Forcefully 'Extract'-ed

The trailer for the movie "Extract" was hilarious. The basic points/the idea of the movie was summarized, along with funny scenes that I'm sure really helped at the box office.

The premise revolves around the going-ons at an extract plant, owned by Joel (Jason Bateman, "The Kingdom"). He learns to deal with the various characters that work there until a worker named Step is injured on the factory floor and the whole thing goes haywire. Joel had been planning to sell the plant that he had begun and created himself to General Mills, but with the injury and insurance issues, the sale is put on hold. Meanwhile, a criminal drifter named Cindy (Mila Kunis, "That 70's Show") sees the news of the injury, and hopes to uses Step as a pawn on her way to big bucks in a law suit. The attractive Cindy begins to work at the plant, and things also become complicated between Joel and his wife Suzie (Kristen Wiig, "The Brothers Solomon"). As you can imagine in a Mike Judge ("Office Space") directed film that things don't always go according to plan.

The movie itself is actually really funny. The storyline is pretty weak, but it holds the film together enough for some really hilarious parts. I thought the casting for this film was excellent, and that each character really plays their roles appropriately and extremely well. Ben Affleck steals the show as Joel's bartending, advice giving, drug-taking/dealing buddy Dean. Bateman is similar to his character in "Arrested Development," a role that really fits him. Wiig is funny if unspectacular in the role as his wife. Kunis is a sexy vixen on the lam and out to con people, a role she plays well too. KISS frontman Gene Simmons has a funny cameo as a sleazy ambulance-chasing attorney, J.K. Simmons ("Juno") has a small role as Joel's right hand man at the plant and David Koechner ("Waiting") nails his role as Joel's super-annoying, intrusive neighbor Nathan. The cast and performances themselves make this movie worthwhile in itself.

Like I said, it's not the most gripping storyline of all time and it's pretty predictable, but that's not the point of this film. The laughs are many and really funny, and the cast is great. If you liked "Office Space," you should like this one.

"Extract" is rated R for language, some sexual content and brief drug use.

7 out of 10 stars

New movie Tuesday

I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas holiday, and are ready for the new year. Can't believe it's 2010 already. I only had a chance to watch parts of "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation," but I'm sure many holiday movies have been playing all week. Hope you got a chance to enjoy your favorite with family and friends.
Anyways, a few noteworthy DVD releases today. "Paranormal Activity," the low-budget horror movie that I saw and found boring was released today. I can't seem to find my review, so I'll try to do that one. Also out is "A Perfect Getaway" which I also saw and liked, but don't have a review of, and "Jennifer's Body," starring super-hottie Megan Fox. I went with "9", an animated film about the end of the world that looks pretty cool, and is produced by the visionary Tim Burton. I'll get a review up soon. And yes, I watched "Extract" last week, and thought it was funny. Review to follow...

New movie Tuesday

Lots of good ones out today, probably because December is a good DVD month because of CHRISTMAS (in case you didn't know it's coming up). The big release is "District 9" which I saw in the theaters but don't seem to have a review up. Maybe I'll rent it and give a review. Also out is "(500) Days of Summer," an indie rom-com that was well received at lots of film festivals last winter. I went with "Extract," a Mike Judge ("Office Space") comedy that looks pretty funny, and stars Jason Bateman and Mila Kunis. I'll try to have a review up soon, but it will be a busy holiday week, so please excuse me in advance.

The theaters have some good ones out too. Playing in Ronan right now is "Avatar," a futuristic CGI-filmed James Cameron monster. I'll try to see that soon; it will continue playing there this week and next. "2012" and "Planet 51" are playing in Polson, but new ones are on the way. "Sherlock Holmes," which looks excellent and stars Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr., comes out this weekend, as does "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel." Lots to see. I'll try to have reviews and recommendations up soon. And don't forget to contribute to our holiday/Christmas discussion about our favorite movies during the holidays. Poll votes are coming in, so vote before the New Year! Have a great Christmas, and enjoy some good movies with family and friends.

Christmas/Holiday Movies

With Christmas just around the corner, I though I'd get your thoughts on your favorite holiday movies. Feel free to write in the comments here, or check out the new poll to your left.

"Elf" has become a staple of the holidays, and "It's A Wonderful Life" is always a classic. "Home Alone" is underrated and a great film that I watched non-stop as a kid, and "Bad Santa" is an awesome flick for the adults. "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" is a movie all can relate to and "A Christmas Story" might be the most played movie on TV around the holidays. These are just a few, and some of my favorites. What are yours? I'd love to get a good discussion going. Happy holidays and happy watching!

No Oliver Twist-kind of 'Orphan'

When a horror/thriller movie uses a child as the protagonist, you know that character is going to be really scary. I think this has to do with the "innocence of childhood," and all the preconceived notions society has of how a 9-year-old girl should act. "Orphan" takes those preconceived notions and shoves them out the door, while also preying on another unknown: adoption. In this case, the adopted child, Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman) is even more shadowy because she has come to the Connecticut orphanage she resides at from Russia.

After Kate (Vera Farmiga) and John (Peter Sarsgaard) Coleman's third child is stillborn, they decide to adopt a child. They have two young children already: Daniel and Maxine (or Max), who is deaf and communicates with sign language. When the couple visits the orphanage, they decide to adopt Esther, a smart, artistic girl who is from Russia. At first things are good and the family gets along. Esther picks up sign language quickly, and seems to be doing well. Things quickly take a turn for the worse. A girl breaks her ankle at school, and Esther is nearby. She wears old fashioned type clothes, and is never without a choker necklace and bracelets on both wrists. She shows up at weird intervals, and generally creeps out some of the family, mostly Daniel and Kate, who begin to sense something is off with their new family member. We see just how "off" as the film goes on.

The acting is solid on all fronts, and is a different take on the "evil child" movies like "The Good Son" and "The Omen." This has some good twists and turns, though it does follow a similar formula to those other two films. Fuhrman does a great job as Esther, and really seems to be evil. I would definitely recommend this for anyone who liked either of those other two movies, or if are in the mood for a horror/thriller movie. It's well done, and has plenty of scares.

"Orphan" is rated R for disturbing content, violence and gore, adult language and situations.

7 out of 10 stars

New movie Tuesday

A lot of good choices for new releases for this week, a few of which I saw in the theaters. "Inglourious Basterds," the glorious film from Quentin Tarantino, is out today, and I highly recommend it. I saw it in September while it was at the Polson Showboat and loved it. You can read my review of it on this blog here. Also out on DVD is "The Hangover," probably the most popular and funniest comedy of the summer. Though I saw it I never reviewed it. Instead, click here to read fellow movie-lover and former Leader reporter Ty Hampton's review of the film while it played in Polson this summer. Ty knows his stuff and writes a great blog as well - check it out.
Also out is "G-Force," an animated children's movie about hamsters or something. "Taking Woodstock' came out today as well, and is intriguing, but I didn't see it at Crazy Mike's.
Instead, I went with an older movie but still recent release, "Orphan." This film looks creepy, sort of like a girl version of "The Good Son" (adopted child turns psychopath) so I'll get a review up soon. The folks at Crazy Mike's say its been renting at a rapid pace, so I figured I'd review it. Plus, it looks super creepy and I haven't seen a scary movie in a while. I'll have a review up this week; happy watching!

Sad or 'Funny People'?

I'm kind of on a comedy kick these days, so I rented Judd Apatow's latest comedic endeavor "Funny People." Though the movie came out on Nov. 24, I rented it this week because I had seen new releases "Public Enemies" and "Julie and Julia" and really had no desire to watch the new "Harry Potter" as I would be completely lost.

The premise of the film is that an aging, comedic superstar named George Simmons (Adam Sandler)finds out he has a lethal form of leukemia. Simmons had made a bunch of bad comedy movies that he has been paid a bunch to make. Maybe it's an autobiographical look for Sandler of his own life. Seeing his life in a different perspective than his normal womanizing, money spending ways, Simmons meets Ira Wiener (Seth Rogen) during a stand up gig at a small improv. Simmons takes a shining to Ira and hires him as his assistant/joke writer first for a corporate MySpace gig and then full time. And of course, there's the one who got away, Laura (Leslie Mann), Simmons ex-finacee whom he rekindles his relationship with once she visits him after finding out he's sick.

