Six players reach the final table of the world's second most famous high stakes tournament, the Grand Championship of Poker: Jack Faro (Woody Harrelson); siblings Lainie and Larry Schwartzman (Cheryl Hines and David Cross); "Deuce" Fairbanks (Dennis Farina); Harold Melvin (Chris Parnell); and Andy Andrews (Richard Kind). Shot in mockumentary format, this is reminiscent of those done by Christopher Guest. The actors were obviously given free rein to improvise, but the humour may be lost to those unfamiliar with the culture and personalities of televised poker. The humour is subtle and delivered deadpan. It is a matter of personal preference, but I tend to like off the beaten track comedies such as this one.

Invisible Target (2007, subtitled)

Chan Chun (Nicholas Tse), Carson Fong Yik Wei (Shawn Yue), Wai King Ho (Jaycee Chan) are three cops thrown together to try to take down Hong Kong's most lethal mercenary gang and their ruthless leader, Tien Yeng Seng (Jacky Wu). I found it a challenge to keep track of the various characters due to the need to keep up with the subtitles, and there was a lot to follow, but it was the fabulous action scenes and incredible stunt worked that hooked me. This was a thrill ride. Jaycee is the son of Jackie Chan, and fans of his action thrillers should be engaged by this one.

Poker Night (2008)

While 22-year-old Marty Wilson (Dylan Trowbridge) is watching over the home of his parents for the weekend, his buddies talk him into hosting a poker night. However, they don't tell him that the winning prize for the game is a hooker. This is kind of a screwball comedy in which a lot of unlikely events are all transpiring in one night. It is a breezy comedy that cannot be taken seriously, but is a bit of fun, although nothing to write home about and it contained ideas borrowed from other films.

Neverwas (2005)

Zach Riley (Aaron Eckhart) finds out his childhood fantasyland may really exist while searching for insight into the life of his father, T.S. Pierson (Nick Nolte), and the magical place he wrote about in his beloved children's book, Neverwas. He takes a job at the institution where he lived on and off. Once there, Zach meets Gabriel Finch (Ian McKellan), a patient whose alternate reality is startlingly close to the world his father created. Brittany Murphy, William Hurt and Jessica Lange round out an impressive cast, but this is not a film for children. There was no magic here and I really could not get very involved in the story. I was disappointed by Eckhart here and the whole ordeal was rather depressing.

Cassidy Merteuil (Kristina Anapau), Jason Argyle (Kerr Smith) and Patrick Bales (Nathan J. Wetherington) embark on their own creative little game of sexual manipulation and victimization to feed their need of empowerment over others. The characters are as despicable as those in the original, but these ones were unconvincing. They lacked the charisma to manipulate so easily and were not attractive enough to be utterly irresistible. They had no right to be so confident that everything they plotted would go as planned, yet for the most part it did. There are a few twists, but it is just an imitation of the original.

Joshua (2007)

Brad (Sam Rockwell) and Abby Cairn (Vera Farmiga) are celebrating the birth of their second child, Lily (Lacey Vill, Shianne Kolb). Lily is surrounded by love, toys, doting uncle Ned Davidoff (Dallas Roberts) and attentive grandmother Hazel (Celia Weston). But she is also surrounded by her 9-year-old brother, Joshua (Jacob Kogan), who turns out to be no ordinary boy. This is a dandy psychological thriller reminiscent of The Bad Seed, but it is more subtle. Care is given to plot development, and an unsettling tone gradually builds throughout. This is more disturbing than frightening, but very effective. Rockwell is very good here, and Kogan does an adequate job by remaining low key. Not bad as a sleeper film.

Out Of Control (2009)

Criminologist Marcie Cutler (Laura Vandervoot) attempts to solve a murder case that points to a dirty cop, Gus Sutton (Chris Kramer), but he puts her on the wrong trail by implicating fellow detective Lisa Grant
(Amy Sloan). I thought the casting of the female characters for this made for television movie to be poor. All seemed ill-suited for their roles. The story is also pretty thin and provides no guess work and next to no excitement.

