“Nothing Like the Holidays” is a film that surprises.  From the trailer, it looks like a typically zany “family gathers for the holidays” movie filled with laughs and gags.  Though it has a few of those moments, this film is far from that.  Instead, this is a story of a Puerto Rican family gathered together at Christmas and all the secrets, idiosyncracies, personalities and conflicts its members possess. I did not get what I expected from this film and that is a good thing.  The movie is at times both funny and poignant. The plot really isn’t about Christmas.  The holiday is used only as a vehicle to bring together a mother and father, their three adult kids and extended family. The day kind of acts as an interruption to what is going on daily in the lives of these people and allows us a window into what these people are really all about.  Not surprisingly, they have the same issues many people face in real life, so identifying with these characters, regardless of what culture you are from, is easy. The casting is outstanding.  Alfred Molina and Elizabeth Pena are the parents, married 36 years for better or worse.  John Leguizamo, Freddy Rodriguez and Vanessa Ferlito are the three children with complicated lives of their own.  The interesting piece of casting here is Debra Messing as Sarah, a Jewish woman(and only non-Puerto Rican in the family) married to Leguizamo’s character, Mauricio. She is, for better or worse, our eyes into the souls of this family.  It is through her that we slowly get more comfortable watching and understanding this family and where it is coming from.  As she warms to it, so do we.  There is an excellent dinner table scene early in the movie where the family members are all gathered together and then, through typical family quarreling, get up and leave the table one by one.  For me that scene typified why this movie works so well because it is something we’ve all done at one time or another regardless of our culture.  And this movie is about the holidays in all families.  This one just happens to be puerto rican.

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Signaling the triumphant return of the Greatest Movie EVER! Podcast to uploading new content, we kick off the migration to the new hosting service with three movie reviews for the price of none!

Click here or click the picture above to download a podcast that examines Crank, Crank 2: High Voltage, and Gamer.

WARNING:  This podcast contains dangerous levels of bleeped-out words and Daryl Surat.

Reviews in a Nutshell:  Jason Statham drives a car and kills people.  Gerard Butler does, too.

Click here if you wish to see the image that encapsulates the entirety of the Crank mythos. 

This image is spoiler-iffic and not very polite.  Viewer discretion is advised.

numE:

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

cu:

Ray Romano, Seann William Scott, John Leguizamo

gen film:

Actiune, Animatie, Aventuri, Comedie, Familie,Romantic

Sinopsis:

Aventurile celor trei prieteni continuă, dar din iulie 2009. Sid, Manny şi Diego revin pe marile ecrane, alături de simpaticul şi veşnic lovitul de soartă Scrat, veveriţa cu tendinţe suicidale pentru o ghindă. Ce surprize ne rezervă scenariştii constituie un compartiment impredictibil, fiind chiar mai multe variante în lucru, un singur detaliu fiind clar: vor fi cu siguranţă dinozauri. Cum şi de unde vor apărea nu se mai ştie, dar prezenţa lor reprezintă o certitudine. De asemenea, trăsnăile eroilor vor fi dublate cu siguranţă de un spaţiu mai larg de desfăşurare a aventurilor veveriţei Scrat, care încă de la primul film al francizei a devenit preferata publicului şi, într-o masură oarecare, şi mascota neoficială a seriei. Cu siguranţă că aşteptarea fanilor va fi răsplătită, ca şi în cazul filmului precedent al seriei.

Trailer:

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Rated: R for frenetic sequences of strong brutal violence throughout, sexual content, nudity and language.

Science-Fiction/Fantasy

Theatrical Release:Sep 4, 2009 Wide

GAMER is a high-concept action thriller set in a near future when gaming and entertainment have evolved into a terrifying new hybrid. Humans control other humans in mass-scale, multi-player online games: people play people…for keeps. Mind-control technology is widespread, and at the heart of the controversial games is its creator, reclusive billionaire Ken Castle (Michael C. Hall). His latest brainchild, the first-person shooter game “Slayers,” allows millions to act out their most savage fantasies online in front of a global audience, using real prisoners as avatars with whom they fight to the death.

Kable (300’s Gerard Butler) is the superstar and cult hero of the ultraviolent “Slayers.” Kable is controlled by Simon, a young gamer with rock star status who continues to defy all odds by guiding Kable to victory each week. Taken from his family, imprisoned and forced to fight against his will, the modern day gladiator must survive long enough to escape the game to free his family, regain his identity and to save mankind from Castle’s ruthless technology.

GAMER stars Gerard Butler (300, THE UGLY TRUTH), Michael C. Hall (“Dexter”), Amber Valletta (TRANSPORTER 2), John Leguizamo (RIGHTEOUS KILL, ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13), with Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges, and Kyra Sedgwick (“The Closer”).

E venne il giorno (The Happening) è un film del 2008, scritto, diretto e prodotto da M. Night Shyamalan.

