PLEASE NOTE: If you’d like to leave a comment, please double-click on the title above the picture. A blank box will appear under the review and you can write your comment there. All comments are welcome and appreciated. I would love to hear your opinions! Thank you! Donna

I didn’t expect much out of the movie, Pandorum. In fact, I realized that I might have to leave midway through the movie if the violence and gore was too much. I can’t stand extreme violence. But, because it’s a sci-fi film – one of my favorite genres – I was intrigued by the plot synopsis and decided to give it a shot. And I’m glad I did. (I was the only one in the theater and there were a couple of times, it felt a little scary, being all by myself!) I did have to squint my eyes a few times, but it wasn’t too bad. I was not bored once and sat on the edge of my seat most of the time. The film was excellent and created a charged atmosphere of unhinged suspense and mystery.

A brief prelude sets up an over-populated, resource-depleted future in which the last hope for humanity is the spaceship Elysium. This spaceship has been hurled into deep space toward Tanis, an Earth-like planet that may prove to be the salvation for the human race. So what happened to the Elysium, and to the other crew members? What started the disaster?

Flight engineers Corporal Bower, played by the excellent Ben Foster (3:10 to Yuma) and Colonel Payton, played by Dennis Quaid, awake from a years-long “hyper-sleep” aboard the Elysium, a massive spacecraft launched from the increasingly uninhabitable planet Earth in 2174. They’re both badly disoriented; hyper-sleep is supposed to induce brief memory loss, but instead, they look like they’ve journeyed through lifetimes of hell. The ship appears abandoned; no one is present to greet them, the power has been shut down, and they’re locked in a chamber with impregnable metal doors. They can barely remember their names, much less their mission, their families or even their own qualifications.

They don’t know what year it is, where they are in space, or where anyone else is. Corporal Bower (Foster) takes orders from Lieutenant Payton (Quaid) and ventures out into the spaceship to investigate. He obediently clambers into a pitch-black air duct to try and find a way out. The air duct is tight and suffocating. Bower takes more and more turns into darkness, getting more and more frustrated as he goes deeper into … what? He doesn’t know. This leads to an adventure of the wildest sorts where he discovers he literally has to fight for survival.

Bower encounters mummified corpses of his fellow crewmembers and then the monsters – the gooey, writhing mutants marauding through the craft in search of human flesh. (I have to say – they make vampires look pretty.) Bower runs into a few terrorized survivors and they form a team to battle the mutants while Peyton encounters another “officer” on the ship. The others include Nadia (Antje Traue), a very cool warrior type heroine who plays the Hunter Leader, Manh (Cung Le), who spoke in a foreign dialect (with no English subtitles to let us know what he was saying), and Gallo (Cam Gigandet who starred as the bad vampire in Twilight), a soldier with a mission of his own to fulfill. Bower and Payton remain separated for much of the story, only occasionally intersecting, allowing disparate strands of the narrative to comment on one another.

Bower realizes he has to try and reset the spaceship’s generator to ensure it’s on the right course to Tanis, an Earth-like planet that’s supposed to be hospitable to humans. His teammates go with him to find the “holy grail.”

Sitting safely in the locked chamber, where his slowly-returning memory has allowed him to kick-start emergency lights and computer systems by hand, Payton calmly exercises his leadership. The tension builds and builds, and then releases, and then Bower makes a startling discovery, which leads to the disturbing revelation that some thing or things are skittering around the ship, striking first and never asking questions. Payton experiences his own dangers and “attacks” in his chamber.

Flashbacks are used to fill in some of the missing details, and that’s where we get the explanation for the movie’s title. “Pandorum” is described as a mental condition that closely resembles a sci-fi version of cabin fever. Upon waking from hyper-sleep, a certain infamous captain eventually went crazy and killed everybody on board. The symptoms begin with a shaking of the hands, progress toward hallucinations, and so forth. After that explanation, it’s inevitable that one or more of the Elysium survivors will begin exhibiting symptoms, but which one and to what extent? I would have enjoyed more flashbacks depicting the lives, loves and relationships of the main characters. We really only became intimate with Bower’s earth-life.  And, I would have enjoyed a dynamite soundtrack. The right music could have enhanced this movie even more. (If only Quentin Tarantino had served as a music consultant!)

