daiv101 > ReviewsHooray to all my movie friends here.. miss you all a lot!!!

It's hard not to believe a movie like "Secretariat," which, as its tag line declares, is "the impossible true story." After all, it is the tale of the greatest racehorse that ever lived. Loosely based on "Secretariat: The Making of a Champion" by William Nack, the Randall Wallace-helmed film feels like Walt Disney's answer to the Warner Brothers' award-winning movie, "The Blind Side." Penny Chenery Tweedy (Diane Lane) was living the carefree life of a mother and wife when her mother dies, turning her world upside down. With an ailing father (Scott Glenn) whose farm is going down, and with an inheritance tax all blown up, Penny risks thrusting one of their breeds, the Bold Ruler named Secretariat, into the world of American thoroughbred racing. Little did she know that it will not only save her family and their farm, Secretariat was bound to be one of the most legendary horses in history, winning the much-coveted Triple Crown in 1973, in record-breaking triumphs at the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes. Even with little knowledge about horse racing, audiences will relate to "Secretariat," as there's an attempt to balance the technical aspect involved in horse racing and horse breeding, with the signature sentimentality that Disney movies are known for. But since "Secretariat" is from a film outfit whose impetus is to inspire, the schmaltziness eventually wins. At some point in her performance, Lane looks as if she was trying to pull off a Sandra Bullock, whose portrayal of Leigh Anne Touhy in "The Blind Side" earned her an Oscar and a Golden Globe. Like Touhy, Lane's Chenery is headstrong, stubborn, and smart enough to stand out in a man's world and stand up for herself and what she believes in. Although she delivered a fine performance, we couldn't help but remember that this was the same actress who starred in un-Disney films like "Unfaithful" and "A Walk on the Moon." Chemistry is important when it comes to the lead characters, and as for Chenery and Big Red (Secretariat's nickname), theirs is palpable enough to induce poignancy. The overall warmth in the film could've been more solidified, though, if rapport was also established between Secretariat and his regular rider, Ronnie Turcotte (Otto Thorwarth, who, in real life, is a professional jockey). Reasonably paced, "Secretariat" has an adequate amount of exciting scenes particularly during the races. It's impressive how the horse (or horses---as the film reportedly used five colts) that portrayed the title character managed to somehow resurrect Secretariat. The horses are charming in scenes in which they were eyeballing their opponents like it's a boxing match, responding to people's cheers, and running as if they have found their ultimate freedom. They were remarkably shot especially in scenes when Secretariat and Sham (his toughest rival) were running neck-and-neck. And in true fashion of inspirational movies, "Secretariat" imparts the importance of believing in oneself and in others despite the odds. "You never know how far you can go unless you run," as Chenery says. "Sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast," as the White Queen's popular pronouncement to Alice in "Through The Looking Glass" goes. "Secretariat" is one of the films that should remind the frustrated that impossible is actually impossible.

What does a New Yorker disillusioned with romance do? Take a whirlwind trip to Rome, that's what! And head on to a wishing fountain and pluck coins from it in a defiant act against love. Inexplicably though-and because this is a comedy where strange things can happen-this act of hers makes Beth (played by Kristen Bell of "Veronica Mars" and "Heroes") the object of passion of the men who threw the coins into the fountain. "When in Rome" is director Mark Steven Johnson's return to his comedy roots after becoming known for big-budget movie adaptations for comic book heroes like the Ghost Rider and the Daredevil. While he explains that here, "No one's head explodes," he does admit, "I'm a guy, and I'm not a big romantic-comedy guy. [But] I wanted to make a comedy with romance, versus a 'romantic comedy."' Aiming to put a big heart into a comedy movie, Johnson saw the comedic potential of "When in Rome," in which Beth taking the coins from the fountain has made a sausage magnate (played by Danny DeVito), a street magician (John Heder, "Napoleon Dynamite"), a painter (Will Arnett, "30 Rock"), and a narcissistic model (Dax Shepard, "Zathura") fall in love with her. "Kristen is an incredible, amazing actor," Johnson says. "I have never worked with anyone like her. I really felt you could build a whole movie around this girl." Bell portrays Beth, a young curator at the Guggenheim Museum in Manhattan-a 'gallerina,' a term that Bell has learned, is used for "young women who run any sort of gallery. It's sort of a high-pressure job, which is why she's always so frazzled." But after attending her sister's wedding in Rome, and having a few glasses of bubblies, her life gets more frazzled because of those 'magic' coins. "When she gets home, these suitors start to come after her. They're madly in love. There's a lot of chasing and running in heels." Meanwhile, Beth also meets another guy-a charming reporter who also starts pursuing her with equal zest. Clueless as to what is real, she wonders if this handsome guy Nick (played by Josh Duhamel, also known to some as Mr. Fergalicious-who reportedly renewed his vows with his Black Eyed Peas wife early this year) is also under the same spell. "Both of them are very driven in their given professions and neither is really looking for love," says Duhamel of his character. "It's one of those things, I guess, you usually find it when you're not looking." But the film's producers saw in Duhamel the perfect leading man for Bell's confused character. For them Duhamel's unexpectedly awkward quality made his character funnier and more endearing. "One of Josh's greatest gifts is his ability to be physically funny," says producer Andrew Panay. "He was a college quarterback in real life, so he's very coordinated. But to watch him scramble, fall and run into things-it's absolutely, incredibly funny. And he's so natural." Gary Foster, another producers, also describes Duhamel as having "this very authentic way about him. He's really kind of 'aw shucks."' But the saccharine sweet on-screen pairing of Bell and Duhamel is balanced off by the quirkiness of the other four supporting actors in the cast. "I just wanted to surround Kristen with the funniest people I could," says Johnson. With top comic performers playing Beth's strange suitors, the whole filmmaking exercise has turned into one giant good time. "I sometimes could not stop laughing on the set because they're all so funny," Bell says. "Everyone knew there was something kind of special going on," says Johnson of his actors. "The whole cast added so much to the film and everyone would improvise-but they always did so within the constraints of the scene-nobody would just go off-that can sometimes be a danger when you have so many funny people competing for laughs. They were all really good about serving the story with their improvisation." So when in Rome, do as they do-bask in movie magic and a little bit of good ol' romance. "When in Rome" is currently playing in local cinemas, so for those wishing for love, come and get it!

Three cops, three journeys to what we suspect will be doom. No good can come of the lives they lead. They aren't bad guys, not precisely, but they occupy a world of such unremitting violence and cynicism that they're willing to do what it takes to survive. In the kind of coincidence provided only by fate or screenplays, each one will mean trouble for the other two. Richard Gere gets top billing as Eddie, a veteran with one week left before retirement. It is a movie convention that anyone who has a week to go before retirement must die before that week is up, but Eddie seems impatient. As the film opens, he wakes up, chugs some whiskey from a bottle and points a revolver into his mouth, never a good sign. Don Cheadle is Tango, who is completely embedded undercover in Brooklyn's toughest drug-dealing precinct, where he has blended in so well with the bad guys that it's a fine line separating him from crime. His friend is Caz (Wesley Snipes), a dealer trying to go straight after prison; they share one of those inexplicable bonds between two tough guys causing themselves to consider each other brothers when they should really be nothing of the kind. The third cop, Sal (Ethan Hawke), is a narc whose wife (Lili Taylor) provides him with more of a melodramatic emergency than we are perhaps prepared to believe. They have seven kids, live in a house too small for them, and the mold in the walls provokes potentially dangerous asthma attacks. Oh, and she's pregnant. With twins. Sal has made an offer on a new place for which he cannot make the first payment. He desperately needs cash, and there's a lot of it around in his work. Tango needs to somehow use Caz and yet spare him. Eddie needs to negotiate an alcoholic haze for seven more days before he can go fishing. The film and the actors do a good job of establishing these characters in their own lives. Indeed, the best things about "Brooklyn's Finest" are the one-on-one scenes. These are fine actors. The milieu involves a tough, poker-playing, substance-abusing, hard-bitten world where the law meets crime, and the two sides have more in common with each other than with civilians. I don't believe it's like this for most cops, but somehow it is for the great majority of movie cops. Cheadle and Snipes have some very good scenes involving what is left unsaid but not unsuspected. Hawke has a fierce loyalty to his wife and family, and Lili Taylor does her usual touching job with what's basically a soap opera role. Hawke is especially effective in desperate scenes where he takes crazy risks because he needs to raise cash quickly. Gere's character is not as rich as the other two, is more depressed and on a more predictable trajectory. What is rather startling is the level of the violence and killing. Although cops-vs.-drugs movies are traditionally awash in blood, "Brooklyn's Finest" demonstrates a trope I've seen with disturbing frequency: The scene in which one character lifts a firearm and peremptorily blows away another one -- almost casually or unemotionally, like cleaning house. I complained for years about the Talking Killer Syndrome, in which the shooter delays in order to explain himself to a man who will presumably be dead soon. But Instant Killers are not the answer. The fact of taking life is robbed of weight and meaning. The gun becomes the instrument of merciless self-will. The director of "Brooklyn's Finest," Antoine Fuqua, made "Training Day" (2001), the film for which Denzel Washington won a best actor Oscar. That movie powerfully co-starred Ethan Hawke. This film has the same level of savage violence, and the same cops operating outside the same law, but the human stakes are more obvious and less convincing. The lives of the three cops intersect through a series of coincidences and inevitabilities, and I think we become a little too conscious that they're being guided less by chance than by a screenwriter. The film has a basic strength in its performances and craft, but falls short of the high mark Fuqua obviously set for himself.

You’d think “Love Happens” is a rom-com but it’s actually more of drama than comedy. The lead character is Burke Ryan (Aaron Eckhart of “Erin Brokovich,” “No Reservations”), the writer of a book called “A-Okay,” a self-help manual for people mourning for a loved one. The movie starts with him arriving in Seattle to be the motivational speaker in his seminar on how to move on after losing someone. He and his late wife used to live there and one of the persons who confront him is his wife’s estranged dad (Martin Sheen), who calls him a hypocrite. In his hotel, a florist catches his interest, Eloise (Jennifer Aniston). He tries to invite her for coffee but she responds in sign language. It turns out she’s not really deaf but just pretending to be one as she already has a boyfriend, who she quickly discovers to be cheating on her. Burke discovers she can actually speak and reprimands her for this. After their first rocky encounter, they’re soon dating each other. The movie’s title, “Love Happens,” is obviously a play on the term “shit happens.” And shit does happen on the way to the film’s ultra mushy climax showing Burke breaking down on stage confessing his “crime” with his father-in-law also going up on stage to console him. This weeper of a sequence is almost unwatchable because of its sheer manipulativeness. The movie is the directorial debut of Brandon Camp, who previously wrote the sappy “Dragonfly” with Kevin Costner also pining for a missing wife. What saves the movie is the highly competent performance of Eckhart as Burke (he was also good in “Dark Knight”) investing his character with much sympathy and humanity. He conducts his seminar scenes well. We’ve just noticed the motivational speaker is a favorite in Hollywood films, like Tom Cruise in “Magnolia,” Greg Kinnear in “Little Miss Sunshine,” Terence Stamp in “Yes Man,” and soon, George Clooney in “Up in the Air.” Aniston knows she’s more of a support as the catalyst who’s fond of writing uncommon words on hotel walls and helps bring about Burke’s catharsis. She wisely underplays her performance. Since “Friends,” we notice she’s been doing movies that will certainly not help boost her career, like “Derailed,” “Rumor Has It,” “Friends with Money,” and “Management.” The best performance in the film is rendered by John Carroll Lynch as a father who has a hard time coping with feelings of guilt and loss over the death of his young son. Judy Greer as Eloise’s wacky best friend is not properly utilized. The feel-good ending is not really provided by any of the lead characters since the romance between Burke and Eloise is not that fully developed. Believe it or not, it’s provided by a crowd-pleasing parrot named Rocky. What the movie succeeds in doing (which even “Sleepless in Seattle” failed to do) is to make a travelogue showing various scenic spots in Seattle, including a beautiful shot of the Space Needle with the camera zooming away from it while Burke is on top. If you haven’t seen Seattle, this is the best way to discover it, including the graveyard where Bruce Lee and his son Brandon were laid to rest.

Harrison Ford stars in Columbia Pictures’ new medical thriller “Extraordinary Measures” as Dr. Robert Stonehill, a brilliant but unappreciated and unconventional scientist who teams up with John Crowley (Brendan Fraser), the father of two children diagnosed with a fatal disease to find the cure. Six years ago, Ford read Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Geeta Anand’s Wall Street Journal article, and later Anand’s book entitled “The Cure: How a Father Raised $100 Million – and Bucked the Medical Establishment – in a Quest to Save His Children,” on John Crowley and the Crowley family. Captivated by multiple themes, Ford recognized the makings of a movie in this compelling material. “I thought Geeta’s book had something to say about personal courage, initiative, parents’ love, and the power to overcome extraordinarily difficult circumstances,” remembers Ford. “If we could wrestle this into the shape of a movie, we would be bringing a story to the screen which would enrich people’s lives.” Compressing the story’s timeline of events included assessing how to best represent the numerous people who assisted John in his development of the drug that would save his children. “There were many people who helped John along the way, from scientists to business men. And there were a number of doctors for whom John raised money,” explains screenwriter Robert Nelson Jacobs. “We composited all of these people into one character – Dr. Robert Stonehill. John is very ‘straight ahead,’ and Dr. Stonehill marches to the beat of his own drum. I realized that putting the two of them together would make sparks fly. It would create a lot of dramatic tension.” Ford (who both stars and serves as executive producer on the film) saw Dr. Stonehill as an intriguing opportunity both in storytelling and as an actor. “He’s a composite of people who played different parts in the Crowleys’ story but, for me, he’s also a composite of things I’ve observed in my research. He represents aspects of a scientist, and also aspects of a loner, an iconoclast,” explains Ford. “And his relationship with John Crowley is an interesting kind of relationship for me as an actor. Their relationship is sometimes contentious, not at all smooth, but there are also moments of co-joined purpose. It’s a complicated dynamic.” “It’s two men with a mission; one to save his family, the other to prove he’s right,” elaborates producer Michael Shamberg. “Two men against the system; I don’t think you can go wrong when you have underdogs fighting for something right. And, given the current health care debate, the public seems particularly primed to root for characters who take control of important issues, such as this one, that affect the fate of their loved ones.” To build Stonehill’s character while authenticating the science in the script overall, Ford and Jacobs turned to experts in the field for help and credibility. “I’ve been gratified by the willingness of the science community to help us work out ways to get the story more correct on a scientific level,” says Ford. “In particular, to work out a way of representing the scientific process which is largely practiced in the head.”

