Draven99's Musings

Concert Review: Unearth w/ For the Fallen Dreams, Woe of Tyrants, Starring Janet Leigh (Poughkeepsie, NY 7/17/09)

2009-07-20T10:59:00.000-04:00

Unearth is one of those bands that I was a little slow to discover. To be honest, I was caught a little behind the eight-ball as metalcore began its rise to prominence some years ago with the likes of Unearth, Killswitch Engage, and Shadows Fall. Still, once I discovered it, these upper echelon bands of the genre stood out like a sore thumb, but in a good way. Since my discovery I have had the pleasure of seeing Unearth a total of three times, twice back in 2007 and then this past Friday night. Each time has spawned a memorable performance filled with high energy and top notch performances.

This evening began earlier than the time stated at The Chance's website. This faux pas caused me to miss the first two bands. They were local acts selected to join the main touring party, and from what I heard, they both put on good performances, even acknowledged by the main acts. The two bands were Trapnote and Talionis. The former I have seen on a few occasions, but not in quite some time, but they were definitely on the rise the last time I saw them. Hopefully I will get a chance to see them at some point in the near future. The other, Talionis, is a name I have seen, but have not yet heard them. One of the band members was passing out samplers after the show, so I snagged one of them, but have not yet listened.

As I walked into the club, Starring Janet Leigh was getting ready for their set. They were in the process of finishing their sound check, so I headed straight for the bar and got myself a Heineken. You know, just a little something to get the evening going. I the proceeded down to the middle level of the small club, bordering the pit in front of the stage, so as to get a good view of the stage.

Almost like they were cued, no sooner had I taken up residence in the best spot I could find, the Canadian metal outfit tore into their set. I mean "tore" quite literally. For about 25-minutes, Starring Janet Leigh were a metallic force to be reckoned with. They are a fusion of death, extreme, progressive, grind, and even a little jazz, the end result being totally mesmerizing and considerably different than your normal metal experience. The vocals are of the typical growled variety, but what makes them standout are the musicians. In particular, the guitar and drums were spectacular. The drummer was blazing fast and was all over the kit playing odd riffs and time signatures, ripping through roles, slowing down to play soft jazz patterns before immediate acceleration back into the heavy stuff. Meanwhile, the guitars were all over the place, using a variety of different sounds within each song, it was like he was tap dancing over the foot pedals in addition to keeping his fingers flying over the right notes. This is definitely a band to keep an eye on.

Next up was Woe of Tyrants, hailing from Ohio, this up and coming act has just begun its march across America. They debuted in 2007 with an independent release and made their national debut this year with Metal Blade records. Much like Starring Janet Leigh, they wasted no time getting out there and ripping up the stage. The five-piece brought heavy death/metalcore sounds to the crowd in relentlessly brutal fashion.

These guys new one speed, fast. At no point do they slow down, take a breath, nothing. As good as the were, I fear they may burn out fast. It has to do with vocalist Chris Catanzaro, he is going all out from the first word, the way he distorts his voice into these twisted growls, I fear he is going to destroy his vocal cords. Everything was at a high level, you could see his throat straining, the veins pulsing, and his face turning red. It is actually kind of scary. I hope that he finds a safer way of singing because this band is good and I would hate to see them get sidelined by blown vocal chords. It would not be the first time in recent years a singer has had to modify his style.

The final warm up act was For the Fallen Dreams. They arrived on stage with no less energy than the two bands prior, but there was something about them that I did not particularly care for. The music just did not hit me with any force. Maybe it was the mix, maybe they were off their game, perhaps I just genuinely didn't care about it. Whatever the truth is, despite the energy with which they attacked the stage and the love being given back by the crowd, I just did not connect. It did seem like I was on the outside looking in, considering the warm reception they received. Frankly, I do not have much to say about them, aside from knowing they will be back in town in a few weeks with the Thrash and Burn tour that is being headlined by Devildriver.

Finally, the band that everyone in the smallish crowd was waiting for, the mighty Massachusetts-bred Unearth! Which brings me to a point before going any further. Where was everybody? Sure, there were people there, but not enough. With Unearth playing that place should have been packed to the sky. It was embarrassing for the local metal fan community to have such a light turnout. Reminds me of not long ago when Shadows Fall sold a total of 17 tickets and had to cancel. I know the economy isn't the greatest and many (most) shows are not selling out, but I am sure we could have had a better showing than we had. Now, on with the show!

Unearth is an amazing act, their music perfectly blends the brutality of hardcore and the technical precision of metal. They mix until ready and serves as many as will have it or can stand it This performance was as good or better than the prior two times. They went at it with reckless abandon, brutal when they needed to be, precise when they needed to be, but always playing to the crowd.

It Buz McGrath is a wild man on stage, running around, ripping through riffs and leads, mooning the audience, jumping off his speaker cabinet, he will not be contained. Meanwhile, Trevor Phipps is a solid frontman, keeping everyone involved with the festivities while growling, screaming, and singing his lungs out.

When their set ended, the small but loud crowd would have none of it, imploring them to come back for "One-More-Song" (and repeat). This eventually got the lights flashing in time followed by the band's return to the stage for just that, one more song. They closed the night strong, performing perfectly and leaving the crowd thirsting for more.

The set list included such songs as "My Will Be Done," "Giles," "Sanctity of Brothers," "Endless," "This Time was Mine," "Crow Killer," "Zombie Autopilot," "We Are Not Anonymous," and "Black Hearts Now Reign."

Click HERE to see a photo gallery of pictures I took of Unearth.

DVD Review: Gas-s-s-s

2009-07-20T06:08:00.000-04:00

If you look in different places you will find the title in two different formats. the DVD cover and the trailer list it as Gas-s-s-s, while the title card on the film says Gas! or It Became Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It (clearly an homage to Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb). Whichever way you choose to take the title, it is an odd one to be sure. As for the movie itself? I feel pretty confident in saying I have not seen a movie quite this trippy in a long time, and I have seen some pretty out there movies. It is the sort of movie you are either going to get behind and enjoy the heck out of it, or you going to turn it off in a matter of minutes, never to look at it again. To take that a step further, if you watch it while enhanced in some manner, it could very well become your new favorite movie of all time. (the author and this site in no way, shape, or form advocate becoming enhanced while watching movies.)

Released in 1971, Gas-s-s-s is one of the last films that Roger Corman ever directed. He had a couple of films released the same year, followed by a couple unofficially directed films in the next decade. The only other film he has directed since is 1990's Frankenstein Unbound with Raul Julia. Corman is a legend in the business, but sometimes you have to wonder just what in the world he was thinking. This movie is seriously out there, has only a gossamer thread of a plot to follow and there is virtually no flow from one sequence to the next. It is more like a loosely connected sketch show that relies on music to carry you from one place to the next.

This movie brings together all sorts of ideas into one big melting pot where the ingredients don't really want to place nice. It is the kind of film that probably graced many drive in and grindhouse screens. Think about the union of the hippie road movie, post-apocalyptic thriller, science fiction, comedy, and drama. Mind blowing, ain't it?

The film begins with a crudely drawn, yet highly effective opening sequence that has a military man (who talks like John Wayne) and a government official in Alaska giving an opening ceremony for some new chemical warfare plant to some Eskimos (are there Eskimos in Alaska?). Something goes wrong and a gas is released that causes the metabolism in people over the age of 25 to speed up, resulting in a quick death by old age. What happens after this is a subversion of the American way as society breaks down and people squabble over how to best run this new emerging world.

The story centers on an evolving group of hippies who choose to leave their Texas town, which has been carved up into smaller states with their own sets of rules. Their destination? A commune in New Mexico where people of like minds are gathering. Along the way the come across cowboy car thieves, football fascists who call themselves the Warriors and have the motto "Rape, Pillage, Loot," (perhaps an influence for The Warriors? perhaps), and a whole assortment of hippies and the like, even featuring an appearance by Country Joe & the Fish.

The movie almost defies explanation. It is put together in such a haphazard fashion that it is really hard to get into it. Still, there is no denying that Roger Corman and writer George Armitage (who would go on to direct films Grosse Point Blank and The Big Bounce) are attempting to make a statement on the country as the 1960's come to a close. The idea of using a post-apocalyptic type set up to tell the story is a rather ingenious one, it is rather effective in breaking up the young populace, throwing them into sudden turmoil where they must come face to face with the world's baser instincts.

With all of that said, the film is seriously goofy. For example, there is a shootout where they fire at each other by saying the names of Western film stars, or another where a flasher goes up to a few people in succession and gets no response until he comes across a cop, and don't even get me started on the love scene ("Arrowfeather!"). We also get dune buggy chases (with the football players) and a golf cart chase (with the Hell's Angels). This movie is all over the map. Then there is the rape sequence, it is not graphic, but it is rather bizarre with how matter-of-factly it is dealt with (I thought that was left to Euro-horror).

Roger Corman is a prolific film producer who works very often on a shoestring budget, and that is quite evident here. He also shows his eye for talent. Over the course of his career in the industry, he has had the opportunity to work with some recognizable names early in their career. This movie features Cindy Williams and Ben Vereen in early roles.

Audio/Video. The transfer is quite solid. The movie definitely shows its age and budget on its sleeve, but the transfer is clean, clear, and devoid of most blemishes. There is a good deal of grain present. I am quite pleased with the look of the film, it is considerably nicer than I was expecting. The same goes for the audio, which definitely shows its age, but still is quite clear and crisp, although you can see where some of the dubbing does no quite match up. Still, it is hard to complain about he quality, a good job was done on a film that probably does not deserve it.

Extras. The film has no extras aside from the original trailer. However, this is a part of the four disk Roger Corman Collection, featuring eight films. Gas-s-s-s shares a disk with the Peter Fonda starring The Trip. The box set pretty much makes up for the lack of extras on this movie.

Bottomline. Whether or not Corman and Armitage were actually trying to make a statement or if they were simply seeking to exploit the end of the era is up in the air. No matter how you want to slice it, the film is unique. I cannot say I have any great desire to watch it again, but it was mesmerizing to watch unfold in its decidedly non-traditional fashion. For the curious, it is definitely worth a peek.

Mildly Recommended.

Unearth Photo Gallery from The Chance in Poughkeepsie, NY (7/17/09)

2009-07-18T20:41:00.003-04:00

This is a selection of the better photos I was able to take while at the show: (Click to see larger)

CD Review: Mutant Chronicles - Music Composed by Richard Wells

2009-07-17T06:23:00.000-04:00

I remember when I first heard about this film, well not exactly, but it was probably about a year ago. The title struck me as something I wanted to see, I mean its called Mutant Chronicles, how can any science fiction fan say that doesn't pique their interest? If they do, they are probably lying. Anyway, I was hoping to get a chance to see this on the big screen, I wasn't expecting a terribly wide release, but thought it would come somewhere near my area. I was wrong. The movie played in exactly two theaters for exactly seven days. What? Seriously, that is absolutely ridiculous. The cast has Thomas Jane (Punisher), Ron Perlman (Hellboy), and John Malokovich (Burn After Reading), plus the trailer gives the vibe of being a decent enough movie to pull in some money either early in the year, or possibly during the September slow down. I am not saying it would be a blockbuster, but it looks like no one had any faith in it. Perhaps it is just a bad movie.

The DVD does not arrive until August, so until then I will have to make do with the score. Composed by Richard Wells, the Mutant Chronicles music is big, bombastic, heroic, and militaristic. In short, it is a solid score that will get in your head with its strong thematic and melodic cues that will allow your mind to create its own science fiction war on the giant movie screen of the mind. Of course, it helps only having the title to go on. Not having seen the film, it is hard to judge how well it works within context. Fortunately, a good score will not be limited to being seen in conjunction with the film it was written for, but will transcend it and enable a listener to create their own visuals for the music. Not that a good score cannot merely play well with the film, but I think you know what I mean.

