Review: "THE FALL" Score A-

This story wrapped in a story may not be for everyone, but it is a stunningly beautiful if slow moving tale. Director Tarsem, also behind the film "The Cell" provides visionary filming here. What we get is a fable told by an injured stuntman in a 1920's hospital who is kept company by a little curious girl with a broken arm. As the tale is told it is blurred by her imagination and his making it up as it goes along. Without revealing outcomes of the tale or the film the stuntman is on a suicide trail as he attempts to manipulate the little girl to help him do so. Visually this film is a masterpiece of cinematography. There are locations in this film that are so fantastical that we question if they really exist anywhere. Tarsem is a film maker that is more like a painter than any other director (as evidenced in 'The Cell' as well). The creativity and scale of the sets is quite a sight to see. Its easy to get lost in his worlds. Also worth mentioning is the detailed costuming, which I also believe springs from the mind of the director. Interesting is the intertwining of the hospital's reality and the fable's world. This film is a film makers film and really is a testament to what can be 'painted' with the medium. The use of color abounds as does the scope of the settings. Really a great visual film. Check it out. Its not the fastest moving story nor is it action packed, it does however offer some beautiful imagery to admire and take in, as well as nicely crafted interconnected tales. Enjoy this one like a day at a museum admiring the works.

Review: "NORBIT" Score C+

Not as bad as I had previously heard it was. Surprisingly a little bit of sentimentality and care for the lead character. Eddie Murphy loves to dress up as other characters. And for the most part he is good at it. At face value you have to take most of his films with a grain of salt and understand what they are. Comic romps in odd worlds. This one sits in the middle of his heap of movies its not quite 'Nutty Professor' and not nearly as good as 'Coming to America' or '48 hours' nor is it as bad as 'Pluto Nash'. It just is. Thandie Newton is clearly phoning it in here as the girlfriend, I assume she wanted the paycheck and basically plays the cardboard cutout love interest. Murphy as his fat persona of Rasputia is all out mean and somewhat funny but I kept having to look away from the screen when he used actual obese women as body doubles in certain shots as it was too disgusting. Fat suit humor perfected in the Klump movies seems to be one of Murphy's pet specialties. As well as racial stereotypes like the Chinese orphanage owner. The story is simple enough but by the end falls apart in the climatic end showdown. Crazy characters we never saw in the film come out of nowhere. I was thinking I missed a part of the movie where these people were introduced so it would make some sense why they take up defenses. In the end everything ends up as predicable as you think it should. A comedy to check out... if you are bored.

Review: "CLOVERFIELD" Score C+

Basically this is a borrowed gimmick movie (from the 'Blair Which Project'). Following a movie only from the filming of a main participant. Watching this movie will give most people a headache due to the super over shaky camera style. Its almost as if they shake the camera even more than it would happen naturally. What the movie fails in shooting a visually palatable movie it makes up in concept and digital effects. Most frustrating in the film is the lack of being able to clearly see anything. All we get are flashes of things and bad angles or running with camera in hand. In concept the movie could have been something better. It falls on the overuse POV camera work and the annoying commentary of a Joe Schmo filming the events. SPOILER ALERT: So the basis of the film is an attack on Manhattan by some huge ugly, apparently indestructible creature that spits out babies that are only the size of a dog. The creature is sometimes larger than a building and other times only as big as a large tractor trailer on end. This is just a digital problem of scale that the film makers failed to keep in perspective. From scene to scene the monster changes size as dictated for what its supposed to do in the scene. Of course we never really seem to get a good look at it anyway and this is a cheat on the film makers part too. No questions are answered in the film its all just attack and escape, with a plot of one of the leads having to rescue his girl from the middle of the mayhem. Then we are left with a giant explosion that kills the leads but apparently leaves the camera intact (otherwise their would be no movie right?) And questions the destruction of the creature as well. Its an odd quirky movie that had it been shot better would have been easier to watch.

