“Speed Racer” stars Emile Hirsh, Christina Ricci, John Goodman, Susan Sarandon, and Paulie Litt. It’s written and directed by Andy and Larry Wachowski (The Matrix Trilogy, V for Vendetta).

Speed Racer (Emile Hirsh) is a young man following the footsteps of his deceased brother and is a natural when it comes to racing in the most extreme conditions. He is aggressive and determined to win every race he competes in. But will Speed Racer pull of the win of a lifetime in the 91st Annual Grand Prix?

Sure the film has its defects, like all the characters the film tries to introduce us to in the 120 minute running time. This leaves no room for a coherent story or even solid character development for the supporting cast. However, never once did I truly dwell on any of the film’s flaws, nor could I get the smile off my face. It may be just a little too violent for children under 10, but teenage boys should have a blast and the parents will be in awe. This film features more color than you would find in a box of crayons. The neon fluxes are simply candy for the eyes, possibly making this the coolest movie I have ever seen.

An exciting, razzel dazzle, edge-of-your-seat roller coaster ride. Every flaw was overlooked when I saw the clear blue skies, eye-popping explosions, and emotionally fueled race scenes. If any movie has the capacity to “blow you away”, this film is it. A visual masterpiece complete with some favorable performances, particularly Christina Ricci in her most liveliest form. There is nothing like this out there and probably never will be. Originality at its best, delivering the goods at every stretch and every turn.

Those of you who are of a later generation never in a million years would have imagined seeing something like this. Never before has a film been so clearly and beautifully shot as this one. The target audience wont be disappointed. Using a green-screen just about the entire time doesn’t affect the attributes of the film as much as it enhances them. In fact, movie buffs will be astonished, bemused and will not believe their eyes once the credits roll.

Zathura” stars Jonah Bobo, Josh Hutcherson, Dax Shepard, Kristen Stuart, and Tim Robbins. It’s directed by Jon Favreau (Made, Elf) and based on a book written by Chris Van Allsburg.

Two competitive brothers, Danny and Walter, end up having their attention geared towards a game that shoots them into outer space called Zathura. After the first move is made, there is no turning back and you must complete the game to get back home. The two must form a team and beat the game before the game beats them.

Although this concept has been explored before, it has been years since then and if anyone has the ability to make it another fresh approach, Jon Favreau has a pretty good chance. Apparently he fails at doing so by clustering a rampage of destruction into a two hour movie without any real sentimental attachment. The film keeps centering on the moments of bickering between Danny and Walter, it becomes quite obvious that it is leading a twist of an ending that reaches top-notch cheesiness. When you run out of movies to watch and haven’t yet seen Chris Van Allsburg’s Jumanji rip-off, it’s not a complete disappointment.

Stan Winston manages to slip in an overload of lively special effects. The special effects are impressive but overused and the film never focuses the on the emotional fondness of its characters, something the film was in dire need of. It’s not exactly a film that will appeal to grown-ups as much as kids, but if I were ten years younger I would probably have a blast and it succeeds in not being entirely forgettable. Every kid should enjoy this high octane family flick, while adults might ask the question “Where’s Robin Williams when you need him?”. Unlike the film it so deliberately copies, this movie dwells on the unconstructive relationship between the main characters and plans the set-up for a mawkish moral, rather than just making the movie a fun-filled adventure. A better version of this film was released thirteen years ago and I highly suggest renting that version for more enjoyment.

This movie does have a big heart, it’s just dislocated thanks to the rambunctious occurrences that dim the emotion level immensely. This is such a destructive film, I wouldn’t be surprised if you find your kids more catastrophic than ever. Jumanji has enough distractions (wild animals, a handful of characters, ect.) to overlook the massive disaster that occurs in the movie. While I can’t quite recommend Zathura to adults, kids should find it to be a solid piece of entertainment. Just be prepared for a rowdy bunch afterwards.

“88 Minutes” stars Al Pacino looking more worn-out than ever and other actors I have no desire to even mention. It’s directed by Jon Avnet (Fried Green Tomatoes) and written by Gary Scott Thompson (Hollow Man, The Fast and the Furious).

Dr. Jack Gramm is a wealthy forensic psychologist by day and a partier by night. He receives a threatening phone call stating that he has a very long 88 minutes to live. As he repeatedly gets these phone calls reminding him of how much time he has left, he tries his hardest to scope out the harasser using his knowledge in forensics.

