One Day

My View:  One Day   Emma (Anne Hathaway) and Dexter (Jim Sturgess) meet on the day they graduate college and spend the night together. They each go their separate ways, but they stay in touch. They have different career paths; he becomes a successful, late night TV host, but she can’t seem to find her way.  She continues to pine for Dex to the excessive point where you just want smack her in the head and say “Get it together.  He’s not worth it.”  That’s the biggest problem with this film.  You can (though it’s hard) accept that he doesn’t see how beautiful she is (Hathaway doesn’t play frumpy very well), and you can ignore her bad English accent, but you can’t ignore how much of an asshole he is!  And, that is why, throughout the film, you question (and can’t believe) why she loves him so much.  I won’t ruin the ending for you, but man is it frustrating.  Here’s hoping that “One Day” Anne Hathaway finds a good romantic film.   My Rating:  Cable   One Day Website

The 50 (a movie from my best/worst film of all time)

#36 Worst Film:

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band  (1978) This is one of those films that, when you’re watching it, your jaw drops and you just can’t believe what you’re seeing.  You almost expect your eyes and ears to bleed.  It’s that bad.  The idea behind this film was to tell the story, by using the songs of The Beatles, of a small town band that deals with the fame and corruption of the music business.  It stars The Bee Gees and Peter Frampton as the band members, with an extra “all-star cast” performing the other musical numbers.  Are you ready for an 80 year-old George Burns doing “Fixing A Hole?”  Frampton has to be one of the least charismatic leading men of all time, delivering his songs as if he’s auditioning for the chorus of Donny and Marie.  Legendary Beatles producer, George Martin, should be forced to give back all the royalties he made for creating this wreck of a film.   Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Info

Forgotten Film:   Sounder (1972)   This four-time Academy nominated film tells the story of a Black sharecropper family in the depression era south and their son who is forced to become a man before his time.  Paul Winfield, as the father, is convicted of a petty crime and sent way to a prison camp.  His family has to keep the farm alive in his absence.  This burden falls on the mother, played by the incredible Cicely Tyson, and on the oldest son, played by Kevin Hooks.  The son is eventually sent to find his father and experiences amazing adventures on his journey.  A moving film that uses strong performances from its cast and a brilliant soundtrack from bluesman, Taj Mahal, to create an emotional and touching story of family, struggle and perseverance.   Sounder Info

In Case You Missed it (A Film Just Released on DVD): 

Win Win (2011)   Paul Giamatti is a small town lawyer struggling to keeps his practice open and supplements his income by moonlighting as a high school wrestling coach. A troubled teenager (played by Alex Shaffer) shows up at an elderly client’s doorstep and, through a series of events, Giamatti and his family take him in.  Things start unraveling when the teen’s mother comes to town.  If you liked Little Miss Sunshine and Juno, then you should see this warm and touching film.  My Rating:  Full Price   Win Win Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I’ve Only Seen in Trailers but Just Looks Like a Bad Idea): 

The Thing (2011)   A remake or is it a prequel to the 1982 John Carpenter film of the same name?  At an Antarctica research site, an alien craft is discovered, and then people start dying.   Can’t scientists learn that it’s not wise to drill into an alien craft, especially if you are out in the middle of nowhere?  And, it’s never a good sign when you see the trailer, and you don’t recognize any of the actors other than the girl from Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.   The Thing Website

Weird Credits:   From the credits of Fright Night (2011):  Jerry’s Vampire Vocals

Flictionary (a definition of a film term):  Foley Artist:  The person who creates many of the ambient noises in a film, such as footsteps or glass breaking.  Foley, the effects-making process, is done in a recording studio, and various, unrealized props are used to re-create the sounds you hear (and maybe take for granted) in a film.

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  50/50   Adam (played by Inception’s Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a writer at a radio station who finds out he has cancer with only a 50/50 chance at survival.  His girlfriend (played by Bryce Dallas Howard) and his best friend (played by funnyman Seth Rogen) rally around him for support, but he doesn’t really come to grips with what he is dealing with until he meets a woman (played by Anna Kendrick) who is training to become a therapist.   50/50 Website

Until Next Time!

