Charlie Wilson's War (R)
The Great Debaters (PG-13)
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (R)
P.S. I Love You (PG-13)
Alien vs. Predator: Requiem(R)
Juno (PG-13)
Sweeney Todd: Demon Barber of Fleet Street (R)
The Bucket List (PG-13)
Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: Veggie Tales Movie (G)
One Missed Call (PG-13)
Mad Money (PG-13)
Cloverfield (PG-13)
27 Dresses (PG-13)
Rambo (R)
How She Move (PG-13)
Meet the Spartans (PG-13)
Untraceable (R)
Rambo (R) This is not your father’s Rambo movie. The plot is simple enough; a group of missionary relief workers are looking for transportation up a dangerous river from Thailand to Burma to administer medical assistance and spiritual literature to a needy village. Against his better judgment, John Rambo decides to grant them passage on is boat with stern warnings that they will no doubt suffer in this tumultuous region of Southeast Asia. No sooner does Rambo get back to his home, than a minister confronts him about the missionaries, who have now gone missing. He asks Rambo to transport a group of mercenaries to find the group and bring them back. Of course, what would a Rambo movie be without a little bit of action? It is really quite difficult to describe the sheer bedlam that ensues during the capture of the missionaries. The writers of the movie show a sadistic Burmese military mortaring the peaceful village and then attacking the villagers. Nothing was off limits as the attackers used every method in their power to destroy the men, women, and children. During this bloody and graphic segment, the missionaries are captured. During the rescue segment, the good guys sneak in, found a problem with the rescue effort and sneak out. Upon daylight though, more blood and guts. There wasn’t much to think about in this movie, no CGI, no cerebral dialogue, no purpose for the over-the-top carnage that filled the screen. In short, Rambo is a popcorn movie that you wouldn’t want to eat while watching. I give the movie a definite no-no for younger eyes (heed the R rating) for gore and language. - Tom Garrou
Meet the Spartans (PG-13) It was not very crowded on Sunday but the crowd really did seem to get into the movie. The basic plot is that of 300, but just about every other line was a reference to another movie or pop culture. It stars Sean Maguire, Carmen Electra, Kevin Sorbo (from Hercules), and Ken Davitian (from Borat). If you like mindless humor and just a good chance to laugh then this a a good movie, although it might be more of a guy movie. My girlfriend didn't like it and told me I owe here a movie of her choosing.
The audience should be warned that the movie has a lot of cartoon violence, a lot of homosexual references and innuendos. And of course, a lot of near naked
men. Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual content throughout, language and some comic violence. - John Joyner
How She Move (PG-13) I was prepared for your typical teen dance movie – a cast filled with dancers and not actors, thereby producing a film with lots of dancing and minimal plot.
Raya Green (Rutina Wesley) has been working hard through private school to better herself and get out of the old neighborhood. But after her sister’s drug addiction and death drain her parents financially, Raya must leave school and count on a scholarship to get her into med school.
After she takes a scholarship test and is sure she failed, Raya comes up with another way to earn the money – winning a step competition. She convinces a group of boys from her neighborhood to let her join, and after flip-flopping between several groups throughout the movie, she learns who she is and what matters most to her.
The plot was incredibly generic and predictable. The key characters fed into a lot of stereotypes and no individual sought to break the stereotypes. In fact, the main character Raya comes off as cold and snooty for wanting to go to med school, while the rest of the cast are painted as low-class thugs, stereotypes that are healthy for no one. But overall, the film was primarily a two-hour long music video, which is not surprising since it was produced in part by MTV Films.
The film was rated PG-13 for brief drug use and drug references, along with some foul language. However, the language was mild compared to many other movies I have seen with the same rating, and the movie featured no nudity and only a kiss between the movie’s love interests. The plotline might be believable for pre-teens, but beyond that, don’t go expecting to see anything interesting except the dancing. – Sarah Wise
Untraceable (R) is directed by Gregory Hoblit (Fracture, Primal Fear). This internet thriller has Special Agent Jennifer Marsh (Diane Lane) working for the FBI fighting cybercrime. A particularly sadistic criminal arises on the internet. This killer posts live feeds of his crimes on his website; the more hits the site gets, the faster the victim dies. The killing seems to be random but then the victims begin to tie in with each other, eventually hitting close to home for the team.
I love a mystery but not this kind of torture. The killings are particularly gruesome and unnecessarily prolonged for viewers. The killer has more savvy than the FBI, they can’t stop the site, redirect it, find the origin of it and pretty much appear lame. It takes horrifically dying victims throwing clues to the camera to provide enough information to crack the case.
Also starring are Billy Burke, Colin Hanks, Joseph Cross, Mary Beth Hurt, Peter Lewis, Tyrone Giordano, Perla Haney-Jardine, Tim De Zarn, Christopher Cousins, and Jesse Tyler Ferguson.
