DVD Review; "COROLINE" Score; B

Although I don't doubt that this one is even better in 3D, I only saw this in flat 2D... Still this is once again top notch Tim Burton animation on par with NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS. This style of stop motion of his is only getting better and better and I am truly amazed at the things they can do knowing that it is puppets and sets moving one frame at a time. Some of the animation puzzled me to think "Now how'd they do that shot?" Really like this style. A cute story that really is about loving the family that you do have. Coroline wants to escape and she does into an alternate universe with button eyed dopplegangers of her friends and family. Little does she know that its really a ploy by a evil child stealing witch who wants to lure her into sewing buttons on her eyes and being trapped forever there. Really high quality animation lifts this film above other CGI stuff. Nice film to check out, good for the family.

DVD Review: "YES MAN" Score; B-

Jim Carrey gets back to the kind of films he makes best with this one. We want to see him, fall down, make goofy faces, and babble on in his movies and he does that here. Here as Carl he is a lonely down trodden bank loan officer who can't find love or success, rather than have something magic happen (like in the MASK, or LIAR LIAR) in this film he simply has an old friend visit and give him a pamphlet on a YES seminar (Kind of like a Tony Robbins thing). He decides to go and there the Guru gets him to commit to saying YES to everything in his life. Carl does so and at first he thinks its not working but he ends up meeting his new love interest, he continues saying YES and good things start to happen, lots of funny bits along the way, especially when he says NO. In the end he sees that he needs to be open to saying YES to things but because he wants to, and still can say NO but not out of routine. Its a fun little tale with a little lesson wrapped inside for us all to consider. Liked it.

DVD Review: "ALIENS VS MONSTERS" Score: C+

There are some great CGI animated movies out there. I don't think that this is one of them. Its not really what I thought it was going to be. Instead we get a story of a simple girl about to get married who is hit by a meteor that causes her to grow to 50 feet tall, (cause this is a kids film her clothes grow too). The government captures her declares her a monster and puts here in a cell, along with a new superhero suit in a cell with some other monsters. They form a friendship. A single alien sends a giant robot to destroy stuff on earth, the monsters and newly 50 foot girl, now with the cheesy name Ginormica, along with her new friends blob, cockroach, lizard/monkey man missing link and a giant moth save the day. The alien captures Ginomica to get the meteor goo from her so he can clone himself and take over earth. They all fight and the Monsters win. OK I get that this is for kids, but so was THE INCREDIBLES, TOY STORY, SHRECK but they were much better films... This one really is lowest common denomiator in the creative department, as far as ideas go. Another big problem is that although most of the animation is decent they really had a problem with keeping everything consistent with her size. She is as big as a building sometimes then, only as big as a couple people, just inconsistent. This cartoon movie is not bad, but definitely doesn't stand up to the quality animation films as of late.

DVD Review: "SESSION 9" Score: B

This psychological thriller is worth a veiw if you like to think while being a tiny bit scared. The real star of this movie is the closed down empy Asylum building that was used in the film. Its huge, spawling, creepy and run down. I don't even think that the set had to be altered much to make it film ready. The peeling paint is great as is the long hallways and garbage strewn graffiti covered places.This movie was actually crafted by the film makers driving by this abandoned place over and over and finally coming up with an idea to film a movie there. They tailored a simple story of a group of men hired to remove the asbestos from the old place. Is it haunted, are there people or a person hiding out there, are the men going mad, are the crazy ghosts coming back. This one keeps you guessing and keeps you on your seat at times too. Really edgy, but simple. Its a well crafted story with real twists that work. As well as deeper meanings behind some of the little things. I really like this one from a independent film makers perspective, its basically a perfect one location, few actors, no CGI, and a simple gripping story. This is an overlooked film and you should check this one out.

DVD Review:"DONNIE DARKO" Score; C+

After a long time of hearing about this cult film I finally got around to checking it out. For an independent film this one is put together nicely. This put the Gylennhal siblings on the map and launched them both. A quirky story, I won't reveal much about it because you just kind of have to watch it. Decent acting by the cast brings this one through as does the solid direction. The infamous evil giant rabbit is what puts this one in the cult film category for some people, as for me one view of this film is enough for me. OK.

