Case 39

Release Date: October 1st, 2010

Click here for the Case 39 Trailer.

Emily Jenkins(Renee Zellweger) is a young social worker who is assigned to investigate the family of 10-year-old Lillith Sullivan(Jodelle Ferland). Lillith's grades have steadily declined and an emotional tear between her and her parents has warranted the concern of the state. When Emily investigates the family, she comes to the conclusion that they are abusing Lillith and neglecting her. But without hardcore evidence, Emily cannot do anything to help Lillith.

But the scene quickly changes when Emily receives a phone call from Lillith saying her parents are coming for her. Emily, along with her friend Detective Mike Barron(Ian McShane), go to Lillith's house to find her in a horrible situation. After that, Lillith is placed in a group home until she convinces Emily to adopt her until the state can find a decent foster family.

After Lillith moves in with Emily, strange things begin to happen. The kids in Lillith's support group begin acting violently and Emily's friends, including her best friend and Lillith's Psychiatrist Douglas J. Ames(Bradley Cooper), begin experiencing horrible accidents. Emily soon begins to think that this case of a poor helpless girl may not be as clear as she once assumed, and it is up to her to figure out exactly what is going on and exactly what Lillith is before it is too late.

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Renee Zellweger returns to the big screen, in person that is, for the first time since 2008 and does a pretty good job. I hadn't heard a lot about this movie before I saw it. At most I had seen maybe two previews for it, but other than that I was completely in the dark about the plot, the actors etc... but I decided to give it a chance anyway. Now considering it is October, scary movies are definitely the way to go.

As far as Case 39 goes, this movie won't top my all time scream fests but it will lay somewhere in the middle with films like Signs and 30 Days of Night. I just wasn't particularly scared during this movie. While it did have a few spots that made me jump, the overall "scare factor" just wasn't there. What was there was a great cast list as well as an original and interesting story that kept me involved.

I've always liked Renee Zellweger and I have always thought she has done great work with all of her films. She kept her streak with me going with Case 39. I felt obligated to feel for her character and empathize with how she felt and reacted to certain situations. Normally I find social workers in film and television to be pompous and just downright annoying. However, with Zellweger I felt like she was legitimately trying to help people. This will connect with audiences and keep them paying attention throughout the film.

I was really impressed with the performance delivered by the young Jodelle Ferland. Now everybody knows that children in horror roles are creepy, but Jodelle took it to a whole new level. While she definitely does not outshine the terror that is Linda Blair in The Exorcist, Ferland does add her own form of creepiness. I think what got me the most was the fact that the whole time she was making these horrible things happen she maintained a cute, bubbly personality like everything was normal. She would giggle and act like a normal little kid which, for me, was the creepiest part.

I thought the story was very intriguing. While I already knew what Ferland's character was, I still found the main basis behind her behavior and why she did the things she did to be very interesting. The power of whatever Lillith was supposed to be was definitely scary, and it always made you wonder what was going to happen next and when it was going to happen. This also made you feel the stress that Zellweger's character went through.

I do, however, have on gripe on the story. Towards the end, when you finally realize what Lillith is and what she wants, the movie builds and builds and builds, adding all this anticipation for what you think is going to be some huge confrontation. For me, I was expecting Lillith to go full on demon mode and wreak havoc or at least go out with some style. However, spoilers aside, she didn't. While I won't tell you the exact ending, for me it felt abrupt and unimaginative. I felt like something greater should have taken down Lillith.

Other than that this was a pretty decent movie. Enough plot and suspense to keep you interested but definitely not one of the scariest films in theaters. If you want a decent psychological horror film, then you should definitely give Case 39 a look.

I give Case 39 7 "Harmless" Children Shoved into Ovens out of 10.

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The A-Team

Release Date: June 11th, 2010

Click here for The A-Team Trailer.

Deep in the heart of Mexico John "Hannibal" Smith(Liam Neeson) is on a rescue mission to save his teammate Templeton "Faceman" Peck(Bradley Cooper) from a renegade Mexican general. En route to Face, Hannibal enlists the help of disgraced Army Ranger Bosco "B.A." Baracus(Quinton Jackson). The two manage to free Face and escape to an army hospital to enlist insane chopper pilot H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock(Sharlto Copley). The four men flee the hospital with the General in pursuit, narrowly escaping death multiple times thanks to the incredible, and unbelievable, flying of Murdock. The team makes their way across the American/Mexican border where the general's helicopter is destroyed by an United States Air Force Jet.