Up In The Air,” a serious movie yet very funny,which the movie stars George Clooney (Oscar winner of “Ocean 11 to 13”) as Ryan Bingham, a business executive doing the dirty work of delivering dismissal messages to employees of various companies. Vera Farmiga, Clooney’s love interest in the movie, described “Up In The Air” as “an intelligent comedy of the kind that the director, Jason Reitman, is so very good at. On his own, Director Reitman said: “This is a movie about what you want to complete your life with. Ryan Bingham lives his entire life in flux. Ryan has long been contented with his unemcumbered lifestyle, from one airport to another, in hotels, and rental cars. He carries all he needs in a wheeled-away luggage; he is an an elite member of every travel loyalty program, wins recognition for achieving a 10-million miles travel feat. Yet, Ryan has nothing real to hold on! Then Ryan finds realization of what a life must be like owning a home and a family when he meets the intelligent Alex (Vera Farmiga); a sexy, fiercely independent businesswoman! But will the acquaintance turn into a a truly love affair?

The film stars four-time Oscar-nominee Jeff Bridges as the richly comic, semi-tragic romantic anti-hero Bad Blake – a broken-down, hard-living country music singer who’s had way too many marriages, far too many years on the road and one too many drinks way too many times. And yet, Bad can’t help but reach for salvation with the help of Jean (Maggie Gyllenhaal), a journalist who discovers the real man behind the musician. As he struggles down the road of redemption, bad learns the hard way just how tough life can be on one man’s crazy heart. The debut feature of writer-director Scott Cooper, “Crazy Heart” is based on the novel of the same name by Thomas Cobb. Like a sly and tender country song, laced with equal parts passion, humor and trouble, “Crazy Heart” is the portrait of a man who has lived hard, fast and recklessly, but still goes after the salvation of love when his heart gets what appears to be one last chance to redeem itself. Scott Cooper – himself a Southerner steeped in the rollicking legends and bittersweet themes of country music –always saw the outsized lead character Bad Blake as a mirror of the country heroes he grew up idolizing, in spite of their wildly unpredictable love lives and battles with their darker impulses. Bad might indeed have a “bad” streak – he can be as ornery, irresponsible, intoxicated and ridiculous as they come – but he is equally a gifted storyteller, an unsinkable romantic, a soul in need, and a man who finally proves himself willing to chase after redemption when all seems lost. In many ways, it came naturally to Cooper. “I grew up with this type of music, living in the same type of world that Bad Blake lives in. And being an actor myself, I understood the nature of a performance-driven story. I felt like if I couldn’t do this, having grown up in the South, steeped in country rock, working as an actor, I was in trouble,” he laughs. Nominated for three Academy Awards including Best Actor, Fox Searchlight’s critically acclaimed drama “Crazy Heart” is a Fox Searchlight film distributed locally by Warner Bros.

Who wouldn’t want to fall down the rabbit hole if it holds the promise of endless possibilities and boundless dreams? Tim Burton’s adaptation of the beloved story only hints at the curious temptation with some 3-D helpings. Let purists be warned: This is not a faithful big screen translation of Lewis Caroll’s classic books “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking Glass.” Burton's "Alice" jumps 13 years later when our heroine is already 19 years old. While she has lost some of her “much-ness”—as the Mad Hatter later on described her—Alice (played by Australian actress Mia Wasikowska) still has her childhood spunk, her penchant for the extraordinary, and her excessive dislike to be told what to do (say, marry a redhead royal prig just because her family insists). Beloved characters in the books were brought to life to join the crazy tea party: the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp), White Rabbit (Michael Sheen), Dormouse (Barbara Windsor), the Cheshire Cat (Stephen Fry), Caterpillar (Alan Rickman), Tweedleedee and Tweedledum (Matt Lucas), and the March Hare (Paul Whitehouse). The royalties are also present, such as the Knave of Hearts (Crispin Glover), the White Queen (Anne Hathaway), and of course, the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter), although popular character Humpty Dumpty is missing in action—perhaps he fell off a wall? Screenwriter Linda Woolverton (“Beauty and the Beast”) made one cohesive story about the triumph of good vs. evil and where interaction among the characters was evident, unlike in the book where it seemed they were all just colorful cut-outs meant to fill Alice's world. In the film, the characters are finally allowed to develop. In Burton's version, Alice is seen returning to "Underland" (which she used to call “Wonderland”) to find it barren and almost hopeless. She reunites with her long-time friends who tell her she needs to fulfill her destiny of slaying the Red Queen’s “pet,” the Jabberwocky, on Frabjous Day, so the White Queen will regain her crown. Burton’s 108-minute film is a visual feast all throughout, made so sumptuous with his trademark dreamy, melancholic imagery. Production design is so consistent that there is not a wasted space in a single frame. Take for instance the castle of the Red Queen: everything from the execution stage to the Knave’s eye patch are all heart-shaped. Tim’s eye for detail goes a long way in successfully transporting the audience to a different world. Even the costumes, hair, and make-up are striking in an edgy yet sophisticated way, from the Red Queen’s bulbous head times three and Mad Hatter’s zesty orange hair, to Alice’s it’s-not-obvious-it’s-made-out-of-curtains-and-rags dress. Cheers to costume designer Colleen Atwood. Tim reunites once again with his perennial teammates Johnny Depp and partner in real life Helena Bonham Carter for this one. Johnny is, as usual, very amusing. As the Mad Hatter, who he has seemingly given more "heart," he’s not just some nutty entertainer who seldom asks, “Why is a raven like a writing desk?” But it is really Helena who stands out: she’s the Red Queen incarnate, a bratty royalty whose shrill voice will get in one’s nerves that one would almost want to scream, “off with her head!” Mia, meanwhile, has both the spunk and the innocence of Alice that her own portrayal of the character will grow on you. She is at her empowering best during her duel with the Jabberwocky. The film has its merits, though loyal followers of the books will probably wonder how the film would have turned out if only Tim opted to re-tell the story faithfully. (And with the movie’s rich visuals, witty, comic dialogues, and powerhouse cast, it is an experience in itself even sans 3-D.) In spite of the drastic differences, and the strange fact that Alice has (initially) forgotten a place as wonderful as Wonderland, the film still carries the same message that the books had stamped in the hearts of kids and adults since their publication in the late 1800’s: people may grow older, but they should not lose their sense of wonder. "Be curiouser and curiouser." And it doesn’t matter what’s real or what’s imaginary (“which dreamed it,” anyway?); what’s important is, whether you are in the real or in the imagined world, you never lose your sense of self.

One of Charles Dickens' best-loved (and most complex) stories receives its fourth feature film adaptation in this lively historical comedy-drama. Nicholas Nickleby (Charlie Hunnam) is a 19-year-old who becomes the head of the family when his father dies unexpectedly. Keeping watch over his mother (Stella Gonet) and his sister Kate (Romola Garai) becomes an even greater challenge when Nicholas discovers that his father lost the family fortune due to ill-advised investments. Without a shilling to his name, Nicholas turns to his wealthy but unforgiving Uncle Ralph (Christopher Plummer) for help; Uncle Ralph offers to find work for all three, and Nicholas becomes a teacher at a school for unfortunate boys run by Wackford Squeers (Jim Broadbent) and his wife (Juliet Stevenson). Squeers and his wife are cruel and frequently violent toward their charges, and when Wackford, without cause, beats a weak and timid student, Smike (Jamie Bell), Nicholas decides he can take no more and runs away, with Smike in tow. The two young men fall in with a traveling theater troupe run by the genially eccentric Vincent Crummles (Nathan Lane) and his equally flamboyant spouse (Barry Humphries, aka Dame Edna Everage). In time Nicholas returns to London to check in on his sister and mother. To his horror, he learns that Uncle Ralph has promised Kate's hand to Sir Mulberry Hawk (Edward Fox), a wealthy older man with a less-than-wholesome interest in young women. Both Kate and Nicholas are upset at the prospect of this union, and Nicholas attempts to tear his family away from Uncle Ralph's control, beginning with a job working for the warm-hearted Charles Cheeryble (Timothy Spall) and his brother (Gerard Horan). Nicholas also falls in love with the fair Madeline (Anne Hathaway), but when Uncle Ralph learns of Nicholas' plot to foil Kate's impending marriage, he strikes back by kidnapping Smike and attempting to force Madeline to wed Sir Hawk. Actor, writer, and filmmaker Douglas McGrath adapted Nicholas Nickleby into a screenplay, as well as directing the picture.

Brassed Off meets My Name Is Joe in this gritty coming-of-age drama about a young son of a poor English coal miner who dreams of being a ballet dancer. The film is set during a 1984 miners' strike in Durham county, where angry clashes between picketers and cops in riot gear are nearly daily occurrences. Among the most vociferous protestors are Tony (Jamie Driven) and his dad (Gary Lewis), who nags his youngest son Billy (Jamie Bell) into taking boxing classes. Though the kid can do some fancy footwork, he can't take a punch. One day at the gym, he notices a ballet class taught by hard-bitten Mrs. Wilkinson (Julie Walters), whose young daughter dares him to join. When his father gets wind of this less-than-manly pursuit, he pulls him from the class. Sensing a raw and natural talent, Mrs. Wilkinson offers to teach the lad for free in preparation for the local auditions to the Royal Ballet School. When Tony gets in trouble with the cops, Billy is forced to miss the trials, leading to a confrontation between Billy's pop and Ms. Wilkinson. Though at first he steadfastly refuses to consider his son's desires of going into ballet, he comes to realize that this might be the one shot that Billy has in order to escape the danger and grinding tedium of a miner's life, so he sets out to earn the money by any means necessary to send his son to London. This film is the directorial debut of renowned British stage director Stephen Daldry.

Bruce Willis is one of few actors who create memorable performances in practically any genre - whether drama (Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction"), thriller (M. Night Shyamalan's "The Sixth Sense") or action (the blockbuster "Die Hard" film franchise). Now, he returns to the genre that started it all for him - comedy ("The Blind Date") -- in Warner Bros.' "Cop Out" from director Kevin Smith. "Cop Out" features two longtime NYPD partners on the trail of a stolen, rare, mint-condition baseball card who find themselves up against a merciless, memorabilia-obsessed gangster. Jimmy (Willis) is the veteran detective whose missing collectible is his only hope to pay for his daughter's upcoming wedding, and Paul (Tracy Morgan) is his "partner-against-crime" whose preoccupation with his wife's alleged infidelity makes it hard for him to keep his eye on the ball. "Jimmy is a cranky, irritable cop with a wisecracking sense of humor," offers Willis. "He shoots first, asks questions later, and cracks jokes whenever he can." Says Smith, "During production, I sat around set all day and watched the movie in a little monitor, as directors do, seeing what the camera sees. So in reality, I sat there all day watching a Bruce Willis movie, which is what I do at home anyway for free." Screenwriters Robb Cullen & Mark Cullen describe Willis' character, Jimmy, as someone who's been a detective for over 20 years, is divorced and somewhat lonely. "He hasn't gotten the breaks to move ahead in the department. He's more like the gunslinger of the old West, who has his own code of conduct," says Mark. Robb adds, "Jimmy's very conflicted because his ex-wife has married up and is doing very well, his daughter now is participating in that wealthy lifestyle, and he's still living in an apartment by himself. And, on top of that, his daughter's insufferable stepfather is practically shaming Jimmy into letting him pay for his daughter's wedding. I think all of that is adding up to making him feel less of a man at times." Not about to be upstaged at his own daughter's wedding, Jimmy has made the decision to cash in his priceless '52 Pafko baseball card to pay for something even more priceless-his daughter's happiness. However, mid-sale, the Pafko becomes the "victim" of a robbery, right under the not-so-watchful eye of Jimmy's partner, Paul. Paul is in the midst of his own family drama...even if it is of his own making. In addition to trying to catch criminals, he is also trying to catch his wife in the act with another man. Michael Tadross, who produced two of the "Die Hard" movies, asserts, "I jumped at the chance to work with Bruce again. The man is brilliant, he knows what he wants and he's a friend, so it's always a pleasure to be around someone like that. Put Bruce Willis, Tracy Morgan and Kevin Smith in the same room? I couldn't wait to see what would come out of that. Those three guys are at the top of their game." Tadross was not the only one who'd worked with Willis on a "Die Hard" film. Offers Smith, "I'd worked with Bruce as an actor on 'Live Free or Die Hard,' and he called me at one point and said, 'I'm an actor, you're a director, we're both from Jersey ...we should do something together some day.' So when Marc Platt said to me, 'Hey, there's a chance we can get Bruce Willis,' I thought that would be amazing."

