Angels and Demons ***

Cast: Tom Hanks, Ewan McGregor, Ayelet Zurer, Stellan Skarsgård, Pierfrancesco Favino, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Thure Lindhardt
Director: Ron Howard
Running Length: 2:14
MPAA Classification: PG-13

The mourning over the death of the pope has ended in the Vatican, and the time has come to choose a new leader for the Catholic Church. Unfortunately, the four leading candidates have been kidnapped by people claiming to be the Illuminati, an underground society bent on taking down the Church. They threaten to kill the candidates and then blow up Rome with an antimatter bomb stolen from the CERN Large Hadron Collider. Enter Robert Langdon (Hanks), an expert on the Illuminati and Vittoria Vetra (Zurer), one of the scientists who created the antimatter. With the support of Commander Richter (Skarsgård), head of the Swiss Guard and Camerlengo Patrick McKenna (McGregor), they set out to solve the clues left behind to stop the Illuminati.

“Angels & Demons” is the sequel to “The DaVinci Code”, and provides more action and less talking than its predecessor. It is also marginally better (unlike the book which is far superior). Hanks is once again slipping into Langdon’s shoes, and seems comfortable there. (Rumor has it they are already planning an adaptation of the new Langdon novel). The story is entertaining despite being a little on the unbelievable side. The ideas presented are compelling though, and that soothes the more outrageous moments. “Angels & Demons” is definitely worth your time, especially if you enjoyed “The DaVinci Code.”

Stay ***1/2

Cast: Ewan McGregor, Ryan Gosling, Naomi Watts, Bob Hoskins, Janeane Garofalo, Kate Burton, Elizabeth Reaser, B.D. Wong
Director: Marc Forster
Running Length: 1:39
MPAA Classification: R

Psychiatrist Sam Foster (McGregor) is filling in for a co-worker when he meets Henry Letham (Gosling). Henry clearly has some problems, and when he tells Sam that he is going to kill himself in a few days on his 21st birthday, Sam decides to try to save him. As Sam begins to look into Henry's life, he finds the line between reality and illusion begin to blur.

"Stay" is all of that and none of that at the same time. Things are not what they seem, and it is interesting to watch things unfold. What could have been a huge twist at the end is instead diffused by scenes early on the let the audience in on what is happening. In fact, it is possible to know what is going on from the very beginning of the film. What makes the movie great is the journey they characters take on the way to the inevitable end.

Director Marc Forster does an amazing job of making all things tie together. If something in the movie seems odd, it is there for a reason, and if you pay close enough attantion, you will see what I mean. The acting is good as well, but is not what makes the movie so good. "Stay" is an entertaining and thought provoking film that I highly recommend.

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.