Leggi altre notizie su: | M. Night Shyamalan | Mark Wahlberg | Zooey Deschanel | John Leguizamo

In 1999’s Summer of Sam, Spike Lee shows us how one neighborhood can react in panic to having a serial killer running amuck so close to home. From July 29, 1976 to his capture on August 10, 1977 David Berkowitz terrorized New York by going on a killing spree, claiming a neighbor’s black dog gave him orders to do so.  Originally dubbed “The .44 Killer” due to his choice of weaponry, he was eventually called “The Son of Sam”.

Lee’s main focus here is not about the actual killer, but how a neighborhood reacts to him.  In particular, the main key player here is a hair dresser named Vinny who just can’t keep it in his pants when it comes to women other than his wife.  Vinny is played by John Leguizamo, who’s acting is all over the place here.  At times it seems like he is way over the top and other times the complete opposite.  I had a real hard time sympathizing with him as he goes on toying with his wife played by Mira Sorvino.  Sorvino almost channels My Cousin Vinny’s Marisa Tomei.  The other key player here is Ritchie, plyed by Adrien Brody, who is Vinny’s longtime childhood friend.  To me Brody was one of the few bright spots to the film.  Granted we don’t know what brought him to be the Italian boy turned British punk rocker, but he does it well.  It’s this sudden change in attitude and appearance, along with bad timing, that makes him the perfect suspect in the eyes of some of the neighborhood hooligans he grew up with.

Lee himself makes a cameo appearance as a reporter who delivers the news in such a dull and lifeless manner that makes you wonder why he would even bother putting himself on-screen.  A cameo appearance I did like was Soprano’s Michael Imperioli, who also was a writer on the film.

Overall I was disappointed with the slow pace, and dragged out, and sometimes unneccessary scenes.  Despite a few decent performances, I was dissatisfied with the film.  I give Summer of Sam 2 1/2 pitchforks.

É difícil encontrar um tema mais batido no mundo cinematográfico que esse que dá título (em português) a esse filme. Fim dos Tempos não é mais um, pois se você assistir verá que não tem nada do que diz o título nacional mal adaptado. Se o título conota uma catástrofe mundial como acontece em Armageddon ou O Dia Depois de Amanhã, nada disso é confirmado no enredo da história. Podendo ter sido muito mais louvável e até mais chamativo uma tradução literal, O Acontecimento. Essas adaptações de títulos as vezes é algo lastimável e muda completamente o sentido original da obra, seja ela qual for.

Escrito e dirigido pelo indiano M. Night Shyamalan, que também dirige o live action do desenho animado Avatar – The Last Airbender (o filme recebe o mesmo título), que tem estréia prevista para o verão de 2010, e outros já conhecidos como A Vila, A Dama na Água e O Sexto Sentido. No elenco temos Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel (que atuou em Sim, Senhor! Ao lado de Jim Carrey), John Leguizamo e Ashlyn Sanchez.

Os fatos que acontecem no filme são um mistério. De repente começam a acontecer coisas estranhas, mais precisamente o comportamento das pessoas começa a ficar estranho, mas o anormal aqui é que esse comportamento estranho e assassino não é contra os outros, mas contra si mesmos. Várias hipóteses e justificativas aparecem para explicar o fenômeno, alguns dizem ser uma reação vingativa das plantas, que agindo contra a ação destrutiva do homem, produzem toxinas que geram esse comportamento. Outros dizem ser uma arma secreta do governo sendo testada.

Até as certezas são questionadas, e quando se pensa ter chegado a solução do mistério é ai que ele começa, como é o caso da idéia sugerida pelo personagem Elliot Moore (Mark Wahlberg) que afirma a manifestação apenas quando há atividades em grupos, mas logo isso é descartado quando há ataques isolados, e é nessa tentativa de explicar o inexplicável que se passam todos os … minutos. Ficção-científica é um tema extremista, geralmente só atrai os fãs do gênero, ou aficionados religiosos que usam esse tipo de filme como argumento para justificar suas crenças.

Mas há também (seguindo a idéia do ataque das plantas) um debate ecológico, essa de vingança homem-natureza. O diretor é conhecido pela fama que tem de dá uma há fabular em suas obras. Nesse poderia facilmente ser inserido a moral “Os homens dominam a natureza para destruir-la; Uma hora (no filme) a natureza dominará o homem, também para destruir-lo.” (moral meramente interpretativa e sem confirmação da intenção dos autores). O filme não é uma obra-prima, e nem é o tipo de filme que faz você querer ver de novo, mas pode ser que alguém goste, afinal há gosto pra tudo.

Tralier:

Dino line dancing - the next big Hollywood trend.

(20^th Century Fox) Starring the voices of Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Queen Latifah, Simon Pegg, Seann William Scott, Kirsten Wiig, Chris Wedge, Jane Lynch, Josh Peck, Bill Hader, Karen Disher. Directed by Carlos Saldanha and Mike Thurmeier.

For most of us, family isn’t the only thing – it’s everything. There are also all sorts of families, some not so readily apparent as others.

The Ice Age is in full swing and Ellie the Mammoth (Latifah) is expecting a child any day now. Her mate Manny (Romano) is of course as bumbling, moronic and well-intentioned as most cinematic expectant fathers. He builds a playground on which he has stuck snowballs to blunt the sharp branches on trees and beaks on birds. He goes into paroxysms of panic whenever Ellie has indigestion. Still, it’s a great time to be a mammoth. Everything is as it should be, with friends all around and Scrat (Wedge) chasing the ever-elusive acorns.

