Chicken With Plums Review

Something to savor-Enna Balland and Mathieu Amalric as a father and daughter in the drama Chicken With Plums
                        Chicken With Plums is a film buff's true idea of a film. It has everything one who takes their movie watching seriously (like myself) can ask for. In it-there is romance, action, drama, comedy, fantasy and yes-even a little animation. In other words-it perfectly combines all genres to bring the audience something very special.

                        The film stars Mathieu Amalric as Nasser-Ali...a violinist who is depressed and wants to leave the world after his precious violin is broken. This is all I am going to say about the plot because not only is the plot hard to explain but as with this year's Cabin In The Woods-the film is more fun if you do not know anything about it going in.

                        Another thing these two films have in common is that I adored both of them because they both so daringly ventured way off the map. This film creates a completely fantasized world while also being totally realistic and speaking much to life itself. Also...Amalric's performance is phenomenal here. You may know him as the main villain in Quantam Of Solace but he really proves himself here. He gives a lively and excellent performance as a sympathetically sad man. In fact...the whole cast gives it their all and the film builds quite nicely from one scene to the next due to this.

                        This is also one of the most beautiful looking films anyone is likely to ever see. Directors Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi make nice use of great visuals here. By giving the audience the visuals at hand they create a simultaneously melancholy and upbeat feel that audiences are soon not likely to forget. This is a film about passion and love and in those aspects-it succeeds brilliantly. I never found a single flaw while watching the film. This is not to say that there are none but that the film is so enjoyable and engaging that most people will be too enthralled to see any flaws.

                       Chicken With Plums is about the most ideal film you can have. It is a truly wonderful piece of art that never lets up. It is also an appealing and original look at how we live our day to day lives. This is a film that will sadly not catch on but if you have the opportunity to see it then by all means do so. It is a truly wonderful experience that will make anyone appreciate the movies just a little bit more.
(5 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated PG-13 for some drug content, violent images, sensuality and smoking)

Looper Review

    Welcome to the jungle-Joseph Gordon Levitt and Bruce Willis as Joe-both present and future in Looper
                           Looper is the prime example of how to do a futuristic thriller. Yes...I know people will be asking me if I have even seen Blade Runner after reading that statement. You know what? In my humble opinion...Looper kicks Blade Runner's butt any day of the week. It is an intense, entertaining and amazingly acted piece of art. This is not to say that I think Blade Runner is not also all of these things...it's just to say that Looper does it a bit better. I know I am comparing apples to oranges in some people's eyes but I just wanted to voice my opinion as is the point of these reviews.

                          The film stars Joseph Gordon Levitt as Joe. He kills people from the future when the mob wants them gone. This is done out of secrecy so when one day Joe has to kill his future self (for reasons I will not specify)...he is afraid of what is going to go down. His future self is played by Bruce Willis who has outdone himself with his work here. Although his character is not as prominent here as you may expect...that makes it all the more better. He brings a quiet subtlety to the role that he never lets go of. Gordon Levitt is fantastic here as well. Levitt has proven himself this year with The Dark Knight Rises and Premium Rush but I would be lying if I said this was not his best performance to date.

                           We also get a great supporting cast with Jeff Daniels as the main villain and Emily Blunt as a mother of a child who..well it is more fun if you just see the movie. The film also features some intense action ranging anywhere from a gun shootout to a telekinetic explosion. Also...the whole future feel of the film is the perfect atmosphere. This is also a very emotional film. I will have to mention that there is a scene in a diner between Willis and Levitt that is quite possibly the best single scene in a film so far this year.

                            With exciting action, amazing acting, a fantastic script and direction from Rian Johnson...Looper is one of the best films so far this year. In fact...between Looper and End Of Watch....I will have to say that the fall is already better than the summer as far as action films go.
(5 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated R for strong violence, language, some sexuality/nudity and drug content)

Pitch Perfect Review

              Something to sing about-Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson as a cappella members in Pitch Perfect  

                 Pitch Perfect is not technically a musical. Characters do not break out into song every couple of minutes for no reason and there are no plot conveniences for the sake of another song being sung. However...I will still stand my ground and say right off the bat that not only does Pitch Perfect make this year's fellow music films Sparkle and Rock Of Ages look bad by comparison but it kills and buries the latter. Yes...this is a surprisingly delightful comedy about a group of all female a cappella members who decide to rival off against the males.

                 The film stars Anna Kendrick as Beca....a college student getting her education for free because her dad is a professor. She really does not want to be in college more or less have anything to do with any activities. That is when Chloe (Brittany Snow) insists she join the group because she can sing really, really well (despite what she says.) Chloe is trying to redeem herself from an embarrassing incident at the competition last year. Along the ride is Amy (Rebel Wilson), Aubrey (Anna Camp) and others. To make the incident worse...rival group leader Bumper (Adam DeVine of TV's "Workaholics") makes it so his team wins every year and loves to brag.

                 The film is very fun if not also flawed. As a big "Workaholics" fan, I was excited to see DeVine on the big screen. However...he is just playing his TV character and never really brings anything new to the role even though is character on TV is funny. As well...Wilson is funny but does not really bring anything new to her character. The film also feels as if it is going for the "Glee" feel too much of the time. However...Kendrick brings a sweetness and likability to her role and the film is very funny and clever in the way it presents its music. The stand out music scene is a riff-off between all of the groups that is both well constructed and extremely amusing. The romance between Beca and Jesse (Skylar Astin)...a rival team member adds a nice touch to the film. Also, John Michael Higgins and Elizabeth Banks as the telecasters of the competition are very funny even if they are not as in depth as they should have been.

