Thursday, December 21, 2006

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.

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

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.

Thursday, December 14, 2006

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

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

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.

Thursday, December 07, 2006

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.

Thursday, November 30, 2006

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.

Monday, November 27, 2006

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.

Thursday, November 16, 2006

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.

Friday, November 10, 2006

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.

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

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.

Monday, November 06, 2006

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.

Thursday, November 02, 2006

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.

Thursday, October 26, 2006

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.

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

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.

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

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.

Thursday, October 12, 2006

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.

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

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.