That's right I said it. I have said it before and will again. I hate Spider-Man 3. I don't care if it was a $890,983,299 grossing movie worldwide. I, unabashed comic book geek that I am, hate the movie.

The second one was one of the greatest comic book movie's ever. The third one, a complete waste of talent. Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco return in the third installment to be joined by Thomas Haden Church, Topher Grace, Bryce Dallas Howard, as the Sandman, Venom and Gwen Stacy respectively.

If you want to see why I hate this movie...
http://community.victoriaad...

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sequences of intense action violence.
BURN IT

Talk to me
Don Cheadle as Washington, D.C., radio personalityPetey Greene.
Don Cheadle is one of the best actors walking the earth right now and while the ending is not as satisfying as the rest of the movie is is a worthwhile rental.
MPAA Rating: R for pervasive language and some sexual content
RENT IT

License to Wed
Robin Williams, Mandy Moore and John Krasinski (from TV's The Office) star in this romantic comedy. Sadie (Moore) and Ben (Krasinski) meet at Starbucks, fall for each other and decide to wed.

I didn't see this,  i can't lie. The premise was marriage so I avoided it like the plague , but since it's out I will Netflix it and check it out.

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sexual humor and language
RENT IT

 Other releases:

A stupid movie with Jennifer Lopez and her husband Marc Anthony, I can't even bring myself to type it it's so bad.

El Cantante.

I am certain that really means worst movie. Ever.

Despite ticket sales continuing their downward slide for the sixth week in a row, the Halloween weekend was slashed to ribbons by a new Saw movie. The teaser/trailer didn't give much more than the tag line and shots of people screaming but that was more than enough as Saw IV, earned an estimated $32.1 million. It was the second-highest grossing Halloween opening behind Saw III's $33.6 million and slightly ahead of Saw II's $31.7 million. The first Saw opened  with $18.3 million in 2004. A pretty good showing for what started as a low budget gore fest.

And yeah, next Halloween you will see Saw V and the Halloween after that Saw VI.

Steve Carell's Dan in Real Life, earned an estimated $12.1 million.

One of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's catch phrases as a wrestler was "You can't stop, can't stop the Rock!"

That fact is clear as Disney's The Game Plan, came in at number 4 with  a little over $6 million. And sadly, at least to me, We Own the Night has not owned anything and is hanging on to top ten placement by a thread. Come on people, support Marky Mark!

Source: Yahoo! Movies & Box Office Mojo

Halloween.

The time where kids and adults alike can step out of the ordinary, dress up, consume unhealthy amounts of candy and go crazy. Ah, good times, good times.

Another tradition is seeing people get diced all to pieces on the big screen with their bloodcurdling screams echoing in THX surround sound.

SAW IV

Slices its way into theaters across the country this weekend. I'd tell you to be ready for a fright, but Saw really hasn't been fright-filled since the first one, and really that wasn't even scary. Gory, yes, scary no. And it seems each sequel has just been an excuse to cut off more limbs and spill more Karo syrup and red food coloring.

Oh sure, I'll be there because I don't want to be left out when people are talking about it Monday morning, but this will have really do something to impress me at this point. And I aim to see how they will justify SAW V & VI.

Yes people. More Saw movies are coming.

If you're not in the mood for gore, check out Steve Carell,in "Dan in Real Life" as Advice columnist Dan Burns, an expert on relationships, who somehow struggles to succeed as a brother, a son and a single parent.

While Evan Almighty wasn't the greatest movie. I am a fan of Carell and long before "The 40-year-old Virgin" and can't wait to see him in "Get Smart."

So what will you be checking out at the movies this weekend?

So a few new flicks are on DVD today. I'd spotlight the crop if they were anything more than rental fodder.

And Kevin Costner...someone make him stop acting. Seriously. He has not had a good movie since "Field of Dreams." Open Range was good but I give props more to Robert Duvall than anything he did. Is there is a good one since then, let me know.