I kind of figured out the plot halfway through the movie, but it didn’t matter. I was caught up in the mystery – not sure if my theories were correct or not. And, there were several surprises that I hadn’t anticipated. Also, in the movie, we are introduced to the visual of the monsters way too soon. I think it could have been more suspenseful if we had to wait for a while before we actually saw what they looked like. Remember Alien? 

The Director was Christian Alvart, who did an excellent job building suspense and mystery in the movie. The action scenes are vivid and teenage boys – especially – will love it.  Four years ago, Alvart made the powerful Antibodies, a haunting serial killer movie that neatly subverted expectations, and he has delivered another impressive genre-buster. Still, Mr. Alvart, think about collaborating with Tarantino on your next action film. Music is a powerful tool to use.

The movie is rated R because the monsters are ugly-wicked-looking things and there’s blood splashing all around. Too, a few curse words are thrown around. Most of my friends won’t want to see it – the images would be too disturbing. But, for me, the sci-fi story was so good, it was worth it. It has a great ending and one that gives hope to mankind.  

PLEASE NOTE: If you’d like to leave a comment, double-click on the title above the photo and a blank box will appear under the review; you can leave your comment there. All comments are welcome and appreciated. Thank you!

Fame is a remake of the 1980’s Fame, and while it is getting negative reviews by many critics, I actually enjoyed the film. Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times comments that “the new Fame is a sad reflection of the new Hollywood, where material is sanitized and dumbed down for a hypothetical teen market that is way too sophisticated for it. It plays like a dinner theater version of the original.” Yes, it’s true that it is “softer” than the original Fame and not as hard-edged, but for me, that was fine. It is way better than one of the High School Musicals and the dancers and singers are also way better.  And, Fame doesn’t ignore the notion that, while some students will achieve great success, others will see their dreams go unfulfilled regardless of a strong work ethic and desire.

The film is about a group of students attending the specialized New York Academy of Performing Arts and takes them through all four years. One student is a classical pianist who yearns to sing hip-hop. Another is a ballet lover from Iowa who can’t quite make the grade. A beautiful, blonde, long-legged dancer, angry actor and budding music producer help fill out the ranks. In between life crises, they put on big production numbers, which are spectacular to watch. The cast is excellent, particularly the teachers: Debbie Allen (who was in the first film and in the TV series of Fame as well from 1982-87) and the wonderful Bebe Neuwirth, Kelsey Grammar, Megan Mullally and Charles R. Dutton. I would have enjoyed more scenes with these fabulous actors.

As for the students, Kay Panabaker plays a naïve, innocent-eyed Jenny, who’s encouraged by Marco (Asher Book) who wants to date her. He is cute and has a good singing voice and the two are an adorable couple in the movie. Paul Iacono is comedic as an aspiring student movie director and East Orange’s Naturi Naughton is marvelous as a classical pianist who longs to sing. Malik, played aptly by Collins Pennie, wants to be an actor, but is very angry about his past. His teacher, played by Charles S. Dutton, is kind and encouraging and helps him understand how to get past this anger. Joy is played by Anna Maria Perez de Tagle, who gets a lead role in Sesame Street.

Kherington Payne, a former “So You Think You Can Dance” television contestant, is wonderful as Alice, the “best dancer” at the school. Whenever she danced, the movie came to life and I wanted to see more of her in it, actually. (I remember watching “So You Think You Can Dance” and thought she would be excellent in movies.)  

Director Kevin Tancharoen, (a veteran of reality television) making his debut at only 24, softens all the usual problems connected with being a teenager and going to a prestigious performing arts school – drugs, sex, alcohol, etc. But, for me, it didn’t matter. For once, I was happy to skirt along those issues and simply enjoy the movie for what it was.  It was entertaining and reminded me that you should always go for your dreams. Creative people – singers, artists, dancers, musicians, and more – will see themselves in this movie and will enjoy it. What a wonderful opportunity for young adults – to be able to go to a school that focuses on the arts. It made me realize how there is a need for that in all our schools in America. Sadly, it’s the first to be cut from programs. And, it’s the one thing that should stay. Creativity opens the heart to all the possibilities of the world.

 This is a fun movie to go and see, especially if you love singing and dancing. It’s very entertaining and you’ll leave the theater smiling.

Surrogates is an excellent, futuristic sci-fi action film that does not go overboard with explosives, blood or gore. So many of the action films today focus on action with little substance or plot. Surrogates gives mankind a lot to think about while offering pure entertainment.  

