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What an absolutely draining experience. As I left the theater, I felt so emotionally spent that I just stood in the theater lobby, no speaking, not thinking, just standing there. I wasn’t quite prepared for the ringer the Reign Over Me put me through. This is not to say it is a perfect film, it has its flaws, but it creates this vivid portrait of two men going through turning points in their lives, and helping each other find what it is they are looking for. The movie also gives us an Adam Sandler that I have never seen before. In short, this is a surprisingly moving, well acted film that is well worth your time.

I was a big fan of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles when they first appeared back in the 1980’s, and that carried through to the first live action film in 1990. Shortly thereafter, I grew out of the turtle phase and left such things behind me. I have now come full circle and have a growing nostalgia for such things from my youth. With the nostalgia kick, I was intrigued when I first learned of a new animated film, wary, but intrigued. The wariness was immediately eradicated when I saw the first teaser trailer showing the mean green machine in full computer generated glory, sprinting and jumping across the rooftops. Yes, that is what I’m talking about.

This is a very strong week, at least for me. There are plenty of films being released that will compete for your hard earned cash. There are even a number of films that I am not familiar with that are rather enticing. Of course, no week is complete without a stinker or two, and this week is no different. Whether you are looking for family films, tearjerkers, visionary drama, foreign majesty, or classic films, there is something for you. Just like every week, there is one that is standing tall, high above everyone else.

TMNT made a statement in its opening weekend, the mean green machine is back and ready to recapture its place in pop culture. Well, it may not have been that strong, but it did decidedly take the weekend’s top spot over from 300. The animated action film brought a new look Ninja Turtle to the fore, delivering more than this viewer was expecting. 300 held the top spot for two weeks, and while it did slip out of the top slot, it still pulled in a good chunk of change. It will be interesting to see if these two films have the legs to stick out as competition begins to get heavier.

This is a good example of what horror fans have to put up with. Horror fans all know about the good horror films that get everything firing on all cylinders, from acting, to story, to the all important scares. Horror fans all know about the bad horror films, the ones that are so inept that they wouldn’t scare a child and are plagued by a bad story and even worse acting. Then there are films such as The Hills Have Eyes II, which for my money does a lot of things right, but is tempered by the presence of some awful dialogue and acting. It has a story that we have seen before, but builds enough tension and delivers enough gore to keep us, or me at least, interested until the inevitable conclusion.

I’ll admit it: when I was six years old, my world revolved around the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Think about it - four overgrown turtles that are raised by a life-size rat that teaches them the way of the ninja…the possibilities are endless. I ate it up. The toys, clothes, movies, whatever - I had them all. As I have gotten older, I’ve revisited the movies and Saturday morning cartoon, and I’ve realized that this thing that I loved so much was so completely, and utterly stupid. Along comes TMNT to rub salt in the wounds.

There are a few things that you always need to have if you are going to make a decent American vigilante action movie. You must have a hero, filled to the brim with idealism and armed with a degree in kickin’ ass and taking names. You must also have at least one hot leading lady, and you earn bonus points for tastefully putting her in position to be half naked through most of the film. And finally, without question there must exist plenty of gunfights and explosions to keep the audiences entertained in between the afore mentioned partial nudity. These three elements never fail to give Average Joe Moviegoer his money’s worth.

Whoever said that celebrities move away and forget their roots has never met Halle Berry. A native of Cleveland, and one of the Lake Erie shore’s best exports, Berry has always looked back with a fond eye toward Cleveland’s culture, its people and its midwestern charm. So it is only fitting that on Thursday, when Ms. Berry returned to Cleveland for an exclusive premiere of her new flick Perfect Stranger, she was met with the warm roar of the crowd and some good ole C-town weather: rain.

The cineplex is under attack! The scene is grim, there are film cans scattered, bits of celluloid flutter about like leaves in the wind, and the people…

When a brother and sister discover a strange box they are unwittingly thrust into key roles in a story spanning centuries and wherein the future is at stake. Inside the box are several strange items, all of which prove to have magical properties, but for a purpose that they themselves must discover. Along the way, the two must overcome a government anti-terrorism unit which mistakes their activities for terrorist acts and find help from some unlikely places. The Last Mimzy, directed by Robert Shaye, is a movie aimed at children. But unlike the best of children’s movies, like E.T. and The Little Mermaid, this one is likely to fall flat with adults.