Alice Sebold's novel makes no, uh, bones about its subject matter and opens with a simple but striking statement: "My name is Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973." Although a touching story of the Afterlife at its heart, Peter Jackson's vision for the movie is met with mixed reviews, most of the negative pointing towards the use of special effects, the abrupt shifts between the horrific and the sentimental and the lack of central cohesion. To those who've read the novel, by glossing over certain situations, Jackson has made a superficial movie more concerned about painting an imagery of the Afterlife (instead of the "real life"), his representation of a non-Christian purgatory where "lost" souls supposedly find meaning to move on. "These were the lovely bones that had grown around my absence: the connections-sometimes tenuous, sometimes made at great cost, but often magnificent-that happened after I was gone," Susie recites at the end of the movie, as in the book. Jackson's apparent skirting of the real issues in the book-the poignant moments, and the sometimes illicit relationships that have formed in the wake of Susie's murder-has much derailed the story's true tone. Maybe this movie would be better received, then, by people who have no idea what the book is like. Having no prior notions, one finds that Susie's story, as told by Jackson (and his writing partners, Fran Walsj and Philippa Boyens-the same triumvirate that dished out the acclaimed "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy), is just as oddly comforting. Reminiscent of "Big Fish," Tim Burton's foray into one man's imagination in the face of his death and how his own son is dealing with it, Jackson's "The Lovely Bones" finds the same ground. The Kiwi director precisely did not want a dark, brooding retelling. Instead, he focused on the hopeful and uplifting, choosing to make digital representations of what Susie's "in-between" would be like, despite his main character's own painful and confusing journey of letting go. In the movie, Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan) is a bright teenager who has everything to look forward to. In fact, a boy she likes-a senior whom she thought barely noticed her-just asked her out on a date. On her way home, a neighbor, Mr. Harvey (played superbly by Stanley Tucci-whose affected voice and piercing eyes make him nearly unrecognizable), deliberately set out to meet her in the cornfield and lured her into a secret room he built underground. Susie's murder (in the book, she was also raped) sends her family into a tailspin. Her mother, Abigail (Rachel Weisz), detaches and isolates herself-while in the novel she is supposed to have had an affair, in the movie she moves away to find a job. Her father, Jack (Mark Wahlberg), gets consumed by solving the mystery, while the younger sister, Lindsey (Rose McIver), deals with the death in her own way. Holding them all loosely together is Abigail's boozed up, self-centered mother, the slightly nutty Grandma Lynn (Susan Sarandon), who is called on for familial support. As the family deals, Susie watches them from beyond-in her fantastic world where she even befriends another girl, Holly, who turns out to be Harvey's victim before her. Unbeknownst to Susie, her holding on to the people in her life influences the actions of her grieving family. This is especially true for her father, who-as Susie's hatred of her killer grows-imbibes the negative energy she feeds him and goes after Harvey wantonly. In the end, it is the younger sister Lindsey that discovers the truth about Susie's murder when, acting on her own hunches, she breaks into Harvey's home to find the evidence the police needs to finally crack the case open. This heart-racing scene, Harvey returns home and senses something wrong, while Lindey is up in his room, turning the pages of his little notebook of crime. Jackson chose to film this scene without any sound but the turning of the book's pages. The tension becomes so unbearable that you'd want to scream "run" at Lindsey when Harvey realizes someone else is in the house. While the novel is successful partly because of its brutality (in both Susie's murder and even in the truths she's learned after dying), Jackson's retelling is more of a story of enlightenment. Whereas it's uncommon to look at death from the point of view of the one who died, the feeling after watching this movie is not that you've come out of a confusing mix of murder-mystery, a thriller and a sci-fi wonder. It is almost like going on a journey along with the characters through the different emotions they themselves go through. Whereas critics of the movie decry the lack of emotional growth of the characters after Susie's death-a valid observation, I admit-it is in her suspended state in the "in-between" where Susie makes her own observation: "I wasn't lost or frozen or gone... I was alive in my own perfect world." It's sad, but when you think of everyone you've ever lost, the thought is consoling. And for that, despite not having read the book yet, Jackson's "The Lovely Bones" could offer viewers the comfort of the divine.

Be warned up front, "GoodFellas" is a rough movie, a hard R-rated insider's look at one New York mobster's life over a 30-year period. The violence is brutal and not the least bit glamorized, there's not a single sympathetic character in the cast and you won't find any of the bigger-than-life operatic overtones of the two "Godfather" movies. Martin Scorsese, who has given us such other gritty slices of life as "Taxi Driver" and "Raging Bull," is at the peak of his form adapting Nicholas Pileggi's book "Wiseguy" to tell the true story of Henry Hill, who is now a member of the federal witness protection program. Hill, played to perfection by Ray Liotta as an adult and Christopher Serrone as a youth, begins his story in the 1950s as young Henry observes the "wiseguys," the "goodfellas," the gangsters in his Little Italy neighborhood and longs to be one of them. Theirs is the good life, Henry decides, with no hassles from local cops because they're paid off and no grief from outsiders since everyone is afraid of them. Besides, you can always get a good table at the Copacabana or park in front of a fire hydrant and not worry about getting a ticket. And there's always plenty of cash in your pocket. Of course, there's much more to this life of crime than Henry imagines. In the film's early stages Henry gains our sympathy as he slowly ingratiates himself among these neighborhood mobsters and they use him as a gofer. Gradually, he climbs the ranks and eventually becomes one of them, though he's always a mid-level "family" member. In higher ranks are Jimmy Conway (Robert DeNiro), a hitman who is feared and respected in the organization; the volatile Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci), a loose cannon who may make you laugh one minute and blow your head off the next; and Paul Cicero (Paul Sorvino), the local kingpin, who lets others do his dirty work and to whom respect must always be paid. Henry also has a tumultuous relationship with a Jewish girl (Lorraine Bracco), whom he eventually marries. She is at first seduced by his lifestyle, not sure of what he really does for a living, and later finds herself an active participant in Henry's wheeling and dealing. People are killed, or "whacked," for various reasons. It might be that they are enemies who cause the problems, they might be innocent outsiders in the wrong place at the wrong time or they might be friends or relatives who have become tiresome. Maybe they want their share in a big stake and the fellow with the money is too greedy. Or they might have pulled one deceitful trick too many and are finally forced to pay. The story is both shocking and fascinating as we watch these guys work, and there's also an unexpected amount of humor along the way, albeit gallows humor. No one in this crowd seems to have any kind of conscience, and eventually Henry begins to realize that even his closest friends can't be trusted. It actually isn't very long before audience sympathy for Henry is lost as well. True, he has no desire to kill anyone, but he doesn't mind a pistol-whipping when it seems necessary. And later he becomes a womanizer, cheating on his wife; he turns on his friends to become a heavy-duty drug dealer; and finally finds himself an uncontrollable cokehead. It's to the credit of Ray Liotta that we never lose our interest in Henry's story, despite what we may feel about him. Liotta is perfect, a charming anti-hero who never stops to think about what he's doing in terms of right or wrong. (Liotta's versatility may be also seen in "Field of Dreams," "Dominick and Eugene" and "Something Wild.") All of the other performances are knockouts as well, from the restrained supertalent of DeNiro to the dour authority of Sorvino to the feisty no-nonsense Bracco. From Deseret News archives: Goodfellas By Chris Hicks Deseret News Published: Monday, Sept. 24, 1990 12:00 a.m. MDT 7 comments | E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + - Page: < Previous12The story is both shocking and fascinating as we watch these guys work, and there's also an unexpected amount of humor along the way, albeit gallows humor. No one in this crowd seems to have any kind of conscience, and eventually Henry begins to realize that even his closest friends can't be trusted. It actually isn't very long before audience sympathy for Henry is lost as well. True, he has no desire to kill anyone, but he doesn't mind a pistol-whipping when it seems necessary. And later he becomes a womanizer, cheating on his wife; he turns on his friends to become a heavy-duty drug dealer; and finally finds himself an uncontrollable cokehead. It's to the credit of Ray Liotta that we never lose our interest in Henry's story, despite what we may feel about him. Liotta is perfect, a charming anti-hero who never stops to think about what he's doing in terms of right or wrong. (Liotta's versatility may be also seen in "Field of Dreams," "Dominick and Eugene" and "Something Wild.") All of the other performances are knockouts as well, from the restrained supertalent of DeNiro to the dour authority of Sorvino to the feisty no-nonsense Bracco. Story continues below But if there is a sure-thing Oscar nomination in the bunch, it's Joe Pesci, whom you may best remember as the goofy witness protected by Danny Glover and Mel Gibson in "Lethal Weapon II" (he was Oscar-nominated in 1980 for Scorsese's "Raging Bull"). Pesci is nothing short of mesmerizing as the organization's wild card; you never know what he's going to do and he is full of sometimes surprises, many of them startlingly violent. Director Scorsese does an impeccable job of covering all the ground here in a 21/2-hour film that doesn't seem long at all. His view of the gangster world he's exploring is non-judgmental and his eye for detail is amazing. In addition he offers numerous examples of how to use film devices that are both overworked and used very badly in other movies, such as freezing frames, fluid single-shot camera use and voice-over narrations. (Compare Liotta and Bracco's seamless narration that furthers the plot with the cumbersome intrusions of Jack Nicholson's attempts in "The Two Jakes.") He never uses technique to show off, it always seems integral to what's going on. And it should be noted that Scorsese's violence here is repellant, starting with the gruesome opening scene. But that's what violence should be. After a summer full of violence played for laughs and gore piled upon gore for no reason other than to gross out the audience, it's disquieting to have to be reminded that violence is not fun. Rated R for violence, sex and a lot of profanity, "GoodFellas" is a mob picture sure to go down in movie history books as ranking with the best, from "Public Enemy" to "The Godfather."

Columbus Short ("Whiteout"), Skeet Ulrich (TV's "Jericho") and Amaury Nolasco (TV's "Prison Break") star as young armored truck guards who, in cahoots with the veteran guards, execute a meticulously planned robbery of their own security firm, in Columbia Pictures' new action-thriller "Armored." However, when their seemingly foolproof plan unravels, the men turn against each other as they desperately try to save themselves. At the center of the story is Columbus Short's character Ty Hackett, a conflicted young man unprepared for the challenges of caring for his brother and keep their modest home together. Initially, Ty refuses to even consider robbing his employer, but the threat of losing his house to the bank and his brother to foster care convinces him to join his co-workers, under one condition-no one will get hurt. Short says once he started reading the script, he couldn't put it down. "This is a very smart movie and I fought to get the part," he says. "It juxtaposes drama and action in a believable way. There are plenty of rock 'em, sock 'em, blow 'em up moments as well as emotionally intense scenes. And nobody's really seen the life of these armored truck drivers before. I knew that this would become such an amazing world and an amazing story." Skeet Ulrich plays Dobbs who is someone in over his head and unable to find a way out. "When things start to spiral out of control, he's afraid to do the right thing," says Ulrich. "It connects to the whole interplay of betrayal and loyalty, the push and pull between doing the right thing and being loyal to those around you." According to Ulrich, the chemistry the cast shared is what he will remember best about the experience of making "Armored." "I don't know how to explain it. There's a certain understanding of each person's position in the story as a whole. It was a pleasure to work with a group of actors who get the work done without a lot of histrionics. Some of the greatest moments I had were just sitting around talking with the guys." Completing the roster of security guards is Palmer, played by Amaury Nolasco. "Palmer is a guy who grew up on the wrong side of the law," says the actor. "He was a problem child, he did his time in prison and after one of his incarcerations, he found God. So he's born again." The shoot was an extremely collaborative experience, says Nolasco. "We all sat down together at the beginning and we brought a lot of ideas to the table. Each of us was able to set his own agenda and develop his own motive. Everybody's got a different reason to be in this." "I struck gold getting to act with this cast," he continues. "Matt Dillon and Jean Reno and Laurence Fishburne have worked with some of the best directors in the business. And then there's Skeet, Columbus and myself who are the new pups coming up and it's like going to school for us. I tried to absorb everything like a sponge. A teacher told me once, 'Steal from the best and make it your own,' and that's pretty much what I did."

