Reviews

I loved the original Peter Seller films from the 60's and I cringed when I heard they were making a remake. Than I heard that the remake king Steve Martin was going to play Clouseau and Beyonce was in it. The early reviews came out panning the film and all I heard was that the film sucked. Of course, my kids wanted to see it and off we go to the theater.

Fortunately, what could have been a teeth pulling experience, turned out to be quite enjoyable because in my opinion, they pulled it off. This film is sort of a pre-quel, where Clouseau gets first promoted to inspector so he can act like a boob trying to solve a murder and retrieve the Pink Panther diamond, while Commissioner Dreyfus (Kevin Kline) takes the credit for actually solving the crime when Clouseau fails. Kline is pretty good as the nemesis Dreyfus. Martin plays the role with an exaggerated accent, and does what he can with the material. He's actually pretty funny acting like a goof, doing pratfalls, and making a fool out of himself. The scene where he's trying to say hamburger had me in stitches.

This isn't a great film at all. But it is silly and kids will love it. At least my kids did. My 7 year old was rolling in the aisle. It's getting panned by critics, but the film really isn't for them. It's a silly family film that kids will like and enjoy and that's all that matters. Everyone I saw the film with was laughing and thats good enough for me. This version of PInk Panther won't make you forget about the Peter Sellers films, but it's cute in its own way. (**1/2)

I hate Wal-Mart. The store is over crowded, messy, they have dumpy merchandise, unfriendly workers, and the heats always cranked up. I shop at Target. I think that company is better run. When I saw this film, I wasn't at all surprised to learn that Wal-Mart has been "screwing the pooch" for years. Run by a seedy C.O. named Scott, he comes across in his company speeches as more of televangelist than a company leader. He's like the general leading the troops to make himself and the "fat cat" Walton family he works for rich. The documentary charges the company with slave labor, discrimination, poor security,low wages, over-priced health benefits, overcharging subsidies, etc. If you shop at Wal-Mart, you'll never want to go back.

As far as the film goes, its just OK. I have no qualms about the content. I just don't think the film is put together well. It makes a point and then gives a laundry list of cases that sometimes will ramble on and on. They must have been on slave labor for about 20 minutes. the movie is too padded and should have been tightened up as the film got very tedious to watch. I think if Michael Moore was making this film it might have been a better than it is. I can't fault with the material though. It's a good argument to stay clear of this business.(**1/2)

A 35 year old video game tester (Allen Covert) gets evicted from his apartment and is forced to move in with his grandma (Doris Roberts) and her two elderly friends (one of them is played by Shirley Jones). He tells his goofy friends at work that he's living with three babes, but the "jig is up" after they show up at the office.

This is one of those C-list acting B movie comedies that should be awful but it's really pretty funny. There are laughs throughout the entire film. Most of them are juvenile, toilet, and stoner jokes but they work for the most part. The film is loaded with toilet humor on the same level as the American Pie films. There is also a sweetness to it that helps balance things out.

The film does begin to fall apart towards the end and a some of the writing is pretty predictable. But this is a fun movie that will probably go by the waste side due to lack of stars, so catch it on DVD. It's pretty enjoyable and certainly a guilty pleasure. (**1/2)

You've seen all this before. An expert type A exploration crew go on an expedition to make the ultimate discovery, unknown to them there are some really yucky aliens living there that will cause havoc to the mission and kill off the crew one by one. That's the basic storyline of "The Cave", which stars Eddie Cibrian, Cole Hauser, Morris Chestnut, and Piper Perabo.

This time it's a cave expedition and when they ultimately get trapped inside, they must try and find a way out and avoid the evil parasitic moles that live inside. Naturally, the parasites take over the bodies it injures, and the human ultimately begins to think just like the alien.