Now  "Mr Brooks" is not the best, but better than the crop of movies he has been in recently. The only real problem to this movie was Demi Moore. In "Mr. Brooks" Costner is a successful businessman, a generous philanthropist, a loving father, devoted husband. and the notorious Thumbprint Killer. The embattled cop Moore portrays is determined to bring him in.

Costner freaks you out being the loving father figure one minute and the psychotic remorseless killer the next. Moore (when is the last time she did a good movie?) is just kind of here and there in the movie. And she's involved in one of the stupidest gun fights I have ever seen on screen. It's like the director wanted to make an action movie but was never allowed to. Well he got his payback here with his random 30 seconds of John Woo/Matrix delight that completely leaves you scratching your head after you view it.

HBO this one. I mean it's not horrid horrid like "Hostel 2" horrid but there are better movies on the shelves.

Also out:

"Meet the Robinsons"

As they rightly should have, the vampires in  30 Days of Night slashed the competition this weekend earning an estimated $16 million. Not that these are stellar numbers really, the Box has been down the past five weekends in a row. Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married and The Game Plan, are still up there with "Married" earning $12 million and "Plan" $8 million.  Michael Clayton dropped down to four, and that saddens me. It's a good movie people. Sure you won't really know what you're watching for the first twenty minutes, but stick with it, it's worth it.

We'll see what happens this week with Saw number fifty million and ten. And Dan in Real Life.

Okay so for the first edition of SND I gave you "Super Troopers" and "The Big Hit" for the second. Not exactly classics. But I have something this week. If you venture out to the video store with your loved one and they want say, an action movie and you want a love story, help is here.

What you want to have is a Patrick Swayze double feature!

Dirty Dancing and Road House.

One is a the story of young girl making the transition to woman hood through the relationship she has with a dance instructor(Swayze). The other is the story of a butt kicking bouncer who cleans up a town from a ruthless criminal. One was a $300 million worldwide grossing move and the other was a failure at the box office that has found eternal life on VHS, DVD and TBS.

Road House grossed $30,050,028 in the U.S.

But you know what, it doesn't matter. I challenge you to tell me you don't like the glass breaking, fist throwing, throat ripping action of Road House. And I will admit to you that I enjoy the dancing, romancing and Baby-acting of Dirty Dancing. I shed a tear at the end I will admit. I had the time of my life watching it.

But if you even mention "Havana Nights" your throat is coming out.

This is how vampires are supposed to be done. They aren't glorified, or sensualized. These vamps are dark, gritty and scary as can be. They tear through anything and everything just because.

Night descends upon Barrow, Alaska and lasts for 30 days. Plenty of time for the vamps to lay waste to this unsuspecting town. Blood is spilled, people die and the survivors try to last the month without getting killed.

It's a good story, well directed, well acted, full of more emotion than one would come to expect in a movie like this.

I was impressed with Hartnett, I didn't think he had the chops to carry this movie and he rose to the challenge like his character did in the film.

There is one corny corny moment to speak of that marred the overall film a bit. (You'll know it when you see it, trust me) but all in all I was very happy with it.

And you will be too.

Spider Trilogy director, Sam Raimi commented recently on a fourth Spidey possibility here. They are looking for a fresh approach and where to take Spidey now. Me, I suggest they take him away.

While Sony and Marvel see a million different story possibilities, do we even need another? I mean sure the 3rd movie alone grossed $890,509,718 worldwide, but it was a lackluster movie if you ask me.

It was a complete waste of Thomas Hayden Church's ability. He could have brought such depth to a z-list villain in the Sandman.

Raimi had always been against using Venom in the movies, but was basically bullied into it by the producers and you could clearly see he did not want to use him. Again a waste of Topher Grace's talent and because even if you use Venom, he needs his own movie to develop.

Gwen Stacy...waste of a great character with great storyline potential. Too much Emo-Peter, too much whiny Mary Jane.