Documentary Review: "RELIGULOUS" Score: B+

Bill Maher takes a bold and candid look at religion in this unique documentary. His main tenant is that of Doubt and Questioning. Not at just one religion but most of the major ones. He does not attempt to find the one right religion but he explores them and simply questions them. Interesting are the outcomes of his sessions with these various people either representing or siding on behalf of different faiths. He is asking the bigger question of 'shouldn't we have moved on from these archaic belief systems'. We have moved on past the world being the center of everything, or that it was flat. We left the archaic gods of Roman and Greek times behind (I don't think anyone is still praying to Zeus or Apollo) yet the world still has these singular gods of each faith that for thousands of years they still cling to. Maher is brave in his pursuit of simply questioning some of these believers. Fortunately he doesn't run into any fanatics that try to harm him and most of the interviewees cooperate and candidly expose themselves. Ultimately there are not really answers supplied and many seem to believe with out knowing why they believe the texts they follow, they just do. There are some scary moments to ponder in realizing so many "leaders" in the world control the fate of the masses and are entrenched in their respective religions and beliefs. Overall this doc is worth a real look if you can just look with some doubt and not any locked in faith. He's not trying to make fun of it as much as he is trying to question it.

Review: "THE KINGDOM" Score B-

Its a film that looks into the Saudi kingdom after an insider terrorist attack on an Americans living in a walled section on Saudi soil. The first few moments of the movie give us some interesting facts on Saudi Arabia and how it came into power and oil. The initial attack and bombing are impressively disturbing and then kicks off what the movies core is about. That is the small FBI team that is granted access to help find those responsible. The Arab world rules and customs get in their way and their consulting the investigators provides little until they get the Prince to agree to real help. Their handler is on a mission to really catch those who did this act, and his determination helps him connect with the leader of the U.S. team (Foxx). They develop a friendship along the way (of the week long stay) and ultimately do what the U.S. government does best and finds the terrorist cell responsible. The last section of the film turns into a warring film of a"Black Hawk Down" or "The Unit". Gunfire and CQB (Close Quarter Battle/Combat) abound and its a real middle eastern city firefight. Really well shot, gritty and full of tension as well. This is a well done film and serves its purpose. However it blurs the line of whether it is an action film or a statement film about the Saudi kingdom itself and how it operates. The actors do a decent enough job and there are no standouts nor any failures among their performances. A Good film, not outstanding.

Review: "THE NINES" Score B-

This is an independent feature that is cast with a few "names" (Ryan Reynolds and Elle Fanning), who I am sure were needed to get the funding to shoot this. The rest of the cast is filled out with mostly decent, but unknown talent. The director also is the writer of this interesting piece. Its based around a mystery of the number 9: which is explained in the middle of the film however it still is not really clear upon what the real concept is. Reynolds, the lead character in this psych adventure. Its a head tripping mystery that we are trying to figure out along with the main character. It starts out with one version of the man as a TV actor on a fall from grace and under house arrest. The rest of the movie we are lead to believe that the NINES are something that he is to look out for. At first glance I thought it was going to be something along the lines of the movie "The Number 23", its not its something else. I don't want to spoil any of the storyline here. I did feel by the third act the NINE metaphor is thrown to the wayside and we are left with a completely different mystery to define. Shot decently enough and the actors all deliver fine performances for what this film required. The faulty parts of the film is in the story structure and an ultimately unsatisfying resolution. The mystery in the first act keeps us wondering and I thought that I was in the mist of an interesting figure-it-out type of movie, which would have been more interesting than the final film that is presented. Its not bad, its just not great either. Some odd placement of a musical number and some rat traps don't add to the film they just confuse and are arbitrary. The movie is reminiscent of a Twilight Zone episode. Worth a check out, interesting but not wowing.

Review: "SUPERHERO MOVIE" Score C-

I am not a fan of these types of films, but as a comic movie fan I thought I might give this parody a shot. Well, it was what I thought it was going to be, yet contained less jokes than i expected. Instead of what I thought it was going to be, which was an actually funny "Scary Movie/Scream" type parody, It was a weakly written spoof with minimal funny parts. Its almost as if they tried to make a real film and then tried to throw some laughs in there as well because they knew their film was this cheesy. The didn't really work hard at all to craft this screenplay, I think all they did to prepare was watch the first Spider-man and then plug in some gags they thought might be funny. The look of the film is actually quite well done. It looks professional in most of the scenes. This is meant for the lowest common denominator of audiences. Cheap laughs and bad parody of a film that most of this type of audience have seen already. Not for me. There are better comedies out there to watch then this one.