30 Minutes or Less

My View:  30 Minutes or Less:  Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network) is a pizza delivery guy who is kidnapped, gets a bomb strapped to his chest and is told he has ten hours to rob a bank, or it’s boom. He enlists his best friend, Chet (played by Aziz Ansari) to help him rob the bank, but things just don’t go right for the pair.  This is a comedy that has quite a bit of action and violence and, as with most recent films, goes for the cheap, crude joke.  I was disappointed that Eisenberg would stoop to do a film this bad as he has done some funny stuff in the past (Advertureland and Zombieland). With this film, the pizza was late, it wasn't what we ordered and it was cold. By the way, if you stay to the end of the film, you may want to hang through the credits as there is some bonus footage, but…why would you…stay?   My rating:  You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again   30 Minutes or Less Website

The 50 (a movie from my best/worst film of all time)

#37 Best Film

Kings Row  (1942)  Ronald Reagan and Robert Cummings play two young men growing up in a small town during the turn of the twentieth century.  Cummings is an idealistic man who is studying to be a doctor; Reagan is a carefree guy who is rich and enjoys being single.  There are troubles in this seemingly perfect community, and the two are forced to make choices in their lives that will affect their friendships and the lives of others.  Master cinematographer, James Wong Howe, does an incredible job of lighting this B&W masterpiece, and Reagan gives the performance of his lifetime.   Kings Row Info

Forgotten Film:  The Accidental Tourist  (1988)  After suffering through the accidental death of his son and his crumbling marriage, William Hurt plays a travel book writer who is just trying to make it through another day.  One day, he takes his dog to a dog trainer and meets a woman that changes his outlook on life.  Hurt gives a brilliant performance as the downtrodden writer, but it’s Geena Davis, as the single mom dog trainer, who steals this movie.   The Accidental Tourist Info

In Case You Missed it (A Film Just Released on DVD):  The Conspirator (2011)  Robert Redford directed this true story of trial of the mother (played by Robin Wright) of one of the conspirators of President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination.  A young lawyer (played by James McAcoy) comes to her aid as the government stream rolls the case against her.  Wright’s performance is worth seeing when she plays a mother who is willing to die for her son.  My Rating:  Cable   The Conspirator Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I’ve Only Seen in Trailers but Just Looks Like a Bad Idea):  The Sitter  Jonah Hill is a suspended college student who is forced to take a babysitting job.  In a rip–off of a much loved Adventures in Babysitting(1987), Hill takes the three kids he’s babysitting on a night of bar-hopping while trying to avoid drug dealers.  Man, does he know how to treat kids to an adventurous night.   The Sitter Info

Weird Credits:   From the credits of The Devil’s Double (2011):  Tax Shelter Financing

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Contagion  This thriller is about a team of doctors who try to halt the rapid expansion of a deadly outbreak of an unknown virus that has the potential to kill half the world in only months.  The all-star lineup is the attraction of this film with a headliner cast of Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow.   Contagion Info

Until Next Time!

The Help

My View:  The Help   Emma Stone plays Skeeter Phelan, a recent college graduate who returns home in 1962 to Montgomery,  Mississippi to work for the local paper.  She befriends two maids (played by Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer) and decides to write a tell-all book about their lives, working in the world of the privileged.  This is a touching movie.  While Stone and Bryce Dallas Howard (who plays the queen bee of the society ladies) are entertaining to watch, the heart of this film is the moving performances by Spencer and especially Viola Davis, whom, I predict, will be in the nominee mix for a supporting actress Oscar nod.  When I saw this film, the audience, rightly so, clapped at the end.  My Rating:  I Would Pay to See it Again   The Help Website

The 50 (a movie from my best/worst films of all time)

#37 Worst Film:

Neighbors  (1981)  John Belushi is Earl, a mild-mannered middle class husband with a wife and kid, living the quiet life in suburbia.  It all changes when loud-mouthed Vic (Dan Aykroyd) moves next door with his wife, Ramona (played by Cathy Moriarty). While Aykroyd is fun to watch as the out-of-control character who creates a hellish world for his neighbors, Belushi appears as though he just wants out of this picture.  He apparently was so unhappy with the direction, he spent much of the shooting schedule drunk. Director, John Avildsen, seems to never decide if he is making a sit-com or a black comedy, and the film never settles into anything watchable.  Watching this film will make you want to sing the blues.   Neighbors Info

