My Rating : 3/5 STARS

Writer-director Mike Judge’s (“Office Space”) unique brand of social observational humor this time examines an average guy (Luke Wilson) who volunteers to be the subject of a hibernation experiment that goes awry.

Idiocracy

He wakes up 1000 years in the future, discovering that he’s the smartest guy on the planet.

My Rating : 3.5/4

MovieStudio Quote >> “The Transition between Real Life and 2D Animation was well made.”

With a fine cast and fun in-jokes, Disney’s ENCHANTED is sure to cast a spell over both children and adults. It begins with a 2-D animation sequence reminiscent of the company’s beloved past…. With a fine cast and fun in-jokes, Disney’s ENCHANTED is sure to cast a spell over both children and adults. It begins with a 2-D animation sequence reminiscent of the company’s beloved past. Surrounded by dozens of cute animals, Giselle (voiced and later played by Amy Adams) sings about her desire to find her one true love. Meanwhile, a handsome prince (James Marsden) overhears her, and they meet and fall in love. In many Disney movies, this is where the story ends, but ENCHANTED is just starting out on its journey.

enchanted

The prince’s wicked stepmother (Susan Sarandon) can’t stand to lose her throne, so she pushes Giselle down a well, and the beauty ends up in the real world. Gone is the animated fantasy, and a live-action Giselle lands in the middle of Times Square in New York City. Her optimism and perkiness put her at odds with the New Yorkers she encounters, but she gets help from a cynical divorce lawyer (Patrick Dempsey) as she waits for her prince to rescue her. Fans of Disney classics from SLEEPING BEAUTY to BEAUTY AND THE BEAST will be glad to see their favorite films referenced in ENCHANTED.

enchanted

Jodi Benson (the voice of Ariel in THE LITTLE MERMAID) makes a brief appearance, and the evil queen threatens to kill Giselle with a poisoned apple à la SNOW WHITE. Though it reminds the audience of past favorites, ENCHANTED boasts its own script that is at once intelligent and heartwarming. But the true highlight of the film is the acting by the fairy tale couple. Marsden (HAIRSPRAY) couldn’t be funnier as the charming prince, while Adams (an Oscar nominee for 2005’s JUNEBUG) gives dimension to the heroine. As a result, ENCHANTED is a film that deserves to sit on a shelf with Disney’s classics.

My Rating : ***.5

EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND star Ray Romano takes a lead role alongside Kevin James (THE KING OF QUEENS) in this comic buddy movie. Playing two meat salesmen, Romano and James’s characters fall into a… EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND star Ray Romano takes a lead role alongside Kevin James (THE KING OF QUEENS) in this comic buddy movie.

Grilled

Playing two meat salesmen, Romano and James’s characters fall into a little bother and end up having to make a big sale quick before they end up in the same state as the goods they’re peddling. Juliette Lewis and Burt Reynolds make brief appearances.

My Rating : ****

MovieStudio Quote >> “Confusing, Funny and Confidential!”

With their overtly comedic follow-up BURN AFTER READING, the Coen Brothers return–about a third of the way–from the dark, dank recesses of the human psyche they traversed in their Oscar-winning NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. For those unfamiliar with the landscape of modern movie psychoanalysis, this puts the fraternal filmmakers square in the cruel, misanthropic, and farcical realm of their 1990s-era body of work, somewhere between the tragicomic crime thriller of FARGO and the disconnected noir-homage anti-storytelling of THE BIG LEBOWSKI, with 2007’s NO COUNTRY retroactively adding new nihilism-tinged dimensions of smart skepticism to the proceedings.

Burn After Reading

In a more linear trajectory, BURN AFTER READING also stands as the third entry, after BLOOD SIMPLE and FARGO, in what could be an unofficial Tragedy of Human Idiocy trilogy, wherein characters make the most outlandishly moronic moves to devastating consequences simply by adhering to true human behavior. Indeed, Carter Burwell’s emotionally weighty score, which washes over biting scenes of explosive, anesthetizing belly laughs, is very reminiscent of his FARGO work. BURN is ostensibly structured and propelled by a spy-thriller plotline involving a classified CD lost by a disgraced CIA spook and found by two simple gym employees. But, in actuality, it’s simply–amazingly–a collection of brilliant caricature studies interwoven by veracious, if Coenesque, social interactions, as epitomized by the pathos of the Frances McDormand character’s precipitous quest for cosmetic surgery.

Burn After Reading

The CIA superior who learns of the film’s events (always second-hand and sometimes along with the viewer) doesn’t know what to make of it, and why would he? This is the first Coen film in almost 20 years not shot by cinematographer Roger Deakins, yet the “new” guy, Emmanuel Lubezki (CHILDREN OF MEN), has created as visceral and emotionally fraught a high-definition cartoon as any since BARTON FINK.

My Rating : ***.5

MovieStudio Quote >> “Simply Hilarious a Ghost Story can be!”

