Looking for a romantic comedy that appeals to a broad audience; a film that never goes overboard with stereotypes and profanity? Outsourced just might be the perfect movie for you. The DVD is set to be released on September 2, 2008.

Todd Anderson (John Hamilton) is living a fine life until he receives the bad news that his job has been outsourced, meaning that the company is to send out work to an outside provider in order to cut costs. Even worse is the fact that Todd must travel to India to train his replacement. There he learns about the history of India, the cultural dos and don’ts, and finds true love along the way.

Outsourced is an exotic charmer filled with endearing characters and genuinely funny moments, a film that doesn’t rush into the romance and is never mawkish or overly sentimental. It perfectly mixes charm and humor with some truly fascinating insights on Indian culture mixed in. I was surprised that this film had so much to say about India. Although the majority of these things seem, well, unsanitary, the film also has some interesting lessons pertaining to Indian goddesses and bindis.

It stamped a smile on my face from beginning to end by using relatable incidents similar to those one might encounter while spending time in a country with a non-western culture. There are certain rules you must follow. Eating the right foods is a must (as this film so humorously demonstrates) and is quite possibly the most important rule upon further examination of the film.

The acting was also a pleasant surprise. The cast, both American and Indian, fit the roles perfectly and show some acting skills along with sharp comedic timing. John Hamilton’s Todd Anderson reacts exactly as one would when encountering a cow in his office and Ayesha Dharker’s Asha has moments that are touching. The mishaps that Todd encounters and finds solutions to are quite funny and the relationship between Todd and Asha is remarkably honest. The two have great chemistry.

Outsourced is a clever, sweet, and surprisingly hilarious movie that uses lighthearted humor and charm to win over just about anyone in need of a carefree movie experience. The combination of likable characters, modest humor, and a cute love story make for a purely enjoyable romantic comedy. With more comedy than romance, the film easily overcomes being predicable and cliched. Director John Jeffcoat has a fondness for his characters and simply guides them in the right direction every step of the way. Not only is it a hugely enjoyable film, but also a beautifully rendered love story.

The DVD’s special features include “Behind the Scenes”, a music video, an audio commentary track, an interview with director John Jeffcoat, a theatrical trailer, and a storyboard feature. 4.5/5 stars

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Another painfully annoying Martin Lawrence movie or finally a refreshing Martin Lawrence comedy? Actually, it’s a combination of the two.

Chief of Police James Porter (Martin Lawrence) is a father devoted to spending every lasting moment with his little daughter Melanie (Raven-Symoné). He starts to worry, and the movie begins in earnest, when Melanie plans on going across the country to find the perfect college. James’s plan is to get her to go to the closest college possible, exactly 28 minutes away from her home. However, his plan isn’t as easy as he thought it would be.

Yep, it does have a couple lame jokes, a few annoying characters, and some unnecessary sing-alongs, all of which make up some of the worst moments in the film. Fortunately, we have twice as many laugh-out-loud moments, a few heartwarming incidents, and that adorable pig Albert, which combine to make more than a few bright spots in this G-rated film. It’s a hit-and-miss family comedy.

It’s predictable, yet fluffy and clean family entertainment. It’s perfect for the family in the fact that nothing is vile and it still manages to make adults laugh, or, at the very least, smile. Much of those laughs or smiles come thanks to the comedic duo that is Albert the Pig and Martin Lawrence. The two managed to make me crack up quite a few times. And all the laughs are true, never forced.

As for the supporting cast, they didn’t bring the comedy as much as they brought some headache-inducing duets and solos. If you can get past those moments, you will have a good time. Director Roger Kumble (Cruel Intentions, Cruel Intentions 2, Just Friends) doesn’t top any of his previous films, but he shows moments of good comedic capabilities here and there. It is easy to say that without Donny Osmond and Molly Ephraim (who play another dad-daughter pair out looking at colleges), the overload of overly sentimental moments, and the horrendous singing, this would almost be a highly recommended film.

Clearly this is Disney Channel material with higher production values and a big Hollywood star filling the lead role. It is a film I can recommend for a family with children under the age of 8; the kids will probably find the parts that annoy adults pretty funny. On the other hand, if you’re a critical person and are looking at all aspects of the film, you can’t help but see much of the lame humor that takes place on this College Road Trip. Overall however, there are enough laugh-out-loud moments (which I wasn’t expecting from a G-rated comedy) to make it palatable for a family. Everyone else would be just fine avoiding this one. 2.5/5 stars

The DVD’s special features include the usual gag reel, deleted scenes, alternate opening and endings, and audio commentary tracks.

