My Soul To Take

A great prologue starts the latest offering from famed horror director Wes Craven which seems like I should be more harsh to this film but finding enough things in the film to say I would have to recommend it reservedly. Nothing here we haven't seen before but with an interesting premise that helps move the story along I enjoyed it for the most part. I had some problems with the acting ability of a few leads but overall it wasn't too embarassing. There was a serial killer called "The Ripper" who's death in the town coincides with the birth of seven babies. Now these babies are teenagers and the legend says that one of the seven has the soul of the killer and will start the bloodshed again. By no means is this up to Scream's standards or even Craven's last movie from five years ago "Red Eye" which was a really good action film with no horror elements in it which proved Craven was a director who could do more than horror (which was no surprise to me or countless other horror fans). This will not blow you away but on the other hand you won't regret seeing it either. I just don't know if you'll feel very strong about it in the long run. Time will tell.

Never Let Me Go

A film that is basically a story about lost love amongst three friends but delves into science fiction also. The first part of the film is set in the 80's where Kathy, Tommy, and Ruth are three friends growing up at a private boarding school called Hailsham. Kathy and Ruth are best of friends who do everything together. The two are watching a baseball like game where the pitcher throws what looks like a softball sized ball to the "batter" who has what looks like a tennis racket to hit the ball with. The ball is hit and Tommy has a chance to catch the ball. It sails over his head and over the fence past the boundary of the school. Tommy looks at the fence and decides to not go after the ball. In class the teacher Miss Lucy (Sally Hawkins) who is new at the school asks the students why didn't Tommy get the ball. They tell her because no one's allowed past the boundary of the school. One boy ran off and they found him later with his hands and feet cut off. Miss Lucy asks who told you these things and how do you know they're true. The children answer "everybody knows the story". Miss Lucy then reveals to the class what they are really here for. I was going to reveal what Miss Lucy said to the class but thought otherwise because it is quite powerful in the film and it takes the movie to a much different place where I thought it was going. Here is a movie that the least amount you know the better and more powerful so I advise you not to look at the synopsis on the back of the dvd case or read any reviews that reveal too much and just put the dvd in and push play. On the next day the students are told that Miss Lucy has been relieved of her duties and other teachers will take turns to teach her class. After a few more minutes we jump to years later and we see Ruth (Keira Knightley), Tommy (Andrew Garfield), and Kathy (Carey Mulligan) as twenty somethings. They now live together at a different location and are soon going to drift apart due to decisions made by all three parties involved. This film has great performances from the three leads but the one that was really great was Andrew Garfield's. In one scene we see Tommy saying to Kathy that he's got to get out of the car, he just needs to breath, we the viewer have just seen an important plot point between the two, so when Tommy gets out of the car he walks a little ahead on the road and just starts yelling at the top of his lungs, with rage and sadness, while Kathy rushes to Tommy and they embrace. A great scene considering what is going on within the film. I would also have to say that the musical score is one of the best I have heard in ages. It is mainly an overriding theme that you hear and later you hear again. It is mainly the cello which is a great instrument for conveying love, sadness, and loss. And this movie has all these three things. It's tough to watch sometimes because of the children's fate but stick with it because it's worth it. Carey Mulligan shows here that her turn in An Education was no fluke while Keira Knightley was fine in her own right as well. Highly recommended.

Chain Letter

This one's for Jessica B: A nice little horror film that begins with an "oh shit" moment and takes off from there. A group of high schoolers get an annoying chain letter email and are informed if they don't send it to 5 more people they will die within 24 hours. Starring Nikki Reed (my second movie of the night with her but a much better performance) as Jessie Campbell, and among others Keith David as detective Jim Crenshaw, Betsy Russell (!) as sergeant Hamill and Brad Dourif as Mr. Smirker, one of the teachers at the school. How'd you like to have Mr. Dourif as one of your teachers, huh? The man exudes creepiness in all of his roles and that's why he's always so fun to watch as he is in this film as well. Yeah I know all the high schoolers look like they're too old to go to high school but has that ever stopped us from liking a horror film? Um...no! Eventually more and more people are dying and it's up to Crenshaw to figure out who's doing it and why. With only some chain links with a unique symbol on them at the murder scenes for clues, he will have to work quickly to figure out the killer. Part of this movie reminded me of the Final Destination series a little bit while at other times it was a lot like the horror movies of 4-5 years ago (Cry Wolf, Stay Alive which got a lot of their foundation of stories more or less from the late 90's horror renaissance: Scream (1996), The Faculty (1998), I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998), Urban Legend (1998)), so if you're interested in seeing a somewhat solid horror thriller with snappy pacing, some good kill scenes with an interesting mode of death (chains) try this on for size. Recommended.

