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THE AMERICAN MORE BORING THAN IT IS BOURNE!!!! George Clooney is banking on his good looks, great Italian scenery and beautiful Italian women to sell his new thriller “THE AMERICAN”. Clooney is producing with novice video director Anton Corbijn and there are no other familiar faces in this one. The American is Jack (George Clooney) a hired assassin who is on the run from a Swedish death squad. He is found hiding out in Denmark with his girlfriend, so Jack has to eliminate both killers and tie up the one lose end, his girlfriend! After one to the back of her head Jack is off to Italy to go further undercover. Everyone Jack gets close to ends up in a body bag. Jack going by the name George is befriended by the local priest in this small northern Italian town. He also makes friends with a local prostitute Ingrid (Irena Bjorklund) and soon the two develop a relationship out of business. Then the phone rings with one last job, Jack must arrange for a sniper rifle to take out a target for the company he works for. Jack says this is his swan song and after this job, HE’S OUT! The American has very little dialogue but very nice scenery. That combination doesn’t do well to keep the audience involved in what turns out to be a how to film on gunsmithing. Through a third of the film we watch Clooney build a rifle and silencer from scratch. Sprinkle in a couple of naked women and two killings and you have “THE AMERICAN”. I am Karl, the Flick Fanatic and a big George Clooney fan. I did enjoy the film but I cannot recommend you pay your hard earned cash to see it in the theaters, wait for the DVD. It won’t be a long wait! Rated R (Sex, Nudity, violence) CENTURION ROME WASN’T BUILT IN A DAY, BUT IT WAS DESIMATED IN LESS THAT TWO HOURS! This week I checked out the newest in a long line of Roman Royal Rumble flicks called ‘Centurion’. Horror/Sci-Fi director Neil Marshall (Doomsday, Descent) took a stab at an action flick featuring swords and dismemberment instead of zombies and cave monsters. ‘Centurion’ tells the story of Rome’s 9th Legion’s 117 A.D. assault on northern England and the local tribe called the Picts. The Legion was dispatched to retaliate for the Picts murdering an entire garrison on the outskirts of the Roman Empire. Everyone was killed except a centurion, Quintus Dias (Michael Fassbender, 300) who was taken by the Picts and tortured by their leader Gorlacon (Ulrich Thomson). When Dias escapes he flees to the north and is reunited with Rome’s 9th Legion led by General Titus Virilius (Dominic West, 300) and informs them of the Picts and the decimation they are bringing. Overconfident general Virilius leads his legion and newly recruited centurion Dias to a head on meeting with the Picts. Titus has a scout, a pict female named Etain (Olga Kurylenko, Quantum of Solace), to help them find the secret Pict camp. Why would you trust one of the enemy to lead you anywhere but a trap??? That is exactly what happens, The Romans suffer the worst loss in their storied battle history as the Picts take out the 9th Legion and General Virilius leaving only six survivors that includes Centurion Quintus Dias! This guy needs to buy a lottery ticket. The worst is just ahead of them though they must make their way back through Pict territory to get home to Rome without being murdered. Centurion was OK, but basically boiled down to a weak watered down version of 300 with Romans. There were far too few fights but there were limbs flying everywhere. It was like some took a giant lawnmower blade to the roman army and there was a river of blood and enough arms and legs to fill a Broadway show! But in the end just not enough content to recommend this film unless you get it on DVD for a buck! I am Karl, The Flick Fanatic now wanting to see Gladiator to get the bad ‘Centurion’ taste out of my mind! Rated R (Violence, Blood and gore) BOATS, BOOZE, BOOBS, AND PISSED OFF FISH, IT’S STILL NOT SAFE TO GO BACK IN THE WATER! Piranha 3D takes place in Lake Victoria during spring break. The town is over run by drunken college kids and paparazzi, and Sheriff Julie Forester (Elizabeth Shue) and her deputy Fallon (Ving Rhames) must keep order. Just before the weekend begins, there is a mild earthquake that opens a passage between the lake above and an underground one below. After a local Matt Boyd (Richard Dreyfuss) and a few college kids begin to disappear, scientist go into the cavern to find a prehistoric race of piranha! Thousands of the killer fish are released into the lake where there is a smorgasbord of college kids in the water just waiting to be eaten! In addition to the college kids, the sheriff’s son Jake (Steven R. McQueen) hooked up with Girls Gone Wild type director Derrick Jones (Jerry O’Connell) and is out on the lake with some bodacious beauties! There must be some drama, so Jake’s stripper boat hits a rock and begins to sink into the frenzy! Piranha 3D is exactly what it is meant to be, a soft core porn version of Jaws with humor, and it delivers. Am I recommending it, no…..not unless you are a fan of this or 3D junkie and have a few bucks to waste on a matinee of Piranha 3D. The film was fun and had tons of blood and body parts along with good looking girls being eaten naked by fish, I said FUN! Others will feel this is a best picture nominee (for the Razzies), but I can’t go there. Keep an eye out for Derrick Jones’ time with the fish, its ballsy!!! I am Karl, the Flick Fanatic looking for some sushi to bite back for the human race against Piranha 3D! Rated R (Extreme Gore, Nudity and Violence) There is NO honor among thieves or rappers! Novice director John Luessenhop (Lockdown 2000) has collected a hodge-podge of B-List acting talent to give us a new look at a cops/robber thriller. ‘Takers’ is an urban take on Ocean’s Eleven with a rap soundtrack that trades Vegas for downtown LA. Takers is a group of slick sophisticated high end thieves who very carefully choose their jobs for the biggest payout and have the least chance that they will get caught. Our pilfering roll call goes like this: Gordon Jennings (Idris Elba) the crew leader, John Rahway (Paul Walker) the lookout, brothers Jesse and Jake Attica (Chris Brown, Michael Ealy) and explosives expert A.J. (Hayden Christensen). The film starts out by showing the crew take down a bank with surgical precision and featured the best getaway I have seen since the Joker drove a school bus home, they stole a news chopper! The one thing that keeps this crew ahead of the cops is they only do one job per year. That is until the weak link in this chain gets out of prison early on good behavior. Ghost (T.I. Harris) the only member who has served time, gets out of the joint and has an armored car job for the guys to pull in 6 days! Can I say NO! When big money is involved thieves can’t, so they do it. This brings LA’s finest Jack Wells and Eddie Hatcher (Matt Dillon, Jay Hernandez) closer to busting the boys. I didn’t expect a lot from this one, but was pleasantly surprised with the action and story kept me entertained for the 102 mins. There is even a twist with both cops and robbers that will have you wondering if anyone is making it out of this one. I am Karl, the flick fanatic “taking” everything these guys have to give and enjoying a good crime flick for a change. Takers is a wrap! Rated R: Language, violence, partial nudity Rap video director Erik White jumps into the deep end of the pool without a floatation device as he coordinates his first feature film starring Bow Wow and every other black comedic actor in the business. ‘Lottery Ticket’ relies on all the standard racial stereotypes to drag laugh out of the audiences in this not so lucky comedy. Kevin Carson (Bow Wow) is the good kid in a bad neighborhood, trying to stay out of trouble as he supports himself and his grandmother (Loretta Devine) working at Footlocker. Kevin has dreams of designing his own sneaker line called C-Arson with Benny (Brandon T. Jackson) and Stacey (Naturi Naughton), his two lifelong friends. That is until he plays the lottery using numbers from a fortune cookie, and WINS! Kevin now has 370 million dollars to support his Granny, and start his business if he can survive 3 days to turn the ticket into the lottery office. Word gets around the hood faster than the smell of free bar-b-que, now every crazy idiot wants some of Kevin and his new found cash! Kevin is befriended by local gangster boss Sweet Tee (Keith David), who loans him $100,000 and Jimmy (Terry Crews) his driver to celebrate winning the lottery. Kevin is also being hunted by local thug Lorenzo (Gbenga Akinnagbe) who wants the ticket and is willing to kill Kevin over the fortune. Throw in Mike Epps as a money hungry Reverend Taylor who uses the collection plate to improve his own situation and Charlie Murphy as the local busy-body Semaj, who has his nose in everyone’s business including Kevin’s. Kevin is chased, seduced and beaten as he tries to outlast his neighbor in order to cash in his winning lottery ticket. Kevin does have someone in his corner as former boxer and building hermit Mr. Washington (Ice Cube) who advises him and comes to his rescue in the end of “Lottery Ticket”. Lottery Ticket is a laugh less waste of 90 minutes. As a rule always avoid any film that gives Charlie Murphy a speaking role. Ice Cube and Brandon T. Jackson are the only bright spots in this horrible film as they are the only characters we even care about. The film is predictable and recycles all the same jokes used in these films over and over again. I am Karl the Flick Fanatic telling you that there is nothing lucky about “Lottery Ticket”; if you are there you have picked all the WRONG numbers! Rated PG-13 (Language, violence, sexual content) SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD Let me just start by saying I am not a huge Michael Cera fan, for the simple fact he is the same “guy” in every movie he makes. He showed some range in one of my faves “Youth in Revolt”, so I was looking forward to see how he tackled the graphic novel rocker Scott Pilgrim. Then I found out Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) was directing and I knew that fun times were in store for all! I usually start off my reviews based on novels saying “I haven’t read the book but…”. Not in this case or any “Graphic” novel. