Film

They had tire swings in those days?Let's cut to the chase here: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is hardly
uplifting. Based on the book by John Boyne, this movie tells the
haunting story of the atrocities of the Holocaust as seen through the
eyes of a child. Opening with a quote that a child experiences sight
and sounds before reasoning takes over, the movie begins with symbolic
scenes of kids harmlessly playing war, setting up the innocence that is
to be shattered.

Smoke on the water. Winner of the Sundance Audience Choice Award and now being considered for an Academy Award nomination, Fuel is an amazing resource for those wishing to know more about the hottest issue of our time, energy independence. Not as sensational as a Michael Moore production (there is no equivalent to standing on a boat outside of Guantánamo Bay with a bullhorn demanding healthcare), it is far more practical and the main themes are knowledge and action.
Fuel is a comprehensive look at energy in America. A history of where we have been, our present predicament and a solution to our dependence on foreign oil, given an effort by the American people and our government. The film flows seamlessly through scientific data, facts, history and personal narrative and is never dull or overwhelming. Quite the opposite in fact, there is intrigue, conspiracy, murder, and greed, which is made all the more infuriating because this is not fiction.

Been waitin' for the bus all day. Knowing writer Charlie Kaufman's (Being John Malkovich/Adaptation) warped sense of humor, I figured the misspelling of Schenectady, New York was a setup for a cool in-joke. Turns out "synecdoche" is a real word, which according to Webster's means, "a figure of speech by which a part is put for the whole (as society for high society).

And Synecdoche New York is set in Schenectady. This movie is a surreal mess, mesmerizing in its complexities, perfectly depicting depressing beauty with stunning diatribes of madness, loneliness and despair. It's also a hilariously dark comedy.
Directing for the first time, Kaufman delivers what seems a straightforward story, but after a few minutes things start to twist. The first few hints involve the misinterpretation and mispronunciation of words. Kaufman then begins to fill the screen with images and ideas at a rapid pace. Soon we figure out that it's not going to do us any good to try and make sense of this journey. Just sit back and enjoy the circus.

Besides bloodlust, we have great hearing and a keen fashion sense. "Surely it was a good way to die, in the place of someone I loved. Noble even. That ought to count for something."

Thus begins the new movie, Twilight, inspired by the first of four books about a young girl and her vampire boyfriend by Stephanie Meyers, and in the hands of virtually every young girl aged 11 to 20 in America right now. Four novels, seventeen million copies - get the picture?
I have to admit, I didn't read the book and went in cold. And I was mesmerized. The story involves a sixteen-year-old high school student, Bella Swan (Kristin Stewart), who leaves her single mom in Arizona to go and live with her policeman dad in Forks, Washington. It's a gorgeous setting for this film: grey, perpetually foggy, green, mossy, mysterious, and, most importantly for vampires, sunless.

Cry it out. This fun little movie is actually a light-hearted look at Hollywood
back stabbings and financial dealings. In other words, this could have
been a scathing expose on Hollywood corruption, but What Just Happened
just lets it happen and allows us to be the judge.
Robert De Niro
plays Ben (yes, just "Ben"), a producer trying to balance his work
while juggling a messed-up life involving two ex-wives and kids to go
with them. Ben has two big deals in the works: one is a Cannes entry
entitled, "Fiercely," starring Sean Penn (as himself), directed by
indie filmmaker Jeremy Brunell (a superb Michael Wincott). We only see
snippets of the cruel and violent ending scene of "Fiercely," which the
producers insist should hit the editing floor. Jeremy takes it badly,
promoting tension between producers and himself. The second deal is an
action picture starring Bruce Willis (as himself). Here, the dilemma is
that Willis, contrary to all advice, has put on weight and grown a
Grizzly Adams beard, adding extra girth for his concept of the role
then refuses to shave his beard.

Even Bond is feeling the recession.Daniel Craig has that mysterious quality, that je ne sais quoi, that truly defines the James Bond character. This is a man who draws women effortlessly, kills efficiently and looks incredible in a tux.

James Bond has long been a cultural icon for masculinity at its best. Operating outside of the bounds of society, he is free from its restrictions, a man who protects the women, saves his country or often the world and does so with unparalleled style. Daniel Craig as James Bond, more than any other actor who has tackled the iconic role, brings a seriousness and enigmatic depth to Bond that makes the character even more fascinating.

Hot for teacher?The title Happy Go Lucky is kind of misleading. It implies a cutesy-fresh-feeling, sunshine approach to life, but it's far from cute-it's about real problems for real people and the ability to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Central character Poppy (Sally Hawkins) maintains a positive outlook throughout the movie. Her bike is stolen near the beginning and her only lament is that she didn't get to say goodbye. Poppy's a 30ish, single, North London primary school teacher whose passion is going to pubs and bouncing on a trampoline. Poppy's a wiseacre, unable to stop joking and always putting a spin of hope and optimistic sarcasm on everything. It's a struggle for her to take things seriously, though her caring demeanor is never nauseatingly sweet. She drinks, hangs out, is accosted by life and shrugs it off as "things just happen, move on and have fun with life." She's almost nervously out of sync with the rest of the world. After the bike incident she decides to learn to drive. We then follow Poppy and the various people she encounters, focusing more on life lessons than getting all hung up in plot.

And that, boys, is why you wouldn’t last five minutes in Sturgis. In the recently ended political season, there was a comment much
dissected and analyzed having to do with lipstick on a pig. I am trying
hard to forget the context, but watching Role Models this unfortunate
image came roaring back at me.

I suspect Judd Apatow is responsible
in large part for the new comedy genre, which created the following
formula: relentless amounts of crudeness, the raunchier the better,
followed by an awakened heart, followed by a gauzy enlightenment. And
in capable hands, it works. You get potty humor and leave the theater
feeling good about the world. We're going to make it, man.

A temporary resurrection. Soul Men is Bernie Mac's last movie; that alone lends his portrayal of an over-the-hill backup soul singer an eerie undertone. Coupled with the passing of Isaac Hayes (playing himself), this comedy could prove a real tearjerker for some and there is a fitting tribute done via clips of interviews and outtakes during the ending credits. But the meat of the movie, which was directed by Malcolm D Lee, (Undercover Brother) is an old and simple story. Two old friends are reunited for one last hurrah, with some road trip hijinks mixed in.

Scissor sisters. I almost don't know what to say about this innocuous entry into the
thriller genre except that it's as about as mediocre as they come, as
generic as it gets, and predictable beyond a shadow of a doubt. My
first thought was proven to be true that any movie with "Haunting" in
the title and especially "the Haunting of…" is doomed from the get-go.
Just check out Internet Movie Database (IMDB.com) if you don't believe
me. This movie was so below my level of consciousness that it didn't
even have enough power to make me mad. I just sat there and so did the
movie.

The Haunting of Molly Hartley, follows, you guessed it, Molly
Hartley and her pesky haunting and does so as follows: Molly (Hayley
Bennett) is attending a new high school in a new place with just her
dad. He says "let's have a fresh start" at breakfast, foreshadowing
things might not go so well. They've moved to the same community as her
mother's mental health facility and soon Molly has headaches,
hallucinations and troubles all stemming from the fact that mom jabbed
a pair of scissors in her chest years ago and was put away. Molly is
basically haunted by her mom…constantly, via flashbacks and what seems
to be present day escape visits.