A DARK TRUTH January 4th 2013

 

Garcia plays an ex-CIA op-turned political talk show host. He’s hired by a corporate whistle blower to expose her company’s cover-up of a massacre in a South American village. The film draws attention to man’s inhumanity and unconscious actions against the environment and questions if there is a moral and ethical obligation when talking about boundaries, borders and human interaction. With the ever-increasing depletion of earth’s natural resource of water serving as the backdrop, a multi-national corporation disregards basic human needs that result in widespread illness and a people’s uprising. The distress causes unlikely allies to conspire and seek redemption for past deeds and the greater good.

Release date:January 4, 2013

Blu-ray Review: Men In Black 3

it's been ten years since the last "Men In Black" movie gave us a Burger King in MIB HQ, Frank the Pug in a suit, and Johnny Knoxville's second talking head, the stink of the second movie in the series hung around just long enough to make the possibility of another one seem like more of a threat. And as news trickled out about "Men In Black 3"--Tommy Lee Jones was getting sidelined for most of the movie, chief among the problems--every indication was that we were headed for another disaster.
But this time traveling plot, which sees Will Smith's Agent J hurtle back to 1969 to save his partner and the timeline, doesn't just get the series back to its roots, but ends up being... touching?



After one-armed criminal Boris the Animal escapes from a lunar prison, the already brittle relationship between J and K starts to deteriorate as it becomes clear that there's something the senior agent is holding back about the alien escapee. But before J can coax some answers out of his partner, Boris erases K from history, forcing J to hop back to 1969 to prevent K's murder and prevent an alien invasion by tentacled spaceships. All J has to do is go back in time (in a wonderfully inventive sequence), kill Boris, avoid the younger version of K (Josh Brolin), and get back to 2012

Josh Brolin's great here as the younger K as is the late 6's version of the Men In Black and New York. Brolin's K has a lighter touch than his older counterpart, easy with his smile and sweet on junior agent 0 (Alice Eve) and around the margins, we start to realize something really horrible is coming that will shake K so much that it's closed him off in the future. Plus, "Boardwalk Empire" and "A Serious Man" star Michael Stuhlbarg has a sweet and funny part as an alien blessed and cursed with the ability to see into all variations of time--he holds the secret to 1969 J and K's mission and that it might be a success, but could still end badly for them.

That's where "Men In Black 3" ends up being so effective and so touching: the movie treads takes its time to make the characters feel like people this time out. Whereas J and K felt like the two bickering halves of a comedy duo in the second movie, we get to see some of the roundabout, sad friendship they've developed over 15 years.by charles webb

Anna Karenina Novemeber 16th 2012

Director Joe Wright reteams with Keira Knightley for this version of Anna Karenina, which boasts a script by Tom Stoppard. Knightley stars as the title character, a Russian woman who cheats on her respected husband (Jude Law) with a young soldier (Aaron Johnson) and suffers greatly for her betrayal. Wright sets the action in a theater, often segueing from scene to scene by utilizing different spaces within the same set. Anna Karenina screened at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

New On Blu-Ray BRAVE

Even just a few years ago you could get away with saying that an okay Pixar film was still better than everyone else's animated films. That's just not true anymore. The animation industry has seriously stepped up its storytelling game in recent years, with all major studios putting out quality, original animated films every few months. And so we've entered an age where an okay Pixar film is, well, an okay animated film. But that's all industry competition talk that's less a reflection on the film and more on the change in the animation landscape.

Regardless of what other animated films came out this year, Brave just isn't a particularly great film. It has odd tonal shifts in its comedy, which flips from juvenile sight gags to heavy mother-daughter conflicts and back again. Once magic is introduced to the story, though, it realigns with the normal wonder and awe one feels when swept up in a Pixar story. In a way, it's refreshing because it is indeed abnormal for Pixar to make a movie as incongrous as Brave, but that doesn't make Brave a better movie, it just makes it an interesting footnote in the studio's filmography.

Special Features: Commentary with Mark Andrews, Steve Purcell, Brian Larsen, and Nick Smith; Short films 13 minutes of extended scenes; 50 minutes of behind-the-scenes featurettes, diving into everything from an initial research trip to Scotland and an introduction to the core artists at Pixar; Marketing materials; Another handful of short, ~2min featurettes on art and characters.by peter hall

THE DETAILS

A suburban family man inadvertently opens up a Pandora's box of dysfunction, treachery, and murder while attempting to grow the perfect lawn, and run a family of raccoons off his property. Jeff (Tobey Maguire) and Nealy Lang (Elizabeth Banks) have an ideal marriage; they've just celebrated their 10th anniversary, they've got a spacious house in a nice neighborhood, and a newborn son to make their family complete. But Jeff has lost the ability to love his wife, and he's desperate to regain the spark that's made their marriage work for the past decade. His inner malaise growing deeper by the day, Jeff diverts his attention to nurturing a lawn that will be the envy of all his neighbors. One problem leads to another, however, when Jeff begins an obsessive mission to rid his yard of some unusually persistent raccoons, and has an unsettling encounter with his reclusive, feline-hoarding neighbor. Before Jeff knows it, a simple pest-control problem has snowballed into a full-blown existential crisis involving bows and arrows, extortion, and multiple extramarital affairs. ~ Jason Buchanan

FLIGHT November 2nd 2012

 

A pilot with a substance-abuse problem has to land a crippled airliner in this Robert Zemeckis-directed drama for Paramount Pictures. Real Steel's John Gatins provides the script. Denzel Washington heads up a cast that includes The Hurt Locker's Brian Geraghty, along with John Goodman and Don Cheadle. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

SKYFALL 007 Novemeber 9th 2012

 

 