It takes a minute for "Charlie Bartlett" to distinguish itself from the movies and books it appears to be ripping off. But once it does, the movie transforms into an exuberant, unexpectedly smart comedy about the fraught give-and-take between kids and grown-ups. The title hero (Anton Yelchin) is a preppie who, having been evicted from yet another Connecticut boarding academy for assorted scams, shows up at a public school in a blue blazer desperate for the student body to love him. His mother (Hope Davis) is an over-medicated lush who's happy he's back in the mansion. The movie smells like "Catcher in the Rye" and some of its loose offspring, like "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," and, in particular, "Rushmore," especially after we find out the public-school principal (Robert Downey Jr.) is a self-loathing drunk who likes to wallow by his swimming pool the way Bill Murray did in "Rushmore." But Charlie isn't cynical or acutely arch. The movie seems allergic to phoniness. And Downey, who's shrewdly cast, hasn't e-mailed in his performance. The racially variegated school Charlie has landed in is full of insecure and unhappy kids who feel better baring their souls to him in the stalls of the boys' bathroom. He sits in one stall and the "patient" parks in the adjacent one, undergoing therapy with the faux-anonymity of Catholic confession. Charlie fakes their symptoms for an assortment of shrinks who write him prescriptions, which he fills and resells for $10 at school. The surprise is that Charlie is actually a talented shrink. He asks questions that lead to actual answers. He listens. In exchange for his psychiatric prowess, Charlie conquers the school, taming his chain-smoking, weed-dealing bully (Tyler Hilton), befriending the lovable slow kid (Dylan Taylor), and handing his virginity to Susan (Kat Dennings), the wonderful eyelinered drama girl who happens to be the principal's daughter. Director Jon Poll (a veteran film editor) and writer Gustin Nash, making their debuts, have whipped up the rare high school movie that doesn't see teenagers as jokes itching to be told or tragedies waiting to happen. It helps tremendously that every single young actor in this movie has a natural, unforced personality and a plain face you don't often see in Hollywood. They also seem as though they might have attended an actual high school. What the movie lacks in technical polish (it's not very handsome-looking) and dramatic perfection, it makes up for in unusual social sophistication. No one is happy staying within the lines of his or her type. The slut wants romance. The suicide case wants stage fame. The jock wants to paint. Charlie the spoiled preppie doesn't want entitlement. And the principal really just wants to teach. School isn't the prison these people perceive it to be. The caste system is. An eccentric, unfashionably corny movie grows from this organic expansion of types. Cat Stevens's "If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out" is performed at least twice. And Charlie appears to enjoy nothing more than sitting at the piano and singing the "All in the Family" theme song with his mother. The movie is set in this century, but its heart beats in 1971. Yelchin even has the mischievously expressive face of a Bob Fosse dancer. It's boyish, but the mysterious angles are possibly hand-carved. He could be playing a politician named Pinocchio. We never meet Charlie's dad (he's in a white-collar prison), but I'm betting it's Geppetto. Yelchin, who was impressive as the kidnappee in "Alpha Dog," is also a striking actor. You don't notice him here until a school-play audition where he breaks character to become a flamboyant queen in something called "Misadventures of a Teen Renegade." (If the movie is even a little bit of a hit, the line "Daddy, I think I'm sluffing" will live forever.) But even when he's just listening, as he is in a couple of beautiful scenes with Dennings, he's still captivating. "Charlie Bartlett" is just as preoccupied with the give-and-take between authority and rebellion as its peers. But this movie is unique in its unwillingness to cede ground to either side. Neither the kids nor the adults have the upper hand for long. The grown-ups, as dysfunctional as they are (namely the principal), have the wisdom of experience - and Charlie, being the listener he is, actually pays attention. The movie may well be propaganda in the student-administrator wars. But if Robert Downey Jr. wants to give me a lecture about the downside of drug use, I'm all ears.

On Christmas Eve in 1955, the adolescent Hellboy is preparing for bed and requests a bedtime story from his father, Professor Bruttenholm (John Hurt). The professor tells Hellboy a legend about war between the humans and the people of the mystical realm. King Balor, leader of the magic elfin race, commissioned the creation of a "Golden Army," 70 times 70 magical mechanical soldiers. Balor received a crown that would allow him (or anyone with royal blood) to command the Army. The Golden Army attacked the humans with no mercy, and eventually Balor became consumed by regret. A truce was called between the warring factors; humans were given control of the cities while Balor's elves would keep to the forests. As a peace offering, Balor shattered his crown and gave one piece to the humans (still keeping two for himself). One of the few who did not agree with the truce was Balor's son, Prince Nuada. The Prince went into exile, vowing to return when his people needed him. And the Golden Army became dormant. In the present day, a mysterious albino man (Luke Goss) is practicing swordsmanship. It is Prince Nuada, ready to return from exile. He is joined by the monster known as Mr. Wink (Brian Steele) who follows his commands. A prestigious auction house is selling off several rare artifacts, including the humans' fragment of the Golden crown. Nuada arrives, takes the crown fragment and dispatches several mysterious creatures to dispose of the humans. At the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, Agent Tom Manning (Jeffery Tambor) has a meeting with Abe Sapien (Doug Jones). Manning is still mad at Hellboy; the B.P.R.D. is still an undercover organization yet Hellboy continues to let himself be seen in public. Abe explains that Hellboy's relationship with Liz Sherman is "tense" at the moment, which may be causing Hellboy's erratic behavior. At that moment, Hellboy (Ron Pearlman) is blasted through the wall of his room; his pyrokinetic girlfriend Liz (Selma Blair) has become extremely angry and used her fire powers to send him flying. Hellboy's team is called to investigate the incident at the auction house. Manning gives Hellboy a pack of Cuban cigars as a bribe in one last attempt to persuade Hellboy to be discreet in his work. At the auction house Hellboy & the others learn that there are no survivors from the 70+ guests reported to be there. Abe searches through texts to find what might have caused such an attack. He finds boxes marked with a Royal Seal and uncovers an example of what the boxes might have contained: small, winged creatures known as "tooth fairies" because they feed on calcium. While using his psychic talents to try and find the creatures, Abe brings his hand close to Liz and senses that she is pregnant. Hellboy and his fellow agents are suddenly swarmed by the ravenous tooth fairies. Liz activates her fire powers in a desperate attempt to burn out the creatures. The resulting battle sends Hellboy outside and in full view of news reporters. The BPRD is officially exposed to the world. Meanwhile, Prince Nuada and MR. Wink come to speak with King Balor. Balor is content to let the truce between humans stand, and his daughter Nuala (Nuada's twin sister, Anna Walton) is in agreement. But Prince Nuada feels that humans are insatiably greedy and will soon force the mystical creatures into extinction. Hellboy watches news reports about himself and the other agents on the evening news. Hellboy is delighted by all of it but Liz (secretly taking a pregnancy test) is furious about Hellboy making them public because she hates people "staring at her." Tom Manning tells Hellboy that Washington is sending down a new BPRD agent as a result of Hellboy's latest actions. Hellboy is less than thrilled. Balor and Nuada continue their argument. Nuada refuses to back down; he will do whatever is necessary to make the magical world safe from humans. Nuada kills his father and takes the second piece of the crown. Nuala flees from her brother with the third and final piece. Everyone at BPRD is awaiting the arrival of their new agent, Johann Krauss (voice of Seth MacFarlane). Krauss turns out to be a very strange entity; a containment suit proportioned like a man holding pure ectoplasmic energy. Krauss inspects the remains of one tooth fairy. He injects it with a sample of ectoplasmic energy to temporarily return the creature to life so they might learn more. Krauss translates the creature's speak; it remembers troll languages and other commerce sounds. Johann realizes that the creatures came from the legendary Troll Market, a gathering place for magical creatures. Rumors suggest that the Troll Market might be located under the Brooklyn Bridge so Krauss takes the team to search for it. Johann Krauss outfits the team with special time-dilation glasses that allow them to see through illusions put out by magical entities. They end up spotting a creature called a "fragglewump" who leads them right to the door of the Troll Market. Upon entering, Hellboy is delighted- he can walk among the Market's creatures and not feel like a freak or outsider. Abe spots a hooded figure walking away and wearing the same sort of Royal Seal he found with the tooth fairies, so he goes to investigate on his own. The figure is Princess Nuala, who arrives at the Market's library to receive a cylinder hidden by her father. Abe follows her in and she confronts him. Nuala is revealed to have the same sort of psychic powers as Abe. They both learn about one another through hand gestures. At that moment, Mr. Wink comes in and attacks Nuala. Abe encourages her to flee while Hellboy fights Wink. After an intense fight, Hellboy proves victorious. They speak with Princess Nuala, who explains that she has the last piece of her fathers' crown and the cylinder from the library which contains a map to the location of the Golden Army. Krauss is worried about bringing the princess back to BPRD because of regulations, but Hellboy argues against him. Prince Nuada arrives soon after, furious at the loss of his companion. He releases a small seed, which Hellboy scoffs at. It suddenly and rapidly grows into a multi-tentacled creature; a forest elemental. Upon seeing the gigantic creature, Hellboy trades in his trademark "Samaritan" pistol for a gigantic six-barreled minigun nicknamed "Big Baby." During the fight with the elemental, Hellboy saves a human infant from certain doom. But when the fight ends, Hellboy is taunted and jeered by the crowd for bringing danger to a child. The humans call "Hellboy" a freak. Later on, Liz patches up Hellboy- who doesn't understand the humans' reaction. Liz tells Hellboy that she is leaving to "think." Hellboy automatically assumes that he has doomed their relationship and begs her to stay. Liz asks Hellboy to decide what he really wants- the world's approval or HER approval. Abe has a conversation with Nuala, who explains that she is connected to her brother in a psychic link and now that Abe has shown her the BPRD location, Nuada knows where she is. Nuala hides the 3rd crown fragment in one of Abe's books. In the locker room, Hellboy is confronted by Johann Krauss. Krauss wants Hellboy to start following orders, and warns Hellboy that if the 2 had to fight then Krauss would probably win. Hellboy, undaunted, asks why. Johann explains that Hellboy's temper is his worst flaw; he allows it to get out of control and get the best of him. Hellboy, proving Johann's point, smashes the helmet of the containment suit. Krauss' ectoplasmic energy takes control of the locker doors, smashing Hellboy several times before wandering off. Hellboy meets with Abe, who is in the middle of listening to a collection of popular love songs. Hellboy realizes that Abe has fallen in love with the princess. The two best friends get drunk and begin contemplating their relationships. Abe is on the verge of revealing to Hellboy why Liz has been acting so different lately when Liz storms in on them, furious. Nuada breaks into the BPRD, steals the map to the Golden Army and abducts Nuala. He also leaves a psychic message to Abe stating that if they bring the 3rd crown piece to the Army's location, he will spare their lives and release Nuala. Nuada finishes by stabbing Hellboy with an enchanted spear. Despite the best medical efforts, the spearhead cannot be removed from Hellboy's chest (any attempt to pull it out forces the spearhead to move closer to Hellboy's heart). Hellboy, in pain, admits to Liz that she is more important than anything else in his life. Meanwhile, Abe finds the 3rd crown piece in his book. Analyzing the remains of King Balor's map tells the BPRD that the Golden Army is located in northern Ireland. Liz wants to take Hellboy there to heal him, but Manning & Krauss are willing to let Hellboy die to keep the Golden Army from awakening. Liz berates Johann for his attitude, storming off. Abe & Liz decide to take Hellboy without approval, desperate to heal their friend. Johann confronts them on their way out and to everyone's surprise he volunteers to help. In Ireland, the group encounters a goblin who offers to lead them to the Golden Army for "something shiny." The goblin spots the spearhead shining beneath Hellboy's bandages and offers to help remove it if they give him the spearhead as payment. The goblin brings them before a mysterious winged creature. It is the Angel of Death. The Angel knows Liz and Hellboy (calling him by his true name, Anung Un Rama) and has been waiting for them. The Angel cares not whether Hellboy lives or dies; but Liz begs for Hellboy to live. Despite the Angel's warning that Hellboy's survival will eventually bring about the destruction of Earth (and that Liz will suffer most of all because of that), Liz still asks for Hellboy to live. The Angel removes the spearhead and instructs Liz to give Hellboy a "reason to live." Liz kneels down and tells Hellboy that he is to be a father. Hellboy stands up, fully recovered but awestruck upon hearing Liz' news. Their goblin guide leads the group to the central chamber of the Golden Army, where Prince Nuada waits with his hostage. Abe gives Nuada the last crown piece in hope of freeing Nuala, but the Prince betrays them and awakens the Golden Army. Despite a valiant effort by Hellboy and the others, the 4900 Golden soldiers appear unstoppable. Hellboy then comes up with an idea; he challenges Prince Nuada for the right to command the Army. Nuala realizes that Hellboy (or Anung Un Rama) is born of royal blood and thus the challenge must be answered. Hellboy fights against the prince across the entire chamber, at one point finally gaining the upper hand. But he refuses to take the Prince's life. As they fight, Nuala feels the wounds that Hellboy inflicts upon her brother. Nuada prepares to stab Hellboy in the back, but suddenly collapses from pain in his chest. Nuala is revealed to have stabbed herself in the heart in a final attempt to stop her brother. Abe goes to Nuala's side and confesses his feelings to her before she dies. With Nuada dead, Hellboy is considered the winner of the challenge by default. He picks up the completed crown and hands it to Liz, who burns it-sending the Golden Army back into hibernation forever. By this point, Manning and the other BPRD agents have caught up to Hellboy. Manning demands an explanation but instead Hellboy, Abe and Liz all hand in their belts, resigning from the BPRD (Hellboy hesitates only a moment to reclaim his "Samaritan" gun). Manning requests help from Krauss, but Johann merely tells him off and goes to join the others. Hellboy suggests that he and Liz get a place of their own to raise the new baby. Liz stops him and says "Babies," holding up two fingers- a sign that she is carrying twins. Hellboy can only look on in shock and wonder.

