Martian Lawrence is back on the big screen in the first of two family comedies this year. I lucked in to a free screening of this movie and was pleasantly surprised. The cast is fun and Michael Epps steals every scene he is in. It was good to be able to actually laugh again during a Martin Lawrence film versus waiting for it to be over and forgotten.
A new thriller has hit the big screen that taps in to the exploitation of the internet and our morbid curiousity in seeing accidents and shocking video. Diane Lane works in the FBI's Cyber crimes devision when she is tasked with tracking down a website that displays the actual murder of seemingly innocent victims whose demise are accelerated when more viewers tune in. The movie is entertaining, the acting is good, and the online deaths are creative if not easy to watch. The movie is a good late night rental when the kids are tucked in and there are better movies playing now that you would be better off spending your money on. 
The Shakespeare Theatre Company's lastest production, Argonautika, is the epic tale of Jason and his Argonauts questing for the Golden Fleece as envisioned by writer and director, Mary Zimmerman. Mary Zimmerman's retelling or, more to the point, reimagining of this classic delivers a production that is beautiful, irreverent, hilarious, daring and slightly modern. The riff on Hercules and the roll call of the Argonauts as a rap are truly inspired. The is a must see performace. Get a ticket today before you miss out on an evening of shear theatric pleasure.
I have to admit I have a fondness for the dance movie. I have seen such questionable classics as Footloose, Flashdance, Breakin' and Breakin' 2: Electric Bugaloo, Center Stage, and Save The Last Dance. In this film the premise is lame as in most of these types of films but the dancing is very cool. Rutina Wesley delivers and energetic dance performance and the soundtrack is fun as it should be. Wait to rent this on DVD so no one will know your dirty little secret or luck in to some free movie passes like I did. 
J.J. Abrams brings to the screen a new visual take on the giant monster run amok a la The Blair Witch Project. The good stuff: cool big monster, realistic destruction, everyone dies; the bad stuff: token love story, shaky cam. I appreciate the way the film was shot but at times it was too chaotic to even watch on the screen without making you get motion sickness. The further back in the theatre you are the better. I recommend seeing this film but definately sit back at least ten rows from where you would normally sit to be able to enjoy this film.
Guillermo del Toro brings us another great Spanish film by presenting Juan Antonio Bayona's El Orfanato. Even though this is a ghost story, to pigeon-hole this as just another horror movie would be like saying Pan's Labyrinth was just another war movie. The story is well conceived and the plot twists are perfectly timed to reveal the truth behind the hauting occurences. Being a foreign film with subtitles does not detract from the film in any way as the performances are fully engaging and makes the captions unneeded past the opening act. This is another in hopefully a long line of great spanish films to hit the American cinema.
I must start out by saying I almost missed this concert and just made it to the Verizon Center as Rob Zombie was taking to the stage. The cliche of topless girls at a rock show was not needed here as they were blasting from the video displays above the stage from Zombie's art work and clips from his favorite cult and horror films. Zombie was great and satyr-like as ever as he rocked the house. When Ozzy hit the stage, his banter was that of an old crazy man yelling to the young kids tresspassing on his front lawn - not a far stretch if you have seen his reality show. But you have to give the man props - he still rocks and better then most of the new bands on the scence now that owe so much to him as one of the original, kicking-n-screaming rock gods of heavy metal. 
To start off, I am a huge fan of both the Alien and Predator franchaises and have all the films in my DVD collection. That said, I hated this latest film and was even forced to set through it a second time as part of a planned "off-site team meeting" with my department. The issue I have is not with the CGI or creatures themselves but with the complete abscense of a plot and just the stringing together of scenes with explosions that supposedly delivered something watchable. On top of that, the story devolves to a single predator versus alien/predator hybrid that was the ending of the last film. No war, no clash of many predators and many aliens = not worth watching!
Ever since I was a child, I was enchanted by the true life mysteries of such things as Bigfoot and the Loch Ness monster. Jay Russell brings to the screen Dick King-Smith's children's book, The Water Horse, who was also the writer of another favorite movie of mine, Babe. The story deals with the coming of age of a young boy who discovers this fantasical creature that must be saved while dealing with the lost of his father to the country's war effort. King-Smith has an incredible way of dealing with very adult themes and breaking them down to being accesible to children while not diluting their impact or resonance. This is a must see family movie that is enjoyable for everyone in the family and not just the children.
Juno is this year's Oscar darling and winner of the Best Original Screenplay. Juno is a down-to-earth teenage girl who must deal with an unplanned pregnancy from her one-time sexual encounter to the chagrin of her friends and parents. Ellen Page, who was Oscar nominated as well for her role, does indeed deliver one of the best acting performances of the year and makes the dramaedy a must-see film. The cast is rounded out with stand-out performances by J.K. Simmons, Jennifer Garner, and Jason Bateman. For those of you that need to score points by seeing the next chick flick with you girl, go see this and you will be glad you did even if you don't get the points to bank for later.