Reviews

Schoolyard bullies, abusive parents and abduction are some perennial kid fears that make good fodder for horror films. In the movie, based on a short story by Joe Hill (son of Stephen and Tabitha King, both novelists who delve into the hidden horrors of small rural towns), the two protagonists deal with all three including "the Grabber," who lurks in the shadows, a serial kidnapper of kids whose victims have yet to be found, who masquerades as a magician with black balloons. For Finney (Mason Thames) and his psychic younger sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw), he is a real but somewhat mysterious threat, until one day, Mason is abducted.

We then learn the Grabber is Ethan Hawke, a soft-spoken, often petulant man who always obscures his face with an elaborate clown/animal mask or makeup. (Apparently, Ethan took a cue from Kathy Bates in "Misery," as refraining from raising one's voice to one's captive ward can be equally scary as full-fledged rage.) He insists he does not want to hurt Mason, but since there's nothing in the basement where he imprisons him but a cot and a toilet, he is not too convincing. Oddly, there is also a phone, which is supposedly disconnected, but keeps ringing sporadically. When Mason answers it, it turns out to be the former victims, all of whom offer advice on how to escape. (Oh, and there may be someone upstairs who might help if he can get his act together.)

Meanwhile Gwen requests help from God and has visions that may be clues. Luckily, the police take her seriously, although her father (Jeremy Davies) punishes her, fearing that she may become mentally ill like her deceased mother. It does all end (spoiler alert) with both siblings intact and the possibility that Jeremy may soften his parenting techniques a trifle. Still, it's quite a ride for the viewer: a Halloween scary treat for midsummer.

Sadly, there will always be those who refuse to play by the rules, and in "2000 Mules," (director Dinesh D'Souza examines why possible discrepancies occurred in the 2020 US Presidential Election. If you believe that this wasn't "the most secure election in history" or even if you do, you might want to check out this film.

The film focuses on the research of Catherine Engelbrecht and Gregg Phillips, who are members of the group True the Vote who used geotracking and video surveillance to track those who were in charge of delivering ballots to drop boxes, focusing on five key swing states (Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arizona, etc.) Geotracking occurs even if your cell is turned off depending on the apps) to track the "mules," people who made 10 or more visits to drop boxes within a particular period of time.

The video surveillance, as well as an interview with a (disguised) mule raised other questions that, depending on your perspective and politics, were either troubling or easily parried. Why were so many dropping off ballots at times such as 3 a.m.? Were they wearing gloves to avoid detection or for pandemic concerns? Were they taking photos of just the ballot box in order to ensure they had done their job and would be paid or (as Wikipedia insists) was this simply to post on social media to share their experience?

It certainly takes a great deal of courage to come forward and raise such issues, even with what some would consider rock solid evidence. One thing is true: when a society permits cheating in what should be fair elections, we all lose.

While many of us enjoy being scared silly by the undead on the big screen, movies like the just-released "Gosnell: The Trial of America's Biggest Serial Killer," shows the evil that lurks in the heart of humankind is equally as horrifying.

Moviegoers who settle into the darkness to watch "Gosnell," may be forgiven for briefly wondering if they're in the right theater because after a brief clip of Sarah Jane Morris running in exercise gear down an idyllic suburban street (always a sign of Major Inner Conflict), the scene shifts to the main detective character (Dean Cain) getting to the chapel of love late but still in time to see the bride safely to the altar. (There is no wedding scene, as far as I can recall in the nonfiction bestseller/source material by Phelim McAleer and Ann McElhinney.) But then we hop to the real action, as Dean and his partner's undercover sting at a drugstore is crashed by none other than the FBI. Understandably rattled, the woman clutching her bag of Oxy-Contin blurts out that she got the scripts from Dr. Gosnell, (Earl Billings) a Philadelphia abortionist who has been practicing since the seventies, providing affordable services to low-income minority women who might otherwise not be able to afford it (and to white patients as well). This prompts a visit to the clinic where the SWAT team is greeted by a balding, bespectacled man with a grandfatherly demeanor who amiably inquires as to whether there's been a break-in. Judging from the disarray that greeted the detectives before the doctor arrived on the scene, this is a good cover story. Informed otherwise, the seemingly unflappable Earl checks a patient (who appears to be ready to deliver a house), chops up some food for his beloved exotic turtles, then settles in with a bag of takeout. His "It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood," is only slightly muted when the detectives later raid his home, after hearing from a former clinic employee about a disturbing practice Earl has of ending the life of newborns by snipping the spinal cord with scissors - not to mention a patient who died following an abortion. Hauled off in handcuffs at last, Earl appears to see himself as a martyr of sorts. "This is what happens when you try to help people," he laments.

