Movie Reviews

Dinner for Schmucks
It should probably have been titled A Bunch Of Idiots Ruin Some Guys Life And Then They Eat. But its easy to see why that might be too long. Schmucks avoids the perils of making a dinner party movie entirely by not being a dinner party movie at all. Instead it opts for the easiest route possible and tells the story of some idiots being stupid while a normal guy suffers.

Charlie St. Cloud
In quiet moments-- well, relatively quiet, given Rolfe Kent's overbearing score-- we're intended to see the weight of the world in Charlie's eyes, but Efron gives us nothing, and his 17 Again director Burr Steers is equally out of his depth. The two are welcome to collaborate on as many rehashes of 17 Again as they please, but they should be kept far, far away from the wet-eyed histrionics that sink whatever potential there was in Charlie St. Cloud.

Helen
In real life you dont want to hang out with someone whos a drag, so why sit through an entire movie focused on a woman and her misery? Its one thing to check out a drama in which the main character has an actual problem at hand, but in Helen, the titular characters issue is confined to her head and not just because shes suffering with a mental illness. The gravity of her situation is never relayed clearly making it impossible to sympathize with her situation. Helen never seems sympathetic, she seems unjustifiably sad and selfish.

Ramona and Beezus
Beverley Cleary is one of those rare authors whose works can transcend generations without seeming dated or archaic. Her books messages, be it about the importance of family, individualism or friendship, are universal, which explains why youve never met a person who has never read one of her books.

Salt
Salt was famously rewritten to star a male protagonist, and it was Jolie's influence that kept the character from ever abusing her sex appeal, and allowed her to become increasingly dirty and disheveled as the movie reaches its action climax. We're a long way from Tomb Raider, and its encouraging to see Jolie use her immense starpower to create a female heroine who successfully exists apart from the male-dominated world she must struggle against.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice
While the expensive CGI effects and lavish action sequences are getting all the attention in the trailers, it's actually Nic Cage who provides the most magic, playing sorcerer Balthazar Blake as a thinly-disguised version of the real-life crazy Nic Cage, with a few added powers and only slightly flashier fashion.

Alternate Take: Inception
Watching Inception is like striking a match and setting your brain on fire. The movies tagline, your mind is the scene of the crime, is so much more than a reference to what happens in the film.

Great Directors
Do you make films for an audience? Is art meant to reflect the society or the other way around? Can film have an effect on the world at large? Each of the subjects in Great Directors has something to say on these matters and, if its something that interests you going in, the documentary will not disappoint.

Predators
What Predators represents is the first true sequel to John McTiernans 1987 film. The three films made in the 23 years since never felt authentic, with the word franchise film more applicable than follow-up.

The Kids Are All Right
Embracing awkward moments for comedic effect and not afraid to let the audience feel the characters pain with during moments of heavy drama, The Kids Are All Right is a film about real people.

Inception
Inception doesn't just dream bigger than most movies even dare, but it leaves the audience feeling inspired to do the same.

Despicable Me
Despicable Me falls somewhere in the middle range of animated films targeted at kids, featuring none of the delirious wit of How to Train Your Dragon and Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs and certainly not the outright Pixar genius, but also absent the mindless pandering and obvious plotting we all fear in children's films.

Racing Dreams
Who knew there was more to NASCAR than a bunch of cars driving in circles? Okay, considering its one of the most-watched sports in the country, a lot of people, but for those with no interest its often difficult to understand the avid fans passion. NASCAR enthusiast or not, the documentary Racing Dreams is a universally touching and charming film with the power to capture the attention and heart of any viewer.

The Last Airbender
The Last Airbender is a movie of exquisite beauty and, in its best moments, sublime visual clarity. It also contains some of the worst dialogue ever allowed on screen.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
With the third film Eclipse, director David Slade doesn't just bring a much-needed dose of humor to the glum franchise, but cranks up the action to the point that some sections could be considered genuinely exciting.