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My Reviewer's Philosophy: I believe that every film has its audience. One man’s Citizen Kane is another man’s Texas Chain Saw Massacre. My purpose is to help you spend your entertainment dollars wisely. A bad review never kept me from going to a film I wanted to see, but a good review will sometimes get me to a film I never considered. As a movie lover I want you to go to the movies. When more people go to the movies, the more movies get made. But, I also believe that if you enjoy the films you see, you naturally will be inclined to go more often. So join me in supporting our film industry by going to a movie today. Hopefully I can steer you towards a good one. See you at the movies. Melanie Wilson

Friday, April 30, 2010

A Nightmare on Elm Street

For twenty-six years I’ve managed to elude Freddy Krueger but tonight he finally caught up with me. Boy am I glad that I went to this film well rested. As a chronic victim of micro naps, especially in late night movies, I wisely took a snooze first. This is not a film to go to when you are tired.

Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger was a honor film staple throughout the ’80’s, but the mantle has now been passed to Jackie Earle Haley (Watchmen) for a whole new generation. Through the first half of the film I felt that Jackie Earle Haley's talents were being wasted, but this Nightmare has given Krueger a back story. We get to see Krueger before he becomes the boogeyman and discover why he’s invading all these children’s dreams. Seeing Haley in these scenes makes him even creepier. He is a good choice for the role.

A Nightmare on Elm Street is not as scary as I thought it was going to be and I feel a little silly by refusing to go all these years. But perhaps the special effects and ideology was a little more groundbreaking back then. It has a really interesting premiss. When you experience evil and repress the memories deep down, they are going to find a way out. And I think that’s what this film is trying to say. But kids today don’t wants theories or morality tales, they want a communal scare and a place where they can laugh and scream together, and A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) delivers.

The rest of the cast is full of television actors, some already with an impressive list of horror credits. We’ve seen Kyle Gallner in The Haunting in Connecticut, Rooney Mara in Urban Legends: Bloody Mary and Katie Cassidy in Taken, Supernatural and Harper’s Island. Thomas Dekker was John Conner in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Kellan Lutz appears in New Moon. For the adults we have Connie Britton from Friday Night Lights and Clancy Brown from Carnivale where he played an evil priest. Fine actors all, but it really doesn’t matter. This is a Freddy Krueger movie after all. And no one sticks around for long. Keep your eyes open and you’ll have a horrifying time.

Rating: First Run A new Freddy for a new generation

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

The Back-Up Plan

When I finished watching The Back-Up Plan with Jennifer Lopez (Angel Eyes) I was left with a strange emotion. When I asked myself what that emotion was, the answer came back, respect. I respected this movie. It is not your typical Rom-Com fantasy, I found it a little more substantial than most. This film really tried to get to the heart of the situation and explore the emotional landscape of a woman. It also asked some interesting questions like, what happens when a woman takes her life into her own hands and starts a family on the same day she meets Mr. Right? It also asks the question, do we become the master of our fate, or do we need to learn to be more patient?

Jennifer Lopez plays Zoe, a successful career woman who decided that she no longer liked her life. She quit her high-paying job, cashed in her stock options and started a small business selling pet supplies. When she begins to worry that her window of opportunity for having children is just about to end, she decides to take matters into her own hands and go to a sperm bank. On the way home after being artificially inseminated it begins to rain and she hops into a cab at the same time as another. As they argue over who gets the taxi, they both get out and lose the cab. Alex O’Loughlin (White Out) then notices her for the first time when she calls him a stupid-head. They part ways, but being a romantic comedy they spend the next few days running into each other in the neighborhood. And then the complicated romance begins, does she tell him, or does she keep her news to herself?

In the past I’ve complained when the makers of romantic comedies have treated their target audience like we are stupid. But I didn’t feel that way this time. Some of the supporting characters were a little over the top, but on the other-hand I loved seeing Linda Lavin again and it was great to see Tom Bosley still working. I especially enjoyed Michaela Watkins (SNL) as the voice of reality. She tries to cure Zoe’s baby fever by exposing her to her own kids, but it doesn’t work. As women we have become more empowered and are able to shape our own lives, but wisdom also needs to be heeded. We all need a Mona in our lives to say, “Go back, there be monsters there”. With power comes responsibility and we all need a little support now and then.

