Hostage ***
Cast: Bruce Willis, Kevin Pollak, Jonathan Tucker, Ben Foster, Jimmy Bennett, Michelle Horn, Marshall Allman, Serena Scott Thomas, Rumer Willis
Director: Florent Siri
Running Length: 1:53
MPAA Classification: R

Jeff Talley (Willis) is the chief of police in Bristo Counta, a small town in Ventura County, California. He used to be a hostage negotiator in the LAPD, but after a disasterous negotiation that led to the deaths of two people, he fled the big city. Now, nothing much happens, and Talley is content. On the perosnal front, his wife and daughter do not like the new JEff or his lifestyle.
When an accountant (Pollack) and his son and daughter are taken hostage after a botched robbery attempt, Talley must get the situation under control until those higher in the chain of command arrive. Once they do, he heads out, grateful to be out of the situation. Talley quickly finds out that there is more going on than meets the eye, and is forcefully thrown back into the midst of things with added incentive to resolve the situation.

With the kids working against the hostages on the inside, and Talley working against them from the outside, things quickly spiral out of control, and it soon looks like another crisis will befall Talley.

I went into "Hostage" knowing very little about it (a rare thing), and was pleasantly surprised. While there are some leaps of logic that you must accept, once you do, you are in for a wild ride. Suspenseful and more layered than it might seem at first, "Hostage" is a really entertaining movie. None of the performances are terribly outstanding, but everyone does a decent job bringing the characters to life. There is enough action and suspence to keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end. "Hostage" was an unexpected surprise in the doldrums of the early-year movies.

The Ring Two **1/2
Cast: Naomi Watts, Simon Baker, David Dorfman, Elizabeth Perkins, Gary Cole, Sissy Spacek
Director: Hideo Nakata
Running Length: 1:45
MPAA Classification: PG-13

It has benn a little while since the events of "The Ring", and since then, Rachel (Watts) and Aidan (Dorfman) have made a new home in Oregon and are trying to forget Samara and the nightmare she made of their lives. When a teenager in town dies, Rachel discovers a mysterious tape in the deceased's VCR. She promptly destroys it, but Samara has found her. Soon, she is showing up on Rachel's TV without a videotape, and she has her eyes on Aidan. Rachel must find a way to stop Samara once again, and we all know that something is wrong when Aidan calls Rachel "mommy".

"The Ring Two" is directed by Hideo Nakata, director of the Japanese versions "Ringu" and "Ringu 2", but while "The Ring" was a remake of "Ringu", "The Ring Two" is an original story that branches the mythology out into new areas. That being said, "The Ring Two", while offering some creepy moments, falls just short of the original. Dorfman does a great job as the possessed Aidan, and Watts does another respectable turn in the role that increased her popularity. Sissy Spacek provides a disturbing appearance as a lady that may or may not have the solution to Rachel and Aidan's problems.

"The Ring Two" is probably the best of the horror movies that are currently in theaters, even if it does not live up to the original. Those looking for some scares will find what they are looking for here, and unlike some other horror movie of late, the PG-13 rating does not hurt it.

Robots ***1/2
Cast (voices): Ewan McGregor, Robin Williams, Halle Berry, Greg Kinnear, Mel Brooks, Jim Broadbent, Amanda Bynes, Drew Carey, Jennifer Coolidge, Stanley Tucci, Dianne Wiest
Directors: Chris Wedge, Carlos Saldanha
Running Length: 1:30
MPAA Classification: PG

Rodney Copperbottom (McGregor) is a old-model robot with dreams of inventing. He sets out to the big city of Robot City to find Bigweld (Brooks), an inventor who is always looking for new ideas. When Rodney gets there though, he finds Bigweld nowhere to be found. Instead Phineas T. Rachet (Kinnear) is in charge, with the help of his mother Madame Gasket (Broadbent) who is really pulling the strings. Their plan is to get rid of the outmodes and make everyone into "upgrades" that are all shiny new and resemble Rachet. It seems that even in the robot world, greed is a problem. Rodney sets out with some new friends to find Bigweld, and make things right.