              With excellent music, funny and clever dialogue and sight gags and a great performer in Kendrick...Pitch Perfect may not be perfect but it is a film I would make a pitch for. The film is rather flawed but it is definitely better than some of the stuff you could be seeing the theaters.

(3 and 1/2 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated PG-13 for sexual material, language and drug references) 

Hotel Transylvania Review

No gods, just monsters-Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez and Andy Samberg in the comedy Hotel Transylvania
                     The biggest sin of Hotel Transylvania is not that it is stupid. It is not that it is unfunny. Rather-the biggest sin of Hotel Transylvania is that it is boring. Filmmakers, in my eyes are allowed to make a kids film as stupid or as ludicrous as they want. That is, as long as they do not make it boring. Kids will not be able to sit through an entire film if there are no bright colors yet there is a boring story at play. Yet...this is not all bad. If you are going to be dragged to the movies by your kids this weekend and have already seen Finding Nemo...then parents might actually be amused if not just a couple of times. Yes...there are many allusions to those old monster films and some of them actually stick quite well.

                     The film stars Adam Sandler as Dracula who has decided to make a hotel for all monsters to live peacefully. His daughter, Mavis (Selena Gomez) just wants to live her life so when a clueless human named Jonathan (Andy Samberg) accidentally drops in...she sees this as her chance to not only live her life but perhaps fall in love.

                      The main problem with the film is that it is not ambitious enough. It keeps going for the easy laughs. For example-there is a fart joke in the film that was dead before it even began. There are also many "oh no...a human" jokes that are way past their prime. As I previously mentioned....the film does have a couple of nice references to the old Bela Lugosi-Christopher Lee films of the 50's but about 90% of the humor is close but no cigar stuff.

                       Overall....Hotel Transylvania is just okay. There is nothing dreadful about it but there is nothing good about it, either. As far as Sandler family films go...it is not nearly as bad as Jack And Jill and is harmless enough but it never gets its own two feet off the ground and will likely bore your kids.
(2 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated PG for some rude humor, action and scary images)

Liberal Arts Review

How I met your daughter-Josh Radnor falls for Elizabeth Olsen in the  independent dramedy Liberal Arts

                               Liberal Arts is a film that is going to speak to many people. It is also a film that is going to go over many people's heads. I can honestly say it did not speak to me with its subject matter but it was a film I thoroughly enjoyed watching. Furthermore-How I Met Your Mother's Josh Radnor is someone to look out for as a filmmaker for years to come.

                              Radnor writes, directs and stars in the film as Jesse...a nice guy who is called upon by an old professor (Richard Jenkins) to speak at a ceremony for him. It is then that Jesse falls for Zibby (Elizabeth Olsen)-the daughter of the husband and wife with whom Jesse is staying with. Zibby is far beyond her years mentally. She is smart, funny and attractive. Olsen gives a knockout performance by being able to pull of all these traits at once. Jenkins kills as always and Radnor is terrific at bringing both an emotional and a delightful side to the character of Jesse. Another person I surprisingly enjoyed in the film was Zac Efron as Nat-a hippie who shows Jesse the ways of life.

                                The film is witty but also surprisingly realistic in its approach. It is not so much laugh every couple of minutes funny as it is an interesting exploration of college life and getting old. I would wrap this up as a life-like affair of a film. There are no real dull spots in the film (at least for me.) However-people who hate films such as those from The Duplass Brothers or as us film critics like to call them-mumblecore may very well be bored by this film. There is much dialogue that can be confusing for those people who are not used to such independent dialogue.

                                Still-Liberal Arts is a fun time at the movies even though it may make people take a second look at what their lives have become. On top of this-it is surprisingly emotional and once again Radnor has proved he is a true talent in the film industry even if his films are not for everybody.

(3 and 1/2 out of 5 Stars, The film is Not Rated) 

Trouble With The Curve Review

There's no prying in baseball-Amy Adams and Clint Eastwood as a daughter and father in Trouble With The Curve
                         Trouble With The Curve is kind of like gravy. It is good when it is on something of substance but it is terrible when it tries to be on its own. It is an entertaining enough film but it is not a total home run. The substance to the gravy of the film is the relationship between Clint Eastwood and Amy Adams as a father and daughter who love the game of baseball. When it tries to go out on its own is everything else. The two main subplots-one involving an up and coming baseball scout (Justin Timberlake) and one involving a computer whiz (Matthew Lillard) are both superfluous to the film.

                         Clint Eastwood claimed that Gran Torino was going to be his last film. Well....damn me if that would not have been a good idea. The main problem with this film is that it feels too much like Moneyball 2. Therefore-it feels completely unoriginal. Look at the plot-you have a guy who keeps stats on a computer rivaling a guy who keeps stats by actually watching the game. I don't care who you are...that is a Moneyball clone if I have ever seen one.

                          Sure...Eastwood and Adams are good in the film both individually and together but with a lazy script there is only so much that the actors can do.  It feels as if first time writer Randy Brown and first time director Robert Lorenz had no idea what they wanted to do with their film. I would not be surprised if someone else was supposed to write and direct the film but then these guys got picked up off the street.

                          Yes....Trouble With The Curve is entertaining to a degree and it does feature good performances but I need a good plot and solid direction when watching a film like this. Let's just call this film a rookie mistake. It is after all a baseball film.
(2 and 1/2 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated PG-13 for language, sexual references, some thematic material and smoking)

The Master Review

He's still here-Amy Adams and Joaquin Phoenix study Scientology in Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master
                              The Master has been getting hyped up for quite a while now. It has been the talk of festivals and has now gotten a fairly wide release into theaters. It is the film that will kick off all other Oscar season films for 2013. The real question though-is The Master the brilliant, Oscar caliber film it has been made out to be? Well-not really. Yes-despite three excellent performances-the film, at least in my eyes is a total bore.