88 minutes…you wish. This actually runs for a total of 108 very dull minutes. Just because Al Pacino is in it doesn’t give Jon Avnet the right to release this theatrically. The film just can’t shake off that haunting straight to dvd feeling, even with Al Pacino as the lead. Those who pay to see this are just participating in the making of bad films. If we keep seeing them, they’ll keep making them. You might as well reach down in your pocket, take out $9.50 and flush it down the toilet. Al Pacino tries his best but he just looks tired and drained of all emotions, leisurely sagging along.

This is a film with absolutely no redeeming qualities and is a top runner for the worst film of the year. It’s a sloppy and unoriginal psychological bore. An ill-suited score, very poor direction and an inept script is just a taste of what to expect if you waste your time with this one. There is enough unintentional hilarity here to make up a decent comedy. It’s plain and simple, this film just should’ve never been made. I take my reviewing seriously and when I come across a movie as awful as this, it makes me want to slap myself for watching. It doesn’t even qualify for being worthy of a free viewing.

Only see it if you’re willing to contribute to the worst film of the year so far, apparantly without any film competing at taking its place. Al Pacino isn’t really horrible in it, but the material is downright bad. Nothing is worse than seeing a good actor like Al Pacino attempt to make something work and fail. The truth is, I’d rather bash my head repeatedly against a desk 88 times before ever viewing this movie again.

“Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay” stars John Cho, Kal Penn, Rob Corddry and the ever famous Neil Patrick Harris. It’s written and directed by Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg who are credited for writing the cult classic original.

Taking off just minutes after the first one ended, this sequel follows the two lovable potheads Harold (John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn) as they head to Europe to find Harolds true love Maria. Things don’t go as planed and the two end up in Guantanamo Bay where they escape and become fugitives. As usual, the two encounter strange and wacky characters while on the run from the joint.

Being a fan of the original, I was very excited about this sequel upon its arrival to theater. John Cho and Kal Penn reprise their roles as the characters they were born to play. This time they get more political and racial on us, actually hurting the film critic wise. However, this critic couldn’t help but burst into laughter at the hard-to-swallow jokes. It’s Politically incorrect, full of gratuitous nudity, and displays its vulgarity with an optimistic charm (something the original was afraid to do?). I got more than I expect with cameo appearances by everyones favorite NPH, the popular The Big Bag of Weed, and a scene that might go down as a vintage in movie history involving George W. Bush.

Neil Patrick Harris and Rob Corddry’s characters are priceless. I’m not exaggerating when I say that it has one of the funniest and surprisingly important scenes in a comedy. This is definitely the most hilarious film of the year so far. It may be early, but it will certainly be hard to top this gutsy approach to comedy gone vulgar with style. Most critics and those with a fragile conscious will hate the 9/11 references and profiling comments on every race imaginable. But if there ever was a list of my guilty pleasures, this is near the top. You’ll have to forgive the pun, but never once does it blow stale smoke.

This sequel is ruder, cruder, and astonishingly much funnier than the original. I admire a film that acquires some audacity, and this stoner comedy has audacity to spare. This is the comedy event of the year and qualifies as a gut-busting, laugh-till-you-cry motion picture. Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg poke fun at every race and do it in a truly forgivable way (considering it’s really funny), even adding a few messages down the road. A wacky, smart and most of all tremendously funny ride with the most lovable on-screen duo since Cheech and Chong. A must-see.

Iron Man” stars Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, and Gwyneth Paltrow. It’s directed by Jon Favreau (Elf, Zathura) and the screenplay was written by Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby (First Snow, Children of Men).

Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is the wealthy CEO of Stark Industries, known for producing advanced weaponry. After demonstrating his latest creation called the Jericho Missile, his Humvee is attacked by terrorists leaving shrapnel in Tony Starks body. He is now required to have a device inserted to keep the shrapnel out of his heart.

Superheros aren’t born, they’re built. “Iron Man” is a great way to kick off the summer season. There are a few problems I had with the movie. The action sequences could have been more evenly distributed and without that frantic feel. It starts off slow and when it picks up the pace, it does it so vigorously it becomes loud and without any real emotional effect. Not to mention the Black Sabbath song Iron Man isn’t played until the credits roll. The dialog is very smart, with truly brilliant lingo scattered throughout. Since I haven’t read an Iron Man comic book, I’m not too sure that it accurately followed the storyline. Seeing that the character development was greatly explored, I can’t imagine it being anything other than faithful to the comics.

