The second chapter in the “Twilight” saga – “New Moon” is good, but not as good as the first chapter (“Twilight”).   Sorry to say it, but this franchise may have lost its charm and become too big… with too many hands in this project to come out the way fans and non-fans may be hoping for.

Lets get this out of the way right now — fans should SEE IT – you may only be a little disappointed.  MY WIFE LOVED IT but she had a few minor issues with this movie.  Non-fans should wait for the excitement to die down or WAIT TO  RENT…. or you may be doubly disappointed with fighting the crowds and seeing a less than stellar offering.   Let me tell you why, without spoilers….

  (My spoiler-free review)

By now, most of us know the story: teen girl (Bella) crushes on teen-looking vampire (Edward, who is actually 100+ years old).  Now with “New Moon”, this “Twilight” love gets the third leg in its triangle… as good friend Jacob (West Michigan native Taylor Lautner) starts to become more than just a good pal due to the circumstances of this chapter.

This growing love interest with Jacob adds to the themes of Love, Forbidden Love, Love Lost, Sacrifice, Tough Choices and more Forbidden Love…. and then more Tough Choices.

I guess Bella can’t catch a break.  First its Forbidden Love with a vampire and the whole teen anxst thing… now its on to another Forbidden/awkward level… why can’t she just date a normal guy… with no superpowers or immortality?  Because that would be boring.  And the references to Romeo and Juliet laid out early in this one wouldn’t make sense now would they?

But as this new chapter’s pieces all begin to unfold (and there are a lot of storylines to keep track of)…. its clear that not all is good for the happy couple… including Bella now worried about growing old like normal people.

The movie makes a clear distinction between Bella’s two love interests both in personality and physique… but its a labor going through the two hours she takes to come to a decision.   The visual journey isn’t easy either – with one close-up after another and tracking camera moves around Bella … its like a director with a budget and tools he never had before.

Most of those storylines do make sense in the end… but the journey through this love story/fantasy adventure is a lot of mushy, over-the-top moments that we know these good young actors can do better at… we saw it in some scenes here… but not in others. 

There’s more effects and long exhaustive camera movements with blaring music than actual character development.   More time is spent in the second half of the movie with the male leads removing their shirts and being objectified by Bella… than actually digging deeper into their characters… they are just moved along a storyline… in the same fashion and mostly the same acting as the first.  We expect more from a sequel since the main characters are established, we should be getting more into who they are and why.

Its good that all the effects support the story, and are not just done because the fillmakers have a bigger budget.    There are also nice little moments of humor – some only fans will get – that break up a lot of the tension and overall gloominess of the film.

West Michigan can be proud of Hudsonville native Taylor Lautner who does a good job with what he has to work with and succesfully pulls off the change in his character… Jacob is the only character that really gets much development this time around.   In “New Moon”, Lautner begins to seperate himself as a strong character and actor apart from his mopey screen companions that mostly do the same thing they did in “Twilight” – look young and inexperienced and unpolished… acceptable in the first movie… not this time around.

The supporting cast gets a little to work with including more for Ashley Greene’s “Alice” character… and respectable fare from Michael Sheen who plays a powerful vampire with limited screen time.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

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“The Men Who Stare at Goats” is a fun, tongue-in-cheek comedy with a cast of crazy and quirky characters.   Its a slick story filled with smiling sarcasm as the movie makes fun of itself while its telling the story.

For me it wasn’t too crazy or quirky, but it might be a little too much for some, which is why I’m giving the split suggestion: SEE IT if you saw the trailer, the poster, or a clip and thought it looked fun – you’ll probably enjoy it… but WAIT TO RENT if you haven’t heard of the movie/weren’t convinced it was worth your time at the theater… although you might like it.

(My spoiler-free review)

I know that some of those “critics” out there didn’t like this movie for whatever reason… but the more I think about it, the more I like this movie FOR WHAT IT WAS… not what you might have thought it was going to be or expected more from *before* seeing it.

This movie is plain and simply a funny and original story of a bunch of characters that you would think should be living on the Funny Farm if you met them in real life.  They are goofy, wierd, odd, crazy, and then you hear their story: they believe they are part of a special group of psychic spies.

Its okay, I didn’t spoil anything: you get that information early on.. or from the trailer… the cool thing is we, the audience, get to go along on this journey to discover the truth/absurdity of these claims with reporter Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor).  And I love the disclaimer at the beginning of the movie: “More of this is true than you would believe”… which says a lot and nothing at the same time - setting the tone early, so does the scene that follows.. and the next scene and the next.