Set in the near future, this film shows how technology can become “too much of a good thing.” (Think about it – today’s children and many adults are living in a virtual world with their video games, Twitter, text messaging, MySpace and Facebook.) This movie shows us how we’ve detached from reality and humanity. It’s about the obsession with physical beauty, death of spirituality, death of privacy, and the proliferation of corporate control.

Nearly everyone has a surrogate – or “surry” for short. While reclining at home and plugged into a machine, people control a robotic, fantasy version of themselves (or anyone they’d like to look like, for that matter) who are cosmetically perfect and thinner that safely maneuvers through the world. As the billboards advertise “You . . . only better.” No matter if the surrogate gets shot or is in a car accident, the “person” controlling the surrogate in his easy chair at home is safe from danger. A failsafe switch kicks in during any dangerous situations. The surrogates are a clear metaphor for the virtual reality that’s already upon us. It’s a subject popular in Hollywood these days, given the recent Gerard Butler film Gamer and James Cameron’s upcoming Avatar.

However, there were a few things they didn’t mention in the film which would naturally be a downside of having a surrogate. Sure, you would be less likely to catch diseases “out in the world” and day-to-day injuries would probably disappear, but if you sat in a chair all day long, then your body would atrophy and depression would run rampant. It might have been a bit more realistic if they showed the humans going to the gym to keep up their strength. Not to mention the people going to see psychiatrists and mental health professionals to help them through depression.

This surrogate world is not a perfect world. This crime-free utopia is also a superficial wasteland, devoid of real emotions. The superficiality of the world knocks you over with everyone’s glamorous “Barbie Doll” looks.

Bruce Willis stars as an FBI agent named Greer who, along with his gorgeous partner (Radha Mitchell), is trying to solve some murders which, though committed on surrogates, also “liquefied” the brains of their human operators. Eventually, while trying to solve the murders, Greer has to “unplug” from his surrogate and go out into the world as himself – something he hasn’t done in a long while.  

And yes, even the police and FBI agents have surrogates. When Greer – his physical body –  rolls out of his bedroom after a long night of operating his “surrogate,” – the attractive surrogate of his wife, played by Rosamund Pike, sighs at the sight of her less attractive “human” bald and wrinkly husband. As a surrogate, Willis/Greer has blonde hair and smooth, wrinkle-free skin.

As the investigation into the murders goes deeper, a plot to destroy the virtual network unfolds and centers around VSI, the company that created surrogates. One of the founders of VSI – James Cromwell – is unhappy about the effects his invention is having on the world and wants to stop it. There are also rebels who live in “The Rez,” Boston’s independent enclave of humans where the robots/surrogates are not allowed. The leader of “The Rez” is a prophet played by a dread-locked Ving Rhames.

The story has a proper, satisfying ending, giving hope to mankind and a resolution to the mystery of why people are dying.

Surrogates, directed by Jonathan Mostow (Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines), is adapted from a graphic novel by Robert Venditti. For me, the moral of the story is: Accept yourself, your flaws, your imperfections – everything. Reality is better than fantasy, and, take responsibility for your life. Improve it if you want – or not –  but do not go and hide in a virtual world. That’s cheating. It’s not living.

PLEASE NOTE: If you’d like to write a comment, just click on the main movie title above the photo. A blank box will drop down for you to write in.  All comments are welcome!  

My One and Only is a wonderful film. Set in 1953, it portrays America in a different light than what America is like today. Softer. More penetrable. Not exactly like the “Leave it to Beaver” television show, but still, a completely appealing, beautifully preserved memory piece of how life was “then.” Not that there weren’t problems back then; there were. But, it is a wonderful coming-of-age story with golden sunshine and a peek at people’s lives in the 50s. Renee Zellweger plays the title role and female protagonist, Ann Devereaux. And she is outstanding.  

Charlie Peters wrote the charming script for the movie, which is based loosely on the actor, George Hamilton’s early life and his relationship with his mother.

In the movie, when Ann Devereaux leaves her boyishly charismatic, unfaithful husband, Dan played by the ever so wonderful Kevin Bacon, who is a successful high-society bandleader in Manhattan, (think Ricky Ricardo). Ann takes her two teenage sons, George, played by Logan Lerman and Robbie, played by Mark Rendall, on a nationwide search for a new spouse. She ultimately lands them on the closest thing America had to the Yellow Brick Road in 1953 – the famous Route 66 – with Hollywood as the final destination.