"Eight years and eighty successful missions later", the four men have become the most highly-regarded, elite combat unit in the United States Army and are stationed in Iraq. A C.I.A Agent, Agent Lynch(Patrick Wilson) arrives one day an informs Hannibal and his commanding officer General Morrison(Gerald McRaney) that Iraqi insurgents are in possession of a United States Mint printing press as well as U.S. Treasury plates and have printed over $1 billion in counterfeit money. Lynch wants Hannibal and his team to retrieve the plates. At the same time, DCIS Captain Charissa Sosa(Jessica Biel), who coincidentally was Face's ex-girlfriend, arrives in Iraq and informs Face that he and his team needs to stay away from the plates and out of Baghdad.

Hannibal finds out that the mercenary group Black Forest, who was working with the U.S. Army, is going to be retrieving the plates lead by their leader Brock Pike(Brian Bloom). Hannibal disregards General Morrison's orders and stages an unofficial "Black ops" mission to retrieve the plates. Hannibal and his team return successfully from the mission and go to meet with Morrison. On the way Morrison's jeep is blown up with Morrison presumably dead. Hannibal realizes it was Pike and the rest of Black Forest but is unable to stop them before they make off with the plates.

Hannibal and his team are charged with Morrison's death and the stealing of the plates and are dishonorably discharged and sentenced to 10 years in separate Federal Prisons. Six Months later, Hannibal breaks out of prison with the help of Lynch and the C.I.A. and reassembles his team. Hannibal along with Face, B.A. and Murdock stage a plan to find Pike and the plates and clear their names. But there is more to the plates than Hannibal realizes which unfolds into a deeper and darker plot than expected.

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Who doesn't love an action movie based off of one of the most beloved t.v. sitcoms from the 80's? That's what I thought. The A-Team comes from director Joe Carnahan who tries to out his own spin on the iconic show without sacrificing what made it great in the first place. Carnahan brings together a great, if not extremely mixed cast for this film. The A-Team has everything from UFC fighters and Award-winning actors to upcoming Hollywood stars.

Let's "Face" it (ya get it? "Face"?......whatever) nobody looks at a trailer for The A-Team or hears about this film and thinks "man I can not wait to see the gripping plot or the award-winning story". People come to see this movie for the action, the explosions, the gunfights and the humor and on that front this film really delivers. The story isn't immaculate, and the acting isn't something you are going to find in a some big movie like The Shawshank Redemption. But that isn't the point of this movie. The point is the action.

Oh, and if you want realistic action then find another movie, because you won't find it here (and I'm not sure you should even be looking here). The action in this movie is definitely high octane, face melting action and it comes at you from start to finish. As the lovely Jessica Biel states towards the beginning of the movie "these h=guys are the best at what they do and they specialize in the ridiculous" which couldn't be closer to the truth. From barrel rolls and mid air stalls in helicopters to floating a semi trailer with airbags to even trying to fly a tank (yeah, you read that right) the action never gets dull. That is one of the main reasons I loved this movie. It was fun to watch. With all the serious movies coming out lately like Avatar, Shutter Island or even The Crazies a movie with over-the-top, insane and unrealistic action like this one is a welcome break.

I said earlier that you won't be coming to this film for award-winning acting. That being said, I was not trying to imply that the acting was terrible. Quite the contrary. The overall cast of the film did a pretty good job making everything flow. Liam Neeson performed wonderfully (I mean he's Liam Neeson, come on now). He really seemed to capture the original character of Hannibal from the television series. Bradley Cooper is proving to be one of the hottest new actors in Hollywood right now. He shows his range a little bit in this film bouncing between funny man, ladies man and action man. I was really impressed with Quinton "Rampage" Jackson's performance. When you think of a big, tough UFC fighter you don't typically think big Hollywood movie. However Jackson didn't seem out of place at all with the cast and showed that he could hold his own in acting. My favorite performance was from Sharlto Copley. The South-African native proved he could act with his performance in District 9 and he followed it up nicely with The A-Team. He was, without a doubt, the comedic relief in the film. Copely did a great job pulling off a American southern accent and made himself very believable.