Dean, whose righteous indignation and determination to see the bad guy brought to justice echoes Mark Ruffalo in "Spotlight," and Sarah Jane work to gather evidence to prosecute Earl, though they're warned by the District Attorney (Michael Beach) to focus on the death, not the practice of abortion itself. He also tries to warn them about handling the glare of the media spotlight, although when the team arrives at the courthouse, there's virtually no one there. One exception is a young blogger (Cylina Figleo) who has valuable information that later helps convict Earl and who is instrumental in finally lighting a fire - if a belated one - under the mainstream media. The team has a formidable opponent in Earl's lawyer (Nick Searcy), who behaves as if he's popped in fresh from "A Few Good Men." But as former employees and patients of Earl testify about his appalling treatment of newborn infants, the tide turns in favor of the heroes.

Though this movie has been subject to much unfair censorship from its inception to its release, it's well-worth seeing. Not at all preachy, but it will certainly make you think and perhaps reexamine your views on abortion.

I saw this movie last weekend because I was bored. I wasn't looking for great entertainment, so I wasn't too disappointed. (I was, however, the only one in the theater, so I can't describe the reaction of others in the audience.) This is a "Hangover" style type comedy, which also follows the same formula as many 80's youth films like "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," although there's quite a gap in quality between the two. Basically, a cocky, but secretly caring friend decides to help a more introverted, repressed pal loosen up. There's even a one-dimensional evil dad here, and lots of car damage en route to learning life lessons about friendship, taking responsibility and following ones' dreams.

College-age Miller (Miles Teller) and Casey (Skylar Astin) coerce their pal Jeff Chang into hitting the bars to celebrate his 21st birthday. When Jeff has a little too much alcohol, the two are forced to figure out where Jeff lives in order to get him home in time for his interview to medical school arranged by his uptight dad the next day. On the way, they'll have run-ins with a buffalo, a pep rally, a horde of angry Latina sorority sisters, and a hostile cheerleader who happens to be the boyfriend of Casey's crush. Teller takes what could have been a thoroughly repellent character and manages to inject a little heart into it (watch for the few moments when he's caught off guard and shows actual hurt that he's disappointed his friends). The movie goes where "Ferris," didn't and actually lets you see the confrontation with the bad dad. Otherwise, it's pretty predictable, and even the gross-out gags aren't all that "shocking."

I should admit that I am not a fan of on-screen projectile vomiting (was scarred as a youngster by the pie eating contest turned barfarama in "Stand By Me"). "Pitch Perfect," contains not one, but two scenes, one extended, where a character pukes, and we get treated to every gruesome detail, including another character lying in the puke making snow angels. If you have a delicate stomach like this reviewer, you may want to close your eyes a few times. Otherwise, "Pitch Perfect," is pretty standard fare.

Anna Kendrick plays a first year at Barden College, who becomes involved in an all-women's a-capella group because she wants her dad to pay for her to go to LA to become a DJ eventually. Bitter over her parents' divorce, she has no desire to make friends or even boyfriends, but slowly things begin to change, as she gets involved with the on-campus culture of a-capella. Her fellow "Bellas," include Rebel Wilson, a self-named warbler named Fat Amy, who is treated much better by the script than most plus-sized characters in movies and emerges as a strong, likable presence. A love interest in the form of Skylar Astin, who belongs to the Bellas' rivals also tries to capture Kendricks' interest. The outcome is predictable, but the musical numbers are fun, and if you don't mind a few gross-out gags and are a Glee-ster, you should enjoy "Pitch Perfect."

