Eragon **
Cast: Ed Speleers, Jeremy Irons, Sienna Guillory, Robert Carlyle, John Malkovich, Garrett Hedlund, Djimon Hounsou
Director: Stefan Fangmeier
Running Length: 1:40
MPAA Classification: PG

17-year old Eragon (Spleers) lives a fairly peaceful life with his uncle. One day he comes across what he believes to be an odd looking stone. Soon, he discovers it is a dragon egg, and once that egg hatches, he seeks out the village bum/storyteller Brom (Irons). He seems to know a lot about dragons, and begins to teach Eragon the ways of Dragon Riders. Meanwhile, the evil King Galbatoris (Malkovich) sends his minion Durza (Carlyle) to find the dragon and destroy it.

“Eragon” is sub-par on almost all levels. The worst aspect is that the story parallels “Star Wars” almost exactly. I cannot help but wonder if George Lucas is getting a paycheck for this ripoff of a story. To be fair, I am told that the film differs quite a bit from the book. Spleers is adequate as Eragon. Malkovich is fun to watch as always, but he gets very little screen time. The saving grace in the acting department is Irons, who seems to be having fun despite the film he is in. If you must see this, wait until it comes out on DVD.

The Nativity Story **1/2
Cast: Keisha Castle-Hughes, Oscar Issac, Hiam Abbass, Shaul Toub, Alexander Siddig, Shohreh Agdashloo, Ciaran Hinds
Director: Catherine Hardwicke
Running Length: 1:35
MPAA Classification: PG

When teenaged Mary (Castle-Hughes) finds out that she has been betrothed to Joseph (Isaac), she is not happy. A visit from the Archangel Gabriel (Siddig) informs her that she will be impregnated by the Holy Spirit and will give birth to Jesus. Upon returning from visiting her cousin Elizabeth (Agdashloo), she is in the midst of a scandal. She is pregnant, but not with Joseph’s child. Gabriel visits Joseph, and he claims the child as his own. Meanwhile, King Herod (Hinds) calls for a census, forcing Mary and Joseph to travel to Bethlehem. The king also fears the prophecies telling of the birth of the King of the Jews, and that will only make things more difficult for Mary and Joseph.

You know the story…there is nothing new here. It is, in many ways, like watching the local Christmas pageant in church. The production is not as good as it could have been, and that is what just makes this an OK movie. The acting is allright as well, with no real standouts. I suppose that the wise men are pretty interesting, but they mostly provide comic relief. “The Nativity Story” is a harmless film, that will probably do better on DVD. My suggestion is to wait until that time to see it.

2007 Golden Globes nominees

Here are the Golden Globe movie nominees:

Picture, Drama: Babel,Bobby,The Departed,Little Children,The Queen

Actress, Drama: Penelope Cruz, Volver ; Judi Dench, Notes on a Scandal ; Maggie Gyllenhaal, Sherrybaby ; Helen Mirren, The Queen ; Kate Winslet, Little Children

Actor, Drama: Leonardo DiCaprio, Blood Diamond ; Leonardo DiCaprio, The Departed ; Peter O'Toole, Venus ; Will Smith, The Pursuit of Happyness ; Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland

Picture, Musical or Comedy: Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,The Devil Wears Prada,Dreamgirls,Little Miss Sunshine,Thank You for Smoking

Actress, Musical or Comedy: Annette Bening, Running With Scissors ; Toni Collette, Little Miss Sunshine ; Beyonce Knowles, Dreamgirls ; Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada ; Renee Zellweger, Miss Potter

Actor, Musical or Comedy: Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan ; Johnny Depp, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest ; Aaron Eckhart, Thank You for Smoking ; Chiwetel Ejiofor, Kinky Boots ; Will Ferrell, Stranger than Fiction

Supporting Actress: Adriana Barraza, Babel ; Cate Blanchett, Notes on a Scandal ; Emily Blunt, The Devil Wears Prada ; Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls ; Rinko Kikuchi, Babel

Supporting Actor: Ben Affleck, Hollywoodland ; Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls ; Jack Nicholson, The Departed ; Brad Pitt, Babel ; Mark Wahlberg, The Departed

Director: Clint Eastwood, Flags of Our Fathers ; Clint Eastwood, Letters from Iwo Jima ; Steven Frears, The Queen ; Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Babel ; Martin Scorsese, The Departed

Screenplay: Guillermo Arriaga, Babel ; Todd Field and Tom Perrotta, Little Children ; Patrick Marber, Notes on a Scandal ; William Monahan, The Departed ; Peter Morgan, The Queen

Foreign Language: Apocalypto, USA; Letters from Iwo Jima, USA/Japan; The Lives of Others, Germany; Pan's Labyrinth, Mexico; Volver Spain

Animated Film: Cars,Happy Feet,Monster House

Original Score: Alexandre Desplat, The Painted Veil ; Clint Mansell, The Fountain ; Gustavo Santaolalla, Babel ; Carlo Siliotto, Nomad ; Hans Zimmer, The Da Vinci Code

Original Song: A Father's Way from The Pursuit of Happyness ; Listen from Dreamgirls ; Never Gonna Break My Faith from Bobby ; The Song of the Heart from Happy Feet ; Try Not to Remember from Home of the Brave

Déjà Vu ***
Cast: Denzel Washington, Paula Patton, Val Kilmer, James Caviezel, Adam Goldberg, Bruce Greenwood
Director: Tony Scott
Running Length: 2:00
MPAA Classification: PG-13

On Fat Tuesday in New Orleans, a ferry explodes offshore. Over 500 people are dead, most of them military. ATF agent Doug Carlin (Washington) is called in to investigate this act of terrorism. FBI agent Pryzwarra (Kilmer) is running the investigation and is immediately impressed with Carlin. Soon Carlin finds himself on the inside of an elite agency that has the capability to look exactly four days and six hours into the past. Carlin does not believe Pryzwarra’s explanation of the system, and is determined to find out exactly how it works.

Tony Scott, master of ADD filmmaking manages to reel things in a bit with “Déjà Vu”. Best described as a time travelling action mystery, “Déjà Vu” is highly entertaining. Denzel Washington brings a typical Denzel Washington performance to the film, and that is just fine. He is not stretching here, but the performance is familiar, and it gets the job done. The story is interesting and not too confusing as time traveling stories can sometimes be. There are some action sequences, but they are not as prevalent as one might expect from a Tony Scott film. Overall, “Déjà Vu” delivers the entertaining diversion that it sets out to provide, and I recommend it.

The Fountain ***
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Rachel Weisz, Ellen Burstyn, Mark Margolis, Cliff Curtis, Sean Patrick Thomas, Donna Murphy, Ethan Suplee
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Running Length: 1:36
MPAA Classification: PG-13

In the 1500s, Queen Isabel (Weisz) of Spain sends a Conquistador (Jackman) to find the Fountain of Youth in New Spain. In the 26th century, a man (Jackman) is on a trip through the stars with a tree. In the present, Tommy Creo (Jackman), a drug developer, is trying to cure his wife Izzy (Weisz), who has an inoperable brain tumor.

While this is a vague description, to tell more would be to give away too much. All the story lines are related in some way, and director Darren Aronofsky does a good job bouncing back and forth between the three. Jackman and Weisz are the emotional core of the movie, and both do very good jobs in their multiple roles. At its heart, “The Fountain” is a love story, albeit not a love story for everyone. It is worth a view if you are looking for something a little different.

Happy Feet **
Cast (voices): Robin Williams, Hugh Jackman, Elijah Wood, Nicole Kidman, Brittany Murphy, Hugo Weaving
Director: George Miller
Running Length: 1:45
MPAA Classification: PG

Upon returning home from a fishing expedition, Norma Jean (Kidman, an Emperor penguin, meets her baby boy Mumble (Wood). He is a little strange. While all Emperor penguins like to sing, Mumble likes to dance. He also sings really, really badly. Feeling like an outcast, he leaves his group of penguins and becomes friends with Ramon (Williams), a penguin of a different species who does not mind Mumble’s “Happy Feet”. With the help of his new friends, he sets out to figure out why the fish supply has decreased, a problem that threatens all the life on Antarctica.

“Happy Feet” could have been a really good movie. Lots of singing, cute penguins, and a nice story about how being different is not bad. But, in the last third of the movie, it all falls apart. A conservationalist message is handled with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer to the head. The way it is handled feels out of place in a kids’ movie, and has a different and darker tone from the rest of the film. Also, a dues ex machina to save the day for Mumbles feels like a big old cheat. The last third of the movie actually made me dislike this film a lot, and I cannot recommend it to anyone.

Casino Royale ***1/2

Cast: Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Judi Dench, Jeffrey Wright, Giancarlo Giannini, Caterina Murino
Director: Martin Campbell
Running Length: 2:24
MPAA Classification: PG-13

Two kills, and James Bond (Craig) has been elevated to double-O level. M (Dench) feels that he is not ready, sends him on his first mission anyway. His job is to find Le Chiffre (Mikkelsen), a supplier of terrorist money, and shut him down. When Le Chiffre enters an exclusive poker tournament at Casino Royale in Montenegro, Bond enters as well to prevent him from winning. Even with the help of Vesper Lynd (Green), a treasury agent, Bond may have his hands full, as Le Chiffre sets his eyes on removing Bond from the picture permanently.

“Casino Royale” is a successful reboot of the James Bond franchise. As different as night and day from “Die Another Day”, “Casino Royale” does almost everything right. Daniel Craig is perfect as Bond, maybe even the best ever. He is a rough around the edges “blunt instrument” that has a ways to go before he is the James Bond we know. Grounded in reality, “Casino Royale” also does away with most of the gadgets one would expect from a Bond movie. The supporting cast all do a good job in a movie that is all Daniel Craig. This is not your father’s Bond…this is better.

