[X] My Assistant

Week 58.


Forgetting Sarah Marshall
(IMG:[www.celebritywonder.com] http://www.celebritywonder.com/img/movieposter/tn/2008_Forgetting_Sarah_Marshall.jpg)
The Category: Comedy-Drama
The Stars: Jason Segal, Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, Russell Brand, Paul Rudd, Jonah Hill, Bill Hader
Price: $19.99-single disc, $26.99 for 3-Disc Unrated Collector's Edition
Running Time: 111 min./118 min. Unrated
Rated R for sexual content, language and some graphic nudity.

Peter(Segal) thought he had a good relationship with Sarah Marshall(Bell), but one day she just breaks up with him, leaving Peter not only shocked but terribly depressed. At first Peter tries having sex with various women but that just makes him feel worse. Then his step-brother Bryan(Hader) says Peter should go on a Hawaiian to feel better. But things get even worse when it turns out that Sarah and her new boyfriend, rocker Aldous Snow(Brand) are staying at the same resort as Peter. The receptionist, Rachel(Kunis), feels sorry for Peter and hopefully she and the other employees can help him try to get some enjoyment and help him forget Sarah Marshall. This is yet another producing entry from the now infamous Judd Apatow. There are some great laughs and crude nude humor which fuels the film. Segal knows what he's doing, having been in the previous Apatow film Knocked Up. Kunis shows a good out-of-Family Guy performance which makes me feel good about her next live-actioner, Max Payne(in theaters October 17). And look out for appearances of Apatow regulars like Hader, Jonah Hill, and Paul Rudd. Unfortunately, the film also suffers from a not so great trademark of Apatow: a near 2-hour running time. Not all would get bored with this, but some could still doze off a little here and there. The DVD is available in a 3-Disc Unrated Collector's Edition and has a 118 minute version, commentary, deleted scenes, a gag reel, 5 featurettes, and the Red Band trailer. Don't forget this movie, which is yet another hit from Apatow.

The Verdict: A-
The Good: Great performances, humor, and great DVD features.
The Bad: Could be too long for some.


Iron Man
(IMG:[www.celebritywonder.com] http://www.celebritywonder.com/img/movieposter/tn/2008_Iron_Man.jpg)
The Category: Action/Adventure
The Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, Shaun Toub, Faran Tahir, Jon Favreau
Price: $19.99-singe disc, $21.99 for 2-Disc Ultimate Edition
Running Time: 126 min.
Rated PG-13 for some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and brief suggestive content.

Weapons industrialist Tony Stark(Downey Jr.) has it all: the cash, the popularity, and the ladies. But during a business trip in Afghanistan, Stark is kidnapped by the terrorist group known only as the Ten Rings, led by Raza(Tahir) who wants Stark to build him a Jericho missle(one of Stark's newest toys) or he will die. Stark also has an "arc reactor" keeping him alive, since he took a very serious injury during his abduction. Stark and fellow prisoner Yinsen(Toub) get to work, but not on the missle. Instead Stark builds a nearly indestructible suit of armor and destroys the terrorist hideout. After this experience Stark has a change of heart and decides to fight for the innocent under the name Iron Man, much to the disappointment of Stark Industries head Obadiah Stane(Bridges). He'll also have to keep it a secret from his best friend, Lt. Colonel James Rhodes(Howard) and his assistant(Paltrow). Aside from the July megahit The Dark Knight, this is possibly THE best movie of 2008. Downey Jr.'s role as Stark was the best choice and it has helped make 2008 one excellent year for him along with fellow hit Tropic Thunder. The effects of this movie are terrific and the battle sequences are equally fantastic. If I had to find some problem with this movie(I really had to strain my brain), it would have to be slight trouble with the pacing. But then again, this is only the origin story, as two other films are going to be made. The DVD is available in a 2-Disc Ultimate Edition and has deleted scenes, image galleries, 19 featurettes(one of which is the hilarious "Wildly Popular Iron Man Trailer to be Adapted into Full Length Film" by The Onion News Team), and easter eggs. Easily flawless.

The Verdict: A+
The Good: Everything, including a great lead by Downey Jr. and excellent effects.
The Bad: Could be a little slow.


Evilresident's Must Buy DVD of the Week is......"Iron Man" with a perfect A+.


Next Week:
"You Don't Mess With the Zohan"(Adam Sandler)
"The Happening"(Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel)

Week 59


You Don't Mess With the Zohan
(IMG:[www.celebritywonder.com] http://www.celebritywonder.com/img/movieposter/tn/2008_You_Don't_Mess_with_the_Zohan.jpg)
The Category: Comedy
The Stars: Adam Sandler, Emmanuelle Chriqui, John Turturro, Rob Schneider, Nick Swardson
Price: $19.99-single disc, $21.99 for 2-Disc Unrated Fully Loaded Extended Version
Running Time: 113 min./117 min.
Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual content throughout, language and nudity.

Mossad agent Zohan(Sandler) has always had a secret dream: to cut hair. But anyone he tells just laughs and ridicules him. During a fight against Palestinian terrorist The Phantom(Turturro), Zohan fakes his death and heads to NYC to finally achieve his dream. He gets it after being hired by salon owner Dalia(Chriqui) and before long, news of the Zohan's hair styles spread along the city. Unfortunately an enemy of Zohan's, Salim(Schneider), also finds out and informs Phantom his enemy isn't quite dead. This is mostly the standard Sandler fare. The humor is acceptable and Sandler is still on his game for making up funny situations. But the plot is nonsense and Sandler needs to part ways with Schneider, cause that guy couldn't act even if he tried. The good cast features Happy Madison regulars Kevin Nealon and Nick Swardson as well as including cameos from such faces as Sandler's previous sidekick Kevin James and also Henry Winkler. THe DVD is available in a 2-Disc Unrated Fully Loaded Extended Cut that has the 117 minute version, deleted scenes, and 14 featurettes. It's good for a few laughs, but it's no Happy Gilmore.

The Verdict: B-
The Good: Somewhat funny and has a good cast.
The Bad: Weak plot and the presence of Rob Schneider.


The Happening
(IMG:[www.celebritywonder.com] http://www.celebritywonder.com/img/movieposter/tn/2008_The_Happening.jpg)
The Category: Thriller
The Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, John Leguizamo, Ashlyn Sanchez, Spencer Breslin
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 91 min.
Rated R for violent and disturbing images.

In the US, people have recently been dying in strange suicides. Women stab themselves with hair sticks. Construction workers leap from buildings. Police officers shoot themselves. Most are callling this a terrorist attack. Philadelphian Elliot Moore(Wahlberg) is teaching students when this strange event happens. school gets cancelled and he decides to get out of Philly with his wife Alma(Deschanel), his friend Julian(Leguizamo), and Julian's daughter Jess(Sanchez). Unfortunately the "Happening" begins and Elliot, Alma, and Jess have to leave the infected area while Julian hopes to find his wife. As they continue their journey they realize this attack wasn't by terrorists, but by something we'd never believe. I showed great anticipation for this movie and I really liked it the first time and gave it a theatrical rating of an A-. But then I watched again and thought, "Was I a little high when I said this was really good?" In reality it was actually pretty tasteless. The key player in the positives was the idead of the plot. People killing themselves for some strange reason sounded excellent, but the movie needed a lot of readjusting. For starters Deschanel needs to learn how to act. She reminds me of something you'd find in that Pearl Harbor movie. The worthy performances by Wahlberg and Leguizamo helped me to somewhat forget about the lack of good acting from Deschanel. The injection of humor in sections of the film was also pretty pointless. I also found no terror like in some of director M. Night Shyamalan previous films. The DVD has deleted scenes dubbed "too intense for theaters", a making of, a gag reel, 4 featurettes, and trailers. It's a shame to see a great plot go to waste.

The Verdict: C+
The Good: Great plot and male star performances.
The Bad: Deschanel needs lessons and this movie needs not humor, but more thrills.


Evilresident's Must Buy DVD of the Week is......"You Don't Mess With the Zohan" with a B-.


Next Week
"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"(Harrison Ford, Shia LaBeouf)

This post has been edited by evilresident: Dec 31 2008, 07:03

Only one release this week, but it's a big one.


Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
(IMG:[www.celebritywonder.com] http://www.celebritywonder.com/img/movieposter/tn/2008_Indiana_Jones_and_the_Kingdom_of_the_Crystal_Skull.jpg)
The Category: Action/Adventure
The Stars: Harrison Ford, ShiaLaBeouf, Ctae Blanchett, Karen Allen, Ray Winstone, John Hurt
Price: $19.99-single disc, $22.99 for 2-Disc Special Edition.
Running Time: 122 min.
Rated PG-13 for adventure violence and scary images.

In the fourth installment in the very popular franchise, we find Dr. Indiana Jones(Ford) facing off against Soviets during the late 1950s. Led by Irina Spalko(Blanchett), they need Jones to find the crystal skull, which holds extraordinary powers. Aided by his ex-lover Marion Ravenwood(Allen) and his son Mutt Williams(LaBeouf), Jones sets out to beat Spalko to the skull before she can use it for military purposes. Meanwhile, he'll also be searching for his colleague Harold Oxley(Hurt), who disappeared also looking for the skull. This is the most far out entry in the series. It's also one of the less greater entries in the series. Among the positives is the big return of Ford as Indy, who manages to still successfully don the hat at age 66. There are also some good action humor scenes, including one involving Indy's great fear of snakes. But on the negatives, the CGI appears too often and is too noticeable, which really kills a good sized chunk of fun. Most of the whip scenes are CGI, believe it or not. The lack of a large amount of CGI in the first three made them better and more satisfying. The DVD is available in a 2-Disc Special Edition and has a making of, 9 featurettes, art galleries, trailers, and a demo of the Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures game for Xbox 360. Not a major disappointment, but it's only third best, barely surpassing Temple of Doom in my book.

The Verdict: B+
The Good: Great action and a strong performance by Ford.
The Bad: Too much CGI and the lack of a pure Indy feel.


Next Week
"The Incredible Hulk"(Edward Norton, Liv Tyler)
"The Strangers"(Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman)

Week 61


The Strangers
(IMG:[www.celebritywonder.com] http://www.celebritywonder.com/img/movieposter/tn/2008_The_Strangers.jpg)
The Category: Horror
The Stars: Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman, Kip Weeks, Gemma Ward, Laura Margolis, Glenn Howerton
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 86 min. Rated/88 min. Unrated
Rated R for violence/terror and language. Also Unrated.

