Director: Marc Webb
Genre: Comedy
Studio: Fox Searchlight
Rated: PG-13

500 Days of Summer is like the American Apparel of movies, in that tries really hard to be hip--so hard it sometimes evokes an involuntary cringe. The perfect soundtrack (indie-pop infused with cleverly ironic 80’s hits), the smart cinematography, the occasionally broken fourth wall… It’s a natural progression from mid-00’s “youth-culture” flicks like Garden State and it does a good job rounding out the decade.  Everything in this dramedy resembles a music video and the characters are twentysomethings once again not living up to their full potential.  500 Days of Summer is touted as being really unique and original--it’s not. But that’s not to say that it’s not worth watching; it is, and mostly because of the leads. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel play a couple whose relationship story is told through a series of out-of-order flashbacks. The non-linear storytelling means we hop moment to moment from sweet, romantic and fun to crushingly desperate and sad, because the ultimate point here is that even when we believe we may have found The One, said soulmate might not feel the same way.    
Gordon-Levitt is an exciting actor to watch and after a succession of very serious, very troubled roles, it’s a pleasure to see him here as a mostly well-adjusted young guy whose biggest problem is that he loves someone who doesn’t love him back.  He’s the hero, and as such, Deschanel’s Summer Finn becomes the bad guy a little bit. But Deschanel plays it all big-eyed, conflicted and real and so you can’t help but forgive her. The much-lauded musical scene is tremendously joyful;  if it doesn’t put a smile on your face, nothing will.  500 Days of Summer isn’t groundbreaking, but it's an entertaining movie about hip, beautiful people whose lives you can only enjoy for about two hours before getting back to your own.  --Kira Canny

Stills from (500) Days of Summer (Click for larger image)



 

Director: J Blakeson
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Studio: Columbia Pictures
Rated: PG-13

Four waves of increasingly deadly attacks have left most of Earth in ruin. Against a backdrop of fear and distrust, Cassie is on the run, desperately trying to save her younger brother. As she prepares for the inevitable and lethal fifth wave, Cassie teams up with a young man who may become her final hope - if she can only trust him.

Director: Roger Spottiswoode
Genre: Action & Adventure
Studio: Sony Pictures
Rated: PG-13

For a movie about cloning, it's only appropriate that "The 6th Day", starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, is instilled with a strong sense of déjà vu, namely from Arnold's previous "Who am I?" outing, "Total Recall". In that movie, Arnold is a normal Joe who discovers that his entire reality has been co-opted by an evil conspiracy, and has to take his life back by force. The same premise applies here for Roger Spottiswoode's clever if overlong sci-fi thriller--Arnold thinks he's a regular guy leading a regular life, until a twist of fate puts him on the lam from a vast conspiracy that's replaced him with a clone. While he's trying to evade the evil genetics corporation--and its trendy, deadly, clone-friendly assassins (who don't care how many times they're killed: there's more where that came from)--his double is snuggling at home with his wife and daughter. And new legislation outlaws the existence of human clones, so somebody's got to go. But who gets to be live and who gets to be the dead Memorex man?
Why does said genetics corporation want to clone people? How does the kindly scientist (Robert Duvall) fit in? What's the mystery behind the slick billionaire (Tony Goldwyn) who runs everything? It's all kind of irrelevant in the end, as long as it provides a chance for Arnold to indulge in some energetic mayhem and explosive action. What distinguishes "The 6th Day" is its sneaky, humorous--and chilling--look at the near future, taking everyday technological advances and turning them up just a couple notches, envisioning an era with cloned pets, virtual girlfriends, and computers running most everything, from the refrigerator to your car. Arnold is supposed to be a throwback to the "real" world--you can tell because he cherishes his vintage, navigation-system-free Cadillac--but as usual, he just brings his behemoth presence to the role and not much else. Still, he's a friendly enough hero, and he rolls with the punches (literally) all the way through to the end. Too bad the film overstays its welcome by about half an hour--a little shorter and it could have been a breezy sci-fi/action romp. With scene stealers Michael Rooker, Sarah Wynter, and Rod Rowland as the trio of cloned assassins who always come back--again and again. "--Mark Englehart"

Director: Joel Schumacher, Robert Elswit
Genre: Dramas
Rated: R

Nicholas Cage plays Tom Welles, a straight-laced surveillance specialist. His innocent, naive world begins to unravel when he is hired by the widow of an industrialist to investigate what she has shockingly discovered in her late husband's safe. It appears to be a snuff film of a young girl being murdered. In order to discover the truth, he must enter the city's seedy underworld, guided by porn-store clerk Max California (Joaquim Phoenix, LADDER 49).