Review: " HOUSE OF GAMES" Score C-

OK this movie was another one from the late 80's. It was written by and directed by David Mamet and critic Rodger Ebert said at the time it was released that it was 'The years Best movie'. Why I don't seem to understand. In fact a lot of the critics of the day thought that this was a great movie. Today it just doesn't stand up. The writing is OK following "A big Con" on a dumb kleptomaniac psychologist. I suspect that critics of the day were over-hyping Mamet who in this directorial debut still writes in his hyper dialogue play delivery style. And it is a style. Parts of the movie play like two actors on a theater stage. Here, today, the movie is slow moving and quite predictable. Perhaps the biggest downfall is the horrid acting by the lead Lindsey Crouse. Really poor delivery and very plastic. She is possibly the worst female lead for this movie. She is really bad and I am forgiving her 80's fashion and short haircut as a look of the times. There are plenty of other films of the same year the top anything this one tried to be "Fatal Attraction", "Moonstruck", "Wall Street" just to name a few are far superior films. Skip it unless you are a diehard Mamet fan.

Review: "THE THING" Score A+

If you have never seen the original THE THING then stop right now and go and rent the DVD! Watch it on the biggest screen you can get it on and enjoy a quality, top notch piece of film making.

Although this movie is from the '80's decade, it still holds its own in the field of moviedom. It is such a well written, well crafted, well acted, well shot, and well directed film. A testament to what films should aspire to be today. You can put aside the dated SF/X of the day (which were all physical pieces/creatures and stop motion animation, no CGI cartoons of today). Other than that this movie could be put out today and stand out as a great piece of work. The tension created by the situation and the overall quality crafting of the storytelling moves this one into the realm of one of my all time favorite movies. I can give this nothing but glowing recommendations. It makes you look at some of today's schlocky films and ask why don't they make movies like this any more. This movie puts you in the center of it. You can almost feel the extreme cold of the atmosphere. You can feel the idea of the tension and being cut off from everyone else. You can put yourself in the position of "What would I do?" Its a real suspense filled thriller and even though the shock of its scary creature moments is lost a bit due to all the creature stuff we have seen done in films since then, it still stands the test of time as a really good movie. It is directed with a brilliant touch. And the actors don't fail at all in having a believability that you don't question. Check this movie out, put it on the top of your must see list if you have never seen it. A real treat.

Review: "THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM" Score B-

Jason Bourne is kind of a modern day Bond. He is slick and polished, yet more action oriented and less conspicuous. He is also more of an everyman. The third in the series of films this one does carry the action style of the rest. The first of the series still holds up as the best film of the series. This one we are tossed around as viewers trying to keep up with the frantic pace. There is more set up here and it works all the same. Matt Damon has found his locked on role here and will most likely be known for it for years to come. For an action flick this one delivers what one expects from a movie with this title...more of the same of the first two. Damon manages to dole out a calm cool and collected agent . Who knows what to do, when to do it, and how to. Some lessor actors can't pull this kind of work off. Slick shooting styles again gives this one the international flair these films need to exist in. Well done and worth a view.

Review: "ERAGON" Score C

I suspect this is one of the movies where the BOOK is definitely better than the film. I didn't read the book and don't plan too but I can guess that it was made into a movie because it is a decent read. The movie is crafted OK but reminded me more of a Hercules or Xena TV episode than a feature. One of the most disturbing things I found was it seemed to me that scenes in this film were edited out of order. Just from a story point level I was watching it and thinking "Oh that scene should have come before that one and that one should have been there". And then there were parts where I felt that scenes were just cut out as it jumped ahead in the plot. As if you blinked and suddenly the story had advanced and you should just go along with it. The CGI was pretty good although why is it anytime film makers try to make a talking dragon they screw up the face of the dragon and mis-match the voice that goes with it. They also skimped a bit on the villain's make up and costume. The main villains face was little more than pasty white with some black nail polish. And the ogres were fat men with some facial tattoos. Nothing really fantastical jumped off the screen in this movie. The big battle was mostly about fire and magic. And a lot of CGI magic. And the evil king was lost it was anti0-climactic when the hero defeats the second in command. This one felt like a Dungeons and Dragons adventure and little more. Not really much character-wise to care about. If you like fantasy adventure movies this is sub par when compared to the Lord of the Rings or Narnia films. This felt a bit like a rehearsal test film for the former ones.