Rating: First Run Jo Lo takes things in her own hands

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Death At A Funeral

Laughter is universal, but comedy isn’t. Comedy is subjective, cultural, and socio-economic. But sometimes funny is funny, and even though I have absolutely no idea why Hollywood felt it was necessary to remake an English speaking film made less than four years ago, I still laughed. And I laughed hard.

Oftentimes when I go to a foreign language film and I especially enjoy it, I wonder what it would be like with an American sensibility. And apparently the studios think this way too. Comedies such as Three Men and a Baby, La Cage aux Folles, and the upcoming Dinner For Schmucks, are all based on foreign language films. But this remake puzzles me. The original was directed by Frank Oz (The Muppets), the writer, Dean Craig is credited with both scripts and even Peter Dinklage (The Station Agent) reprises his role in the second film. I don’t understand why the remake was made, but it’s still a funny film just the same.

Death at a Funeral tells the story of two brothers who have been reunited to bury their father. The oldest brother, portrayed by Chris Rock (I Think I Love My Wife) is the responsible one. He is an accountant, still living in his parents home with his wife, and is writing a novel on the side. While he toils faithfully on his book, that he will allow no one else to read, his younger, carefree brother, Martin Lawrence (Bad Boys) goes off to New York and publishes his own and is now living the high life of a celebrated author. When he returns home, he becomes momma’s little darling once again, while big brother is left with all the family obligations. The resentment only escalates when the details of the funeral start to go wrong, including a lost body, an accidental drugging and a blackmailing dwarf. Even a fully functional family would have a tough time getting through this day.

The cast of Death at a Funeral is full of fabulous actors and comedians. James Marsden (Enchanted) steals the show as the white fiance of Zoe Saldana (Avatar). He is so nervous to face his future father-in-law Ron Glass (Lakeview Terrace) that he takes what he thinks is Valium only to become ridiculously high on a super hallucinogenic manufactured by his girlfriend’s brother Columbus Short (Armored) who is in med school. When Zoe’s ex shows up at the funeral, Luke Wilson (Legally Blonde), insecurities increase sending the finance into a bad trip that brings a screaming halt to the funeral when Marsden images that someone is moving inside the coffin. Meanwhile Tracy Morgan (Cop Out) is enlisted to help when he is let in on the family secret. His job was to drive Uncle Russell, Danny Glover (Lethal Weapon) a crotchety old man in a wheelchair, but now he’s an accomplice in the coverup. They must get the funeral back on track while keeping the long-suffering women, Loretta Devine (Crash) and Regina Hall (Scary Movie) in the dark. Dad has a big little secret and the rest of the family must never know.

For the large American population who has never seen the British original, I think they will really like this film. The comedy is character driven and relies on the absurd situation. The critics will all trash it and compare it to the first one, but this is completely unnecessary. It is what it is, and it is funny. Remakes are inevitable. New audiences emerge, new angles are found, people forget, re-imaginings are a part of Hollywood. I enjoyed this film and both have their strengths and weaknesses, so give it a try and judge for yourself. A good laugh is never a waste of time and this film is full of them.

Rating: First Run A truly dark comedy

Friday, April 16, 2010

Date Night

Date Night is an amusing comedy playing to the strengths of its stars Tina Fey (Baby Mama) and Steve Carrell (40 Year Old Virgin). They are both smart, witty, and with an eye for the ridiculous. Yet in this comedy they play a married couple in a rut, and a little off of their game. They are nice, considerate and willing to make the personal sacrifices necessary to keep a marriage afloat. But when a couple close to them confides that they are getting a divorce, the Fosters start to question their marriage and their boring safe routine.

The Foster’s have a loving life together. Every month, they make sure to take time out of their busy schedules and go out on the town alone, as a couple. This usually means dinner at a family restaurant or perhaps a movie. But feeling a bit self-conscience after the break-up of their close friends, they decide to up the ante and drive to the city instead. This takes them to a newly opened seafood restaurant with celebrity clientele and a 2-month waiting list. Tried of being ridiculed by the headwaiter, they steal someone else’s reservation and their date night takes a harrowing turn. They have now been mistaken for a pair of blackmailing opportunists called the Tripplehorns and a team of crooked cops is on their tail.