Robert Downey Jr. (who is clearly not the hero type) does a surprisingly good job here playing the greatly flawed character Tony Stark. He is a gambler, a compulsive drinker, a womanizer and also a genius inventor. He creates a total of three suits before perfecting his invention, which takes up too much of the running time. I would have enjoyed a little more action to go with my smarts, but the film works on a certain level of popcorn entertainment. His arch nemesis (Obadiah Stone) is played so riotously by Jeff Bridges that it wouldn’t be that same with a full head of hair. What really keeps the films energy intact is Robert Downey Jr.’s ability to keep up with the snappy dialog, pratically carrying the film freely on his shoulders (even with that distracting goatee).

This is the best acting ever displayed in a superhero movie. I am looking forward to a more action packed sequel now that we got to know the tarnished character Tony Stark. Stan Winston, who took part in creating the special effects, proves his talent once again. The work of a master is shown when the special effects don’t weigh down the films story, like most superhero movies do so reluctantly. This will leave fan boys and even those who don’t read the comic foaming at the mouth for more. Be sure to stick around after the credits for a surprising cameo by none other than one of my favorite actors.

“Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life” stars Angelina Jolie and Gerard Butler. It’s directed by Jan de Bont (Speed, Twister) and written by Stephen E. de Souza and James V. Hart.

Angelina Jolie reprises her role as the agile character known as Lara Croft. This time, Lara discovers an orb that acts as a map to the legendary Pandora’s Box. The orb haplessly falls into the hands of an evil scientist who deals with lethal viruses and Lara Croft is the only hope in, once again, saving the world from total chaos.

As much as I enjoyed the mindless nature of the original, this one lacks in well choreographed, adrenaline-fulled fight scenes and features a more tired and washed up Lara Croft. There is hardly any action and when there is action, it’s poorly structured and very forgettable. Too often it crosses the fine line of being weak-minded entertainment and being just plain weak-minded. As much as this character shined in the first one, she doesn’t seem as fresh or stylish as she use to.

This is a dispensable sequel to the widely popular movie adapted from a computer game. Surprisingly, this one is even less memorable and more ignorant than it’s predecessor. If the film was limited in dialog and added more trigger happy moments, I would probably ignored the fact that the story is even more dumbed-down than the original. A less attractive, rather irksome entry into the unwanted sequel district that Hollywood so aversely contributes to.

What happened to the Lara Croft that I remember? At least the dialog had distinct limits in the more primitive entry and depended on the film’s looks to get by. This time around they try to make sense out of a senseless 007 plot and the film loses its beauty. It feels like less effort was put into this, throwing in needless lingo and leading to a claptrap of an ending. One visually stunning scene near the end doesn’t make up for the pretentious crap beforehand. The finale has a breathtaking look, but the original sustained that gorgeous look from beginning to end.

“Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” stars Angelina Jolie, Daniel Craig, and Jon Voight. It’s directed by Simon West (Con Air, The General’s Daughter). The story, written by Sara B. Cooper and Mark Werbis, was adapted from the popular video game.

The film introduces us to Lara Croft, a tomb raider who enjoys finding ancient artifacts and calming them as her own. Her mission is a dangerous one. She must infiltrate a secret cult society to retrieve two pieces to a old device used to stop time. This device, if put into the wrong hands, could destroy the world.

Think of it as an absent-minded Indiana Jones with a woman’s touch with the hot and sexy Angelina Jolie giving the film an attractive look. Our heroine looks skilled holding a gun as she slides, flips, and dives kicking butt around every corner. It seldomly uses its brain, but it definitely knows how to deliver well choreographed and stylishly over-the-top action sequences. Something I have a soft spot for and (when pushed correctly) gives me a adrenaline rush. Nearly every fight scene is executed and shot with grace and the film turns out to be beautiful to look at.

The plot line may be paper thin and very confusing, but it has a sensational amount of purely satisfying action scenes. A foolish and empty-headed popcorn flick with dialog that is much too simplistic for its very contrived story, yet it’s so good-looking. Although it overlaps the time limited for such silliness, it was still enjoyable for the most part and helped the film move along at a brisk pace. This deeply probed and highly flawed actioner, if taken too seriously, will become a nuisance rather than entertainment. I landed in the entertained zone.