Kristen(Tyler) and James(Speedman) have had a bad night. Recently Kristen rejected James' marriage proposal and now they're in an awkward position at his summer home. But things are going to get worse. THeir door is repeated knocked on by a woman with blonde hair wearing a creepy mask. She is known as Dollface(Ward), a creepy gal asking for someone named Tamara. Kristen assures her there's no Tamara, but then two more creeps appear: Pin-Up Girl(Margolis) and The Man in the Mask(Weeks). These three strangers then give Kristen and James one hell of a nightmare. And it's all because they were home. This movie was surprisingly creepy and overall a good scare. The strangers scared me so bad that everytime I go outside at night now, I make sure to get in and out ASAP. The terror and suspense are in full effect and is well done. On the negatives, there are som unbelieveable moments that make you think our two protagonists are grade-A idiots. James has a loaded shotgun, but it proves useless? Come on now! And the quick running time is a disappointment. I wanted more scares. The DVD is available in a dual Rated/Unrated format with deleted scenes and a featurette. If you want a good Halloween scare that has nothing to do with the Saw series, check this out.

The Verdict: B+
The Good: The strangers really bring on the terror.
The Bad: Some idiot moments and a short running time.


The Incredible Hulk
(IMG:[www.celebritywonder.com] http://www.celebritywonder.com/img/movieposter/tn/2008_The_Incredible_Hulk.jpg)
The Category: Action
The Stars: Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, Tim Blake Nelson, Ty Burrell, with Lou Ferrigno and William Hurt
Price: $19.99-single disc, $22.99 for 3-Disc Special Edition
Running Time: 114 min.
Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense action violence, some frightening sci-fi images and brief suggestive content.

Five years after his failed gamma radiation experiment and transformation into the monstrous and very angry Hulk, Dr. Bruce Banner(Norton) is hiding out in Brazil from the US Army, led by General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross(Hurt). After being discovered in Brazil, Banner returns to the states only to find his now ex-lover Betty Ross(Tyler) dating psychiatrist Leonard Samson(Burrell). Banner also runs into big trouble cause the Army is still on his tail, and Brit soldier Emil Blonsky(Roth) is determined to put down Banner and his angry alter ego. He even goes as far as to use a special supersoldier serum that will soon turn him into the Abomination. This transformation will soon lead to a big confrontation between the Big Green Guy and Blonsky. After Ang Lee's horrible 2003 adaption, I was somewhat skeptical of this so called reboot. But like Iron Man, it was an utter success in my mind. Norton was THE man to pick for this role. He makes Eric Bana of the 2003 film look like he was fresh out of acting school. The Hulk is also way cooler, looking more similar to the Hulk played by Lou Ferrigno(who cameos as a security guard and does the Hulk's voice) in the old live-action TV series. I didn't like the performance by Hurt as General Ross. I still wanted Sam Elliott ot play tht part. The DVD is available in a 3-Disc Special Edition with commentary, deleted scenes, an alternate opening, a making of, and 4 featurettes. Yet another good entry in the Year of the Superhero.

The Verdict: A-
The Good: A grand starring performance and a better looking Hulk.
The Bad: A couple of lackluster perofrmances.


Evilresident's Must Buy DVD of the Week is......"The Incredible Hulk" with an A-.


Next Week
"Journey to the Center of the Earth"(Brendan Fraiser)

Upcoming Releases:
"Wanted"(December 2)
"Tropic Thunder"(November 18)
"Hancock"(November 25)
"The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor"(December 16)

Time for Week 62.


Journey to the Center of the Earth
(IMG:[www.celebritywonder.com] http://www.celebritywonder.com/img/movieposter/tn/2008_Journey_to_the_Center_of_the_Earth_3D.jpg)
The Category: Action/Adventure
The Stars: Brendan Fraser, Josh Hutcherson, Anita Briem
Price: $19.99 for either the 2-D only version or the 2-D/3-D dual sided disc.
Running Time: 92 min.
Rated PG for intense adventure action and some scary moments.

After his brother Max's disappearance, Professor Trevor Anderson(Fraser) finds a copy of Jules Verne's novel Journey to the Center of the Earth among his old belongings. Inside are notes that show Max believed the novel was actually true and there is a world within the planet. Trevor and his nephew Sean(Hutcherson) head to Iceland and along with climber Hannah(Briem) follow Max's notes. Soon they fall down a VERY deep pit which brings them, of course, to the center of the earth. Throughout their jouney, they'll have to fight carnivorous plants and dinosaurs to survive and hopefully reach the surface again. Conisdered to be a surprise blockbuster hit($195 million worldwide with little theater advertisement), this movie was targeted mostly at the kiddies but also gained some positive results from some adults and a majority of critics. The CGI is lush, but used WAY too often. Then again, this is a movie about the center of the earth. The performances are mostly mush, especially on Fraser. He's practically annoying. But the 3-D is actually quite effective, even at home. The pacing is also quick, not slowing down too often. The DVD is available in a dual sided disc and has both the 2-D and the 3-D versions of the film along with 4 pairs of 3-D glasses, commentary, and 4 featurettes. It's good for a quick visual feast adventure. Nothing more, nothing less.

The Verdict: B-
The Good: Great visuals, pacing, and an overall acceptable 21st Century update of Verne's novel.
The Bad: Too much visuals and clunky performances.

Next Week
"Get Smart"(Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway)

This post has been edited by evilresident: Oct 28 2008, 12:30

Due to a conflict early yesterday, I was unable to reach my computer all day, but here's Week 63's solo review.


Get Smart
(IMG:[www.celebritywonder.com] http://www.celebritywonder.com/img/movieposter/tn/2008_Get_Smart.jpg)
The Category: Comedy
The Stars: Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Dwayne Johnson, Alan Arkin, Terrence Stamp, David Koechner, Ken Davitian, Masi Oka, Nate Torrence
Price: $19.99-single disc, $21.99 for 2-Disc Special Edition
Running Time: 110 min.
Rated PG-13 for some rude humor, action violence and language.


CONTROL analyst Maxwell Smart(Carell) has one wish: to become one of its agents. His wish is granted when almost all of CONTROL's agents are killed by the terrorist organization known as KAOS. The Chief(Arkin) has no choice but to make Max an agent and he is partnered with the female Agent 99(Hathaway) to stop KAOS and its leader Siegfried(Stamp) from causing mass destruction via nuclear weapons. Max is going to need a ton of help pulling this off from not only 99, but even the Chief and infamous Agent 23(Johnson). Based off of the classic TV series starring Mel Brooks, this movie delivers the laughs, and it has more than enough stars to back it up. Among the rest of the cast is David Koechner as Chief's assitant Larabee, Terry Crews as Agent 91, Borat costar Ken Davitian as Siegfried's lackey Shtarker, Heroes star Masi Oka and Nate Torrence as inventors Bruce and Lloyd(who had their own spin-off released earlier this year direct-to-DVD), wrestler The Great Khali as hulking KAOS henchman Dalip, and even cameos from James Caan as The President and Bill Murray as Agent 13. The laughs are also one of the movie's strong points, thanks to Carell, the perfect choice for Smart, who is able to pull off just about every joke the film throws at him. The laughs do slow down a bit throughout the movie, and there is a sense that this movie could've been more. The DVD has 4 featurettes, a gag reel and a "comedy optimization mode". Do yourself a favor, and get Smart!

The Verdict: A-
The Good: Carell as Smart and enough big laughs and big stars to entertain for a majority of the film.
The Bad: Felt somewhat empty.


Next Week
"Kung Fu Panda"(voices of Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman)
"Hellboy II: The Golden Army"(Ron Perlman)
"Star Wars: The Clone Wars"(James Arnold Taylor, Christopher Lee)

Sorry, had Internet rouble yesterday.

Week 64.


Star Wars: The Clone Wars
(IMG:[www.celebritywonder.com] http://www.celebritywonder.com/img/movieposter/tn/2008_Star_Wars:_The_Clone_Wars.jpg)
The Category: Action
The Stars: Voices of Matt Lanter, James Aronld Taylor, Ashley Eckstein, Tom Kane, Christopher Lee, Samuel L. Jackson
Price: $19.99-single disc, $21.99 for 2-Disc Special Edition
Running Time: 98 min
Rated PG for sci-fi action violence throughout, brief language and momentary smoking.

In the galaxy far, far away, there is a war. A war betweem the Republic's Clone Army and the droid Separatists led by Count Dooku(Lee). And Anakin Skywalker(Lanter) must train a young Padawan named Ahsoka Tano(Eckstein) during this war. Skywalker, Tano and Obi-Wan Kenobi(Taylor) are told by Yoda(Kane) to find Jabba the Hutt's son Rotta, who was kidnapped as an attempt to make the Hutts join the Separatist side. That's nearly the whole story is this disappointing entry in the Star Wars series. The 3D visuals are flashy, but the visuals from the excellent 2003 TV series by Genndy Tartakovsky should've been used. The plot is dumb, and the lack of voices of the live-action films' actors, except Christopher Lee, Anthony Daniels and Samuel L. Jackson, make this feel like quite a distant spin-off. The DVD is available in a 2-Disc Special Edition and includes commmentary, deleted scenes, webisodes, 3 featurettes, an art gallery, and trailers. Miss this Star Wars entry, you must.

The Verdict: D
The Good: Some flashed up visuals.
The Bad: It's what the 2003 series wasn't: Crap.


Kung Fu Panda
(IMG:[www.celebritywonder.com] http://www.celebritywonder.com/img/movieposter/tn/2008_Kung_Fu_Panda.jpg)
The Category: Comedy
The Stars: Voices of Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Ian McShane, Angelina Jolie, Lucy Liu, Seth Rogen, David Cross, Jackie Chan, Dan Fogler
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 92 min.
Rated PG for sequences of martial arts action.