Review: "PUBLIC ENEMIES" Score: A-

Johnny Depp is one of the best actors of our generation, and Michael Mann is one of the gifted directors we have making films today. Based on the life of actual bank robber John Dillenger this film is a really fine piece of cinema. What is most striking in this movie is the real attention to detail that Mann has as a film maker. It is a period film and he really works his team to create a time a space where nothing is out of place from the costuming, to the sets to the props, everything is right. This opens the door for the great acting by Depp and Colliard, as well as great period gun fights and robberies. The shootout in the woods is a masterpiece of gun fight realism. It is on par with Mann's bank shootout in "HEAT". Depp portrays Dillenger with a charm and easy grace. One of the best films of 2009 so far to come down the pike. Definitely worth a view. Check this one out!

Review: "TRANSFORMERS 2" Score F-

I saw this because friends who were fans of the first one, wanted to go to the event opening day. Its been a long time since I can remember (if any) movie that has offended on so many levels. This film is a travesty of movie making, despite its enormous Box office take. Most people saw this in order to be entertained and to escape the reality of the daily worldwide economic, housing and job crisis and they were ripped off. There are those who say that this was an OK movie, but for me it is one of the worst things I have seen in the modern movie making industry. There are thousands of no-budget indy and student films that are better than this piece of crap. Personally I would like to see the Artistic community take away Michael Bays license to make movies after this mash up (though the studio suits who give him the cash to make this crap love him because his things seem to dupe the public into coughing up ticket money to see this shlock, and the studios run to the bank with the profits). OK where to start on the actual movie...Ugh.... Storyline: Old ancient robot built some kind of sun killing machine under the earth's pyamids, he got exiled before he could use it, the prime (good) robots vanquished him, then killed themselves melting themselves into a mountain to protect some kind of energy life key (except for Optimus Prime). The bad robots need a piece of the cube from the first movie to resurrect the evil Fallen one then...Oh fuck it this story is SO all over the place I can't even sum it up any more. The start of the film; stupid nerd boy Lebouf is going to college, a shard of the cube happens to be in his clothing, and suddenly burns through the floor to the kitchen stops there and then animates all of the appliances (which for no reason at all are evil robots that attack the family destroying the home. After that they all act as if nothing happened and Nerd goes off to college as the government cleans up the mess). Megan Fox is only in this movie for her sexy slow motion boob running, uh that's it. On the good side of the robots we get two new "black" robots, who are so gangsta stereotyped, filled with bad puns offensive language and one even has a getto gold tooth. At college; nerd Labouf meets his conspiracy laden roomate and a new sexy chick who wants his body, Oh wait she's actually a Terminator, under that skin, WTF!? Who is lousy at killing him when on top of him, yet can blowup a library in chasing him. UGGGHH! Some tiny evil robots break into the non secured gov building with the cube piece and steal it. Evil fallen guy awakes, and underwater frozen evil decepticon too. Optimus Prime dies in a fight. Then the group all goes to the musuem to get some old plane robot, who is a grandpa robot with bad memory, a cane and all, through some fucking magic they magically go to Egypt. They find the molten dead prime cluster and Labouf and Hottie Fox run to take the pieces of dust to re birth Optimus, Labouf dies but the power of love (like in the Matrix) brings him back and Optimus kills all the bad robots as they are ripping off the top of a pyramid to kill the sun. Along with Michael Bay's crappy film making styles, the circle cam if two actors are talking, then the boom crash shaking cam for fights and add in 190 million dollars of CGI effects and you too could make this movie. The story sucked, the acting sucked, the direction sucked, the ideas through out sucked, the dialogue (what little there was) sucked, the getto robots sucked, the ripping off of other movies sucked. I can not name a worse movie in the past 20 years. Do not see this piece of junk, do not rent or buy the DVD please, this movie is absolutely horrible.