Review: "OCEAN'S THIRTEEN" Score B-

So far out of the Ocean's series this one is the weakest of the bunch. As a fan of the first two, this one is not as much fun. There is still fun to be had, but as the writing for this heist is not as slick as the other its not as good as the others. These movies are a playground for the film stars. I think most of the actors have a good time making these films and spend a lot of time off camera partying it up with each other in a sort of boys club. I jealously would love to be on a film shoot with such a great cast ensemble. This time out its not so much of a heist as it is a revenge. The quirky-ness from the other films is lost here and things are kinda explained away too quickly for my taste. These type of films are always better when you don't know everything ahead of time and get the tasty reveal of how it was pulled off, after its pulled of. Also living in Vegas now I can see there are plenty of holes in this story as far as what could be done and what is in this film. Part of the fun is thinking that this could be concocted and carried out by this slick crew of bandits. Its lost a bit in this chapter. I don't know if there will be any other movies after this. Its still worth a view if you like these Vegas based caper movies.

Review: "TRANSIBERIAN" Score: C-

This movie is a tepid thriller at best. Its starts out with a curious murder that a Russian inspector (Ben Kingsley) seemingly sums up and closes the case. Then we are lead to the title of the film, Transiberian, the train that leads from China through Russia. Its a boring adventure and it does not really pick up until about 2/3 through the movie. SPOILER TIME: The movie centers around a woman (who has a bad girl past), who is in China with her recent husband helping a missionary out. Her husband is into trains and they decide to take a train to Moscow instead of flying home to the US. On the train they meet a young traveling couple (who turn out to be drug smugglers). The woman is separated from her husband at one of the stops and he will join up with her on the next train. While they are separated, she goes of with the man of the young couple and ends up hooking up with him as he wants more she beats him to death with a board. He has secretly hidden the drugs in her luggage and when her husband joins her he brings a new friend, the Russian Inspector. They turn over the drugs to him after she fails to get rid of them. She lies about where the guy went. The cops don't believe her. They want to find him to get the money he has on him. The woman still lies. Suddenly the train is now empty. They are captured and taken to a torture place off the train. They torture the drug runner's girlfriend. The woman still lies. They escape. They steal the train. They are caught again. Her husband is knocked out. She tells the inspector she killed the guy. The train is wrecked into by another train. The military happen to be on this other train. They storm the first train. The inspector shoots his partner in the head and claims he rescued these American hostages. He then disappears into the woods. A photo the woman took shows that the inspector was in on the drug dealing. The woman tells the tortured girlfriend where the drug runner's body is. The girlfriend goes to the site digs in the snow to find the body and removes a money belt....THE END.... OK now after waiting that it sounds even worse than it was as a movie. Skip it. This is a slow moving, un-thrilling thriller.

Review: "WALK HARD:THE DEWEY COX STORY" Score B+

Pleasantly surprising! Going into this movie not knowing much about it I found it quite funny and enjoyable. Quickly noting that it is a parody of sorts, mocking "Walk the Line" and creating a fictional character Dewey Cox to replace Johnny Cash. It starts out quirky enough and childhood Dewey makes a mistake that sets him on his path to become a great entertainer. This being an Aptow produced movie there is plenty of star power throughout this film. Almost every major role is played by someone we've seen before on TV or another movie. And even if most of them look nothing much like who they are supposed to be. You buy it because its a comedy. John C. Reilly is an accomplished actor and serves well as the lead. He brings a believable character to a comic parody. I found myself laughing out loud at parts of this movie on both delivery, gags and writing. Dewey's life is covered from childhood through an old man of 71. And Reilly portrays him from a teenage 14 to the end. The Rock and Roll lifestyle is reflected in decades from the 50's to today and each section carries with it lots of little laughs and some funny moments. I found myself really liking this movie for what it is; a polished parody. From the, actually really good, music to the comedic pangs of the escalating drug use, sex, multiple marriages, kids, and the standard funny line delivery of using peoples full names over and over. I would go as far as saying that even the soundtrack is well done and catchy to boot. Reilly can sing pretty well. I can recommend this for a viewing for almost all audiences (but not for Children, as its definitely adult humor). Check it out!!