The movie, overall is a comedy, but I'd almost call is more of a "bromance." The reason I use this word is because it's used by an agent in the movie, but a "bromance" would be like the movie "I Love You, Man." Instead of being a romantic comedy per se, most of the film is focused on the heterosexual relationship between two men. Hence "bromance": a man romance (but not sexual). And that's what "Funny People" is. Sure, it's a bunch of comics coming together and having fun in a movie. But the focus is on the relationship between the lonely Simmons and the struggling Wiener. And yes, each has a romantic female interest as a side storyline, and yes, Simmons illness is another issue, but the relationship between the two male leads is the main storyline between beginning and end.

That beginning to end is a long time too. This movie seemed to run on about 3 hours too long, and there were a bunch of scenes that really dragged. The movie has a good concept, but I wasn't impressed with the execution, which surprised me because of the stockpile of comedic talent on the cast, and the great cameos throughout the film. A lot of the lines seemed improvised, which is appropriate for a comedy and a format I'm a big fan of. But it seemed like a lot of the jokes were bad: overused and stupid sex jokes and not enough funny, original comedy. That was disappointing to me. I've liked movies that every single one of the characters has been in, but combined, they sort of fizzled. I did like the actual scenes of stand up they did during some parts, and there are some parts that made me laugh out loud, but a lot were too much. The story is interesting, and the audience sees George learn from his ordeal, but it's kind of hard to have sympathy for him at the same time. Ira, on the other hand, ends up being the more sympathetic character, and seems more real.

"Funny People" is rated R for nudity, adult language, adult situations, etc. Not for kids.

6 out of 10 stars.

'Bruno'

"Vat's up, it's Brunnnooo!' Sacha Baron Cohen's absurdly flamboyantly gay character is back for his own 80 something minute full feature film. In the beginning, Cohen created a TV show based on his ability to interview high profile people under the guise of three distinctly different characters. "The Ali G Show" featured Ali G, the white, wannabe British gangsta that hosts a TV show for inner city youth. Borat was the reporter from Kazakstan, bringing unruly customs in his quest to learn about America. And finally Bruno, the gay Austrian host of a fashion show. As you can imagine, the show was insanely funny, mostly because Cohen had the ability to play each of these characters as well as the next, and manage to land big names who unwittingly played right into Cohen's mockery of them. Playing off the success of the show, Cohen created a feature length film about Borat. The film made a ton of movie, but obviously came with some controversy. Now playing off the success of Borat, Cohen brings Bruno to the big screen.

After ruining a fashion week catwalk in Milan (he wore a velcro suit and fell into all the models), Bruno's Austrian TV show is canceled. He decides to head for the United States to become a huge star. Along the way, he comes up with all sorts of ploys, from adopting an African baby to heading to the Middle East to mediate peace talks. In between, ridiculousness ensues, much like it does in "Borat."

The problem, though, is that this film isn't executed as well as "Borat" or the TV show (which is the best of all three, in my opinion). His accent and dress up is overdone, as is the acting. He is so flamboyantly gay that is doesn't bring up gay stereotypes in a logical manner, but rather perpetuates them. If his goal was to help gay rights, he didn't. Rather, he makes people angry by acting too crazy.

There are a lot of funny parts, but an equally amount that are just too over-the-top. I think the show was much better than this movie and "Borat" too, just because it was simpler then. He was more subtle, while this time he is in your face, non-stop, which becomes overwhelming for the viewer and the mocked person in the film. If you like these kinds of movies, I'd recommend the show over this. But check it out and let me know what you think.

5 stars out of 10

Twilight: New Moon

As promised, here is a very special guest review by the Leader's own Aimee Niles. She and sports editor Heidi Hanse went to the midnight showing the night it came out in Polson, so she got the movie and the atmosphere. Take it away, Aimee:

No matter what I write, it will not change anyone’s mind about the newest flick in the Twilight Saga. Those who love will continue to love and those who loathe will continue to loathe.

Such is the nature of the blockbuster beast.

“New Moon” starts off the fall after ‘Twilight” leaves off (for those with poor memories, the closing scene of “Twilight” featured the protagonists swaying slowly at prom). Our female heroine, Bella Swan (played woodenly by Kristin Stewart), is turning 18 and her ageless, vampire heartthrob—Edward Cullen (played in a “dear God please go away!” manner by Brit Robert Pattinson)—is stuck as his 17-year-old self.

After a whoopsie-daisy moment at her birthday bash, Edward decides vampires—even the non-human hunting Cullens—are too dangerous for Bella. Taking the “it’s not you, it’s me” breakup line to the next level, he leaves Bella in rainy Forks, Wash. as he and his “vegetarian” vampire family move on to the chapter in their immortal lives.

Which brings us to the next two hours of the movie. None of us in the audience were fooled for a second when Bella started “hanging out” with the ultra-hottie Jacob Black (played by the 17-year-old Tayler Lautner, so back-off cougar moms. Let your daughters have this one). We all know that this is just a painful interlude to the Bella/ Edward love story; one doesn’t even need to have read the books to get this.

So, for two hours, Bella mopes and cries for her dearly departed vampire love all the while leading Jacob on in the cruelest of manners. (I don’t care if you’re Jesus Christ in his teenage years; no boy handles a teasing girl as well as Jacob. Yet another false expectation Stephanie Meyers is parlaying to an entire generation of teenage girls.)

After a series of madcap antics, (oh no! Bella rides a motorcycle…) Edward thinks Bella is dead and goes to Italy to end his immortal life. Bella follows and I won’t ruin the ending for you.

Perhaps I’m not observant enough to recognize the nuances of Stewart’s performances, but the “happy” Bella in “Twilight” as compared to the deeply depressed Bella in “New Moon” is pretty much the same performance. Stewart takes her awkward personality (as demonstrated on numerous talk show appearances) and gets rid of her mullet to play Bella. Call me crazy, but I thought actresses were supposed to…act.

And the only good thing about Robert Pattinson in this movie is that he wasn’t really in it. He was thankfully absent from the creamy center of this Oreo movie. It is black and white with very little surprises; a guilty pleasure to a balanced diet.

It wasn’t the main characters that made this movie remotely watchable—it was the fringe characters. Michael Welch as Mike and Anna Kendrick as Jessica were hilarious as Bella’s school friends and provided the only lip-twitching moments of the film.

If Lautner is jailbait for you, cast your eyes to the rest of his “pack” (Jacob is a werewolf in the movie). While taking up minimal screen time, his wolfie-brothers are just as tasty and much more culturally acceptable for the moms out there.

The more traditional, human-eating vampires, the Volturi are also pretty entertaining to watch. Dakota Fanning as the sadistic Jane worked for me despite Fanning’s squeaky-clean image. Michael Sheen is always a delight, and as Aro he almost eclipsed (no pun intended) Stewart and Pattinson’s performances in his tiny role.

Of the Cullen crowd, Ashley Greene as Alice got the biggest boost in screen time and she did well with it.

Don’t go into the theater expecting movie-making genius. Expect giggling girls and go with it—for being a tweener special, it’s a pleasure most people will find something to like about; even if it is only the eye-candy.

If anything, New Moon is proving the Twilight Saga’s rising bankability. New Moon has already grossed $40 million more than Twilight and has only been out for two weeks.

Despite my distaste and displeasure with everything Twilight, the ending scene teased me just enough to be among those who can’t wait for the third installment “Eclipse” in June.

Damn you Chris Weitz with your climatic ending to a mediocre movie, damn you.

New movie Tuesday

A couple of good new releases this week. "Terminator Salvation" was released, but I'd seen it in theaters. It's the fourth Terminator movie and I thought it was pretty awesome. It's in the future rather than the past, like the other three films. Also released was "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian," which has been a pretty popular kids-type movie. I saw pieces of the first one, so maybe at some point I'll check out this one.

In theaters, everything stays the same. "The Blind Side" is in Ronan and "Twilight: New Moon" and "Old Dogs" are in Polson.

'Angels & Demons' and Priests, Oh My!

The all powerful Catholic church has a lot of sway, but even they couldn't stop the production of either "The Da Vinci Code" or "Angels & Demons" (though 'Demons' was banned in Samoa). And in some regards, despite my belief in the First Amendment, I can see why these movies would worry the Church. Yet people who watch it need to understand that it's a movie and not real. In a sense, it would be like security guards being offended by the movie "The Fan" because they didn't realize De Niro's character was actually the umpire before he killed someone. I mean, stuff happens, whether you're a powerful church or stadium security guard.

Anyway, I've read both "The Da Vinci Code" and "Angels & Demons," two wildly popular novels by Dan Brown. After reading both, I liked "Angels & Demons" a whole lot more. Both subsequently had movies made of them, and again, I liked "Angels & Demons" a whole lot more.