Stranger Than Fiction ***
Cast: Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman, Queen Latifah
Director: Marc Forster
Running Length: 1:53
MPAA Classification: PG-13

Harold Crick (Ferrell) is an IRS agent who sees numbers everywhere in his daily life. He leads a boring life, and is somewhat content with it. Then, one day, he begins to hear a voice narrating his life. The voice does not belong to God, but to author Kay Eiffel (Thompson). She does not write books that end well for the protagonist, and one day Harold’s voice tells him that he is going to die soon. He seeks out help from a literary professor (Hoffman), who does not entirely believe him. Meanwhile, Harold is auditing Ana Pascal (Gyllenhaal), an banker who he quickly falls for. Now, he has something to live for, and solving the problem of the voice and its prediction becomes extra important.

Will Ferrell is great as Harold. He is a likeable everyman. His humor is never over the top, and he handles the drama quite well. He is the glue that holds this movie together, and deserves recognition for the role. The supporting cast is good, never taking away from the focus of the film. The story itself is an interesting idea, but perhaps the ending was a bit of a cop-out. It did not feel right to me, but that is a small quibble for an otherwise enjoyable film.

Flushed Away ***
Cast (voices): Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Ian McKellan, Andy Serkis, Bill Nighy, Jean Reno, Shane Richie
Directors: David Bowers, Sam Fell
Running Length: 1:25
MPAA Classification: PG

Roddy (Jackman) is a pet rat who slips out of his cage when his family goes on vacation. He is enjoying himself until Sid (Richie) arrives. Sid is a sewer rat who just wants to watch the World Cup undisturbed, so he flushes Roddy down the toilet. On the other side, Roddy finds himself in a town of sewer rats. After meeting Rita (Winslet), he makes a deal with her to get himself home. The one thing in their way is Boss Toad (McKellan), who is out to stop them and destroy the sewer rat’s world.

For “Flushed Away”, Aardman Studios have gone the route of computer animation instead of their usual stop-motion processes that work so well in “Wallace and Gromit”. This was to compensate for the high amount of water involved, an element that is difficult for stop-motion photography. Fortunately, they kept the look of their clay characters, and the resulting product is almost indistinguishable from the look that they are used to. The voice talent is top notch all around as well. The humor is there, for both children and adults. While not reaching the quality of this year’s “Cars” and “Monster House”, “Flushed Away” is an enjoyable film that is for the whole family. It is definitely worth checking out.

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan ***1/2
Cast: Sacha Baron Cohen, Ken Davitian, Pamela Anderson
Director: Larry Charles
Running Length: 1:22
MPAA Classification: R

Borat Sagdiyev (Cohen) is a TV reporter from Kazakhstan who embarks on a journey to America to make a documentary of the United States for his home country with the hope that they can learn from us. His producet Azamat (Davitian) accompanies him on his journey. Soon, in New York City, Borat discovers and falls in love with Pamela Anderson after watching “Baywatch”. He decides that he will not only film in New York, but all across the country, ending up in California where he hopes to meet the “virginal” Pamela Anderson. Along the way, he learns how to drive, adopts a bear, gets humor lessons, sings at a rodeo, and wrestle with Azamat.

This is easily the funniest movie I have seen this year. Sacha Baron Cohen has created an idiot character that exposes the prejudices of the unsuspecting people he interacts with. Most of what he says is cringeworthy, as he has the ability to say the exact wrong thing to the various people he runs into. This movie is not for everyone, in fact there is surely something in this movie to offend everyone, but there is more to it than you might initially think. I highly recommend this film.

Saw III ***
Cast: Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith, Angus Macfayden, Bahar SoomekhMpho Koaho, Dina Meyer
Director: Darren Lynn Bousman
Running Length: 1:47
MPAA Classification: R

Jigsaw (Bell) is back, although still dying from cancer. With the help of his assistant Amanda (Smith), they enlist the “help” of Dr. Lynn Benton (Soomekh). They connect her to a devise around her neck that will blow her head off if Jigsaw’s heart stops. Properly motivated, she begins to try to help him. Meanwhile, Jeff (Macfayden) is going through a series of tests in which he faces the people responsible for his son’s death and must forgive them. After all, Jigsaw just wants people to appreciate life.

It’s Halloween, so there must be a new “Saw” movie out, right? In fact, “Saw IV” is already scheduled for 2007. “Saw III” lives up to its predecessors, and even manages to tie up some loose ends. Flashing back to points in the first two films, the makers of this movie are able to make things fit a little more tightly. Tobin Bell is good as the mastermind Jigsaw, and the rest of the cast is good enough as his pawns. The death devices are still fairly clever this third time out, and there are enough twists to keep the viewer on the edge of their seat. If you enjoyed the first two “Saw” films, there is no reason not to check this one out.

Flags of Our Fathers ***
Cast: Ryan Phillippe, Jesse Bradford, Adam Beach, Jamie Bell, Barry Pepper, Tom Verica, Paul Walker, Robert Patrick, Neal McDonough, Joseph Cross, Melanie Lynskey
Director: Clint Eastwood
Running Length: 2:15
MPAA Classification: R

The photograph of the raising of the American flag at Iwo Jima is one of the most famous pictures of World War II. It was so moving that three of the surviving soldiers, John Bradley (Phillippe), Rene Gagno (Bradford), and Ira Hayes (Beach), were sent back to America to promote war bonds and raise the American flag at rallies. Of course, they only raised the replacement flag, but that was kept from the public, lest it detract from what they were trying to accomplish. “Flags of Our Fathers” jumps between these survivors making appearances to raise money, the war itself, and the interviewing of veterans by James Bradley in the present day.

“Flags” is an interesting look at WWII and the heroes from that war. It provides an interesting look at what exactly a hero is, and many will be surprised by the true story behind the actual flag raising. Adam Beach is the standout amongst the cast as the Native American Ira Hayes. He gives a performance that deserves to be recognized come Oscar time. The rest of the cast is adequate, but not standout. Eastwood’s direction gets the job done, but I cannot help but think he is a little over his head with all the special effects used to create the battle scenes. Eastwood is used to movies that are less “big”, and it shows. Overall, “Flags of Our Fathers” is definitely worth seeing, and will provide a vision of the war that is not widely known by the American public.

The Nightmare Before Christmas 3-D ***
Cast (voices): Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon, Catherine O'Hara, William Hickey, Ed Ivory
Director: Henry Selick
Running Length: 1:15
MPAA Classification: PG

In Halloween Town, October 31 is the biggest night of the year. Jack Skellington (Sarandon & Elfman), organizer of the festivities has got the blues. He wants something different in his life, and while wandering in the forest, he finds a door to Christmas Town. In Christmas Town, things are bright and cheerful. It captures his interest, and when he returns to Halloween Town, he announces that this year, they will celebrate Christmas. In fact, Jack will even replace “Sandy Claws” on Christmas to help spread the cheer. He has it all planned out, but Salle (O’Hara) has a premonition that things will go terribly wrong.

“Nightmare” has developed a following since it’s initial release in 1993. The stop-motion animation as well as the melding of Halloween and Christmas has captivated many, and Disney’s decision to release it in 3-D is a welcome event for those people. I think even a regular re-release would drum up some excitement. The animation is top notch, and the story idea is an interesting one, but for me the execution of the story falls a little flat. That being said, “Nightmare” is still worth seeing, especially in 3-D.

The Prestige ***1/2
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hall, Piper Perabo, David Bowie
Director: Christopher Nolan
Running Length: 2:13
MPAA Classification: PG-13

Rupert Angier (Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Bale), along with Rupert’s wife, Julia (Perabo), are assistants to a magician at the turn of the twentieth century. Alfred causes a trick to go wrong, and Julia dies. Rupert blames Alfred, and the friends become enemies. They not only attempt to out-do each other on stage, but also attempt to actively sabotage and hurt each other. Soon, Rupert is off to Colorado Springs to meet with Nikola Tesla (Bowie). Tesla has created an integral part of Alfred’s show, and Rupert is determined to get a similar device and top Alfred once again.

The story is told with three storylines, alternating between the three. Parts of one storyline that make no sense at first become clear as the other storylines progress. Even the murder at the very beginning is not what it seems. Christopher Nolan has once again constructed a fascinating tale, this time of obsession and the price that people pay for their obsessions. The cast is solid all around. Bale and Jackman, as the leads, own their roles and breathe life into their respective characters. Michael Caine, as their assistant, steals just about every scene he is in. Scarlett Johansson and Rebecca Hall as the love interests both do credible jobs. And finally, David Bowie makes Tesla into a memorable character. This is a great, entertaining movie. Christopher Nolan has quickly proved himself to be a great director. “The Prestige” helps to solidify that. I highly recommend this film.

The Grudge 2 *1/2
Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Amber Tamblyn, Edison Chen, Arielle Kebbel, Jennifer Beals
Director: Takashi Shimizu
Running Length: 1:35
MPAA Classification: PG-13

Aubrey *Tamblyn) travels to Japan to bring her sister Karen (Gellar) home after the events of the previous film. While there, she gets drawn into the mystery of the house and, along with a reporter (Chen), goes on a quest to find out the truth behind the ghost Kayoko’s anger. Also in Japan, three girls enter the house on a dare, and bring a bit of the grudge out with them. Finally, in America, a distraught girl returns home to an apartment complex, and strange things begin to happen.

All of these stories are related, and come together somewhat unsatisfyingly in this unnecessary sequel to 2004’s “The Grudge”. The story is weak, and the acting is nothing impressive. The ending almost certainly guarantees another sequel, this time more close to home. Anything creepy from the previews in tame when seen in context, and that means that “The Grudge 2” fails as a horror film. Stay away from this stinker.

The Departed ****
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone, Vera Farmiga, Alec Baldwin
Director: Martin Scorsese
Running Length: 2:29
MPAA Classification: R

Frank Costello (Nicholson) rules the streets of the Irish American community in Boston. Billy Costigan (DiCaprio) and Colin Sullivan (Damon) both start out on those streets, but their paths diverge. Both enroll in the police academy, but while Costigan wants to be a state trooper, Sullivan is Costello’s right-hand man, and just wants to be help out the man who helped him while growing up. Costigan’s plans are changed when Captain Queenan (Sheen) and Sgt. Dignam (Wahlberg) hand pick him for a job getting into Costello’s gang. He succeeds, and soon is passing information to the police, but Sullivan knows that there is a leak, and soon both sides are looking for the rat.