Still, not all is well in paradise. Diego the saber-toothed tiger (Leary) and Sid the sloth (Leguizamo) are feeling a bit left out. Diego, who is losing some of his predatory edge, having been outrun by a gazelle (Hader), decides to leave for greener pastures. Sid, being Sid, finds some strange eggs in an underground cavern and decides to adopt them as his own children. Scrat has discovered a rival, the seductive flying squirrel Scratte (Disher) who is maddeningly attractive.

Then the eggs hatch and instead of furry little mammals there are carnivorous reptiles – big ones. Think Tyrannosaurus Rex-sized. What’s worse, Mama Rex has come looking for her missing babies and is none-too-pleased to find them with warm-blooded types. She picks them up – and Sid too – and carries them back underground.

As annoying as Sid is, his friends decide to band up once again and go search for him in the cavern. Although Manny and Diego are skeptical as to Sid’s survival chances, Ellie and her entourage – Crash (Scott) and Eddie (Peck) the possums – are insistent, so down below they go.

They find a whole new world there, one of lush tropical vegetation, lava falls and lots and lots of dinosaurs. Some are friendly, some not so much. No time to wonder how this world got here or how it can sustain itself, they’ve got to find Sid. However, they need a guide to this world that is unfamiliar and dangerous. One is provided in Buck (Pegg), a one-eyed weasel (make of that what you will) who has spent years tracking down the gigantic white dinosaur who took his eye. Ahab, meet Moby Dick.

I will say this about Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs – the animation is superb, keeping the cartoon-like qualities that satisfy the kids but keeping it real to satisfy their parents. Strangely, though, the performances are a bit flat. There’s no sense of fun and wonder that made the first two Ice Age movies so entertaining. Instead, you get the feeling that this was rushed through for the sole purpose of filling a spot on the Fox release schedule and making the big bucks that the first two did.

There is also a lot more of Scrat and his new partner here. Scrat has become more popular in many ways than the main characters of the story are. They use him for the trailers as well as the advertisements. Scrat, as in the first two movies, almost never interacts with the main characters. While his sequences are among the best and funniest in the movie, they seem almost like commercial interruptions and I suppose in a way they are. Gotta sell that Scrat merch, after all. Still, I’ve always loved the Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote cartoons and the Scrat sequences are a lot like that.

This is very kid-friendly in every way with all that implies. When stacked up against the Pixar and DreamWorks movies, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaur doesn’t compare very favorably. Still in all, it’s a pleasant if unchallenging 90 minutes of summertime fun, and the kids are going to want to see it regardless of whether you do or not. Accordingly, make plans to buy this for the tykes if you intend to have any peace in your household over the next few months. Don’t forget the toys, action figures and video games that are sure to be demanded in the wake of the movie.

REASONS TO GO: Extremely well-animated. Nothing here is all that offensive, and the Scrat sequences are hysterical at times.

REASONS TO STAY: Kind of boring, kind of bland.

FAMILY VALUES: Perfect summertime entertainment for bored kids – not so much for their parents.

TRIVIAL PURSUIT: The Buck character was based not on Crocodile Dundee so much, but on Frank Buck, a legendary hunter and adventurer whose exploits inspired the TV series “Bring ‘em Back Alive.”

NOTABLE DVD FEATURES: The Expanded 2-Disc DVD and Blu-Ray editions include the Scrat Pack, a collection of every Scrat short ever made, some of which are included on DVD editions of the first two films. There are also a couple of Ice Age games. Surprisingly, the DVD is presented in 2D whereas it was released theatrically in 3D. That’s a shame, because the 3D presentation was one of the best of recent years.

FINAL RATING: 6/10

TOMORROW: Amelia

Título: El incidente
Título original: The Happening
País: USA
Estreno en USA: 13/06/2008
Estreno en España: 13/06/2008
Productora: 20th Century-Fox / UTV Motion Pictures / Spyglass Entertainment / Blinding Edge Pictures
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Guión: M. Night Shyamalan
Reparto: Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, John Leguizamo, Ashlyn Sanchez, Betty Buckley, Spencer Breslin, Robert Bailey Jr., Jeremy Strong, M. Night Shyamalan

Sinopsis:

Todo comienza sin previo aviso. Parece surgir de la nada. En cuestión de minutos, en las principales ciudades de Norteamérica se producen casos de extrañas y escalofriantes muertes que desafían cualquier explicación. ¿Qué está causando este repentino y total colapso del comportamiento humano? ¿Es algún nuevo tipo de ataque terrorista, un experimento fallido, una diabólica arma tóxica, un virus fuera de control? ¿Se transmite por el aire, a través del agua… cómo? Para Elliot Moore, profesor de ciencias de un instituto de Filadelfia, lo más importante de todo es encontrar el modo de escapar de este misterioso y letal fenómeno. Aunque él y su mujer Alma están atravesando una crisis en su matrimonio, se ponen en camino, primero en tren, luego en coche, acompañados de Julian, un amigo de Elliot que es profesor de matemáticas, y Jess, la hija de éste, que tiene ocho años de edad. Se dirigen a Pennsylvania, donde esperan estar a salvo de los horribles y cada vez más frecuentes ataques. Aunque muy pronto queda claro que nadie está seguro en ninguna parte.