Richard Wells is a name I cannot say I have encountered before. I have come to discover that he is a relative newcomer with only a few credits to his name. Wells most notable works include a pair of videogames (Gangsters and its sequel), the score for the UK release of Ong Bak, and the horror/sci-fi/comedy Evil Aliens. I have not heard any of these scores, although I am aware of Evil Aliens, it is one of those movies I have wanted to get around to checking out.

The score for Mutant Chronicles does not break any new ground, nor does it try to. What it does do is create a solid listening experience that is alternately heroic and powerful, and dark and foreboding. It is a score that is easy to press play on and proceed to get utterly lost in it. It is not going to blow you away with ingenuity and creativity, but there is something about that is rather engrossing.

As I listen to this score, I imagine picking up a plasma rifle and heading out to wage war with evil creatures led by dark forces intent on my destruction. Of course, the music leads me to victory as I navigate the darkened, debris strewn streets and alleys, making my way deep into enemy territory and achieving ultimate victory. Conversely, I can also just sit there and enjoy what Wells has created.

The score begins with "Take Off," which does exactly that. This cue is upbeat and draws you right away with the military march percussion and strings with a triumphant horn line playing over it. I love this track, it is the kind of music that is inspiring in the face of certain danger.

Next is "The Night Before," which brings everything down a notch and offers a more contemplative tone as our soldiers prepare for what is to come, their final moments calm. It is short-lived as it gives way the dread and tension of "Mutant Attack." This breaks the calm and puts a hold on the heroics as there is a battle to be had.

Richard Wells does a good job of keeping the music varied and interesting, while also mixing in recurring themes, most notably the heroic theme introduced in the opening track. Considering I have not seen the movie, this is a very effective score that brings a grandiose, epic feel to what I hope is an entertaining film. It also makes me interested in seeing, er, hearing what else Wells will bring to the table in future work.

Recommended.

New Movies and Box Office Predictions: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

2009-07-15T23:15:00.000-04:00

For all intents and purposes, this is the final weekend of the summer blockbuster season. I know there are a good number of weeks left, but none of those releases look to be any true blockbuster, not like this weekend's lone wide release. The rest of the summer will surely have some good movies, movies that I want to see, but the likelihood of a $100 million opening is slim to none. This weekend's film is a big time franchise flick and is guaranteed to make a big splash in its opening weekend.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. (2009, 153 minutes, PG, fantasy) Welcome to the sixth movie in the long-running franchise. With two film's yet to come, will this live up to fan's expectations? Will it do justice to the book? Is there enough juice to sustain continued interest? Without any new books on he horizon this film, and those to come, may need to be a bit more aggressive in their marketing. Of course, I could just be off my rocker, as the fan base seems to be stronger than ever. This entry has already opened, but I have not yet had the opportunity to see it. What do you think? I am sure there are a few of you who have already had the pleasure.

The Half-Blood Prince is the second time a director has returned for a second go-around (following Chris Columbus who directed the first two films). David Yates made his debut on the franchise with Order of the Phoenix, and so impressed the studio suits that they signed him for this film as well as the series' two part finale. It is understandable, too, Phoenix was a pretty good (at least it was a step up from The Goblet of Fire), and with the big finale just around the corner, consistency of vision is something to be desired.

As for the story, this one centers on Harry learning more about the villainous Lord Voldemorte, while also discovering a book that belongs to whoever the "Half-Blood Prince" is. I am sure there is much more to it than that, but I do not wish to read too much prior to seeing the movie.

Also opening this week, but not near me:

(500) Days of Summer - I really want to see this one.

Box Office Predictions
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen took two weekends and has breezed past $300 million. Could Harry Potter have as easy a time? I am not so sure, but I would not count it out, I mean it did make $22 million in opening night midnight shows alone. However well it does, there can be no doubt that it will take the top spot. Everyone else will probably just slide down for one, as the returning films have been pretty flat over the past couple of weeks, save for Bruno, which I suspect a steep dip from.

Here is how I think it could play out.

Rank	Title	Box Office
1	Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince	$101 million
2	Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs	$17 million
3	Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen	$16 million
4	Bruno	$14 million
5	Public Enemies	$8 million
6	The Proposal	$6 million
7	The Hangover	$5.5 million
8	Up	$3 million
9	I Love You, Beth Cooper	$2.5 million
10	My Sister's Keeper	$2 million

Movie Review: Bruno

2009-07-15T06:10:00.000-04:00

When you look at the long line of working comedians in the business today, there are very few that are truly edgy. There are those who use shocking language to try to be edgy, there are those who are just who they are, and there are those who target the family demographic. None of these approaches are right or wrong, every person who decides to take a certain role or hit the stage with their material works their material to their talent; however, when it comes to Sacha Baron Cohen, the rules are rewritten. Love him, hate him, indifferent to hm, he is a distinctly original voice on the screen taking risks that no one else is willing to do. On top of that, he is not only about the comedy, he is also about picking at society's scabs, revealing the uglier side of people that they would probably rather not show.

Cohen made a splash in 2006 with Borat, instantly winning a spot in the pantheon of popular culture. To this day, you can get a taste of that ridiculous voice wherever you go. Sure, it has died down somewhat, but will it ever go away? I doubt it. That film saw Cohen begin his cultural scab picking, unveiling latent bigotry, backwards thinking, and a large dose of negativity. It spotlighted Cohen's skills to get under the skin and provoke a reaction. This new film focuses on a different character that is quite possibly more shocking, but also a bit less funny. Still, you will find yourself wracked with laughter, so long as you are not among the easily offended.

Bruno (Cohen) is an Austrian fashionista who is disgraced when his show flops. Amid some over the top gay sequences (calculated to get a rise out of the audience), we follow Bruno on his way to America where he is determined to become a big star. The problem is that his ideas on how to become famous, famously backfire as he takes everything to the edge and then jumps off into the abyss, thereby shocking everyone in sight.

The movie is a series of vignettes strung together by scripted pieces featuring Bruno and his shy admirer Lutz, who was his assistant's assistant back in Austria. The overall story is a thin one as it really isn't the point. The point is to see just how far they can take each scene, take to its shocking limit and see what kind of reaction can be provoked.

Bruno is sporadically uproariously funny as we watch the comedian take aim at the celeb-worshipping, stardom obsessed side of our culture. Watch as he holds a casting call for babies for a photo shoot with his newly adopted third-world child (which he swapped an iPod for) where the prospective parents will agree to anything, such as working with pyrotechnics, loosing wait, dressing as a Nazi, and being tied to a cross. It is almost too much to believe. Also witness his attempts to make a sex tape by cornering presidential nominee Ron Paul. Utterly ridiculous and featuring more male nudity than your average Judd Apatow feature.

I am really at a loss of what of what to say about the movie. To describe more of the sequences would deprive them of their shock value. The story is pretty much non-existent, existing only to string together the awkward situations and add even more zaniness.

While I did laugh out loud a number of times, I found that much of my laughter was of the nervous variety. It is not that I was offended, but what Cohen was doing was so over the top that I was shocked more than amused. In the end, the movie does what it sets out to do, generate laughs, pick at the dark side of the audience by making them complicit in the generation of humor, and just being shocking.

Sacha Baron Cohen is an interesting character. On one hand, he truly pushes the boundaries of good taste and is absolutely fearless in his pursuit of the laugh, especially if it exposes some undesirable element on the part of the target. However, as brave as he is in going for the gusto, does his brand of comedy have an expiration date? How much longer will he be able to go unrecognized? I suspect this will be the last round for this sort of Cohen film. Unless he brings on a protege, I suspect we will begin to see more roles like his performance in Talladega Nights.

Bottomline. Bruno is not for everyone, although I think everyone should make the attempt. It will make you uncomfortable, it will make you laugh, it will make you wonder if Cohen has a mental issue. It will also make your jaw drop seeing the reactions and responses that he gets throughout. It is a bizarre film made by a brave soul. Try it. You may like it.... or not.

Recommended.

Movie Review: I Love You, Beth Cooper

2009-07-14T22:13:00.000-04:00

For some reason this movie reminds me of the 2004 flick The Girl Next Door. They both have similar premises steeped in the art of the male fantasy. The earlier film sees a loser guy falling for the girl next door, who turns out to be a porn star, much comedy and hi jinx ensue. The newer film centers on a loser guy professing his love for the popular head cheerleader and discovering she may return his affections. Neither film is all that great, but they are both entertaining for what they are, ridiculous escapes from reality that have absolutely no basis in reality.

Based on a novel by Larry Doyle, who also wrote the screenplay, I Love You, Beth Cooper tells the story of a nerdy valedictorian who uses his commencement speech to profess his love for the head cheerleader, the titular Beth Cooper. It is something he was sort of goaded into doing in order to leave some sort of mark on his high school years, something that cannot be undone and cannot be taken away. Along the way he also has a few things to say about other members of his graduating class. It is the sort of speech that you dream about, especially if you are a cad carrying member of the downtrodden and forgotten of the high school in crowd. Of course, even in dreams there are repercussions, as comedic and non-life threatening as they may be, they are still there. This movie chronicles what happens after the proverbial cat is out of the bag.

The tale begins with Denis Cooverman (Paul Rust) preparing to deliver his speech. He walks to the podium and begins to nervously recite what he had prepared, but then, in a flash of inspiration he lets loose with the words that will forever change his life; well, at least for the next day or two. He has no idea where this will lead and it does not appear that he even gave it any thought.

Anyway, after the ceremony is over, the nervous fellow goes home and prepares for his graduation party. The expected crowd is zero, besides Denis and his possibly gay best friend, Rick Munsch (Jack Carpenter). Before leaving for the evening, his father gives him the "talk." The funniest thing about this is that his father is played by Alan Ruck, who would have likely had the Denis role had this been made in the wake of his Ferris Bueller's Day Off performance.

Well, Beth Cooper (Hayden Panettiere) and her ever-present cheerleader friends show up for Denis's party only to have Beth's muscle-bound Army boyfriend how up with some bad thoughts on his mind. The chase is now on as the boyfriend wants to separate Denis's head from his body and Beth just wants to be rid of him. This is how the night goes.

Honestly, there really is not much to say about the story. It begins with that dream setup of professing undying love, proceeds to the chase, moves onto the touching tender moments, then comes to its inevitable conclusion. There really isn't much more than that; however, I actually enjoyed it and have no problems giving it a bit of a recommendation to to those who enjoy this genre. It is the kind of movie whose trailers will tell you if you have any chance of liking it. It has a definite audience and it is not everyone.

Why does this movie work? It is all in the performances. Paul Rust and Hayden Panettiere have decent enough chemistry, plus they almost seem born to play these roles. Rust may look a bit old for the character, but is close enough to pull it off, plus he has that nerdy character down pat. He has some great reactions and seems sincere in the quieter moments when his character realizes that this Beth is not the one he dreamed about. As for Hayden, she carries oer the popular cheerleader from the first season of Heroes and tweaks it just a little. She is the popular girl here, but the further in we go, we begin to see the seems in her popular armor with a little insecure girl peeking through. This brings us back to the fantasy of the film, where the nerd dreams of getting the girl and seeing her for who she is and not the persona.

Bottomline. In the end, it is a trifle of a movie that will likely be forgotten in pretty short order. Still, I found myself enjoying it. I am sure I will be off of it and onto something else shortly, but for a piece of momentary escapism, it delivers.

Mildly Recommended.

Box Office Update 7/10-7/12: Bruno Tells Box "Vassup?"

2009-07-14T09:45:00.000-04:00

After two weeks at the top, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen has relinquished its crown, begrudgingly to Sacha Baron Cohen's latest creation, Bruno. The shock-omedy snuck in through the back door to steal it away, as opposed to taking a dominant role in making its presence known. It was a foregone conclusion that the pseudo-sequel to 2006's Borat would rise to the top, it was just assumed that it would be in a more definitive fashion, but a win is a win and I am sure the fictional Bruno would take it any way he could get it. I think the bigger question now is how it will hold up. Is it funny? Sure. It also does a fine job at picking at society, but at the same time, I feel for as brave as he is for doing it, I have seen enough. How will the public react? The next couple of weeks will be very telling.

