COP OUT *½

 Kevin Smith directed this Crime comedy starring: Bruce Willis, Tracy Morgan, Adam Brody, Kevin Pollak, Guillermo Diaz, Seann William Scott, Jason Lee, Ana de la Reguera. See Preview Rated R for pervasive language including sexual references, violence and brief sexuality. Run time is one hour and forty-seven minutes.

Two longtime NYPD partners (Willis and Morgan) on the trail of a stolen, rare, mint-condition baseball card find themselves up against a merciless, memorabilia-obsessed gangster. The veteran detective is searching for the  missing collectible as it's his only hope to pay for his daughter's upcoming wedding, while his "partner-against-crime" is so preoccupied with his wife's alleged infidelity he has trouble keeping his eye on the ball.

I watched this with a group of college age students who seemed to find it more enjoyable than did I. In fact, I don't remember laughing once although there were a few mildly amusing moments. Willis plays his usual cop character but for me Morgan was absolutely annoying throughout the film. He can be amusing at times in short bits on SNL but his persona is absolutely grating over the long haul. Scott wasn't much better.Production values as well as the rest of the supporting cast were fine. My guess is anyone over thirty is not going to think they got their money's worth. Teens and twenties may find it acceptable.

Worthwhile (or not), 2/26/2010

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 you'll have to go for the art film if you want a pic the national critics like. I can certainly attest to the fact most adults will find COP OUT a dismal excuse for entertainment. Since most adults aren't much into horror films, that may leave many of you at a loss for this weekend. Oh well, there's always the final weekend of the Olympics.

32 Cop Out,
59 Crazies, The,
76 Last Station, The

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 COP OUT will be posted after 4:30 pm today (Friday).

Opening, 2/26/2010

For show times select a theatre in the Showing at: section at the end of each synopsis. Friday times appear starting Wednesdays.

COP OUT [R] 1 hr. 50 min. Crime comedy See Preview Cast: Bruce Willis, Tracy Morgan, Adam Brody, Kevin Pollak, Guillermo Diaz, Seann William Scott, Jason Lee, Ana de la Reguera. Plot: two longtime NYPD partners on the trail of a stolen, rare, mint-condition baseball card find themselves up against a merciless, memorabilia-obsessed gangster. Jimmy (Bruce Willis) is the veteran detective whose missing collectible is his only hope to pay for his daughter's upcoming wedding, and Paul (Tracy Morgan) is his "partner-against-crime" whose preoccupation with his wife's alleged infidelity makes it hard for him to keep his eye on the ball. Showing at: Derby Plaza, Movie Machine,  Northrock 14, Warren East, Warren Old Town, Warren West.

THE CRAZIES [R] 1 hr. 41 min. Horror drama See Preview Cast: Timothy Olyphant, Radha Mitchell, Danielle Panabaker, Joe Anderson. Plot: the sheriff of a small town where everything is safe and happy is faced with friends and neighbors going quickly and horrifically insane. In an effort to keep the madness contained, the government uses deadly force to close off all access and won't let anyone in or out – even those uninfected. Showing at: Northrock 14, Warren East, Warren West.

THE LAST STATION [R] 1 hr. 52 min. Historical drama See Preview Cast: Christopher Plummer, Helen Mirren, James McAvoy, Paul Giamatti, Anne-Marie Duff, Kerry Condon. Plot: a tale of two romances, one near its end (Leo Tolstoy and his wife), one beginning (Tolstoy's assistant and a free thinking follower of Tolstoy). A complex, funny, rich and emotional story about the difficulty of living with love and the impossibility of living without it. Based on the book with the same name. Showing at: Warren East.

Leaving, 2/25/2010

Derby Plaza -nothing
Movie Machine - From Paris With Love
Northrock 14 -
Palace West - The Road, Did You Hear About The Morgans, 2012, Couples Retreat
Starlite Drive-In - Closed for the Winter
Warren East 13th -Broken Embraces
Warren Old Town - Dear John
Warren West 21st - Sherlock Holmes, From Paris With Love, When In Rome, Legion

SHUTTER ISLAND ***½

Martin Scorsese  directed this Pschological thriller starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams, Patricia Clarkson, Emily Mortimer, and Max von Sydow. SEE PREVIEW  Rated R for disturbing violent content, language and some nudity. Running time is two hours and eighteen minutes.