Opinión:

Ea, ea, ea, el planeta se cabrea. Así que decide librarse de ese molesto sarpullido que le ha salido en la superficie llamado humanidad. ¿Como? Haciendo que la peña imite a Socrates (El filosofo, no el futbolista) Bajo esta interesante premisa, M. Night Shyamalan nos ofrece un filme de suspense burdamente construido y que no alcanza la tensión de otros largometrajes del realizador indio, que parece quedarse a medias aguas a la hora de decidirse si hacer un film mas comercial o una obra de las suyas, y prosigue su imparable cuesta abajo tras esas dos joyitas llamadas “El sexto sentido” y “El protegido”.

Huyendo de lo invisible

El problema es que uno no se mete en la acción en ningún momento, y por momentos la película es aburrida y tediosa, importándote un huevo la suerte de los personajes. Que esa es otra. No te crees jamas la historia de amor entre “Cara de palo” Wahlberg y esa pedazo de actriz con los ojos mas bonitos del panorama actual llamada Zooey Deschanel. Y para mas inri ni siquiera contamos con el habitual giro final de las películas del director indio, cerrándose esta tal y como empezó.

Resignación ante lo inevitable

Si la película quería ser una alegoría sobre el daño que le estamos haciendo al medio ambiente y al planeta, francamente, me quedo con Al Gore.

Puntuación:

5 / 10

Species Name: Creepyasfuckicus Childmolestius

Seeing as Halloween is tomorrow, it seemed only fitting to conquer my fear of the one thing in this world that terrifies me more than scientologists, CLOWNS.  Ever since I was a child, these fuckers have haunted my nightmares.  From Bozo to Pennywise to Homie the Clown, I don’t care, I hate them all.  What shithead thought these painted up child molesters would be enjoyable to children?  Everything about them is evil.  The painted white face, the bright red nose, that fucking creepy circus music that follows them wherever they go. I would much rather face Freddy Krueger, Jason Vorhees, and Michael Myers in a Battle Royale any day of the week over being in a dark alley with this fucker:

Georgie!  What the fuck are you thinking?!? Don’t take that goddamn balloon!  But see, that’s the problem, clowns are the worst because they prey on the innocence and naivete of children, making them that much more fucked up.  I know I’m not alone in my fear of clowns, so consider this thinning the herd as a public service and type of therapy for those of you plagued by night terrors brought on by these assholes.

In a world where clowns didn’t exist to send grown men running and screaming in terror:

• We wouldn’t have to worry about a group of KILLER CLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE coming to Earth, turning us into cotton candy cocoons and sucking out our blood with a straw.

• I wouldn’t have needed rubber sheets on my bed as a child…and as an adult.
• John Wayne Gacy would’ve had to rely on his inherent creepiness as a serial killer instead of hiding behind makeup.

• Parents would no better than to let this molester anywhere near their kids.  He wants more then a hug…

• John Leguizamo would never have donned a fat suit in Spawn to somehow manage to make clowns even creepier

• I wouldn’t have to carry my 9MM at all times if I hadn’t seen this piece of psychotic shit:

• Everytime you see a Smart Car, you wouldn’t be worried about how many clowns are inside of it.
• The sound of circus music wouldn’t elicit a Pavlovian response in me to piss myself.

I dream of the day that I don’t have to live in  fear of a clown hiding in the bushes, waiting to steal my soul, or what semblance of a soul I have left.  See the problem is that it is common knowledge how scary clowns are, so there is definitely no end in sight to their reign of terror.  Expect them to be a common fixture in movies, television, and your psyche for years to come.  Although we can take solace in this clip, as a way to know that it is possible to overcome your fear of clowns…even zombie clowns:

So kids, if you see a zombie clown out tomorrow night while trick-or-treating, make sure you smash it’s face in with a large rubber mallet.  Fuck you clown.  Happy Halloween!

But one has to have dreams right?

Don't trust him...he's still evil...

Title: Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
Director: Carlos Saldanha
Mike Thurmeier
Starring: John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Ray Romano, Queen Latifah
Running time: 94 min.
Release date: October 27, 2009
MPAA: Rated PG for some mild rude humor and peril.
Film Company: Twentieth Century Fox
Review source: Click Communications
Rating: C

Diego [Denis Leary] is grumpy because Manny [Ray Romano is becoming a “family guy” and having a baby with Ellie [Queen Latifah has the best lines in the entire movie]. Sid [John Leguizamo] adopts and nurtures three dinosaur eggs in an attempt to bond with Manny and Ellie. When the eggs hatch, the mother returns for her offspring and takes Sid back to her home. Manny, Ellie and Diego [Denis Leary] set off to rescue their friend from uncertain doom. They meet Buck [Simon Pegg], a one-eyed weasel who hunts dinosaurs. And also Scrat [Chris Wedge] is along for the ride again. Isn’t this supposed to be light-hearted fun? I didn’t laugh at all. The characters are caricatures. The dinosaur animation is decent but it’s tough to personify dinosaurs in the way that the other animals have been turned “fun” and “lovable.” Other than the babies, the dinosaurs are mostly scary looking. Instead of a lesson in global changes, natural selection and/or species extinction, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is a long joke that falls through thin ice.