This is a great looking movie. Children and adults will be drawn into the robot world. Full of gadgets and bright colors, there is always something to catch your eye in every frame of film. The public transportation is a wild and crazy Rube Goldman-esque ride through the city that is fun to watch. The voices behind the robots are all solid with Robin Williams being the only standout as Rodney's friend, Fender. You can't help but wonder how much of what he says is scripted and how much was just ad libbed.

"Robots" is good family fun for all. With the adult humor that has become standard for animated features in recent years, adults will not be bored. The ideas of following your dreams and being yourself are nothing new, but they are presented well. Fox has also showed that they can make animated movies as well as Pixar and DreamWorks, which can only lead to higher and higher levels of movie making in the future. I highly recommend "Robots".

Robots ***1/2
Cast (voices): Ewan McGregor, Robin Williams, Halle Berry, Greg Kinnear, Mel Brooks, Jim Broadbent, Amanda Bynes, Drew Carey, Jennifer Coolidge, Stanley Tucci, Dianne Wiest
Directors: Chris Wedge, Carlos Saldanha
Running Length: 1:30
MPAA Classification: PG

Rodney Copperbottom (McGregor) is a old-model robot with dreams of inventing. He sets out to the big city of Robot City to find Bigweld (Brooks), an inventor who is always looking for new ideas. When Rodney gets there though, he finds Bigweld nowhere to be found. Instead Phineas T. Rachet (Kinnear) is in charge, with the help of his mother Madame Gasket (Broadbent) who is really pulling the strings. Their plan is to get rid of the outmodes and make everyone into "upgrades" that are all shiny new and resemble Rachet. It seems that even in the robot world, greed is a problem. Rodney sets out with some new friends to find Bigweld, and make things right.

This is a great looking movie. Children and adults will be drawn into the robot world. Full of gadgets and bright colors, there is always something to catch your eye in every frame of film. The public transportation is a wild and crazy Rube Goldman-esque ride through the city that is fun to watch. The voices behind the robots are all solid with Robin Williams being the only standout as Rodney's friend, Fender. You can't help but wonder how much of what he says is scripted and how much was just ad libbed.

"Robots" is good family fun for all. With the adult humor that has become standard for animated features in recent years, adults will not be bored. The ideas of following your dreams and being yourself are nothing new, but they are presented well. Fox has also showed that they can make animated movies as well as Pixar and DreamWorks, which can only lead to higher and higher levels of movie making in the future. I highly recommend "Robots".

Robots ***1/2
Cast (voices): Ewan McGregor, Robin Williams, Halle Berry, Greg Kinnear, Mel Brooks, Jim Broadbent, Amanda Bynes, Drew Carey, Jennifer Coolidge, Stanley Tucci, Dianne Wiest
Directors: Chris Wedge, Carlos Saldanha
Running Length: 1:30
MPAA Classification: PG

Rodney Copperbottom (McGregor) is a old-model robot with dreams of inventing. He sets out to the big city of Robot City to find Bigweld (Brooks), an inventor who is always looking for new ideas. When Rodney gets there though, he finds Bigweld nowhere to be found. Instead Phineas T. Rachet (Kinnear) is in charge, with the help of his mother Madame Gasket (Broadbent) who is really pulling the strings. Their plan is to get rid of the outmodes and make everyone into "upgrades" that are all shiny new and resemble Rachet. It seems that even in the robot world, greed is a problem. Rodney sets out with some new friends to find Bigweld, and make things right.

This is a great looking movie. Children and adults will be drawn into the robot world. Full of gadgets and bright colors, there is always something to catch your eye in every frame of film. The public transportation is a wild and crazy Rube Goldman-esque ride through the city that is fun to watch. The voices behind the robots are all solid with Robin Williams being the only standout as Rodney's friend, Fender. You can't help but wonder how much of what he says is scripted and how much was just ad libbed.