Survival Island (2005)

Manuel (Juan Pablo Di Pace), Jack (Billy Zane) and his wife Jennifer (Kelly Brook) are marooned on a tiny island, and each man fights for the affection of the woman. A voodoo curse subplot rather drags this one down, but otherwise this is watchable, but not for a price. The appeal for male viewers is of course Brooks in a bikini. Stunning. There is some skin shown, but it is mostly due to the rapid recession of the locks of hair Zane once had.

Carrie White (Angela Bettis) is a telekinetic teenager who unleashes her wrath after years of torment from an overbearing mother Margaret (Patricia Clarkson) and constant cruelty from her classmates. This remake was for TV audiences, but pales in comparison to the original, which had more star power and a better director. Both were faithful to the Stephen King novel for the most part, but this one is almost a carbon copy, and pretty much redundant. Even the effects look cheap, but it is a good enough movie to see if you cannot access its predecessor.

Legend Of The Black Scorpion (2006, subtitled)

The story of Hamlet is retold in this Chinese action epic. Crown Prince Wu Luan (Daniel Wu) of the Tang Dynasty is in love with Little Wan (Ziyi Zhang), but his father, the Emperor, takes her as his Empress. Wu Luan goes into exile. His uncle Li (You Ge) murders his father, taking throne and Empress and sends assassins to kill Wu Luan, who must elude them if he is to exact revenge. Here is a beautifully rendered tragedy portraying equal measures of love, loss, power, deception and betrayal. The visuals are stunning and the action is carefully choreographed and artistic, similar in style to that found in similar Chinese features since Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Never Forget (2008)

Steven (Lou Diamond Phillips) awakens with amnesia, covered in blood, and discovers that he is accused of murder by Andy (Kristen Holden-Reid), someone he thought was a friend. As he gradually recovers his memory he must piece together the truth while his life is threatened at every turn. As Phillips gradually regains memories, trying to reconstruct how recent events unfolded, this movie becomes increasingly grating. I felt like the director was continually jerking me around, trying to deceive his audience. All the while the conversation grew repetitive and annoying.

Hannah (Greta Gerwig) is a restless college grad who spends a hot Chicago summer trying to figure it all out. Full of ambition and indecision, she'll try to find a crush who can keep up with her and a project that will keep her stimulated, but she may just leave a trail of broken hearts. Watching this is akin to watching home videos of people you have little interest in. There is no discernible plot and the often mumbled conversations grow mundane.

Behind The Mask: The Rise Of Leslie Vernon (2006)

Leslie Vernon (Nathan Baesel) is a young man whose aspirations are quite peculiar: his main goal in life is to terrify the residents of the little town of Glen Echo. His progress is followed by a documentary filmmaker named Taylor Gentry (Angela Goethals), whose duty is to promote his greatness. Here is a refreshing new twist to the horror genre, managing to thrive by basically capitalizing on the very format it mocks. Baesel is quite funny as he lays out his scheme, and although it is unreasonable to believe he could orchestrate events to go as planned, if you just go with the flow you will likely enjoy this. Neither very gory nor frightening, but still a joyride.

American Buffalo (1996)

Don Dubrow (Dennis Franz) is a junkshop owner belatedly realizes he made a big mistake selling a valuable nickel to a collector at a fraction of its worth, and enlists two hapless accomplices, Walt Teacher (Dustin Hoffman) and Bobby (Sean Nelson), to recover the piece. Adapted from a David Mamet play, I was rather disappointed in the dialogue, which often stated the obvious, and repetitively at that, as if to stretch it out. It is delivered in rapid fire succession, so things are never dull, and since the characters are not the brightest bulbs, perhaps it is how two-bit crooks might speak. I liked the performances, but am on the fence about recommending this one.

Mad Detective (2007, subtitled)

A missing police gun is connected to a series of recent heists and murders. Its owner, Wong Kwok Chu (Lee Kwok Lun), vanished while pursuing a suspect in the mountains. His partner, Ko Chi Wai (Lam Ka Tung), miraculously returned unharmed and the hot shot Regional Crime Unit Inspector, Ho Ka On (Andy On), is in charge of the investigation. Ho knows the only chance he has in cracking the case is to ask for help from his mentor/former boss Inspector Chan Kwai Bun (Lau Ching Wan), a gifted criminal profiler now living in seclusion with his wife May Cheung (Kelly Lin). Bun puts himself in the victim's place, literally, and his unorthodox approach has put doubt in Ho's mind, feeling betrayed when Bun's investigation goes beyond his imagination. What begins as a quest for answers has now taken a schizophrenic turn where truth and lies, reality and delusions intertwine. Defies all belief, but the Bun character is so unique and off the wall that this is a hard one to criticize. The detective work relies more on the paranormal than police procedure, but director Johnnie To knows what he is doing, and I rather liked the end result.

