ToonTownReviews

We're Baaaaack!

2012-01-13T18:07:00.004-06:00

Hello fellow movie lovers! Just a quick note to tell you we're back and ready to post some new reviews! Any suggestions, click on "Email ToonTownReviews" and let us know what ya wanna see here!

Green Lantern

2012-01-13T17:18:00.003-06:00

Featured Reviewer: The Hollywood Reporter

Starring: Ryan Reynolds ... Hal Jordan / Green Lantern

Blake Lively ... Carol Ferris

Peter Sarsgaard ... Hector Hammond

Mark Strong ... Sinestro

Tim Robbins ... Hammond

Jay O. Sanders ... Carl Ferris

Taika Waititi ... Tom Kalmaku

Angela Bassett ... Doctor Waller

Mike Doyle ... Jack Jordan

Nick Jandl ... Jim Jordan

Dylan James ... Jason Jordan

Gattlin Griffith ... Young Hal

Jon Tenney ... Martin Jordan

Leanne Cochran ... Janice Jordan

Temuera Morrison ... Abin Sur

Click above to buy these and other great posters from MovieGoods.com®

Synopsis: Millions of years before the Earth was formed, a group of beings called the Guardians of the Universe used the green essence of willpower to create an intergalactic police force called the Green Lantern Corps. They split the universe into 3,600 sectors, with one Green Lantern per sector. One such Green Lantern, Abin Sur (Temuera Morrison) of Sector 2814, defeated the fear-essence being Parallax (voiced by Clancy Brown) and imprisoned him in the Lost Sector on the ruined planet Ryut. However, in the present day, Parallax escapes from his prison. Six months later, after killing four Green Lanterns and destroying two planets, Parallax attacks Sector 2814 and mortally wounds Abin Sur, who escapes and crash-lands on Earth. The dying Abin Sur commands his ring to find a worthy successor on the planet.

Ferris Aircraft test pilot Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds) is chosen by the ring and transported to the crash site, where Abin Sur appoints him a Green Lantern, by telling him to take the lantern and speak the oath. At home he says the oath of the Green Lanterns while under trance from the glow of the lantern. After he gets attacked while leaving a bar Jordan swings to punch one of his attackers, letting out a huge fist of green energy, afterwards Jordan is whisked away to the Green Lantern Corps home planet of Oa, where he meets and trains with Tomar-Re (voiced by Geoffrey Rush) and Kilowog (voiced by Michael Clarke Duncan). He encounters Corps leader Sinestro (Mark Strong), who is not pleased that a human which is primitive compared to other species has become a Green Lantern. With Sinestro seeing him as unfit and fearful, Jordan quits and returns to Earth, keeping the power ring and lantern.

Meanwhile, after being summoned by his father Senator Robert Hammond (Tim Robbins) to a secret government facility, scientist Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard) performs an autopsy on Abin Sur's body. A piece of Parallax inside the corpse inserts itself inside Hammond, mutating the scientist and giving him telepathy and telekinetic powers, at the cost of his sanity. After discovering that he was only chosen due to his father's influence, Hammond resentfully attempts to kill his father by telekinetically sabotaging his helicopter at a party. However, Jordan uses his ring to save the senator and the party guests, including his childhood sweetheart, Ferris manager and fellow test pilot Carol Ferris (Blake Lively), who later recognizes Jordan under the suit and mask. Shortly afterward, Jordan encounters Hammond, who succeeds in his second attempt to kill his father by burning him alive. Both Jordan and Hammond realize Parallax is on his way to Earth.

Back on Oa, the Guardians tell Sinestro that Parallax was once one of their own, until he desired to control the yellow essence of fear, only to become the embodiment of fear itself. Believing the only means to fight fear is by fear itself, Sinestro requests for the Guardians to forge a ring of the same yellow power, preparing to concede Earth's destruction to Parallax in order to protect Oa. However, Jordan appears and tells Sinestro not to use the yellow ring and for the Corps to help him protect his planet from Parallax's imminent invasion. They deny his request, but allow Jordan to return and protect his home planet.

Upon returning to Earth, Jordan saves Ferris from being injected with Parallax's essence by Hammond. Parallax then arrives, consuming Hector's life force for failing to kill Jordan, and then wreaking havoc on Coast City. Jordan lures Parallax away from Earth and toward the Sun, using the Sun's gravity to pull and disintegrate the entity. He loses consciousness after the battle, but is saved by Sinestro, Kilowog, and Tomar-Re. Later the entire Green Lantern Corps congratulates him for his bravery. Sinestro tells Jordan he now bears the responsibility of protecting his sector as a Green Lantern. Sometime later when he is alone, Sinestro, still in possession of the yellow ring, places it on his finger, causing his green suit to change to yellow along with his eyes.

Review: by: The Hollywood Reporter
The latest superhero movie, Warner Bros.' reinterpretation of the comic book character, stars Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively and Peter Sarsgaard.
At least for some members of the public, Green Lantern will prompt the question of how many more comics-based superheroes with awesome powers and responsibilities we really need. Dramatically tart in certain scenes but more often just spinning its wheels doing variations on similar moments from previous episodes in the lives of likewise endowed relatives in the DC and Marvel universes, Warner Bros.' attempt to launch a major new fantasy action hero franchise serves up all the requisite elements with enough self-deprecating humor to suggest it doesn't take itself too seriously. But familiarity may begin to breed creeping signs of contempt, if not in immediate negative box office results then in a general fatigue with such enterprises that's bound to set in sooner or later.

Known to multiple generations of comic book fans through various incarnations that have sprung up since 1940, Green Lantern possesses powers that would be the envy of many another hero, including virtually infinite strength to unleash and ward off destruction, as well as the ability to propel himself quickly into the deep reaches of space and back. He's also accoutered in a uniform distinctly less cool than Batman's and less emblematic than Superman's, a skin-tight green affair with a matching mask that, here at least, he can remove simply by wishing it away when his girlfriend prefers to look him in the eyes without laughing. Simply put, it's an outfit you really can't get away with unless you're as good looking as Ryan Reynolds.

Not uncharacteristically, the future Green Lantern suffered a terrible tragedy in his youth; his beloved test pilot father went up in flames before his very eyes. Courting the same fate himself, little Hal Jordan also grew up to become a dauntless airman, a mad daredevil whose abiding policy with both plane crashes and with women is to be able to walk away from them. Twice burned in this regard has been Carol Ferris (Blake Lively), a fellow flier and aviation heiress who nonetheless has eyes only for the reckless cad.

But it's for his apparent lack of fear that Hal is chosen by the guardians of an ancient and very distant civilization to join the ultra-elite Green Lantern Corps., a group so exclusive that no human has ever before been invited into it. The script by the quartet of Greg Berlanti, Michael Green, Marc Guggenheim and Michael Goldberg is heavy on exposition, for the benefit of the uncomprehending Hal as well as for the audience, which cannot be expected to know much about this second-tier DC figure.

In fact, the backdrop is not uninteresting. The universe, according to this gospel, is made up of 3,600 sectors, with the oldest and most advanced is to be found on Oa, an intergalactic outpost where wrinkled, Yoda-like sages have long reigned over a select group of diverse aliens dedicated to boldly repulsing evil wherever it asserts itself.

But when a renegade Corps leader decides to embrace fear and become the arch-villain Parallax (the boom-boxy voice of Clancy Brown), humanity is alerted by the arrival on Earth of emissary Abin Sur (Temuera Morrison), a purple-skinned fellow who, before expiring, passes off his green ring and empowering lantern to the unsuspecting Hal. He's a reluctant hero, to be sure, who, after a rough training mission to Oa, is only convinced to take up the cause against the imminent Parallax by the immensely impressed Carol.

Not quite doing for an untested superhero what he did for James Bond in Casino Royale, director Martin Campbell seems to most relish the amusing character of Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard), a brilliant nerdy scientist enlisted by the government to examine Abin Sur's corpse. Thrilled by the privilege, he is unwittingly contaminated by the exposure and quickly transformed into a mind-reading Elephant Man lookalike with a zealous propensity for the dark side and a score to settle with his bigshot politician dad (Tim Robbins). Sarsgaard has great fun with the role in a performance that increasingly seems like a sly imitation of John Malkovich at his most arch.

But the real threat is Parallax, who eventually attacks Earth in the visually disarming form of a billowing, shape-changing, fire-breathing, octopus-like brown cloud. Faced with such an opponent, Hal packs away his misgivings once and for all to embrace his new powers and cleverly lure Parallax to the one place that might doom him.

To be sure, there is enough going on here to keep fans' 3D glasses glued to their heads: In Oa, there is a whole new planet to explore (even if parts of it disconcertingly resemble a darker version of the ugly set for How the Grinch Stole Christmas), the actors are mostly well cast and effective enough and the action comes on frequently, if not always convincingly; the hero's way of rescuing a large outdoor gathering from an out-of-control helicopter looks hokey and Carol's last-second saving the day in a climactic emergency is flat-out ridiculous.

Now more than ever resembling the circa 1965 Warren Beatty, Reynolds passes muster as a bad boy with greatness thrust upon him and future installments, should they follow, will not need to indulge his prolonged vacillations about accepting his new role in life. And speaking of sequels, an end credits insert plainly reveals which noble character becomes a villain in the next episode.

I Love You Phillip Morris

2011-02-21T10:00:00.002-06:00

Guest Reviewer: Colin, FilmJunk.com

Starring: Jim Carrey ... Steven Russell

Ewan McGregor ... Phillip Morris

Leslie Mann ... Debbie

Rodrigo Santoro ... Jimmy

Antoni Corone ... Lindholm

Brennan Brown ... Larry Birkheim

Click above to buy these and other great posters from MovieGoods.com®

Synopsis: Steven Russell is happily married to Debbie, and a member of the local police force when a car accident provokes a dramatic reassessment of his life. Steven becomes open about his homosexuality and decides to live life to the fullest - even if it means breaking the law. Steven's new, extravagant lifestyle involves cons and fraud and, eventually, a stay in the State Penitentiary where he meets sensitive, soft-spoken Phillip Morris. His devotion to freeing Phillip from jail and building the perfect life together prompts Steven to attempt and often succeed at one impossible con after another. Written by The Film Catalogue

Review: by: Colin, Film Junk

The battle to bring I Love You, Phillip Morris to the screen was a curious one. Originally set to bow in early 2010, the film was shelved for six months by its distributors. A vague legal battle postponed the second scheduled release last summer, and the film finally limped to my local art house in December. There was widespread speculation that one of the reasons for its initial delay was — how should I put this — its gayness.

Honestly, that was one of the primary reasons I was interested in seeing this docudrama, which casts Ewan McGregor and Jim Carrey as penal lovers (pardon my French). Distinctly different actors, the idea of the pair performing together proved an interesting proposition, especially if the tone required Carrey to display a modicum of gravity. Unfortunately, a modicum is about all we get.

Instead, Carrey and the film deliver a caricatural portrayal of homosexuality in a bizarre dramatic farce that struggles with an unfocused story and amorphous style. Phillip Morris leans toward comedy, and does feature some very funny moments, but the drama sticks out like a sore thumb. McGregor is naturally empathetic as the title character, but Carrey is the protagonist. Enter Steven Russell, a Catch Me if You Can-esque con man, whose corporate hijinks, subsequent jailing, and repeated successful prison breaks provide the film’s narrative backbone.

Like many biopics, Phillip Morris struggles structurally. Unlike Aaron Sorkin’s brilliant Social Network screenplay, Morris is more or less a laundry list of notable events rather than a properly paced story. A cloying title card during the film’s opening reads: “This really happened. It really did,” and I’m forced to assume its proud adherence to actual events is in large part the problem. The first act, ostensibly about Russell’s life as a straight man, has nothing to do with the love story to come. That Russell lived a lie for decades prior is interesting biographically, but completely inconsequential to the story at hand.

It’s no coincidence then that things pick up when Russell lands himself in jail. It’s the real start of the movie. Regrettably however, the problems with the first act are echoed throughout, and by the 90-minute mark it’s still not clear where Phillip Morris will end. I’m not usually one to play the rigid structuralist, but in this case, there’s no denying its importance. I Love You Phillip Morris is a plodding, messy film.

But it isn’t a complete loss, either. The core relationship between Carrey and McGregor is as interesting as I had hoped. Though Carrey’s performance matches the atonality of the film — bridging mortal revelations with his signature dopey shtick — he does manage to sell the relationship dynamic during its surprisingly brief duration onscreen. McGregor is terrific as always, bringing vibrant life to a character that might otherwise have been a blank slate. It’s just a shame that his performance is wasted on as mediocre a film as I Love You, Phillip Morris.

Uneven, but well acted and occasionally amusing, the directorial debut of the screenwriting duo behind Bad Santa shows promise but lacks polish. In hindsight, the content probably wasn’t the primary concern in its distributors delaying its release — after all, it boils its gayness down to comfortable stereotypes. More likely, the advertising battle was fought over how to sell the story rather than how to sell the characters’ lifestyle. “This really happened,” killed the movie. It really did. — Colin

The King's Speech

2011-01-22T16:31:00.002-06:00

Guest reviewer: Matt Stevens, E! Online

Starring: Colin Firth ... King George VI
Helena Bonham Carter ... Queen Elizabeth
Derek Jacobi ... Archbishop Cosmo Lang
Robert Portal ... Equerry
Richard Dixon ... Private Secretary
Paul Trussell ... Driver for The House of Windsor
Adrian Scarborough ... BBC Radio Announcer
Andrew Havill ... Robert Wood
Charles Armstrong ... BBC Technician
Roger Hammond ... Dr. Blandine Bentham
Geoffrey Rush ... Lionel Logue
Calum Gittins ... Laurie Logue
Jennifer Ehle ... Myrtle Logue
Dominic Applewhite ... Valentine Logue
Ben Wimsett ... Anthony Logue

Synopsis: In the mid 1930s, King George V of England is concerned about the immediate future of the British monarchy. His eldest son David, first in line for the throne, is in a relationship with American divorcée Wallis Simpson. Marriage to a divorcée and being King of England (and thus head of the Church of England) is incompatible. And King George V's second son, Albert (or Bertie as he is called by family), second in line for the throne, speaks with a stammer, something he's had since he was a child. Although a bright and temperamental man, Bertie, because of his stammer, does not capture the confidence of the public, which is paramount if Britain does enter into war against Hitler's regime. As King George V states about living in a communications age, a king can no longer get by in life solely by looking good in a regal uniform and knowing how to battle riding a horse. Elizabeth, Bertie's loving wife, wants to help her husband gain confidence solely in his increasing need to speak at public functions, regardless of if he becomes king or not. She finds an unconventional Australian raised speech therapist named Lionel Logue to help assist in curing Bertie's stammer, with no one, even Lionel's family, knowing he has this job with the royal highness. Lionel and Bertie's relationship is often an antagonistic one as Lionel feels the need for the two to be equals during their sessions, with Lionel even calling him Bertie instead of your royal highness, which doesn't sit well with him, as he is not used to such dealings with a commoner. Lionel does in time become Bertie's confidante and friend, especially from Lionel's side as he tries to determine the psychological issues behind the speech impediment. An issue with Lionel, which he does not hide but also does not fully disclose, may threaten their relationship altogether, which may be especially problematic as a still stammering Bertie ultimately becomes King George VI and as Britain enters into war with Germany. Written by Huggo

Buy this and other great posters at MovieGoods.com ®

Review: Review by Matt Stevens, E! Online

You wouldn't guess a radio-address could be as rousing and nail-biting as a climactic boxing match or a karate competition, but beneath all the manners and monarchs, Speech is a classic—and expertly crafted—underdog fight story. It's Rocky with royalty.

Plagued with a stammer since childhood, Prince Albert (Firth) has long lived in the shadow of his older brother Edward (Guy Pearce) and tyrannical father, King George V. After Albert's unsuccessful visits to physicians, his wife Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) convinces him to see an eccentric speech therapist, Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush).

Like any good trainer, this vocal coach has rigid rules and unconventional methods, including singing, dancing and spewing profanity. Albert initially protests but begins to make progress, especially as he explores the psychological reasons for his disorder.

When George V dies in 1936 and Edward abdicates the throne to marry an American (scandal!), Albert is suddenly crowned King George VI. With England on the brink of war and in desperate need of a commanding leader, the new king must overcome his fears and his tied tongue to deliver a radio address that will rally the nation.

Far from a boring Brit drama or stuffy period piece, this immensely satisfying film sparkles with wit and charm. Despite the play-like nature of the script, director Tom Hooper keeps Speech flowing, with lyrical editing and sumptuous classical music underscoring an offbeat visual style.

But the real pleasure is watching Firth and Rush, both at the top of their game, circle and spar and eventually strip away their differences—the pic pokes good fun at class distinction—to reveal their common humanity and form an unlikely bond.

Supporting players are also stellar, notably Carter and Derek Jacobi as the unctuous archbishop.

The 180—a Second Opinion: Timothy Spall's broad portrayal of Winston Churchill strikes a false note in an otherwise pitch-perfect cast.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

2010-11-04T11:40:00.002-06:00

Guest reviewer, Kyle, ComingSoon.net

Starring: Emma Watson ... Hermione Granger
Daniel Radcliffe ... Harry Potter
Helena Bonham Carter ... Bellatrix Lestrange
Ralph Fiennes ... Lord Voldemort
Clémence Poésy ... Fleur Delacour
Tom Felton ... Draco Malfoy
Bonnie Wright ... Ginny Weasley
Rhys Ifans ... Xenophilius Lovegood
Alan Rickman ... Severus Snape
Rupert Grint ... Ron Weasley
Bill Nighy ... Rufus Scrimgeour
Michael Gambon ... Albus Dumbledore
Jason Isaacs ... Lucius Malfoy
John Hurt ... Mr. Ollivander
Miranda Richardson ... Rita Skeeter

Synopsis: This synopsis may contain spoilers
This is the first of the two last movies for the entire series, corresponding to the first half of book 7. In this one, Harry, Ron, and Hermione go on the trek that Dumbledore sent them on to find and destroy all of the lost Horcruxes, but it won't be easy.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione are fugitives from the law when the Death Eaters have taken over the Ministry of Magic and there is a 10,000 galleon price for anyone who turns in Harry to the Death Eaters so Voldemort can kill him. The Dark Lord told all Death Eaters not to kill Harry because he wants Harry for himself.

Harry doesn't know what the horcruxes look like, where they are, and he doesn't have any means of destroying them. While Harry is on this quest, he keeps having little glimpses into Voldemorts mind and he sees that The Dark Lord is also on a quest, but Voldemort's quest is to find a wand that Harry has never heard of, and when Harry investigates this a bit, his leads take him to a mysterious story about "The Deathly Hallows". So, while Harry is looking for the Horcruxes and learning more about "The Deathly Hallows", he finds himself in more danger that he's ever been in before. And when danger calls, people die... and in the last thriller of the Harry Potter series, fight breaks out and a lot of people die, and you will be in tears during every minute of this movie only to be in even more tears when it's over.

Review:

by Kyle, ComingSoon.net

Warner Bros. Pictures held a test screening for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1 today in Chicago, Illinois and scooper 'Kyle' was in attendance. You can read his thoughts below!

I was lucky enough to get invited to a secret test screening of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I at the AMC River East in Chicago this afternoon. We weren't told what movie we would be seeing until seconds before it started, but my friends and I suspected that it may be Harry Potter due to the Warner Bros signs and the intense security. When producer David Heyman walked in, I was pretty sure what it would be. Director David Yates was also in attendance, and spent some time talking with fans outside the theatre after the film.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I is a great continuation of the series, thematically and visually in line with films 5 and 6. Though it is a fast-paced film, with several nice setpieces and much-improved performances from the young cast, it does suffer from two major problems. First, it faithfully adapts the seventh book, including the book's own problems. The "camping in the wilderness" scenes become quite repetitive, and the attempts at drama/angst amongst the trio during these scenes comes off as tired. Also, the scenes involving the locket horcrux causing its wearer to be angry/aggressive are far too reminiscent of Lord of the Rings. All three young stars acquit themselves admirably, however, doing the best they can with the material. Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe, in particular, are quite good. The second problem with the film, and this may be fixed by the time the final cut is released, is the editing. Some scenes feel utterly rushed and incoherent (Godric's Hollow, for example). Others go on for far too long (Ron becomes jealous, etc.). There are several flashes / dream sequences that demonstrate Voldemort's search for the Elder Wand. These are bizarrely edited and poorly executed. Luckily, they are just a small fraction of the film.

Despite these issues, this was a quality film on par with films 5 and 6, both of which I quite enjoyed. As with those films, the cinematography is beautiful. There are several creative and dramatic shots throughout the film, so that even if one gets bored, you could just stare in awe at the scenery. The beginning of the film is also quite exciting, including some hilarious scenes with multiple "Harry"s, and a series of great action sequences. The visual effects were not completely finished in these sequences, but I imagine it was quite close to what the final version will be. Another effective sequence involves the trio escaping to a small cafe in London, and a resulting fight that involves wands and spells but feels more like a shootout.

The film ends at a very appropriate spot, and though not exactly a "cliffhanger", left me greatly anticipating Part II.

At the end of the film, we all filled out lengthy questionnaires regarding our opinion of the film overall (I gave it 4/5), as well as our likes/dislikes with the performances, scenes, and other aspects.

Though I will reserve final judgement until after seeing Part II, this is overall an effective and exciting, if not perfect, continuation of the series that struggles with some of the same problems as the final book, but mostly overcomes them through excellent technical aspects and performances.

Read more: Fan Review of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1 - ComingSoon.net

Toy Story 3 (D)

2010-07-29T17:03:00.002-06:00

Guest reviewer: Matt Goldberg, Collider.com

Click above to buy this and other great movie posters from MovieGoods.com®

Starring: Tom Hanks ... Woody (voice)

Tim Allen ... Buzz Lightyear (voice)

Joan Cusack ... Jessie (voice)

Ned Beatty ... Lotso (voice)

Don Rickles ... Mr. Potato Head (voice)

Michael Keaton ... Ken (voice)

Wallace Shawn ... Rex (voice)

John Ratzenberger ... Hamm (voice)

Estelle Harris ... Mrs. Potato Head (voice)

John Morris ... Andy (voice)

Jodi Benson ... Barbie (voice)

Emily Hahn ... Bonnie (voice)

Laurie Metcalf ... Andy's Mom (voice)

Blake Clark ... Slinky Dog (voice)

Teddy Newton ... Chatter Telephone (voice)

Click above to buy these and other great movie posters from MovieGoods.com®

Synopsis: Warning! This synopsis may contain spoilers

Andy Davis (John Morris) is now 17 years old, and is heading off to college in a few days. However, the fact that Andy has grown from a young boy to a teenager has not been lost on a select few: his toys.

Several of them hold out hope that Andy will play with them at least once before he leaves, but those hopes are soon dashed. As the toys take stock of how many are left, and those that they have lost over the years, their attention is drawn to the last of the Army Men: Sarge (R. Lee Ermey), and two paratroopers. Fearful of being thrown away, they leap out the window into the world beyond, their parachutes taking them who knows where.

This idea soon fills the heads of the remaining toys: Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Jessie, Bullseye, Mr. Potato Head, Mrs. Potato Head, 3 alien squeak toys from Pizza Planet, Slinky Dog, Rex, and Hamm the Piggy Bank.

Several are of the persuasion that Sarge is right, and they'll be tossed out soon, but Woody (Tom Hanks) believes that Andy wouldn't do this, and figures he'll store them in the attic...maybe one day to be played with again when Andy has kids of his own.

The toys' 'staff meeting' is cut short when Andy returns to his room with his mom (Laurie Metcalf) in tow. With only a few days left until he leaves, Andy has not cleaned up his room. Andy's mom is also having Molly (Beatrice Miller) clean her room as well, and tells the two to throw out what they don't want, store extra items in the attic, or donate items to Sunnyside Daycare. From Andy's room, the toys watch as Molly throws her Barbie doll (Jodi Benson) in the donations box, along with some other toys.

Andy finally takes out a black trash bag, and begins to put his old toys into it. When he finally gets to Woody and Buzz (Tim Allen), he hesitates, before putting Woody in a box marked 'College,' and tossing Buzz in the black trash bag. Inside, the toys think they are going to be thrown away, and Woody watches as Andy leaves the room. His panic turns to relief as he sees Andy open the attic door. However, before Andy can go up, he helps Molly move the donations box downstairs. The lapse causes the attic door to close, and Andy's Mom soon after finds the trash bag with the toys. Thinking Andy just left trash laying around, she takes it with another bag to the curb.

Woody looks down the street in horror as the garbage truck slowly makes its way to the curb. Woody jumps out the window, and slides down a pipe to the front lawn...only to see the trash bags thrown into the garbage truck and crushed! Shortly thereafter, Woody notices a recycling bin walking towards the garage. Following it, he is relieved to see that his friends escaped. However, they are now all convinced that Andy meant to throw them away.

Woody tries to explain what really happened, but most of them just feel that he is in denial. Jessie (Joan Cusack) soon notices the box of donations to Sunnyside Daycare, and proposes that they all go there. Everyone eagerly jumps in, except for Woody, who demands that they all return to Andy's room right away. Before he can say anymore, the trunk to the family mini-van closes, and Andy's mom takes the box to Sunnyside. Inside, the other toys find Barbie, distraught and heart-broken that Molly threw her away.

After arriving at Sunnyside, Andy's mom brings the toys in to the front desk. A family friend is working the desk, with her little daughter Bonnie (Emily Hahn) close by. The toys are then taken to the Butterfly Room. Looking through the handle-hole in the box, the toys are excited to see a group of children happily playing with the toys in the room.

After the recess bell sounds and the kids leave the room, the toys eagerly escape from the box, only to meet a very friendly group of toys, excited to see them. The group is soon joined by a strawberry-scented bear named Lotso (Ned Beatty), who soon calls his associate Ken (Michael Keaton) to escort the group around, showing them what Sunnyside has to offer. However, during the course of their tour, Ken soon becomes smitten with Barbie...who soon finds herself drawn to him as well.

Lotso explains that the toys are taken care of, and that due to a neverending supply of kids coming and going, the toys will never be without someone to play with them. Andy's toys eagerly accompany Lotso over to the Caterpillar Room, where he then leaves them to experience their first playtime at Sunnyside. However, Ken and Barbie appear to have gotten along quite well, and Barbie (at the insistence from the group upon seeing her so happy) eagerly goes back with Ken and Lotso to the Butterfly Room.

Woody explains that while Sunnyside does seem great, he strongly believes they should go back to Andy. Woody asks Buzz to come back, but Buzz refuses, saying they should stick together. Realizing that the others won't accompany him, Woody sneaks out of Sunnyside, but not before accidentally losing his hat. In the process, the little girl named Bonnie finds him, and takes him home with her.

Back in the Caterpillar Room, recess ends, and the toys get their first playtime...only to find the room filled with noisy screaming toddlers, each of them rambunctious and not as 'delicate' as Andy was. Once the daycare closes, the toys feel there has been some mistake and that they should be in the Butterfly Room instead. Buzz manages to get out of the room, intending to talk to Lotso. However, once outside, his attention is drawn to Ken and several other toys going inside a vending machine.

Buzz follows them, but is caught by a sleepy-eyed doll named Big Baby. Ken and the others take Buzz to the daycare's library and tie him up. Suddenly, Lotso comes across the other toys, and demands that they let Buzz go. Buzz thanks Lotso for helping him out, and makes his request for himself and the other toys to be transferred. Lotso admires Buzz's initiative, but is only willing to consider to have him join the Butterfly Room inhabitants. When Buzz refuses, Lotso orders Buzz held down, and manages to procure a Buzz Lightyear instruction manual from the library. Using it, the group of toys sets Buzz to "demo" mode, putting him back in his deluded space-ranger mode.

Lotso, his compatriots, and Buzz return to the Caterpillar Room, where Buzz subdues his friends, and places them in prison-like storage cages. Lotso then explains how the daycare is run: all newcomers start in the Caterpillar Room. If they survive, they move up to the Butterfly Room.

To set an example about what happens to troublemakers, Lotso has Big Baby take Mr Potato Head out to the playground, and stuff him in "The Box" (a sandbox). Also as a warning, Lotso produces Woody's hat, although he doesn't explain what happened to the toys' friend. Barbie finds out about this shortly, and angrily rebukes Ken. Refusing to be a part of Lotso's plan, she is imprisoned as well.

During the toys' day at Sunnyside, Woody has been in Bonnie's house, being used as part of her imaginative fun and games. During her playtime, Woody grows excited to be part of a real playtime again, but longs to get back to Andy.

Once the household is asleep, Bonnie's toys help Woody access the family computer. Woody is relieved to find that Andy's house is only a few blocks away. He thanks the toys and tells them that if Bonnie ever outgrows them, they should go to Sunnyside. However, the name causes the toys to look on in fear. The toys explain that Lotso is responsible, and one of Bonnie's toys named Chuckles (Bud Luckey) begins to tell a story.

Lotso, Chuckles, and Big Baby were once owned by a little girl named Daisy. Of the three, she loved Lotso the most. However, one day at a rest stop, the three toys were accidentally left behind. The three eventually made it back to Daisy's house. Lotso and Chuckles managed to look in her window...only to see that Lotso had been replaced. Upon seeing this, something changed inside Lotso, and he declared they had all been replaced (even though there was only proof that he had been replaced). Big Baby wanted to still go back, but Lotso just yelled "She doesn't love you no more," and tore off a necklace around Baby's neck: a plastic heart that said "I belong to Daisy." Secretly, Chuckles kept it.

The three toys went from place-to-place, until finally finding Sunnyside. Lotso took over, and set up his system by which almost any new toy would not survive under the strenuous conditions of the toddlers. Chuckles explains that he eventually was broken at Sunnyside, and Bonnie took him in and repaired him. Realizing the danger his friends are in, Woody decides to break back into the daycare and rescue them.

The next day, Woody manages to sneak into the daycare, and move through the ceiling tiles. Finding his way into a hidden area of the Caterpillar Room, he chances upon a Fisher-Price Chatter Telephone (Teddy Newton). The telephone tells Woody that he should have stayed gone, and that there's no way that he and his friends can get out. Woody thanks him for the concern, but says they have to try. The Chatter Telephone then explains what Woody and his friends will be up against: Lotso's minions manning search lights on the playground, trucks patrolling the halls and the playground, an 8-foot high cinderblock wall, and a cymbal-clanging monkey that monitors the security cameras in the building.

The telephone tells Woody that the only other way out is through a garbage chute across the playground.

Once the toddlers have gone to recess, Woody joins his friends, who tell him about Buzz having been reset, and how they want to get back to Andy. Woody then sets his plan into action. Later that evening, the group springs into action: Mr. Potato Head creates a scene to get put in the box again, this time as a way to get outside and report for the group. Barbie pleads with Ken that she can't take being imprisoned, and Ken lets her out. He takes her back to his dreamhouse, where Barbie quickly subdues him, and using one of his outfits as a disguise, manages to infiltrate the daycare library to find the instruction manual for Buzz. Woody and Slinky Dog manage to infiltrate the main security room, and take down the cymbal-clanging monkey. Rex and Hamm start a fight to distract Buzz, allowing Jessie to escape, and trap Buzz under a plastic tub.

The toys then regroup, and set about trying to get Buzz back to normal. However, a mistake in resetting Buzz sets him to speak and act in Spanish. With little time left, the group decides to worry about fixing him later, and quickly set out to get to the garbage chute.

The gang gets to the end of the chute before plummeting into the dumpster...only to find Lotso, Ken, and his associates waiting (along with the chatter telephone, now broken by the bad toys). Lotso offers the toys a choice: either end up in the dumpster, or return to the daycare. Jessie and Barbie both decry what Lotso has done to the daycare, and even Ken soon turns against Lotso.

