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See Dick Run.

Meet the Harpers. They live in a big house in suburban LA, are about to get a hot tub set up in their back garden, have a cute kid by the name of Billy, a dog and a Mexican cleaning lady. Jane (Tea Leoni) works at a travel agency but Dick (Jim Carrey) who works at Globodyne (basically an Enron-like corporation) brings home the big bucks. When Dick is made VP (Vice President) of Globodyne, Jane quits her job and plans refurbishing their entire home. Unfortunately, though, Dick learns in a live TV show that he has been set up by Globodyne’s CEO Jack McCallister (Alec Baldwin) and made the scapegoat for the company’s bankruptcy. Soon the Harper’s learn that getting a job when you desperately need one has a lot in common with the bull races in Pamplona, that your lawn can indeed be repossessed and that you can pay your Mexican cleaning lady in household appliances. So much for the American Dream and that hot tub.

This comic redo of the 1977 original starring Jane Fonda and George Segal is unfortunately disappointing. Even though Jim Carrey’s rubber face gets its fair share of laughs some other things simply don’t. The disasters like Enron or Worldcom that struck corporate America still stick with people’s minds and may not yet be ready to be made fun of. When Jane Harper proposes to get up early in order to eat at the local soup kitchen, we are inevitably reminded of those whose lives were not graced with a happy end. Fortunately, the movie does not stop there and takes things to a level of absolute absurdity and emphasizes its comic and benevolent caricature-esque nature. The cast does a relatively good job even though it is notoriously difficult to star opposite Jim Carrey. Previous flicks have shown us that he is quite the scene-stealer and he is nearly ubiquitous in this one, which is either a good or a bad thing depending on your taste. There is however one hilarious elevator scene in which Carrey gives us his interpretation of the song ‘I Believe I Can Fly’. It’s great but not enough though to save this mediocre rehash.

Fun with Dick and Jane is rated PG-13. Dick waves a gun around several times.

Hundreds of years ago Alexander Corvinus (Derek Jacobi) gave ‘birth’ to twin brothers, Marcus (Tony Curran) the very first vampire and his nemesis William the very first lycan (a werewolf-like creature). Over the centuries a terrible war has raged between vampires and lycans with no end in sight. Underworld: Evolution immediately picks up where the original left us a couple of years ago. Selene (Kate Beckinsale) is hunted down by Marcus who is on a quest to free his imprisoned brother and create the ultimate race. Since Selene’s family has built Marcus’s prison but also has been killed by treacherous vampire Victor in part one, Selene is the last one to know Marcus’s whereabouts. In the end, it all comes down to the inevitable and rather gory showdown that already prepares the way for the franchise’s third (and final?) installment.

2003’s sleeper hit Underworld had everything Gothic fans could wish for. This second chapter is very similar in tone but even though the budget seems to have been bigger this time around it didn’t work in favor for the plot nor the acting. Kate Beckinsale (who by the way was nominated sixth most boring person in her college) still does an okay job and director Len Wiseman (who’s also Beckinsale’s hubby) makes sure that she looks absolutely stunning in each frame, but it is above all the supporting cast’s performances which have too much in common with a fifth-grade school play. However, this kind of movie is usually not rated in terms of its acting but rather in terms of its action, suspense and gore. Now even tough the latter comes in gallons and action-fans will be served their share of guts, bullets and slow-mo, the slaying of lycans, über-vampires &co. becomes really repetitive and predictable. And then there is the annoying use of computer animated blood and the tiring unoriginality of the battle and death scenes. If you thought that the bodacious Beckinsale kicking ass in a little shiny black jumpsuit and a sex scene would be enough to make this an instant classic, think again.
P.S. Be reassured, we won’t judge you if you see the movie nonetheless. (1.5 out of 4 bloodsuckers)

Underworld: Evolution is rated R for virtually enhanced blood and gore, medically enhanced boobs and fucks (that is as an utterance as well as an action).

When producer Max Bialystock’s (Nathan Lane) latest play is smashed by the critics as well as the audience, he is in need of a plan that pays off big. When his accountant Leo Bloom (Matthew Broderick) tells him that under the right circumstances ‘a producer could make more money with a flop than he could with a hit’, Bialystock is bound to try this theory out in practice. Bloom and Bialystock then begin their search for the worst play ever written and soon discover Franz Liebkind’s (Will Ferrell) Springtime for Hitler. After some unconventional negotiations with the playwright, the production of the play is given a go and ensues Bialystock raising money by wooing and bedding 85-year-old grandma’s, hiring a hot aspiring Swedish actress (Uma Thurman) as his secretary and casting the playwright himself as the one and only Adolf Hitler.