"Robots" is good family fun for all. With the adult humor that has become standard for animated features in recent years, adults will not be bored. The ideas of following your dreams and being yourself are nothing new, but they are presented well. Fox has also showed that they can make animated movies as well as Pixar and DreamWorks, which can only lead to higher and higher levels of movie making in the future. I highly recommend "Robots".

Robots ***1/2
Cast (voices): Ewan McGregor, Robin Williams, Halle Berry, Greg Kinnear, Mel Brooks, Jim Broadbent, Amanda Bynes, Drew Carey, Jennifer Coolidge, Stanley Tucci, Dianne Wiest
Directors: Chris Wedge, Carlos Saldanha
Running Length: 1:30
MPAA Classification: PG

Rodney Copperbottom (McGregor) is a old-model robot with dreams of inventing. He sets out to the big city of Robot City to find Bigweld (Brooks), an inventor who is always looking for new ideas. When Rodney gets there though, he finds Bigweld nowhere to be found. Instead Phineas T. Rachet (Kinnear) is in charge, with the help of his mother Madame Gasket (Broadbent) who is really pulling the strings. Their plan is to get rid of the outmodes and make everyone into "upgrades" that are all shiny new and resemble Rachet. It seems that even in the robot world, greed is a problem. Rodney sets out with some new friends to find Bigweld, and make things right.

This is a great looking movie. Children and adults will be drawn into the robot world. Full of gadgets and bright colors, there is always something to catch your eye in every frame of film. The public transportation is a wild and crazy Rube Goldman-esque ride through the city that is fun to watch. The voices behind the robots are all solid with Robin Williams being the only standout as Rodney's friend, Fender. You can't help but wonder how much of what he says is scripted and how much was just ad libbed.

"Robots" is good family fun for all. With the adult humor that has become standard for animated features in recent years, adults will not be bored. The ideas of following your dreams and being yourself are nothing new, but they are presented well. Fox has also showed that they can make animated movies as well as Pixar and DreamWorks, which can only lead to higher and higher levels of movie making in the future. I highly recommend "Robots".

Robots ***1/2
Cast (voices): Ewan McGregor, Robin Williams, Halle Berry, Greg Kinnear, Mel Brooks, Jim Broadbent, Amanda Bynes, Drew Carey, Jennifer Coolidge, Stanley Tucci, Dianne Wiest
Directors: Chris Wedge, Carlos Saldanha
Running Length: 1:30
MPAA Classification: PG

Rodney Copperbottom (McGregor) is a old-model robot with dreams of inventing. He sets out to the big city of Robot City to find Bigweld (Brooks), an inventor who is always looking for new ideas. When Rodney gets there though, he finds Bigweld nowhere to be found. Instead Phineas T. Rachet (Kinnear) is in charge, with the help of his mother Madame Gasket (Broadbent) who is really pulling the strings. Their plan is to get rid of the outmodes and make everyone into "upgrades" that are all shiny new and resemble Rachet. It seems that even in the robot world, greed is a problem. Rodney sets out with some new friends to find Bigweld, and make things right.

This is a great looking movie. Children and adults will be drawn into the robot world. Full of gadgets and bright colors, there is always something to catch your eye in every frame of film. The public transportation is a wild and crazy Rube Goldman-esque ride through the city that is fun to watch. The voices behind the robots are all solid with Robin Williams being the only standout as Rodney's friend, Fender. You can't help but wonder how much of what he says is scripted and how much was just ad libbed.

"Robots" is good family fun for all. With the adult humor that has become standard for animated features in recent years, adults will not be bored. The ideas of following your dreams and being yourself are nothing new, but they are presented well. Fox has also showed that they can make animated movies as well as Pixar and DreamWorks, which can only lead to higher and higher levels of movie making in the future. I highly recommend "Robots".