F

Last Day Of Summer

Here's a movie with an identity crisis and ends up disappointing the viewer because there's not enough comedy and too much drama that seems mean spirited and forced. Starring D.J. Qualls (good god man, eat a sandwich!) and Nikki Reed with William Sadler as Joe's (Qualls) asswipe of a boss Mr. Crolick where both of them work at a burger joint.

To say that he's a horrible boss is an understatement. He makes fun of Joe constantly and has him cleaning out toilets for most of the time he's there. He constantly tells him he's not much of an employee so basically Joe is feeling rather worthless most of the time. He's fed up with his boss so he sets out to do something about it. But he chickens out and now feels even worse and It is that day when he meets up with Stefanie who is walking out of the restaurant. She doesn't talk to him because she doesn't know him. He thought she had looked at him so he's confused by the silence. What he does next basically ruined the rest of the movie for me because it just didn't make any sense to me within the context of the film. Besides having no chemistry between the two leads the director (Vlad Yudin) can't make up his mind if he wants a comedy or a drama. Basically it's not the actor's fault because they do what they can with the script. Look Qualls and Reed are not going to win any acting awards in the near future but both have done some good decent roles in the past (Reed for Thirteen, Mini's Last Time and Qualls for The New Guy and a small role in I'm Reed Fish). I would say that William Sadler puts in the best performance by far. He is truly a boss you love to hate in this film. I just can't recommend it for that performance alone though. You can pass on this one if you want.

Jack Goes Boating

Philip Seymour Hoffman is one of our better actors working today. He can play almost any character and has. Here he is directing himself from a play written by Robert Glaudini. Hoffman plays Jack, a extremely introverted, shy, scared man who has a job driving for a limousine service. His best friend Clyde (John Ortiz in arguably the best performance here) also works there and he and his girlfriend Lucy (Daphne Rubin-Vega) decide to set Jack up on a blind date. Enter Connie (Amy Ryan, so underrated) who has a few of her own problems with being in other people's company also. Meanwhile Clyde is teaching Jack how to swim because he wants to go boating in the spring since Connie has said she'd like to. You see some growing compassion between the two as the movie continues while the other couple Clyde and Lucy are drifting apart in so many ways. There are a couple of scenes between Clyde and Lucy that seem so real in the way that you the viewer know that something close to dreadful is going to happen. It's about one couple who's just starting out in a relationship and another one drifting apart. I'd have to say I'd watch this more for the performances of the actors than the film itself. They are superb.

You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger

The new one from Woody Allen with a great cast but a lifeless script eventually lets it down for more than one or two viewings. But the cast! One of his best in years: Naomi Watts, Josh Brolin, Anthony Hopkins, Antonio Banderas, all do a great job with what they're given but it's just not enough. There are also some other nice performances from Freida Pinto who plays Dia, the girl that Roy (Brolin) is obsessed with and Lucy Punch who plays Charmaine, the girl that Alfie (Hopkins) ends up marrying after he divorces Helena (Gemma Jones) who is Sally's (Naomi Watts) mother. From an author who is having problems writing his next novel to a older woman who is listening a little too much to a fake fortune teller and a woman who's working for an art dealer who's she's fond of a little bit too much there are a lot of characters who really aren't that likeable in this film. All of these people are dealing with love lost, lust, greed, vanity amongst other things. I just wish it was a better film. A disappointment.