Review: "GO" Score C-

Not quite sure what this movie was supposed to be about. Other than a teenage drug fest. Its moshed together in a mish mash of action, drug binges and trippy images with flashes of light. I expected something different than what it turned out to be. There was a unique way of going back to a start point to follow a different character's story. And the Las Vegas trip sequence I thought was interesting up to a point. Yet parts of it were just as wacked out. I think the intention of this movie was to try to create some kind of cult-like cool slick teen movie. It fails. Its not on any must see, repeat viewing lists that I know of and its not on anyone's favorite film list either. The actors do a decent job but the stories are not enough to really recommend.

Review: "GRINDHOUSE PRESENTS: DEATH PROOF and PLANET TERROR" Score: B- and A-

Starting off by admitting admiration of both Tarantino and Rodriguez as film makers, this is actually two reviews since it is two separate films in one package. An innovative stab at a throw back to the 1970's double feature afternoon theater experience. No other film makers really have the guts to put this out there and actually try to do this. These guys go for it and create a double feature of two B movie action/horror/thriller films. Down to adding grainy film cracks into the reel to give that feel of film that has been run over and over in some dank dark movie house of years ago. A lot in the storylines and camera work add to the feel as well. Along with the 1970 cheesy film introduction screens. These two directors are "directors' directors". They are very hands on and take complete creative control of their projects no matter what they are.

Before getting to the film reviews: I have to mention the awesome trailers they create for movies that don't exist (Yet anyway). Some of them are movies that I want to see. The trailers all have the genuine look and feel of any 70's film of the day. They all have that 'announcer' voice , the grainy film and odd letter titling. "Machete" is really top notch and 'stars' Danny Trejo and he rocks it. "Machete" should be made into a feature, if either director is looking for another project to do make this one! Its almost, dare I say, even better than both of the features in Grindhouse.

So up first "DEATH PROOF" It gets a B- from me, saving it from a C due to Tarantino, Kurt Russel and the ladies. Overall its a cheap knock off of a car chase movie. Its got its moments. Russel always delivers in whatever he does and as Stuntman Mike he does a pretty good job. The movie itself lacks some substance, (although it is meant to be a 'B" film). Its fast, both in car speeds and in how it goes by. The Stuntgirls are all tough and make it a good match of revenge for Stuntman Mike. Flashy outrageous car chases are what this one is really all about. There are plenty of them. The movie is titled Death Proof after Stuntman Mike's car which is supposed to protect him from death yet ironically it doesn't. This is where the film may have missed its mark. If the Death Proof car was ultimately so, then the girls wouldn't have stood a chance. And they would have spent their time running away not on revenge. I thought it was OK for what it is and Tarantino does a decent job bringing this type of movie back to the screen. I don't see this as one of his best pieces. Other films he has done have been much better.

Up Next is "PLANET TERROR" and it gets and A-. For an interpretation of a 70's Zombie flick with high power gunfights and explosions into a modern day film it works really well. It has all the elements of those good old action/horror flicks. From the start all the way to the end this one delivers on all that guilty pleasure type of popcorn movie making. The action, the zombies attacking, the gunfire all play well together in this one. The storyline is actually well crafted for what little it needs and the actors portray their respective characters with the gusto needed for this type of romp through a zombie-killing festival of gore. This one is a recommend and you can think of 'Death Proof' as added value in this double grindhouse feature. Pure fun and a great throw back to the good old films of the 1970's

Review: :"THE MUMMY- TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR" Score B-

Pure camp. You have to go into a movie like this one, expecting that and not much more. These movies are made with huge budgets, to hit the core of all movie goers to make big bucks during the hight of the yearly movie going blockbuster season. This delivers just that. A popcorn munching, special effects seeing, suspension of disbelief going movie experience. As a bit of a fan of the Mummy series for what they are (no brainer, fun entertainment only movies), I liked this one almost as much as the first one, number two stunk it up and this one redeemed the series. The special computer F/X are top notch, of course as millions of dollars were set aside purely for them in a movie like this one. They are on par with the first of the MUMMY series and play well within the movie itself. Fraser seems right for this middle of the road action star that is not quite Indiana Jones and not quite a Disney Cartoon hero. He serves the material and it serves him back. Perhaps in this go around one of the disbelief elements is the casting of some unknown young actor as his 25 year old plus SON... don't see it... didn't make sense. And also the re-casting of the woman playing his love interest and wife. Jet Li does do a decent job as the villain Emperor Mummy even though most of his work is in CGI and Chinese subtitling. Overall go into this movie knowing its for pure entertainment only and nothing more. A recommend if you want a guilty pleasure movie experience.