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is fun and quirky ride through the comic with video game icons. Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) is living the Canadian dream, unemployed 23 year old rock star recently dumped by hottie Envy Adams (Brie Larson), on the rebound with a high school gal pal Knives Chau (Ellen Wong). While in bed with his gay room-mate Wallace (Kieran Culkin), Scott begins to see images of a colorful girl. The dream passes until he runs into her at a party. Now he believes its fate and he is going to date Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), no matter what! One small problem there Scott, you must battle and defeat all of Ramona’s evil exes! So now Scott pilgrim begins a battle royal against 7 different styles of Ramona’s ex boyfriends and even a girlfriend, it was a phase! Scott’s love life battle soon finds its way to interfere with the bands goals as the final ex is the record label guy Gideon Grave (Jason Schwartzman) and defeating him will cost the band stardom! Comic book films may not be your cup of tea but “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” is visually captivating with the over the top graphics and witty dialogue that will entertain everyone. The film also has a booming soundtrack the will give you a feel for the fights. Is this the next Dark Knight, No. But this is the best I have seen out of Michael Cera (with the worst hairdo in movie history!) with martial arts moves and even some emotion! The evil exes are a cavalcade of stars featuring Brandon Routh (Superman), Chris Evans (Captain America) and Mae Whitman all showing up for their shot with pilgrim. Anna Kendrick even pops in as Scott’s sister. I am Karl the Flick Fanatic, searching for Ramona Flowers and encouraging all of you to take your best shot at “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” Rated PG-13 (Stylized violence, sexual content, drugs) DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS Schmuck: Yiddish word most often used in American English as an insult, meaning an obnoxious, contemptible person; one who is stupid, foolish, or detestable. I give you Steve Carrell, Hollywood’s answer to the perfect schmuck! Jay Roach (Meet the Parents, 50 First Dates) knew this and cast him opposite Paul Rudd in one of 2010 funniest films so far, “Dinner for Schmucks”. Carrell isn’t the only Schmuck in the film, it’s loaded with them. He is just the best of the bunch. Tim (Paul Rudd) is a hot shot executive climbing the corporate ladder when opportunity presents its self, an office becomes available after a termination and Barry wants it! One small detail, Lance Fender (Bruce Greenwood) the CEO, tells Tim he must attend a dinner with the other executives first before the position is his. This isn’t just meat and potatoes, Tim must find an idiot to bring to dinner for the others to ridicule. Tim runs in to opposition with his girlfriend Julie (Stephanie Szostak) who hates the thought of it. Then he literally runs into Barry (Steve Carrell) with his car! Barry, an IRS auditor and hobbyist, whom in his spare time puts dead mice into shadow boxes recreating famous scenes that he calls “mousterpieces”. Barry was claiming a dead rodent in the street when struck by Tim. Tim has found his idiot! Tim must now keep Barry a secret from Julie in order to get the promotion and hopefully convince Julie to marry him. Easier said than done, this is the first person to befriend Barry so he clings to him like saran wrap. And Barry proves to be a human wrecking ball devastating everything in his way. He destroys Tim and Julie’s relationship, causes Tim to throw his back out and jeopardized a billion dollar deal at Tim’s company. This is only the first night! All this leads up to the dinner that must be seen to believe. Tim shows up and Barry is there with his mind reading co-worker Therman (Zach Galifianakas) already entertaining the crowd. Jeff Dunham shows up as one of the schmucks and there is a woman who speaks with the dead. Fun stuff huh? All of them, battling for the trophy “best in show” aka super schmuck! The dinner will have you rolling on the floor of the theater and will have you talking about all these schmucks long after you leave! Also the best parts aren’t in the trailer!!! I’m Karl, the Flick Fanatic feeling a little bit hungry…I guess it’s time to find and idiot to dine with. Anyone got Carrell’s number? Rated PG-13 (rude humor, language, partial nudity) Thank God Zac Efron finally graduated from High School, musical that is! He was quickly getting pigeon holed into the singing kid actor with no ability really quick. Enter Burr Steers (director of Big Love and Weeds) with the story of love and loss that can give the young actor a chance to show his audience some range in his talent. The tale is called “Charlie St. Cloud” and stars Efron in the title role. Zac is flanked by Charlie Tahan who plays his younger brother Sam. The St. Cloud boys are joined at the hip, sailing, playing baseball together until Charlie graduates from high school and is on his way to Stanford. Sam sees this as his last opportunity to hang with his brother. Sam makes Charlie promise to practice pitching with him until he leaves for Stanford. Graduation night and Charlie is heading over to a party but has to drop Sam at his friends first. That is when a drunk driver changes his life forever. Charlie and Sam die in the accident, yes they both die, but a paramedic (Ray Liotta) revives Charlie in the ambulance. Charlie then goes from a popular accomplished sailor to a recluse working in a grave yard. You wonder why he works in the bone yard? Since the accident Charlie sees ghost of people who haven’t crossed over yet, including Sam. So instead of leaving for college Charlie stay home and play catch with his little brother’s ghost. Ok that is the loss, here is the love. Tess Carroll (Amanda Crew) was always second to the great Charlie St. Cloud. But instead of resentment she formed a crush on him. Tess became an accomplished sailor herself over the 5 years following high school and was ready to embark in a solo race around the world when she runs into Charlie again. Tess runs into some rough water on a training run and her boat is lost at sea and Charlie must then make a choice between his bond with his brother and the girl he has developed feeling for. Is Charlie St. Cloud the next Love Story? No. But it is the best thing Zac Efron has done to date. The teenage girls will eat the romance up and Zac Efron shirtless won’t slow down ticket sales either. But Charlie St. Cloud is a well told story that features love, loss and some super natural events that will entertain on that night when you need that good date flick. Charlie St. Cloud also features a glimpse of Kim Basinger as Claire St. Cloud, the kids’ mom. I am Karl, the Flick Fanatic pleased to say Zac Efron can do something other than Disney Channel schlock, he can act and Charlie St. Cloud is proof of that. Rated PG-13 (death, sexual references, language) RAMONA AND BEEZUS Novice Director Elizabeth Allen (Aquamarine) has cast an adorable little girl in Joey King to bring Beverly Cleary’s beloved series of children’s books to the big screen. Unfortunately “Ramona & Beezus” fails to hit the target audience. I didn’t read these books (or have ever heard of them) and found myself entering the theater wondering what is a Beezus? ‘Ramona & Beezus’ is the story of the typical suburban family, The Quimbys. The story focuses on the kids, and the struggle of Ramona (Joey King) to find her way through the world. She is the middle daughter with an older sister Beezus (that’s what that is!) played by Selena Gomez, and a new baby Roberta (played by Aila & Zanti McCubbing). Beezus is a straight A student that everyone likes and is starting to like boys. This drives Ramona’s competitive juices crazy! Ramona is the artistic daughter, seeing the world through very colorful eyes. The other end of the spectrum is Roberta, Ramona’s baby sister that is stealing the attention away from Ramona. Throw in money troubles, parents fighting and Mr. Quimby losing his job! All of that pales in comparison to the havoc that Ramona wreaks on the community. When Ramona overhears a fight between her parents, she decides to pitch in and save the family’s house by selling lemonade in the good crystal. Did I mention the bees that flew into the glasses? Then she decides to cash in detailing cars and proceeds to destroy the neighbors (Josh Duhamel) jeep with a rainbow of paint colors! Then the family decides to sell the house when Mr. Quimby finds a job out of town, that is until Ramona falls through the living room floor! This is just a small sample of the catastrophe Ramona provides in the film. I really expected better for this film. I imagined a teen “Ally McBeal” type story with a lot more dream sequences with Ramona’s imagination going wild. They started with it and just let it go half way through the film. This was a theme of the movie that was full of set ups with no deliveries. The film is loaded with star power