Two U.S. marshals (DiCaprio, Ruffalo) are summoned to a remote and barren island off the cost of Massachusetts to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a murderess (Mortimer, Clarkson) from the island's fortress-like hospital for the criminally insane.

Let me warn you, I'm well aware many will not share my opinion of this film. I found it fascinating because the probable ending became obvious to me within ten or fifteen minutes  after the film's start and I spent the remaining time trying to verify my original conclusion. If you haven't watched as many film as I have you may not have the same experience and the ending will come as something of a shock. I've talked to those who have both loved and hated this film but I have no way of predicting who will fall into each camp. The production values are first rate and the acting is superb. Scorsese is perhaps a little heavy handed in setting the atmosphere but it is effective. There is some full frontal male nudity, so those who may find that offensive have been advised. Pay particular attention to the very last line of the film as I think it changes the meaning of the ending, but it's easy to miss. You will not get the same impact this film has on a large screen by watching it on your home TV. See it here.

BROKEN EMBRACES **½

Pedro Almodóvar directed this Drama starring: Penelope Cruz, Lluis Homar, Blanca Portilla, Rossy de Palma, Kiti Manver, Chus Lampreave, Lola Duenas, A:ngela Molina. SEE PREVIEW  Rated R for sexual content, language and some drug material. Running time is two hours and seven minutes.

A film director (Homar) who lost his sight and lover (Cruz) in an accident continues life as a screenwriter with the help of his longtime assistant (Portilla).

 I am aware this director is very well thought of but I couldn't help but notice the difference in polish between this work and your average American film. This felt amateurish to me although the cast is good and Cruz is luminous when she's on screen. Even though it in no way looks like an American film it is entertaining once it gets started and I'm glad I saw it. The English subtitles were a little hard to read on occasion but that was a minor problem (the film is in Spanish).  I suspect women will enjoy this more than men but it isn't a bad couple's movie. See it here.

CRAZY HEART **½

 Scott Cooper wrote and directed this Musical Drama starring: Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Colin Farrell, and Robert Duvall. See Preview Rated R for language and brief sexuality. Running time is one hour and fifty-two minutes.

A broken-down, hard-living country music singer (Bridges) who's had way too many marriages, far too many years on the road, and one too many drinks way too many times, can't help but reach for salvation with the help of a journalist (Gyllenhaal).

Bridges has been nominated for Best Actor and Gyllenhaal for Best Supporting Actress for their roles in this picture. I'll go along with Bridges, he's very believable as a burned out alcoholic, but I don't seen anything extraordinary about Gyllenhall's performance. More to the point, I didn't believe for a minute in the relationship between Bridges and Gyllenhall, and that's the core of the film. Nor, did I find the resolution of their relationship at all believable. If you want to catch the major Oscar nominated films before the awards, by all means check it out, but there are better films available.

Worthwhile (or not), 2/19/2010

Here's MetaCritic's numerical rank of this week's films (xx/100 - the higher the number, the better the critics liked the film).Your choice for a new film this week is between an European romance drama and an American psychological thriller. I've seen both and while they are both very good, most Americans are going to find SHUTTER ISLAND more to their liking than BROKEN EMBRACES.

76 Broken Embraces,
63 Shutter Island

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 SHUTTER ISLAND and BROKEN EMBRACES will be posted after 4:30 pm today (Friday).

Opening, 2/19/2010

For show times select a theatre in the Showing at: section at the end of each synopsis. Friday times appear starting Wednesdays.

BROKEN EMBRACES [R] 2 hrs. 8 min. Drama/Thriller SEE PREVIEW Cast: Penelope Cruz, Lluis Homar, Blanca Portilla, Rossy de Palma, Kiti Manver, Chus Lampreave, Lola Duenas, Angela Molina. Plot: a film director who lost his sight and lover in an accident continues life as a screenwriter. In Spanish with English subtitles. Showing at: Warren East.

SHUTTER ISLAND [R] 2 hrs. 18 min. Pschological thriller SEE PREVIEW Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams, Patricia Clarkson, Max von Sydow. Plot: two U.S. marshals  are summoned to a remote and barren island off the cost of Massachusetts to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a murderess from the island's fortress-like hospital for the criminally insane. Showing at: Derby Plaza,  Northrock 14, Warren East, Warren Old Town, Warren West.