In "Grosse Point Blank," John Cusack, a hit-man, attends his high school reunion and to the strains of Queen's "Under Pressure," gazes at a classmate's infant. The child's mom tells him that when you're a teen, you think your life is over when you grow up and have a family, but really, "it's just beginning." Would that that kind of insight was more frequent in "Ten Years," in which representatives from all the typical cliques attend their high school reunion, for the reasons quoted in the tagline. Like real life reunions, there's a lot of intoxication, true confessions and mundane conversation. The one bright spot is Chris Pratt, who plays a former bully turned family man, determined to "apologize" to everyone he used to torment. (Sample attempt to do this: "Wow, you look all normal and (bleep).") Pratt throws himself into the role with an abandon I wished some of the other actors had.

"Ten Years," is oddly devoid of pop culture and historic event references that you might expect. This might mean it won't seem too dated eventually, but it also makes it bland. No one mentions the current economic recession (that I recall) or brings up the difficulty of finding/keeping a job, any job. While this might be a downer, it still seems a strange omission. The big secrets the characters are concealing are more generalized. It's like eavesdropping on a real life reunion, but with movies, I at least want more drama than I saw here.

Is this movie corny, clichéd, sentimental, etc? Absolutely. Are some of the characters one-dimensional bad guys? Yep. Is it financed by someone with a lot of money who has his own opinion on the subject? Sure. This is true of most of the movies coming out of Hollywood, including "Trouble With the Curve," which isn't getting half the flack this movie is. If you want sophistication and nuance, go see an art house film. If you want to see a heartfelt film that raises questions about education and the future of America's kids, you may want to give this a shot. Some characters are pro-union, others just want what's best for their kids, others change their minds while others don't. Some bureaucrats in the movie are willing to help; others flatly refuse. That's also true in real life, and all these viewpoints are represented in "Won't Back Down."

Maggie Gyllenhaal plays a blue-collar single mom who decides to try and get support for radical changes for her daughter's elementary school, after trying and failing to get her daughter a better quality education in the current system. Joining her are Viola Davis, a veteran teacher who is beaten down, but not yet fully defeated, and Oscar Isaacs, a hunky "Teach for America" type, who doesn't want to focus on politics, at least at first. Other supporting players include Rosie Perez, Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Holly Hunter, who all do a great job with an admittedly TV-movie of the week type plot and script, and I, for one, didn't check my watch once during the film.

The standout here is Davis, whose mother was a well-loved teacher, and who goes home and digs out some new material with which to challenge her young students, even before she agrees to the takeover plan. "We're all going to work a lot harder around here," she informs her class. "Including me." It's easier, in my opinion, to play the stereotypical young idealist crusader, whether teacher or parent, but how many movies flesh out the role of the crusty veteran? One message of the film, is that you don't have to wait for someone to change things for you. Even when everything around you is going downhill, an "average" person can still summon the strength to make a change in the quality of someone's life, whether big or small. And that's a message that's always welcome, if you ask me.

In "Trouble With the Curve" (title explained toward the end of the movie for non-baseball fans) Clint Eastwood plays Gus, a baseball scout who begins to have vision problems shortly before he's scheduled to take a trip to scout out an obnoxious but talented high schooler, who hits a wicked sweet homer. Gus, we are told early on, doesn't put any stock in those newfangled computer programs that all the other scouts use because a computer can't tell if a kid's got heart, and so on....Gus's friend, played by John Goodman, realizing that something's up with Gus, recruits his daughter Mickey (Amy Adams), a workaholic lawyer to accompany Gus on the trip. Mickey has her own issues, stemming from her dad sending her away to temporarily live with relatives after her mother's death, and as Justin Timberlake's character, a former pitcher, puts it, when the two get going, they're as good as the Kardashians. Will Gus save the day? Will Mickey realize there's more to life than making partner? Will she end up with the guy whom she initially gives the brush off? Only if you've never seen a movie before, will you be unable to figure this all out, and even then, you might anyway.