From the twisted mind of Mel Brooks comes this redo of the original 1968 movie and musical that is bound to ‘offend people of all races.’ Susan Stroman (yes there are female directors) helms this time around and brings us a hilarious adaptation with probably the most unconventional themes ever used in theatre and musical. The casting of Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Uma Thurman and the always side-splitting Will Ferrell (alright let’s erase Bewitched from our minds) was an act of genius. The songs and tunes could have been catchier but the lyrics more than make up for that. You should however be warned; if you don’t like the characters breaking out into songs every ten minutes or so go and watch something else. If however you are a Mel Brooks fan and like your musicals and can’t make it to New York or London’s West End where it is currently played on stage, you should definitely have a go even though it’s not yet springtime. Oh, and please leave your inhibitions at the popcorn stand.

A great product! (3 out of 4 broad ways)

Welcome to the suck.

Based on former marine Anthony Swofford’s best-selling 2003 book about his pre-Desert Storm experiences in Saudi Arabia and starring Jake Gyllenhaal as the leading man, Jarhead tells the story of a young Camus-reading guy who got lost on his way to college and ended up in the United States Marine Corps. Jarhead accompanies Swofford and his comrades from the excruciating drills endured in boot camp to them being stationed in the Gulf where they have to maintain a ‘constant state of suspicious alertness’ for 6 months during which they practice, hydrate, party, booze and masturbate a lot before eventually the war breaks out and staff sergeant Sykes (academy award winner Jamie Foxx) designates the Marines ‘the righteous hammer of God’ against Saddam Hussein. With the launch of operation Desert Storm all hell breaks loose and the atrocities of war hit the marines full circle. But for Swofford who hasn’t fired off a single gunshot during the whole war it all ends without any satisfaction.

American Beauty director Sam Mendez and Donnie Darko lead Jake Gyllenhaal unite in this absolutely stunning movie. Mendez managed to direct a brilliant, rough and comic war movie that creates a unique atmosphere. For Gyllenhaal’s character, being a marine is not a career but rather a chapter in his life he has to endure. Even though Swafford is happy to serve his country and also more than willing to kill an Iraqi or two he doesn’t seem to make any kinds of judgments of what is going on right in front of his eyes. The movie’s nonchalance, indifference and unorthodoxy make this more than your average war movie. Jarhead is relevant, tries to make a point and plays with the notion of patriotism. Unfortunately, there are some minor flaws that slightly spoil an otherwise excellent picture such as a pop-heavy score that does not always hit the right tone and could generate misleading interpretations as well as the depiction of a rather stereotyped testosterone-fueled military life full of f-words, six-packs and male nudity. Nevertheless, it’s awards season (look out for Brokeback Mountain, All the King’s Men and Memoirs of a Geisha) and Jarhead as well as its brilliant cast should stick with you when nominating your year’s favorites.

Indulge in this beautiful hell. (3.5 out of 4 great dictators)
Rated R for pervasive language, some violent images and strong sexual content.

It’s a heck of a place to find yourself.

There are days in your life when everything seems to slip away. For Drew Baylor (Orlando Bloom) this is one of those days. When he gets sacked and publicly scrutinized for ruining a major American shoe label all on his own, he contemplates stabbing himself to death by getting on a self-made death-machine (i.e. a home trainer sporting tempting looking knives). Fortunately enough a phone call from his sister, saying that their father has passed away, interrupts Drew’s suicide ritual and forces him to represent the family at his father’s funeral. Convinced to get back on that bike the moment he returns, he embarks on a journey that holds more in store for him than he could ever have imagined. His trip to Elizabethtown, Kentucky, along with the acquaintances he makes (e.g. Kirsten Dunst), becomes a self-finding, life-fulfilling expedition reminding him of the very things that make us human.

Cameron Crowe wrote and directed this slightly overlong picture that doesn’t really fit into a category. If, however, you are desperate to stick some kind of label to it, it probably might best be described as a take on the pitch-black dramatic romantic comedy. Unlike Crowe’s previous flicks though (e.g. Vanilla Sky starring the always cheerful couch-hopping Tom Cruise), Elizabethtown seems to be less ambitious but still works extremely well most of all due to an excellent script and praise-worthy performances by the actors. Orlando Bloom who was never really able to show his acting skills (in all fairness, how could you in an elf costume??) does a decent job to portray the young troubled suicidal gentleman and so does Kirsten Dunst as an overzealous stewardess (even though I fear that she might end up being type-casted over and over again). The bottom line is that this is an extremely entertaining piece featuring an overwhelmingly prominent soundtrack that makes you want to download, I mean buy it immediately.