“The Departed” is a great movie, and will definitely be in the running for best picture come Oscar time. The cast is great all around, with everyone bringing their best performances to the table. DiCaprio and Damon are the core of the movie, and they prove up to the challenge. Nicholson is excellent as always, especially when he is allowed to just be Jack. The story is great, and is an example of how a remake does not need to be bad. Scorsese makes is all flow smoothly, and the movie does not feel as long as it is. This is easily one of the best movies of the year, I highly recommend seeing it.

Gridiron Gang ***
Cast: The Rock, Xzibit, L. Scott Caldwell, Leon Rippy
Director: Phil Joanou
Running Length: 2:00
MPAA Classification: PG-13

“Gridiron Gang” is the true story of Sean Porter (The Rock), a detention camp officer who tries to make something out of the kids in the camp at which he works. He attempts to instill discipline, honor, teamwork, and pride through football. He feels that this will help to keep them from going back to their old lifestyle once released. He wants to help them break the cycle of violence. Initially met with some resistance, he manages to schedule a season and help the kids make something of themselves.

While being a typical “feel good” sports movie, “Gridiron Gang” feels less clichéd than the majority of these kinds of films. The acting is good all around, and The Rock is well suited for the role of Porter. It is truly remarkable what the real Sean Porter accomplished. I liked this film more than I anticipated, and recommend it.

The Black Dahlia **
Cast: Josh Hartnett, Scarlett Johansson, Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank, Mia Kirshner, Mike Starr, Fiona Shaw
Director: Brian DePalma
Running Length: 2:00
MPAA Classification: R

LAPD detectives Bucky Bleichert (Hartnett) and Lee Blanchard (Eckhart) are partners. They are working a child rape case when their path intersects with the murder of Elizabeth Shore (Kirshner). Lee becomes obsessed with that case, and drags Bucky along for the ride. The investigation leads Bucky to Madeline Linscott (Swank), and soon he is in a relationship he shouldn’t be with a possible witness. At the same time, sparks are flying with Lee’s girlfriend, Kay (Johansson), but going down that path would be disastrous for his relationship with his partner. As Bucky and Lee get closer to the truth, things get dangerous, and neither of them might have long left to live.

“The Black Dahlia” is based on the novel by James Ellroy, and not the real-life unsolved mystery. This gives the movie free reign to actually solve the case, but perhaps their treatment of the solution was better left unknown. “The Black Dahlia” is a bit of a confusing mess. Add to that poor acting, for the most part all around, and this is a film that does not live up to expectations. Sure, it looks great, but that only goes so far. I cannot recommend this film.

Huo Yuan Jia (Jet Li’s Fearless) ***
Cast: Jet Li, Shido Nakamura, Betty Sun, Yong Dong
Director: Ronny Yu
Running Length: 1:43
MPAA Classification: PG-13

“Fearless” is the story of martial art master Huo Yuanjia (Li), from early childhood to his death. His father was a great fighter who did not want his son to follow in his footsteps, so Yuanjia was forced to teach himself. When his father refuses to deliver a fatal blow to end a match, Yuanjia is taunted to the point where he must defend his family’s name. He is defeated, but swears never to lose again. Over the years, he becomes known as one of the greatest fighters in China. Unlike his father, he becomes ruthless, and will have to pay the price for his actions.

“Fearless” is an entertaining and interesting movie. In what is supposed to be his final martial arts movie, Jet Li gives a good performance as this Chinese hero. The fight scenes are top notch, and there are plenty of them. The biggest drawback to this movie for most will be the subtitles, but if that does not bother you, “Fearless” is worth checking out.

The Covenant *1/2
Cast: Steven Strait, Laura Ramsey, Sebastian Stan, Taylor Kitsch, Chace Crawford, Toby Hemingway, Jessica Lucas
Director: Renny Harlin
Running Length: 1:37
MPAA Classification: PG-13

The descendants of the founding families of Ipswich, Massachusetts, Caleb (Strait), Reid (Hemingway), Sims (Crawford), and Pogue (Kitsch), are kids who have it all. Including witch-like powers inherited from their ancestors. At the age of 18, which Caleb will hit first, they will “ascend” into their mature powers. The catch is that every time they use their powers, it ages them. On the eve of Caleb’s ascension, the group finds that someone else is using their powers to cause trouble. Now, they must find out who it is and put a stop to it before people start getting hurt.

“The Covenant” is a disappointing movie. And to be fair, I was not expecting much. I suppose it is a horror movie, but it is never really scary. The acting is weak, and the action is less than impressive. Director Renny Harlin is far from his glory days of directing “Die Hard 2”, and one cannot help but wonder if it is time to retire from directing. He is clearly on a downward spiral that didn’t start too high to begin with. The only way I can recommend this movie, is to wait for its inevitable cable tv showing on the SciFi channel. And then only for laughs.

The Illusionist ***
Cast: Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti, Jessica Biel, Rufus Sewel
Director: Neil Burger
Running Length: 1:50
MPAA Classification: PG-13

Eisenheim the Illusionist (Norton) is taking Vienna by storm. The year is 1900, and Eisen heim is so talented that his tricks are so good that his audience believes him to be supernatural. In fact, they may not be wrong. Crown Prince Leopold (Sewell) is a doubter though, and he gives Chief Inspector Uhl (Giamatti) the task of proving him a fraud. At a performance, Leopold sends his fiancée Princess Sophie (Biel) to the stage as a volunteer. Little does he know that Sophie and Eisenheim were in love as children, and this reunion will rekindle their romance. This only intensifies Leopold’s determination to end Eisenheim’s act for good.

Edward Norton is perfect as Eisenheim. He makes the character likeable and even a little mysterious. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Rufus Sewell makes Leopold a character that is easy to hate. Biel and Giamatti deliver solid supporting performances as well. The story is great, keeping the audience guessing about Eisenheim’s gifts until the final minutes. I recommend finding a theater near you that is playing “The Illusionist”, and check it out.

Invincible ***
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Greg Kinnear, Elizabeth Banks, Kevin Conway, Michael Rispoli, Michael Nouri
Director: Ericson Core
Running Length: 1:40
MPAA Classification: PG

In order to turn around the hapless Philadelphia Eagles, new coach Dick Vermeil (Kinnear) decides to have open tryouts for the new season. Long time fan Vince Papale (Wahlberg) is pushed by his friends to try out, and ends up being the only walk on player to make the team. Vermeil stands by Papale as the rest of the team questions his decision.

“Invincible” is the latest in a long string of sports movies from Disney, and like its predecessors, it delivers exactly what you expect: the story of an underdog overcoming various obstacles to succeed. This is a true story, so there are no real surprises, but the desire to see Papale succeed keeps the movie going. In fact, the story outshines everything else about this movie. The acting is adequate, the directin is fine, but nothing outstanding. The story of Papale gives hope to anyone who has dreamed of playing professional football. “Invincible” is an entertaining movie that can be enjoyed by all.

Hollywoodland ***
Cast: Adrien Brody, Diane Lane, Ben Affleck, Bob Hoskins, Robin Tunney, Joe Spano, Molly Parker, Caroline Dhavernas
Director: Allen Coulter
Running Length: 2:06
MPAA Classification: R

In 1959, George Reeves (Affleck), star of TV’s “Superman”, died. To this day ruled a suicide, the death is very suspicious. Investigator Louis Simo (Brody) is hired by Reeves’ mother to look into the death. At first he sees it as the suicide that officials are calling it, but pretty soon he realizes the clues do not add up, and it could be murder after all.

Interwoven with this storyline is another about Reeves himself. Beginning in the 1940’s, it shows him meeting long-time mistress Toni Mannix (Lane), wife of mob-connected film producer Eddie Mannix (Hoskins), and getting the “Superman” gig. “Superman” is not the job he thought it would be, and he is under-paid, typecast, and not respected for the role. Then enters Lenore Lemmon (Tunney, his eventual fiancée.

George Reeves is an interesting man, and “Hollywoodland” gives some insight in to his life and death. It is interesting to note that the thing that made him famous also made him miserable. Ben Affleck gives his best performance in many years as Reeves. The supporting cast are all top notch, especially Bob Hoskins as Mannix. “Hollywoodland” does not pretend to know the answer, instead offering a number of possibilities as to what happened that night. “Hollywoodland” is an entertaining and interesting film about one of the biggest unsolved mysteries of its time. I recommend it.

The Wicker Man ***
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Ellen Burstyn, Kate Beahan, Frances Conroy, Molly Parker, Leelee Sobieski, Diane Delano
Director: Neil LaBute
Running Length: 1:37
MPAA Classification: PG-13

Edward Malus (Cage), a California cop, is looking into the disappearance of an old girlfriend’s daughter. Willow (Beahan), the old girlfriend, lives on the mysterious and remote island of Summersisle. Edward makes the journey, and finds that the women run the island, with the men being laborers. The islanders worship a nature goddess, and the islanders look to Sister Summersisle (Burstyn) for leadership. Soon, it seems that the islanders may have some idea of what happened to the girl, but none of them are talking. As the May Day ritual gets closer, Edward must find her before it is too late.

“The Wicker Man” is an interesting movie. It keeps you guessing for the majority of its running time, and then delivers a whollop in the last ten minutes. I have never seen the original, so I cannot make comparisons, but I do know the ending is the same, and that is perhaps this versions greatest triumph in today’s movie world. Cage is adequate as Edward, not giving much more than the script requires. Burstyn in eerie as the matriarch of the island. The story is good, and the atmosphere created by the filmmakers is downright creepy at times. If you are looking for a good suspense film, then “The Wicker Man” is for you.