Forgotten Film:  The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings  (1976)  Billy Dee Williams plays a pitcher in the 1930’s, who acts out against the team owner, leaves the team and convinces other all star caliber players to join him on an All-Star team to barnstorm the Midwest.  The cast of players include James Earl Jones and a young Richard Pryor, who is very funny as a player who is always trying to figure out a way he can break into the big leagues.  This is a comical, well written film that showcases a long-forgotten segment of American history.   Bingo Long Info

In Case You Missed it (A Film Just Released on DVD):  Jane Eyre  (2011)  This film, part romance, part horror, is  worth watching because of the two leads, Mia Wasikodska, who plays the plain and headstrong Jane, and Michael Fassbender, who plays the love of her life, the mysterious and troubled Mr. Rochester.  Jane has been hired to be a governess by Mr. Rochester, a man she, at first, finds cold and aloof, but soon falls in love with.  She soon discovers, however,  he may be hiding a terrible secret.  Waskiodska is brilliant in the part as she brings a multilayered performance to this role, much better than her other starring role in Alice In Wonderland.   My Rating:  Full Price   Jane Eyre Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I’ve Only Seen in Trailers but Just Looks Like a Bad Idea):  Warrior:  Two brothers, who are struggling to survive in today’s world, meet in the finals of a mixed martial arts tournament.  Note to reader:  Please read the following sentence while listening to dramatic music.  The youngest brother is fighting to escape the demons of his past; the older brother is fighting for the survival of his marriage and family.   But one brother has an edge over the other, as his trainer is their father.  Wait!  Maybe it’s not an edge.  The father is played by Nick Nolte.  Could be game over for that fighter.  Warrior Website

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Salvation Boulevard:  Lizard Wrangler

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark (2011)  A new horror film written and produced by Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth) about a young girl sent to live with her father and his girlfriend.  Early in the film, the girl discovers there are creatures living in the house, and they want to claim her as one of their own.  This film is getting noticed as a scary movie that is also intelligent - something that is rare these days in Hollywood.   Don't Be Afraid of the Dark Website

Until Next Time!

Cowboys & Aliens

My View:  Cowboys & Aliens:  This is one of those movies that you won't hate but you also won't really like.  You think this film “just has to be good,” but it's just not.  Jon Favreau follows up his Iron Man movies with this tale of a man (played by 007 Daniel Craig) in the 1870s Wild West, who wakes up with no memory and in the middle of nowhere, with a big, metal bracelet on his wrist.   He finds his way to the nearest town, a town that is soon under attack by…wait for it…aliens in spaceships.  And so our adventure begins.  While Craig and Harrison Ford, who plays the town’s robber baron, do an adequate job as cowboys, the weak link in this film is Olivia Wilde, the mysterious girl whom Craig is destined to get involved with.  Wilde seems to sleepwalk through her lines, and there's no fire in her performance, a role where supposedly she has survived the wide open west on her own.  I’m not saying this film would have been great with someone else (like Michelle Williams) in the role, but the film may have, at least, kept us awake before the big battle with the alien bad guys.   My rating:  Bargain Matinee   Cowboys & Aliens Website

The 50 (a movie from my best/worst films of all time)

#38 Best Film 

The Last of the Mohicans  (1992):  Michael Mann (Heat, Ali) directed this dazzling film about life in colonial America during the French and Indian War.  Daniel Day-Lewis plays Hawkeye, a trapper raised by the Mohican tribe, who becomes involved with the British army in their fight against the French.  Hawkeye is reluctant to join the fight until he meets the daughter of a British general, played by the gorgeous Madeleine Stowe.  Day-Lewis is perfect in his role, and he brings to the screen a quiet intensity in a man you can count on in a fight.  Incredible cinematography, beautiful North Carolina scenery and intense battle sequences make this a film that is quite memorable.   The Last of the Mohicans Info

Forgotten Film:  Flipped (2010)  This Rob Reiner-directed film was in theaters for about one minute last fall, which is sad because this is an amazing film, reminiscent of Reiner’s classic, Stand by Me.  Set in the 1960s, Flipped tells the story of a young boy and girl who live across the street from each other.  Juli (played by Madeline Carroll) falls in love with Bryce (played by Callan McAuliffe) the moment she meets him, but Bryce thinks Juli, who raises chickens and likes to sit in trees, is a little weird.  Their story is told "flipping" from one perspective of a boy's to a girl’s perspective.  As the boy and girl mature, we see, through their eyes, their blossoming relationship and the trials and tribulations of growing up.  This is a extraordinary film that has just the right amount of humor and heart to make it very enjoyable.   Flipped Website

