Movies

Unlock the mysteries of the year's most spellbinding film from the producers of Crash and Sideways! Oscar nominees Paul Giamatti and Edward Norton lead an all-star cast in this "stunning" film (USA Today) that conjures an exhilarating blend of suspense, romance, and mind-bending twists. The acclaimed illusionist Eisenheim (Norton) has not only captured the imaginations of all of Vienna, but also the interest of the ambitious Crown Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell). But when Leopold's new fiancee (Jessica Biel) rekindles a childhood fascination with Eisenheim, the Prince's interest evolves into obsession...and suddenly the city's chief inspector (Giamatti) finds himself investigating a shocking crime. But even as the inspector engages him in a dramatic challenge of wills, Eisenheim prepares for his most impressive illusion yet in this "mesmerizing" (Entertainment Weekly) and "beautifully acted" (Good Morning America) film that "teases you until the very end" (The New York Times)!

You may have heard and/or read the same mix of reviews that I had before I had seen The Illusionist. Some people could nod their heads at it and tell you it was entertaining. Others would hesitate, only to be polite, and say it just wasn't worth seeing. In my experience, not many people had very strong feelings one way or the other. And many people preferred to focus on whether or not it was better than The Prestige instead of discussing the movie on its own merits. I won't claim the moral high-ground, admittedly I have not seen The Prestige; all I have to go on is The Illusionist. And I liked it.

The casting is better than luke-warm. The movie features the on-the-rise career of Paul Giamatti and the long-overdue return of Ed Norton. Giamatti acted his way onto the map with a highly praised performance in American Splendor, though he is probably most well-known for his role in the Sideways. If you have read my reviews before, this may not be the first time you see me point to the movie Confidence. It is the movie to which I would say Paul Giamatti's role is most comparable (and one of my favorite movies). In both movies he toes the line between the moral and immoral, while bringing a strong breadth of character. In the Illusionist he has a larger part, so you are able to enjoy his very-likeable personality in greater supply.

Edward Norton has delivered some very noteworthy performances over his career. I can only wish for him to get more work; I enjoy what he does. He does not seem to work at the same pace as many in-demand actors today. Maybe he prefers more time off, or maybe I am the lone voice of support for his career. Either way, I thought he did a great job as lead in The Illusionist, where he brought the same "I'm better than you" arrogance that he gave us in Rounders. It seemed effortless as he settled into a character who is not too over-the-top. Knowledge is power, and his character knew what others did not.

The story was a new flavor of an old dish. The creators here took the often-used template for a crescendo of suspense which carries you safely into the heart of an exhilarating plot twist. What they added was magic, literally. (Sure it was good, but you know what I mean.) I really enjoy magicians and their craft. I liked the way the creative team for The Illusionist was able to bring this story to life. The only thing I longed for was more magic. A few more slight-of-hand tricks would have made me very happy, though I understand that there wasn't necessarily any good place for them to be added.

I hope that you are neither too proud of yourself, nor disappointed should you predict the twist. The strength of the movie is less in the surprise and more in the execution. The Illusionist is not a movie you will love, but I think if you give it a fair chance, you will be entertained.

For another movie (starring Ed Norton) similar to The Illusionist, click here.

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1. Secondhand Lions

2. Batman Begins

3. Children of Men

4. The Cider House Rules

5. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

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Secondhand Lions

For young Walter (Haley Joel Osment), being stuck on his "crazy" uncles' farm is the last place on earth he wants to spend the summer. First, shocked by their unconventional behavior, including ordering an African lion through the mail, Walter soon gets caught up in their mysterious past. The rumors that his uncles (Academy Award winners Robert Duvall and Michael Caine) were bank robbers or maybe even worse are hard to believe, but they do seem to have an endless supply of cash!

Little by little, an amazing story comes to life -- filled with adventures in exotic lands involving kidnapped princesses, Arabian sheiks and lost treasure. These tales not only bring him closer to his uncles but also teach him what it means to believe in something...whether it's true or not.