I could go on an on. But of course, money talks and if there is money to be made, which there would be, you can expect more movies and probably more bad stories.

It's like producers gearing up for Saw V and VI, which may be shot back-to-back. Why?

Adapting graphic novels are all the rage these days with "Road to Perdition," "A History of Violence," "From Hell," "300," and (in the making) "The Watchmen."

Opening this weekend is "30 Days of Night" an adaption of the graphic novel of the same name about vampires attacking an Alaskan town that experiences 30 days with no sunlight.

Not a big Hartnett fan but I am a fan of the director, David Slade and the graphic novel. So I am expecting big things of this movie, we'll see what happens.

Josh Hartnett, Melissa George, Danny Huston, Jon Bennett, Ben Foster
R for strong horror violence and language

 Also opening:

The Comebacks
David Koechner, Carl Weathers, Matt Lawrence, Brooke Nevin, George Back
This spoof comedy follows an out-of-luck coach, Lambeau Fields, who takes a rag-tag bunch of college misfits and drives them towards the football championships. In the process, this life-long loser discovers that he is a winner after all by redeeming himself, saving his relationship with his family and friends, and finding that there is indeed, no "I" in "team"!
PG-13 for crude and sexual content throughout and some drug material.

Rendition 
Reese Witherspoon, Omar Metwally, Jake Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, Alan Arkin
A thriller that centers on Isabella El-Ibrahimi, the American wife of Egyptian-born chemical engineer Anwar El-Ibrahimi, who disappears on a flight from South Africa to Washington. Isabella desperately tries to track her husband down, while a CIA analyst at a secret detention facility outside the U.S. is forced to question his assignment as he becomes party to the man's unorthodox interrogation.
R for torture/violence and language.

Gone Baby Gone 
Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Ed Harris, Morgan Freeman, John Ashton Two young private detectives are hired to take a closer look at the mysterious disappearance of a little girl and soon discover that nothing is what it seems. Ultimately, they will have to risk everything -- their relationship, their sanity, and even their lives -- to find a little girl-lost.
R for violence, drug content and pervasive language.

 Source: Yahoo Movies

Yes yes the $600 million worldwide grossing cinematic juggernaut that was the Transformers is out on DVD today. I saw the movie 3 times in the theater and though I have issues with Michael "Blow crap up for two hours" Bay, you can't argue with seeing live action Transformers. Even if the screen time they get is not enough, especially the Decepticons and what happens to Jazz. But maybe they will get it right in the sequel. In the meantime the DVD is out and depending on where you buy it, you get certain perks with it.
PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action violence, brief sexual humor, and language
Buy it

Wal-Mart – Special Animated Movie Prequel DVD narrated by Peter Collen. (Note: this comes in a two pack with the normal DVD and the Prequel, not the 2 Disc Collectors Edition)

Target – Optimus Prime transforming case with 2 Disc Set

Best Buy – Special Edition Robot Heroes of Cliff Jumper & Battle Damaged Optimus Prime with 2 Disc Set. They will also have a Megatron lithograph available for purchase (30 lithographs per store).

Circuit City – Gift card containing a special code. The code can be entered on-line to access 15 minutes of extra content

Sears – Special LED Flashlight with key chain ring with 2 Disc Set

Borders Bookstores – An exclusive booklet on the making of the movie is available with the purchase of the 2 Disc Set.

Suncoast – Special steel case with the Autobot emblem & the word “Protect” on the front, and the Decepticon Emblem & the word “Destroy” on the back.