Date Night is a strange combination of witty banter, and lowbrow slapstick. But for me the film worked best when the Foster’s were pitted against the other supporting players. For example, Claire Foster is a real estate agent and she remembers a Manhattan client who works in high tech security. They go to him for help and we are treated to a shirtless Mark Wahlberg (The Lovely Bones). Phil Foster becomes jealous of him and a little distracted by his James Bond lifestyle. His machismo reaction causes him to make some poor decisions and the Langs are now facing down the Tripplehorns, the couple who had their reservation stolen.

James Franco (Pineapple Express) and Mila Kunis (Forgetting Sarah Marshall) are hysterical as the Tripplehorns. Their bickering, quickly followed by their get-a-room make-out scene, causes the Langs to realize how comfortable their sex-life has become. Mila plays a stripper who has stolen some compromising photos of the local D.A. played hilariously by William Fichtner (Blades of Glory). The Langs pretend to be exotic dancers in order to enter mobster Ray Liotta’s (Goodfellas) nightclub to locate the DA. Carrell and Fey are droll as they perform an absurd sexual dance routine in order to entice the inebriated D.A. and get his attention. But what is even funnier is William Fichtner’s reaction to their pathetic attempts at being sexy. He actually gets turned on and the lamer they are the more ludicrous he is.

Some of the comedy in this film relied too much on shtick which was unnecessary with such intelligent comedians. But overall it is a very amusing film. Compared to some of the other movies that these actors have been in, this film is fairly tame. It’s like they are being naughty, instead of out-right bad. And that’s okay with me, I don’t need a film to be raunchy to be funny, but I could have used some more belly laughs. With this cast, I really wanted to roar.

Rating: First Run A Middle class comedy

The Ghost Writer

There is some point in every politicians life when they wake up and say, I’m going to run for office. Some are motivated by a personal agenda, some are asked, and others are following a passion for change. But when Pierce Brosnan (The Thomas Crown Affair) was questioned by his ghost writer Ewan McGregor (Trainspotting) while penning his memoirs, his answer was, to get the girl.

The Ghost Writer is a political thriller directed by Roman Polanski (The Pianist). Ewan McGregor is hired to finish the biography of a British Prime Minister, Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan) when his former writer and aide ends up dead, washed up on the nearby beach. Ewan McGregor gets involved with Lang just as he is being accused of international war crimes. The media frenzy and focus on him only causes the publishing company to want the book faster. As a ghost writer, Ewan must find the time to finish the book while still dealing with the nagging suspicions caused by his predecessor’s death; what really happened to him and what is the significance of these mysterious pictures found in his room?

Ruth Lang is played by Olivia Williams (Peter Pan) and she is the woman behind the man. Adam Lang fell in love with her in college and she led him into politics. In office he follows her advice and consults with her on everything. She is smart, savvy and a much better politician than her husband. But he has the look, the charm and the political presence to get things done. She feels like a prisoner amongst all the security, and hates the trappings of political life, including her husband’s personal secretary Kim Cattrall (Sex And The City). But everyone acknowledges her influence, she’s the brains of the outfit.

What I loved about this film was the tone and increasing tension. At first Ewan McGregor is a little cocky. He published a book on his own when everyone else turned him down and it was a big success. Now he is enjoying it when the publishing company must come to him for help. But things are heating up and the pressure’s on. There’s more to the story than what’s on the printed page. As The Ghost uncovers conflicting facts and information, he starts to get the feeling he’s being watched. However, its not paranoia if they really are trying to get you. This film is full of time-release suspense and nagging intrigue. It is a first-rate political thriller.

Besides the intelligence of the film and the well-written script, I also fell in love with the location. The Lang’s beach house has a picture window facing the ocean with a deliciously dark and stormy sky. In the background is a gardner trying to sweep up leaves as the wind blows them out of the wheelbarrow as fast as he can put them in. I couldn’t help but see the metaphor there. The darkening ocean sky was almost like a character in the film. I absolutely adored the setting of this small isolated island and it gave me the feeling that danger was only a breath away. Like a beach comber standing too close to the edge; one good wave and he’s gone.