Holding steady in second place, and playing as a strong counter programming film, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs slipped just 33% from its debut frame. It's too bad they could not make a classic. While this franchise plays well with the young crowd, it does not offer much to cinematic history and will likely be forgotten a couple of years down the road, it that long. A funny side note: I was talking to a friend who did not realize this was the third movie in the franchise.

Michael Bay's robotic monster mash skipped over the animated dinos on its way to third place. Perhaps this is where everyone realizes that is not a very good movie and it begins its slide to the bottom. Yes, wishful thinking, it likely has a way to go before it dies off completely only to be reinvigorated upon its eventual Blu-ray release.

Public Enemies placed fourth, and while it is doing all right, I would like to see it do better. This film is fantastic with a strong script, great performances, and solid direction. This is where the mainstream meets the arthouse.

There is only one other new film on the chart this week, I Love You, Beth Cooper. The teen comedy appears to be dead in the water, finishing way down in seventh place. I saw the movie and while it is not great, it is perfectly enjoyable for what it is. It may not be worth a trip o the theater, but as a rental it should perform admirably.

This weekend will surely be dominated by the release of the latest Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Two movies dropped off the top ten this week: Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (11) and Year One (13).

This Week	Last Week	Title	Wknd Gross	Overall	Week in release
1	N	Bruno	$30,619,130	$30,619,130	1
2	2	Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs	$27,607,497	$119,680,193	2
3	1	Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen	$24,213,875	$339,221,800	3
4	3	Public Enemies	$13,794,240	$66,221,110	2
5	4	The Proposal	$10,603,884	$113,861,076	4
6	5	The Hangover	$9,933,238	$222,444,906	6
7	N	I Love You, Beth Cooper	$4,919,433	$4,919,433	1
8	6	Up	$4,715,746	$273,834,761	7
9	7	My Sister's Keeper	$4,294,382	$35,915,782	3
10	8	The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3	$1,543,516	$61,437,955	5

Box Office Predictions Recap
As I look over the numbers for this week, I feel pretty much satisfied, more or less. Sure, I was off in a few places, but I was pretty close in most places. My biggest mistake was with I Love You, Beth Cooper, which pretty much tanked. I thought this would have made a bigger splash than it did, as shown by my estimation. Of course, I also expected Bruno to land a bigger number than it did, but when it comes right down to it, I suppose it landed about where it should in retrospect.

Here is how the field matched up:

Actual	Prediction	Title	Wknd Gross	Prediction
1	1	Bruno	$30,619,130	$36 million
3	2	Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen	$24,213,875	$26 million
2	3	Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs	$27,607,497	$24 million
4	4	Public Enemies	$13,794,240	$16 million
7	5	I Love You, Beth Cooper	$4,919,433	$14.5 million
5	6	The Proposal	$10,603,884	$8 million
6	7	The Hangover	$9,933,238	$6.5 million
8	8	Up	$4,715,746	$4 million
9	9	My Sister's Keeper	$4,294,382	$2.5 million
10	10	The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3	$1,543,516	$1.25 million

DVD Pick of the Week: [REC]

2009-07-13T22:34:00.000-04:00

Movie Review: The Hurt Locker

2009-07-12T22:05:00.000-04:00

When it comes to movies set amidst the conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the rest of the Middle East, there is almost a prerequisite that they make some sort of political statement. Look at films like Lions for Lambs, Body of Lies, The Lucky Ones, Stop-Loss, Rendition, and even Charlie Wilson's War, all have their say on the current state of affairs. However, no matter how good or bad those movies are, they generally forget that there are people involved. The stories become too involved with the big picture, making grandiose statements, and telling us how we should feel that the trees are lost for the forest. Very few of them strip the message out for the people, and when they do they lose much of the power they could have had, like The Kingdom. Now we have a film that loses the political grandstanding and focuses on the reality of the situation with characters to truly care about.

Helmed by Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker puts us down on the streets with the soldiers on the front line, with the soldiers risking their lives day in and day out. Is this a tale to take as any sort of fact? Probably not. As unbelievable and exciting as reality can be, it can often be boring and dull, meaning any film you see based on reality has invariably had its drama/action/suspense pumped up a bit in an attempt to make it a bit more watchable in a cinematic setting. That said, Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal have crafted a film that goes for a realistic feel rather than absolute reality. The finished product is involving, affecting, and downright thrilling.

The Hurt Locker does not so much have a plot as it does a group of characters that we follow. Do not look at this film as a narrative, it is more like an audience being embedded with a squad as they go about their work, sort of like a reporter going out in the field. It is exciting, thrilling, frightening, and strips everything down to the essence. This is not about the dialogue, it is about people, their hopes, desires, fears, and ability to act in the face of great stress.

At the center of out story is Staff Sergeant William James (Jeremy Renner). His specialty is defusing bombs, you know, the nasty improvised devices found in bags on the side of roads, packed into cars, and strapped onto people. He is very good at his job, and despite the risks he takes with his own personal safety, when it comes to operating on a bomb, he is as careful as if he were operating on his own flesh and blood, meticulous, skilled, and determined to finish his task. Always at his side is Sergeant Sanborn (Anthony Mackie), he is the man charged with keeping our bomb defusing tech safe, always with his eyes out for snipers, suspicious characters, and any other dangers that could impede his work.

This movie is not really about catching the bomb makers, it is about making sure the bombs don't go off as well as constantly seeking the rush that the job provides. Everything ties into the quote that is used to open the film: "War is a drug." James is always looking to get that next fix. He needs to be on that line, you need him on that line..... Sorry, wrong movie. Still, it seems rather fitting as we watch James go through the motions, risking life and limb to not only do the job, but get back to that high again.

It is fascinating watching these men go about their business. The tension that is built up is quite palpable, literally putting me on the edge of my seat. What makes this film great, is not only the way it puts you on the street with these soldiers, it is the soldiers themselves, how the characters are written and how they are performed.

The characters are written in a very internalized fashion. You need to pay attention to really get the full effect of these characters as they do not verbalize everything. They are written as people, not plot points, and it works out beautifully.

Jeremy Renner is a face that is recognizable but cannot always be placed, this movie will put him on the map. It is an incredible performance, he carries so much behind his eyes in this role. William James is a man who knows his job, knows he is the best at it, and he knows this is where he belongs. He needs to be where the action is, but it comes at a price, it is something he will have to live with as long as he is on the job.

Bottomline. The Hurt Locker is a movie that needs to be seen. It is a first rate movie that delivers on emotional and technical levels. It is thrilling as we watch the bombs being defused, watching James search for answers, watching the difficulty with which the answers come, or don't come.

Highly Recommended.

Movie Review: Moon

2009-07-12T19:05:00.000-04:00

Directed by and based on a story by David Bowie's son, Moon is a wonderful accomplishment for a first time feature director. It is a mature and assured tale that offers so much content for discussion packed into a brief and leisurely paced run time. It is a film that finds itself at the crossroads of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Solaris, and Event Horizon. While it finds itself at those crossroads, making a deal with the devil, it is not merely a greatest hits mash of what we already know, it is a bold and original vision that delivers a mesmerising experience at the cinema. It is a great example of what intelligent hard science fiction can be, a great defense for a genre that has been overrun by effects, fantasy, and a general lack of logic (not that it is always a bad thing).

Going in to Moon, I was unsure of what I was getting myself into. Considering the very limited release I had seen the trailer once, knew I wanted to see it, but had no idea what it was really going to be about. In the end, I guess it did matter much as I knew it would be something I would be into.

The movie definitely proved interesting. It is the sort of film that sneaks up on you, draws you in, makes you interested, and then is over. It is not an action film, it is not a fast paced film, it is one that allows the story to slowly unfold over the course of its run time, seeping into your brain, making you curious as to where it is going or what the meaning of it all is.

In the near future, possibly the same world that 2001 was set in, a new fuel for energy is discovered on the moon. It is called Helium3 and is used to fuel clean nuclear fusion. A mining facility has been set up on the dark side of the moon and is almost completely automated. The station is manned by a crew of one, and that person signs on for a three year stint, ensuring everything runs smoothly, tends to maintenance and repairs, but otherwise is left to entertain himself in the well-stocked base.

Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) is nearing the end of his contract, and it could come soon enough. The man is on the verge of breaking down. Three years in isolation, save the HAL-like presence of the base computer GERTY (voice of Kevin Spacey), can be trying on a person's mind. Sam is beginning to see things as he goes about his day. Is he losing his mind? No, h is just tiring of being so utterly alone, his only connection with Earth being recorded messages from his wife and his superiors. Sounds like enough to drive anyone batty.

It is an interesting idea, to examine the effects of isolation, of being surrounded by technology with no other meaningful human contact over an extended period of time. Three years is a long time and Sam Rockwell does a fine job of showing how there can wear a mind down, seeing things and talking to himself being a couple of big factors. However, this is only part of the story, and just a small part at that.

One day, Sam heads out in a rover to investigate a potential problem with one of the automated mining vehicles. En route, same gets distracted resulting in a bad accident. Sam then wakes up in sick bay on the base, wondering what happened. This is where it begins to get strange. As you know from the trailer, another Sam shows up on the base. Is this a copy? A figment of his fractured imagination? Something else altogether?

This is the sort of movie that the wrong detail given in the right place can ruin it for the potential viewer. So, with that said, I am going to decline to give any more hard details. This is the kind of film that is best to see clean, avoid whatever detail you can and allow the film to work its magic.

Director Duncan Jones, who also wrote the story that Nathan Parker based his screenplay on, does a wonderful job of keeping the story interesting. He plants a number of question seeds throughout that will make you wonder if what you thought you knew is accurate or not. It is an intelligent film that requires audience participation. If you just let the story unfold and wash over you as a passive observer, you may like it, but you never be sure of what you know. You need to be an active participant, picking up on the clues dropped throughout to point you towards the truth. I think. Trying to figure out the truth is like trying to hit a moving target that you can't see.

Much of the credit needs to be given to Sam Rockwell. He gives a powerful, multifaceted performance that will make affect you. He perfectly embodies the fractured persona of Sam Bell. Quite simply, he carries the emotional weight of the movie, a quietly charismatic and easy going presence on the screen delivering a performance you will not be able to look away from.

Bottomline. Powerful movie, one that everyone should see, although I suspect many will not be able to become absorbed by it. It is a quiet, slow moving film that does not go in the direction that I expected. It is a case of a story being told the way it wants to be told rather than by the expectations.

Highly recommended.

Movie Review: Ice Age - Dawn of the Dinosaurs

2009-07-12T13:16:00.000-04:00

2002 saw the arrival of a ragtag group of prehistoric critters banding together to save a baby. They came together for a common goal despite their rather obvious differences, including the fact that one of them is a predator to the others (a sabertooth tiger). In the end, they achieved their goal of saving the baby and ended up forming an odd family among themselves. Four years later the non-traditional herd are making a go of it as the Ice Age is in full swing, until they discover the Ice Age is coming to an end and a rush of water threatens their valley. They were able to come through that relatively unscathed. Now they are back and I am sure you are wondering just what they could be faced with now. All right, maybe not, but I am going to tell you anyway: dinosaurs. That's right, after finding humans and surviving the impending end of the Ice Age, they have to contend with dinosaurs!