This is a documentary paying tribute to the hometown of director Guy Maddin, presented partly as a historical account, and partly as a dreamy personal portrait. This is not your traditional, informative documentary, but more of an experimental film and a backhanded homage to a place Maddin has a soft spot for despite its faults. He is one of the most talented directors to come out of Canada, but is prone to veer from the mainstream. He deserves kudos for originality here, and keeps things interesting by inserting a fair bit of humour, and earning positive reviews because of it.

Sex And The City (2008)

Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) and John Preston aka Mr. Big (Chris Noth) buy a Manhattan penthouse and plan to marry, but the scope of the festivities and ill-timed comments by Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon) give Big cold feet, and soon Carrie, Charlotte York (Kristin Davis), Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall) and Miranda are off to Mexico without him to reassess the situation. I did not watch the series and am hardly a fan of big screen versions of small screen series to begin with, but feel if they insist on doing so, at least offer more than what home viewers used to get for free. All this is is one big over-bloated episode that may satisfy diehard fans who miss the show, but offers little to entice casual viewers. All I saw was a bunch of rich, superficial whiners, with Jennifer Hudson in a supporting role being the most likable of the bunch.

How About You (2007)

Ellie Harris (Hayley Atwell) is left in charge of an old folks home over the Christmas holiday and four residents know as "The Hard Core": Georgia (Vanessa Redgrave); sisters Hazel (Imelda Staunton) and Heather Nightingale (Brenda Fricker); and Donald Vanston (Joss Ackland), give Ellie a little more than she bargained for. Sure, there is a surplus of movies in which curmudgeonly old folks gradually soften up and endear themselves to the audience, and this one treads no new waters. But it fits like a comfy, old shoe, and breezes by, containing veteran actors and a fresh face in Atwell, who holds her own alongside them.

Tom Ludlow (Keanu Reeves) is a hard-nosed detective with a talent for delivering brutal street justice, which is standard procedure in his unit run by his captain, Jack Wander (Forest Whitaker). When evidence implicates him in the murder of a fellow officer, Terrence Washington (Terry Crews), the violence around Ludlow escalates, and he realizes his own life is in danger and he can trust no one. I thought that this was a solid, edgy crime thriller that entertains, but remains pretty standard, with nothing proving to be very surprising. I am not the biggest Reeves fan, but admit he did his role justice. Worth a look if you like gritty crime dramas.

Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer (2007)

A teacher of Jack Brooks (Trevor Matthews), Professor Gordon Crowley (Robert Englund), brings more than lesson plans to class after unleashing an ancient curse. Only Jack can save the day as the Professor undergoes a grotesque transformation, unleashing the hounds of Hell. More comedy than horror, with the main flaw being taking up most of the film to set up the action scenes, of which there are to few. Despite that, it still beats the bulk of lame horror flicks saturating the market, and with a sequel in the works, has the potential to be the start of something good.

Nim's Island (2008)

Anything can happen on Nim's Island, a magical place ruled by the imagination of young Nim Rusoe (Abigail Breslin) . It is an existence that mirrors that of her favourite literary character, Alex Rover (Gerard Butler), the world's greatest adventurer. But Alexandra Rover (Jodie Foster), the author of the Rover books, leads a reclusive life in the big city. When Nim's father goes missing from their island, a twist of fate brings her together with Alexandra. Now they must draw courage from their fictional hero, Alex Rover, and find strength in one another to conquer Nim's Island. I was expecting much more. What you get is mostly fluff, with little suspense or much imagination. I did think Foster was good though, and enjoyed the irony of her being an agoraphobic adventure writer, but still, this movie is best left for the kids, who should remain entertained even with the lightweight script.