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Discovering a worthwhile horror comedy that is released directly to DVD is a gleeful moment for buffs of the genre like myself, and I think I discovered one of the scariest direct-to-DVD horror comedies released in years. The terrifying film Dead and Gone is available on DVD July 1.

Poor Jack Wade. His famous wife is in a coma and they are steadily running low on money. But Jack has an idea — he’ll bring his wife out to an isolated cabin deep in the mountains where he can finally put her body to rest for good and gain the assets he so desperately needs. However, this is the same cabin where a man murdered his family 40 years ago and it is rumored to be built on an Indian burial ground. Now, killing his wife isn’t as easy as he thought it would be.

Harry Shannon’s inaugural screenplay is put into the hands of first-time director Yossi Sasson. The producers and screenwriter evidently trusted this rookie director to bring Shannon’s insane ideas to life. I think it was this trust that elevated this picture and it’s clear that Sasson knew where to go with this concept and how to execute it.

Don’t rent this film expecting full-on horror. Although it does have quite a bit of blood-spewing action, it has its moments of dark humor wedged in. But this is humor so dry you probably will find yourself thinking it’s funny rather than laughing out loud. It gels horror with deadpan comedy very well by not making us burst into laughter. It mostly benefits from flashy imagery and fast motion sequences that polish the look, tighten the atmosphere, and ultimately scare the hell out of the viewers.

Quentin Jones proved his ability to carry a movie, bearing in mind that he was pretty much the highlight of the film. There are a few well done cameo appearances by Kyle Gass from the two-man band Tenacious D and horror regular Zack Ward who first made his appearance as a child actor in the film A Christmas Story as Scut Farcus. These cameo appearances aren’t anything special, but might satisfy the few fans they have. It’s a gooey surprise and a solid debut for both Harry Shannon and Yossi Sasson.

In the vein of The Shining and The Evil Dead, this white knuckle thrill-ride will have you on the edge of your seat from its gripping opening scene to its twisted finale. Hell, you just might fall off your seat. The last 25 minutes of the film are truly frightening and there are enough harrowing twists and turns to maintain the intrigue. It even has a tingling score with a light chuckle tweaked in occasionally. Not only does it have the ability to send chills up the spine, but it will also have you biting your nails down to the core.

Look for it when it hits the rental shelves on July 1 and you can thank me later. DVD special features include the featurette “Gone with the Dead: Behind the Scenes of Dead and Gone“, filmmakers’ commentary with director Yossi Sasson and writer Harry Shannon, deleted scenes, outtakes, and a trailer gallery. 4.5/5 stars

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Join Jerry and Mike (Jack Black and Mos Def) in Be Kind Rewind as they “swede” some of the most iconic movies of all time to raise the appropriate amount of money and save their aged video store from being torn down.

What is sweding, one might ask? Sweding is when you remake a film from scratch using whatever you can get your hands on. In this case, Jerry accidentally erases every video tape from the store and Mike comes up with the simple idea of remaking the VHS tapes using themselves as actors. The two end up becoming stars and people from around the country start to seek the sweded work of Jerry and Mike.

The idea is unique and the characters are charming. Jerry is an over-the-top character with sensitive feelings and believes that he is perfect for every role and Mike is a very simple-minded, soft-spoken character who just doesn’t want to disappoint the store owner and father figure Elroy Fletcher, passively played by Danny Glover.

Although the tone of the film is much different from that of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, there is still a lot of thought put into this picture. And this takes of a whole lot effort from Jack Black and Mos Def if you consider the many different roles they had to cover in the time span of 102 minutes. Let’s not forget about Danny Glover, who has a distinctive slur to his voice and gives an unobtrusive performance that brings some dignity to his character. There are a few funny moments to be found, but the film seemed more interested in capturing the hearts of its viewers, rather piling on the laughs.

A definitive style and imagination is a requirement for a solid concept like this. Michel Gondry proved that he has everything needed to direct films with such an offbeat pitch to it when he put his signature style on films like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Science of Sleep. This one’s a true crowd pleaser.