The first Ice Age was an enjoyable, family-centric romp, nothing terribly classic and probably not deserving of a sequel. As we all know a sequel did come, and it proved to me that they should have stopped after the first as its story was dull and its runtime was padded with sequences featuring Scrat the sabertooth squirrel and his endless quest to possess a single acorn. Unfortunately, it proved to be a box office success, all but guaranteeing a third film would be made. It is here, and in an attempt to ensure a sustained level of interest the currently popular 3D process has been employed. Finally, proving that I may actually be a part of the problem, I went to the theater, got my glasses and sat down to watch it.

After the screening was over, I slowly walked out of the theater, disposing of my emptied bag of unsalted popcorn (the only way to go), and depositing my 3D glasses in the recycling bin as I went. On my face was the barest hint of a smile. I walked secure in my belief that the gimmick of the Ice Age has run its course, that I am still impressed with the RealD 3D process, and that this movie was an improvement on the lackluster second part. Still, I think I would have felt more rewarded had I seen Up again.

As Dawn of the Dinosaurs opens, we catch up with our main characters reaching important turning points in their lives, and it sounds suspiciously like any random episode of Everybody Loves Raymond. Manny (Ray Romano) and Ellie (Queen Latifah) are doing their part to repopulate the mammoth population and are expecting their first child, Sid the Sloth (John Leguizamo) feels left out and has dreams of being a parent himself, and Diego the sabertooth tiger (Dennis Leary) believes he is losing his edge living around what should be his dinner and wants to regain that hunter's instinct he feels he has lost. Meanwhile, Scrat continues to track down that elusive acorn, only to find love and competition in a female version of himself called Scratte (in the ads, these critters don't speak and rarely interact with our main characters).

It had to happen at some point, this oddball collection of incompatible critters were bound to reach a point where they would drift apart. It is up to this movie to bring that drama to life in a comedy about why they came together in the first place and how they will always mean something to each other, but told in comedic fashion, of course.

Sid, feeling left out and wanting to be a parent wanders off and discovers three eggs, apparently abandoned, and decides to bring them back to the herd and raise them himself. Of course, this turns out to be a terrible idea as they turn out to be dinosaur eggs and when they hatch, the babies wreak havoc, which increases exponentially when mommy (a T-Rex) arrives in search of her missing young. She collects them, along with Sid, and heads back down through the crack in the ice that had initially revealed the egg.

Manny, Ellie, Diego, and the possums, Crash and Eddie (introduced in the second film), head into the crack in an attempt to rescue their kidnapped friend. Along the way they meet Buck (Simon Pegg), a hunt-hardened weasel who is in search of the giant dinosaur that took his eye (his personal Moby Dino). He is a crazy fellow who may be the only way our heroes will be able to navigate this lush underground world and its many dangers.

Comedy and adventure ensues as Manny and the gang hunt down Sid and avoid the big bad killer dinosaur. It turns out to be mildly amusing, a distinct step up from the last one, but still pretty forgettable in the big picture.

The main reason to watch this movie is three-fold, and while it is an argument for the film, it is not necessarily a compelling one. First is John Leguizamo, whose work as Sid is pretty dang funny. Second is Scrat, his silent film style antics have been the highlight of the series, always with the right amount of zaniness. Thirdly is Simon Pegg, it does not seem to matter what this guy does, he steps up to the plate and delivers. His Buck is insane and rather fun. To a lesser extent, the animation has improved with each successive film, and the 3D is employed well and not so much as a gimmick, but a tool to add depth to the image.

Bottomline. Despite being a step up from the second film, I cannot through my support behind this one, as it still feels like a franchise stretched past its expiration date. The kids will like it, no doubt about that, but most seem to like Up too, which is vastly superior. I think Pixar may have spoiled CG animation for me. Still, I would take any Ice Age movie over the likes of Space Chimps.

Mildly Recommended.

Movie Review: Public Enemies

2009-07-12T00:43:00.000-04:00

When I first heard that a movie was coming out called Public Enemies, I initially thought it was going to be a remake of the 1931 James Cagney gangster film The Public Enemy. Turns out I was wrong, but there is a connection between that film and this new film. It is not quite a direct connection, more of a relation, but it is there. This new film centers on the couple of years where John Dillinger was active and terrorizing banks while running circles around the FBI, and it just so happens that Dillinger was a fan of gangster pictures and was likely a fan of this particular film. In any case, there is nothing to directly to connect the old Cagney flick and the new Depp flick, although I guess a case could be made about both having top flight actors of their respective generations in the lead.

The first trailer for Public Enemies had me hook, line, and sinker. From the use of music, to the charismatic presence of Johnny Depp, to the determined visage of Christian Bale, to the authentic looking sets, it looked like a movie that was determined to hit all of the right notes. It doesn't hurt that Michael Mann is the man behind the camera, and while I am not a fan of all his films, he has a certain way of bringing a scene to life and making the locations as integral a character as the actual actors.

Back in the 1930's gangsters were a different breed than they are today. Back in the day gangsters were sort of celebrities as they stuck it to the man, acting in Robin Hood type ways (albeit a bit more self serving). Because of this they have gotten something of a romantic rewriting through history, much like the outlaws of the Wild West. So, I was sort of expecting a romanticized view of John Dillinger's escapades as he out duels the law in Melvin Purvis. You know, robbing banks, engaging in shoot-outs, getting the girl, the whole nine yards.

Director and co-writer Michael Mann and writers Ronan Bennett and Ann Biderman, working from a novel by Bryan Burrough, have taken the story and boiled it down to its essence. It is not the story the audience necessarily wants, but it is the story that Mann wants to tell. It is generally a good thing when the creative tells the story they want to tell rather than load up on elements that are expected, it is best to focus on the story. The result in this case is a tale that strips away the romanticism of the character (although it is still there), it gives us the character of legend without the legend. It is a story that gives you the pieces upon which the legend can be built.

The movie begins with John Dillinger's (Johnny Depp) daring escape from prison and subsequent desire not to go back and live in the moment. He returns to Chicago where he has bought himself something of a safe haven. He and his crew terrorize local banks, taking them for all they can get, all while living it up with the nightlife. They were like rock stars, doing their thing with very little fear of retribution, although there is always a certain edge, a distinct danger that things could go wrong, but they scarcely paid it any mind, knowing their skills would take them as far as they wanted.

Things begin to pick up when Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) is put in charge of the Chicago field office by J. Edgar Hoover, who is attempting to get the FBI off the ground. It is thought that if public enemy number one, Dillinger, is brought to justice, it would go a long way towards getting the agency the backing it needs to be successful.

Purvis is a straitlaced, serious individual who always gets his man, and he sets about putting his G-men to work in an effort to get Dillinger and all of his accomplices. However, the story is not so much about him, despite his importance to how it plays out. This puts a bit of a clamp on Bale's performance, which is more or less one note, yet still highly effective.

Public Enemies is based on truth, although it is not a slave to it. Watching this film will give you an honest overview of the era and how things played out, just do not trust it as a definitive source, as there are many facts that are not correct. I will not go into them here, as neither this review nor this film is about being a historical document. It certainly aims to be authentic to the period and motives of the characters, but that is about it.

This movie is a cross between a mainstream picture and an arthouse picture. It has the big name stars, it has the big name performances, but it also fails to follow mainstream movie conventions. Like I mentioned earlier, the story is told on its own terms. We get to see Dillinger in action, robbing banks, not letting weak members of the crew take him down, always getting what he wants, including the woman who catches his eye, Billie Frechette (Marion Cotillard). There's is a non-traditional relationship, he wants someone she can protect, she is vulnerable and needs someone to protect her. They are never really a couple, so much as a complete set of needs. It is interesting to watch their interactions, there is an interesting dynamic as he courts her all the way through what happens at the end (I cannot tell you).

Michael Mann has meticulously crafted this film to show what needs to be seen. There are no overtones of niceties. Dillinger is never made out to be a nice guy, or a good guy, the same goes for Purvis. It is rather refreshing to see a movie portray characters in a way that is real rather "movie real."

The performances are fantastic all around. There is a brutal honesty to them as they go about their business. Johnny Depp leads the way with a charismatic performance that really draws you in. You may not necessarily like him, but you will admire the way he plays the role, the character is one you cannot take your eyes off of. Christian Bale feels a little but like stunt casting considering how one note the character is, but at the same time his presence adds a little more weight to the pursuit of Dillinger, and Bale brings a distinct intensity to the role that focuses the pursuit portion of the story. Then there is Marion Cotillard, she brings an exotic beauty to the role plus an emotional vulnerability that really pays off in a powerful way.

Bottomline. This is not what I expected, and in a way I am glad that it isn't. It is a solid movie with great tension, excellent performances, and an eye for detail. It strips away the romance and leaves the cod underbelly of the legend exposed to the harsh light of day.

Highly Recommended.

Movie Review: Whatever Works

2009-07-10T23:35:00.000-04:00

For many years Woody Allen has been something of an unknown factor to me. To a large extent he continues to be an enigma. My experience with his movies has been limited, to say the least, more or less limited to those films over the past decade, and looking over Woody's filmography, there are some great movies I still need to see. Anyway, off I went to see Whatever Works on the heels of such recent Woody ventures as Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Cassadra's Dream, and Match Point. This proved to be a decidedly different experience, but one that proved to be infinitely more rewarding than the past couple I have been subjected to.

Whatever Works turns out to be one of the funniest Allen films I have seen in recent years. How could it not be? It the first straight up comedy he has made since 2003's Anything Else. Most of his films since then have played more towards the dramatic or thriller side of the coin, with most coinciding with his departure from New York City for more European locales. Even with my limited Allen experience, it is nice to see him return Stateside and turn out a zippy banter driven comedy.

It came as no surprise to learn that this screenplay was originally written in the 1970's and was being tailored to star Zero Mostel, but his death caused Woody to shelve the script. I am glad to see he was able to dust it off and put it to good use. Not only that, but Larry David seems to be the perfect fit for the role, which feels like the classic Woody type role that he would have played 10-15 years ago.

The movie opens with Groucho Marx singing "Hello, I Must be Going" from Animal Crackers, serving as the film's theme song and summing up much of what Boris Yellnikoff (Larry David) is about. We move from there to watching the activity that likely takes up the majority of Boris' time. What could that be? Why holding conversation/lecture his friends on the finer points of life around them and how pretty much hates all of it.

Boris then turns to the screen and begins to tell his story to a non-existent audience. It is a brilliant breaking of the fourth wall. From here we move onto the story proper where we get to learn a bit more about what makes Boris tick. In particular, we learn about his "whatever works" philosophy and how love is a funny thing and you never know when you may be called up to give some, take some, or share some, just be ready for its fickle nature.

Boris reveals himself to being a quantum physicist who was once almost nominated for a Nobel Prize, a retired professor who is divorced from his perfect match because he could not stand it. He know lives in a low end walk-up and makes some extra money teaching chess to "inchworms" of whom he is more likely to smack with the chess board as he is to offer any sort of encouragement.

One day, he returns home to discover a poor girl at his door begging for food. He initially rebuffs her begging, but eventually relents and invites her in. The girl is Melody St. Ann Celestine (Evan Rachel Wood) and she buys into what Boris is selling, hook, line, and sinker. The two end up becoming an item, much to the chagrin of everyone, including Boris. Things get even stranger when her mother (Patricia Clarkson) and father (Ed Begley Jr.) arrive, separately, considering their estranged status.

A number of characters float into view, all of whom give meaning to the "whatever works" philosophy. They are transformed by the city around them, their eyes are opened, their minds cleared of the barriers that have been put in place. They recognize the change inside of themselves and they act appropriately.

The film is actually rather interesting, offering up philosophical meanderings on life that impart some ideas and concepts that we are to used to hearing, some even running counter to what many have been taught over their lives. I am not saying this will change anyone's lives or belief systems, but there is a definite truth behind the words that could be worth pondering.