The eagerness of the group and Woody to return to Andy incites Lotso to declare that love doesn't exist. It is then that Woody mentions Daisy, and produces the tag that Chuckles had kept. Big Baby sees the tag, and Lotso declares that she didn't love them and replaced them. Woody reminds Lotso that it was only him she replaced. This revelation causes Big Baby to reach for the tag, before Lotso destroys, it, yelling at Big Baby for being stupid and believing that Daisy loved him. Big Baby, feeling betrayed, then throws Lotso in the dumpster, slamming the lid and blowing a raspberry at him.

The other toys begin to run across the lid, before one of the Pizza Planet aliens' feet gets stuck in the lid. Woody goes to help him, only to have Lotso grab his hand. The others rush to help Woody, but just then, a dump truck pulls up, and dumps the contents (including Andy's toys) into the collecting bin in the back. Barbie and Ken, who were not on the dumpster's lid, can only watch as their friends are taken from them.

Inside the dumpster, more trash is emptied onto the group, before a TV set falls on Buzz...which manages to set him back to his proper self. However, before the toys can rejoice, the truck arrives at the Tri-County landfill. As the gang moves about, they are shocked when a bulldozer scoops up the three Pizza Planet aliens, carrying them away! The remaining toys are then shoveled by another machine onto a moving conveyor belt, headed towards a large shredding machine. The toys manage to stave off being shredded by grabbing onto metal objects that are being magnetized to an overhead track. Woody and Buzz even manage to save Lotso, who thanks them.

Once they make it through, they find themselves on another conveyor belt, heading towards what looks like daylight. However, as they draw closer, they soon realize it's a large pit that empties into a fiery incinerator. The toys begin to try to outrun their fiery fate, when Lotso notices an emergency stop switch. He motions for the others to help him, and they help hoist him up to stop the machine. However, once reaching the button, Lotso just smirks at Woody, muttering "Where's your boy now, Sheriff?' and running off.

The toys are soon unable to keep running, and tumble into the pit. They attempt to try and climb out, but there appears to be no escape. With no hope left, the toys all join hands, willing to stay together to the very end.

Suddenly, a blue light appears overhead, and a giant claw falls down, scooping up the group. As they wonder how their rescue was possible, the enormous claw swings by the glass case of the machine, where the three Pizza Planet aliens are. Once the group gets out, they thank their saviors, and wonder what became of Lotso.

Unknown to them, Lotso is found by another garbageman at the dump. Remembering having a Lots-a-Huggin Bear as a kid, he then ties Lotso to the grille of his dump truck as he heads off for duty.

Andy's toys find the dump truck that services Andy's neighborhood and manage to get back in time before Andy leaves for college. After cleaning themselves up, they sneak back into the house, finding Andy's room cleaned out, except for some minimal items, and two boxes: one marked 'College,' the other 'Attic.'

Woody's friends pile into the 'Attic' box, and say their goodbyes. Hearing Andy and his mom approaching, Woody hops in the 'College' box. As they enter Andy's room, his mother is hit with the sad reality that her son is going away. Andy tells her that even though he'll be gone, he'll still care about her.

Click above to buy these and many other great posters from MovieGoods.com®

Hearing this, Woody realizes that Andy can still care for him and the other toys: an example of true love, in that you never forget those you really love. As Andy is distracted by his sister Molly and his dog Buster, Woody quickly grabs a Post-It note and a marker, writing down Bonnie's street address, before hopping in the 'Attic' box.

Andy returns to the room, and sees the note on the 'Attic' box, thinking that his mom wrote it. Andy takes the box to the address and sees Bonnie playing in her family's front yard with the same quirky imagination that he had.

Andy then gets out of the car with his box. As Bonnie sees him approach, she stops her game and calls for her mom. Bonnie's mom recognizes Andy, who then explains that he has some toys for Bonnie. Andy then introduces each of his toys, telling Bonnie a little bit about each of them: Jessie loves little critters, and Bullseye is her favorite 'critter.' Mr. and Mrs Potato Head are madly in love.The three green aliens come from a strange place called Pizza Planet. Hamm will save your money, but is also 'The Evil Dr Porkchop.' Rex is a fearsome predator. Slinky is as loyal as they come for a dog. Buzz Lightyear is a cool space ranger who flies, shoots lasers, and protects the galaxy from the Evil Emperor Zurg.

With each toy revealed, Bonnie gets more and more brave, until after Buzz, she peeks into the box and sees Woody. Andy has no knowledge of how Woody got in there, but is surprised when Bonnie calls him 'my cowboy doll,' and quotes one of Woody's lines: "There's a snake in my boot!"

Andy sees Bonnie looking at Woody, and explains to her how important Woody is to him: how long he's had him, and how brave Woody can be. However, he explains to Bonnie that she can have Woody, if she promises to take good care of him, and the other toys. When she quietly nods an affirmative, Andy suddenly begins to pretend-play with her, and the two are having an imaginative time interacting with their toys. Secretly, Andy's toys are overjoyed at their last playtime with him.

Finally, Andy gets into his car, as Bonnie gathers her old and new toys on the porch. As she holds Woody and Buzz in her little arms, she makes Woody wave goodbye. This causes Andy to give a sad but calming smile. "Thanks, guys," he whispers, as he drives off.

After Andy leaves, Bonnie's mom takes her inside for lunch, leaving the toys on the porch, watching Andy's car fade into the distance down the street. "So long, partner," says Woody.

Woody smiles at the other toys, reaffirming that Andy did care for them, and care for them enough to leave them with another child who will take care of them and give them many playtimes to come. Woody then begins to introduce his friends to Bonnie's other toys.

Some time afterward, the toys find a note in Bonnie's backpack from Ken. In the time since Lotso has been gone, Ken and Barbie have worked to abolish the unfair system that ran Sunnyside, and now the toys have an equal opportunity to move between the Caterpillar and Butterfly rooms. The toys at Sunnyside now enjoy their time there, and soon after, Sarge and his two paratroopers arrive, with both Ken and Barbie welcoming them.

Review: by Matt Goldberg, Collider.com

After the more outside-the-box family films of Ratatouille, WALL-E, and Up, Pixar is going back inside the toy box with Toy Story 3. There’s nothing wrong with being inside the box when there are lots of toys, loads of fun, and plenty of jokes. It’s wonderful to see Woody, Buzz, and the gang team up for another adventure (even if it’s the same rescue/escape narrative structure of the first two films). But Toy Story 3 is so eager to entertain, that it almost never takes a moment to breathe. Instead, it’s a movie that’s a roller coaster in the best sense of the term. Set in the mold of a prison break movie, Toy Story 3 may not break with convention or out from under the shadow of the first two films, but it’s a welcome break from this dreary summer.

When we last left Andy’s toys at the end of Toy Story 2, they had accepted that they would stick with Andy for as long as he needed them. But as Andy has grown up, he hasn’t needed them very much and they’ve sat crammed inside his toy box waiting for the chance to be played with again. Believing that they’re about to be thrown away, the toys choose to go to Sunnyside Daycare Center even though Woody tries to explain they were meant for the attic and not the city dump. However, the rest of Andy’s toys think they’ve found paradise with Sunnyside and its happy inhabitants. But they soon learn that they’ve been tricked into being toddler-fodder for a younger age group who don’t so much play with toys as much as come up with creative ways to destroy them. Seeing that Sunnyside isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, the group tries to leave but that pink, stuffed bear named Lotso (Ned Beatty) isn’t going to let them. And there you have the set up for your prison-break movie.

With all that set-up, you can probably guess that Toy Story 3 is a little slow to start even though the intro is a thrilling set piece comprised of what Andy imagined when he was playing with the toys as a kid. Once the group reaches Sunnyside, the film kicks into high gear and almost never slows down. The movie is Pixar’s most visually impressive to date, not just in the character detail and their movements, but the number of locations they cover and the amount of objects filling the frame. Toy Story 3 is a movie people will go back to on Blu-ray and go frame-by-frame to find all the little easter eggs. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are actual easter eggs in some of these shots.

While Toy Story 3 boasts a cast of new characters, there are really only two major ones: Lotso and Ken (Michael Keaton). Lotso presents a new dynamic as a Toy Story villain since he’s the first one who’s also a toy. But the toy who steals the show is Ken. Just watching the character walk is hilarious, but Keaton’s performance adds such a terrific façade of charm. Ken is constantly trying to convince others that he’s not a girl’s toy…even though his yellow-and-purple dream home is filled with various outfits that he loves. And credit to Pixar for not going the easy route and just making Ken-is-closeted jokes.

Andy’s toys go through their elaborate escape, I found that while I was having fun, but I also wanted the movie to take a moment and have a character feel something. There’s not really a moment of melancholy like when Buzz realizes he can’t fly out the window in the first Toy Story or the “When She Loved Me” montage in Toy Story 2. That’s not to say that Toy Story 3 is heartless. As it winds to a close, you’ll find your heart strings being pulled apart as you cry into your 3D glasses (the 3D, by the way, looks good—it’s not distracting and adds a nice clarity and depth of field).

Toy Story 3 may not be as good as the first two films, but it’s still a fantastic ride and a nice send-off to the seminal films that took Pixar to a place where the studio had the freedom to make movies like Ratatoutille, WALL-E, and Up. Going back to the toys that started it all, Pixar and director Lee Unkrich have created a movie with exhilarating action, sharp writing, and it’s a bright spot in a disappointing summer. And when it comes time to hit viewers with the emotional punch, Toy Story 3 packs a wallop that will have you in tears by the end.

Rating: B+

The A-Team

2010-07-27T17:06:00.004-06:00

Guest Reviewer: NIX, Beyond Hollywood

Starring: Liam Neeson ... Hannibal

Bradley Cooper ... Face

Jessica Biel ... Charissa Sosa

Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson ... B.A. Baracus

Sharlto Copley ... Murdock

Patrick Wilson ... Lynch

Gerald McRaney ... Gen. Russell Morrison

Henry Czerny ... Director McCready

Yul Vazquez ... Gen. Javier Tuco

Brian Bloom ... Pike

Maury Sterling ... Gammons

Terry Chen ... Ravech

Omari Hardwick ... Chopshop Jay

David Hugghins ... Oskar Shunt

Jacob Blair ... Agent Blair

Buy this and many other great posters from MovieGoods.com

Synopsis: WARNING! Contains Spoilers!

The film opens in Mexico, with Colonel John "Hannibal" Smith held captive by two corrupt Mexican officers, working for the renegade General Tuco. Hannibal escapes after being left to be fed on by two guard dogs, and sets out to rescue his comrade-in-arms Templeton "Faceman" Peck, who is himself held captive by Tuco at Tuco's private ranch, where Face had seduced the General's wife. Hannibal makes it to the ranch in time to save Face from a grisly demise, after enlisting disgraced Ranger Bosco B.A. Baracus, driving to the rescue in B.A.'s souped-up GMC Vandura van. With the three men now on the run from the enraged Tuco, they stop in at a nearby Army hospital, to recruit the services of insane pilot H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock. In a medical chopper, they engage Tuco in a vicious aerial dogfight, which results in B.A.'s permanent fear of flying, and ends when they manage to lure Tuco's chopper into American airspace, where it's destroyed by a U.S. F-22 Raptor - the capstone to an elaborate plan put together by Hannibal.

The film then moves forward "eight years and eighty successful missions later", where the team - now a highly-regarded, elite combat unit - is stationed in Iraq. Hannibal is contacted by CIA Agent Lynch, who reveals that Iraqi insurgents are in possession of U.S. treasury plates being used to manufacture counterfeit currency. Lynch wants Hannibal and his team to steal the plates and over 1 billion dollars in counterfeit cash that's due to be moved out of Baghdad. At the same time, DCIS Captain Charissa Sosa arrives on the scene, warning her ex-lover Face, whom along with the rest of team she has disdain for, to stay away from the plates and out of Baghdad. Against the advice of his commanding officer, General Morrison, Hannibal agrees to steal the plates, albeit in an unofficial "Black Ops" mission. The mission is successful, but when the team returns to base to meet their commanding officer, both the shipping container carrying the money and Morrison's Humvee are destroyed by men from the private security firm Black Forest (a fictionalized version of Blackwater), led by the ruthless Brock Pike. With Morrison the only proof that they were, in fact, acting on the U.S.'s behalf, the team is arrested, tried, dishonorably discharged and sentenced to ten years in federal prison.

Six months later, a still-incarcerated Hannibal is visited by Lynch once more, who reveals that Pike may be trying to sell the plates with the help of a mysterious Arab backer. Hannibal, who has been tracking Pike on his own, strikes up a deal with Lynch: clean records for himself and his team, in return for the plates. Lynch agrees, and Hannibal escapes prison with the help of a drug-soaked cigar that makes him appear dead. Hannibal then breaks out Face (pretending to be a removal man and stealing the tanning bed Face is in), B.A. (by ripping off the door of the prison bus transporting him) and Murdock (through distracting the German V.A. hospital in which he's committed with a 3D movie). By now, Sosa, who holds a grudge against the team for disregarding her warnings to stay away from Baghdad and getting her demoted to Lieutenant, is hot on the team's trail, and under the belief that the team is working with Pike, she tries to head them off before they leave Germany in a military Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft. The plane is destroyed by two remote-piloted drone fighters, but the team manages to escape inside the body of a tank on parachutes, which they "fly" by shooting rounds off and stalling their momentum.

They track Pike, in the company of the mystery Arab, and launch an offensive in which they manage to reclaim the plates and kidnap the Arab at the same time. With the exception of Hannibal, the team is shocked to learn that the "Arab" is actually General Morrison, who worked with Lynch and Pike to steal the plates, but then teamed up with Pike to double-cross Lynch and fake his own death. When Lynch learns that the team has Morrison in their possession, he orders an air strike to eliminate them all in one fell swoop. The team barely manages to escape, and Morrison is killed.

Realizing that their backs are to a wall, Face hatches a plan. Hannibal arranges to meet Sosa (knowing her phone lines are tapped by Lynch) on board a cargo ship at a downtown dock, saying he'll hand over Morrison and the plates in exchange for his freedom. Face then calls her on a second, untapped phone he had previously given her. Lynch reenlists Pike, and sets up a trap for Hannibal and company at the docks. This has been anticipated by Face, who sets off an elaborate series of diversions to split Lynch's team up, and more importantly, get Lynch directly involved. The plan nearly goes awry when Pike fires a rocket at the ship, nearly destroying it, but he's eventually killed by B.A. Lynch tracks down Hannibal and a hooded "Morrison", and shoots "Morrison" in the head before engaging Hannibal in a vicious fistfight. Hannibal soon gets the upper hand until Lynch grabs a hold of his gun, however the container they are in is lifted- revealing Sosa and dozens of Federal agents with guns drawn. "Morrison" is revealed to be Murdock in a melted-Kevlar helmet. Lynch is taken into custody by the CIA, but contrary to what they were expecting, the A-Team is once again arrested by the military, this time for escaping incarceration. Sosa promises to do all she can to set them free, before kissing Face goodbye as he is led into a prison van. In the van, the team laments their misfortune, but Hannibal seems optimistic, and defers to Face, who reveals a key in his mouth presumably obtained from Sosa's kiss. Face then utters Hannibal's catch-phrase: "I love it when a plan comes together".

The film ends with a recital of the opening narration from the original television series.

Review: by NIX, Beyond Hollywood

Like the ‘80s action-adventure show that it’s based on, “Narc” director Joe Carnahan’s 2010 big-screen adaptation of “The A-Team” is big-time fun for those who realize that a movie based on a ‘80s action-adventure show should not be taken too seriously. And so, when Hannibal’s outrageously complicated plans go down like clockwork, and the bad guys can’t hit the broad side of a barn unless the plot needs them to, you just smile and go with it, because to do otherwise would be to spend the film’s nearly two hours bitching and moaning about how that was impossible, no, that was even more impossible than the last, etc. And really, why punish yourself when it’s so unnecessary?

As with the TV show, “The A-Team” chronicles the exploits of four highly trained Army Rangers, specialists in getting things done in the most ridiculous way possible. (As a character declares, these guys “specialize in the ridiculous.” Oh, truer words…) When they are framed for a crime they did not commit, the men must go on the run to clear their names. But wait! That’s about 40 minutes into our tale. When we first meet them, they have not become the A-team yet. In the beginning, there was only mastermind Hannibal (Liam Neeson), on an operation with his trusted sidekick Faceman (Bradley Cooper) in Mexico. There, they meet the Mohawk-sporting B.A. Baracus (Quinton “Rampage” Jackson), a fellow Ranger doing, well, criminal things in Mexico. It’s never really clear what he’s doing that has him fleeing from Mexican cops. Before the First Act is over, the trio crosses paths with the appropriately named Howling Mad Murdock (Sharlto Copley). And the rest, as they say, is history.

Fast-forward eight years later, and the gang are doing their thing in Iraq, and have been for the last eight years of the war. They’ve become close now, or as close as the script by Carnahan, Brian Blooms, and Skip Woods manages to get across. (Word is, there were at least a dozen or so screenwriters working on the script over the years. Yikes.) Things start to go wrong for our badasses when shady CIA dude Lynch (Patrick Wilson) recruits them for a mission that everyone, including Army Intelligence Captain Charisa Sosa (Jessica Biel, whose character also happens to be Faceman’s former squeeze, natch) tells them to stay away. But our boys are feeling their oats, and they accomplish the mission in style – only to find themselves framed for the murder of a trusted General (Gerald McRaney) and the theft of some fancy schmancy money prints or such. You know, the McGuffin. Suffice to say, the boys go on the run to clear their names, and much shit is blown up along the way.

If you’re a fan of the ‘80s action-adventure show, then the movie version should more than meet your expectations. It’s appropriately outrageous in every way, stuff blows up quite often and loudly, and all the iconic images and phrases from the show sneak appearances here and there. (At one point Hannibal even whips out a Ruger Mini-14, the TV show’s trademark assault rifle.) Director Joe Carnahan obviously had no intention of shitting all over the show, and it shows, from the casting (Neeson and Copley, in particular, are dead ringers for their TV counterparts) to all the little hints and winks that he manages to throw in. Unfortunately, B.A.’s van gets a criminally short appearance before it is pancaked, and although news had original castmembers Dirk Benedict and Dwight Schultz (the original Faceman and Murdock) making appearances, I honestly didn’t glimpse them in the movie. Too bad Carnahan couldn’t have given them bigger roles instead of blink-and-you’ll-miss cameos. Don’t they deserve that much, if not more?

The action comes pretty fast and furious, and the film itself is separated into a seemingly endless string of action set pieces, opening in Mexico and finishing up in a Los Angeles dock. I can safely say that you will never be bored by the film. Plus, there are plenty of excuses to pay attention aside from the action. Jessica Biel is excellent as the persistent Army babe chasing our heroes, and “Watchmen’s” Patrick Wilson seems to be channeling a less evil (though admittedly still pretty evil) version of Jason Patric’s “Max” character from “The Losers”. Wilson has a ball, as does co-star/co-writer Brian Bloom, playing a spirited mercenary named Pike. And hey, if amusing supporting characters (and a smoking hot Jessica Biel) doesn’t keep you awake, you can always chuckle at UFC fighter Quinton “Rampage” Jackson trying his darnedest to act. Let’s just say there’s a reason the guy started his career beating people up and not in community theater.

Like “The Losers”, a film that owes more than a little inspiration to “The A-Team”, Joe Carnahan’s film rocks the joint if you allow it to. Oh sure, it’s all very absurd and impossible and devoid of any real-world logic, and for some reason the script decides it would like Hannibal to start handling over the reins to Faceman (Really, guys? Already? The first movie? Couldn’t we get one whole movie where Hannibal is Top Dog before he starts passing the torch?), but if you stick with it, and you accept it at face value, “The A-Team” might just be the most fun you’ll have at the theaters this year. Or at the very least, you’ll feel like you got your money’s worth, which in my book is the same thing.

Added: According to Internet reports, there is a bonus for those who can sit through the 10-15 minutes of end credits. Alas, I did not know this at the time.

Shrek Forever After

2010-05-25T12:30:00.002-06:00

Guest Reviewer: Amy Biancolli, Hearst Movie Writer

Shrek Masterprint
11 in. x 17 in.
Buy at AllPosters.com

Framed Mounted

Starring: Mike Myers ... Shrek (voice)

Eddie Murphy ... Donkey (voice)

Cameron Diaz ... Princess Fiona (voice)

Antonio Banderas ... Puss in Boots (voice)

Julie Andrews ... Queen (voice)

Jon Hamm ... Brogan (voice)

John Cleese ... King Harold (voice)

Craig Robinson ... Cookie (voice)

Walt Dohrn ... Rumpelstiltskin / Priest / Krekraw Ogre (voice)

Jane Lynch ... Gretched (voice)

Lake Bell ... Patrol Witch / Wagon Witch #2 (voice)

Kathy Griffin ... Dancing Witch / Wagon Witch #1 (voice)

Mary Kay Place ... Guard Witch (voice)

Kristen Schaal ... Pumpkin Witch / Palace Witch (voice)

Meredith Vieira ... Broomsy Witch (voice)

Synopsis: After challenging an evil dragon, rescuing a beautiful princess and saving your in-laws' kingdom, what's an ogre to do? Well, if you're Shrek, you suddenly wind up a domesticated family man. Instead of scaring villagers away like he used to, a reluctant Shrek now agrees to autograph pitch forks. What's happened to this ogre's roar? Longing for the days when he felt like a "real ogre," Shrek is duped into signing a pact with the smooth-talking dealmaker, Rumpelstiltskin. Shrek suddenly finds himself in a twisted, alternate version of Far Far Away, where ogres are hunted, Rumpelstiltskin is king and Shrek and Fiona have never met. Now, it's up to Shrek to undo all he's done in the hopes of saving his friends, restoring his world and reclaiming his one True Love.

Review: by Amy Biancolli, Hearst Movie Writer

Not so very long ago there lived a mighty ogre in a sour mood. He had every reason to be happy, having made a snug home for himself with his adoring ogress wife and their three cooing ogrettes.

Yet he felt dissatisfied. As sometimes happens with domesticated animated ogres, he had a midlife crisis and foolishly made a deal with a short, vindictive wizard known as Rumpelstiltskin, agreeing to swap one day from his infancy for one day of feeling like a monster again - shrieking, thudding around, watching the children scatter.

But in the land of milk and franchises, nothing ever goes according to plan. Especially not for Shrek (Mike Myers), he of the cushiony build and Scottish accent, whose rumbling return in the fourth and final film to bear his name - and the first in 3-D - takes him to much drearier places than he'd ever been before. "Shrek Forever After" wanders far away from the infectious and propulsive zing that we've come to expect the past nine years.

"Shrek Forever After" thrusts our hero into a gloomy-tunes alternate universe where Rumpelstiltskin is an ogre-oppressing despot and Fiona (Cameron Diaz) won't give Shrek the time of day. There isn't much sweetness and light in the resultant film, and not many belly laughs - although Shrek does meet up with alternate versions of his old friends Puss (now bootless and fat, but voiced with the usual grandiloquence by Antonio Banderas) and Donkey (still Eddie Murphy, still belting out mediocre pop songs).

This being DreamWorks, the computer animation is dynamic and imaginative, no less so for being cast in duskier hues. But the plot cuts closer to dystopian sci-fi than buoyant family cartoon, and Shrek is dragging around some awfully heavy psychological baggage for an ogre.

Rumpelstiltskin, on the other hand, is a joy to behold, a totalitarian psychoneurotic gnome for the ages. Voiced by Walt Dohrn like Jason Lee on helium, he sports the shoes of Aladdin and the head of an ignited road flare. Watching anyone on a quest for world domination is always a swell time at the multiplex, and this guy's no exception; unfortunately for Shrek, he eats the movie.

Shrek 2 Masterprint
11 in. x 17 in.

Buy at AllPosters.com
Framed Mounted

From the start, the "Shrek" films have had a deconstructive agenda: In mashing together bits of fables and spitting them out as humor, they've applied a self-aware and thoroughly modern irony to age-old folktales that plumb the human psyche's darkest urges. They're Grimm by definition. But this one is grimmer than usual.

-- Advisory: Mild action, some rude humor and brief language.

Alice in Wonderland (In Disney Digital 3D)

2010-04-18T12:23:00.003-06:00

Featured reviewer Paul Young, Screenrant.com

Alice In Wonderland Poster

22 in. x 34 in.

Buy at AllPosters.com

Framed Mounted

Starring: Mia Wasikowska ... Alice

Johnny Depp ... Mad Hatter

Helena Bonham Carter ... Red Queen

Anne Hathaway ... White Queen

Crispin Glover ... Stayne

Matt Lucas ... Tweedledee / Tweedledum

Stephen Fry ... Cheshire Cat (voice)

Michael Sheen ... White Rabbit (voice)

Alan Rickman ... Blue Caterpillar (voice)

Barbara Windsor ... Dormouse (voice)

Paul Whitehouse ... March Hare (voice)

Timothy Spall ... Bayard (voice)

Marton Csokas ... Charles Kingsleigh

Tim Pigott-Smith ... Lord Ascot

Synopsis: Alice Kingsleigh (Mia Wasikowska) is the daughter of Charles Kingsleigh (Marton Csokas), a wealthy man who planned to find profitable shipping routes through the world in the 19th century. When she tells him of her adventures in Wonderland (later to be revealed as 'Underland'), he declares her mad, but that all the best people are. However, many years afterward, Charles has passed away, and Alice misses his playful attitude.

Now feeling trapped in a world of proper etiquette for one such as herself, Alice is taken to a garden party, where it is hoped that she will accept a marriage proposal from Hamish (Leo Bill), the son of one of her father's business partners. However, Alice soon grows distracted seeing a rabbit with a waistcoat nearby, and rushes after the strange creature.

Following it, she finds her way to the trunk of an old tree some ways off, and falls down a hole. The hole leads her to a strange room, of which she finds a key, as well as a drink that makes her smaller, and a cake that increases her size. After getting the key and shrinking down to use a small door, she soon finds herself in an enormous garden area.

Soon after, she comes across the White Rabbit (Michael Sheen), as well as the Dormouse (Barbara Windsor), a Dodo bird (Michael Gough), and the Tweedles (Matt Lucas). The White Rabbit explains that is sure he has found the right Alice this time, while the Dormouse believes he is mistaken. Alice explains that her name is Alice, but feels they are looking for another "Alice." They take her to Abosolom the Caterpillar (Alan Rickman), who consults a scroll, which contains details regarding the history of Wonderland, from it's birth onward. The scroll claims that on the Frabjous Day, Alice will return to slay the Jabberwocky. Alice sees this, and adamants that she is not the person in the scroll, when a commotion breaks out, and the Knave of Hearts (Crispin Glover) appears, along with some red-carded soldiers and a creature called a Bandersnatch. Everyone scatters, as the Knave takes the scroll, and captures the Dodo bird. Alice, when confronted with the Bandersnatch, stands her ground, convinced that it is just a dream. However, the creature scratches her, and Alice takes off running, but not before the Dormouse plucks out one of the creature's eyes.

Some ways off, Alice encounters the Tweedles again, who attempt to help her, but are soon captured by a giant bird that takes them to the Red Queen's castle. At the castle, the Knave of Hearts informs the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) about the scroll, and the prophecy of Alice killing the Jabberwocky (of which she possesses). The Red Queen orders Alice to be found, and the Knave utilizes a bloodhound named Bayard (Timothy Spall) to track her down, promising freedom for Bayard's wife and pups (a lie, meant as a way to get the dog to help the Red Queen).

Meanwhile, Alice encounters the Cheshire Cat (Stephen Fry), who leads her to the Mad Hatter's place, where she encounters the Dormouse again, as well as the March Hare (Paul Whitehouse). The Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) is pleased to see Alice, and is in rapture over the coming Frabjous day in which she will slay the Jabberwocky. Alice again insists she is not 'that Alice,' when the Knave of Hearts and Bayard close in. The Hatter stuffs Alice into a teapot, to hide her from the Knave. In secret, the Dormouse scolds the dog for bringing the Knave there, but Bayard explains why he came. He then attempts to lead the Knave off in a different direction.

After they have left, the Hatter walks Alice through the nearby woods, where they come across the burned ruins of a small village. The Hatter then explains to Alice about how in the time she was gone, the Red Queen has taken over Wonderland, banishing the White Queen (Anne Hathaway) to her own domain, and taking her vorpal sword.

As they talk, the Knave again approaches, and the Hatter places Alice on his hat, and flings it across a river, giving himself up to the Knave, who takes him to the Red Queen. Later on, Bayard finds the hat and Alice. Alice manages to convince Bayard to take her to the Red Queen's castle, to rescue the Hatter. Along with the hat, they find their way there, where Alice encounters the White Rabbit assisting with a game of croquet with the Red Queen. Alice requests to be made larger (she is still the size of a gerbil), and the rabbit gives her a cake. However, she eats too much and ends up almost 10 feet tall, disrupting the croquet game. The Queen does not recognize Alice, who says she is 'Um' from Umbridge, and wishes to help the Queen. The Queen, impressed by the size of Alice's head, declares her to be made part of her royal court.

The Hatter is brought before the Queen and Alice, and is at first intended to be beheaded. However, the Hatter manages to stall for time, by requesting that he make the Queen a hat for her enormous head. Flattered by the attention, she gives into this request. Alice soon after finds out that the vorpal sword is on the grounds of the castle, but is locked away in a chest in the quarters of the Bandersnatch. After procuring the plucked eye from the Dormouse (who has broken into the castle to free the Hatter), Alice manages to return the eye to the creature. This allows her to gain access to the sword. Alice goes to the Hatter's room, and finds the Dormouse there. However, the Knave of Hearts shows up shortly, and when the Dormouse lets slip Alice's true name, he attempts to kill her. Alice manages to escape into the courtyard, where the Bandersnatch helps her escape from the castle. Bayard also accompanies her, as they head for the White Queen's castle.

The Red Queen then orders that the Hatter and the Dormouse be executed the next day. However, the Cheshire Cat uses his trickery to take on the guise of the Hatter, and allows the Hatter, Dormouse, the White Rabbit, the Tweedles, and Bayard's family to escape. They all soon meet up at the White Queen's castle, where the Queen has used her potions knowledge to shrink Alice to normal size.

Alice In Wonderland - Red Queen Stand Up
38 in. x 72 in.
Buy at AllPosters.com

Alice In Wonderland - Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum Stand Up
Buy at AllPosters.com

Alice In Wonderland - Mad Hatter Stand Up
Buy at AllPosters.com

The next day then dawns...the Frabjous day. Almost everyone is willing to take up arms for the White Queen. However, she hopes that Alice will fulfill the prophecy, but Alice rushes off to the Queen's garden, still upset over everyone pushing her into this task. It is there she encounters Absolom, cocooning himself. It is here that Absolom explains to Alice how she had been to Wonderland before, and suddenly, it all comes back to her, that what she thought originally was a dream was real. After her revelation, Alice dons the armor prepared for her by the White Queen, and takes up the vorpal sword.

Both the White Queen and the Red Queen meet on a checkerboard field. Both Queens meet first, with the White Queen asking her sister to not do battle, but the Red Queen refuses to give into the pacification of her sister's plea. The White Queen brings forth Alice as their 'champion,' as the Red Queen' summons the Jabberwocky. As Alice faces off with the creature, the rest of the armies go to war. Alice plays a mind-game with herself, talking of 6 impossible things, as it is claimed her father would do before breakfast. In her mind-game, she manages to find the strength to slay the Jabberwocky. The Red Queen demands that her subjects kill Alice, but as the White Queen's champion has slayed that of the Red Queen, the Red Queen's subjects will no longer follow her commands.

The White Queen orders the Red Queen banished to the Outlands, for the crimes that she has committed (due to a the White Queen's vow not to harm a living creature, she will not kill her sister), with noone to offer her sympathy. The Knave of Hearts is also chained to her, as punishment as well. However, the thought of being alone with the Queen causes him to try to kill her, before his dagger is taken from him by the Hatter.

After the Red Queen and the Knave are taken away, the White Queen's army rejoices, with the Hatter doing a Fudderwupping dance, much to the delight of everyone. The White Queen then collects some of the Jabberwocky's blood, and gives it to Alice. The blood of the Jabberwocky allows Alice to return to her world, and she returns to the Garden Party.

