Review: "W" Score: A-

Oliver Stone has a colorful directing career and with "W" he adds another notch to his creative belt. This is not a documentary by any means, yet it is a docu-drama/biography (with liberties taken) of the ex-President of the United States (George W. Bush). Stone didn't wait until Bush was out of office to make this film, and it was put out near the end of Bush's disastrous seating as President. On the film itself; it is a well done piece of film making, its statement is generally left in the hands of the viewers as most of the occurrences in the film are simply facts of events that took place during Bush's terms. What is left in question is the validity of the many conversations that took place, as well as the mental status of Bush regarding his father and religion. The ending of the film is also left open for interpretation, but the metaphor used is a statement in and of itself.

As for the performances; Josh Brolin does and exemplary job portraying George Bush Jr. and the rest of the supporting cast's work is mostly nicely done as well. Standing out among the supporting cast is Thandie Newton who portrays Rice to perfection. Both Rice and Brolin embodied their respective roles to a T. As for some of the others, it may be a bit difficult to look past Richard Dreyfuss or James Cromwell to see their roles. However in the context of the film we still get it. Stone skips some things and doesn't smear Bush as much as he could have, given the wealth of public gaffs made in the real media or his past drug abuse, drunk driving arrest, or theft of the election from Gore or the Hurricane Katrina failures and 9/11 is almost entirely left out and barely referenced. The film in and of itself has to firstly be taken as a piece of entertainment. Second it is a bit of glossed-over biographical history and third its meant as a bit of a swipe at this former leader.

Most upsetting is the ark of this man in reality. It begs the question "How in the world did this Man ever manage to get elected to the highest office....twice!" This man "W" was at best a C student, a virtual alcoholic, who failed or quit every job he ever had, he got into Harvard by family manipulation, his fortune was earned solely by his family's doing, and the only real management experience he ever had was that he co-owned a baseball team (oh yeah he put together some oil exploration companies with his rich buddies too). When he ran for Gov. of Texas, How did he actually win this? Apparently Karl Rove was a master of campaign spinning. Also significant to note about "W" is his deep religiousness (after he found Jesus on a hungover run). This is tantamount to his politics (What happened to separation of church and state?)

After his Texas Gov. win this lead to six short years later Bush being the 2000 Republican Pres. Nominee, after God told him that he should run for President. The Republicans virtually stole the election from Democratic Pres. Nominee Al Gore and we ended up with "W" for eight long, torrid, American degrading, World up heaving years. Much of the film covers the Iraq debacle that is Bush's legacy. He will arguably go down in history as the worst President that the United States of America will ever have. Let's hope as "W"'s own quote goes, ".....fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again." As a country let's not ever again.

For "W" the movie I can give it a solid recommendation to see. The performances alone are enough for the recommendation. Its not an end all be all telling of this Man's life. Clearly it is slanted against the man, however you can not refute the true facts that are presented of things that actually happened. Check it out.

Review: "ALIEN VS. PREDATOR: REQUIEM" Score: D

This one gets a "D" score mainly for being Dark, and I don't mean dark in tone, or comedy, or writing. Its perhaps one of the poorest lit films I have ever seen. Most of the time the scenes are so dark taking place at night, or in a sewer, and if it wasn't dark enough there is an actual blackout of the whole town in the film to make it even darker. You can not tell what is going on in most of the scenes. Its like trying to watch a black garbage bag being lit by a candle that is on the other side of a pitch black basement. Aliens, Predators and Humans all get killed in this movie but its impossible to keep track of who is who, what is happening, how the killings happen or where they do. Apparently both the Aliens and the Predators kill anything that is anywhere. At one point early on there was an attempt to tell a story but it was lost in the darkness. Also toward the end there was some kind of hybrid Alien/Predator being fought by another Predator and who knows how that happened. Special Effects might have been OK but we couldn't really see them at all. Nothing in the film was scary and the most tension built was when some fighting teens were trying to escape from an Alien in the school pool. This could have been a decent film if we could have seen any of it. By the end when the national guard arrives and is slaughtered without getting much of a shot off you just want it to be over. This Bomb is saved by bombing it literally. The whole town that is. And its a relief, its like' just drop it already!'. And even after its done. The few humans that escaped are met by military forces and you just want them to drop another bomb on all them too. Bad Sci-fi action film by far. Stick to the Aliens and Predator movies in their solo outings as this film is lost in a sea of Blackness with little light being shed on it at all.

Review: "BALLS OF FURY" Score: D+

This Dud of a comedy is a bad version of trying to make a funny sport film like "DodgeBall" but with ping pong instead. The loser of a lead character is a fat, long haired, greasy poor man's Jack Black wanna be. How he landed the role is beyond me. He goes as far as practically trying to invoke Black's style even. The premise of this film is a simpleton one. A young ping pong prodigy looses a high profile match and his father is killed because he bet on him. Now 20 years later the grown up man is a fat, Def Leppard loving, ping pong performer in Reno. A government agent recruits him to infiltrate an evil overlord's secret ping pong tournament (to try to catch him in something illegal). The dork must get his ping pong skills in top shape by training with a blind Chinese teacher and his skinny niece (who becomes the love interest). After some more unfunny scenes, we make it to the tournament where a mis-cast and poorly used Christopher Walken is the Chinese evil ping pong loving lord (huh). After even more unfunny scenes, some deaths and plastic gun running/male sex slave plots uncovered there is the almighty and unsatisfying ping pong match between chubby lead and Walken (who, surprise dies in the uber death match). Overall advice here is do not waste your time on this film. Even the normally great Walken can't salvage this one.