featuring supporting roles by Sandra Oh, Ginnirfer Goodwin and Bridget Moynahan. And all of them were surpassed by little Ramona. Let me say I am not the target audience for this film, but in the era of animation and films that entertain the entire family ‘Ramona & Beezus’ will please the pre-teen girls in the family. Anyone else will be catching up on some sleep soon after the midpoint in the film. I am Karl, the Flick Fanatic and if you have a pre-teen that you need to have babysat for a couple hours, then Ramona and Beezus is made for you; otherwise rent it on video as threat to make your kids do their homework. Rated G THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE When I found out Disney was going to take a segment of the animated classic “Fantasia’ and transform it into a feature length film, I wondered if they could pull it off. Then I learned that Jon Turteltaub was teaming with Jerry Bruckheimer to make ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’, and I knew something magical would come from this incantation. Jon Turteltaub has made some of my favorite films (While You Were Sleeping, Phenomenon) and has a way of getting the best out of Nicolas Cage when the work together (National Treasure series). In addition to Cage, Turteltaub has enlisted Alfred Molina, Monica Bellucci and funny guy Jay Baruchel to play the other wizards. I can barely remember Fantasia except for the famous Mickey Mouse scene with the dancing mops that go out of control. I certainly don’t remember Giant Dragons, car chases, and crazy lightning everywhere…thanks Jerry B.! This version of ‘the Sorcerer’s Apprentice’ has an ancient wizard Balthazar Blake, trained by none other than Merlin himself, searching for “the one”, an apprentice that is destined to defeat the ultimate evil wizard Morgana. Morgana (Alice Krige), an evil temptress who, with the help of Balthazar’s friend Maxim Horvath (Alfred Molina), was able to kill Merlin and steal a spell that will raise the dead to conquer the world. Balthazar must stop this, but he can’t do it alone. Enter Dave Stutler (Jay Baruchel) a physics geek who, following a grade school embarrassment, has refused to date women. Dave bumped into Balthazar back then and learned he was the chosen one, but following a battle between Horvath and Blake, Dave ran away and the wizards were imprisoned in a magical urn for the next 10 years. 10 Years later, Horvath and Blake escape the urn and now Balthazar must race to find Dave, train him quickly, prevent Horvath from resurrecting Morgana and save the world. Not just any other weekend for Dave. We also find out that Balthazar has another reason for wanting to eliminate Morgana, she has taken his true love Veronica (Monica Bellucci) and Balthazar WANTS HER BACK! This is truly an entertaining summer movie. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is loaded with superb visual effects like a giant dragon destroying New York’s Chinatown, a stainless steal flying eagle that Balthazar uses to get around NYC’s traffic jams. There is also a fabulous car chase with mirrors that you must see to believe!!! There is enough fun for the kids and entertainment for the adults that the whole family will enjoy Disney’s ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’. I am Karl, the flick fanatic casting a spell to have you go to the theater to check out some true magic in film, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is a wrap! Rated PG-13 (Fantasy violence and dark images) This is the second in the “Lisbeth Salander” movie trilogy based on the book by the same name “The Girl Who Played With Fire” Daniel Alfredson is directing this installment, taking over for Niels Arden Opley who directed “Dragon Tattoo”. This time out Alfredson explains exactly who Lisbeth Salander is and throws in some teenage sex trafficking and murder to hold your attention. Noomi Rapace is back as Lisbeth Salander, the girl with that killer tattoo on her back. Crack reporter and Lisbeth’s friend Mikael Blomkvist (Micheal Nyqvist) also returns to find his girl neck deep in a pool of sex and murder. In the beginning there are some loose ends tied up from the previous film when a mobster named Zala kills Nils Bjurman (Peter Andersson), Lisbeth’s guardian (Swedish for parole officer). Bad thing is Lisbeth held the gun on Bjurman when she tattooed him with rapist on his belly (in last film). Blomkvist is still working at the Millennium newspaper and is partnered with an Australian reporter who has uncovered a sex trafficking ring being run by high ranking political officials. Just before Blomkvist can go to press, the young reporter and his girlfriend are murdered. It just so happens to be with the same gun that killed Bjurman! So now Salander is on the run being hunted for three murders. Blomkvist knows Lisbeth did not kill these people, but must prove it to the police before she is arrested or found and killed by Zala. Lisbeth, a computer hacker by trade, also begins to hunt down Zala to kill him and clear her name. Blomkvist and Salander take different paths but arrive at the same results and uncover a bone shattering surprise….. But I am not going to tell you what that is! I am going to have you first go to Toni’s take and read Raven’s review of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”, then go rent it and watch it. Then the next night you need to find where in town that “The Girl Who played With Fire” is and go see it! Don’t be a wuss, yes it is Swedish and has sub-titles. Man up and read for a change these films are worth it. This may be one of the best trilogies since Frodo left the shire!!!! I am Karl, The Flick Fanatic and I am on the edge of my seat waiting for the next film in the series to come out in 2011, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest! Rated R (Drugs, Rape, Violence, Language) CYRUS When you think of a love triangle a man, a woman and a child just never comes to mind. That is until you go check out the new comedy “CYRUS” from the brothers Duplass. “CYRUS” tells the story of John (John C. Reilly), a divorced man of seven years who has completely regressed and withdrawn from women. That is until his ex-wife (Catherine Keener) and her fiancé (Matt Walsh) force him to go to a party and meet some women. After spending the evening getting drunk on vodka/Red Bull and humiliating himself in front of women, John meets Molly (Marisa Tomei) while he is in mid-stream urinating on a bush in the backyard. Following a karaoke duet of the Human League’s “Don’t You Want Me”, sparks fly, and John has sex with someone other than his hand for the first time in seven years! Following a second date, with Molly sneaking off in the middle of the night, John’s insecurities creep back in and he follows Molly home. No she’s not married. But there is another man in Molly’s life, her 21 year old son CYRUS. Cyrus (Jonah Hill) brings a whole new meaning to the phrase momma’s boy. Cyrus is a new age musician who still lives at home with his mother. Molly explains to John, that Cyrus has issues that have kept him living at home. Come to find out that Cyrus’ only issue is that he doesn’t want some guy to come in and make his mom happy and in turn ruin his sweet gig! So Cyrus goes to defcon Red when he sees how close his mom and John got so quickly and must drive a wedge between them. Let the games begin!!!! From that point on John and Molly’s relationship is a rollercoaster ride of juvenile hi-jinx, crude practical jokes, and disturbing behavior! What will happen? Who will Molly choose in the unholy love triangle? You will have to go to the theater to find out! Mark and Jay Duplass, riding a wave of recent success with their cinema verite’ hit “Baghead”, now deliver the surprise comedy of 2010. Before you jump down my website, this is a dark comedy, not the next Hangover. You may not have many belly laughs but the witty dialogue between reilly/Hill will have you giggling throughout the film. I am Karl, the Flick Fanatic, still crushing on Marisa Tomei even though “CYRUS” is a wrap! RATED R (DRUGS, SEXUAL SITUATIONS, LANGUAGE) KNIGHT AND DAY ‘Knight and Day’ is the latest in a long line of romantic spy themed comedies. This time we have a rouge agent, Roy Miller (Tom Cruise) trying to smuggle a top secret power source back to his agency while dodging assassins from arms dealers and his own agency! Roy uses an unsuspecting auto mechanic, June Havens (Cameron Diaz), to get the battery through the airport and safely to Boston. That is until she strolls onto the plane full of killers. Roy takes down 12 agents while June primps in the lavatory; problem is they included the pilot! This starts our fateful couple on a global trek that includes assassinations and double crosses and even a romantic lunch on a desert island. Roy explains to June that he is attempting to keep a double agent (Peter Sarsgaard) from selling “the battery” to an International arms dealer (Jordi Molla), clear his name and now that June has been seen with him, keep her alive! June who has been freaking out ever since she met Roy when he crashed the plane they were on, now he just keeps popping up in her life like a bad dream. Roy seems to have June’s best interest in mind, but he also seems like Jason Bourne on drugs, PSYCHO!!!! The way Mangold tells the story, he will have you questioning who is on who’s side up until the end of the whirlwind ride! There is a great chemistry between Cruise/Diaz and it comes across on the screen. Knight and day is a good summer film and a lot of fun to watch. The film also features fine supporting performances by Paul Dano( who plays the kid genius inventor) and Viola Davis (who plays the head of the CIA). Knight and Day is a very