Unlike Son of Rambow (a film that was also trying to grasp the essence of film and failed on multiple levels), this film has a tender spot for movie lovers and pleases without being disorganized and erratically uneven. A solid script, great cast, and an amusing premise guide this homage to movies, friendship, and the power of numbers to its warm finale. Be sure to take the time to cherish each clever scene and the outer limits of Michel Gondry’s imagination. The ending will either be a touching, heartfelt one or an insipid, whimsical one (depending on one’s perspective). For me, it was entirely endearing.  4/5 stars

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Writer/director Richard Linklater (Dazed and Confused, A Scanner Darkly) takes the audience on a psychedelic mind-trip into the world of dreaming. A man wanders around in his own dream meeting various people who preach the meaning and purpose of life and has multiple false awakenings in the process. He begins to question what is real and what is fictional and soon wonders if this is the result of death. The cast includes Wiley Wiggins, Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Adam Goldberg, Steven Soderbergh, and Richard Linklater himself.

It all comes down to what Linklater was trying to accomplish. Whether it’s due to an abundant flow of ideas and theories or just proof that he handled every drug known to man during his college days, Linklater has a way of drawing his audience into his dream world of distorting illusion and conventional conversations pertaining to evolution, the media, and isolation. The majority of these conversations are contrived and just don’t make much sense. But when the occasional well thought out theory is explained thoroughly, one can’t help but dwell on these perspectives and immediately become enmeshed in Linklater’s world of hypothetical analysis.

The animation is trippy. Objects move when they should be stationary and the characters change shape and colors, even becoming transparent at times. It’s an ambitious work of art with an imaginative glance into the world of surrealism, an hypnotic way of explaining one’s perception of dreams and reality. It’s a film for the thinking crowd, the type of movie that will test your knowledge and proclaim its existence into your memory.

It’s absurd in the fact that the entire film is unpredictable and that random thoughts become rationed out though different perspectives. However, this absurdity is what keeps the film interesting. There’s quite a bit to look at here (a gift to the eyes) and enough to intrigue and bring out inner thoughts about life (a treat to the ears and mind). I can’t say that the film will be completely engaging, but I found most of these principles associated with life to be utterly fascinating.

Linklater has many thoughts crowding his head and this seems like the best way of displaying his loopy mindset and ultimately activating the gears in the viewer’s brain. What Richard Linklater does here is provide a way of dealing with dreams; he put a new brand of animation on the map in the process. In the end, Linklater does justice to the mind and brings something distinctive and new to the table. A standing ovation is required.  4/5 stars

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If you like films I think you will enjoy this movie.  Director Michel Gondry creator of “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” gives us this warm family film, although please don’t expect the same originality the Spotless Mind gave.  It came out this February but was overlooked I think because it wasn’t overly promoted, either that or cause Jack Black is in it.  Whatever reason, it had some good names attached to it; Danny Glover, Mia Farrow, Mos Def, and Jack Black who all mesh well together in the movie.

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I managed to get a exclusive look at the upcoming film The Mutant Chronicles, blasting its way into theaters some time in 2008. The exact release date is unknown as of this writing, but it’s certain that it will be some time this year. The big question is whether or not it is worth the time and price of admission.

During the 23rd century, a soldier by the name of Mitch Hunter (Thomas Jane) guides an army of fierce fighters to battle underground mutants after opening a seal to an ancient creation. This creation is a machine known to turn humans into blade-slinging mutants determined to wipe out mankind. It is up to Mitch and his fierce army to save the world. Quite possibly the first ever pen-and-paper-role-playing-game-turned-movie, The Mutant Chronicles is surprisingly satisfying.

Loud, exciting, very funny, and brutally entertaining, it just might be the action film of the year — a movie full of great fight scenes, excitement around every corner, and visually arresting set designs that will hold even the most cynical viewer’s interest. Truthfully, it is the most fun I’ve had at the movies in a long time.

Sporting an A-list action cast that includes Ron Perlman (Hellboy) and Thomas Jane (The Punisher), it is sure to please a certain targeted audience that has a lust for action and a strong appetite for gore. The thrills, the shocks, and the sheer enjoyment of going to the movies is all there and in full, ass-kicking form.