                               The film tells the story of Freddie (Joaquin Phoenix)....a naval veteran who comes home skeptical of what is to come for him. He now takes pictures for a living and many of his customers do not seem to appreciate him. He mindlessly drifts from having sex with one woman to another and is not really happy with his life. That is until he meets Lancaster (Phillip Seymour Hoffman)-the leader of a Scientology group that goes by the name The Cause. He is instantly attracted to the group and everyone in it.

                                What baffles me about this film is how boring it is. Phoenix, Hoffman and Amy Adams as Peggy-Lancaster's wife are all terrific but the film goes nowhere fast. Yes-some may argue that me having seen this alone did not help. They will say that the subject matter would most likely go over anyone's head. That, however would be a false statement. On the contrary-the problem with the film is that for a film about Scientology...it is quite simple. The audience gets the old Scientology is BS and no one should believe it treatment and it feels really, really old. Also-there is a shot at both the beginning and end of the film that shows and proves nothing. Rather-it just makes the audience wonder why the filmmakers showed it a second time. Also...the three performances all feel as if they are from different films. Phoenix, Hoffman and Adams do not work as a consistent team.

                                   Paul Thomas Anderson of There Will Be Blood wrote and directed this film. Unlike There Will Be Blood-a significantly better film-this one feels rushed. It feels as if Anderson just wanted to get another film out before the Oscars deadline. The film is incredibly dull and keeps mocking the audience by never really giving anything to connect with.

                                     Not to say that The Master is a bad film. As previously mentioned-there are three excellent performances at play here but the film itself has nothing going for it. The film had so much potential in fact that I am having a hard time not recommending it. However-in the film industry potential does not particularly mean good.
(2 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated R for sexual content, graphic nudity and language)

Arbitrage Review

     Stuck in first Gere-Brit Marling and Richard Gere as a daughter and father at odds in the thriller Arbitrage
                     Arbitrage may be just a middling thriller but it does feature a damn fine performance. Let me rephrase that-it features a killer performance from Richard Gere....an actor who may have left the movie scene for a bit but is now back and better than ever. The film itself would not be all that thrilling if it were not for him. I acknowledge that the supporting cast including Tim Roth and Brit Marling are also excellent but this movie belongs to Gere. He simply saves the day.

                      In the movie Gere plays Robert Miller. He is a successful businessman who has a beautiful wife (Susan Sarandon) and a great daughter (Marling.) One night-Robert decides to go out with his mistress (Laetitia Casta) and gets into a car accident. She is dead and Robert flees the scene rather than calling for help because it would ruin a deal he has going on with a fellow company. It is then that Detective Michael Bryer (Tim Roth) decides to find out what really happened that night.

                      What makes the film weak is its sense of logic. We do not believe what happens at the end nor do we want to. What makes the film strong is the fact that Gere makes us root for Robert in spite of what he did. Roth is very funny and intense in his role and Sarandon and Marling prove to be good female back ups but the whole film just feels flat. When we do care...it is only because Gere makes himself so convincing and realistic.

                      Arbitrage ends up in what is some weird middle ground. It is one of those films that is neither very good nor very bad. Gere makes it somewhat worthwhile but there is only so much an actor can do with a script he did not write. Any Gere fans should be on the lookout for it. Others should be warned of the lack of logic and intelligent writing.
(2 and 1/2 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated R for language, brief violent images and drug use)

End Of Watch Review

They have you surrounded-Michael Pena and Jake Gyllenhaal as cops pursuing a gang in End Of Watch
                  Cop movies have always been one of my favorite genre (if you can call them that) of film. I don't know why....I have always just enjoyed watching them. Even so-End Of Watch blew me away. It is a film so great that even as I am sitting here at my computer...I can not come up with the words to accurately describe how much I loved it. Killer Joe is still my favorite film of the year but End Of Watch comes in at a VERY close second.

                    The film stars Michael Pena and Jake Gyllenhaal as Mike Zavala and Brian Taylor...two cops who, as the film opens, recently got off suspension for a shooting. When they find something truly disturbing in a gang member's home....the gang decides to track them down and get their revenge. For the first 45 minutes or so of the film...all we do is follow these two. We do not get a consistent plot or explanation as to why exactly we are following them. However...anyone can relate to these two. They can relate even if they do not know cops, are not cops or have never had a job in their lives. If you have seen a cop....you can relate. Instantly...Mike and Brian are two characters we-the audience love.

                      One of the best things about the film is the performances. This is the best both Pena and Gyllenhaal have ever been. There are also surprisingly excellent performances from America Ferrera and Cody Horn as fellow cops and Anna Kendrick and Natalie Martinez as Brian and Mike's lovers. Also...the action is fantastic in every way possible. All the action scenes in the film are well shot and totally enthralling. Director David Ayer has obviously improved from his previous cop film-Street Kings as far as story and shooting action scenes go. Ayer also wrote the phenomenal screenplay to the film so props to him. On top of all this...the film is surprisingly funny. Pena and Gyllenhaal are hilarious when speaking to one another. In fact the best scenes in the film are the scenes in which Pena and Gyllenhaal are sitting in the car talking to each other. Their chemistry is very visible through these scenes and the audience can tell they had a blast making this film.