Monsters

A monster movie that's more about two people bonding than the monsters themselves. That's what I'd have to say about this film. If you're expecting something like Cloverfield you will be majorly disappointed but if you're open minded enough about this movie you will be rewarded. But don't think that the monsters aren't impressive though because when they do show up (where the man and the woman are passing through the "infected" zone with their guides) it is an impressive sight. Andrew is a photographer who's in Mexico taking pictures when he is ordered by his boss to take the boss's daughter Sam back home to America. The only problem with that is that through some fault of Andrew's they are left to go through an area of land that's northern Mexico and the southern part of the United States called the "infected zone". It's called that because of a probe sent earlier has returned and brought with it creatures not from our earth. These creatures are living in the zone and are being "contained" within this area. The U.S. even put up a giant wall to keep them out. So the only way back is through the zone. Scott McNairy & Whitney Able do an incredible job here as the main characters as well as all the secondary characters who actually are, from what I've understood, real people interacting with them! This brings a natural element to the film that seems more real. Truly a unique film that will probably be shit on because of some people's own misconceptions of what they thought it should be. Worth the time if you're willing.

A French Gigolo

Okay, I should have known my streak of good foreign films was going to run out eventually. All the warning signs were there too. A french woman who's horny for a lay in the hay with a male prostitute who's married. These are the kind of foreign movies I saw growing up which I never cared for at all. Everybody's always having sex with what seems like not a care in the world for ramifications of said actions. These movies are always the same, some older woman is looking for a little something either on the side (because her husband is just not doing it for her anymore) or in this case because she's rich and doesn't want a commitment (?) I almost shut this movie off a few times but I was hoping it was going to surprise me but I should have known! Utterly a waste of my time and yours if you watch this drivel. Definitely not up to the standard of foreign movies today. You have been warned!

Wild Target

An amusing british comedy about a hit man (Bill Nighy) who can't seem to kill his latest job (Emily Blunt) who happens to be a thief. An innocent bystander (Rupert Grint, who plays Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter movies) is suddenly brought into their predicament and its not too long after that his employer brings in another hitman to exterminate him. After a car chase and a few near misses the movie slows down a little to flesh out the characters so we learn more about them. When the movie speeds up it's not too bad but when the characters are waiting around then the script tends to slow to a crawl. There's just not that much going on. Still, having said that Bill Nighy was good in this role as was Emily Blunt. Rupert Grint on the other hand didn't really bring anything to the table. I thought that anybody could have played his role and it would have been fine. Worth watching for at least one time but more?, I don't know.

The Social Network

As the film The Social Network opens we see Mark Zuckerberg talking to his girlfriend Erica (Rooney Mara, the new Lisbeth Salander in the U.S. versions of the Stieg Larsson trilogy) and we soon learn that he is exhausting to talk to. It seems that he thinks way faster than everybody else and he has to wait for everybody else to catch up. Of course in a regular conversation with a beautiful girl this probably won't get you any points for a stimulating evening as he soon learns. He runs back to his room at Harvard and starts what eventually, with some help from his one true friend Eduardo (Andrew Garfield, the new Spiderman!), who has the algorithim and the cash, to start the worldwide phenomenon that is Facebook. The movie is basically about the lawsuits that were brought to him from the Winklevoss twins who say he stole their idea for a Harvard social networking site and from his best friend Eduardo who says he shut him out of the Facebook company. The movie shows how two friends grew so far apart. There are quite a few scenes in the lawyer's offices where the lawsuits are taking place and it is there where the best lines come in the movie. The lawyers are expecting to intimidate this young kid but in the long run this kid knows more about their profession that they do. The four main characters in this movie have done some amazing work here. Jesse Eisenberg, fresh off his turn in Zombieland was great as Mr. Zuckerberg as well as Andrew Garfield as Eduardo. After just seeing him in the first movie of the Red Riding trilogy he is very good here. Also Armie Hammer Jr. is twice as good since he has to play both of the Winklevoss twins. And we can't forget Justin Timberlake as the Napster creator Sean Parker who stirs up trouble when he arrives on the scene. Excellent direction by David Fincher with a great score by Trent Reznor who may get an Academy Award for his music for the film. A film about a guy who just wants to fit in and get the girl because it's always about getting the girl isn't it? You can tell this film is made by some talented people. Highly recommended.