But don’t get me wrong, readers, this isn’t a masterpiece. It does have its glitches like underdeveloped characters, loads of commentary, and Ron Perlman’s acting (which is nearly laughable). Not to mention the small cameo appearance from John Malkovich was unnecessary and could’ve saved the filmmakers a few bucks by casting an unknown actor for this role. Things like that are giving the movie a bad rep after its premier at the Cannes Film Festival. However, there are enough adrenaline-charged moments to flush out these glitches and make for pure entertainment.

In the final act, we get to see Hellboy and The  Punisher go head-to-head in a battle to the death. It’s an exhilarating moment added to the tons of violence beforehand and a great finish to a spectacular fusion of sci-fi, action, horror, and comedy. The Mutant Chronicles is an authentic film and certainly worth the admission price, popcorn and all. 4.5/5 stars

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Directed by Guillermo Del Toro
Written by Guillermo Del Toro
Starring Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones

Four years after the original, Hellboy is back, and although there wasn’t a lot of demand for a sequel, it proves to be a welcome addition to the list of summer 2008 blockbusters. This time around, “Red” has to stop an ancient mythical prince from summoning The Golden Army, an indestructible force of 70 times 70 mechanical warriors to take back the world that was once his. Whatever, the plot isn’t really important. It just works as a vessel for visionary director Guillermo Del Toro to work his remarkable imagination. And he does.

The first Hellboy seemed impressive in 2004, but it pales in comparison to The Golden Army. From start to finish there are dozens of breathtaking creatures that raise the bar of fantasy. The sequel is a lot more rooted in fantasy/fairy tale territory than typical superhero stuff. Which is a good thing because Del Toro knows a few things about fantasy and fairy tales, he directed the masterpiece Pan’s Labyrinth. For example, in a brilliant early scene, Hellboy and his team encounter hundreds of little “tooth fairies”, vicious little killers who have habit of stealing their victim’s teeth. Or when the team infiltrate the “Troll Market”, a place for the things that go bump in the night to shop, which may actually top the Tatooine bar scene in the first Star Wars film. A couple delightful surprises wait there, and I wont spoil them. Or when the prince throws a harmless looking green jumping bean at Hellboy, that once it finds water, becomes something rather spectacular, maybe even beautiful. Like Pan’s Labyrinth, the film has a way of balancing makeup/costume effects with CGI. The result is authentic looking creatures that completely engross you into the movie’s reality. Why other directors don’t instate such style is quite the mystery to me.

The characters are all back, aside from Myers, which admittedly disappointed me…Until the Seth McFarlane (Family Guy) voiced Johan Krauss was introduced. A brilliant addition to the team, he seems to be a gas-like entity contained in some strange suit. His ability? He can possess inanimate objects, a power that will ultimately be underused because it’s way too useful. Hellboy is up to his old smoking cigars/petting kittens/pissing off authority antics, as well as some new ones as well (a duet of Barry Manilow between Red and Abe Sapien may occur). Ron Perlman enthusiastically continues his great performance with just the right mix of brawn and sensitivity, making Hellboy very endearing. Del Toro regular Doug Jones (played multiple creature parts in Pan’s Labyrinth) does triple duty as the more interesting this time around Abe Sapien as well as the film’s two best creatures, The Chamberlain and The Angel of Death. Selma Blair again fails to impress as Liz, but the writing for her character isn’t necessarily very strong. Jeffrey Tambor of Arrested Development gets more screen time but not more to do. He’s still grouchy and only there for minor conflict and a couple weak laughs.

The characters are fun, and certainly are a big part of the experience, but it’s the visuals that make this really worth seeing. Del Toro goes no holds-barred this time around, ad it’s sure to get any Lord of the Rings geek excited for his upcoming adaptation of The Hobbit. The plot is a bit trivial and the storytelling isn’t up to the par of Del Toro’s work. The Hellboy films feel more like a mix of Pan’s Labyrinth and Men In Black than a typical superhero movies. I wouldn’t rank them amongst Iron Man, the Spiderman films (well, maybe #3) or the new Batman movies but it really isn’t cut from the same cloth anyhow. So, striking visually, a bit weak story-wise, but a fun summer movie I highly recommend.

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The new British comedy, Son of Rambow, directed by Garth Jennings and written same duo who gave us the brilliant and innovative Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, have done it yet again.