I generally like these kind of movies. I think they're fun. "The Cave" is loaded with problems though and I'm still trying to figure out how this crew continuously is able to move around and climb up and down this underground cave while carrying tons of equipment including scuba tanks. They also seem to have tons of air. The aliens are nothing special and aren't really explained well, but I like the fact that they can fly. They sort of look like a cross between Alien and the guy from Jeepers Creepers after starting out as little moles.

"The Cave" won't take up much of your time as it clocks in at around 90 minutes, but I almost wish it would have been a little longer so it can explain some things. If you like these kind of films, there's a lot worse than this, but ultimately, I'd skip this one and watch something else. (**)

I'm not sure, but I think "Into the Blue" is a sordid remake of "The Deep", a pretty good thriller from 1979 with Nick Nolte. If it isn't, it sure resembled it a lot. Paul Walker and Jessica Alba are two money challenged treasure hunters, who spend most of their spare time diving and laying around on Walker's rundown boat. When the two of them and a couple of their over zealous friends discover an abandoned plane filled with cocaine, they get in some hot water when a couple of them try to make a score with the local baddies to fund a bigger treasure find.

"Into the Blue" has plenty to look at. The Bahamas are beautiful, the stars are all looking good, and its obvious that Jessica Alba is in really good shape. Plenty of eye candy for everyone. The plot is pretty predictable and there are lots of continuity errors. The acting isn't that great either. However, I've seen a lot worse. I've always wanted to scuba dive and find buried treasure as well as go to the Bahamas. I guess I was living vicariously through the actors in this. This is no masterpiece, but it's a good rental. (**1/2)

Ennis and Jack are two cowboys at the same paths of their lives. Both around the same age, come from crappy lifestyles, and not much to look forward to. They take a job working as sheepherders for a season and when the elements and boredom throw each other together, the two of them begin a homosexual relationship. What starts out as a lark turns into something more. For Jack, it's something that he probably has felt for a long time. For Ennis, it's a person showing him some love and companionship that he doesn't get enough from from his girl back home, who he in fact eventually marries. The two of them, after continuing their lives, begin a sordid affair of seasonal trips to the mountains where they had their first experience together. This goes on for years. The film takes place in 1963 Wyoming, where homosexual behavior isn't exactly encouraged. They keep it a secret and live their lives as if nothing happened, but they both know the one thing that keeps them going is their trips to Brokeback.

The performances by Ennis (Heath Ledger)and Jack (Jake Gyllenhall) are terrific. Ledger is Australian, and you'd think he was born to play a cowboy. He seems to say more with his eyes than his voice as he tries very hard to hids his accent which he does a very good job doing. He's a very versatile actor.

The movie tells a very poignant story. It's very slow moving, but I think it needed to move at a certain pace to tell their story right. Some of the scenes are a little rough and will make some feel uncomfortable. This isn't a movie you come out of the theater smiling and thinking how much you enjoyed it, but it is a very thought provoking film and extremely well acted and well written.

As many refer to this film as the gay cowboy movie, I'd hope that people would give it a chance. It's really more than that and I believe tells a very poignant story. (***1/2)

It's the year 2019 and the age of cloning humans is reality. A colony of clones paid for by rich sponsors are living in an underground community completely oblivious to the outside world. The community is run by an evil conglomerate named Merrick and he uses the clones as holders for organs until the sponsors need them. The clones are unaware of this and believe they are only living in this community until it's their time to go to the island which is an exotic living space surrounded by ocean and paradise. When it's the clone's turn to go the "island", they are in fact killed off and their organs are kept. Two of the clones (Ewan McGregor, Scarlet Johansen) discover the secret and ultimately escape and are now on the run.

"The Island" starts off as an interesting premise, but later becomes a typical chase film. Michael Bay, who likes his films loud and full of falling buildings, blows up lots of stuff and makes lots of noise. The action sequences are well done and you certainly won't lose interest, but the storyline gets away from the original premise and gets very routine. The acting isn't very good either as this is Scarlet Johansen's worst performance that I can remember. She's probably a lot better in "Match Point".