Alice then explains to Hamish that she cannot accept his proposal, as well as speaks her mind to a number of different relatives and acquaintances. Her forthright attitude catches the eye of Hamish's father, and soon, the two discuss plans to expand the shipping routes to China, a land that has not yet been opened to the west.

Alice is then made an apprentice to the company, and sets off with a crew to open the shipping route to China, aboard a ship titled "Wonder". The last thing shown is a bright blue butterfly, none other than Abosolom.

Review: by Paul Young, Screenrant.com

Is Tim Burton's take on Alice in Wonderland something not to be missed on the big screen? Or just another movie to watch on DVD? Here's the scoop.

Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland is a wonderfully spun tale that delves deeper into the fantasy aspect of the story than any of its predecessors; however, the use of 3D is distracting at best and horrible at worst.

Let me start by saying that I’m a big fan of almost everything that involves Tim Burton
and Johnny Depp. Burton has a dark, almost “Poe” like story telling ability that I really enjoy – and I don’t think there is any actor alive today that can rival the ability Depp has in bringing a unique quality to each character he plays.

For this review first I’ll discuss the story of the film, and then I’ll address the use of 3D – and how it did or did not help the film.

For those that may not already know, this version of Alice in Wonderland is not the same as the animated story Disney produced in 1951, but it does use the same characters. In this version, we are introduced to Alice when she is only 6 and is having nightmares of a strange world filled with talking caterpillars, dodo birds and other strange beasts. Her father assures her it’s all just a dream.

Fast forward 14 years and little Alice (Mia Wasikowska) is all grown up and about to receive a marriage proposal from Hamish Ascot, who will eventually be Lord Ascot. That doesn’t matter to Alice, who is always daydreaming and wants more out of life than just status. The story takes a familiar twist at this point when Alice begins seeing a White Rabbit while walking through the garden with her future mother-in-law. Just as Hamish proposes to Alice in front of four or five dozen strangers, she gets distracted and takes off after the White Rabbit and inevitably falls down the rabbit hole.

After a visually interesting “Drink Me,” “Eat Me” scene, Alice is once again introduced to the world of Wonderland (or Underland as the Hatter tells us later). I say once again, because this is Alice’s second trip to the fantasy world although she has no recollection of it other than from her dreams. In Lewis Carroll’s sequel to Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass, Alice does meet the Red and White Queens but she is still a young child. What writer Linda Woolverton has done here is masterfully mix Carroll’s poems from both stories into an altogether different work of art.

After falling through the hole, Alice meets the Tweedle brothers, the Dormouse, and the White Rabbit, who take her to meet Hans Gruber the Blue Caterpillar. They have doubts that she is the “real” Alice and hope the hookah smoking insect can shed some light on the truth. Alice firmly believes she is in a dream and therefore can not be the Alice they are waiting for. Their Alice is supposed to defeat the Jabberwocky, the Red Queen’s champion, and bring about Frabjous Day.

One problem, the Red Queen, played by the beautiful Helena Bonham Carter, has attacked her sister the White Queen, played oddly by Anne Hathaway, and killed her husband the Red King and now has (W)Underland completely under her fearsome rule. In fact, our first encounter with the Red Queen involves a frog, some missing tarts and the familiar phrase, “OFF WITH HIS HEAD!”

Carter is obviously having a lot of fun in her big-headed role and it shows. She’s compelling to watch the entire time she’s on screen but maybe that’s just because of her oversized noggin. The size of her head becomes a humorous center piece for a few sight gags later in the film.

With the defeat of her sister, the Red Queen now has the Vorpal Blade, the only sword that can kill the Jabberwocky, and has the deadly Bandersnatch guarding it. If Alice is to defeat the Jabberwocky she is going to need help. So our intrepid young heroine meets the Cheshire Cat (Stephen Fry), who takes her to a loopy band of misfit warriors having tea in the middle of the woods. The Dormouse, the March Hare and the Mad Hatter are all sworn enemies of the Red Queen and friends of Alice and will do what is necessary to assist her in her journey.

I’ve got to address Depp’s performance as the Hatter. His ability to go from a sane, focus-driven Scotsman to an over-the-top, off his rocker hatter is fantastic. He steals every scene he is in including the final massive battle scene where he shows up wearing a kilt and brandishing a giant claymore. I’ve never thought of the Mad Hatter as a fighting type hero character but I certainly do now.

While assisting Alice, the Hatter gets captured by the Red Queen and her right hand man Stayne (Crispin Glover). I could be wrong but I think Burton may have used some stop-motion animation for Stayne’s body and imposed his regular sized head on it. The effect is beyond creepy to look at. Alice decides to help free her friend from the Red Queen’s castle, steal back the Vorpal Blade and escape to the White Queen’s new fortress. She manages all but the freeing of the Hatter, which I won’t spoil for you as far as how it happens.

All this leads up to the massive chess piece guards versus playing card guards with everyone getting in on the fighting action. Does Alice defeat the Jabberwocky? Will the Red Queen’s reign come to an end? Will Alice accept Hamish’s marriage proposal? You’ll need to watch the film to get the answer to those questions.

So after all that – was it any good?

A few things did bother me about the film. First, Danny Elfman’s score, while extremely dark and beautiful, felt rehashed. I could easily associate main parts of the soundtrack with other films he has scored and none of the songs particularly stuck out in my mind.

Secondly, anyone paying the extra money to watch Alice in Wonderland in 3D hoping to have a similar 3D experience as they did with Avatar will be sorely disappointed. While I didn’t love Avatar, I did find myself appreciating what Cameron had done with the finely planned out 3D filming process – as opposed to the path Burton choose of converting the film to 3D in post-production. There is a big difference in how it is used, and in my opinion tight frame, close-up head shots should never be shot in 3D. However, the large wide frame scenery shots look great.

Ultimately, the 3D fails to impress in Alice in Wonderland and certain 3D parts of the film, such as Alice falling down the rabbit hole, are completely unwatchable. The digital effects guys throw so much debris towards the audience and Burton films the scene so close up that everything blurs together in a mass of unintelligible imagery. I hope that other studios are taking note of this and realize that if they must make a 3D film, then it needs to be done during the shooting process and not done as an afterthought.

As a quick side note – during the Hatter’s Futterwacken Dance, I quickly recognized the limber leg skills of David “Elsewhere” Bernal. A young guy that became an internet phenomenon several years ago before the word “viral” was even associated with You Tube. You can check out his famous video HERE (Video removed to due to infringement).

Overall, the story for Alice in Wonderland was great, and although it may be a tad too dark and Burton-esque for children under 9, it’s sure to impress fans of the fairytale genre. Alice in Wonderland the 3D experience, however, is not worth the extra money. If you want to go see this, I recommend you watch the regular old 2D version.

Avatar

2009-12-17T16:52:00.003-06:00

Featured Reviewer: Luke Y. Thompson , E! Online

Starring: Sam Worthington ... Jake Sully

Zoe Saldana ... Neytiri

Sigourney Weaver ... Dr. Grace Augustine

Stephen Lang ... Colonel Miles Quaritch

Michelle Rodriguez ... Trudy Chacon

Giovanni Ribisi ... Parker Selfridge

Joel Moore ... Norm Spellman (as Joel David Moore)

CCH Pounder ... Moat

Wes Studi ... Eytukan

Laz Alonso ... Tsu'tey

Dileep Rao ... Dr. Max Patel

Matt Gerald ... Corporal Lyle Wainfleet

Sean Anthony Moran ... Private Fike

Jason Whyte ... Cryo Vault Med Tech

Scott Lawrence ... Venture Star Crew Chief

Avatar Poster
22 in. x 34 in.
Buy at AllPosters.com

Framed Mounted

Synopsis: The story's protagonist, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), is a former Marine who was wounded in combat on Earth and paralyzed from the waist down. He is selected to participate in the Avatar program, which will enable him to walk again. Jake travels to Pandora, a lush jungle-covered extraterrestrial moon filled with incredible life forms, some beautiful, many terrifying. Pandora is also home to the Navi, a sentient humanoid race that is physically stronger than humans, although considered primitive. Standing three meters tall, with tails and sparkling blue skin, the Navi live in harmony with their unspoiled world. As humans encroach deeper into Pandora's forests in search of valuable minerals, the Navi unleash formidable warrior abilities to defend their threatened existence. Jake has unwittingly been recruited to become part of this experiment. Since humans are unable to breathe the air on Pandora, they have created genetically-bred human-Navi hybrids known as "Avatars" . The Avatars are living, breathing bodies that are controlled by a human "driver" through a technology that links the driver's mind to the Avatar body. On Pandora, through his Avatar body, Jake can walk . He is sent deep into Pandora's jungles as a scout for the soldiers who will follow, and encounters many of Pandora's beauties and dangers. He also meets a young Navi female, Neytiri, whose beauty is matched only by her ferocity in battle. Over time, Jake integrates himself into Neytiri's clan, and begins to fall in love with her. As a result, Jake finds himself caught between the military-industrial forces of Earth, and the Navi, forcing him to choose sides in an epic battle that will decide the fate of an entire world. [ jshelleh196 ]

Review: by Luke Y. Thompson , E! Online

Believe the hype. James Cameron's decade-in-the-making sci-fi dream project—it doesn't open until Friday but landed four Golden Globe nominations today—is an immersive epic unlike any other.

Yes, the story's pretty simple, but with so much else to take in, anything more complicated might have been tough to follow.

The Bigger Picture: Never count Cameron out. He may not be the actual king of the world, but in the realm of sci-fi action, he doesn't just rule, he reigns.

One-upping the kind of otherworldly landscapes George Lucas created for the Star Wars prequels, Avatar takes us to Pandora, a jungle-covered moon orbiting a gas giant, where human corporate interests seek out the rather stupidly named mineral "unobtainium." Hazards are plenty—the atmosphere isn't breathable by humans, all manner of six-legged beasts roam the forests and skies and the local humanoids, nine-foot-tall blue cat people called the Na'vi, are none too happy about their territory being encroached upon.

To that end, the Avatar program creates hybrid human-Na'vi bodies that people can download their consciousness into and better interact with the planet and its locals. But when one of the scientists trained for the program is murdered by a petty criminal, his less intellectual, battle-scarred twin brother Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), being the only DNA match for the expensive Avatar body, takes his place.

Though the science team, led by cigarette-puffing Dr. Augustine (Sigourney Weaver), have issues with Jake's general recklessness in his new skin, the Na'vi are impressed to finally meet a warrior, even one who's not quite of their caliber. Under the supervision of the chief's daughter Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), he learns their ways more intimately than any previous human—and gets particularly intimate with Neytiri herself.

This poses a dilemma, however, since Jake's actual assignment from the beginning has been to spy on the tribe on behalf of the Marines assigned to the mining project. With his loyalties torn between love and duty...well, you can guess the rest, and probably already have from the trailers.

Now, forget what you think you've seen via online videos or even theatrical 2D trailers—the visuals are realistic, fantastic and not remotely like Delgo, as early armchair pundits have been claiming (trust us, we actually sat through Delgo). Practically every Cameron sci-fi film has pushed the envelope of visual effects, and Avatar does so more than ever, from the vertiginous platform-game-style leaps across floating islands to a psychedelic night jungle that lights up underfoot like the sidewalk beneath Michael Jackson in "Billie Jean."

Avatar Poster
22 in. x 34 in.
Buy at AllPosters.com

Framed Mounted

But it would be (mostly) for naught if the actors didn't compel, and thankfully, they do. As usual, Cameron casts based on the characters, not star power.

Worthington, whose next-big-thing status was starting to feel scarily undeserved after Terminator Salvation, delivers on the promise, believably segueing back and forth between crippled human and newly skilled jungle cat. Saldana, last seen romancing Spock in Star Trek, dons her own pointy ears and alien skin with aplomb, all sensuality and strength (it should be noted, parents, that the MPAA is apparently just fine with female nudity as long as it's on a computer-enhanced blue person).

Stephen Lang and Giovanni Ribisi are ironically more cartoonish than the Na'vi in the villain roles, but Joel David Moore and Michelle Rodriguez give good support, and Weaver is effortlessly charming.

As for the 3D—after the first hour or so, you almost forget it's there on an overt level, feeling instead a kind of subconscious immersion in the world. And what a world.

If you're not silently saying "holy crap!" to yourself at least 10 times during the movie, you might not be human.

New Moon - The Twighlight Saga

2009-11-22T11:15:00.003-06:00

Feeatured reviewer: Allan Ford, FilmoFilia

Starring: Kristen Stewart ... Bella Swan

Christina Jastrzembska ... Gran / Bella

Robert Pattinson ... Edward Cullen

Billy Burke ... Charlie Swan

Anna Kendrick ... Jessica

Michael Welch ... Mike

Justin Chon ... Eric

Christian Serratos ... Angela

Taylor Lautner ... Jacob Black

Ashley Greene ... Alice Cullen

Jackson Rathbone ... Jasper Whitlock

Russell Roberts ... Mr. Berty

Cam Gigandet ... James

Michael Sheen ... Aro

Jamie Campbell Bower ... Caius

Twilight - New Moon Poster
24 in. x 36 in.
Buy at AllPosters.com

Framed Mounted

Synopsis: ***Warning! This synopsis contains spoilers***
The second installment of Stephenie Meyers phenomenally successful Twilight series, the romance between mortafeefl and vampire soars to a new level as Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) delves deeper into the mysteries of the supernatural world she yearns to become part of only to find herself in greater peril than ever before.

Following Bellas ill-fated 18th birthday party, Edwarn Cullen(Robert Pattinson) and his family abandon the town of Forks, Washington, in an effort to protect her from the dangers inherent in their world. As the heartbroken Bella sleepwalks through her senior year of high school, numb and alone, she discovers Edwards image comes to her whenever she puts herself in jeopardy. Her desire to be with him at any cost leads her to take greater and greater risks.

With the help of her childhood friend Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), Bella refurbishes an old motorbike to carry her on her adventures. Bellas frozen heart is gradually thawed by her budding relationship with Jacob, a member of the mysterious Quileute tribe, who has a supernatural secret of his own.

When a chance encounter brings Bella face to face with a former nemesis, only the intervention of a pack of supernaturally large wolves saves her from a grisly fate, and the encounter makes it frighteningly clear that Bella is still in grave danger. In a race against the clock, Bella learns the secret of the Quileutes and Edwards true motivation for leaving her. She also faces the prospect of a potentially deadly reunion with her beloved that is a far cry from the one she'd hoped for. With more of the passion, action and suspense that made TWILIGHT a worldwide phenomenon, The Twilight Saga: New Moon is a spellbinding follow-up to the box office hit.

[Official synopsis by Summit Entertainment]

Twilight - New Moon Poster
24 in. x 36 in.
Buy at AllPosters.com
Framed Mounted

Review: by Allan Ford, FilmoFilia

“The Twilight Saga: New Moon” is the second movie based on the series of four vampire-based fantasy and romance books by author Stephenie Meyer. The New Moon movie continues the story of the first Twilight movie about the ill-fated romance between mortal Bella Swan, played by Kristen Stewart, and vampire Edward Cullen, played by Robert Pattinson.

New Moon goes through great pains to present itself as a descendent of Romeo And Juliet, except without all that icky tragedy in the end. There are warring clans—in this case, werewolves and vampires—a rival suitor, tragic miscommunication, and at the center of it all, two self-absorbed teenage lovers. Throw in a revenge subplot and an ancient, power-hungry clan of evil Italian vampires, and it all sounds potentially thrilling. But in spite of its wealth of conflict, New Moon suffers from a dearth of accompanying tension and excitement, thanks to the increasingly tedious relationship at its center.

--more--

This Is It

2009-10-26T15:05:00.002-06:00

Featured reviewer: farzad

Starring: Michael Jackson (of course!)

Alex Al ... Himself / Electric and Synth Bass
Nick Bass ... Himself / Dancer
Michael Bearden ... Himself / Keyboards
Daniel Celebre ... Himself / Dancer

Mekia Cox ... Herself / Dancer
Misha Gabriel ... Himself / Dancer
Chris Grant ... Himself / Dancer
Judith Hill ... Herself / Vocalist
Dorian Holley ... Himself / Vocal Supervision
Shannon Holtzapffel ... Himself / Dancer
Devin Jamieson ... Himself / Dancer (as Devin Andrew Jamieson)
Bashiri Johnson ... Himself / Percussion
Charles Klapow ... Himself / Dancer
Jonathan Moffett ... Himself / Drums
Tommy Organ ... Himself / Guitar
Orianthi ... Herself - Lead Guitar

Darryl Phinnessee ... Himself / Vocalist
Mo Pleasure ... Himself / Keyboards / Trumpet
Dres Reid ... Himself / Dancer
Ken Stacey ... Himself / Vocalist
Tyne Stecklein ... Herself / Dancer

Timor Steffens ... Himself / Dancer

Buy Posters at AllPosters.com

Synopsis: Michael Jackson's This Is It will offer Jackson fans and music lovers worldwide 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 produced with the full support of the Estate of Michael Jackson and drawn from more than one hundred hours of behind-the-scenes footage, featuring Jackson rehearsing a number of his songs for the show. Audiences will be given a privileged and private look at Jackson as he has never been seen before.

In raw and candid detail, Michael Jackson's This Is It captures the singer, dancer, filmmaker, architect, creative genius and great artist at work as he creates and perfects his final show.

Michael Jackson Poster
Buy at AllPosters.com

Framed Mounted

Michael Jackson Poster
Buy at AllPosters.com

Framed Mounted

Review: farzad

Michael Jackson has made his long-awaited comeback with a new song, This Is It, released four months after his death.

The track began streaming overnight on the King of Pop’s official website before being delivered, amidst tight security, to radio stations this morning.

A mid-paced ballad, the sentimental number has received a mixed reaction, delighting some fans still grieving the star’s sudden death but disappointing others who complained about the “cheesy” lyrics and lack of catchy hooks.

One fan commenting on the pop star’s website, wrote: “This single is great, to be honest it is even better than I thought it was gonna be. Unfortunately I am now more broken hearted because This Is It - there's nothing more to come. Such a great loss. But I’m glad he is finally at peace.”

But a barrage of criticism also flowed on to the website’s message boards.

“Garbage”, wrote one disappointed fan. “There is a reason MJ didn't want it on any of his albums. It's not a good representation of the kind of quality he puts into his songs: Awful production, cluttred background vocals, average vocal performance from MJ, cheesy lyrics, melody that goes nowhere. That about sums it up.”

The Times pop and rock editor, Ed Potton, said the song, originally written for the 1991 album Dangerous, was no match for Jackson’s many iconic hits.

“It's a perfectly pleasant piece of mainstream soul-pop, but it's no classic - hence why it was left off Dangerous.”

“I can understand why they're releasing it now, as it epitomises Jackson's more vulnerable, sentimental side. If I want to get nostalgic, though, I'll still be sticking to Off the Wall and Thriller,” he said.

Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles, however, was won over, describing the song, which he played on his show this morning as “very much old school Jacko".

The song takes its name from the hugely-anticipated comeback shows that were supposed to have taken place at London's O2 arena in the summer. It features backing vocals by Jackson's brothers, with whom he became famous in 1969 as the Jackson 5.

Jackson died aged 50 on June 25 at his home in Los Angeles after a heart attack. His death was later ruled a drug-related homicide by the Los Angeles County coroner's office.

Fans will be able to buy the song as part of an album from October 26. It can also be heard on the closing credits of a film, This Is It, which has been made using footage of rehearsals for the O2 concerts, due to be released in cinemas on October 28.

From The Emerald City

2009-10-14T23:16:00.004-06:00

Celebrating a half a million readers of ToonTownReviews sister site: 'OZ' - The 'Other' Side of the Rainbow

WOW! All I can say is THANK-YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART! This is a BIG milestone for me!

Click here to see what keeps them coming back!

Inglourious Basterds

2009-09-19T13:27:00.002-06:00

Featured Reviewer: BRUCE KIRKLAND - Sun Media

Starring: Brad Pitt ... Lt. Aldo Raine

Mélanie Laurent ... Shosanna Dreyfus

Christoph Waltz ... Col. Hans Landa

Eli Roth ... Sgt. Donny Donowitz

Michael Fassbender ... Lt. Archie Hicox

Diane Kruger ... Bridget von Hammersmark

Daniel Brühl ... Pvt Fredrick Zoller

Til Schweiger ... Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz

Gedeon Burkhard ... Cpl. Wilhelm Wicki

Jacky Ido ... Marcel

B.J. Novak ... Pfc. Smithson Utivich

Omar Doom ... Pfc. Omar Ulmer

August Diehl ... Major Dieter Hellstrom

Denis Menochet ... Perrier LaPadite

Sylvester Groth ... Joseph Goebbels

Inglorious Basterds Poster
24 in. x 36 in.
Buy at AllPosters.com

Framed Mounted

Inglorious Basterds Poster
24 in. x 36 in.
Buy at AllPosters.com

Framed Mounted

Synopsis: *** Serious spoiler alert ***

The main theme of the film is revenge. The film is set in an alternate history of the Second World War in which the entire top leadership of Nazi Germany, namely Hitler, Goering, Goebbels and Bormann attend a film premiere in Paris celebrating the exploits of a German sniper who had managed to kill 300 American soldiers in Italy. Most of the film's timeframe is set in early June 1944, after the D-Day landings but before the liberation of Paris.

The film tracks the separate attempts to kill Hitler by two disparate forces, one being the "Basterds", a motley crew of Jewish American soldiers out for revenge against the Nazis. The Basterds have a modus operandi whereby each man must cut off the scalp of a dead Nazi soldier, with orders to get 100 scalps each. The Basterds allow one German soldier to survive each incident so as to spread the news of the terror of their attacks. However, the Basterds carve a swastika into the forehead of that German. The other force concerns Shosanna (Mélanie Laurent), the only survivor of a Jewish family killed by the Jew Hunter, who plots her own revenge on the Nazis. The Basterds and Shosanna remain unaware of each other throughout the film.

The film opens in 1941 with Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz) of the Waffen-SS, proudly known as the "Jew Hunter", interrogating Perrier LaPadite (Denis Menochet), a French dairy farmer, over rumours that he had been hiding a Jewish family. Landa manages to break down LaPadite and locates the hiding place of the Jews underneath the floorboards. He orders his soldiers to fire into the floorboards, killing all but the teenage Shosanna.

Four years later, by 1944, Shosanna has assumed the identity of "Emmanuelle Mimieux". How she manages to do so is not revealed. She has also become the proprietress of a cinema, which is chosen by Frederick Zoller (Daniel Brühl), a spotlight-hungry sniper-turned-actor whose exploits are celebrated in the Nazi propaganda film, Stolz der Nation (A Nation's Pride), as the setting for the film premiere. He is attracted to Shosanna and convinces Goebbels to hold the premiere in her cinema. Shosanna does not reciprocate Zoller's feelings.

Shosanna realizes that the presence of so many high ranking Nazi officials and officers provides an excellent opportunity for revenge. She resolves to burn down her cinema using the massive quantities of flammable nitrate film in her storage rooms during the premiere and makes a fourth reel in which she tells the Nazis present of her Jewish identity and revenge.

In the meantime, the British have also learned of the Nazi leadership's plan to attend the premiere and dispatch a British officer, Lt. Archie Hicox (Michael Fassbender), to Paris to lead an attack on the cinema with the aid of the "Basterds" and a German double agent, an actress by the name of Bridget von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger).

Hammersmark arranges to meet Hicox and the Basterds in the basement of a French tavern. Unbeknown to her, however, the night of the rendezvous is also the occasion of a German staff sergeant (Alexander Fehling) celebrating the birth of his son with his soldier comrades. One of the German soldiers present strikes up a conversation with Hicox and notices that his accent is "odd". An SS officer (August Diehl) who is in the tavern as well also notices that odd accent. When Hicox gives the wrong three fingered order for whiskies (without using his thumb, a traditional German gesture), the SS officer realizes their deception. A firefight breaks out in which the British officer and two of the "Basterds" are killed as is everyone in the tavern except Hammersmark, who is wounded in her left leg.

Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt), a U.S. Army second lieutenant in the First Special Service Force [7] and the commanding officer of the Basterds, interrogates Hammersmark and decides to continue the operation against the cinema under the guise of Italians as suicide bombers. Colonel Landa, now an SD officer, is able to retrieve one of Hammersmark's shoes from the scene of the firefight at the tavern and also an autographed napkin which Hammersmark had signed for the staff sergeant's son. He approaches Hammersmark and Raine in the cinema lobby and is able to easily see through their disguises, as none, even Raine, can speak any Italian or German. He questions Hammersmark alone and makes her try on the shoe he had retrieved from the tavern. It is a perfect fit. He violently strangles her to death as a traitor, and orders the arrest of Raine.

In the closing stages of the film Quentin Tarantino sets the quirks which show that the film is in an alternative universe. Landa reveals himself to be a turncoat. While speaking with Raine and Utivich, he tells them that four major Nazi leaders must all be killed to end the war immediately. They are all attending Nation's Pride, and he is prepared to let the assassination continue-- for a price. He has no intention of helping end the war only to be tried by a Jewish tribunal for war crimes and end up facing the gallows. In order to help end the war, he wants to make a deal, one Raine cannot authorize, but his commanding officer (Harvey Keitel) can. Landa has his radio operator help Raine reach his general, where Landa states the terms of his deal-- he wants full military pension and benefits under his current rank, a medal of honor for everyone involved in the operation, American citizenship and a home on Nantucket Island. He also reveals that he had planted Raine's stick of dynamite in Hitler's box at the cinema, meaning that there are now three attempts against Hitler's life. Raine is placed on the radio and his general tells him that Landa and his radio operator will drive him and Utivich in a truck to American lines, then surrender to them, whereupon Raine will drive the truck to base and bring Landa and the operator to him for debriefing.

Meanwhile, during the showing of Stolz der Nation, Shosanna and her assistant (and lover) Marcel (Jacky Ido) are manning the projection booth when he tells her it is time. He needs to lock the auditorium and go behind the screen. As Marcel makes his way toward the auditorium, two of the Basterds, Sgt. Donny Donowitz (Eli Roth) and Pvt. Omar Ulmer (Omar Doom), leave their seats and exit the auditorium heading upstairs to the balcony level. Donowitz carefully spies on the guards watching the entrance to Hitler's opera box from the nearest bathroom.

Shosanna loads the doctored fourth reel of Stolz der Nation onto the projector camera as Marcel locks the auditorium doors, sliding the safety locks at the tops and bottoms of the doors into place, and then slides a heavy iron crowbar through the door handles, further barring them. He steps behind the screen where Shosanna had placed her entire stack of nitrate film. Shosanna pulls a lever to switch the projector to the doctored reel. Watching from behind the screen, Marcel lights up a smoke and waits.

Meanwhile, Zoller, uncomfortable with the way he is portrayed killing Americans in Stolz der Nation, leaves the cinema auditorium and makes his way to the projectionist's room to hit on Shosanna. She is deeply concerned at his intrusion and tries to get rid of Zoller, but he pushes his way into the room and angrily confronts Shosanna about her treatment of him, warning her that she's no longer in a position to disrespect him. Needing to get Zoller out of the way, she asks him to lock the door, dropping a subtle hint, 'we don't have much time.' Soon as Zoller's back is turned to her, she pulls her gun from her purse and shoots him in the back, mortally wounding him. Quickly she glances into the auditorium to make sure she wasn't heard. Suddenly, she hears Zoller groan and realizes he's still alive. In an apparent moment of pity, she turns him over, and he shoots her dead.

We see Donowitz and Ulmer preparing their ambush to take out the opera box guards. Donowitz is dressed as a waiter delivering a glass of champagne. The ambush goes off without a hitch and they kill both guards, taking their machine guns.

Meanwhile, we see Hitler greatly enjoying the battle scene in the movie, where Zoller is taking out numerous American soldiers by himself. But his joy comes to a quick end when Zoller's challenge (in Stolz der Nation) is answered with the changes Shosanna made to the fourth reel. She tells the audience that they're all going to die, and she is a Jew ready to take revenge. On her cue, Marcel flicks his cigarette into the pile of nitrate film, igniting it. The fire bursts through the screen, causing a pandemonium in the auditorium. Just then, Donowitz and Ulmer burst into Hitler's box and gun down Hitler, Goebbels and the other Nazi leaders. As the cinema is engulfed in flames, they fire randomly into the crowd, who are attempting to flee, but escape is impossible, as the auditorium doors are now locked and barred. Finally, the dynamite that Landa had planted in Hitler's box, as well as the dynamite strapped to the Basterds' legs, now goes off. The cinema is destroyed in the subsequent inferno, killing all inside.

In the final scene, Landa and his radio operator set off with Raine and Utivich towards the American lines in Normandy, as part of the deal he had made with Raine's commanding officer. At the American lines, he surrenders to Raine and hands over his gun and sword. Raine orders Utivich to handcuff Landa, and shoots the driver dead, ordering Utivich to scalp him over Landa's outraged protest. Raine reveals that while he appreciates Landa's underhanded deal and all the perks he's secured for himself, he is incensed that on arriving in America, Landa intended to take off his SS uniform and blend in to the American populace, with nobody remembering all the heinous deeds he committed as a Nazi officer. Raine plans to remedy that. The film ends with Raine carving a swastika into Landa's forehead and declaring that it may just be his greatest 'masterpiece.' [D-Man2010]

Review: by BRUCE KIRKLAND - Sun Media

What is not to like about dispatching armed and angry Jews to kill Nazis during the Second World War?

Especially in a Quentin Tarantino film.

It means there will be blood. And violence. In extreme close-ups.

There are shootings and beatings and scalpings. Swastikas are carved into forehead flesh. A German soldier's head is bashed in with a baseball bat, a home run that is dedicated to Ted Williams.

Feeling squeamish?

Too bad, then don't go.

Meanwhile, if you forget why Nazis are monsters, Tarantino launches the narrative with a brutal but realistic Holocaust scene of Germans butchering a family of Jewish dairy farmers.

The story's mesmerizing villain -- an S.S. officer played with oily charm and creepy, poetic intelligence by German actor Christoph Waltz -- is introduced right at the beginning and controls the arc of the entire film. That means Brad Pitt plays a secondary if memorable role, as do other key actors from Eli Roth to Diane Kruger, Julie Dreyfus, Til Schweiger, Michael Fassbender, Daniel Bruhl, an amusing Mike Myers as a British general, plus Sylvester Groth as a slimeball Goebbels and Martin Wuttke as a spittle-spewing psycho-Hitler.

Inglorious Basterds Poster
24 in. x 36 in.
Buy at AllPosters.com

Framed Mounted

Inglorious Basterds Poster
36 in. x 24 in.
Buy at AllPosters.com

Framed Mounted

Despite the violence -- in part because of it -- Inglourious Basterds is a brilliant example of shock cinema. But it owes more to the stylized traditions of spaghetti westerns than it does to classic American war movies. It is also a Jewish revenge fantasy -- with emphasis on the fantasy.

While extreme in its grit and gore, Inglourious Basterds is often surprisingly funny, like Pulp Fiction was between the murders. With its deliberately misspelled title as an indicator of the off-kilter story to come, Basterds tells the politically incorrect and historically inaccurate story of a platoon of Jewish-American soldiers dropped into occupied France in 1942 to wreak havoc on the Germans. The goal is a reign of sheer terror. Tarantino does not differentiate between regular German soldiers and the S.S. goons. The Basterds kill all they meet, except one who can then tell the tale.

A set of parallel stories leads the Basterds toward the film's fiery climax.

One story chronicles the activities of Waltz's Colonel Landa, who is proud of his nickname The Jew Hunter. He plays with words with aplomb, making his character even more romantic and dangerous. And Waltz handles the complex Tarantino dialogue with ease in English, French, German and even Italian (in this film, people talk in whatever language is appropriate to the situation, and we get English subtitles on the French and German).

Another storyline shows what happens to a young Jewish woman (the fetching Melanie Laurent) who escaped one of Landa's atrocities. She is now running a theatre in Paris, offering both sex appeal and respect for cinema.