Despite a few significant departures from the novel, I did enjoy "Angels & Demons." For those few of you who know nothing about it, I'll give a brief plot synopsis.

A bunch of scientists at CERN, the Swiss physics mecca, finally make antimatter, a highly explosive substance that sets off on contact. As soon as it is created, someone breaks in, killing a scientist and stealing the antimatter.

Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks), the esteemed Harvard professor of symbiology, is called in because the dead scientist is left with an ambigram with the word "Illuminati" scorched into his chest. The whole story of the Illuminati, a true organization, is somewhat glossed over, but the book goes into much better, interesting detail.

Langdon and a CERN antimatter scientist named Vittoria Vetra are summoned and paired up in Rome in Vatican City where the antimatter is discovered. But a catch: the guards can't find the antimatter. Rather, it is hidden somewhere with a wireless camera showing it in the vicinity. In a few hours, the antimatter will go off, demolishing Vatican City and the thousands that have gathered in St. Peter's Square to mourn the death of the pope. That's the other catch: a papal conclave is ongoing to find the next Pope, and Langdon must find the antimatter. Add to that that the Illuminati have kidnapped the preferiti, or the four cardinals most likely to be voted Pope, and chaos ensues.

As you can tell, the plot is very confusing, and after reading the book, I wondered how a director would create a movie. Overall, it is well done, and gets the practical basics in to the film. There's too much detail in the book to fit into the film. But it gets it done, which is impressive. Some of the changes I didn't like, and it's pretty long (understandably so, but there's some good acting and a couple of pretty cool scenes. The book is better, so if I were you, I'd read the book first, then watch the movie, and then complain, like me, about why the book is better. You'll understand.

"Angels & Demons" is rated PG-13 for violence, language and Catholic Church bashing (not really).

6 out of 10 stars

New movie Tuesday

I'd read the book, and now I get to see the movie. "Angels & Demons" came out today and I'll watch it tonight. I though the book was great, so here's hoping. I've heard this movie is better than "The DaVinci Code," and I sure hope so. I disliked that book and the movie. I'll try to have a review up tomorrow. Anyone else that's scene it, let me know what you thought. And if you haven't, read the book first. It's really good.

In theaters, the box office smash "Twilight: New Moon" remains in Polson, as does "Old Dogs." Reporter Aimee Niles will have a guest post reviewing "New Moon"; should be a good one, stay tuned for that. In Ronan, "The Blind Side" will play for at least another week. It's a true story about an offensive tackle who was actually drafted by the Ravens in the NFL this past April. Looks like an inspirational one; I'll try to get that up. Enjoy the rest of your week, happy Thanksgiving and check out some movies!

And if football isn't your fancy on Thanksgiving day, Crazy Mike's in Polson will be OPEN on Thanksgiving, so there's always that option. Enjoy!

An Awesome 'Trek'

I'm not a "trekkie" by any means, but the newest film, "Star Trek" is great for new and old fans of the show. My mom, a casual fan of the show when it was out, saw it in theaters and raved about it, so I had no choice but to watch it when it came out on DVD last week, and I was not disappointed.

The film gives a background on all the key characters from the show (I presume) and sets the stage for a series of these movies. We see how James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) is born, and how he starts at the Starfleet Academy. We also see the journey of Spock (Zachary Quinto), a young genius whose father is Vulcan and mother is human. Other more secondary characters are introduced as well, and the stage is set for an exciting adventure where the young heroes quickly ascend the ranks of the Federation. Wow...just reading the last paragraph makes me sound like a total trekkie; you will too once you watch this film.

The dialogue is smart and funny, and any references to the TV show are pretty subtle, and not a major part of the movie that will take anything away if you weren't a fan (as far as I know). The acting is good too; I thought Pine was great as a young, brash Kirk. The action is excellent, with some very cool scenes. The scene on the drill may be the best in the movie, and is pretty intense. I think lots of people will enjoy this film, not just people who like action. Like I said, the three major important parts of a movie: dialogue, acting and action, are all very good, so definitely check this one out. I hope they're planning another.

"Star Trek" is rated PG-13 for language, space violence and some adult situations.

8 out of 10 stars

'Zombies' Everywhere

The last decade has been filled with zombie movies, with most taking the route of the "zombie comedy," at least in the second half of the 2000's. The first half featured more serious zombie movies, with "28 Days Later"and "Dawn of the Dead." Lately we've had "Shawn of the Dead" and what is currently playing in Ronan, "Zombieland." If you can stomach the first 10 minutes of "Zombieland," which I did, you will really like this movie.

The first 10 minutes, as I mentioned, are pretty graphic and nasty. The narrator, and eventual main character "Columbus" (Jesse Eisenberg) narrates scenes of people being eaten by zombies on a post-apocalyptic earth. The zombies are scary and nasty looking: they are super strong, kind of dumb and continually drool and vomit up blood. They have the look of zombies of the 2000's. As Columbus narrates, he describes a set of rules he follows that has helped him survive the zombie infection for so long. The rules are a running theme in the whole film.

The story is about Columbus's personal life, and he describes how he's never been close to anyone. The first girl he ever "brushed the hair over her ear?" Yeah, she turned into a zombie and tried to eat him. So Columbus is a loner.

After his car breaks down, Columbus travels the road, walking along until a Cadillac with a snowplow on the front pulls up. The driver is "Tallahassee," (Woody Harrelson) who recommends they use the name of where they are headed rather than real names so they don't get too close. Remember, this is cutthroat, post-apocalyptic America. Columbus means to head for the city in Ohio to find his parents.

Along the way they eventually team up with two sisters, 'Wichita' and 'Little Rock.' They all eventually decide to head for Los Angeles, where rumors of zombie-free areas still exist. The story is about their journey, but also each one's personal story, especially that of Columbus and Tallahassee. And don't forget the funniest part of the movie, a cameo with someone Tallahassee regards as "the top of the A-list." I won't give away who it is, but it's a great few scenes.

The story is a little weak at times, but the dialogue and action scenes more than make up for it. Harrelson is great, as are most of the cast. The music is excellent and like I said, the action is awesome. Harrelson's character likes to kick zombie ass, and he certainly does. Except for a few gross-out zombie scenes, this is a solid, fun movie.

"Zombieland" is rated R for language, graphic scenes of zombies, adult situations, etc.

7 stars out of 10

A long way 'Up'

The movie "Up" has all the trappings of a childrens film: it's animated, rated PG, a kid is a main character, talking dogs. Yet after watching it, the themes and some of the messages may be a little much for younger audiences, but I think about teens and up would probably appreciate it a lot more. I thought the film was fantastic, and a nice, fun story.

The story revolves around Carl Fredericksen, who we see go from a young boy to an old man. After the love of his life, Ellie, a woman with adventurous tastes, dies, Carl is sad and grumpy, holding onto the house he shared with her as the world goes on without him. After an incident leads to Carl having to leave his home and enter a retirement home, he attaches thousands of helium-filled balloons to his house, hoping to travel to South America where he and Ellie had also yearned to go, but never had. Unwittingly, Carl finds another passenger on the home-made (pun intended) dirigible: Russell, a "Wilderness Explorer" (see: Boy Scout) that has been harassing Carl in the hopes of assisting him, a requirement for a certain badge. Russell is talkative and excitable, the opposite of the old Carl, who doesn't seem to like the bother of his unwanted passenger.

The two land in South America, but not quite where Carl had hoped, meaning they have to trek across land, holding the house by a hose while it floats along like a house balloon. That's the extent of the plot I'll give, but there's a lot more action from then on out. The obvious themes are there: the opening up of Carl, the friendship of Carl and Russell and Carl finishing his (and Ellie's) life-long adventure.

Undoubtedly my favorite part is the talking dogs, who can speak by way of a translation collar. This creates a lot of the laughs in the movie, and part of the reason is because the dogs' body language is so real and familiar for people who know dogs that it actually seems to be what the dogs want to say. One dog, Dug, says, "I hid under the porch because I love you," and that's what he meant. It's a great aspect of the movie, and if for no other reason, rent it for that; you'll really appreciate the talking dogs.

As I said, the plot doesn't seem to be a good movie necessarily for a younger crowd,but visually it is fine for any children. I thought it was great, and there is a pretty high demand for it over at Crazy Mike's. Apparently people have been calling and stopping to try and get it, so plan ahead if you want to watch.

8 out of 10 stars

My favorite part is the

New movie Tuesday

I walked over to Crazy Mike's today and picked up the newly released animated film "Up." I've heard good things, and this'll be the first animated film I review.