                         End Of Watch is great...what can I say? It is a very fun time at the movies that is also extremely intense and left me wanting more. I must warn people the ending will hit many audience members very hard and there are some extremely brutal scenes that are near impossible to watch but even so-I defy anyone to say that this is not one of the best cop films ever made. It is a film that is impossible for anyone to take their eyes off of.
(5 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated R for strong violence, some disturbing images, pervasive language including sexual references and some drug use)

Resident Evil: Retribution Review

    Evil lives-Milla Jovovich returns as Alice for even more blood and violence in Resident Evil: Retribution
               I enjoyed the first three Resident Evil films as guilty pleasures. I will say it right out of the gate. Resident Evil: Afterlife was the fourth installment and a huge pile of nothing. Now we have the fifth installment-Resident Evil: Retribution. Need I say more? The first three were so bad they were good films. Now it just feels as if star Milla Jovovich is just trying to get easy paycheck after easy paycheck. It's very simple-Jovovich walks on screen, beats someone (or something...in this case zombies) to death and spurts the worst dialogue this side of Ballistic: Ecks Vs. Sever. Then-when all else fails-we get a slow motion shot of Jovovich.

                 Where the last two films have completely wrong this time is having director and writer Paul W.S. Anderson back on the team. Sure...I admitted I enjoyed the first film, which he did. However...Anderson proved himself unworthy of ever making another film when he did the godawful Three Musketeers adaptation. As with that film...Resident Evil: Retribution is bound to be out of anyone's mind after just a few hours. I am sitting here writing this review five days after having seen it and can barely remember enough to justify writing a review in the first place.

                    I can tell you that Alice fights zombies this time and that there is one cool scene in the whole film. You read that right...one cool scene in the entire 90 minutes. That scene is the slow motion/backward action scene at the beginning. This takes up the course of a good three minutes.

                      Proving that the series is done with....Resident Evil: Retribution is a forgettable piece of garbage that is made for no one. Yes...not even those people who are in love with Jovovich will enjoy this. Why should they when they probably have the first three films on Blu-Ray?
(1 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated R for sequences of strong violence throughout)

The Babymakers Review

The far from great sperm bank robbery-Nat Faxon, Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Hefferman and Paul Schneider in The Babymakers
                            The audience can sense when a bad comedy is in play when the cast is obviously trying way too hard to make us laugh. New Year's Eve is an example of this. An even better example of this is the new Broken Lizard film The Babymakers. I have loved everything from the comedy troupe so far. From Puddle Cruiser to The Slammin Salmon..they are just funny people. While many of them are not in the newest film...I can still say it is the first film from them that I genuinely dislike.

                              The film stars Paul Schneider who you may know as playing Mark Brendanawicz...the straight man on TV's Parks and Recreation. Here..he plays Tommy..a nice guy who is trying to have a baby with his wife Audrey (Olivia Munn.) When he finds out due to his sperm donations to pay for a wedding ring...he does not have good sperm...his friend Wade (Kevin Hefferman) decides to help him rob the sperm bank before his last batch of sperm is gone. Along for the ride are Ron Jon (Jay Chandrasekhar)...a former and incompetent criminal and Zig Zag (Nat Faxon)...Wade and Tommy's other friend.

                                 The problem with the film is that it is too disjointed. At some points...it feels as if it wants to be a drama about trying to make a family. At other points...it feels as if it finds anything related to sperm funny. There is a scene towards the end in which a character keeps slipping and falling down into sperm that may be the stupidest thing to ever appear in a film.

                                  The other problem is that the film does not take advantage of its great cast. When you have such funny and talented people as Munn, Schneider, Faxon, Hefferman and Chandrasekhar...you better damn well make me laugh. Unfortunately...despite a few scattered laughs...the film failed in that aspect.

                                   With a humdrum narrative and jokes that fall flat on the ground...The Babymakers is not particularly bad. It will fail to make most people laugh, however and that is the biggest sin of any comedy.
(2 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated R for crude and sexual content, brief graphic nudity, language and some drug use)

The Words Review

Book marked-Bradley Cooper and Jeremy Irons as an author and the victim of his plagiarism in The Words
                    The Words is not a film you watch. It is a film that you endure. Despite two fantastic performances from Bradley Cooper and Jeremy Irons...the film falls flat at every turn. It is a story within a story within a story but two of the three stories are incredibly dull while the other story has the least amount of screen time.

                    The film follows Rory Jansen (Cooper)...an author who has permanent writer's block. While in an antique store...his wife, Dora (Zoe Saldana) buys him an old briefcase containing a story that Rory quickly claims as his own. It ends up that the story was written by The Old Man (Irons.) I kid you not....his name in the film is The Old Man. All the while....author Clay Hammond (Dennis Quaid) is telling this story and The Old Man tells Rory the stories of the novel he stole. The Old Man telling his life story is the only thing that worked. Perhaps it is just because I got to hear Irons' voice narrating it but it intrigued me.

                     Where the film falls really flat is when Clay falls for Daniella (Olivia Wilde)....an aspiring author who is *somehow* in love with him. Clay is such a bland character and Daniella is such an attractive, interesting woman that you wonder if she is just playing him the whole time. As well...Cooper and Saldana never sell their chemistry...not even for a second.

                      The Words is not a terrible film. It is just a boring one. There are a few excellent individual scenes in it but even they are a swing and a miss in their own way. The film is so in one ear and out the other that I can not help but say unless you are dying to see it...skip it entirely. If you are dying to see it....wait until Netflix.
(2 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated PG-13 for brief strong language and smoking)

Lawless Review

    Southern man-Shia LaBeouf and Mia Wasikowska as a moonshiner and his love interest in Lawless
                   Lawless is the kind of film you savor for the magnificent acting but wish the story would not lag so much. It is a film where the whole cast shines but the material is as rusty as the chain of a fifty year old bike. In other words-this is a cookie cutter action film that is saved by the actors...most notably Shia LaBeouf.