The performances are all quite good. Larry David has a very distinct style and his mannerisms and delivery are perfect for a Woody Allen character. He is funny, confident, and cannot believe anyone could dare believe he is anything other than right (I feel like that sometimes). Then there is Evan Rachel Wood, whom I did not even recognize until the closing credits, and she is pitch perfect as the young girl of Boris' life. She brings sunny optimism, naivete, and the desire to trust anyone and turns into a near art form. It is a fantastic performance, which is one of the best of her young career.

As for Woody, it seems to fall well within the parameters of what made classic Woody so great. It may not be one of his best, but it is definitely a change of pace from his recent fare and a step from his past two films. His direction is minimal, as his focus is on the characters and dialogue (I suspect this is the school of thought that Kevin Smith subscribes to). What shines is his dialogue, there is plenty of it, it is smart, witty, and delivered in rapid fire pace.

Bottomline. I am glad I made the trip to see this one. It gives some actual content that will stick with you and is genuinely funny. It is very Woody Allen and will therefore not be for everybody, but give it a shot, you may surprise yourself.

Recommended.

2009 at the Movies: The Best and the Worst So Far

2009-07-10T16:32:00.000-04:00

The first half of the year is up, so it is the perfect time to look back on 2009's first six months and think about what movies worked, what movies didn't, and which ones failed to live up to their potential. That is what this column is all about, I will share with you what movies you need to see and what you should avoid.

It is funny, as I do not feel this year has been a particularly strong one, but it has still turned out a number of very strong movies. Some of them were completely surprising, at least to me. There is nothing better than going into a movie and being completely surprised by what appears on that big screen. Now, remember that any lists like this are relative and can change on a moment's notice. This is the ordering that fell in line while being put together but could change by the time the end of the year rolls around. Heck, this list could be different tomorrow.

Without further ado, let's take a look at what 2009 has had to offer so far:

NOTE: to be eligible for this list, I had to see the movie prior to the end of June making 51 movies eligible (I subtract multiple viewings and 2008 films seen this year)

Top Ten Movies:

1. Up. Can there be any doubt? Pixar continues to amaze with their films that are triumphs on both a technological and artistic level. The animation is simply first rate, there is no company capable of turning out such great animation. However, it is more than the animation that makes this such a great film. The story of Carl Fredricksen (Ed Asner) drew me in right from the start as he learns that life is what you have while making other plans. The film affected me emotionally within the first 15 minutes, which tell the story of Carl's childhood, marriage, and life until the story proper picks up with a grumpy old Carl. The rest of the film follows Carl on the adventure he always wanted, but realizes that there is more to life. It is deceptively simple, yet incredibly moving. It is easily the best film so far this year.

2. Star Trek. Never did I think I would see a truly great Star Trek movie. This movie proved to be enormously entertaining and finely crafted. Yes, you can nitpick it to death, but you can probably do that to just about any film. This is not a big statement movie, you will not learn much, if anything, about the human condition. To that I say so what? It matters not. This movie successfully creates an alternate universe to the original series while reintroducing us to familiar characters, but with a twist. The story works as an origin story, but is also a thrilling action picture that features a bad guy bent on revenge through time. This is so much more than I could have hoped for.

3. The Brothers Bloom. Here is a con man movie that is much more than the con, it is about love, life, the funny things that happen to them. This movie has it all—drama, comedy, action, explosions, and an immense amount of heart. It goes in unexpected directions, and reaches the only conclusion it can. It will have an emotional impact as it ably shifts from the light-hearted to the dark and serious throughout. Writer/director Rian Johnson has knocked another one out of the park. By taking the familiar and putting a unique spin on the elements he has crafted a story that deserves to be seen. Not only that, he has a wonderful visual style with interesting camera angles, transitions, and cuts. His sense of pacing is spot on, and there is never a moment here you are left to get bored. The man has immense talent and I look forward to whatever he has to offer next.

4. Coraline. Henry Selick has crafted a film that transcends what might traditionally be called a kids' film. It is a movie that offers up a dark fantasy nightmare for children that tempers its threat with an empowering heroine. It is a story that anyone who was ever a child can identify with, and is dealt with using an intelligence that does not pander to children nor does it talk down to them. It deals with the material with a maturity that belies the mainstream view of it as a kids' film. It doesn't hurt that the source material is a story by Neil Gaiman (Sandman, Stardust, NeverWhere, Mirrormask).

5. Watchmen. Based on the graphic novel, which was said to be unfilmable,Watchmen arrived amid great hype earlier this year. When you look at it on paper, the plot seems to be a little conventional. Fortunately, the story is much more layered and complex than I am willing to do justice here. This is a film that eschews standards of action and character development in favor of developing a world that exists in the gray area between good and evil, where motives and methods play both sides of the fence in the service of what may or may not be the greater good. There are many layers to peel through on the narrative side, but it is also an absolute visual feast. Definitely going to look good on Blu-ray.

6. Knowing. As Knowing unfolded before me, I was drawn deeper into the tale. This is a movie that will keep you on the edge of your seat. It has a delicious slow burn quality permeating each frame. You are only given what you need to know, and even then it is barely enough. Knowing forces you to engage, to become involved, but it does so in such a way that you may not even be aware of it at first. On the surface, the story appears to be one that you have seen many times before, and that is part of the brilliance. It is an original story that comes in the guise of the familiar. That is how you get hooked. It is an insidious plot to get in your head and win you over. Don't let Nicolas Cage get between you and this movie, it is fascinating watching him try to figure out the meaning of the numbers.

7. Drag Me to Hell. This movie is a downright blast. It will give you chills, make you jump, make you laugh, and just deliver a good time. You will bear witness to a knock-down, drag out fight taking place entirely in a car, as well as another appearance of Raimi's famous 1973 Buick. This is an energetic jolt to the horror genre and one of the most entertaining films of the year. The story has overtones of Stephen King's Thinner, but it has been put through the Sam Raimi old-school horror ringer and turned into something completely different. Highly recommended.

8. Last House on the Left. Definitely successful in execution, this film works a strong answer to what constitutes much of mainstream horror over the last few years. It brings genuine disturbance to the screen rather than gratuitous blood and guts. It is a film that will bring disgust to the pit of your stomach and produces protagonists you truly want to cheer for as they exact their revenge. Yes, it has a limited audience, and is not what you would call an Oscar film, but that is not gong to stop me from giving the film what it deserves. This is a successful remake of the Wes Craven created exploitation film and brought an uncompromising film to the big screen.

9. The Hangover. The Hangover could just as easily become a series of SNL or MadTV sketches, which only exist to get to the next scene. Rather than taking the easy route, we get a script that is written rather than pieced together from the leftovers of other films. It grows and develops as we move along. The plot develops organically, much like the comedy which allowed to develop organically. This is a seriously funny movie, something I was hoping for but not expecting. I did not see this one coming, and that only works in its favor. This is a very funny film with some good writing and strong performances. It really stands out from the crowd.

10. Is Anybody There? This is a delightful movie. There is a strong sense of reality and it does not feel trapped by the conventions of the formula. Then there are the performances, this is definitely a film to savor. It centers on a young boy whose outlook has been warped by a proximity to the old and dying who finds life in an elderly man who does not see the point in going on. They learn from each other and find a new way to move through their life properly. Michael Caine puts on an absolute acting clinic.

And now, because you didn't ask for it, a peek at what rank at the bottom of the cinematic pile.

Worst 5:

1. The Informers. Here is the worst movie of the year so far. The characters are all in search of fame, power, wealth, and sex, seemingly valuing greed over all else. Issues arise early when the characters reveal themselves as dull. I had no reason to care. Nothing interesting happened, all of the characters are interchangeable, and forget about trying to keep who is who straight, I couldn't. The Informers almost challenges me not to write about it. Writing about it just may give it more attention than it deserves. As I left the theater I felt nothing, I had no reaction to the content, it wasn't shocking or eye opening, it was just there serving no purpose.

2. Land of the Lost. This movie has so many problems, the first of which is Will Ferrell who is utterly annoying throughout. This is a movie based on a Saturday morning children's show reimagined as fodder for the young teen crowd filled with innuendo and bodily fluid humor. It is uncalled for, not funny, and poorly executed.

3. Street Fighter: Legend of Chun Li. Speaking of poorly executed films, here is another one for you. The story makes no sense, the acting is atrocious, and the fights are nearly non-existent. I should have known better going in, but I went anyway.

4. The Unborn. I wanted to like this movie. The trailer suggests a film that would have genuine scares and a plot that offers actual menace. The final film looks fine, but the tale is not all that interesting, and borderline nonsensical. Better luck next time. Ghostly kids, expository characters, exorcisms, Nazi experiments, disappearing twins, creepy kids, it all adds up to a whole lot of nothing.

5. Fighting. As stories go, there is nothing particularly special, fresh, or new to be found here. There is really not that much to hold onto. Everything is just really mediocre and often boring. The performances are all right but they have very little to do. For a film saddled with the unfortunate title of Fighting, there was not nearly enough of it and what there was, was not terribly skilled. It is generally a rather weak film that will fade, disappear, and be forgotten in rather short order.

There are good movies, bad movies and then there are movies filled with potential that fail to deliver the goods. Here are a few of those.

Disappointing 5:

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Sure, the source material was a half-hour toy commercial from the 1980's, but there is still story potential there. They did a great job of realizing the robots in a live action setting, but the story is so poor. They put in all of these comedic bits that are poorly realized and do not belong. If they actually stopped for a minute and thought about a good story this franchise could have become one of the best ever

X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Ever since X2, this franchise has entered a free fall. How could they mess up the most popular mutant of all? Easy, make a boring movie. Through a bunch of characters at the screen, make a few funny quips, slap some CGI on there and hope for the best. This feels like a movie made by a studio rather than any actual creative talent.

Terminator Salvation. This is the best of the films in this section because it at least tries. The film is littered with good ideas, unfortunately nothing ties them together in any cohesive fashion. The action and effects are fantastic and a couple of the performances are compelling, but oh how I wish the screenplay was better.

Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian. The first one was a fun family movie, but the second one has that "movie by committee" feel to it. It is like they just picked a few more random historical figures and just threw them together. There is no real rhyme or reason, it fails to incorporate elements of the original film and many of the performers just appear bored. The primary high note is Amy Adams as Amelia Earhart.

Monsters vs. Aliens. This isn't a bad movie, it is one that just doesn't quite pull it all together. Th pacing is off and it seems to drag often. I do like some of the voice performances and the references to 1950's era science fiction, but it isn't quite enough.

And that concludes our first half wrap up, be sure to check back in January for the full year recap.

New Movies and Box Office Predictions: Bruno, I Love You Beth Cooper

2009-07-10T01:17:00.000-04:00

Blockbuster week eleven is here. It feels like we are nearing the end of the season as we only have one legitimate bockbuster contender in next week's Harry Potter release. This week features a vulgar expose on society as told through the eyes of a gay fashionista and a high school-centric comedy about a night that would never happen in reality. We will also get to continue tracking the success of the year's biggest blockbuster, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, it has crossed the triple century mark, how far will it go?

Bruno. (2009, 88 minutes, R, comedy) Like the trailer says, Sacha Baron Cohen created a memorable and controversial character back in 2006. He is now returning to the big screen with a new creation, gay fashionista Bruno. He is back with another pseudo-reality film that sets out to expose the underbelly of society. Borat was hilarious and fascinating in how people would willfully give up such details about themselves, thus exposing them as something less than ideal. Will this succeed as well? Perhaps. I hope so. I also suspect it will be about as rewatchable as Borat. In other words, I do not expect it to play well past the initial viewing. Still, I am looking forward to checking it out.

I Love You, Beth Cooper. (2009, 96 minutes, PG-13, comedy) This looks mildly amusing, sort of like a throwback high school comedy. It centers on the class nerd who professes his love for the most popular girl in school. Much to his surprise, she shows up at his door and proceeds to show him the night of his life. I cannot say I have anything resembling high hopes for this, but the trailer made me laugh and it could prove to be a fun time. The movie stars Paul Rust as the nerd and Hayden Panettiere as the popular girl, they star for director Chris Columbus who worked from a script by Larry Doyle, who adapted his own novel.