In theaters, both "Paranormal Activity" and "A Christmas Carol" will stay for another week, Nov. 13-19, at the Polson Showboat. In Ronan, "Michael Jackson This Is It" will be replaced on Friday by the comedy "Zombieland." I've been waiting for this one for awhile, so I'll try and go see that, and, I haven't forgotten, "Paranormal." Enjoy the week, and I'll review "Up" soon.

A fun 'G.I. Joe'

I'm glad I watched both "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" and "Transformers 2: Rise of the Fallen" in the last few weeks. Both films were big summer blockbusters, and similar in some ways. But 'G.I Joe,' which I had written off before I'd even seen it, was executed much better, and overall, a really enjoyable, fun film.

The story begins with a presentation by an arms dealer,James McMullen, on his newest weapon, a warhead filled with nanomites that destroy metal and other objects in a matter of seconds. He sells four of the devices to NATO, and they are set to be delivered by the US Army. As the convoy transports the warheads by Hummer (uh oh), they are ambushed. The Army is backed up by the Joes, and elite group that swoops in to save them and the warheads. The only Army survivors are Duke (Channing Tatum) and Ripcord (Marlon Wayons). They and the warheads are taken to the Joes base, where the two Army soldiers prove themselves and become Joes themselves, hoping to stop McMullen, who was behind the ambush.

The best scene is in Paris, which is where the Joes go to take down McMullen's team after they get a hold of the warheads. A great chase scene and cool equipment highlight the Paris scene, and in my mind makes the movie. The ending did leave a little to be desired (a polar ice cap scene reminiscent of "Watchmen") but doesn't kill the film. And the ending does leave the opening for a sequel or three, which all blockbusters seem to do now a days.

I can't help but compare "Joes" to "Transformers", and Joes is much better. The plot, the action and even the cheesy dialogue trumps the "Transformers" sequel. Yes, "Joes" is full of cliches and bad dialogue, but it's simple plot and excellent action sequences make it the much better movie. Plus, the CGI is better because it is not a group of machines fighting another group of machines. The cast is pretty solid as well: Dennis Quaid, Rachel Nichols, Channing Tatum, Marlon Wayons, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and others do the best they can with a subpar script. But that's not why you watch this movie. You watch it for great action and a simple, easy to follow plot. These things make the movie extremely enjoyable, not Oscar-worthy acting. I recommend for a fun watch.

7 out of 10 stars.

New movie Tuesday

Tuesday, my favorite day for new DVDs. I went with "G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra," so we'll see if it's any good. Sure to be lots of action. Also released today was "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3," which I saw when it was out in theaters. It's a remake of the 1974 film and pretty good, and you have Travolta and Denzel Washington squaring off as bad guy-good guy.

In theater's everything stays for another week ("Paranormal Activity" and the Michael Jackson movie) except for "Couple's Retreat" at the Polson Showboat, which will be replaced by "A Christmas Carol," an animated film with the voice of Jim Carrey as Scrooge. I still need to get to the theaters to see the films that are out, and I'll try to get a review up tomorrow for G.I. Joe. Anyone seen the movies in theaters or G.I. Joe?

A Fake 'Proposal'

Romantic comedies are not my favorite genre of movie for a variety of reasons, but mostly because of their predictable nature. "The Proposal," starring Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock, tries to rid itself of the formula, but despite its twists and turns, the movie ends up being its own worst enemy.
Bullock plays Margaret (no nickname), a smart, uppity, better than you type that is an editor a big publishing company in New York. Everyone in her office fears her, typing instant messages that describe her as some variation of a "witch." Reynolds plays her assistant Andrew, who is constantly trying to keep up with Margaret's intense demands. He clearly dislikes her, while she doesn't pay him much mind either.

When Margaret finds out from her bosses that she's being deported because of visa issues (she's from Canada), she tells them she and Andrew are getting married. Unwittingly involved, Andrew plays along but learns that he must in fact marry her to keep both of their jobs. When they go to immigration services, the new "couple" learns they will be subjected to intense testing to make sure they are not committing the fraud that they are actually attempting. In an effort to make it realistic, Andrew brings Margaret home with him to Sitka, Alaska for his grandma's birthday and to tell his parents they are to be married. From there, let the rom com stereotypes begin.

This is a good date movie, and almost every girl I have heard talk about this movie really liked it. To me, it was predictable and kind of stupid. Then again, my demographic is most likely not who the movie was targeting, which is fine. In the grand scheme of romantic comedies, it really isn't terrible. The funniest part of the movie involves Oscar Nunez (the guy who plays Oscar on The Office) as Ramon, the Sitka local that seems to have about thirty jobs in the small town, from store clerk to stripper. He's pretty funny, and so are some of his scenes. Also, the town and setting of the film are beautiful, but the plot just is kind of lame. The ending makes it even more corny to me, while earlier in the film it seemed like it could break some rom com stereotypes.

6 out of 10 stars

New movie Tuesday

Alright, let's get a little update here on the state of movies in the Missions. Again, this week wasn't so stellar for new DVD releases. "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs," the third installment of the franchise and "Orphan," a scary looking horror film with a little girl to play the role of Damien in "The Omen." Last week saw the release of "The Proposal" on DVD and since it was in stock when I got there, I went with that for this week's selection. I know it's a chick flick but I could use some diversity on the site, so we'll see what kind of reaction you all have. I'll try to get a review up tomorrow.

In theaters, Thursday night is your last chance to see "Where the Wild Things Are" at the Polson Showboat and “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” at the Ronan Entertainer. “Couples Retreat” will run for another week in Polson. On Friday, the aforementioned two will be replaced by “Paranormal Activity” in Polson and “Michael Jackson: This is it” in Ronan. “Paranormal Activity” has gotten huge buzz since it’s release, and just was released nationwide. It is “Blair Witch Project”-esque in the sense that it is low budget and filmed with one handheld camera. Looks scary and should be a good Halloween movie. I’m sure the MJ movie will do well too. I’ll try to go see them, and “Couples Retreat” and get a review up soon.

With Halloween coming up on Saturday, it seems as good a time as ever to start a “scariest movies of all time” type of discussion. I won’t necessarily rent more movies, but talk about ones I’ve seen. I want to hear your opinions as well. Enjoy the week and go check out some flicks.

"Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen"

It's totally OK to me when movies are just so ridiculous that you only watch for the entertainment part, and not anything else. Yet when you watch "Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen," every single aspect of it is so absurd that it almost makes it hard to watch. Granted, it did come out in the beginning of the summer and wanted to be this huge box-office blockbuster, and it was. It made a ton of money, and will in DVD sales too I'm sure. But it's ridiculous plot, terrible acting and shameless self promotion make it almost unbearable. Oh, and it clocks in at two and a half hours; I could barely keep my eyes open....

The movie picks up where the first left off, this time with the main character Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) about to head off to college. He still has his Autobot Camaro "Bumblebee" and his girlfriend Mikaela (Megan Fox), both of whom will not be heading to college with him. But instead of a normal transition to college, Sam finds a piece of AllSpark, a necessary piece that can bring to life transformers, and is sought by the Decepticons (the bad guys). They learn that Sam has the piece, and come after him in hopes of reviving their fallen leader. Sam and Mikaela and the rest of the transformers find themselves in a battle of good vs. evil that takes place all over the world. That's about how deep I'll delve into the extremely convoluted plot.

There are some decently funny lines, and the action is intense, with lots of explosions and fighting between machines and humans. In the theaters, I'm sure it was that much better. But this is a DVD review, and I don't have a high powered home theater system, so the sound and picture wasn't as good for me. The product placement in the movie was also pretty blatant. General Motors, a company I thought could barely stay in business, is all over the place, as is Mountain Dew and other shameless self-promotion. The film is a commercial for itself, which I guess is what you should expect from blockbusters now a days. They also try to really sell Megan Fox as a sex symbol. She is a beautiful girl, and I'm sure all the guys watching the movie appreciate her, but the poses, changing scenes and her "sexy talk" are another cheap scheme to get people to watch the movie on her, not on talent.

4 out of 10 stars

Lots of 'Wild Things'

If ever there was a beloved children's book that seemed impossible to transform into a movie, "Where the Wild Things Are" would probably make that list. It's short, weird and devoid of any major character development. Yet director Spike Jonze does a nice doing just that, mixing the film with live action and CGI characters. It's beautifully shot, the music fits well and there is certainly a lot to like about this film.