Po(Black) is a panda who is a big fan of martial arts. He actually wants to be a martial arts master, though he is fat and clumsy. But after accidentally being caught in a ceremony to determine the Dragon Warrior, Po is chosen to claim the title himself, much to the chargin of real master Shifu(Hoffman) and his Furious Five: Master Tigress(Jolie), Master Mantis(Rogen), Master Crane(Cross), Master Viper(Liu), and Master Monkey(Chan). This isn't good especially when the evil Tai Lung(McShane) has escaped from prison and threatens the lives of the Valley of Peace. Now Po will have to undergo quite difficult and even humiliating training with Master Shifu and the Furious Five to defeat Tai Lung. Like Shrek and Madagascar, this is yet another hit from Dreamworks. And I actually enjoyed the action throughout the film, even though it's animated and somewhat kiddish. The laughs are as big as Po's stomach and the animation is great, even better that Shrek and Madagascar. The cast is even better, including real martial artist Jackie Chan and Seth Rogen of Judd Apatow films. The big problem is that it feels a little "the same". The DVD has commentary, 7 featurettes, a music video and a conservation message about real pandas. A very good animated treat unlike the previous above.

The Verdict: A-
The Good: Great animation, action, and voices.
The Bad: Feels a little familiar.


Hellboy II: The Golden Army
(IMG:[www.aceshowbiz.com] http://www.aceshowbiz.com/images/still/preview/poster_hellboy2_02.jpg)
The Category: Action
The Stars: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Luke Goss, Doug Jones, Anna Walton, Jeffrey Tambor, John Hurt, voice of Seth MacFarlane
Price: $19.99-single disc, $24.99 for 3-Disc Special Edition
Running Time: 120 min.
Rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi action and violence and some language.

Hellboy(Perlman) is back, and this time he must stop Prince Nauda(Goss), Elf Prince of the Underworld, from unleashing the Golden Army, a massive clockwork army that can devastate the human race. Hellboy, Liz, Sherman(Blair), Abe Saipien(Jones), and the newly introduced Johann Krauss(voice of Mec Farlane, the Family Guy dude) are ordered by BRPD head Tom Manning(Tambor) to stop Nauda with help from his sister Princess Nuala(Walton), who finds her brothers actions terrible. Hellboy also has relationship troubles with Liz, and even wonders if he should be fighting for the humans. This was even better than the first Hellboy. Perlman is still on his game as the cigar chomping demon we all know and love(well not all of us) and the intro of Krauss is great. There's also a cameo of John Hurt as Trevor Bruttenholm. The effects are grand, as in the first film and the evil little things called the Tooth Fairies were creepy, yet creative. The humor is also intact, including one-liners from Hellboy. The movie does get a little confusing for some, and some of the cast just can't roll onto a par performance. And what the hell happened to John Myers from the first film? The DVD is available in a 3-Disc Special Edition and has commentary, deleted scenes, mini documentaries, 5 featurettes, galleries, and a prologue and epilogue. Great movie.

The Verdict: B+
The Good: A brilliant performance by Perlman, great visuals, and the intorduction of those creepy Tooth Fairies.
The Bad: Confusing and there are a few unanswered questions.

Evilresident's Must Buy DVD of the Week is......"Kung Fu Panda" with an A-.

Next Week
"WALL-E"(animated)
"Tropic Thunder"(Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr.)
and no fucking "Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants 2"! You can just forget it!!!!

Week 65.

WALL-E
(IMG:[www.celebritywonder.com] http://www.celebritywonder.com/img/movieposter/tn/2008_Wall-E.jpg)
The Category: Adventure
The Stars: Voices of Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin, Sigourney Weaver, Fred Willard
Price: $19.99-single disc, $24.99 for 3-Disc Special Edition
Running Time: 98 min.
Rated G.

Seven hundred years ago, the Earth became toxic and a bad habitat for humans. Buy n Large CEO Shelby Forthright(Willard) made up a plant to put humans in luxury starliners for five years while a group of WALL-E, which stands for Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earh-class, robots clean up the planet. The planet went completely awry, leaving the the humans on the starliners to rely on robots, systematically turning them obese. Now, there's only one WALL-E(Burtt) left, still resuming its duties while learning human emotions, especially love. One day, a spaceship lands on Earth and a robot named EVE(Knight), which stands for Extra-terrestrial Vegetation Evaluator, is sent to see if Earth can sreate plantlife again. WALL-E is awestruck, and lovestruck, to see EVE and he even gets caught on the ship and sent to the starliner Axion just so he won't be without her. There he will try to get her to fall in love with him, as well as try to solve the Earth problem. The main deal in WALL-E is the visuals. These are perhaps the best visuals the Pixar team have ever given us. The film also mixes sci-fi, comedy, drama, and adventure together well. It's perfect for kiddies and visual whores. But it may also slightly starle the kids, with some dark sci-fi moments. The DVD is available in a 3-Disc Special Edition that has commentary, deleted scenes, a making of, 2 animated shorts, and 7 featurettes. I think we already have a winner for Best Animated Feature this year at the Oscars.

The Verdict: A
The Good: Excellent visuals and genre mixing.
The Bad: May get a little too intense for kids.


Tropic Thunder
(IMG:[www.celebritywonder.com] http://www.celebritywonder.com/img/movieposter/tn/2008_Tropic_Thunder.jpg)
The Category: Comedy
The Stars: Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, Brandon T. Jackson, Jay Baruchel, Steve Coogan, Matthew McConaughey, Nick Nolte, Danny McBride, Tom Cruise
Price: $19.99-single disc, $22.99 for 2-Disc Unrated Director's Cut
Running Time: 107 min. Theatrical/120 min. Director's Cut
Rated R for pervasive language including sexual references, violent content and drug material. Also Unrated.

Vietnam vet John "Four Leaf" Tayback's(Nolte) memoir "Tropic Thunder" is being made into a movie. Among the cast is Tugg Speedman(Stiller), an action freak who's recent film "Simple Jack" was a box office/critical disaster, the funnyman Jeff "Fats" Portnoy(Black), who is able to play multiple characters in his films and is also a drug addict, and Australian five-time Oscar winner method actor Kirk Lazarus(Downey Jr.), who had surgery to make his skin look African American. When film shooting encounters a one month delay, only five days into shooting, Four Leaf tells the film director Damien Cockburn(Coogan) to put the actors in the real jungle and placing hidden cameras, trys to shoot the film guerrilla style. The plan fails when the crew runs into the Flaming Dragon gang, who are big drug producers. Now the movie the actors think is fake has now become real as they fight for their real life from the deadly Flaming Dragons. This movie caught me by surprise. I thought it'd be another Ben stiller letdowm, but this is grade A fun. The great supporting cast includes Brandon T. Jackson as rapper Alpa Chino, who sponsors an energy drink called Booty Sweat, Jay Baruchel as unknown actor Kevin Sandusky, Danny McBride as special effects wiz Cody Underwood, Matthew McConaughey as Rick "Pecker" Peck , Sppedman's agent, and of course the infamous role of "Tropic Thunder" executive Les Grossman played the wacky Mr. Tome Cruise who pops a ton of "fucks". but the real scene stealer is Robert Downey Jr. who manages to make you laugh out loud in every scene. The only problem in this film is that it can be offensive on some, as the film pulls out jokes on the mentally handicapped and African Americans. The DVD is available in a 2-Disc Unrated Director's cut that has 13 more minutes of fun, commentary with the film's characters which adds more humor, deleted scenes, an alternate ending, and 11 featurettes. One of Stiller's best.

The Verdict: A
The Good: Excellent humor and casting, including Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Cruise.
The Bad: Is somewhat offensive.


Evilresident's Must Buy DVD of the Week is......both "Tropic Thunder" and "WALL-E", each with an A.


Next Week
"Meet Dave"(Eddie Murphy)
"Fred Claus"(Vince Vaughn, Paul Giamatti)
"Hancock"(Will Smith, Jason Bateman)

Week 66.


Meet Dave
(IMG:[www.celebritywonder.com] http://www.celebritywonder.com/img/movieposter/tn/2008_Meet_Dave.jpg)
The Category: Comedy
The Stars: Eddie Murphy, Elizabeth Banks, Gabrielle Union, Scott Caan, Ed Helms, Kevin Hart, Austin Lynd Myers
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 90 min.
Rated PG for bawdy and suggestive humor, action and language.

The little aliens from planet Nil have an energy problem. They need salt to fix this problem, so 100 of the aliens head to Earth in a spaceship that looks like...Eddie Murphy. Named Dave(Murphy), this human-sized ship is headed by The Captain(Murphy again) and they plan to take salt from Earth's oceans to take back to Nil. But instead Dave befriends Gina(Banks) and Josh(Myers) Morrison, the latter having a metal ball Dave needs to obtain the salt. The spaceship also deals with troubles inside the ship, like the scheming Number 2(Helms), and outside the ship, with a superstitious officer named Dooley(Caan), who may be on to Dave's real identity. Once again Eddie Murphy proves how much his comedy is worth today: a nice hot cup of JACK SQUAT!!!!! The premise is slightly clever, but the directing is bad and the jokes are stupid and not all that funny. Nobody can act and there is a need for a new script, or maybe 4 or 5. Murphy was lucky the film's budget wasn't $100 million, or otherwise he'd have another Pluto Nash to deal with. The DVD has a gag reel and crew confessions. Another Murphy disaster.

The Verdict: D
The Good: Clever plot.
The Bad: EVERYTHING ELSE!!!!


Fred Claus
(IMG:[www.celebritywonder.com] http://www.celebritywonder.com/img/movieposter/tn/2007_Fred_Claus.jpg)
The Category: Comedy
The Stars: Vince Vaughn, Paul Giamatti, Rachel Wise, Kathy Bates, Trevor Peacock, Elizabeth Banks, Ludacris, and Kevin Spacey
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 116 min.
Rated PG for mild language and some rude humor.

Believe it or not, Santa(Giamatti) actually had a brother named Fred(Vaughn). Fred was jealous of Santa as a kid and now he lives among the humans and even has a relationship, though its horribly struggling, with Wanda(Weisz). Finally, after many years, Fred returns to the North Pole, much to the pleasant surprise of Santa and their parents Mother(Bates) and Papa(Peacock). Fred becomes a real slacker in his North Pole job, and just in time for efficiency expert Clyde Northcut(Spacey) to give his inspection of the North Pole workshop. Fred needs to get his act together or it may end up costing not only his job, but his brother's job as well. Vaughn, who you know from strong PG-13 to R rated comedies tries to show a lighter side in this PG film. You can see him trying to get more mature jokes here and there, but he mostly plays the kids game. The cast is recognizable including all mentioned above, Elizabeth Banks(again), and even Ludacris as an elf DJ. But the film needs more spark and spirit to make it a real Christmas film. It also didn't need to wait one whole year to come out on DVD. The DVD has commentary, deleted scenes, and trailers. An amateur holiday film.