Zellweger plays a perfect Southern Belle who uses her everyday polish and flirtatious manner to try to find a new husband to support her and her sons. While doing so, Ann finds herself and learns that she doesn’t need a man to take care of her.

Rendall is wonderful as her theatrical son Robbie, an aspiring actor with a talent for embroidery, who provides a sardonic Greek chorus to this all-American trip. And Lerman is perfect as George, an aspiring writer with his heart set on composing the next “Catcher in the Rye.” He is also the narrator of the movie and we catch a glimpse of his emotional depth, his fears, his hopes, his dreams. Watching the two sons grow and develop along with their mother on their journey is an added bonus to the movie.

What’s most appealing about My One and Only is that it’s brilliant and full of emotion without being sappy or dopey. In one of many swift, telling interchanges during the Devereauxs’ brief stays in Pittsburgh, George manages to slake his curiosity about the female anatomy while also encouraging the self-esteem of a sweet teenage girl named Paula played by Molly C. Quinn, who also stars on the hit ABC TV show, Castle. George doesn’t exploit Paula, or his mother, but he doesn’t give in to them, either. He is assertive and steadfast in his own dreams and goals.

What the director, Richard Loncraine, brings to the show is heart. He is empathetic toward his characters.  He re-creates the recent past with a golden, yet realistic atmosphere and several deft supporting male characterizations, such as the James Dean-like Nick Stahl as a poetic grease monkey who thinks Ann is beautiful and David Koechner as a paint-store owner with an offbeat insight into what makes women different from men.  Instead of talking about sex, he explains that it’s their women parts – their temperature: He advises George always to bring an extra sweater or jacket along on a date because women are either cold or hot.

Chris Noth is effective as a Cold War military man, wearing his military outfit at parties. He’s just one of the men Ann dates in hopes of finding the “perfect man.”  

This film is brilliant with a few inside jokes such as when George complains to his mother that it’s too sunny in California; most people will go in knowing that George Devereaux grows up to be the forever-tan George Hamilton.

To recap: My One and Only is a charming travelogue and affectionate period piece set in economically leaner times, decades before communications technology revolutionized the concept of personal space. The movie conveys an older notion of the country as in Route 66 – a land of wide, open spaces where you can thumb a ride….where you can find romance and heartbreak.  

It is wonderful. Go see it today and tomorrow and the next day.

NOTE: To write a comment about any of my reviews, simply click on the main title above the first photo and beneath the review, a blank box will open up for your comments. I’d love to hear what you have to say! THANKS!

The movie The Informant! is about narcissistic personality disorders, corporate and personal greed, and taking responsibility for one’s actions. It is a true story which makes it even more interesting. I am not sure why it was rated R because there were no sex scenes, no curse words and no blood or gore. Maybe the film industry just felt that the subject matter was very risqué for people under 17.

Directed by Steven Soderbergh, The Informant! was written by Scott Z. Burns, based on the book, The Informant: A True Story, by Kurt Eichenwald.   The music was cleverly done by Marvin Hamlisch and helps to develop the intensity of the plot as the director cleverly interweaves scene after scene to expose the corporation.   

Matt Damon plays the title role of Mark Whitacre, a genius of sorts – a biochemist and high-ranking executive for a chemical company called A.D.M. – Archer Daniels Midland. This movie is based on a real-life whodunit and why, recounting the strange tale of Mark Whitacre. Known as the supermarket to the world, A.D.M. manufactures, among many other products, the kinds of ingredients that invariably show up in tiny print on the labels of almost everything we eat – mystery matter like lecithin, sorbitol and xanthan gum. It also produces lysine, an amino acid given to feedlot cattle and other livestock. The focal point in the movie is the corn product called lysine.

In the early 1990s, A.D.M. and virtually all of its executives, not to mention their competitors, are knee-deep in a global “price-fixing” scheme, which is illegal.  Whitacre turned informant and supplied the FBI with hundreds of tapes that implicated his firm in this global price-fixing scheme. His decision to go to the FBI and turn in his colleagues is because it’s the “right thing to do.” At first, you think Mark is a decent, albeit nerdy guy with a big heart.

His sweet wife, Ginger, is played by Melanie Lynskey, (who rose to fame as Rose in the hit TV show, Three & A Half Men.) It would have been nice to see a bit more of their relationship; it may have explained some of his actions better.