Mister Lonely (2007)

In Paris, a young American (Diego Luna) who works as a Michael Jackson look-alike meets Marilyn Monroe (Samantha Morton), who invites him to her commune in Scotland, where she lives with Charlie Chaplin (Denis Lavant) and her daughter, Shirley Temple (Esme Creed-Miles). Director Harmony Korine gets marks for originality here, but achieves mixed results in the end. His characters here are social outcasts, but I am not sure there is any clear vision as to what the purpose of the story is and what the audience is to make of it The characters are always in character, revealing no clear personalities of their own. There are a few inspired moments, and the always wonderful Morton, but little else to gloat about.

A team of Hong Kong police investigators led by Chan Kwok Chung (Simon Yam) and Ma Kwun (Donnie Yen), use ruthless means to try to bring down crime lord Wong Po (Sammo Hung). This is simply a kick ass crime thriller out of Hong Kong that exhibits well staged martial arts action sequences amidst a hard-edged plot. It is good guys versus bad guys in a no holds barred street war, and a lot of fun even if it may be somewhat of a challenge to sort out which is which on occasion.

My Kid Could Paint That (2007, documentary)

This documentary follows Marla Olmstead, a young girl from NY who earns notoriety as an abstract painter. Controversy is sparked when it comes into question if she actually completes the paintings herself, or if her parents help in their creation. This is a surprisingly fascinating probe in which documentarian Amir Bar-Lev tries his best to remain fair, with results that remain far from definitive. It calls into question the authenticity of so called art experts, making a case that there is a fine line between art and crap, especially when it comes to abstract.

American Pie Presents: The Naked Mile (2006)

In the fifth movie of the American Pie franchise, the gang moves from the town of Great Falls to a university in Michigan. At the college, the party scene is in full swing, especially along fraternity row, where the competition for social supremacy is ferocious, and Erik Stifler (John White) is on a quest to lose his virginity. Once again Eugene Levy remains the sole connection to the original three movies in this franchise which is trying to milk every last dollar from a dubious connection. And now the Stiflers are suddenly popular characters amongst their peers, and the life of the party. This one is ridiculous. Who would believe a bunch of high school seniors could show up at a frat party and suddenly be big men on campus, with sorority chicks eager to bed them? When nudity is the main selling point of a movie, is it really worth watching? Perhaps, if you throw in escapades with midgets.

Lucky 13 (2005)

In order to win over his dream girl, Abbey (Lauren Graham), Zach Baker (Brad Hunt) revisits some previously significant girlfriends in his life to try to discover some insight. Hunt is a curious choice to play a lead in a romantic comedy, for he is not very engaging, charismatic, or even attractive. Graham does not have a large role, and Harland Williams is a disappointment as supposed comic relief.

Tommy Vinson (Burt Reynolds) is a retired gambler itching to get back in the game, who teams up with Alex Stillman (Bret Harrison), a hotshot college senior to take the poker world by storm. But a Vegas beauty named Michelle (Shannon Elizabeth) complicates the plan, and soon the teacher and student find themselves in a heads-up battle for the championship. Watching this is often like watching any of the various poker shows ever-present on cable sports channels these days. There are too many none too exciting poker scenes. Fans of those shows will recognize several of their mainstays. Here, the outcome is predictable, as are a couple other occurrences. About as thrilling as pocket twos.

Bloodrayne 2: Deliverance (2007)

Billy the Kid (Zack Ward) and his gang of vampire cowboys terrorize a small frontier town. It is up to the half-vampire and half-human vampire slayer Rayne (Natassia Malthe), her new friend Pat Garret (Michael Pare) and their rag tag crew to put a stop Billy in his attempt to create his wild west vampire kingdom. This is just another misfire from director Uwe Boll. Ludicrous concept. Poor acting. Bad dialogue. If only Boll was half the director he thinks he is...

My Brother Is An Only Child (2007, subtitled)

Accio Benassi (Elio Germano) and Manrico (Riccardo Scamarcio) are two brothers growing up in a small Italian town in the 60's and 70's who differ on everything political, but are united in their love for the same woman, Francesca (Diane Fleri), an attraction that leads to an inevitably devastating confrontation. This is a solid drama, both well written and well acted, with politics and family serving as volatile catalysts as Accio matures into manhood.