Her theatre, and Laurent, attract the attention of a cocky German war hero (Bruhl) who is also the star of a German war film depicting his exploits as a sniper. Roth, who plays the baseball-wielding Basterd, also directed Bruhl's black-and-white, neo-classic, film-within-the-film.

Tarantino, being a cinephile, finally concocts a fantastic plot device to bring the loose ends of the plot together. It involves film, as a medium for conveying propaganda and as a volatile physical entity.

In addition, the emotional twists that bring Inglourious Basterds to its bittersweet end are pure cinema.

Don't look for reality.

Tarantino makes outrageous and glorious movies, not documentaries.

Whiteout

2009-09-09T17:25:00.002-06:00

Featured Reviewer: Robert W. Butler

Starring: Kate Beckinsale ... Carrie Stetko

Gabriel Macht ... Robert Pryce

Tom Skerritt ... Dr. John Fury

Columbus Short ... Delfy

Alex O'Loughlin ... Russell Haden

Shawn Doyle ... Sam Murphy

Joel S. Keller ... Jack (as Joel Keller)

Jesse Todd ... Rubin

Arthur Holden ... McGuire

Erin Hickock ... Rhonda

Bashar Rahal ... Russian Pilot

Julian Cain ... Russian Co-pilot

Dennis Keiffer ... Russian Guard #1

Andrei Runtso ... Russian Guard #2

Roman Varshavsky ... Russian Guard #3

Whiteout Masterprint
11 in. x 17 in.
Buy at AllPosters.com
Framed Mounted

Synopsis: Antarctica, the coldest and most isolated place on earth. Temperatures drop to 120 below. Winds whip across the ice at over 100 miles an hour. Home to one of the deadliest forces in the world.

It's a place U.S. Marshal Carrie Stetko (Kate Beckinsale) won't miss. As the lone Law Enforcement Agent at the Amundsen, Scott Research Station, her tenure here has been not only harsh but uneventful. In three days, when the station powers down and the sun sets for the long winter, she'll be getting out; leaving Antarctica for good and turning in her badge for a new life.

But when a body is discovered in the no man's land on the open ice, Stetko is plunged into shocking mystery. Bizarrely battered and miles from camp, the dead man is Antarctica's first homicide victim and Stetko's first real challenge in a long time.

Her investigation soon involves U.N. Special Agent Robert Pryce (Gabriel Macht), sent to monitor her progress in this ungoverned territory. As the case takes a deadly twist and a 60-year-old secret is unearthed, Stetko herself becomes a target. Pryce could prove to be a powerful ally but only if solving the murder is what he's really after.

With only days before the last plane out, Stetko must race to unravel the mystery or risk being stranded on the ice as darkness and the killer closes in.

Review: by Robert W. Butler, McClatchy Newspapers - azcentral.com

Early in "Whiteout," a murder mystery set in a South Pole research station, a federal marshal played by Kate Beckinsale strips down and takes a shower.

Why? No particular reason. But enjoy it while you can, fellas. She'll spend the rest of the film in a parka.

That scene makes about as much sense as anything else in Dominic Sena's thriller.

Beckinsale plays Carrie Stetko, who requested this remote, easy assignment after a particularly ugly on-the-job incident. Her main duties involve riding herd on several dozen young scientists who behave like college freshmen during orientation week.

But after two years Carrie is ready to rejoin the real world. That is until a pilot reports seeing a corpse out on the ice.

The dead man, a geologist, has been murdered. The trail of clues leads Carrie to an abandoned Russian outpost - now occupied by a masked killer with an ice ax - and a Soviet transport plane that has been buried in the ice for 50 years (we saw it go down in the film's prologue).

Something important was aboard that plane. Something worth killing for.

Based on Greg Rucka's comic-book series, "Whiteout" is one of those mysteries in which every character is a potential murderer. These include a pilot (Columbus Short), an FBI agent (Gabriel Macht) who mysteriously pops up on the scene, the station's venerable old sawbones (Tom Skerritt) and a cocky Aussie researcher (Alex O'Loughlin) whom we first see running a naked race in57-below temperatures .

Oh, did I mention that the Antarctic winter is blowing in and that once trapped, Carrie and the few remaining inhabitants will be stuck there for six months?

The screenplay by Jon and ErichHoeber and Chad and Carey Hayes (too many cooks?) is confusing and leaps huge gaps in logic.

But an unsung crew of f/x guys does a heck of a job re-creating a screaming Antarctic blizzard. This is one bone-chilling movie. It got that right, at least.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

2009-09-01T11:45:00.003-06:00

Featured Reviewer: BRUCE KIRKLAND -- Sun Media

G.I. Joe - Battle Poster
22 in. x 34 in.
Buy at AllPosters.com

Framed Mounted

Starring: Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje ... Heavy Duty

Christopher Eccleston ... McCullen / Destro

Grégory Fitoussi ... Baron de Cobray

Joseph Gordon-Levitt ... The Doctor / Rex

Leo Howard ... Young Snake Eyes

Karolina Kurkova ... Courtney A. Kreiger / Cover Girl

Byung-hun Lee ... Storm Shadow

Sienna Miller ... Ana / Baroness

David Murray ... James McCullen - 1641

Rachel Nichols ... Shana 'Scarlett' O'Hara

Kevin J. O'Connor ... Dr. Mindbender

Gerald Okamura ... Hard Master

Ray Park ... Snake Eyes

Jonathan Pryce ... U.S. President

Dennis Quaid ... General Hawk

Synopsis: Warning! This synopsis contains spoilers

The film opens in France, in 1641. The Scotsman Klan McCullen has been accused of selling weaponry to both the Scots and French. Rather than being executed for treason, the jury brands his face with a white-hot mask in order to humiliate him. In the near future, weapons expert James McCullen (Christopher Eccleston) has created a nanotechnology-based weapon capable of destroying an entire city. His company MARS sells four warheads to NATO, and the U.S. Army is tasked with delivering the warheads. Duke (Channing Tatum) and Ripcord (Marlon Wayans) are delivering the warheads when they are ambushed by the Baroness (Sienna Miller), who Duke recognized to be his ex-fiancee Ana Lewis. Duke and Ripcord are rescued by Scarlett (Rachel Nichols), Snake Eyes (Ray Park) and Heavy Duty (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje). They take the warheads to The Pit, G.I. Joe's command center in North Africa, and upon arriving rendezvous with General Hawk (Dennis Quaid), the head of the G.I. Joe Team. Hawk takes command of the war-heads and excuses Duke and Ripcord, only to be convinced to have them join his group after Duke reveals that he knows the Baroness.

McCullen is revealed to be using the same nanotechnology to build an army of soldiers with the aid of the Doctor (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), planning on using the warheads to bring panic and bring about a new world order. Using a tracking device, McCullen locates the G.I. Joe base and sends Storm Shadow (Lee Byung-hun) and the Baroness to retrieve the warheads with assistance from Zartan (Arnold Vosloo), inflicting casualties on several G.I. Joe soldiers. After a fight, Storm Shadow and the Baroness retrieve the warheads and take them to Baron DeCobray, the Baroness's husband, for him to weaponize and use them to destroy the Eiffel Tower to serve as a showing of the warhead's destructive power. Making their way to Paris, the Joes pursue them through the streets but are unsuccessful in stopping them from launching the missile. Duke manages to hit the kill switch, but in doing so he is captured and taken to McCullen's base under the Arctic.

G.I. Joe locates the secret base and fly there as McCullen loads three missiles with nano-mite warheads. After Snake Eyes takes out one, Ripcord pursues the remaining missiles in a prototype Night Raven jet while Scarlett and her group infiltrate the base. While Scarlett and Snake Eyes attempt to shut down the Arctic base, with Heavy Duty leading an attack on Cobra's forces, Duke learns that the Doctor is Rex Lewis, Ana's brother believed to have been killed on a mission led by Duke four years ago. He was trapped in a bunker with Doctor Mindbender (Kevin O'Connor), disfigured in the blast which everyone presumed had killed him. The Baroness tries to free Duke but the Doctor reveals he has implanted her with nano-mites which has put her under his control for the past four years, admitting his amazement that she is resisting the programming. Attempting to kill Duke, McCullen ends up being facially burned as he flees with Rex to an escape vessel. Duke and the Baroness pursue him while the Joes fall back when Rex activated the base's self destruct sequence.

Rex then heals McCullen's burned face with nano-mites, encasing it in silver as he christens McCullen "Destro" and assumes the identity of Cobra Commander before they are captured by G.I. Joe soon after. On board the supercarrier USS Flagg, Baroness is placed in protective custody until they can remove the nano-mites from her body. Meanwhile, Zartan, having been earlier operated on by Rex, infiltrates the White House during the missile crisis and assumes the identity of the President of the United States.

Review: by BRUCE KIRKLAND -- Sun Media

Busy little boys with big bad toys: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is all testosterone, mad science and military might.

In the midst of real world conflict that looks ugly on TV, G.I. Joe glorifies an exciting fantasy version of good vs. evil. It is wish fulfillment. The good guys are ready to kick bad guy butt in what is called "the not too distant future."

The movie is all spectacle. If you already love the Transformers series and you want your summer movies to be brainless adrenalin rushes, then G.I. Joe is more of the same, only different.

The same, because both came from Hasbro action toys and each franchise is designed to sell more merchandise.

Different, because Channing Tatum's hero character in G.I. Joe is so bland, in comparison to Shia LaBeouf's quirky performance in Transformers.

The same, because things blow up real good in both movies. Why bother with character development when you can destroy something, like a car, a truck, a train, a reputation, an iconic landmark or a whole city?

Different, because G.I Joe is all about humanity, while Transformers uses Earth as a playground for alien conflict.

The same, because the storylines are simple minded, the jokes are cheesy and the people are caricatures.

Different, because G.I. Joe has delusions of 007 grandeur, while Transformers steals more from the Terminator series.

As toys, the G.I. Joe line was launched in 1964, later morphing into a comic book and cartoon series. Video games followed, and now we have Mummy creator Stephen Sommers' expensive big-screen adaptation.

Sommers plays fast and loose with the imagery, weaponry and origins stories from the comics and cartoons. He mostly gets away with it because the the Joe world is less established than other comicbook heroes, such as Batman.

G.I. Joe - Cobra Poster
22 in. x 34 in.
Buy at AllPosters.com
Framed Mounted

Other than the boring Tatum, the Joe casting works. Sienna Miller is eye-candy in black leatherette as good-bad girl the Baroness. Ditto for Rachel Nichols as redheaded heroine Scarlett.

Among the men, Dennis Quaid does his usual gruff authoritive thing as General Hawk, while Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje commands our attention as Heavy Duty. Christopher Eccleston is all brash bravado as the arms dealer McCullen, while Joseph Gordon-Levitt is suitably creepy as the madman doctor.

For comic relief, Marlon Wayans plays Tatum's soldiering sidekick.

Mentioning the actors, however, might give the impression there is acting in the movie. Not really. There are archetypes, actors posing just long enough to establish a character, get into the body armour and start the action by kicking, punching, running or shooting.

'Angels & Demons'

2009-08-07T17:26:00.003-06:00

Featured Reviewer: JIM SLOTEK - Sun Media

Starring: Tom Hanks ... Robert Langdon

Ewan McGregor ... Camerlengo Patrick McKenna

Ayelet Zurer ... Vittoria Vetra

Stellan Skarsgård ... Commander Richter

Pierfrancesco Favino ... Inspector Olivetti

Nikolaj Lie Kaas ... Assassin

Armin Mueller-Stahl ... Cardinal Strauss

Thure Lindhardt ... Chartrand

David Pasquesi ... Claudio Vincenzi

Cosimo Fusco ... Father Simeon

Victor Alfieri ... Lieutenant Valenti

Angels and Demons

Double-sided poster
Buy at AllPosters.com

Framed

Synopsis: Warning! This synopsis contains spoilers
Under the watchful eye of Father Silvano Bentivoglio and Dr. Vittoria Vetra (Ayelet Zurer), the CERN scientists start the Large Hadron Collider and manage to capture three vials of antimatter. Immediately afterward, someone kills Father Silvano, and uses his retina to break into the containment room to steal one vial of anti-matter.

In Rome, the Vatican mourns the passing of the Pope. The Vatican staff prepares for the Conclave of the College of Cardinals, which will select the next Pope. Until the Conclave selects a new Pope, the Camerlengo (Ewan McGregor) assumes day-to-day control of the Vatican. Reporters, nuns, priests and other faithful all crowd into St. Peter's Square, waiting for the white smoke from the Conclave. But the Illuminati, a 400-year old, underground secret society, kidnaps the four most likely candidates (preferratti) before the Conclave goes into seclusion. The Illuminati threatens to kill them at 8, 9, 10 and 11 PM, and then destroy the Vatican in a burst of light at midnight. A video feed shows the missing anti-matter vial, which will destroy the Vatican and parts of nearby Rome when the magnetic containment field fails.

The Vatican summons Drs. Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) and Vittoria Vetra from CERN to help them solve the Illuminati's threat, save the four preferratti, and replace the vial vial's batteries. Langdon listens to the Illuminati message and deduces that the four cardinals will die at the four alters of the Path of Illumination. However, no one knows where these alters are located. Vetra demands the Swiss Guard fly Father Silvano's diaries from Switzerland. They hope he wrote down the name of whomever he discussed the CERN experiment. Langdon demands access to the Vatican Library (something he has requested 10 times already) to see the original copy of Galileo's banned book. Using the clue from this book, Langdon, Vetra, and Lieutenant Valenti (Victor Alfieri) of the Vatican police race to the first church, only to find the body of the first Cardinal, branded with the word, Earth (in English!). They find the direction of the church with the seond Illuminati alter, but arrive in time to see the next Cardinal die, branded with the word Air. Langdon locates the third church with the third Illuminati altar, but tries to save the third Cardinal from burning to death, while the assassin kills the Vatican policemen. He convinces the Rome police to race to the last church of the Water alter, and manages to save the last Cardinal. However, location of the last Illuminati altar remains in question.

When Langdon discovers evidence of the resurgence of an ancient secret scientific society known as the Illuminati - the most powerful underground organization in history - he also faces a deadly threat to the existence of the secret organization's most despised enemy: the Catholic Church. When Langdon learns that the clock is ticking on an unstoppable Illuminati time bomb, he jets to Rome, where he joins forces with Vittoria Vetra, a beautiful and enigmatic Italian scientist. Embarking on a nonstop, action-packed hunt through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, deserted cathedrals, and even to the heart of the most secretive vault on earth, Langdon and Vetra will follow a 400-year-old trail of ancient symbols that mark the Vatican's only hope for survival.

Angels and Demons was the reclusive authors third novel after he gave up his job as an English teacher. It tells the story of Langdons brush with a shadowy secret society, the Illuminati, and his frantic quest for the worlds most powerful energy source, in the company of a beautiful Italian physicist whose father, a brilliant physicist, has been murdered.

The team behind the global phenomenon "The Da Vinci Code" returns for the highly anticipated "Angels & Demons," based upon the bestselling novel by Dan Brown. Tom Hanks reprises his role as Harvard religious expert Robert Langdon, who once again finds that forces with ancient roots are willing to stop at nothing, even murder, to advance their goals. Ron Howard again directs the film, which is produced by Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, and John Calley. The screenplay is by David Koepp and Akiva Goldsman.

It is Ron Howard's excellence in directing such films as "A Beautiful Mind" that make this film so superb. It also lies in the simple things that keep characters like Hanks true to life, with his wearing of a simple Mickey Mouse watch, much like the truth to Russell Crowe playing John Nash in "A Beautiful Mind" and admitting to "taking the newer medications." Howard is excellent in depicting the simplicity of complexity and complex issues. (Top 5 Contributors: ysc, peter-925, clubone37, chefjudy, scouterdap )

Review: by JIM SLOTEK - Sun Media

Ron Howard now says he was too faithful to The Da Vinci Code, and felt liberated to cut freely with his movie of the other Dan Brown best-seller, Angels & Demons.

Trouble is, Angels & Demons -- which was actually Brown's first book starring symbologist/Vatican-bete-noir Robert Langdon -- can be charitably described as a "fat-free" thriller. Whatever you cut is pure bone.

Which means a whole first act of yakety yak to explain missing chapters of story -- just your first hint that, as terrific a filmmaker as Howard is in other genres, there's one he's only average at -- action movies.

Despite cerebral-sounding trailers that are all about Byzantine plots and secret societies, Angels & Demons is a simple, breathless action thriller, like the Bourne films' dumber brother, or an episode of 24.

You've got an anti-matter bomb in the Vatican, and four Cardinals kidnapped on the eve of a Papal conclave, with a promise from the kidnapper to kill one every hour leading up to the main event.

You've got clues left by the villains (ostensibly the ancient secret society known as The Illuminati) leading you around the city of Rome, and a guy (Tom Hanks) with almost superhuman abilities to solve said clues.

Simple, huh?

Bourne's Paul Greengrass would make mincemeat of it. God help me, Michael Bay could make a decent popcorn movie out of it.

Howard, however, doesn't go much beyond Langdon running and talking and thinking and running.

Among things excised from novel-to-script: physical struggles between Langdon and the assassin (Nikolaj Lie Kaas), and a romance with physicist Vittoria Vetra (Ayelet Zurer), designer of the anti-matter retrieval process. Which means no butt-kicking and no love interest. You call this an action movie?

Presented as a sequel to the events in The Da Vinci Code, we jump from the bloody theft of the anti-matter at the CERN lab in Switzerland to Langdon doing laps in a pool Stateside.

Angels and Demons

Double-sided poster
Buy at AllPosters.com

Framed

There, a Vatican official appears to tell him about the anti-matter bomb and the kidnappings, and to fly him in for his date with destiny and Roman rush-hour traffic. (A funny thing about Angels & Demons is how quickly Langdon gets miles across Rome in minutes -- when in real life, drivers leave their cars in the street to buy an espresso, knowing it will still be stuck there when they return).

With the death of the pope, decision-making falls by decree to his assistant, the Camerlengo (Ewan McGregor, phoning it in), a devout young man with a secret.

His main problem: convincing the senior Cardinals and the Swiss Guard, led by the surly Commander Richter (Stellan Skarsgard), that he has the authority to let Langdon loose in the Vatican Archives and ultimately, to evacuate The Vatican itself.

Within said archives, Langdon and Vetra find Galileo's secret Path of Illumination map. Bernini statues of angels point this way and that, from the Santa Maria del Popolo to Piazza Navona to Castel Sant'Angelo, etc. -- clues all unravelled instantly by the steeltrap mind of Langdon, who then runs off, explaining his deductions between breaths.

Why does this take nearly two-and-a-half hours -- albeit breathless ones?

As my priest used to say when I'd ask annoying questions in Catechism, "It's a mystery, my son."

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

2009-07-15T23:22:00.003-06:00

Featured reviewer: Rent Angel (Renty The Raven) from London, England

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe ... Harry Potter

Michael Gambon ... Professor Albus Dumbledore

Dave Legeno ... Fenrir Greyback

Elarica Gallagher ... Waitress

Jim Broadbent ... Professor Horace Slughorn

Geraldine Somerville ... Lily Potter

Bonnie Wright ... Ginny Weasley

Julie Walters ... Molly Weasley

Rupert Grint ... Ron Weasley

Emma Watson ... Hermione Granger

Helena Bonham Carter ... Bellatrix Lestrange

Helen McCrory ... Narcissa Malfoy

Timothy Spall ... Wormtail

Alan Rickman ... Professor Severus Snape

Oliver Phelps ... George Weasley

Watch the trailer

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Poster

Buy at AllPosters.com

Framed   Mounted

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Poster

Buy at AllPosters.com

Framed   Mounted

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Poster

Buy at AllPosters.com

Framed   Mounted

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Poster

Buy at AllPosters.com

Framed   Mounted

Synopsis: Harry Potter's sixth year at Hogwarts turns out to be quite the exciting year. First off is the arrival of a new teacher at Hogwarts, Horace Slughorn, who is a bit more useful to Harry than he realizes. Next, Harry obtains a Potions book which used to belong to the very mysterious Half-Blood Prince. Harry finds that the Half-Blood Prince's ancient scribbles are written along the margins of almost every page, giving Harry advice on how to improve greatly on his Potions work, and also teaching him a few helpful (and dangerous) spells along the way. Amidst this, Harry is starting private lessons with Professor Dumbledore, during which Harry learns the dark secrets of Voldemort's past, hoping that they could use these secrets to find a way to defeat him. Harry's year gets even more stressful with the suspicious actions of Draco Malfoy, who has been sneaking around the school doing, so Harry assumes, Voldemort's bidding. Harry quickly becomes determined, and slightly obsessed, to find out exactly what Malfoy has been up to and putting an end to it. Yet, during this time, Harry and his friends go through daily life, busy with school work, Quidditch (in which Harry has been made captain of the team), and, of course, romance. Ron has found a new girlfriend, Lavender Brown, a perky (if not obnoxious) Gryffindor student, and Hermione is not happy about it. Ron and Hermione's friendship takes a toll throughout the school year and Harry, as usual, is stuck in the middle. Harry, meanwhile, is facing a romantic dilemma of his own: he realizes he is falling for his best friend's sister, Ginny Weasley, who is unfortunately dating Harry's classmate, Dean Thomas. Harry's pining for Ginny and Ron's hilarious relationship with Lavender give this story a large dose of reality. Throughout all the school drama, however, the obvious darkness of Voldemort's impending rise to power is always apparent. The incredible action-packed climax is sure to leave the audience stunned and, inevitably, prove that you shouldn't trust everybody who you think is good and also prove that not everyone can manage to survive. -ceeotters

Review: Rent Angel (Renty The Raven) from London, England

Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince is an excellent followup to the fifth film in the series, Order of the Phoenix. I was not too big of a fan of the first film. The second was excellent in my opinion. The third was horrendous. The fourth had its moments but was disappointing. The fifth was a fantastic return to form (even with its many cuts, which displeased the majority of fans of the books) and the sixth is just as excellent as I thought it would be. I came in with high hopes and walked away from this viewing experience very satisfied and sure that the final installment (The Deathly Hallows, which will be two separate films) will be as wonderful and as thrilling as the book, since this one captures the essence and the spirit of Rowling's sixth installment with relative ease.

I am not going to bother even getting into the plot, seeing as the majority who go to see these films are fans of the books anyway and know what is going to happen. All I will say is that this film is as dark and as depressing as the book it is adapted from. I am sure that there will be shrieks of delight as well as of fear and there is no doubt in my mind that there will be plenty of tears shed upon the dramatic and shocking climax. Save for a few missteps here and there, David Yates employs a directional style that has vastly improved and that fully takes advantage of the dark subject matter of the novel with its excellent understanding of dramatic tension as well as black comedy and simple fun moments which define the friendship and the lives and times of Harry, Ron and Hermione at Hogwarts.

Stands!

The Half-Blood Prince - Harry Potter

Stand Up

26 in. x 66 in.

Buy at AllPosters.com

The Half-Blood Prince - Ron Weasley

Stand Up

23 in. x 69 in.

Buy at AllPosters.com

The Half-Blood Prince - Hermione Granger

Stand Up

15 in. x 66 in.

Buy at AllPosters.com

The Half-Blood Prince - Professor Snape

Stand Up

37 in. x 74 in.

Buy at AllPosters.com

The Half-Blood Prince - Professor Dumbledore

Stand Up

25 in. x 73 in.

Buy at AllPosters.com

For those who have read the novel and are expecting to see some hormones raging—the film definitely delivers. Rowling made her readers squeal with joy upon introducing romantic subplots and while some are sweet and serious (Harry and Ginny Weasley) and some are downright hilarious and at the same time cringe-inducing (high school students will understand the relationship between Ron and Lavender Brown perfectly). This all works because the three main actors have definitely matured. Daniel Radcliffe (though still weak at some points) is growing up to be a fine young actor. The great reviews that came his way with his triumph in "Eqqus" are put to excellent use with his nuanced performance. I see a great many good things ahead of him. Rupert Grint provides excellent comic relief as the gangly Ron and Emma Watson gives an excellent performance as the kind and intelligent Hermione Granger—growing up to be quite beautiful and not to mention into an excellent young actress was not easy I am sure, seeing as she as well as the other two were thrust into the public eye at ages so very young, but she has matured the most out of the three of them and it is a shame that she has claimed that she is giving up acting practically completely in favor of a college education. While that is all well and good, I do hope that this young talent changes her mind, as she is excellent! While she will surely go far regardless, I hope she never truly shuns the spotlight.

The supporting cast is excellent as always; Maggie Smith and Michael Gambon are fine and isn't always wonderful to see the familiar faces of others like the great Julie Walters and Alan Rickman? Jim Broadbent (strange casting I thought at first) is wonderful as Prof. Horace Slughorn and there is a surprising turn from Dave Legeno as the evil Fenrir, who I'm sure many have been dying to see on screen ever since reading the novel itself! Helena Bonham-Carter (who wowed me to no end with her minimal screen time as the deranged and depraved Bellatrix Lestrange) delivers once again—she is a delight and fits in wonderfully with everyone else.

This is sure to be loved by all die-hard fans. Much more confident direction, fine cinematography, an improved score and excellent performances by an all star cast mark this triumph, which is sure to be one of the biggest hits of the summer; I await the next installment with much glee, though there will be tears once it is all over I know.

Enjoy the ride while you can!

Brüno

2009-07-11T11:20:00.003-06:00

Featured Reviewer: Brent Hartinger, AfterElton.com

Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen ... Brüno

Gustaf Hammarsten ... Lutz

Clifford Bañagale ... Diesel

Chibundu Orukwowu ... O.J.

Synopsis: "Borat" trickster Sacha Baron Cohen returns to the big screen to offer yet another stinging dose of sociopolitical satire in this comedy that finds him assuming the persona of gay fashionmonger Brüno, the self-proclaimed "voice of Austrian youth TV." Originally conceived as part of Cohen's cult television series Da Ali G Show, the character of Bruno offered a cleverly costumed Cohen the opportunity to highlight the absurdities of the fashion industry by interviewing unsuspecting fashion icons and other haute couture hangers-on. - Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Review: "Brüno" isn't homophobic. But it's also not nearly as funny as "Borat" either.

Or maybe it is. As in "Borat": Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, Sacha Baron Cohen's 2006 movie, the comedian creates outrageous situations — and then films how real people react.

And many of the set-ups are admittedly brilliant. Asking stage-mothers if they'd allow their actor-babies to operate heavy machinery, or lose ten pounds through liposuction, or be photographed dressed up like Nazis, pushing Jewish babies into ovens? And having these over-eager stage mothers readily agree to all this without question?

Now that is some amazing parody of America's celebrity-obsessed culture!

Likewise, plenty of the jokes are laugh-out-loud hilarious. I defy anyone not to laugh when "Brüno" has a psychic conjure up the spirit of a deceased member of the band Milli Vanilli — so "Brüno" can proceed to have "spirit" sex with him.

But even if this movie has its inspired moments, it doesn't have nearly the impact of "Borat".

Why? Well, we've seen the joke before: the whole movie is basically "Borat" with a different funny voice. And no matter how well-told a joke is, it's not nearly as funny the second time you hear it.

In short, Sacha Baron Cohen is the Susan Boyle of comedy. He's just as talented as the first time you saw him, but he's only going to knock your socks off once, at least as long as he's doing almost exactly the same shtick.

In the case of "Borat", it was so outrageous, so utterly different from anything we'd seen before, that most of us fell off our chairs laughing, not even noticing its flaws.

This time around, we see the flaws. The movie is more a satire about America's inane obsession with celebrity than it is about exposing homophobia, but both themes have their moments.

Some sequences do fall flat (exactly as in "Borat", even if we didn't notice). A long sequence with a martial arts expert teaching "Brüno" how to defend against "fags" with dildos goes nowhere.

And try as I might, I don't find anything funny about the Middle East situation, even when Cohen pretends not to know the difference between Hamas and hummus.

And why is it funny exactly when someone acts completely inappropriately in a given situation, and then people react with annoyance or outrage?

If I was Paula Abdul and you tried to serve me sushi on a naked male body, I'd get up and leave too. If I was in a focus group and you wasted my time showing what was obviously a ridiculous show (with frontal male nudity, no less, including a talking penis), I'd be annoyed too.

Yes, someone gets naked here, though no word on whether it was really Cohen. But I hope it goes without saying it's the opposite of sexy.

Part of the problem is that the filmmakers, and Cohen, squandered any sense of surprise by generating all those headlines while making the movie, and then commencing with last month's non-stop blitz of stunts and other publicity, including an avalanche of commercials and promotional clips.

By now, we've all seen or read about almost every scene and almost every joke in the movie. It's the anti-Susan Boyle effect where you go into the theater pretty much knowing exactly what you'll get.

The film's other big flaw? It sounds crazy to say this, but I wished I learned something real about "Brüno". I was disappointed the film, and Cohen, never took him even remotely seriously. The character was kept entirely on the level of a Saturday Night Live sketch — and 90 minutes is an awfully long sketch.

Back to the film's alleged homophobia. Two months ago, when GLAAD and others expressed concern about several scenes, Cohen and the filmmakers reportedly made some cuts. And a representative from GLAAD told me that The New York Times and other media outlets had over-emphasized their complaints, trying to create a "controversy" where one didn't really exist.

In any event, I didn't see anything homophobic in the final film. Sure, there are a couple of tasteless jokes — and they have nothing whatsoever to do with "exposing homophobia." But if they were funny, I didn't care, and when they weren't, it was impossible to feel offended given the nature of the movie, and the fact that this is 2009.

And "Brüno" himself? It's literally impossible for me to imagine how any sentient person couldn't see him for the outrageous, over-the-top satire he is (and if someone didn't, they're way beyond the reach of a mere movie anyway).

If you want a good laugh or two, go see it "Brüno". And while you're at it, take another look of that clip of Susan Boyle on Britain's Got Talent. You'll be almost exactly as entertained.

Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen

2009-06-27T10:30:00.004-06:00

Featured Reviewer: Curt Holman, Creative Loafing

Starring: Shia LaBeouf ... Sam Witwicky

Megan Fox ... Mikaela Banes

Josh Duhamel ... Major Lennox

Tyrese Gibson ... USAF Master Sergeant Epps

John Turturro ... Agent Simmons

Ramon Rodriguez ... Leo Spitz

Kevin Dunn ... Ron Witwicky

Julie White ... Judy Witwicky

Isabel Lucas ... Alice

John Benjamin Hickey ... Galloway

Transformers - Megatron Poster
22 in. x 34 in.
Buy at AllPosters.com
Framed Mounted

Synopsis: The battle for Earth has ended but the battle for the universe has just begun. After returning to Cybertron, Starscream assumes command of the Decepticons, and has decided to return to Earth with force. The Autobots believing that peace was possible finds out that Megatron's dead body has been stolen from the US Military by Skorpinox and revives him using his own spark. Now Megatron is back seeking revenge and with Starscream and more Decepticon reinforcements on the way, the Autobots with reinforcements of their own, may have more to deal with then meets the eye.

Transformers 2 Door Poster
Buy at AllPosters.com

Review: by Curt Holman in Hollywood Product, CreativeLoafing.com

GENRE: Rock ’em, sock ’em robots

THE PITCH: The Autobots, those heroic space robots, must protect Sam Witwicky (Shia LeBeouf) from the evil Decepticons when the all-American teen journeys from college campus to Egyptian desert to find an Earth-shaking artifact called the Matrix of Leadership. No, really.

MONEY SHOTS: Cool robot shapes include a mechanical tiger; a parasitical satellite; a flat, origami-like thief; and the giant Devastator made of multiple pieces of construction equipment. Decepticons rain from the sky and destroy an aircraft carrier. Some of the battles are great in theory — like Autobot leader Optimus Prime brawling with three Decepticons in a forest — but the robots have so many moving parts, and there’s so much editing and camera movement that watching the fight scenes is like trying to watch rollercoasters screw.