The Ghost Writer is a masterpiece of tone and setting. Roman Polanski carefully balances the darker elements with quips and light humor. Ewan McGregor plays it just right balancing his smug attitude with a sincere desire for the truth. I also appreciate the fine acting of Tom Wilkinson (In The Bedroom) and he is particularly enigmatic in this role as one of the mysterious men in the photos. All these people are connected to the Langs, but how? The answers are in the beginnings.

Rating: First Run A storm of political intrigue

Friday, April 9, 2010

The Last Song

Greg Kinnear is an Oscar nominated actor who is excellent in comedies (Little Miss Sunshine, Stuck On You), great in dramas ( As Good as it Gets) and even performs well in biographies (Flash of Genius, Auto Focus). But even Greg Kinnear couldn’t elevate this film. If it wasn’t for the appealing location, I may have walked out. When you compare Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana) side by side with such a fine actor as Greg Kinnear, it’s makes it worse. I found her two-dimensional acting extremely limited. And I found the young man acting opposite of her (Liam Hemsworth) not much better.

The Last Song tells the story of a dad trying to re-connect with his children over the summer while their mother Kelly Preston (Old Dogs) preps for her upcoming marriage. Bobby Coleman (Martian Child) is eager to spend time with his father, but Miley Cyrus is determined to spend her time punishing him for leaving. She is so pouty and angry that she is hurting herself by being rebellious and refusing to play the piano. A gift that sets her apart from others. Instead, she opens herself up to loser friends and gets arrested for shop lifting. Her hostility is ruining her life and making everyone around her miserable.

This is a Nicholas Sparks screenplay (The Notebook), so you know that there is going to be unopened letters, walks on the beach, and lots of hospital scenes. I wasn’t expecting much from this repeated formula. But my disappointment came in letting Miley Cyrus carry so much of the film when she is clearly not ready. It seemed like scenes were missing and the editing was strange like they were trying hard to find usable takes. Miley may get away with it in a kid’s show on television, but if she wants to be a film actress she needs to expand her emotional range. Her name will sell tickets, but if she wants become a real actress, I suggest she work her way up in smaller roles. Her like-ability will only get her so far.

Rating: Rent It For Miley Cyrus fans only

Friday, April 2, 2010

Hot Tub Time Machine

Do you know what it’s like to sit in a hot tub and you are warm, relaxed and comfortable? Then you start looking around and you see a wad of hair, or a band-aid floating in the tub with you and you think, ew, gross. You get out, but it’s too cold, so you get back in and try to splash the band-aid out. Then you gross yourself out again and sit on the edge with your torso out and your feet in trying to make up your mind. You’re trying to decide if the warm comforting feeling is enough to put up with the gross, disgusting feeling you get sitting around amongst the filth. And then you finally say, screw it, and you get out and take a shower. That’s how I felt watching Hot Tub Time Machine.

On the plus side, you have John Cusack (2012), some fun ’80’s cameos, and a great title. On the minus side, you have lazy ’80’s references, cheesy special effects, and a weird appearance by Chevy Chase. But in my opinion, the best thing about this film is Rob Corddry (The Daily Show). He is the catalyst for the film. His “accidental” suicide attempt brings three best friends together, with a stray nephew, to a ski lodge where they spent their glory days back in high school. While sitting in the hot tub, an energy drink spills, which short circuits the controls and sends the four of them back in time. They are divided on whether to change their lives by changing history, or by keeping everything the same to prevent a Butterfly Effect. This lodge and this weekend was a pivotal time in their lives. This is also the weekend that nephew Jacob, Clark Duke (Sex Drive) was conceived. If they make a mistake, he’ll never be born.

Craig Robinson (Pineapple Express) is the third friend in this group and his problem is that he’s the only one who is happily married. He’s afraid that if they decide to recreate their weekend exactly as it was, that would mean cheating on his wife. Back in the ’80’s, his wife was only nine. John Cusack’s Adam has a different problem. His slutty sister is there in the ’80’s and that is the weekend she gets knocked up. They don’t know who Adam’s father is so they don’t know what to do. On the other hand, he has his own girlfriend problems.

Rob Corddry has such a maniac energy that he draws your focus whenever he is in the room. He’s kind of like that guy who keeps everyone else pumped up. There are some funny bits in this film. I especially liked the running gag involving Crispin Glover (Back To The Future). He is missing an arm in the present and the guys keep watching him in the ’80’s to see how it happened. They really want to see it occur and we are given plenty of near misses.

