DVD Review " PAUL BLARTT; MALL COP" Score; C+

Never had a real desire to see this when it was in the theaters, but since it did so well at the Box Office I thought I'd check it out. Its basically what I thought it would be, a one note goof ball comedy, a dumb fat guy DIE HARD in a mall. Kevin James does a decent job, but has clearly put on some weight since his show's been off TV. The writing is lame at best and the situations are even more so. Its like someone watched DIE HARD then sat down and said, "What if the McClain Character was a fat dumb lonely mall cop, and the thieves were a band of Gen X skater tattoo punks" Exec: "sounds great when do we start shooting". The overuse of the IT traveler I think was James not wanting to have to walk a lot in filming this(seriously he uses the thing way too much). Its not a horrible movie but clearly is not much more than mindless entertainment for the laugh starved American public.

DVD Review "ROCK-n-ROLLA" Score; B+

Guy Richie has a movie style that is distinctly his. The majority of his movies (the good ones anyway) all have this gritty feel to them and a very stylized filming. In a good way. He carves characters out well enough for us to follow them, although often his casting leaves some roles looking too much like each other which creates some confusion at times. Lots of crazy sequences in this one, like LOCK STOCK was. All around a group of characters that are ultimately tied into each others adventures and happenings, which by the end all the stories come together. I like his style and his idea of what is funny in his films. All the actors turn in great performances, which I think the writing helps a lot. The last 20 min of this is where it all comes together and secrets are revealed that lead to the main baddie's comeuppance. Fun stuff as long as you know what you are sitting down to for Richie film.

DVD Review "KISS KISS BANG BANG" Score; B-

What aims to be a cool as PULP FICTION, TRUE ROMANCE esqe movie ultimately falls short and lacks the coolness it needs. Downey Jr. and Kilmer make a nice buddy team in an odd way, but Downey's character (our Narrator) is a fish out of water, who is little more than a two bit criminal who throws some con man in. Kilmer as the cool as ice, gay hitman, private eye, client protector delivers a nice performance. The writing is actually very well done and this one progresses decently enough, I think the lack of solid characters (other than the two leads) is what is missing in this one. More memorable characters (Like in PULP) would elevate this film up. Overall its cool, just not uber-cool.

DVD Review "DAWN OF THE DEAD" Score; B-

This one is on par with most modern zombie movies, all which are derivative of the original NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. This time our central location is An American Mall. After a great opening sequence that sets up the Zombie disaster scenario, we are led to a rag tag team of misfits brought together to survive in a mall. Of course most don't. And some characters are just crazy in the head, talking about you Makai. Lots of jolts to be had, in what you should expect from any good zombie flick, except these suckers move a lot faster. Overall not bad acting from the cast. Decent effects and makeup. Some fun moments and good scares. Overall it is not anything we haven't already seen in similar films. A popcorn zombie flick, good for a Saturday night.

DVD Review "EASTERN PROMISES" Score: C+

Viggo does a decent job acting in this one. The story unfolds pretty well and is simple enough however the difficulty of switching btw speaking English and the Russian subtitles distracts too much here. Also their is a bizarre full nude fight near the end its violent yes, realistic yes, unnecessary nudity yes. Also toward the end the movie just fizzles out. Unsatisfying ending to the whole deal. It is cast well and most all the actors turn in performances that are above par. However it is the pacing and the ending that bring this one down and makes it more forgettable than it should be.

DVD Review: "DEEP RISING" Score: C+

I didn't expect much on this one. A cheesy modern day B monster film. Some stars onboard and a decent budget, surprisingly there are actually some really cool SF/X in this one. Most of the film is cheesy, a giant monster from the deep attacks an ocean liner, everyone is eaten, a band of theives hijack a boat to break into the ships safe. Armed to the teeth when they arrive they discover no one, but the monsters are still on board looking for more feed (humans) They are giant tentacle monsters who are strong as shit, fast as hell and hard to kill. Of course all the baddies are eventually killed and the hero blows up the monster after a great inside the ocean liner jet ski chase. Fun if you are bored just don't expect too much.

Review: "DISTRICT 9" Score: A-

A smart new take on the aliens arrival on planet earth films, as well as a smart commentary on racism. Set in South Africa, 28 years after an Alien spacecraft stopped and broke down over Johannesburg. The aliens did not come out of their ship for months and finally the military entered the ship and found a million aliens in need of food and care. A refugee camp was established for them but over the years it has become a virtual scum of a crime ridden ghetto...This is District 9. The locals want the aliens moved many miles away to a new encampment. And this is where our story starts their eviction. I won't give many details about what happens next as its best to discover. There are a few moments of humor along with a second half filled with action. This film is set in a visual style of a documentary at first then transforms into a sci-fi actioneer. Stunning CGI work is scattered throughout here, much better than the big budget films (think on the lines of LOST WORLD where you could almost believe that the digital dinos are really right there...same with the aliens here). Not cartoon like at all very believable. Some may have problems with the South African accents in this one as well as the alien language. But visually this is a great one. Lots to look at and miss if you blink. I liked it a lot and its set up for a sequel (in the works, due to its success so far). If you like Sci-fi, Check this one out.