DVD Extras: Scrat shorts are worth watching—he was the highlight of the Ice Age preview for me—everything else is unremarkable including Walk the Dinosaur music video, behind-the-scenes with Ray Romano, Queen Latifah and John Leguizamo, and director commentary

The film for people who don’t like Spike Lee’s other films.

During the sweltering summer of 1977, the notorious killer Son of Sam set New York City on fire, and a chance encounter with the homicidal maniac sends the life of a philandering Bronx hairdresser named Vinny (John Leguizamo) spinning out of control. As the authorities hunt the killer, Vinny’s life unravels amid a haze of suspicion, drugs and promiscuity.

I was surprised by this film because all of Lee’s other works are about race or politics in society. All of the other one’s also include a very large cast of black people which this one doesn’t actually I think there are only like 5 black people shown throughout the whole film, including himself. This change I liked a little bit better.

The film isn’t so much about “The Son Of Sam” himself, but more of the frightened atmosphere he created with his killings. This reminds me a lot about Do The Right Thing with less of a message. It produces some very entertaining visuals. Colors change along with the setting it takes place in and there are montages that feature some high quality looks at the city and the people who inhabit it as well. Lee shows with this film is that he knows where to put the camera and have it stay where it needs to be throughout and it is really dazzling to see him work.

The one huge problem I had with this film was that there was so much. This surely is one of Lee’s most trashy films with the “f” word used about 500 times, soft-core porn sex scenes, and violence beyond belief. It gets out of hand at points and I understand what Lee was trying to show but he shows in a way that were just disgusted.

Another thing with the film is how these characters aren’t very likable which in every Lee film he has. These characters all have a bad thing about them even if they seem normal. Everybody in this film seemed either immature or just low in society and you never feel sympathy for them cause their too busy screwing up their own lives, and really you don’t care what happens to them.

The screenplay as usual is highly entertaining, and you can tell these are real people talking, because you can see they know what’s going on and their scared but they can still add in some humor to brighten up the tone and make the film a lot better.

Performances from its main cast is very good. John Leguizamo does a good job and you can tell the frustration on his face with these killings and his urge to cheat on his wife. Most notably Adrien Brody who uncharacteristically plays the punk is the highlight as he plays a person that is fed up with the society he lives in and just wants to rebel and you can tell by through his actions and through his motives we feel fed up as well.

Consensus: With a highly energetic script, dazzling visuals, and great performances, Summer of Sam is good but too ugly for some viewers and surely not one of Lee’s best.

5.5/10=Rental!!!

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, John Leguizamo

Director: M Night Shyamalan

Genre: Sci-Fi

Cert: 15

Released: 2008

My only ambition for “The Happening”, having failed to sit through director M Night Shyamalan’s previous outings “The Village” and “Lady in the Water”, was to see the closing credits roll .  The decreasing level of entertainment derived from Shyamalan’s work (which started so well with “The Sixth Sense” and “Unbreakable”) has been utterly alarming.  But with a strong cast on board for “The Happening” and a mysterious premise (as is typical) my hopes were a little higher than in recent years.

Science teacher Elliot Moore (Mark Wahlberg) is teaching his classroom about “unexplained acts of nature” when news breaks that people in New York’s Central Park have started committing suicide in broad daylight.  As the unexplained phenomenon starts spreading across the city, Elliot, his wife Alma (Zooey Deschanel), fellow-teacher Julian (John Leguizamo) and his daughter Jess (Ashlyn Sanchez), board a train to Philadelphia only for it to stop permanently in the tiny town of Filbert because the conductor has lost contact with “everyone”.

The train passengers learn that the phenomenon has continued to spread across the north-east so everybody starts to flee.  Julian decides to get a lift to Princeton where his wife has headed so he leaves Jess with Elliot and Alma.  They meet a colourful couple (Frank Collison and Victoria Clark) who suspect that it is the plants, trees and bushes that are attacking man because they have the ability to do so (apparently).  It soon becomes clear that they are running out of places to go and after meeting several more groups of refugees they start a trek across the countryside on foot in an effort to escape this “act of nature”.

To offer any more plot synopsis would really be stretching my own patience.  The basic premise of this movie is that something unexplained is happening and the onus seems to be on the constantly-confused looking Mark Wahlberg to use his grounding in science to figure it out (it’s a good thing the main protagonist wasn’t a gym teacher or deli counter salesperson or else we’d have gotten nowhere).

I admire Shyamalan as a director but his writing has left a lot to be desired recently.  Just because he writes science-fiction doesn’t mean the film has to be devoid of logic and fact.  Mark Wahlberg is done over twice by being badly miscast and being given some absolutely ludicrous dialogue that is more about pushing the writer’s spiritual agenda than making a believable movie.  How many science teachers talk about the different “energy” colours that can be recorded by camera or “acts of nature” that we’ll never fully understand?   This flies completely in the face of what science is all about.