Middle Men

Luke Wilson is probably lesser know that his brother Owen but he has definitely done some great work in the past and once again he does it here. In this film he plays basically a fixer. When people have a problem he fixes it. Sometimes he's dealing with a little different group of people, say maybe a criminal element. Meanwhile we have these two idiots (well kind of anyways) named Buck Dolby (Gabriel Macht), a former rocket scientist who just moved out to L.A. with his best friend, Wayne Beering (Giovanni Ribisi, here in crazy-paranoid mode), a guy who doesn't have a job and really is not trying too hard to get one. One night, Wayne is looking at porn on the computer (it's the late 80's-early 90's) and is bored by it. He says they could put some pictures up and charge people to look at them. Buck says there's no program for this and keeps repeating this while Wayne keeps telling him his suggestion. All of a sudden Buck tells Wayne to shut up and he goes to his computer and writes code for a billing system that supposedly now all the big corporations use to bill people with. It's not too long when they're making more money than they know what to do with. That's when Jack Harris (Luke Wilson) comes in. He is told by Jerry Haggarty (James Caan) about these two men and comes up with a plan to organize their company. Of course other things have happened that Jack will soon learn about and that's when Jack starts his journey as a "middle man". Superbly written and great acting from all involved especially Wilson, Ribisi, Macht and Rade Sherbedgia (a russian mobster). Laura Ramsey (The Ruins, Venom, Shrink) plays porn star Audrey Dawns, a woman who gets caught up helping, of all people, an fbi operative (Kevin Pollak). I kind of figured this was going to be a good film but was pleasantly surprised by how good. It had an epic feel to it which is hard to explain. The story spread out many years and was always captivating especially with Jack's narration many times. I was torn between 31/2 and 4 stars but went with 3 1/2. Maybe it's a four star movie, we shall see. Needless to say, it is definitely worth your time. Recommended!

You Again

Kristen Bell has been in some pretty successful films as of late. In 2008 she was in Forgetting Sarah Marshall with Jason Segel, Couples Retreat in 2009, When In Rome in 2010, and also this movie which came out in September 2010. Here she plays Marni, a successful p.r. executive who had a horrible time in high school. She had some serious acne problems, wore glasses, had braces, and was ridiculed nonstop by the head girl in the school J.J. (Odette Yustman). But now that's all behind her...or so she thinks. When she arrives home for her brother's wedding she hasn't yet met his fiance. Her mom Gail (Jamie Lee Curtis) tells her that she went to her school as well. But Marni doesn't remember a girl named Joanna in high school. Gail tells her no she went by a different name in high school, something with just letters in it......It's not soon after that Marnie figures out who she's talking about. She's not going to stand for this and she's gotta figure out how to convince her brother Will (James Wolk) to call off the wedding. Meanwhile Joanna's aunt comes down for the wedding and it's this time when Gail realizes that she knows her as well. She's Ramona (Sigourney Weaver) from high school. They were best friends until something happened on prom night. Adding to all of this is Marni's grandmother Bunny (played great by Betty White-doesn't she always play these characters well?) and Marni's dad played by Victor Garber. So we have two different generations of women who have a nemesis. Nice performances from the cast but you should with a cast like this. It was nice to see Jamie Lee Curtis and Sigourney Weaver together. Both have done some nice comedic work as well as the other films they're more well known for. As for Bell and Yustman, nice turns for the young ladies as well. Overall a very nice romantic comedy that doesn't necessarily rise above the standard but doesn't lower it either. Recommended.

Knock Knock

There are some horror movies that aren't that original but yet you see something in them that you know there's potential there. While I liked a lot of things in this film there were a few things that weren't so good either but director Joseph Ariola did more good than bad. First off the music had kind of an industrial sound to it that worked more than it didn't. Also you know those times that some things happen which are so ridiculous you have to laugh? Well they're in here too! There's a killer going around knocking on doors and then disposing of them in rather unique and quite gory ways. The killer's mask: not so good, but the gore: pretty good! When we first see head town cop Billie Vega (Kim Taggart) on the scene she's wearing a see through blouse underneath her suit coat!! I thought that was a little hilarious! That's some different attire trying to solve crimes! At first I thought she was just came from a social event but no that's how she's dressing. There's another time when about 4 of the kids are walking in a wooded area when one of the girls is walking ahead of everybody when suddenly she screams and tells them that she saw that guy again, the one she saw outside the diner earlier. Of course they don't really believe her and they ask her where's he at now and she doesn't see him anymore, but as soon as they turn around not 15 feet away the camera shows the killer behind them! I had to laugh! It's this kind of things that made it a little amateurish but the filmmaker's heart is in the right place. Eventually, with a lot of help from a former cop MIke (Antonio Mastrantonio). When I say a lot of help that's what I mean. Billie Vega and her dimwit deputy don't really figure anything out at all! They're totally inept! The film is basically geared more toward the adults trying to figure out what's going on with these kids being murdered and not so much about the kids. As far as the acting goes nobody is very good except for Mike the former cop. Antonio Mastrantonio does a very good job in his performance. This movie came out in 2007 and it's Joseph Ariola's last project on IMDB. This makes me think that since this movie didn't do to good financially that he doesn't have a project in the works. It's too bad, really because I bet with more money and better actors the guy could do something as good as good as all the other slop that gets released direct to dvd. It is a film that has a lot of issues but yet I found enough things in it that I can truly recommend it to the slasher/horror film fan who doesn't nitpick every little thing. And when something happens that's ridiculous in the film? Just enjoy it. Does that make sense? Hey it might not but it is what it is.