It fails in creating interesting dialog, an incisive script, and even a plausible plot. On the other hand, its well choreographed fight scenes, good special effects, and sexy female lead (who looks stylish gripping a gun) have to be worth something. In fact, it was enough to win me over and earn my recommendation, leaving me looking forward to the sequel. Not to mention the film ended on a high note. Angelina Jolie was a perfect casting choice leading her to other over-the-top actioners like “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” and this years summer blockbuster “Wanted” that arrives in theaters late June. The Lara Croft series boosted her action career and I can certainly see why.

“Untraceable” stars Diane Lane, Billy Burke, Colin Hanks, and Joseph Cross. It’s directed by Gregory Hoblit (Frequency, Fractured) and written by Robert Fyvolent and Mark Brinker.

Jennifer Marsh, a secret service detective, gets drawn into a cat and mouse game with a killer who seems to be untraceable. This killer relies on the Internet and its viewers to kill his victims, setting up torture devices that respond to the number of views the site gets. The more views, the quicker the victim dies.

This is your usual by-the-numbers crime thriller that follows the book note by note, resulting in predictable occurrences. The acting is a cut above mediocre and the concept is very intriguing, it’s just all used in the wrong way. It’s sloppy in it’s depicture of this stark subject and is poorly structured. Rather than delivering a strong moral, the result is a film with a pharisaic message.

The film is bombarded with cliches, ranging from events that occur in both torture films and crime thrillers. While most of the Hostel and Saw films are a guilty pleasure of mine, the majority of those weren’t without intelligence and didn’t juggle around a moral it never followed. As much as I like Diane Lane, she certainly doesn’t quite tune into her character’s role. There are moments of undeniable suspense, but this isn’t my idea of a satisfying movie. In fact, it’s the complete opposite. A luridly unsatisfying, commonplace, non-thrilling thriller. There is no mystery to be solved and the whole thing unfolds in a very typical manner.

It’s not a terrible movie (I have seen much worse), it just doesn’t satisfy and ends up being a movie I wish I didn’t see. The film does have a modish look, but it is dumbed down by the inept script. When there is no brains to a movie, it just becomes another regret. Nothing new or original is coughed up in it’s very long running time, reaching nearly two hours long and feeling much longer than that. This is a film that doesn’t know that it’s going against its own moral. A rare way to disappoint its audience, but it does it so profoundly it’s as if it was on purpose.

“Teeth” stars Jess Weixler as the dangerously beautiful Dawn and other not very well known actors. It’s written and directed by amateur Mitchell Lichtenstein, with “Teeth” being his first step into the liquid of film-making.

A high school student named Dawn (Jess Weixler) encounters some strange happenings with her body. Unaware of whether this is her body maturing or if it is something else. She soon discovers she still has alot to learn about her body. It’s not Dawn’s mouth that is teething, it happens to be something much further south.

They say every rose has its thorns. This one is so sharp, that even the lightest touch will leave a permanent mark on men’s most cherished body parts. This is a fashionably original nightmare that’s both seductively disturbing (for the men) and darkly humorous (for the women). Female genital mutation is certainly original and is explored in this film. This is an entry into the horror comedy genre, a genre that I am very familiar with, that is always smart and satirically horrific. Even though it does have a tedious start, the film picks up the tempo with a very disturbing scene.

The slow beginning develops the hazardous character Dawn, who has been teething in all the wrong places. It’s not very often that something new is shuffled into the mix of horror and comedy. But when it happens, it’s nothing short of refreshing. This is a very impressive directorial debut for Mitchell Lichtenstein, who clearly has a warped mind and used it in the most brilliantly innovative way possible. The acting was very appropriate, never quite overacting or exerting stiff performances. It’s sporadically gory with many scenes making me wince in agony.

This is one of the most bizarre and disturbing movies I have ever seen. It takes a bite out of the usual, chews it up, and spits it out forming an unimaginable creation. An aggressive work of art from an amateur who seems like a natural. He creates something that will haunt men for years to come, reminding them to get to know someone very well before getting intimate. It just might save their most treasured possession.

“Awake” stars the hot and sexy Jessica Alba and the usual monotoned Hayden Christensen. It’s written and directed by Joby Harold. This is his first step into the spotlight of directing with Awake being his first entry into filmography.