                    In the film...LaBeouf, Tom Hardy and Jason Clarke play Jack, Forrest and Howard...three brothers who illegally sell moonshine. When an evil law enforcer named Charlie Rakes (Guy Pearce) crosses paths with them and eventually beats one half to death..it means full out war. LaBeouf, Hardy and Clarke are all terrific here but it is LaBeouf who really comes out of his shell and shows the audience what he is truly made of. I am pleased with the fact that there will be no more Transformers films because LaBeouf really needs to get discovered one way or another. The other big stand out performance is Pearce. Although it feels as if Pearce is trying to do a borderline Christoph Waltz impression...he makes the character his own and truly menacing at that.

                    Also...Mia Wasikowska and Jessica Chastain as the love interests of LaBeouf and Hardy are both terrific here. They bring much that is appealing to their characters without ever being too run of the mill. Gary Oldman plays Floyd Banner...an escaped murderer who may be in cahoots with Charlie. While this is not Oldman's best work...he is very good here.

                     The story, however drags. It is not a bad story to tell but it just feels like another history lesson for teens. It feels as if we are getting Public Enemies set in the south rather than anything original. As well...at almost two hours the film runs out of steam way before its time is up. There are a couple of great scenes including the final shootout but the film feels like it's trying too hard to impress and not succeeding. I am so close to recommending the film yet I can not. It is not that Lawless is bad...it's just that it is not very good.
(2 and 1/2 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated R for strong bloody violence, language and some sexual/nudity)

For A Good Time Call... Review

    Just a little girl time-Ari Graynor and Lauren Miller as  Katie and Lauren in For A Good Time Call...
              Who knew phone sex could be THIS boring? For A Good Time Call... feels like a Judd Apatow film except not funny and not over two hours. There are a couple of funny moments in this but they are FAR too few and in between. Most of the time-the film is for horny teenagers and people who do not understand how female relationships work. While Bachelorette nailed the feel of female friendships...this one goes into borderline lesbian territory. The problem with it doing so is that both of the women are straight so it just feels weird throughout the film.

               The film follows college enemies Katie and Lauren (Ari Graynor and Lauren Miller). Their gay mutual friend Jesse (Justin Long-by far the best and funniest thing in the film) suggest they live together much to their chagrin. It is then that Lauren discovers Katie has a phone sex line and decides to run it with her after unexpectedly not getting a job she wanted. Miller and Graynor admittedly work well together but the script does not help back up their chemistry. Miller wrote the film herself with co-writer Katie Anne Naylon and it feels as if Miller was trying to have too much fun in her lead role. Graynor is a true talent but she does not get much chance to show it off here because her character is poorly written. Long's character could have easily been cliche but ends up being the best thing in the film if not for the fact that he brings it to life.

                The film tries to get a bit too raunchy when it adds in sex toys, recording machines used for a specific purpose, ETC. This is the biggest problem of the film. First it gets too raunchy but then it tries to be sweet for the last half an hour. By doing so-it winds up too nicely rather than going against the grain and making an original movie. Let me just say that if you have seen any romantic comedy ending...you have seen the ending to this film. They try to do it in a dirty way but it's too little too late because they have already made a point that the film is now sweet.

                 Yet-I still have not brought up another major issue. The subplot involving Sean (Mark Webber) and Katie is all over the place. Sean is one of Katie's regular callers. There is something that happens between them that can not decide whether it wants to be funny or dramatic. That is actually the most obvious problem with the film-it switches from funny and dirty to sweet and odd too many times. The audience starts to get the feel that the filmmakers didn't even know what they wanted to do.

                  In the end-For A Good Time Call... has a couple of laughs but not enough. It is a bland and misguided effort that tries to be both hilarious and endearing and really does not work on either end. For a good time see something else at the theater.
(2 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated R for strong sexual content throughout, language and some drug use)

The Odd Life Of Timothy Green Review

 Growing pains-Jennifer Garner, CJ Adams & Joel Edgerton are a family in The Odd Life Of Timothy Green
                            The Odd Life Of Timothy Green is a film that is impossible to hate. It is so delightful, so well acted and with such great messages about life and how to live it. In other words...it has something for everyone. Whether that be a little something or a huge something...I could not imagine anyone coming out mad that they saw this film.

                             Of course-you do have to suspend disbelief as young Timothy Green (CJ Adams) grows out of the garden. It is then that a couple who have attempted to become parents but failed discovers him and raises him. That couple is Jim and Cindy (Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Garner.) Edgerton and Garner are the last people I would ever expect to make a great or even good on screen couple. Edgerton is always the tough guy and Garner is always the sweet woman. With this being said-they are not just a great on screen couple....they are the best on screen couple that I have stored in recent memory.

                              There is also a great supporting cast including Ron Livingston as Jim's evil boss (which is admittedly ironic,) Rosemarie DeWitt as Cindy's competitive sister and a fantastic performance in David Morse as Jim's strict, uncaring father. And of course...Adams gives the best kid performance that I could possibly imagine. He is charming, funny and thoroughly engaging. There is no one character I did not like in this film.

                               Sure..the film is a bit slow paced and is pretty dull in spots. There is not a whole lot that is subtle or original here. There are also many scenes that I think could have been moved along for the sake of the film. However...if all else fails at the movies this weekend...The Odd Life Of Timothy Green is a delightful surprise for the whole family.
(4 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated PG for mild thematic elements and brief language)

High School Review

   Chief enforcer-Matt Bush, Adrien Brody and Sean Marquette are drugged out in the comedy High School
                      While Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle is the definitive great stoner film-High School is a very close second. High School is perfect in almost every way. It is funny, features likable characters as well as an awesome villain and even has a message as all great stoner films should. The film follows Henry Burke (Matt Bush)-a senior in high school who has a scholarship to MIT when his old buddy, Travis (Sean Marquette) gets him high. It is then that Dr. Leslie Gordon, the evil principal of the school announces a random drug test that could very likely ruin Henry's future. I choose to not tell you who plays Leslie because it is more fun if you figure out on your own who that is.