Barnyard **
Cast: Kevin James, Courtney Cox, Sam Elliott, Danny Glover, Wanda Sykes, David Koechner
Director: Steve Oedekerk
Running Length: 1:30
MPAA Classification: PG

When the farmer is away, the animals will play. In fact, when the farmer is away, the animals stand on two legs, walk, and talk. One of those animals, Otis the cow (James), is a prankster who does as little as possible and enjoys life. Otis’s day, Ben (Elliott), is the animal that keeps the farm running smoothly. He is their leader, and he takes this position seriously. Try as he might, he is unable to talk Otis into getting serious about life. He wants Otis to lead the farm when he is gone, but Otis wants none of that. Soon, when Ben is unable to lead, and Otis does not step up, the coyotes begin to think that the farm could be theirs for the taking.

“Barnyard” is about as middle of the road in quality as a kids’ movie can be. It does some things right and provides some laughs, but it also does a lot of things wrong. Most disturbing are the male “cows”. Even kids know that males should not have udders, and it is a bit disconcerting to hear Sam Elliott’s voice come out of a cow. The story is not too original, with echoes of “The Lion King”, and not all the jokes work. On the positive side, it does offer up a good moral of responsibility, and young kids will find it more funny than adults. This is a forgettable entry into 2006’s animated movies, and will be forgotten within a year.

Little Miss Sunshine ***1/2
Cast: Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette, Steve Carell, Abigail Breslin, Paul Dano, Alan Arkin
Directors: Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris
Running Length: 1:40
MPAA Classification: R

When a beauty contest winner is forced to abdicate her position, Olive (Breslin) is elevated to the top spot. Now she will compete in the Little Miss Sunshine pageant in California. Various situations force her entire family to come along with her. Richard (Kinnear), the dad, is a motivational speaker who is a few steps away from making it big. Sheryl (Collette), the mom, is the glue that is holding the family together. Dwayne (Dano) the teenage son, has taken a vow of silence and likes to read Nietzsche. Uncle Frank (Carrell), is living with them after recently attemting suicide. Grandpa (Arkin) is a heroin addict and lives an edgy life. The group sets off on a trip that will test all of them.

“Little Miss Sunshine” is a genuinely funny and sweet movie. All the actors give their characters real life. This could very well be the most dysfunctional family around, and first time directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris succeed in making them real. At times funny and sad, their trip to the pageant is a memorable one that will have audiences talking well after the film is finished. I highly recommend this film.

Beerfest ***
Cast: Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter and Erik Stolhanske
Director: Jay Chandrasekhar
Running Length: 1:50
MPAA Classification: R

Jay (Soter) and Todd (Stolhanske) are asked by Great Gam Gam (Leachman) to take their father’s ashes back to Germany and spread them at Oktoberfest. They are all too happy to do this, as it will give them a chance to drink it up with the Germans. Once there though, they end up at a “Fight Club”-style drinking competition called Beerfest. Beerfest is sponsored by Baron Wolfgang von Wolfhausen (Prochnow), their estranged uncle. Attempting to represent America and defend their father’s honor, they enter the competition and are humiliated. Upon returning to the States, they recruit college drinking buddies Fink (lemme), Landfil (Heffernan), and Barry (Chandrasekhar) to back to next year’s Beerfest and bring home the gold for the US.

“Beerfest” is the latest from comedy troupe Broken Lizard, and they have made a raunchy, entertaining film. This film is laugh out loud funny at times, and although it will not win any awards, it does not disappoint. If this movie sounds remotely funny to you, chances are that you will enjoy it. This is definitely one of the funnier movies of the year.

Snakes on a Plane ***
Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Julianna Margulies, Nathan Phillips, Rachel Blanchard, Flex Alexander, Kenan Thompson, Sunny Mabrey
Director: David R. Ellis
Running Length: 1:40
MPAA Classification: R

FBI agent Neville Flynn (Jackson) is accompanying Sean Jones (Phillips) a Federal witness to a mob murder, from Honolulu to Los Angeles. It seems like an easy task, and soon they are on the plane. But, they did not consider that the mobster would smuggle thousands of poisonous snakes aboard, and rig their container to open up at 30,000 feet. Soon, the snakes are slithering, and the passengers are dying, and it is up to Flynn to save the day, if that is at all possible.

Ridiculous and fun is the best way to describe “Snakes on a Plane”. Sure, they try to explain how and why the snakes are on the plane, but it seems overly complicated and unbelieveable. The movie does deliver what it promises though, and soon those snakes are all over the place, biting people, well, all over the place. Samuel L. Jackson is the glue that holds this all together, and without him, this movie would have no life beyond the direct-to-DVD shelves at the rental store. He is in full Samuel L. Jackson mode, and gets all the good lines. No, this movie is not a masterpiece, but it is very entertaining, and sometimes that is all you can ask for. If it sounds interesting to you or you like Samuel L. Jackson, you will probably like this film. Check your brain at the door, and sit back for a wild ride.

World Trade Center ***1/2
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Michael Peña, Jay Hernandez, Armando Riesco, Maria Bello, Maggie Gyllenhaal
Director: Oliver Stone
Running Length: 2:08
MPAA Classification: PG-13

"World Trade Center” is the true story of police officers John McLoughlin (Cage) and Will Jimeno (Peña), who were trapped on the concourse between the North and South Towers, beneath the rubble when the Towers came down. The movie follows them from early morning on 9/11/2001 to their rescue. While trapped, they must rely on each other to survive long enough to be found. A friendship forms in the most awful of places, and neither would have probably survived if it wasn’t for the other. It is also the story of their wives, Donna (Bello) and Allison (Gyllenhaal), and how they had to deal with not knowing what had happened to their husbands.

“World Trade Center” is almost as good as “United 93”, the other 9/11 movie from this year. It has been made tastefully, and shows heroism in a terrible time of national crisis. Cage and Peña do good jobs as the two leads, spending most of their time under rubble where only there faces are shown. They make these people real. Oliver Stone’s direction is good, and he makes the story very compelling. This, along with “United 93” is one of the must see movies of the year. I highly recommend it.

The Night Listener **1/2
Cast: Robin Williams, Toni Collette, Bobby Cannavale, Joe Morton, Rory Culkin, Sandra Oh
Director: Patrick Stettner
Running Length: 1:28
MPAA Classification: R

Radio talk show host Gabriel Noone (Williams) reads an unpublished manuscript by 14-year old Pete Logand (Culkin), and begins a friendship by telephone with the boy. Pete was abused as a child, contracted AIDS, and is dying. Donna (Collette), his foster mom takes care of him all by herself in Wisconsin to avoid Pete’s real parents. Gabriel himself is going through some tough times. His partner Jess (Cannavale) has just broken up with him. Gabriel and Pete for a close friendship, but one day, after hearing a voice message left my Pete and Donna, Jess wonders aloud why the two sound the same. Gabriel begins to wonder if he is the victim of a prank, and sets off to Wisconsin to investigate.

“The Night Listener” is an interesting but slow-moving film. Unfortunately, its slowness drags it down pretty bad. Perhaps a better director could have ratcheted up the tension a little more, and made the movie a little less “talky”. Williams and Collette do good jobs in their respective roles. For some reason, the very funny Williams does better in serious roles. This is no exception. This movie is not for everyone, but does have an interesting story to it. If you are not put off by slower moving films, this one might be for you.

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby ***
Cast: Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Leslie Bibb, Amy Adams, Michael Clarke Duncan, Sacha Baron Cohen, Greg Germann, Gary Cole
Director: Adam McKay
Running Length: 1:44
MPAA Classification: PG-13

Ricky Bobby (Ferrell) was always wanted to go fast. That suits him well as a NASCAR driver. He is the #1 driver, with a little help from his best friend Cal Naughten Jr. (Reilly). Everything is going well for Ricky, until Frenchman Jean Girard (Cohen) enters his life. He is everything Ricky is not, and his alternative lifestyle is at odds with everything Ricky believes in. When a race goes bad, Ricky finds himself on the bottom looking up, and he must decide whether to try for a comeback or move on.

“Talladega Nights” is your typical Will Ferrell movie. Take that as you will. Ferrell has just the right amount of goofball charm to make Ricky a likeable character. The always excellent Reilly is great as Cal, and Cohen makes Girard hilarious. There are lots of NASCAR in-jokes, and that will appeal to that section of the audience. Overall, “Talladega Nights” is not a huge step forward for Ferrell, but it is a step in the right direction. His star is getting bigger and bigger with each movie, and he is quickly becoming the new Jim Carrey.

Monster House ***1/2
Cast (voices): Mitchel Musso, Sam Lerner, Spencer Locke, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Steve Buscemi
Director: Gil Kenan
Running Length: 1:25
MPAA Classification: PG

Across the street from DJ’s (Musso) house is a possessed house. It has a tendence to “eat” people and things that venture on to the property. No one believes DJ, except his friends Chowder (Lerner) and Jenny (Locke). When an accident befalls Mr. Nebbercracker (Buscemi), the owner of the house, the house seems to become even more alive. The kids take it upon themselves to rid the neighborhood of the house.

“Monster House” is surprisingly good. It lacks the look of a Pixar film, but has the quality of a Pixar story. The voice talents are all top notch, with the kids being played by relative newcomers and the adults being played by voices you will recognize. The story lends itself well to computer animation, and the monster house looks great as the film progresses to its climax. The PG rating is warranted though, and smaller kids may find some images too frightening. I highly recommend “Monster House.”

Miami Vice ***
Cast: Colin Farrell, Jamie Foxx, Gong Li, Luis Tosar, Naomie Harris, John Ortiz, Barry Shabaka Henley, Ciaran Hinds
Director: Michael Mann
Running Length: 2:10
MPAA Classification: R

A sting gone bad, resulting in many deaths leads to Miami cops Sonny Crockett (Farrell) and Rico Tubbs (Foxx) going undercover to find the leak in the FBI. Under the guise of transportation experts, they meet up with drug smuggler Jose Yero (Ortiz) and his associate Isabella (Li). Crockett and Tubbs want to take over as Yero’s distributors, handling all their shipments to the United States. Yero is suspicious, but takes them on, with Isabella as the go-between.