Robots ***1/2
Cast (voices): Ewan McGregor, Robin Williams, Halle Berry, Greg Kinnear, Mel Brooks, Jim Broadbent, Amanda Bynes, Drew Carey, Jennifer Coolidge, Stanley Tucci, Dianne Wiest
Directors: Chris Wedge, Carlos Saldanha
Running Length: 1:30
MPAA Classification: PG

Rodney Copperbottom (McGregor) is a old-model robot with dreams of inventing. He sets out to the big city of Robot City to find Bigweld (Brooks), an inventor who is always looking for new ideas. When Rodney gets there though, he finds Bigweld nowhere to be found. Instead Phineas T. Rachet (Kinnear) is in charge, with the help of his mother Madame Gasket (Broadbent) who is really pulling the strings. Their plan is to get rid of the outmodes and make everyone into "upgrades" that are all shiny new and resemble Rachet. It seems that even in the robot world, greed is a problem. Rodney sets out with some new friends to find Bigweld, and make things right.

This is a great looking movie. Children and adults will be drawn into the robot world. Full of gadgets and bright colors, there is always something to catch your eye in every frame of film. The public transportation is a wild and crazy Rube Goldman-esque ride through the city that is fun to watch. The voices behind the robots are all solid with Robin Williams being the only standout as Rodney's friend, Fender. You can't help but wonder how much of what he says is scripted and how much was just ad libbed.

"Robots" is good family fun for all. With the adult humor that has become standard for animated features in recent years, adults will not be bored. The ideas of following your dreams and being yourself are nothing new, but they are presented well. Fox has also showed that they can make animated movies as well as Pixar and DreamWorks, which can only lead to higher and higher levels of movie making in the future. I highly recommend "Robots".

Robots ***1/2
Cast (voices): Ewan McGregor, Robin Williams, Halle Berry, Greg Kinnear, Mel Brooks, Jim Broadbent, Amanda Bynes, Drew Carey, Jennifer Coolidge, Stanley Tucci, Dianne Wiest
Directors: Chris Wedge, Carlos Saldanha
Running Length: 1:30
MPAA Classification: PG

Rodney Copperbottom (McGregor) is a old-model robot with dreams of inventing. He sets out to the big city of Robot City to find Bigweld (Brooks), an inventor who is always looking for new ideas. When Rodney gets there though, he finds Bigweld nowhere to be found. Instead Phineas T. Rachet (Kinnear) is in charge, with the help of his mother Madame Gasket (Broadbent) who is really pulling the strings. Their plan is to get rid of the outmodes and make everyone into "upgrades" that are all shiny new and resemble Rachet. It seems that even in the robot world, greed is a problem. Rodney sets out with some new friends to find Bigweld, and make things right.

This is a great looking movie. Children and adults will be drawn into the robot world. Full of gadgets and bright colors, there is always something to catch your eye in every frame of film. The public transportation is a wild and crazy Rube Goldman-esque ride through the city that is fun to watch. The voices behind the robots are all solid with Robin Williams being the only standout as Rodney's friend, Fender. You can't help but wonder how much of what he says is scripted and how much was just ad libbed.

"Robots" is good family fun for all. With the adult humor that has become standard for animated features in recent years, adults will not be bored. The ideas of following your dreams and being yourself are nothing new, but they are presented well. Fox has also showed that they can make animated movies as well as Pixar and DreamWorks, which can only lead to higher and higher levels of movie making in the future. I highly recommend "Robots".