Muze/MTS Inc.

Director: Shane Acker
Genre: Animation, Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Studio: Universal Studios
Rated: PG-13

Nine small rag dolls, stitched together from burlap and clock workings and lenses, are all that stands in the way of the world being overtaken by the Machines. Actually, as "9" begins, it looks like the Machines have already had their way with Earth: this is one of those post-apocalyptic landscapes without life, hope, or sunlight. Clearly "9" director Shane Acker is willing to make an animated film that doesn't soar with Disney colors or Pixar cheer--in fact, main characters are killed off before the movie's halfway through. Our hero is 9 (voiced by Elijah Wood), so dubbed for the number on his back; after awakening to very confused consciousness, he bumps into other puppet survivors, such as the imperious 1 (Christopher Plummer), the warrior-like 7 (Jennifer Connelly), and the one-eyed comic sidekick 5 (John C. Reilly). They do battle with the Machines in a relentless (and eventually monotonous) series of battles, and the exploding hardware and endless warfare has a tendency to crowd out whatever character development might have been set up in the opening minutes. No question the movie's design is impressive, and the characters have a wonderfully expressive quality at first. But at some point it seems the Machines have taken over the moviemaking here, with tedious results. "--Robert Horton"

Director: Michael Gallant
Genre: Comedy
Studio: Ariztical
Rated: Unrated

Josh (Actor/comedian Jason Stuart) is a sensitive, gay, Jewish thirty-something, who just found out that his boyfriend is a cheater. Josh’s friend Brandon promises the perfect man in 10 dates, but not without a little Queer Eye makeover action. Any gay man in West Hollywood knows that 10 years of monogomay will leave your wordrobe anything but datable. A clothing shop owner, (Jim J. Bullock) redefines absurde fashion as he prepares Josh for his man attack. During the search for Mr. Right, Josh meets a bevy of eccentrics: Bryce the only remaining Marky Mark fan, Billy (David Faustino) a straight guy hoping to indulge his girlfriend’s boy on boy fetish, why is it so impossible to find a man who puts three Equals in his coffee? 10 Attitudes winningly depicts the foibles and frustrations of the modern dating scene.

Director: Dan Trachtenberg
Genre: Drama, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Rated: PG-13

Soon after leaving her fiancé Michelle is involved in a car accident. She awakens to find herself sharing an underground bunker with Howard and Emmett. Has she been saved from an apocalyptical event as Howard & Emmett tell her or are there other motives for her being held against her will?

Director: Roland Emmerich
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Romance
Studio: Warner Home Video
Rated: PG-13

A prehistoric epic that follows a young mammoth hunter named D'Leh's journey through uncharted territory to secure the future of his tribe. When a band of mysterious horse-riding warlords raid the Yaghal camp and kidnaps his heart's desire - the beautiful Evolet along with many others, D'Leh is forced to lead a small group of hunters south to pursue the warlords to the end of the world to save her. Driven by destiny, the unlikely band of warriors must battle saber-toothed cats and terror birds in the Levant.

Director: Keith Allan
Genre: Thriller / Horror
Studio: Asylum, The
Rated: FSK 18

Jack and Melissa are frightened by their son's bizarre and violent behavior; they soon learn that he is the gateway to the Apocalypse, and it will happen on his birthday, 11-11-11.

Director: Michael Cuesta
Genre: Drama
Studio: Ifc
Rated: R

The raw and fragile lives of three preteens unravel in "12 and Holding", a rich and compelling independent film. When an outgoing boy named Rudy is accidentally killed by two other boys, Rudy's twin brother Jacob (Conor Donovan) starts visiting the killers in prison to try to make sense of his life and of his parent's diverse reactions; his mother (Jayne Atkinson, "24") craves revenge while his father (Linus Roache, "Priest") tries to move forward. Meanwhile, two of the twins' friends also spin off in diverse directions: Precocious Malee (Zoe Weizenbaum) becomes fixated on a troubled construction worker (Jeremy Renner, "North Country"), while overweight Leonard (Jesse Camacho) obsesses on losing weight and forcing his obese family to lose weight as well. "12 and Holding" moves fluidly between these three stories, gradually building an emotional intimacy with the characters that is unsettling, sad, and finally rewarding. The movie hits a few false notes, but the vast majority of the scenes feel vivid and honest, much like director Michael Cuesta's previous film, "L.I.E.". Both the adults (including Annabella Sciorra, "Jungle Fever") and the kids give excellent performances; Renner's wrenching turn stands out, but the entire cast makes this a memorable and complex film. "--Bret Fetzer"