WORST LINE: “You’ll always be my first car,” Sam tells the Camaro-robot Bumblebee in a dopey semi-break-up scene that is, nonetheless, less boring than a subplot over whether Sam will say “I love you” to his mechanically inclined girlfriend Mikaela (Megan Fox).

MOST UNINTENTIONALLY FUNNY LINE: “Earth! Birthplace of the human race!” announces Optimus Prime in the film’s first words. But you could pick lines at random, and they’d still probably be pretty amusing.

MOST INTENTIONALLY FUNNY LINE: “What you are about to see is top secret. Don’t tell my mother,” announces John Turturro’s squirrelly spy-turned-conspiracy theorist. Turturro’s half-hinged performance is the film's cleverest, most focused quality.

BODY COUNT: Decepticon attacks on the human race cost more than 7,000 lives, according to a newscaster. Few humans are actually shown being killed, except for a caveman stomped in the prologue. The Transformers suffer various stabbings, shootings and smashings, but it’s hard to know what qualifies as a fatal injury for a hunk of metal.

FLESH FACTOR: Megan Fox wiggles into a short dress outside Sam’s garage. Suspiciously amorous co-ed Alice (Isabel Lucas) reveals a lot of thigh and cleavage. We actually see less of Fox or Lucas than we do of Turturro, thanks to a low-angle close-up of him wearing of his jockstrap — from both sides. (Good luck with that in IMAX.) Also: wrecking-ball-sized robot “scrotum.”

PRODUCT PLACEMENT: Like the previous film, it’s practically a commercial for General Motors, so perhaps Josh Duhamel’s Autobot-saving U.S. commandos represent the government bailout. Sam misses his e-date with Mikaela via Cisco Webex. Mountain Dew is conspicuous in Sam’s college dorm, and his parents drink Budweiser in a Parisian café. Take that, Frenchy!

HOMAGES: A fragment of the otherworldly Allspark turns kitchen appliances into evil little robots in a clear lift from Gremlins. Bumblebee speaks mostly in song snippets and movie quotes, including two Tom Hanks films. Director Michael Bay shamelessly — even for him — uses a poster for his Bad Boys 2 as a prop.

POLITICALLY CORRECT? The sexist leering over Fox’s whorey outfits and makeup gives way to outright misogyny in its mean-spirited depiction of sluttish Alice and Sam’s moronic mom. It also indulges in jaw-dropping racial stereotypes with two jive-talkin’, buck-toothed, pop-eyed Autobots named Mudflap and Skids.

BETTER THAN THE FIRST ONE? No. Bay’s original Transformers was hardly an exercise in subtlety, but at least it offered a sense of discovery, built some genuine suspense, and showed some things you’d never seen in a movie before. At once sillier and more pompous, the sequel makes a chaotic hash of things from practically the first scene and draws out for two and a half deafening hours.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Opting for loud, grating comedy and incoherent action scenes, Bay steamrolls over his human and mechanical cast members alike. If you wonder just how stupid Hollywood thinks its audience is, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen provides your answer. If only it could transform into a movie that doesn’t suck.

Terminator Salvation

2009-05-23T09:28:00.008-06:00

Terminator Salvation

Masterprint

Buy at AllPosters.com

Starring: Christian Bale ... John Connor

Sam Worthington ... Marcus Wright

Moon Bloodgood ... Blair Williams

Helena Bonham Carter ... Dr. Serena Kogan

Anton Yelchin ... Kyle Reese

Jadagrace ... Star

Bryce Dallas Howard ... Kate Connor

Common ... Barnes

Jane Alexander ... Virginia

Michael Ironside ... General Ashdown

Ivan G'Vera ... General Losenko

Chris Browning ... Morrison

Dorian Nkono ... David

Beth Bailey ... Lisa

Victor J. Ho ... Mark (as Victor Ho)

Synopsis: Set in post-apocalyptic 2018, John Connor is the man fated to lead the human resistance against Skynet and its army of Terminators. But the future Connor was raised to believe in is altered in part by the appearance of Marcus Wright, a stranger whose last memory is of being on death row. Connor must decide whether Marcus has been sent from the future, or rescued from the past. As Skynet prepares its final onslaught, Connor and Marcus both embark on an odyssey that takes them into the heart of Skynet’s operations, where they uncover the terrible secret behind the possible annihilation of mankind. Written by Warner Bros. Pictures

Review: by: Brendan Cullin

Terminator Salvation takes us to the year 2018, in the years after Judgement Day, when the robots have taken over the world. An army of Terminators, controlled by the artificial network Skynet, roam the earth, kidnapping and/or killing all humans in sight. Many of the remaining human survivors have banded together to form the Resistance, a desperate group who relentlessly fight the seemingly indestructable machines. Among the survivors is John Connor (Christian Bale), a man whose life goal has always been to save humanity and stop the machines. Unfortunately for Connor, the human casualties just seem to be multiplying and he must find a way to stop Skynet as it continues to evolve and develop new tactics to destroy mankind once and for all. Terminator Salvation also stars Sam Worthington as an ex-con named Marcus Wright, as well as Anton Yelchin, Bryce Dallas Howard, Helena Bonham Carter and many more. As a sidenote, the T-800 that appears in the movie is actually played by a fellow named Roland Kickinger, not Arnie. Howard Stern fans may remember him from the short-lived TV series "Son of the Beach". It's scary how much he looked liked Arnie but it was not him, in case you are wondering.

I'm sure most movie fans are expecting the world of Terminator Salvation. How could you not? The first three movies were all simply oustanding and are movies many of us grew up knowing and loving. Well, I'm here to report that Salvation is a pretty damn good movie. In terms of action and special effects, it may rank up there as one of the best ever. Sam Worthington's portrayal of Marcus Wright was the performance that was head and shoulders above the other cast members. For all you hockey fans out there, I found the guy looks eerily like Sean Avery (and that's not a good thing - for Worthington). The movie moves at a good pace - it's actually surprisingly short, clocking in at slightly less than 2 hours but with all the fighting and explosions going on, there isn't too much time to sit back and relax. Some of the action scenes and battles between the Terminators and the humans are simply outstanding. For that, I commend the movie-makers.

Unfortunately, what this movie lacks is the story and easy feeling of at least two of the three Terminator movies. Sure the first Terminator movie was very serious, violent and definitely not chock full of laughs - Salvation really has the same somber type of feeling of the first movie. But those second two movies made Arnie's Terminator such a likeable and pretty damn funny cyborg and this has a lot to do with what made both of those movies a hit. Salvation, on the other hand,is dark, violent and I'm pretty sure not one person in the entire movie cracks a smile, not even once. Is that a bad thing? I'm not sure if it should be or not but it would have been nice to have one wise-cracking asshole at least once or twice in the whole movie. Instead, you have a bunch of angry characters (and I suppose rightly so) that you have a really hard time connecting with and having any sort of feeling for any of them. And you also have Christian Bale, one of the greatest actors in the world today, and as good as he was, his talent just seemed kind of wasted in this movie. Don't get me wrong, the guy was good. But he could have had a moment or two in the movie to be "Christian Bale", if you know what I mean. He really didn't get that opportunity, at least not what I saw. In fact, I found the Sam Worthington character to be a lot more endearing and likeable and the guy was a convicted serial killer. Something just seemed to be missing with Bale's John Connor. As a side note, I really wonder what scene it was where Bale had his now infamous outburst...

Overall, I will say that I liked Terminator Salvation a lot, despite all the energy I used typing my complaints about the movie. I didn't love it like I wanted but I can't deny that it's a damn entertaining movie. I guess I was hoping that perhaps an army of human-looking T-800's would infiltrate the resistance or John Connor would have a big moment or Arnie or Linda Hamilton would make an appearance or I maybe would have cracked a smile or shed a tear but none of that happened. It just turned out to be a very loud but very action-packed movie and I guess that's good enough. Too bad it wasn't great enough.

Star Trek

2009-05-08T12:12:00.010-06:00

Star Trek

Poster

Buy at AllPosters.com

Starring: Chris Pine ... James T. Kirk

Zachary Quinto ... Spock

Leonard Nimoy ... Spock Prime

Eric Bana ... Nero

Bruce Greenwood ... Capt. Christopher Pike

Karl Urban ... Dr. Leonard 'Bones' McCoy

Zoe Saldana ... Nyota Uhura

Simon Pegg ... Scotty

John Cho ... Hikaru Sulu

Anton Yelchin ... Pavel Chekov

Ben Cross ... Sarek

Winona Ryder ... Amanda Grayson

Chris Hemsworth ... George Kirk

Jennifer Morrison ... Winona Kirk

Rachel Nichols ... Gaila

Click above to buy these and many other collectible posters, stills and more from MovieGoods.com®

Synopsis: WARNING! Contains spoilers

The film opens with the Federation starship USS Kelvin investigating a "lightning storm" in space. It turns out to be a black hole, and the Narada, a Romulan mining vessel, emerges from it and attacks. The Kelvin's captain, Richard Robau (Faran Tahir) is captured and killed by the Romulan captain Nero (Eric Bana). First officer George Kirk (Chris Hemsworth) takes command and sacrifices himself and the Kelvin by ramming it into the Romulan ship in order to allow the rest of the crew to escape. During the escape, George's wife Winona (Jennifer Morrison) gives birth to a son: James Tiberius Kirk.

About 22 years later, Kirk (Chris Pine) grows into an intelligent but reckless young man. He meets Uhura (Zoe Saldana) and Captain Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood) in a bar in Iowa, where Pike convices Kirk to enlist in Starfleet Academy and follow in his father's footsteps. During his eventful education on Earth, he is suspended for cheating on the Kobayashi Maru designed by the half-Vulcan, half-human Spock (Zachary Quinto). Despite this, Kirk is smuggled onboard the USS Enterprise by his friend, Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy (Karl Urban), as it is sent on its first mission to investigate a distress signal originating from the planet Vulcan; Captain Pike commands the ship, with Spock as his first officer, and Uhura is also assigned to the ship. En-route, Kirk realizes that the situation is similar to the one 25 years ago when his father died and, with the help of Uhura and McCoy, manages to convince Pike and Spock that the Enterprise is heading into a trap. When the Enterprise arrives, they find the rest of the Starfleet ships destroyed and Nero's ship, the Narada, using a drilling apparatus to tunnel to the planet's core. After promoting Spock to captain and Kirk to first officer, Pike surrenders to Nero, giving Kirk and Hikaru Sulu (John Cho) a chance to destroy the drill. Nevertheless, Nero destroys Vulcan with a small amount of "red matter", dropped into the planet's core, which creates a black hole that consumes the planet from within. Six billion of the Vulcan people die, including Spock's human mother, Amanda (Winona Ryder).

Nero puts the Narada on a course for Earth with the intention of destroying it. Kirk wants to follow Nero immediately, but Spock insists that the Enterprise should regroup with the fleet as per their orders. Spock has Kirk forcibly removed from the Enterprise and stranded on the nearby ice planet Delta Vega, only for him to be rescued by an aging Vulcan who reveals himself to be Ambassador Spock (Leonard Nimoy). This elderly Spock explains that, 120 years in the future, he tried to save the Romulan planet from being destroyed by a nearby supernova, using the red matter in his ship to create a black hole that would neutralise the threat. Though Spock did not complete his mission in time to save Romulusresulting in Nero's vow to take revenge on Spock and the Federationhe stopped the supernova, and the resulting black hole transported Spock's ship and the Narada into the past. Spock takes Kirk to a nearby Starfleet outpost and introduces him to Montgomery Scott (Simon Pegg), a master engineer and pioneer of transporter technology. Scott and Kirk are transported back to the Enterprise and, taking Ambassador Spock's advice, Kirk goads the younger Spock into attacking him and demonstrating that he is "emotionally compromised". As a result, Spock relieves himself of command; because Kirk is the next-highest ranking officer, he becomes the new captain of the Enterprise.

Captain Kirk takes the Enterprise to Earth, intending to stop the Narada on his own. Spock, Scott and math-whiz Pavel Chekov (Anton Yelchin) figure out a way to lie in wait for the Narada and beam aboard, allowing Kirk and Spock to stage a surprise attack. While Spock steals Ambassador Spock's captured ship and lures the Narada away from Earth, Kirk rescues Pike. With the assistance of the Enterprise, Spock then rams Ambassador Spock's ship into the Narada, detonating the red matter and creating a black hole that, aided by a full barrage of the Enterprise's weaponry, destroys the Narada completely. Kirk, Spock and Pike are rescued by the Enterprise via transporter, which is in turn saved from being pulled into the black hole by Scott. Back on Earth, Kirk is commended, promoted to captain and given permanent command of the Enterprise from Pike, now a Fleet Admiral. Ambassador Spock visits his younger self and explains that he helped Kirk directly because he wanted to ensure that the young Spock and Kirk would come to an understanding of each other and become friends. The younger Spock, convinced to stay with Starfleet, requests to be posted to the Enterprise as first officer and Kirk accepts.

Click above to buy these and many other collectible posters, stills and more from MovieGoods.com®

Review: by Scott Weinberg, Cinematical WARNING! Contains spoilers

When it comes to a franchise as beloved as "Star Trek", I suppose it's important to let people know where you stand, right at the beginning: I never was able to get into the original Star Trek series (probably because I'd already been indoctrinated into the Star Wars religion), but I knew enough to become a big fan of the first three cinematic adaptations. I think "The Motion Picture" is a fine (if slightly overlong) re-awakening of the franchise, and I'm a big fan of both "The Wrath of Khan" and "The Search for Spock". The rest of the features are slight and forgettable (at best) or drearily familiar, which is slightly annoying because I absolutely adore "The Next Generation" on the small screen. On the big one? Not so much.

But beyond the impact and popularity of a lone franchise, I'm just a huge science fiction fan. Anything that can delve deep into the future and dazzle me with something flashy or fascinating is a good thing indeed. But what makes "Star Trek" such a long-lasting and rabidly adored franchise is that it goes beyond simple "alien adventures" and touches upon ideas, questions, and issues that we always contend with in the "real" world. If you have to travel 100,000 miles and deal with purple aliens to make a clever point about, say, racism, then let's hear it for basic-yet-admirable subtext. So yes, "Star Trek" has always been a smart, insightful, and topical space adventure, but this time out ... it's mostly just fun.

Yes, it's an all-new reboot of one of the most beloved series of all time. Which means director J.J. Abrams and his filmmaking crew are walking on very thin ice. True, it's not like the "Star Trek" series has never seen a bad film, but when you're retro-fitting a mega-franchise in very loud and expensive fashion ... the fans take notice. And they're not afraid to call bullshit at the drop of a hat or a crack in the canon, which is part of what makes the new "Star Trek" such a pleasant surprise. Not only did they "pull it off," but they've done so in rather grand fashion: This is the best Trek since Khan got all wrathful and such.

It's an origin story, which is normally snooze central, but in this case ... well, do you actually KNOW how Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Uhura, etc., all met up at the start? I'd assume that only the hardest of hardcore fans know that stuff, and the "flashback" approach allows us to accept an all-new cast as a simple part of the equation. The story of young Kirk, who lost his father only one second after being born, turning away from a rebellious streak and enlisting in Starfleet, only to slowly acquire a rather eclectic crew of friends while battling a mercilessly evil villain ... yeah, this stuff is just plain old fun.

And what a entertaining film this will be for the movie geeks to dig through: Shot like a dream, cut real tight, scored with majesty and power, packed with dazzling sights and sounds and sly little pieces of banter. We've also got the requisite chase and escape stuff, a few nifty creatures, a sweet dash of romance, and even some time-travel twistiness that all but demands repeat viewings. Hell, you could know nothing about the words Star Trek and still find a lot to enjoy here.

Any of the old-school Star Trek fans can tell you: It's the cast that makes or breaks a series. And while it's way too early to tell if this new gang will make a fan-friendly impact, going only by one fine film, this ensemble is aces across the board. So while we don't have that friendly sort of familiarity that we normally have with Star Trek, it's replaced with the sensation of meeting interesting "new" characters who might be a little bit younger (and, yes, a lot prettier) but are still just as likable. Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto excel as Kirk and Spock (respectively), but big chunks of the film are stolen by the likes of Uhura (Zoe Saldana), McCoy (Karl Urban), and good ol' Scotty (Simon Pegg). Compliments also to Eric Bana's brooding villainy, Bruce Greenwood's classy authority, and Ben Cross' overt Vulcanosity. (And was that ... Winona Ryder? Nah, couldn't be.) No, this is not the Enterprise crew we know and love, but I know enough to crave a few more adventures with the new guys.

As Star Trek is character(s) first and plot second, it's understood that we spend a lot of time getting reacquainted with everyone, but of course there's just enough of an adventure story to keep the flick cooking. Eric Bana stars as a horrific Romulan with a massive grudge, one who's not afraid to leap back in time to satisfy his lust for revenge. But the real arc of the flick is Jim Kirk, and his journey from Enterprise stowaway to captain. The screenwriters run through a whole lot of road-blocks and temporal contortions to give the Star Trek faithful a reboot to remember, and I'd say they've done one heck of a job.

WOW! 10,000 Visitors!

2009-05-02T13:09:00.003-06:00

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

2009-05-02T09:16:00.003-06:00

Click above to buy these and other great posters from MovieGoods.com® - more choices below and on the site!

Starring: Hugh Jackman ... Logan / Wolverine

Liev Schreiber ... Victor Creed / Sabretooth

Danny Huston ... William Stryker

Will i Am ... John Wraith

Lynn Collins ... Kayla Silverfox

Kevin Durand ... Frederick J. Dukes / The Blob

Dominic Monaghan ... Chris Bradley / Bolt

Taylor Kitsch ... Remy LeBeau / Gambit

Daniel Henney ... David North / Agent Zero

Ryan Reynolds ... Wade Wilson / Deadpool

Scott Adkins ... Weapon XI

Tim Pocock ... Scott Summers

Synopsis: Warning! This synopsis contains spoilers!

James Logan aka Wolverine and his brother Victor Creed (who will later become Sabretooth) run away together as children in the mid 1850's after Logan kills their biological father who had murdered Logan's adoptive father. After serving together in many wars they are recruited by William Stryker to serve in a special unit made up of mutants. When Stryker orders the destruction of a village that refuses to reveal the location of a 'precious metal' Stryker yearns for (hmm...I wonder what that could be?), Logan quits the unit and goes off to live a life of peace and isolation as a lumberjack in the Canadian Rockies. He resides in a cabin, high in the gorgeous mountains, with his girlfriend (later to be known as the Silver Fox) who helps calm him though the nightmares of the past.

Six years pass for the both of them until Stryker shows up and asks Logan to come back into the fold as part of a new Weapon X project. Logan refuses but Creed shows up and murders Logan's girlfriend leaving him wanting revenge against his brother. Logan accepts Stryker's offer to be infused with adamantium so that he may be indestructible and then follow through with his revenge but is quickly double crossed by Stryker who, after the process is a success, gives the order to wipe his memories. Logan, who is still in the tank where the adamantium was fused to his exoskeleton, breaks out and escapes. Retreating to a nearby farmhouse, Logan befriends an elderly couple who helps him get back on his feet. We also get to see where a few symbolic props of Wolverine originate. Unfortunately, as is usually the way in Logan's chaotic life, this respite is quickly brought to the end by Agent Zero and crew, who have been sent by Stryker to kill him. After one of the best action sequences in the film come to an end, Logan sets out to find Victor once again.

After reuniting with a few members of his old team, he finds out that Stryker and Creed are actually working together to kidnap mutants and keep them in confinement working on a new project, Weapon XI and that only one person knows where their new base of operations is. Remy LeBeau, aka Gambit, is the only mutant to escape this place and Logan along with John Wraith go searching for him in New Orleans. They find him in a card game where Logan tries to question him but with less than desirable results. After being blasted through a wall by Gambit, Logan sees Creed standing over the dead body of Wraith and the fight is on. Right when Logan is about to get his revenge and kill Creed, Gambit comes flying in with his staff and blows everyone apart. Creed uses this distraction to escape while Logan and Gambit then go at it. After showing Gambit the light (with his claws), Gambit agrees to take Logan to Three Mile Island where the secret facility is hidden.

Arriving at Three Mile Island by plane, Logan finds many mutant children being kept prisoner by Stryker with the support of the U.S. Government. Logan confronts Stryker while he is at the finishing point of his Weapon XI project and learns the truth that Silver Fox death was faked in order to trick him into participating in his own project. Her task was to keep an eye on him during their six years together and to manipulate him to a state of complacency with her mutant power of persuasion. This hurts Logan deeply and he decides to just leave it all and move on with his life, leaving them all behind. Shortly after Logan's departure, Fox confronts Stryker demanding the release of her sister only to be placated by him and told to wait. Creed comes in and Fox tries to persuade him that Stryker is only using them. This doesn't work and Creed, grasping her throat (apparently immune to her powers), promises her death for real this go around. Logan hears her screams and comes to her rescue almost killing Creed but is convinced by Fox that if he does that he will then be no better then Stryker. She also convinces him that she truly loves him.

Fox and Logan then go to free her sister, along with the other mutants, including Scott Summers (who was earlier captured by Creed and Stryker in an amazing scene showcasing that impressive energy blast of the one who will later become Cyclops, leader of the X-men) and while leading them out of the facility, hangar doors open to reveal Weapon XI in all of his disfigured glory (and I could swear that the body used for him was that of Deadpool's due to the fact that Logan comments on how Stryker was finally able to 'shut him up' ((he was always cracking smart retorts during missions that happen in the beginning of the film)) by having his mouth fused shut, but the credits do not reflect this because apparently a different actor plays him). Logan orders the others to find another way out so that he can engage this new abomination on his own. As they explore an alternate escape route, Fox is wounded by sniper fire and sends her sister, along with the other mutants, on while she goes back to look for Logan. The mutants make it out of the facility and are met by none other than Charles Xavier who offers them escape and protection. The paths of the X-Men and the New Mutants are now in full effect.

The fight between Wolverine and Weapon XI rages on, from inside the facility to the top rim of a nuclear reactor. At first it appears Logan is outmatched (remember Weapon XI has a wide assortment of mutant powers - everything from the teleporting abilities of John Wraith, aka Kestrel, to the rapid regeneration of Logan himself) until Creed shows up to help save him uttering the line; "No one is allowed to kill you except me..." Back to back they take on XI together until Creed is able to grab him by piercing both hands into his chest as Logan finishes the battle with a lightning-fast decapitation. XI's body goes falling into the reactor, followed by the head which spins on it's descent into the reactor, emitting a final energy blast (gained from Cyclop's DNA being used in the mix to create this 'mutant killer') that cuts a spiraling path of damage into the structure the whole way down, greatly weakening it. Sensing their hang out time has come to an end, Logan tells Creed that helping him out has changed nothing between them and after a quick retort Creed leaves the scene.

After leaping from the collapsing reactor and hitting the ground with buckling force (Logan jokes earlier in the film about the weight he had gained - adamantium is pretty heavy stuff don't ya know?), Logan is saved from the falling debris of the structure through a remarkable move by Gambit. They then go their separate ways in search for Stryker but Logan comes upon the wounded body of Fox and starts carrying her toward the plane. Stryker walks up behind them (apparently Logan's nose is too full of Fox to notice) and shoots Logan in the back, and later in the head, with adamantium bullets, which are the only things that can supposedly 'hurt' him. This knocks him out long enough for him to go after Silver Fox but she turns the tables by touching his ankle and at first forces him to put the gun to his own head. Killing him is not her style however so she instead commands him to "walk until you bleed... Then keep walking."

Gambit comes back finding Logan regaining consciousness but without any memories. Finding the body of Silver Fox, Gambit asks if Logan knows her but he doesn't. Going their separate ways, the movie ends here but you should watch through the credits for a few seconds for the first of two bonus scenes: Stryker is picked up by the MP's (and of course his shoes are demolished from the extensive amount of walking he has been doing) for the murder of a general who threatened to end the project earlier before all hell broke loose. Btw, in this earlier scene, listen closely to the words Stryker uses to justify the project to the general he later murders for they are akin to comments made by none other than VP Dick Cheney to justify the war against terrorism, an interesting injection of politics into the film I thought. Now, go ahead and stick around for the rest of the credits because after they finish you will receive another bonus scene: Out of the rubble emerges one of the blades, followed by the arm of Weapon XI, which then reaches down to pick up it's severed head. As the eyes open we notice that the mouth is no longer fused shut and opens only to utter a single sound, "Shhhhh..." - Fade to black.

*JA*

(edited & modified by CVEckian)

Click above to buy these great posters and photos from MovieGoods.com®! Rare!

Review: By Robert Wilonsky

Without fail, the dullest installment in any superhero movie franchise is the origin story, during which audiences anxiously awaiting The Big Bad Guy have to suffer through, yaaaawn, scenes of childhood trauma, romantic tragedy, and other expository effluvia, by which point the closing credits are fast approaching. Alas, the X-Men franchise takes a giant leap backward and off a cliff with its fourth offering—yet again starring now-co-producer Hugh Jackman as the scissorhands from Canada—by collapsing 30 years’ worth of comic-book backstory into an altogether anticlimactic who-dat. Wow, so that’s how Jimmy Logan got those kick-ass razorblades in his knuckles. What else ya got? Not much: The filmmakers—among them Tsotsi director Gavin Hood and 25th Hour writer David Benioff, no joke—relegate the most interesting parts of Logan’s early story to an opening-credits sequence that dashes from his 1845 childhood to the Civil War to the Vietnam War in a span of seconds. Sooner or later, of course, Logan’s on the operating table and being injected with the unbreakable adamantium metal that gives his skeleton a sparkly shine. And sooner or later we meet the familiar rogues: the villainous Sabretooth (Wolverine’s brother, this time around played by Liev Schreiber with “the fingernails of a bag lady”), the treacherous William Stryker (the Brian Cox character in ’03, now recast with Danny Huston), even a certain Cyclops (a whiny teenager with bad eyes, in keeping with the franchise’s history of treating the X-Men’s longtime leader like a spindly punch line) and the inevitable cameo by a very familiar X-tra. Most of the action is a mere replay of a single sequence: Wolverine and Sabretooth galloping toward one another, two immortal bros locked in eternal combat. Certainly feels like it. And the filmmakers have further junked up the franchise with bit players from the comic books, among them the playing card-throwing Gambit (Taylor Kitsch) and assassin Deadpool (whose comic relief shuts off around the time the moviemakers unwisely sew together Ryan Reynolds’ lips, bad move among many). Odd thing is, 2003’s expeditious X2 more or less covered the same ground in a matter of seconds, as opposed to 107 minutes that feel like almost as many hours. A suggestion? Wait for the bootleg.

--The posters are still cool!

Young People F. (Expletive Deleted)

2009-04-15T08:57:00.005-06:00

Starring: Aaron Abrams ... Matt

Carly Pope ... Kris

Kristin Booth ... Abby

Josh Dean ... Andrew

Sonja Bennett ... Mia

Josh Cooke ... Eric

Diora Baird ... Jamie

Callum Blue ... Ken

Ennis Esmer ... Gord

Peter Oldring ... Dave

Natalie Lisinska ... Inez

Synopsis: Director Martin Gero turns his knowing lens on five different archetypal relationships in a caustic romantic comedy highlighting the amusing similarities and bizarre differences in human relationships. Sexually frustrated blonde Abby (Kristin Booth) is stuck in a domestic rut with her hyper sensitive boyfriend Andrew (Josh Dean); will the pair be able to smooth things out or could it be that their relationship was actually doomed from the very beginning? Yet while folks like Abby and Andrew are currently locked in to relationships, others like longtime friends Matt (Aaron Abrams) and Kristen (Carly Pope) just got out of them. Perhaps a quick round of casual sex between old friends is just the thing to help both friends move beyond their pains of their past. Meanwhile, recently broken-up couple Mia (Sonja Bennett) and Eric (ohn Cooke) are attempting to bury the past by going out on one post-mortem date, and British ladies man is out on his very first date with the pretty, and much younger, Jamie (Diora Baird). But not all relationships are as simple as one man and one woman, because energetic Gord (Ennis Esme), his ill-humored roommate Dave (Peter Oldring), and Gord's beautiful girlfriend Inez (Natalie Lisinska) somehow find their relationship growing increasingly unconventional. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Review: by The Wizard of 'OZ'

Well I watched this movie finally, when it came out on Showcase. When the movie was first released - the title had all kinds of conservative groups up in arms. It is a "to the point" title to be sure.

The movie is far more than just 'Young People F. (Expletive Deleted)' - it deals with several scenarios, and gives the viewer the unique experience of seeing 'what that is like' without actually having to experience. This is an amazingly close look into the most personal of your personal lives.

This was really quite a funny movie, I mean after all - what is funnier than humans trying to make sex more enjoyable, rather than to just get on with it like most animals - oh they say we are more sophisticated than they are - I beg to differ. Watch the movie to find out why...

My favourite part of the movie was seeing how everyone's sex-life is just as screwed up as everyone else's... innuendo, calculating, awkward.

My advice to you? Worth watching! Also to note - while there is some nudity, it is not as risque as you would assume based on the title.

Happy F. (Expletive Deleted)!

Sorry No posters available - feel free to check out a few of these!

W.

2009-04-08T14:43:00.002-06:00

Starring: Josh Brolin ... George W. Bush

Colin Hanks ... Speechwriter #1

Toby Jones ... Karl Rove

Dennis Boutsikaris ... Paul Wolfowitz

Jeffrey Wright ... Colin Powell

Thandie Newton ... Condoleezza Rice

Scott Glenn ... Donald Rumsfeld

Richard Dreyfuss ... Dick Cheney

Bruce McGill ... George Tenet

Wes Chatham ... Fraternity Enforcer

Jesse Bradford ... Fraternity President

James Cromwell ... George H.W. Bush

Click above to buy these and other great movie posters from MovieGoods.com®

Synopsis: ***Warning*** - contains spoilers! In center field of Rangers Ballpark, we see George W. Bush (Josh Brolin) standing with a glove on his hand. He turns around and listens to the cheers greeting him as an unseen announcer introduces him to invisible crowds as the 43rd president of the United States of America. We then cut to a cabinet meeting in early 2002, where W is in a deep discussion about how soon they should respond to the recent terrorist attacks on their country by attacking the Axis of either evil or terror (they can't decide which it should be), although Colin Powell (Jeffrey Wright) is reluctant to go to war with either Iraq or Iran, given that it was a non-affiliated terrorist named Osama Bin Laden who was behind it, although both VP Dick Cheney (Richard Dreyfuss) and Condi Rice (Thandie Newton) are quick to remind him that both are terrorist holders. George Tenet (Bruce McGill) supports Colin in his way of thinking as Karl Rove (Toby Jones) and Donald Rumsfeld (Scott Glenn) laugh behind their hands at him. Eventually Axis of Terror is decided on and the war gets greenlit. Before the meeting is adjourned, W gets everyone together and has them bow their heads in prayer, although more than a few of them clearly don't have their heart in it.

Thirty-six years earlier, in 1966, we see a much younger W at Yale during pledge week. One of his fellow pledges is challenged to name as many brothers as he is able to, and he manages to get seven. Another brother challenges someone to beat that, and W steps forward, stopping only when the lead brother tells him to and getting great cheers for being true Delta Kappa Epsilon material. We then cut to a jail where W is calling his father, George H.W. Bush (James Cromwell, who should get a supporting actor nomination) at home, explaining that there was a "misunderstanding" after a football game. George bails his son out and when next we enter his life he is working on one of his family oil rigs. He takes a break for water and when the foreman yells at him to get back to work, he quits instead. Later on, we see him in a bar with his girlfriend Susie (Marley Shelton) and he gives her a somewhat long-winded proposal and gets up on the bar to dance with her. A few years later, though, he is once again coming before his father. This time, W. is asking George to bail him out of the marriage-that-never-got-official. George agrees to it, but then expresses his disappointment with W., especially regarding the fact that he only got Cs at Yale and can't seem to hold a job for more than six months. For his part, W. ignores the criticism and just walks out.