In the movie, Mickey describes her ideal guy, and she points at her head, then her heart. This movie's got oodles of heart, but not many brains. The three leads do an excellent job, even with a weak script, but it's predictable from start to finish. You may enjoy it, but you probably won't remember too much about it a month or so later.

P.S. From its trailer shown before TWTC, the baseball bio about Jackie Robinson coming out next spring looks much better.

"The Words," stars Bradley Cooper as an aspiring novelist who describes his works as "angry young man" kind of stuff to another aspiring novelist who trains him his first day as a drone at a publishing company. He has been toiling in an obscurity that will be familiar to aspiring writers in the audience, until his wife (Zoe Saldana) reads a manuscript he's been retyping for inspiration. Believing it to be his, not knowing that Cooper found it in an old secondhand satchel he purchased while traveling, she insists he show it to his boss. When the novel's published, it becomes an instant literary sensation, winning oodles of prizes, and all is peachy - until the original author (Jeremy Irons) appears. Irons, looking like a refugee from Roald Dahl's "Tales of the Unexpected" tells him the story behind the story.

Meanwhile a successful writer (Dennis Quaid) has been narrating Cooper's story to an admirer. Is he related to Cooper somehow? Whose life is he really describing? The main theme of the movie is not whether Cooper should admit his wrongdoing (he does), but what happens if someone refuses to let you make amends. That part is left ambiguous. Watching this, I was reminded of an author who was revealed to be lying in his memoir, but still went on to write fiction. Leaving things open-ended in this movie was the right choice, in my opinion. It's not a great movie, but it's still a good one (to paraphrase a character in "The Words") and worth seeing if you've literary aspirations. (It does, however, not address the fact that it's more possible than ever before to be a self-published success, via the Internet, but that's another movie.)

This movie is excellent and quirky, etc., but it left me completely unmoved. This puzzled me because I loved earlier Anderson films like "Rushmore," "The Royal Tennenbaums," and "The Fantastic Mr. Fox." "Moonrise Kingdom," tells the story of two uber-quirky tweens who both consider themselves outcasts and who arrange to run away together to an isolated part of the New England island they live on. The adults soon figure out that they've taken off, and assemble practically the rest of the island's inhabitants to track them down. The adult cast includes Anderson reliable Bill Murray, who mostly wanders around in hideous plaid pants, Jason Schwartzman, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Edward Norton and Bruce Willis, as the island's sheriff. The tweens insist that they've found true love, the adults believe that separating them is best, - you'll probably be able to figure out the rest of the story on your own. On the way there, a dog runs afoul of a bow and arrow, another child gets stabbed by scissors, another kid gets struck by lightning, but none of these potential tragedies get more than a few moments of script time, and everyone winds up basically a little more wise and a little more content than they were before.

The movie is beautifully shot, it will make you want to run away to a NE island of your own. I found it weak on character development - the kids don't really go through the expected cycle that usually happens when two young people develop a relationship. That part felt rushed and discarded in favor of putting as many quirky characters in various situations as possible. Most of the movie did feel whimsical, but if you ask me, magic was in short supply.

Madonna's "W.E." is the perfect movie for people who watched "The King's Speech," and liked it, but thought it could totally be improved by adding a little rock-and-roll to the montages, rather than stuffy old Beethoven. If you thought "TKS" took a rather harsh view of the Romance of the Century by focusing on the less glamorous characters of King George VI and his family, while portraying the Duke and Duchess of Windsor as irresponsible, party-hardy, Nazi-sympathizers, than you'll appreciate a more soft-focus version of their relationship. Never fear, it's all here.

The film moves back and forth between the present day in which Abbie Cornish plays a depressed woman whose marriage is crumbling and who spends her time visiting Sotheby's, where an upcoming auction of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor's property is about to commence, and the past which traces the Duchess's (Andrea Riseborough) life from her marriage to the abusive Win Spencer through the abdication crisis with the Duke (James D'Arcy). Cornish's character, also named Wally, is fascinated by the woman whose story of sacrifice in marrying the Duke is much less known than vice versa. As the present-day Wally comes to face the truth about her marriage, she finds solace in a Russian security guard at Sotheby's and gains the courage to move forward with her life.