007 (Daniel Craig) becomes M's only ally as MI6 comes under attack, and a mysterious new villain emerges with a diabolical plan. James Bond's latest mission has gone horribly awry, resulting in the exposure of several undercover agents, and an all-out attack on M16. Meanwhile, as M (Judi Dench) plans to relocate the agency, emerging Chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee Mallory (Ralph Finnes) raises concerns about her competence while attempting to usurp her position, and Q (Ben Whishaw) becomes a crucial ally. Now the only person who can restore M's reputation is 007. Operating in the dark with only field agent Eve (Naomie Harris) to guide him, the world's top secret agent works to root out an enigmatic criminal mastermind named Silva (Javier Bardem) as a major storm brews on the horizon. Albert Finney co-stars in the 23rd installment of the long-running spy series directed by Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Revolutionary Road) and shot by acclaimed cinematographer Roger Deakins (True Grit, The Reader, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford). ~ Rovi

Jack & Diane Novemeber 2nd 2012

 

Two teenage girls enter into a passionate romance that threatens to fall apart when one announces that she will soon be leaving for school, which creates a swell of emotions and brings about a disturbing transformation. When it comes to love, New York City tomboy Jack (Riley Keough) always plays it cool. But when she meets Diane (Juno Temple), something just clicks. Beautiful and unassuming, Diane captures Jack's heart almost instantly. But trouble starts to brew when Diane reveals that she won't be in the city much longer. School is starting, and when it does, she'll head back to Europe. Crestfallen, Jack puts up an emotional wall that Diane does her best to break through. Upon realizing Jack has no intention of continuing their relationship, Diane finds her emotions surging out of control, and the disturbing visions that have been haunting her threaten to lead them both down a terrifying path from which neither may ever return. Kylie Minogue co-stars. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

ALEX CROSS October 19th 2012

Tyler Perry steps into the role immortalized by Morgan Freeman in Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider in this updated action-oriented take on James Patterson's detective character Alex Cross. XXX's Rob Cohen directs from a script by Patterson, Kerry Williamson, and Marc Moss. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

LOOPER September 28th 2012

 

A hired gun from the future discovers that his greatest adversary is himself in this twisting sci-fi mindbender starring Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and directed by Rian Johnson (Brick, The Brothers Bloom). In the year 2047 time travel has yet to be invented. Thirty years later, however, it has. Though immediately outlawed, time-travel technology is quickly appropriated by the mob, and used to cleanly dispose of anyone deemed a threat. The process is simple: When the mob wants someone to disappear, they simply send them back to the year 2047, where an assassin known as a "looper" quickly carries out the hit, and disposes of the body. Joe Simmons (Gordon-Levitt) is one of the most respected loopers around. Each kill earns him a big payday, and he's got big plans to retire to France. Then, one day, as Joe patiently awaits the appearance of his next target near the edge of a remote corn field, he's shocked to come face-to-face with his future self (Bruce Willis). When the younger Joe hesitates, the older Joe makes a daring escape. Now, in order to avoid the wrath of his underworld boss (Jeff Daniels), young Joe must "close the loop" and kill his older counterpart. Meanwhile, the revelation that a powerful crime boss in the future has set the underworld ablaze pits the two Joes on a violent collision course, with the fate of a devoted mother (Emily Blunt) and her young son hanging in the balance. Paul Dano and Piper Perabo co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Hotel Transylvania Sept 28th 2012

 

Samurai Jack's Genndy Tartakovsky directed this animated tale concerning a hotel where monsters such as Dracula (voice of Adam Sandler), the Invisible Man (David Spade), Frankenstein (Kevin James), and his bride (Fran Drescher), along with a host of others, head to relax from a world full of humans. When a young man (Andy Samberg) stumbles onto the resort and falls for Drac's teenage daughter Mavis (Selena Gomez), comedy high jinks ensue. Cee Lo Green, Steve Buscemi, and Molly Shannon also lend their voices. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

House at the End of the Street Sept 21st 2012

Synopsis

A teenager (Jennifer Lawrence) and her mother (Elisabeth Shue) move to a new town and make a gruesome discovery about the house next door in this tale of terror from Hush director Mark Tonderai. Shortly after learning that the neighboring house was recently the scene of a horrific double homicide, the curious teen forges a tender friendship with the boy who cheated death (Max Thieriot) on that fateful night. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

DREDD September 21st 2012

A feared urban cop takes on a vicious city drug dealer in a futuristic metropolis as director Pete Travis (Vantage Point) and screenwriter Alex Garland (28 Days Later, Sunshine) team to bring iconic 2000A.D. lawman Judge Dredd to the big screen. In the future, much of North America has been poisoned by radiation. The sprawling urban jungle Mega City One stretches from Boston to Washington D.C., and in order to keep the growing criminal element in check, police enforcers called "Judges" have been given the power of judge, jury, and executioner. Judge Dredd (Karl Urban) is the most feared of them all, delivering death sentences as he fights to rid the streets of "Slo-Mo" -- a powerful new drug that alters its user's perception of time. In the process of training psychic rookie Cassandra Anderson, Dredd receives a report of an incident in a sprawling criminal stronghold ruled by fearsome drug lord Ma-Ma (Lena Headey), and ventures in to investigate. Upon learning that one of her top men has been captured by Dredd shortly thereafter, an enraged Ma-Ma seizes control of her massive 200-story complex, launching an all-out war against the Judges as Dredd and Cassandra find themselves trapped in the belly of the beast. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