Click above to buy these and other great posters from MovieGoods.com®

Cheney and W are sitting down to lunch in the oval office. After a little preamble

regarding the upcoming war, Cheney takes out a small folder. He explains that inside are some ideas regarding possible interrogation techniques that could be instituted at places such as Guantanamo. W. balks at first, worried that there would be stuff like pulling out toenails, but Cheney assures him that it would be nothing lethal, using examples such as sleep deprivation and water torture to make his point. W is reassured and promises to look at the three-page report. As lunch ends, W then asks Cheney to kindly keep his ego in check, since he's only the vice-president, and an insulted-looking Cheney nods and walks out. A few days later, at the Bush ranch, W. is having a walk and talk with some members of his cabinet (Rummy, Dick, Condi, a couple others) and General Thomas Franks (Michael Gaston) regarding a start date for the war, which Franks suggests as April/May/June. Some time later, we see W. watching a college football game and eating pretzels with his dog when he suddenly begins choking. He staggers around the office and comes behind a recliner. He starts pounding himself on the chest with it and is eventually successful in dislodging the pretzel from his throat just as he collapses to the floor, unconscious.

In 1972, we see W. and his brother Jeb (Jason Ritter) driving up to the Bush home in the middle of the night and drunk as a skunk. They stagger into the house where George and Barbara (Ellen Burstyn) start yelling at W. about coming home so drunk in the middle of the night. W. starts posturing as though he wants to fight George when Jeb intervenes saying that George was out celebrating his acceptance into Harvard Business School. This changes the attitude of barb and George, but W. then admits he's not going -- he just wanted to see if he could get in. This admission prompts George to admit that he only got in because George had pulled some strings with the admissions board. When next we see W., five years have passed and he is playing poker with some friends at Harvard and announcing to them that he plans to run for governor. At a celebratory barbeque, he meets a beautiful young woman named Laura Welch (Elizabeth Banks). Laura reminds him that they went to junior high together and the two slowly warm to each other, with her telling him that she's a teacher and always tries to see all sides of an argument, making W. want to appoint her his education adviser. Some time later, we see him in a debate against Kent Vance (Paul Rae), whose strategy seems to be pointing out that Bush is not a real Texan, having been born in Connecticut (HEY! *seethes*) and gone to school in Connecticut. Despite W.'s assertions to a softly understanding Laura that this is nothing but tarring and feathering, he still manages to lose the election, albeit by a mere 6,000 votes.

Back in 2002, we see Bush standing in the field again, listening to the cheers. Back in reality, we see another cabinet meeting where he and his advisors are discussing the need for a regime change in Iraq. In 1986, W. and Laura are at a birthday party for W. when he gets a call from George, who wants W. to help with his campaigning for president, which causes W. to announce that he and Laura are moving to Washington when he returns to the restaurant table. Not long after, W. is heading out for a morning run. At one point, he stops due to chest pains and collapses on the side of the road. Three months later, we see him in an alcoholics anonymous meeting being headed by Rev. Earle Hudd (Stacy Keach). After the meeting has been ended, W. hangs around and prays with Hudd, saying that most of the time he feels this great weight on his shoulders. In 1988, at the convention HQ, George is having a meeting with his advisers, which includes Karl Rove, when W. enters. The meeting is ended and W. shows his father a videotape by the Bush camp smearing Dukakis, citing his decision to give weekend visits to convicted criminals (Willie Horton). This is enough to dissuade voters, who make George the 41st President of the United States. Despite the celebration, though, W. himself isn't pleased. Late that night, he confesses to Laura that he almost wanted George to lose, since he constantly feels as though he's living in George's shadow and has to live up to him.

In 2002, Bush and co. are in a war room, and the current topic of discussion is the location of any possible Weapons of Mass Destruction. Rumsfeld makes the argument that they are most likely in either Tikrit or Baghdad. Cheney agrees and points out that if they don't act they will lose the advantage they have now, although, as Powell points out, they have no exit strategy and no real American presence. However, after a video call to General Franks, they get confirmation that they expect to have over three hundred thousand troops in Iraq, and that that should speed things up nicely.

Click above to buy this set of 6 posters from MovieGoods.com®

In 1990, W. is having a conversation with his father over whether or not having faith in God would be of help to him in winning the war in the Persian Gulf. One year later, we see George in the war room with his cabinet celebrating their imminent victory in the Gulf. When asked by Powell if he feels they should have pushed, George decisively says that they went far enough and now need to concentrate on winning the next election. Unfortunately, winning the war wasn't enough and the presidency is given over to Bill Clinton. George is devastated and W. is angry. He decides to run for Governor of Texas, despite George and Barbara begging him to wait, since Jeb is running for Governor of Florida and they can't be in both states at once, but he refuses to listen. Later on, we see W out campaigning for governorship with Rove's advice, which in brief is to get across that he is who he is and no other Bush (at one point in here, we see him asking the famous, "Is our children learning?" question). Regardless, he gets elected governor and as a congratulations prize is given a pair of cufflinks by George and a note saying how proud he is. However, this is not enough for W., who is instead offended that George still can't tell him he's proud face-to-face. Five years later, in 1999, we see W. in his office when he gets a visit from Earle Hudd. He tells Hudd that he feels he has gotten the call, and then explains that he is talking about the call to be president. Hudd is ecstatic for him, and W. says that he thinks that there will be a bad time for the country, and that God wants him as president in order to help the American people through it. Hudd nods in complete belief, and the two get down on their knees to pray for W.'s delivery to the office of the president.

Four years later, in 2003, we see W. giving the state of the union as those who wrote it congratulate each other at various points. Back in the cabinet, W. is determined not to jeopardize their chances in Iraq, despite the massive amounts of protest the war is getting. In a meeting with Tony Blair (Ioan Gruffudd), W. tries to barter for some help from Britain, although Tony is reluctant to commit his own country's troops. Regardless, W. is determined to win in Iraq, even as his parents grow more and more worried about how things are going for him. At last, though, things turn dark for him and the rest of his cabinet when they find out that Saddam had lied about having Weapons of Mass Destruction, which makes them all look bad. In truth, the caves that were to have the WMDs were lines of cattle showing up on their scans, an error which forces David Kay to resign from his office. Regardless, W. still holds steady, staying committed and visiting wounded soldiers in hospitals. One young Mexican soldier says that he's sorry he can't fight for him, and W. tells him to not worry, that now they're all fighting for him. One night, he and Laura are heading to sleep, and W. reflects on what he has done and realizes that the only thing he can still do is fight to keep his place. Later, we see him enter the oval office when he finds George there waiting for him. George says that he's really in deep, even after he pulled W's ass out of that jam in Florida, and he starts posturing as though wanting to fight W (note -- in this scene more than any other, Brolin is the spitting image of W.). W. starts yelling at George to go away and leave him alone when he suddenly wakes up screaming, realizing that it was just a nightmare. Some time later, we see W. at a press conference where he is continuing to hold support for the war, but the looks on the reporter's faces indicate that they're not buying it anymore. One reporter asks what W. feels his place in history will be, and W. says, "In history? Well, in history we'll all be dead." Another reporter asks W. if he feels he may have made any mistakes in his presidency, and W. stammers that he's been kind of caught off-guard here. Eventually, the press-conference ends and W. storms off into the residential area of the white house, going to his bedroom. When he opens the door, W. is standing in the middle of Ranger's stadium on a cool autumn night. The invisible crowd is cheering, and the ball is hit towards W. He raises his hand to catch it, and--

W. looks around. The whole stadium is silent. There are no players, no announcers, no crowds, and no ball. He searches the empty field around him, and he sees that the ball is nowhere nearby. Slightly panicked, W. looks around the field some more, trying to find the ball he lost so he can keep on playing....
Page last updated by !!!deleted!!! (2743443), 3 weeks ago

Top Contributors: emperornik, silverfox5k, Gaud123, D-Man2010 (imdb)

Review: by James Rocchi, Cinematical.com ***Warning*** - contains spoilers!

After seeing Oliver Stone's W., I found myself wishing I had a little more time to think it over before writing a review; then again, I'm sure there are some involved with the film who found themselves wishing they had a little more time to think over the Bush administration before making it. Distance grants perspective, or so we're told; what could a film about the life and presidency of George W. Bush released while he's still in office really have to say about his life and times? If distance grants perspective, though, you could also argue that proximity grants immediacy, and argue that Stone's W. is not meant as a somber, serious look back but rather a cautious, nervy attempt to peer into the recent past, a film with, in the words another Presidential candidate recently borrowed, "the fierce urgency of now."

But W. has plenty of urgency; you could argue that what it lacks is a point of view, or rather a point of view other than Freudian family psychodrama, with George W. Bush (Josh Brolin) fighting for the presidency and fighting in Iraq as a way to earn the respect and love of his distant, driven father George H. W. Bush (James Cromwell). But to many, examining the inner life of George W. Bush is like asking yourself about the source of the lumber when you're being hit in the head with a baseball bat. We get a lot of dialogue in W. about the difference between the external and the internal, between ideology and identity; Laura Bush (Elizabeth Banks) offers that "I don't think politics should define a human being ..." while George H.W. notes that "I've always believed in leaving personal feelings out of politics." But in W., it feels like Stone doesn't even want to let politics define politics, and leaving the politics out of the personal feelings he's exploring.

W.'s tone is also bizarrely uneven. Some of the performers (Brolin, Thandie Newton, Richard Dreyfuss) hurl themselves into looking, speaking and moving like the real people they play; other performers (James Cromwell, Toby Jones and Scott Glenn among them) do not. This disconnect has the curious effect of making some moments in W. play like a wig-and-makeup slapdash parody of the real presidency it's supposed to depict; on the other hand, some would say that the Bush administration was, itself, a parody of a real presidency. Is W. a serious drama, or a nightmare comedy of power, privilege and parental friction played out on the global stage? I lean towards the latter, even if Stone plays his cards relatively close to the vest; there's a scattering of dreamlike moments, but the tone is scary-funny, even if most of W. consists of people talking in well-furnished rooms. What elevates it from psychodrama is what they're talking about; before the invasion of Iraq, Dick Cheney (Dreyfuss) explains how the exit strategy for Iraq is not to exit, staying in the region to take oil and leave freedom. "Empire. Real Empire. Nobody will ever fuck with us again."

It's a great moment, and there aren't enough like it; as Dreyfuss' Cheney, Glenn's Rumsfeld and Jones' Rove hover about W., getting him to do the things they want by making him think they're what he wants, you feel like Stone's filming the voyage of the ship of state and trying to get us inside the head of the wooden figurehead carved into the bow instead of the people actually steering the vessel. And it's a voyage that isn't even over; when Stone flashes up a climactic title card reading "The End," I stared at the screen slack-jawed at what was either monstrous naiveté or deliberate provocation; The financial system is in its death throes, American troops are still in Iraq, and we'll be paying for the Bush Administration in blood and treasure for years, if not decades, to come. It's not "The End" of anything for America; it's the beginning, but if Stone's trying to warn us of further adventures in the Middle East (and the film explicitly depicts the neocon interest in Iran),then why burn up screen time with W.'s drinking and thinking, both revolving around the absence of his father's love? Brolin does a lot to sell W.'s pain; actually, he does a lot to sell the film. Even when his Bush is a callow youth, you sense how he's destined for greatness; even when his Bush has attained greatness, you still get a sense of the little boy inside. It will, for some people, take a lot to make them feel sorry for George W. Bush; Brolin's performance may very well do it.

A friend offered how he wished W. was "Stonier," and while it's hardly an elegant turn of phrase, I know exactly what he means; Stone's a master technician, and he understands and exploits film as a medium in a way that's distinctively his, taking advantage of how film can be shot, cut, edited, affected and altered to craft distinctive visions and visuals in the service of his stories. There aren't a lot of over-the-top Stone moments in W., nothing to match the crazed inventions of Natural Born Killers or the hammer-blow clinical editing of JFK, but we do get a few moments of flash and flair, like W.'s post-hangover run where he has the epiphany to stop drinking, his face in such stark focus we can smell the booze leaking from his pores while the trees and sky above bloom and blur in the breeze and the sunlight.

Stanley Weiser's screenplay impresses when it gets up the guts to snarl a little, like when Jeffery Wright's Colin Powell barks to Cheney "Don't patronize me, mister five deferments ..." or when a news commentator notes of the infamous "Mission Accomplished" stunt when a flight-suit clad Bush landed his plane on an aircraft carrier and swaggered to the podium that "He didn't fight in the war, but he looks like he did. ..." But it also makes minor fumbles, too: Iraq war protest footage is cut over Norman Greenbaum's "Spirit in the Sky," a '60s relic under post-millennial footage. (Whenever a filmmaker breaks out the Time-Life Sounds of the '60s singles for a montage, all I can hear is a roaring voice screaming "The bums lost, Mr. Lebowski! The bums lost!")

Weiser's best contribution -- which Stone and Brolin bring to life in a rich, haunting way -- comes in the moments scattered through the film with George W. Bush alone in a baseball stadium. At one point, he's reveling in the roars of a crowd that isn't there; in another, he races to the back wall to make a lucky catch; finally, in the film's final moments, Bush is ready in the outfield, hears the crack of the bat and races back to field the hit, even though it never comes. Perhaps Oliver Stone did rush this film; perhaps it could have benefited from a few years of perspective instead of a few weeks. But then we wouldn't have the perfect timing of that deftly turned closing image: W. opens in theaters as an election looms, as American mega-capitalism chokes on its own arrogance and greed, as dead American soldiers are still being offloaded from transports in flag-draped coffins far from the view of the press and the general public (and Iraqi civilians simply die far away). What started as parody and comedy builds to a haunting final moment thanks to Stone, Weiser and Brolin, and in W.'s final seconds it is not just George W. Bush who's waiting for the ball to drop, it is all of us.

Monsters VS Aliens

2009-03-31T12:42:00.003-06:00

Starring: Reese Witherspoon ... Susan Murphy / Ginormica (voice)

Seth Rogen ... B.O.B. (voice)

Hugh Laurie ... Dr. Cockroach Ph.D. (voice)

Will Arnett ... The Missing Link (voice)

Kiefer Sutherland ... General W.R. Monger (voice)

Rainn Wilson ... Gallaxhar (voice)

Stephen Colbert ... President Hathaway (voice)

Paul Rudd ... Derek Dietl (voice)

Julie White ... Wendy Murphy (voice)

Jeffrey Tambor ... Carl Murphy (voice)

Amy Poehler ... Computer (voice)

Ed Helms ... News Reporter (voice)

Renée Zellweger ... Katie (voice)

John Krasinski ... Cuthbert (voice)

Sean Bishop ... Private Bullhorn / Helicopter Pilot / Advisor Ortega (voice)

Click above to buy these and many other great posters and collectables from MovieGoods.com®

Synopsis: On her wedding day, Susan Murphy (Reese Witherspoon) is hit by a meteorite infused with Quantonium, a rare and powerful element that causes her to grow to an enormous size. Targeted by the government as a monster, Susan is captured and imprisoned at a secret facility where other such oddities are being held, including Dr. Cockroach (Hugh Laurie), a mad scientist who accidentally transformed himself into a roach-human hybrid, B.O.B. (Seth Rogen), a gelatinous, brainless mass brought to life in an experiment gone wrong, The Missing Link (Will Arnett), a Creature-from-the-Black-Lagoon-like lizard man, and the skyscraper-sized mutant larvae Insectosaurus. When deranged alien overlord Gallaxhar (Rainn Wilson) arrives on Earth to obtain the precious Quantonium and conquer the world, President Hathaway (Stephen Colbert) offers the monsters their freedom in exchange for defeating the evil mastermind and his legion of robots and clones.

- The Massie Twins

Review: by Peter Travers, RollingStone.com

An animated funhouse that delivers on its title and ups its scary-comic impact if you see it in 3-D. Alien dust turns Susan (voiced by Reese Witherspoon) into 50-foot Ginormica on her wedding day. She joins other monsters — Seth Rogen's one-eyed blob is my fave — to fight an alien army led by Gallaxhar (Rainn Wilson). WALL-E had more charm, more soul, more everything. But there's enough merry mischief here to satisfy, even if you’re way past puberty.

Watchmen

2009-03-13T11:57:00.004-06:00

Click above to buy these and other great posters from MovieGoods.com®

Starring: Malin Akerman ... Laurie Jupiter / Silk Spectre II

Billy Crudup ... Dr. Manhattan / Jon Osterman

Matthew Goode ... Adrian Veidt / Ozymandias

Jackie Earle Haley ... Walter Kovacs / Rorschach

Jeffrey Dean Morgan ... Edward Blake / The Comedian

Patrick Wilson ... Dan Dreiberg / Nite Owl II

Carla Gugino ... Sally Jupiter / Silk Spectre

Matt Frewer ... Edgar Jacobi / Moloch the Mystic

Stephen McHattie ... Hollis Mason / Nite Owl

Laura Mennell ... Janey Slater

Rob LaBelle ... Wally Weaver

Gary Houston ... John McLaughlin

James M. Connor ... Pat Buchanan (as James Michael Connor)

Mary Ann Burger ... Eleanor Clift

John Shaw ... Doug Roth

Click above to buy any of these collectible movie posters and more from MovieGoods.com®

Synopsis: In a gritty and alternate 1985 the glory days of costumed vigilantes have been brought to a close by a government crackdown, but after one of the masked veterans is brutally murdered an investigation into the killer is initiated. The reunited heroes set out to prevent their own destruction, but in doing so discover a deeper and far more diabolical plot. Written by evan murphy

"Watchmen" is set in an alternate 1985 America in which costumed superheroes are part of the fabric of everyday society, and the "Doomsday Clock" - which charts the USA's tension with the Soviet Union - is permanently set at five minutes to midnight. When one of his former colleagues is murdered, the washed up but no less determined masked vigilante Rorschach sets out to uncover a plot to kill and discredit all past and present superheroes. As he reconnects with his former crime-fighting legion - a ragtag group of retired superheroes, only one of whom has true powers - Rorschach glimpses a wide-ranging and disturbing conspiracy with links to their shared past and catastrophic consequences for the future. Their mission is to watch over humanity... but who is watching the Watchmen?" Written by T-Hen

It's the 1980's and it's a different world. Superheroes have been outlawed, the only ones still in operation under direct control of the United States government. Suddenly, those heroes both still in action and retired find themselves targets by an unseen enemy, who wants to kill them one by one Written by Anonymous

A group of heroes, forced into retirement a decade before are called together once again to investigate the murder of one of their own. What they discover an age-old conspiracy to change the balance of power in a world not different from our own. Written by Kent Sanderson

An adaptation of Alan Moore's landmark comic book series, Watchmen is a story set in an alternative 1985, where the world is ticking closer to the brink of nuclear war, and a plot to eliminate a band of ex-crimefighters is instigated, but why? and by whom? It is up to two of those ex-crimefighters to investigate the plot that seems to go beyond the unthinkable.
--Written by Ruckwood

Their mission is to watch over humanity... but who is watching the Watchmen?"

Review: by Kevin Buist SpoutBlog.com Director Zack Snyder has succeeded in doing the impossible: he has adapted the “unfilmable” graphic novel, Watchmen, to the screen. While there’s no doubt that he has made the movie with surprisingly little deviation from the source material, that doesn’t mean he has made a good film. In many ways, Watchmen is a case study in the inherent differences between the comic page and the screen. Success on screen, even if the adaptation is faithful, is not guaranteed.

The story (in case you didn’t piece it together from the constant barrage of trailers and posters clogging the internet since last summer) revolves around a group of costumed super heroes whose fates intertwine with the events of the twentieth century. Set in an alternate 1985, the world is on the brink of nuclear holocaust. The action is set in motion by the murder of The Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), a retired hero with dubious morals. The outlawed heroes fight to avert impending doom, and spur to action the only one among them with the power to single-handedly save the world, Dr. Manhattan. Played by a blue CGI mock-up of a naked, impossibly ripped Billy Crudup, Dr. Manhattan is the result of an experiment gone wrong. He is the only hero with supernatural powers, which are inconceivably vast, and has become the lynchpin in the United States’ defense strategy against the Soviets. His powers have gradually separated him from the plight of humanity, illustrated by his failing relationship with Silk Spectre II (Malin Akerman), a sexy, second-generation heroine.

There’s a concern that the web of back-stories and sizable cast of characters could render the film inaccessible to those who haven’t read the graphic novel. On the contrary, I think the Watchmen virgins are at an advantage going into the film. Snyder covers a dizzying amount of material, staying true to the core of the original story even while making some significant cuts. For Watchmen fans, I think the problem is not the cuts, but rather the treatment of some of the material that’s left in. Hollywood seems to assume that comic books are ready-made storyboards, in need only of several million dollars of CGI to come to life. In many ways, Watchmen is a collection of examples which show why the formula is much more complicated than that.

Click above to buy this and other great posters from MovieGoods.com®

The opening credits stride through several decades of alternate history, showing how the Watchmen, and their predecessors the Minutemen, fit into American history. Rather than produce old-looking photos, or depict Dr. Manhattan shaking JFK’s hand in the grainy film of the day, a la Forrest Gump, Snyder sets up nearly still live action scenes. The camera pulls out of these mostly frozen moments, giving a nostalgic feeling of living within the photos. It’s a nice effect, but it’s also extremely fake looking. There’s something very odd about seeing actors you know were told to hold very still, like they’re faking slow motion. At first this really turned me off, but then I began to like it. As the montage went on, it began to feel self-consciously fake, as if these scenes are not depictions of the actual events, but rather glorified memories, existing only in the minds of aging super heroes.

After the credits, the film continues to make drastic jumps in tone and pace. Some of these work quite well, while others do not. About half way into the film, after being pulled in repeatedly by stunning sequences and shunted back out by unsuccessful ones, I found a pattern: the movie works really well when it doesn’t try to be an actual movie. Many passages, the majority of the film even, are a delight to watch. But when the film needs to slow down and just let a scene play, a scene which needs no visual flourishes but is still important, it seems bored with itself. A perfect example is The Comedian’s burial. Rather than inner-cut wide shots of somber figures gathered around the grave with contemplative close-ups, Snyder instead decides to use movie magic to make the camera fly from a tight shot of a stone angel statue back, back, flying over the mourners, cutting through the rain, until the camera itself passes through an impossibly small hole in a wrought-iron sign that reads “Cemetery.” Scenes like this made me wish Snyder could have somehow kept the entire film in music video mode, where it really sings.

For every dramatic visual improvement the film offers, there’s a lack-luster chunk of dialog that sounds as though the actors are reading the comic aloud. There’s plenty of voiceover, the filmic version of comics’ ubiquitous narration boxes, with Dr. Manhattan and Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley), a grizzled anti-hero with a simmering contempt for the city he’s trying to save, each narrating portions of the film. Alan Moore, who wrote the graphic novel but has distanced himself from the film, penned passages that are now canonical in the graphic novel world. These passages are adhered to where ever possible, which works in certain scenes, but in others the translation to screen feels awkward. Some of Rorschach’s ponderings, which come off as masterpieces of noir prose in the book, feel hokey here. While Dr. Manhattan’s voiceover, with an epic calmness, makes his scenes some of the strongest in the film, due in no small part to Crudup’s stellar voice work.

Plenty of scenes are given the justice they deserve, but others, particularly near the beginning, feel like the abridged version. In particular, a dialog between The Comedian and Dr. Manhattan in a Vietnam bar, a key foreshadowing of the central conflict the blue demi-god faces, plays like a sped-up dress rehearsal. Ozymandias, a hero who has cashed in on his fame and turned his attention toward global energy reform, underscores the futility of placing humanity’s hope in Dr. Manhattan. If the full volley of Soviet nukes come, he explains, “even Dr. Manhattan can’t be everywhere at once.” Watchmen, as thorough an adaptation as it is, suffers from the same fate. It can’t be everywhere at once. In some ways, it’s too complete a retelling of the graphic novel, as it sets itself up for easy panel-to-scene comparison, making the film’s inadequacies that much easier to measure.

It’s clear that Snyder has found a kindred spirit in Dr. Manhattan. As Silk Spectre II distances herself from her big, blue, supernatural lover, she says a line that could just as easily be meant for the director himself, “You know how everything fits together, except people.”

High School Musical 3: Senior Year

2009-03-10T10:38:00.003-06:00

Starring: Zac Efron ... Troy Bolton

Vanessa Hudgens ... Gabriella Montez

Ashley Tisdale ... Sharpay Evans

Lucas Grabeel ... Ryan Evans

Corbin Bleu ... Chad Danforth

Monique Coleman ... Taylor McKessie

Bart Johnson ... Coach Jack Bolton

Alyson Reed ... Ms. Darbus

Olesya Rulin ... Kelsi Nielsen

Chris Warren Jr. ... Zeke Baylor

Ryne Sanborn ... Jason Cross

KayCee Stroh ... Martha Cox

Matt Prokop ... Jimmie Zara

Justin Martin ... Donny Dion

Jemma McKenzie-Brown ... Tiara Gold

Click above to buy this and other great posters from MovieGoods.com®

Synopsis: It's the end of the Wildcats' championship basketball game against the West High Knights, where team captain Troy (Zac Efron) immediately rallies their spirits ("Now or Never"). With the team’s spirit raised, they win, thanks to the winning shot from their newest team member Jimmie "The Rocket" Zara (Matt Prokop). Later, at Troy's after-match party at his house, Troy and Gabriella (Vanessa Hudgens) are seen thinking about their future and wishing that their last few months at East High would not end ("Right Here, Right Now"). Meanwhile, Sharpay (Ashley Tisdale) meets Tiara Gold (Jemma McKenzie-Brown), a British exchange student whom she hires to be her personal assistant...

When drama teacher Ms. Darbus (Alyson Reed) notices that there were so few sign-ups for the spring musical, Sharpay suggests she could do a one-woman show. This alarms Kelsi (Olesya Rulin), who is writing the show, so she signs up almost everyone in the class for it instead. This results in Ms. Darbus announcing they will create a play about their final days at East High. In addition, she reveals that Sharpay, Ryan (Lucas Grabeel), Kelsi, and Troy have all been considered for a scholarship at Juilliard, but only one of them is to be chosen. Sharpay becomes desperate to win the scholarship, and knowing that Kelsi will give the best songs to Troy and Gabriella in the musical, she gets Ryan to try to persuade Kelsi to give them a song, by predicting her (and Ryan's) future ("I Want It All").

The next day, Gabriella and Troy meet on the rooftop and she teaches him how to waltz ("Can I Have This Dance"). Chad (Corbin Bleu) then asks Taylor (Monique Coleman) to go to prom with him. She initially refuses due to his lack of enthusiasm, but later agrees when Chad proves he can put in some effort and asks again in front of everyone in the school. The group rehearses for the musical, a scene about their prom night ("A Night to Remember"). Meanwhile, Ryan walks in on Kelsi composing ("Just Wanna Be with You") in the music room, and performs it with her, and then he asks her to prom halfway through. While Troy and Chad reminisce about their past ("The Boys Are Back"), Sharpay and Tiara discover that Gabriella has a chance to go to college early. Sharpay later convinces Troy that he is the only thing keeping Gabriella from her dream, ("Right Here, Right Now (Reprise)"). Troy talks to Gabriella about this over pizza, and after sharing an awkward goodnight, Gabriella ("Walk Away") leaves for college the next day.

Click above to buy these and other great collectibles from MovieGoods.com®

Troy's dad, Jack (Bart Johnson), talks to him about his academic future. Troy becomes angry, confused, and runs away, storming around East High confused ("Scream") until he finally screams at the top of his lungs in the theatre. Ms. Darbus is in the theatre and reveals that she sent in his application for Juilliard, as she knew how comfortable he was on stage and how much he liked it. Troy takes no offense and thinks about the advice given to him. Troy later gets a call from Gabriella saying she will not return to Albuquerque, as she is too used to being away. However, on the night of prom, Troy visits Gabriella at Stanford and convinces her to return, as everyone is not the same without her, ("Can I Have This Dance (Reprise)").

Back at East High, Jimmie receives a text from Troy to tell him to cover for him onstage because he is going to be late. The Juilliard representatives are there, and watch as the show seems to go well, ("Senior Year Spring Musical"). During the opening number, Kelsi and Ryan debut. While during the second number, Chad, Jason (Ryne Sanborn), Zeke (Chris Warren Jr.) and Martha (Kaycee Stroh) debut, Ryan does his number with the many chorus girls; Jimmie then performs with Sharpay, receiving his own standing ovation. Troy and Gabriella appear during the second half of the show and sing their duet together. Tiara then betrays Sharpay and tells her how she is going to take over next year in the drama department. Sharpay finally learns how it feels to be humiliated, but does not wish to go down. While Tiara performs, Sharpay immediately crashes her performance and shows her up.

Click above to buy these and other great posters from MovieGoods.com®

Ms. Darbus reveals that both Kelsi and Ryan have won the Juilliard scholarship ("We're All in This Together (Graduation Mix)"). Taylor will go to Yale University; Sharpay will go to University of Albuquerque along with that she will also assist Ms. Darbus in running the drama department in the fall. Troy decides to go to the University of California, Berkeley, where he can play basketball, study drama, and be close to Gabriella. After learning about Troy's decision, Chad runs offstage and into the school gym. There he and Troy work things out and learn that their college's basketball teams will play each other the upcoming fall.

At the graduation ceremony, Troy gives the class speech. Throwing their caps in the air, the graduates form a giant wildcat before breaking out into song and dance ("High School Musical"). The six friends walk down the field where a curtain closes off the graduation ceremony and turns into a stage. The six stars do their signature jump and then the camera does a close up of each actor. They take their final bow as the curtain closes.

You can buy this! Click above!

Review: By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk

If you aren't aware of the phenomenon that is High School Musical, it's a safe bet that you're over the age of 15 and don't yet have any children or grandchildren under that age. For its target demographic – mostly girls in their "tweens" (roughly 8-14) – High School Musical is like Harry Potter, Barbie and Pokémon all mixed together and combined with a serious sugar rush. It seems that they just can't get enough of this wholesome franchise of sickly-sweet, unbelievably innocent films, where pristine teenagers sing and dance about the joys of young love, close friendship, and being true to yourself.

With such themes at its heart, you can probably guess which company masterminded this new form of kiddie catnip – yep, good old Disney. It's yet another re-jigging of the tried and tested Disney themes that we've seen countless times down the years – only this time successfully updated for the modern age.

Perhaps it's an indication of Disney's own loss of confidence in the relevance of its old product that the first High School Musical movie, which only came out less than three years ago, was never intended for the big screen. That's right – the original film was a TV movie, made for the Disney Channel and first screened back in January 2006. Disney, it seemed, had been reading too many tabloid newspaper tales of feral youngsters roaming the streets in gangs, getting in fights, smoking, drinking, having underage sex, and generally going to the dogs. Surely the children of today wouldn't be interested in anything as old-fashioned and uncool as Disney's traditional brand of family values and decency?

Well, Disney was wrong. The film pulled in an impressive 7.7 million viewers for its premiere, despite only being available on cable TV. By the end of the year, it had been shown repeatedly on the Disney Channel worldwide, even making it on to the BBC during the key Christmas season, winning over legions of new British fans, while its soundtrack became the best-selling album of the year in the US in 2006. Somehow the old Disney magic had returned without them even realizing it. DVD sales, in turn, were immense – with 1.2 million copies sold in its first six days, the first set a sales record.

And so, in the last three years, High School Musical has snowballed. A concert tour of the Americas was running by the end of 2006, there were numerous singles released, a stage play version, a version done on ice, swiftly followed by a TV movie sequel (which has in turn spawned a stage play), not to mention the six computer games and countless books and other bits of merchandise that the franchise has spawned to date. Not bad for a film whose budget was only $4.2 million.

In other words, it was only a matter of time before the phenomenon hit the big screen – and now, with the third movie, it has. The only odd thing is that the cast – and characters – are now getting a bit old for High School, so this latest outing revolves around their hopes and fears for the future as they approach their move to university. How to deal with such worries? Why – let's put on a show! It's hardly original, but fans of the series are unlikely to care. And though it would be easy to criticise a film that's so sickly sweet and, well, nice, let's face it – if they enjoy it, why not let the kids maintain their innocence while they can? Rather this than all the sex and violence that's so endemic everywhere else.