Joby Harold explores a lurid real-life phenomenon known as anesthesia awareness in his directorial debut “Awake”. Clay Beresford is a happily married and extremely wealthy man who has a weak heart and must undergo a long, and in this case, very painful experience involving a heart transplant.

Although there is a moment that will make the faint of heart queasy and possibly encourage you to think twice about surgery, “Awake” is a film that tries much to hard to please it’s audience. When it’s all over, it’s as if Joby Harold has his hands on his knees, out of breath and gasping for air. There are enough twists in this movie to make your head spin and the majority of them can be predicted without effort. For a directorial debut, this does have minimal style.

Hayden Christensen reprises the role that he has played numerous times before and, like most of the time, without a glimpse of true acting skills. Once again he is a rich and lazy voiced character with a preppy look. The sketchy chemistry between Hayden Christensen and Jessica Alba was intentional for some crucial plot points in the film. This I respect. I believe that most of the flaws are based on lack of direction. This is a film that is very limited in its creepiness. Even though it does have a moment of nearly unbearable intensity, it drifts off into an ineffective experience once you get pass Clay’s inner-thoughts of sheer pain.

It is amazing how many twist and turns this film takes. One fresh and jaw-dropping twist would have justified the needs of most moviegoers. Instead, we have nearly uncountable twists that don’t quite surprise us when we figure most of them out way beforehand. Jessica Alba gives another mildly mediocre performance and relies on her good looks to be charming. Not a bad thing, but does this beautiful woman actually have any acting abilities? One actor in this movie has proven his skills in acting before. Terrance Howard, although not in the top of his game, gives a marginally well performance as one of the surgens.  Most of these problems are just lack of experience and will hopefully upgrade when or if Joby Harold makes his next feature film. I am eager to see if improves.

“Mulberry Street” stars a widely unknown cast that don’t show any acting skills and aren’t completely convincing. It’s directed by Jim Mickel and written by Nick Damici, who also stars in the film.

Mulberry Street is located in Manhattan and is infested with rats. These rats are infected with a virus that spreads by biting their victims, in this case humans, and they too evolve into blood thirsty rats. To save the town from the infected are six evicted tenants who  must survive the night fighting off human rats.

For such an amateurish and poorly made flick, it wasn’t completely terrible. Those of you who are zombied out, Hollywood has managed to squeezed something into the tired mutated human genre that isn’t much different than the usual. Instead of zombies, we now have humans evolving into blood thirsty rats. Will Hollywood ever come out with something innovative to add to this vapid genre? Most of the time the film is somewhat incomprehensible, thanks to an always mobile and continuously jumpy camera. This is a feature overused in the majority of recent zombie movies.

There is absolutely no character development. I’m hoping that in this case the film-maker’s intentions were for the viewer to want these characters to mutate and cheer when it finally happens. Problem is we don’t quite cheer when we realize that the mutating process is lackluster. It’s an attempt, but an attempt it remains. There’s nothing new here. Replace the usual zombie movie with rats. We have seen all of this done many times before and much more effective than this. It feels much longer than its 85 min running time because of poor pace and loss of interest.

“Mulberry Street” is as silly as it’s premise. The make-up, though never properly displayed, is expertly crafted. There aren’t enough memorable moments and the film was shot too dark at times to tell what was going on. Although it’s not as bad as some horror movies, it certainly doesn’t raise the bar of film-making above any standards. And where did this virus come from? This is a crucial question for its virus related thesis left unanswered in the end.

Paranoid Park” stars Gabe Nevins, Daniel Liu, and many other first time actors. It’s written and directed by Gus Van Saint (Good Will Hunting, Elephant) and is based on a novel written by Blake Nelson.

A teenage skater named Alex (Gabe Nevins) becomes the suspect of the possible murder of a late night security guard patrolling an area near the train tracks. A detective named Richard Lu (Daniel Liu) visits the school known for multiple skaters who hang out at the famous skate park known as Paranoid Park. His reason being that the murder weapon was a skateboard and occurred near this famous skater hang-out.

“Paranoid Park” is an independent flick shot with style and grace. A subtle thriller featuring Gabe Nevins’ debut as an actor and this role just might boost his way to stardom. He gives a spectacular performance as a loner who finds himself in the most disturbing of situations. Not only does Gabe Nevins nails his character, but just about every actor portrayed in the film appeared natural on camera. It’s amazing how confident all of these first time actors (composed primarily of young teens) are. Some of this credit goes towards veteran director Gus Van Saint for prying out these fresh performances, but most of the credit goes to the actors themselves for being so casual during filming.