Also opening this week, but not near me:

Blood, the Last Vampire
Mississippi Mermaid
Soul Power

Box Office Predictions
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen has taken its first two weekends. Is it possible the effects extravaganza has enough gas left to hold onto it for a third straight weekend? I think not, but you never now these days, what with the fickle audience always looking to latch on to the next big thing. I suspect that Bruno will rise up and take the top spot, everyone seems to love this guy and are interested in what antics he will kick up next. Despite the R rating, I am sure the theaters will be full. The rest if the list will just be shifted down a bit.

Here is how I think it could play out.

Rank	Title	Box Office
1	Bruno	$36 million
2	Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen	$26 million
3	Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs	$24 million
4	Public Enemies	$16 million
5	I Love You, Beth Cooper	$14.5 million
6	The Proposal	$8 million
7	The Hangover	$6.5 million
8	Up	$4 million
9	My Sister's Keeper	$2.5 million
10	The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3	$1.25 million

Blu-ray Review: 12 Rounds - Extreme Cut

2009-07-09T14:00:00.000-04:00

The latest WWE venture into the world of bog screen cinema is 12 Rounds, the second such film to star multiple time WWE wrestling champion John Cena. The first was The Marine. This might as well be the same film. Both films feature kidnapped girlfriends and Cena running roughshod in his attempts to rescue the damsel in distress. There is nothing particularly special about either film, and it was pretty safe to skip them during their respective theatrical runs. I mean, it is not like you are in danger of missing a potential Oscar nominee. Of course, I have seen both in the theater, and enjoyed both to a certain extent.

12 Rounds plays out like a mash up of Speed and Die Hard with a Vengeance. It seriously feels just like the Die Hard sequel. You have a bad guy with a plan and a the intelligence to pull it off, giving the hero orders, telling him what to do or something bad will happen. What follows is the hero's mad dash through the streets to prevent that bad thing from happening. Will he succeed? I guess he would have to, otherwise this low-aiming film will be a serious disappointment.

John Cena stars as Danny Fisher, an officer for the New Orleans Police Department. One night, while on patrol with his partner, he is called into a pursuit to aid the FBI as they chase down an international fugitive arms dealer Miles Jackson, played by Aidan Gillen. The chase results in Danny being the hero, with the bad guy in custody. The only problem is that the chase resulted in the death of of the bad guy's girlfriend, and he has a long memory.

We jump forward a year, Danny is now a detective and living with his girlfriend (Ashley Scott) in a house that is in need of a lot of work. However, that is not the story. The story is that Miles has escaped from prison and has his eyes set on Danny, revenge is on his mind. To that end, Miles kidnaps Danny's girl and sets up a series of tests, twelve rounds of them (clever, no?). Miles calls Danny, tells him what needs to be done, what the consequences are, and how long he has to complete the task. Danny then takes this information and acts upon it accordingly.

While the action is fast and furious, there is never any real sense of danger as we move through the various rounds. Why? Well, there are twelve of them, why should we get all tense in the early rounds? It has to be assumed that we are going to make it all the way to the twelfth, otherwise the title will make no sense. Plus, this is clearly meant to be a crowd pleaser, so the hero is going to have to come out on top. With this information being a given, there isn't much of a reason to watch the movie, right? Correct, but I still think it is worth taking a look at, of only under the proper circumstances.

What are those circumstances? Late night cable or a rental for a slow night. The movie brings to mind action films of the 1980s with the big muscle bound hero taking on the bad guy through brute force. It is corny, cheesy, not terribly well acted or directed, and the screenplay offers no depth at all. It does not rise to the level the best of that era had to offer, but it is entertaining enough to hold your attention for a couple of hours. If you come across it and enjoy goofy action films, this will be right up your alley. On that level it is sort of fun.

Renny Harlin is the man behind the camera and has had a career filled with this sort of movie. Just look at Die Hard 2: Die Harder, The Long Kiss Goodnight, Cliffhanger, Driven, Mindhunters, the list goes on. This movie fits right in with that line up.

John Cena is a decent enough action star. He has a certain screen charisma and natural ability, but they would need someone with more skills than Harlin to focus them into. Still, he is likable and does a good job of focusing the audience's attention for this movie.

This disk is labeled as an "Extreme Edition" and the featured cut runs about two minutes longer, although I am hard pressed to tell you what was different. Nothing really stood out to me as different from the theatrical.

Audio/Video. The video, presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1, generally looks pretty good. There is a fair amount of film grain present, particularly in the night sequences. Despite this, there is still a good level of detail. Fast action is smooth and the explosions look pretty solid. It is a not the best looking Blu-ray I have seen, but it is definitely a step up from DVD!

The audio is rock solid. Listen to the roar of the Camaro during round 3, also of note is the trolley sequence, and the elevator fall. The explosions and engine roars have real substance, while everything else is always nice and clear. Not quite reference material, but definitely solid.

Extras. This release comes with a few bonus materials to check out.

Commentary. This track features Renny Harlin and judging by what he says, you would think they are making the greatest action film ever. Still, he is proud of his work and everyone should be, otherwise why do it? He does offer up plenty of interesting information about the shoot and is worth a peek by the curious.
Streetcar Crossing: Film with Caution. This covers the shooting of the trolley sequence. It is a big action scene and this shows the amount of work that went into making the scene work, not to mention the logistics with shutting down New Orleans' mains roadway.
A Crash Course: John Cena Stunts. This takes a look a the stunts of the film and the training that John Cena went through to make them work.
Never Before Cena Gag Reel. Pretty much what you would expect flubbed lines and goofy behind the scenes bits.
Keeping Score: The Music of 12 Rounds. This is pretty cool. Being a fan of film scores, it is interesting to see this part of the process. Trevor Rabin is the film's composer and the music is actually pretty good.
Round and Round with Renny and John. Funny, they comment on the similarities between Cena and Matt Damon. This featurette is comprised of interview footage with both Cena and Harlin on and around the set. It is pretty funny, especially Cena's impression of Renny.
Bonus Rounds. A series of shorter featurettes covering topics such as development of the concept, weapons training, the cars, and more.
Alternate Endings. There are a couple of different endings. One features another guy on the roof after getting out of the pool, the other has a longer conversation with the couple in the hot tub. Nothing special or terribly different.
Viral Videos. The movie has a couple viral videos. One centers on the size of Cena's hands and the need for a hand model, it is actually pretty funny. The other concerns the helicopter and an unfortunate explosion.

Bottomline. Not a great movie, not by a long shot, but still has its moments and on a B-level is actually decent. You can poke holes in the plot, mock the script, guffaw at the performances, and not be bored for a couple of hours. It also has a decent selection of extras that are worth checking out. Rent it, watch it on cable, it works as a time waster.

Mildly Recommended.

CD Review: Bill Leverty - Deep South

2009-07-08T06:37:00.000-04:00

Way back in 1990 I was still in the throes of the "hair metal" era. I was only a few years along my path of musical discovery and years away from any true progression. Grunge was still a few years off and I had a rather narrow of what I liked in music. Rap? Forget it. Metal? Too heavy. Country? What a joke. That left me at the doorstep of bands like Def Leppard, Poison, Warrant, Skid Row, and Winger (yes, you read that right). No, there is nothing wrong with liking them and I am not here to defend my stance. What this is leading to is my first exposure to a guitarist names Bill Leverty. I first encountered him with a catchy hair metal riff in a song called "Don't Treat Me Bad" as a member of the band Firehouse.

That song got under my skin, and while I cannot say it is a great song (I am sure event he band would agree), but it is one I liked enough to buy the cassingle of (remember those?). I would play it ad nauseum for a day or two before giving it a rest. The guitar riff was infectious, the solo was solid, and the nasal, slightly whiny vocals of CJ Snare offered something different from the other bands out there. As much as I enjoyed their self-titled debut album, I quickly forgot about them and many other bands of the era as the grunge era stepped in followed by my taste expansion that has gone out in all directions over the past decade or so.

With all that said, it came as a surprise when I saw this new release from Firehouse's guitarist Bill Leverty. It is a solo album that shows a distinctly different side. The music is not of the big arena rock variety, nor is it the shredding solo release that some players are want to do to show they are more than they may seem to be in the band. Well, that last bit is partially accurate for Deep South. It is most definitely not a shredder album, you will have to look elsewhere for that; however, this album, that strikes me as a deeply personal one, is one that shows a different side of the Firehouse axe-man and definitely shows a different side of his skills and ability. Much like it took me more than a decade into my music listening life to truly find what music I loved, it has taken nearly two decades for Bill Leverty to record an album that shows him outside of Firehouse.

Deep South is a collection of ten songs culled from the Southern United States and were primarily written in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Some of them have been rocked up a bit, but they still retain a traditional air to them. The songs and their performances bring to mind the likes of ZZ Top and the Allman Brothers. Leverty performs all of the instruments (save a couple tracks featuring female vocals, which were performed by Kristina Leverty and harmonica on "Man of Constant Sorrow"). In addition to electric guitar, a number of different instruments including dobro, guitarele (a combination guitar/ukelele), mandolin, lap steel guitar, and banjo. The result is an album that has a familiar, yet unique experience.

This is a solid collection that is hard not to groove to. It has an easy going flow as we work through songs that sound fresh despite having been written more than a century ago. Production value is strong as the variety of instruments are all clear and discernible throughout the mix while the vocals are never hard to hear.

As I listen to the album, it is hard to pull out single songs to highlight as everything is uniformly solid. Each song bringing a slightly different feel to the table while as they all represent a common source. If push came to shove, I would have to recommend "Run On" which has a smooth flow and a serious nature, along with the rocked up "Samson and Delilah," then there is "Walk Beside Me" with its inviting acoustic guitar, not to be left out is "Wade in the Water" which has a very old school/new school feel with its traditional chorus combined with the electrified verse.

Now, I would remiss if I did not mention "Man of Constant Sorrow," the one song I was familiar with prior to this album. How did I know this song? That's easy, I am a big fan of the Coen Brothers' O, Brother Where Art Thou?, where the song played something of an important role. This is a different arrangement, a bit more modern sounding while still being instantly recognizable and insanely catchy.

As I mentioned earlier, this seems like a very personal album. The liner notes talk about the album's artwork, created by his grandfather. He also speaks of his grandfather's love for the South ad how he meticulously crafted these wood carvings and transferred them to paper. He also writes about wanting to bring awareness to the music of this region and era. Bill Leverty's love for the material and the obvious inspiration of his grandfather is something to be admired, his care in those areas translated to a high quality album that puts focus on the old material just as it does the talent of the performer.

Highly Recommended.

Movie Review: My Sister's Keeper

2009-07-07T20:00:00.000-04:00

Manipulative? Check. Melodramatic? Check. Emotionally suspect? Check. Characters you want to comfort? Check. Characters you want to strangle? Check. Surprisingly effective? Check and check.

My Sister's Keeper is one of those movies that should probably not have been on the big screen. The movie feels like something that should be on The Hallmark network or some other similar station. It is that sort of emotionally manipulative, tear jerker that under most circumstances should not be allowed on the big screen. So, the question is why was this one allowed to pass? It is a question I do not have an answer to. Although it may be humorous to note that had it appeared on a cable network there is a good chance (almost 100%) that I would have passed on it, so, in a way, it is probably a good thing that it appeared on the big screen.

I was initially attracted to the movie by the genetically engineered child part of the story. It brought to mind films like The Island and Clonus: The Parts Horror. It is an interesting topic, and one that is touched upon here, if not completely examined. Think about what it would be like if you could create a backup person from whom you could harvest needed parts, organs, blood, etc. It is a really creepy idea. Is this backup a real person? Do they have the same rights as natural born citizens? If you could genetically engineer a child, would the concept of a "mistake" pregnancy become a thing of the past? Would a market develop for designer children? Perhaps even laws determining certain traits. This brings up thoughts of the movie Gattaca.