This movie was packed with insane action, some very nice laughs and came out to be just a straight good time. On all those fronts it succeeded. Was it a contender for an Academy Award for Best Picture? No. Was it a contender for an Oscar Nominee for Best Screenplay? Probably not. Does anybody really think of seeing this movie in the hopes of receiving any of those qualities? Absolutely not. This is movie is good for what it is and set out to be, an action flick. If you wanna see a ton of stuff blowing up, a bunch of insane stunts that would most likely never happen in real life and if you wanna laugh your butt off then you should definitely hit up your local theater and check out this movie. Sure the plot was a little predictable but who cares? You get to see "Rampage" Jackson body slam somebody into a freight tank and Sharlto Copley cook with gunpowder. What more do you need?

I give The A-Team 9 Flying Tanks out of 10

Yes Man

Release Date: December 19th, 2008

Click here for the Yes Man Trailer.

Carl Allen(Jim Carrey) is a Los Angeles bank employee who takes no pleasure in life after his wife Stephanie(Molly Sims) divorced him three years ago. Carl says no to every oppurtunity that comes his way, blocking out his friends and everything around him. Carl would rather spend his time alone in his apartment watching movies than to be out enjoying life. Carl's best friend Peter(Bradley Cooper) is furious when Carl misses his engagement dinner. He tells Carl that if he doesn't change his ways he is going to wind up sad and alone for the rest of his life.

While Carl is sitting outside of the bank that he works at eating lunch, he bumps into an old colleague of his, Nick(John Michael Higgins), who is stunned that Carl is still working at the bank. Nick tells Carl about him joining this program that has given him a new outlook on life. Nick now embraces life and lives it to the fullest from doing one simple thing, saying yes to life's opportunities. Nick invites Carl to the seminar which he reluctantly agrees to attend. At the seminar, Carl is singled out by Nick as being a new attendee. The seminar spokesman, Terrence Bundley(Terence Stamp) approaches Carl after Carl says "no" to coming up on stage. Bundley then forces Carl to make a covenant with himself, promising that he will say "yes" to every oppurtunity life throws at him. Carl's first chance at saying yes happens as soon as he leaves when a homeless man asks Carl for a ride. Carl agrees to driving him as well as letting him use his cell phone, in which the homeless man runs down the battery. The man then asks Carl for some money, and Carl agrees. Carl's "yes" attitude seems to paying off in a negative way when his car runs out of gas and he can't call AAA for help.

Carl walks to a gas station where he meets Allison(Zooey Deschanel), a quirky woman filling up her scooter. Allison gives Carl an adventurous and terrifying ride back to his car where she kisses him and drives away. Carl's life is starting to turn around from saying yes. He accepts a flyer from a band promoter who he continually says no to. When he goes to the concert, the band, an weird, eccentric band performs with the lead singer being Allison. The two meet again at the show and become attracted to each other and begin to date. Carl is suddenly saying yes to everything life throws at him, making him give out over 500 small loans at the bank he works at, take flying lessons, guitar lessons, Korean lessons, making him join an Iranian mail-order bride service, plan the bridal shower of Lucy Burns(Sasha Alexander) Peter's fiance, and going to a Harry Potter themed party at his lovable but clueless boss Norman's(Rhys Darby) house.

But things suddenly take a turn for the worse. Carl and Allison decide to go to the airport and take a trip on the first plane out of town, which takes them to Lincoln, Nebraska where they go to the Frank H. Woods Telephone Museum, go to a Nebraska College football game, and go skeet shooting. The two take refuge in a barn when it starts raining and Allison asks Carl to move in with her. Carl hesitantly says yes, which worries Allison, but the two get over it. When the two try to book a flight home, they are apprehended by F.B.I. agents who, because of the activities Carl has recently started, think he is a terrorist. Peter, being a lawyer, flies down to Nebraska to explain to the agents that Carl must say yes to every oppurtunity he comes across, which explains his somewhat strange behavior. Allison hears this and believes that the only reason Carl is with her is because he has to say yes. Allison, after being released from the agents, leaves Carl at the airport.

