Drag Me to Hell ***

Cast: Alison Lohman, Justin Long, Lorna Raver, Dileep Rao, David Paymer, Adriana Barazza
Director: Sam Raimi
Running Length: 1:39
MPAA Classification: PG-13

Christine Brown (Lohman) is a loan officer with visions of advancement. To make herself a better candidate than her co-worker, she decides to take the hard-line approach to customers. When Mrs. Ganush (Raver) is behind on her payments and about to lose her house, Christine is unsympathetic. Mrs. Ganush doesn’t take this well, puts a curse on Christine. Christine begins to have nightmarish visions, and seeks out the help of a mystic (Rao). He tells her that after three days of haunting, the demon will drag her to hell if she cannot get rid of it.

“Drag Me to Hell” is the latest horror movie from director Sam Raimi, after his three “Spider-Man” films. It marks a return to his roots, and he doesn’t seem to have missed a beat. The film is scary, gross, and funny. The PG-13 rating, normally the mark of a crap horror movie, works perfectly. In fact, it is about as close to an R rating a film can get. Lohman is good as the unsympathetic lead character, and the supporting cast works well together. “Drag Me to Hell” is a solid horror movie that is worth checking out.

Beowulf ***Cast: Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, Robin Wright Penn, Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich, Brendan Gleeson, Crispin Glover, Alison Lohman
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Running Length: 1:55
MPAA Classification: PG-13

In 6th century Denmark, Kin Hrothgar’s (Hopkins) kingdom is being terrorized by the monster Grendel (Glover). The king calls for someone to come and defeat Grendel. Beowulf (Winstone) answers that call, seeking glory more than gold. On his first night there, Grendel attacks and Beowulf must deal with him. But, Grendel is not the only creature waiting to terrorize the kingdom. Grendel’s mother (Jolie) and a dragon also lie in wait.

Computer animated and only loosely following the epic poem, “Beowulf” is an entertaining feast for the eyes. I think that animation was the way to go with this story, and the images are very realistic. Voice talents of Winstone, Hopkins, Jolie, Gleeson, and Penn all fit well with the characters. Purists will probably be disappointed with the changes, but for those not familiar with the story will probably have no problems. “Beowulf” is a great example of how far CGI has come, and an excellent diversion for those craving some action.

Big Fish **1/2

Cast: Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Billy Crudup, Jessica Lange, Alison Lohman, Helena Bonham Carter, Steve Buscemi, Danny DeVito, Matthew McGrory
Director: Tim Burton

Big Fish, at it's heart, is a story on a son trying to get to know his dad as he is dying. William Bloom has never really felt that he knew his father. Throughout his life, William has heard his father's stories that were embellished to the point of being almost beyond belief. After a big blow up at his wedding, William and his father do not speak for years, only reuniting at his father's death bed. At this point William must learn to appreciate his father's stories as he tells them and then perhaps he will learn to appreciate the man behind the stories. This is a bit of a different type of movie for director Tim Burton, but manages to retain his style throughout with the surreal environments created by the stories being told. And while it is neat to look at, ultimately the story did little for me. I did not care for the father character, and since he is the main character, that is a problem. Wait for video if you want to check this one out.