Everyone gets lucky in Kentucky. (3 out of 4 partial cremations)

Oh Yes, There Will Be Blood

When the corpse of a young man is found and a piece of flesh in the form of a jigsaw is missing on his shoulder, Detective Matthews (Donnie Wahlberg) soon realizes that an infamous psychopathic serial killer (Tobin Bell) is about to play his game one more time. When hidden evidence points to the killer’s lair, a race against time ensues. While detective Matthews and S.W.A.T teams try to locate and apprehend the sadistic psychopath, eight people (among them Matthew’s son) are breathing in a deadly nerve agent somewhere across town and become puppets in the Jigsaw’s sick game. Being told that there are several antidotes scattered around the house, the prisoners will have to solve vicious riddles and avoid deathtraps that have been set up by the killer. Once tension has built up between the eight strangers the fight for survival has begun, and obviously only the fittest will survive.

After last year’s sleeper-hit Saw, it was only a matter of time until the second installment would hit theaters but nobody expected it to be so soon. Nonetheless, we are not given the impression that this movie has been rushed since Saw II features a well thought-out script that tries to tamper with your mind. Just like its predecessor, Saw II is an at-the-edge-of-your-seat experience that requires a strong stomach and may even repel some cinema-goers. Like so many sequels before, this second installment tries to push the boundaries while upping the ante at absurdum. Saw II fortunately manages to stop just before the ridiculous. The gore level has of course been taken to a whole different level but leaves you disturbed rather than amused. The question is however, whether showing the most repelling things man is capable of, is a working concept in today’s culture and entertainment industry. That being said, Saw II is by no means a bad movie; it is actually a welcome change from the teeny-horror movies that had been unleashed in the 90’s. If you look closely, the movie might even teach some kind of lesson, you know, somewhere between all those limbs and brain matter.

Unfortunately, though, if you already saw Saw, you pretty much already saw Saw II and I am taking a wild guess here but I believe this is not the last time we saw the Jigsaw in Saw. (2 out of 4 buckets of the red stuff)

I am a bounty hunter.

Her name is Domino Harvey and she is a bounty hunter. Based on a (sort of) true story, Domino, being held in custody by the FBI (Lucy Liu), recaptures the latest coup of the bounty hunter trio (Keira Knightley, Mickey Rourke and Edgar Ramirez) that has gone awfully wrong. Ending up with 10 million dollars belonging to the mob, they are in need of a well laid out plan in order to return the cash to its ‘rightful’ owner while not being shot in the process. In between, flashbacks tell us how such a delicate little thing like Domino became a bounty hunter in the first place and how she was not meant to live in that 90210 world her mother fancied so much. In search of a job she comes across Ed and Choco, apparently the most legendary bounty hunters in all of Los Angeles, and joins them for a little bit of fun. What followed was indeed a fun if chaotic life full of shotguns, flying bullets and the occasional lap dance.

After yet another version of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Keira Knightley stars and excels in Tony Scott’s latest work. Knightley is great in the role of the delicate yet extremely tough and determined girl and surprises with a certain sex appeal that never really showed before. The rest of the cast are similarly great even though it is shame that some characters remain underdeveloped and as a result stars like Christopher Walken or Mena Suvari don’t get nearly as much screen time as they would have deserved. Just like Domino’s life, the movie feels sometimes overloaded, too chaotic and confusing, above all because the movie sometimes rewinds and revisits a passed event just to tell us that it happened in a completely different way than we were initially led to believe. Apart from that, the handheld-like camera work and oversaturated colors are nice effects (and make an allusion to the reality TV show that follows the bounty hunters on their daily pursuits) but grow increasingly tiresome half-way through the movie. Nevertheless, Domino remains a fun, kind of factual piece of fiction with great music, great cast and great expectations. (2.5 out of 4 pizzas)

Everyone has something to hide.

Middleton, Indiana, is your average ordinary small town and Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen), working at a dinner and being the father of two, is your average ordinary guy. Nothing much ever happens in Middleton, Indiana, except for one day when two strangers enter Tom’s diner and threaten to kill and rape two of his coworkers, Tom has to act fast. Shooting both intruders and thereby saving his friends’ lives brings him overnight stardom. Journalists show up at his house, newspapers put Tom on their front page and so he suddenly becomes Middleton’s very own hero. Unfortunately, Tom’s sudden fame also attracts the Philadelphian mob (Ed Harris among others) to Middleton and he soon finds himself and his family threatened by the guys in black. In an attempt to save his family Tom needs to turn his back on the ones he loves and face his past one last time.