The exchange between Bob and Lyn Cassady (George Clooney) in the hotel room in Kuwait after they first meet is great: a guy that doesn’t believe and is trying to seriously want to understand and a guy who is totally convinced of what he is saying… Lyn even admits that its crazy/mind blowing stuff.   Clooney is great in this role as the leading man of this dry comedy adventure plays like a buddy road trip movie with several fun scenes in the desert…and beyond.

Jeff Bridges is perfect as hippie unit leader Bill Django: a cross between the dude in “The Big Lebowksi” (1998) and a “Shawman” as Bob refers to him… seriously commited to his spiritual military work.

The other supporting cast are also solid, including Kevin Spacey as the renegade of the group and Stephen Root who first tells Bob about the group.   Overall, the guys in the unit are oddballs that only feel like they fit in when after they join this group.

The movie’s tongue is firmly placed in its cheek while making numerous Star Wars references:  (more…)

I’m not quite ready to call this a new classic, but Disney’s “A Christmas Carol” in 3D is magical and spooky, a faithful re-telling of the classic Dickens’ tale… with a few flaws.

This movie is rated PG and may be scary for younger kids… with the ghosts and spooky images.

(My review is of the 3D version, it contains very minor spoilers – unless you don’t know the basic storyline !!)

Jim Carrey is perfect as Ebenezer Scrooge… grumpy, grouchy, and cheap… a man so offensive, he’s even feared by the dog on the street.   Since the movie is animated that is a credit to both the animators and what Carrey can convey just through his voice.

With great looking animation that is closer to looking real, the story is more convincing, and the characters actually look a little like the actors voicing them.

The biggest challenge after the animation is to tell this story we’ve seen before and make it fresh… and Director/Writer Robert Zemeckis achieves just that, adding in tweaks and leaving the main pillars of the story alone.  Zemeckis tells the story of Scrooge in a slightly different way going back in time when his partner Jacob Marley passes away… the movie also lets a lot of the scenes breathe instead of moving on to the next scene… it allows the moment to be fully conveyed: from Scrooge’s disdain for charity to his terror of seeing his old partner as a ghost.

The movie also succeeds by spending plenty of time (but not too much) showing the audience how much of a grinch Scrooge is before his Christmas eve hauntings… as the story clearly shows his changing outlook during visit from 2nd spirit… and how he is convinced to seek redemption after the visit from the 3rd spirit.

So what was wrong?

I’m a Carrey fan, but his versatility (4 roles) is a little distracting… he nails them, but since he’s essentially talking to himself… it detracts from the experience.

Also, some of the dialogue is unintelligible – I couldn’t make out what the characters said a few times – between the heavy accents and the way they spoke… and the other noise in the scene… also distracting.

The movie balances between being a movie just being 3D for the sake of it (with things coming at you plus flying the camera around and through objects)… and using the 3D effects to tell the story, giving the audience a unique perspective.

THE BOTTOM LINE: (more…)

The HTC Touch Pro2

When I took the HTC Touch Pro2 out of the box that Verizon had sent me, the first thing that struck me was its amazingly large screen. Then, while still holding it in hand, I noticed its weight. It was heavy enough to do some damage if thrown. The 3.6-inch screen, with its stunning 480×800 resolution is made possible by the ginormous size, it measures 4.57″ (H) x 2.33″ (W) x 0.68″ (D) and weighs 6.4 ounces.

Comparing the weight to the iPhone’s 4.8 ounces and the Palm Pre’s 4.76 ounces, it’s a lot heavier. You may say 1.6 ounces isn’t all that much, but when it’s a full 33 percent heavier, I say that’s a lot. The Touch Pro2 isn’t as wide as Apple’s iPhone, but it’s extra thickness and height add to its bulk. When walking around with the phone in my pocket, it felt noticeable and not every phone is. Compared to the Palm Pre, the Touch Pro2 is wider, taller, thicker and heavier.

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 ”This Is It” IS the concert the world never got to see.

If you’re a fan of Michael Jackson and his death left you feeling empty and looking for a final performance from the King of Pop, ”This Is It” is an absolute must.

I’m giving three options here because if you were looking forward to this movie, see it, you probably won’t be disappointed… but if you’re just mildly curious, wait and enjoy it when it is released on DVD.
 