I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone that does not like horror movies due to the graphic torture scenes. Oh, and yes, it uses those handheld cams that make you sick that are all the rage these days. – Marilyn Merrill
Mad Money (PG-13) is a hilarious comedy starring Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah, and Katie Holmes as ordinary citizens who cook up a plan to steal money right out from the federal government’s nose. Bridget (Diane Keaton) and Don (played by Ted Danson) are an upper-middle class husband and wife team who suddenly find themselves a little down on their luck. Bridget decides to get a job, finding one as a cleaning lady in a high-security bank. At the bank, Bridget learns that all of the nation’s old and worn-out money goes through a shredder and is destroyed so she devises a plan to rob the bank of some of this money, getting her and her husband out of their financial hole. After she’s concocted the plan she recruits Nina, a single mother (Queen Latifah) and Jackie, a young, eccentric wife (Katie Holmes) to go in on the plan with her. Hijinks ensue as they carry out their wily scheme.
Despite the stellar cast, I was not anticipating a lot out of this movie and did not expect to enjoy it at all. I was pleasantly surprised when I found myself laughing out loud and having a good time. It’s one of those feel-good movies that has you leaving the theater with a smile. Mad Money is rated PG-13 for some extremely brief partial nudity and some small drug references. - Susannah Driver
27 Dresses (PG-13) stars Katherine Heigl (of Grey's Anatomy) as Jane, an otherwise normal young professional whose obsession with weddings means that she has 27 bridesmaid's dresses in her closet, without a wedding gown to join them. Jane harbors an enormous crush on her boss, George (Edward Burns), but lacks the nerve to act on her feelings. Enter Kevin (James Marsen, of the X-Men movies), a newspaper reporter who is intrigued by, and splits a cab with, Jane, managing to find excuse after excuse to run into her. When Jane's little ultra-glamorous sister Tess returns from six months abroad, she quickly falls for George, and Jane has to face the prospect of planning her perfect wedding day—without being the bride. Judy Greer (Arrested Development) also stars as Jane's best friend Casey.
If you've seen the previews for this movie, you already know the plot, but it escapes being just another forgettable romantic comedy due entirely to the great timing of its two stars, Heigl and Marsden. It has some genuinely funny moments, too. I was entirely charmed by it. Rating is for innuendo, some sexuality (but not that much), and language. I'd recommend it for anyone ages thirteen and up. – Ashley Merrill
Honestly, Cloverfield (PG-13) is a Blair Witch Project mixed with aliens. If you have vertigo, like I do, I don't recommend seeing it. The movie begins with Rob (Michael Stahl-David)'s going-away party, since he's moving to China for a great job offer. Things take a turn when an unexpected quake happens. When the people at the party turn on the television, they find out it's not the earthquake they thought it was. Panic and confusion hits, and everyone runs out of the building to try to see what's causing the destruction of everything. They come to find out a large alien is the cause, which is producing little aliens as well. All through this, Rob and his friends try to make it through the chaos. The movie was actually good, even though the camera moves around so much it makes you motion-sick. Rating is for violence, terror, and disturbing images. - Ginger Wright
One Missed Call (PG-13) – I went into this movie thinking it was just going to be another cheesy movie. But it actually wasn't too bad. It's about a nurse who has two young daughters, one sweet and one, of course, evil. The evil child kept hurting the sweet child by burning her and cutting her. One day, when their mother walked in and saw the evil child hurting the sweet one, she grabbed the hurt child and ran out, locking the evil one in the room, where she had an asthma attack. She tried to call someone on her cell phone for help, but she died, and her spirit went into the cell phone. Then began the missed cell phone calls for which the movie is named. The voicemail that comes after the missed calls has the date, time, and some details of the listener's death, which then comes true. Like I said, it sounds cheesy, but the jump factor and the storyline was pretty good, and I enjoyed it. Stars Shannyn Sossamon, Edward Burns, Jason Beghe, and Margaret Cho. Rating is for intense sequences of violence and terror, frightening images, some sexual material, and thematic elements. - Ginger Wright
The Bucket List (PG-13) was an unexpected joy.
While it seems that many of Jack Nicholson’s recent roles are similar characters with little new to say except have a devilishly good time, his teaming with Morgan Freeman, who has a lot to say, often as the voice of God, was an interesting pairing.
Edward Cole (Nicholson) is a billionaire who has built a life and fortune experiencing much of the best money has to offer, while Carter Chambers (Freeman) is a car mechanic who has lived a life of self-sacrifice for his family. As both end up in the hospital and both face a cancer death sentence with a short time to live, Carter recalls a philosophy assignment of things to accomplish before you “kick the bucket.” While Carter begins to fill out the list with what are more spiritual values, Edward “spices things up” with more experiential things and convinces Carter to journey with the billionaire to “experience it all” during a period of remission before they kick the bucket.