Review: "ZACK AND MIRI MAKE A PORNO" Score: B-

This movie is a romantic comedy for the Y generation. Its no holds barred in terms of its dialog conversations, which mostly revolve around porn talk. There are a few moments of laughter to be had, mostly at what phrases come out of the character's. Overall though what this film is a thinly disguised romantic comedy hidden under the see through veil of a shock fest porno making comedy film. You can basically drop the "Make a Porno" tag from the title and just call it Zack and Miri because that is what it's really about. Dir. Kevin Smith makes these kinds of movies though, not quite full-on comedies but more like an R rated sitcoms. His movies are situational comedies which center around an odd relationship or two, with some quirky side characters to round out the casting. This one is no different, its not outstanding, its almost an adult afternoon special style movie. There is some porn making to be had within the film itself, but not any "real porn" which would most likely have been off putting to the audience, it the film its more of a device for some comedy. I for one am getting a bit over Seth Rogen(as Zack here) in films, he is a kind of dumpy, hairy, jewish everyman. And although he shot to fame in "Knocked Up" and "Pineapple Express" his smaller role in "Superbad" seems more of an appropriately sized role for him. Rogen as a lead becomes a bit too much and by the end of a film he can be tiring. His funny wit, can be on par with Vince Vahgn but more of it can be too much. As for Elizabeth Banks (Miri) one can't help thinking that she is too pretty to be playing this "loser" character or fall for Rogen's dumpy funnyman "Zack". This film is what it is, I won't recommend either to see it or not see it. If you are bored maybe.

Documentary Review: "CONFESSIONS OF A SUPERHERO" Score: B-

If this weren't a documentary, and instead was some kind of comedic up send of these street characters, it could have been humorous. But in reality this doc is a sad study of four flawed individuals in the Hollywood-land of make believe. The laughs come at these people's expense, laughing at them not with them. As a former employee of Universal Studios Hollywood, I too as an adult have actually donned the spandex costumes of various superheroes (I was Green Goblin, Spider-man and Daredevil), so I can sympathize with these folks to some extent. The difference is I did so as a paid job for a major entertainment theme park, these people are wearing their own homemade get ups over their mostly unflattering figures and are nothing more than costumed pan handlers out in front of Mann's Chinese theater. I have seen them in person and what they are doing is about as flattering to the characters they are portraying as a 400 lb fat man trying to portray himself as a personal trainer. They are not wanted on the street but the law says as long as they are on public property (the sidewalk) and are not asking for the money but are offered it by those taking their photos there is little the businesses or police can do. The doc follows four individuals: a formerly homeless skinny black man wearing a horrible attempt at a Hulk costume, a Batman/George Clooney look-a-like with severe anger problems as well as a possible murderous past, a young Mississippi country girl playing Wonder Woman, who after four days of arriving in LA met a guy and two weeks after that got a quickie Vegas wedding (I don't even have to tell you how that works out), and the bulk of the doc is spent on a delusional Christopher Reeves look-a-like Superman who is out of shape, too skinny and so out of touch with reality that he lives, breathes, obsessively collects memorabilia and dresses like Superman 24/7. All of these costumed freaks want to be in the real acting game and it is why they are doing what they are doing dressing up. They pan handle any where from $30 daily to a peak of $500+ a day taking photos with tourists. It is really scary that they don't see the flaws in their approach to working in Hollywood and that is labeling them kind of insane freaks. Either that or our documentary film maker purposely crafted the film to show that. I don't want to knock what these dreamers do too much as the world does need dreaming 'superheroes' to take photos with in front of the tourist trap that is Hollywood Blvd. Its just the reminder of how bad some of the costumes are and how creepy/crazy the people donning the suits on the streets can be that is a little off putting and also a little sad. But if it makes 'em happy so be it. Power to the dreamers, even if some of them are these cut-out wanna-be's.