(Spoiler-free review)

The very personal look at the making of what was to be MJ’s final concert tour is well done, blending the songs and all the back stage footage as if we the audience were attending a concert, while on stage with the music legend.

“This Is It” is taken from more than 80 hours of rehearsal, soundchecks, and backstage footage over several months as MJ and his team of performers, musicians, and technical crew prepared for his planned shows in London.

The music documentary is riveting, showcasing MJ’s creative, inspiring professionalism.  Its an amazing final performance from MJ, who at 50 years old, looks very healthy and energetic… showing he’s still got the moves and the vocals.

But its also a very personal look at how MJ conducts business with loving determination, pushing the performers and technicians to make it the best show for the audience.   While he’s surrounded himself with some of the best talent in the world, he is still carefully and calmly teaching and leading them with a caring hand to help them shine.   MJ is very hands on, which gains him respect amoung the crew.. but he is the creative force when its all said and done.

Its interesting to see the 50-year-old MJ dancing with and setting the pace for dancers and musicians 20-25 years younger… and watching them try to keep up, while he is just in warm up and rehearsal mode.  Its amazing to think what this concert and MJ would have been like in full speed “live” mode.   The dancers are the supporting cast – as the documentary points out, the dancers are “an extension of Michael” – they even go through regular pillates, ballet, and choreography for the famous ‘grab’ to keep their skills sharp.

As you can imagine, the movie, like a concert, moves from one song to another through different devices like sounchecks, lighting, and choreography.   The song list includes “Beat It”, “Black or White”, “Jam”, “Billie Jean”, “The Way You Make Me Feel”.  Like a throwback to his classic music videos, new scenes were shot for the intro of “Thriller”… and for “Smooth Criminal”, MJ is put into a scene from the 1946 movie “Gilda” to set up the whole gangster motif.   Later, in “Man in the Mirror”, he’s singing with vocalists who grew up singing the song.

He’s a man with a message too – “This Is It” also captures MJ’s environmental concerns that he put into his songs and was planning for the London shows.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

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I have said this before, I am not a fan of horror movies… but I do like horror movies that are well done… and this one is well done.  “Paranormal Activity” passes my test: does it give me chills just thinking about it – the answer here is an emphatic YES.   Horror movies are meant to scare the audience, so this also passes my second horror movie test: is it hokey, corny, or so bad that I am not scared by it – and the answer is no.  “Paranormal Activity” seeps into your memory… and doesn’t let go.

This is probably obvious since its scary enough to give adults nightmares, but I would not recommend taking kids to this movie.

A viral marketing push got Paramount to release the small budget “Paranormal Activity” to theaters nationwide after some very good early screenings.

 (My spoiler-free review)

“Paranormal Activity” is chilling and unnerving, it makes going to sleep a nightmare.

Set in the very real believable world of one couple’s home, this movie succeeds with an increasing level of scare, offset by frequent moments of comedic relief that break up the rising tension created by the paranormal events going on in the house and the growing uneasiness in the couple’s relationship.

There are only really four characters in this movie, the guy Micah (pronounced mee-kah) and his girlfriend Katie, a psychic (Mark Fredrichs), and Katie’s friend.  Ohh, and don’t forget the character that is haunting their home… a very well developed character… one of the more menacing evils of the horror movies I’ve seen given the lack of real screentime.

Micah and Katie give very real, very convincing performances, which is important because the more this movie feels real, the more terrifying it is that it could be happening… much like “The Blair Witch Project” (1999)… but this movie is better than that because of its setting, completely limited to the couple’s home. (more…)

“Where The Wild Things Are” is a great fantasy adventure, director Spike Jonze delivers an incredible world of fantasy focused on Max, a boy with a lot of energy and no friends… who falls into place in the world of the wild things.

While its based on Maurice Sendak’s children’s book, the movie may not be good for young children, as the monsters are very big, real, and scary… a credit to the filmmakers that the wild things were so believable, because if they weren’t this movie would have been hard to watch.

  (My spoiler-free review)

12 year old Max Records delivers a great performance as Max, a wild child with no friends and not even his mom will put up with him because he’s out of control.

Max is great as the crazy little monster who makes his way to an imaginative world, where being a rambunctious tall tale teller is acceptable.   The movie is dependent on the success of Max’s performance and its the best child performance of the year.

Jonze creates a very real fantastical world with convincing characters of Carol, Ida, Judith, K.W., and others… its easy to follow and fun to be immersed in.   The message is pretty clear, that Max needs to grow up and being such a problem child, but its encased in a fun story in a world of make believe.