Hot Tub Time Machine is a funny film, but I think it will be more appealing to the guys. There are some scenes I found a bit offensive. If it was better written I might be a little more forgiving, but since they consistently went for the lowest common denominator, I lost patience with the film. Teasing someone’s hair, giving them leg warmers, and playing ‘80’s music is the cheap route. A little more thought and this could have been an excellent film. I’ll take my hot tub with a little less filth.

Rating: Second Run Cheap laughs in this low budget film

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Middle school was never like this for me, but that doesn’t keep me from enjoying Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Kind of like Mean GirlsThe Early Years, Diary of a Wimpy Kid tells the story of Greg Heffley, beginning with his first day of school in the sixth grade. Greg asked his mom for a journal to chronicle his adventure, but to his chagrin she bought him a diary instead. This is a disaster for the image conscious Greg. In his diary, correction, journal, he shares his feelings and experiences, illustrating them with his own drawings and cartoons. This will be a time saver for when he becomes famous. This way when people what to know how he became so rich and successful, he can just hand over his journal and all will be explained.

I really enjoyed Zachary Gordon as Greg. He is very charming, yet you could see that with all his preoccupation with being popular, he would turn the other kids off. His best friend Rowley (Robert Capron) has a different approach. His mother told him to just be himself. If you do that, everyone will naturally like you. In the beginning, neither approach works, this is middle school after all. But when Rowley has the good character and optimism to bounce back after every calamity, Greg eventually learns from his transcendent example. No matter how embarrassing Rowley is, he still is the very best kind of friend.

Diary of A Wimpy Kid is full of fun and quirky characters. Based on the book by Jeff Kinney, I especially like the tormenting older brother played by Devon Bostick. He makes an art of being a bullying big brother. Steve Zahn (Daddy Day Care) and Rachel Harris (The Hangover) portray Greg’s parents, but the twins (Owen and Connor Fielding), who play Greg’s toddler age little brother were hysterical. I don’t know how director Thor Freudenthal (Motel For Dogs) got such a funny performance out of them, but they were hilarious. This film is full of little gems.

Rating: First Run This film avoids the cheese touch

Clash of the Titans

Half man, half god, Sam Worthington; sounds about right. Clash of the Titans is the mythic remake of Ray Harryhausen’s 1981 film of the same name. Loosely based on Greek mythology, Clash of the Titans tells the story of Perseus, the son of Zeus and a mortal woman, who battles various legendary monsters to save the princess Andromeda and the city of Argos. Gone is the stop motion techniques used to perfection by master Ray Harryhausen. Instead we have CGI and the currently popular 3-D format.

Sam Worthingtion (Avatar) makes a convincing hero. There are so many creatures to kill that there’s not a lot of time for character development. But Sam quickly establishes his backstory, and when he has his brief call to arms speech, you’re ready to pick up your sword and follow him anywhere.

Liam Neeson (Taken) uses his voice to great effect as Zeus, and Ralph Fiennes (The Reader) plays his role as Hades, as a jealous bent-over brother trying to wrestle control through lies and manipulation. When the gods fight, humans suffer, and there’s plenty of destruction here. But don’t get too fond of the other characters in this film, this epic adventure has a high body count.

Geema Arterton (The Boat That Rocked) is ethereal as Lo, the demi-god who protects Perseus throughout his life. And Alexa Davalos (Defiance) portrays the noble Andromeda who speaks out against the decadent practices of her class and embraces the plight of the common people, only to have them give her up as a sacrifice to the Kraken sea monster. I won’t go in to the political implications here, but it would make a great paper for a college student.

Clash of the Titans (2010) didn’t wow me like the original did back in 1981, but I enjoyed it all the same. It moves quickly, is full of masculinity, and it was very satisfying as I watched while munching my popcorn. This is truly a “Popcorn Movie” in the fullest sense. Fast paced, plenty of action, and little narrative to slow things down. The special effects support the story, and I especially liked the flying horses. This is a just sit back and enjoy it film. Don’t put too much else into it, relax and let the adventure unfold.

Rating: First Run A Popcorn Movie in the fullest sense