Director David Cronenberg’s (Spider) adaptation of the History of Violence graphic novel is probably one of his best films to date. Given that the plot is somewhat simplistic and predictable it is nevertheless extremely gripping to see how the different events unfold. Apart from Viggo Mortensen in the lead role it is above all the supporting cast that needs to be praised for their outstanding performances. Ed Harris and William Hurt are both scene-stealers in this provocative piece that attempts to point out and visualize violence in all of its forms. Behind A History of Violence lies a cautionary tale that proves that violence is part
of the human being and human life and can never entirely be surrendered. This fact is demonstrated in a plethora of violent and extremely bloody shootouts as well as language, sex and domestic life in general. Despite its roots in the graphic novel and its slightly ironic tone, A History of Violence remains a thought-provoking piece of R-rated fiction that is obviously not for the faint of heart.

A history of the human condition. (2.5 out of 4 spools of barbwire)

He Sells Guns… And He’s Making A Killing.

Nicolas Cage plays Yuri Orlov, one of the world’s biggest arms dealers, who claims to have supplied every army but the Salvation Army. Apparently being based on true events, the narrative tells us how Yuri became such a prominent figure in the trafficking of firearms, starting with his family’s exodus from the Ukraine, going over to the cold war, the end of the cold war and concluding with his temporary apprehension in 2003. Between making deals with the world’s biggest warlords he woos the beautiful Ukrainian model (Bridget Moynahan), founds a family, takes his brother (Jared Leto) into rehab, outsmarts the FBI (Ethan Hawke) which is constantly tracking him and avoids being shot with his own merchandise. Ultimately not everything works out quite the way Yuri would have liked it to, but somehow he always manages to get away with just a scratch. He won’t quit doing what he does, because he is good at it.

The movie clocks in at about 2 hours of running time during which you have not only been bombarded with constant gunfire but also with an insane amount of trivia tidbits about the arms industry. Lord of War sometimes feels too artificial and makes you think you are watching some kind of over edited and overproduced documentary that is not entirely honest with itself. Nevertheless, it is an uncompromising portrait of an extremely successful and determined man who was also a moral asshole and never short of a cool thing to say. This, however, makes it quite difficult for the audience to feel any compassion for the main character as the movie unfolds. Moreover, if you are not particularly fond of Mr. Cage it should be pointed out that he achieves nearly omnipresence in his latest work. Even when he is not physically on screen, he still remains the narrator of the story and can be heard in the voice-over. Despite some major flaws, Lord of War is still worth a look because of its ethically challenging premise, nice visuals, an original credit sequence and great lines worth quoting. Where there is a will there is a weapon. (2.5 out of 4 ghosts in the shell)

You think you know who you are. You have no idea.

Set in the city of angels, Crash tells the stories of a dozen or so random Angelinos. The movie opens and concludes with the murder of a young black man and thereby functions as the frame story of the movie. In between we are shown what happened the day before in the lives of several individuals as well as the events that ultimately led to the killing of that young man. Police detectives (Don Cheadle; Jenifer Esposito) are taking bribes, police officers (Ryan Philippe; Matt Dillon) go on patrol, the well-off (Sandra Bullock) commandeer their Mexican cleaning lady, attorneys (Brendan Fraser) go to court and gang-bangers (e.g. Ludacris) carjack SUVs. In other words, everybody follows their everyday routine. But of course nothing ever happens as you think it would. People meet, tension builds up and anger, fear and frustration are released. And sometimes, people are killed in the process.

After a long period of Hollywood’s notorious summer big bang madness, Crash, directed by Paul Haggis who also wrote the screenplay for Eastwood’s Million Dollar Baby, is a welcome low-budget ($6.5 million) independent production. Nevertheless, the movie shows off a killer cast with many members giving remarkable performances. Crash, deliberately and heavily relying on stereotypes, builds up realistic scenarios and portrays humans for what they really are. The movie’s cross-cultural collisions bring out the prejudices in these Angelinos and show us what we are too afraid to admit. Crash, being a movie with a serious message is obviously not always easy to watch but probably ranks amongst the best films of the year. The score is highly moving, the presentation is genius with great dialogues and thought-provoking lines (’we crash into each other just so we can feel something’) and L.A. has never looked grittier before.

A daring crash course on human interactions. (3 out of 4 melting pots)