Blackout

A little diversion of your time about 3 people who are trapped in an elevator and are slowly going a little bit crazy. We see each person's life and why they are here at this exact time in the elevator in flashbacks to learn more and more about the characters in the film. Gradually things go deadly when one of the characters starts taking control of the situation the wrong way and bad painful things start happening. Basically there are three leads, Amber Tamblyn (wow, seven years ago when Sisterhood of The Traveling Pants came out, how time flys!) plays Claudia, who's dealing with an ailing family member, Tommy (Armie Hammer, one of the Winklevoss twins in Social Network), who's trying to make a better life for himself and his girlfriend, and Karl (Aiden Gillen-maybe his biggest role was when he played Lord Nelson Rathbone in the movie Shanghai Knights), who's dealing with custody of his daughter. All in all, pretty good performances by all but it really doesn't rise much above average. Recommended only if you can own it for 2 or 3 bucks at the most.

Wild Cherry

An average movie about again losing one's virginity. At clocking in at 80 minutes it won't take up too much of your time. Starring a lot of young up and coming actors (Rumer Willis, Kristin Cavallari, Tania Raymonde and Ryan Merriman) and a pretty good turn from Rob Schneider as the dad to Helen (Raymonde). All do a good job but they are ultimately let down by the script that seems to be a little uninspired. I can't say the film doesn't have its merits however mainly because of the scenes with Schneider. I have to say that his performance was the best among all of these. The three main girls were also much better than the guys but that's probably because the script didn't really have anything for the male leads to do throughout the film so you didn't really have a connection with any of them. It is mainly from the three girls' perspectives, specifically from Helen's. Directed but without any real flair by Dana Lustig (Kill Me Later, Wedding Bell Blues) this film had me thinking about how good a comedy it could have been. Average at best.

Machete

A ridiculously over the top movie that pulls no punches on the gore, nudity and despicable characters that only a tribute to exploitation movies can do. Expertly directed by Robert Rodriguez this is exactly what you think it is. Look at the cast!: Besides Danny Trejo in the title role we have Robert De Niro as Sen. McLaughlin, Steven Seagal as Torrez (a truly horrible man), Doc Johnson as Von (equally horrible), Jeff Fahey as Booth (ditto) and let's not forget the women in this movie, Jessica Alba as Sartana, an immigration cop, Michelle Rodriguez as Luz who may or may not be the underground resistance leader She (and who hasn't looked better), and Lindsay Lohan as Booth's daughter April. Add to that Tom Savini, Daryl Sabara, and Cheech Marin! Never mind the plot! You don't see this movie for the plot, you see it for the crazy action, stunts, gore, babes, etc. A true grindhouse film I do hope these guys (Rodriguez, Roth, Tarantino) continue to do this kind of film besides their other films once in a while. They have all captured the look and feel of an era that was the 70's exploitation film. A fun time! Recommended!