Max is a loner, a kid without many friends. He tries to play with some of his older sisters friends in the snow, but when one smashes his snow igloo and leaves, Max is upset. He goes into his sisters room, breaking things and leaving snow all over the floor. Max clearly has emotional issues, possibly because of his lack of friends, attentive siblings and a father.

When he acts out one night, standing on the dining room table and then biting his mother while her boyfriend is over, Max runs out the door, heading to what seems to be his secret place somewhere in the neighborhood. In the dark, the scene changes from a park to the edge of an ocean. Max finds a boat and sails off, ending up days later on the island 'where the wild things are.' Max befriends them and becomes their king, like in the storybook. He and the wild things endure happiness and sadness, overcome bickering and the like before Max decides the time has come for him to sail home.

It's hard to give anything away about this movie because it is so simple and pure. It's not overly complicated on its face, but the issues and personalities it contains are complex. Max is an eccentric kid, and on the island faces fairly adult issues. This movie is based on a childrens book, but I wouldn't take a kid to see it. I think it's aimed for an older audience, despite its PG rating, a kid for a main character and like I said, being based on a childrens book.

While at times it is a happy film, it's also dark in a way. The themes and issues are tough for a kid Max's age to understand, but in a way, his trip to the island may have relieved some of his personal issues. Jonze takes this simplistic, short book and turns it into a beautiful but complex film.

I do recommend the movie, but I got a little bored at times. Some parts just aren't that interesting, and at times I found it hard to stay focused. I mean, it shifts from sadness and things like that to horseplay and roughhousing. It's kind of weird watching this kid play around with these giant monsters like that, and not that enthralling.

7 out of 10 stars

"Year One"

I think "Year One" thought it was made by Mel Brooks or was a Monty Python movie of sorts. But it's not, and that may have been part of its problem. It mocks conventional norms, yet still finds itself drawn to following those norms. It has funny moments for sure, but for it's stockpile of comedic talents in the cast, it falls short of expectations.

The movie follows the trials and tribulations of Zed (Jack Black) and Oh (Michael Cera), Zed a hunter and Oh a gatherer in a small tribe. The two are kicked out of the tribe after Zed eats an apple from the Forbidden Tree. And thus the Biblical stories begin.

The movie is supposed to be funny because the characters speak like we would today, using slang and sayings that you would only know now. And it is funny for the most part, but they take the jokes too far, eventually boring people the same joke over and over. For instance, when Cain (David Cross) kills Abel (Paul Rudd), which our duo witnesses, he hits him on the head with a rock. Thinking he's dead already, the scene continues, but Abel rises and is again hit on the head by Cain. And again. And again. And so on. That isn't funny after the fourth time, and is the sort of hunor in many of the scenes. Like I said, the cast is stocked, and full of really good, funny actors, but something about it just didn't click with me.

"Year One" is rated PG-13 for sexual content, profanity and pott humour. I give it 5 out of 10 stars.

"Sunshine Cleaning"

When I told my sister I had rented "Sunshine Cleaning," she asked me if it's a girl movie, meaning she thought it was. "Well," I said, "it has girls IN it." After watching it, it is kind of a girl movie, but not the worst of its kind that I have seen before.

The film stars Amy Adams as Rose, a single mother raising a 10 year old son who can't hold a steady, well paying job. After a tip from her police officer lover Mac (Steve Zahn), she decides to recruit her slacker sister Norah (Emily Blunt) to start a company that cleans up crime scenes.

I'd always just kind of assumed the cops took care of the blood and gore at scenes of death, not some subcontractor, so whether this movie meant to or not, it made me think about that. It is about Rose's life, and how she struggles with her son, father, love life and job, so yeah, it is sort of a girl movie. I didn't dislike it either, it's just not the type of movie I usually watch. And my sister and I both agreed it did drag on a little long.

6 out of 10 stars

New movie Tuesday

There was a pretty sparse selection of new DVDs this week, so I went with "Year One" starring Jack Black and Michael Cera. I'll watch it tonight and try to have a review tomorrow. I watched two older DVDs, "Sunshine Cleaning" and "I Love You, Man", both I which I'll try to review sometime this week.

At the Polson Showboat, "Julie and Julia" is still showing until Thursday; on Friday it will be replaced by "Fame." The second screen is showing "Whiteout," which will stay for another week. Ronan is showing "The Perfect Getaway" right now, which will be replaced by "Gamer" on Friday. I'm hoping to see "The Perfect Getaway" before it leaves, and I'll try for "Gamer" and "Whiteout" too. We'll see about "Fame".....

Please 'Go' 'Away'

I really wish I could have the last 100 minutes of my life back, because that was painful. I almost started pulling my hair out. I'm sorry, I'm getting ahead of myself: I really disliked the movie "Away We Go." It is insufferably boring, whiny and depressing, all at the same time. Honestly I'm surprised I sat through the whole thing because I disliked it that much.

The premise of the movie is that a couple, Burt (John Krasinski) and his girlfriend Verona (Maya Rudolph), unexpectedly, but not unhappily, find themselves pregnant at the age of 33 and 34, respectively. That is, she's pregnant, and not with emotion. After learning Burt's parents (played by Catherine O'Hara and Jeff Daniels in what amounts to a cameo for both) won't be around to act as grandparents, and we as viewers learn Verona's parents are dead, the couple decides to go travel and find a place to raise their child. Their travels take them to Arizona, Wisconsin, Montreal and Miami. In each place, they visit an old friend or relative, and encounter something they dislike about it. Mostly what they dislike is the unhappiness they encounter about some aspect of their friends experiences with children. Each couple they visit gives some sort of advice about parenting that Burt and Verona either accept or reject. Each couple they visit is depressing in some respect.

Plus, the premise of the movie makes it seem like the viewers should pity them. Oh no, they're a perfectly happy mid 30s couple expecting a baby and they don't know where to live! Waaaaah waaaaaah...who cares. They both have jobs that don't require trips to the office and seem to pay well, based on the cash they drop during their road trip that involves air travel, trains and rental cars. So we care because they can't find that perfect place to raise a child? Correction: no one cares, that's why this movie fails. Did I mention it's extremely boring as well? It's so slow I...I...I don't even have a stupid cliche to describe it.

The only part that is pretty funny is when they travel to Madison, which is supposed to be the city in Wisconsin, but is clearly the only city in the whole film they don't shoot on location (unless during my four years there I never saw any place they show in the film, including campus). There they find Burt's super hippy professor cousin LN (yes, pronounced "Ellen," and played by Maggie Gyllenhaal). The scene at LN's house with her husband and weird child is pretty funny, and the best attempt at humor in the whole film.

The rest of the comedy seems kind of forced, which surprised me because Maya Rudolph is hilarious on "SNL" and in the movie "Idiocracy", while John Krasinski is better known as Jim on "The Office", a show that I don't know anyone to dislike. And comedian Jim Gaffigan, who has hilarious stand up comedy, is in it. Come on people, give me something better than this! Add to that that the movie is directed by Sam Mendes, the guy who directed "Revolutionary Road", "Road to Perdition" and "American Beauty," all movies I really liked, yet this boring movie was the best they could do. I'm really disappointed, as you may be able to tell, because I had such high hopes.

"Away We Go" is rated R for language, sexuality and boringness. If you want to be depressed and not take anything away from a movie, rent it. I'll give it 4 out of 10 stars. This is the first new release I really disliked; I hope it's the last! I rented a few other movies released earlier this summer that I'll try to review later in the week.

A baaaad rent-a-cop

When I first saw trailers for "Observe & Report," I thought it looked hilarious. It had a lot of great elements for a good comedy: Seth Rogen, who I think is funny in almost everything he's been in, Anna Faris who is also pretty hilarious and director Jody Hill, who created "Eastbound and Down" and 'The Foot Fist Way." "Foot First Way" is a movie from a few years ago about a karate instructor (Danny McBride) who is pretty crazy. "Eastbound and Down" stars McBride again, this time as Kenny Powers, a former baseball player down on his luck after getting kicked out of the major leagues. Both TV show and movie are very funny, so I had high hopes for "Observe & Report." And I was not disappointed.

The reviews I read after it came out in theaters were mixed, and I think the people who disliked the film took it too seriously. I can't stress enough: it's a movie, a parody of real life, made for entertainment. It doesn't say "based on a true story" at the beginning because it's not, it is just a ridiculous take on the life of a bipolar mall security guard. Rogen leads as Ronnie Barnhardt, the aforementioned mall security guard who makes it his mission to take down a flasher who has been running around the mall making everyone, including the love of Ronnie's life Brandi (Faris), miserable.