In Case You Missed it (A Film Just Released on DVD):  Soul Surfer   (2011)   This film is based on the true life story of Bethany Hamilton, a talented and promising surfer who lost her arm in a shark attack.  AnnaSophia Robb does well in the lead role as Bethany, and Dennis Quaid/Helen Hunt make a surprising turn (how the mighty have fallen) as Hamilton's parents; but the Christian overtones in this movie are just so over-the-top that the film becomes almost too uncomfortable to watch.  Another downfall is Carrie Underwood as Bethany's religious go-to person, who tries really hard to act but just can't.  My Rating:  Cable   Soul Surfer Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I've Only Seen in Trailers but Just Looks Like a Bad Idea):  Apollo 18   It turns out there was a mission to the moon that the government has never admitted.  It's being called Blair Witch in Space, but didn't we just determine by watching Transformers: Dark of the Moon what exactly is located there?   Apollo 18 Website

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Tabloid:  Vagina Dentata illustration by

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Restless   Directed by Indie favorite, Gus Van Sant.  Mia Wasikowska plays a terminally ill girl who falls for a boy, played by Henry Hopper.  The boy likes to attend funerals and has a sidekick who is the ghost of a World War II kamikaze pilot.  This is right down Van Sant's alley.   Restless Website

Until Next Time!

Captain America: The First Avenger

My View:  Captain America: The First Avenger   Chris Evans (Fantastic Four) plays Steve Rogers, a man who dreams of joining the service during World War II but is repeatedly turned down because he is too small and sickly.  He is then recruited to a secret Army project that turns him into Captain Americajust in time to fight an evil Nazi officer named The Red Skull, who is building a fighting force to take on the world.  This movie does a brilliant job of building up the legend of Captain America, and Chris Evans has the charisma and the physique to fill the uniform.  The first 15 minutes of the film are a wonder of special effects as Steve Rogers is shown as the "96 pound weakling" in a body much smaller than the average man.  This makes his transition to Captain America all the more believable.  A smashing storyline, rousing special effects and a love interest for the Captain in Hayley Atwell make this a great summer adventure.  Be sure to stay through the credits.  At the end of the film, there are a few scenes that set up the next Marvel film, The Avengers.  My Rating:  Full Price   Captain America Website

The 50 (a movie from my best/worst film of all time)

#38 Worst Film:

Kazaam  (1996)   The tagline sums up this film nicely - "He's a Rappin' Genie with an Attitude...And He's Ready for Slam-Dunk Fun!"  At one time, Shaquille O'Neal had thoughts of becoming a movie star, and this is the film that broke that dream.  Shaq plays a genie released by a lonely young boy who is trying to survive in the dangerous "hood.”  Max (played by Francis Capra) is granted three wishes by Kazaam.  Shaq is just horrible in the role and makes it worse with a musical number where he raps about being a genie.  By the end of the movie, you just wish Kazaam would go back into the boombox he came from.   Kazaam Info

Forgotten Film:  Bullitt (1968)  When you look up the word, “cool,” in the dictionary, you should see a picture of Steve McQueen as Detective Bullitt, the starring role in this film.  Wearing a turtleneck and driving one of classic film cars of all time, a tricked out Mustang, McQueen plays a detective who is assigned to protect a witness.  The witness is murdered under McQueen’s watch, and he does everything he can to solve the case.  This film contains one of the greatest chase sequences ever, a race through the streets and hills of San Francisco where most of the driving stunts are done by McQueen, himself.  Jacqueline Bisset is just gorgeous as Bullitt's girlfriend, but's it's McQueen's movie, and he plays it perfectly.   Bullitt Info

