Toorop (Vin Diesel), a ruthless mercenary, is hired to smuggle a mysterious young woman named Aurora (Melanie Thierry) from the post-apocalyptic confines of Eastern Europe to the glittering megalopolis of New York City. Attempting to understand this one may cause your head to explode. Diesel has always stricken me as a second tier action hero, and here he appears to be just going through the motions. Much of the action is too frenetic to enjoy, and while a couple action scenes look fantastic, they are just as ridiculous in their plausibility. I cannot see the ending here satisfying anyone who makes it through that far.

Four Eyed Monsters (2005)

Susan (Susan Buice) and Arin (Arin Crumley) meet on-line and end up dating but with a rule to never speak in person. This is based on the real relationship between to two creators/actors, so it is kind of an experiment in filmmaking and a piece of art-part reenactment, part staged drama. For an indie film, it is quite well done, with interesting gimmicks, and various forms of artistry being utilized. Fresh and inventive and worth a look if you are up for something out of the ordinary.

Meet The Browns (2008)

A single mother living in inner city Chicago, Brenda (Angela Bassett) has been struggling for years to make ends meet and keep her three kids, Michael (Lance Gross), Tosha (Chloe Bailey), and Lena (Mariana Tolbert), off the street. When she is laid off with no warning, she starts losing hope for the first time until a letter arrives announcing the death of a father she has never met. Desperate for any kind of help, Brenda takes her family to Georgia for the funeral. There, Brenda tries to get to know the family she never knew existed and finds a brand new romance with Harry (Rick Fox) that just might change her life. This sounded familiar to me, and sure enough, I have also had the misfortune of witnessing the 2004 version. Perry cannot decide if this is a comedy or a drama, and the two extremes clash. The clownish characters of Vera (Jenifer Lewis) and Leroy Brown (David Mann) are grating, with the exclusively Mann outtakes being especially unfunny. The cameo inclusion of Perry as Uncle Joe/Madea is pointless. Perry bombs once more, and Bassett deserves a better platform for her talents.

Acts Of Imagination (2006)

In an effort to cope with the death of their mother, Jaroslaw (Billy Marchenski) and Katya (Stephanie Hayes) emigrate to Vancouver from the Ukraine. The dialogue comes across as well written and authentic, and the characters are complex and very well drawn up, however this small film is likely to be received well by a limited audience of serious film afficionados.

The popular girls in school have something devious in mind when they nominate overweight girl Maggie Baker (Nikki Blonsky) to run for Homecoming Queen as a joke against Tara (Kimberly Matula). This is much better than the usual Lifetime movies. I think they provided a realistic example of someone struggling with self-esteem issues as well as her addictions. She was not without flaws, and the other characters were not all typical stereotypes either. The subject matter is poignant, and everyone should be able to relate to it to some degree.

Mrs. 'Arris Goes To Paris (1992)

Ada Harris (Angela Lansbury) decides to save all her money to purchase an original Dior dress. Upon arriving in Paris, many obstacles and characters stand in her way from reaching her desired attire. Another made for television movie, this breezy, affable production calls for a little suspension of disbelief, but it is a fun story to watch as the staff of the esteemed dress designer rally to try to please their new foreign friend, as she intern weaves a bit of magic in returning the favour. This one is fit for family viewing.

From Noon Till Three (1976)

On his way to rob a bank, Graham Dorsey (Charles Bronson) has a brief love affair with lonely young widow Amanda (Jill Ireland). Amanda later hires a ghost writer and capitalizes on her liaison by stretching the truth and creating a legend out of Dorsey, who discovers that his identity no longer belongs to himself. This wonky tale is stifled by poor acting. Ireland is wooden, and Bronson is not suited for comedy. This one skips abruptly from one moment in time to the next with no transition in between, and likely needed more development. In better hands, this material might work, but I sure was not impressed.

A winery operated by Jim Barrett (Bill Pullman) and his son Bo (Chris Pine) receives unexpected publicity when their chardonnay is entered into the first blind taste-testing of wines from France and California by snobbish Brit named Steven Spurrier (Alan Rickman), launching the Napa Valley winemakers on the world. Based on a true event, but I imagine extreme liberties were taken in serving up this version, which although it is a good yarn, many situations defy belief. It falls short of Sideways, but the landscapes look great, and Rickman is fun to watch as usual. The love story between hippy Pine and the rail thin Rachael Taylor, not so much, and the Jim Barrett character was too abrasive to warm up to. But this is one of those underdog tales mainstream audience love to eat up.