good film and one of the best date movies of the summer. I am Karl, The Flick Fanatic, telling you to go Check out 2010’s best spy comedy film before Tom Cruise shows up shooting at you! Knight and Day is a wrap! Rated PG-13 (Violence, Language) Josh Brolin stars as the disfigured Civil War veteran turned bounty hunter. Hex was branded and left for dead after Gen. Quentin Turnbull (John Malkovich) killed his family in front of him. Turnbull left him for dead, only to be rescued by a tribe of Indians and somewhat “cured”. Hex inherited a gift as a result of his injuries; somehow he can communicate with the dead. When Turnbull decides to continue his personal war with the Union, he steals a super weapon (a giant gattling gun that shoots cannonballs the size of small cars) that can wipe out entire cities. President Grant (Aidan Quinn) soon realizes he only has one option to save the union, JONAH HEX! That is only one of many flaws with the film including a scene where they must have robbed the green goblin of his glowing bombs! Hex takes the job to kill Gen. Turnbull and save Washington DC. He finds he has more motivation when his prostitute girlfriend Lilah (Megan Fox) is kidnapped by Turnbull to keep Jonah at bay. Jonah Hex isn’t the best comic book and it transfers on to the screen as you watch the film. Megan Fox’s cleavage and numerous explosions can only take you so far and Jonah Hex exceeds the limit. Brolin does the best he can with what he has to work with, script wise. With the new video games and numerous successful western they should have stuck to the book and done a new Josey Wales westen and it would have worked! Jonah Hex is at best an OK DVD rental and not worth more than a dollar. I am Karl, the Flick Fanatic and I just survive a duel with Jonah Hex because he was shooting blanks! Gratefully it’s a wrap! Rated PG-13 (violence, sexual references) Running Time: 80 mins In ‘Solitary Man’, Michael Douglas is Ben Kahlmen, king of the New York auto world and Forbes man of the year. That is until a routine trip to the doctor uncovers an issue with his heart. This propels Kahlmen into a downward spiral of bad decisions and debauchery. He ends up losing everything, his dealership, his family and his girlfriend (Mary Louise-Parker) after he sleeps with her 18 year old daughter (Imogen Poots). Kahlmen has nowhere to turn except to return to his roots and the college he graduated from and work with his only friend Jimmy (Danny deVito) at his deli. That is until he runs into his mistress who is enrolled in the school. Jordan Karsch (Parker) finds out and orders Kahlmen to leave town or she would have her ex-husband break his legs. Wow, it is amazing how a few seasons of selling dope on cable can toughen up a woman! This is not a warm fuzzy of a film and I won’t give away anything except that it fun to what Michael Douglas race against the clock and try to regain his lost youth any way he can. This is a very good film loaded with stars (Kahlmen’s family is portrayed by Jenna Fischer and Susan Sarandon) to tell a story that will have you captivated. I am Karl, The Flick Fanatic, telling you to find this film wherever it is playing near your house and make sure not to miss it or Ben Kahlmen won’t be the only one with regrets! Rated R (Language and Sexual situations) Running Time: 90 mins A-TEAM I love it when a movie comes together! I grew up in the 80’s and never missed the TV show ‘The A-Team’. So when I heard action film director Joe Carnahan (Smoking Aces) was bring it to the big screen, I couldn’t wait to see it and compare. The casting was dead on with Liam Neeson as Col. John “Hannibal” Smith, Bradley Cooper as Lt. Templeton “Faceman” Peck. The film also stars newcomers Sharlto Copley as “Howling Mad” Murdock and UFC fighter Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in the signature role made famous by Mr. T, B.A. Barakus. The other great thing about A-TEAM is that it tells the story from the beginning so you didn’t have to watch the TV show. But to the loyal viewers you will recognize the van and numerous tag lines made famous by the beloved vigilantes. The A-Team or Alpha team is four army rangers led by Col. Hannibal Smith and are used in a black ops format in only the most difficult of missions. According to Smith, “Give me team a minute and I am good, give my team an hour and we’re unbeatable!” This holds true until they are set up by a dirty CIA agent and stabbed in the back by their own government. That’s when Hannibal must come up with a plan to get them out of jail and clear all their names. The A in A-Team stands for ACTION! If you have seen the trailer, that is only 10% of the adrenaline in this film. There are flying tanks, car chases, helicopter dog fights, rocket launchers and cargo ships exploding……and that is the opening credits!!! You will find yourself with a death grip on the arm rest and gasping for air halfway through this film. If you find yourself in a jam trying to decide what movie to see…….. And if you can find them …. Maybe you can go see the A-TEAM! I am Karl, the Flick Fanatic, and I feel the A in A-TEAM stands for AWESOME!!!! And that is also the grade I gave the film A! Rated PG-13 (extreme violence, language and smoking) Katherine Heigl shooting blanks again in her latest romantic comedy ‘KILLERS’, only this time she is dragging down Ashton Kutcher with her. I guess it was obvious when Heigl left television we would see more of her on the big screen. She teams again with director Robert Luketic (The Ugly Truth) on a 2010 version of ‘True Lies’. Heigl plays Jen Kornfelt, newly single lady (her boyfriend dumped her) force to vacation with her parents in the south of France. How is Jen expected to keep a boy around with an over protective military father (played by Tom Selleck) and a crazy alcoholic mother (Catherine O’Hara) micromanaging her every move. That is until she bumps into Spencer in the hotel elevator. Spencer (Ashton Kutcher) is in Nice for business, he is a C.I.A. assassin there to execute an assignment. Spencer is smitten at first sight and walks away from the “killing business” to settle down with the Kornfelts in suburban America. Evidentially like in the mob, you just can’t quit the C.I.A. either. Three years following their first date in France, Spencer is a construction contractor and Jen is working with a software company. They are living the dream until a $20 million dollar price is put on Spencer’s head. That is when the heavenly subdivision turns into a suburban hell crawling with assassins with all their neighbors and co-workers are out to get the happy couple. This also forces Spencer to finally tell Jen what he did for a living when they met and of course Heigl joins in with all the chaos. There is one really big twist that you will see coming a mile away, but I won’t give it away here, you have to go see it like I did. ‘KILLERS’ is a pretty good date movie with Ashton Kutcher running around without a shirt for the gals and a busty Heigl doing a sub-par job acting in a bra throughout the film. Now for the upside to the film, the scenery in Nice and a pretty good soundtrack featuring new music from Snow Patrol. The best thing Catherine O’Hara, cracking jokes while consuming enormous quantities of alcohol. She was GREAT! I am Karl, the Flick Fanatic and as bad an actress as Katherine Heigl is, she can’t sink this ship on her own. Kutcher and the gang team up to make this a pretty good matinee date film. Rated PG-13 (violence, language and sexual situations) Running Time: 105 mins
Running Time: 110 mins
Running Time: 97 mins
PIRANHA 3D
HERE IS A HUMOROUS SHORT FROM THE FILM!
Mediocre director Alexandre Aja (Mirrors, The Hills Have Eyes) is using an earthquake to wake a feeding frenzy with his latest incarnation “PIRANHA 3D”. In addition to the thousands of man-eating sushi, there are a lot of familiar faces showing up in this one including a fisherman that looks like Matt Hooper (Jaws). Unfortunately it’s not Hooper, would’ve been hilarious for him to escape a 225 foot Great White to be eaten by a ten inch piranha! Maybe I should write this stuff!
Running Time: 105 mins
TAKERS
Running Time: 102 mins
LOTTERY TICKET
Running Time: 95 mins.
Running Time: 112 mins
Running Time: 110 mins.
CHARLIE ST. CLOUD
Running Time: 109 mins.
Running time: 104 mins.
Running time: 112 mins.
THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE
Running Time: 129 mins.
RUNNING TIME: 84 MINS.
Running Time: 110 mins.
JONAH HEX
Jimmy Heyward is about to learn that not every comic book should be made into a feature film. I guess when DC dealt out the scripts; Heyward (an animator making his first live action directorial debut) got the joker with western hero ‘JONAH HEX’.
SOLITARY MAN
In the new film from director Brian Koppleman (Knockaround Guys) Michael Douglas finds out he can cheat on his wife, he can cheat his family and he can even cheat his customers, but he can’t cheat the clock.
Running Time: a breathtaking 119 minutes!
KILLERS
MARMADUKE
If I was to tell you that there was a new film with Owen Wilson, Fergie, William H. Macy, George Lopez Keifer Sutherland and Emma Stone in it you would be in line to buy tickets by now. That is until I tell you the only one acting is Macy. Tom Dey who last worked with a horse (sorry SJP) in ‘Failure to Launch’ has now brought America’s favorite comic canine to life, MARMADUKE. Every actor listed about provides vocal talent to the B-list talent actually showing their faces on screen. The only thing that reminds us of the whimsy cartoon from the Sunday Papers is Phil Winslow’s (Lee Pace) screams of “MARMADUKE!!” as the Great Dane gets into more trouble. These cries are way too few and far between for this dog.