During the movie, Ronnie tries to catch the flasher and become a police officer, both in the hopes of impressing Brandi, who is a trashy make up counter girl at the mall. We also see how depressing Ronnuie's life is: he is dealing with his bipolar disorder, has an alcoholic mother that he still lives with and is generally unhappy at his low-level job. But that's what I like about this movie. It is sad and somewhat dark, but still very funny. It runs in the same vein as all of Hill's movies/TV shows, and I like his formula.

Rogen has also done a variety of different roles, and I think he's really proven himself as an actor. Though all of his films are basically comedies, Rogen plays each one well, no matter what the role. I think people can relate to him, and I that's part of the appeal of movies he is in.

"Observe & Report" is rated R for nudity, strong language, sexual content, nudity, drug use and just about anything else that makes a movie R. It may be offensive to some people (remember, it's not real life!) and it is a very adult movie, both in theme and content. I liked it a lot, possibly because Jody Hill's humor is intended for my demographic (22 year old male). Anyways, its available at Crazy Mike's, and I thought every funny.

7 out of 10 stars

"Crank" it up

I really like music in movies and the first "Crank" opens with Quiet Riot's "Metal Health," a song that rocks and is also heard in "The Wrestler." I figured that was a good omen about 'Crank' and it was; the movie is awesome, and, I thought, much better than the second, which usually seems to be the case.

The movie opens with our favorite hitman Chev Chelios (Jason Statham) waking up and realizing he has been poisoned by a Bejing Cocktail, which blocks your natural adrenaline and eventually stops your heart. Chev's doctor-friend warns him that Chelios must keep his heart rate up to survive. Just like in the second film, Chev must do wild things to keep his adrenaline up, and he wants revenge on the guys who poisoned him.

This movie is much better than the second. The characters are cooler and more developed, and the action is more exciting, and not quite as contrived as the second film. The music fits really well, and just little aspects of this film make it overall that much more fun to watch. I really liked it; I just wished the second one had lived up to this ones standard.

"Crank" is rated R for much of the same things you'll find in the second one: violence, language, drug use, sexuality, etc. 7 out of 10 stars, and highly recommended.

New movie Tuesday

It's been a busy week and it keeps getting busier. I watched the original 'Crank,' as promised, and hope to have a review up soon; it was way better than the second one. Today is Tuesday, so we had new release DVDs. I rented 'Observe and Report' with Seth Rogen and Anna Faris, so I should have a review up tomorrow or so.

As for the movie theaters, Friday will see two new movies. In Polson, 'District 9' will take over for 'Inglourious Basterds' and 'Julie and Julia' will stay for another week. At the Ronan Entertainer, 'Whiteout' will take over for 'Public Enemies.' I hope to see both 'Whiteout' and 'District 9,' so once I go see them I'll get a review up.

A bite and a blog

Knowing nothing about the new film "Julie & Julia" may have helped me like the film more than if I had known the story. So I'm going to ruin it for you by telling you the story.

I'm just kidding, it didn't ruin it for me, but it was cool really not knowing anything about it, from what it was about to who the main character was. The movie begins with a caption telling you it is based not on one, but TWO true stories, which is correct: one part of the movie is based on the life of Julia Child, the legendary cook, and the other on the blogger who emulated her to the point of obsession, Julie Powell. Child's part of the movie is based on her memoir "My Life in France," while Powell's part is based on her book "Julie and Julia: 365 days, 524 recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment."

Julie is played by Amy Adams ("Doubt"), and tells the story of how she started a blog chronicling her attempt to cook all 524 recipes in Child's cookbook "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" in one year. It's her life as a lowly cubicle worker at a bureacratic organization, paralelled with the joy she has when cooking.

Her story is intertwined with Child's, played by Meryl Streep ("Doubt") which explores how she got into cooking while living as a diplomat in France. The idea is that you will see the similarities between the two, despite 50 years difference in time and two different mediums, books and blogs. It's an interesting way to look at this story, and I thought it was very well done.

I love food, and the cooking scenes are fabulous, especially the finished products, some of which look absolutely delicious. With the rise of the Food Network and how popular cooking has become, most people will have no problem watching this film. It's about life and cooking and that fuzzy line in between; for Child and even Powell, cooking was the best part of their lives. We see each struggle, Child as a diplomat moving from place to place, and Powell in a dead-end job living in a small apartment in Queens. It's real life played out on a big stage for both, and the film does a great job of paralleling and comparing the two.

I have little doubt that Meryl Streep will be nominated, and quite possibly win, the Academy Award for her portrayal of Child. I had never seen Child's cooking show before, so I didn't really get Streep's performance until I watched some of the real Child's PBS show on YouTube. Child stands out; she's tall, curly haired, and she had a great voice that fluctuates in sound. It seems like the upper part of her body is constantly in motion. Streep nails her every tic, which makes the movie that much more fun to watch.

Adams is great as well. It's almost scary how obsessed it seems Powell was with not only Child's cooking but Child herself. Still, she has a great story as an aspiring blogger who gains a real following, but I don't really feel sorry for her at any point. I see where she's coming from as a blogger though. As someone who writes a blog, I too wonder, is anyone reading this? Does anyone care about my perspective or opinion? Does anyone even read these words I write? It brings up such great questions about the internet: everyone can have a voice for free, but does anyone hear that voice? In her case, they did; in mine, I think not so much. But I still love this form of expression, and so did she, regardless of if people read her blog; she just liked doing what she loved.

As I walked out of the theater, someone in the small crowd described the film as "refreshing," and I think that's a nice way to describe it. I really enjoyed it, and it's a happy, fun film. I think it will appeal to most people, regardless of age group.

"Julie & Julia" is rated PG-13 because of some language, and sexuality. I think it's OK for all ages; I saw kids of about 8 or 10 in the theater. Might be more appreciated by older people than that, especially those that love food. It's playing at the Polson Showboat until at least Thursday, so check it out while it's still around.

7 stars out of 10

Fun at the expense of "Natzis"

If you're a fan of Quentin Tarantino, you'll love his new film 'Inglourious Basterds.' If you're not of fan of his and his unique directing style, you probably won't. I fall into the category of 'fan,' so naturally I loved it. It's a throwback to his great films, like 'Pulp Fiction' and both 'Kill Bills'', and better than his mediocre 'Death Proof.'

The film is vintage Tarantino through and through, starting with the opening credits, which roll with a spaghetti-western tune before a single scene of the movie is shown. This film has chapters, like 'Kill Bill' beginning with number one, which is titled, "Once upon a time in Nazi occupied France." The opening scene is so Tarantino, so built up and epic, and it sets the tone for the whole movie. To make a long story short, an idyllic scene of the French countryside in 1941 is shattered when SS agents, led by Col. Hans Landa, find and kill a Jewish family hiding in a house. One of the Jews, a teenage girl named Shoshana, escapes the massacre. Landa, by the way, is played brilliantly by Christoph Waltz, who may very well win an Oscar for his gleeful portrayal of a heartless, merciless SS agent. The scene is beautifully shot, and it features great dialouge, a trademark of awesome QT films.

We next are introduced to the Basterds, a group of American-Jewish soldiers working guerilla missions in Europe taking out and scalping as many Nazis as possible. Brad Pitt plays Lieutant Aldo Raine, who claims he has Indian blood and goes by "Aldo the Apache." He's from Tennesse, and has an accent to match; he pronounces 'nazis' as 'NAT-zis' and he is generally hilarious throughout the film. My favorite line of the movie comes in this scene, when Aldo tells a Nazi prisoner, "Well, that's exactly the response we were hoping for cause watchin' Donnie bash Nat-zis heads in with a baseball bat is like going to the movies for us." "The Bear Jew," or Donnie, proceeds to do just that. The crew also has an Austrian born members and a German member that the Basterds helped escape from prison so he could join in their rampage. The Basterds goal is to match the Nazis at their game of ruthless killings.

Our third scene finds the escaped Jew from France, Shoshana, now living in Paris 3 years later. She is the owner of a movie cinema, and keeps to herself. But when the Nazis want to use her theater for a movie premiere, the intersection of all the stories comes to fruition. As you can tell from this simple description, the plot is classic QT, where it mixes in different storylines to tell one total story that in the end, all makes sense.