These are the sorts of things that went through my mind as I watched My Sister's Keeper. I am fascinated by the increasingly subtle ways in which traditional "chick flicks" and traditionally male-centric genres are being brought together. Just look at The Lake House with its science fiction conceit, or the upcoming The Time Traveler's Wife with its time travel concept, add My Sister's Keeper to the mix and it becomes an interesting trend.

Now, as for this film. It is one that definitely puts a strain on the water works, no matter how strong your willpower is. This story gets under your skin and makes you care regardless of your convictions, it is terribly manipulative in that respect.

The center of the story is Kate Fitzgerald (Sofia Vassilieva). As a young child she developed a rare form of Leukemia. It, essentially, signed her death warrant. It is a disease that cannot be cured, cannot be beaten, and the young girl is destined to die. Her mother, Sara (Cameron Diaz) refuses to give up and fights incessantly to save her daughter. Sara and her husband, Brian (Jason Patric), decide to follow an ethically questionable path whereby they genetically engineer another child to be a match to Kate, who, they could use for needed transfusions and other medical procedures. That new child becomes Anna (Abigail Breslin) and the story picks up steam as Anna decides she is tired of being used for parts and wants a say in how her body is used.

The movie brings us in at this pivotal moment in the life cycle of this family. Kate is getting sicker, Anna no longer wishes to be used for her parts, Sara is becoming increasingly cut off from reality as she is blinded by the thought of saving her daughter, meanwhile Brian and forgotten son Jesse attempt to process the changes that are swirling around them.

This is a family in an active state of disarray. The Fitzgerald's are falling apart, eaten away from the inside just like Kate and her cancer. This movie gives us a ringside seat to a family's implosion. At first it is easy to site there and watch as they get mad at each and come together again in waves. You even find yourself siding with Anna as she takes on her family, while still being an important part of it. However, before very long, you begin to feel as if you are part of the family. It then becomes difficult, perhaps even impossible to divorce yourself from the deep feelings and emotions that bubble up to the surface.

The film was directed and co-written by Nick Cassavetes who does a fine job of keeping the story moving, never giving you a moment to catch your breathe, easily dragging you through the full range of emotions generated by the family. Cassavetes collaborated with Jeremy Leven to adapt Jodi Picoult's novel, and does a fine job of telling the story, although I would have liked a little more on the genetically engineered child/said child sues family for medical emancipation front. Fortunately, there is enough to tickle the mind with implications while focusing on the strong emotional quotient inherent to the subject.

Bottomline. Is it a great film? No, not by a long shot. However, it is the rare film whose success is based on its ability to manipulate the audience that succeeds and actually has a sense of realism, and that may be a reason to celebrate it just a little.

Recommended.

Box Office Update 7/3-7/5: Revenge of the Fallen Reigns Supreme

2009-07-07T10:24:00.000-04:00

Last week Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen demolished the competition on its rise to the top of the chart. Now in its second week of release, it is nearing the $300 million mark and will likely finish at the top of the year's box office chart. Week number two also sees the special effects extravaganza retain its place at the top of the chart, albeit by a considerably slimmer margin than during its debut. The one thing to remember, box office success does not equal quality. While the effects and action are jaw dropping, the overall movie is a bomb as the story goes nowhere, the script is terrible, and the performances worse. There are much better choices scattered throughout the list. And yes, I realize I am part of the problem having offered my pennies to Michael Bay's coffer.

Coming a very close second is the latest family-centric animated feature. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs had a smaller than I expected take over the weekend. I thought for sure this would win the weekend, I guess I was wrong. You want to know why it didn't win? I haven't seen it yet. I kid, I kid. I liked the first one, but thought the sequel was pretty bad. I have to wonder if this is a step up or further proof that the franchise over stayed its welcome? I will find out for myself soon enough.

In third place is Michael Mann's latest, Public Enemies. I have been looking forward to this ever since I first saw the trailer. Starring Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, and Marion Cotillard, this is the story of John Dillinger, his high. lows, and everything in between. This film I have seen and it is quite marvelous. It is not exactly what I was expecting, but it is a sight to behold. It is a movie that tells its story on its own terms, not necessarily giving us what we want, but just what we need to know. It is the basis of the legend without the legend. You fill in the blanks.

The Proposal and The Hangover continue to show strong legs as they draw in the crowds and suffer only minimal percentage dips. The former does not really deserve it, but is still entertaining, while the latter is one of the funniest films of the year and is well deserving of the attention.

In the latter half of the list there is not much to comment on as the movies continue to slide down the list. The only thing of any real note is that Star Trek has finally descended and dropped off the top ten. It is still the most successful of the franchise and I am happy for its success, but it is also sad to see the inevitable happen.

Next week's freshman class will see the arrival of Sacha Baron Cohen's latest creation, Bruno. We will also get to see the Hayden Panettiere comedy I Love You, Beth Cooper.

Two movies dropped off the top ten this week: Star Trek (11) and Away We Go (12).

This Week	Last Week	Title	Wknd Gross	Overall	Week in release
1	1	Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen	$42,320,877	$293,355,885	2
2	N	Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs	$41,690,382	$66,732,868	1
3	N	Public Enemies	$25,271,675	$40,141,080	1
4	2	The Proposal	$12,857,482	$94,335,111	3
5	3	The Hangover	$11,268,413	$205,038,233	5
6	4	Up	$6,521,389	$264,816,694	6
7	5	My Sister's Keeper	$5,788,327	$26,518,582	2
8	7	The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3	$2,534,228	$58,508,070	4
9	6	Year One	$2,323,843	$38,304,392	3
10	9	Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian	$2,043,288	$167,706,959	7

Box Office Predictions Recap
What a completely mediocre week for predictions by yours truly. My placings were decent, while my box office predictions were all over the map. I started with guesses that are way too high, while my numbers at the bottom were pretty darn close. Actually, this feels like a typical week for me. One day I will figure out some consistency for this. I can't believe how low the grosses were next to my predictions.

Here is how the field matched up:

Actual	Prediction	Title	Wknd Gross	Prediction
2	1	Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs	$41,690,382	$60 million
1	2	Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen	$42,320,877	$51 million
3	3	Public Enemies	$25,271,675	$32 million
4	4	The Proposal	$12,857,482	$10 million
5	5	The Hangover	$11,268,413	$9 million
6	6	Up	$6,521,389	$7 million
7	7	My Sister's Keeper	$5,788,327	$6 million
9	8	Year One	$2,323,843	$3 million
8	9	The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3	$2,534,228	$2.5 million
11	10	Star Trek	$1,769,967	$1.75 million

DVD Pick of the Week: Knowing

2009-07-07T03:35:00.001-04:00

Welcome back! Well, to some of you, anyway. To the rest of you, glad you decided to stop by and I hope this humble column helps you navigate the stacks of new releases each week. My goal is to point you toward titles of interest and warn you away from those films that seek to do nothing but leech away your time and give you nothing in return.

Full disclosure: I have not seen many of these titles, and what follows are not necessarily reviews, but opinions based upon what I know of the titles I pluck from the new release lists I peruse. The opinions I give based on the new releases are my own, and my recommendations are based on my personal interest. In any case, I hope you enjoy and perhaps find something you like or a title to point me towards.

Knowing (also Blu-ray). As Knowing unfolded before me, I was drawn deeper and deeper into the tale. This is a movie that will keep you on the edge of your seat. There is a delicious slow burn quality permeating each frame. You are only given what you need to know, and even then it is barely enough. Knowing forces you to engage, to become involved, but it does so in such a way that you may not even be aware of it at first. The film centers on a series of numbers that seem to predict disasters, it is up to Nicolas Cage to figure out what the meaning behind them is. I know that sounds simple, but believe me, there is more than meets the eye when it comes to Knowing.

Push (also Blu-ray). This is a good movie. The action is well executed, and the film delivers, mostly, on its promise of a new world. It is not nearly as visionary as the advertising would want you to believe, but it has enough substance and verve to sustain it and probably a couple more films. Try it, you may be surprised. Push creates a world where people are born with all sorts of different abilities. All of these abilities appear to be the result of genetic experiments by the Nazis, with the goal of enhancing and weaponizing these abilities. When the war ended, the experiments continued, but were broken up into government run operations called Division. They would track and capture anyone found with an ability that that showed promise for further experiments. Sounds exciting, no? It has a little too much story for its own good, but it is certainly compelling.

Iron Maiden: Flight 666 (Blu-ray). This DVD was released about a month ago, with Best Buy getting the Blu-ray exclusively during this time. This covers the first leg of the band's massive world tour that focused exclusively (almost) on the music of the 1980's. This is a documentary as well as a concert release, with the concert comprising footage from each of the stops. I got to see this tour once on each leg, first in New Jersey at the IZOD Center and then again at Madison Square Garden.

Peanuts: 1960's Collection. This looks like a good collection of classic cartoons. This set includes A Charlie Brown Christmas, Charlie Brown's All-Stars, It's the Great Pumpkin, You're in Love, He's Your Dog, It Was a Short Summer.

Night Train: (also Blu-ray). This mystery/thriller is sort of like Hitchcock put through a modern filter. The finished film is a compelling one, but certainly not up to the Master's best. It stars Danny Glover, Steve Zahn, and Leelee Sobieski as a trio who come face to face with something that could change their lives forever, but at what cost?

The Unborn (also Blu-ray). I wanted to like this movie. The trailer suggests a film that would have genuine scares and a plot that offers actual menace. The final film looks fine, but the tale is not all that interesting, and borderline nonsensical. The Unborn is a ghost story that feels like a remake of a Japanese horror film with a little bit of The Exorcist thrown in. Like so many J-horror adaptations, it does not work. There are some fundamental differences between J-horror and American horror making translations a tricky proposition at best, but when you start aping the remake style in an original film you do nothing but add another layer of complexity that is not needed. In this one, a girl is haunted by a creepy little boy who wishes her harm. To tell more would needlessly confuse.

Kath & Kim: Season One. Hopefully this series is a one and done type of show. This sitcom is laughless, grating, and annoying. Why anyone thought this was funny, or a suitable replacement for Scrubs, I will never know. Now, here is is on DVD, complete with Molly Shannon and Selma Blair and their self-involved attitudes. If you like this drivel, I wish you the best.

Grave of the Fireflies. This is an anime film that could just as easily be made live-action. It is based on a true story of survival during WWII. It is a powerful moving story that will most undoubtedly move you to tears. It is one of the most affecting stories I have ever seen. It has been unavailable for some time, but is now back on shelves.

Evil Bong 2: King Bong. From the deadly serious, to the decidedly not so serious. This is the latest release from Full Moon Pictures, and how can you go wrong with a title like that? I have not seen the first, although I am not sure it is necessary. What else do you need to know? I think the title pretty much says it all.

Movie Review: The Proposal

2009-07-06T10:38:00.000-04:00

Not to be confused with the 2005 Aussie western The Proposition (which I did for some reason, I know, silly me), this 2009 romantic comedy, The Proposal, is a completely different beast. For one thing, this movie stars Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds instead of Guy Pearce and Ray Winstone, for another you have the director of 27 Dresses instead of the director of the director of the oft-delayed The Road. So, it is safe to say the movies have no real connection, and I am glad, could you imagine Ray Winstone as a romantic lead? Me neither. Of course, I could also not imagine Reynolds and Bullock as the leads in a western, at least not a serious one.

The romantic comedy has been a staple of the cinema for as long as I can remember. Anyone who is anyone knows that any romantic situation worth its salt is also ripe for comedy. So, this genre has got to be considered one of the most familiar to anyone who enjoys the cinema. Because of this familiarity, pretty much every situation has been used over and over and over again, making anyone who works within the genre will either need to work very hard to make their take stand out, do a very good job of using the cliches to their advantage, or be prepared to be ignored. How does The Proposal fare? Not too bad.