Director and screenwriter David Koepp (STIR OF ECHOES, SECRET WINDOW) brings Ricky Gervais, Greg Kinnear, and Téa Leoni together for a romantic comedy with a twist of the supernatural. Dr. Bertram… Director and screenwriter David Koepp (STIR OF ECHOES, SECRET WINDOW) brings Ricky Gervais, Greg Kinnear, and Téa Leoni together for a romantic comedy with a twist of the supernatural. Dr. Bertram Pincus (Gervais) doesn’t like people very much. In fact, the antisocial dentist does everything he can to avoid interaction with other human beings. Unfortunately, he gets more than he bargained for when he is released from the hospital after undergoing a standard procedure: he can see dead people, and they can see him.

Ghost Town

Suddenly, every ghost in New York City wants Pincus to help clean up their unfinished business. Dapper Frank (Kinnear) is the most persistent ghost, badgering Pincus to help keep his widow, Gwen (Leoni), from making a big mistake. Gervais is perfect as Pincus, whose deadpan expressions make obvious his disdain for people. His comic timing is spot on throughout the film. Kinnear makes Frank likable, not an easy feat since he apparently wasn’t such an upstanding guy when he was alive and married to Leoni’s Gwen.

Ghost Town

Aasif Mandvi appears as a dentist sharing Gervais’s office, and Billy Campbell is Gwen’s new love interest. SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE star Kristen Wiig is a scene-stealer as Pincus’s surgeon, particularly when she is trying to avoid telling her patient what went wrong during his procedure. Dana Ivey and Alan Ruck also appear as ghosts in need of help.

My Rating : ****

Nicholas Moore directs this tweeny bopper fish-out-of-water comedy starring Emma Roberts. Poppy (Roberts) is a spoiled Malibu brat, and the film opens with her wreaking havoc on her stepmother’s moving-in day. Her father (Aidan Quinn)… Nicholas Moore directs this tweeny bopper fish-out-of-water comedy starring Emma Roberts. Poppy (Roberts) is a spoiled Malibu brat, and the film opens with her wreaking havoc on her stepmother’s moving-in day. Her father (Aidan Quinn) decides he’s had it with her wild ways and promptly packs her off to an English boarding school. Poppy arrives at Abbey Mount with blond extensions, a designer wardrobe, and plenty of attitude, and she is furious when she is forced to follow the school’s strict code of conduct. She is determined to find some way back to sunny Malibu. She soon befriends her roommates, a loyal, fun-loving troop of girls, who agree to help her come up with a way to get kicked out of school.

wild child

They devise a scheme for Poppy to get caught fooling around with the headmistress’s (Natasha Richardson) son, Freddie (Alex Pettyfer), but things soon go awry when Poppy’s rival Harrier (Georgia King) tries to step in and foil her plan. Poppy is forced to make some big changes, and decide what it is she truly wants. Emma Roberts is perhaps best known as the niece of Julia, and her wide smile is indeed reminiscent of her superstar aunt’s, as is her feisty charm and likeability. This film is loud, silly fun, and it manages to send forth some very positive messages without sucking all the joy out of being a teen. It does touch on sex and underage drinking, so it might not be for the lower tween set. But for the older crew–this one is sure to be a sleepover favorite.

My Rating : ****

Frank Allen (Ryan Reynolds), celebrated author of the bestseller The Five Minute Efficiency Trainer, has perfected the art of living via a foolproof system of timetables and index cards. In fact, his daily “to do” lists are legendary. A man known for playing it safe, Frank doesn’t believe in spontaneity. Every choice he makes is deliberate––designed to contribute to a well-ordered, predictable life. But life, as he soon learns, never adheres to a strict schedule. Frank’s wife, Susan (Emily Mortimer), and seven-year-old daughter, Jesse (Matreya Fedor), find his obsession charming in small doses, but as a steady diet it can be very frustrating. One morning, Susan attempts to loosen her husband’s scheduling stranglehold by adding ten minutes to his day. But, by setting the clock backward instead of forward, she inadvertently unleashes a series of mishaps that turn his meticulously ordered life upside down.

Chaos Theory

A belligerent ferryman, a ruthless seductress, a reluctant mother-to-be and the secret amor of his best friend, Buddy (Stuart Townsend), combine to send his life into complete chaos. As his life unravels in several directions simultaneously, however, a stunning family revelation forces Frank to look fate squarely in the eye. Shaken to his core, he starts living entirely “in the moment,” allowing him to defy the conventions that have heretofore defined him. Those carefully coordinated index cards that had once kept his life in perfect order now become a deck of chance as Frank scribbles spontaneous ideas on random cards, shuffles, chooses and follows the luck of the draw…with unexpected results. Frank is about to discover that not even an efficiency expert armed with timetables and index cards can change the serendipitous nature of family and friendship, love and forgiveness.

