3:10 to Yuma ***1/2Cast: Christian Bale, Russell Crowe, Peter Fonda, Ben Foster, Logan Lerman, Gretchen Mol
Director: James Mangold
Running Length: 2:00
MPAA Classification: R

Dan Evans (Bale) needs money to save his ranch. Forclosure is on the horizon, and he is short on money. Being a former sharpshooter in the Civil War makes him a good addition to the group escorting outlaw Ben Wade (Crowe) to the train station. There Wade will catch the 3:10 train to Yuma Prison, and a hanging. The journey is full of troubles, not the least of which is the fact that Wade’s gang is in pursuit, led by Charlie Prince (Foster), Prince is Wade’s right hand man, any wants nothing more than to see Wade set free.

This movie is all Crowe and Bale. They give great performances, and are the reason to see “3:10 to Yuma”. Crowe in particular bounces back and forth between charming and nasty, yet creates a character that is likeable in his own way. The supporting case, including Peter Fonda and Ben Foster solidly support the leads as well. Action-wise, there is enough to satisfy and both suspenseful and, at times, violent. The ending is satisfying and feels right, given what has gone before. I highly recommend “3:10 to Yuma”.

Balls of Fury **Cast: Dan Fogler, Christophen Walken, George Lopez, Maggie Q, James Hong
Director: Ben Garant
Running Length: 1:30
MPAA Classification: PG-13

After being humiliated in ping pong in the 1988 Olympics, Randy Dayton (Fogler) becomes a lounge act in Reno, showing off his skills to uninterested audiences. A government agent (Lopez) recruits Randy to go undercover at a ping pong tournament hosted by believed criminal Feng (Walken). To hone his rusty skills, they enlist the help of Wong (Hong) and his niece Maggie (Q). At the tournament, Daytona finds himself over his head in a contest that is truly sudden death.

“Balls of Fury” is an amusing, but not hilarious film. Fogler, a poor man’s Jack Black, lacks the charisma to me a lead actor. Walken, although funny and odd, does not get enough screen time. Hong is consistently funny in his scenes though, and that helps. In the end, “Balls of Fury” misfires more than not, and ends up being less than it could have been. If you must see it, wait until DVD.

Halloween **1/2Cast: Malcolm McDowell, Brad Dourif, Tyler Mane, Sheri Moon Zombie, William Forsythe, Scout Taylor-Compton, Danielle Harris
Director: Rob Zombie
Running Length: 1:49
MPAA Classification: R

Michael Myers (Faerch) is a kid destined for trouble. His mom (Zombie) and her boyfriend (Forsythe) are terrible parent figures. Pushed to the brink, he eventually snaps. One Halloween, he dons a mask and attacks a school bully. Then he heads home to kill his family. The only survivors are his mother and infant sister Laurie. Michael is committed to Smith’s Grove Sanitarium under the care of Dr. Sam Loomis (McDowell). Loomis eventually realizes he is dealing with pure evil in Michael. Fifteen years later, on Halloween, Michael (Man) escapes from the sanitarium and heads home to Haddonfield to find his sister, and finish the job he started years before.

“Halloween” does some things really well, and some things really poorly. The result is an average movie that in no way eclipses the original. The good includes Tyler Mane as the grown up Michael. Finally played by an actual actor, Michael is menacing and really scary. It’s also nice to see familiar scenes from the original. That, along with the original’s music makes the film feel close to the original at times. Unfortunately, with 45 minutes devoted to backstory that took about 10 minutes in the original, the meat of the story feels compressed and rushed. There is no building up to the final showdown. It feels like the movie is one continuous murder after the other. Lastly, the ending is terrible, without any of the creepiness of the original. Yes, it has been changed, and not for the better. Rob Zombie’s “Halloween” is an interesting take on the original, but is deeply flawed. If you want to see a great “Halloween”, go rent the original directed by John Carpenter.

Becoming Jane ***Cast: Anne Hathaway, James McAvoy, Julie Walters, James Cromwell, Maggie Smith, Joe Anderson, Anna Maxwell Martin
Director: Julian Jarrold
Running Length: 2:00
MPAA Classification: PG

In 1796, a young Jane Austen (Hathaway) meets Tom Lefroy (McAvoy). He has no money and depends on his uncle to support him. After initial dislike, they fall in love. Jane’s mom (Walters) is not pleased, as she wants Jane to marry someone rich, like Lady Gresham’s (Smith) nephew). Jane’s father (Cromwell) wants her to follow her heart. While this relationship develops, Jane also follows her other passion: writing. And her writing will mirror her life.

“Becoming Jane” is a fictionalized account of an unknown time in h the life of Jane Austen. Much like “Shakespeare in Love” took liberties with the facts, so does “Becoming Jane”. Of course “Becoming Jane” is less successful, The acting is ok…no Oscar contenders here. Hathaway and McAvoy are engaging, but not spectacular. Jane Austen fans will enjoy the film and its references to her works. Those who enjoy love stories will also be somewhat satisfied. “Becoming Jane” isn’t for everyone, but it is worth checking

Superbad ***Cast: Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Bill Hader, Seth Rogen, Emma Stone, Martha MacIsaac, Aviva
Director: Greg Mottola
Running Length: 1:53
MPAA Classification: R

Evan (Cera) is a average shy high schooler. Seth (Hill) is loud and obnoxious. Fogell (Mintz-Plasse) is a big nerd. Together, they have a chance to impress the girls at a high school party by supplying alcohol. Evan is interested in Becca (MacIsaac), Seth likes Jules (Stone), and Fogell wants Nicola (Aviva). Of course nothing goes smoothly, and soon they are dealing with Officers Slater (Hader) and Michaels (Rogan), who aren’t very competent and want to hang with Fogell, who is going by the name McLuvin on his new fake ID.

“Superbad” is a very funny movie. The dialogue is profane and very R-rated, but clever as well. It is like an even funnier version of “American Pie”. The three leads are all believable as high schoolers on the brink of college. The camaraderie is genuine, and you can tell that they had a blast making this movie. Produced by Judd Apatow (director “Knocked Up”’) and written by Rogan and Evan Goldberg, it is clear that they know their subject matter, and know how to make it funny. Apatow and Rogan seem to be the voices of comedy these days, and “Superbad” is a prime example. I recommend this film.