Albertsons – Special mouse pad with the DVD (not yet known whether it’s the one disc or two disc set)

Also out today:

The Invisible
Kid gets beaten to death, hovers in limbo and has to turn to the girl who beat him to find his body and perhaps her finding redemption.
PG-13 for violence, criminality, sensuality and language - all involving teens
Rent it

A Mighty Heart
Angelina Jolie alone cannot save this snooze fest docudrama based on the book by Mariane Pearl, widow of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl who was kidnapped and killed in Pakistan.
R for language
Wait for it on HBO

The Reaping
Hilary Swank, plagues, wrath of God, Satanic cults. It's rental worthy.
R for violence, disturbing images and some sexuality
Rent it

 And here I thought Clooney or Marky Mark would prevail this weekend, but no Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married ruled at the box office with an estimated $21.5 million. Again Perry find's success despite releasing a Madea-free movie.

Clooney and Marky Mark weren't even anywhere to be found in the number two spot. Disney's The Game Plan  did it again, raking in $11.5 million. Clooney and Marky Mark were virtually neck and neck at number 3 and 4 earning around $11 million each. 

I saw Michael Clayton. It was good. It was kind of slow to get into, but the pay off at the end was great. Clooney was fun to watch. So the subject matter and plot wasn't light and kid firendly, but oh well. It was still a good one. Go see it. 

Source: Yahoo Movies, Box Office Mojo

In "The Big Hit", Wahlberg plays the role of a hit man balancing his job and relationship with his demanding fiance. When he is pulled into a scheme to double cross his boss by kidnapping a young girl who turns out to be his boss's goddaughter, gunfire, explosions, laughs and over the top action ensues.

This movie made me a Wahlberg fan. Sure he was okay in "Fear" and "Boogie Nights", but this was the movie I noticed him in. Maybe it's the action junkie in me. As stated it is way over the top, but part of one of the reasons I like it.

I think he has come a long way since being a member of the Funky Bunch and poster boy for undies, his performance in "Shooter" and "The Departed" show, at least to me, the man can be a major Hollywood player. Well, moreso than he is now.

Discuss.

And yes, last week I gave you "Super Troopers" and this week another movie that's not exactly a cinematic gem(at least in some circles), but next week I have a two-for-one special that will satisfy guys and gals when they head out to the video store.

I had been saving this blog for Sunday but here it is...

Hollywood is a place to go. It's a place where movies are made. A small country unto itself. There are some days where I wish Hollywood was a person and I could punch it in the face. Why...or rather why this time I should say.

I know Hollywood is remake crazy, recently shown by Rob Zombie's heavily hyped yet unimpressive remake of Carpenter's classic 'Halloween'. There is some cinematic hallowed ground you should just not touch.

Enter the Dragon is one of them.

What is wrong with a little creativity? Every time you turn around there is a rehashing, remake, reinvention, a re-whatever. They take something for it's name only and then crap all over the concept, the things that made it a hit before for the sake of the almighty dollar.

And honestly while I cringe at the idea of an Enter the Dragon remake, there have been some good ones....Ocean's 11...The Italian Job (well hey, I liked it).

But for every one of those is a remake like Ben Stiller's "Heartbreak Kid". Of you find the news of Will Smith wanting to remake "The Karate Kid" with his son in the lead role. Yes. Will Smith. Yes. The Karate-flipping-Kid.

http://www.rte.ie/arts/2007...

It just makes me shake my head so much I think I am going to come up with whiplash.

"We Own the Night"
Robert Duvall, Mark Wahlberg, Joaquin Phoenix....enough said. I have been salivating over this movie since I saw the trailer. I am a huge Wahlberg fan and Phoenix is a great actor himself. Duvall....enough said right there.
R for strong violence, drug material, language, some sexual content and brief nudity.

 "Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married?"
Tyler Perry, Janet Jackson, Sharon Leal, Jill Scott, Denise Boutte
Ah the question so many men ask. While "Daddy's Little Girls" was a bit of a yawn, I am looking forward to this one.
PG-13 for mature thematic material, sexual references and language.