Chaos Theory

Castle Rock Entertainment and Lone Star Film Group present a Frederic Golchan Production, “Chaos Theory,” starring Ryan Reynolds, Emily Mortimer, Stuart Townsend, Sarah Chalke and Mike Erwin. Marcos Siega directed the film from a screenplay by Daniel Taplitz. “Chaos Theory” is produced by Frederic Golchan and Erica Westheimer, with Fred Westheimer serving as executive producer and Barbara Kelly as co-producer. The behind-the-scenes creative team included director of photography Ramsey Nickell, production designer Sandy Cochrane and film editor Nicholas Erasmus. The music is composed by Gilad Benamram.

My Rating : ****

Most romantic couples–onscreen or otherwise–would kill for the type of chemistry that Tina Fey and Amy Poehler share in the gyno-centric comedy BABY MAMA, even though the women are only playing friends. Fey stars as Kate, a 37-year-old… Most romantic couples–onscreen or otherwise–would kill for the type of chemistry that Tina Fey and Amy Poehler share in the gyno-centric comedy BABY MAMA, even though the women are only playing friends. Fey stars as Kate, a 37-year-old vice president at an organic foods company whose womb starts a-kickin’ every time she sees a baby. Though her career has kept her from marriage and children, she has decided that it’s time for her to get pregnant. But multiple tries with in vitro fertilization leave her disappointed, and Kate turns to a surrogate mother.

Baby Mama

Enter Angie (Poehler), a high-school dropout desperate for the large check that comes with carrying someone’s child. Though she agrees to be Kate’s surrogate, it’s clear that the women disagree on everything from music to the type of food Angie should be eating. When Angie leaves her apartment after a fight with her obnoxious common-law husband (Dax Shepard, EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH), she moves into Kate’s posh Philadelphia apartment, and the women spend the rest of BABY MAMA alternately battling and bonding. Steve Martin appears in a small but enjoyable role as Kate’s oily boss, and Oscar nominee Greg Kinnear gets good mileage out of playing her love interest. WEEDS star Romany Malco earns a bit more screen time–and plenty of laughs–as her over-involved doorman, but this is clearly Fey and Poehler’s film. After several seasons of co-anchoring SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE’s “Weekend Update” together, the pair is reunited, and it feels good–for both the talented actresses and the audience. BABY MAMA pays less attention to the serious issues of pregnancy and motherhood than its baby-driven contemporaries–JUNO, WAITRESS, and KNOCKED UP–but this is simply a comedy, and a very funny one, that succeeds on the merits of its two lead actresses and their comedic talents.

My Rating : ***.5

Comic actress Anna Faris (LOST IN TRANSLATION, SCARY MOVIE) shines in her starring turn in THE HOUSE BUNNY, a hilarious and heartfelt tale of female empowerment. As the film opens, Shelly Darlingson (Farris) is Big Bunny on Campus at Hugh… Comic actress Anna Faris (LOST IN TRANSLATION, SCARY MOVIE) shines in her starring turn in THE HOUSE BUNNY, a hilarious and heartfelt tale of female empowerment. As the film opens, Shelly Darlingson (Farris) is Big Bunny on Campus at Hugh Hefner’s Playboy Mansion. With her 27th birthday approaching, Shelly eagerly anticipates fulfilling her dream: to be centerfold of the month. But when she learns that she’s being booted from Bunnyland, Shelly finds herself with no family or place to call home. Desperate for both, she lucks across the socially inept sisters of the Zeta Alpha Zeta sorority. With no hope of attracting new pledges and the consequent threat of losing their sorority, the girls of Zeta take in the bubbly Shelly as their new “house mother.”

the house bunny

Shelly immediately sets to work helping the Zetas bring out their inner glamazons, luring in boys while drawing the ire of rival sorority Phi Iota Mu. Shelly also catches the eye of Oliver (Colin Hanks), who forces her to realize that it will take more her Playboy Mansion ways to win over a good man. Plus, Shelly discovers that her social insights have transformed the Zetas into the very superficial types they once railed against. And when Hugh Hefner calls to offer Shelly her dream centerfold shoot, she must choose between returning to the family that loved her best and saving the family that needs her most. Faris (who co-produced the film) is a comic delight as Shelly, with a perfect blend of sexy charm and sweet-natured cluelessness. Supported by an excellent cast of fresh faces and seasoned veterans, THE HOUSE BUNNY is an irresistible tale of inner beauty and “sisters” sticking together.

My Rating: ***.5

Doo-sik (Jung Jun-Ho) is a powerful leader in the underworld, he recently took over a rival gangs territory.

my boss, my hero

His victory entitles him to a promotion but his boss requires that he finishes high school before he can take the new position. Thus Doo-sik is now forced to pretend he is much younger and to attend high school. Unfortunately Doo-sik is not well prepared for the high schools of today and will have a much harder time surviving there than on the mean streets he is used too.