Gothika **1/2

Cast: Halle Berry, Robert Downey Jr, Charles S. Dutton, John Carroll Lynch, Bernard Hill, Penelope Cruz
Director: Mathieu Kassovitz

Dr. Miranda Grey is a psychologist at a dark and dreary mental asylum. After an accident, she wakes to find that she is now one of the patients there. She has committed a crime that she does not remember and is now haunted by a young blonde girl. Gothika provides some creepy moments, but not enough. The three big name leads of the movie do as much as they can with what they have to work with, but the story doesn't always make the most sense. A little fine tuning of the script could have gone a long way.

The Human Stain ***

Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Nicole Kidman, Ed Harris, Gary Sinese, Wentworth Miller, Jacinda Barrett
Director: Robert Benton

Coleman Silk is a college professor that has just been fired for supposedly making a racial slur about two of his students. Faunia Farely is a woman who lives in fear of her ex-husband. When they meet, they find something in the other that will heal each other's pain, but it won't be easy, especially since both have big secrets in their pasts that they have kept hidden for a long time. Coleman's is the bigger of the two, and is handled excellently as we learn his backstory. Excellent acting all around, and a good story about the secrets we keep and the way love can redeem tortured souls.

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World ***1/2

Cast: Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany, Billy Boyd, James D'Arcy, Lee Ingleby, David Threlfall, Max Pirkis
Director: Peter Weir

Russell Crowe is Jack Aubrey, captain of the HMS Surprise in this adaptation of Patrick O'Brian's British Navy novels. Specifically based on the 10th and 1st books in the series, Master and Commander takes great pains (so I have read) to be historically accurate, and the result is a entertaining and interesting naval adventure. In 1805, during the Napoleonic Wars, the HMS Surprise is stationed off the coast of South America and is given the mission of stopping the French ship Acheron. The movie is a chase that is bookended by two battle scenes. Along the way, glimpses are given of life on naval ships of the time, including some interesting medical procedures. The good captain and his doctor have a relationship reminiscent of Star Trek's Kirk-McCoy relationship, and their interactions help to liven up some of the slower moments in the movie. Definitely a contender for Picture of the Year come Oscar time.

Love Actually ***

Cast: Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Alan Rickman, Liam Neeson, Bill Nighy, Laura Linney, Martine McCutcheon, Keira Knightley, Emma Thompson, Billy Bob Thornton, Rowan Atkinson
Director: Richard Curtis

Love Actually weaves together a series of love stories like a Robert Altman film, and its individual stories work more often than not. This movie tells of many different kinds of love -- romantic, friend, and parent/child -- with some of the "loves" working out, and others having no chance. It doesn't strive to give every story a happy ending, a fact which I appreciate, and comes off as feeling true for the most part. Some of the stories seem a bit sappy for my tastes, but with this movie you get a variety, so a viewer will find one that meets their liking. This movie runs a little long, mostly due to the amount of characters present, but if you are looking for a enjoyable romantic comedy this time of year, give Love Actually a chance and you might be surprised.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban movie trailer is online!

CHECK IT OUT!

Best Stephen King Books (in no particular order)

1. The Dark Tower (The Gunslinger [Revised and Expanded]/The Drawing of the Three/The Waste Lands/Wizard and Glass/Wolves of the Calla/Song of Susannah/The Dark Tower) by Stephen King
2. The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King
3. The Talisman by Stephen King, Peter Straub
4. Hearts in Atlantis by Stephen King
5. Bag of Bones by Stephen King
6. Pet Sematary by Stephen King
7. Gerald's Game by Stephen King
8. The Stand: Complete and Uncut by Stephen King
9. It by Stephen King
10. The Shining by Stephen King

The Matrix Revolutions ***

Cast: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Ann Moss, Hugo Weaving, Jada Pinkett Smith, Monica Bellucci, Lambert Wilson, Harold Perrineau Jr., Harry J. Lennix, Mary Alice
Directors: Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski

The third and final(?) movie in the Matrix series finds the machines gathering for an attack, Neo and Trinity heading toward the surface, and Mr. Smith being a real pain in the ass for everyone. Picking up where Reloaded left off, Revolutions makes an attempt to tie up the story of the One. It succeeds at this to some degree, but does leave many questions unanswered. Revolutions is better than Reloaded, but still not as good as the original. If you have seen the first two, go ahead and finish out the trilogy, but if you haven't seen #2, you need to make a trip to the video store first.

Some cool new movie posters:

Spider-Man 2

Spider-Man 2 (Dr. Octopus)

Alien vs. Predator (Alien)

Alien vs. Predator (Predator)

Home on the Range

Elf ***

Cast: Will Ferrell, James Caan, Zooey Deschanel, Edward Asner, Bob Newhart, Mary Steenburgen, Daniel Tay
Director: Jon Favreau

Buddy the elf finds out that he isn't really an elf. He was just raised by them at the North Pole after Santa mistakenly brought him back from the adoption home one Christmas Eve. Now, Buddy is determined to meet his real father, a grumpy children's book publisher who barely has time for his wife and other son. Of course this movie has a lot of "fish out of water" moments as Buddy gets acclimated to the real world, but Will Ferrell gives him the heart and innocence that makes you want to root for him. While watching this movie, I found myself thinking about how this will be one of those Christmas movies that you actually want to pull out and watch this time every year.

Just trying something new here people. We will see if I keep this up!