RED HOOK SUMMER

An Atlanta adolescent experiences a new side of life while spending the summer in Brooklyn with his grandfather, a fire-and-brimstone preacher who's determined to save his soul. Young Flik (Jules Brown) has never met his grandfather before now, and when his mother drops him off at the Red Hook housing project, the culture shock is overpowering. Depressed at the prospect of spending his cherished vacation without his friends while enduring the righteous ramblings of his grandpa Enoch (Clarke Peters), Flik resigns himself to a summer of boredom until he crosses paths with Chazz (Toni Lysaith), a spunky church girl with a unique outlook on life. Meanwhile, as the summer heat spikes and conflicts among the congregation ignite, Flik realizes that his summer vacation is about to get interesting. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

'Jaws' Week is Coming

Jaws Week. We've been wanting to do a summer series that didn't involve superheroes or ridiculous amounts of CGI. Something our team of movie-obsessed super nerds could geek out on hardcore; something we could dedicate an entire week of geeking out to. When it was announced that Steven Spielberg's Jaws was arriving on Blu-ray right smack in the middle of a bustling summer movie season, we thought it'd be perfect to dedicate an entire week to the movie that created the summer blockbuster to begin with.
So next week is Jaws Week at Movies.com. We'll be giving away copies of the new Blu-ray (which we've already watched and love), as well as reviewing all its fine little details. Every day we'll be posting an assortment of really fun features tied to the film, its production, its legacy, its fans, its merchandise and so much more.
Jaws is one of the reasons why we have a summer blockbuster season to look forward to every year, and we're beyond thrilled to give a little something back to a movie that's thrilled, chilled and wowed us for over three decades.
Be here Monday for the beginning of Jaws Week, and you can bookmark our official Jaws Week tag to follow all our coverage throughout the week. Trust us, if you're any kind of Jaws fan (and we know you are), you'll want to devour the stuff we have planned.
See you next week!by erik davis

Outrageous 'Dark Knight' Home Theater

if you're going to build a home theater dedicated to The Dark Knight, ridiculous is just par for the incredibly rich course. So let's just cut straight to the chase: This excessive home theater monument to Nolan's Batman trilogy cost $2 million.
So what all does $2 million buy you?

- An 180-inch screen

- Six life-size Batsuits throughout the room

- Art Deco-inspired gothic architecture, including several stone gargoyles

- A life-size replica of the Tumbler hidden behind a book shelf that only slides open if you pull a secret book

- A mock, 30-foot long secret tunnel exit

- Batcomputer station that cycles through screens profiling Batman's enemies

- 15 race car-inspired theater seats

- Lots of friends wanting to watch movies at your house

If all of that weren't insane enough, this entire home theater is subterranean and is accessed by an elevator equipped with mock body scanners that appears from inside a grandfather clock after one presses a button hidden inside a bust of William Shakespeare.by peter hall

The Seven Year Itch Blu-ray

The Seven Year Itch Blu-ray, Video Quality

From the Saul Bass title sequence to the madcap conclusion, The Seven Year Itch looks fantastic on Blu-ray, with a 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer of a restored print that's now almost entirely free of specks, other age-related issues, or compression concerns. The integrity of the image is untouched by excessive digital noise reduction or edge enhancement, and the picture quality improvement over DVD is apparent from the first frames. Though perhaps not quite as breathtaking as Technicolor, the film has that inimitable mid-century Deluxe look, a melange of vivid, eye-catching hues, creamy highlights and soft neutrals. There are some minor color/brightness/grain fluctuations here and there, but otherwise the print is very stable, with strong blacks and good contrast. While overall clarity isn't sharp sharp by modern standards, it is consistent with other Cinemascope pictures from the '50s available on Blu-ray; everything—from facial features and clothing to sets and props—looks tighter and more refined here compared to standard definition editions. If you're fond of the film and looking forward to a visual upgrade, you should be pleased by Fox's remastering efforts.

The Seven Year Itch Blu-ray, Audio Quality

The Seven Year Itch's original sound design has been given a slight multi-channel expansion, by way of a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track.nothing extraneous has been added to the mix—no goofy new sound effects—and the rear channels are only used for quiet New York City ambience and bleeding room for the score. Alfred Newman's music sounds great considering when it was recorded —there's no shrillness in the highs, and the bottom-end is relatively rich—but the mix is really all about the dialogue, which is always cleanly recorded and clearly reproduced. As you'd hope, there are no distracting hisses, pops, crackles, or other audio anomalies. A perfectly functional vintage soundtrack. The disc includes a Dolby Digital 3.0 track for comparison, along with a large assortment of dub and subtitle options.blu-ray.com

The Campaign August 10th 2012

Two CEOs pit a blundering congressman against an unlikely political newcomer in order to seize control of a crucial North Carolina district in this satirical political comedy starring Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis. On the eve of an upcoming election, incumbent congressman Cam Brady (Ferrell) makes a misstep that threatens to end his career in politics. Recognizing the opportunity to gain influence in the aftermath of the public gaffe, a pair of scheming CEOs handpick credulous tourism-center director Marty Huggins (Galifianakis) as Brady's political rival, quickly shaping him into a viable candidate with the help of a seasoned campaign manager. As Election Day draws near, Brady and Huggins cast ethics aside to engage in the brand of hysterical mud-slinging that's sent contemporary politics straight down the toilet. Jason Sudeikis, John Lithgow, and Brian Cox co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

TOTAL RECALL August 3rd 2012

Originally adapted by director Paul Verhoeven in 1990, author Philip K. Dick's classic short story returns to the big screen in this remake starring Colin Farrell, Bryan Cranston, and Kate Beckinsale, and directed by Underworld's Len Wiseman. Douglas Quaid (Farrell) is a factory worker in New Shanghai. He's got a stable job and a loving wife (Beckinsale), but upon learning that a company called Rekall could grant him the memory of the ultimate espionage adventure, Douglas decides that a virtual vacation is better than no vacation at all. But in the midst of having the memories implanted, something goes haywire, and the system breaks down. As the authorities close in, Douglas flees, joining forces with a fierce rebel soldier (Jessica Biel) on a mission to track down the head of the resistance (Bill Nighy), and take down the tyrannical Chancellor Cohaagen (Cranston), a power-crazed leader who seeks to control the entire free world. The harder Douglas fights to defeat Cohaagen, however, the more difficult it becomes for him to determine whether this is real life, or simply all part of the complex Rekall program. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