Swamp Devil (2008)

Howard Blaime (Bruce Dern) is an ex-sheriff accused of rape and murder in a small town. No one believes his stories of the true killer, the Swamp Devil. Now to clear his name, Howard must prove that the Swamp Devil exists. He must also protect his estranged daughter Melanie (Cindy Sampson), who has been lured to town under false pretences. This low budget horror lacks punch. The CGI effects were adequate given the budget, but the creature stalking prey in broad daylight will not go down in the annals of history as one of the most feared monsters.

Love And Other Disasters (2006)

A free spirited American woman named Emily 'Jacks' Jackson (Brittany Murphy) works as an assistant at British Vogue and off the clock loves setting up her friends, but she has been unlucky at love herself. She tries to fix her gay roommate Peter Simon (Matthew Rhys) up with her handsome new photographer assistant Paolo Sarmiento (Santiago Cabrera), only with unexpected consequences. This is a bold romantic comedy that dares draw parallels to Breakfast At Tiffany's and in tongue in cheek fashion, poke fun at movie cliches even as it is as guilty as anyone of serving them up. While Murphy is not Audrey Hepburn, she is nonetheless sexy and adorable here. The story is unoriginal and predictable, but thanks to Murphy, a fun romp.

While CIA agent Osbourne Cox (John Malkovich) is in the process of writing a book, he loses the disc containing his manuscript, which is recovered by a bumbling pair of personal trainers, Chad Feldheimer (Brad Pitt) and Linda Litzke (Frances McDormand), who think they are in possession of valuable state secrets. While by no means is this the best movie the Coen brothers have made, it is certainly a worthy addition to their anthology. With a cast that includes George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, Richard Jenkins and J.K. Simmons, there is plenty of star power to play the quirky characters on hand in a biting and dark comedy. Just embrace it for its cynicism, its wit and its oddball nature.

The Duchess (2008)

Georgiana (Keira Knightley) is a beautiful and forward thinking woman who becomes the toast of British society when she marries the Duke of Devonshire (Ralph Fiennes), but soon discovers his cold and controlling manner is utterly oppressive. The lavish sets and fine costumes, plus another good period piece performance by Knightley as a strong character trying to cope in a society that accepts double standards as the norm, help elevate this film to something many observers might dismiss as melodrama, but it is more than that.

Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (2008)

This is the inspirational story of nine-year-old Margaret Mildred 'Kit' Kittredge (Abigail Breslin) growing up in the Great Depression while solving a mystery that helps save her home. Director Patricia Rozema has crafted a fine looking film that entire families can enjoy, but it is a bit too simplistic, corny and hammy for purely adult audiences. Breslin is her usual adorable self, having the torch passed to her by Dakota Fanning for exceptional child talent. The film promotes good family values and has endless optimism in human nature, with Kit proving to be a stellar role model young children can embrace.

Seance (2006)

In an attempt to rid their dorm of the ghost of a little girl, a group of college students, Lauren (Kandis Erickson), Melina (Tori White), and Alison (Chauntal Lewis) and Diego (A.J. Lamas), inadvertently bring back the killer, with horrifying results. The ghosts looked entirely too human and were not creepy at all, and the story made little sense. I must have missed why the students could not escape from the dorm, but surely there were ways.

This documentary follows political humorist Bill Maher as he travels around the globe interviewing people about God and religion. Maher is not as smug and condescending as I anticipated, and he actually showed some restraint when opportunity arose to belittle people. The end result is an often funny and thought provoking rebuttal to many of the beliefs adhered to by organized religions. Whether or not you agree with his political opinions, people can enjoy this if they are able to put that aside for a couple hours. Of course his agenda is very clear, and the majority of his interview subjects are anything but religious scholars, but then again, no one is really tuning in for serious debate when it comes to Maher, so here you get pretty much what he does best-stir the pot.

Pineapple Express (2008)

Dale Denton (Seth Rogen) is a pot smoking process server who contemplates the importance of friends and family while he and his dealer Saul Silver (James Franco) run from a vicious gang of drug-runners. Judd Apatow and Rogan have made better comedies, but their fans will probably still enjoy this one for the most part. Danny McBride adds quite a few laughs as Red, and there are funny moments, but the film is inconsistent, tapering off for stretches, losing its way as it digresses into more of an action flick than a stoner comedy.