Scott Bakula and Joel McHale play F.B.I. agents, Shephard and Herndon, who, after wiring up Mark’s body and briefcase, become so touchingly protective of him that they carry around a photo of his family. They were priceless. The Smothers Brothers, Tom and Dick, have small cameo roles and they, too, were priceless even though their roles weren’t comedic in any way.

As the story unfolds, we begin to see a narcissistic personality emerge who justifies his own criminal activities while ratting out his colleagues. Damon, sporting an extra hefty 25 lbs. or so, is hilarious as the naïve Mark Whitacre. The musings and inner dialogue of this character is downright hysterical and was the high point of the movie for me. The movie also illustrated how geniuses can be absolutely the dumbest people in the world when it comes to good ole fashioned common sense. (I’ve known people like this.)

The movie really wasn’t so much an attack on capitalism, but rather it was an attack on corporate and personal greed, as well as narcissistic personalities. It also really wasn’t a comedy either although it has been advertised as such. The film has a dry and laconic demeanor and moves from scene to scene at an even pace, plodding along like a slow race horse in a derby that’s just clopping along…suddenly, the horse starts running faster as events start unwinding to expose lies and more lies.

It’s a very good movie. I think psychologists/psychiatrists and all mental health professionals would enjoy seeing this since it deals with narcissistic personality disorders. (You will recognize people you know in some of the roles.) I think everyone will benefit from seeing it to understand a little better how our corporate world operates. Because unfortunately, I think there are many, many corporations that take kick-backs and operate solely out of greed. It’s a shame, but it shows capitalism at its worst.

The movie Love Happens is sweet and charming, but kind of dull. I thought it was going to be a cute chick-flick – a romantic comedy that makes one feel good. However, it is a heavy story about grief over the loss of loved ones and how people try to cope with living without that loved one. The movie is almost like taking a peek into a psychiatrist’s meeting and learning about the people attending the meeting. First-time director Brandon Camp, who co-wrote the movie with Mike Thompson, did an O.K. job, but could have livened up the dialogue some to put more interest into his characters. They were dull and flat, even though the premise of the movie was very heartfelt. I would have enjoyed more humor, which would have lightened the movie. Instead, it was all grief, sadness and dullness.

Jennifer Anniston plays Eloise, a florist who owns her own business in Seattle, Washington, who is unlucky in love and Aaron Eckhart plays Burke, a bestselling author of self-help books entitled “A-Okay.” Eloise and Burke accidentally meet when he comes to Seattle to facilitate a weeklong workshop to help the bereaved deal with the deaths of loved ones, based on his own experience of losing his wife in a car accident. Eloise and Burke go out on some awkward dates. I actually love Aaron Eckhart as an actor and person and I think Jennifer Anniston is a cute, funny actress. But, in this movie, I didn’t feel the chemistry between them. They just didn’t click. The dialogue was so bland, it was hard to stay awake during parts of it. And the movie dragged midway.

But, Burke has a secret. In the privacy of his hotel room, Burke falls apart. He hasn’t really dealt with his wife’s death. He’s lonely, drinking in the morning, and avoiding elevators. His manager, Lane, played by Dan Fogler, is endearing and tries to keep Burke focused. Burke’s father-in-law is played by Martin Sheen; he’s angry about his daughter’s death and appears to hate Burke.  Judy Greer plays Anniston’s assistant in her flower shop, and usually, I love every scene Judy is in. But, her lines simply weren’t funny in this movie. Frances Conroy plays Eloise’s mom and she has the funniest lines in the movie. Which isn’t saying much.

Love Happens features several scenes with characters working through grief, many of which are good, but could have been better.  Just touching on those people’s lives didn’t give us enough time to really bond with them or care.

Aniston brings sweetness and heart to Love Happens, but there just wasn’t enough interaction between her and Eckhart’s character to be believable. In fact, the movie spends more time on Burke and his people attending his workshop than it does him and Eloise.

Eckhart, for his part, is solid, but his lines weren’t that interesting. He has a big secret regarding the death of his wife, but really, the secret wasn’t that big. There wasn’t much of a climax in the movie – that turning point where you see the characters really change and where you grab the Kleenex and cry. The turning point is small and predictable. . . and well, flat.