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Children of Men is a science fiction story that could appeal easily to non-sci-fi fans. The movie is set in the year 2027 and portrays a very believable future. The twist is that by 2027, all humans have become infertile. The youngest person on Earth is 18 years old and when people stopped having babies, the world fell apart. Clive Owen delivers an incredibly realistic performance in bringing to life this book by British mystery maven, P.D. James. Owen stars as Theo Faron, the one-time activist who has lost his cause and seemingly his passion for life as well. An important part of his past catches up with him when he is confronted by an extremist organization asking for help. Does he help this woman find help, when it means risking her life and his? And does his decision become easier or harder when he learns she is pregnant!?

The movie has it all: action, humor, and a brilliant theme showcasing the relationship between faith and chance in our lives. The action was gripping and it keeps you on the edge of your seat. In Children of Men, they do not hold your hand through the story; things happen and they happen quickly. You will not get lost due to the speed, but be prepared. Things happen and you may not agree with them all, but by the end of the movie I hope you agree with me that everything that happened was necessary and well-timed.

The laughs come at odd intervals, but seem to be just when you need them. The performances by Michael Caine (Jasper) and Peter Mullan (Syd) added the right about of levity to balance out the serious nature of the story. I could talk all day about Michael Caine alone and his iconic career in film, but I will leave it at this: he was fantastic yet again. Any elaboration I make on that would mean divulging a detail of the film that you should experience for yourself.

Jasper even brings the theme (mentioned above) right to the audience. He tells a story about Theo's past and sets it up nicely. I love movies that can pull that off; I can't imagine it is easy.

I have never been in a war zone. I can only imagine what it would be like to be in such a hostile environment. From what I would imagine, Children of Men nailed it. I have seen movies with similar scenes, but they have never felt as real. Maybe it is the political environment currently that added to the feeling in the movie.

I liked Children of Men for many reasons. I will admit that there were a few moments that I felt the time passed too slowly, but they were brief. Clive Owen did wonderfully. The language was rough and there is a lot of blood shed. If those do not deter you from seeing other movies, you should see Children of Men.

For another Clive Owen movie you should see, check out Croupier.

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Your favorite sub-zero heroes are back for another incredible adventure in the super-cool sequel to the global hit comedy Ice Age.

The action heats up -- and so does the temperature -- for Manny, Sid, Diego and Scrat. Trying to escape the valley to avoid a flood of trouble, the comical creatures embark on a hilarious journey across the thawing landscape and meet Ellie, a female woolly mammoth who melts Manny's heart.

With its dazzling animation, unforgettable characters and playful music, Ice Age The Meltdown is laugh-out-loud fun for the whole family!

I laughed a lot. Certainly I laughed more than I had expected to. As things got underway, I figured Ice Age The Meltdown would be the classic animated sequel -- thrown together too quickly to try and ride the wave of initial popularity. If I may be so bold, I enjoyed Ice Age The Meltdown more than it's predecessor.

The story was a little...childish, but consider that it is still primarily a kids' movie. While it may have happened earlier, I cite Toy Story as being the first movie to include more adult humor, and Ice Age The Meltdown follows suit. This movie goes above and beyond the legacy created by Toy Story. I would even recommend you reserve the movie for your slightly older children because some of the writing borders the inappropriate (my only example here is when Manny is called "pervert"). With that simple disclaimer made, the rest of the movie was a lot of fun. There was plenty of funny dialogue and hilarious physical comedy. I was watching for some sort of message, but if they meant to, I am not sure they succeeded delivering one.

I enjoy the Ice Age series and its characters. I am not sure how many movies the series will be able to span, but I am confident that they could do at least one more. I enjoy the dynamic of the "herd," comprised first of a sloth; a sabretooth tiger; and a woolly mammoth, and now including a second mammoth and two possums. Their personalities go well together as they interact in a prehistoric age reminding me of another kids series I enjoyed growing up: The Land Before Time.