Be Cool **1/2
Cast: John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Vince Vaughn, Cedric the Entertainer, André Benjamin, Christina Milian, Robert Pastorelli, Harvey Keitel, The Rock, Steven Tyler
Director: F. Gary Gray
Running Length: 1:58
MPAA Classification: PG-13

Chili Palmer (Travolta) is back in this sequel to 1995's "Get Shorty". Since making it big in the movie business, he has grown tired of the cinema, and is thinking of geeting into the music business. After spotting the talented Linda Moon (Milian), he relieves her of her current deal with Nick Carr (Keitel), and uses his friendship with the owner of a recording company, Edie Athens (Thurman) to get Moon going on the path to stardom. Chili faces two problems though, Carr really does not want to let Moon go and hires a hit man to clear up the situation, and Athens owes Sin LaSalle (Cedric the Entertainer) $300,000, which she does not have. What follows is a series of double-crosses that get to be just a bit too over the top.

I really wanted to like "Be Cool", and to some extent I did. "Get Shorty" was a great movie, and a sequel was inevitable, especially once Elmore Leonard wrote the sequel novel. The problem this time around is that the talent of the large cast is less than the sum of its parts. "Get Shorty" had four leads, and they were all on top of their game. "Be Cool" has arguably nine leads, and more does not mean better. Sure, Cedric the Entertainer and The Rock are the standouts of the group, but Travolta's Chili is just a bit too cool. We never really believe that he is in any danger. Thurman's casting is just a stunt to get her and Travolta dancing to recreate their famous "Pulp Fiction" scene. Vaughn is amusing as the white guy who thinks he is black, but that grows tiresome by the time the movie is half over.

All in all, "Be Cool" is not a bad movie, but it is not as good as it could be, and never lives up to the standard set by its predecessor. I would recommend it, but wait for DVD.

The Jacket ***
Cast: Adrien Brody, Keira Knightley, Kris Kristofferson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Daniel Craig, Kelly Lynch
Director: John Maybury
Running Length: 1:42
MPAA Classification: R

During the Gulf War, in 1991, Jack Starks (Brody) gets unexpectantly shot in the head by a child, and left for dead. Doctors soon see is alive and treat him. A year later, he is home, and physically healed. Mentally, he is not quite 100%. While wandering down a country road, he helps a little girl and her mom, and then hitchhikes a ride from another driver who gets him involved in a shooting. Once again he is injured, and soon finds himself in the Alpine Grove Psychiatric Hospital for the criminally insane.

There, Dr. Becker (Kristofferson) begins unorthidox experiments on him. Dr. Becker puts him in a straightjacket, drugs him, and throws him into a morgue drawer. "You can't break something that is already broken." In the drawer, he travels 15 years into the future and meets up with Jackie (Knightley), the girl he helped on the roadside. She begins to help him solve a mystery about his future and perhaps even her own.

Adrien Brody is good as the tormented Gulf War vet trying to figure out exactly what is happening to him. Keira Knightley also gives a good performance as the woman tormented by her past. "The Jacket" is a pleasantly bizarre and thought provoking movie. It providw no definite answers, and encourages the viewer to come to their own conclusions. That is a rarity in movies these days, and what director John Maybury has done is refreshing. This is not a perfect movie, but it is a very good one.

The Jacket ***
Cast: Adrien Brody, Keira Knightley, Kris Kristofferson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Daniel Craig, Kelly Lynch
Director: John Maybury
Running Length: 1:42
MPAA Classification: R

During the Gulf War, in 1991, Jack Starks (Brody) gets unexpectantly shot in the head by a child, and left for dead. Doctors soon see is alive and treat him. A year later, he is home, and physically healed. Mentally, he is not quite 100%. While wandering down a country road, he helps a little girl and her mom, and then hitchhikes a ride from another driver who gets him involved in a shooting. Once again he is injured, and soon finds himself in the Alpine Grove Psychiatric Hospital for the criminally insane.

There, Dr. Becker (Kristofferson) begins unorthidox experiments on him. Dr. Becker puts him in a straightjacket, drugs him, and throws him into a morgue drawer. "You can't break something that is already broken." In the drawer, he travels 15 years into the future and meets up with Jackie (Knightley), the girl he helped on the roadside. She begins to help him solve a mystery about his future and perhaps even her own.