The Proposal is not the sort of film that is going to push boundaries, so do not expect this movie to blow you away. That said, it does all the right things and proves itself worthy of your time by taking your standard romantic comedy formula and keeping your attention even though it is pretty easy to guess where the story is going.

Let's set the stage. Ryan Reynolds is Andrew Paxton, an aspiring book editor currently working as executive assistant to one of the most demanding and fear-inducing editors in the business. Sandra Bullock is Margaret Tate, the hard nosed chief editor whose mere approach is enough to send the entire office into a frenzy of activity to ensure they are not noticed. She also happens to be editor for whom Andrew works for. Trouble begins when Margaret is called to her boss's office, where she learns she is to be deported for an expired work visa to her Canadian home. This cannot be, how will she be able to keep her nose to the grindstone if she isn't in the office and doesn't have her job? The solution looks to be a simple one, a sham marriage to her assistant, followed by a quickie divorce.

Caught off guard, Andrew is not quite sure how to respond, but decides to go along with the plan. Their troubles are further complicated by an INS officer intent on uncovering their deception. On top of that, the upcoming weekend brings with it a trip to visit Andrew's family and celebrate his Grammy's 90th birthday. This leads to all sorts of wacky fun as they attempt to deceive the family and avoid getting caught while also coming face to face with a new world of feelings they never saw before.

In the wrong hands, this story could definitely turned into a slog in the wrong hands. Fortunately, the team behind The Proposal now how to turn a line, and make a flat tale into something worth your while. Still, it is not a great movie, so keep your hopes in check.

What is it that makes it work at all? In the case of this movie, it is all about the cast. Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock both bring charismatic, likable presences to the screen. They have a way of drawing your attention, and they have a way of bringing just the right tone to a performance, especially in this particular genre.

The screenplay, the first from Peter Chiarelli, has some pretty snappy dialogue, particularly for Ryan Reynolds whose sarcastic approach works wonders for the picture. Likewise, Bullock does a fine job of appearing imposing at work only to have her shell cracked when faced with the family she never had.

While the centerpiece of the story is the faux-engagement, there are moments that lurk around the edges that help round the film out and actually make the movie better than it probably deserves to be. There are the big, broad moments that make everyone laugh, such as the wet and naked encounter, the strip show, and the goofy dance in the woods, and they work just fine. These are the scenes that get people in the door and ensure they have not yet fallen asleep.

There are two threads which threaten the lighthearted base, one for each of the leads. With Reynolds' Andrew we learn of tensions between father and son. The disagreement is never right out in the open and is dealt with a nice subtlety that plays well of of the comedic segments. The interaction between Ryan Reynolds and Craig T. Nelson as his father works very well and comes off as genuine. As for Bullock, we watch her interact with Betty White's Grammy and Mary Steenburgen as Andrew's mother. This brings feelings of her past to light, having lost her family at an early age she never had a family. Sandra Bullock plays this well as we see Margaret begin to show some cracks in her tough exterior.

Bottomline. Overall, this is a delightful trifle of a movie that will quickly be forgotten a short way down the road. It will provide momentary escape with stars that we like and scenes that will make you laugh. It has a few moments that threaten deep thoughts, but they are fleeting. I find the movie hard not to like, while also recognizing how easily forgettable it is.

Mildly Entertaining.

CD Review: Transformers - Revenge of the Fallen the Score - Composed by Steve Jablonsky

2009-07-05T10:30:00.000-04:00

In 2007 Michael Bay brought the 1980's series Transformers to the big screen in vivid, metal crunching fashion. The story was somewhat lacking, there was stupid comedy, and some bad acting, but it was still an exciting film. One of the positive things I took away from the film was the score by Steve Jablonsky. It was big, bombastic, and sounded very good. I remember checking store shelves for it and did not find it, I checked online and did not find it. What's the deal? It is a big release, it should have a score album, right? It turns out there were no initial plans and it took an online position to show the powers-that-be that a market did exist. It came out in the Fall of that year, and it turned out to be a great album. Fortunately, with the release of the second film, they chose not to wait four months to release it. The question is now whether or not it is any good.

The score, was composed by Steve Jablonsky and marks the third direct collaboration between Jablonsky and Michael Bay, beginning with The Island. He has also developed a relationship with Bay's production company, Platinum Dunes, having scored the remakes of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (and its prequel), Amityville Horror, The Hitcher, and Friday the 13th. I have not heard those separately, but do not recall the scores as standing out that much, unlike his Transformers work, not to mention The Island. Jablonsky definitely knows how to step up for the big effects films and deliver the goods in the form of eminently listenable scores that work well even apart from their films.

This new score is not quite as strong as the original, but I think that would have been a tall order under any set of circumstances. That is not to say it doesn't deliver, it does, I just get the feeling that the original themes could have been used to stronger effect, as I only really noticed the Autobots theme used. That is not to say the new material is bad, just not quite as I had hoped.

We open in similar fashion to the first score, in heroic fashion. The first cue is called "Prime" and it is a slow burn sort of track that brings us back into the Autobot fold and prepares us for the return of the transforming heroes. It is followed by a weaker cue in "Einstein Was Wrong," which brings Sam Witiwicky into the story as he has his mental meltdown brought on by a shard from the All Spark left over from the first movie.

Track three features the collaboration of Jablonsky and Linkin Park on an instrumental version of "New Divide" (featured on the soundtrack album). This version is called "Nest" and it is a strong techno/rock/industrial cue that is big and heroic and fits the film nicely, and plays better than the original version. This is a cue I would have liked to have heard a little bit more of throughout.

Next up is "The Shard," this piece brings in a little darkness and, dare I say, tension to the mix. It then moves from darkness and tension straight into evil with "The Fallen," which is used to introduce us to this franchises version of Star Wars' Emperor. It is a slow cue that will definitely give you pause.

The flow continues as we move from tension, to evil, and now onto the epic. "Infinite White" with it' synth, strings, and soaring female vocals it is simultaneously soothing and foreboding. We need not wait long to discover what the bad guys have in store as we slip from the soothing into another cue dripping with dread in "Heed Our Warning" and leads into a very dark mid-section that runs through "The Fallen's Arrival" and "Tomb of the Primes."

The action ratchets up as we hit "Forest Battle." This plays with one of the bigger action pieces of the film and leads into a more upbeat and hopeful tone, with its use of the Autobots theme from the first film. It also brings us closer to the cue of hope that is "Matrix of Leadership."

Everything builds up the action packed finale "I Rise, You Fall." this plays with the Egypt battle and plays off the earlier evil as we get the heroic Autobot theme reigning triumphant.

Overall, this is a very good score that fans will want to have in their collection. Granted, I am still more likely to reach for the original (same goes for the movies), but there is no denying that the score is one of the high points of the movie and Steve Jablonsky continues to impress with his big movie scores.

As good as it is, it does seem to run short. We get 44-minutes of score from a movie that is nearly 2.5-hours long. There have to be missing cues here. It is the reverse situation of the soundtrack release, which had songs that were not in the film, in this case I suspect we are missing chunks of music that may have helped smooth this out, as it does jump around a bit.

Bottomline. You will not be disappointed. Of the two music releases for this film, this is definitely the one to get. This is a big score that bears no pretense of subtlety, it is exactly what you want from a score for a film whose stars are giant alien roots.

Highly Recommended.

CD Review: Transformers - Revenge of the Fallen the Album

2009-07-05T04:31:00.000-04:00

Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that the first sequel to the box office juggernaut Transformers has just been released. In its first five days of release, it has taken in a massive $200 million. Hard to believe, isn't it? Well, the suits-that-be knew they had a behemoth on their hands and decided that they needed a collection of tunes from hot bands to bundle together and sell to the teens who have just been stunned into an awestruck state. They won't know what they're buying until it is too late, by then the money will be out of the kids' hands and into the suits' pockets, leaving the teens with a mediocre collection of mid-tempo tunes. It is a shame to, it sometimes feels like the art of the soundtrack is dying and is treated properly by very few.

That's right, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen the Album is very middling in content with very little variety. All of the songs have a similar sound and a similar pace, right down the middle. The focus seems to be on trying to learn towards some sort of faux emotional impact with the likes of Theory of a Deadman, Green Day, and Cavo. I wonder if they thought the inclusion of these tunes would make up for the soulless script? You know, step in and create an emotional center where none is to be found. Too bad this collection's center does not have much of a center either.

Another odd thing about this soundtrack is that five of the songs are not even in the movie. Why have them at all? The only thing I can guess is they did not have enough songs in the album to fill out the release, so they went and got a few more like-sounding cuts. This is far from the first time I have seen this, and it never fails to puzzle me. A few will get artists to contribute new tunes and use the "Inspired by" tag, but that is not the case here.

As I listen to the album, it becomes abundantly clear that I am not the target audience for the release (you could probably tell that already). It is not that I have anything against any of these bands, it is more the bland way the soundtrack is put together, the lack of any real variation in the sound, and the way it is constructed around a couple hot bands.

None of the songs really stand out from the crowd. It is similar to listening to Top 40 radio, everything plays towards the middle, nothing jumping out and grabbing your attention (no wonder I avoid the radio).

It may seem like I am being overly harsh on the album, and that may be a little bit true as some of my distaste for the film is spilling over onto a new target. I do not mean to be. When it comes right down to it, this is a soundtrack where the sum is considerably less than the sum of its parts. There are a couple of decent songs on here, nothing mind blowing, but still songs that are worth a listen.

The disk opens with the movie's signature song, "New Divide" by Linkin Park. I am not the biggest fan of them, but this song strikes the right chord for the movie with its heroic sounding flow. This song also appears on the score album, integrated into one of Steve Jablonsky's cues. It is followed by Green Day's "21 Guns," a tune that just grates on me. It sounds like they are trying to be Weezer and failing. Cavo provides track three, and it is not a terribly good song, but the vocals are pretty good and strike me as one of the more genuine performances on the album.

Surprisingly, Nickelback delivers one of the more satisfying songs here. I say surprising because I do not think they are a particularly good band. The song is "Burn it to the Ground" and it is the only one that really attempts to inject some fire into the soundtrack. It has a surprisingly heavy (relatively speaking, of course) rhythm that is easy to groove to. It is followed by one of my favorite moments, The Used's take on The Talking Heads "Burning Down the House." Of course, I think it helps that I have always liked that song. This version gives it an industrialized spin that fits it nicely.

The latter portion does not provide much excitement as we move into the "*Not in Film" tracks, with the highlight being a song that is already two years old in Avenged Sevenfold's "Almost Easy."

Of course, I would be remiss if I did not mention the most Transformers -centric song here, Cheap Trick's new theme song. It is corny, silly, and fully in line with the 80's cartoon. I have to give it to these guys for putting it all out there with this one.

Bottomline. This isn't anything you should feel the need to run out for, but it could have been worse. If you are a fan of any of these bands and don't have these songs anywhere else, go ahead and give it a shot, otherwise feel free to take a pass. Not terrible, just a little to the lackluster side of the coin.

Not Recommended.

Track list: (*Not in Film)
1. Linkin Park- New Divide
2. Green Day- 21 Guns
3. Cavo- Let It Go
4. Taking Back Sunday- Capital M-E
5. The Fray- Never Say Never
6. Nickelback- Burn it to the Ground
7. The Used- Burning Down The House
8. Theory of a Deadman- Not Meant To Be*
9. The All-American Rejects- Real World*
10. Hoobastank- I don't think I Love You*
11. Staind- This Is It
12. Avenged Sevenfold- Almost Easy*
13. Cheap Trick- Transformers Theme*

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

2009-07-04T01:04:00.001-04:00