This is an atmospherically dark and thought-provoking entry into the film noir genre. The excessive use of slow-motion is common in independent flicks. Gus Van Saint takes full advantage of this using ultra slow-motion every chance he gets, eventually overusing it at times. This is a film full of gritty style, even using an unfocused camera at times adding a hazy effect. It has a very modest pace to it that neither hurts the film nor does it really help. The script was sharp and intelligently written.

My only real problem with this film is the ending. It doesn’t quite answer important questions and leaves a dry feeling. An odd selection of music was used in appropriate moments and the direction was done with fashion. This is a well made sleeper that with its subtle approach is gripping, and most of all unsettling. Anyone who is looking for a film with first time acting at its best, distinctive style and a pneumatic ring to it, “Paranoid Park” has that and much more.

“The Bucket List” stars academy award winners Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson. It’s directed by Rob Reiner (Stand By Me, Misery) and written by Justin Zachham, who really didn’t have a trademark movie until this one rolled around.

The story is about two terminally ill men escape from the hospital to accomplish their bucket list. This is a list containing all of the things that they would like to do before they “kick the bucket”. After being diagnosed with cancer, the two embark on an adventure to complete all the things featured on this list, including sky diving.

The acting is very sharp and the script is incisive. It’s sad, but not to the point of being downright depressing. Etched in my brain was the fact that these very likable characters are going to die. Morgan Freeman is a jeopardy wise mechanic with a loving family and Jack Nicholson is his regular bitter self. The two gain a relationship that touches both deeply, along with the viewers. The best way to describe this film is being both blue and joyous at the same time, generating a ladder of emotions.

There are some moments that are very emotionally charged. These two lovable characters enjoy the greatest months of their lives and it’s a very uplifting experience. An undeniably beautiful portrait of companionship and quite possibly Rob Reiner’s best film involving friendship since “Stand By Me”. This is a sure mist-maker with most of these being tears of joy not sorrow. The directing was top-notch and the film itself was powerful enough to make me tear up more than a couple of times. This is a true winner in my book.

The character development for this serious subject must be very strong to produce an abiding effect. Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson have spectacular chemistry that is quite possibly the best displayed in ‘07 and boosted this film way beyond my expectations. I would love to see the two together again in the future. Though minimally flawed, this film will raise spirits and touch the core of viewers, something Hollywood has tried many times and failed on multiple levels. My hats off to “The Bucket List” for conquering this difficult feat more than once in a single viewing.

“Son of Rambow” stars Bill Milner, Will Poulter, Zofia Brooks, Neil Dudgeon, Tallulah Evans, and Jessica Hynes. It’s written and directed by Garth Jennings, who directed the incomprehensible “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”. It’s being released in the U.S. in limited theaters May, 2.

The story centers on two completely different kids who bond a growing relationship making a film titled “Son of Rambow”. Will (Bill Milner) is the eldest son of the Proudfoot family and comes across a bully in school named Lee Carter (Will Poulter). Lee Carter see a more submissive being in Will and uses him as his stuntman and promises to hurt him if he tells anyone. Leading us to the power of word of mouth.

The film doesn’t quite live up to my expectations, but these young actors have a sort of talent not fully displayed here. The adorable trailer and the sweet concept actually oversell “Son of Rambow”, giving the impression that this is going to be a feel good kids movie. The feel good aspect gets lost in the sappy and predictable ending. There is too much violence and a very profound use of foul language for it to be a kids movie, but it’s never mature enough for teens or adults to take it seriously. There is also a very unlikable self-indulgent character that features a razzie worthy hairdo and clothing similar to that featured in “Hook”.

The direction wasn’t bad, the story is sweet, but the film isn’t that good. This is the perfect example of a completely disorganized and uneven layout of a flick that could’ve been so much better. The acting was pretty decent, with the two lead roles carrying the film. Surprisingly, this was dull and never really captured the art of film-making. There are many poorly conducted scenes that actually felt like these youngsters were guiding the film instead of director Garth Jennings. What an embarrassment.