Welcome To The Rileys

Doug Riley (James Gandolfini in a terrific role) is a man who's lost right now. He's in an unloving marriage to his wife Lois (Melissa Leo is equally great). We can see it wasn't always like this and we learn that they haven't really dealt with the death of their only daughter. Lois is basically house bound since the event while Doug goes to poker games and visits an all nite diner striking up a conversation with the waitress Vivian (Elsa Davis). Doug has to go to a convention in New Orleans where he ends up going to a seedy strip club. It is there where he meets Mallory (Kristen Stewart) a girl who is teetering on the brink of no return. After an altercation with him at the club they end up accidentally meeting again. He's nice to her and she doesn't understand why he is. When she asks him what he wants he says he wants nothing from her. I don't want to say anymore than that as to what happens but we're asking ourselves why does Doug do this? Does he miss his daughter so much that he wants to help Mallory? Is he trying to find a purpose in his life since Lois isn't there for him anymore? Or is it for other reasons? From what I've said you would think this is nothing but a bleak situation. Well yes, if you're looking at Mallory's life it pretty much is. But then this man comes into her life who wants nothing but to help and she has a hard time with that since she's used to all men wanting something from her. But believe me there is love, friendship, hope and rebirth that makes this movie so enriching and rewarding to watch. Gandolfini, Leo, and Stewart all do an amazing job with Jake Scott's (Ridley's son and Tony Scott's nephew) direction written by Ken Hixon. It is a great drama that is worth your time. Recommended.

Red Road

Jackie is a cctv operator living in Glasgow (Scotland). She is living a rather humdrum life going to work and then going home. She is distant with what looks like to be relatives of her but we don't know why. One night she is at work looking at the various cameras set up throughout the city when she suddenly is visibly shaken at who she sees on camera. She doesn't believe it at first but she confirms what and who she saw that night. She calls the police department and asks a few questions about "it being too soon isn't it". She then starts following the man and basically observing him at work and away from work. We don't know at this point why....yet but we will. This is a slow moving but ultimately satisfying film to watch. All the questions will be answered as to why this woman is doing the things she does in the film. However I saw this on Netflix streaming and it would have been nice to see some subtitles a few times because sometimes a certain character would appear and I couldn't understand what the character was saying because of the thick Scottish accent. Also if you've seen the wonderful film Mister Foe then this is definitely a different Glasgow than what's shown in that film. In this film it's messy and dirty a lot of the times because one of the main characters lives in what looks like to be a projects apartment type complex with many many floors. Obviously the look of the film is up and down since a lot of it is shown through lots of tv monitors so when you're watching that the picture suffers somewhat. At almost 2 hours the film does develop slowly but I think if you're patient enough it might be a rewarding viewing experience for you. Kate Dickie as the main character Jackie was very good as were Tony Curran (Marcus in Underworld:Evolution) and Martin Compston (Disappearance of Alice Creed). Reservedly recommend to people with patience for these kinds of films.

Fingerprints

A kind of a throwback to the ghost story with a little horror thrown in. You could do a lot worse that this believe me. Melanie (Leah Pipes who played a great bitch in Sorority Row a few years ago) has just gotten out of rehab and is picked up by her sister Crystal (Kristen Cavallari who did a good job here) and is taking her home. It's a new town and a new school so Crystal tells her about the town story about the train that killed a busload of children and now if you go to the tracks and park your car in neutral the ghosts of all the children will push you too safety. And guess where they end up at? Why it's the train track! I won't tell you what happened but as they arrive at their home we meet their dad (who obviously loves his daughters) and their mom (who has a major problem with Melanie and is an unsympathetic bitch to her). There are some creepy moments but not a lot. Leah Pipes and Kristen Cavallari do a very believable job as sisters. You can really see some chemistry between the two to make you believe yes these two girls are siblings. Also, Josh Henderson does a good job as Penn who Melanie befriends. It's nice to see a horror movie where all the young leads were actually good believable actors and not acting like some morons (exception being Andrew Lawrence who was kind of a stereotype). We even have Geoffrey Lewis as the town drunk and Lou Diamond Phillips as the school counselor in the film. So if you're wanting to see something a little creepy and not asking for a lot in return but want to see some solid acting from the leads in a horror movie then this might be the one for you. Recommended.