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1. Shawshank Redemption

2. Cool Hand Luke

3. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

4. Sleepers

5. The Great Escape

(Honorable Mention: The Last Castle, Girl, Interrupted)

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The acclaimed fourth film from groundbreaking writer and director Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown), Kill Bill Volume 1 stars Uma Thurman (Pulp Fiction), Lucy Liu (Charlie's Angels, Chicago) and Vivica A. Fox (Two Can Play That Game) in an astonishing, action-packed thriller about brutal betrayal and an epic vendetta! Four years after taking a bullet in the head at her own wedding, The Bride (Thurman) emerges from a coma and decides it's time for payback...with a vengeance! Having been gunned down by her former boss (David Carradine) and his deadly squad of international assassins, it's a kill-or-be-killed fight she didn't start but is determined to finish! Loaded with explosive action and outrageous humor, it's a must-see motion picture event that has critics everywhere raving.

Of the two times I sat down to watch Kill Bill Volume 1, I can say that I only fell asleep once. Watching it for the first time, I never realized how slow the story is. I actually used to make excuses about how tired I was that day I fell asleep rather than seeing what really happened. There is some amazing action in Kill Bill Volume 1, but it is neatly bundled into only a few scenes. Those scenes were great, and the marriage between live action scenes and anime shorts worked very well.

The movie was pretty funny, more so than I had expected. The humor was in the writing in some parts, but also in just how ridiculously bloody the fight scenes were. Think of Kill Bill Volume 1 as a cross between Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and The Evil Dead. From Crouching Tiger we see the live action fight scenes choreographed like Japanese anime cartoons. From Evil Dead we get high-pressured spouts of blood coming from every slash and cut.

The language is not the best, but it is the fight scenes that would probably prevent you from showing this movie to young children and the squeemish.

Kill Bill Volume 1 was good, but not great. I am hoping that it will gain favor with me when I see Volume 2. I have heard that they really must regarded as two parts of a whole and that it is unfair to judge them separately.

Get yourself a large caffeinated beverage and enjoy Kill Bill Volume 1. That is unless my suspicions are correct and I am actually the last person to see this movie.

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I did not plan to see Night at the Museum.

I did not want to see Night at the Museum.

But...I was invited to go. So I went. Why not, right?

I liked it.

Before going to see it for myself, I was perplexed by the numbers this movie was posting at the box office. The only rationale I could attribute to its success was that it was pretty much the only "kids movie" out, but that couldn't be enough of a driving force to get that many people to go see it. But now it all makes sense.

If you are in search of a thought-provoking, well-written plot with rich character development, Night at the Museum should not be on your list. If you want a fun (and at times very funny) film with a good message for your kids, make sure Night at the Museum is on your list. The story was a little hokey; I can admit that. But it was still entertaining.

Ben Stiller (who I do not typically enjoy) is Larry, the consistently out-of-work, divorced father who takes a job as night security for The Museum of Natural History. The job sounds simple enough, but he soon finds it is much more than he bargained for when on his first night everything in the museum comes to life. Yes. Literally.

The story, very narrowly, is about Stiller being a hero to his kid. Much more broadly, the story shows kids how much fun history can be (apparently as long as you don't have the teachers I had in high school!). The movie has probably influenced an increase in trips to museums all over the country by exciting children about the mysticism of the exhibits. Any movie that can be entertaining and educational like that deserves praise. I will even admit that it caused me to consider a trip to a museum one of these days.

But the real highlight for me was the constant banter between Owen Wilson and Steve Coogan, as Jedidiah and Octavius respectively. They played leaders of groups of miniature characters in the "diorama room" of the museum, constantly at war with each other. Their interaction with each other and Ben Stiller was hilarious. (They even made me a little nostalgic for the good old days of The Indian in the Cupboard.)

I saw Night at the Museum in IMAX, which did not seem to make much of a difference. It was a pleasant viewing and listening experience, but I would imagine that Night at the Museum is just as good in your normal theater, so save yourself the extra few dollars.

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