The Verdict: C+
The Good: Vaughn's acceptable humor and a good cast.
The Bad: Needs more spirit and should've been out on DVD at least 4 months ago.


Hancock
(IMG:[www.celebritywonder.com] http://www.celebritywonder.com/img/movieposter/tn/2008_Hancock.jpg)
The Category: Action Comedy
The Stars: Will Smith, Charlize Theron, Jason Bateman, Eddie Marsan, Jae Head
Price: $19.99-single disc Theatrical or Unrated, $22.99 for 2-Disc Unrated Special Edition
Running Time: 92 min. Theatrical/102 min. Unrated
Rated PG-13 for some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence and language. Also Unrated.

John Hancock(Smith) isn't your average superhero. He's actually just a grumpy drunk with superpowers that cause quite a bit of property damage. He's hated by the public and is called an asshole a lot, much to the short fuse of this one-of-a-kind immortal. Public relations spokesperson Ray Embrey(Bateman), however, thinks there is a true superhero under Hancock's rugged appearance. His son Aaron(Head) is one of the few fans of Hancock, unlike his wife Mary(Theron), who may know more about Hancock than anyone. She also seems to act strange whenever he is within a short distance of her. After spending time in jail waiting for the public to need him, Hancock may finally become the superhero he should be. After the success of being the last man on Earth in I Am Legend, Smith returns as another colorful and entertaining character. This movie combines the superhero genre with mature comedy and later some drama. The film manages to shift from silly serious effectively, even if it's too obvious. The negatives are among some of the special effects with the green-screen effect being obvious in the film's start. The second half of the film was also under my expectations. The DVD is available in a 2-Disc Unrated Edition that has a 102 minute version, commentary, and 6 featurettes. Though it's no Iron Man or Dark Knight, Hancock still delivers.

The Verdict: B+
The Good: A good genre blend and another good performance from Smith.
The Bad: Poor effects and the last 40 minutes or so.


Evilresident's Must Buy DVD of the Week is......"Hancock" with a B+.


Next Week
"The Longshots"(Ice Cube, Keke Palmer)
"The X-Files: I Want to Believe"(David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson)
"Step Brothers"(Will Smith, John C. Reilly)
"The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian"(Ben Barnes)
"Wanted"(Angelina Jolie, James McAvoy)

Another family emergency yesterday. Here's Week 67.


The Longshots
(IMG:[www.celebritywonder.com] http://www.celebritywonder.com/img/movieposter/tn/2008_The_Longshots.jpg)
The Category: Sports
The Stars: Ice Cube, Keke Palmer, Matt Craven, Tasha Smith
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 94 min.
Rated PGfor some thematic elements, mild llanguage and brief rude humor.

Curtis Plummer(Cube) was once a great football player when in high school. Now he's practically washed up and going nowhere. Then hefinds that his niece Jasmine(Palmer) has the throwing arm of a football pro. He decides to have her play for the Minden Browns and Curtis even gets to be the coach for the team. Now Jasmine will be the first girl to be in the Pop Warner football tournament. Right, another sports movie based on a true story. This one trys to combine the Tatum O' Neal from the 1976 Bad News Bears and the feel of a later, and far better, football film called The Express. But it fails miserably. It gets to into that sports film formula that we've seen for years, even if this one tries to mix the genre with comedy. The film has its moments where you think it shows promise, but it ultimatly misses the touchdown pass.

The Verdict: C-
The Good: Shows promising moments.
The Bad: Another sports "clone", lack of extras.


The X-Files: I Want to Believe
(IMG:[www.celebritywonder.com] http://www.celebritywonder.com/img/movieposter/tn/2008_The_X-Files:_I_Want_to_Believe.jpg)
The Category: Sci-Fi
The Stars: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Amanda Peet, Xzibit, Billy Connolly, Mitch Pileggi
Price: $19.99-single disc, $21.99 for 3-Disc Ultimate X-Phile Edition with Unrated Extended version.
Running Time: 104 min./108 min.
Rated PG-13 for violent and disturbing content and thematic material. Also Unrated.

Six years after the show's finale, Dana Scully(Anderson) is a physician at a Catholic hospital. One day FBI agent Mosley Drummy(Xzibit) needs Scully to help find Fox Mulder(Duchovny), who's gone rouge, to help with a strange going-on involving several missing women and a whacked out pedophile priest named Father Joe(Connolly), who believes God is sending him visions of these missing girls murdered. Scully finds Mulder and despite suspicion of the FBI, agrees to help. Scully, Mulder, Drummy and Agent Dakota Whitney(Peet) use Father Joe's visions to possibly solve this soon-to-be grueling and disturbing mystery. Fans of the Fox TV show will definitely enjoy this sequel to both the show and the 1998 film. But other than those people, everyone will go "HUH?!" through at least half of the movie. The plot is udderly confusing and repetitive from the first film. The film is also pretty gory for a PG-13. The acting is weak at some points, but the deal between Anderson and Duchovny is pretty good. The film is available in a 3-Disc Ultimate X-Phile Edition and has an extended Unrated version of the film as well as the theatrical, commentary, deleted scenes, 2 featurettes, a documentary, a gag reel, a music video by costar Xzibit, and trailers. It's like Twilight: it'll please its fans, but everyone else will be quite disappointed.

The Verdict: B-
The Good: Good lead roles and faithful to the series' fans.
The Bad: Poor costars, confusing plot, and overall hard to understaind for newcomers.


Step Brothers
(IMG:[www.celebritywonder.com] http://www.celebritywonder.com/img/movieposter/tn/2008_Step_Brothers.jpg)
The Category: Comedy
The Stars: Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Mary Steenburgen, Richard Jenkins, Adam Scott
Price: $19.99-single disc, $22.99 for 2-Disc Unrated Extended Special Edition
Running Time: 98 min./105 min.
Rated R for crude and sexual content and pervasive language.

Brennan Huff(Ferrell) and Dale Doback(Reilly) are now officially step brothers as Brennan's mother, Nancy(Steenburgen), and Dale's dad, Robert(Jenkins), have married. Brennan hates Dale and vice versa. After a hilarious sibling rivalry, with Brennan playing and t-bagging Dale's drum set, the two finally call truce when Dale punches Brennan's hotshot brother Derek(Scott) and the two found out how much they have in common. But on the bad side, the two have to find jobs or they'll be booted out of the house. After the success that was Talladega Nights, Ferrell and Reilly have teamed up again. And they practically define this laughfest. The film is produced by the infamous Judd Apatow and directed by Adam McKay(also from Talladega) and they're elements aren't hard to find in the film. There is plently of excellent humor in this film and you'll laugh at least at some point in the film. But other than the laughs and the Ferrell/Reilly teamup, it's another ordinary comedy. The DVD is available in a 2-Disc Unrated Special Edition with an extended version of the film, commentary, deleted scenes, a gag reel, a music video, a making of, and 5 featurettes. Good for quite a few laughs, if you enjoy the works of the two stars.

The Verdict: B+
The Good: The elements of Apatow and McKay, as well as the grade-A performances by Reilly and Ferrell, as well as the high supply of good comedy.
The Bad: Only good if you don't hate Reilly or Ferrell.


Wanted
(IMG:[www.celebritywonder.com] http://www.celebritywonder.com/img/movieposter/tn/2008_Wanted.jpg)
The Category: Action
The Stars: Angelina Jolie, James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, Common, Terrence Stamp, Thomas Kretschmann
Price: $19.99-single disc, $26.99 for 2-Disc Collector's Edition Giftset
Running Time: 110 min.
Rated R for strong bloody violence throughout, prevasive language and some sexuality.

Wesley Gibson(McAvoy) is a natural born loser. The poor bastard has a shit job, his girlfriend cheats on him, and even has to take medication for panic attacks. But his life takes a complete 180 when he finds out his father was an expert assassion for an organization called the Fraternity, headed by Gibson's father's former partner Sloan(Freeman). After a great shootout, Gibson wants to join in and is trained by Sloan, Gunsmith(Common), the weaposn expert, and the sexy yet lethal Fox(Jolie). Now Gibson has to avenge his father's death and watch out for rogue assassins at the same time, including Cross(Kretschmann), who killed Gibson's father, and Pekwarsky(Stamp), a master in the art and science of killing. Loosely based off of a graphic novel, I was a little skeptical when I saw this in the theater but right after I did, I immediately got back in line to see another showing of the film. The action in this film is so fast paced and well designed that it makes Wanted one of my favorite action films. The bullet curve technique is one of the best kills I've seen in history. Some of the acting needs work though, including McAvoy and Freeman. There's also some questions left unanswered, including ones dealing with the Fraternity. The DVD is available in a 2-Disc Collector's Edition and has an alternate opening, an extended scene, 8 featurettes, collectable postcards, and the "Book of Assassins". A grand, if somewhat flawed, shoot 'em up.

The Verdict: B+
The Good: Great action and pace.
The Bad: Plot holes and some acting.

Due to a confict, "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" will be moved to next week.


Evilresident's Must Buy DVDs of the Week are......"Step Brothers" and "Wanted", each with a B+.


Next Week
"The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian"(Ben Barnes)
"Horton Hears a Who"(voices of Jim Carrey, Steve Carell)

and the mother of all movies for 2008.....

"The Dark Knight"(Heath Ledger, Christian Bale)

Week 68.


The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
(IMG:[www.celebritywonder.com] http://www.celebritywonder.com/img/movieposter/tn/2008_The_Chronicles_of_Narnia:_Prince_Caspian.jpg)
The Category: Adventure
The Stars: Ben Barnes, William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Skandar Keynes, Georgie Henley, Sergio Castellitto, voices of Liam Neeson and Eddie Izzard
Price: $19.99-single disc, $24.99 for 3-Disc Collector's Edition
Running Time: 144 min.
Rated PG for epic battle action and violence

One year after their first visit to Narnia, Peter(Moseley), Susan(Popplewell), Edmund(Keynes), and Lucy(Henley) Pevensie are back in England. Then they are sent back to Narnia. It seems that 1 year here equals 1,300 years in Narnia, with King Miraz(Castellitto) ruling the land,unfairly that is. It was actually suppossed to belong to his nephew Prince Caspian(Barnes), but he got cheated out by his own uncle. Along with Narnians including the mouse Reepicheep(Izzard) and even Aslan(Neeson), the Pevensies and Caspian prepare to stop Miraz's rule. You know what they say about some sequels: they're not as good as the first. This wasn't an exception I'm afraid(see 2 movies down for a BIG exception). The positives include great special effects, especially during the battle scenes. The battles themselves are also pretty well done. Barnes is in good form as a not too shabby Caspian. The rest of the acting is far too average, I'm afraid. The running time is also a little too long for a movie directed at kids. The DVD is available in a 3-Disc Collector's Edition and has commentary, deleted scenes, 8 featurettes, and bloopers. Worth a look soon, if you're into book adaptions or fantasies.