This movie isn't awful. There is much worse than this. I just wish the director and writers would've stayed on track a bit more with their story because it started out pretty interesting. (**)

A very funny and entertaining R rated comedy starring Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson as divorce mediators who in their spare time like to crash weddings and meet chicks. They do it as a way to scam food, get laid, and basically to have loads of fun. This aspect is fun for the audience too, as we get an extended montage of our two friends crashing about 17 weddings and getting in all kinds of conquests, eating loads of food, and getting jiggy with it with many different cultures. But when the mother of all weddings comes around, they just have to go and try and do the ultimate con. Needless to say our two heroes get way more than they bargain for.

The wedding is being thrown by a Washington senator (Christopher Walken) and when Wilson first lays eyes on one of his daughters played by the pretty Rachel McAdams, it's love at first sight. When he learns that she is unavailable, he convinces Vaughn to stick around for some overtime so he can win her from her beau and soon both of them are in over their head. Vaugn's troubles only just begin when the other daughter can't keep her hands off him as well as the Senator's gay outcast son. Throw in a horny wife played by Jane Seymour and a psycho 90 year old toilet mouthed grandma.

There are some big laughs and most of the film works. My complaint is that this film is about 20 minutes too long and there is a big chunk towards the end that could have been taken out because the film seems to drone on for awhile at that point. This is still a very enjoyable film that will make you laugh a lot. (***)

I saw this film only because my 4 year old daughter was too afraid to sit through the "Chronicles of Narnia". That's OK, I understand that. If I was her age, I'd scream too. She did love this film, along with my 7 year old son, but unfortunately, unless you are under the age of say 12, there isn't much here to like.

"Yours, Mine and Ours" is based on a 1968 film. It's about a military dad who has 8 kids who meets a liberal hippie mom with 10 kids of her own. The two marry and the 18 kids are forced to get along with each other. They move the entire family into a fix me up lighthouse and naturally we have plenty of pratfalls, flying paint, food fights, and people falling off ladders. There is even a giant pig walking around. This is all cute for the younger crowd, but anyone else will be looking at their watch.

The movie is predictable and probably resembles Cheaper By the Dozen more than anything with a little Parent Trap thrown in. It is harmless and the two leads (Dennis Quaid & Rene Russo) do what they can with flimsy material. I guess it's not horrible, but frankly, this is a family I could do without. (**)

It's nice to know that a funny R-rated comedy is still out there. There haven't been too many anymore, but when they work, they work. Steve Carell plays Andy, a geeky 40 year old who lives by himself in an apartment with more video games than your average teenager and an ASIA poster mounted on his wall. He also has more action figures than my son. When his co-workers find out that Andy is a virgin, they make it a point to get him laid and rectify the situation. Keep in mind, that none of these guys are prizes themselves and have their own relationship issues. After all, they work in a stereo store and most of them are in their 30's and some are older than Andy. When Andy does meet a sweet woman named Trish (Catherine Keener) he keeps his secret to himself out of fear of embarrassment. Trish, herself has 3 kids of her own and is a very young grandmother.

There are a lot of big laughs in this. Poor Andy endures some body waxing, a crazy drunk bar pick-up, and some other scary dates before he finally gets up the nerve to ask Trish out. The bulk of the humor is pretty adult and their is also plenty of profanity and nudity. There is a real sweetness to the film though, and Carell's performance is right on and should launch him to A status if he isn't already there.

"40 Year Old Virgin", along with films like "Wedding Crashers", "Anchorman", "Old School", and "Office Space" would make a nice marathon on an evening when there isn't much to do. they're all funny, raunchy, and a really good time. (***1/2)

As one of the precious few that actually saw the bootleg Roger Corman train-wreck from the early 90's, I'm glad to say that the 2005 movie is a vast improvement and is lots of fun. I'm not an expert on these Marvel heroes, but I do know the story and background and I thought they did a nice job and had some fun with it.