                        The main thing I love about this film is that just like Harold and Kumar....Henry and Travis are smart stoners. They are not stupid people who are to blame for what they have gotten into. They are smart guys who just happen to have screwed up. We need more comedies revolving around smart characters. Adrien Brody also has a very funny role as Psycho Ed...a fellow druggie with whom Henry and Travis steal drugs from. Also...Colin Hanks has a small role as the vice principal of the school and seeing him high is pretty damn funny as well.

                           Leslie is the perfect bad guy in the way that he is a disgusting, desperate man. We do not root for him but we see why he is such an evil character. Also.....the drug scenes are surprisingly well done. They are not stupid. They are well directed, funny and weird (in a good way, of course.) The movie never softens its raunchy humor or dulls down.

                            In the end-High School is a fast paced romp that I even wished was a little longer. With that being said...it does have the perfect ending. Unfortunately, High School has a very generic title and a seemingly cliche plot. Do not let this stop you from enjoying it, however. This is a fantastic stoner comedy that is original in its own way and deserves plenty of respect for what it does.
(4 and 1/2 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated R for pervasive drugs and language, crude and sexual content, and some nudity-all involving teens)

                         

Branded Review

     Advertising sucks-Ed Stoppard and Leelee Sobieski as victims of the market in the futuristic film Branded
                     There is a certain mental limit ones' mind can take. It is high for some and low for others. Upon watching the futuristic drama Branded....I reached my mental limit. The film is a confusing, boring, slow moving and weird (in the worst way possible) mess. It also features unappealing characters and a completely unsophisticated narrative. Let me rephrase myself-this narrative feels as if a two year old took a crayon and just started drawing stuff and writers/directors Jamie Bradshaw and Aleksandr Dulerayn used what he drew as their script.

                      Let's start with the acting. I expected Jeffrey Tambor as the villain to ham it up but what is Max Von Sydow doing sleepwalking through his role? Also...Ed Stoppard as the protagonist (so to speak) and Leelee Sobieski as his love interest are both bland and yet give off a negative vibe. They are both such mean, boring people that you know they are meant for each other. However...they are not meant for a movie. The slow pace is also a huge problem. I do not mind slow paced films (I love Into The Wild) but the film has to have some substance to be acceptably slow. When you have a film such as this that is just dumb ideas being thrown at the screen-there is no need to make your film feel art house-like with its pace. Then there is the weirdness of the film. The film is weird but not in a good way. If this is what being a druggie looks like...I want no part of it. The film is strange in its ugliness as well as its script which takes aim at big companies. As someone who supports the little companies-this seemed like the perfect film. However...they take the aim in too many odd directions to get anywhere close to proving a point.

                     The film is also incredibly boring. It is an unendurable piece of garbage that takes no chances. It had such potential to be an interesting attack on companies such as McDonalds, Target and Walmart yet it somehow gets caught up in its own cockiness. As well..the film is confusing. If you can legitimately tell me what actually happened in this film and how it led to the lazy conclusion...you will have my respect as a film buff for life. The film veers off into scenes that have nothing to do with the supposed plot.

                      Branded is the worst film of the year so far. It is also probably the worst film of the past five years. There are no redeeming qualities to it. It reminded me of a drunk woman at a party...it wants to screw everyone but when that doesn't work...it just sits there in its own filth making everyone else miserable and uncomfortable.
(0 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated R for language and some sexual content)

Paranorman Review

  A ghostly experience-a young boy must fend off zombies while being able to talk to ghosts in Paranorman
                Paranorman is a good if not altogether successful homage to horror films. It follows a boy named Norman (voice of Kodi Smit-McPhee) who has the ability to talk to ghosts. In fact..besides a socially awkward classmate named Neil (Tucker Albrizzi)...ghosts are the only people who are nice to him. One night...a bum (voice of John Goodman) warns Norman of The Witch's Curse and it is then that he must take down zombies.

                Although I saw the film in incredibly bad 3D...it is a visually stunning film. This is not to say the 3D itself was bad but that the way my theater had it set up was bad. The film looks both like an old 50's horror film and like it just discovered the newest visual technology. The voice work here is also quite impressive. Jeff Garlin, Leslie Mann, Casey Affleck, Elaine Stritch and Anna Kendrick among others give their characters life and personality.

                The film also features many nice throwback references to zombie films. At one point in the film a character even tells a zombie she's going to "shoot it in the head." Unlike most animated films where the references feel as if they have been forced in to provide adults with a piece of entertainment or two...these fit right in. Speaking of which..the best thing about Paranorman is that everyone can enjoy it. Whether you're a kid, teenager, adult or senior...there are endless possibilities of stuff you will enjoy in the film.

                Lastly-Paranorman is funny throughout. With one scene after another making everyone in my audience laugh...it sure does its job well as both a horror film that is appropriate for kids and a comedy. Although Paranorman does have some slow spots and never reaches its full potential...it is a magical time at the movies. It is bound to be enjoyed by the masses and it is the perfect film to get prepared for Halloween with. 
(4 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated PG for scary action and image, thematic elements, some rude humor and language)

The Apparition Review

Very supernatural, forces are in the house-Tom Felton, Sebastian Stan and Ashley Greene in The Apparition
                      If Uwe Boll ever made a film about supernatural events-this is exactly what it would look like. The Apparition is a terrible film that is saved a bit only by Tom Felton-a fine young actor who gives every role a bit of oomph. However...Felton is in it for the sum of fifteen minutes. There is no reason to go into any plot except to say that a scientist (Sebastian Stan) and his girlfriend (Ashley Greene) are haunted by paranormal and supernatural forces after a college experiment gone wrong.