The film is excellent, and like 'Pulp Fiction,' makes great use of flashbacks to describe how a character came to be a certain way, or do a certain thing. This is one of my favorite trademarks of Tarantino, and he does it masterfully in this film. It's an epic, clocking in at just over 2 hours 30 minutes, but the prolonged, tense scenes he utilizes make the time worth it, and important. I can't really think of a point he could have shortened or cut entirely from the movie. I also really enjoyed the flawless use of multiple languages; French, German, English and Italian are some of the languages spoken, so if you don't like reading subtitles, don't go see this movie. At it's base, it's a revenge movie on those Nazis, so kind of unrealistic, but none of that took anything away from it. You'll also notice the voices of two Tarantino mainstays throughout the film: Samuel L. Jackson, who acts as a narrator, and Harvey Keitel, who acts as an American military commander. Both actors were stars in 'Pulp Fiction' and Tarantino loves little things like using favorite actors, even for small things like this.

Like I said, I highly recommend this film. It's still running at the Polson Showboat for at least this upcoming week, so go see it while it's playing. 'Inglourious Basterds' is rated R for violence, language, and cause it's a freakin' Quentin Tarantino movie. That should tell you what you're gonna get.

This is the first movie I'll implement my star system of ratings. I'll give each film I watch from now on a number of stars out of 10. This film I give 8 out of 10; I really liked it, and may even go see it again. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

'X' Marks the Spot

Ok, I've had a busy but fun movie-watching week, so I'm a litte behind. I watched "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" on Tuesday, and have to say, it exceeded my expectations, considering what I had read about it, which wasn't all that good. I was never a big comic book reader, but I did play X-Men video games, and I've seen the previous three films, so I feel like I have a decent base of X-Men knowledge, though not as much as many of you, I'm sure. Though not a remake, I still feel like the purist comic book reading niche probably doesn't like these movies, but for pure entertainment value, I do. Also, here's a SPOILER ALERT because it is kinda hard to describe this film without going into a fair amount of detail.

The film begins in Canada in 1845 with a young James lying in bed, sick, with his father by his side and his friend Victor at the door. A yelling voice is audible from downstairs, and James' father leaves the room. A single gunshot rings out, and James runs downstairs. Upon seeing his father dead on the floor, James freaks out and rushes the murderer; his rage causes bone-like claws to come out of his fists, and he kills the murderer, Victor's father, with them. As the murderer dies, he tells James that he is his father, meaning James and Victor are brothers. Knowing they'll be hunted, Victor and James Logan flee into the woods.

Victor is also a mutant, who has long finger nails and fangs, and in the comic book is known as "Sabretooth." The next few shots show the mutant brothers fighting in a long line of American wars, from the Civil War to Vietnam, protecting each other as brothers. In Vietnam, James (Hugh Jackman) finally sees how crazy his brother Victor (Liev Shrieber) has become with his mutant power as he tries to assault a Vietnamese girl, and kills a superior officer. James and Victor are sentenced to death, but survive the firing squad because of the mutant powers they both possess.

Sitting in jail after surviving their execution, Major William Stryker comes to see them and offer them spots on an elite X team with other mutants that acts as a guerilla group going on missions around the world. They accept, but when Logan realizes that the team is acting in the interests of Stryker and killing innocents, he leaves the team.

Logan ends up in the Canadian Rockies six years later, living a peaceful life working as a lumberjack with his beautiful wife Kayla Silverfox. His world is shattered when he is visited by Stryker, who tells him that someone is killing off former members of the X team. I'll leave the plot at that, but the twists and turns really start at this point, and what I've said thus far merely sets up the film.

The movie was released as an early summer blockbuster, and in following that vein, it has lots of CGI, action and explosions. At times it is a little over the top, and the plot is convoluted and full of fairly obvious twists. For me, it wasn't so much about the plot, but seeing a prequel to the other films. The fact that its title is "X-Men Origins" would lead one to think that there will be other films about other characters as well. Getting a glimpse of other X-Men, like Sabertooth, Gambit and Cyclops is also cool. We get to see how a young Professor Charles Xavier meets some of the team as well. This is a good movie, but obviously very hyped up for the blockbuster movie it was, so don't get too excited.

"X-Men Origins: Wolverine" is rated for PG-13 for some serious mutant violence and such. If you have an opinion on it, think it is nothing like the comics, etc., please let me know. And hopefully a new one will be out soon.

New movie Tuesday

So I just went a rented "X-Men Origins: Wolverine." I'll try to have a review up sometime tomorrow.

Also, really excited about what's playing in Polson at the Polson Showboat. What I can't wait to go watch is "Inglourious Basterds" with Brad Pitt. It's directed by Quentin Tarantino, which always means a gory show. "Basterds" plays at 4:00 and 7:15. Also showing in Polson is "The Time Travelers Wife," and in Ronan, "Aliens in the Attic."

On Friday, "Basterds" stays in Polson but "Time Traveler" is booted for the critically-acclaimed "Julie & Julia," starring Meryl Streep about chef master Julia Child. Both movies are supposed to be excellent. On Friday in Ronan, "Aliens in the Attic" is replaced with "Public Enemies," starring Johnny Depp and Christian Bale. I saw it, and enjoyed it. This is a good week for movies, so go out and see one (or more)!

Sept. 15 DVD Releases

Not a huge selection of new ones coming out on Tuesday. My pick will hopefully be "X-Men Origins: Wolverine." I wanted to see it, but it got pretty bad reviews when out in theaters. I've seen the three "X-Men" films, so I'm pretty psyched to watch this one. I'll let you know whether the critics got it right, or whether it's worth a watch.

I'm also on the final episode of season one of "Deadwood." Like I mentioned before, it's a great show; can't wait to watch the finale and then the next season. I'll have a review up Wednesday of next week. Thanks for watching!

A 'Day' of reckoning

Remakes can traditionally go one way: worse than the original. Lots of times, with lots of remakes, I've never seen the originals because they are really old and I just don't watch them. People who love the originals bemoan the fact that the remake is terrible because it's not like the original or just not good. I do understand this, but a lot of times, I think taking each film seperately is a better route than comparing them.

The remake I watched was "The Day the Earth Stood Still," which came out in April but I just watched it this week. I haven't seen the original, but now I'd like to, and compare them. I actually really liked this film, whether it stuck to the original or not.

The movie opens in 1928, with a hiker in India coming upon a glowing sphere during a major snowstorm. He touches the sphere, blacks out and awakens with a circular scar on his hand.

Cue up present day, where we are introduced to Dr. Helen Benson (Jennifer Connelly), a renowned scientist at Princeton University. She is rounded up by a group of FBI-looking people, thrown into a Suburban and given a police escort to a military base. Once there, Benson and other scientists learn that an unidentified object is headed for Manhattan, and will hit in just over an hour. They can't stop it, so they have to prepare for "the aftermath."

As the object approaches earth, it slows down, landing gently in Central Park. The scientists surround and approach it, as do military personnel and NYPD. A being emerges from the sphere, and Benson reaches out to touch it, but someone shoots it. The being is taken to a hospital, while a giant robot life like looking thing emerges from the sphere as well, a seeming guard for the being.

The being is of course an alien named Klaatu, and takes the form and is played by Keanu Reeves. He wants to speak to our world's leaders to discuss the human race, which the US Secretary of Defense Regina Jackson (Kathy Bates) disagrees with. Klaatu escapes, but his purpose is clear: he is to reason with humans and stop them from ruining the earth's environment, or wipe them out.

This isn't an action packed movie, but there is action, and it is enjoyable. It did make me want to see the original; I have a long list of films I need to see now! If you've seen the original and/or this one, comment on the blog, and tell me what you think.

"The Day the Earth Stood Still" is rated PG-13 for sci-fi violence and general apocalyptic themes. I'll let you know if Crazy Mike's has the original as well.

Definitely 'High Voltage'

As I mentioned earlier, I rented "Crank: Hight Voltage" yesterday, the sequel to the action-packed first "Crank." I thought I had seen the first movie, but as I watched the second one, I realized I was mistaken. I now have to rent that so I know a little more background.

Anyway, the film picks up where the first one leaves off: Chev Chelios (Jason Statham) gets thrown out of a helicopter, hits a car on the road, bounces into the street, where a van pulls up, uses a shovel to pick him up and throw into the van, and he's taken away. Dead, right?

Wrong. Chev wakes up to open heart surgery by a group of Chinese surgeons. He sees his heart taken out, put in a red cooler and replaced by a plastic artificial heart. His heart is taken away by a goony looking dude with piercings all over his face. Chev passes out.