Set in a 1980s British village, Son of Rambow follows two young boys who form an unlikely friendship. William (Bill Milner), a member of the Plymouth Brethren religion, is not allowed to indulge in any sort of media, including movies and music and is sent out of the classroom any time a film is shown.  As he is tormented, then slowly befriended by the cheeky troublemaker Lee Carter (Will Poulter), the boys’ difficult home life is what ultimately brings them together and when William catches a glimpse of Stallone in all his glory, his life is transformed and this friendship is forever sealed. Along with Didier (Jules Sitruk), the too-cool French exchange student, the boys attempt to make their own rendition of the ultimate action film, First Blood, leading to a surprising and fantastical plot.

These non-professional child actors are refreshing and quick-witted and the dialogue is snappy giving it the refreshing feeling of improvisation; this is what makes the film so special, it is sufficient, sentimental and honest . The sincerity of the acting is what gives Son of Rambow such an interesting twist that is so hard to find these days in the cinematic world and the pure-hearted nature of the comedy will keep you interested and entertained the length of the film. With fantastic use of animation, perspective and perfect pacing, Son of Rambow uses its British-ness to poke fun at the French and even themselves. In a recent Q&A I personally attended with the director and writers, they revealed that much of the story was taken from instances in their childhood and was based on their notions of growing up in England, showing that though anyone could write a script similar to this, nobody could execute it as precisely as they. This light-hearted comedy is insightful and mature, yet by the end brings out the child in each of us. I have a sneeking suspicion it will not receive the praise it truly deserves and for this alone, I highly reccomend seeing this film.

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We are first introduced to the Love Guru Pitka as he is speaking through a voice over machine (set to Morgan Freeman mode).  Mr. Myers breaks the fourth wall and begins to tell us of the story of his most difficult student and unexpected teacher.

Darren Roanoke played by Romany Malco (40 Year Old Virgin) is the star hockey player of the Toronto Maple Leafs he is lead his team to the Stanley Cup.  The problem is his game has been affected since he’s broken up with his wife played by Meagan Good (Wasit Deep).  The team’s owner Jane Bullard played by Jessica Alba (Fantastic Four) hires the Guru Pitka to help
Roanoke reconcile with his wife.  If the Guru can get Roanoke back with his wife he’ll be guaranteed a spot on Oprah, which will fulfill his dream of besting his rival Deepak Chopra.

Mike Myers developed this character after his father died.  The Guru Pitka was one of five characters that Mr. Myers performed in his 1994 stage show, (incidentally Austin Powers was another character in that same show).  The character is loosely based on new age guru Deepak Chopra (who incidentally has a cameo).

A lot of critics have slammed this movie for various reasons but I would like to say that there are some laughs in this movie.  It may not be the finest movie Mr. Myers has done, but it does have a certain charm.

There’s sincerity in Mr. Myers performance that shines through, even through moments where the jokes fall flat.  It is that commitment to the character that gets him through this movie.  The occasional wink at the camera to let us in on the joke may have annoyed a few critics but I found it to be very Bugs Bunnyish.

First time director Marco Schnabel did a respectable job; I especially liked the dance sequence that were parodied Bollywood films.  The performance of Justin Timberlake as Roanoke’s rival Jacques Grandewas quite a surprise.  Timberlake was able to have fun with the role, imagine a cross between Pepe LePew and a Celine Dion superfan.  Also it would me remiss of me to not mention Verne Troyer as the Maple Leafs head coach.

After reading a few reviews of this movie I went into it with low expectations.  Maybe that was a good thing because I ended up enjoying it in the end.  I would like to think that The Love Guru is about a man that teaches people to love themselves but has a tough time loving himself.

The run time for this movie is about an hour and a half.  It’s rated PG-13 for crude and sexual content throughout, language, some comic violence and drug references.

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Hancock is down! Will Smith provides a sub-par effort in his his role as an unlikely superhero in Hancock. Accompanying stars Charlize Theron and Jason Bateman both fail to resuscitate this fairly terrible movie.

The story follows Hancock, a drunk and publicly hated superhero, uses his sheer “super” power to save the citizens, but also destroy millions of dollars worth of property. Jason Bateman stars as, Ray, a down-on-his luck PR(Public Relations) who attempts to reform Hancock’s image. Charlize Theron stars as Ray’s wife who is more reluctant to welcome Hancock into their home than he is. The story diverges into a ridiculous romance subplot, a wannabe criminal reminiscent of Buster (From Arrested Development), and a history of immortal gods. I will admit the chemistry between Bateman and Smith did provide a few laughs, and yet some of the jokes were simply recycled later on.