                       The main problem with the film is that first time director Todd Lincoln wants to have his cake and eat it too. Lincoln wants to prove a movie can be scary without being dumb. Rather...he has made a movie that is not the least bit scary and is certainly dumb. Perhaps it is not his fault. As I have pointed out in other reviews...a director's first movie does not prove anything. In fact...although the actors bar Felton are bad...they are obviously trying. We can also see this with the direction. There are some nice shots but nothing that pops out. The other major problem I had with the film is that it is actually only an hour and fifteen minutes. At barely feature length...this film never has enough time to give us the goosebumps it obviously wants to provide for us.

                      Furthermore...the film gave way too much away in not only the full length trailers but the TV spots. The final shot is shown in the trailer and so is the big "twist" of the story. Soon enough the film degrades into a big pile of nothingness. It starts out alright but gets worse and worse as it progresses and tries harder.

                      With unappealing characters, a run of the mill script and a total number of scares I could count with my fingers...The Apparition proves once and for all that things that go bump in the night movies are nothing short of dead in the water.
(1 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated PG-13 for terror/frightening images and some sensuality)

The Cold Light Of Day Review

   Spy VS Spy-Bruce Willis and Sigourney Weaver as spies in the new action thriller The Cold Light Of Day
          Perhaps I should mention upfront that Bruce Willis is in The Cold Light Of Day for ten minutes. I think I should mention this to my readers because this is the only thing saving the newest action thriller from director Mabrouk El Mechri from going straight to video. Mechri's only previous work in the standing ovation worthy JCVD...an exploration into the life of an action star. The thing Mechri did their was give his audience a deeply personal look at an interesting man. Here...he does quite the opposite. He separates himself from his audience with a bland leading man and an uninteresting plot.

          That bland leading man is Henry Cavill and that uninteresting plot is a chase for a briefcase between him and an intelligence agent (Sigourney Weaver.) The problem with the film is that neither character is interesting and in fact we are rooting for Weaver-the bad guy because Cavill-the good guy has no personality. Words actually fail me at describing this film's awfulness. It is unoriginal, clumsy, ugly looking and just plain boring.

          The Cold Light Of Day tries to get touching at the end but the damage has already been done. The acting is horrible and yet the cast tries way too hard. There is also a scene in a nightclub involving strobe lights that is just plain unendurable. Come to think of it-the whole movie is that way. It builds up to a climax that is nothing short of boring and forces us to sit through an hour and twenty minutes more of crap. The film also drops serious plot points for its own convenience.

          I would recommend skipping The Cold Light Of Day altogether. If you see it in a two for a dollar bin at your local video store in a couple of months (which is a very likely thing to happen)...maybe watch it then for the ten minutes Willis is in. Otherwise...see something else this weekend...anything.
(1/2 star out of 5 Stars, The film is rated PG-13 for language and sexual content)

Bachelorette Review

 Not made of honor-Isla Fisher, Kirsten Dunst and Lizzy Caplan as drugged out bridesmaids in Bachelorette
                  Judging by its plot you may think Bachelorette is a complete rip off of Bridesmaids. On the contrary, it is actually ten times better than the latter. Bachelorette actually has much more to say about female friendship and relationships than Bridesmaids did. While Bridesmaids went for the easy (albeit funny) raunchy humor....Bachelorette goes for the harder stuff. It goes for the heart and lands perfectly plump there. It is also an extremely funny film without ever going for the easy laughs.

                    The film stars Isla Fisher, Kirsten Dunst and Lizzy Caplan as Katie, Regan and Gena...three drugged out friends who are asked to be bridesmaids at Becky (Rebel Wilson)'s wedding. The problem with these three are that they can't act like normal human beings for more than a few seconds. Naturally-the night before the wedding, the three destroy a significant item for the wedding. I choose not to tell you what this item is because it is both surprising and funny how they destroy it. It then follows these three into a night of romance, self realization and hopefully being able to fix the thing they have so unbelievably destroyed. All four of these women are excellent...bringing something both likable and unlikable to each of their characters. They do a good job of making us root for all four of them even though they are far from perfect people.

                      Although this is a female-centered film the film also features four solid male performances to go with the four of the females. Katie's love interest-Joe (Kyle Bornheimer) is a sweet guy who also happens to be a pothead like her. However....Joe is smarter than her which leads to a scene by a pool between them that actually had me choked up. Regan is a hard ass who really has no love interest. However...she does hate Trevor (James Marsden). Gena is looking to get back at Clyde (Adam Scott)...a man who screwed her over in high school. Finally..Becky's fiancee Dale (Hayes MacArthur) just wants to be with her. Bornheimer, Marsden, Scott and MacArthur are always good. However...they are all usually good in a funny sense. Marsden is the only one who has done a complete non-comedy with last year's remake of Straw Dogs. With this being said...all four of these men are funny in this but also lend themselves to some surprisingly dramatic moments as well. MacArthur and Bornheimer worked together on She's Out Of My League from a few years ago. They played the two blockhead brothers of Jay Baruchel in that and I feel as if they should work together more often..they also bring out the best in each other.

                      One minor character I have not mentioned yet is Victoria-Becky's uptight, concerned mother. The character of Victoria is a foil in that she helps move the plot along even though she is barely in the film. The reason I am bringing this character up is because she is being played by the excellent Ann Dowd. Almost no one saw Dowd's stand out performance in Compliance. Dowd also brings a nice intensity to the movie she is in even if it's a comedy like Bachelorette.