It’s too bad that the movie wasn’t better. The theme is very sweet, but humor could have given the movie some personality and zip.  The soundtrack is O.K., but the right music could have helped it a lot and it didn’t. It’s not a bad movie, mind you. It’s just kind of bland. However, it beats some of those horror films that are out right now.  Just don’t expect too much in the way of comedy or romance. Mostly, you’ll just get a commentary on grief.

I don’t know if you’re like me, but I can hardly wait for the second installment of Stephenie Meyer’s phenomenally successful TWILIGHT series – Twilight Saga: New Moon, which premieres in theaters November 20, 2009. In this book/movie, the romance between mortal Bella Swan played by Kristen Stewart and vampire, Edward Cullen played by Robert Pattinson, soars to dizzying heights as it delves deeper into the mysteries of the vampire world and her and Edward’s love.

The trailers so far have been spectacular and promise more action, suspense and beauty than the first installment of the TWILIGHT series. Following Bella’s ill-fated 18th birthday party, Edward and his family flee the town of Forks, Washington, in an effort to protect Bella from the dangers inherent in their supernatural world. Bella is heartbroken. Numb. She sleepwalks through her senior year of high school, numb and alone, then discovers Edward’s image appears to her whenever she puts herself in jeopardy – like riding motorcycles and jumping off cliffs. Her desire to be with him at any cost leads her to take greater and greater risks.

With the help of her childhood friend, Jacob Black, played by a jacked-up Taylor Lautner (who worked hard on beefing up his body for this role), Bella rehabs an old motorbike to carry her on her adventures. Jacob is the only “light” in her world. Jacob falls in love with her, but will she fall in love with Jacob? Bella learns more and more about Jacob, a member of the mysterious Quileute tribe, who has a supernatural secret of his own.

Will Bella ever see Edward again? Will she still love him the way she has always loved him? For those of you have read the books, then of course, you know the answer. But, there are others who haven’t read the books and are happily just going to see the movies. You’re going to be delighted with this movie. You will love it. In fact, you might want to pre-order your ticket now if you can. Chris Weitz (who directed the Golden Compass) directed this movie and he is a master at special effects. I guarantee this movie is going to be a blockbuster hit and will break all records set by the first TWILIGHT movie.  I can’t wait to see it!!!!

This movie, All About Steve, has gotten rotten, horrible reviews from about everyone. However, I thought it was cute and I enjoyed it. I laughed quite a bit during the film as did other people in the audience. But, it did have its problems. For one thing, Sandra Bullock was miscast as Mary Magdalene Horowitz, the awkward, no boyfriend spinster who is temporarily living with her parents while her apartment is being fumigated and who writes crossword puzzles for a living. I mean, let’s get real. Sandra Bullock is a gorgeous woman who would have had boyfriends even if she had been an awkward crossword puzzle constructionist. Men hit on beautiful women – no matter how awkward or nerdy or brainy they are.

Sandra Bullock went all out with her eccentric character, dressing in red shiny boots and using exaggerated hand and facial gestures to depict what an overzealous woman who has a crush on a guy might do. Howard Hessman (of WKRP in Cincinnati TV fame) plays her father, Mr. Horrowitz, and Beth Grant plays her mother. Her parents set her up on a blind date with a CCN cameraman, Steve, played by cutie Bradley Cooper. When she meets him, she is wowed by his good looks and immediately changes her clothes into an outfit that exposes her boobs and shows off her legs, making her look more like a hooker. But, Steve is still game…that is until they get in the car. She immediately attacks him like a starved lion in the jungle wilds. 

I’m not sure that a brainiac who hasn’t been on many dates would do that. In my humble opinion, it didn’t fit the character. The date turns into a nightmare for Steve as he politely tries to end the date and say goodbye, while explaining that he has to leave for a news story. Mary misinterprets what he says to her, thinking he has told her that he wished she could come along if only she didn’t have to work. Mary ends up writing a whole crossword puzzle that’s titled “All About Steve.” It doesn’t make any sense to readers and her boss fires her. Thus, she now has the free time to run after him…er…a stalk him! (Honestly, in this day and age, if a woman pursued a man the way she pursued Steve in the movie, she’d be arrested and hauled off to jail for stalking. In reality, Mary would be considered mentally ill with an unbalanced personality disorder of some sort.)  But, in the movie, Mary thinks they’re meant to be together and goes through all kinds of trouble to find him. She decides to do anything and go anywhere to be with him. 