In Case You Missed It (A Film Just Released on DVD):  Source Code (2011) Jake Gyllenhaal plays a man who wakes up on a train sitting across from a woman (played by Michelle Monaghan) who seems to know him.  After eight minutes, a bomb goes off on the train, and Gyllenhaal discovers that he is a soldier who is part of a secret government project.   This project allows him to go back in time in someone else's body and reenact their last 8 minutes of life using a time loop program, so he is sent back to discover who the bomber is to prevent a future bombing.  Gyllenhaal is top-notch in this action role, and there is great chemistry between him and Monagham, a woman he decides is worth risking his life for.  My Rating:  Bargain Matinee   Source Code Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I've Only Seen in Trailers but Just Looks Like a Bad Idea):  Bucky Larson:  Born to Be a Star:  A dimwitted nerd discovers that his parents were porn stars in the 1970s.  He decides to travel from his hometown in Iowa to the big city of L.A. to follow in his parents’ footsteps.  The trailer looks awful, and the movie looks like a cross between Dumb and Dumber and Porky’s.  I'm sorry, but any movie with Don Johnson in a major role just has to be bad.  Bucky Larson Website

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Captain America:  The First Avenger:  Norwegian accent advisor

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Attack the Block (2011)  This British horror/comedy film was the talk of the South by Southwest Film Festival.  A teen gang in a low income housing project takes on an alien invasion in London.  Think Shaun of the Dead, but instead of zombies, aliens are the freak show.   Attack the Block Website

Until Next Time!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

My View:  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows:  Part 2:     As the film begins, things are not going well for Harry, Ron and Hermione.   They are on the run from the Dark Lord and are having to make deals with people they don’t trust.  Their mission is to destroy the remaining Horcruxes that Voldemort needs to kill to continue his quest for immortality.   This film is amazing because it has spanned eight films over ten years, and the leads, Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson, especially, have grown into talented, adult actors who can handle complex roles.   It also doesn’t hurt when you have quality actors as Maggie Smith, Ralph Fiennes, Alan Rickman, and Helena Bonham Carter rounding out the cast. The film does a brilliant job of wrapping up the series, and fans will be happy with the touching, exciting ending that takes place where the series started…Hogwarts. By the way, the film was not shot in 3-D, so save your money and enjoy it in 2-D.  My rating:  Full Price   Harry Potter Website

The 50 (a movie from my best/worst film of time)

#39 Best Film

Red River  (1948)  Howard Hawks directed this sweeping western about a Texas rancher, played by John Wayne, who, with his adopted son, played by Montgomery Clift, embark on an ambitious cattle drive.  Wayne plays a driven man who is set in his ways and is used to his word being the law.  Clift, while respecting Wayne, comes to realize that his father’s ways are not correct.  The film portrays the ultimate power struggle between father and son with great performances from Wayne as the flawed father and Clift as the son who must challenge his father’s ethics.  A great, majestic score and crisp, clear cinematography make this one of the all time classic westerns.   Red River Info

Forgotten Film:  The Flamingo Kid  (1984)  Matt Dillon plays Jeffery Willis, who, after graduating high school, gets a summer job at The Flamingo Club, an upscale beach resort.  There he meets a flashy car dealer, Brody (played by Richard Crenna) who begins to fill Jeffery with ideas of fame, money and the good life.  Throughout the film, it looks like Jeffery will  fashion his life and lifestyle after Brody’s until he discovers that maybe the “good life” isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, especially if you have to leave behind your friends and family.    The Flamingo Kid Info

In Case You Missed it (A Film Just Released on DVD):

Limitless  (2011)   Bradley Cooper stars as a burnt out writer who discovers a pill that makes him so brilliant that he quickly becomes rich and famous.  But, there’s a price to pay, and he soon becomes involved in a complicated plot where he attempts to stay one step ahead of a  ruthless businessman (played by Robert De Niro).  This is one of those films that, if you want to enjoy it, you just have to let the film kind of run by you.   Don’t put too much thought into the plot and just try to enjoy the performances.   My Rating:  Bargain Matinee   Limitless Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I’ve Only Seen in Trailers but Just Looks Like a Bad Idea);  The Change-Up   Jason Bateman plays a family man, and Ryan Reynolds plays his best friend who is single and sleeps around.  After a drunken wish (while peeing into a fountain), the two men wake up to discover that they have switched bodies.  This looks just like a raunchy version of Freaky Friday, and my pee-in-a-fountain-wish would be that this film will just go away.   The Change-Up

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Project Nim:  Primate Choreographer

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  One Day   Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess meet on the night of their college graduation and decide to continue to meet for one day every year.   Directed by Lone Scherfig (An Education) and a possible Oscar nod for Hathaway, this romantic comedy could be the perfect end to the summer.   One Day Website

Until Next Time!