The Odd Life of Timothy Green August 15th 2012

FULL SYNOPSIS

A happy husband and wife receive a most unexpected gift in this enchanting comedy drama from Academy Award-nominated writer/director Peter Hedges (What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Dan in Real Life). Jim (Joel Edgerton) and Cindy Green (Jennifer Garner) are deeply in love and planning to start a family in Stanleyville when, one night during a thunderous storm, a young boy named Timothy (CJ Adams) comes knocking at their door. In time, the prospective new parents and their curious neighbors discover that the most amazing things can happen just when you least expect it. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

The Bourne Legacy August 10th 2012

 SYNOPSIS

The fourth installment of the highly successful Bourne series sees the return of the franchise's screenwriter, Tony Gilroy, this time stepping into the director's seat for an entry which sidelines main character Jason Bourne in order to focus on a fellow estranged assassin (Jeremy Renner). Edward Norton and Rachel Weisz co-star, with Joan Allen and Albert Finney reprising their roles from the previous films. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

• Release date:August 10, 2012

Step Up Revolution July 27th 2012

An aspiring dancer in Miami befriends an innovative flash-mob dance crew, and helps them to stage a footloose protest in order to save their neighborhood from a greedy developer. Emily (Kathryn McCormick) has always dreamt of becoming a professional dancer. Shortly after moving to Miami, she meets up with Sean  -- the leader of a crew called The Mob that takes the art of dance straight to the streets. Meanwhile, as Emily falls for Sean, a powerful businessman begins plotting to demolish the crew's historic neighborhood to make way for a highly profitable development. Now, with their homes at stake and nothing to lose, Sean, Emily, and The Mob prepare to stage a show that will save their families from getting thrown into the streets. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

The Well-Digger's Daughter July 20th 2012

A bitter class war erupts between two families after the daughter of a humble well digger is impregnated by the son of a wealthy shopkeeper. Aging widower Pascale Amoretti (Daniel Auteuil) works hard to provide for his six daughters. As the first shots of World War I are fired, his eldest daughter Patricia (Astrid Bergés-Frisbey) returns home from Paris to help raise her younger siblings. Meanwhile, Pascale wants to see Patricia marry his longtime assistant Felipe (Kad Merad), a hard worker who would make a loving husband. But shortly after arriving back home, Patricia has a fling with Jacques Mazel (Nicolas Duvauchelle), a fighter pilot from a wealthy family, who then disappears to the front lines after getting Patricia pregnant. At first, the Mazels are furious, accusing the impoverished Amorettis of using the situation to stake a claim on their fortune. When Jacques goes missing in action, however, the Mazels quickly realize that Patricia's unborn child may be their only link to the son who sacrificed his life fighting for their country. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

The Queen of Versailles July 20th 2012

epic proportions of Shakespearean tragedy, the film follows two unique characters, whose rags-to-riches success stories reveal the innate virtues and flaws of the American Dream. The film begins with the family triumphantly constructing the biggest house in America, a 90,000 sq. ft. palace. Over the next two years, their sprawling empire, fueled by the real estate bubble and cheap money, falters due to the economic crisis. Major changes in lifestyle and character ensue within the cross-cultural household of family members and domestic staff.movies.com

The Dark Knight Rises July 20th 2012

Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy concludes with this Warner Brothers release that finds The Dark Knight pitted against Bane, an unstoppable foe possessed of tremendous physical and intellectual strength. Nearly a decade after taking the fall for Harvey Dent's death and disappearing into the darkness, a fugitive Batman (Christian Bale) watches from the shadows as the Dent Act keeps the streets of Gotham City crime free. Meanwhile, an elusive cat burglar seizes the chance to strike, and a masked anarchist plots a devastating series of attacks designed to lure Bruce Wayne out of the shadows. Determined not to abandon the people who he once risked his life to protect, The Dark Knight emerges from his self-imposed exile ready to fight. But Baneis ready, too, and once Batman is within his grasp, he will do everything in his power to break Gotham City's shadowy savior. Oscar-winner Michael Caine and Gary Oldman return in a sequel also starring Anne Hathaway, Marion Cotillard, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

UNION SQUARE July 13th 2012

Nancy Savoca's first film in nearly a decade, stars Mira Sorvino as Lucy, a hard-drinking party girl from the Bronx who takes a trip into Manhattan to meet with her married lover, and ends up visiting her sister Jenny (Tammy Blanchard), who has cleaned up her life and is engaged to a man running a health-food business. Jenny has hid the truth about her past from her fiancé; he thinks she's from Maine, and Jenny wants nothing more than to get her out-of-control sister away from their apartment. Lucy, however, doesn't know how to take a hint, ends up spending the night, and soon the two are fighting about old resentments and Jenny finds she can't keep the facade going with her fiancé. Union Square played at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

"TRISHNA In Theaters" July 13th 2012

Michael Winterbottom's Trishna, a modern retelling of Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Ubervilles, stars Freida Pinto as the title character, a young Indian woman who meets Jay (Riz Ahmed), the son of a rich real-estate man. He convinces her to come work in a hotel owned by his father, and because her family is in desperate need of money -- and he's charming and handsome -- she accepts. While things go well at first, she becomes pregnant and is forced to leave the job. Although Trishna tries to make it on her own as a dancer, Jay eventually returns and attempts to sweep her off her feet again. Trishna played at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ perry seibert, rovi