Carl then goes to Terrence Bundley's seminar and hides in the back of his car. Carl wants him to break the "covenant", allowing Carl to say no. Carl pops out of Bundley's back seat and startles him, making him run a red light and crashing, landing both of them in the hospital. When Carl wakes up, Bundley tells him that the "covenant" was bogus, it was just used to get Carl on the idea of saying yes, allowing Carl to say no if he needs to. Carl finds Allison and explains everything to her, telling her he really doesn't want to move in with her just yet, but that he really does care about her.

Jim Carrey is one of the biggest comedic geniuses in the film industry. He brings a crazy eccentricity to his movies that is so fast paced that it almost leaves you tired watching him. Carrey has proven that he can do serious roles like his films Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Truman Show and The Number 23 but his true genius is in comedy, and he definitley delivers in Yes Man. This movie is reminiscent of Carrey's film Liar Liar where he is forced to tell the truth for 24 hours whereas in this movie he has to say yes to everything.

Carrey brings his trademark energy to this film. The whole movie is go go go from the very beginning. This movie was good and I really enjoyed it. I am already a huge fan of Jim Carrey and this is another movie that is going on my favorites list. first of all, the premise of the movie is what first draws you in. A man who says no to everything and then suddenly has to say yes makes for an interesting twist of fate. Not to mention that Carrey, being as funny as he is, is also supported by funny cast members. Zooey Deschanel adds her own little quaint quirkiness to the film and her and Carrey have great chemistry together. A real show stealer for me was the character of Carrey's boss Norman, played by Rhys Darby. Everything about him was funny. His accent, his clueless demeanor, and his genuinely friendly and nice attitude. He is the type of guy that wants to be everybody's friend and just wants you to like him. But the true comedy lies with Carrey. This is definitley one of his better works.

I do not think this movie will as funny to you the first time you watch it. Like a lot of Carrey's movies, they appear to get better and better each time you watch them, as was the case for me with Fun With Dick and Jane. But Carrey dose his best to provide laughs throughout the whole movie. Carrey is a very physical actor and it shows in Yes Man. He is like the man with the golden touch, but instead of making everything he touches turn to gold, he makes it funny. This movie is classic Jim Carrey. It has high energy, big laughs, a great cast, and a lovable story that keeps you hooked. I give Yes Man 8 Harry Potter Themed Parties out of 10.

The Hangover

Release Date: June 5th, 2009

Click here for The Hangover Trailer.

When four guys get together for a bachelor party in Vegas, shenanigans ensue that none of them planned and that none of them can even remember.

Doug(Justin Bartha, National Treasure) is about to get married to the girls of his dreams, Tracy(Sasha Barrese). In celebration, Doug's friends Phil(Bradley Cooper, He's Just Not That Into You), a bored school teacher and Stu(Ed Helms, The Office), a dentist, take Doug, along with his future brother in-law Alan(Zach Galifianakis, What Happens in Vegas), an inept but rather smart individual, for a weekend of male debauchery in Sin City. When they arrive, they upgrade their room to a Villa suite and go up to get ready for a night on the town. Before they begin, they guys sneak up to the roof for a view of the Vegas strip and a little toast to Doug with some shots of Yeager.

The next morning, the guys wake up in their Villa, which has been completely trashed. The worst part is that none of them has any idea of what happened the night before. When they search the room for clues, they find some things they don't expect. They guys find a baby in the closet, a tiger in the bathroom, and they also realize that Doug is missing. When they can't find Doug anywhere in the hotel, they group gets worried and tries to retrace their steps from the night before, the steps none of them remember taking. Searching their pockets, the find some clues: Stu's missing tooth, an ATM receipt for $800, a VIP parking pass, and a medical bracelet on Phil's wrist from the local hospital. More confusion ensues when the valet brings the group, now accompanied by a baby, a police cruiser instead of the vintage BMW Alan's dad, Sid(Jeffery Tambor, Arrested Development) let them borrow for the trip. At the hospital, the guys realize that Stu, who is trying trying to keep this whole experience away from his controlling girlfriend Melissa(Rachel Harris, Desperate Housewives), got married the night before. When they go to the chapel, they realize that Stu married a stripper named Jade(Heather Graham, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me). When they go to Jade's apartment to get the marriage annulled, the find out that the baby is hers. When the guys are trying to figure out what else happened, two cops, the owners of the stolen cruiser the guys have been riding around in, bust in the door and arrest the guys. Making a deal where the guys test out stun guns for a group of kids, they are released from jail and get there BMW back from the impound lot, amazingly without a scratch on it. When they begin driving, they hear a banging sound coming from the trunk. Thinking it is Doug, the guys pull over and open the trunk. Instead of finding Doug, a very angry and very naked Chinese man, Mr. Chow(Ken Jeong, Roll Models) jumps from the trunk and beats up the three guys before running off.