It’s hard to believe that adults will find this endearing with the excessive underage smoking and dirty habits these kids demonstrate on film. It’s not funny enough, nor is it intelligent enough to earn a recommendation. There wasn’t a single moment that the film truly touched me or sparked an emotional cord. Not once was I really entertained or had interest in the outcome of the film. “Son of Rambow” is a hardcore disappointment with nothing original to offer. Skills? I think not. To put it in English terms, it’s complete rubbish.

“Super High Me” stars stoner/comedian Doug Benson and has cameo appearances from multiple comedians and noted pot smokers including comedian Sarah Silverman and stoner king Marc Emery. It features Michael Blieden’s directorial debut to the big screen.

After witnessing the documentary “Super Size Me”, habitual pot smoker Doug Benson decided to make a documentary on the effects of non-stop usage of the herbal mood enhancer known as Marijuana for 30 days. The big catch being that he has to quit smoking reefer for 30 days before conducting the experiment. This experiment includes memory tests, SAT tests, sperm tests, and psychic tests. The result is the stoner related documentary “Super High Me” released on 4-20-08.

Doug Benson, the guy who was recently named #2 pot comedian by High Times Magazine, is admittedly a funny man. Most of the documentary is composed of stand up comedy by Benson along with many other well known comedians, with the center of all the jokes being the mind-altering substance formally known as cannabis. If your familiar with the buzz and support marijuana, you will appreciate this attempt and some of the aspects that Benson points out in his documentary. One of the most crucial aspects being the DEA raiding medical marijuana labs. Just evidence that not all of this is funny business.

There are some problems with this film. It pretty much fails on the documentary level, lacking in a sufficient amount of statistics to inform the audience of the importance of the oldest known cash crop. A good deal of the film (about 75%) is short stand up acts, most of which are performed by Doug Benson. The majority of the jokes are pretty good, while a good quantity of them aren’t as funny as he makes them out to be. There are several interviews with medical marijuana users, along with an interview with Marc Emery (very interesting). Marc Emery, more commonly known as The Prince of Pot, has become a legend in Canada. This man has been arrested a total of 17 times and his home has raided dozens of times, all for marijuana.

Although it doesn’t supply the desired amount of stats for a documentary, it was mildly interesting. There is an unexpected mood swing the film delivers. That smile on your face will be turned upside down by the sight of the tortured souls of medical marijuana users watching the DEA take away their medicine. There is a point to this documentary, just a very muddled one thanks to the overuse of stand up comedy, the sight of Doug Benson getting “Super High”, and lack of statistics. I liked it, but it just feels like a comedy special to me.

“Prom Night” stars Brittany Snow, an uprising actress who’s more commonly known for her side role in “Hairspray”. It features the directorial debut for Nelson McCormick who previously directed TV shows that include Nip Tuck and The Closer.

A night of magic turns into a nightmare for a senior traumatized by the brutal killing of her family (Brittany Snow). The sadistic killer gets put in the mental institution, but escapes in search of the one person he wanted the most. It happens on a night that every teenager should remember for the rest of their life and Donna is guaranteed to remember this one.

Let me first start by saying this wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be, it was worse. The character development was weak (what were their names?) and frankly I didn’t care whether or not these people were slaughtered. Like most teen-friendly slasher flicks, it relies entirely on cheap scares and poorly structured jolts. The kind where the camera slowly sneaks up on a character, only to find out that there is nothing there. What is suppose to leave you in a state of uncertainty and anxiety are the around the corner attacks that are nowhere near satisfying. It’s just another hauntingly familiar addition to the teen slasher genre. Nothing original or new. It’s just the same old cliched stuff.

With subliminal acting, poor production, and a Made-For-TV script, this film has no qualities worth crowning. Brittany Snow can’t carry this movie through it’s short 88min running time with the horrible acting she displays in “Prom Night”. There is no way a timid actress like herself can boost into a mainstream career with tired material like this. There isn’t a sliver of suspense here. A couple moments of just decent acting can be found if you look closely. Not from Brittany Snow, but from Dana Davis who obviously should have been the lead actress.

In the end, this modern retrend of the old school 80’s slasher flick that goes by the same name is just another tired attempt at remaking a classic horror movie. If there is any talent, it was lost during production time. Everything, down to the trite and amateurish script, is irrational and poorly set-up. Don’t spend you time and please don’t spend your money on this soon-to-be-forgotten night.