It's probably a cheap pop-psychology analysis to guess that Madonna may identify with a celebrity who was widely reviled in her time, although possessing a great deal of style and panache. "W.E." is not Oscar-bait, except perhaps costume-wise, but it's surprisingly enjoyable, as long as you take it for what it is: entertainment, not a profound meditation on Serious Issues.

I wanted to like this movie a whole lot more than I did. Sure, I'm partly killing time before "Beasts of the Southern Wild" reaches the suburbs, but I used to be a "Family Guy" fan, and I don't mind some crude cinematic humor when it's broiling out. Trust me, on this front, "Ted' more than delivers. Fart jokes? Check! Fat kid jokes? Check. (Serious question: Did Seth MacFarlane get beat up a lot when he was young by a fat kid?) Breaking the fourth wall? Check. Random cruel observations about washed up media stars? Check. (Another question: Does Seth MacFarlane get the irony of casting not one, but two, former child stars in this movie? Probably.)

Plot: A friendless youngster in a Boston suburb gets a teddy bear for Christmas and makes a wish that the bear will become real. Because there is no magic stronger than the love between a kid and his stuffed pal, this actually happens. The kid grows up to be John (Mark Wahlberg), and the bear, Ted, grows up to be a pot-smoking, call girl courting, potty mouthed guy, who's still Best Friends Forever and roomies with his pal. John is a slacker, but he's got a good heart, and has been dating Lori (Mila Kunis) for four years. Lori, who wants to get married, gives John an ultimatum: it's either her or Ted. Meanwhile Ted is in danger (of a sort) from a stalker (Giovanni Ribisi) who wants to purchase Ted for his spoiled son.

"Ted" has some hysterical moments, but the humor is uneven. When "Ted' is funny, it's very, very funny; when it's not, it falls flat. It's the kind of movie that turns sentimental and mushy at the end, which doesn't really go with the rest of the over-the-top crude scenes. I did enjoy seeing the Boston landmarks, though. Joel McHale also did a superb job as Kunis' slimy boss, Rex.

"Crooked Arrows" breaks no new ground in plucky underdog sports movies, but does offer a sweet, mostly clean alternative to some of the current theater offerings. It's rated PG-13, but has no graphic sex scenes, contains a positive message, and even a non-lacrosse fan like this one, found the games edge-of-your-seat intense. It does offer proof that sports movie clichés stay the same regardless of the ethnicity of the underdogs, but no film's perfect.

Brandon Routh plays the reluctant coach of the Jackpots (later Crooked Arrows) a ragtag public high school lacrosse team made of mostly Native Americans. He's also responsible for negotiating a land deal with a shady white guy, and is regarded by most his tribe, as a sell-out. Tensions come to a head when his dad opposes selling the land, and the council decides that dad gets to stipulate what Routh must do in return. The team is sufficiently pugnacious (they start a brawl after losing to a snooty prep school), but they need a coach who can channel their aggression and boost their confidence enough to be serious contenders. Also, they need much better equipment, which to the movie's credit, is dealt with openly.

The players break down into recognizable types: the goofy, fat kid; the insanely talented guy who needs to learn to be a team player; the spunky tomboy who's got more cojones than all her teammates put together, etc. The opposing coach who coached the teenaged Logan, is blond, scowly and borderline psychotic - and at one point, in perhaps a nod to The Karate Kid, bellows, "No mercy!" from the sidelines during a game. Unsurprisingly, the team will learn valuable lessons in life, and the coach will also grow as a person. As a Mr. Miyagi-like mentor figure puts it, there's a reason lacrosse is called "the Medicine Game."

This has to be one of them most underrated Christmas movies ever. Just go up to someone and mention it, and watch them say, "What?" "No, MY favorite holiday special is "It's a Wonderful Life." Try not to pity them too noticeably.