Then there’s the neuroticism of Alma, distant from Elliot and distracted by constant phone calls from someone called Joey.  The ensuing focus on her relationship with Elliot predictably becomes the tool that Shyamalan uses to drive home the central message.  It’s all very poorly acted and full of improbable scenes.

By the end (which somehow feels empty in spite of being well-crafted) your complete indifference for the central characters only amplify what a poor, unfocused mess this movie is.  Shyamalan made two cracking films (plus a slight nod of the cap to “Signs”) before strangling his visual ideas with ludicrously boring scripts.

How good was it to see Alan Ruck though?

Essa dica é pra quem gosta de filmes de ação e é claro, videogames!

Num futuro próximo, os avanços tecnológicos estão por toda a parte, principalmente nos jogos de videogame. E é neste universo que o egocêntrico Ken Castle conquista sua fortuna e se torna o homem mais rico do mundo, ao criar Society, um programa em que jogadores podem controlar seres humanos reais, através de um chip instalado em seus corpos.

Com o sucesso do jogo em que qualquer um pode realizar suas maiores fantasias sem se expor, Castle parte para um plano ainda mais ambicioso, com o Slayers, um jogo de guerra, em que os personagens são prisioneiros do corredor da morte. Neste programa, os criminosos têm uma chance única de serem postos em liberdade, mas apenas se conseguirem terminar todas as 30 etapas com vida, sendo que a maioria morre antes da décima. Apenas um deles, Kable (Gerard Butler), conseguiu com a ajuda do jogador Simon, de 17 anos, chegar à 28ª fase. Sem qualquer controle sobre seu próprio corpo durante as missões, Kable sabe que será quase impossível vencer o jogo.

Sabendo disso também, um grupo de rebeldes auto-intitulados Humanz dá a Simon a escolha de liberar Kable, deixando que ele jogue por sua própria conta. Querendo apenas voltar para sua casa e reencontrar a esposa e a filha, Kable percebe que Castle irá fazer de tudo para que ele morra antes de conseguir a sonhada liberdade. Ainda mais por não ser um prisioneiro comum, mas por estar ali justamente por saber demais sobre planos secretos do multimilionário. Após fugir, Kable conta com a ajuda do Humanz para salvar sua esposa e descobrir o paradeiro de sua filha. Porém, para conseguir a liberdade, agora ele precisa mostrar para todo o mundo quem Castle é de verdade.

Gamer é escrito e dirigido pela dupla Mark Neveldine e Brian Taylor. Os cineastas são os mesmos que fizeram Adrenalina e Adrenalina 2: Alta Voltagem, com Jason Statham. Após assistirem 300, os dois tiveram a certeza de que Gerard Butler era perfeito para o personagem. Também estão no elenco Amber Valletta, Kyra Sedgwick e John Leguizamo.

INFORMAÇÕES

Censura: 18 anos
Diretor: Mark Neveldine e Brian Taylor
Elenco: Gerard Butler (300), John Leguizamo, Milo Ventimiglia (Heroes)
Nome Original: Gamer
Ano: 2009
País: EUA
Duração: 95 minutos

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by The Great White Gypsy

A Serious Man – Written and Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen
Set in 1967, this black comedy follows a Jewish professor as he attempts to stop his life from unraveling after his wife announces she wants a divorce. It would appear that the Coen dynasty is back in full swing after their three year hiatus between The Ladykillers (2004) and No Country for Old Men (2007). Though longtime Coen teammates Carter Burwell (composer) and Roger Deakins (cinematographer) are back again, the cast for this one is largely unknown. I can’t wait.
Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Kind, Fred Melamed
October 2

Whip It – Directed by Drew Barrymore, Written by Shauna Cross
Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut about a punk rock outcast (Ellen Page) living in small town Texas who rebels by joining an all girl roller derby league. I’m a fan of Page and Barrymore, and though it was filmed almost entirely in Michigan and features an esoteric chick-indie-punk soundtrack, Barrymore managed to get some good names on the roster. Not cast-wise, as Page and Marcia Gay Harden are the only recognizable ones, but she borrowed longtime Wes Anderson cinematographer Robert D. Yeoman, as well as editor Dylan Tichenor (Doubt, There Will Be Blood), and Art Director Kevin Kavanaugh (The Dark Knight, The Prestige). Call me impressed.
Ellen Page, Marcia Gay Harden
October 2

Zombieland – Directed by Ruben Fleischer, Written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick
Sure, the writers and director of this Americanized Shaun of the Dead are newbies. And yes, British humor often times prevails when put toe to toe (except the Office, Steve Carrell is a silly bitch). But after watching the previews, how can you not smile and say, “Yeah, I’ll see that eventually.”? If for no other reason that watching little miss sunshine kick some zombie ass would be sweet.
Woody Harrelson, Jessie Eisenberg, Abigail Breslin, Emma Stone, Amber Heard, Bill Murray
October 2