300 is an awe inspiring film. It is a film that forms a basis for myth and legend. Not intent on delivering a balanced historical recreation of the Battle of Thermopylae, the film plays out as a grand tale of battlefield glory. It is framed as an exaggerated tale, propaganda if you will, with the [...]

It’s been two weeks since that movie came out and the debate about it already seems too long for a simplistic, formulaic, war themed, bloody, gory epic based on a similarly toned graphic novel by the same name, based itself roughly on the main story of the battle of Thermopylae.

With I, Confess, Alfred Hitchcock set out to make one film that would reflect all of his feelings about his Catholic upbringing. The film is based on a 1902 play by Paul Anthelme, and you can tell. The story was probably outdated when Hitchcock made it in 1953, and time has only added to this fact. The film itself, however, is essential for die hard Hitchcock fans, and for fans of great acting.

About 90 miles northwest of Los Angeles is the city of Santa Barbara, California, which claims to be the American Riviera.

This week brings a decent selection of films to choose from. Whether you are looking for Oscar nominees, sequels, superheroes, old school comedy, televised drama, or splatter, there is plenty to go around.

When the remake of Wes Craven’s 1977 gore fest first hit the theaters, I wanted to see it, though I’m not quite sure as to why. But, after reading the critical reception (universal pans), I resigned that I probably wouldn’t after all. We’re only alive for so long, and there are so many [...]

Captain Jack, Will Turner, Elizabeth Sparrow and the whole gang are back! Check out the trailer!

Everyone seems to have a problem with 300 and its anti-Persian tone. Iran’s government is upset, Persians all over the world are upset, yet our own Neil Miller stands firm that it is “just a movie,” something that shouldn’t be taken so seriously.

Zodiac is part of the serial-killer sub genre, and the first thing it does it get the killer’s motivations out of the way by playing the Three Dog Night cover of “Easy to be Hard” over a Northern California Fourth of July:
How can people be so heartless?
How can people be so [...]

“Beware the stare of Mary Shaw
She had no children, only dolls
If you see her in your dream
Please be sure not to scream”
The minds that created the Saw phenomenon have re-teamed to try and forge another new direction in horror. Unfortunately, it is not so much a new direction as it is a mash up of [...]

Last week’s top two films continued to exert their dominance, successfully fending off the challenges of three new films entering the fray. Of course, the new films did not put up all that much of a fight. It would have taken all three combined to top 300.

Alfred Hitchcock’s The Man Who Knew Too Much is the only film of his that he remade. The original was released in 1934 to great success, and so was the 1956 version. Some critics still prefer the original, but personally, anytime Hitch and Jimmy Stewart teamed up they churned out a classic. [...]

We believe that our man Brian Gibson hates Alec Baldwin more than anyone in the world. After reading this, you will believe it too.

Something like eight years ago during the yearly Thessaloniki Film Festival, I remember sitting on the stairs of a crammed theater where people were lined up past the front row, laying on their backs with their jackets as pillows. All this fuss, just to watch the extra third screening of that movie “Pi” by a [...]

Have you ever heard of William Wilberforce? I hadn’t. This film is centered on a man I had never heard of. Maybe it is my ignorance of history, or perhaps the education system is to fault, as I do not recall this figure ever being mentioned in my years of classes. Whatever the case is, [...]

Chris Rock thinks he loves his wife. To top that, he also has the delusion that he has what it takes to make his fans love him for more than just being a comedian. He is under the impression that he is also a good writer and director, a thought that has him headed for [...]

In Premonition, Sandra Bullock plays an apathetic housewife whose world is turned upside down when she finds out that her husband has been killed in a terrible car accident. To make matters worse, she wakes up the next day to find out that the accident has not yet happened, that it was only a premonition. [...]

Over the next week or so, I’m going to be immersing myself in some of Alfred Hitchcock’s lesser known classics. I will review them as I go along, for a bit of a retrospective on a master filmmaker’s most underrated work. I decided to start with Marnie.
In 1964, Alfred Hitchcock was at [...]

The Pursuit of Happyness is the American debut of Italian director Gabriele Muccino (the original Last Kiss), and he’s proven that he’ll probably have a decent career in Hollywood, if he can continue to churn out more sugary tripe like this film. Based on a true story about a man named Chris Gardner, the [...]

Sandra Bullock is working her way into another genre, the romantic tragedy. Between this, and last year’s (superior) The Lake House, she is becoming the premiere leading lady in these unexplainable supernatural romantic tragedies. Whether or not that is a good thing is a separate issue altogether. This newest entry is one that left me [...]