The story surrounds the Winslow’s moving from Kansas to the sun and surf of Los Angeles. Phil has a new job in a pet food company that has a chance to land its products at PETCO. So Phil loads up his wife Debbie (Judy Greer), and his three kids Barbara (Caroline Sunshine), Brian (Finley Jacobson), Sarah (Mandy & Milana Haines) and the family pets Carlos the cat (George Lopez) and Marmaduke (Owen Wilson) and they are O.C. bound. The film then becomes every high school peer pressure movie ever made only this one uses talking dogs. Have you heard the expression “you talk too much and you never shut up”. This applies to the dogs in MARMADUKE!
Yes kids will like this just for the silly CGI things the dogs do (surfing, dancing and throwing a rave!) but adults will be bored stiff 20 minutes into the film. The film is also very predictable and misses out on the things that would have made this a really good film. First, less dialogue from the four legged folks. We need to see more of Sarah Winslow, and how she is with Marmaduke. They always show Marmaduke in and around town at all hours of the day and night, how does he get out of the yard? For that fact all the dogs have free reign of downtown LA, you may want to watch where you step! Lastly the writing must have been rushed or they skimped on that part of the budget, it is baaaadddddd!
Again some really young kids will think this is ok (some). There are also those elderly dog lovers that own all the talking dog movies on DVD (Mom) that will like it. But I would recommend you wait, it won’t be long at all, for this pile of Marmaduke poo to hit the DVD shelves.
I am Karl the Flick Fanatic, glad for two things, my dog Spicy is smarter than everyone in Maramaduke and that I never have to see this again now that it’s a wrap!
Rated PG (rude humor and language)
Running Time: 87 mins (or 5 mins. In dog years)
SEX AND THE CITY 2
A long time ago, in a city far far away, there was a director Michael Patrick King who came up with a wonderful television show about four women exploring the single life in New York City. HBO picked it up and ‘Sex in the City’ was a huge hit! The show ran it’s course and eventually ended but the millions of fans wanted closure so in 2008 we had just that with “Sex in the City: The Movie”. All of the story lines were wrapped up in a nice bow including the marriage of Carrie to Big. So now I must ask “why do we need a Sex in the City2?”
This sequel has all the girls returning two years after the Big/Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker/Chris Noth) wedding debacle, with Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) still juggling her marriage to Steve (David Eigenberg) and here job as an attorney. Charlotte (Kristin Davis) is trying to survive with two kids and the youngest going through the terrible two’s. Samantha (Kim Cattrall) is now 52, and showing it, is waging a war on old age by popping over 40 pills a day and using various crèmes in order to fool her body into thinking it’s 25 again. The menopause storyline is the soapbox that Catrall is on throughout the film. Carrie and Big, married for two years now are still adjusting to each other and trying to find the sparkle in their marriage.
The premise of this sequel , the group gets together to celebrate the nuptials of longtime gay friends Stanford Blatch (Willie Garson) and Anthony Marantino (Mario Cantone) at an inn in Vermont (Gay marriage not legal in New York). The affair was lavish and featured a performance by Liza Minnelli (She should know a thing or two about weddings!). Then after the New York Premiere of Smith Jared’s new film, the girls are invited to a free vacation to Abu Dhabi (U.A.E) by the films financier. It seems that in every film they must send the girls out of the country. The scenery is wonderful, at least until Kim Cattrall shows up. They are the typical tourist, they eat drink and shop, and shop and shop and shop! Miranda tries to keep Samantha under wraps because of the laws in Abu Dhabi about women and promiscuity (and to keep the audience from leaving). Its all fun and games until someone cheats. Carrie runs into Aidan Shaw (John Corbett) at a spice market in Abu Dhabi! They share a kiss over dinner and Carrie is a wreck the rest of the film.
Before all you girls start your lynch mobs for the flick fanatic, let me say I was a loyal fan of the show because it had a story line that they stuck to and it was full of creativity. I enjoyed the film because it ended the story. Sex in the City 2 is a film designed to just take your money. The film has some good music and Charlotte provide the best line of the film while getting drunk with Miranda at the hotel bar, but overall it is a rambling soap box for Samantha. There isn’t much sex and hell they leave the city every film! Fans of the series I recommend you forget about this and let the memories fade following the first film. If you pay and see this it will leave a bad taste in your mouth and your wallet. If you’re an older woman and just like Sarah Jessica Parker and the gang, there is nothing I can probably say to dissuade you from going to see the film. I am just asking please don’t, if you do they may make another one……NOOOooooooo!
I am Karl, the flick fanatic remembering the best thing about Sex in the City was the delicious cupcake we received from Jill’s Cupcake Bar & Café. I recommend them highly!!!! If you’re in St. Louis go check them out at 8509 Delmar in University City (www.jillyscupcakebar.com) because Sucks, I mean Sex in the City 2 is a wrap!
Rated R (Language, sexual themes and mild nudity)
Running Time: 146 long mins!
PRINCESS KAIULANI
We didn’t just steal land from the Indians, America also had boats and it wasn’t long before we discovered the Samoan paradise of Hawaii and felt the need to bring democracy to the small Island. “Princess Ka’iulani” tells the true story of how an educated young woman fought soldiers, profiteers and politicians in an attempt to save the independence and culture of her island.
Princess Ka’iulani (Q’orianka Kilcher) a child educated in England and heir to the throne of Hawaii, is thrust into the middle of the skirmish as her mother is imprisoned when the American business men come to the Island to colonize and bring Democracy. The American forces lead by Sanford Dole (Will Patton) and his partner Thurston (Barry Pepper) and have support of the United States government, what is a Samoan girl to do?
Princess Ka’iulani returns to her island to defend its people and culture and even persuades an outgoing president Grover Cleveland to help her. Unfortunately her timing is poor as incoming president McKinley supports Thurston’s group.
Director Marc Forby (Prom Night) shows us in “Princess Ka’iulani” that Hawaii wasn’t always the tourist destination we know, that one time it was a pristine paradise untouched by the modern world. Unfortunately the movie feels like a flight to Hawaii, long and boring….and there is no lei at the payoff!
The story drags on and on to a climactic dinner party, ye s dinner party. The second biggest crime next to the poor script/dialogue is that you don’t see enough of Hawaii! You get a better glance at the island in an episode of “Lost”! If you are a history buff I would recommend you wait for this one to hit the DVD shelves, otherwise avoid this snoozer version of the history of Hawaii’s princess of Honolulu.
I am Karl the Flick Fanatic, craving pineapple for some reason now that Princess Ka’iulani is a wrap!
Rated PG (violence, language)
Running time: 130 mins
ROBIN HOOD
It is time to return to the woods and see what Sherwood Forest’s favorite thief is up to, “ROBIN HOOD”. Director Ridley Scott is getting the team back together, assembling the stars from “Mystery Alaska” Russell Crowe, Scott Grimes and Kevin Durand to tell the tale of what led up to Robin Longstride becoming the famous Robin Hood.
The Story begins with King Richard the Lionheart, on his crusades in France led by his archers Robin Longstride (Crowe), Will Scarlett (Grimes), Allan A’Dayle (Alan Doyle) and strong man Little John (Durand). Once the King falls in battle Robin and his band of men take off back to England to what they think will be a peaceful and prosperous life. Unfortunately King John (Oscar Isaac) is even more tyrannical than his brother Richard. King John fires the family’s longtime advisor William Marshall (William Hurt) and appoints Godfrey (Mark Strong) to the position. Little does the king know that Godfrey is a French spy attempting to turn the Lords against the King and set up England for a French invasion.
The only person standing in the way …Robin, who has taken up residence with Marion Loxley (Cate Blanchett) and her elderly father William (Max Von Sydow). Loxley has asked Robin to impersonate his dead son in order for Marion to retain her lands from the evil sheriff of Nottingham. Robin agrees and a budding romance grows between Robin and Marion. Robin then must rally the troops against Godfrey and the armies of France that are about to land on the beaches of England. King John agrees to a more lenient rule of his Lords and people in exchange for their support in the fight against the French army.
You may want to read this before you go so that you’re less confused by the convoluted story telling of Scott. I was looking forward to this film, being the Russell Crowe fan that I am, but after seeing it…this may be Ridley’s worst film yet. One thing to know about Robin Hood, this is prior to him being an outlaw in Sherwood Forest. Yes it looks like a sequel to Gladiator in the trailers, but once your see the epic beach battle scene; it looks more like a renaissance version of “Saving Private Ryan”. It is almost a shot by shot copy of the Normandy invasion but only with arrows! This was almost as hokie as the dialogue they wrote for King John, which sounded like it came from a soap opera! The upside, Russell Crowe and the gang from Mystery do a great job in a bad film. So if you’re a fan of Russell Crowe and have cash to burn, then by all means go see Robin Hood! If you like the rest of the world avoid this film until maybe it comes out on DVD (it’s worth a dollar!). Ridley Scott is no Robin Hood steals from the moviegoers and giving us a bad film, shame on you!