For those of you not familiar with these characters, you have 5 scientists who all have their DNA altered when a space experiment goes haywire. Reed Richards can now stretch his body to incredible lengths, Sue Storm can become invisible, Johnny Torch (?) can fly and become fire, while poor Ben Grimm turns into a walking rock pile known as the Thing. The 5th scientist becomes evil, and Dr. Doom is born. The metamorphosis of these guys are done with humor and toung in cheek.

The acting in Fantastic Four is really nothing special to say the least and the story is loaded with plot holes, but were not talking Shakespeare here. This is a popcorn film. I think if F4 was done on a more serious level, like the Corman version, this movie would be a disaster. Buts it doesn't take itself too seriously and it's more like the Spider-Man films and not as serious as the X-Men films. For the comic book geek who likes their heroes to stay true to their origins and story lines, they'll probably hate F4. For the fan of a good popcorn film, this film is a good time. (***)

"King Kong" is quite an achievement in movie-making and nothing short of exhilarating and exhausting fun. What a blast. You know the story. A struggling filmmaker cheats his way to get the ultimate adventure film made. He hires a naive aspiring actress, charters a boat, and goes off to find a hidden island. There awaits a giant gorilla who ultimately becomes infatuated with the young actress. A classic tale of beauty and the beast. Naturally, the filmmaker wants to trap the gorilla and turn it into a profit.

The last time this story was done was 1976 which was a storied disaster. Make-up artist Rick Baker in a monkey suit was Kong and the film was so bad, that it film will always have a place in history as one of the biggest financial flops in all of movie history. Peter Jackson gets it right. He obviously knows spectacle after coming off the brilliant Lord of the Rings trilogy. This film is a labor of love for him as he pays homage to the 1933 film as well as other films such as Jurassic Park. He treats the story with tender care and what this movie shows that the '76 version didn't was the love story between man and beast. This is done through terrific acting by Andy Serkis, who plays Kongs images and movements. We really get true emotions. Serkis played Gollum in the LOTRs films using the same technology.

After a lengthy set-up with the voyage to Skull Island, the film takes off and never lets up. The crew gets attacked by savages, dinosaurs, giant bats, giant bugs, giant worms, and finally dinosaurs again. Who knew that Kong can take on these dinosaurs like he could. This monkey is a bad ass. For a full hour it's action scene after action scene. Each one is exciting and nerve aching as the next. If the bugs don't creep you out then the amazing dinosaur sequences will blow you away. It's really something to see. They rival anything that Spielberg did in Jurassic Park and those films were pretty amazing.

The performances by Jack Black, Naomi Watts, and Adrien Brody are just right. They're perfectly cast. Black as the over the top greedy filmmaker is loads of fun and Watts hits all the right notes as Ann, the beautiful blonde that Kong falls for. There are some nice scenes that Watts and the monkey have including an ice skating sequence in Central Park. Some might call them corny, but I thought they fit the film perfectly. This is a love story after all at the root of all this craziness. You need to suspend some disbelief.

"King Kong" really is made to be seen on the big screen. It's done on such a large scale that an IMAX experience can only be incredible. It's a great time and great fun and I highly recommend it. (****)

What do you do when a hi-tech unmanned stealth fighter gets a mind of it's own? well you hire three of the better looking actors working in Hollywood today and hopefully call for a script doctor. "Stealth" is like a play station game gone berserk. This movie has great action flight sequences, but it's done in such a quick paced fashion I got a headache.

The plot is pieces of 2001:A Space Odysessey, "Top Gun", and an Esquire magazine. Jamie Foxx, Jessica Biel, and Josh Lucas play stealth pilots that are given the assignment of teaming with a new jet designed by the military to revolutionize warfare. Well, the jet goes bonkers and our three heroes are put in danger.