An Education – Directed by Lone Scherfig,Written by Nick Hornby
Wait…Peter Sarsgaard? In a low profile dramatic role you’ve never heard of until now? Yeah, that sounds about right. About a 17-year-old girl in 1960’s London who abandons her college plans for a wealthy socialite twice her age. You may not recognize any of the names behind the scenes, but Nick Hornby (author, High Fidelity) is enough for me.
Peter Sarsgaard, Carey Mulligan, Alfred Molina, Emma Thompson, Rosamund Pike
October 9

Couples Retreat – Directed by Peter Billingsley, Written by Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn
Apparently, Ralphie from A Christmas Story is all grown up and wants to be a director. Starting with a screenplay by Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn will either be his ticket to greatness, or a nail in his mediocre comedy coffin. Still, Swingers and Made were great, and the cast in this one has me more than confident. If the plot isn’t obvious by the title, you should not see this movie, you might shoot your eye out (fuck you, you knew it was coming).
Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, Jason Bateman, Kristen Bell, Malin Akerman, Kristin Davis, Ken Jeong, Jean Reno, Faizon Love, Tasha Smith, John Michael Higgins
October 9

Peter and Vandy – Written and Directed by Jay DiPietro
In the style of (500) Days of Summer, this relationship film set in New York City jumps back and forth through time telling the story of how Peter and Vandy went from friends to lovers, and how they ended up as a comfortable, yet manipulative couple. The chemistry between Ritter and Weixler looks good, and Sundance apparently loved it. My only worry is, in a non-linear feature film, editor Geoffrey Richman has been limited to documentaries. Ok, he did Murderball and God Grew Tired of Us, but still, a lot’s riding on this guy’s shoulders. DePietro’s first.
Jason Ritter, Jess Weixler
October 9

Trucker – Written and Directed by James Mottern
James Mottern’s first endeavor gives Monaghan an amazing role as a long distance truck driver who must care for the son she abandoned while his father is in the hospital. Interesting cast (I like Adams and Fillion), and behind the scenes, names like Mychael Danna (composer: (500) Days of Summer, Girl Interrupted) and Lawrence Sher (cinematographer: Garden State, The Chumscrubber) intrigue me. Assuming Monaghan’s role is as great as it appears in the preview, I will make a bold statement: If Melissa Leo can be nominated for Frozen Rivers, this might be Monaghan’s year.
Michelle Monaghan, Benjamin Bratt, Joey Lauren Adams, Nathan Fillion, Jimmy Bennett
October 9

Law Abiding Citizen – Directed by F. Gary Gray, Written by Kurt Wimmer
Gerard Butler’s wife and daughter are killed. The D.A. (Jamie Foxx) gives the murderers a plea bargain. Years later, Butler starts exacting his revenge on everyone involved…from the comfort of his jail cell. Wimmer wrote and directed Equilibrium (freaking awesome), but he also wrote and directed Ultraviolet (freaking garbage). Aside from editor Tariq Anwar (Revolutionary Road, American Beauty), everyone involved is a so-so list of random action film participants. So why would you see this one? Cause it’s Friday…you ain’t got no job…and you ain’t got shit to do.
Gerard Butler, Jamie Foxx, Leslie Bibb, Colm Meaney, Bruce McGill, Viola Davis, Regina Hall
October 16

New York, I Love You – Directed by Faith Akin and Yvan Attal, Written by Emmanual Benbihy and Tristan Carne
I’m sure even the most skeptical among you can’t say you didn’t enjoy Paris, Je T’aime. It was a great cross-sectioning of different views and stories around the city, told by some great directors (The Coen Brothers and Gus van Sant among them). I gotta say, I’m a little disappointed about the young cast and director lineup (where the F are DeNiro and Scorcese?) But as an overall project, I’m really looking forward to this film. With segments directed by Allan Hughes, Shunji Iwai, Wen Jiang, Shekhar Kapur, Joshua Marston, Mira Nair, Natalie Portman, and Brett Ratner.
Bradley Cooper, Natalie Portman, Shia LaBeouf, Blake Lively, Robin Wright Penn, Orlando Bloom, Hayden Christensen, Christina Ricci, Rachel Bilson, Ethan Hawke, John Hurt, Justin Bartha, James Caan, Maggie Q, Anton Yelchin, Andy Garcia, Chris Cooper, Olivia Thirlby, Drea De Matteo, Julie Christie, Cloris Leachman, Eli Wallach
October 16

Where the Wild Things Are – Directed by Spike Jonze, Written by Spike Jonze and Dave Eggers
Maurice Sendak’s classic children’s story about a boy who invents an imaginary world populated with large creatures who name him King. Jonze hasn’t really done many films (Being John Malkovich and Adaptation), but he’s an accomplished music video director, and with an adaptation by Dave Eggers, he can’t really go wrong. Effects look good, voice casting is solid.
Max Records, Catherine Keener, Mark Ruffalo, James Gandolfini, Chris Cooper, Forest Whitaker, Catherine O’Hara, Paul Dano, Lauren Ambrose
October 16