Easy Money July 11th 2012

FULL SYNOPSIS

Safe House director Daniel Espinosa delivers this gritty adaptation of Jens Lapidus' best-selling novel Snabba Cash to tell the tale of a Stockholm business student who gets entangled in a life of crime while attempting to impress a gorgeous heiress. JW (Joel Kinnaman) comes from meager beginnings, but he's got ambition to spare, and the motivation to succeed. Smitten by the scion of a powerful family, he turns to crime in order to maintain the illusion of wealth. Meanwhile, low-level crook Jorge finds the law closing in on one side, and the Serbian mafia gaining ground on the other. But if his next cocaine deal goes off without a hitch, he'll be set for life. Unfortunately for Jorge, ruthless mob enforced Mrado is closing in fast. But when Mrado must look after his young daughter at the last minute, a simple job turns unexpectedly complex. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

The Amazing Spider-Man Review

While this is  a remake of Raimi's perfectly good "Spider-Man" (2002), the lure of 3D and Imax showings should help rev up fanboys, even if they feel it's something they've already seen; still, such auds might be disappointed by how long it takes to get to the action.
The screenplay, surprisingly compact despite the 136-minute running time, is co-written by James Vanderbilt, "Harry Potter" scribe Steve Kloves and Alvin Sargent, who also worked on Raimi's version. Following that earlier template, the film roughly falls into two halves, the stronger of which is the first, set before the birth of Peter Parker's unitard-wearing alter ego.

Some elements have disappeared,and some concessions have been made to fit the new villain, Oscorp employee Dr. Curt Conners, aka the Lizard , into this origin story. Yet it's still essentially a coming-of-ager/romance hybrid, albeit one that feels even less comicbook-like than Raimi's.
Given that the film was shot in 3D, it seems appropriate that the prop connecting teen Peter (Brit thesp Garfield) to his dead father, scientist Richard (Campbell Scott), is a pair of glasses. The specs are  only a visual reminder of the film's underlying father-son theme but also drive home the point that Peter, a brilliant student who's occasionally awkward and overly gleeful, is a nerd. Indeed, high school, specifically the life lessons learned there, figures heavily in the pic, which returns to campus several times, including for a key battle sequence.
Webb and Garfield, in a commanding performance that combines boyish charm and manly backbone, establish early on that Peter's growing pains and search for an identity are common to any teenager, yet also inextricably linked to his lack of a father. Every issue may seem like a matter of life and death for an adolescent, but Garfield makes Peter an interesting hero precisely because his struggles involve real people -- and real lives.

After Peter's bitten by the requisite spider at New York-based Oscorp's genetic research facility, where he's been shown around by cute intern and classmate Gwen Stacy, he discovers his new powers in a subway car, and then the next morning in the bathroom. The two short scenes showcase Peter's maladroitness as well as the pic's underlying vein of character-driven humor.
Though the film is clearly set in the present day or not-too-distant future there are some nice retro touches, such as Peter's old-fashioned camera and skateboard, which comes in particularly handy when he tries to test the limits of his strengths in a scenic harbor-side hangar.

After his uncle Ben is killed in a robbery, Peter starts to think of ways he can harness his powers to find the killer, with a well-placed luchadores poster inspiring Spidey's mask. An hour has elapsed by the time the full transformation is complete, but it hardly feels like wasted time, since Webb, as in his debut, "500 Days of Summer," has drawn his characters and their predicaments in clear terms and with enough individuality to make auds feel invested.

Though the action-heavy is well executed, with long-held shots and clear editing allowing for a coherent, almost old-fashioned sense of spatial relations and never-intrusive use of 3D, it's clear that Webb is more interested in the story's human dimensions. A  setpiece involving Spider-Man's rescue of a small boy in a burning car, hanging off the Williamsburg Bridge, has much greater resonance than any confrontation with Connors' generally destruction-oriented Lizard, an ugly creature that's less human-gone-wrong than two-dimensional comicbook villain, with CGI and prosthetic makeup to match. Similarly, the palpable rapport of Garfield and the ever-affable Stone in the pic's home stretch wows far more than the climactic webslinging antics.

Technically, "The Amazing Spider-Man" is assembled in expert if classical fashion. while production and costume design set the film sufficiently apart from its predecessor without departing too much from the look of the comics. James Horner's nonspecific score is unfortunately deployed so often and indiscriminately that a scene in which it's not used, as Lizard looks for Gwen Stacy at Oscorp, suddenly crackles with a nervous energy absent from some of the bigger fight sequences.by boyd hoeij

"The Hunger Games" Coming To Blu-ray August 18th 2012

The Hunger Games (2012)

North America has collapsed, weakened by drought, fire, famine, and war to be replaced by Panem, a country divided into the Capitol and 12 districts. Each year two young representatives from each district are selected by lottery to participate in The Hunger Games. Part entertainment, part brutal intimidation of the subjugated districts, the televised games are broadcast throughout Panem. The 24 participants are forced to eliminate their competitors, literally, with all citizens required to watch. When 16-year-old Katniss' young sister, Prim, is selected as the mining district's female representative, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and her male counterpart Peeta, will be pitted against bigger, stronger representatives who have trained for this their whole lives.

"THE IMPOSTER" In Theatres July 13th 2012

Runtime: 1 hr. 35 min.