Review: "CITY OF EMBER" Score: C+

Not a bad little adventure/underworld film. Mainly targeted at a youth market, as the leads are both teens, this one is OK. Buried under the ground of earth hundreds of years ago (in order to save mankind) a city of people live without knowledge of the upper earth. The city of Ember was set up to find the way back to the surface after 200 years but the instruction box was lost many years before the expiration date and the city is on the brink of dying as they run out of food stuffs, and electricity. Even as the generator that supplies all their power goes on the fritz and and catches on fire, the people apparently can not see to grasp that fire also would supply light and energy. They two young leads must find the exit after descendant of a former city mayor recovers the instruction box they have to figure out its piece meal instructions destroyed by the girl's little sister. Kind of a puzzle. The unexplained giant creatures, a moth and a mole, and a piece of a beetle's mandible create the possible expansion of the outside world but is un-satisfyingly not pursued at all. Setting up that there is a fantastical world to be discovered outside of Ember is never revealed (other than grass and sun). Bill Murry is highly under used as the only villain as the current secretly hording mayor as is Tim Robbins as the lead boy's inventor father. Also unexplained is the lack of mothers for either teen lead. Her father was downed trying to find the exit, she was being reared by her demented grandmother and there is no mention of a mother for either teen. Although the odd underworld city the film sets up here does have some nice elements, lost are the grander parts that they briefly touch upon that had they been expanded would create more fun for the film. OK more of an adventure for pre-teen movie goers.

Review: "TAKEN" Score: A-

I can honestly start this review with "WOW". Who would have thought Liam Neeson as an Action star? But in this Luc Besson penned screenplay director Pierre Morel effectively turns Neeson into just that. Established quickly is that Neeson as Bryan Mills is an ex-CIA agent who trying to make up for missing his daughter's childhood. The girl who is now seventeen and lives in the upscale household of her mother and rich stepfather is the apple of Bryan's eye and his only focus now in his retirement. His daughter convinces him reluctantly to allow her to travel to Paris with her nineteen year old friend for the summer. Once there the girls are immediately abducted by a gang of Albanian slave/prostitute traders. Bryan is on the phone with her as she is "Taken", and records the call. Contacting his old co-workers he is told he has a most 96 hours to get her back before she statistically becomes unrecoverable. He jumps quick jet to Paris from the rich stepfather and Bryan begins his man hunt. With all of his skills he is led step by step to recovering her, and creating mayhem along the way. The body count goes up and up as does the damage around Paris. The action scenes are superb and Neeson comes across like an all grown up "Jason Bourne". From the car chases to the fight scenes to the gun battles Neeson executes them all with a great flair and seemingly second nature grace. With only a few minorly confusing fight scenes mainly due to the same color shirts being worn by both Neeson and gang members, there are some great satisfying 'kill' moments. This is not what you think of when you picture Liam Neeson, the stretch in casting him pays off dividends of surprising fitness for the role. On the top of the must see actioneers of the last few years. Check this one out as it doesn't disappoint.

Review: "SPLINTER" Score: B+

What is a surprise find in the independent film world "Splinter" is a decent choice for a sit down popcorn horror thriller. In a film that only has six people on screen the entire movie its a testament to making a quality, engaging film. I want to keep this review as spoiler-free as I can because I whole heartedly give this film a recommendation. The basics to know are a couple on their 'dating' anniversary are setting up a camp out under the stars, after a failed attempt to set up the tent they decide on a motel. On their way there they are car jacked by another fugitive couple and after a flat tire running over some unknown spiky creature they stop at a now abandoned gas station as this creature hunts them down. With mostly nice performances from the cast and mostly well done special effects this movie keeps you on your toes. Along with some hokey F/X there are some really well done ones. Its well paced and filled with some genuine tension. A few good jumps are added in here and there. The director does a great job with what is basically a single location film. All in all I enjoyed this one and its worth checking out for sure. One of the only downfalls for me is the lead Paulo Castanzo as Seth. He is not, in any way, a leading man and is sometimes simply annoying to watch, he should be relegated to character roles and supporting parts only. On the other hand Shea Whigham as Dennis the convict turns in a great performance . The others serve their respective roles to round out the movie. In what is a low budget independent film this one puts every penny it spent on the screen (as all movies should do) and in the end it looks like a much higher budgeted piece. Professionally done and worth a rental.

Review: "SNAKES ON A PLANE" Score: D+

This Sam Jackson clunker was all hype when it was released, mainly because of Jackson's line "I am sick of these Mother F*#&ing snakes on this Mother F*#&ing Plane!" Which is the only thing to anticipate in the film, when is he going to say THE line. It is ultimately unsatisfying. The film fails to live up to any of its hype. In addition to a poorly crafted script, which was probably banged out on a napkin at a late night diner in LA, the acting is poorly done by a mostly un-steller cast as they deliver the horrid dialogue. The title of the movie is the premise of movie and mostly its entire plot as well. There is not much more to it. Jackson is an agent transporting a witness to some Hawaiian gangster back to the states and the gangster plants hundreds of poisonous snakes aboard to kill him. The producers no doubt made their money back in the marketing ploys selling this garbage. It is meant to be escapist fun but it drops the ball on being escapist or fun. As far as any redeeming qualities of this film, I couldn't really find any. I have seen some "no-budget B" films that have better special effects, plot and acting. If this is a spoof of a cheesy "B" movie then again it fails in even doing that. The mostly digital snakes look like they were made by the students in a DeVry institute video game class. Please save yourself an hour and a half and skip this, if you've seen the trailer that's the movie. Clearly Jackson signed to this film for a paycheck only and cashed in.