"Elizabeth: The Golden Age"
Geoffrey Rush, Clive Owen, Cate Blanchett, Abbie Cornish, Jordi Molla
A period peace with Blanchett returning to a role she has played before back in 1998's "Elizabeth." It will look pretty, but how it delivers remains to be seen.
PG-13 for violence, some sexuality and nudity.

"Michael Clayton"
George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson, Tilda Swinton, Sydney Pollack, Pamela Gray
Finally! Victoria will get this movie...Clooney at his best in years.
R for language including some sexual dialogue.

Four potentially great movies. Two I am confident are completely awesome. So get out and get to the movies. And if you see me there, say hello.

So what should you spend your hard earned dollars on when you head out to the video store this evening?

Surf's Up - With the voice talents of Shia LeBeouf (Transformers) A behind-the-scenes look at the annual Penguin World Surfing Championship, and its newest participant, up-and-comer Cody Maverick. Need a nice family film for you and the kids to laugh at together?
PG
Rent it

Evan Almighty - the "sequel" to Bruce Almighty, starring Steve Carrell, who is told by God to build an Ark. Yet another sequel. Carrell is no Jim Carrey, which is not to say he isn't funny, but he's had better roles in better movies/TV shows.
PG for mild rude humor and some peril
Pass

28 Weeks Later - sequel to 28 Days Later, Six months after the rage virus was inflicted on the population of the British Isles, the US Army helps to secure a small area of London for the survivors to repopulate and start again. But not everything goes to plan. It's a sequel but it's a rare good one.
R for strong violence and gore, language and some sexuality/nudity
Rent it

Reign Over Me - starring Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle, about a man who loses his family in the 9/11 attacks and meets up with an old friend. Adam Sandler breaking out of his typical gross-out comedy routine teamed with one of the best actors out there working today.
R for language and some sexual references
Rent it

Not so honorable mention:
Rise: Blood Hunter - Supernatural thriller in which a female reporter wakes up in a morgue to find herself a member of the undead. She vows revenge against the sect that put her there and hunts them down
Gag Me

Wrong Turn 2: Dead End - A group of reality show contestants find themselves fighting for their survival against a family of hideously deformed inbred cannibals who plan to ruthlessly butcher them all.
Make the horrendous sequels stop, please

"The Game Plan" held it's own against a crop of uninspring movies this weekend, which was the slowest early October seen in more than a decade. Overall business added up to around $80 million, down 28 percent from the same period last year when "The Departed" debuted. While  "Plan" held well and remained in first place, the deficit was partly attributed to the lackluster start of "The Heartbreak Kid". I am not surprised personally. It was a remake. It was formulaic Stiller. It was just not that good.

"The Game Plan" slid a small 29 percent to an estimated $16.3 million for $42.8 million in ten days, and "The Heartbreak Kid" attracted an estimated $14 million on approximately 4,200 screens at 3,229 theaters.

"The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising" had one of the poorest starts for a fantasy on record and the second worst for a 3,000-theater plus release behind Hoot, pulling in a measly $3.7 million. It didn't have the star power or the buzz, but you know I still want to see it, I am curious about it.

Bottoming out this weekend was "Feel the Noise" and "The Jane Austen Book Club". "Noise" wasn't feeling anything pulling in only $3.4 million at 1,015 venues. Its distributor, Sony, claimed that was more than the production budget. And that is very very sad. I don't know why studios bother to release stuff like this on the big screen. Just straight to video it, save yourself the humiliation of a poor box office outing and odds are you will do much better with the movie rental crowd. Meanwhile, few joined  the book club in its national expansion. Playing at 1,232 locations, the ensemble romance garnered an anemic estimated $1.5 million

Get ready for this weekend though..."We Own the Night" is coming...I am not ashamed to say I have been salivating over this movie since I saw the trailer. "Elizabeth: the Golden Age"..I'm curious..."Tyler Perry's Why Did I get Married"...I'll be in the seat for that one. We'll see if these flicks can bolster the box office this weekend.