The Verdict: B
The Good: Great effects, battles, and acting by Barnes.
The Bad: The rest of the acting and the adult running time.


Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!
(IMG:[www.celebritywonder.com] http://www.celebritywonder.com/img/movieposter/tn/2008_Horton_Hears_a_Who.jpg)
The Category: Comedy
The Stars: Voices of Jim Carrey, Steve Carell, Seth Rogen, Carol Burnett, Will Arnett, Dan Fogler, Amy Poehler, Jesse McCartney
Price: $19.99-single disc, $22.99 for 2-Disc Special Edition
Running Time: 86 min.
Rated G.

Horton(Carrey) is an elelphant with a vivid imagination. He is also the nature teacher of the Jungle of Nool. He also has a friend mouse named Morton(Rogen). One day a dust speck floats to Horton and he hears a small "Yelp!" coming from it. He finds out the speck hold s a town of microscopic creatures known as Whos, led by Mayor Ned McDodd(Carell) who has a wife sally(Poehler), 96 daughters, and one son named JoJo(McCartney). Horton tires to keep his new friends from being destroyed by the hands of the Sour Kangaroo(Burnett), who thinks Horton is nuts. She tries ridding the speck by using a pack of monkeys known as the Wickershams(Fogler) to taunt Horton and even a vulture named Vlad Vladikoff(Arnett) to forcefully get rid of the unseen Whos. This is actually a good Seuss adaption, even when rated G. The original cartoon was really short and I liked how this one lasted much longer. I also liked the new scenes with Carell's character. The animation is also well done. It only needs a better Horton. Carrey was actually gettting ver annoying. The DVD is available in a 2-Disc Special Edition and has commentary, deleted scenes, 9 featurettes, and an animated short. Bloody good adaption, old boy.

The Verdict: A
The Good: Great animation, added scenes, and an overall satisfying adaption.
The Bad: Carrey can really annoy.

And now, the moment I've, and hopefully you have, been waiting for....


The Dark Knight
(IMG:[www.celebritywonder.com] http://www.celebritywonder.com/img/movieposter/tn/2008_The_Dark_Knight.jpg)
The Category: Action
The Stars: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Anthony Michael Hall, Cillian Murphy
Price: $19.99-single disc, $22.99 for 2-Disc Special Edition
Running Time: 152 min.
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and some menace.

Batman a.k.a. Bruce Wayne(Bale) has now become a symbol for Gotham City. He's stopped small time criminals and even the Scarecrow(Murphy, in a cameo). But now he's up against his greatest foe: The Joker(Ledger). This green haired, makeup wearing, scarred psychopath is surfacing in Gotham and making a name for himself via hefty desturction. Packing new armor and gadgets by Lucious Fox(Freeman), Batman teams with Lt. Gordon(Oldman) and Gotham's White Knight, District Attorney Harvey Dent(Eckhart), who's a target of the Joker, to stop this maniac before he turns the town into chaos. And it may be getting close to that. Bruce is also trying to get back with Rachel Sawes(Gyllenhaal), who's dating Dent. This movie is not only the best superhero film ever, but also may be one of the greatest movies of all time(it ranks as 4th best reviewed on IMDb). The big steal of the show is the late Mr. Ledger as The Joker. Nobody will ever do a greater villain than you, Mr. Ledger. The rest of the cast is also very good, with Bale still the best Batman and Gyllenhaal as a much improved Rachel. I also like the effects including that spectacular tunnel chase scene, the new Batpod, and even Eckhart's horribly disfigured CGI face when he turns into the vigilante Two-Face. The score, by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard, is excellent, and should've had a chance at the Oscars. But hey, we all know Ledger's gonna win a posthumous Oscar for Supporting Actor. I wouldn't be surprised if this movie got nominated for Best Picture. It deserves it. The DVD is available in a 2-Disc Special Edition and has 2 featurettes, galleries, and the 6 IMAX scenes. An obviously flawless film, with a flawless Joker. WE WILL MISS YOU, HEATH!!!!!

The Verdict: A+
The Good: Ledger's Joker, the CGI, and the score are among all of the great qualities of this masterpiece.
The Bad: Nothing.


Evilresident's Must Buy DVD of the Week is......"The Dark Knight", with a perfect A+.


Next Week
"Traitor"(Don Cheadle, Jeff Daniels)
"The House Bunny"(Anna Faris, Colin Hanks)
"Mamma Mia!"(Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan)
"The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor"(Brendan Fraser, Jet Li)

Week 69. Dude. P.S.: "The House Bunny" won't be released until Friday.


Traitor
(IMG:[www.celebritywonder.com] http://www.celebritywonder.com/img/movieposter/tn/2008_Traitor.jpg)
The Category: Thriller
The Stars: Don Cheadle, Guy Pierce, Jeff Daniels, Said Taghmaoui, Neal McDonough
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 114 min.
Rated PG-13 for intense violent sequences, thematic material and brief language.

Samir Horn(Cheadle) is an arms dealer. He was negotiating a deal with terrorist Omar(Taghmaoui) when he was arrested by his fellow Americans. In jail, Omar's terrorist group busts him out, so Samir decides to leave too and joins the group. After knowing of this FBI agent Roy Clayton(Pierce) is now hot on Samir's tail. But Carter(Daniels) is actually helping keep Samir ahead of the FBI, giving him things like an encrypted phone. Little does the FBI know that Samir is hiding a deep secret. The film is high on suspense, yet low on action. Cheadle is a good Muslim terrorist and Pierce is a good choice as the relentless FBI agent. But the film is pretty confusing and isn't well focused. There's also sections that I've seen time and time again. The DVD has commentary and 2 featurettes. Godd for a rental, but not exactly a buy.

The Verdict: B-
The Good: Great performances by Cheadle and Pierce, as well as good suspense.
The Bad: Unfocused and done before in the past.

Mamma Mia!
(IMG:[www.celebritywonder.com] http://www.celebritywonder.com/img/movieposter/tn/2008_Mamma_Mia.jpg)
The Category: Musical
The Stars: Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgard, Dominic Cooper, Christine Baranski, Julie Walters
Price: $19.99-single disc, $24.99 for 2-Disc Special Edition
Running Time: 108 min.
Rated PG-13 for some sex-related comments.

Sophie Sheridan(Seyfried) is a bride-to-be to Sky(Cooper). But Sophie wonders who her real father is. She decides to write three invitations to three possible choices: Sam(Brosnan), the American, Harry(Firth), the Brit, and Bill(Skarsgard), the Swede. These three meet at the hotel run by Sophie's mother Donna(Streep). But who will be Sophie's father. In between the many song numbers, that is actually found out. Last year, Hairspray was a big success and was very good. This was alright, but it was not as good. The 24 musical numbers needed better singers, though the music itself is pretty good. The tone of the film is also very ditzy. Musical lovers, you will be a little disappointed. The DVD is available in a 2-Disc Special Edition and has commentary, deleted scenes, a making of, outtakes, a music video, and 5 featurettes. It's good, just not that good.

The Verdict: B
The Good: Good audio and nice song choices...
The Bad:..which are butchered by under average singers.


The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
(IMG:[z.about.com] http://z.about.com/d/horror/1/0/J/J/-/-/Mummy3poster200.jpg)
The Category: Action/Adventure
The Stars: Brendan Fraser, Jet Li, Maria Bello, Luke Ford, Michelle Yeoh, John Hannah, Isabella Leong, Anthony Wong Chau-Sang
Price: $19.99-single disc, $22.99 for 2-Disc Deluxe Edition
Running Time: 112 min.
Rated PG-13 for adventure action and violence.

In Ancient China, Han(Li) became the first emperor of China, nicknamed The Dragon Emperor. But his greedy quest for immortality got screwed by witch Zi Yuan(Yeoh) who turned him and his army into terracota. Back in 1946, Alex O'Connell(Ford) discovers the tomb of Han and his army and soon unleashes the cursed emperor. Thus, Alex, his parents Rick(Fraser) and Evelyn(Bello), and his uncle Johnathan(Hannah) are again going to have to stop a mummy from controlling the world. Along the way they'll encounter Chinese Army soldiers, Zi Yuan and her daughter Lin(Leong), and even abominable snowmen. For a movie that had grand hype, the third entry in the Mummy series actually wasn't too impressive. Maybe that's because Stephen Sommers didn't direct this one. The effects are great and the action is good, but Fraser ruins most of the film. He looks like his acting got shot to hell or something. Bello is also a bad choice for the new Evelyn. I want Rachel Weisz back!!! And though Jet Li is in this film, he only appears onscreen for about 10, maybe 15 minutes. The DVD is available in a 2-Disc Deluxe Edition and has commentary, deleted scenes, a making of, and 6 featurettes. Time to close this tomb.

The Verdict: C
The Good: Great effects and action.
The Bad: Terrible acting and the onscreen lack of a major star.


Evilresident's Must Buy DVD of the Week is......"Mamma Mia!" with a B.

The Evil will be taking a vacation next week, but will return the following week.

In 2 Weeks
"The House Bunny"(Anna Faris, Colin Hanks)
"Hamlet 2"(Steve Coogan)
"The Women"(Annette Benning, Eva Mendes)
"Death Race"(Jason Statham, Tyrese Gibson)
"Burn After Reading"(Brad Pitt, George Clooney)
"Eagle Eye"(Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan)
"Ghost Town"(Ricky Gervais)
"An American Carol"(Kevin Farley, Leslie Nielson)

And some upcoming releases for 2009
"Saw V Unrated"(Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor)-January 20
"Max Payne Unrated"(Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis)
"Quantum of Solace"(Daniel Craig)-March 23

After a long abscence, I'm back!!!