Amelia – Directed by Mira Nair, Written by Ronald Bass and Anna Hamilton Phelan
From the director of The Namesake, this biopic of Amelia Earhart covers her romance with flight, and her rise to the level of cultural icon. Can’t say it looks like anything really spectacular, but Swank has won multiple Oscars, Phelan wrote Girl Interrupted, and The Aviator was warmly received. Look for this to show up on some Academy Award lists regardless.
Hilary Swank, Richard Gere, Ewan McGregor, Christopher Eccelston
October 23

Antichrist – Written and Directed by Lars von Trier
Danish director Lars von Trier has won numerous awards for his films. He has also shocked a lot of people not only by his style, but by his tendency to add super realism to his films by actually having the actors doing whatever the characters are supposed to (meaning if there’s a group sex scene, chances are those people are actually having sex on camera). Antichrist is the story of a couple trying to reconnect in a cabin after the death of their son. What happens next is ridiculously graphic, violent, and spiritually disturbing. While the wide theatrical release will no doubt be heavily edited, the uncut version is something you have to see to fully understand.
Willem Dafoe, Charlotte Gainsbourg
October 23

Saw VI – Directed by Kevin Greutert, Written by Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton
Don’t think I really need to explain this one. Jigsaw’s dead, but we’re gonna try to fit at least four more storylines into the original script. Director is new, writers have worked on the last three Saw films. I’ll see it, but when an original horror franchise with an awesome theme song allows a Texas Chainsaw Massacre motif into their preview, it worries me.
Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Shawnee Smith, Betsy Russell
October 23

(Untitled) – Directed by Jonathan Parker, Written by Jonathan Parker and Catherine DiNapoli
Shelton plays an art gallery director who falls in love with a struggling artist/musician in New York. Should be good for a few laughs if you can’t stand newagepostmodernretroindieavantgardeabstracthipsterbullshit. Also, Vinnie Jones as an artist, and Adam Goldberg kicking a bucket on stage should be hilarious. Rookie writer/director.
Adam Goldberg, Marley Shelton, Vinnie Jones
October 23

Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day – Directed by Troy Duffy, Written by Troy and Taylor Duffy
We’ve had to wait ten bloody years for this film to actually see the light of day. Now it’s here. If you didn’t see the first one (what the hell is wrong with you??) it’s about two Irish brothers who are “called” by God to administer justice and vengeance to society’s scum. I’m actually impressed that after so long on the shelf, the writer/director of the first film is still on board. Can’t freaking wait.
Sean Patrick Flanery, Norman Reedus, Clifton Collins Jr., Julie Benz, Judd Nelson, Billy Connolly, Peter Fonda
October 30

How to Seduce Difficult Women – Written and Directed by Richard Temtchine
Although there are no recognizable names or faces attached to this one, imagine if someone combined Hitch and School for Scoundrels, and then made a GOOD film. The main character, Pierre, decides to teach the ways of French seduction to the floundering American men who have lost the art (stupid French guys with their…sexy accents…). Interspersed with NY street interviews about sex and seduction. Could be interesting.
Louis-Do de Lencquesaing, Stephanie Szostak, Jackie Hoffman, Rachel Roberts
October 30

KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN

The Ministers – Written and Directed by Franc. Reyes
Kinda like Boondock Saints…except Latin. And they’re serial killers. And Leguizamo plays twins. And I’d bet money Keitel gets naked for no reason. Reyes is a weird cat, but he directed Empire and Illegal Tender, which weren’t bad. Leguizamo’s always good, so we’ll see. Rumored limited release date, nothing solid yet.
John Leguizamo, Harvey Keitel, Wanda De Jesus, Florencia Lozano
October 1 (Limited)

Aladin – Written and Directed by Sujoy Ghosh
Shut up and let me talk. Yes, it’s an Indian film. Yes, it appears there is a bit of singing involved. However, the story of Aladin is one of the most widely known and adaptable myths to come out of the area. And the preview actually gives me a Stephen Chow (Kung Fu Hustle, Shaolin Soccer) kind of feel. Excuse the hell out of me for trying to broaden your minds. Only release date in India so far. Check it out.
Ritesh Deshmukh, Jaqueline Fernandes, Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt
October 23 (India)

Pope Joan – Directed by Sonke Wortmann, Written by Heinrich Hadding
Based on the German novel, this is the story of an English woman born in Germany, who disguises herself as a man and ascends to a seat of power in 9th century Vatican. A German film about gender disguise, and John Goodman’s in it, but Hilary Swank isn’t? That’s so confusing it has to be fattening. Limited release in Germany so far.
David Wenham, John Goodman, Ian Glen
October 22 (Germany)

A New York City Homicide Detective unwittingly becomes involved with one of the men who murdered her father thirteen years prior in this thriller starring John Leguizamo and Harvey Keitel. It’s been over a decade since Celeste Santana (Florencia Lozano) lost her father in a violent shooting. The only evidence discovered at the scene of the crime was a pamphlet for a mysterious religious order dubbed “The Ministers.” Upon crossing paths with the man she believes responsible for her father’s untimely demise, Detective Santana prepares to ensure that justice is served.