Leaving, 2/18/2010

Derby Plaza -When In Rome
Movie Machine - Alvin: Squeakquel, Book Of Eli, Edge Of Darkness
Northrock 14 - Lovely Bones, Princess And The Frog
Palace West - Brothers, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Hurt Locker
Starlite Drive-In - Closed for the Winter
Warren East 13th -Legion, An Education
Warren Old Town - From Paris With Love
Warren West 21st - It's Complicated, Lovely Bones, Alvin: Squeakquel

THE WOLFMAN **½

Joe Johnston directed this Horror Drama  starring: Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt, Hugo Weaving, Geraldine Chaplin, and Art Malik. SEE PREVIEW  Rated R for bloody horror violence and gore. Running time is two hours and five minutes.

A haunted nobleman (Del Toro) is lured back to his family estate by his brother's fiancée (Blunt) after his brother vanishes. Reunited with his estranged father (Hopkins), he sets out to find his brother... and discovers a horrifying destiny for himself.

This film was made as an homage to the original 1941 film of the same name that starred Lon Chaney, Jr.  For the most part they seem to have been faithful to the original story, but with the film enhancements that are now possible you're not going to mistake this version for the original. Production values are first rate and the CGI effects are at times startling as well as horrifying. The cast is fine although Hopkins is the dominant performer. Blunt is rather wasted in her role which is a shame for an actress of her ability.If you like horror films and would like to see one that's well made as opposed to the shoddy slasher films prevalent today, you should put this on your list.

VALENTINE'S DAY **

Garry Marshall directed this  Romantic Comedy starring: Jessica Alba, Kathy Bates, Jessica Biel, Bradley Cooper, Eric Dane, Patrick Dempsey, Hector Elizondo, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Topher Grace, Anne Hathaway, Ashton Kutcher, Queen Latifah, Taylor Lautner, George Lopez, Shirley MacLaine, Emma Roberts, Julia Roberts, Taylor Swift.  SEE PREVIEW  Rated PG-13 for some sexual material and brief partial nudity. Running time is two hours and five minutes.


Follows the intertwining storylines of a group of Los Angelinos as they find their way through romance over the course of one Valentine's Day.

This is a picture that will do well this weekend no matter what any reviewer says. It's is an amiable enough film, with a few laughs scattered throughout. But, the very thing that makes it interesting, the humongous cast, is the thing that gives it problems. It's hard to focus on a character or plot thread when so many are doing so much. You never get to know any character well and for me, that kept me from getting involved in the story. Plus, this is a little lengthy for a light comedy and I was getting bored before it was over. My wife watched this with me and enjoyed it much more than I did. She said she would have given it ***. It will do just fine for a Valentine's Day date movie but I'll be surprised if it hangs around for many weeks after. There are a few outtakes during the end credits that are amusing so you may want to stay a few minutes longer than usual.

Worthwhile (or not), 2/12/2010

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 a week where the rating scores will have very little correlation to the attendance at the theatres. PERCY JACKSON is basically for teens, VALENTINE'S DAY is for women and the men they drag along, and WOLFMAN is for males. I've seen the latter two and would score them higher than did the national critics but neither is close to four stars by any means.

48 Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief,
35 Valentine's Day,
44 Wolfman, The

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 VALENTINE'S DAY and THE WOLFMANN will be posted after 4:30 pm today (Friday).

Opening, 2/12/2010

For show times select a theatre in the Showing at: section at the end of each synopsis. Friday times appear starting Wednesdays.

PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS [PG] 2 hrs. Fantasy Adventure SEE PREVIEW CAST: Logan Lerman, Brandon T. Jackson, Alexandra Daddario, Sean Bean, Pierce Brosnan, Steve Coogan, Rosario Dawson, Catherine Keener, Kevin McKidd, Joe Pantoliano, Uma Thurman, Ray Winstone. Plot: after Zeus' lightning bolt is stolen and his mother disappears, a descendant of Poseidon and his friends embark on a cross-country adventure to catch the true lightning thief, save his mom, and unravel a mystery more powerful than the gods themselves. Showing at: Derby Plaza,  Movie Machine, Northrock 14, Warren East, Warren Old Town, Warren West.