The movie opens with the voice of Professor Broom (John Hurt) asking a question that will shadow the rest of the film: "What is it that makes a man 'a man'? Is it his origins- the way things start"??? The voiceover goes on to give some backstory: it is 1944, nearing the end of World War 2, and Hitler is resorting to the occult in a desperate attempt to turn the tide of war in his favor. The scene opens on an island off the coast of Scotland, where young Professor Broom requests that the military personnel be given rosary beads before continuing on the assignment. But the sergeant in charge just laughs at Broom, thinking him a paranoid moron. American troops arrive at a set of ruins and find a group of Nazi scientists led by Rasputin and his mistress, IIsa. They are protected by a mysterious figure in a gas mask named Kroenen, reportedly Hitler's top assasain. Rasputin attaches himself to a mysterious device designed to open a portal to another dimension and awaken forces known as "The Seven Gods of Chaos." Just as the portal opens, the American troops launch grenades into the site, killing some scientists. Kroenen attacks the Americans, killing several and wounding Professor Broom in the leg. Broom crawls over to a fallen soldier and picks up a grenade, hurling it just beneath the portal. Kroenen breaks off his attack and tries to remove the grenade, but cannot get to it in time. The grenade explodes, destroying the portal and Kroenan's right hand. Kroenen is then impaled by a fragment from the portal and is presumed dead. Rasputin is unexpectedly sucked into the portal, closing it. Professor Broom has his leg bandaged while instructing the remaining soldiers to search the island- fearful that something may have come through the portal before they could close it. Broom and another soldier suddenly encounter a strange red ape-like creature with a massive stone hand. The soldiers are fearful, but Broom manages to attract the creature with a Baby Ruth candy bar. They realize that this creature, whatever it may be, is just an infant and is essentially harmless to them. The soldiers give the creature a name based on its demonic appearance: "Hellboy." The movie's credits then show Hellboy's position in modern-day society, effectively as an "urban legend" like Bigfoot or other such creatures. Fast-forward sixty years and a much older Professor Broom is being examined by doctors. The findings are not good; he has cancer and not much can be done about it. On his way home, Broom sees his friend Tom Manning (Jeffery Tambor) on TV, answering questions about a recent photograph supposedly taken of Hellboy. Manning denies Hellboy's existence. Meanwhile, a lone figure on a motor scooter arrives at a waste management plant. He activates the speaker-phone and identifies himself as John Meyers (Rupert Evans), a recent graduate of FBI training supposedly reporting for his first assignment. He is taken downstairs by a secret elevator and ends up in a gigantic library with a water tank in the middle of the room. A strange voice asks Meyers to turn the pages on some books, and a strange fish-like humanoid reveals itself inside the tank. Professor Broom arrives and introduces the fish-man as Abe Sapien (voiced by David Hyde Pierce). Meyers is about to introduce himself, but Abe interrupts by reciting a number of facts about Meyers supposedly out of nowhere. Broom explains that Abe has a unique brain, allowing him certain telepathic abilities. Broom feeds Abe a few rotten eggs-a strange delicacy that Abe has acquired a taste for. Professor Broom explains that this is the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (BPRD), and Meyers is their newest ally. The scene shifts to snowy mountains far away. IIsa and Kroenen are hiking to a sacred location. They kill their guide and use his blood to ressurect Rasputin. Meyers is given a brief history of the BPRD and its activities, and is then introduced to his superior, Agent Clay. Broom gives Meyers 2 Baby Ruth bars and wishes him well. Clay brings Meyers into a huge vault like room and introduces the BPRD's pride and joy: Hellboy, now an adult (played by Ron Pearlman). Hellboy is less than eager about Meyer's arrival, seeing him as just another of the endless security measures he must live under. Midway through their introduction, an alarm sounds and Hellboy joyfully sets out to "go to work." A newscaster remarks that an alarm was triggered at a local museum, and that there has been no response from the guards inside. Clay brings Hellboy and Abe Sapien (wearing a type of scuba-suit to keep his gills hydrated), reporting that there is a large monster of some type inside the museum. Professor Broom (whom Hellboy calls "Father"), explains that a statue was destroyed and something trapped inside was freed. Hellboy loads up his trademark weapon, the Samaritan, and goes inside to investigate while Abe tries to research what the creature could be. Abe comes up with the name "Sammael" for this creature and tells Hellboy about it just as Hellboy encounters the creature. Hellboy shoots the monster a few times and walks away, just as Abe informs him that Sammael is also known as "the Hound of Ressurection." Hellboy turns around and is attacked, eventually thrown out a window. Hellboy encounters Rasputin, finding his voice familiar. Raspution gives an omnious warning about Hellboy's future before Sammael attacks again. Meyers shows up and shoots Sammael, much to Hellboy's disdain (he doesn't like being helped). Hellboy attempts to reload his weapon when Meyers notices a strange seed-like creature on Hellboy's arm. Hellboy rips it off and gives it to Meyers, instructing him to save it for study. Hellboy shoots Sammael with a tracking bullet that leaks green fluid, making an easily traceable trail. Hellboy follows Sammael through a crowd and across several lanes of traffic. Meyers tries to keep up but is injured by a passing car and faces certain death before Hellboy returns to block the oncoming car and allowing Meyers to get across. Hellboy follows Sammael into a subway system, briefly losing contact when a passing train goes over his head. Fed up with the fight, Hellboy grabs the train track and electrocutes Sammael. Hellboy is unharmed by the attack because he has a resistance to fire. Wanting some freedom, Hellboy turns off his radio and goes to see his old friend Liz Sherman (Selma Blair), who used to stay at BPRD but has committed herself to a mental hospital. Meyers and some other agents finally arrive to take Hellboy back. Meyers looks up Liz Sherman's file and finds that she is a pyrokinetic (having the ability to start fire by thought) and that in her childhood she accidentally caused a huge blaze that cost dozens of lives. Tom Manning and Professor Broom are discussing Hellboy's latest activities. Manning is NOT happy with Hellboy or any of the people at BPRD, whom he calls "freaks." Abe Sapien uses his telepathy to show Professor Broom what happened at the museum: Kroenen killed the guards while Rasputin freed Sammael, enchanting the beast with a type of magic that will make 2 new creatures arise for every one that dies. Abe also learns through the telepathic exchange that the Professor is very sick, and the professor begs Abe to keep this secret from Hellboy. Hellboy is being examined by Abe and Broom back at base. They find a cluster of eggs in Hellboy's arm where the spore-like object was attached. Broom decides that Hellboy will go back to the subway the next day and look for any more eggs. That night, Rasputin visits Liz (in secret) at the mental hospital. He uses his powers to unlock her worst memory (the day of the explosion) and activating her fire-starting abilities, destroying the hospital. Hellboy and Broom discuss this the next morning while Hellboy files his horns (something he does regularly to appear more "Normal"). Meyers offers to speak with Liz and hopefully recruit her into the BPRD once more. Hellboy, Clay, Abe and two other agents return to the sewers to find the Eggs. Abe jumps into a cistern to capture a cluster of eggs, but is attacked and badly injured by another Sammael. The two agents are attacked and killed by yet another Sammeal, which Hellboy chases after. Clay is left behind and winds up getting stabbed by Kroenen, who then apparently commits suicide. Hellboy chases Sammael into a subway station, finally killing him again by smashing the monster into an oncoming train. Hellboy returns, shocked to find his friends wounded. Back at BPRD, Manning reveals that Abe will recover but Clay is too badly wounded and most likely will not survive the night. Manning and Hellboy clash, both angry about what has happened. Meanwhile, Liz has decided to come back to BPRD. Hellboy is in his room, struggling to write a letter for Liz that describes his feelings for her when Liz comes in and reveals that she is going on a date with Meyers. Hellboy is angry, but puts it aside and decides to follow them. Broom is doing an autopsy of sorts on Kroenen, where he learns that Kroenen is over 100 years old and his body is badly mutilated (due to a form of masochism). When the professor leaves, Kroenen uses a type of clockwork mechanism to restart his heart and allows Rasputin into the BPRD. Rasputin confronts the professor, taunting him for not knowing Hellboy's true purpose or name. Broom responds that-as far as he is concerned- Hellboy's proper title is "Son." Rasputin grants Broom a glimpse into the future, where Hellboy is responsible for Armageddon. Kroenen then executes Professor Broom. Meyers and Liz are still on their date (with Hellboy watching) when they are told what has happened. Hellboy is devestated by the loss, refusing to eat or speak for days. Manning takes over the BPRD (a job he does not relish) and announces that he will lead a team to Russia to find the source of Sammael's eggs. In Russia, Hellboy re-animates a corpse with magic and gets directions to Rasputin's Mausoleum. The group is divided inside, with Liz & Meyers in one direction and Hellboy & Manning in another. Hellboy and Manning find Kroenen's hiding place, and Hellboy saves Manning's life by attacking Kroenen with his stone fist. Kroenen attempts to lure Hellboy into a spiked pit, but Manning throws a gear at Kroenen, blocking his attack. Hellboy knocks Kroenen into the pit and kills him with a gigantic gear. Hellboy and Manning thank each other for their endeavors, having formed a type of mutual respect. Liz and Meyers find the egg chamber. Hellboy joins them, but he is overwhelmed by Sammael duplicates. Liz begs Meyers to attack her, hoping that it will trigger her fire-powers. It works, and Sammael (eggs and doubles) are destroyed for good. But Rasputin and IIsa take the opportunity to capture Hellboy and his friends. Rasputin wants Hellboy to use his "Right Hand of Doom" to finally free the Seven Gods of Chaos. Hellboy refuses, but learns that Liz is critically injured and may not survive. He agrees to Rasputin's terms and speaks his true name- "Anung-Un-Rama." Hellboy's horns suddenly grow to full length and he begins to breathe smoke, having embraced his "Demon" heritage. Meyers is able to free himself before Hellboy opens the final seal of the Gods. Meyers begs Hellboy to remember who he is, and throws the prayer-beads that once belonged to Professor Broom. Hellboy remembers that he does not have to be evil; he has a choice- and his father died so he could make that choice. Hellboy rips off his horns and stabs Rasputin with them, stating that he doesnt' need Rasputin to tell him who he is. Rasputin's death unleashes a monster (the last envoy of the Seven Gods, called Behemoth) that quickly grows in size. Hellboy gets Meyers and Liz out of the room, and Meyers gives him a weapon- a cluster of grenades intended for use on Sammael's eggs. Hellboy has a long fight with the Behemoth before finally getting the huge monster to swallow the grenades, destroying it. Hellboy returns only for Meyers to say that Liz has no pulse. Hellboy kneels down and speaks some words of apparent prayer, and Liz opens her eyes. She asks what he said. Hellboy responds that he was talking to those "on the other side," imploring them to give up Liz because he would gladly cross over himself to try and save her. Moved by his sentiemnts (and by the events of the last few days), the two kiss passionately. Liz's fire engulfs them both in moments, but Hellboy, being fireproof, is unharmed. Meyers stands on and concludes Professor Broom's earlier thoughts: "What is it that makes a man 'a man?' It's the choices he makes. Not how he starts things- but how he decides to end them.

When the main characters of a horror/thriller movie keep taking the wrong decisions, start acting all superior or think they can save the day all by themselves, they slowly bore the life outta me and I'm just glad someone comes along to stab them repeatedly. Is it weird? I guess a good horror movie should make you root for the victim, so you can identify and get freaked out ("oh my god, I wish this never happens to me blablabla"). I did find some scenes pretty tight, the stabbing initiation/ rite of passage was a great idea, pretty good, pretty realistic (way too much blood though, in horror movies the victims always seem to suffer from hemophilia). The ending made me mad, complete fabrication, suddenly we're in twilight zone where everybody's a sicko, sorry but we're not in the 12th century anymore. But again, that woman was so dumb, it's like oh, whatever, just go die in some corner.

From Marc Lawrence, director of romantic comedy hits "Music and Lyrics" and "Two Weeks Notice," comes Columbia Pictures' new delightfully funny love story "Did You Hear About the Morgans?" starring Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker. The riotous comedy follows a highly successful Manhattan couple, Paul and Meryl Morgan (Grant and Parker), whose almost-perfect lives have only one notable failure - their dissolving marriage. But the turmoil of their romantic lives is nothing compared to what they are about to experience: they witness a murder and become targets of a contract killer. The Feds, protecting their witnesses, whisk away the Morgans from their beloved New York to a tiny town in Wyoming, and a relationship that was on the rocks threatens to end completely in the Rockies...unless, in their new BlackBerry-free lives, the Morgans can slow down the pace and rekindle the passion. Marc Lawrence is no stranger to writing and directing romantic comedies. But it was while shooting those films that he was developing ideas for "Did You Hear About The Morgans?," a story that would push his boundaries within the genre by covering new ground: marriage. "The idea first popped up 10 or 11 years ago," says Lawrence. "It was a project I'd start and then put away, and I'd keep coming back to it. They say 'Write what you know,' and for me, the problem with that is I don't know anything. I never leave my apartment. The only thing I know about is marriage - I met my wife in college and I've been married a long, long time." But the Morgans' is not just any marriage. "It's a marriage in trouble," notes Lawrence. "These two people have lost their connection specifically because of an infidelity, but the root of the problem is that they had grown apart." Hugh Grant, who plays Paul Morgan, sets the scene: "Paul is trying desperately to get Meryl back. And he takes her out for dinner, and on the way back from dinner they witness a murder. They become very important witnesses. The killer has seen them, so the FBI sends them into the witness protection scheme." Lawrence utilizes this fish-out-of-water scenario of the Witness Protection Program as an exciting new way to force the couple to face their issues in the wilds of Ray, Wyoming. "This high-maintenance New York couple," explains Grant, "are sent into the Witness Protection scheme in a tiny cowboy town in Wyoming, and that has interesting effects on their marriage." Sarah Jessica Parker, who plays Meryl Morgan, notes that this premise for a romantic comedy stood out from her previous projects. "I liked its whimsy. I haven't played somebody like Meryl. I haven't played somebody in a marriage like hers." On top of trying to save their marriage, roughing it without modern conveniences isn't the worst of Paul and Meryl's problems. Hot on their trail is the hitman, Vincent, played by Michael Kelly, sent to finish the job and get rid of all witnesses. That might seem an outrageous setup, but Lawrence says, "It's just the way I process the world. When I sit down to write, I don't think, 'Oh, I'm going to write a comedy.' I just have an idea - 'I want to write a story about a 'marriage' - and this is what comes back out."