Assassin In Love

Here's the main reason that I like Netflix instant streaming. I would never have watched or rented this if I had seen it anywhere but on Netflix. In fact I remember looking at reviews of this when it came out on dvd but I decided against putting it in my Netflix rental queue. But then I saw it on the instant list and I decided to try it out. And I must say I'm glad I did. A nice amusing little UK film about a hit man who's looking to get out of the business. Unfortunately his bosses have other plans for him and soon he is being shot at in his flat. Soon after he flees the city and takes a drive out to the country where he finds a small little town. The town mistakes him for the new baker and so he decides he WILL be the new baker to stay hidden from his former employers. Unbeknownst to him the town figures out he's a hitman and they think he's using the bakery as a front to provide a service for the community for anybody that wants to use him for a gun for hire. Damian Lewis plays the hitman/baker with a nice flair while Kate Ashfield plays a girl he's soon smitten with but it's all the other characters in the town that makes this movie so much fun to watch. Some funny characters round out the movie, even Michael Gambon (Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter movies) makes an appearance or two in the movie. A funny little British film that I recommend to anybody who likes their characters just a little odd!

Suck

Rob Stefaniuk writes, directs, and stars in this sometimes humorous movie about a band's tour going nowhere until the bassist becomes a member of the undead (vampire). With a pretty good soundtrack and some fun co-stars this movie might be worth your time. Alice Cooper plays a bartender who might be much more then that, while Dave Foley (Kids In The Hall) plays the band's manager not too efficiently. Also there's Malcolm McDowell as Eddie Van Helsing who's after the vampire and his lair. The band's bassist is played by Jessica Pare (smaller roles in Hot Tub Time Machine, The Trotsky, Wicker Park) and does a good job looking hot and a little scary at the same time. We also get to see Henry Rollins (well at least his face) playing rocker dj Rockin' Roger and Iggy Pop as Victor who has a studio that the band uses. There seems to be a few more music icons in the movie besides these so keep your eyes out for a few more you might recognise. All in all a decent movie that really could have used a stronger lead man (the weakest link by far-he also directed and starred in a movie called Phil The Alien as well) but still I would recommend it to you when you're looking for something to watch. It won't hurt you too much.

The Virginity Hit

A hilariously crude movie about 4 high school guys that are all losing their virginity. When one guy loses his out comes this special bong and the devirginised one takes a hit (hence a Virginity Hit) off the bong. Then they put it away until the next one loses hit. Eventually 3 out of the 4 boys have taken a "hit" and now they're all still waiting for Matt (Matt Bennett). But Matt seems to be approaching that special day with Nicole (Nicole Weaver) so Matt should be sitting down for a hit soon. Shot in the popular "mockumentary" style like so many movies are nowadays this makes you think that you are actually looking at real people just being filmed. All four guys and all the girls make it look effortless on the screen to suck you in to the story. This is a crude affair as I said. I'd put it up there close to Superbad territory for crudeness. The characters are genuine and the story keeps moving along without really any letups. Running in at a little under 90 minutes it's over before you know it. All the actors do a fine job but especially Matt's friend Zack (Zack Pearlman) who's basically the ringleader amongst the guys and Zack's sister Krysta (Krysta Rodriguez-her only film credit so far). Matt Bennett played the shy geeky kid who's head over heels in love with his girl convincingly. All these young actors could have a bright future if they want to pursue that. A fun and funny time. Recommended.

Twelve

The newest movie from director Joel Schmacher (Batman and Robin, Batman Forever, 8mm, Flatliners, Falling Down, the list goes on and on). Twelve is the newest drug that's the hottest thing for all the super rich kids throwing crazy parties but White Mike (Chace Crawford-The Covenant) doesn't want anything to do with it, he'll stick to just selling weed to all of his ex school buddies and let Lionel (Curtis Jackson aka 50 cent) corner the market on the other stuff. He's this drug dealer that doesn't party himself and doesn't like guns but to his childhood friend Molly (Emma Roberts) he tells her he's working for his dad and doesn't really have a lot of time to do much of anything else but work. Molly has never told him how much she cares for him. Meanwhile Chris (Rory Culkin-these guys are like the new Baldwins!) has these parties for his friends and so-called friends when his wayward brother out of rehab shows up. Chris is in love with Sara Ludlow who's soon to have her birthday. Meanwhile rich kid Hunter is having a few problems of his own. And White Mike is wondering where's Hunter at and better yet what is his cousin up to? This all happens in a span of only 2 or 3 days. All throughout the movie there are passages of narration by Kiefer Sutherland which in my opinion really works and makes the movie better. There are a few other characters that come into play besides the ones mentioned so definitely check it out for this was a much better movie that I would have thought it would be. A pleasant surprise that I recommend.