If nothing else, the costumes in “Where The Wild Things Are” should put the movie up for an Oscar nomination this year.

THE BOTTOM LINE:  (more…)

Strong performances from Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx makes this thriller about a widowed husband turned vigilante top notch.

But I’ll warn parents: this movie earns its ‘R’ rating early and often with some brutal violence… its not for kids.

(My spoiler-free review)

From F. Gary Gray, director of some hits (”The Italian Job”, “The Negotiator”) and misses (”Be Cool”, “A Man Apart”)… comes a great thriller that challenges the justice system as a vigilante blurs the line between justice and vengeance.

After an attack on his wife and daughter that he’s forced to watch and one of the suspects get a lighter conviction after a deal, Clyde (Butler) thinks that he’s dealing with an impotent legal system, and that his wife and daughter were denied justice, he decides to go after the suspects… and the system.

Nick (Foxx) is the up-and-coming Prosecutor trying to protect his 96% conviction rate so he can become the Assistant District Attorney … he makes the deal in Clyde’s case that becomes the most frustrating mistake of his career.

In an ironic perversion of justice for the audience, you find yourself rooting for the bad guy, but are then challenged by a character who may be taking his message too far. (more…)

 ”Couples Retreat” is an all-inclusive laugh vacation, a comedic retreat with Vince Vaughn and Jason Bateman at the top of their funnyman game.

A warning though, while there is no frontal nudity, there are a lot of sexual references and innuendos that may not be appropriate for younger audiences.

Another warning, if you see this movie with your wife/girlfriend/date, you may end up discussing any “problems” or “issues” in your relationship.
 

(My spoiler free review)

The sights in Bora Bora are amazing, the cast is really good, and the script is well-written… but as I’ve wrote before, for me the greatness of this movie may be a victim of its marketing campaign – some of the funniest moments are in the trailers and tv spots.

Don’t get me wrong, this movie is funny, and most audiences will be hearing and seeing these jokes for the first time, but there are some jokes that are also predictable… its a good thing this movie also has a story like “The Hangover” and is not just a series of jokes and pranks, but unlike “The Hangover” this movie doesn’t really surprise or create something we haven’t seen before in other comedies.

Vaughn, Bateman, John Favreau, Faizon Love, Malin Ackerman, Kristen Bell, Kristin Davis and the rest of the cast are great… everyone creates a memorable character and the movie delivers a ton of one-liners.

The movie does entertain and does make you laugh, but its not my favorite comedy of the year, it could make my top five… we’ll see with 4 months left… its on the bubble.

FYI – While there are no bloopers during creditrs like some comedies, there is a short scene at the end of the credits.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

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“Surrogates” is a sci-fi overload with a futuristic society turned robotic and high-tech, but a little predictable.

A mish-mash of previous sci-fi fantasy movies, with robots, science, and technology… ”Surrogates” confronts issues of technology replacing human interaction with the world.   Its a little heavy-handed and obvious, but also entertaining.
 

(My spoiler-free review)

Set in the near future, humans plug into robots of their likeness – the result is lower crime crates, no racism, fewer diseases, etc. but there’s a growing resistance to the technology that have made things even more perilous than before.

The filmmakers play their message (whether intended or coincidental) with a very slick package of effects and technology while drawing a very clear line between the surrogates and the real people they represent.   The surrogates are very healthy looking and vibrant, basically perfect, albeit plastic while the real people they resemble are older and sickly and flawed.

Bruce Willis is FBI Agent Tom Greer, who is investigating the first homicide in years, and as he investigates outside of his surrogate, he falls further down the proverbial the rabbit hole of this fantasy.

James Cromwell is good as the creator of the surrogates (a similiar role to his character in “I, Robot” (2004), Rosamund Pike brings some believability to the role of Greer’s wife, and Ving Rhames is good as the leader of the resistance, but while the other actors do well to appear robotic – the roles lack any true heart that makes you care about what happens to them… and caring about all the characters becomes critical to the climatic point of the movie… which is undercut by this lack of connection and caring with the audience.

The movie accomplishes a lot in a short period of time… a futuristic society that is different from ours in many ways, plus a resistance group that opposes this futuristic way of life.      But it also creates more questions in the end: if there are non-surrogate robots (like we see at FBI) to do mediocre jobs and everyone is perfect, why are people still doing those jobs and if the real people never come out of their rooms into the real world… how are their homes so spotless?

THE BOTTOM LINE:

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