"Stealth" is well produced and at times fun to watch. The flight sequences are impressive. The film is short on smarts however. The plot lines are very predictable and really silly. You know whats going to happen before the people on the screen do. I also felt like I was watching a video game. Everything is fast paced, quick cut, and loud. I had trouble keeping track of who had which plane.

Go watch Top Gun again. It's a better movie and you won't need the Advil. (**)

The story of Johnny Cash chronicling his life from when he was a young boy growing up broke on a farm in 1944 to 1968 where he had just recorded his famous live album at Folsom County Jail and a live performance where he ultimately proposed to June Carter on stage. Like the film "Ray", the performances are outstanding and probably better than the movie.

Jouquin Phoenix channels Johnny Cash like he's played him his entire life. He is amazing. He doesn't look like him much, but Jouquin did his own singing and sounded just like him. He also had all his nuances down including the way he swung that guitar around while playing live. Reese Witherspoon is just as good as June Carter. She also sang her own songs and look for both of them at Oscar time. She plays June like a little kitten, but also very strong as the woman June Carter was. Robert Patrick plays Ray Cash, John's father and boy, was he a piece of work. It's easy to see how Johnny Cash came to hate his father, but also respected the hard working man he was. Much of Cash's inner demons come from his relationship with his father and the blame that was put on him when his older brother Jack died in an accident when he was younger.

A lot of this film showed Cash's struggles with pills and addiction and ultimately his time in prison. Some of this is tough to watch, but like "Ray" a very important part of the singer's life. The best aspects of "Walk the Line" is the music and the love story between Johnny and June. The two of them just simply belonged together.

Johnny Cash was never the biggest star in the world, but he was always the coolest man in the room. Fans of his will appreciate this film for the music and capturing some of his most infamous moments during a span of his life. Other's will just enjoy a fine film and appreciate some wonderful performances. (***1/2)

A pretty entertaining film featuring two mega-wat stars in what could have been a major disaster. John and Jane Smith (Anjelina Jolie and Brad Pitt) play an unhappily married couple that lead separate and very secret lives as paid assassins working for different agencies. When they inadvertently get assigned the same target, they must off each other because they need to eliminate the competition. I guess it's bad for husband and wife to be competing assassins. I don't know, for about 45 minutes they spend a lot of time shooting up the house and throwing knives at one another. That stuff is actually a lot of fun.

This is a pretty witty film as well as a pretty violent one minus a lot of gore and bloodshed. The plot is muddled, which is a big weakness, but Pitt and Jolie seem to be having so much fun trying to out do each other and the chemistry is terrific between the two of them. The stunts are very well choreographed and the action scenes work.

This isn't a great film, but it's a fun movie that will soak up two hours and you'll enjoy it. (***)

As a lukewarm fan of the original Gene Wilder film and knowing Tim Burton's track record for films with great production but no substance, I went into this with low expectations but I was very pleasantly surprised of how enjoyable this was.

I loved a few of Burton's movies (Big Fish, Ed Wood), but he always seems to make great looking films and his problem was that he never let the audience get to know the characters. Here we get a nice background and glimpse into Wonka's upbringing and why he became such an eccentric. The rest of the film follows along with the book and the original film pretty closely sans much of the music.

Wonka invites 5 kids and a guest to get a tour of the magical factory via a golden ticket. Whichever of the kids is the least irritating wins the ultimate prize. The oompa loompas, chocolate waterfall, and everything you might recall from the book are there. Burton creates everything to his imagination and employs his usual staple Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka. Depp is pretty good in his role as he plays Wonka like a little kid.

The original film was the very first movie I ever saw in a theater and it scared the crap out of me. Hey, it was 1971 and I was 2. There is nothing scary in this film and the whole family should get a kick out of it. (***)

"Shop Girl", based on a novella by Steve Martin is a sweet little film that finally showcases actress Clare Danes in a star-making role. Danes plays Maribelle, a lonely retail clerk at Saks. She is basically a pretty normal woman. She's attractive, nice, sweet, and seems to have it together despite the fact that she is on anti depressants and lacks and yearns for companionship. When a goofy guy (Jason Schwartzman) asks her out, she accepts but there isn't anything there. Later, a much older wealthy man (Martin) sends her an invitation to dinner and she accepts that date as well. The two of them hit it off. He is lonely as well. he finds himself attracted to her, showers her with gifts, but doesn't want to commit.