The cinematography showed various epic shots of the entire city as well as some decent panoramic action sequences. However, once again Will Smith, relies on CGI to do most of his acting for him a la I AM Legend and I, Robot. Other than that the directing seemed to be on par with a typical summer popcorn flick.

GO SEE IT IF YOU LIKE:

-Big action scenes all sequenced by CGI

-Will Smith overact (once again)

- Or just have an attraction to terrible cinema

I give it a D+

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A dark comedy written and directed by Martin McDonagh, In Bruges stars Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson as two hit men who are sent to lay low in Bruges, Belgium after a botched assasination job for there boss, Harry (Ralph Fiennes).

After accidently killing a child, Ray (Farrell) and his partner Ken (Gleeson) are sent to the medieval city of Bruges to lay low while the heat wears down and there boss, Harry can figure out what to do with them. Ray, wracked with guilt over what he’s done, is immediately turned off by Bruges and complains about being stuck there, while Ken quickly discovers all the hidden tourist treasures in the ancient city. The two men not only differ on Bruges itself, but religion, death and the meaning behind the great mysteries of life as they spend time together.

While Ken continues to find fascination with the ancient city, Ray continues to be bored, that is until he meets Chloe (Clemence Posey), a free-spirited woman who, along with her ex-boyfriend hustles tourists for there money. Ray convinces Chloe to go out to dinner with him and along the way his temper gets the best of him, as he gets into a few sorted adventures, most of which center around a dwarf. Meanwhile, Harry calls Ken and asks him to quietly kill Ray, a punishment for his killing the child, and Ken must wrestle within himself to discover wiether or not he can bring himself to kill his friend and partner.

Something I found interesting (and ironic) within the movie, is that Ray is constantly comparing Bruges to purgatory, a place of neverending torment and torture. I found this interesting because that’s exactly what it feels like to watch this movie, which obviously takes place In Bruges. The movie starts dull, ends dull and reaches new points of boredom and dullness inbetween. Not helping is the sleep inducing musical score, and very bleak locales in the movie. While, at times, shot majestically by McDonaugh, they mostly only help to make the viewer, like the characters, feel trapped in this boring city. Now, I realize (and appreciate to a degree) that this is probably a point that someone who enjoyed the film could easily make for liking it. I, however, did not like the film at all, and so enhancing the feeling of entrapment only made things worse. I felt often like the movie had no purpose, no ending in sight and no idea how to resolve itself.

For starters, the plot and characters are dreadfully predictable and unlikable. Even the side characters are unlikable, especially the dwarf, who is a racist bastard hopped up on horse tranquilizers, screaming about the inevitable battle to come between the whites and minorities. Most movies of this sort will at least endow the female lead with some sort of sweetness or innocence to play off the dark hearted anti-heroes like Ray and Ken. Not this film. No sir. Chloe, while insanely attractive and sexy, is almost as bad as the two hitmen, praying on tourists and selling drugs in a city that apparently has no crime enforcement. To be fair, small attempts are made to give some of the characters redeemable qualities, or at least redeemable ideals, but just because an otherwise dispicable character says things like “You can’t kill kids,” doesn’t make them any more likable. It just means they have common sense.

Every plot “twist” can be seen miles ahead of time, so much infact that it becomes frustrating how much behind the movie can get to where you have already guessed it would go. Mainly the problem with In Bruges is that it is essentially one set of poorly written, unlikable characters running into and pissing off other poorly written and unlikable characters, until eventually most of them are dead or dying at the end of the movie. Never before have I even considered so heavily to giving a movie the unheard of “Zero stars,” but I came very close in this one. Basically the presence of the lovely Clemence Posey is worth a “1/2 star” rating on its own, otherwise the movie is utter rubbish.