Georges Iscovescu (Charles Boyer) is a disheveled man who relates his story to a film director, telling of how he was once a fortune hunting gigolo who wooed and betrayed a Emmy Brown (Olivia de Havilland) to gain citizenship so he could marry Anita Dixon (Paulette Goddard), only to suffer a reversal of fate. Earned six Oscar nominations, including writing by Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett, best actress for de Havilland, and best picture. Kudos to this for being far from a conventional love story, and for shedding light on an issue that remains poignant even today. In lesser hands it could have fallen into melodrama territory, but it never does.

Jellyfish (2007, subtitled)

The stories of three very different women living in Tel Aviv intersect due to unforeseen circumstances. The women are Batia (Sarah Adler), a catering waitress at the wedding reception of Keren (Noa Knoller),and one of the guests, Joy (Ma-nenita De Latorre). This is a tiny gem of a movie in which we see growth in the principle characters through their chance encounters with others. I guess it can be labeled an art film, and it is not for everyone. It is far too short with a running time of only seventy-five minutes, leading me to believe that the inclusion of a fourth story into the mix would have been a welcome addition, easily accomplished because the stories were only loosely connected.

The Deal (2003)

Despite a rivalry between real-life Prime Ministers Tony Blair (Michael Sheen) and Gordon Brown (David Morrissey), the two, for the sake of their nation, work together to try to strike a deal relating to the succession of leadership within their Labour party. This is another brief seventy-five minute gem made for British television which credits its audience with the intellectual capacity to know who the characters are and what is going on without spoon feeding everything. The film is insightful and compelling to watch as the two men quickly ascend through the ranks as the cream of the crop. Sheen had this part nailed before reprising it in the more recent The Queen, and Morrissey is just as impressive.

A Wednesday (2008, subtitled)

Prakash Rathod (Anupam Kher), Commissioner of Police, gets a call demanding the release of four militants in lieu of information on bombs that the man has planted in various parts of the city. Prakash is in a real dilemma. Should he release the militants who are responsible for unaccountable damage to civilian lives and property, or should he just think of all the innocent people who will die today if he decides not to let them go? This is another good one out of India that remains engaging throughout. It is accessible to all audiences, without Bollywood style song and dance interruptions, and offers a twist that is likely to surprise. If you dismiss foreign films out of hand simply because they have subtitles, you are missing out on some prime cinema.

Taylor (Balthazar Getty) and Ashley (David Arquette) are two low-life con-artists from New York who travel to Connecticut to seduce married women in order to steal their possessions, but while Taylor is wooing Karen (Juliana Margulies), he and her Ivy-League daughter, April (Thora Birch) falls for one another. This film lost me in the latter half in which I found it difficult to believe the actions of a couple characters, namely April, who seemed too intelligent to be so irrational, and Ashley, who could not have survived for long if he becomes unglued so easily. It seems there was intended to be further developments in a subplot that never came to be, and the movie ends rather abruptly with a conclusion that leaves much to be desired.

The Dog Problem (2006)

Solo (Giovanni Ribisi) is a lonely man who buys a dog and it leads to a circus of events involving his best friend Casper (Scott Caan), his psychiatrist, Dr. Nourmand (Don Cheadle), a loan shark named Benny (Kevin Corrigan), a stripper named Lola (Lynn Collins), and a dog obsessed socialite, Jules (Mena Suvari). Also written and directed by Caan, the script probably could have used an overhaul. It just was not all that funny and there were several occurrences that will probably leave many viewers rolling their eyeballs.

Zohan Dvir (Adam Sandler) is an arrogant but charismatic Israeli commando who fakes his own death in order to escape a life he has grown tired of, and escapes to New York to pursue his dream of becoming a fervently heterosexual hairdresser. The Middle Eastern conflict satire is at times uncomfortable and a lightning rod for criticism, especially with Caucasians like John Torturro and Rob Schneider playing Palestinians as stereotypes. The results there as well as in other bits in the movie are mixed (Torturro is funny, Schneider is not), and Sandler once again throws in a bit too much strictly juvenile humour. How much crotch thrusting can a viewer take? That is a rhetorical question, do not ask your mom. But when watching a Happy Madison produced comedy, you have to be prepared for some of that. There are other elements that are pretty funny, especially early on, but the end result is just an average Sandler comedy, not among his best.

