Rent *
Cast: Rosario Dawson, Taye Diggs, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Jesse L. Martin, Idina Menzel, Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp, Tracie Thoms
Director: Chris Columbus
Running Length: 2:15
MPAA Classification: PG-13

"Rent" is the story of eight New Yorkers from Christmas Eve 1989 to Christmas Eve 1990. Those New Yorkers include Mimi (Dawson), a stripper who got HIV from sharing needles; Tom Collins (Martin), a gay man with HIV; Angel (Heredia), a transvestite with HIV; Roger (Pascal), a musician who also got HIV from sharing needles; and Mark (Rapp), a filmmaker who is trying to catch a break. When old friend Benny (Diggs), the guy who owns the tenement that they all live in, threatens to evict them unless they start paying rent, they begin to worry about what the future holds for them.

"Rent" is based on the popular musical of the same name and stars most of the original Broadway cast. That is probably the greatest thing I can say about this movie, and I applaud the filmmakers for getting the cast to reprise their roles. After all, they are the ones who made the characters what they are. The music is OK, the stand out song being "Seasons of Love". Of course, that is the first song, and the rest of the songs are lesser in comparison, so it is all downhill song-wise from there. The story is maddening, as these lazy people struggle to live rent-free so that they can just enjoy life. While I appreciate their desire to enjoy the time they have, I hated the characters for doing it at the expense of others.

I did not like this movie. I suppose to see it live is more impressive, and that may be enough to overshadow the dumb story, but that does not work in movie form. This is for die hard fans of the musical only. Otherwis, stay away!

Walk the Line ***
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, Ginnifer Goodwin, Robert Patrick, Dallas Roberts, Dan John Miller, Larry Bagby, Shelby Lynne
Director: James Mangold
Running Length: 2:16
MPAA Classification: PG-13

"Walk the Line" is the story of Johnny Cash from his childhood in 1944 to the late 1960s. As a child, we see two people that shaped his life: his brother and his father. Skip ahead ten years, and Johnny Cash (Phoenix) is married to his wife, Viv (Goodwin), and has started a band. After getting a record deal, he finds himself on tour with Jerry Lee Lewis and June Carter (Witherspoon). Along the way he finds drugs, which threaten his newfound popularity, and he falls in love with June, which just may save him.

Both Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon give excellent performances, sounding and acting just like the stars that they are portraying. Phoenix is as good, if not better than Jamie Foxx as Ray Charles in last year's "Ray". The story is well told, and it is interesting to see the events that shaped Cash's life, and made him who he is. Whether you are a Johnny Cash fan or not, "Walk the Line" is a highly entertaining and well made movie that is worth seeing.

North Country ***
Cast: Charlize Theron, Frances McDormand, Sean Bean, Woody Harrelson, Jeremy Renner, Richard Jenkins, Sissy Spacek, Thomas Curtis, Elle Peterson, Michelle Monaghan
Director: Niki Caro
Running Length: 2:10
MPAA Classification: R

Josey Aimes (Theron) returns with her two kids to her childhood home in the North Country of Minnesota, fleeing the abuse of a bad relationship. Working at a local hair salon does not give her enough money to get by, and soon her friend Glory (McDormand) persuades her to apply at the iron mine. She gets the job, but soon finds herself and the other women outnumbered 30 to 1. The men are not happy the women are there, and to say that the women are treated poorly is a great understatement. The women just accept the conditions because they need the money, but Josey is pushed too far.

When she visits with the CEO, he tells her to resign. Josey then finds a lawyer named Bill (Harrelson). Bill has an idea. He wants to pursue the first sexual harassment class action lawsuit. All they need is to get the rest of the women on their side. That is not as easy as one would think, and the fight is on.

"North Country" is an unfomfortable film to watch. No one should have to go through what these women go through. Director Niki Caro does a good job weaving the story through a series of courtroom scenes, and keeps things interesting. The cast does a good job in all their roles, although none give truly stand out performances. "North Country" is not a movie that one can "enjoy", but it is good, and is worth checking out.

Jarhead ****
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, Brian Geraghty, Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, Dennis Haysbert
Director: Sam Mendes
Running Length: 2:05
MPAA Classification: R

"Jarhead" is the true story of Anthony Swafford (Gyllenhaal) from basic training through the Gulf War. Basic training is rough and reminiscent of the movie "Full Metal Jacket". Swafford emerges from the training as a sniper candidate, and becomes best friends with his spotter, Tony (Sarsgaard). Sergeant Siek (Foxx) is their commander, and sees them as the best snipers of the group. In 1990, Swafford's unit is sent to Iraq to participate in the Gulf War, but this war is not a war for snipers, and he soon finds himself ready to fight, but never allowed to.