The guys decide to go back to the villa to look for more clues. Upon arriving they find former boxing legend Mike Tyson, the owner of the mysterious tiger in the bathroom. Mike Tyson forces the guys to bring the tiger back to his home. Alan drugs the tiger with Ruffalin, or roofies, and the load it in the BMW for transport. When the tiger wakes up and destroys the inside of car, the guys are forced to push the last mile to Tyson's house. Once they arrive, Tyson shows the guys his security tapes from his cameras, which shows Doug with the group and still alive. Upon leaving Tyson's house, the group is crashed into by a big black SUV. Out steps Mr. Chow, who tells them that they have $80,000 in Belagio casino chips and that he has Doug. They guys are confused until they see a man in the back of Chow's car with a sack over his head, who they believe to be Doug. Chow gives the guys until dawn to find his purse and the $80,000 or he is going to kill Doug. When the guys can not find the money, Alan uses his amazing card counting skills to win back $82,400 at the black jack tables to give to Chow. Upon trading the money, they find out that Doug isn't their Doug. This Doug is a black drug dealer who sold the roofies to Alan, thinking they were ecstasy. Black Doug(Mike Epps, Next Friday) doesn't know where the real Doug is either. But when Phil is about to tell Melissa that they can't find Doug, five hours before their wedding, Stu realizes where he is. They find Doug and proceed home to the wedding. Getting a tuxedo delivery by van while driving on the highway, the four men make it to the wedding just in time.

Wow, o.k. so when I first saw the previews for this movie, I laughed instantly. Directed by Todd Phillips, who also did Old School, this movie looked like it was another movie just like the Will Ferrel comedy. I always have reservations about going to comedies these days. Comedy is by far my favorite genre of film, but recently, all the comedies I have seen drew me in by the previews and proceeded to put all the funny parts of the movie in the previews leaving nothing new and funny for the actual movie. The Hangover definitley did not do that. This movie was hilarious. It's about a group of guys who have one wild party and it contains all the drunken comedy that you would expect. Justin Bartha, who was funny in the National Treasure movies, was moderately funny in this movie. But he didn't get much chance to work considering he was missing for the majority of the movie. Bradley Cooper, who played Doug's best friend Phil, portrayed the typical best friend who wants nothing more than to get hammered and layed and to take you down with him. Cooper added the brains to the group. Mostly remaining calm and keeping the group organized. Ed Helms, who played Stu, was the typical friend we all have who tries to be the voice of reason and tries to keep the group out of trouble. Helms did a great job. I really liked the way his character changed throughout the movie. He went from the conservative mild mannered guy to a guy who didn't care what happened by the end of it, just as long as they got Doug back. But Zach Galifianakis was the center comedian. His character was the one of the kid at school who used to sit in the corner and talk to his hand. His immaturity was key in what made this movie so funny. He was like an overweight infant with a beard.

The three main characters all had hugely different personalities which all fed off each other perfectly. The chemistry between Cooper, Helms and Galifianakis was on spot the whole movie. The point of The Hangover is, of course, comedy. The hardest thing to do in today's film industry regarding comedies is making a movie funny from start to finish. Well, Todd Phillips with writers Jon Lucas and Scott Moore did what so many comedic directors and writers fail to do, make a movie funny the entire time. But my favorite aspect of the movie was how you, the audience, actually got worried yourself about what happened to Doug. It made you feel like you just woke up from the night before with the guys. It kept you wondering the entire time what really did happen the night before and where the hell Doug is. The movie really kept you locked in. even if you hate this movie, finding out where Doug is and what happened is enough to keep you for the whole film. A true comedy in its purest form. When it comes to having a good time at the movies and laughing your ass off, nothing comes close to The Hangover. I can't really say anything negative about this movie, except, maybe, for the part of the movie where you see an 80 year old man's sagging, wrinkly, white-haired, naked butt. But thats about it.