When he wakes up, he sees a diagram of what the surgeons intend to do: keep him alive for a while so they can harvest the rest of his organs. When he realizes the first one they want is his, ahem, "man organ," Chev decides enough is enough. He escapes leaving many bodies in his wake. His quest is to find his stolen heart, a bloody undertaking.

Along his way he meets his old flame Eve (Amy Smart) who has become a stripper in the three months since he last saw her. She acts as his sidekick on his journey, which goes from a strip club to a horsetrack to a guys limo, and on and on. The key factor is that in order to keep his artificial heart pumping, he must continually shock himself with something, be it a cops taser or grabbing "high voltage" equipment, and yes, even generating friction from body to body contact, something he and Eve perform on a horse race track, during a race.

The movie is crazy, and moves at hyper pace, with weird camera angles and weirder flash-backs and scenes. It's non-stop action, and actually pretty funny. I like Statham as an actor, and even the late David Carradine has a tiny role as an Asian gang lord. I'd like to see the first one too now so that I can really appreciate the second.

"Crank: High Voltage" is rated R for just about every possible reason: graitutious amounts of violence, gore, nudity and profanity. Definitely for an older, but not too old, crowd. The other key is you can't take it seriously. This movie makes fun of people who do. How else does Chelios survive a drop from a helicopter, and an action-packed day on an artificial heart?

Sept. 8 DVD releases

So today being Tuesday, new DVDs hit the shelves. "Dance Flick" and "Crank: High Voltage" came out today. "Crank" features Jason Statham, who kicks serious ass in "The Transporter," so I went with that one. I'll try to have a review up tomorrow morning. Not the best week for new releases, but "Crank" does look pretty cool. Go rent something for tonight!

A long, dark 'Road'

When I first saw the previews for "Revolutionary Road," I thought it looked unbelievably depressing, and I had no desire to see it. I came around and rented it, and I actually thought it was an excellent film.

The movie reunites Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet from when they were young stars in the box office hit "Titanic." They're older now, and play a married couple, Frank and April Wheeler with two children leading the stereotypical lifestyle of a 1955 suburban family unit: Frank commutes to New York City for a boring office job while April is the loving housewife. Except she's not so loving anymore, and she has grown tired of their uniformal lifestyle.

A big fight between the two after a terrible performance in an amateur play by April leads her to desire to leave their lives behind and moving the family to Paris to start anew. She wants to work while Frank "finds" himself. Frank finally agrees, and they decide to leave in the fall. The marriage is saved, and both are happy again.

But things have a way of unraveling, especially in unhappy people in unhappy marriages. That's all you need to know about the story; it is worth watching.

Kathy Bates gives a great performance as the Wheeler's neighbor Helen Givings, who doubles as a real estate agent. Her pinings on how great the neighborhood is give context to how miserable it really is, especially for the Wheelers, who apparently once were you free thinkers with loads of ambition. Her son John (Michael Shannon) is literally crazy, but also emerges as one of the sanest characters in the film for his blunt assessments of life. He was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar, and was truly excellent. Kate Winslet was excellent as well; she totally fits her role as an unhappy housewife. I was not as convinced with DiCaprio's role; he didn't fit for me. I kept seeing his character from "The Departed" or something. I think a different actor could have been better, and maybe been nominated for an Oscar. It was that type of role, I just thought Leo was sub par.

"Revolutionary Road" was directed by Sam Mendes ("American Beauty") and is rated R for sexuality, nudity and a lot of adult content. It is a pretty intense movie with very adult themes, and I would not recommend for any child. Plus, they just won't enjoy it. But you will. Though a dark topic, I thought it was terrific.

A non-stop 'State of Play'

My new release pick for this week was the political/journalistic thriller, "State of Play." And it certainly did not disappoint.

A few things attracted me to this film: the journalist and blogger main characters and that it took place in Washington, D.C., where I'm from. Many scenes were filmed there, and anyone from the area or who has visited will appreciate the shots of Georgetown, Ben's Chili Bowl, the Metro and other noticeable D.C. landmarks.

The film starts with a man running through Georgetown, clearly from someone or something. That someone ends up shooting him in a back alley, picking up the metal briefcase the he was carrying before shooting a pizza deliveryman on a bike, a witness to the first shooting. The running man ("DeShawn") dies, while the pizza man lies in a coma. The shooter gets away.

We are then introduced to Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe, "Gladiator"), the epitome of old-school journalist: he wears an old suit, drives a 1990 Saab, has long hair, sings and eats while driving, yet has the street smarts to be a quality reporter with good connections. He starts investigating the double-shooting, not getting very far, before he heads to the office.

We then meet Rep. Stephen Collins, a Congressman leading a panel investigating corruption charges against PointCorp, a military defense company that is virtually "mercenaries for hire" in the same vein as Blackwater. Just before the day's hearing is set to begin, Collins learns that one of his aides, Sonia Baker, died earlier that morning in a Metro accident. Baker was Collins top researcher for the hearing. Collins is clearly upset during the hearing, and bloggers immediately start to speculate a romantic relationship between Baker and Collins, which turns out to be true. Collins is shamed, and plastered on all the news station.

McAffrey sees Collins on the news, and we learn that the two were roommates in college, and supposedly good friends. They meet later that night, and McAffrey has reason to believe Baker's death, ruled a suicide, and the shooting at the beginning of the move may be connected. That's all I'll give you, but it takes off from there.

The investigative journalism is great, and its a good story full of twists and corruption. The rest of the cast is great as well: Rachel McAdams as Della Frye, McAffrey's colleague and blogger; Helen Mirren as the Globe's editor; and Jason Bateman and Jeff Daniels in somewhat smaller roles. If you like suspense/thrillers/mysterious, you'll like this film.

"State of Play" is directed by Kevin Macdonald ("The Last King of Scotland") and is rated PG-13 for language and some violence. It is available on DVD at Crazy Mike's. The film was taken from a 6 part British mini-series in 2003, and I hope to watch that and possibly compare the two. I'll keep you updated.

Hopefully the "Final" one

Gory, scary movies are usually the things I enjoy. They are like a guilty pleasure to me. Friday I went to see the latest installment of a gore-fest in the form of "The Final Destination." One thing about "the" movies before I go on: when you take the name of your first movie, add "the" to the beginning, and release it as your fourth movie, there is a serious issue. Take the "The Fast and The Furious" franchise. For their fourth installment, they dropped the two "the's." That's all I'll say.

This was the fourth "Final Destination," and it reminded me a lot of the first one, which may have been my favorite. All the films have the same basic premise: a group of friends are at an event or somewhere with a lot of people, and one of the friends has a vision of a horrific catastrophe. When he snaps out of it, he gets his friends away, and in the process, saves some other bystanders.

In the case of this "Destination," a group of two men and two women are at a stock car race. One of the men, Nick O'Bannon, has a vision of a bloody demise as cars explode and the track basically collapses on itself. Shaken up, he urges his friends out of the venue, bringing along some unlikely companions he has disturbed while on his way out. Needless to say, the tragedy occurs, and the friends and about 5 bystanders survive.

Until a mysterious fate begins to kill the survivors off one by one. The reason "Final Destination" has survived for so long is because of the unique way people die. The watcher of the movie KNOWS the people will die, its just a question of how. And the people who create these movies find gory, bloody and exotic ways for each to die. Not by simple things; it usually takes a string of seemingly unrelated events to claim their victims.

As the survivors who die do so in order that they did in his vision, O'Bannon realizes that if he stops someone from dying, then the chain is broken, and the remaining survivors will live. That's as far as I'll go with the plot line; you'll have to see it for the rest.

Like I said, you don't go see this movie for plot or acting; you go for action and crazy death scenes. Though not as good as the others, it wasn't a terrible movie, and I did enjoy, and even laugh, at some of the craziness of the movie. "The Final Destination" is rated R for lots of gore, some nudity, language and general death/mayhem. Now playing at the Ronan Entertainer.

Weekend preview

Getting ready for the weekend, here's a look at what's going on today, and DVDs coming out Tuesday.

In Ronan, the Entertainer will show "The Final Destination" for the next week. I love this series of scary movies, so I'll go see it and review it ASAP. Looks pretty scary. In Polson, the Showboat will continue showing "The Proposal" and new release "Aliens in the Attic," a kids movie.

Tuesday, Sept. 1 sees the release of a lot of great new DVDs, all of which I want to see: "State of Play," a movie about journalism, "Sin Nombre," "Earth" and the baseball flick "Sugar" all hit the shelves. I really want to see all of these; I'll have one of them reviewed on Wednesday!