I have been waiting to see this film for a while, just never got around to it before now. Why not a film for the squeamish the Last House on the Left does deliver the blood parts with a strong moral core that feels very authentic throughout the chaos. Of course that authentic moral core which brought about the death of the bad guys was used in combination with the kitchen sink, a hammer, a wine bottle, a pistol and that wonderful cooking machine known as the microwave but its still a factor none the less. If you liked the original film, or enjoy the other works of Wes Craven, then this film is right up your alley. Should you wish to avoid a very dark subject matter with scenes of violence depicted throughout then I suggest you skip this one all together as there won't be any middle ground where you can fast forward through the gruesome events and still watch the rest of the film without a problem. A well deserved 4/5 for this classic remake.

There's a new vampire movie in town, but it happens in a much colorful world than Edward and Bella's Forks, Washington hometown. It's so colorful, in fact, that it's filled with all sorts of freaks from a Snake Boy to a Wolfman and everything in between. And if it can get any freakier than that, even ultra hot Mexican actress Salma Hayek's face literally sprouts out a beard! Playing the bearded psychic lady, Madame Truska, the Academy Award-nominated actress is just one of the odd characters in the upcoming movie "Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant." Following the dark, if a little comic, tale of 16-year-old Darren Shan (played by Chris Massoglia), "Cirque du Freak" is a fantasy adventure about a teenager who unwittingly breaks a centuries-old truce between two warring vampire factions. Darren, who stumbles upon a traveling freak show and a vampire that eventually turns him into a blood sucking undead, meets all the crazy creatures in a story that its director, Paul Weitz ("American Pie," "About A Boy") describes as "a metaphor for growing up." According to Weitz, the casting of Salma Hayek as Madame Truska-the frustrated girlfriend of Darren's vampire mentor Lartern Crepsley (played by John C. Reily)-stemmed from his stringent requirement. "I wanted someone who is conventionally voluptuous to be able to sprout a beard at will," he claimed. "Salma fit the bill, and she's really fun." Salma really doesn't instantly grow a beard in real life, but the sexy actress agreed to play the role because Madame Truska "is strong and knows what she wants, but at the same time she can be very sweet and vulnerable." To the actress, the real heart of these characters is not their peculiarities but their humanity. "She is madly in love with a vampire. You definitely recognize in her a lot of the longings every woman has. She just wants this man to love her for who she is and to settle down. To see these very strange women deal with such common problems was fascinating to me." As for her newfound ability to grow facial hair at will, at least on the screen, Salma got into it with as much humor as she could muster. "There was a lot of work and hours in the trailer, but I was excited to see myself with a beard. It's fun to be able to change and become someone else." "Cirque du Freak," the movie, is based on a book series with the same title by U.K. author Darren Shan. Known for its dark humor and wicked thrills, the series that even "Harry Potter" author, J.K. Rowling, has commended as a "compelling book... [with] a plot full of twists which leaves the reader hungry for more" has, to date, been published in 37 countries in 30 different languages.

''I didn't set out to make a children's movie; I set out to make a movie about childhood,'' says director Spike Jonze, whose big-screen adaptation of the captivating Maurice Sendak classic ''Where the Wild Things Are'' was truly a labor of love. In it, he further explores the themes Sendak introduced and which Jonze believes remain relevant to every generation. ''It's about what it's like to be eight or nine years old and trying to figure out the world, the people around you, and emotions that are sometimes unpredictable or confusing-which is really the challenge of negotiating relationships all your life,'' he says. ''It's no different at that age.'' ''Where the Wild Things Are'' offers a fresh look-and for many of us, a look back-into the many facets of childhood. It invites audiences of all ages to join in the discovery and challenge and pure feral joy of a young boy's brave journey to the island of the Wild Things, a special place that's sure to stir thoughts of the wild things that live in all of us. ''In a way, it's an action movie starring a nine-year-old. There's a lot of physical mayhem like dirt clod fights and rampaging in the forest,'' says Jonze. Indeed, the island offers up every youngster's fantasy: the freedom to run and jump and howl, to build and destroy and wrestle and throw things as far as he can... most of all, to do only the things he wants to do, with no one saying he can't. Resplendent in his wolf costume, young Max soon becomes King of the Wild Things by proving his superior ferocity over the giant creatures who live there. But it's an uneasy reign because the Wild Things are just that-wild-and there is always the possibility they might decide to eat him after all, with their great sharp teeth. Being king just might not be as easy as Max imagined. At the same time, the story follows Max's first steps toward growing up as he becomes aware of the complex relationships the individual Wild Things have with each other and with him, and how doing everything he wants isn't always the best choice. Told with unabashed honesty from a child's point of view, ''Where the Wild Things Are'' reveals Max's increasing understanding of his own feelings and the feelings of others. The film began with Jonze's abiding affection and respect for the book, written and illustrated by Sendak, another strong believer in not talking down to young people. Published in 1963, it earned a Caldecott Medal and went on to touch millions of readers worldwide, perpetually ranked by Publishers Weekly as one of the 10 all-time best-selling books for children since the 1970s. Its enduring appeal, notes Jonze, is in how it ''taps into genuine feelings that kids have and takes them seriously without pandering. Kids are given so much material that's not honest, so when they find a story like this it really gets their attention. I remember myself, at that age, being so eager to hear that other kids were going through the same things I was and having similar thoughts.'' Max Records, now twelve, made his film debut as Max in ''Where the Wild Things Are'' and agrees. ''The book reflects what it's actually like to be a kid. It's a book that could not only be respected by kids but it really gets to the heart of everything you feel growing up and even beyond that.''

While the story undoubtedly pushes the "science" way past the envelope, it was still very interesting and thought-provoking. I was even more surprised by the beyond "top notch" SF/X & convincing stage sets: excellent job done in that department! The story, unfortunately, does come across as a bit "preachy" throughout. I also found myself quickly tiring of the fact that the only information media outlet in this particular universe was "FOX NEWS" -- and yet I could not help but revel somewhat in the extremely curious paradox that a national "news outlet" whose talking heads & audience alike are notorious "global warming / climate change" deniers would (in the world of the movie) have to shoulder the burden of informing the populace of the effects of the very natural processes they'd disputed for so very long and (in the real world) being required by Fox News' "parent company" ("20th Century Fox") to actually entertain for a while the idea that what they have always dismissed as a myth/invention of anti-corporation tree-hugging Liberal activists and of a politically motivated scientific community be given just a modicum of credibility and legitimacy, something that no doubt irks them. . . (Now remember, Mr. O'Reilly -- "don't bite the hand that feeds you!"). Entertaining & engaging enough to make for a good sit-down "popcorn" movie. Take some time out and give it a look-see.

The 1995 World Cup Final was, to most people around the world, little more than a thrilling rugby match. But to the people of South Africa, it was a turning point in their history-a shared experience that helped to heal the wounds of the past even as it gave new hope for the future. The architect of this benchmark event was the nation's president, Nelson Mandela. Its builders were the members of South Africa's rugby team, the Springboks, led by their captain, Francois Pienaar. Directed by Clint Eastwood, Warner Bros.' inspiring drama "Invictus" chronicles how President Mandela (Morgan Freeman) and Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon) joined forces to turn their individual hopes-the president, to unite his country; the captain, to lead the nation's team to World Cup glory-into one shared goal with the motto "One team, one country." In the film, Mandela calls upon Pienaar to lead his team to greatness, citing a poem that was a source of inspiration and strength to him during his years in prison. It is later revealed that the poem is "Invictus," by William Ernest Henley. The title is translated to mean "unconquered," which, Eastwood says, "doesn't represent any one character element of the story. It takes on a broader meaning over the course of the film." Morgan Freeman stars in the role of Nelson Mandela and also serves as an executive producer of the film. "This is an important story about a world-shaking event that too few people know about," he states. "I cannot think of any moment in history when a nation coalesced so suddenly and so completely. I was proud to have the opportunity to tell this story. And when you have the chance to tell it with Clint Eastwood's abilities...it's something you just have to do." As "Invictus" opens, Nelson Mandela-a man who had spent 27 years in prison for fighting against apartheid-is elected president of South Africa that is still bitterly divided. Though the unjust system has officially ended, the long-held racial lines between people cannot easily be erased. With his country teetering on the brink of implosion, President Mandela sees hope in an unlikely place: the rugby field. With South Africa poised to host the World Cup Finals, Mandela looks to unite the country behind their national team, the Springboks. Eastwood notes, "This story takes place at a critical point in Mandela's presidency. I think he demonstrated great wisdom in incorporating sport to reconcile his country. He knows he needs to pull everybody together, to find a way to appeal to their national pride-one thing, perhaps the only thing, they have in common at that time. He knows the white population and the black population will ultimately have to work together as a team or the country will not succeed, so he shows a lot of creativity using a sports team as a means to an end." Mandela reaches out to the one man who can help him accomplish his objective: the captain of the Springbok team, Francois Pienaar. Matt Damon portrays the rugby player who suddenly finds himself in the center of a political arena. "Mandela basically asks him to exceed his country's expectations and his own expectations and win the World Cup," the actor says. "It's an enormous request, but Francois knows that it's actually bigger than any rugby match. And along the way, the entire team realize they have become an important instrument in bringing their country together. It's a beautiful, inspiring story that shines a light on the best of who we are and what human beings are capable of. And what makes it more incredible is that it really happened."

Spain, 1944. Officially, Gen. Franco, leader of the Spanish Fascists, has won the Civil War and it has been over for five years. But a small group of desperate rebels fights on in the northern mountains of Navarra. Dreamy 10-year-old Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) moves to Navarra with her delicate, pregnant mother Carmen (Ariadna Gil), to become acquainted with her new stepfather, Captain Vidal (Sergi López), a sadistic Fascist officer under orders to rid the territory of the remaining few leftist rebels hiding in the forest without supplies. On the way, her mother stops the limo caravan carrying her and Ofelia while she gets over a spell of sickness. During the stop Ofelia, who is fascinated by fairy tales, discovers an old tree carved long ago into the image of a woodlands deity. A huge winged insect (called a dragonfly in the English subtitles) emerges from the mouth of the idol and follows the car after it continues on its trip. Ofelia thinks the insect might be a fairy. After they reach the old buildings where Captain Vidal has established his headquarters, the insect leads Ofelia to an overgrown, tumbledown labyrinth behind the mill. In the heart of the labyrinth she meets an ancient creature of the woods that identifies himself as a faun (Doug Jones in an excellent characterization that is way scarier than the traditional mischievous Pan, the half-man half goat God of Nature according to the ancient Greek religion), who claims to know her true identity and destiny, being the princess of a fairy land who was lost in the human world after forgetting who she was. According to the faun, her true parents, the king and queen of the other world, have never stopped looking for her and that the labyrinth is the last of portals her father, the King, created in the search for her. But before returning to them, she must verify that she is really the missing daughter by completing three tasks before the moon grows full. And no one must know: not her ailing mother, or her new friend, Mercedes (Maribel Verdú), the housekeeper at Vidal's home who secretly supports and is aiding the loser's side (the guerrillas hiding in the forest). Mercedes' brother is one of them. She and the doctor (Álex Angulo) have been trying to help and supply the rebels as much as they can. The doctor gives some of the wounded rebels medicines and she secretly brings them food and letters from their loved ones. The faun gave Ofelia a book that will give her instructions, but at first the book appears to consist of blank pages. When she is alone the instructions for the first task appear on pages she is looking at. For her first task, Ofelia has to kill a huge and gross toad who lives within a large hollow tree (which is dying because of the toad inside} by getting three stones into its stomach. She then must retrieve a key from the dead toad's stomach. She does it, but she becomes filthy and her pretty party clothes that her mother had brought especially for her to wear that evening for dinner, where she was to be formally introduced to the Captain and his guests. Her mother scolds her and she later is told off by Vidal. When she looks at the book to get her next task the pages turn blood red and she discovers her mother is hemorrhaging. Ofelia gets help and her mother is put to bed, but the doctor is pessimistic. The Captain is certain the baby will be his male heir (implied that is because of his virility) and instructs the doctor to save the child and sacrifice the mother if necessary. The faun scolds Ofelia because she has not yet done the second task. To restore her mother to health, the faun gives Ofelia a mandrake root, which she secretly places in a bowl of milk under her mother's bed to help her to stand her pregnancy. The mandrake root appears to become a living miniature baby after it is placed in the milk. Ofelia's second task is to to use the key to get something guarded by a dangerous creature with eyes in his hands, where she will be tempted by an array of food set out on a banquet table. The faun insists she must refrain from giving in to temptation and eating or touching any of the feast food. After retrieving what she was to get, she can't resist temptation, brushes off the fairies trying to warn her, and eats some grapes, waking the creature up. She barely succeeds in getting out alive. Afterward the faun tells her she will not be allowed to return to her parent's realm, because she had disobeyed and some of the fairies he had given her in a container to help her were eaten by the monster because of her recklessness. Mercedes had given the keys of the cellar where medicines and food are kept to her brother and friends. When one of the rebels (Iván Massagué) is captured, Vidal tortures him. The Captain wants the doctor to revive the prisoner so he can torture him some more. Instead, the doctor accedes to the prisoner request and gives him a lethal dose, killing him so that he doesn't suffer anymore and won't reveal anymore than he already has. Vidal shoots at the doctor in the back, having the final proof that he had been long supporting and helping the guerrillas. The faun had instructed Ofelia that she had to regularly feed the mandrake root a drop of blood. While she is doing this, Vidal discovers Ofelia under Carmen's bed and pulls her out violently. Also, he throws the mandrake root into the fireplace. Immediately, Carmen's pregnancy goes violently bad again. As the doctor is dead, a military medic delivers a baby boy, but Ofelia's mother dies. Vidal tricks Mercedes into revealing that she also has been helping the guerrillas, binds her and gathers his instruments of torture. But Mercedes has always kept a knife concealed in her apron and she manages to reach it, cut her bonds, and stabs the Captain in the back and in his shoulder, and slashes his face, but doesn't deliver a lethal blow. She runs out telling him to be careful because she "knows how to gut a pig" and heads for the woods. The faun had returned to Ofelia and told her she has a second chance. She now has to complete the third task which is to bring her baby brother to the labyrinth. At the moment she sneaks into Vidal's room to get the baby, the rebels make a final attack. Ofelia sneaks into the Captain's room where he is patching his wounds. He discovers Ofelia but she grabs her baby brother and runs to the forest and into the labyrinth with him in her arms, followed by Vidal, who now knows she's helping the Republican guerrillas. Ofelia stops when reaching the labyrinth, where the faun, holding a dagger, tells her to give him her brother because some blood from an innocent is needed for her to become the princess again. She had been warned not to always trust a faun, distrusts him and refuses to hand over the baby. Vidal sees her with the baby in her arms, talking to the air. He confronts her. He only wants the baby. She refuses. Vidal shoots her, leaving her for dead, and picks the baby up. When Vidal turns back toward the buildings, he sees he is surrounded by Mercedes with a large number of armed guerrillas. They take the baby from him. Vidal looks at the watch his own father had broken on his deathbed to record the time of his death (which Vidal had repaired.) He asks Mercedes to tell the baby boy about his father, how dutiful he had been, and about the watch. Mercedes tells him the baby will never know who his father was. (We are left to assume the baby is going to be smuggled into allied-occupied France to be raised with a leftish ideology, which is Vidal's worst fear and final humiliation). The rebels kill Vidal at the moment he realizes his child will be raised up as one of those people he hates so much that he virtually didn't consider them human and has long tortured and killed without remorse. Then, Mercedes tries to aid Ofelia, but it's useless: her eyes are open and she is apparently dead. In her final moments, right before dying, Ofelia dreams she has succeeded: the last task was the most important one. (An alternate interpretation is that she has already died and it is her spirit that returns to her other world realm.) The rightful princess had to refuse to allow an innocent baby's death. That's was the true third task and how she proved she was the real princess and can claim her right to the throne for all eternity at the fairy world, making it flourish with new energy.