Genres: Documentary

Documentary filmmaker Bart Layton uses vivid reenactments to tell the tale of a Texas family whose prayers are answered when their missing teenage son returns home after nearly four years, and the mystery that begins to emerge as the newcomer's actual identity comes into question. San Antonio, Texas: 1994. A local teen vanishes from his parents' own home. As the clues run cold over the next three years, his grieving family continues to fear the worst. Incredibly, they later receive word that their son has been found in Spain. Despite being  tortured by his abductors, he miraculously appears to be in good health. But the more questions that inspectors ask, the less his answers seem to add up. And while his tattoos match those of the kidnapping victim, that's just about where the resemblance ends. Meanwhile, everyone but the victim's family seems to recognize that something is amiss. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Coming Soon "TRISHNA" jULY 13TH 2012

FULL SYNOPSIS

Michael Winterbottom's Trishna, a modern retelling of Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Ubervilles, stars Freida Pinto as the title character, a young Indian woman who meets Jay (Riz Ahmed), the son of a rich real-estate man. He convinces her to come work in a hotel owned by his father, and because her family is in desperate need of money -- and he's charming and handsome -- she accepts. While things go well at first, she becomes pregnant and is forced to leave the job. Although Trishna tries to make it on her own as a dancer, Jay eventually returns and attempts to sweep her off her feet again. Trishna played at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

RED LIGHTS In Theatres July 13th 2012

 SYNOPSIS

Rated: Language and Some Violence

Runtime: 1 hr. 53 min.

Genres: Suspense/Thriller

Buried director Rodrigo Cortes follows up his claustrophobic sophomore feature with this tale of two paranormal investigators who encounter unimaginable terror while attempting to debunk a world-renowned psychic whose powers put all others to shame. Dr. Margaret Matheson (Sigourney Weaver) and her partner Tom Buckley (Cillian Murphy) have built their careers on exposing the so-called "red lights" used by fraudulent psychics to assert their abilities. When blind mystic Simon Silver (Robert De Niro) emerges from his 30-year retirement and sparks a public frenzy, Buckley sees exposing Silver as the ultimate challenge. Matheson, sensing that her ambitious colleague is about to get in over his head, strongly advises him to drop the investigation at once. But Buckley persists, and with the help of his star pupil (Elizabeth Olsen), he plots to expose Silver before the entire world. Unfortunately, Buckley has not only underestimated Silver's telepathic abilities, but his famous target's vengeful and unforgiving nature as well. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

SAVAGES In Theatres July 6th 2012

Drama ,Suspense/Thriller
Runtime 2 hr 10 Min

Oscar-winning director Oliver Stone adapts author Don Winslow's best-selling novel into this all-star ensemble crime drama about a pair of peaceful, Laguna Beach marijuana dealers who are targeted for extortion by the ruthless Mexican Baja cartel. Ben (Aaron Johnson) is a devout Buddhist and dedicated philanthropist, and his best friend Chun (Taylor Kitsch) is a former mercenary who trained as a Navy SEAL. They may not seem like major drug dealers, but  they make a comfortable living selling top-quality marijuana. And they share more than just a profitable business; their mutual girlfriend Ophelia (Blake Lively) is more than enough woman for the two ambitious young entrepreneurs to handle. But just as Ben and Chun are feeling like they're on top of the world, their blissful life of lawless hedonism threatens to yield dire repercussions. The Mexican Baja cartel wants a piece of the action, and their cruel leader Elena (Salma Hayek) has dispatched her top hatchet man Lado (Benicio Del Toro) to ensure that she gets it. When the cartel kidnaps Ophelia and threatens to kill her unless Ben and Chun comply, the desperate pot dealers enlist the aid of a shady DEA agent (John Travolta) to try and avert a tragedy. Emile Hirsch and Uma Thurman also star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

"CRAZY EYES" In Theatres July 6th 2012

FULL SYNOPSIS

Drama
Runtime: 1 hr. 35 min.

One of those glamorous L.A. people with too much money and too much time on his hands, Zach (Lukas Haas) looks like he’s living the Hollywood dream. There’s a steady stream of beautiful women coming in and out of his posh home in the hills, and every night he makes his way through the hottest nightspots for a party that never ends. A divorcée with a 5-year-old son, Zach has become a master at seducing women without ever getting too close. But all that’s about to change — he’s met a girl he calls “Crazy Eyes”she’s not like anyone he’s ever met before. Flirty but withholding, intelligent but damaged, she’s the one woman Zach can’t have, so naturally he wants her above all others. While Zach’s hard-partying lifestyle — aided and abetted by his bartender pal Dan (Jake Busey) — threatens to go off the rails, family concerns begin to play a major role in Zach’s life.

What Is a Darker Superman?

Zack Snyder and screenwriter David Goyer actually mean when they say that this version of Superman will be “darker” than past incarnations. This is all in an attempt to make the character “relevant” again. Does that mean that the character, the circumstances, the villains or simply the tone will be taken to a darker degree than previous incarnations? My honest answer is that I expect all of the above, but to varying degrees.

Since Superman achieved such amazing success as the #1 comic book hero for over 40 years, his writers were certainly on the right track for the times. As the first-ever superhero in 1938, his comics and merchandise sales along with success in other media like radio and television made him into an icon. Eventually Batman became more popular, as did other heroes from other companies like Spider-Man and The X-Men. Before the character’s death in 1992, a good friend of mine told me about how people would make fun of him for liking Superman. Of course once he died, they were jealous that he had all of the lead-up comics sitting in a hold box at his local comic store.
Thanks to the success of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy, Warner Brothers seems to be trying to copy the darker, grittier realism with other major characters like Superman. But that can be a slippery slope because Superman isn’t like Batman. Although they were good friends in the comics from the 40’s-70’s, when John Byrne recreated Superman for the comics in 1986, he set them at odds with each other because their methods would necessarily have to be so opposite. Superman can fly and is bulletproof, so how hard would it be to stop the likes of Catwoman or Two-Face? And Batman would have a much harder time taking on someone like Brainiac or Darkseid who could probably crush him with bare hands. The fact that Batman gets the job done by using fear and intimidation, plus that he is effectively a criminal vigilante working outside the law, meant that the first thing Superman tried to do when they met was arrest him and take him to jail. If they are so completely different, what are some of the ways that the success of the Batman films feed into success with Superman?
My friend Frankie Addiego pointed out to me the other day that we should notice that nobody ever asks if Mickey Mouse or Dick Tracy are “still relevant” even though neither have starred in movies in a long time. If Superman had such a drastic influence on every other superhero in comics, shouldn’t his relevance already be implicit?by jeffrey taylor