The unit is trained and trained and trained to be their very best, but there is no outlet for all their training, and soon that begins to take its toll. They are soldiers who are unable to use the skills that they have, and sooner or later someone is going to snap.

Jake Gyllenhaal is excellent as the baby faced Swafford, and is a definite candidate for an Oscar nomination. Sarsgaard, who has been in a number of films this year, finally has found a role to really shine in. Finally, Foxx is perfect as a true Marine that loves being a Marine. "Jarhead" is an interesting war movie that really has little war in it. Its focus is on the people that are there to fight the war, and what happens when the highly trained men are not allowed to do what they have been trained for. This is the best war movie in recent years, and I highly recommend it.

The Weather Man ***1/2
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Michael Caine, Hope Davis, Gemmenne de la Pena, Nicholas Hoult, Michael Rispoli, Gil Bellows
Director: Gore Verbinski
Running Length: 1:41
MPAA Classification: R

David Spritz (Cage) is the weathereman on Channel 6 in Chicago. Well, he reads the weather, someone else does all the predicting for him. As luck would have it, a national morning show is looking for a new weather man, and he is one of the candidates. Unfortunately, that is just about the only good thing going on in his life.

His marriage to Noreen (Davis) is over, and his inability to trust her is not helping his desire to reconcile with her. His son Mike (Hoult) is just out of rehab for drugs. His daughter (de la Pena) has no self-esteem. Finally, his famous author father, Robert (Caine), is dying of lymphoma, and has always been disappointed in him. Nothing is going right for David, but maybe getting that national weather man position could turn things around. Of course, getting that job would mean giving up on his family. That is a lot for one man to weather.

Nicholas Cage is excellent as the poor schlub who has nothing going for him. His wry narration and embodyment of David show that Cage is at the top of his game here. Caine is great as the disappointed father that just does not understand his son. In between filming "Pirates of the Carribbean" movies, director Gore Verbinski has churned out a serious look at someone who just cannot get things right. "The Weather Man" is not a happy movie, but it is a good one. I have a feeling that it will either be loved or hated. I, for one, loved it, and if you are willing to give it a chance, you might find that you will too. Highly recommended.

The Legend of Zorro **1/2
Cast: Antonio Banderas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Adrian Alonso, Nick Chinlund, Rufus Sewell
Director: Martin Campbell
Running Length: 2:08
MPAA Classification: PG

After seven years, Zorro (Banderas) is back. After stopping an attempt to disrupt California's vote to join the United States, he returns to his wife Elena (Zeta-Jones) and son Joaquin (Alonso). Elana wants him to stop being Zorro now, but he thinks there is still a need. A huge argument leads to a divorce. Three months later, Zorro is a drunk and Elena is being courted by a French count by the name of Armand (Sewell). Zorro begins to think that Armand is up to no good, and begins looking into things, only to find something surprising. Now, Zorro must go into action to save the day.

"The Legend of Zorro" may have taken too long to hit the big screen. It has been a long time since "The Mask of Zorro" entertained audiences. While there is still some of the magic left, it is nowhere near the magic of the original. Banderas and Zeta-Jones are back, but their chemistry is a little off. The story is ok, but not good enough to sustain 128 minutes. That is not to say that there is nothing to be enjoyed here. There are a number of moments throughout the film that work, but as a whole, "Zorro" is lacking something. Wait until DVD.

Saw II ***
Cast: Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith, Donnie Wahlberg, Lyriq Bent, Tim Burd
Director: Darren Lynn Bousman
Running Length: 1:33
MPAA Classification: R

Detective Eric Mason (Wahlberg) has finally caught the Jigsaw Killer, John (Bell). But, John has one last game to play. He has kidnapped some people and imprisoned then in an old house. Poisonous gas is being pumped into the house and Mason only has two hours to find them before the gas kills them all. To make matters worse, one of the trapped is his son.

"Saw II" is a worthy successor to last year's surprise hit "Saw". Tobin Bell is excellent as Jigsaw, this time full and center and interacting with Wahlberg's Mason. He is a creepy little man suffering from terminal cancer who just wants to teach others to appreciate what they have. Unlike most horror movies, he gives good insight into the killer's motives. The twist at the end is slightly more satisfying than the original's, and the gore and violence is about the same. "Saw II" is a solid scary movie, and I'm sure it is not the end of the "Saw" series.