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Starring Will Smith as Hancock, Jason Bateman as Ray Embrey,  and Mary Ray’s wife played by Charlise Theron.  Hancock is the story of a one of a kind superhero who leads a less than clean lifestyle know for saving the day in a destructive manner. Hancock goes to prison based on the recommendation of his PR representative Ray Embrey after the crime rate goes threw the roof Hancock is called to save the day and is now a new man. The minute Hancock gets out of prison he has to take care of a bank robbery where the audience meets the main bad guy of the movie. At this point the movie seems to be a classic superhero movie where the good guy has found the right path and has to defeat the bad guy, but in this story their is a slight twist Hancock isn’t the only one of his kind. This is when the movie turned slightly sour for me for Mary is connected to Hancock; at first the audience is lead to believe that the two are brother and sister which is plain ridiculous evan for a movie. Finally,  the audience learns that the two are former lovers. The audience also learns that when the two are near one another that they are more susceptible to injury.

One small theme that I notice that I thought was a nice choice to go with was the symbol of the bold eagle an American symbol this tied nicely with the name of the main character John Hancock. Another theme that become more annoying as the movie went on was the different ways people would try to provoke Hancock and Mary what no one can just chicken anymore. I was also surprised by the music most of the music was older some songs were only a few years old while others were as much as 20 including “Colors” by Ice Tea.

I enjoyed this film despite some ideas here and there the comic relief moments were great and what happens to the bad guy in the end was perfect. I would recommend seeing this movie, but I do not feel this film is appropriate for kids under 13 as the film is rated PG-13.

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Written and Directed by Harris Goldberg, Numb stars Matthew Perry as a chronically depressed man who suddenly feels the desire to cure himself after meeting the girl of his dreams. The film also co-stars film veterans Kevin Pollack and Mary Steenburgen.

Screenwriter Hudson Milbank (Perry) suffers from a rare mental disorder called acute depersonalization, a disorder essentially leaving him disconnected, devoid of any feelings or emotions. He is obsessed with the grotesque level of sadness he feels on a daily basis and wastefully goes thru the motions. Humerously, he gets thru the average day watching lesbian excercise classes and the Golf channel while downing pill after pill in an attempt to cure himself. Doctor after Doctor seems at a loss to help him and merely throws a new prescription at him, in an attempt to help. Finally, on pure chance, Hudson meets the girl of his dreams, Sarah (Lynn Collins), and tries harder to cure his condition and win her over.

A dark comedy to be sure, Numb still does have some light humor within it and does a respectable job of showcasing Matthew Perry’s trademark wit and dry humor that made him so popular on Friends and in The Whole Nine Yards, however Perry never quite does reach the level of greatness he achieved in those past roles. In this role he never quite seems to “go for it” as an actor, the script often calls for him to be alone and brooding with some emotion or another behind the surface, and Perry’s lack of ability to convey that second layer, that deepness within the character is disappointing and often frustrating.

However, Perry’s chemistry with Lynn Collins is very good, and she brings a great, much needed upness to the film. She is impossibly adorable in the role, as her character attempts to both understand what Hudson is going threw and help him move past it. Her speech about what she thinks love should be is incredibly sweet and moving. As a result, I found myself rooting for them as a couple, more so than Hudson himself. I wanted him to move past his condition so they would suceed, and Sarah would be happy more so than Hudson, and perhaps thats a failing in the movie or perhaps my failing in identifying with him. Either way, it didn’t work the way it should’ve and that brought my opinion of the movie down considerably.

Overall, it is a okay (but nowhere near great) film that is extremely serious with some light humor and some cute moments sprinkled in. I think its main problem may’ve been its attempt at balancing the humerous moments with the serious, dry portrayal of Hudson’s condition. The viewer can sometimes be at a loss as to wiether or not its okay to laugh with Hudson or laugh at him or laugh at all. The direction just gets so serious most of the movie that the intended thoughts and emotions don’t quite come across very well, and to me, when you can’t clearly express where you want the audience to go emotionally, then you’ve lost them.

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Teeth: if you pay attention to horror news at all you know it is the “movie where the girl’s vagina has teeth.” I’ll tell you my thoughts after having watched it and whether or not it lives up to its campy premise and festival circuit buzz, being out on DVD.

Teeth was directed by Mitchell Lichtenstein and the female lead was done by Jess Weixler. The plot, as plucked from IMDB: “High school student Dawn works hard at suppressing her budding sexuality by being the local chastity group’s most active participant. Her task is made even more difficult by her bad boy stepbrother Brad’s increasingly provocative behavior at home. A stranger to her own body, innocent Dawn discovers she has a toothed vagina when she becomes the object of violence. As she struggles to comprehend her anatomical uniqueness, Dawn experiences both the pitfalls and the power of being a living example of the vagina dentata myth.”