While Edward’s dream of skydiving and Carter’s car racing fulfillment scenes of the commercial are fun, they quickly fade and there is a lot more than just daredevil rushes on the way to the grave. Yes, it’s fun and somewhat predictable, but there are some wonderful messages along the way, and some unexpected turns.
The PG-13 rating is for language, and though there are several objectionable words throughout, it certainly isn’t overused. There is no explicit sex or nudity. – Barry Merrill
The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything (G) What happens when some veggie friends are catapulted into the 17th century to rescue the king’s son and daughter from a ruthless Veggie-Pirate? Nothing less than knee-slapping laughs. Pa Grape (George) leads the trio of lazy, cabin-boys (including Larry the Cucumber as Elliot and Mr. Lunt as Sedgewick) into the Pirate fray to help a Princess to find her brother who was captured by the evil pirate leader. When it dawns on them that this is serious business and they could get hurt, being loser cabin boys at the Pieces of Ate Dinner Theater does not look so bad. Our reluctant heroes give in to their fears and try to get back home. Everyone’s favorite produce pals set out on the open seas in this animated adventure from the folks who brought viewers Jonah: A Veggie Tales Movie. Can Elliot overcome his timidity? Will Sedgewick muster some motivation? And is it possible for George to boost his self-confidence? If it happens then perhaps their dreams of starring in the big pirate show could finally come true. I give this movie a nod for all members of the family; even though, parents, this one is for the kids, there is plenty of humor for us as well. Be warned not to leave while the credits roll or you will miss the hilarious Rock Monster video at the end. This should be a good movie for a family outing. - Tom Garrou
back to top
Juno (PG-13) - Apparently, everyone likes Juno. I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't. The dialogue is clever, the actors are talented, and it combines romantic comedy with the pain that goes along with growing up. Juno, (Ellen Page), is a quirky sixteen year old who finds out unexpectedly that she is pregnant. She makes a decision to find parents for her baby which leads her to the ads in the back of a Pennysaver. The film does a great job at being a little bit off, the humor is witty instead of distasteful or silly, the visual elements are appealing, the music embodies being an awkward teen while being sweet and fun. Teen pregnancy is a sensitive subject and I feel Juno handles it in a way that makes you fall in love with the character instead of judging her for her choices, no matter what your beliefs. The cast includes a lot of familar faces, Arrested Development fans will enjoy seeing Michael Cera and Jason Bateman, Jennifer Garner, J.K. Simmons, and Allison Janney should also be familar. While teenagers and younger adults might appreciate Juno the most, I think there is something there for an older audience as well. Prepare to fall in love.
The movie is rated PG-13 for some sexual content/dialogue. – Kelly Merrill
Sweeney Todd: Demon Barber of Fleet Street (R), based on the Broadway musical, stars Johnny Depp as the title character. Before becoming the Demon Barber, Sweeney was known as Benjamin Barker, an ordinary barber with a beautiful wife and loving infant daughter. When Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman) set his sights on Mrs. Barker, he had to get Benjamin out of the way; fifteen years later, Sweeney comes to London and sets up his barber shop above Mrs. Lovett's (Helena Bonham Carter) meat pie shop. As Sweeney sets about catching Turpin, a sailor who managed to save Sweeney, named Anthony Hope (Jamie Campbell Bower), sets his sights on the lovely Johanna, who just happens to be Benjamin's daughter, and has been raised as Turpin's ward since her father's false imprisonment.
Make no mistake, this is a musical, and a bloody one at that. There's a lot of singing and a lot of death. Johnny Depp, who manages to be smoldering hot even when in death-pale, dead-eyed makeup, also has a lovely singing voice, and joins in on songs with Carter and Rickman throughout. I definitely recommend it, as long as you know what you're getting into, and have a strong stomach. Rating for thematic elements and graphic bloody violence. – Ashley Merrill
back to top
P.S. I Love You (PG-13) is a love story told in reverse. Holly, played by Hilary Swank, loses her husband, portrayed by Gerard Butler, because of a brain tumor. During her extensive grieving process, Holly begins to receive letters from her husband, which he wrote in the short months before his death in order to help her move on. Each letter gives her a task to do and during all of this, the audience sees the story of how the young couple met and fell in love. Holly’s friends, played by Lisa Kudrow and Gina Gershon, and her mother, portrayed wonderfully by Kathy Bates, help Holly through her grieving process.