I am Karl the Flick Fanatic feeling robbed after seeing Robin Hood, and I didn’t pay to see it!
Rated PG-13 (Violence, sexual themes)
Running Time: 140 mins
JUST WRIGHT
Queen Latifah and Common’s new film about love and injuries in the NBA is far from a slam dunk. Director Sanaa Hamri put away the denim (Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2) and journeys his way onto the basketball courts of the NBA. The one thing Sanaa did right was to get the NBA’s permission and use actual teams and players in the film. You know it is fiction when you have the New Jersey Nets beating the Orlando Magic with Dwight Howard and someone says playoffs. PLAYOFFS!!!! PLAYOFFS!!! In New Jersey!
“Just Wright” is about a physical therapist, Leslie Wright (Queen Latifah) who throws up nothing but air-balls in her dating life. She is saddled with a Mom (Pam Grier) who fawns over her lifelong friend Morgan (really treat her like she is Leslie’s sister) more than her own daughter. Leslie’s father thinks he is Tim “the tool man” Taylor and must have an unlimited amount of credit at Home Depot as he “fixes” aka destroys Leslie’s little house in Jersey. Morgan (Paula Patton) is the picture perfect athletes wife (as I was told by a friend in the business) dressing and even studying on how to land an NBA star as her husband.
Scott McKnight (Common) is the star shooting guard of the New Jersey Nets. He is leading his team to the playoffs and a hopeful NBA title. (It is as hard to type as it is to say) That is until he gets tangled up with Morgan and a defender in the NBA All-Star game! McKnight tears his ligament in his knee and Morgan sees the cash fading away. Exit Morgan and enter Leslie, physical therapist and NBA super fan! She has to get McKnight back on his feet and on the court or the Nets have no chance in the playoffs.
“Just Wright” features al the familiar face from ESPN (Mike and Mike, Stuart Scott etc..) and they even sprinkle in some NBA star power with Dwight Howard (who is quite the actor), Dwayne Wade, Elton Brand and Rashard Lewis. Common is becoming a better actor and I’m sure he was school on the court by these guys. The issue I have with “Just Wright” is Queen Latifah always playing the same character. Again just like in “Last Holiday” she is the big girl who can’t land the hot guy who ends up falling for her. Before you yell at me for giving away the ending, the film is very predictable and you would’ve seen it coming a mile down the court. SHOT CLOCK IS AT 10 seconds! Just Write isn’t wrong, it is a cute film that will have B-ball, Queen Latifah and Common fans cheering. But in the end “JUST WRIGHT” is a free-throw not a deep three pointer!
I am Karl, the Flick Fanatic there’s the buzzer and I just fouled out of the game……and Just Wright is a wrap!
Rated PG (some language)
Running Time: 108 mins
IRON MAN 2
The last thing we heard two years ago from Tony Stark was “I AM IRON MAN!” Then we were forced to wait to see what Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr. would be up to next. The wait is over, Iron Man 2 is here and it’s packing heat in the form of War Machine! Jon Favreau director and fan boy has returned for the second installment of the comic book superhero adventure. Robert Downey Jr. also returns with Gwyneth Paltrow as Stark and his go to girl Pepper Potts. Don Cheadle replace Terrance Howard as Rhodey aka War Machine. New to the film is the lovely Scarlett Johanson as Natasha Romanoff, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent code name Black Widow, and boy can she sting!
The sequel picks up 6 months after the announcement that Tony Stark is Iron Man and the world has enjoyed 6 months of peace. Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) must now defend himself from a far greater foe, The United States government, who wants the Iron Man “weapon”. Stark appears before a senate sub-committee headed up by Gary Schandling as Senator Stern who is in cahoots with Stark’s business rival Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell). Stern and Hammer want the Iron Man armor to turn it into a fleet of killer machines. Tony is also hiding another bit of info, he is dying. The energy source keeping his heart beating and powering the Iron Man armor is slowly killing him. He must find another modification or he will be toast. Stark also planed for the future by making Pepper CEO of Stark Industries, and filling her old position with new legal associate Natalie Rushman (who is really Natasha Romanoff of SHIELD).
Following a drunken birthday binge as only Tony Stark can throw, Col. Rhodes “Rhodey” (Don Cheadle) dons the silver suit and goes toe to toe with Iron Man to prevent an intoxicated Stark from blowing up all the party goers. After the battle ends Rhodey takes off with the armor to an Air force base where Hammer and the Government modify it and turn Rhodey into WAR MACHINE.
By now your asking yourself, “who is the bad guy?” Iron Man 2 gives us more information on Howard Stark (John Slattery) who founded the company and invented the arc reactor with the help of Russian scientist Anton Vanko. Stark had Vanko deported to Siberia when he learned Anton was out to sell the arc reactor technology to the highest bidder. Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), Anton’s son and also an accomplished scientist, possesses an arc reactor and holds Tony Stark and everyone at Stark Industries responsible for his father’s humiliation and subsequent death. Ivan comes up with his own suit that is equipped with 15’ electric beams that he uses to whip and carve up Iron Man. So Iron Man must team up with War Machine and S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Black Widow to take down Vanko’s metal army!
As sequels go this ranks up with the good ones (Spiderman 2, X2, The Dark Knight) by continuing telling the story and introducing characters not just cramming it with action. The focus isn’t only Tony Stark; Favreau spreads it around to everyone. The worst thing about Iron Man 2 is that we have to wait two more years until Avengers and Iron Man 3 to get more of this great franchise! Stick around after the credits, its HAMMER TIME!!!!!!!! Note to Favreau, number three is time to see Mandarin.
I am Karl the Flick Fanatic, self proclaimed fan boy and comic book geek, loving Tony Stark and waiting impatiently for the next installment now that Iron Man 2 is a wrap!
Rated PG-13 (Language, Violence)
Running Time: 124 mins
BABIES
Who doesn’t like to watch a cute baby do something stupid or curious as they navigate the world in their first couple of years in existence? French director Thomas Balmes does and he took the idea and made it into a 79 minute film called “Babies”. Balmes film gives viewers a cross cultural and economic comparison of 4 newborn infants and how they are raised. The unique thing about babies is there is no dialogue, newborns don’t talk and can’t follow a script.
There are four stars of Babies, and they are:
Ponijao- lives with his eight brothers and sisters in Namibia, with no medical care and gets by with his meals breast fed by his mother.
Bayarjargal- is the younger of two brothers being raised on the plains of desolate Mongolia. Bayarjargal is raised with minimal medical support post birth and must survive his abusive older brother and the menagerie of livestock roaming in and out of the house.
Mari-is a beautiful Japanese princess being raised by her well-to-do parents in a downtown Tokyo high-rise. Mari has the best of everything including two doting parents.
Hattie-an American beauty being raised by new age parents in downtown San Francisco. Hattie had the most medical attention at birth and is pampered pretty well by her relatives.
“Babies” simultaneously follows these four children from birth, to their first birthday through the time they make their first steps. “Babies” does have it share of comedic moments that include Ponijao abusing a goat, Bayar’s brother wheeling him out into a herd of cattle, Mari throwing a tantrum and Hattie leaving a surprise in her diaper that chases the cat away! Remember there is no dialogue or narrative in this documentary but the kids will have your attention.
“Babies” is just what the doctor ordered for new mothers and mothers to be. Arriving in theaters just in time for Mother’s Day, the timing is perfect! I was glad to see that the film didn’t drag on and we get a glimpse at the kid’s current images during the credits (so stick around). I thought “Babies” was a very cute way to spend 79 minutes of my time and I would recommend saving a buck and catching a matinee to get your toddler fix!
I am Karl the Flick Fanatic, strangely craving milk now that Babies is a wrap!
Rated PG (maternal nudity)
Running Time : 79 mins
NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET
Music video director Samuel Bayer makes the leap to the big screen with the remake of a horror classic, “Nightmare on Elm Street”. I was excited about this film as soon as I heard they had cast Hollywood’s hot actor Jackie Earle Haley (Watchmen, Shutter Island) to play Freddy Kruger. The original film (from 1984) was an instant horror classic and launched the careers of Robert Englund and an unknown actor at the time Johnny Depp! So how was the new version going to pan out?
The premise of both films is the same. There are a group of kids that are being haunted by a man with a glove of razor sharp knives that wants to kill them while they sleep. So you see the kids go to extreme measure to try to stay awake so not to fall prey to Freddy. The best thing about this film is Freddy Kruger. 2010’s version looks like a burned disfigured crazy man, instead of Englund’s campy one with bad acne! Freddy is finally scary! The down side to the latest version of Nightmare is the kids the cast to be Freddy’s victims. It seems like they took the turn-aways from the cast of “Twilight” and gave them these roles. The acting is poor but the deaths are great, and after hearing the whining you’re rooting for Freddy to murder them.