Wisegal (2008)

Patty Montanari (Alyssa Milano), widowed at a young age, takes a page from the neighbourhood Mafioso and turns to selling contraband cigarettes to support her three sons. Patty then begins a romance with mobster Frank Russo (Jason Gedrick), who recognizes her business savvy and gives her a nightclub to manage. This Lifetime television movie is about as tame a mob movie as you will ever see, but really, there is really no reason to do so unless you are a diehard Milano fan. Caan is wasted by not being given the opportunity to cut loose, and the paper thin story will not keep anyone on the edge of their seat. And why the children of Patty looked like hobbits is anyone's guess.

Nick (Michael Cera) pines for Tris (Alexis Dziena), who dumped him on his birthday, but his life takes a turn for the better when he meets Norah (Kat Dennings), whose request that he be her boyfriend for five minutes develops into a night-long city-wide adventure. Sweet, charming, and benefiting from a good soundtrack, the central characters are the highlight, but as far as the comedy goes, this is rather a middling affair. Cera has his future secured with his deadpan nice guy persona, but he needs better material to truly shine.

Supernova (2000)

When a deep space hospital ship comes to the aid of another ship in distress, Nick Vanzant (James Spader), Dr. Kaela Evers (Angela Bassett), A. J. Marley (Robert Forster), Yerzy Penalosa (Lou Diamond Phillips), Danika Lund (Robin Tunney) and Benji Sotomajol (Wilson Cruz) find themselves in danger from Karl Larson (Peter Facinelli), the one man they rescue. This is a pretty solid science fiction film that is far better than its reputation. In a genre rife with disappointing entries, you can do much worse than this one. The story may not exactly be rocket science, but Star Trek was not either. The cast is full of recognizable names, with Facinelli standing out in the role of a villain.

The Sun (2005, subtitled)

The final days of Emperor Hirohito (Issey Ogata) rule in Japan during the dying days of WWII are chronicled. Only patient movie buff need subject themselves to this one, or those with a keen interest in the subject, for the pace is ploddingly deliberate. But it is a fascinating portrayal of the intelligent, yet aloof and deluded Hirohito. Ogata deserves praise for his work here. I also liked the sepia tinged quality of the picture which proved effective in setting the desired mood. Some may be angry that the film almost humanizes a monster, but that is not quite how I viewed it. The man knew full well what he was doing, and history holds him accountable.

Oskar (Kare Hedebrant), a bullied 12-year-old boy, finds friendship and love with Eli (Lina Leandersson), a mysterious girl whose arrival in town suspiciously coincides with a string of murders. Part unconventional love story, part horror, part drama...forget classification, this is a fine movie. Period. Never mind True Blood and give me more vampire films like this, even if they are from Sweden. Do not let the subtitles dissuade you, or you will be missing out.

The Women (2008)

When the husband of wealthy socialite Mary Haines (Meg Ryan) betrays her with Crystal Allen (Eva Mendes), a perfume girl from Saks, Sylvia Fowler (Annette Bening) and the rest of her friends erupt in a wave of gossip, at times supportive, at times unkind. The gimmick to have a film set in a New York City devoid of men was simply an ill-conceived one. And focusing their venom on Allen rather than the husband, so easily leaving him unaccountable for his culpability is ridiculous. Reduced to gimmick, a fantastic cast is wasted in a tide of breezy bullshit. If the purpose here is to celebrate the empowerment of women, it completely misses the mark.

LOL (2006)

Alex (Kevin Bewersdorf), Tim (Joe Swanberg), and Chris (C. Mason Wells) view the women in their lives through the dimensions of a computer screen or the lens of a camera-phone, as they struggle to balance their on-line fantasies and addictions to technology with the demands of real life. I suppose there is a lot of honesty depicted here showing how the reliance on modern gadgets has helped turn many people into emotionally bankrupt social misfits. The three stars are regular guys, not actors, and this is their collaborative experimental project. As an Art house film, this is refreshing stuff, but those who prefer structured, more mainstream fare will want to steer clear. I respect the ambition and originality on display, but this was far from LOL funny.

Eddie (David Wenham) is a clean-cut all round nice guy with a gentle way about him and a good head on his shoulders, but his wholesome values become threatened by financial burdens and social conscience. There are three women who are constants in his life...his wife Tanya (Frances O'Connor), their six year old daughter Abby (Joanna Hunt-Prokhovnik), and his childhood sweetheart, Amanda (Sarah Wynter). Now, down to his last three dollars, Eddie needs to change the direction his life is headed towards.





Real Time (2008)


A compulsive gambler, Andy Hayes (Jay Baruchel), who has incurred one too many debts finds himself at the mercy of an implacable hitman named Reuben (Randy Quaid), who intends to kill him.