body
Warren Old Town - Fame, The Informant
Warren West 21st - 9, The Time Traveler's Wife

THE INVENTION OF LYING ***

Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson wrote and directed this Comedy/Romance starring: Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill, Louis C.K., Jeffrey Tambor, Fionnula Flanagan, Rob Lowe, and Tina Fey. Rated PG-13 for language including some sexual material and a drug reference. Running time is one hour and forty minutes.

A film which takes place in an alternate reality where lying--even the concept of a lie--does not exist. In it, a loser screenwriter (Gervais) gains fame, fortune and the girl (Garner) when he discovers the power of not telling the truth. Along the way he gets fired by his boss (Tambor) and heckled by his secretary (Fey) and a co-worker (Lowe).

This starts out as a very funny film, with plenty of laughs for the first thirty minutes or so. Then the laughter slows down as the "lying gimmick" wears thin and is replaced by religious satire. The last half hour heads into more romantic territory and leads to a satisfying if predictable conclusion. There were more laughs in the first thirty minutes than in anything else I've seen this year. And, the romantic ending was nice. If Gervais had been been able to make the film not quite so episodic, with a unified plot, this could have been a real contender. As it is, it's a good date film and will be just as good in its DVD version when you're looking for a few laughs. I probably should point out that religious conservatives are not going to find this nearly as funny as I did.

WHIP IT **½

Drew Barrymore directed this Action/Comedy/Drama which stars: Ellen Page, Marcia Gay Harden, Kristen Wiig, Juliete Lewis, Eve, Jimmy Fallon, Daniel Stern, and Drew Barrymore. Rated PG-13 for sexual content including crude dialogue, language and drug material. Running time is one hour and fifty-one minutes.

A rebellious Texas teen (Page) throws in her small town beauty pageant crown for the rowdy world of roller derby, upsetting her mother (Harden) and father (Stern). Derby team members include: Wiig, Lewis, Eve and Barrymore with Fallon as the Derby announcer.

This is a pleasant film which basically showcases Page's talent and her improvement as an actress. The plot is lightweight and predictable but there's plenty of Derby action for those inclined to go for that sort of thing. Barrymore as a director does fine but her actress role has her portrayed as a slightly spaced out and unintelligent team member. That was rather jarring in comparison to the rest of the team, which come across as reasonably nice people playing a game in order to make a living. This will be fine on DVD if you don't mind waiting.

Worthwhile (or not), 10/2/09

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 six new films this week but all of them have relatively high rating scores and there's something for virtually every taste. BRIGHT STAR is great for the BBC crowd, CAPITALISM is for Michael Moore/Progressive fans, LYING is for adults who appreciate Ricky Gervais' humor, TOY STORY is for families and 3-D fans, WHIP IT is for tweener females and ZOMBIELAND is basically for tweener males.

82 Bright Star,
60 Capitalism: A Love Story,
58 Invention of Lying, The,
97 Toy Story/Toy Story 2 3D.
66 Whip It,
73 Zombieland

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 THE INVENTION OF LYING and WHIP IT will be posted after 4:30 pm.