"Shop Girl" is very much like "Lost in Translation", but while that movie seemed to bore me to tears, this film was more interesting because I cared about Maribelle and wanted her to find some happiness. Danes drives this film as far as the material will take it and does a very good job. She really is a fine actress. I thought Steve Martin should've cast a different actor. I know he originally wanted Tom Hanks, but Martin seemed uncomfortable and very stiff in this role.

I enjoyed this film for what it was and admired the performance from Danes. This isn't great, but it's a sweet film that goes down easy. (***)

Horror films are like comedies. If you have a comedy, and you laugh a lot, the film works. With a horror film it's the same. If you're scared a lot, then the film worked. House of Wax scared me a lot, so therefore, I must have liked it. Don't get me wrong. This film isn't anything special and by no means is it not without loads of clichés and problems and stupid teenagers. But it is scary, entertaining, gory, and fun.

I barely remember the original Vincent Price film. I think I saw it when I was 5 or 6 years old on TV. This film has a group of teenagers, one of them being Paris Hilton, on their way to a football game and stops at roadside to camp for the night. The next day they realize that their car has been tampered with and naturally they do everything stupid to try and get it fixed including trusting every creep that tries to help them. They separate and end up in a town that looks like something out of a Twilight Zone episode which includes a house made out of wax. There is a legend behind this town that involves some wax sculptress and her freaky twin boys. Are they still lurking around? You just know that all our teens will find out.

House of Wax has a real creepiness to it. The actors, which many of them are from The WB network and the other from Fox, seems to fit right into this genre. I like these kind of films if done well, and this one is done pretty well. I was scared a lot and if I'm watching a horror film, that's OK with me and therefore i'm recommending the movie despite all it's clichés you've probably seen 100 times before. (**1/2)

This is Disney's first computer animated film since it's split with Pixar. Pixar has set the gold standard for this genre as every single one of their films has been a critical and financial success. Therefore, there is a lot of pressure put on one little chicken.

Fortunately for Disney, Chicken Little comes up big and will strike a chord with the kids. This is a charming film about a little chicken who is given the job as town crier. When he yells to the town that the sky is falling and the world is coming to an end, nobody takes him seriously. Chicken Little has never been able to live up to the status of his dad, Buck, who is a legend in town.

This is a cute film. It's not great, but kids will love all the animal characters which include Runt, a giant scared pig, a silly goat, and a fish. They're all fun and my kids loved them. The story has a little "War of the Worlds" to it, but these aliens won't scare anybody younger than 3 years old. With all the computer animated films out, and soon to be released, its hard to keep them all straight. This one is charming enough for adults and kids of all ages will really like it. (***)

As much as I admire Jodie Foster as an actress, she needs to work more, or at least choose better projects that meet her acting ability. Ever since she made, "Nell", Jodie Foster's choices have been "Sommersby", "Anna & the King", "Maverick", "Panic Room", and this Hitchcockian thriller, which although, it starts out pretty good, it lands with a thud. For an actress, so admired, I'm really surprised at her choices.

"Flight Plan" starts out really well with Foster playing a bereaved mom flying her daughter from Berlin to the States. Her daughter is a frightened 6 year old and Foster, herself is popping pills to help her cope. Because Foster is a plane designer, she knows the plane she's flying inside and out. First, we have to believe that a young Foster, is an airplane designer. After taking a catnap, Foster wakes up to the realization that her daughter is missing. She can't find her anywhere and turns the plane upside down trying to find her. She causes such a commotion that the plane marshal places her in custody. Did nobody on the plane see her? Apparently not. This aspect of the story is pretty compelling. How can a little girl just disappear from an airplane? That's when the story plays on Foster's psyche and the audience is almost led to believe if there really was a kid on board.