Adrien Brody is good as the tormented Gulf War vet trying to figure out exactly what is happening to him. Keira Knightley also gives a good performance as the woman tormented by her past. "The Jacket" is a pleasantly bizarre and thought provoking movie. It providw no definite answers, and encourages the viewer to come to their own conclusions. That is a rarity in movies these days, and what director John Maybury has done is refreshing. This is not a perfect movie, but it is a very good one.

Boogeyman *1/2
Cast: Barry Watson, Emily Deschanel, Skye McCole Bartusiak, Lucy Lawless, Tory Mussett
Director: Stephen T. Kay
Running Length: 1:26
MPAA Classification: PG-13

When Tim Jensen (Watson) returns home after his mother's death, he has more to deal with than just funeral arrangements. When he was a child, his father disappeared. He knows it was the boogeyman that took him, dragging him into Tim's closet. People who know him feel that his father just pounded the boogeyman story into his head so much that it was Tim's way of dealing with his father's disappearance.

Now, having returned to his childhood home, he is still dealing with the childhood fear of the boogeyman, and when strange things start to happen in the old house, Tim decides to find out some answers once and for all. With the help of childhood friend Kate (Deschanel), he looks for the solution to this fear from his childhood.

The best thing I can really say about this movie is that it is a horror movie that works well with its PG-13 rating, unlike recent horror movies. It completely suits the story, and nothing feels "removed" to get the lower rating. The story is somewhat interesting, but could have been handled better by a more experienced director. There are some "jump" moments, and some non-linear story movement that work about as well as can be expected in a movie of this quality. The actors are nothing special. With no big names in the movie, one would at least hope for a surprise stand out performance, but there are none. This is B-movie all the way, and if that kind of horror movie suits you, then check it out. If not, then steer clear.

Cursed *1/2
Cast: Christina Ricci, Jesse Eisenberg, Joshua Jackson, Milo Ventimiglia, Judy Greer, Portia de Rossi, Shannon Elizabeth, Mya
Director: Wes Craven
Running Length: 1:26
MPAA Classification: PG-13

Siblings Ellie (Ricci) and Jimmy (Eisenberg) are hit a big furry something while driving and end up in an even bigger accident, rammin another car and sending it off the road and down a hillside. While trying to save the driver of that car, they are both bitten by a wolf. Jimmy comes to believe it is a warewolf, while Ellie harbors doubts. Soon, supernatural powers begin to present themselves. Jimmy likes what they do for him, Ellie becomes worried. Soon, they are searching for the "wolf" that bit them in an attempt to end the curse.

There are a number of things hurt this movie. The first is the cast. A virtual who's who of young Hollywood, the case of "Cursed" exists only to draw in teens to the theater. The only real quality actor name-wise in this movie is Christina Ricci, the lead. Unfortunately, her performance shows none of the quality that she has produced before. She seems like she is on auto pilot. Scott Baio, of all people, gets credit for playing a disperaging version of himself, and showing that he can take a joke at his own expense.

Director Wes Craven and writer Kevin Williamson have distanced themselves from the movie. They made the "Scream" franchise work, and revived interest in horror movies, and for some reason the studio decided that they wanted a PG-13 rating. The studio forced the cuts without Craven and Williamson's input, and it shows. The choppy editing of the kills and obvious desire not to show too much are painfully obvious.

Finally, the PG-13 rating will be the death of horror movies as we have known them. Why any studio would trim a horror movie that was filmed for an R rating down to a PG-13 is beyond me. Why they would do this to a Wes Craven moven movie is even more puzzling. This is a clear case of trying to get teens into the theaters, and it is insulting to any fan of the horror genre.

That being said, this movie would still have been bad with the gore. It just does not work on so many levels that a little blood and guts would make absolutely no difference. This movie was a disappointing experience that I would not recommend partaking in.