The Condemned (2007)

As Joe Conrad (Steve Austin) awaits the death penalty in a corrupt Central American prison, he is purchased by wealthy television producer Ian Breckel (Robert Mammone) and taken to a desolate island where he must fight to the death against nine other condemned killers, including Saiga (Masa Yamaguchi), McStarley (Vinnie Jones), and Yasantwa (Emelia Jones). The incentive for them is that the last man standing wins his freedom. I guess the geniuses at WWE have not heard of the expression "don't shit where you eat" because here they screw their intended audience by throwing in preachy dialogue admonishing the desire of the public to view acts of violence and the macabre. People do not watch this type of film and want to be made to feel guilty about it, especially from the wrestling federation whose own moral compass is rather dubious. And the plot here is unoriginal, the fight scenes lacking, and the acting nothing to speak of. Austin in particular is a dud in the lead role.

Duchess Of Langeais (2007, subtitled)

Napoleon era French general Armand de Montriveau (Guillaume Depardieu) and Antoinette (Jeanne Balibar), the married, flirtatious Duchess of Langeais, engage in a chess match of passion, albeit their love for each other is a forbidden one, with social mores, marital vows and religious convictions pitted against them. This is directed by the acclaimed Frenchman Jacques Rivette, and it is a sure-handed addition to his resume, but the film is only accessible to those with the stomach for bloated period romance pieces. Personally, I did not see what was so alluring about the duchess, or why either was worth the tormenting they put each other through. The source material is a novel by Honore de Balzac, and it is a good tragic story, and watching the two leads engage in their mental sparring throughout was fairly impressive, at least on Antoinette's part. Montriveau was more of an easy read, if not a doormat.

Joe Bill 'Rack' Racklin (Toby Keith) is an Oklahoma deputy sheriff who has just watched yet another girlfriend pack up and drive out of his life. As fate would have it, his old flame, Annie Streets (Claire Forlani), returns home from the big city. Rack and Annie's reunion is abruptly interrupted when she is kidnapped and held for ransom by Manuel Garza (Carlos Sanz), the drug lord brother of a recently arrested criminal, Tito Garza (Greg Serano). Tito must be brought to Juarez, Mexico in exchange for Annie's life and despite the demands of Sheriff Wilson Landry (Tom Skerritt) that Rack not get involved, Rack takes the law into his own hands. Only a redneck could love a movie like this. It is on par with the likes of a Larry the Cable Guy movie, only a little less crass. Do not waste your time with this one.

The Art Of War II: Betrayal (2008)

Coming out of concealment to vindicate the death of his one time mentor, Agent Neil Shaw (Wesley Snipes) accidentally happens onto a path of death, betrayal and corruption. Made for TMN in Canada, this sequel suffers from a lack of connection other than Shaw to the first film, or at least ones that are explained. The direction is terrible, a few of the actors are wooden, the story is muddled, and Snipes appears disinterested.

Factotum (2005)

Henry "Hank" Chinaski (Matt Dillon), the fictional alter ego of Charles Bukowski, is an unemployed drunk struggles who through relationships with women such as the poverty-stricken Jan (Lily Taylor) and rich-girl Laura (Marisa Tomei), and multiple jobs, while indulging in his two true passions, which are drinking and writing. Dillon is good in this rather unflattering, unglamorous semi-autobiographic portrait of the much revered author. I suppose he catches the essence, but his hardly translates as anything more than an ordinary life. At least there are hints of dark comedy, but I doubt any film could properly relate what people admire about his writing without a bombardment of excerpts. But as Mickey Rourke did in a similar way in Barfly, Dillon gives a game effort.

While on spring break in Cancun, a rich and spoiled teen named Adam (Robert Mann) has a one-night stand with Lilith (Natalie Denise Sperl), but gets more than he bargained for when she turns out to be a demon that follows him home to Los Angeles. David Keith, Kelly Hu and Gary Busey appear only briefly, likely for associative name recognition. Mann is an inappropriate lead because he does not fit the bill as a guy who plenty of good looking girls would be attracted to. And his character is a jerk, so there is no reason to care about him. All attempts at humour fall flat and there is nothing frightening about Sperl as the succubus. A stinker of a movie.