“Miami Vice” is a movie that probably did not need to be made, but unlike other TV shows that have been made into movies, “Miami Vice” has a quality director that was involved with the original material as a producer. That is what brings the film to the next level. Mann has taken the idea from the TV show and transformed it into a grittier, more realistic version of itself. Indeed, aside from the character names, there is little similarities to the TV show. Farrell and Foxx are good as Crockett and Tubbs, two big sets of shoes to fill. The story is tight and at times very violent. The look is dark, and that suits the film just fine – atmosphere is almost a character itself. I could even see this film spawning a sequel or two. “Miami Vice” is not for everyone, but it is an above average cop film that is worth checking out.

Lady in the Water **
Cast: Paul Giamatti, Bryce Dallas Howard, Bob Balaban, Jeffrey Wright, Sarita Choudhury, Freddy Rodriguez, Bill Irwin, Jared Harris, M. Night Shyamalan
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Running Length: 1:52
MPAA Classification: PG-13

Cleveland Heep (Giamatti) is a superintendent in an apartment complex. He takes pride in his work, and seems to know everyone pretty well. One night, he discovers a stranger swimming in the apartment’s pool. Her name is Story (Howard), and she is a narf. It seems that she has come from the Blue World to provide enlightenment to one man before returning home. Making things difficult is the Scrunt, a grass-covered wolf creature that wants to stop her. According to an Asian fairy tale, there are others who will help her, and Cleveland attempts to locate them in the apartment complex. But, when the Scrunt attacks, it may be too late, and Story might not accomplish her task.

“Lady in the Water” was a bit of a disappointment for me. I found it to be a bit on the silly side, with its narfs, scrunts, and even tartutics. It tries to have a point, but it is somewhat lost amonst the goofiness of the story. Paul Giamatti does the best he can with what he is given, creating a very real character that is likeable. Bryce Dallas Howard’s Story is unremarkable, and even somewhat boring. M. Night Shyamalan does a decent job as an actor, having cast himself in a bigger role in this movie. In the end, it does not quite work for me. Shyamalan has misstepped here, making perhaps his weakest film to date. On the heels of “The Village”, that is not a good thing. He has some serious rebuilding to do with his next film.

Little Man **
Cast: Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Tracy Morgan, Kerry Washington, John Witherspoon
Director: Keenan Ivory Wayans
Running Length: 1:30
MPAA Classification: PG-13

Upon being released from prison, little man Calvin (Marlon Wayans) hooks up with accomplice Percy (Morgan) to steal a large diamond. When the theft goes awry, Calvin stashed the diamond with Darryl (Shawn Wayans) and Vanessa (Washington). Darryl is desperate to have a kid, and Calvin uses his size to his advantage, posing as a baby. Once inside the house, all he has to do is find the diamond, but that task proves to be more difficult than he originally thought.

“Little Man” is mindless, stupid fun. Fans of the Wayans brothers will not be disappointed, and if the previews make you chuckle even a little, you will probably like this film. The special effects are top notch, as Marlon Wayans’ face is digitally superimposed on body doubles every time Calvin is on the screen. The humor is mostly lowbrow, but like I said, it is mindless fun.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest ***
Cast: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Bill Nighy, Stellan Skarsgård, Jack Davenport, Kevin McNally, Naomie Harris, Jonathan Pryce, Tom Hollander
Director: Gore Verbinski
Running Length: 2:35
MPAA Classification: PG-13

Captain Jack (Depp) is back, and causing trouble for Will Turner (Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Knightley). Their marriage is interrupted when they are arrested for aiding in the escape of Captain Jack. Lord Cutler Beckett (Hollander) does not want to see them die, and wants to make a deal. If they help him get Jack, they will not be put to death. Will finds Jack being worshiped as a god by a bunch of cannibals. After a fashion, they escape to the Black Pearl, where Jacking is looking for a mysterious chest that belongs to Davey Jones (Nighy). Jones is trying to get to the chest before Jack for reasons of his own. Amongst all this, Elizabeth shows up to join the hunt, and finds a new interest in Captain Jack.

“Dead Man’s Chest” delivers all that “Curse of the Black Pearl” delivered, but the difference is that “Black Pearl” was new and fresh, while “Chest” gives off a feeling of “been there, done that.” That is not to say that “Dead Man’s Chest” does not deliver the goods, but it is not as original, and that is a slight drawback. Another negative is the running length. At 155 minutes, it is longer than it needs to be. That being said, it is good to see Captain Jack and the gang back in action again. The action is well done, and the special effects are top notch, especially the squid-faced Davey Jones. A few cliffhangers thrown in at the end assures “Pirates 3” a warm reception come May 2007. If you like the first film, you will like this one. I recommend it, and hope that “Pirates 3” can take it up a notch to end on a high note.

The Lake House ***
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock, Shoreh Aghdashloo, Scott Elias, Dylan Walsh, Christopher Plummer
Director: Alejandro Agresti
Running Length: 1:38
MPAA Classification: PG

Alex (Reeves) and Kate (Bullock) are two lonely people. They each live in a fancy glass house on the shore of Lake Michigan. The same house, in fact. He lives there in 2004, she lives there in 2006. The house’s mailbox begins delivering letters through time, and the two are able to communicate, and eventually fall in love. They just have to figure out how to meet.

If you can get over the time traveling mailbox, “The Lake House” is an enjoyable movie. Reeves and Bullock are together again for the first time since “Speed”, and one wonders why they have not teamed up again sooner. They have a chemistry that is believable, and you root for the characters to get together in the end. I recommend this film.

The Devil Wears Prada ***
Cast: Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci, Adrian Grenier, Tracie Thoms, Rich Sommer, Simon Baker
Director: David Frankel
Running Length: 1:45
MPAA Classification: PG-13

Andy Sachs (Hathaway) applies for the job of second assistant to Miranda Priestly (Streep), the editor of “Runway” magazine. “Runway” is THE magazine for the fashion industry, and Andy has no fashion sense. Miranda is revered by all who know her. She has the power to make or break people in the industry, and she is not afraid to use this power. Work for her for a year, and countless doors will open. Of course, others like Emily (Blunt), Miranda’s number one assistant and Nigel (Tucci) have become fixtures at the magazine, while waiting for those doors to open.

Miranda hires Andy on a whim, hoping she has what it takes despite her appearance. Andy dislikes the shallowness of her coworkers, but soon finds herself becoming more like them. Will she get sucked into that lifestyle, or will she me able to resist and remain true to herself?

Meryl Streep makes this movie work, and is the prime reason to see it. She dominates every scene she is in. She is both cruel and funny, sometimes at the same time. Hathaway, Tucci, and Blunt are also very good, especially when playing off of each other. This is definitely a “chick flick”, but is entertaining and really funny at times. Not everyone’s cup of tea, but worth giving a shot.

10 Best Movies I Have Seen in the First Half of 2006
This year has had fewer good movies than last year through the first six months. Hopefully, things will pick up.

1. United 93 ****
2. Capote **** (from 2005)
3. X-Men: The Last Stand ***1/2
4. Mission: Impossible III ***1/2
5. Cars ***1/2
6. The Matador *** (from 2005)
7. Thank You For Smoking ***
8. A Prairie Home Companion ***
9. The Da Vinci Code ***
10. Superman Returns ***

Cars ***1/2

Cast (voices): Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt, Larry the Cable Guy, Cheech Marin, Tony Shalhoub, George Carlin, John Ratzenberger, Michael Keaton, Richard Petty
Director: John Lasseter
Running Length: 1:52
MPAA Classification: G

Lightning McQueen (Wilson) is a rookie in a NASCAR type race called the Piston Cup. When the season ends with him in a tie with his two major rivals, Chick Hicks (Keaton) and The King (Petty), he must head to California for a tie-breaker race. Along the way, he ends up stranded in Radiator Springs, arrested for traffic violations. Doc Hudson (Newman), the town judge, sentences him to repair the road before he can leave. Initially, he just wants to get done and get out, but soon he finds himself making friends with the locals, including Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) and Sally (Hunt). Soon, this cocky race car who had no real friends finds he may not want to leave so fast after all.

When I first saw the trailer for “Cars”, I was worried. It did not look good, and I thought Pixar had its first flop on its hands. Bumping the release date back six months did not ease my worry. That being said, “Cars” is an excellent movie. Pixar, I am sorry that I ever doubted you. The voices are perfect, especially Wilson, Newman, and Larry the Cable Guy. The film looks great, with bright colors kids will love. The story is nice, and like many Pixar movies, focuses on friendship. The only drawback I can find is that it runs a little long. Still, it is worth seeing by kids of all ages.

Superman Returns ***
Cast: Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey, James Marsden, Parker Posey, Frank Langella, Sam Huntington, Eva Marie Saint, Marlon Brando, Tristan Leabu
Director: Bryan Singer
Running Length: 2:37
MPAA Classification: PG-13

Superman (Routh) is back, five years after where “Superman II” left off. He returned to Krypton, hoping to find some life still there, but when he found nothing, he returned to Earth. As Clark Kent, he gets his job back at the Daily Planet, and is reunited with Lois Lane (Bosworth). But, people have moved on. Lois has a five year old son, and a boyfriend (Marsden). She has also won a Pulitzer for an article about how the world does not need Superman. Elsewhere, Lex Luthor (Spacey) is free from prison, and up to no good. It seems that he has found Superman’s Fortress of Solitude, and has devised a plan with what he found there that will wipe out most of the United States. Once again, Superman must try to stop Luthor’s evil scheme, and try to win the girl in the process. But things will be a little more difficult this time.

After almost two decades, Superman is finally back. Bryan Singer takes the helm as director after bowing out of the X-Men franchise. Not the wisest move, but it is the opportunity of a lifetime to bring back the Man of Steel. He does a few things right. First, he uses the backstory established in “Superman” and “Superman II”, wisely ignoring “III” and “IV”, and not having to do a complete reboot. He attempts to have a look of continuity and even uses John Williams’ famous themes from those films. This IS the Superman we grew up with, he has just been away for a while. Kevin Spacey is great as Luthor, bring menace and some humor to the role. He even manages to inflict some pain on the hero. On the weak side, Lex’s plan is dumb. For as smart as he is supposed to be, he has not really thought things through. Kate Bosworth is weak as Lois, and James Marsden has the unenviable role of being the other man. Brandon Routh does not bring much to the table as Superman/Clark Kent except a resemblance to Christopher Reeve. Finally, the running time is way too long to support the story. Some trimming could have improved the story’s flow.