Horrible Bosses

My View:  Horrible Bosses:  Three buddies (played by Jason Bateman, Charlie Day and Jason Sudeikis) meet after work to exchange stories about their horrible bosses.  Bateman is berated by his boss (played by Kevin Spacey) for being two minutes late…at 6 am. Day, a luckless dental assistant, is constantly sexually harassed by his boss, a female dentist (played by Jennifer Aniston).  And the company that Sudeikis works for is being taken over by a coked-out egomaniac (played by Colin Farrell).  Due to the economy and other factors, each buddy feels they are stuck in their job and, after a night of drinking, each decides the only way out of their miserable employment situation is to kill their boss by hiring a hit man.  This film is one of a long string of recent comedies that consistently decides to go with the cheap, raunchy laugh. Jamie Foxx is especially wasted in his role as the not-too-bright hit man, and I continued to want to see more of the boss characters (especially the comb over, karate punching Colin Farrell) and less of the adventures of the buddies.  My Rating:  Cable   Horrible Bosses Website

The 50 (a movie from my best/worst film of all time)

#39 Worst Film: 

Mannequin 2: On The Move  (1991)  The original Mannequin film was a surprise hit in 1987 with Andrew McCarthy and Kim Cattrall and was about a mannequin that came to life and fell in love with a department store worker  So, Hollywood decides to do a sequel of this film, but instead of coming up with an original storyline,  producers use almost the same plot from the first movie.  This time, Kristy Swanson is the girl under a curse turned into a store mannequin and who only comes to life when a young department store worker removes a cursed necklace.  Apparently, the only way writers and producers could figure a way to call this a sequel instead of what it is, a remake, was by bringing back the very unfunny, gay window dresser, Hollywood Montrose (played so over-the-top by Meshach Taylor).  In this film, Meshach seems to be almost apologizing for some of the lines he delivers.  To me, the promo person who wrote the tagline for this movie knew it wasn’t worth making an effort: “A lively comedy about a living doll.”   Mannequin 2 Info  

Forgotten Film:  Night Shift  (1982) Henry Winkler, in this Ron Howard-directed film, is a mild mannered man who takes a night shift position at the city morgue and decides this slow, quiet job will be perfect for his recovery from his past pressure filled world of being a stockbroker. Winkler’s life is changed when he meets his next door neighbor, a cute prostitute, played by Shelly Long and a fun-loving, get-rich-quick screaming co-worker, played by Michael Keaton.  Keaton makes this film so enertaining to watch as his non-stop moneymaking schemes get more creative over time.  Winkler does a good job as the man trying to just do the right thing and gets involved with Keaton and Long against his better judgment.  Long is very charming as the hooker with a heart of gold who falls for Winkler.  This is the film that revealed to Hollywood that Howard could direct and that Keaton could be a star.   Night Shift Info

In Case You Missed it (A Film Just Released on DVD):

The Lincoln Lawyer  (2011)  I reviewed this film in March.  I liked Matthew McConaughey’s performance as a defense lawyer who works out of the back seat of a Lincoln Town car.  What I didn’t like was the plot, which, I felt, was too easy to figure out, and the concept seemed straight out of a 1970’s T.V. lawyer show (we could call it Matthew to the Defense).  My Rating:  Cable   The Lincoln Lawyer Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I‘ve Only Seen in Trailers but Just Looks like a Bad Idea):  Final Destination 5   Do we really need another lesson that you can’t cheat death?  This time, a group of people escape a collapsing bridge only to die via Lasik surgery.  No, really…I can’t make this stuff up!  Death by Lasik.   Final Destination 5 Website

Weird Credits:   In the credits of Horrible Bosses:  Mr. Foxx’s Hair Dresser

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Moneyball  Based on a true story, Brad Pitt plays Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane, who revolutionizes how baseball teams are put together.  Robin Wright, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Jonah Hill make up the rest of the cast, but the question will be, “Can Pitt draw enough of an audience to fill seats for a movie about what goes on behind the scenes of a baseball team?”   Moneyball Website

Until Next Time!