At first the movie almost feels like someone attempting to tap into the same quirky vibe present in a Tim Burton movie. It’s hard to explain why, since there weren’t elaborate fantasy sets or Johnny Depp with a funky hair-do, but it just felt that way. Yet, at the same time the director, who also wrote the film, put his own stamp on it. There is a reason Tim Burton’s stamp is way more valuable though; another thing that cannot be explained and is best felt; ha. The set-up in Teeth is a long one punch joke, meaning everything in the characters lives seems to be about repressed sexual urges, literally every conversation, situation, or shot has something to do with sex; even the holes in trees are lingered on for too long to seem like bodily orifice replicas. The joke is good for a bit, but wears thin really quick.

So, you get moved on from the humor and set up and get into the crucial turning point of things: the rape scene. The problem with the first violent attack of vagina teeth is the fact that 99% of people going to see this movie already know this is going to happen. Thus, all the power of the scene is truly lost and when you should be getting pulled out of the boring stupor that the set-up dropped you into you are instead just yawning some more. Eventually I wanted to fast forward.

The gore in this movie is quite explicit, if you’ve ever wanted shots of  severed penises and penis stumps spurting blood: you’ll be pleased. However, the horror movie devices used in this film along with the campy way it is executed steals away from the meat of things which is the coming of age story involving the girl. Yes, this was a very creative way to tell such a tale, but overall it ends up as just a gimmick style film, or as a I stated a long joke with a redundantly used punch line.

On the acting front of things Jess Weixler is quite interesting with a wide range of facial gestures that make her fun to watch. She does look quite a bit like Heather Graham, but fresher. The actor who played her demented brother in the film was equally interesting to see: John Hensley.

Final thoughts: You’re probably going to want to see this just to be able to say you saw the vagina with teeth movie. (no you do not get any shots of the vagina) Aside from some interesting actors and a few campy jokes, this movie gets boring by the halfway mark and even though there is a wonderfully creepy old man in the ending, you may find yourself fast forwarding through the rest of the penis decapitations to get there.

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Director Patrick Rea of SenoReality Pictures sent me a copy of one of his latest short films: PAINT SHAKER. The story was written by Jon Niccum.

SenoReality is based out of Kansas, so naturally The Wizard of Oz has a special place in their movie-loving hearts. Or at least as displayed in Paint Shaker has a place in their philosophical ponderings and curiosity. The film is introduced by bringing to one’s attention the moment within the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy and pals are getting ready to go get the Wicked Witch and the Scarecrow of all things is seen holding a gun. Most people have probably overlooked this aspect of detail without pondering: where did he get a gun? Google it, you’ll find all sorts of explanations and theory.

Paint Shaker, though approached with some artsy meaning that can be open to the viewers interpretation, (for example: one person I viewed it with was completely baffled as to what the point was or what it could have meant, whereas another one was given too much that he could elaborate upon endlessly) the basic premise of the film revolves around three employees at a hardware store, their boss, and then an employee that was fired, returning with a shotgun.

The picture quality of Paint Shaker is high class, though there is a lot of blurring effect used, ala things in the background are a blur when your attention is to be on the actors at the forefront. Not being a filmmaker myself I cannot say whether this was an artistic choice being toyed with or if it was making due with the budget and equipment. All I can say is that it did not bother me and looked good for an Indie production.

The violence of the movie is counter balanced with funny little bits that are every day life cute and identifiable. One character is looking to get Saturday off, whereas another refuses to cover for him because he is planning to spend quality time with a video game, and when the disgruntled guy with the gun comes into the store one character is more fascinated than scared as the shooting begins.

It all ends with a serious murder suicide situation turning out at least one positive benefit for one character and some things for him to briefly ponder about life. However, the depth can overall be seen as a touch of reality, these are the random thoughts that go through our minds, these are the horrible events that take place everyday, and this is the quirky humor with which we take it all in stride.

This is a short to be checked out if you find a place to do so, currently if you want to check out other works by Patrick Rea stop in at their webpage www.senoreality.com or they are on YOUTUBE

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