Director: Terry Gilliam
Genre: Horror
Studio: Universal Studios
Rated: R

Inspired by Chris Marker's acclaimed short film "La Jetée" (which is included on the DVD "Short Cinema Journal, Volume 2"), "12 Monkeys" combines intricate, intelligent storytelling with the uniquely imaginative vision of director Terry Gilliam. The story opens in the wintry wasteland of the year 2035, where a virulent plague has forced humans to live in a squalid, oppressively regimented underground. Bruce Willis plays a societal outcast who is given the opportunity to erase his criminal record by "volunteering" to time-travel into the past to obtain a pure sample of the deadly virus that will help future scientists to develop a cure. But in bouncing from 1918 to the early and mid-1990s, he undergoes an ordeal that forces him to question his own perceptions of reality. Caught between the dangers of the past and the devastation of the future, he encounters a psychiatrist (Madeleine Stowe) who is initially convinced he's insane, and a wacky mental patient (Brad Pitt in a twitchy Oscar-nominated role) with links to a radical group that may have unleashed the deadly virus. Equal parts mystery, tragedy, psychological thriller, and apocalyptic drama, "12 Monkeys" ranks as one of the best science fiction films of the '90s, boosted by Gilliam's visual ingenuity and one of the finest performances of Willis's career. The Collector's Edition DVD includes a fascinating behind-the-scenes documentary ("The Hamster Factor and Other Tales of 12 Monkeys") in addition to the theatrical trailer, production notes, and a "12 Monkeys" archive of still photos, design concepts, and storyboards. "--Jeff Shannon"

Director: Royston Tan
Genre: Art House & International
Studio: Picture This! Home Video
Rated: Unrated

The adventure of five fifteen year old boys in Singapore: estranged to every social reference, except for that of appearance and close friendships, they live their lives distant from their families and school, passing their days in a complete state of indolence in the search of experiences, at times even physically painful (tattoos, piercing, wounds). Their imaginary is completely colonized by MTV, cartoons, electronic jingles, publicity and comics.

Interpreted by street-kids that belong to the group they represent, this audacious and disturbing first work by the twenty-six year old Royston Tan explores an adolescent world, dramatically marked by the conflictual under-culture and complete addiction to video clip and videogame aesthetics. The existential suburban hardship, compared to the bright "western" and "English speaking" metropolis, is consumed through moving and desperate dialogues inscribed in a progression of disturbing sequences, similar to short sketches that slowly reconstruct the relational, psychological and family dynamics of the five boys. A sincere and lyrical film but at the same time irreverent, scandalous and extreme, an expression of Singapore cinema, unknown and emerging.

(taken from the back of the box)

Director: Burr Steers
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Studio: Warner Home Video
Rated: PG-13

At 17 Mike O'Donell was on top of the world; he was the star of his high school basketball team, and was a shoo in for a college scholarship. And is dating his soul mate, Scarlett. But on what's suppose to be his big game wherein college scouts are checking him out, Scarlett reveals that she's pregnant. Mike decides to leave the game and asks Scarlett to marry him which she does. During their marriage, Mike could only whine about the life he lost because he married her. So she throws him out. And when he loses his job, he returns to the only place he's happy at - his old high school. And while looking at his high school photo, a janitor asks him if he wishes he could be 17 again and he says yes. One night while driving he sees the janitor on a bridge and apparently jumps in and he goes after him. When he returns to his friend, Ned's house, where he has been staying, he sees that he is 17 again. He decides to take this opportunity to get the life he lost.

Director: Kieran Turner
Genre: Comedy
Studio: TLA Releasing
Rated: Unrated

Jonathan (Kevin Isola) has always believed in Santa, even despite his exasperated sister Marie's (Aida Turturro, "The Sopranos") "lies" to the contrary. Now in his early twenties working in a New York gay bookstore, Jonathan knows that despite a string of failed affairs, he can, with a little help from Santa, still find that perfect man! He thinks he's found his present from Santa when he meets new co-worker Toby (David Burtka), a cute southerner and winner of the local "wet underwear" championship. But if Toby really is his gift from Santa, why is he exploding like a party animal all over the New York scene and why has he brought his older childhood sweetheart Keith (Stephen Mailer) along with him? As the shopping days count down to Christmas, Jobathan discovers that Santa doesn't always deliver what sexy gay boys want, he delivers what they deserve.