Yet, for the most part, it works. It is good to see Superman back after all these years. The effects are top notch, and the movie is mostly fun. I do recommend this movie, but I hope that the filmmakers are able to tighten things up the next time around. A sequel is planned (duh), and could be better than this restart. For now, we can enjoy what we have.

A Prairie Home Companion ***
Cast: Garrison Keillor, Kevin Kline, Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin, Woody Harrelson, John C. Reilly, Tommy Lee Jones, Virginia Madsen, Lindsay Lohan
Director: Robert Altman
Running Length: 1:45
MPAA Classification: PG-13

“A Prairie Home Companion” is a fictionalized story of the famous radio show’s very last performance. The movie covers the show itself, hosted by Garrison Keillor (playing himself), the goings on backstage, and a little action before and after the show. Besides having to deal with a corporate axeman (Jones) who is there to officially pull the plug, they have to deal with a death mid-show and a mysterious woman (Madsen), who wanders about backstage. On stage, three skit characters from the real radio show come to life: Guy Noir (Kline), and the cowboy singing duo of Dusty (Harrelson) and Lefty (Reilly). Other characters are a combination real and fictional people).

This film is a slightly skewed view into the world of Garrison Keillor (he wrote the screenplay) and his famous radio show. It is a “nice” movie, that will amuse most who see it. Keillor’s and director Robert Altman’s styles seem to be made for each other, and this film works well to give an insight into the radio show. Performances are solid all around, especially Keillor’s. He is the glue that holds this all together. I recommend this film.

The Break-Up **1/2
Cast: Vince Vaughn, Jennifer Aniston, Joey Lauren Adams, Ann-Margret, Vincent D'Onofrio, Cole Hauser, Jon Favreau, Peter Billingsley, Jason Bateman
Director: Peyton Reed
Running Length: 1:45
MPAA Classification: PG-13

Gary (Vaughn) and Brooke (Aniston) are the perfect couple, until one evening when everything falls apart. During the huge fight, we out Brooke thinks Gary is lazy and thoughtless, and Gary thinks Brooke is too controlling and unappreciative. She dumps him, but neither of them want to give up the condo that they own together. They each mark their territory, and set about doing whatever it takes to drive the other out.

Vaughn and Aniston are well cast, and have a chemistry together. Supporting cast, including Jon Favreau and Joey Lauren Adams as their best friends, do good jobs and help keep the movie moving. There are even some really funny scenes. Yet, something is missing. Perhaps the characters are not nasty enough to each other. Anyway, while somewhat entertaining, “The Break-Up” fall a little short of success.

X-Men: The Last Stand ***1/2
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Famke Janssen, Anna Paquin, Shawn Ashmore, Kelsey Grammer, Rebecca Romijn, James Marsden, Aaron Stanford, Cameron Bright, Vinnie Jones, Ben Foster, Ellen Page, Josef Sommer
Director: Brett Ratner
Running Length: 1:44
MPAA Classification: PG-13

Scientists have discovered a “cure” for the mutant gene. Now, all mutants can choose to become a “normal” human. Division rises amongst the mutant community. Some see this as an opportunity to be something they always wanted to be. Others, like Magneto (McKellan) see this as an attempt at racial cleansing. While Professor X (Stewart) sits on the sidelines, Magneto rallies the troops to rise up against the cure and those who are pushing it. The X-Men must stop Magneto before he causes too much damage, but a former ally has been raised from the ashes of her former self, and she may be the deciding factor in this war.

This X-Men movie is the best yet. Filled with action and an always timely storyline, it does not disappoint. Story-wise, characters die, return from the dead, lose their powers, and are changed significantly before all is said and done. This shake-up introduces doubt into who will survive the final battle, and ratchets up the stakes. Director Brett Ratner is taking over the reins from Bryan Singer, who left this franchise for another (“Superman”). He proves that he is up to the challenge. I highly recommend this film.

The Da Vinci Code ***
Cast: Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Ian McKellan, Jean Reno, Paul Bettany, Alfred Molina
Director: Ron Howard
Running Length: 2:29
MPAA Classification: PG-13

Symbologist Robert Langdon (Hanks) is called to the Louvre to help with a murder investigation. He has been framed for the murder, and with the help of French police officer Sophie Neveu (Tautou), he manages to escape from Captain Fache (Reno), and follow a trail of clues that lead to “the greatest cover-up in human history.” This cover-up involves the Catholic Church, the Holy Grail, Opus Dei, the Knights Templar and more. They seek the help of Grail expert Sir Leigh Teabing (McKellan),, and soon find that they have an albino by the name of Silas (Bettany) on their trail too. And Silas is not working with the police.

Based on the best selling book by Dan Brown, the film manages to remain faithful and give the legions of people that have read it a first class treatment. Hanks, although not the obvious choice for Langdon, fills his shoes well and is believable. The supporting cast are all bigger names, and Ian McKellan stands out among them. He brings humor and wisdom to the role of Teabing. This is an interesting movie that is worth seeing, if only to see what all the controversy is about.

RV **
Cast: Robin Williams, Cheryl Hines, Joanna 'JoJo' Levescue, Josh Hutcherson, Jeff Daniels, Kristin Chenoweth
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
Running Length: 1:38
MPAA Classification: PG

When work interferes, Bob Munro (Williams) decides to cancel the family vacation to Hawaii and instead rent a RV and take a road trip to Colorado. His wife Jamie (Hines), daughter Cassie (Levesque), and son Carl (Hutcherson) are not thrilled. Unbeknownst to his family, he needs to be in Colorado for a presentation that his boss expects him to be at. Along the way, the Munros meet the Fornickes – Travis (Daniels) and Jo (Chenoweth), and their kids. They are a homeless family living in their RV, and take a liking to the Munros, much to their dismay. The Munros are on the road trip from hell, and it can only get worse.

Robin Williams is a funny man, and yet I do not think he has ever found a good movie to really showcase his comedic talents. Certainly he has done better than “RV”. While funny in parts, there is not enough humor in this movie to sustain its 98 minute running time. I would imagine that those who have ever traveled in an RV will find more humor than I did, but too much more. “RV” is a rather harmless movie, but not really worth seeing either. Wait for the DVD, people.

An American Haunting **1/2
Cast: Donald Sutherland, Sissy Spacek, Rachel Hurd-Wood, James D’Arcy, Matthew Marsh, Thom Fell, Sam Alexander
Director: Courtney Solomon
Running Length: 1:31
MPAA Classification: PG-13

In 1818, when a land deal between John Bell (Sutherland) and his neighbor Kate Batts (Brown) goes bad, she blames John for her problems. She then curses John and his family. When things start happening, especially to John and his daughter Betsy (Hurd-Wood), religious leader James Johnson (Marsh), and schoolteacher Richard Powell decide to help the family.

“An American Haunting” is based on a true story, but how “true” it is has been called into question. As a movie, it works fairly well, with a twist ending that is only somewhat satisfying. The wraparound story that feels tacked on serves no real purpose and should have been left out. Despite some good actors, the acting is nothing exceptional. Sutherland and Hurd-Wood have to carry the most weight as the haunted, but neither gives stand-out performances. “An American Haunting” is a slightly above average ghost story that is better off waiting for on DVD.

Mission: Impossible III ***1/2

Cast: Tom Cruise, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ving Rhames, Billy Crudip, Michelle Monaghan, Laurence Fishburne, Keri Russell, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Maggie Q, Simon Pegg
Director: J.J. Abrams
Running Length: 2:08
MPAA Classification: PG-13

When Owen Davian (Hoffman) captures an IMF agent (Russell) who is investigating him, Ethan Hunt (Cruise) comes out of field-retirement to rescue her. This involves some deception on the home front, as his fiancée Julia (Monaghan) does not know what he does for a living. Ethan’s old teammate Luther (Rhames) is back to help him along with Declan (Meyers) and Zhen (Q). Their somewhat successful rescue of the agent reveals that there may be a spy in the leadership of the IMF. To find that spy, they attempt to capture Davian while he is at the Vatican attending a function. Ethan quickly finds out that a job with the IMF is not very contusive to a healthy normal life.

This time around, the “Mission: Impossible” franchise is in the hands of J. J. Abrams, well known for his television shows (Felicity, Lost, Alias), but a rookie when it comes to directing movies. Abrams is up to the challenge, delivering the best M:I movie yet. Filled with the tricks “Alias” fans will recognize from TV, Abrams keeps the movie rolling from action sequence to action sequence, ratcheting up the tension until the showdown between Cruise’s Hunt and Hoffman’s Davian. And Hoffman IS the standout here. Davian is an evil, nasty man who does not make idle threats. Hoffman sinks his teeth into the role, playing his first real bad guy. This movie is worth seeing for him alone. Cruise is good as well. It is a shame that this movie will suffer from his off-screen antics.

This is the first big budget movie of the summer. It is a great popcorn movie that will not disappoint. I highly recommend this film.

American Dreamz **
Cast: Hugh Grant, Dennis Quaid, Mandy Moore, Marcia Gay Harden, Willem Dafoe, Chris Klein, Judy Greer, Sam Golzari, Shoreh Aghdashloo, Jennifer Coolidge
Director: Paul Weitz
Running Length: 1:40
MPAA Classification: PG-13

President Staton (Quaid) has just won a second term in office, and after reading a newspaper, goes into seclusion to catch up on things. When the public begins to question his ability to lead the country, his Chief of Staff (Defoe) gets the president an appearance as a guest judge on the finals of the hit show "American Dreamz".