The other thing that bothered me during the film was the obvious point to let the audience in on Kruger’s origin and they skip past it to nearly the end of the film. But all-in-all the revamped Freddy Kruger is a success but the film is just ok. I would recommend it if you are a fan of the original or a huge horror/slasher fan. But save a few bucks and see a bargain matinee!
I’m Karl, the Flick Fanatic done carving up the new “Nightmare on Elm Street” and Freddy Kruger is a wrap!
Rated R (Language, violence, gore) ‘Centipede’ takes place in the German countryside where Dr. Heiter, an accomplished surgeon specializing in the separating of con-joined twins, patrols the roads looking for candidates for his latest experiment. Heiter has inhaled too much anesthetic and now wants to see what would happen if he added people instead of separating them. Heiter hits the jackpot on a rainy evening when two American girls Jenny & Lindsay (Ashlynn Yennie, Ashley C. Williams) show up at his door after their car breaks down. Dr. Heiter drugs the girls and straps them to tables and he has his first two test subjects! Heiter next abducts an Asian student to add to the girls in creating a chain of human beings. Yes that is what I said, a chain. Dr. Heiter is going to attach these three kids from head to “bum” starting with the boy and ending up with the two girls. (Warning Graphic) Heiter removes the teeth from the girls and carves flaps from their faces to stitch to the anus of the person in front of them. This gives a whole new spin on passing through when it comes to these poor kids eating! Dr. Heiter’s human centipede is a reality and surviving. This wacko begins to think of adding even more kidnapped tourists to lengthen the chain. Don’t worry, Heiter can’t hide the missing people for long and the Police come asking questions and the movie is turned upside down! The Human Centipede (First Sequence) from the title leads me to believe there is going to be a sequel (it’s in the works) and we will have more chills from Dr. Heiter. Centipede came off like a B horror movie, but the story ramped it up to be an enjoyable film. If you are a fan of the genre or just like the Hostel type films you will enjoy the German treat. If you don’t have a strong stomach, then I would get a bag and pass on seconds at lunch, then rent Centipede when it is available on DVD. I am Karl, The Flick Fanatic passing on dinner because I just enjoyed The Human Centipede and my appetite is a wrap!!!! Rated R (Nudity, Violence, Graphic Nature) THE CARTEL Bowden goes for the throat with his film focusing in on the worst schools in the nation, New Jersey. Ironically they are also the ones that get the most funding. As the film rolls along you will be sickened by the amount of neglect by the School administrators to the students and the actual teacher that give a damn. Bowden shows the sheer ignorance of the teachers union and how the New Jersey Board of Education runs the state and not the elected politicians. I don’t have any school age children but I encourage anyone that does to find this film and watch it and think about it the next time you go to vote on a school board election. For those that say that is New Jersey, just think how bad it is in a bigger state like say Texas???? I used to enjoy watching the Sopranos, because I thought it was fiction. Little did I know that Tony Soprano was a janitor in the New Jersey school system bringing in a 6 digit salary! New Jersey is a state of organized crime, but instead of guns and bombs they use chalk boards and report cards and mostly hard working tax payer dollars! The Cartel is one of the best documentaries I have seen in years and I am happy to recommend it to everyone! I am Karl the Flick Fanatic, now vacationing anywhere but Jersey because the Cartel is a wrap! Not Rated Director Sylvain White has gone from dancing in the weeds (Stomp the Yard) to taking on a group of vengeful mecenaries in “The Losers”. “The Losers” based on the DC’s Vertigo comic of the same name, surrounds a group of CIA black ops soldiers who have been double crossed by their own government and now are out for blood! Chris Evans (Captain America) and Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Watchmen) comic book alumni are heading up this team of “Losers” in what turns out to be a very enjoyable “popcorn” style flick. On assignment in Bolivia, a C.I.A. black ops squad code name “the Losers” make a decision to abort a mission to take down the local drug lord when they see a group of kids being held hostage. Clay (Morgan) leads this rag tag group of soldiers made up of the best in weapons: Cougar (Oscar Jaenada), communications: Jensen (Evans), transportation: Pooch (Columbus Short), and muscle: Roque (Idris Elba) and manage to take out 50 guys with AK47s and rescue the kids before the entire area is bombed! The Losers send the kids back on their extraction vehicle which is nuked 10 mins later, killing all the kids. In a quick response the CIA blames the Losers for this botched mission. Presumed dead, the Losers are also murderers and sold out by their own government. Clay decides to wage a war against the guy “Max” (Jason Patrick) who sent them on this so called mission. The guys pick up some eye candy with Aisha (Zoe Saldana) who funds the new mission to kill Max. But there is more to this lady than meets the eye and the Losers better be carefull with this gal! Max, a CIA exec that has his own agenda, is trying to send the USA into another war only this time using futuristic weapons. Max has the upside that he will profit from this skermish. There is only one problem, HE DIDN’T KILL THE LOSERS! “The Losers”, which is a comicbook send up of the A-Team, delivers on excessive explosions and super action with some witty dialogue. Again, this is a fun ride, not another take on Hurt Locker. So if you’re looking for Deer Hunter…KEEP LOOKING. But if you want some pure adulterated action and explosions, the “The Losers” is your ticket to FUN TOWN! Rated R (Violence, Language) OCEANS It is Earth Day 2010. That means there are trees being planted around the globe and Disney is releasing a planet friendly green film to drive home the message we are killing our planet. In 2009, we had “EARTH”, a film made up of BBC footage used in the mini-series “Planet Earth”and narrated by James Earl Jones. The script for “Earth” was entertaining for everyone and had a powerful voice to tell the story. With “Oceans” Disney failed on two of the three things that made the first Earth day film entertaining. “Oceans” written and directed by Jacques Cluzaud takes us on a journey through the world’s oceans. Our captain narrating this voyage is James Bond himself Pierce Brosnan. The problem stems with the script that seems to have no main story or direction. Adding in Brosnan’s dialogue, Oceans comes off like a glorified Highschool science class film. “Oceans” does have beautiful visuals and some amazing sealife. Kids will like the dolphins, seals and penguins. Unfortunately, there are too many whales. Then I was confused why we kept ending up on land in a film about oceans. The cherry on this Earth Day Sunday is the Disney music video shown in the beginning to drawn in the kids. One of the Jonas triplets and his gal pal Demi Lovato lip-sinc to a video called ‘Make A Wave’. About 30 minutes after the video ends so will your child's attention span. If you are a fan of all the nature shows on Discovery, I would recommend you wait for this one to hit video. If you feel the need to take your child to a movie, there is a dragon cartoon out there that is pretty good. I am Karl, the Flick Fanatic, having a starnge urge for Red Lobster now that Disney’s ‘OCEANS’ is a wrap! Rated G KICK-ASS The new film from writer/director Matthew Vaughn (Stardust) really delivers on its title, it really does ‘KICK-ASS’! The run of Hollywood’s adaptations of comicbooks have been a rollercoaster ride of hits (Dark Knight, Spiderman and Watchmen) and misses (Electra, Daredevil and Ghost Rider). With Kick-Ass, Vaughn told the “big” studios where they could stick their PG-13 edit and made a page by page adaptation of the 2008 comicbook series. Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) is a run of the mill highschool loser. He reads comics, plays video games with his friends and dreams of dating the school hottie Katie Deauxma (Lyndsy Fonseca). Dave has an idea of turning vigilante and becoming a superhero. The only issue is he isn’t an alien, have the cash BruceWayne or been bit by a radioactivespider. Dave adopts the motto “with no powers comes no resposibility”. He should also add repeated beat downs! Lizewski gets a green wetsuit on Ebay, and then modifies some clubs and he’s ready to take on the cities crime bosses. First up, it’s payback time for the two low-lifes stealing from Dave and his friends. The confrontation doesn’t end well for our hero, as he is beaten within an inch of his life and hospitalized for months. Dave is released with more plates and rods in his frame than wolverine. Instead of putting the fantasy aside Lizewski is back in hero mode, only this time he comes to the aid of a guy being attacked by three guys! Dave actually holds his own and saves the man’s life! Following an amature You-Tube video of the event, KICK-ASS is born. KICK-ASS develops a webpage to respond to citizen’s request for help and is now a hero for the city. Only, KICK-ASS isn’t the only superhero in town. Enter BIG DADDY & HIT GIRL a.k.a. Damon and Mindy Macready (Nicholas Cage, Chloe Moretz), a father/daughter team that is hell bent on taking down mob boss Frank D’Amico (Mark Strong) and his entire organization. D’Amico is responsible for the death of twelve year old Mindy’s mom. So BIG DADDY has trained HIT GIRL her entire life to be a mercenary the likes of Rambo meets Cindy Brady! KICK ASS’s quick rise to internet stardom surrs on even more “so-called” heroes. RED MIST, another powerless hero, that is only equipped with a pimpped out red mustang. MIST was a fan of KICK-ASS, and decided to be his sidekick in crime fighting. The fab four of superheroes all come together for the takedown of the mafia boss with “explosive” results! There aren’t enough accolades I can give to this film. The film is about 80% true to the book and is a well balanced film featuring action, suspense and comedy. But parents be warned this ones not for the kiddies. If you can’t drive to the theater your not old enough to KICK ASS in this one folks. There is graphic violnece, more blood than a tarantino film and a twelve year old that swears like a sailor before killing an army of thugs! You will go in thinking that KICK-ASS is the star of the film, but as you exit you will leave a HIT GIRL fan! KICK-ASS is the Ferrari of comicbook movies and will be in everyones list of the best of 2010! I have seen KICK-ASS twice and it just opened at midnight last night! I plan to see it again and again and again. Now that you have heard it here…WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR???? Go get the graphic novel and make tracks to the theater and check out KICK-ASS! I am Karl, the Fick Fanatic wondering if I’m the villian for crushing on a 12 year old assassin called HIT GIRL? That just leaves one question, when is the DVD coming???? That’s a wrap!