                       Lastly-my favorite thing about Bachelorette is that it never gets too gooey. It is consistently touching without ever feeling sappy. As well...the self realization of these characters are not anything major. Rather...they discover what's really important in life rather than making a complete 360..Leslye Headland directs the film as well as adapts it from her play. Although Bachelorette does sometimes feel like a play...the film is too excellent for that to be an issue. Headland has made one of my favorite films of the year so far and is definitely a new director to look out for.
(5 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated R for sexual content, pervasive language and drug use)

Sparkle Review

   
 Heaven isn't too far away-Jordin Sparks and Whitney Houston star in the new musical drama Sparkle
                 Whitney Houston being in Sparkle is kind of like mayo on a cheese steak..it's not the best but it helps keep the flavor going. Houston plays Emma...the mother of three women...Sparkle (Jordin Sparks), Dolores (Tika Sumpter) and Sister (Carmen Ejogo.) Much to their mother's disposition on music...the three decide to start a music group. Their manager soon ends up being Satin (Mike Epps)...a man who is more than meets the eye.

                 Sparkle is not a bad film. In fact it's kind of enjoyable. I feel that I would have despised this film had it not been for Houston. No...I'm not saying because she died recently. I'm saying that her performance is the only really good performance in this film. It seems as if everyone else is just lazily reading their lines while Houston brings some power to the role. Yes...the fact that Houston died this year makes the movie more emotional than it has any right to be but her performance is something to look out for.

                Epps is just dialing down his role from Friday and playing a villain but is essentially acting the same while the three women just blandly drift in and out of the film. The film's music isn't bad...it's just not memorable enough. When you have a film centered around music and the film's most memorable song is Cee Lo Green coming on for about one minute...you have a problem.

             With all this being said.....rent Sparkle on DVD when it comes out for Houston's performance. If it were not for her performance....I would say skip the film entirely and stick to the original. I was not bored for a second at the film and enjoyed some of it but I can not say it is anything close to a good film.
(2 and 1/2 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated PG-13 for mature thematic content involving domestic abuse and drug material and for some violence, language and smoking)

The Possession Review

   A family turned upside down-Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Kyra Sedgwick and Natasha Calis in The Possession
           A film snob like myself may go into The Possession thinking "great...another little girl being taken over by a demon." In fact...those were my thoughts exactly going into the film. Coming out of the film was a different story. The Possession reminds me of ice on a hot summer day...sure everyone's doing it but it is refreshing regardless. In fact...this particular girl taken over by demon film is original in the way that it is great looking and superbly acted.

          This is not to say the film is beautiful. On the contrary, the film is extremely ugly. Take this as a ringing endorsement. Too many of these types of films try to look high budget and advanced in the way of visuals. This is where the film succeeds brilliantly. It knows that films of this type should look cheaply made and be disturbing to look at. This is what brings the creepiness to a film like this. Onto the acting...Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Kyra Sedgwick as Em-the possessed girl's divorced, bitter towards one another parents are great. They bring a realism to the film very few could. They have both proven to be terrific actors before and nothing changes here. Also....Natasha Calis as Em is also great. Calis recently acted on the NBC show The Firm and gives a dynamite performance here.

       Of course with every possession film...we get many obligatory scenes. These include an exorcism towards the end, a gross body transformation scene and a scene in which EVERYONE finds out the girl is actually possessed. However...these are done in such an original fashion that I even enjoyed watching those. The film never runs out of steam and always stays on its own two feet without having to go to school that much on The Exorcist or any other film of that kind.

      The Possession is an excellent horror film. It grips you to your seat from the first second to the last. And even when you think it's going to peter out at the end...it makes up for with one final shot. If you like your horror scary and original...skip The Awakening and go see this.
(4 and 1/2 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated PG-13 for mature thematic material involving violence and disturbing sequences)

Premium Rush Review

Let it ride-Joseph Gordon Levitt as a bike messenger and Michael Shannon as a dirty cop in Premium Rush

       With so many action films now-a-days relying too much on the action itself and not enough character development...it's nice to have something like Premium Rush out. It is a formulaic but surprisingly developed action thriller about a bike messenger (Joseph Gordon Levitt) who must deliver an envelope to a woman and  gets involved with a crook (Michael Shannon) who chases him down for the envelope. The problem is...Shannon's a cop and well liked by everyone at the department.

         Levitt as Wilee and Shannon as Bobby are both fantastic in their own ways. They both give off their own energy to their respectful roles and both give their characters more depth than you might expect. While Shannon's Bobby may be too over the top for some...he makes his character thoroughly menacing and yet also quite charming. Lest we forget that Levitt is just a great actor altogether. His performances always remind me of someone like Jeff Bridges or Robert De Niro back in the day. Sure...he looks like just another guy trying to show off his looks in Hollywood but he's so much more than that.

         I also loved the supporting cast in this film. Aasif Mandvi as Wilee's boss, Anthony Chisholm as his messenger enemy and Dania Ramirez as his love interest are all fantastic as well. There are a couple flaws with the film, however. As with James Bond or a Jean Claude Van Damme film...you have to suspend disbelief with the action scenes. However...this film takes it a bit too far with the impossibility of its action scenes. Also....the twist at the end of the film doesn't bring that much of a pay off nor add to the film.

          However...Premium Rush fires on all cylinders. It's funny, quick and features great performances from both Levitt and Shannon, The film also does feature some terrific (albeit ludicrous) stunt work. If you are in the mood to just have some end of summer fun...Premium Rush should be your kind of movie.

(4 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated PG-13 for some violence, intense action sequences and language)