I give The Hangover 9 Drunken Bachelor Parties out of 10.

He's Just Not That Into You

Release Date: February 6th, 2009

Click here for the He's Just Not That Into You Trailer.

It seems that when you have a girlfriend, you stop seeing movies you want to see and start seeing all the chick flicks and romance movies that she wants to see. Yet, even though your right to see a movie you want to is stripped from you, just remember that you have a girlfriend and you have somebody to see a movie with, even if it is a girlie movie.

So, after Valentine's Day and seeing a chick flick, I thought "Hey! Maybe I can choose the movie this time!" Well I was wrong. I had to see the romantic comedy "He's Just Not That Into You."

This romantic comedy, based on the best selling books written by Sex and the City's Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo, hosts a cast of many popular celebrities including Drew Barrymore, Ben Affleck, Jenifer Aniston, Jennifer Connelly, Scarlett Johansson and Justin Long who all mesh together pretty well.

The movie revolves around a group of people with relationship troubles who are all connected in some way, either by interaction or a friend, but don't really know it. The complications start when Gigi(Ginnifer Goodwin), a girl who only wants a guy to say he will call her and actually do it, is set up on a blind date with Conor(Kevin Connolly), a real-estate agent who, honestly, is not that into her. When Conor promises to call Gigi bt doesn't, Gigi stops by a restraunt where Conor goes, which happens to be managed by his friend Ken(Justin Long). When Ken hears Gigi talk about Conor, he feels it is his job to set her straight and give her some tips on how to tell if a guy is interested or not. Meanwhile, Conor is on a mission to get back with his ex-girlfriend, Anna(Scarlett Johansson), who really isn't that into Conor but likes doing ever thing couples do except sleep with each other, which, as you guessed it, frustrates Conor. Anna, who is also a musician trying to make it big, bumps into Ben(Bradley Cooper), a business man who works with a music label. When they hit it off right from the start, Ben quickly realizes their is a big problem, he's married to Janine(Jennifer Connolly). Janine, who deeply loves Ben, starts to mistrust him when she finds out he has been smoking again. The two decide to take a break when Ben is caught sleeping with Anna. Ben decides to stay with his friend Neil(Ben Affleck) who is in a fantastic relationship with Janine's friend Beth(Jennifer Aniston). Beth and Neil have been together for 7 years and Beth wants to get married, against Neil's personal beliefs abput marriage. When Neil doesn't commit, he moves onto his boat where Ben soon winds up. Beth vents to her friends Janine and Gigi, who all work at the same office. While all this is going on, Anna is consolling her friend Mary(Drew Barrymore) who has a great group of loving and supportive male friends, who all happen to be gay. Mary just wants someone to be her special someone.

This complex web of love, loss, trust, and what ever else you can throw into it gets pretty complicated through out the whole movie. But, fortunatley is pretty easy to follow. In the end, things work out for some and fall apart for others. People cry, laugh, love, and some relationships are formed that you might not expect.

I personally thought this movie would be funnier than it was. From the previews I saw of it I thought "Oh great, another romantic movie." It was funny in places but not to the extent I was expecting from the previews. I did, however, enjoy the great cast of characters. All the big name celebs that were in it performed as you would expect, great. I would have expected to see a little more Drew Barrymore. I figured a name like hers would of had a bigger part. The characters all seemed to work well with each other and with all the names in it there wasn't any feeling of clash, like one star trying to outshine another. The plot was intersting. I liked how the writers meshed everybody together and made all of them interact or be connected on different levels, mostly without them even knowing about it.

Overall I thought this movie was o.k. It was good for a romantic comedy but not one I could picture myself watching over and over again and probably only once or twice a year. So, I give He's Just Not That Into You 6 Confusing Love Webs out of 10