"American Dreamz" is hosted by Martin Tweed (Grant). He is trapped by the show, hoping for failure just so it will end. Then he sees Sally Kendoo (Moore). In her he sees a like-minded person. He gets her onto the show, and she is easily the best of the bunch. Another notable contestant is Omar (Golzari), a terrorist sent to America to get him out of the more capable terrorist’s way. Of course he is now in a position to do some serious damage, if only he did not like singing so much.

"American Dreamz" has some potential, but never really accomplishes much. Quaid and Grant channel their inner-Bush and inner-Simon Cowell, but it takes more than just two good impersonations to make a movie good. Much of the story falls flat or feels unbelievable. The ending is a prime example of this. I would say that I was disappointed with this movie, but the previews did not exactly get my hopes up. If you must see this movie, wait until it is out on DVD.

United 93 ****
Cast: Cheyenne Jackson, David Alan Basche, Christian Clemenson, JJ Johnson, Polly Adams, Khalid Abdalla, Lewis Alsamari, Omar Berdouni, Jamie Harding, Ben Sliney
Director: Paul Greengrass
Running Length: 1:48
MPAA Classification: R

“United 93” is the first major motion picture to be released since 9/11 to deal with the events of that day. Focusing on the plane that did not reach its target, the film moves in almost real time from take off to the crash landing in Pennsylvania. Writer-Director Paul Greengrass has taken pains to be as accurate as possible, and when the story veers into the unknown, the story told is very plausible.

The actors are mostly unknowns, preventing any one person from distracting the viewer from the story. This was a wise choice by Greengrass, and is successful in keeping the viewer focused on the story. The actors all do good jobs, even though none are developed excessively. This, combined with the hand held camera work gives the film a more intimate feel, as if you are there among them on the plane. Greengrass received 100% support from the families, and a substantial number of the people on the ground play themselves in the movie. That alone should speak of the quality of the film.

“United 93” is a tense, gut-wrenching movie of a group of people and their determination to stop four evil men who wanted to bring America to its knees. Is it too soon? I say no…it is never to soon to remember the heroic things that that the passengers did. They should be remembered and honored as heroes. “United 93” does just that. This is a must see movie.

The Sentinel ***
Cast: Michael Douglas, Kiefer Sutherland, Eva Longoria, Martin Donovan, Ritchie Coster, Kim Basinger, David Rasche
Director: Clark Johnson
Running Length: 1:50
MPAA Classification: PG-13

President Ballentine (Rasche) has received serious assassination threats, and there just may be an inside man in the Secret Service. David Breckinridge (Sutherland) and a new partner are chosen to investigate the case. After polygraph tests, all signs point to Pete Garrison (Douglas), but the tests are showing false positives for other reasons. Breckinridge and Garrison also used to be best friends until it seemed Garrison was having an affair with Breckinridge’s wife. Garrison now must go on the run to prove his innocence and convince Breckinridge that he is not the guilty party.

“The Sentinel” is a fun, if predictable ride. Douglas and Sutherland are in good form. (Sutherland is channeling Jack Bauer of “24”, and that is just fine). The mystery surrounding the assassination attempt is interesting, but can be figured out fairly easily. Still, there is enough action to keep things rolling smoothly. “The Sentinel” is a good popcorn movie that will entertain.

Ice Age: The Meltdown **1/2
Cast (voices): Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Queen Latifa, Seann William Scott, Josh Peck
Director: Carlos Saldanha
Running Length: 1:30
MPAA Classification: PG

Manny the Mammoth (Romano), Sid the Sloth (Leguizamo), Diego the Sabertooth Tiger (Leary) and Scrat the sabertooth squirrel are back. The ice is melting, and if they do not get to a “boat” at the other end of the valley, their time will be up. As they mount a trek through the valley, Manny is having trouble accepting the fact that he is the last of his kind. At least until they meet Ellie and her two possum “brothers.” Suddenly, there is hope for mammoths, if Manny can only convince her she is not a possum.

“Ice Age 2” recaptures most of the charm of the original, but falls short mostly due to story. Sure, it is good to see these characters again (especially Scrat), but there is not much to the exodus to higher ground is slow at times. Also, this movie will probably be more popular with kids than adults. 20th Century Fox has not quite mastered the Pixar technique that guarantees enjoyment for all ages. Overall, this film is good but mostly forgettable. That being said, I am sure we will be seeing these characters again in a few years. Hopefully the story will be a little more solid the next time around.

Scary Movie 4 ***
Cast: Anna Faris, Craig Bierko, Regina Hall, Leslie Nielsen, Charlie Sheen, Bill Pullman
Director: David Zucker
Running Length: 1:20
MPAA Classification: PG-13

If you have seen and enjoyed the previous three movies in the “Scary Movie” series, number four will not disappoint. Borrowing heavily from “War of the Worlds”, “The Grudge”, and “The Village”, with other movies and Tom Cruise’s craziness thrown in, “Scary Movie 4” is one of the better installments in the series.

Back again are Anna Faris and Regina Hall, mainstays in the franchise. Death in a previous installment does not even hinder their return. They do what they did before with the safe effectiveness. Added to the mix is Craig Bierko, who channels his inner Tom Cruise to be the leading man. David Zucker (of “Airplane” fame) is back again in the director’s chair, and he continues to throw jokes and gags at the viewer until they cannot help but laugh. There is not much more that can be said about this movie. If you like this type of spoof movie, you will not be disappointed.

Thank You For Smoking ***
Cast: Aaron Eckhart, Maria Bello, Cameron Bright, Sam Elliott, Katie Holmes, David Koechner, William H. Macy, Robert Duvall, Kim Dickens, Rob Lowe
Director: Jason Reitman
Running Length: 1:38
MPAA Classification: R

Nick Naylor (Eckhart) works for the Academy of Tobacco Studies as a spin doctor. He is their primary weapon in defense of Big Tobacco, and that is not an easy job. Bribing the cancer stricken Marlboro Man (Elliot), making smoking sexy in movies, and spinning an expose about him are all on his agenda. Through it all, he has to baby sit his son (Bright) and show him what dad does for a living.

“Thank You For Smoking” is a funny, edgy movie. Aaron Eckhart is perfect as the somewhat soulless Naylor. His reasoning will make you cringe, but he is hard to argue with. The supporting cast is star studded, and all the actors do a solid job. Those on both sides of the smoking issue can enjoy this movie as well, and that is perhaps the most impressive trick that the movie pulls off. If you are looking for a thought provoking, funny movie, this one is for you.

She's the Man ***
Cast: Amanda Bynes, Channing Tatum, Laura Ramsey, Vinnie Jones, David Cross, Julie Hagerty, Alex Breckenridge, James Kirk
Director: Andy Fickman
Running Length: 1:45
MPAA Classification: PG-13

Soccer-playing Viola (Bynes) is really upset when the girls' soccer team is cut. The boys' team does not want any girls on it, so Viola decides to impersonate her brother Sebastian (Kirk), who conveniently is starting a new school where he is unknown. He is also skipping out of the first weeks of school in order to pursue a musical career in Europe. Being Sebastian, she can play soccer, and maybe even get some revenge on her own school's team.

Everything is going well for Viola until she falls in love with her roommate (Tatum). Of course, he is interested in Olivia (Ramsey), and Olivia has got her eye on Viola. The only thing that could make things more complicated for Viola is if her brother were to come home early. And he does.

"She's the Man" is loosly based on William Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night", and works pretty well. The majority of this film's success is due to Amanda Bynes as Viola. While never really looking like a guy, she has the enthusiasm and screen presence to make this an enjoyable film. Although aimed primarily at the teen audience, others will find enjoyment in it too.

V for Vendetta ***
Cast: Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving, Stephen Rea, Stephen Fry, John Hurt, Tim Pigott-Smith
Director: James McTeigue
Running Length: 2:12
MPAA Classification: R

In the England of 2020, dictator Adam Sutler (Hurt) rules with an iron fist. Citizens live in fear of him and his regime. One man who stands against him in a mysterious figure that goes by the name "V" (Weaving). Hidden behind a Guy Fawkes mask, he seeks to inspire the people. Evey (Portman) is saved by V one night when she is backed into a corner by Sutler's men. Then he invites her to a viewing of a "performance" that he has arranged...the blowing up of the Old Bailey. He gives the government one year before he goes after parliament, and asks the citizens to stand up with him.

"V for Vendetta" is an interesting enough movie that is an attempt to not so subtly mirror current events. This is somewhat of a mistake, as it will alienate some of the audience. Also, the hero is a terrorist, who resorts to torture of an innocent to further his goals. Weaving does a good job as V, especially since you do not see his face throughout the entire movie. Portman does a passable job as Evie, but is nothing spectacular. "V" will give the viewer something to think about, and is not your standard comic book movie. This is definately one of the better movies to come out so far this year though, and that may be reason enough to see it.

The Libertine *1/2
Cast: Johnny Depp, Samantha Morton, John Malkovich, Rosamund Pike
Director: Laurence Dunmore
Running Length: 2:10
MPAA Classification: R

"The Libertine" is the story of John Wilmot, the Second Earl of Rochester. He was a one time hero of the British Navy, and an amusement of King Charles II (Malkovich). Wilmot had a tendency to write obscene satires, and that got him exiled from London. Charles says that he can come back if he lays low for a while, but Wilmot is not one to lay low.

Wilmot is a sex addict, and venerial diseases will be his ultimate downfall. His wife Elizabeth Malet (Pike) puts up with it, but is clearly not happy. When Wilmot meets Elizabeth Barry (Morton), he decides to teach her how to act, since she is horrible. This infatuation leads to love, at least on his part. Unfortunately for him, he is not a likeable guy -- let alone loveable, and he has no chance with her.

There is more to the film, but it all revolves around the downward spiral of Wilmot. It is not an enjoyable movie, and it is not a very good movie. This film sat on the shelves for over a year for a reason, and not even Johnny Depp can save it.