Source: Yahoo Movies and Box Office Mojo

When I first learned that the WB was taking on the monumental task of adapting the Watchmen for film I was surprised. I mean taking what is regarded by most as the single greatest graphic novel in the history the comic book industry and making a movie out of it, that takes a set. A huge set.

Watchmen was a 12-issue  deconstruction of the conventional superhero archetypes. It was brilliantly crafted using several literary and artistic techniques that have influenced practically every comic book creator  and many filmmakers since. But to take it and squeeze it into a two hour movie, I had my doubts. I still do. I personally don't think it should be adapted, some stuff just does not translate and I did not think the Watchmen would.

But there is money to be made so i caved and I at least thought, okay, if you are going to do it, do it as a multi-part mini-series on HBO. Then you could get into everything. Two hours...you're going to lose so much.

It doesn't help that Moore isn't helping on the project. The man hates people adapting his work. If you look at From Hell and the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen you can feel his pain. V for Vendetta was watchable but its message and vision was twisted a bit for the film.

The thing that does give me a little hope is the fact it is being directed by Zack Snyder. Have you seen 300? One of Frank Miller's best graphic novels and Snyder pulled it off just nicely. I saw it twice in the theater, it was and still is that good. Snyder will use some of those techniques that gave 300 its look for the Watchmen.

I am not blown away by the casting. Jeffrey Dean Morgan..Matthew Goode...Malin Akerman....

But I am glad they are not trying to inflate the movie with huge marquee names to drive up the budget, bring in the typical star-hungry movie audience and have them view a crappy movie.

You can do adaptions right, just look at Sin City, one of the greatest comic book movies ever, in my opinion. Top 3 easily.

I'll give the guy the benefit of the doubt and try to enjoy it for what it is.

Who watches the Watchmen?

I'll give it a shot.

So on Saturday's I will suggest a good movie to get from the video store around the corner and curl up on the couch with. This week I think people need a laugh.  They need a gutbusting laugh one can only get from Super Troopers.

It's the story of Thorny, Mac, Rabbit, Foster and Farva, a group of fun loving Vermont state troopers. The troopers, avid pranksters with an affinity for syrup, have a knack for screwing up on the job. Budget cuts in the town of Spurbury threaten their livelihood and pit them against arch-rival Spurbury P.D., The discovery of a dead body and possible drug ring has the super troopers springing into action attempting to solve the crime, save their jobs, and outdo the local police department.

I can't tell you how many times I laughed at this movie and still do on repeated viewings. It's almost enough to make me forget these guys went from this movie to that awful Club Dread (no Billy you cannot convince me that movie doesn't suck).

Check it out.

The Seeker: The Dark is Rising Alexander Ludwig, Ian McShane, Gregory Smith, Austin Vaccaro, Frances Conroy
A young man, Will Stanton, discovers he is the last of a group of immortals dedicated to fighting dark forces of evil. Traveling back and forth through time, Will uncovers a series of clues, some dating back to biblical times, that lead him to a showdown with forces of unimaginable power.
PG for fantasy action and some scary images.
What I say:
It looks interesting. The trailer is pretty. This movie is not a surprise given the recent string of kid-centric adventure movies. (Chronicles of Narnia, the various Harry Potter movies), and the Golden Compass(Dec. 7). Take the kids, they'll be dazzled and inspired by the underdog rising up and achieving a greater destiny. Formulaic and done before, but it's still worth a viewing.

The Heartbreak Kid Ben Stiller, Michelle Monaghan, Malin Akerman, Carlos Mencia, Robert Corddry
After years of bachelorhood and ample pressure from his father, Doc, and best friend Mac, Eddie Cantrow starts to wonder if he is being too picky about the women he meets. So when a chance encounter with an alluring blonde named Lila leads to a sweet romance, Eddie impulsively proposes. Eddie begins to realize he's made a terrible mistake. Soon after reaching their exotic Mexican hideaway, he falls for the down-to-earth Miranda, who has no clue he's on his honeymoon. Now Eddie has to find a way to extricate himself from his days-old marriage without losing the girl of his dreams.
R for strong sexual content, crude humor and language.
What I say:
Good gracious, another formulaic Ben Still comedy. The man is going to get hit in the face and groin. He'll break stuff, burn stuff and look pathetic. A likeable pathetic though. Odds are you have laughed at better Ben Stiller flicks. Wait till this hits the video store.