Outlaw Trail: The Treasure Of Butch Cassidy (2006)

Sixteen-year-old Roy Parker (Ryan Kelley) and his friends Jess (Dan Byrd), Martin (Brent Weber), and Ellie (Arielle Kebbel) embark on a journey to find the lost treasure of legendary bank robber Butch Cassidy ahead of an evil museum curator named Garrison (Bruce McGill) and his cronies. This is an action adventure flick suitable for family viewing, but with the production values of a made for TV movie. It is rather far-fetched, with these kids recklessly risking their lives on occasion without hesitation and McGill in true Snidely Whiplash mode, and with dynamite and shovels, rafts and railroad carts readily available when the plot calls for them.

The Last Legion (2007)

This epic portrays the fall of Rome and the birth of King Arthur's mighty sword Excalibur. Twelve-year-old Romulus Augustus Caesar (Thomas Sangster) is to be crowned emperor at the same time that barbarian king Odoacer (Peter Mullan) arrives with his fierce warriors, led by Wulfila (Kevin McKidd), to slaughter everyone in sight. With his family dead, young Romulus is captured and taken, along with his teacher, the wise mystic Ambrosinus (Ben Kingsley) to the island of Capri. Learning that the Byzantine Empire has offered a safe haven for Romulus, surviving Roman soldier Aurelius (Colin Firth) teams up with fierce female warrior Mira (Aishwarya Rai) and sets out to retrieve the boy. Sure, the plot shamelessly thumbs its nose at history by mixing it with legend to construct a corny, concocted tale, but it has the look and feel that approaches the epic, only this is a cheesy one, but one that provides a lot of bang for the buck with plenty of swordplay. Its reach ultimately exceeds its grasp, and it is a mishmash of various things that have come before. But the geek in me liked it still.

Each April Fool's Day, wealthy young Desiree Cartier (Taylor Cole) hosts a coming-out parties at her lavish southern mansion. This social event is never complete without one of her patented pranks. When this year's joke turns deadly, Desiree, her brother Blaine (Josh Henderson) and five of their friends all become the targets of a twisted killer who begins hunting them down one by one. This is not really a remake of the film from the eighties although there are similarities. The acting leaves much to be desired and the characters behave beyond their years unconvincingly. The kills are laughable, unintentionally so, although the script perhaps accounts for that. But the reasoning is an affront to intelligent viewers. There is clever, then there is plain stupid. This one falls into the latter category, leaving me feeling ripped off.

Starship Troopers 3: Marauder (2008)

Colonel Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien) is back to lead his team on a secret mission to rescue a small crew of troopers stranded on the remote planet of OM-1. Battling bugs, both new and old, the new "Marauder" advanced weapons technology may be their only hope against a treasonous element operating within the Federation itself. As Captain Lola Beck (Jolene Blalock) and the rest of the starship crew fight to survive in the harsh conditions, it begins to dawn on them that something on OM-1 is very wrong, and the bugs have a secret weapon that could destroy humanity. This tongue in cheek adventure movie is pure satire of sci-fi adventure movies, but it undoubtedly falls into the B-movie catalogue due to its hammish acting and cheesy CGI effects. And it remains a far cry from the original.

Spinning Into Butter (2007)

When racist notes are left on the dorm room door of Simon Brick (Paul James) on the Belmont College campus, Dean of Students Sarah Daniels (Sarah Jessica Parker) must re-examine her views on race and prejudice while adhering to the policies of the school, and Deans Catherine Kenney (Miranda Richardson) and Burton Strauss (Beau Bridges) convene a forum in order to appeal sensitive to the needs and safety of their students amidst much public posturing by University president Winston Garvey (James Rebhorn). This undoubtedly well-intentioned screen adaptation of a play treads in some engaging dialogue on race and political correctness, as well as affirmative action to some extent. But I think it ultimately lacked the backbone to dig deep enough, nor resolve issues in realistic terms.