We're now living in a world economy that was severely damaged by institutions that in their greed, gave out loans to people who just weren't qualified. In Drag Me to Hell, Christine Brown, played by Alison Lohman, gets in some serious trouble for refusing to give out such a loan to a pathetic old lady, and as a result the bank forecloses on the poor woman's home. Too bad that the person she refused is good friends with the devil. In Drag Me to Hell, Sam Raimi leaves Spiderman behind, at least until the next inevitable installment, and returns to his horror roots, and quite successfully at that. After Christine refuses the loan, she is first attacked and then cursed by the old lady. She then visits a fortune teller who tells her that she will be tormented for three days, and then be sent to hell as the result of the curse. Not one to take this lying down, she elicits the fortune teller's help in trying to remove the curse, and too bad for her pet cat I might add. The film was quite entertaining and works as both a genre film, and as something that could appeal to people who usually don't attend this type of thing, if they just gave it a chance. It's not just blood and guts, as this film contains a good story, has some great set pieces, and contains some humor to boot. In addition to Ms. Lohman, who gives a fine performance, Justin Long has the thankless role of the doubting, but well meaning boyfriend, and he does fine with it. Lorna Raver plays the wicked old lady, and she's as disgusting as she is scary. When she takes out her dripping teeth at Christine's desk I actually had to stop eating my Raisinettes, for a few seconds. In spite of the PG-13 rating the film packs in about as much gore as is necessary, although my one complaint is that it gets a little loud during some of the more dramatic parts. One scene actually hurt a little. No need to hit the audience over its head. If you're a fan of this genre you'll likely see it, and if not, well, don't wait for someone to drag you to the theater.Rating - 3 Stars
The Brothers Bloom, as played by Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo, are con men, and pretty successful at it. Mark Ruffalo plays Stephen, who conjures up the elaborate schemes, or plays as he calls them, with his brother as the main protagonist. Adrien Brody is Bloom, and yes, isn't this so cute that one brother is called by his first name and the other his last. The problem with the film is that it isn't sure what it wants to be, a cutesy comedy, or, an elaborate "con" film in the tradition of David Mamet. The "mark" is played by Rachel Weisz, a rich eccentric who is both in on the scheme, in addition to being its mark. She's a troubled and lonely "hobby" collector, and apparently born to be swindled. In my opinion the film is too cute for its own good, and as a result is only partly successful as either a comedy or drama. You never quite feel the tension of the situation as you would in some of the classic Mamet films, such as House of Games or The Spanish Prisoner, nor is there much laughter going on. The brothers employ a Japanese assistant called Bang Bang who never speaks. The gimmick wears thin as the film goes on. On the positive side, the performances are all excellent, and the film has a great beginning, where the brothers boyhood origins as con men are explored. There are also some good set pieces within the film that are enjoyable in spite of the fact that things don't quite work as a whole. Like real life brothers, there's good and bad.Rating - 2 Stars
This latest installment of the Terminator series is as bleak and joyless as the futuristic vision depicted in the film itself. In short, no heart, no soul, and most of all.....no fun. John Connor, in spite of all the efforts of the Terminator machines has managed to make it to adulthood, and to become a leader of the human resistance against the machines. Connor, as played by Christian Bale with his Batman growl is actually more machine-like than human, and a little humor and/or personality development would have helped. OK, he's had a pretty hard life up to this point what with being hunted by killing machines, his parents dying, never getting a chance to wash, but even Arnold, when playing a machine acted more human. Actually the problem with the film is that there are no real characters in the film, just people shooting, blowing stuff up, or barking orders. For a series with this pedigree, it's just not enough. Sam Worthington plays Marcus Wright, a part human, part machine Terminator prototype, and he's the best thing in a mediocre film, and pretty much the closest thing to a developed character. Arnold does show up late in the film, albeit in a computer generated form, and it was kind of a low level highlight. If you're smart you "won't be back" for this installment.
Rating - 2 Stars
Every Little Step works as a real life companion piece to both the original Broadway production of A Chorus Line, and it's recent revival. As we learn in this documentary, the show itself was based on the real life stories of Broadway performers, some of whom actually appeared in the original Broadway production. This film follows the casting process for the recent Broadway revival, and like the Broadway productions contains much pain, drama, and joy. The film takes us from the beginning of the casting process until the final cuts are made months later, and I personally found myself rooting for my favorites to make it to the final cast. The film also contains both archival audio and video footage of original Director/Choreographer Michael Bennett, as well as recent interview footage with Donna McKechnie, star of the original production. The footage with Mr. Bennett was extremely illuminating as to the genesis of the show, and, poignant, considering his untimely death. I must admit that I never saw either the original or revived show, and this fact didn't prevent me from enjoying the documentary immensely. If you saw, and especially if you loved the show, you will certainly appreciate seeing these aspiring Broadway stars as they strive to see their names in lights. As a documentary it is, one singular sensation.