RATED R (Graphic Violence, Language, Sexual Content) DEATH AT A FUNERAL Chris Rock is Aaron and his father has died. His father’s last wish was to have his funeral at his house. So in addition to greiving Aaron must host a funeral that will bring out all the disfunctional members of his family including his younger brother Ryan (Martin Lawrence). After a mix up with the funeral parlor bringing the wrong body to the house, the family begins to show up… Here is the role call: Cynthia (Loretta Devine) is Aaron and Ryan’s mother, the greiving widow. Uncle Russell (Danny Glover) is a crotchety old man and brother of the deceased. Duncan (Ron Glass) is the other brother and father of Elaine & Jeff (Zoe Saldana, Columbus Short) Oscar (James Marsden) is Elaine’s white fiance’ that drives Duncan crazy! Norman (Tracy Morgan) is the zany friend of the family given the duty of taking care of Uncle Russell. Frank (Peter Dinklage) is a suspicios midget casing the wedding and friend of the deceased. Now that you know the players here is the game. There is a funeral, a drug deal gone bad and homosexual blackmail scheme all in less than 90 minutes. With the cast of characters I was surprised that the comedy came from James Marsden! There is some toilet humor between Danny Glover and Tracy Morgan that had the entire theater rolling. That is all I can tell you without spoiling the twists and the punchlines. You will have to see it for yourself to understand just how funny this film is. I am not a fan of re-makes especially when they come this soon, but ‘Death at a Funeral’ is the funniest exception to the rule that I have seen yet! I am Karl, the Flick Fanatic wiping away tears of joy froml laugh at ‘Death at a Funeral’ which is a wrap! Rated R (Language, Drugs, Sexual Content) The first ladies of rock and roll are about to hit the big screen! “The Runaways”, a film by Italian video director Floria Sigismondi, tell the brief history of the first ever all girl rockband. Sigismondi’s film is based off of the book written by lead singer Cherie Currie, “Neon Angel: The Cherie Currie Story”. The film stars Hollywood heavyweights Kristin Stewart and Dakota Fanning (the duo from Twilight) as two of the founding members of The Runaways, Joan Jett and Cherie Currie. The time is 1975. Bands like KISS, Queen and the Rolling Stones were topping the charts. Everyones Idea of a girl gutarist was Joan Baez. Enter leather clad Joan Larkin (Kristin Stewart), who later changed her last name to Jett, thought she was going to be the next Suzie Quatro (Stumblin In). The difference is Joan wanted all girls backing her up. Jett approached sleazy record producer Kim Fowley (Michael Shannon) with her idea of the pionerring jail bait all girl rock band, and he was sold. Fowley introduce Joan to drummer Sandy West (Stella Maeve) and The Runaways were born! Fowley added a bass player and stellar guitarist Lita Ford (Scout Taylor-Compton), but the band still needed that sexy lead singer. Cherie Currie, a 15 year old David Bowie fan, whose closest thing to singing was a tragic lipsincing performance at her school talent show. That is until one night at a club, when she catches the eye of Jett and Fowley and they make her the lead singer of the band! Currie, coming from a broken home with a drunken father and ex-actress mom (Tatum O’Neal), was raised by her older sister Marie (Riley Keough).The Runaways were Cherie’s ticket ouit of her living hell. The Runaways weren’t a female version of the Monkees…these girls could ROCK! They paid their dues opening up for acts in crappy clubs until they hit with “Cherry Bomb”. I got chills when I heard little Dakota pound out “HELLO DADDY…HELLO MOM……..CHERRY BOMB!!!!! They followed with hits like “Queens of Noise” and “Born to be Bad”, all written by Jett and Fowley, they landed a record deal with Mercury Records. Now the Runaways are headling and doing stadiums in Japan. With success comes temptation. In flows the booze, drugs and sex, and Currie is a kid in a cady store scooping it all up! Did I mention they were all girls…the catty attitudes come out and one of the freshest things in music couldn’t survive 5 years in the biz. The Runaways started in 1975…ended after two studio albums and a few international and live releases in 1979. I really liked this film. It is the finest acting Kristin Stewart has done in her career. The music rocks and Fanning and Stewart hold their own providing the vocals. Many will say the end is ebrupt. It does tie itself up quickly, but remember Cherie Currie was with them for less than 2 years (22 months 75-77) before entering rehab and trying the acting then solo career. There is also a noticeable lack of Lita. Ford and Currie hated each other and it shows in the film. There are about 5 scenes featuring Ford and no mention of her career post Runaways in the credits. Lita went on to have two hits and perform with rockers like Ozzy Ozbourne! (The band members left out of the credits in the film are listed below) The Runaways is the story of Joan Jett and her friend Cherie Currie and Rock’s first all girl band that gave us a rock superstar Joan Jett. It is a very good film with excellent acting and a powerful soundtrack. We even have a cameo by Damone from Fast Times, Robert Romanus, as Jett’s guitar teacher. I really enjoyed this reminder of my past having grown up in the 70’s and a rock fan I loved “The Runaways”! I’m Karl the Flick Fanatic, holding up my lighter for an encore of the Runaways because we are …..A WRAP! Rated R (SEX, DRUGS AND ROCK N ROLL!) Lita Ford: returned as a solo artist to Polygram in the 1980s, where she had success with songs like "Kiss Me Deadly" and "Close My Eyes Forever" (the second a duet with Ozzy Ozbourne). She released Wicked Wonerland, her first studio album in 14 years, on 6 October, 2009. Sandy West: went on to do session work with many bands like the Who before becoming a drum teacher. West was diagnose and later died of lung cancer in 2006. Micki Steel: weny on to play bass in another all girl band , the Bangles. Vickie Blue: gave up music to produce TV shows Access Hollywood, Entertainment tonight and won an Emmy! The Runaways (film version) The Runaways (for real)
Running Time: 95 mins
THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE
When will American girls learn not to vacation in Europe? There is always some psycho out there waiting to abduct you and torture, kill or experiment on you. This is also the case with director Tom Six’s latest bone chiller ‘The Human Centipede (First Sequence)’. Six has taken a different spin on the classic Frankenstein tale of the mad scientist creating a monster from human body parts, blending his story with an updated “Hostel” storyline to give us Centipede. Six also employs some serious Euro star power with Deiter Laser (John Gluckstadt) cast as the mad Doctor Heiter.
Running Time: 90 mins
Let me just start this by saying when I was handed this film “The Cartel”, I though I was in for a drug running shootem' up crime drama. To my surprise I was only half wrong. Veteran journalist Bob Bowdon has written, directed and produced one of the most sobering documentaries on the United States education system called ‘The Cartel”
Running Time: 90 mins
THE LOSERS
Running Time: 98 mins ;
Running Time 87 mins
Running Time: 117 mins
The new thing in Hollywood is to remake films that were a hit way back when. For the most part I believe the original was fine and should be left alone. This is not the case in the remake of the 2 year old “Death at a Funeral”. I loved the original and was puzzeled as to why we had to do it all over less than 24 months later. Neil LaBute (Lakeview Terrace) has assembled a cast of comic all-stars to improve on the British original.
Running Time: 90 mins
THE RUNAWAYS
Running Time: 109 mins
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