Review: "BABYLON A.D." Score C+

Babylon A.D. strikes out as a viable sci-fi action flick. It attempts to be a cross between "Blade Runner" and "Children of Men" and it fails on both accounts. There is a bit of possibility when the film starts that it could be a futuristic type of "Transporter-ish" type of sci-fi action film, however it quickly falls to the wayside as the majority of the action sequences flop, one after another. Most of the reviews that came out when this film was released address the failing of Vin Disel as a miss on the action movie film actor charts. Unfortunately for him he has now become this generations' Van Damme. A movie star, that focused on action films, yet never reached the quality of film that is necessary to sustain a long term career. This movie hints at possible sci-fi-ness yet throws in old school car chases, which according to the movies timeline would be in cars that are over 50-100 yrs old...what? Huh? And then there is the plot, that a super-human-program-girl-religious-icon-virgin-mother-twin-birth-er is the center of the mission for the hero. It is as lost as my description of it. This film looses the viewer many times as he/she tries to decipher what is going on and what the real objective is. Then in the last ten minutes it takes another bizarre twist, as one reels to figure it out as well. Lost futuristic film making done poorly.

Review: "HITMAN" Score C

Video games into movies is a tough thing to do. And this one struggles like most. Its story is most like a cross between "The Transporter" and "The Bourne Identity". Nothing new story-wise. I think the most unworthy element in the movie is the casting of Olyphant in the lead of Agent 47. If you've seen the game or even the poster for the game, Olyphant, other than a shaved round head, doesn't really look like Agent 47 (who is older, meaner and tougher looking). And then when he dares to speak in this movie you just want him to shut up, his delivery and voice tone are all wrong. Perhaps he is just a bad actor in general, but no matter what he is simple the wrong man for this job. Further it seems he's new any action movie work as he fails to deliver the action scenes with any of the flair Jason Statham or even a Matt Damon have. On the Plus side the girl in the film is stunning and she delivers a good role despite her part being relatively benign. Also some kudos to the director... Visually the film looks really good and a valiant effort was made to give it that video game like look and feel. The killing and death count in this movie is almost too high to count. Bodies fall in almost every scene. Though most of the action is second rate choreography. The fights make little logical sense, are disappointing and especially lame when he is up against another agent (or multiple agents) like himself. Expected this to be grittier. A lot of its failure simply lies on the shoulders of the lead. Kind of a weak action film.

Review: "HAROLD AND KUMAR ESCAPE FROM GUANTANAMO BAY" Score C+

I only saw parts of the first movie, and watched this one purely out of boredom. There are some bits of humor here and there that worked. But overall a proliferation of pot humor abounds.. We can see who this movie was made for. Obviously the first movie was successful enough to warrant making a sequel. It had to have made some money for the producers. The premise is unique to the times, its easy to see how the current administration could jail these two as suspected terrorists. Most of the movie is outlandish gags and crazy situations. It works on the level of a modern day "Porky's" or "Animal House" for the new generation. Its another buddy film in the realm of "Dude where's my Car" or "Superbad". One of the best characters is Neil Patrick Harris playing a drugged out, drinking womanizing version of himself. Some funny stuff. Perhaps the scene stealer of the movie. A couple of the gags by the buddies produce some laughs. Its a stoner movie so if you watch it know that going in, though there are still some things for us sober people to laugh at as well.

Review: "STEP BROTHERS" Score B

OK, before this one even started I knew what I was getting into. This is pure goof. Farrell and Reilly do an extended version of their "Talladega Nights" stuff here. There is definitely some laughs to be had, as long as you appreciate their type of humor. Which is two men acting like teen morons. Its almost hard to believe that these two could be this dumb and this obnoxious but if you can buy that then this comedy works. As aging men living with their respective single parents the 'funny' starts as soon as the parents meet each other and get hitched. Then the boys have to move in together and even room together which leads to comic moments of 'teenager' fights and squabbles. Then they become friends, then enemies again finally growing up in the end. Which leads back to then becoming their dumbed down selves again at the very end. I had a couple of out loud laughs and some of the stuff really worked in this. I think that the dumb man child is what Farrel does best. His characters are always dumber than dirt and it works because you buy into the innocence of the character and then can go along with the stupidity that occurs. John C. Reilly just likes having fun with Farrell and trying to keep up with his characters, which he does a pretty good job at. It is actually a testament to the intelligence that these actors that they can create and sustain believable characters that are this moronic. Its worth a view for some laughs. Check it out.