Despite the morbid premise of the movie, there are elements of humor as well. The plot is formulaic, predictable, and completely unrealistic but if you are looking to be simply entertained by great acting and beautiful scenery, you will enjoy the movie. P.S. I Love You is rated PG-13 for some sexual references and partial nudity. - Susannah Driver
Alien vs. Predator: Requiem (R) is not a good followup to the original Alien vs. Predator. In the first movie, the Predator was infested with the Alien, which then crashes on Earth. More Predators come to Earth to hunt the infested Predator, and all havoc breaks loose.
It seems that all the money budgeted for this film was dropped on some very appealing special effects, and none into on the actors at all. They were all forgettable faces and cheesy actors with no talent, and the family scenes were all cliché and one-dimensional. I wouldn't recommend it. Rating for violence, gore, and language. - Matt Wright
This is a very good film. I'd say the first is better, as always, but this is still a great film by any means.
Rated PG for the violence and some of the action scenes but I don’t remember any bad language at all. - Lucy Brower
Featuring an accomplished cast with Tom Hanks as the title character, Charlie Wilson's War (R) offers up a satirical view of 1980s politics during the Cold War. Texas congressman Carlie Wilson, AKA "Goodtime Charlie," has a reputation for womanizing, scotch, and the party lifestyle of the socialite crowd. When his close friend Joanne Herring (Julia Roberts), also of the wealthy socialite scene, enlists Charlie's help in promoting freedom of religion from the Soviets in the war-ravaged, oppressed Afghanistan, Charlie, aided by rogue CIA missions expert Gust Avrakotos (Philip Seymour Hoffman), makes it his mission to raise money through Congress to support covert operations which will provide Afghanistan with the rocket launchers and antitank weaponry they need to cause serious damage to the Soviet military.
The honest portrayal of affairs in politics was refreshing. This film doesn't candy coat the methods our government will use when confronted with an ethical problem. As you'd expect from such an A-list cast, the acting was wonderful, and Tom Hanks was particularly stellar in his role as the congressman. This was a truly enjoyable film; although the main theme was serious in nature, there were plenty of humorous moments. Those who enjoy political films will get a lot from it. Rated R for strong language and graphic war scenes, it's not really suitable for younger audiences. There aren't many movies today that I'd watch twice, but I'd go see this one again. - Debra Malarchik
The Great Debaters (PG-13) is an uplifting movie, but I felt a bit uncomfortable.
The setting is 1935 at Wiley College, a small black school in eastern Texas. While Professor Melvin Tolson (Denzel Washington) challenges students with contemporary black voices of change in America, he challenges a debate team with unorthodox methods to work to build confident and near unbeatable proponents.
The undeniable undercurrent is the racism of east Texas, where I lived twenty years later. Though things had improved, there were still plenty of racial attitudes present in my childhood. While the racism is an important part of the movie, I felt it was over-done.
Professor Tolson and the president of the college who is the father of one of the debate team members, Dr. James Farmer Sr. (Forrest Whitaker), are clearly strong figures with much to admire, and two debaters, the older debater with a troubled background, and the female who aspires to be one of the first female lawyers in Texas both have strong roles, it is the youngest debater who steals the show.
James Farmer Jr. (Denzel Whitaker), the diminutive 14-year-old debater who fantasizes about being the suave hero gets his chance to shine, and shine he does.
The Great Debaters is rated PG-13 for a brief sex scene with no explicit nudity and for a lynching scene. – Barry Merrill
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (R) sets out to parody the stories of other musicians and their tortured childhoods, especially the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line. John C. Reilly stars as Dewey Cox, from ages fourteen to seventy-one, who accidentally cuts his vastly more talented older brother in half during a play machete duel. Spurred to greatness because he cut his brother's life short, Dewey leaves home at fourteen to marry his twelve-year-old girlfriend Edith, played by the (definitely not twelve) Kristen Wiig. On the road with his band, including other Saturday Night Live alums Chris Parnell and Tim Meadows, Dewey falls for his flirty duet partner Darlene Madison (Jenna Fischer, of The Office) and into an ever-spiraling habit of drug use. Eventually he sets out to make his masterpiece. Cameo appearances include Jack Black, Paul Rudd, Jack White, Frankie Muniz, Jonah Hill, Eddie Vedder, Jewel, the Temptations, Jackson Browne, Lyle Lovett, Justin Long, and Jason Schwartzman.
This movie was written and produced by Judd Apatow, who also was involved with 40 Year Old Virgin, Superbad, and Knocked Up, so I expected more out of him. Those movies worked because they showed at least one person playing the straight man to the craziness going on around them. In Walk Hard, everyone's a part of the illusion, and the satire doesn't have the edge to it that it could have. If you enjoy Leslie Nielsen's Naked Gun movies, you might enjoy this one. As for me, it left a bad taste in my mouth. Rating is for sexuality, pervasive drug use, bad language, and far, far too much nudity. – Ashley Merrill