Complete list of Academy Award winners and nominees

2009-02-23T00:01:00.000-06:00

Best picture
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
"Frost/Nixon"
"Milk"
"The Reader"
WINNER: "Slumdog Millionaire"

Click above to buy this and other great posters from MovieGoods.com®

Director
WINNER: Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire"
Stephen Daldry, "The Reader"
David Fincher, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Ron Howard, "Frost/Nixon"
Gus Van Sant, "Milk"

Click above to buy this and other great posters from MovieGoods.com®

Actor
Richard Jenkins, "The Visitor"
Frank Langella, "Frost/Nixon"
WINNER: Sean Penn, "Milk"
Brad Pitt, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler"

Click above to buy this and other great posters from MovieGoods.com®

Actress
Anne Hathaway, "Rachel Getting Married"
Angelina Jolie, "Changeling"
Melissa Leo, "Frozen River"
Meryl Streep, "Doubt"
WINNER: Kate Winslet, "The Reader"

Click above to buy this and other great posters from MovieGoods.com®

Supporting actor
Josh Brolin, "Milk"
Robert Downey Jr., "Tropic Thunder"
Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Doubt"
WINNER: Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight"
Michael Shannon, "Revolutionary Road"

Click above to buy this and other great posters from MovieGoods.com®

Supporting actress
Amy Adams, "Doubt"
WINNER: Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Viola Davis, "Doubt"
Taraji P. Henson, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Marisa Tomei, "The Wrestler"

Click above to order this and other great posters from MovieGoods.com®

Animated feature
"Bolt"
"Kung Fu Panda"
WINNER: "WALL-E"

Click above to buy this and other great posters from MovieGoods.com®

Adapted screenplay
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," screenplay by Eric Roth, screen story by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord
"Doubt," written by John Patrick Shanley
"Frost/Nixon," screenplay by Peter Morgan
"The Reader," screenplay by David Hare
WINNER: "Slumdog Millionaire," screenplay by Simon Beaufoy

Click above to buy this or other great posters from MovieGoods.com®

Original screenplay
"Frozen River," written by Courtney Hunt
"Happy-Go-Lucky," written by Mike Leigh
"In Bruges," written by Martin McDonagh
WINNER: "Milk," written by Dustin Lance Black
"WALL-E," screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon; original story by Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter

Click above to buy this or other great posters from MovieGoods.com®

*CNN.com

BOLT

2009-02-04T15:41:00.003-06:00

Starring: John Travolta ... Bolt (voice)

Miley Cyrus ... Penny (voice)

Susie Essman ... Mittens (voice)

Mark Walton ... Rhino (voice)

Malcolm McDowell ... Dr. Calico (voice)

James Lipton ... The Director (voice)

Greg Germann ... The Agent (voice)

Diedrich Bader ... Veteran Cat (voice)

Nick Swardson ... Blake (voice)

J.P. Manoux ... Tom (voice)

Dan Fogelman ... Billy (voice)

Kari Wahlgren ... Mindy (voice)

Chloe Moretz ... Young Penny (voice)

Randy Savage ... Thug (voice)

Click above to buy this or other great posters from MovieGoods.com®

Synopsis: Bolt tells the story of a dog who is convinced that his role as a super dog is reality. When he is ripped from his world of fantasy, and action by his own doing. His own obsession with his owner and keeping her protected from the green eyed man of the television show he works on completely absorbs his life. This takes him to the point of no return when he believes that she has been kidnapped, and he accidentally gets packaged and shipped to New York city in pursuit of his owner. This is when the story unfolds, and he goes through a transitional period where he learns that he is as super as every other dog. His disbelief of his abilities being non existent fuels a lot of different emotional changes, and eventually comes to a reality of who he really is. This all culminates when he finds his owner and reunites with her in the action packed climax of the movie.

Click above to buy these and more posters from MovieGoods.com®

Review: Review by Rick Tym , 411mania.com

Everyone knows that Pixar is the studio to beat when it comes to 3D computer-animated features. Everyone also knows that for the longest time, Disney “presented” such Pixar classics as Toy Story, Finding Nemo and The Incredibles. That all changed at the onset of 2006 when Disney announced that it was buying the 3D animation powerhouse, doing so in May of the same year to the tune of 7.4 billion dollars. This entire hullabaloo was a result of behind-the-scenes disagreements between upper management at both companies over distribution plans, most famously for the film Toy Story 2 which was originally slated for direct-to-DVD release by Disney, which therefore according to the megalomaniacal mouse did not count towards a three-picture deal between themselves and Pixar even when the decision to go ahead with a full theatrical release was made. After further cat-fighting and bloody noses over issues like these and other creative control concerns, Mickey and company decided to throw a bunch of money at Pixar stockholders and go on with the newly-acquired studio under their umbrella, marching on in the hyphenated form of “Disney-Pixar.” Many Pixar purists probably still decry this merger and even casual fans may smell something a little stank in the air when considering the business venture but the new “Disney-Pixar” did manage to create one of the best 3D computer-animated films ever, which arrived last year with the introduction of a lonely little robot named Wall-E, so it can’t be all bad.

Disney, however, does not seem to be content to simply sit back and let their 2006 acquisition pump out the hits for them. The mouse-eared corporate strategist has been working on some computer-animated features of its own, hoping to create their own “new” classics that capture the fun, humor, heartstring-tugging and longevity of their former partner (and sometimes in-house rival) studio’s best efforts. And with their new release, put out under the “Disney”-only banner, they almost do and should be pretty proud of themselves, ‘cause three out of four ain’t bad.

Bolt starts out with a short introduction to film’s main doggy as a puppy in a pet store being chosen by a little girl named Penny. A clever slam-bang transition screen then informs us in pure action-adventure title font that five years have passed, and the dog and his owner are now a sort of tactical spy and action duo. Bolt (John Travolta) has been genetically re-engineered by Penny’s father to protect her from the nefarious world domination efforts of Dr. Calico (a great voice-acting job by Malcolm McDowell), who has recently taken him hostage. Penny (Miley Cyrus) and Bolt are determined to find her father and rescue him from the evil cat-loving genius, dodging his minions by using some nifty gadgetry and the scientifically-enhanced powers of the cute canine, which include lightning speed, heat vision and a super-bark which is particularly quite impressive. At the end of the day Bolt uses all his powers successfully to keep his owner safe from the forces of darkness and the two walk off into the sunset, waiting for their next adventure.

Only they don’t really walk off into the sunset. Penny takes Bolt to his actor’s trailer and spends some time trying to put him at ease before she has to leave for her next celebrity appointment. Bolt and Penny are real, but the circumstances surrounding them are not; they are stars of a hugely successful science-fiction/action series, and every effort is made to keep Bolt in the dark because, as The Director (James Lipton) says, if the dog believes it, then the audience believes it. Unfortunately ratings are slumping and his solution to end the currently filming episode with a cliffhanger sees Bolt confused and separated from Penny, for the first time not saving the day, and escaping because he truly believes she is in harm’s way. The pooch is transplanted via a shipping box and pink Styrofoam peanuts from Hollywood to New York and has to make his way home. Along the way he finds out he really doesn’t have superpowers, but makes some true friends in mangy alley cat Mittens (Susie Essman) and hamster-in-a-ball Rhino (Mark Walton).

First and foremost, Bolt is fantastic-looking movie. The 3D computer animation here is mostly flawless, with particular attention given to settings such as building facades and conversational backdrops. The first glimpse of Bolt as a puppy through the window of a pet store sets the stage right away for the level of detail shown throughout the running time. Another little accurate tidbit that can be noticed is the way the Xerox machine keeps spitting out copies of a lost dog flyer in an unfocused background as Penny’s agent tries to talk her into replacing Bolt, or the sheer realism of said copier’s control buttons and LCD interface shown in a close-up. (This reviewer has worked with and cursed copy machines a lot over the span of his “real” career, and those Start and Cancel buttons and touch screen are eerily realistic.) As usual, the people depicted seem to have that generic form that has become a staple of computer animation (particularly Pixar’s, what a coincidence), but the audience for films such as these should be conditioned to accept these “human” caricatures so there is no inherent distraction present because of it. Overall the level of detail shown is highly impressive, and while the cat and dog that accompany Bolt on his homeward journey look good, the dog himself looks great and is as believable as one could imagine in sound, movement and facial expressions. (You know, except when he talks. But that part’s not meant to be realistic.)

Speaking of Bolt’s running partners, the kitty Mittens and deranged hamster Rhino are excellent sidekicks. Mittens is a bit delusional but we soon find out that’s because she was left alone and became an outside cat because of necessity rather than desire. Rhino is a lot delusional because he has lived a sheltered life in a protective ball, sitting in front of the “magic box.” When he meets Bolt he proclaims him to be “totally and completely awesome,” the best the “magic box” has to offer. Mittens soon deduces and helps Bolt come to grips with the fact that he is not a super-dog, but rather a regular domesticated animal who just so happens to be a TV star. The way she reintroduces him to dog-dom is charming and grin-inducing but not too sweet, and even the Miley Cyrus song which accompanies the montage manages not to lay the saccharine on too heavily. All three, with their quirks, strengths and shortcomings become truly close while helping each other find their own ways in the world, whether the way concerns matters of the heart or simply finding their home. While Mittens is more of a straightforward fellow journeyer, Rhino is a really great character who dances the line between serious hamster and comic relief exceptionally well, never fully succumbing to all-out silliness due to his convictions when it comes to helping out friends. The little guy is a bit stuck in a fantasy world, most likely due to OD’ing on television, but he means well and really just wants to help out his buddy Bolt. He also provides the greatest moments of levity for adult and children with his physical pratfalls and sharp lines. (One of the best of these lines may be Rhino’s response to Bolt, who has just looked around the corner to see a guard while the two are infiltrating an animal shelter to save the captured Mittens. Bolt simply says, “There’s a guard.” Rhino answers, not missing a beat, “I’ll snap his neck.” Hilarious.) The supporting cast of Penny, Dr. Calico and others are serviceable (although a great and extremely agonizing depiction of a sleazy talent agent voiced by Greg Germann deserves extra recognition) but the animal character make up the heart of the film, and do it well.

Special mention must be made, though, of the true stars of the film who deserve some type of breakout roles before too long. These characters are also animals, and until now have been underappreciated and even despised by some. The East Coast and West Coast pigeons who attempt to aid Bolt on his journey are the untold highlights of this movie. Their clichéd mannerisms, from the “how ya doin’?” slightly confused New Yorker stereotype to the opportunistic, script-pitching fast-talking Hollywood wannabe, are played not as a dig but as homage to both parts of the country. (There are also Midwestern pigeons at the end of the film, but they are not given enough material to be nearly as enjoyable.) With any luck these birds will be seen again, but hopefully as the effective supporting characters that they excel so well at being, since a full-length feature may be a tad too much.

Of course, it’s Disney, so by film’s end Bolt will have learned that he can be a hero without superpowers and the three of them (dog, cat and hamster) will be sitting on a couch together posing for a Polaroid picture. That’s not a bad thing, though—there’s a reason the formula has worked for decades, and it still does here, inciting the requisite amount of sadness, fear and excitement at the story’s climax before the afore-mentioned epilogue. The initial premise of Bolt as a super-dog is really enjoyable, but the film actually benefits from moving from an out-and-out action film to a ‘going home” story. While the depiction of action in Penny and Bolt’s fake sci-fi world was convincing from a technical and expository standpoint, an hour-and-a-half of such goings-on would have been overbearing. The self-contained story comprised of false beginning and real middle and end also luckily does not lend itself to a sequel, because while this Disney effort hits the mark for fun, heart and humor, it just doesn’t have that “classic” vibe surrounding it. That makes it a simply good, rather than truly great, Disney film—which still counts for a heckuva lot these days, and should be enjoyed by children and their parents alike. The eventual DVD will be buyable, but it was just really, really fun to see families out at the showing the reviewer attended last night, having a good time with each other and the characters up on the big screen. A child’s laughter is infectious, and in order to make sure the child notices the comedy bits the overall tale must be engrossing enough for them to keep their attention and this film does that in spades. This goes for adults as well, and if only there were a word strong enough to surpass “infectious” when describing a child’s laughter mixed with their parent’s. Bolt may not be destined for classic animated film status, but also leaves little to be desired in its efforts to bring friend and family values to the screen in the form a stronger-than-he-thinks white German Shepard (note: doggie ancestry open for debate), an emotionally-empowered kitty cat, and a hyper semi-delusional hamster who’ll do anything for a friend.

The 411: Bolt is not a classic by any means, but still manages to surpass other similar efforts of late. (I’m looking at you, Shrek sequels.) Near flawless animation mixed with just-unique-enough characters and a slightly different premise make Disney’s latest a “should”-see, but is not impressive enough to generate classic (or “must”-see) status. Still, only people with icicles hanging on their hearts don’t like cute doggies, even if they can do without the cat or hamster sidekicks. Anyone looking for a good family film to attend over the upcoming holiday weekend would do well to check out Disney’s latest, which goes a long way towards re-legitimizing Disney’s animation studio in an effort to stand alone on the same playing field as (Disney-) Pixar.
Final Score: 7.5 [ Good ]

List of 81st annual Academy Award nominations

2009-01-22T22:38:00.001-06:00

Complete list of 81st annual Academy Award nominations:

1. Best Picture: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "Frost/Nixon," "Milk," "The Reader," "Slumdog Millionaire."

2. Actor: Richard Jenkins, "The Visitor"; Frank Langella, "Frost/Nixon"; Sean Penn, "Milk"; Brad Pitt, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"; Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler."

3. Actress: Anne Hathaway, "Rachel Getting Married"; Angelina Jolie, "Changeling"; Melissa Leo, "Frozen River"; Meryl Streep, "Doubt"; Kate Winslet, "The Reader."

4. Supporting Actor: Josh Brolin, "Milk"; Robert Downey Jr., "Tropic Thunder"; Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Doubt"; Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight"; Michael Shannon, "Revolutionary Road."

5. Supporting Actress: Amy Adams, "Doubt"; Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"; Viola Davis, "Doubt"; Taraji P. Henson, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"; Marisa Tomei, "The Wrestler."

6. Director: David Fincher, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"; Ron Howard, "Frost/Nixon"; Gus Van Sant, "Milk"; Stephen Daldry, "The Reader"; Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire."

7. Foreign Film: "The Baader Meinhof Complex," Germany; "The Class," France; "Departures," Japan; "Revanche," Austria; "Waltz With Bashir," Israel.

8. Adapted Screenplay: Eric Roth and Robin Swicord, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"; John Patrick Shanley, "Doubt"; Peter Morgan, "Frost/Nixon"; David Hare, "The Reader"; Simon Beaufoy, "Slumdog Millionaire."

9. Original Screenplay: Courtney Hunt, "Frozen River"; Mike Leigh, "Happy-Go-Lucky"; Martin McDonagh, "In Bruges"; Dustin Lance Black, "Milk"; Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon and Pete Docter, "WALL-E."

10. Animated Feature Film: "Bolt"; "Kung Fu Panda"; "WALL-E."

11. Art Direction: "Changeling," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Dark Knight," "The Duchess," "Revolutionary Road."

12. Cinematography: "Changeling," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Dark Knight," "The Reader," "Slumdog Millionaire."

13. Sound Mixing: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Dark Knight," "Slumdog Millionaire," "WALL-E," "Wanted."

14. Sound Editing: "The Dark Knight," "Iron Man," "Slumdog Millionaire," "WALL-E," "Wanted."

15. Original Score: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," Alexandre Desplat; "Defiance," James Newton Howard; "Milk," Danny Elfman; "Slumdog Millionaire," A.R. Rahman; "WALL-E," Thomas Newman.

16. Original Song: "Down to Earth" from "WALL-E," Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman; "Jai Ho" from "Slumdog Millionaire," A.R. Rahman and Gulzar; "O Saya" from "Slumdog Millionaire," A.R. Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam.

17. Costume: "Australia," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Duchess," "Milk," "Revolutionary Road."

18. Documentary Feature: "The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)," "Encounters at the End of the World," "The Garden," "Man on Wire," "Trouble the Water."

19. Documentary (short subject): "The Conscience of Nhem En," "The Final Inch," "Smile Pinki," "The Witness -- From the Balcony of Room 306."

20. Film Editing: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Dark Knight," "Frost/Nixon," "Milk," "Slumdog Millionaire."

21. Makeup: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Dark Knight," "Hellboy II: The Golden Army."

22. Animated Short Film: "La Maison en Petits Cubes," "Lavatory -- Lovestory," "Oktapodi," "Presto," "This Way Up."

23. Live Action Short Film: "Auf der Strecke (On the Line)," "Manon on the Asphalt," "New Boy," "The Pig," "Spielzeugland (Toyland)."

24. Visual Effects: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Dark Knight," "Iron Man."

*CTV.CA

Body Of Lies

2008-12-18T15:03:00.003-06:00

Click above to order this and other great posters from MovieGoods.com®

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio ... Roger Ferris

Russell Crowe ... Ed Hoffman

Mark Strong ... Hani

Golshifteh Farahani ... Aisha

Oscar Isaac ... Bassam

Ali Suliman ... Omar Sadiki

Click above to buy these and other great collectable Movie posters from MovieGoods.com®

Synopsis: Roger Ferris (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a covert CIA operative working in Jordan searching for terrorists who have been bombing civilian targets. Ferris uncovers information on the Islamist mastermind Al-Saleem (Alon Aboutboul). He devises a plan to infiltrate Al-Saleem's terrorist network with the help of his boss back in Langley, Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe). Ferris enlists the help of the Chief of Jordanian Intelligence, Hani Salaam (Mark Strong) on this operation, but he doesn't know how far he can trust him without putting his life in danger. The uneasy alliance leads to a cultural and moral clash between the men.

Review: Posted by Sean, on Film Junk

Movies related to the war in Iraq have been a pretty tough sell in the U.S. thus far. I guess it’s not that surprising; no one wants to go to the movies to get depressed when they can get enough of that from simply watching the news. But if you throw a little star power into the mix, suddenly people take notice. Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio are in this movie? It’s directed by the guy who did Gladiator and American Gangster? Now you’re talking.

The problem with Body of Lies is that it’s a big budget Hollywood movie that grossly oversimplifies things, throws big name actors into roles where they aren’t really believable, and in the end, it still manages to be way too dull to even satisfy on a pure entertainment level.

I’m a fan of modern globetrotting espionage flicks (something we’re seeing a bit more of thanks to the Bourne series) and I’m always willing to check out a movie that may have something intelligent to say about what’s going on in the Middle East. What’s more, I’m a fan of Ridley Scott, one of the few A-list directors who can successfully infuse blockbusters with a certain level of artistry and depth. All the right elements are present in Body of Lies, but somehow it just doesn’t ever coalesce into anything significant.

Based on the best-selling book by David Ignatius, the story centers on CIA agent Roger Ferris (DiCaprio) who is trying to infiltrate an Al Qaeda network in Jordan. Along the way, he is monitored by his supervisor (Crowe), who communicates via cell phone from the comfort and security of his home in the U.S. Ferris partners with Hani Salaam (Mark Strong), head of Jordanian intelligence, but when the higher-ups in the CIA demand immediate results, Ferris is forced to go behind Salaam’s back. Along the way, Ferris also starts a relationship with a young female nurse named Aisha (Golshifteh Farahani), which eventually puts her at risk as well.

Click above to buy these and other great posters from MovieGoods.com®

I didn’t really buy either Leonardo DiCaprio or Russell Crowe in this movie. Crowe reportedly gained 63 pounds for his part, which could be the most useless body transformation ever. His role could have been played by anyone at all, and although I found it kind of amusing that he quarterbacked the whole operation while driving his kids to soccer practice, Crowe’s actual performace was a carbon copy of many we’ve seen from him previously. DiCaprio, on the other hand, was sufficiently intense and charming, but did not for a second seem like someone who could blend seamlessly into the Arab culture.

Ridley Scott’s direction is, for the most part, competent, however, he rehashes a lot of the same old tricks we’ve seen before (ie. light beams shining through bullet holes, etc.). The Middle Eastern locales make for some interesting scenery, although after a while the endless shifts in geography start to blur together.

The screenplay for Body of Lies was written by William Monaghan, who also did The Departed, and it certainly feels like it. There is a lot of verbal sparring and tough guy one-liners that really didn’t feel appropriate in this particular movie. The love interest subplot is just a little too convenient in a movie that is already overcrowded with details, and exists for the sole purpose of giving DiCaprio’s character a weakness.

I was hoping for something like Syriana (a movie that admittedly went slightly over my head), but Body of Lies is not as smart nor as subtle. It drags a lot throughout the second half, and with all the deception that’s going on, after a while it’s hard to keep track of what all the characters are even trying to accomplish.

There are a few decent action sequences, and there is a pretty intense scene towards the end where Ferris is captured by the terrorist group, that kind of jolted me out of the half-snoozing state I was in. Of course, this is also where the movie decided to get all self-righteous, and Leonardo DiCaprio’s character started spouting off a rant against fundamentalism that just felt trite. On top of that, the scene kind of seemed a bit cheap and underhanded since it plays on imagery we’ve seen far too many times before.

Ultimately, the movie ends with a bit of a whimper, and the whole story seems absolutely pointless. Maybe the movie was meant to reinforce the fact that the U.S. is completely helpless when it comes to intelligence in the Middle East, and that terrorism is part of a vicious cycle. Either way, it didn’t make for a very satisfying movie, and it certainly didn’t tell us anything we didn’t know before. With Iraq-related movies like this, it’s no wonder the general public is choosing to turn a blind eye towards them. — Sean

Quantum of Solace

2008-11-19T13:47:00.003-06:00

Click above to buy these and other great posters from MovieGoods.com®

Starring: Daniel Craig ... James Bond

Olga Kurylenko ... Camille

Mathieu Amalric ... Dominic Greene

Judi Dench ... M

Giancarlo Giannini ... Mathis

Gemma Arterton ... Strawberry Fields

Jeffrey Wright ... Felix Leiter

David Harbour ... Gregg Beam

Jesper Christensen ... Mr. White

Anatole Taubman ... Elvis

Rory Kinnear ... Tanner

Tim Pigott-Smith ... Foreign Secretary

Joaquín Cosio ... General Medrano

Fernando Guillén Cuervo ... Colonel of Police

Jesús Ochoa ... Lieutenant Orso

Synopsis: 'Quantum of Solace' continues the high octane adventures of James Bond from 'Casino Royale'. Picking up literally hours after the previous film left off, after being betrayed by Vesper, the woman he loved, 007 fights the urge to make his latest mission personal. Having captured Mr. White, and in pursuing his determination to uncover the truth, Bond and 'M' interrogate Mr. White who reveals the organization which blackmailed Vesper to steal Bond's casino winnings is far more complex and dangerous than anyone had imagined.

Forensic intelligence links an MI6 traitor to a bank account in Haiti where a case of mistaken identity introduces Bond to the beautiful but feisty Camille, a woman who has her own vendetta. Camille leads Bond straight to Dominic Greene, a ruthless businessman and major force within the mysterious criminal organization known only as 'Quantum'.

On a mission that leads him to Austria, Italy and South America, Bond discovers that Greene, conspiring to take total control of one of the world's most important natural resources, is forging a deal with the exiled General Medrano. Using his associates in the organization, and manipulating his powerful contacts within the CIA and the British government, Greene promises to overthrow the existing regime in Bolivia, giving General Medrano control of the country in exchange for a seemingly barren piece of land which is, however, a main source of the South American water supply. In a minefield of treachery, murder and deceit, Bond allies with old friends in a battle to uncover the truth. As he gets closer to finding the man responsible for the betrayal of Vesper, 007 must keep one step ahead of the CIA, the terrorists, and even 'M' herself, to unravel Greene's sinister plan and stop Quantum from getting its way.

Review: from Telegraph.co.uk, Tim Robey reviews the breathless new James Bond film Quantum of Solace.

When we last spied James Bond, at the end of the forceful if oddly-structured Casino Royale, he announced his name while pointing a submachine gun into the sky above Lake Como. The image said: he's back, and nothing if not well-endowed.

Quantum of Solace begins minutes later, with the elusive killer Mr White (Jesper Christensen) now in the boot of Bond's Aston Martin, and a breakneck pursuit in progress which makes claims of a different kind for this new Bond and his supersized franchise.

This film catches Ian Fleming's hero on the run, keeps him running, and zips along with a jolting, almost offensive velocity, catching its ragged breath in the rare opportunity for dialogue. Fans of the series who like to slow down and savour the scenery, enjoying a drip-feed of dodgy innuendo, may consider this a rude awakening - it's the shortest Bond movie to date, and easily the most terse.

But consider how many of the pictures, to include Casino Royale, run out of steam as they drag themselves across the two hour mark, if not long before. Quantum of Solace may hurtle through its own (sketchy) plot as if it's not quite the point - there have been more satisfying narrative pay-offs than we get here - but its best sequences bring you up short in the best way, adding up to the giddiest straight ride since The Living Daylights.

Click above to buy these and other great posters and collectables from MovieGoods.com®

In a career filled with diligent but pedestrian Oscar-bait (Monster's Ball, Finding Neverland), it's a true surprise that director Marc Forster has come up with the goods as often as he does. Working with many of the action crew, among them editor Richard Pearson, who made the Bourne series so snappy and exhilarating, he closes in on the set pieces with refreshingly creative skill.

The starting point can be nonsense - when Mr White, murderer of Eva Green's Vesper Lynd, is sprung from captivity in a dungeon beneath Siena, it's too, too Bond that it happens to be on the day, hour and very minute of the Palio horse race.

The gambit of cross-cutting from bolting nags to scarpering baddies starts out strident and doesn't seem necessary. But Forster is biding his time with this skittish prelude: we emerge into the crowd for a chase on foot, across rooftops, and down some scaffolding in a church, and the ensuing scramble with ropes, swinging girders, and out-of-reach revolvers leaves you gasping with its constricted tension and vertigo.

It's briefly to London for some Paul Haggis-scripted soundbites about our changing planet, and then to Haiti, where we meet pouting Bolivian agent Camille (Olga Kurylenko) and villain du jour Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric), a petulant eco-criminal busily finessing the oil and water reserves of South America for his own gain. Amalric, who with every goggle-eyed smirk cements his credentials to star in a Roman Polanski biopic, brings a wickedly childish spite to this role, certainly proving a more interesting foil to Bond than his latest foxy-but-cross female sidekick.

James, of course, is still hung up over the betrayal and demise of Vesper in the last instalment, motivating a morose six-martini binge while he's flying across the Atlantic, as well as his avoidance here of any serious entanglements, save those in stray lengths of rope dangling from the roofs of Tuscan churches. He isn't alone: Camille, having had her family raped and burnt alive by a deposed Bolivian dictator, also has her mind on other things. Instead, there's a just-for-fun fling with MI6 emissary Gemma Arterton, who pitches up looking like a John le Carré strippogram in a trenchcoat, and exits in a homage to Shirley Goldfinger Eaton which had me reaching for bad oil puns. Crude? Unrefined? It's not exactly slick.

What's clever, and slick, and even a little ingenious about the movie, though, is how it postpones Bond's Vesper vendetta by submerging it beneath his present tasks - he gets an angry kick out of scuttling this international cabal of utility profiteers, who in the barmiest conceit get to negotiate through earpieces while seated for a state-of-the-art production of Tosca.

If there was any remaining doubt that the world is bartered and sold by people who can afford opera tickets, it's roundly dispelled, though how Amalric persuades his backers that Haiti, of all places, is some kind of model example for neocapitalist progress leaves us just a little foxed. "I don't give a s--- about the CIA," announces Judi Dench, inimitably, but it's not the best line in the movie: those are all the ones on Daniel Craig's face, particularly the deep vertical groove between his eyebrows when he's found yet another score to settle.

Quantum of Solace offers next to no solace, if we mean respite, but in plunging its hero into a revenge-displacement grudge mission, it has the compensation of a rock-solid dramatic idea, and the intelligence to run and run with it.

Igor

2008-11-11T15:48:00.003-06:00

Click above to buy this or other great movie posters from MovieGoods.com®

Starring the voices of: John Cusack ... Igor (voice)

Myleene Klass ... Dr. Holzwurm (voice)

Robin Walsh ... Dr. Holzwurm's Igor (voice) (as Robin Howard)

Matt McKenna ... Dr. Herzschlag (voice)

John Cleese ... Dr. Glickenstein (voice)

Steve Buscemi ... Scamper (voice)

Sean Hayes ... Brain (voice)

Jess Harnell ... Announcer / Royal Guard #2 (voice)

Eddie Izzard ... Dr. Schadenfreude (voice)

Jennifer Coolidge ... Jaclyn / Heidi (voice)

Jay Leno ... King Malbert (voice)

Molly Shannon ... Eva (voice)

Synopsis: John Cusack leads an all-star voice cast featuring Jay Leno, Molly Shannon, John Cleese, Jeremy Piven, Steve Buscemi, and Jennifer Coolidge in this computer-animated comedy about a gifted scientist who happens to have been born with a most unfortunate deformity. Igor (voice of Cusack) may have been born with a brilliant mind, but unfortunately everyone around him is too distracted by his pronounced hunchback to notice. Forced to serve as a lowly lab assistant to nefarious scientist Dr. Glickenstein (voice of Cleese), Igor longs for the day he will become a mad scientist, take top prize at the Evil Science Fair, and finally win the heart of village vixen Gretchen. Every year, mad scientists from all of the local villages converge on Malaria to compete in the annual Evil Science Fair -- an event that always features an abundance of death rays, earthquake generators, and man-eating plants. This year, Igor's village manages to take the top prize, too. But despite the fact that his lab receives a substantial government reward, the king confiscates the invention to be used in Malaria's defense program. Unlike the other Igors, this hunchbacked genius longs to change the world in ways his master could have never imagined, and when Dr. Glickenstein dies just two weeks before the latest Evil Science Fair, Igor seizes the opportunity to shine.

Carefully covering up Dr. Glickenstein's death, Igor enlists the aid of angry brain-in-a-jar Brian and insecure re-animated rabbit Scamper to create an enormous, hideous creature of unparalleled strength. Trouble arises, however, when the creature turns out to be a female monster with a heart of gold. Unable to comprehend the concept of evil, the creature believes that Igor has named her "Eva," and longs for the day she will become a respected actress. With the Evil Science Fair fast drawing near, Igor has just two weeks to turn Eva the sweetheart into Evil the rampaging nightmare. Now, in order to win the competition, Igor works tirelessly to convince Eva that the Evil Science Fair is actually an audition for a twisted stage version of Annie, and that in order to win the lead role she must immerse herself in the evil character and never reveal her inner goodness. But as the "rehearsals" get underway, the nosy villagers come snooping around the castle, the malevolent Dr. Schadenfreude schemes to claim Eva as his own, and Igor slowly starts falling in love with his creation while realizing that life as a mad scientist may not be so glamorous after all. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Movie data provided by AMG

Click above to buy this and other great movie posters and collectables from MovieGoods.com®

Review: by Nick Schager, SLANT Magazine

n the darkly clouded land of Malaria, an evil scientist's henchman named Igor (John Cusack) aspires to escape his subservient societal position to become a revered mad genius. Igor, meanwhile, wants mainly to steal from the animated films of Tim Burton, whose gothic setting and exaggerated contours are shoddily imitated throughout this atonal, perfunctory fable. When his incompetent employer accidentally kills himself, Igor seizes the opportunity to finish work on his female Frankenstein monster, which he hopes to enter into the annual Evil Science Fair routinely won—through the theft of others' ideas—by power-mad Dr. Schadenfreude (Eddie Izzard). Rather than a rampaging creature, however, the hunchback's creation, Eva (Molly Shannon), turns out to be a gentle soul, and is then transformed into an eager aspiring actress after Clockwork Orange-ish Ludivigo treatment designed to make her a murderer inadvertently exposes her to James Lipton's blather about A Streetcar Named Desire.