Rating - 3 1/2 Stars
Watching Tom Hanks' character of Robert Langdon in Angels & Demons is almost like watching Jack Bauer in action, minus the threats and torture of course. He's called into action because the Vatican, as well as much of the surrounding area itself is under imminent threat of being destroyed by a powerful explosive device, and he has less than 24 hours to figure it out. In addition to that, the bad guys have threatened to brand and kill four preeminent Cardinals just before a new Pope is to be elected. These four also just happen to be the top candidates to become the new Pope. Before Professor Langdon even arrives in the Vatican he has a pretty good idea who's behind the threat, the Illuminati, now he just has to figure out where the bomb is before it goes off. Helping him do this, in addition to various law enforcement figures is Israeli actress Ayelet Zurer, who essentially plays the same role that Audrey Tautou played in The DaVinci Code. I found this film to be an entertaining thriller, and did feel the tension of the situation for most of the film. There is one significant plot flaw, the mentioning of which would be giving too much away. It did take something away from the film, but as pure entertainment, the film still basically works. In addition to the two leads there are a number of quality performances in the film, from Stellan Skarsgard, Armin Mueller-Stahl and Ewan McGregor, which only add to the enjoyment. The film also manages to throw in some discussion of religion vs. science, although thankfully no one suggested teaching creationism as a "science". The film, as you would expect is very similar in structure to The DaVinci Code, and if you liked that, then you'll likely feel the same about this one.
Rating - 3 Stars
Michael Caine has been a major motion picture star for about 45 years, and after seeing his performance in Is Anybody There?, it's easy to see why. Mr.Caine plays Clarence, an old and regretful retired magician who is forced to spend his remaining time on earth in a small old age home. There, he meets Edward, the young son of the proprietors, who is extremely resentful that he must share his home with a bunch of old and decrepit seniors, not to mention the fact that he has to vacate his room for Clarence. The two start out disliking each other, but after Edward saves Clarence's life they bond. The fact that they both love magic and matters supernatural also helps, not to mention their mutual unhappiness over how life has been treating them. In addition to Mr. Caine's performance, Bill Milner, a young English actor also does an excellent job. The supporting players, including Rosemary Harris, also add much to the film with their small, sometimes funny, sometimes poignant subplots. Also, since the film takes place in the 80's you'll enjoy looking at some real funny haircuts. This is definitely a film to see for the performances, not to say that the film itself isn't enjoyable, although it did start a little slowly. If you stay with it you'll be both rewarded and uplifted.
Rating - 3 (Light)
The Star Trek series consists of eleven films of varying quality, and this one is up there with the best of them. The film is a prequel of sorts to the original TV show, as we learn how Kirk, Spock, Bones, and the rest of gang all met and bonded. Chris Pine plays the yet to be Captain Kirk with all the brashness that you would expect of the young Kirk, although unlike the TV show, when he fights, his shirt manages to stay on. Zachary Quinto is quite good as the young Spock and Leonard Nimoy should be proud that his creation is in such able hands. The Romulans are the designated bad guys in this film, and they are represented by Captain Nero, played by Eric Bana. The Captain blames the federation for a disaster that has befallen his home planet, and he is out for some payback. The plot also brings in time travel, which allows Leonard Nimoy to make an extended cameo, while his younger self is still coming to grips with his emotions. The plot while important, isn't necessarily the main draw of the film, as it's the chance to see old friends in a different perspective, while adding to the legend that many of us love. There's a lot of fun in the film along with the action, and the scriptwriters made sure that all of the main characters spouted a "signature" line at least once, and the audience responded with respectful applause to every one of them. You'll want to beam up for this one.
Rating - 3 1/2 Stars
Wolverine, as the stand-out character in the hugely popular X-Men series is certainly deserving of his own origins tale, and this one does him justice. In this film, in addition to Wolverine, played by Hugh Jackman of course, we also meet Victor Creed, Wolverine's brother, and possessed of similar powers. Both these guys have enough testosterone in them to keep the Yankees in sluggers for years, and while they fight wars together, they eventually part ways in anger. Their enmity towards each other forms one of the basic themes of the film, and it drives the narrative forward. The film does a good job in showing "who he is and how he came to be", as they used to say in the comic books of an earlier age. Origins tales are important when we're talking about our more popular super-heroes and villains, in that once we form an attachment, we want to know more about them. This film does just that, all the way back to mid 1800's. Victor Creed, played by Liev Schreiber makes an excellent counterpoint to Wolverine, and in actuality they are closer than Wolverine would like to admit. Danny Huston plays Colonel Stryker, and he plays his bad guy role with black hat firmly in place. If you enjoyed the X-Men films then I'm sure you'll enjoy this addition to the series. Rating - 3 (Solid)