Remember how, when you were watching The Road, you thought to yourself, "This needs more kung fu and Jesus"? God, and the Hughes brothers, heard your prayers. Denzel Washington is superbadass as a lone righteous dude carrying the last Bible across postnuke America, but the movie ultimately runs out of gas quicker than the rusty cars driven by the bad guys. The Bigger Picture: Considering that The Book of Eli combines the postapocalyptic milieu of a Mad Max flick with the brutal violence and gospel message of The Passion of the Christ, it's easy to imagine that it might become Mel Gibson's favorite movie of the year. Will it be yours? That may depend upon how much you're willing to believe (in all senses of the word). Washington plays a man initially known only as Walker, though eventually (nonspoiler spoiler, since it's in the friggin' title) revealed to be named Eli. He walks alone across a barren and overheated landscape, occasionally killing hairless cats for food, cleaning himself with KFC moist wipes (best product placement ever!), listening to the last iPod on Earth and reading a leather-bound copy of the Bible, which we are told is unique because all others were destroyed after the nuclear war survivors blamed it all on religion. He's headed for the coast, basically because he believes God told him to go there. But standing between him and the ocean is a small town run by Carnegie (Gary Oldman) who, as bad luck would have it, has been sending out biker minions to comb the wastelands for a Bible of his own, believing that merely by quoting it he can better subjugate the people. When Eli won't share, well, much lopping off of limbs ensues. Washington learned all his own choreography, and it looks awesomely brutal. The Hughes brothers have always had a penchant for the horrific, whether it be in the 'hood (Menace II Society), Vietnam (Dead Presidents) or Victorian England (From Hell), and it's where they're most comfortable here, beginning with the truly jarring opening scene and continuing through various scenes of decay that manage to be unsettling despite their somewhat fantastical nature. Unfortunately, they haven't come up with a worthy payoff. There's a certain point at which Eli simply becomes too indestructible to be credible, and unless you can buy the implication that he's under divine protection from an interventionist God, the rest just doesn't hold much interest. Perhaps if you are looking for a faith-based actioner, that may be precisely what's called for. Those hoping for a bigger bang to their payoff, however, will be let down. The first two-thirds of the movie would earn an A, but your mileage may vary on the rest. The 180—a Second Opinion: Be forewarned that the Hughes brothers don't shy away from violence against women. Even though the story overall has a positive message, the brutal moments of rape and attempted rape may not be your idea of a good time at the movies.

The world is in ruins after some apocalyptic event. A father and his son are walking towards the coast in an attempt to head south to escape the increasingly cold, endless winter. Along the way they have to avoid gangs forced into cannibalism. Their only weapon is a pistol with 2 shots. The father has dreams about his wife, who committed suicide before the story begins. At one point they find an intact bomb shelter filled with food and supplies. Rather than remain in this sanctuary, they continue on because they have not yet reached the coast. The only named character they encounter in the entire book is an old man who says his name is Ely. Ely is harmless and alone and they share a meal and talk for a bit. They find out Ely is not his real name and he created this false name in order to keep from being found by other refugees. They eventually part ways. The whole journey is a struggle to survive in a world no longer capable of sustaining life. They almost lose this struggle when a thief makes off with all their worldly possessions, and the Father nearly loses his struggle to hold on to his humanity in taking those possessions back. The boy is all that keeps him barely human. The boy is his warrant, in his own words. In the end, they reach the coast but find it is no different, no better than the place they left behind. The father finally succumbs to the illness that has plagued him from the beginning, dying and leaving the boy alone. But he is not alone for long before another finds him, another man holding on to his humanity -- only he's been a little more successful because he had help. Now the boy has a family.

The movie, "Se7en", starring Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, and Gwyneth Paltrow, is by far one of the most inventive, well-written, and cerebral films in recent history. The film, blending a well put together combination of dark visual style, intense plot development, and polished acting, remains tight and focused throughout, from beginning to end, never straying outwards into unimportant issues, or resorting to typical Hollywood clichés. Se7en is uniquely on its own for suspense dramas as it both fuels the need of the audience to be drawn in and entertained by the events unfolding, and remain uncompromising and shocking, thus satisfying the initial vision of the director, David Fincher. The story surrounds the hunt for a serial killer, who, inspired by Dante Alighieri's seven deadly sins from "The Divine Comedy", sets out to, "preach" about man's impurity, and does so by targeting victims, then torturing them by pitting their own underlining sins against them. Se7en seemingly starts out as a typical cat and mouse detective story, however, it quickly develops into of a sort of modern-myth, with good and evil taking centre stage. The story is original on all counts, and thrilling on all levels. The most important aspect of Se7en, however, is that it keeps the audience numerous steps behind its story, as oppose to other thrillers, which become predictable and bland by the end. By keeping the audience in the dark, the film remains fresh and original as it progresses. Se7en even dramatically turns the tide at one point, just as the audience is finally getting comfortable and asserted into the gloomy atmosphere, thus creating as much as fear and uncertainty in the audience as it is with the characters involved. By the film's conclusion, the audience is as much a part of the film as the characters themselves, and arrive at Se7en's surprise ending without a single clue of it, prior to it occurring. Se7en's poetic ending(which will not be given away) says a lot for the people behind the movie, showing they are not afraid of going against the grain. A rarity with films so nowadays.

Writer-directors and special effects artists Peter and Michael Spierig's gore-soaked shocker "Daybreakers" unfolds in a dystopian future where vampires constitute 95% of the world's population and most humans are imprisoned in factory farms, systematically drained of blood and discarded when their veins run dry. Despite the futuristic setting, the vampires are strictly old-school: There are no sparkly skinned, undead heartthrobs mooning after moody teen girls and plenty of predatory monsters who like nothing more than sinking their fangs into a nice, warm throat. But while the setting is sleek and filled with clever details, the story, in which one good vampire teams with a scrappy band of free-range humans to fight the power, is timeworn and predictable. The copious gore evidently appealed to hard-core horror buffs. The Lionsgate film earned $15 million during its first weekend, good enough for No. 4. The year is 2019, 10 years after a plague swept the world and left it swarming with vampires. Ruthless businessmen like Charles Bromley have made a killing supplying blood to the thirsty masses. But demand is rapidly exceeding supply, and a growing population of "subsiders" -- blood-deprived vamps who've degenerated into scaly, winged beasts -- is scaring the hell out of civilized vampire citizens. Amid growing civil unrest, principled scientist Edward Dalton has proof that vampirism can be cured. But can it be cured before the last living human is caught and sucked dry by increasingly desperate vampires? The nightmarish future against which the Spierigs set their story is fully and effectively imagined, from the gray, glass-and-steel architecture that reflects the cold soullessness of vampires to the coffee bars where cups of java come with blood instead of milk and the corporate blood farm where naked, comatose people are suspended in metal frames and connected to tubes that extract their blood with dehumanizing efficiency. The police round up homeless vampires like stray dogs, the military is filled with adrenaline-fueled thugs, and ordinary vampires, hooked on their creature comforts, are easily persuaded to set aside whatever consciences they have in the name of security. But the story under this rich surface is simplistic and derivative: Its influences include Richard Matheson's novel "I Am Legend," written in 1954 and filmed three times to date; the 2006 movie "Ultraviolet"; and even Fritz Lang's 1927 "Metropolis," the pioneering sci-fi allegory about rapacious businessmen. The Spierigs have assembled a strong cast, but even their best efforts -- notably by Neill, whose Bromley is the ultimate vampire squid, tentacles wrapped around the face of this scary new world -- can't pump any real life into the bloodless script.

Here's to hoping that those who're into the gory kind of zomb-genre won't get intimidated by those few, rather unrealistically short and harsh comments on here. You might not want or need to watch this movie again, but it's definitely a good watch, late at night and offers a new take on the zombie-genre. "A lot of cliches" - What? Where? I thought it to be very original, very quirky in the sort of "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" meets "28 days later" way, but these aren't your usual and therefor clicheed zombies: they're humans, they get manipulated and turn into flesh eating beasts, not the undead and the whole "shoot-'em-in-the-brain" and other trivialities isn't anywhere to be found in this movie either. "Exceptionally unexciting". I wonder what movies you have seen? I've seen anything from the most hardcore gore/forced fantasy/slash-'em-up horror-thrillers to the most softcore, blatantly bad wanna-be try-out for the B-genre that failed oh so horribly.. THIS movie DIDN'T! As I mentioned, it offers you a new take on the term zombies, but be aware that they aren't. They're as human as our heroes, but that doesn't ruin the plot in any way. It's very captivating, it does have a few slightly comic moments where you wonder if it's ok to burst up laughing or you should just sit and smirk, such as the sex obsessed nympho-woman, even after her infection has turned into a full-blown disease of rage, still only has eyes for our hero and ends up chasing him in her birthday suit, her parts only being covered in masses of blood, whilst screaming "I LOVE YOU! I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU SAW, BUT I WOULD NEVER CHEAT ON YOU!".. This taking place only a few moments after she's strapped down the ward guard and giving him a rather fatal deep throat BJ, LOL! Finally, I thought there was nothing wrong with the acting. It's a horror movie, not "Rainman".. Really good story too, crazy, bloody gore and A LOT of it! Mad, mad characters side by side with our heroes making it all come together so well. Great effects, lighting, cam control making it a movie where you can find yourself suddenly sitting on the edge of the chair - all in all, a movie worth watching, at least once!