Director Anthony Leondis peppers his tale with a host of leaden cinematic references children will almost surely miss, which is just as well since virtually every film-related gag directed at adults feels like a pitiful attempt at knowing cleverness. Igor teaches people that anything is possible, that appearances don't matter, and that joy is better than sorrow, but serviceable vocal performances and a zippy pace can't overshadow the limp dramatization of these life lessons or the severe unevenness of the animation, which at times is vibrant and elaborately eerie, and at others is so stiff, inexpressive and flat that it barely surpasses the quality of your average direct-to-video Barbie eyesore. Whether comparing it to the output of Pixar and DreamWorks or judging it on its own lesser terms, Igor feels chintzy and imitative, with kids unlikely to be seriously captivated by its bland hero and viewers over the age of five ultimately apt to relate only to Scamper (Steve Buscemi), an immortal rabbit desperate to commit suicide.

High School Musical 3: Senior Year

2008-10-26T10:00:00.002-06:00

Starring: Zac Efron ... Troy Bolton

Gabriella Montez ... Vanessa Hudgens

Ashley Tisdale ... Sharpay Evans

Lucas Grabeel ... Ryan Evans

Corbin Bleu ... Chad Danforth

Monique Coleman ... Taylor McKessie

Bart Johnson ... Coach Jack Bolton

Alyson Reed ... Ms. Darbus

Olesya Rulin ... Kelsi Nielsen

Chris Warren Jr. ... Zeke Baylor

Ryne Sanborn ... Jason Cross

KayCee Stroh ... Martha Cox

Matt Prokop ... Jimmie Zara

Justin Martin ... Donny Dion

Jemma McKenzie-Brown ... Tiara Gold

Click above to buy this and other great posters from MovieGoods.com®

Synopsis: As seniors in high school ,Troy and Gabriella struggle with the idea of being separated from one another as college approaches. Along with the rest of the Wildcats, they stage a spring musical to address their experiences, hopes and fears about their future.

Review: By CHRIS TOOKEY, Daily Mail Online

Anyone who thinks that musicals are dead should have been with me last night, among thousands of fans screaming for High School Musical 3.

It will be too corny, squeaky- clean and wholesome for most critics, and the plot isn't exactly riddled with dramatic tension.

But it's better danced than Mamma Mia, and can safely be recommended even to small children.

The film offers some extremely positive role models, and it's refreshing in a high school movie to see brains being appreciated as much as athleticism.

Unlike most threequels, it surpasses its two predecessors. It has glossier production values, catchier songs and even a little more story.

Parents will be reminded of Grease in 1978, and grandparents may recall classic Judy Garland-Mickey Rooney movies, such as Babes in Arms in 1939. For those of you without small children, a little explanation may be needed.

Click above to buy this and other great posters from MovieGoods.com®

The first High School Musical was available only on cable TV in the U.S., where it pulled in 7.7 million viewers, and its soundtrack became a best-selling album. Spin-offs have included six computer games, numerous books, one version on stage and another on ice. 18.6 million TV viewers tuned in to see High School Musical 2.

Number 3 has been made for the big screen and belongs there.

Basketball star Troy (Zac Efron) and brainbox Gabriella (Vanessa Hudgens) remain high school sweethearts but they're off to different colleges, so what can they do to celebrate their hopes and fears for the future but put on a show right here?

If I were mean-spirited, I might point out that Zac Efron is about a foot too short to be a bona fide basketball player, and although the trailer promises 'ten new original songs', most of the numbers are indebted to Madonna and Michael Jackson.

But it would be churlish to deny the movie's energy, good heart and high spirits.

Although the emphasis is on youth, the true star is director-choreographer, Kenny Ortega, who must have thought his movie career had peaked with Dirty Dancing in 1987 and ended with the failure of Newsies in 1992.

This superbly danced film makes full use of his talents and it's a reminder that some ideas - such as Fred Astaire's great routine to Dancing on the Ceiling - need only a little updating to enthral young audiences in the 21st century.

If you have children, especially girls, they would have dragged you along to see this anyway.

The good news is that it's entertaining whatever your age, and far from the commercialised mediocrity that I had expected.

Twilight

2008-10-25T14:40:00.004-06:00

Click above to buy this or other great movie posters and collectables from MovieGoods.com®

Starring: Kristen Stewart ... Bella Swan

Robert Pattinson ... Edward Cullen

Taylor Lautner ... Jacob Black

Billy Burke ... Charlie Swan

Peter Facinelli ... Dr. Carlisle Cullen

Elizabeth Reaser ... Esme Cullen

Nikki Reed ... Rosalie Hale

Ashley Greene ... Alice Cullen

Jackson Rathbone ... Jasper Hale

Kellan Lutz ... Emmett Cullen

Cam Gigandet ... James

Edi Gathegi ... Laurent

Rachelle Lefevre ... Victoria

Anna Kendrick ... Jessica Stanley

Christian Serratos ... Angela Weber

Synopsis: Bella Swan has always been a little bit different. Never one to run with the crowd, Bella never cared about fitting in with the trendy, plastic girls at her Phoenix, Arizona high school. When her mother remarried and Bella chooses to live with her father in the rainy little town of Forks, Washington, she didn't expect much of anything to change. But things do change when she meets the mysterious and dazzlingly beautiful Edward Cullen. For Edward is nothing like any boy she's ever met. He's nothing like anyone she's ever met, period. He's intelligent and witty, and he seems to see straight into her soul. In no time at all, they are swept up in a passionate and decidedly unorthodox romance - unorthodox because Edward really isn't like the other boys. He can run faster than a mountain lion. He can stop a moving car with his bare hands. Oh, and he hasn't aged since 1918. Like all vampires, he's immortal. That's right - vampire. But he doesn't have fangs - that's just in the movies. And he doesn't drink human blood, though Edward and his family are unique among vampires in that lifestyle choice. To Edward, Bella is that thing he has waited 90 years for - a soul mate. But the closer they get, the more Edward must struggle to resist the primal pull of her scent, which could send him into an uncontrollable frenzy. Somehow or other, they will have to manage their unmanageable love. But when unexpected visitors come to town and realize that there is a human among them Edward must fight to save Bella? A modern, visual, and visceral Romeo and Juliet story of the ultimate forbidden love affair - between vampire and mortal. Written by http://www.summit-ent.com/

Isabella Swan moves to gloomy Forks to live with her father. As she starts her junior year in high school she becomes fascinated by Edward Cullen who holds a dark secret which is only known by his family. Edward falls in love with Bella as well but knows the further they progress in their relationship the more he is putting Bella and those close to her at risk. Edward warns Bella that she should leave him but she refuses to listen and to understand why he is saying this. Bella learns his secret. He is a vampire, however she is not afraid of his blood-thirsty needs and the fact he could kill her at any moment. Bella is afraid of losing him, the love of her life. The thrill begins when a new vampire finds it a challenge to hunt Bella down for her irresistible blood. The game is on and James will not stop until she is killed.
Written by courtney

Click above to buy these and other great posters from MovieGoods.com®

Review Preview: by EmanuelLevy, EmanuelLevy.com

"Twilight," the erotic vampire novel by Stephenie Meyer adapted into the big screen by director Catherine Hardwicke ("Thirteen"), is generating a huge buzz, even though it's not going to be released until December 12.

Summit Films will benefit for its high-profile production, which stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson as Isabella Swan and Edward Cullen, based on a screenplay by Stephenie Meyer and Melissa Rosenberg. It's been a while since we saw a good, erotic vampire film, and "Twilight" may become Hardwicke's most popular feature.

The book, the first in a series of "Twilight" novels, was first published in 2005. The book and movie are made to order for today's youth market, centering on a teenage girl named Isabella "Bella" Swan, who moves from Phoenix, Arizona to Forks, Washington and dangerously falls in love with a vampire named Edward Cullen.

The book's cover is eye-catching and promising. Author Meyer has said that the apple image represents the forbidden fruit from the book of Genesis, symbolizing Bella's and Edward's love, which is forbidden, not unlike the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. This is made obvious by the quote from Genesis 2:17 that opens the book.

"Bella" relocates from the sunny Phoenix to the rainy Forks to live with her father, Charlie, so that her mother Ren?e can travel with her new husband, Phil Dwyer, a minor league baseball player. Upon arrival, she begins to attract attention at her new school.

When Bella sits next to Edward Cullen in biology class on her first day of school, he seems indifferent to say the least; he even tries to change his schedule to avoid her, which leaves her puzzled.

Later on, she asks a family friend, Jacob Black of the Quileute tribe, to telling her the tribal legends, leading to her conclusion that Edward and his family are vampires. Although she was inexplicably attracted to him even when she thought Edward drank human blood, she is much relieved to learn that the Cullens choose to abstain from drinking human blood, instead using animal blood.

Click above to buy this or other great posters from MovieGoods.com®

One thing leads to another, and Edward and Bella fall in love. Their relationship is thrown into chaos, when another vampire coven sweeps into Forks and James, a tracker vampire, decides to get Bella for sport. The Cullens plan to distract the tracker by splitting up Bella and Edward, and Bella is sent to her home in Phoenix. She then gets a phone call from James in which he says that he has her mother, and Bella is forced to give herself up to James at her old dance studio, where he attacks her.

Edward, and the rest of the Cullen family rescue Bella before James can kill her. Once returning to Forks, she goes to the prom with Edward, where she expresses her desire to become a vampire.

"Twilight" has received acclaim and won numerous honors, including: New York Times Editor's Choice; Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year; Teen People "Hot List" Pick; American Library Association "Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults" and "Top Ten Books for Reluctant Readers.

The book has been translated into 20 languages. In its review, Kirkus noted: "Twilight is far from perfect: Edward's portrayal as monstrous tragic hero is overly Byronic, and Bella's appeal is based on magic rather than character." Publishers Weekly's review described Bella's "infatuation with outsider Edward", their risky relationship, and "Edward's inner struggle" as a metaphor for sexual frustration during adolescence.

Family Guy - 100th Episode

2008-10-21T23:30:00.004-06:00

Family Guy Vol. 6 on DVD NOW AVAILIBLE in stores! Get your copy of the series that never stops pushing the limits on excellent comic satire!

Watch the following clips in order...

Background information on Family Guy Vol.6:
Stewie will “Damn you all!” if fans don’t catch the latest collection of uproariously irreverent “Family Guy” adventures, as Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment presents the “Family Guy” Volume Six DVD collection on October 21. A pop culture phenomenon the collection features the show’s 100th episode and a total of 12 edgy episodes from Seasons Five and Six.

Catch the Griffin clan’s ridiculously hilarious antics such as Stewie’s not-so-successful attempt to kill Lois, Brian’s discovery that he is a father and patriarch Peter’s frequent visits to the Drunken Clam.

Beverly Hills Chihuahua

2008-10-04T08:52:00.003-06:00

Click above to buy these and other collectable posters from MovieGoods.com®

Starring: Drew Barrymore ... Chloe (voice)

Andy Garcia ... Delgado (voice)

George Lopez ... Papi (voice)

Cheech Marin ... Manuel (voice)

Paul Rodriguez ... Chico (voice)

Plácido Domingo ... Monte (voice)

Edward James Olmos ... Diablo (voice)

Loretta Devine ... Delta (voice)

Jamie Lee Curtis ... Aunt Viv

Luis Guzmán ... Chucho (voice)

Eddie 'Piolin' Sotelo ... Rafa (voice)

Carlos Juvera ... Tomás (voice)

Alex Mendoza ... Frightened Terrier / Gang Leader Bull Dog (voice)

Lombardo Boyar ... Praying Dog

Jon Molerio ... Fight Mutt #1 / Gang Dog #1 (voice)

Synopsis: Pampered Beverly Hills Chihuahua Chloe (voice of Drew Barrymore) delights in her luxurious lifestyle and has no time to notice amorous pup Papi (voice of George Lopez), who belongs to Sam (Manolo Cardona), the landscape gardener. When Chloe's devoted owner Vivian (Jamie Lee Curtis) goes to Europe on business, Chloe is left in the reluctant care of her niece Rachel (Piper Perabo), who takes a spontaneous trip to Mexico with friends. When Chloe gets lost in the bad end of town, she finds an unlikely ally in the street-smart German Shepherd Delgado (voice of Andy Garcia). Meanwhile, Papi heads south of the border and joins forces with a doggie threesome (voices of Placido Domingo, Luis Guzman, Eddie 'Piolin' Sotelo) to join the rescue party.

Buy these and other great Collectables from MovieGoods.com®

Review: Review by Louise Keller, UrbanCinefile.com:

It's cute alright, with wild ideas, funny lines and a central premise that reinforces loyalty and being true to yourself. Beyond the obvious frivolity, the film is smartly structured with two parallel realities, allowing both the humans and the animals to interact within their own worlds. Technically brilliant, it's a credit to the filmmakers that we are able to make a leap of canine faith and enter the wonderful, zany world of the immaculately groomed and designer-dressed pampered pooch Chloe, whose fragrance is Channel No 5 and who is thoroughly accustomed to her lavish, Beverly Hills lifestyle. It's a love story and a buddy movie that involves a road trip, a kidnapping, a rescue with many adventures. Best of all, this is a film that transcends age and will appeal to anyone who loves animals and who loves to laugh.

When we first meet Chloe, she is wearing her Harry Winston diamond collar, pink leather booties and a frilly pink skirt. The opening sequences when she catches up with her Poodle, Pug and Chinese Crested doggie pals at the beauty parlour are outrageously funny and are followed by a fashion-parade of sorts in which Chloe is dressed in an assortment of skirts, dresses, berets, caps and sunglasses. It is followed by the bikinis-by-the-pool scene, which has to be seen to be believed! All in the plush surrounds of a Beverly Hills mansion with gazebo, lotus pond and immaculately kept garden. But the magic of movies is all about believing, and there's plenty of magic here. Jamie Lee Curtis is nicely cast as Chloe's adoring owner, with Piper Perabo engaging as her life-loving niece who teams up with Colombian-born Manolo Cardona as the handsome landscape gardener when they set off to Mexico in search of the missing pooch.

But of course, it is the dogs that are the real stars, and a great voice cast, headed by Drew Barrymore as Chloe and Andy Garcia as Delgado, the German Shepherd with the secret past who befriends the 'tiny but mighty' Chihuahua. The logistics must have been horrendous with more than 200 dogs and other animals and 60 trainers to keep them all in line. But everything pays off: the doggie stars do their trainers proud and the special effects team makes it look almost natural for the dogs to talk, laugh and cry. The Mexican desert locations are especially striking as all humans and dogs converge as the plot strands weave together in a satisfying conclusion. It's light-hearted and playful escapism that's thoroughly enjoyable while it lasts.

Mamma Mia!

2008-09-20T15:16:00.003-06:00

Click above to buy this poster from MovieGoods.com® -- It has a different image on each side of the poster!

Starring: Amanda Seyfried ... Sophie Sheridan

Stellan Skarsgård ... Bill Anderson

Pierce Brosnan ... Sam Carmichael

Nancy Baldwin ... Sam's PA

Colin Firth ... Harry Bright

Heather Emmanuel ... Harry's Housekeeper

Colin Davis ... Harry's Driver

Rachel McDowall ... Lisa

Ashley Lilley ... Ali

Meryl Streep ... Donna Sheridan

Julie Walters ... Rosie

Christine Baranski ... Tanya

Ricardo Montez ... Stannos

Mia Soteriou ... Arina

Enzo Squillino Jr. ... Gregoris

Click above to buy this and other great collectable posters from MovieGoods.com®

Synopsis: Warning! This synopsis contains spoilers: 20 year old Sophie (Seyfried) is preparing to marry her boyfriend Sky (Cooper) at her mother's hotel on an island in Greece. She seemingly has it all -- a carefree life, a loving fiance, and happy friends -- but one thing has been missing all her life: a father.

Her only wish now is to be given away by her dad at her wedding. By reading her mother's diary she discovers that she has three possible fathers. Sophie then secretly invites all three men to the wedding in a desperate bid to discover which of them is her father before the wedding bells start to chime!

But not all goes according to plan: old loves are re-kindled, new loves are formed, and Sophie risks everything to discover the true identity of her father.

Featuring the songs of ABBA, and based on the world's number one musical comedy which has people dancing in the aisles every night!

Review:

Mamma Mia Movie Review @ Yahoo! Video

MILK - His life changed history. His courage changed lives.

2008-09-14T14:24:00.002-06:00

Click above to buy this and other great Movie Posters from MovieGoods.com®

A preview of the upcoming (Due December 2008), movie MILK - direced by Gus Van Sant. The story of California's first openly gay elected official, Harvey Milk, a San Francisco supervisor who was assassinated along with Mayor George Moscone by San Francisco Supervisor Dan White. Harvey Milk is played by Sean Penn.

Starring: Sean Penn ... Harvey Milk

Josh Brolin ... Dan White

Emile Hirsch ... Cleve Jones

James Franco ... Scott Smith

30 Days of Night

2008-09-13T23:02:00.005-06:00

Click above to buy these and other great posters (stills also available), from MovieGoods.com®

Starring: Josh Hartnett ... Sheriff Eben Oleson

Melissa George ... Stella Oleson

Danny Huston ... Marlow

Ben Foster ... The Stranger

Mark Boone Junior ... Beau Brower

Mark Rendall ... Jake Oleson

Amber Sainsbury ... Denise

Manu Bennett ... Deputy Billy Kitka

Megan Franich ... Iris

Joel Tobeck ... Doug Hertz

Elizabeth Hawthorne ... Lucy Ikos

Nathaniel Lees ... Carter Davies

Craig Hall ... Wilson Bulosan

Chic Littlewood ... Issac Bulosan

Peter Feeney ... John Riis

Synopsis: Barrow, Alaska, a small town on the Arctic circle, is preparing for its annual "30 days of night," a period during the winter when the sun will not be seen. People who don't want to suffer the extended darkness leave for Fairbanks or other parts south. As the town gets ready, The Stranger [Ben Foster], rows ashore from a larger ship, then trudges towards Barrow. Once he arrives, he sets about sabotaging the town. He steals and destroys all the cell phones, destroys the town's only helicopter and kills all of the dogs.

Barrow's sheriff, Eben Oleson [Josh Hartnett] investigates these crimes. As he does so, he learns that his estranged wife, Stella [Melissa George], who moved out of town awhile ago, missed the last plane out of town and will have to spend the 30 day period in Barrow. Although they try to avoid one another, when Eben confronts The Stranger in the town diner, she helps subdue him and take him to the station house.

From the jail cell, The Stranger taunts Eben, Stella, Eben's teenaged brother Jake [Mark Rendall], and their grandmother [Elizabeth McRae], telling them that death is coming for them. Just then, vampires attack the local telecommunications center and power supply, rendering the town dark and cut off from the outside world. Eben goes to the telecommunications center and finds the operator's head on a pike. He and Stella then go through town, trying to find the ones responsible for the gruesome crimes.

Meanwhile, the vampires, led by Marlow [Danny Huston] attack the town. Marlow speaks in an ancient, gutteral language; the other vampires shriek. Unless they are shot in the head, bullets are useless against them, and they slaughter most of the town, including Eben's grandmother. Those who survive congregate in the diner. The vampires attack Eben and Stella but Beau Brower [Mark Boone Junior], the local snowplow driver, rescues them. They too go to the diner. Everyone decides to go to the boarded up house of someone who had left town earlier that day. The house has a hidden attic where they will be able to hide. Marlow finds The Stranger in the jail and, taking mercy on him in thanks for his work on the vampires' behalf, kills him quickly. Marlow orders the vampires not to turn anyone into a vampire; they will slaughter the town and then disappear in order to preserve modern humanity's belief that vampires are the stuff of bad dreams and nothing more.

Click above to buy these and other great posters (stills also available), from MovieGoods.com®

Over the next week, Eben, Stella, Jake and seven others stick it out in the attic. They fight about leaving but most stay; only Wilson and his senile father, Isaac, are lost. Eben ventures out to try to help a stray survivor and learns that beheading the vampires will kill them. When a blizzard hits, Eben and the others use the whiteout conditions to make it to the general store. There, a young girl vampire attacks them, wounding one of them. The whiteout conditions end, preventing them from making it back to the abandoned house. Eben decides everyone should go to the station house. He will provide a diversion by running to his mother's house. She grew marijuana and has an ultraviolet lighting system. Eben makes it to the house, turns on the generator and turns the light on the vampires who have followed him. It hideously burns one, forcing Marlow to kill her. Eben escapes the house but the vampires are in pursuit. Beau comes to the rescue again, killing many of the vampires with his plow. He crashes into a hotel and then ignites a box of dynamite, hoping to incinerate the vampires. His ploy is unsuccessful but it gives Eben the time to make it to the station house. There, the wounded member turns into a vampire. With some shred of his humanity left, he asks Eben to behead him. Eben complies.

Two more weeks pass. Stella and Eben see someone signaling them from across the street. It is Billy Kitka [Manu Bennett], Eben's deputy. Eben and Stella make it to Billy's house. When the vampires attacked, he killed his wife and daughters but the gun jammed before he could commit suicide. Stella and Eben take him back to the station house. There they learn that the others have made it to the utilidor, a power station that controls the oil pipeline, the only structure that still has power. Eben, Stella and Billy begin to sneak towards the utilidor. Stella stops to rescue a young girl who is being stalked by a vampire. Eben and Billy try to distract the vampire while Stella gets the girl to safety. Instead, Billy and Eben are separated. They both eventually make it to the utilidor, but a vampire follows Billy.

Eben is happy to see the rest of the survivors have made it alive. The vampire attacks Billy, ripping into his neck and cutting off his hand. When the vampire attacks Eben, Billy knocks it into the gears of the utilidor's pump, disintegrating it. Eben then kills Billy before he can turn into a vampire.

The sun is due to rise in a few hours. The vampires decide to incinerate the town to cover their tracks. Stella radios to Eben that she and the young girl are hiding under an abandoned truck, the flames rapidly approaching them. Realizing he cannot beat the vampires as a human, Eben injects himself with Billy's infected blood so he can fight them as a vampire. He and Marlow fight a vicious battle and Eben wins. Leaderless, the other vampires disappear.

Stella takes Eben to watch the dawn. She holds him in her arms as he is incinerated.

Review:
by The Wizard of 'OZ' ('OZ' - The 'Other' Side of the Rainbow)

WOW! I was totally impressed with this movie! I admit I was rather late at watching it, some 1 year after it was released. I AM a fan of vampire movies (The Lost Boys, Dracula to name 2 of my favourites), but this one takes the cake on gore. The vampires are totally creepy freakazoids who relish in the bloody pain of others.

The town of Barrow Alaska, is tormented during the 30 days of night that come every year where 75 % of the population leaves as they can't handle it. I would venture to say that the 25% left were unprepared to handle what did take place in those 30 days.

The lead vampire, Marlow [Danny Huston], speaks in vampire language and barks out orders to his minions. He has some really scary and god-awful fingernails -- curling claws of yellow, really, of which he makes use of alot.

The vampires are the real stars of this movie, and as such, are given a fair amount of screen time, while the do gooders, get their fair amount of scream time. Josh Hartnet gives his life in the end to be the true hero that saves the souls that were left as of the last night of the 30 days night.

i thought that I would get nightmares last night, however, though the images are burned into my retinas, my medications ensure a blissfull nights sleep. You may not be so lucky. If you are renting this flick I stress - this is NOT a film for kids!

The most disturbing scene and quoute I remember was a small girl, bent over and feasting on someone, who said: "I'm bored playing with this one." She turns her head around revealing her bloodied mouth and dress, and asks the sheriff:"Do you want to play with me?". OOOOOWWW... that is scary man - - gives new meaning to the term 'Out of the mouths of babes'...

The Wizard gives the film 4 thumbs up!

For a change of pace, visit ToonTownReviews sister site:
'OZ' - The 'Other' Side of the Rainbow.

Click Above.

Pineapple Express

2008-09-11T08:57:00.004-06:00

Starring: Seth Rogen ... Dale Denton

James Franco ... Saul Silver

Danny R. McBride ... Red

Kevin Corrigan ... Budlofsky

Craig Robinson ... Matheson

Gary Cole ... Ted Jones

Rosie Perez ... Carol - Female Cop

Ed Begley Jr. ... Robert Anderson

Click above to buy these and other great posters from MovieGoods.com®

Synopsis: Warning! This synopsis contains spoilers!

Dale Denton (Seth Rogan) is a slacker. He appreciates his job as a process server because it gives him plenty of time to smoke marijuana. His dream is to be a radio talk show host, and he frequently calls into talk shows to talk about how marijuana should be legal. He also is dating a high school senior, Angie (Amber Heard). She wants him to meet her parents but he is afraid to.

After a small fight with Angie, Dale visits his dealer, Saul (James Franco). Saul sells him a special blend that only he has, Pineapple Express. Saul has aspirations of being a civil engineer and claims to sell marijuana only to pay the rent at his grandmother's expensive nursing home. Saul would like to be friends with Dale, which Dale is uncomfortable with.

Dale goes to serve a subpoena on Ted Jones (Gary Cole). As he sits in his car, smoking some Pineapple Express, he witnesses Ted and a corrupt policewoman, Carol (Rosie Perez), kill an Asian man. Panicking, Dale leaves his roach at the scene and smashes into parked cars as he drives away. Ted finds the roach and recognizes the marijuana as Pineapple Express. Dale goes back to Saul's pad, realizing that the marijuana could be traced back to him. They decide to hide: Saul suggests "nowhere" and Quizno's as potential hiding spots but they decide on the woods instead. They call Saul's middle man, Red (Danny McBride), to learn if he knows anything. Ted's henchmen, Budlofsky (Kevin Corrigan) and Matheson (Craig Robinson) are already there. Red arranges for Dale and Saul to come back at noon the next day so Budlofsky and Matheson can capture them.

Instead, Dale and Saul spend the night getting stoned and paranoid. Convinced that satellites can track them through their cell phones, they throw them into the woods. They then fall asleep in the car with the radio on, killing the battey. They hitchhike to Red's. Red acts bizarrely and tries to call Ted. Dale and Saul beat him up, then leave him duct-taped to a chair. When Matheson and Budlofsky arrive, they get what information they can from Red -- including Dale's full name -- then shoot him in the gut. Ted is now convinced that Dale is an assassin employed by the Asian gangsters attempting to muscle in on his territory. The Asians also hate Ted because he killed one of them.

Dale realizes that Amber is now in danger. He and Saul go to her house. She is happy to see them, thinking that Dale has finally come to meet her parents (Ed Begley Jr. and Nora Dunn). Instead he tells them they are in danger from homicidal drug dealers. Her father threatens them with a rifle, then agrees to take his family to a safe motel. Dale plans to do something to save them. Instead, he and Saul sit in a tree and get high. Saul tells Dale he considers Dale his best friend, a comment Dale ignores. Dale instead suggests they sell some of their pot to high school kids to get enough money to leave town. They do so, but Dale is arrested by the high school's police liaison officer (Cleo King). When he tells her that he witnessed another police woman kill a man, her interest is piqued. Saul doesn't know that the officer is willing to help them and distracts her long enough to drive away in the police car with Saul. Carol has overheard the officer's report that she had arrested Dale and pursues Saul and Dale's stolen car. After a wild chase, Carol crashes and Saul and Dale get away.

Saul and Dale argue about whether or not they should be getting high so much. Dale insults Saul and immediately feels bad, but Saul takes it personally and walks off. Dale calls Amber to tell her that he wants to work things out. But when she agrees, he decides she is too immature if she wants to be with a loser like him and breaks it off for good. He then decides that he must make amends with Saul. Saul goes to see his grandmother, but Budlofsky and Matheson are already there. Saul smashes a pot of hot coffee in Matheson's face but is quickly subdued and taken to the Barn. Dale follows Saul to the nursing home and witnesses the police investigation of Saul's abduction.

Dale goes back to Red's house. Red is sitting in his bathroom, eating a cake and slowly bleeding to death. Dale persuades him that good karma necessitates saving Saul. They take Red's stash of guns and drive his Daewoo to the Barn, a former government drug testing facility that he uses to grow marijuana. When they arrive, Red decides he wants to seek medical attention instead and abandons Dale. Dale tries to assault Ted's men but when Budlofsky shoots one of his own men, whom Dale had taken hostage, Dale surrenders. He is thrown in a holding cell with Saul. They reconcile then plan their escape. When Matheson enters to tell them that he can hear their plotting, they attack him. Matheson shoots off Dale's ear but Saul gets his gun and shoots him in the chest.

The Asians attack the barn shortly after Ted and Carol arrive. Heavily armed and shooting anyone they see, Saul and Dale try to get away in the chaos but only Saul makes it outside. He returns to save Dale but is stopped by the injured Carol and Budlofsky. When Budlofsky decides to go home to his wife, Matheson kills him for losing his edge. But before Matheson can kill Saul, Red busts through the wall in his Daewoo, crushing Matheson to death. Carol then shoots Red several times.

Ted fights Dale in the subterranean growing room. One of the Asians slips in and plants a bomb. The explosion kills Ted as well as Carol. Dale carries Saul to safety, and Red staggers out of the ruined barn a few minutes later. Filthy and bleeding, they have breakfast at a local diner until Saul's grandmother can pick them up to take them to the hospital.

Review: Where's the Express?

Review by: Elliot Zatzkis, 2Reels.blogspot.com

It's rare for a big-studio stoner action comedy to arrive in theaters, and it's even rarer for studios to release a big-studio action comedy that's as ambitious yet uninvolving as "Pineapple Express." While the movie delivers fine performances, the deliberate pacing turns "Pineapple Express" into a surprisingly tedious action comedy.

"Pineapple Express" follows the not-so-ordinary adventures of two pot-smoking buddies. Subpoena dealer Dale Denton(Seth Rogen) and drug dealer Saul Silver(James Franco) are smoking a new type of weed known as "Pineapple Express." Unfortunately, drug kingpin Ted Jones(Gary Cole) wants his hand on the new product, and when Dale witnesses Ted execute a rival, Dale and Saul run for their lives in order to stay alive.

To be blunt(pun not intended), about a third of "Pineapple Express" feels tedious. Unlike most action movies, "Pineapple Express" settles for deliberate pacing. In a tighter film, the pacing could've been perfect. However, the screenplay settles for a directionless subplot involving Dale's relationship with 18-year-old high schooler Angie(Amber Heard) while a subplot involving a gang war between two drug kingpins comes off as a disappointing attempt to deliver character development for antagonist Ted Jones. Once again, these may sound like minimal complaints, but the combination of these two subplots add up to at least one-third of the film's running time. Meanwhile, the action sequences remain few and far between since the film wants to focus on gags as much as adrenaline. For every clever sequence involving Dale subpoenaing various individuals, the script settles for a tedious sequence involving Dale and Saul hiding out in the forest. To be fair, the opening sequence of a 1937 government test project plays out brilliantly, and the climatic shootout at a remote barn plays out like a "Days of Heaven" sequence on crack(in a good way). Unfortunately, these excellent sequences cannot keep a significant amount of the film from moving at a snail's pace.

The performances feel stronger than the script. Seth Rogen("Knocked Up") continues to prove that he is one of the funnier actors in modern cinema. James Franco("Spider-Man") gives his best performance in years, if not ever, as Saul Silver. Franco, who tends to act in more serious roles, fits the role of Saul Silver like such a fine glove that once cannot help but hope that Franco pursues more comedic roles in the future. Indeed, "Pineapple Express" delivers pitch-perfect performances from lead actors Seth Rogen and James Franco, and the final results (almost) keep "Pineapple Express" afloat.

After months of hype, "Pineapple Express" falls short as a stoner comedy and an action film. The film's amusing concept falls flat under shockingly deliberate pacing. "Pineapple Express" will become a box office hit, but unlike "The 40 Year-Old Virgin," "Knocked Up," "Superbad," and "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," the new Judd Apatow production doesn't quite deliver what it promises.