Feel the Noise Omari Grandberry, Giancarlo Esposito, Victor Rasuk, Charles Duckworth, James McCaffrey
After a run-in with local thugs, aspiring Harlem rapper Rob flees to a place and father he never knew, and finds his salvation in Reggaetón, Rob and his half-brother Javi are inspired to pursue their dream of becoming Reggaetón stars. Together with a dancer named C.C., they learn what it means to stay true to themselves and each other, all culminating in a performance at New York's Puerto Rican Day Parade.
PG-13 for sensuality and innuendos, violence, some drug use and language.
What I say:
Soon as I heard Omari was in it, my mind wandered to "Drumline", "Stomp the Yard" and "You Got Served". Movies trying to capitalize off the name value of popular recording artists mix with a subpar plot, bad acting, and music you can dance to. The performances are nice. Naturally, that is after all what they do for a livnig. When that stops and that acting starts, the cringing begins. Expect no less from this.

Michael Clayton  George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson, Tilda Swinton, Sydney Pollack, Pamela Gray
Michael Clayton is an in-house "fixer" at one of the largest corporate law firms in New York. Though burned out and hardly content with his job as a fixer, his divorce, a failed business venture and mounting debt have left Clayton inextricably tied to the firm. At U/North, meanwhile, the career of litigator Karen Crowder rests on the multi-million dollar settlement of a class action suit that Clayton's firm is leading to a seemingly successful conclusion. But when Kenner Bach's brilliant and guilt-ridden attorney Arthur Edens sabotages the U/North case, Clayton faces the biggest challenge of his career and his life
R for language including some sexual dialogue.
What I say:
Why is Victoria not getting this movie? Clooney in one of his finest performances, at least according to the buzz. When Clooney is on top of his game he is a must see actor. He's rarely made a bad film. (I pretend Batman & Robin does not exist). Seek out this movie wherever you can. It's going to be a good one.

Those are you heading out to your local video store to snatch up the new releases are in for a fright with the big screen adaptation of Stephen Kings’ “1408” starring John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson. While the name of Jackson on any movie, makes it instantly watchable, the movie is a good little thriller about Cusack tempting his fate learning the secrets of a certain hotel room.

“1408”

PG-13 for thematic material including disturbing sequences of violence and terror, frightening images and language

Rent it.

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Good gracious, what a horrid little movie. I had high hopes for this sequel. I was in the minority of comic book fans who actually liked the first movie and thought it was a good big budget try at the FF, I mean the only other alternative would be Roger Corman’s crappy DTV attempt on bootleg.

The sequel was said to stick closer to the vein of the comic book. The movie is family friendly, which is good and bad. Good because you can talk five-year-old Tommy to it, but bad because it feels so dumbed down. The gags are stupid, the dialogue is painful to watch. The FX are lax (Reed Richards’ dancing at his bachelor party in the movie was just bad bad bad FX work). The treatment of the looming threat of Galactus in the movie was beyond blasphemy for any comic book fan and just stupid in general for any mainstream movie goer.

“Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer”

PG for sequences of action violence, some mild language and innuendo

Burn it.

“Jindabyne” with Laura Linney and Gabriel Byrne in a drama based on Raymond Carver's short story "So Much Water So Close to Home," slipped by me. So I haven’t seen it. Byrne is usually great in movies so try a little drama along with you thrill for the night.

“Jindabyne”
R for disturbing images, language and some nudity
Try it.