This has been one my favorite movie ever since it came out in 1990. The portrayal of the distressed mental state of a man gripped by PTSD was so raw and honest it shook me up. I used to be somewhat embarrassed to say that because it comes across as being so heavy on visceral symbolism - but without enough pieces to the jigsaw puzzle created out of those images to arrive at fewer than 3 to 5 interpretations of the storyline (depending on one's point of view). After reading about PTSD, BDP, Abrahamic religions, and Buddhism (and seeing the original ending to the movie) though, I have decided that this movie addresses psychological themes that may even be too intense for most psychologists to confront; themes that explain the origins of major world religions. Once I realized that, the structure behind the movie became much more apparent. It is possible that this movie may have inspired Abre Los Ojos, Vanilla Sky, and ultimately the Matrix trilogy (all of which adress similar themes of attachment and religious mythology) as well. In conclusion, this movie is an artistic masterpiece and overwhelming psychological tour de force about the conquest of hell. (Tim Robbins was brilliant in his protrayal of Jacob - a hero of surprisingly unbounded psychological strength.) It will probably always be my favorite movie and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

I watched an american crime today and it was so horrifying that i think it emotionally numbed me. I watched this out of curiosity because everyone was talking about it but i think it pales in comparison to an american crime. Why? first of all the acting was much much better in american crime. also because an american crime is an absolute true story that conveyed the brutality and inhumanity of such a crime without in a sense, totally exploiting the story just for a couple of great torture scenes. The torture she experienced (sylvia) was a reality that had to be dealt with in the movie, but the difference with this movie is that I really feel like some people might get some sick pleasure out of watching it. I know it is based on a book so i should really be critiquing the book and the author who wrote it, but he obviously got the storyline from sylvia's murder and just decided to amplify it so he could make it as exciting as possible. The story of sylvia's death has many different levels and is so much more complex because we are not just dealing with a couple of hotheaded hormonal teenage boys with anger issues - we are witnessing sociological phenomenons like mob mentality and a sort of complex religious brainwashing. I dont know, perhaps it is just me, but somehow i feel guilty for having watched this movie. After watching the american crime i didnt feel guilty - i felt like i learned about sylvia's story and it was in a sense, a tribute to her forgotten story. Anyway, this post is really crappy and i realize that so i will just chalk it up to my emotions. but MY ADVICE - don't watch this movie. Instead, learn something and watch an american crime and then go read about the history of it so you can get all the facts that werent shown in the movie.

This is definitely one of the most disturbing films I've ever seen.I don't think I've ever watched a movie that sparked as much emotion from me as this. This was more disturbing than a horror movie I've ever seen (That is saying quite a bit right there). I know there are sick and evil people in this world but I'm still constantly amazed at the share terrible people can put other people through. I'm sure this movie would not have been so heart-wrenching without the incredible artistry demonstrated by all of the young actors in this movie and especially the great Catherine Keener who did an amazing job. It all seemed so real to me which is sad because you feel so helpless all throughout the movie just watching what this poor girl has to go through. I can't believe she didn't serve a full life sentence in prison. That is absurd and it shows everything thats wrong with the so-called justice system when a woman like that can slip through the cracks. But imho, i think the parents should have been sentenced also for neglect. Also, it was horrible when I finally realized that Sylvia never actually escaped and she was probably in a state of euphoria before she passed,but what exactly did she die from? exhaustion? starvation? or did the boy hit her or something? All in all, this is definitely a serious drama, not for the faint of heart. But i think people need to realize that this is a look at fundamentalist catholic ideologies of some mentally disturbed people and it is not a snapshot of all catholic families just as fundamentalist muslim terrorists do not represent a one-size fits all idea of muslims around the world.

In The Lovely Bones, Peter Jackson may have left Middle-Earth behind for the potentially less magical realm of 1970s small-town Pennsylvania, but the characters inhabiting this land of modest, shag-carpeted split-levels and bustling shopping malls are hardly less mythical. There's a sprightly girl of elvish features, a good-natured father who can be pushed into acts of righteous bravery, a slithery villain hiding in plain sight, and a magical landscape just beyond our own where wonders abound. It's all much more corduroy and sideburns than glinting chain mail and delicate silver tiaras, but the landscape of this film's conflict is so riven with mythic echoes that one wouldn't be surprised to see somebody bury a broadsword in an orc's head. The film begins with just about that much subtlety. There's a voiceover narration about a daughter's memory of a penguin inside a snow globe which upset her, since it seemed trapped. But then her father tries to perk her up, saying the penguin's perfectly happy, "he's trapped in a perfect world." Consider that theme underlined.

In the archaeological community this movie got A LOT of bad reviews and negative comments. There was even a article in the magazine "Archaeology" about how Mel Gibson did a terrible job portraying the Maya. But honestly..he wasn't that far off. The Maya weren't farmers and peaceful people (some were, but not all of them). They did a LOT of stuff with blood. It was sacred to them. Some of the scenes in the movie may be a bit too much. I say that it could have been a lot worse in some parts. There is a famous painting from the Mayan site Bonampak that shows people being held captive. Several of these men have had their fingernails removed and their fingers are bleeding. Tell me that isn't harsh! The only problem I have with the movie is.. the Spanish arriving at the end of the movie. The Maya that are in this movie are more of the late Classic Maya and the Spanish didn't make contact with them for another 600 years nearly. But then again..this a movie. And you have to understand that. Most people in the archaeology community seem to have forgotten how to use their imagination. If it weren't for imagination I don't think there would be an archaeologist. I like this movie!

Sherlock Holmes has been reimagined with fighting skills as potent as his intellectual acumen. The iconic British detective has undergone a makeover in the latest Sherlock Holmes, with little resemblance to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's literary character. Only his pipe-smoking remains intact. Holmes as a lethal action hero would seem a natural assignment for a director such as Guy Ritchie (Snatch). And having proven himself a savvy superhero in Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr. would seem a wise choice for a character boasting equal parts brawn and brains. Holmes is an even more slovenly shut-in than he was on the page. His grooming doesn't involve plaid coats or rakish caps. It also doesn't seem to include a razor. But he's an inventor and a guy who definitely pumps iron, in the dark confines of his rented rooms on Baker Street. As for Dr. Watson (Jude Law), he's no longer a bumbler. He's a marksman, a risk-taker and a romantic gent with a fiancée (Kelly Reilly). But Watson's more substantive relationship is with Holmes. Though the production design looks entrancingly authentic, neither Holmes, Watson nor others sound like they live in the 1890s. Worse, the plot is convoluted. Holmes is on the trail of the lofty Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong), whose dastardly deeds involve occult crimes and threaten the future of London. The detective is both hampered and assisted by Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams). There is more chemistry between Downey and Law than between Downey and McAdams. But there is not much point to her role except to show that woman can be action heroes, even in corsets and skirts. Old London, achieved via superb visual effects, is breathtaking in its grimy verisimilitude. And Downey is charming. But his world is jarringly frenetic, in the manner of most Ritchie films. Ritchie's device of playing back the process of Holmes' deductive reasoning is at first intriguing, then becomes intrusive. While this incarnation has visual flair and attitude, it is too modern, and it blithely jettisons Holmes' wit and wisdom.

When a decorated marine goes missing overseas, his black sheep younger brother cares for his wife and children at home - with consequences that will shake the foundation of the entire family. Brothers tell the powerful story of two siblings, thirty something Capt. Sam Cahill (Tobey Maguire)and his younger brother Tommy Cahill (Jake Gylenhall) who are polar opposites. A marine about to embark on his fourth tour of duty, Sam is a steadfast family man married to his high school sweetheart, the aptly named Grace (Natalie Portman) with whom he has two young daughters. Tommy his charismatic younger brother, is a drifter just out of jail who's also always gotten by wit and charm. He slides easily into his role as a family provocateur on his first night out of prison, at Sam's farewell dinner with their parents,a retired marine. Shipped out to Afghanistan, Sam is presumed dead when his Black Hawk helicopter is shot down in the mountains. At home in suburbia, the Cahill family suddenly faces a shocking void, and Tommy tries to fill in for his brother by assuming newfound responsibility for himself,Grace and the children. But Sam is not dead; he and a fellow soldier have been captured by Taliban fighters. In Afghanistan remote Pamir Mountains, Sam is subjected to traumas that threaten to rub him of his very humanity. At the same time that Sam's sense of self is being destroyed overseas, Tommy's self image is strengthening at home. And in the grief and strangeness of their new lives, Grace and Tommy are naturally drawn together. Their long standing frostiness dissolves, but both are frightened and ashamed of the mutual attraction that has replaced it. When Sam is unexpectedly returns to the States, a nervous mood settles over the family. Sam uncharacteristically withdrawn and volatile, grows suspicious of his brother and his wife. Their familiar roles now nearly reversed, Sam and Tommy end up facing the ultimate physical and mental challenge when they confront each other. In the shifting family dynamics, who will dominate? And how will the brothers come to terms with issues,love,loyalty and manhood, and the woman caught between them. Directed by six time Oscar nominee Jim Sheridan (IN AMERICA,IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER) from a screenplay of David Benioff (THE KITE RUNNER,STAY,TROY). Brothers is based on the Danish film BRDRE by Susanne Bier and Anders Thomas Jensen.

The title may mean nothing to you, but the movie certainly will. Actually, Invictus refers to a William Ernest Henley poem that provided Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) inspiration during his 27 years in prison. Mandela gives a copy to Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon), captain of the national rugby team, hoping it will serve a similar purpose for him. The two join forces, leading the South African team to a World Cup victory and uniting a nation. Director Clint Eastwood cleverly fuses a political tale and a sports story and serves fact-based inspiration, but nothing so overbearing that you feel battered by uplift. And while Mandela's early days as president of South Africa are by any definition worthy and enthralling, the sport he has chosen to spotlight — rugby — is not. Mandela is an easy sell, but the violent and hard-to-suss-out game is another matter. And yet Eastwood manages to make rugby exciting to watch, though the scenes of the World Cup final drag on.

Ebenezer Scrooge's passion was pinching pennies. For reasons thoroughly logical rather than sentimental, I've always thought the expression ''pinching pennies'' one of the most descriptive in the language. Besides the alliteration of those two words, ''pinching'' immediately brings to mind the act of painfully squeezing, let's say a coin, between thumb and forefinger, as if counting the pennies (and nickels and dimes) to save them or let go of them were plain and simple torture. But it is a mistake to believe that Scrooge, the miserly millionaire in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, was stingy only with his money. The whole idea of Dickens' story is that Scrooge was selfish not only with his gold but with his feelings as well. He was a rich man but he lived poorly, unable to enjoy the blessings of his wealth, unwilling to share a smile, a joke, a spot of good news. It was not his nature to spread the sunshine of goodwill by praising his subordinates, socializing with his neighbors, or giving a helping hand to the needy. True, Scrooge was a caricature, an exaggeration with no mirror-image in the real world, but watered-down versions abound where men and women measure their lives in teaspoons. Afraid to live large, they squeeze and they pinch, saving and counting the minutes when what they are doing is eroding, degrading the pricelessness of their hours. Every footstep is tiny and careful, lest they trip and require assistance, which could be costly. Every decision is scrutinized north to south and east to west to avoid wastage. They are prisoners of their small minds. At Christmastime, their thoughts and imaginings and attitudes are no different from any other day of the year. Dickens gave Scrooge a happy ending. For the penny-pinchers you know, wish them a happy beginning this Christmas. Or leave them to a fate worse than death, and that is to dream their miserly, miserably constricted dreams alone. To one and all, may the season's blessings multiply for you to own, to give, and to share!

Think back to those movies that truly changed the movies. The Jazz Singer introducing sound. Gone With the Wind bringing vivid color to the screen. Jurassic Park turning computer-generated images into something akin to real life. Toy Story sending animation on a digital trip beyond infinity. What those movies had is what Avatar doesn't, although James Cameron's film is certainly a technological marvel on the level of those classics. It lacks the most essential element of any movie, and what the self-proclaimed king of the world will never admit to being his biggest creative flaw: A story. A story that doesn't merely proceed but propels, that doesn't just ladle obvious sci-fi metaphors to current events, that urges viewers to not only believe in what's occurring on screen but embrace it. A story worth following to the end, even when the end never seems near enough. For all of its sensory thrills and gung-ho action, Avatar seldom uses Cameron's dreamscape know-how for anything except fanboy titillation since those are his peeps. This movie is a bored child's detention hall doodle come to near-life. The child has talent but to what worthy end? Cameron does endlessly dazzle with his day-glo panorama of Pandora, its floating islands, fluorescent rain forests and sheer rocky cliffs digitally painted on the screen, like a Frank Frazetta canvas come to life. We're meant to be awed and entranced by Pandora, to more loudly boo the nasty things Earthlings are plotting to do to it. In the 22nd century, a Blackwater-style army of mining contractors is raping the distant moon Pandora of a vital resource called unobtainium (oh, please!). A blue-skinned, indigenous species of humanoids called the Na'vi peacefully lives in a wowsah rain forest near the sacred Tree of Wisdom housing their goddess Eywa (mere earthlings call her Mother Nature). They're standing 10 feet tall in the way of human progress. You see where this is going. Avatar is part Iraq War allegory, part green message flick, with both messages amplified by extraordinary special effects. This will probably be Al Gore's favorite action flick of all time. Funny that with all of Cameron's visual imagination, the plot settles for reprising Dances With Wolves. Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) volunteers to have his mind melded into a Na'vi body, so he can infiltrate and help destroy the tribe. Jake ends up sympathetic to the peaceful Na'vi, fighting back at his commanders, mainly to impress the lovely Neytiri (Zoe Saldana). But the plot isn't why Avatar's audience will buy tickets (and by all means pay the extra fee for 3-D). The flora, fauna and critters of Pandora astonish with their variety and vivid colors although simply adding an extra set of legs or wings and a hippie van paint job to quasi-dinosaurs gets tiresome after the first two hours. Avatar loses its pacing with Jake and Neytiri's on-again, off-again romance, regaining momentum for a bombastic climax when Pandora itself rebels against the human intruders. The Na'vi are amazing creations and Cameron's greatest techie advancement. Basically it's the motion capture animation used in The Polar Express and A Christmas Carol but to the nth degree. The difference is found in the Na'vi's feline eyes, more expressive than any animated gazes before. Saldana is especially effective in that regard. Yet after all of the stunning sights and sounds, Avatar left me shrugging with admiration and slightly cringing at the final shot's promise of a sequel to come. That's one advantage Cameron didn't have with Titanic, and you can bet he'll milk it.