Failure to Launch **1/2
Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Sarah Jessica Parker, Zooey Deschanel, Justin Bartha, Kathy Bates, Terry Bradshaw, Bradley Cooper
Director: Tom Dey
Running Length: 1:37
MPAA Classification: PG-13

Trip (McConaughey) is a 35 year old that still lives with Mom (Bates) and Dad (Bradshaw). They do everything for him, and they are his ticket out of serious relationships. One day, Mom and Dad hire Paula (Parker), an "interventionist" who specializes in getting kids out of their parents homes. Her plan: get Trip to fall in love with her which will make him want to break away from his parents. Of course, things do not go smoothly and Paula finds herself falling in love. When Trip's friends find out what she does for a living, things get even worse for Paula.

"Failure to Launch" is a so-so movie. Fans of the romantic comedy will probably like the film, but there is nothing special about it. There is little chemistry between McConaughey and Parker, and the side stories are a bit too silly. The film has an uneven feel to it, almost as if the B-story was added just to pad the running time. There are some genuine laughs, but they are too few and far bewteen. This is for fans of romantic comedies only.

Ultraviolet *
Cast: Milla Jovovich, Cameron Bright, Nick Chinlund, William Fichtner
Director: Kurt Wimmer
Running Length: 1:25
MPAA Classification: PG-13

Violet (Jovovich) is a Hemophage, infected with a blood sickness. Hemophages are exiled from society and actively hunted down. With the disease though comes extraordinary agility, strength, and dexterity. Violet is the Hemophages' best hope to deal with Daxus (Chinlund), the military leader. Violet's job is to find the doomsday weapon he has created, and destroy it. The doomsday weapon is a child named Six (Bright), and when Violet is unable to kill him, her own people set out to find her too.

"Ultraviolet" is a bad movie. The acting is bad, the special effects are bad, the fight scenes are bad, the dialogue is bad, and even the story itself is less than stellar. These are too many stikes for the film to overcome and whet is left is a laughable mess. Sadly, the opening credits are the most engaging part of the film, and seem to hint at the promise of something good. Do not bother with this movie, even on DVD.

Date Movie **
Cast: Alyson Hannigan, Adam Campbell, Jennifer Coolidge, Tony Cox, Fred Willard, Eddie Griffin, Sophie Monk
Directors: Jason Friedberg, Aaron Seltzer
Running Length: 1:23
MPAA Classification: PG-13

"Date Movie" is from two of the six writers of "Scary Movie", and is a spoof of romantic comedies. Apparently, they chose two of the worst writers from "Scary Movie", because the movie falls flat more often than it works. Alyson Hannigan is Julia Jones, the fat girl looking for Mr. Right. Hannigan deserves a better role -- she can be funny, but the material she has to work with is less than stellar. She does what she can, but it is not enough to make "Date Movie" work. The supporting cast of Adam Campbell (the boyfriend), Eddie Griffin (the dad), and Jennifer Coolidge and Fred Willard (the boyfriend's parents do not add much to the film either. "Date Movie" does manage to be pretty gross at times for a PG-13 movie, but that is not really a selling point either. This will be enjoyed by some, but only mildly. It is not awful, but it is far from great. Wait for the DVD if you must see it.

OSCAR WINNERS

Best Picture:
Brokeback Mountain -- WILL WIN
Capote
Crash -- WINNER
Good Night, and Good Luck
Munich -- SHOULD WIN

Actor:
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote -- SHOULD WIN and WILL WIN -- WINNER
Terrence Howard, Hustle & Flow -- DID NOT SEE
Heath Ledger, Brokeback Mountain
Joaquin Phoenix, Walk the Line
David Strathairn, Good Night, and Good Luck

Actress:
Judi Dench, Mrs. Henderson Presents -- DID NOT SEE
Felicity Huffman, Transamerica -- DID NOT SEE
Keira Knightley, Pride & Prejudice
Charlize Theron, North Country
Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line -- SHOULD WIN AND WILL WIN -- WINNER

Supporting Actor:
George Clooney, Syriana -- SHOULD WIN -- WINNER
Matt Dillon, Crash
Paul Giamatti, Cinderella Man -- WILL WIN
Jake Gyllenhaal, Brokeback Mountain
William Hurt, A History of Violence

Supporting Actress:
Amy Adams, Junebug -- DID NOT SEE
Catherine Keener, Capote
Frances McDormand, North Country
Rachel Weisz, The Constant Gardener -- WINNER
Michelle Williams, Brokeback Mountain -- SHOULD WIN AND WILL WIN

Director:
Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain -- WILL WIN -- WINNER
Bennett Miller, Capote
Paul Haggis, Crash
George Clooney, Good Night, and Good Luck
Steven Spielberg, Munich -- SHOULD WIN

Adapted Screenplay:
Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana, Brokeback Mountain -- WINNER
Dan Futterman, Capote -- SHOULD WIN AND WILL WIN
Jeffrey Caine, The Constant Gardener
Josh Olson, A History of Violence
Tony Kushner and Eric Roth, Munich

Original Screenplay:
Paul Haggis and Bobby Moresco, Crash -- WINNER
George Clooney and Grant Heslov, Good Night, and Good Luck
Woody Allen, Match Point -- DID NOT SEE
Noah Baumbach, The Squid and the Whale -- DID NOT SEE
Stephen Gaghan, Syriana -- SHOULD WIN AND WILL WIN

Animated Feature Film:
Howl's Moving Castle -- DID NOT SEE
Tim Burton's Corpse Bride
Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit -- SHOULD WIN AND WILL WIN -- WINNER

OSCAR PREDICTIONS REVIEW

Best Picture:
Brokeback Mountain -- WILL WIN
Capote
Crash
Good Night, and Good Luck
Munich -- SHOULD WIN

Actor:
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote -- SHOULD WIN and WILL WIN
Terrence Howard, Hustle & Flow -- DID NOT SEE
Heath Ledger, Brokeback Mountain
Joaquin Phoenix, Walk the Line
David Strathairn, Good Night, and Good Luck

Actress:
Judi Dench, Mrs. Henderson Presents -- DID NOT SEE
Felicity Huffman, Transamerica -- DID NOT SEE
Keira Knightley, Pride & Prejudice
Charlize Theron, North Country
Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line -- SHOULD WIN AND WILL WIN

Supporting Actor:
George Clooney, Syriana -- SHOULD WIN
Matt Dillon, Crash
Paul Giamatti, Cinderella Man -- WILL WIN
Jake Gyllenhaal, Brokeback Mountain
William Hurt, A History of Violence

Supporting Actress:
Amy Adams, Junebug -- DID NOT SEE
Catherine Keener, Capote
Frances McDormand, North Country
Rachel Weisz, The Constant Gardener
Michelle Williams, Brokeback Mountain -- SHOULD WIN AND WILL WIN

Director:
Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain -- WILL WIN
Bennett Miller, Capote
Paul Haggis, Crash
George Clooney, Good Night, and Good Luck
Steven Spielberg, Munich -- SHOULD WIN

Adapted Screenplay:
Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana, Brokeback Mountain
Dan Futterman, Capote -- SHOULD WIN AND WILL WIN
Jeffrey Caine, The Constant Gardener
Josh Olson, A History of Violence
Tony Kushner and Eric Roth, Munich

Original Screenplay:
Paul Haggis and Bobby Moresco, Crash
George Clooney and Grant Heslov, Good Night, and Good Luck
Woody Allen, Match Point -- DID NOT SEE
Noah Baumbach, The Squid and the Whale -- DID NOT SEE
Stephen Gaghan, Syriana -- SHOULD WIN AND WILL WIN

Animated Feature Film:
Howl's Moving Castle -- DID NOT SEE
Tim Burton's Corpse Bride
Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit -- SHOULD WIN AND WILL WIN

Nanny McPhee **1/2
Cast: Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, Kelly Macdonald, Celia Imrie, Angela Lansbury, Imelda Staunton, Thomas Sangster, Derek Jacobi
Director: Kirk Jones
Running Length: 1:37
MPAA Classification: PG

The Brown children are always misbehaving. They scare away every nanny that their dad, Cedric (Firth), hires. He loves the kids, but does not know what to do. One day, Nanny McPhee (Thompson) shows up at the door, confident that she can restore order to the Brown house. Another problem for Cedric is Great Aunt Adelaide (Lansbury). She supports Cedric's family, and has decided to cut off funds if he does not marry within the month. Despite the obvious choice, Evangeline (Macdonald) - a maid who loves the children, Cedric makes a deal with Selma (Imrie), who will make an excellent Wicked Stepmother.

"Nanny McPhee" is a movie that will be enjoyed by kids. It is mostly harmless and reminiscent of "Mary Poppins." Adults may not be as taken with it, but I do not think they will find it impossible to sit through. I recommend this for DVD viewing.

The Pink Panther **1/2
Cast: Steve Martin, Kevin Kline, Beyoncé Knowles, Jean Reno, Emily Mortimer, Henry Czerny
Director: Shawn Levy
Running Length: 1:35
MPAA Classification: PG

The coach of the French national soccer team is murdered on the field after the game, and someone steals his ring. The ring contains the Pink Panther diamond, a large and valuable pink diamond. Chief Inspector Dreyfus (Kline) decides to put an idiot in charge of the investigation so he can swoop in and solve the crime and gain all the glory. This idiot is Inspector Clouseau (Martin). Of course, Clouseau may just be dumb enough to solve the case in spite of himself.

This is a movie that probably did not need to be made. The character of Inspector Clouseau is so entwined with Peter Sellers that anyone taking on the role has his work cut out for him. Steve Martin is not up to the task, but he does not completely fail either. He does an ok job filling his predacessor's shoe, and does bring some laughs. Kevin Kline and Jean Reno are also OK in supporting roles.

"The Pink Panther" will be enjoyed by many, but it sat on studio shelves for over a year before release, and that is not surprising. This version has a lot to live up to, and I do not think it is successful overall. Check this one out on DVD.

OSCAR PREDICTION
Best Picture:
Brokeback Mountain -- WILL WIN -- overrated, but the awards favorite
Capote -- a great movie, but Hoffman will get all the attention
Crash -- my #2 pick for last year, would not be disappointed if this won
Good Night, and Good Luck -- well made and interesting, this one has the least chance of winning
Munich -- SHOULD WIN -- my pick for the best movie of last year, hands down