Review: "RAMBO-2008" Score B-

On a pure action and war movie Rambo succeeds.. Stallone did an amiable job bringing back this old stable of a character. He makes Rambo a sad, loner with a past he'd rather forger. Gone was the '80's schlock of the other Rambo sequels and this one hits toward the core of a more realistic look and feel. John Rambo now living a simple life in the jungles of Thailand helps out a crew of 'salvation army' types deliver some aide. Only to be drawn into a full on one man war. And then let the killing begin. And it is a bloodbath as the body count piles up. Rambo and his Bow of death delivers kill after kill and doesn't stop. This film really has a good realistic feel to it. The way it is shot gives a documentary filmic look. Its a well crafted movie. However this film is strictly a war flick, a loosely threaded story that serves mainly for Rambo to do what he does best. It doesn't offer a lot more than that. If you are a Rambo fan this one does hold up to the Original film "First Blood" (the Best movie of the lot). Worth a watch if its your cup of tea.

Review: "TENACIOUS D AND THE PICK OF DESTINY" Score C+

Jack Black is sometimes funny, and I do enjoy some of Tenacious D's music. So I decided to check out the movie. Well, what started out as a fine premise kinda of fell flat about halfway through. It seems to me that Black and his "D" partner Kyle threw this film together in a hodgepoge of visuals, gags and some OK music. There were a few laughs to be had here and there but a lot of it felt forced. Like I said about Black, he is funny.....sometimes. Overall I was a bit underwhelmed with the comedy and the music and I expected better. I think I should have expected less. I knew going in it was not going to be Shakesphere, but I did think it was a least going to be an average comedic romp. Anyway I would say skip this one unless you are a real Jack Black or Tenacious D fan.

TV Review: HEROES From Good to Bad

HEROES The NBC show is in trouble. And mainly its a writing one. A big one. The show went from a good concept, with buzz to boot when it started to a miserable mess as of the end of Chapter/Season Three. I am so disappointed with this series. I grew up a comic book fan/collector and eventually as an actor even portrayed some of them as Live characters at Universal Studios Hollywood. So I was excited at the prospect of a TV series that created some original Heroes and Villains. Well after a promising start NBC execs seem to have destroyed this show, what started as a bit of a mysterious thriller and discovery of new characters and their abilities turned into a pathetic poorly crafted, directed and acted nighttime soap opera-ish debacle. This past season seems to be written by a bunch of staff hacks who have never seen a comic book in their lives, never heard of any superhero before and simply don't even understand the simple "heroes journey" of storytelling. I think the only shows they ever studied were selling soap on daytime between the news and Judge Judy. The dialog became so lame and on the nose, devoid of any real connection to any story and the logic of this universe that holds these special people was thrown out the door. In fact just any simple logic in general seemed to be thrown away. The bi-polar switching of characters from hero to villain to hero to villain was all over the place. The power ability stealing or losing was all over the place. Its almost as if this became Saved by the Bell: The Superhero years. Gone is the thrill of "Save the cheerleader. Save the world." a logo once worth tuning in to figure out what it all meant and who would do the saving and from "Sylar" (an unseen mystery serial killing villain). Well all that is gone and now its just a mess. Sorry NBC but I think this is no longer any 'Must See TV" at least for me.

Review: HANCOCK Score C+

The Will Smith starrer Hancock starts off decently enough, with a unique story a down and out superhero who doesn't want to be one. He lacks tact, good judgment and superhero-like personality qualities. He drinks, looks like a bum and has no savvy. He has all the powers and as Jason Bateman's character states he just needs the right PR and an attitude adjustment. Now there is no super-villain to battle in this flick. Only Hancock's own issues and the run of the mill regular type villains. The special F/X are mostly top notch. Which are entertaining in and of themselves. There are a few chuckles to be had here and there as well. But the real problems come in the second half of the movie. The first half is good and worthy of a view. The lame story crafting in the second half destroys a perfectly fit movie. Spoiler alert: Hancock is a GOD who got amnesia when he lost his powers hanging out with his wife/Goddess (Charlize Theron), who now happens to be married to Jason Bateman character. When the GOD's come together they slowly loose their powers and become mortal. They have been around for hundreds of years. They only have super powers when they are a certain distance apart. Hancock starts to figure out who Theron's Character is. Oh and this 'wife' hates her husband and they bicker and fight destroy half a city and then what happens for the rest of the film is even more lame. Some old escaped prisoners that Hancock put away hunt him down to try and kill him. Instead kill her. Ahh...I can't even write anymore about the story. Overall the second half of the film kills the entire film. It started off well with great promise but fizzles out entirely by the end.