Box Office Report: 'Ted' Breaks Records

Here's your weekend box office returns (new releases bolded):
1. Ted - $54.1 million
2. Magic Mike - $39.1 million
3. Brave - $34.0 million
4. Madea's Witness Protection - $26.3 million
5. Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted - $11.8 million
6. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter - $6.0 million
7. Prometheus - $4.9 million
8. Moonrise Kingdom - $4.8 million
9. Snow White and the Huntsman - $4.4 million
10. People Like Us - $4.3 million
That sound you hear is the collective applause, high fives and heavy sighs around the offices of Universal and Warner Bros. today. Both studios have had less than stellar summers which has put the first-run columns of their books more in the red than any others this year.
Echoes of The Hangover are reverberating in connection to the teddy bear comedy having the highest opening weekend for an "R"-rated non-sequel comedy. A lot of subheadings there, but there is still plenty of good news in the numbers to look out for after Ted and Magic Mike become the first R-rated duo to open the box office #1-2 in their first weekend since The American and Machete did it with $13.1 & $11.4 million back on Labor Day weekend 2010
In that list being bandied about, your top five R-rated non-sequel openings now looks like this:
Ted ($52.5 million), The Hangover ($44.9), Scary Movie ($42.3), 21 Jump Street ($36.3), Wedding Crashers ($33.9).byerik childress

"People Like Us" In Theatres

A businessman discovers a ruinous family secret during a return trip home to attend the funeral of his estranged father. In the wake of this life-altering revelation, he embarks on a transformative journey that will forever alter the way he looks at life, love, and family. Star Trek screenwriter Alex Kurtzman makes his feature directorial debut with this heartfelt drama co-written by Roberto Orci and Jody Lambert, and featuring Elizabeth Banks. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

"MAGIC MIKE" REVIEW

Most stripper movies are about women and the lion's share follow one of two formulas: the good girl gone bad or the bad girl who wants to go good. The only other recent male stripper film I can remember is The Full Monty and it is so different from Magic Mike that comparisons are pointless. This movie neither lionizes nor demonizes male dancing. It attempts an evenhanded approach, perhaps because lead actor Channing Tatum's real-life experiences were used in developing the story. Magic Mike offers the three reasons why some young men are drawn to stripping: women, money, and a good time. It also shows the downside, which begins with drugs and ends with exhaustion and depression.

Magic Mike is an allegory and its appeal lies in part in its message. You don't have to be a stripper to recognize what the filmmakers are saying. When it comes to choosing a career path, most people elect the road to lucre rather than the route to satisfaction and fulfillment. At first, the tangible benefits outweigh the soul-sucking negatives but, over time, it can be difficult to maintain any enthusiasm for a job that is held purely for its paycheck. Movies love to tell the story of a character who follows his dream. Magic Mike is a little different; it's not so much about following the dream as it is about developing the courage to turn away from the money and look in another direction. That makes for a satisfying ending because it isn't so unbelievably optimistic as to be saccharine.
Magic Mike tells of the rise of newcomer Adam (Alex Pettyfer) in the stripping business. A down-on-his-luck 19-year old, he comes to Tampa to live with his sister, Brooke and meets "Magic" Mike at a construction site. He tags along with the good-natured, good-looking 30-year old to the club where he takes it all off for tips. The club's owner, Dallas, sees "something" in Adam and gives him a shot. After a briefly shaky beginning, he's soon dazzling audiences. Meanwhile, his "big brother," Mike, is becoming disillusioned about the stagnation of his life, especially when he realizes a relationship with Brooke is impossible as long as he continues on the stage.

The choreography in Magic Mike is surprisingly complex and the dance routines are lively and engaging in their own right, capturing as they do some of the energy that makes clubs like this popular. Soderbergh, who wears the cinematographer's cap in addition to sitting in the director's chair , brings as much verisimilitude to this location as any recent filmmaker has, although there may be a little white-washing in order to get the R-rating.The nudity in the dances is surprisingly tame (butt shots only). Overall, Magic Mike is an equal opportunity offender when it comes to flesh. Naked men and women get about the same amount of screen time, and Channing Tatum's fans get an eyeful.
This is the first film in some time to give Tatum an opportunity to display his dramatic capabilities and spending so much time in unimaginative mainstream fare has not blunted his talent. His rhythm and athleticism help to make him a very convincing Magic Mike. Alex Pettyfer is not as convincing, but he's more than balanced out by a hyperkinetic Matthew McConaughey, who literally spits fire and throws himself into the part with a passion we have rarely seen from the often laid-back performer. I don’t know if this the best performance McConaughey has given but it's certainly his most memorable one. Cody Horn does some interesting things with her "love interest" part; I don't know whether it's her style or the way Soderbergh directs her, but she comes across as unpolished, as if she's improvising every line.