Denis Leary plays Gus, a burglar who gets interrupted in the process of completing a job in a well-to-do Connecticut suburb, and winds up taking Judy Davis and Kevin Spacey's couple hostage. Not a good idea, as he quickly discovers. They're so busy bickering that they barely acknowledge Gus, and he must come up with creative ways to keep shutting them up. The main obstacles to Gus escaping undetected are 1) the couple's son is due back from military school, 2) the in-laws are due shortly for a guilt-filled dysfunctional Christmas visit, and 3) the local Keystone Kops are attempting to track Gus down. It's 2) which is really the problem, as the couple's family is even more intolerable than the couple themselves.

Sample scene: The in-laws are seen eating at a diner shortly before they're due. "Eat up, kids. Heavens knows what we'll get at Aunt Caroline's." This proves to be a wise move indeed. And if you got a kick out of Kevin Spacey hurling the asparagus in "American Beauty," you'll appreciate the scene where he loses it and starts hitting the Christmas tree. ("Excuse me, the 'corpse' still has the floor!") All I can say, that it's good that Gus came along, because the family definitely all had more than a few grievances to air that had long been festering. Though I'm not sure they got every last drop of venom out (maybe a sequel?).

Before I start this review, I want to mention that I was one of the few who hated "Forrest Gump." So perhaps I should have known better than to go see another movie about a wide-eyed innocent. But I did. In it, Freddie Highmore plays the titular character. While Gump was guided by a magical feather and the love of a woman, August is guided by music. Music, he explains in several voiceovers is everywhere! We just have to open our ears.

The product of a one night stand between two talented musicians (Keri Russell as a classically-trained cellist) and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers as am alternative-rock star, August lives in an orphanage and maintains, in the tradition of all plucky movie orphans, that his parents are still alive, even though everyone tries to tell him otherwise. Eventually, he runs away to New York City, where he has a series of adventures that the scriptwriters don't even try to pretend aren't cribbed from "Oliver Twist." He meets an African-American urchin who takes him to his mentor's hideout and tells him to consider himself part of the family. The mentor is called Wizard, played by Robin Williams, who exploits a crew of homeless young musicians. Wizard is bad, but fortunately for August, the city is also populated by saintly minorities who teach him to write music and help him get accepted to Juilliard. No, the movie doesn't explain how. This is fantasy, you see. You must suspend disbelief and open your heart. Especially, at the end, when August is finally successful in reuniting his folks. No, it doesn't involve anything as mundane as a Google search. That wouldn't be magical.

This movie was like being strapped in a chair and having a box of sugar forcibly poured down my throat. I did think Highmore did a good job, particularly since the movie required him to cry a lot on cue, which not many adult actors can do convincingly. This is the kind of movie that is tailor-made for the holiday season, when people are looking for a little uplift. If you're a Grinch like me, though, do stay far, far away.

Hi, I'm zoerobe, and when I was in high school I was in the band. Also I've played Dungeons and Dragons as a kid. So I guess I'm a dork!

Sorry, I just got a little carried away. This is a cute but totally, like, unoriginal movie - "Revenge of the Nerds," meets "Legally Blonde," meets "She's All That," for starters. But it's totally indebted to "Revenge of the Nerds," this way ancient movie that came out, like, over a decade ago. Let's compare the two plots.

Revenge of the Nerds: Two young freshman with limited dating experience and social skills go off to college, where they are made to sleep in the gym because the Big Greeks on Campus have burned down their own house and need a place to stay. The nerds get fed up and form their own frat (Lambda, Lambda, Lambda) and compete in the fraternity/sorority challenge because the winner gets to control all the Greek activities/funds.

Revenge of the Dorks, oops I mean Sydney White: Amanda Byrnes plays a young wholesome tomboy with limited social skills who goes off to college to pledge the same sorority as her dead mom. She is eventually cast out and forced to take refuge in the Vortex, a house for seven guys who are dorks. The dorks get fed up and decide to take control of the Student Council so the funds will be more evenly distributed.

Dissing Amanda Byrnes'acting is like kicking a puppy. She's so cute that she even made "She's the Man" halfway bearable. All the actors do a decent job, although they aren't helped by a predictable script and mostly lame dialog. But well, Amanda is cute enough to help the movie rise above these flaws. She's totally, like, adorkable!