Documentary Review: "SUPERSIZE ME" Score: B+

Supersize Me is an eyeopener for anyone who has partaken in the consumption of Fast Food of any kind. Our documentarian, Morgan Spurlock, self produces this doc with himself in the center of what turns out to be a dangerous experiment. Morgan subjects himself to a all McDonald's diet for only 30 days to see what would happen to him. The results are downright scary. Now although it McDonald's is the targeted chain in this doc it almost safe to assume that the majority of the Big Boys in fast food would create similar outcomes. Morgan gets a complete medical checkup at the beginning of the his 30 day trial and again at various point throughout it as well as the end (which he almost doesn't make). Basically he rapidly destroys his body and health simply by consuming McDonald's food. The results are similar to binge drinking by alcoholics, and health affects in drug users. Liver gets shot, weight gain, loss of energy, diabetic precursors show and lots more issues. Its frightening. It really makes you think about food choices and what are in these products that these fast food giants push. If you eat or have ever eaten fast food at all I can highly recommend a viewing of this doc to open your eyes.

Review: YOU DON'T MESS WITH THE ZOHAN Score: B-

Adam Sandler has grown up a bit and his last few movies have taken him away from the man-child roles that made him a box office star. This is a good thing. In this film Sandler portrays an actual character, with an accent, with a goatee, and with a newly fit body. I mention this because everything else he has done he has played himself or a dumbed down version of himself. Zohan is Israel's top military agent, a comic-style 007 that is played with seriousness by Sandler. The storyline has Zohan tiring of his combat days and wanting to move to America to become a hairsylist, so faking his death he sets out to do so. After getting hired by a small salon in a not so nice part of town Zohan quickly rises as a top hairstylist mostly by 'servicing' his old lady clientelle after their hair service. There are plenty of sight gags here to see and a few funny lines as well. Rob Schnider a Sandler film regular has another side role in this one and adds to the storyline. Basically Zohan can not escape his past as an agent, as he's is recognized and then hunted down by old contacts. A more important, and perhaps overlooked element of this movie is the statement of relations between Palastinians and Israelies in America. Its "we all just get along here". In the end its a greedy corporation that wants the area for a supermall that becomes the villain to overcome. Fun and colorful escapist movie to check out.

Review: TALLADEGA NIGHTS:The Ballad of Ricky Bobby Score: B-

Well this one is Will Farrell being Will Farrell. As Ricky Bobby, Farrell does do a decent job in this comic farce, although other than his Bush-like accent not a big stretch for him at all. The funniest moments come in the form of his endorsement commercials. Its one of the few out-loud laughs I gave. John C. Reily supplied some of the other ones. The dinner scenes are classic. The biggest hurdle you have to get over in this movie is that we are dealing with a couple of class A morons and believe that they are Nascar Drivers, and winning ones at that. The Improv going on in the film, I think supplies the biggest laughs. These are mostly obvious in the fact that they are usually such outrageous statements that they had to be made up on the spot. Overall the storyline is fun and the supporting cast does a decent job. Although Sasha Cohen's talents are clearly under-utilized and he is given a stiff Frenchman to play..not really funny. Could have done without the 'father' returning... as the character is so unlikable that it did more to bring the film down than add to the comedy...any other supporting character could have taken his place in re-motivating Ricky to return to racing and break his fear. (But that all seems to lie in the scripting of this movie). Its worth a view if you like Farrell's style and comedy. On the technical side the Racing scenes are really well shot and could have easily been in some Nascar action movie. I also think the director is given some props for allowing the improv's to take place to find more laughs to stick into the final cut of the film. Check out the credit roll for some out-takes on some of the improv's...definitely worth the watching and they produce almost more laughs than the whole movie. A good solid comedy.