VALENTINE'S DAY [PG-13] 2 hrs. 5 min.  Romantic Comedy SEE PREVIEW CAST: Jessica Alba, Kathy Bates, Jessica Biel, Bradley Cooper, Eric Dane, Patrick Dempsey, Hector Elizondo, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Topher Grace, Anne Hathaway, Ashton Kutcher, Queen Latifah, Taylor Lautner, George Lopez, Shirley MacLaine, Emma Roberts, Julia Roberts, Taylor Swift. Plot: follows the intertwining storylines of a group of Los Angelinos as they find their way through romance over the course of one Valentine's Day. Showing at:  Derby Plaza,  Movie Machine, Northrock 14, Warren East, Warren Old Town, Warren West.

THE WOLFMAN [R] 1 hr. 42 min. Horror Drama SEE PREVIEW CAST: Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt, Hugo Weaving, Art Malik. Plot: a haunted nobleman is lured back to his family estate after his brother vanishes. Reunited with his estranged father, he sets out to find his brother... and discovers a horrifying destiny for himself. Showing at: Movie Machine, Northrock 14, Warren East, Warren Old Town, Warren West.

Leaving, 2/11/2010

Derby Plaza - Edge Of Darkness, Book Of Eli, The Lovely Bones
Movie Machine - Avatar, The Blind Side, The Spy Next Door
Northrock 14 -Extraordinary Measures, Legion, Invictus
Palace West - Boondock Saints II, Armored, Where The Wild Things Are, Ninja Assassin, Cloudy With Meatballs, Law Abiding Citizen
Starlite Drive-In - Closed for the Winter
Warren East 13th -Leap Year, To Save A Life, The Lovely Bones, It's Complicated, Extraordinary Measures, Alvin: Squeakquel, Young Victoria, The Spy Next Door
Warren Old Town - Legion, Edge Of Darkness, The Book Of Eli
Warren West 21st - Leap Year, To Save A Life, Extraordinary Measures

AN EDUCATION ***½

Lone Scherfig directed this  Drama starring: Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard, Alfred Molina, Dominic Cooper, Rosamund Pike, Olivia Williams, Emma Thompson, Cara Seymour, Matthew Beard, Sally Hawkins. See Preview  Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material involving sexual content, and for smoking.Running time is one hour and thirty-five minutes.

An attractive, precocious 16-year-old schoolgirl's (Mulligan) suburban life is upended by the arrival of an unsuitable, 30-ish, suitor (Sarsgaard). Along with his friends (Cooper and Pike) she's introduced to a life far removed from her boring life as a schoolgirl. Her parents (Molina and Seymour) are charmed also, never realizing what's actually occurring.

A great script, great pacing, and the screen presence of Mulligan, very ably aided by a superb cast of supporting actors, make this a very enjoyable film. Mulligan's winsome persona  makes you care about her and keeps you continuously involved. The fact this has won several awards and has been nominated for three Oscars should let you know this is one of the best films of the past year. If you can't get to a theatre to watch it, the DVD will take nothing away. However you choose to see it, this is one not to miss.

FROM PARIS WITH LOVE **½

Pierre Morel directed this Action Drama starring: John Travolta, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Kasia Smutniak, Richard Durden. See Preview Rated R for strong bloody violence throughout, drug content, pervasive language and brief sexuality. Running time is one hour and thirty-two minutes.

A personal aide (Meyers) to the U.S. Ambassador in France (Durdrn) has an enviable life in Paris and a beautiful French girlfriend (Smutniak), but wants to become a bona fide CIA agent and see some real action. When he's offered his first senior-level assignment, he can't believe his good luck - until he meets his new partner (Travolta).

Morel was the director of last year's TAKEN and he continues in the same mode here. As is usual these days the plot is weak and if you watch many movies I'll bet you'll see the ending coming ten minutes into this one. Meyers has almost no screen personality in this film although he really doesn't need one with Travolta around. Smutniak is lovely and is fine in her role. But, this is Travolta's film and he does the most with what he's given. What this film does offer is start to finish action of the most extremely violent kind. Women aren't going to be real fans of this one but most males will find the action, the fast pacing and the reasonable length enjoyable. Because of the action if you plan on watching this one, a theatre will be your best choice.