I think the intention was to make Mary likable and to show that she had a good heart, and that she meant well. But, I cringed as I saw her emulating many desperate women who want a man. A man won’t give a woman the time of day to discover she has a good heart if she acts like that.

An aspiring anchorman, Hartman, who is played by Thomas Hayden Church and is Steve’s friend, is hilarious as he encourages Mary to keep on following them around the states while they cover news stories. The individual news stories are funny and I laughed out loud plenty. Ken Jeong (The Hangover’s Mr. Chow) played Angus, the news crew’s producer. As the news team crisscrosses the country covering breaking news stories, Steve becomes increasingly unhinged as Mary trails them. But when the overzealous Mary becomes embroiled in the news story of the year, Steve and Hartman begin to see her differently. Hartman is plagued by guilt knowing his game of one-upmanship with Steve has placed her squarely in harm’s way and Steve begins to feel his own pangs of remorse at his callous behavior.

Mary makes friends with several people along the way – M.C. Gainey (you might remember him as Tom Friendly on the Lost TV show) who plays a great Norm, the truck driver, Elizabeth played by an adorable Katy Mixon and Howard, played by funny man D.J. Qualls (of Road Trip fame). Their journey together is sweet. She undergoes major life changes while pursuing Steve. If only this happened in real life, meaning the life changes.  Of course, this is a movie where anything is possible. Generally, people don’t change unless they’ve had some major spiritual epiphany.

Despite the media storm surrounding her, Mary, with her upbeat unaffected manner, not only brings everyone together, but wins the hearts of many and discovers her true place in the world.

The movie is fun, lighthearted and goofy and everyone in the movie theater seemed to enjoy it. Not nearly as bad as many reviewers are saying.

Phil Traill directed All About Steve, which was written by Kim Barker. Bullock’s production company produced the movie. I believe Kim could have downplayed some of Mary’s stalking and enhanced more of her sweeter side in the beginning; we would have liked her much better and felt more empathy for her. Yet, perhaps that what Sandra Bullock was trying to do – overact the part of the stalker to make it funnier and get the point across. Still, a stalker isn’t really a funny subject.

To recap: Overall, the movie was cute and funny and not bad, plus the music by Christophe Beck and the soundtrack was great.  Definitely go and see it if you just want to have a few laughs on a Sunday afternoon.

I went to see Whiteout so I could watch the gorgeous Australian Alex O’Loughlin, better known as Mick St. John, the sexy vampire in the cancelled “Moonlight” TV series. His role was one of the smaller roles, but it was nice to see him anyway, as he is a great actor. The movie was good, but not great. It had a lot of potential, but ended up being an action movie with a tired, worn-out plot and not a very interesting one at that. I had it all figured out quickly, which isn’t good. I wanted to be on the edge of my seat, spellbound, but I rather quickly figured out who the bad guys were.  

Based on Steve Lieber’s and Greg Rucka’s comic-book series, Whiteout is one of those mysteries in which every character is a potential murderer. These include a pilot (Columbus Short), an FBI agent (Gabriel Macht) who mysteriously pops up on the scene, the station’s venerable old doctor (Tom Skerritt) and a fun-loving Aussie researcher (Alex O’Loughlin).

U.S. Marshal Carrie Stetko played by Kate Beckinsale is working at a science research station in Antarctica. It’s a boring job since the tiny population of scientists and workers don’t have much opportunity to stir up trouble. The film was actually shot in Canada, but the cinematography certainly makes you feel as if you’re in Antarctica. Some of the visual shots of snow and ice were stunning. Carrie has been on the bottom of the world for two years, having gone there to get away from the world and her past in Miami. Her time is almost up. It’s only two days before she goes home again. If she doesn’t leave at that time, winter will hit, plunging the continent into six months of darkness and no way to go home.

Right at the beginning, the director, Dominic Sena (”Swordfish”) threw in some scenes that were unnecessary. We watch as Kate Beckinsale takes a hot, steamy shower. This didn’t add anything to the story and seemed totally displaced. Men seem to think that a sexy shower scene with a woman will add to the story. It didn’t.  The cinematographer, Chris Soos, showed us some beautiful dark, wintery landscapes of snow and ice.