The House Bunny
(IMG:[www.celebritywonder.com] http://www.celebritywonder.com/img/movieposter/tn/2008_The_House_Bunny.jpg)
The Category: Comedy
The Stars: Anna Faris, Colin Hanks, Bevery D'Angelo, Emma Stone, Katherine McPhee, Christopher McDonald, Kat Dennings, Hugh Hefner
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 98 min.
Rated PG-13 for sex-related humor, partial nudity, and brief strong language.

Shelley(Faris) has been living the life as a Playboy bunny. But after her 27th birthday, she is tossed out for being too old. She then decides to go to college to be a sorority mother, but the Phi lota Mus led by Mrs. Hagstrom(D'Angelo) are too stuck up to even think of letting her join. She does finally become a sorority leader, but to the unpopular Zeta Alpha Zetas, including wanna be Natalie(Stone), pregnant Harmony(McPhee), and punk Mona(Dennings). Now Shelley's task is to give these girls a complete 180, as well as woo nic3e guy Oliver(Hanks). Anna Faris once again plays the total moron, like in the Scary Movie series, and shes still pretty funny. There's also a cameo from the Hef. But that's pretty much about it. Most of the laughs aren't as funny as they seem, and most of the plot is somewhat reminiscent to Mean Girls. It's only good if you want to see Faris act stupid once again.

The Verdict: C+
The Good: Faris is still funny, as well as an appearance by none other than Hugh Hefner.
The Bad: Familiar plot and lack of good humor and jokes.


Hamlet 2
(IMG:[www.celebritywonder.com] http://www.celebritywonder.com/img/movieposter/tn/2008_Hamlet_2.jpg)
The Category: Comedy
The Stars: Steve Coogan, Catherine Keener, Amy Poehler, David Arquette, Elizabeth Shue
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 92 min.
Rated R for language including sexual references, brief nudity and some drug content.

Dana Marschz(Coogan) is a terribly awful actor. Aside from doing a few commercials, he has nothing under his belt. Now he's a high school drama teacher at Tucson, making plays off of movies like Erin Brockovich. After dealing with a new batch of inner city kids, he realizes the drama program will be killed off at the end of the year. Now Dana has thought of a real big and original play: a sequel to Hamlet, involving Jesus Christ and time travel. Dana must lead his students into a real this very controversial and hopefully one-of-a-kind showstopper if the drama program ever wants to see another year of being in business. And I thought South Park was all those guys were good for. This was pretty damn funny! After being blown up by a French landmine in Tropic Thunder, Steve Coogan is even more hilarious. The song "Rock Me Sexy Jesus" is also surprisingly catchy. The entire film is purely insane, and that's the way it ought to be. The rest of the characters are pretty nonsense though, and this film needs a better script than the play. And if only there were more good songs. The DVD has commentary, a making of, deleted scenes, and 2 featurettes. Maniacally funny.

The Verdict: B+
The Good: Coogan is great, the humor is madcap, and the main song is very catchy.
The Bad: Needless supporting cast, crap script, and a lack of any other good songs.

Death Race
(IMG:[www.celebritywonder.com] http://www.celebritywonder.com/img/movieposter/tn/2008_Death_Race.jpg)
The Category: Action
The Stars: Jason Statham, Tyrese Gibson, Joan Allen, Natalie Martinez, Ian McShane, Jacob Vargas, Frederick Koehler, Max Ryan, Robin Shou
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 105 min. Rated/111 min. Unrated
Rated R for strong violence and language.

Jensen Ames(Statham) has just had a REALLY bad day. First he gets laid off at the steel mill. Then he wife is killed and he gets blamed. When he gets sent to prison, he is offered a chance at freedom by Warden Hennessy(Allen): win the Death Race, a three stage event involving prisoners, guns, and souped up cars. It's like an R-rated version of Speed Racer. Ames must undergo the name and mask of event regular Frankenstein and take on the other races, including Frankenstein's rival "Machine Gun" Joe Mason(Gibson), who also wants out of prison. The action defines this remake of the 1975 original. There's not quite as much blood and guts, but the races are awesome. It's like a combo of Twisted Metal and Burnout. Statham is also still on par as the big hero and Ian McShane isn't half bad as Ames' head mechanic and friend, Coach. The characters are weak though, as well as the acting by a number of other players including Joan Allen and Natalie Martinez, Ames' navigator. The DVD is available Unrated and has both the 105 min. R-rated cut and the 111 min. Unrated cut, commentary, a making of, and a behind-the-scenes. This beats NASCAR any day.

The Verdict: B
The Good: Statham is in top form and leads the grade-A action sequences.
The Bad: Needs better characters and acting.


Burn After Reading
(IMG:[www.celebritywonder.com] http://www.celebritywonder.com/img/movieposter/tn/2008_Burn_After_Reading.jpg)
The Category: Comedy
The Stars: George Clooney, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton, Richard Jenkins, J.K. Simmons, Dsvid Rasche, Olek Krupa and Brad Pitt
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 96 min.
Rated R for pervasive language, some sexual content and violence.

Osbourne Cox(Malkovich) is a CIA agent who now is an ex-CIA agent, thanks to his horrible drinking habit. He decides to make a memoir of his career in hopes of it becoming a book someday. His wife Katie(Swinton), however, finds the idea completely idiotic. She's also cheating on him with the womanizing Treasurer/former U.S. Marshall Harry Pfarrer(Clooney) and she is secretly divorcing Osbourne, putting his personals and financial files on a CD. However, the CD soon winds up in the hands of a pair of dim-lit gym employees: the love seeking Linda(McDormand) and the energetic and incredibly stupid Chad(Pitt). They decide to blackmail Cox, much to the chargin of their boss Ted(Jenkins), so Linda can get her plastic surgeries to keep her looking young. Soon enough, these characters will wind up in a wacky plot all involving that CD. Meanwhile, a CIA superior(Simmons) and his right hand(Rasche) are dumbfounded on this entire situation. From the Oscar-winning Coen Brothers, I bring you one of the year's funniest films. The characters are so hilarious and dumb, including the two CIA agents trying to figure out what the hell is going on. Clooney is great as the womanizing Harry, Swinton is the perfect choice as the icy Katie, and Malkovich is maniacal as Osbourne. But Brad Pitt steals the show in his performance, including a scene where his character meets Osbourne for the first time. Frances McDormand should also be get a Best Actress nomination. The script is good, if slightly choppy. The only problem is that it can leave you wanting for more. The DVD has 3 featurettes. Call the Academy and tell them the Coens have another film to get Oscar noms for.

The Verdict: A
The Good: Excellent performances all around, a great script, and an original plot propel this Coen Brothers riot.
The Bad: You'll want more.

I couldn't get my hands on "Eagle Eye", "Ghost Town", "The Women", or "An American Carol", so you're on your own for those titiles. Much apologies.

Evilresident's Must Buy DVD of the Week is......"Burn After Reading" with an A.

Next Week
"Babylon A.D."(Vin Diesel)
"Disaster Movie"(Carmen Electra, Kin Kardashian)
"Righteous Kill"(Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino)
"Bangkok Dangerous"(Nicolas Cage)
"Pineappe Express"(Seth Rogen, James Franco)

This post has been edited by evilresident: Dec 31 2008, 07:03

Week 72


Babylon A.D.
(IMG:[www.celebritywonder.com] http://www.celebritywonder.com/img/movieposter/tn/2008_Babylon_A.D..jpg)
The Category: Action
The Stars: Vin Diesel, Melanie Thierry, Michelle Yeoh, Gerard Depardieu
Price: $19.99-single disc, $22.99 for 2-Disc Raw and Uncut Special Edition
Running Time: 90 min. Rated/101 min. Unrated
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, language and some sexuality. Also Unrated.

Toorop(Diesel) is a mercenary and this time he must transport the genetically altered woman Aurora(Thierry) from Russia to NYC under the instructions of Toorop's employer, Gorsky(Depardieu). He, Aurora, and Aurora's guardian nun Sister Rebeka(Yeoh) soon discover Gorsky's double crossed them and only needs Aurora because of the fact she's pregnant with twins. Now the three must stay one step ahead of Gorsky and his men to protect Aurora. That's all I got out of the plot here. Diesel once again tries to play the tough guy hero in a sci-fi film. But he's definitely not as good as Riddick. The whole movie was just boring. There's a few good action scenes here and there, like a Humvee chase scene, but that's all. The script is terrible, as is the plot and characters. The DVD is available in a 2-Disc Raw and Uncut Special Edition that has the 101 min. Unrated version, a deleted scene, still galleries, and 5 featurettes. Another sci-fi mess.

The Verdict: D
The Good: Few impressive action sequences.
The Bad: Bad characters, plot, acting, and script.


Disaster Movie
(IMG:[www.celebritywonder.com] http://www.celebritywonder.com/img/movieposter/tn/2008_Disaster_Movie.jpg)
The Category: Comedy
The Stars: Carmen Electra, Kim Kardashian, Tony Cox, Matt Lanter, Nicole Parker, Vanessa Milano
Price: $19.99 for Rated or Unrated Cataclysmic Edition
Running Time: 87 min. Rated/88 min. Unrated
Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual content throughout, language, drug references and comic violence.

Once again, a spoof is made from the guys of Date Movie and Meet the Spartans. This time it's mostly a disaster spoof as the end of human life will occur if a crystal skull is not returned to its altar. Among the skewered pictures this time are Hancock, Hellboy, Juno, 10,000 B.C., Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, the Dark Knight, Wanted,and even spoofs on Disney's Hannah Montana and the High School Musical series. Once again it's a terrible slop but this one's unlike the others. It currently has the 2nd worst rating of all-time on IMDb. The DVD is available in an Unrated Cataclysmic Edition and has commentary and 7 featurettes. What's next?

The Verdict: F
The Good: Zip
The Bad: All of it.


Righteous Kill
(IMG:[www.celebritywonder.com] http://www.celebritywonder.com/img/movieposter/tn/2008_Righteous_Kill.jpg)
The Category: Crime
The Stars: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Carla Gugino, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, Donnie Wahlberg, John Leguizamo, Brian Dennehy
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 101 min.
Rated R for violence, pervasive language, some sexuality and brief drug use.