DEAR JOHN **

Lasse Hallström directed this Romantic Drama starring: Channing Tatum, Amanda Seyfried, Henry Thomas, Richard Jenkins, and Keith Robinson.  See Preview  Rated PG-13 for some sensuality and violence. Running time is one hour and forty-five minutes.


Based on the novel by best-selling author Nicholas Sparks, "Dear John" tells story of a young soldier (Tatum) home on leave and the idealistic college student (Seyfried) he falls in love with during her spring vacation. Over the next seven tumultuous years, the couple is separated by his increasingly dangerous deployments. While meeting only sporadically, they stay in touch by sending a continuous stream of love letters to each other.

Teenage girls and young women will no doubt think more highly of this picture than I do. From my perspective this is a very slowly paced, maudlin romance that most males will find boring. Seyfried is the one reason to see this as she possesses a screen presence that few can match. Tatum has the personality of a rock in this film although I'm sure that's what his role called for. Jenkins is very good at portraying a caring father with social limitations. This will do as a date movie or for an outing of teenage girls but that's about it.

Worthwhile (or not), 2/5/2010

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 "art films" have got the high scores this week. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean they'll have the large audiences to match. Women, especially the younger ones, will be heading for DEAR JOHN while males of all ages will be heading for FROM PARIS WITH LOVE. I wouldn't wait too long to see the two high scoring films as it's likely they won't be around long, although the three Oscar nominations AN EDUCATION got will help its patronage.

83 Crazy Heart,
45 Dear John,
85 Education, An,
47 From Paris with Love

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 FROM PARIS WITH LOVE and AN EDUCATION will be posted after 4:30 pm today (Friday).

Opening, 2/5/2010

For show times select a theatre in the Showing at: section at the end of each synopsis. Friday times appear starting Wednesdays.

AN EDUCATION [PG-13] 1 hr. 40 min. Drama See Preview Cast: Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard, Alfred Molina, Dominic Cooper, Rosamund Pike, Olivia Williams, Emma Thompson, Cara Seymour, Matthew Beard, Sally Hawkins. Plot: an attractive, bright 16-year-old schoolgirl's suburban life is upended by the arrival of an unsuitable, 30-ish, suitor. Showing at: Warren East.

DEAR JOHN [PG-13] 1 hr. 49 min. Drama See Preview Cast: Channing Tatum, Amanda Seyfried, Henry Thomas, Richard Jenkins, Keith Robinson. Plot: based on the novel by best-selling author Nicholas Sparks, "Dear John" tells story of a young soldier home on leave and the idealistic college student he falls in love with during her spring vacation. Over the next seven tumultuous years, the couple is separated by his increasingly dangerous deployments. While meeting only sporadically, they stay in touch by sending a continuous stream of love letters overseas--correspondence that eventually triggers fateful consequences. Showing at: Derby Plaza, Northrock 14, Warren East, Warren Old Town, Warren West.

CRAZY HEART [R] 1 hr. 51 min. Drama/Music See Preview Cast: Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Robert Duvall, Sarah Jane Morris. Plot: a broken-down, hard-living country music singer who's had way too many marriages, far too many years on the road, and one too many drinks way too many times, can't help but reach for salvation with the help of a journalist who discovers the real man behind the musician. Showing at: Warren East.

FROM PARIS WITH LOVE [R] 1 hr. 50 min. Action See Preview Cast: John Travolta, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Kasia Smutniak, Richard Durden. Plot: a personal aide to the U.S. Ambassador in France has an enviable life in Paris and a beautiful French girlfriend, but wants to become a bona fide CIA agent and see some real action. When he's offered his first senior-level assignment, he can't believe his good luck - until he meets his new partner. Showing at: Northrock 14, Warren East, Warren Old Town, Warren West.

Leaving, 2/4/2010

Derby Plaza -
Movie Machine - nothing
Northrock 14 - Invictus, It's Complicated, Leap Year
Palace West - nothing
Starlite Drive-In - Closed for the Winter
Warren East 13th - A Single Man, Doctor Parnassus, Spy Next Door
Warren Old Town - Lovely Bones, Sherlock Holmes, Extraordinary Measures
Warren West 21st - New Moon, Spy Next Door, 3 Idiots