Before Carrie can hand in her badge, a dead body is spotted out in the middle of nowhere. Along with her friend, Doc (Tom Skerritt), the local medical practitioner and their pilot Delfy, played by Columbus Short, Carrie goes to retrieve the ice, blood-encrusted, rather gruesome corpse. The deceased is a geologist from Vostok, a nearby base camp, and when Carrie checks on why no one has reported him missing, she finds the entire crew has disappeared. She and Doc determine that the dead body is a homicide and her work begins. Further investigation leads Carrie to another dead man and she gets attacked while searching for answers. Further complicating things, since this is the first-ever murder on Antarctica, and since it is an international territory, a special agent from the U.N., Robert Pryce (Gabriel Macht), has been sent in to aid in the search for the killer. Carrie doesn’t trust him. They discover that the reason for the killings is some unknown cargo found in a Russian plane that crashed into the ice fifty years ago.

The fundamental story Greg Rucka created for the comic book is a very straightforward mystery. Who is killing these guys? Why are they killing them? What is the loot? And where are they hiding the loot? It’s not a bad story, but a movie is a good venue for developing the characters a bit more than a graphic novel. I would have enjoyed seeing more emotional depth in Beckinsale’s character as well as others. I thought the characters were a bit lame although Beckinsale, Tom Skerritt, and Alex O’Loughlin did a great job with what they had to work with.  It’s a good action movie and most young adults – especially guys – will really love it. It is R-rated for some grisly, blood scenes and Beckinsale’s shower scene.

To recap: it’s an O.K. movie, but it could have been much, much better with a little tweaking and addition of emotional depth.

“9” is an animated sci-fi action movie that takes place in an alternative reality and a post-apocalyptic world, starring the voices of Elijah Wood, Christopher Plummer, John C. Reilly, Jennifer Connelly, and Martin Landau. It was written and directed by Shane Acker, who made a short film version of this a few years ago. You can find this online by using Interwebz. Tim Burton was one of the producers, so this might give you a clue as to the strangeness and surreal beauty of the film. Burton’s films are always memorable and dynamic – stretching the imagination beyond the ordinary.

I loved, loved, loved the movie, “9” starring Elijah Wood. He is created by a scientist who declares at the beginning of the movie that life must go on. He laments over the fact that mankind has destroyed itself. He knows that every living thing is about to disappear forever. Thus, he breathes life into nine cloth-skinned mechanical dolls.

Wood is 9, a little burlap ragdoll with watch parts for his insides. When 9 drops from his perch and first comes to life, he wanders around lost, finding himself in a post-apocalyptic world. The scientist is lying dead on the floor, face down. All humans are gone, and it is only by chance that he discovers a small community of others like him taking refuge from monster machines that roam the earth intent on their extinction. We learn that the machines turned on the human race and destroyed all of mankind. The little community of dolls are the only “human-like” beings left. “Human-like” means they think, worry, and love. They possess all the emotions of the scientist who created them.

9 learns that the other dolls have been hiding from the machines. 1 is played by Christopher Plummer, a domineering war veteran and 2 is played by Martin Landau, an aged inventor. John C. Reilly plays 5, a stalwart mechanic and Crispin Glover plays 6, a visionary and artist who may hold the key to the mystery of their beginning and future. Jennifer Connelly is priceless as the only “female” who kicks butt and is a modern-day ninja-warrior. I loved her.

The leader of the group teaches them fear. 9 convinces the others that hiding will do them no good. They must face their fears and destroy the machines – a cat-skulled creature, a split-headed flying being that resembles both a bat and a manta ray with wings and an insect-like creature. The future of civilization – of life – may depend on these little beings.

These survivors go on a journey to unlock the secret to their existence, while battling the gigantic, clever killing machines responsible for exterminating life.  

The animation is brilliant. The scenes look like they’re located in a post-war Paris; a stained glass window looks like one in Notre Dame and then other areas that resemble a library, along with statues could be the Louvre. The movie is awash in dark blues, grays and sepia tones. It appears there hasn’t been any rain since the machines took over. There are no living plants, no water, no flowers – nothing but a beautiful moon that glows over the ruins at night. Each scene is vibrant, even with a near-complete lack of primary colors.

“9″ is full of heart and action and I felt myself tearing up a couple of times. This movie isn’t exactly for young children under 12. It’s more of a grownup film. Between this and Coraline, Focus Features has carved out a unique, somewhat bizarre niche, but one that adults can appreciate.

It’s just beautiful. Its message is clear, poignant and gives us all hope.