After a good build up, the film turns into a thriller. That's where the comparisons to "Panic Room" come to play. The two films have many similarities such as the the mother/daughter relationship, the claustrophobic setting, and the just getting over a traumatic incident involving the husband forcing a me vs. them.

The film does entertain despite it's flaws. It moves along at a good pace and there are some times when the audience is wondering and guessing. "Flight Plan" is very convoluted and if you can get past some of the moronic passengers and the poor parenting skills that Foster exhibits in parts of this film, you'll be entertained enough. (***)

As a fan of the original, I wasn't expecting anything close to it, but this version really is pretty lame. I blame poor casting for much of the films problems and the weak writing doesn't help either. Adam Sandler brings nothing to the old Burt Reynold's role of Paul Crewe, an NFL quarterback chastised for point shaving in a game. he gets thrown into the pokey for basically acting like a big dope. There is no reason for him to go to jail except for absolutely wanting to spend some time with some very rough boys.

Chris Rock is wasted in his role as "Caretaker". He is given nothing to do. Even Burt Reynolds shows up as the coach. He is fun, as is trying to pick out all the ex-NFL stars in the cast including Bob Sapp, Michael Ervin, and Brian Bosworth. The original film also had some former players in the cast.

The warden played by James Cromwell is football obsessed and arranges a scrimmage game between his guards and the cons. His guards are a champion team and he does whatever it takes to keep it that way.

Adam Sandler can be an engaging comedic actor, but he basically plays an angry unfunny puss. He isn't funny and neither is Rock. The casting is all stunted and the writing doesn't warrant the payroll. (**)

A snooty lawyer and his angry wife are carjacked by two black men. A light skinned black director and his wife are mis-treated by a racist white cop after getting pulled over for a traffic violation. A Russian store owner who doesn't speak much English, gets broken into and blames a poor Latino locksmith for his trouble. A black cop is worried that his relationship with his Mexican female partner will upset his colleagues and mother, who he has an estranged relationship with. All these stories are intertwined to form an arc and all come together at the end to state a message about our society and how it deals with race.

In the tradition of Robert Altman's fine films like "The Player", and "Short Cuts", as well as Lawrence Kasdan's "Grand Canyon", "Crash" does a wonderful job at mixing and matching a number of characters and stories and having them all come together. This film has amazing writing and performances. The characters are all real and they seem like people you've probably met before. Director Paul Haggis, who just won an Oscar for "Million Dollar Baby" really does a great job at balancing everyone and giving each story equal screen time.

This is an intense film at times and each character's story packs some emotional punch. The writing is dynamite and I highly recommend "Crash" (****)

I got this for my daughter and she loved it. She's also 4 years old. I am not the demographic for "Ice Princess", but nonetheless, it's still a cute family film that will appeal to the pre-teen girl and younger.

Casey (Michelle Trachtenberg) is a science geek senior looking to get into Harvard. She has a domineering mom (Joan Cusack) and a group of kids that look down on her because she is smart. Casey figures out a way to make the best of a situation where she can apply her physics to figure skating and help the young skaters in the town as well as herself. It works to perfection as she becomes a brilliant young skater and also manages to get in the good graces of all the other skaters she was helping.

Casey begins to compete, but she needs a coach and enter Tina Harwood (Kim Catrall). Tina own the local rink and is happens to be the only coach around. I found it funny that 4 of the best young skaters in the country all live in the same poor town. Anyway, Tina has some demons of her own and she appears to live vicariously through her skating daughter who no longer wants to skate, but have a life.

The plot is paper thin and the diologue is nothing special, but the characters are engaging and for the younger crowd it's a crowd pleaser. Young girls will like it and probably put a little bug in the ear making them want to skate. (***)