Detectives Tom "Turk" Cowen(De Niro) and David "Rooster" Fisk(Pacino) have been friends for a long time, off or on the force. After an incident involving drug dealer Spider(Jackson), they're ordered by Lt. Hingis(Dennehy) to see therapists. But then some killer is picking off criminals and leaving poems as clues. Turk and Rooster still think it's a joke, considering giving the killer a medal for his work, until Detectives Riley(Wahlberg) and Perez(Leguizamo) show up and they believe Turk and/or Rooster could be involved. Who is the righteous killer? Is it Spider, Riley, Perez, Riley's ex Karen(Gugino), or even Turk or Rooster? I had some what high hopes for the teamup of Pacino and De Niro again but they fal flat in this. The director, Jon Avnet, had previously made the critically panned 88 Minutes. This is better than that, but not by a lot. Despite the grand efforts by the to main stars, the script is scratched and the characters and their actors are flawed. At least the plot is alright. The DVD has commentary, 2 featurettes, and the theatrical trailer. Such a sad disappointment.

The Verdict: C
The Good: An acceptable plot and grand efforts by Pacino and De Niro.
The Bad: Bad script and characters/acting.


Bangkok Dangerous
(IMG:[www.celebritywonder.com] http://www.celebritywonder.com/img/movieposter/tn/2008_Bangkok_Dangerous.jpg)
The Category: Action
The Stars: Nicolas Cage, Shahkrit Yamnarm, Charlie Yeung, Nirattisai Kaljaruek
Price: $19.99-single disc, $22.99 for 2-Disc Special Edition
Running Time: 99 min.
Rated R for violence, language and some sexuality.

Joe(Cage) is a hitman who's had years of stone-cold killing. But his cruel acts have taken their toll and he decides to retire after pulling off one last set of jobs in Bangkok for gangster Surat(Kaljaruek). He decides to hire pickpocket Kong(Yamnarm) as the contact between him and Surat's gang. Joe lieks Kong so much, he begins to train the boy. Joe also falls for mute pharmacist Fon(Yeung). But then he discovers one of his targets is the Prime Minister of Thailand. Joe refuses to make the kill, and now he must get out of Bangkok alive and protect his new friends from Surat. After a series of big disappointments, excluding the 2nd National Treasure, Cage tries to save his career in acting like a real hardass. Well, it didn't help at all. Aside from a muddled script and weak characters(I'm getting a lot of those this week), Cage still can't get back on the ball. He's also brought the most annoying costar: the stringy mullet. He's like the new Tom Hanks now or something. Anyone got some clippers? Hell, the film's only good point are its few action sequences. The DVD is available in a 2-Disc Special Edition and has an alternate ending, 2 featurettes, and the theatrical trailer. It's like a present day version of Babylon A.D..

The Verdict: D
The Good: The action scenes.
The Bad: The mullet, characters, mullet, script, and did I mention the mullet?


Pineapple Express
(IMG:[www.celebritywonder.com] http://www.celebritywonder.com/img/movieposter/tn/2008_Pineapple_Express.jpg)
The Category: Comedy
The Stars: Seth Rogen, James Franco, Gary Cole, Rosie Perez, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, Kevin Corrigan
Price: $19.99-single disc, $22.99 for 2-Disc Unrated Extended Special Edition
Running Time: 111 min. Rated/117 min. Unrated
Rated R for pervasive language, drug use, sexual references and violence.

Dale(Rogen) is a process server. He's also a pothead who gets he goods from his friend/dealer Saul Silver(Franco). One day, Saul supplies Dale with Pineapple Express, the best weed ever. That night, while smoking the joint, Dale sees mobster/weed king Ted Jones(Cole) kill a man with corrupt cop Carol(Perez). Dale escapes, but the kooks find out who he is, as only Saul has the Pineapple Express. Now Dale and Saul must run for their lives while fully discovering their friendship. Judd Apatow strikes again with this stoner hit. Franco and Rogen are hilarious, as is Danny McBride as Saul's friend Red. There's some good action as well. The only problem is a hazy plot. The DVD is available in a 2-Disc Unrated Special Edition with the 117 min. version, commentary, deleted scenes, a making of, and much more. One helluva stoner classic.

The Verdict: A-
The Good: Great acting and action/comedy combo.
The Bad: Strange plot.


Evilresident's Must Buy DVD of the Week is......"Pineapple Express" with an A-.

Next Week:
"Mirrors"
"Appaloosa"
"Swing Vote"


This post has been edited by evilresident: Jan 13 2009, 23:04

Week 73


Mirrors
(IMG:[www.celebritywonder.com] http://www.celebritywonder.com/img/movieposter/tn/2008_Mirrors.jpg)
The Category: Horror
The Stars: Kiefer Sutherland, Paula Patton, Amy Smart
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 110 min. rated/112 min. Unrated
Rated R for strong violence, disturbing images, language and brief nudity.


Ben Carson(Sutherland) was once an undercover cop who, after shooting one of his own, has retired. But he decides to get a job as the new night watchman at the Mayflower Department Store. But Ben notices something creepy about the store: the mirrors are squeaky clean even though the store was partially destroyed in a fire. After seeing creepy images in the mirrors, Ben at first thinks they're all hallucinations from his meds. Then his sister Angela(Smart) is brutally killed and Ben blames it on the mirrors. Now there's something lurking on the other side of the glass, and ben has to protect his family from it. Jack Bauer vs. evil demons in mirrors. Sweeeeet. The star of 24 is no Bauer in this, but he still keeps it together as the unstable Ben Carson. There is also one of the coolest kills in this film: the jaw ripping scene. Nice!!!! The plot though is pretty silly and this another Asian remake!!!! The DVD has the Unrated 112 minute version, deleted scenes, an alternate ending, a making of, and a featurette. Not too bad, for yet another fucking remake.

The Verdict: B
The Good: Jack Bauer!!!!!!! and some great carnage.
The Bad: Odd plot and another freaking Asian remake!!


Swing Vote
(IMG:[www.celebritywonder.com] http://www.celebritywonder.com/img/movieposter/tn/2008_Swing_Vote.jpg)
The Category: Comedy
The Stars: Kevin Costner, Madeline Carroll, Paula Patton, Kelsey Grammer, Dennis Hopper, Nathan Lane, Stanley Tucci, George Lopez
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 120 min.
Rated PG-13 for language.

The presidential election has faced the unthinkable: the candidates, President Boone(Grammer) and challenger Donald Greenleaf(Hopper), are waiting on one single vote that will decide the nation's leader. THis vote belongs to knucklehead Bud Johnson(Costner), who seems to not care about politics. Now he's being wooed by the candidates and their campaign managers(Lane and Tucci) to help him decide. Who will win? That's Bud's call. Zzzzzzzzzz...huh?!! That's what you'll get out of this: sleepiness from the total boredom. The whole movie is just one stupid political message. At least Costner's better at acting. The DVD has commentary, deleted scenes, and a behind-the-scenes. Snooze.

The Verdict: D+
The Good: Some good effort by Costner.
The Bad: Ultimatly boring.


Appaloosa
(IMG:[www.celebritywonder.com] http://www.celebritywonder.com/img/movieposter/tn/2008_Appaloosa.jpg)
The Category: Western
The Stars: Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen, Renee Zellweger, Jeremy Irons, Timothy Spall, Lance Henriksen
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 115 min.
Rated R for some violence and language.

Lawman Virgil Cole(Harris) and his pal/deputy Everett Hitch(Mortensen) have quite a job ahead of them. The two guys must defend a small town from the ruthless rule of rancher Randall Bragg(Irons) and his gang, as well as Ring Shelton(Henriksen). During their task however, both men become infautated with widow Allison French(Zellweger). Now the two not only have to deal with Bragg, but their own jealousy. Kudos to director/star Ed Harris for making a damn-good western pic. The performances are grand all around, including Harris and Mortensen as the good guys, Irons and Henriksen as the baddies, and Zellweger as the little lady in between. The western action is great and relatively tame(mild blood). It just feels longer than it is. It felt like almost twice its actual time. The DVD has commentary, deleted scenes, and 4 featurettes. Yee-haw!!!!

The Verdict: A-
The Good: Great performances give a real western feel.
The Bad: Felt too long.


Evilresident's Must Buy DVD of the Week is......"Appaloosa" with an A-.


Next Week
"The Express"(Rob Brown, Dennis Quaid)
"Saw V"(Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor)
"Max Payne"(Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis)

Week 74


The Express
(IMG:[www.celebritywonder.com] http://www.celebritywonder.com/img/movieposter/tn/2008_The_Express.jpg)
The Category: Sports
The Stars: Rob Brown, Dennis Quaid, Charles S. Dutton, Clancy Brown
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 130 min.
Rated PG for thematic content, violence and language involving racism and for brief sensuality.

Ernie Davis(Brown) was always intrigued by the sport of football. He even joined a Small Fry league as a kid. Now he's in his late teens when he is approached by Syracuse University head football coach Ben Schwartzwalder(Quaid), who is fascinated by Ernie's skill as a running back. Now Ernie is enrolled in Syracuse and notices that no African American has ever won the prestiged Heisman Trophy. Now Ernie Davis' big dream will be to become the 1st African American college football player to win the Heisman Trophy. What a day to release a film about an African American first, on the exact same day that Barack Obama becomes the first African American president. The film has some great sports moments, including the 1960 Cotton Bowl against Texas. Ernie is greatly portrayed by Rob Brown, showing grand star performance. The film is over two hours, however, and can be too long for some. Aside from the football parts, it can cause a bit of a snooze. And of course it has all the sports cliches. It's a good sports biopic, if you're not an easy sleeper.

The Verdict: B-
The Good: Great lead performance by Brown and great sports bits.
The Bad: Long running time and has the been there, done that feel.


Saw V
(IMG:[www.celebritywonder.com] http://www.celebritywonder.com/img/movieposter/tn/2008_Saw_V.jpg)
The Category: Horror
The Stars: Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Scott Patterson, Julie Benz, Greg Bryk, Meagan Good, Mark Holston
Price: $19.99 for Theatircal Version or Unrated Director's Cut
Running Time: 92 min./96 min.
Rated R for sequences of grisly bloody violence and torture, language and brief nudity. Also Unrated.

Even though Jigsaw(Bell) is dead, Lieutenant Hoffman(Madylor) is carrying on his work. Agent Peter Strahm(Patterson), last seen in Saw IV, is now prepared to expose Hoffman for his acts after being placed in a trap himself. Meanwhile, five new contestants are put into a series of traps. These players are Mallick(Bryk), Luba(Good), Charles(Carlo Rota), Brit(Benz), and Ashley(Laura Gordon). And just wait to see what these five have to go through. The fifth installment is once again the same old, same old, but with new traps. At least the Strahm investigation sidepiece is somewhat entertaining. Gore fans will enjoy this thoroughly though. I miss Jigsaw, and actually think Mandylor is a terrible apprentice. At least the traps are cool and bloody, including one scene involving saws and slit wrists. The DVD is available in an Unrated Director's Cut and has the 96 minute version, commentary, the theatrical trailer, and 5 featurettes. Unfortunately, this saw lost its buzz two entries ago.