From time-to-time, Soderbergh seems to forget that he's making a mainstream movie, not an art house film. He uses some inventive shots,which is fine. He also employs a filter that makes the film look like it was shot through sunglasses, which isn't as appealing. When it comes to two more important elements - emotion and energy - he's on the mark. Magic Mike gets the tone right. It's not too serious but it respects the characters and their situations. The storyline is derivative but there's enough to like about Magic Mike. by reelviews.com

"TED" Movie Review

The funniest movie character so far this year is a stuffed teddy bear. And the best comedy screenplay so far is "Ted," the saga of the bear's friendship with a 35-year-old manchild. I know; this also was hard for me to believe. After memories of Mel Gibson's bond with a sock puppet, "Ted" was not high on the list of movies I was impatient to see.
The opening scenes find the right tone. A treacly narrator Patrick Stewart describes a Christmas that reminds us of a "A Christmas Story". We meet young John Bennett, most unpopular kid in the neighborhood, disliked that while a Jewish kid is being beaten up, John feels envious.

All  John wants is a true friend for life. For Christmas, his parents give him an enormous teddy bear the size of a first grader, and that night under the sheets with a flashlight, John asks Teddy to be his real and true forever friend. Teddy comes to life and agrees.

The miracle of a walking, talking teddy bear of course makes the little stuffed creature an overnight celebrity, and he appears on the Carson show. But his fame fades, and he settles in as John's roommate for life. Years pass. Teddy is now a little frayed, and John (Mark Wahlberg), at 35, has a counter job at a rental car agency. Against all odds, he also has a fragrant girlfriend named Lori Collins, who has been waiting four years for a marriage proposal.

John and Ted lead an "Animal House"-like existence, inhaling wholesale quantities of weed and recalling their early years as "Flash Gordon" fans. American movies have recently featured a lot of male characters who are victims of arrested adolescence, but few who have resisted growing up more successfully than John.

The laughs in "Ted" come largely through the teddy bear's dialogue. With an edgy Beantown accent and a potty mouth, Ted insults and offends everyone he comes into contact with, and sees Lori as a threat to his friendship with John. This despite his own pastimes, which include drugs, hookers, and as we later discover, a torrid early 1990s affair with absolutely the last female vocalist you could imagine having sex with a teddy bear.

The movie was co-written and directed by Seth MacFarlane, who also provides Ted's voice and gives himself the same freedom he has in animation. The bear itself is a CGI creation, striking a reasonable balance between the agility of a sexual athlete and the clumsiness of Pooh. It appears that Ted is stuffed with cotton wool and feels no pain when an ear is ripped off, but he behaves as a living, breathing best buddy.

The plot of "Ted" is fairly standard but greatly embellished by MacFarlane's ability to establish comic situations and keep them building. One crucial scene occurs when Ted persuades John to leave Lori at a party come to Ted's own party, where their childhood hero has turned up. This is Sam J. Jones, star of the 1980 movie "Flash Gordon," who in middle age has become a party animal. How this situation ends up with an enraged duck attacking Ted you will have to discover for yourself.

There's also peril involving Donny, a creepy dad (Giovanni Ribisi) who as a child passionately wanted Ted to be his own teddy, and his pudgy spoiled son, who wants Ted now. Their desire is pitched at such a perverse level that it approaches teddy-bear predation.

What's remarkable about "Ted" is that it doesn't run out of steam. MacFarlane seems unwilling to stop after the first payoff of a scene. He keeps embellishing. In Ted, he has an inexhaustible source of socially obnoxious behavior and language, and it's uncanny the way a teddy bear can get away with doing and saying things that we wouldn't necessarily accept from a human character. This is partly because Ted is a stand-up insult comedian trapped inside the body of a teddy bear.by roger ebert

Ice Age: Continental Drift in Theatres July 13th 2012

Scrat's acorn obsession sparks a continental catastrophe that sends Manny (voice of Ray Romano), Diego (voice of Denis Leary), and Sid (voice of John Leguizamo) on an epic adventure involving a ship full of fearsome pirates, and an unexpected reunion as the Ice Age saga continues in this eye-popping sequel. Queen Latifah, Seann William Scott, and Josh Peck reprise their roles, with Jeremy Renner, Jennifer Lopez, and Aziz Ansari heading up the rest of the voice cast

COLLABORATOR July 6th 2012

Plot

Robert Longfellow (Martin Donovan) is a famous playwright who can't seem to catch a break. His recent Broadway play was met with horrible reviews and an early cancellation, and his marriage is being tested as an old flame (Olivia Williams) has reentered his life during a particular moment of weakness. Retreating back to his childhood home to visit his mother (Katherine Helmond), Robert crosses paths with his childhood neighbor, Gus (David Morse). A right-wing, ex-con who still lives at home with his mother, Gus is Robert's polar opposite in every possible way. When Gus holds Robert hostage at gunpoint during a drunken reunion gone terribly wrong, the drama unfolds as social status, celebrity and the imminent threat of violence converge, building up to a climax that will leave both men forever changed.

Katy Perry: Part of Me JULY 5TH 2012

Synopsis

Filmmakers Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz follow wildly popular singer Katy Perry during her yearlong California Dreams tour. During 124 sold-out shows in arenas around the world, the constant camera presence creates both a front-row seat and a backstage pass as Perry performs for thousands of fans, then returns to the reality of her everyday life. Interviews with family and friends complete the picture, as Perry gives her all onstage, then faces the pressing personal challenges that await.

The Amazing Spider-Man JULY 3RD 2012

Teenage social outcast Peter Parker spends his days trying to unravel the mystery of his own past, and trying to win the heart of his high school crush, Gwen Stacy. Peter discovers a mysterious briefcase belonging to his father, who abandoned him when he was a child, which leads him to his father's former partner, Dr. Curtis Connors. The discovery of his father's secret, coupled with an encounter with a genetically altered spider, will ultimately shape his destiny to become "Spider-Man" and bring him face to face with Connors, who becomes the vicious and vengeful Lizard