The Verdict: C
The Good: New traps.
The Bad: Again the same old ball and chain.


Max Payne
(IMG:[www.celebritywonder.com] http://www.celebritywonder.com/img/movieposter/tn/2008_Max_Payne.jpg)
The Category: Action M.B.G.(Movie Based on Game)
The Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, Beau Bridges, Ludacris, Chris O'Donnel, Amaury Nolasco, Olga Kurylenko, Donal Logue
Price: $19.99-single disc, $22.99 for 2-Disc Unrated Special Edition
Running Time: 100 min./103 min.
Rated PG-13 for violence including intense shooting sequences, drug content, some sexuality and brief strong language. Also Unrated.

After his wife and kid's murder, police detective Max Payne(Wahlberg) has never been the same. Only Payne's friends, B.B. Henlsey(Bridges) and Alex Balder(Logue) have kept him relativly sane for the past 3 years. But after Balder is killed before telling Max who could have killed his family, Payne isn't so sane anymore. He decides to go after Jack Lupino(Nolasco), a psychopathic mob boss, trafficking Valkyr, a drug that gives the user horrible visions of valkyries. And after the murder of her sister by Lupino, assassin Mona Sax(Kunis) decides to help Max. And things get edgier when Internal Affairs Agent Jim Bravura(Ludacirs) is involved, and considers Max a prime suspect. The latest M.B.G. isn't all that bad. Aside from the laughable dialogue and cheesy acting, the action is pretty good. It also stays at least somewhat faithful to the game. Too bad there's hardly any bullet time(the game's key feature). The DVD is available in a 2-Disc Unrated Special edition with both versions of the film, commentary, a documentary, trailers, and an animated graphic novel. Bring on the Payne!

The Verdict: B
The Good: Great action and faith to the game.
The Bad: Bad script and acting + lack of bullet time.


Evilresident's Must Buy DVD of the Week is......"Max Payne" with a B.


Next Week
"College"(Drake Bell)
"Pride and Glory"(Edward Norton, Colin Farrel)
"RocknRolla"(Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson)
"The Rocker"(Rainn Wilson)
"Lakeview Terrace"(Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Wilson)

Week 75


College
(IMG:[www.celebritywonder.com] http://www.celebritywonder.com/img/movieposter/tn/2008_College.jpg)
The Category: Comedy
The Stars: Drake Bell, Andrew Caldwell, Kevin Covais, Haley Bennett, Nick Zano, Gary Owen
Price: $19.99 for Theatrical and Unrated version.
Running Time: 94 min. Rated/95 min. Unrated
Rated R for pervasive crude and sexual content, nudity, language, drug and alcohol abuse. Also Unrated.

Kevin(Bell) is a senior and just when he's thinking about going to Fieldmont University, his girlfriend dumps him. But his buddies, the foul mouthed Carter(Caldwell) and the geeky Morris(American Idol's Covais), convince him to go to the freshman orientation at Fieldmont, hopefully getting his mind off of his recent breakup. Quickly they're targeted by F.U. bully Teague(Zano) and he and his rowdy buddies make the trio go through a series of sick games. But Kevin also falls in love with student Kendall(Bennett), eho just so happens to be Teague's girl. Now the tricks are going to get nastier and the three freshman-to-be are going to have to learn to fight back. This is just basically Superbad, but with college hijinks and a WAY more terrible execution. The characters are weak, the plot is too obvious, and it's just been done before. The DVD is available Unrated and has the 95 minute version of the film and a gag reel. Another piece of comic garbage.

The Category: F
The Good: Zip
The Bad: Bad in every way possible.


Pride and Glory
(IMG:[www.celebritywonder.com] http://www.celebritywonder.com/img/movieposter/tn/2008_Pride_and_Glory.jpg)
The Category: Crime Drama
The Stars: Edward Norton, Colin Farrell, Noah Emmerich, Jon Voight, Jennifer Ehle, John Ortiz
Price: $19.99-single disc, $22.99 for 2-Disc Special Edition
Running Time: 130 min.
Rated R for strong violence, pervasive language and brief drug content.

Ray Tierney(Norton) is a by-the-book NYPD cop, who's brother Francis Jr.(Emmerich) is also a cop and his father, Francis Sr.(Voight), was also a cop. Even his brother-in-law Jimmy Egan(Farrell) is a cop. But things go wrong for the NYPD when a drug bust goes haywire and results in the deaths of two officers. And guess what? Ray has found out that Jimmy and Francis Jr. are involved, as Francis was the commander of that bust and Jimmy was partnering with him. Now the Tierney family will have to pick sides: the side of Francis Jr. and Jimmy, or the side of little old Ray. Among the good performances in this film are, of course, Edward Norton, as well as recent Golden Globe winner Colin Farrell(Best Actor in a Musical/Comedy for In Bruges). They manage to kepp you entertained through the clunky dialogue and somewhat familiar plot. The DVD is available in a 2-Disc Special Edition and has a making of. A nice case cop mystery, with good peformances.

The Verdict: B+
The Good: Great leads by Norton and Farrell.
The Bad: Bad script, familiar plot, and a lack of DVD extras.


RocknRolla
(IMG:[www.celebritywonder.com] http://www.celebritywonder.com/img/movieposter/tn/2008_RocknRolla.jpg)
The Category: Comedy
The Stars: Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson, Thandie Newton, Mark Strong, Karel Roden, Tony Kebbell, Idris Elba, Tom Hardy, Jeremy Piven, Ludacris
Price: $19.99-single disc, $22.99 for 2-Disc Special Edition
Running Time: 114 min.
Rated R for pervasive language, violence, drug use and brief sexuality.

Lenny Cole(Wilkinson) is a crime boss who controls everything in London and when Uri Omovich(Roden), a Russian land dealer, asks Lenny to help in a making a big residential area, Lenny agrees even at the behest of his right hand Archie(Strong).....for the small fee of 7 million Euros. But Uri eagerly and accepts and on a will of good faith, even lets Lenny borrow his lucky painting. But just after accountant Stella(Newton) gets the money together, a motley trio of criminals called the Wild Bunch, consisting of leader One Two(Butler) and his pals Mumbles(Elba) and Handsome Bob(Hardy), go and steal the cash. And now Uri's painting has disappeared while in Lenny's hands and the No.1 suspect is Lenny's crack addict popstar stepson Johnny Quid(Kebbell), who has twice been falsely presumed dead. Now Lenny, Archie, Stella, Uri and his thugs, the Wild Bunch, and even Quid's record producers Roman(Piven) and Mickey(Ludacris) are in the chase for the painting and the money. Guy Ritchie has served up a good crime comedy yet again in this one. The action is good and the characters are dimwitted yet funny and effective. This still has that feel that Ritchie has put in his last 2 big screen films. The DVD is available in a 2-Disc Special Edition and has commentary, an additional scene, and a featurette. Those Brit boys sure do know how to send a good movie every once in a while and this is one of them.

The Verdict: B+
The Good: Great action/comedy/crime mix and funny characters.
The Bad: Seen it twice before.


The Rocker
(IMG:[www.celebritywonder.com] http://www.celebritywonder.com/img/movieposter/tn/2008_The_Rocker.jpg)
The Category: Comedy
The Stars: Rainn Wilson, Christina Applegate, Josh Gad, Emma Stone, Teddy Geiger, Will Arnett
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 103 min.
Rated PG-13 for drug and sexual references, nudity and language.

Twenty years ago, Robert "Fish" Fishman(Wilson) used to be a drummer for the hit heavy metal band Vesuvius. But then he got kicked out of the band and got replaced. Now Fish is stuck in a dead end office job(an ode to his TV character from "The Office"?) and has lost his girlfriend. But Fish finally gets a chance to get back into the gig when his nephew Matt(Gad) needs a drummer for his band called A.D.D.. Now Fish once again will wield the drumsticks, but only for teenagers. This movie flew over everyone's heads. And I can see why. The plot is predictable, and Wilson is nowhere near as funny as his TV counterpart, Dwight. At least they tried somewhat. The DVD is available as a "Born to Rock" Edition and has commentary, deleted scenes, a gag reel, and 13 featurettes. This song falls flat.

The Verdict: C-
The Good: Gave an effort and has lots 'o DVD extras.
The Bad: A predictable plot and a lack of good humor ruin it.


Lakeview Terrace
(IMG:[www.celebritywonder.com] http://www.celebritywonder.com/img/movieposter/tn/2008_Lakeview_Terrace.jpg)
The Category: Thriller
The Stars: Samuel L. Jackson, Kerry Washington, Patrick Wilson, Jay Hernandez, Keith Loneker
Price: $19.99
Running Time: 110 min.
Rated PG-13 for intense thematic material, violence, sexuality, language and some drug references.

Abel Turner(Jackson) is a strict, by-the-book police officer for the city of LA. He is a widow and has 2 kids. But then newlyweds Chris Mattison(Wilson) and his wife Lisa(Washington) movie in next door. But the thing is, Lisa's African American and Chris is white. Here we see that Abel is also a racist and disapproves of interracial couples and he wants Chris and Lisa gone. He starts off annoying, badmouthing Chris and turning on his searchlights right at the couple's bedroom. But then he gets serious, even going as far as to hire criminal/snitch Clarence(Loneker) to destroy their house. Then Chris realizes he has to fight back against their very unhappy neighbor. Jackson is in good form as racist Abel, but the racism and threats go way over the border after the film's halfway point. Its absurd!!! The DVD has commentary, deleted scenes, and a behind-the-scenes. It's good, if you sidestep the racism.

The Verdict: B
The Good: Samuel L. Jackson is terrifying.
The Bad: Very racist.


Evilresident's Must Buy DVDs of the Week are......"Pride and Glory" and RocknRolla", each with a B+.


Next Week
"Zack and Miri Make A Porno"(Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks)
"Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist"(Michael Cera, Kat Dennings)

i like it it is so nice thanks

This post has been edited by 8512153617: Jan 31 2009, 07:10

Due to a virus I have no review this week.

Pineapple Express was good in a way