Director: Tony Piccirillo
Genre: Drama
Studio: Universal Studios
Rated: R


Director, P.J. Castellaneta, did close to the same thing (minus the death threats) 13 years earlier in his 1991 release, "Together Alone." Here's how the two films line up:

----2 hunky guys (one married / one not---in both "24th" and "TA"),

----A night of lovemaking (remembered+talked about in "24th" / actually in bed in "TA"),

----AIDS as a factor (does he have it / does he not---in both films),

----A night of philosophizing (what if this / what if not this---in both films).

Apparently 1991's "Together Alone" garnered even lesser acclaim than did "24th" (but Castellaneta did go on 7 years later to make a somewhat more successful 'number' you've probably heard of titled, "Relax......It's Just Sex"). Actually, "TA" has never made it to DVD's ranks from its original VHS video release (and even that is shown by Amazon to be available only as used and, then, in a mere 4 copies)(Wolfe Video, it's original releaser, states it's no longer available from them).

Scott Speedman? While still somewhat newer and 'a-learning' as an actor, it takes only moments to see the shock waves of guilt, sorrow, and anger this man throws off in his role as Tom. Wow!

James Marsden? Dear gods, don't be jealous........for this man is so beautiful. (Just an aside: at times I find it almost difficult to look at him. While everyone's perception of beauty differs, to me this man is just plain arresting---watching him here and in "Heights" is almost too much). Nonetheless, his physical attributes are far surpassed by a freshness and depth of feeling, rare in such a young performer, which he brings to his dramatic roles, that of Dan being no exception.

Since I can add nothing more concerning performances and plot points than is contained in the several quite good 4- and 5-Star reviews already here, I will mention only one character detail: Tom is, at his most basic and essential, a good and honest human being. That is never lost sight of in this film, and, I think, is meant to clue us in on the real way in which the film is intended to end.

Director: Danny Boyle, Toby James
Genre: Horror
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Rated: R

The director/producer team that created "Trainspotting" turn their dynamic cinematic imaginations to the classic science fiction scenario of the last people on Earth. Jim (Cillian Murphy) wakes up from a coma to find London deserted--until he runs into a mob of crazed plague victims. He gradually finds other still-human survivors (including Naomie Harris), with whom he heads off across the abandoned countryside to find the source of a radio broadcast that promises salvation. "28 Days Later" is basically an updated version of "The Omega Man" and other post-apocalyptic visions; but while the movie may lack originality, it makes up for it in vivid details and creepy paranoid atmosphere. "28 Days Later"'s portrait of how people behave in extreme circumstances--written by novelist Alex Garland ("The Beach")--will haunt you afterward. Also featuring Brendan Gleeson ("The General", "Gangs of New York") and Christopher Eccleston ("Shallow Grave", "The Others"). "--Bret Fetzer"

Director: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
Genre: Horror
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Rated: R

As an exercise in pure, unadulterated terror, "28 Weeks Later" is a worthy follow-up to its acclaimed predecessor, "28 Days Later". In this ultraviolent sequel from Spanish director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (hired on the strength of his 2001 thriller "Intacto"), over six months have passed since the first film's apocalyptic vision of London overrun by infectious, plague-ridden zombies. Just when it seems the "rage virus" has been fully contained, and London is in the process of slowly recovering, an extremely unfortunate couple (Robert Carlyle, Catherine McCormack) is attacked by a small band of rampaging "ragers," and the cowardly husband escapes while his wife is attacked and presumably infected. Their surviving children (Imogen Poots, Mackintosh Muggleton) fall under the protection of a U.S. Army sharpshooter (Jeremy Renner), but nobody's safe for long as "28 Weeks Later" goes into action-packed overdrive, with scene after blood-gushing scene of carnage and decimation. The film's visuals follow the look established in "28 Days Later", this time with bigger and better scenes of a nearly abandoned London on the brink of utter destruction. The military subplot gets a bold assist from Harold Perrineau (as a daring helicopter pilot) and Idris Elba (in a too-brief role as the military commander), and their firepower--not to mention the efficient lethality of helicopter blades--turns "28 Weeks Later" into a nonstop bloodbath that's way too intense for younger viewers and guaranteed to leave hardcore horror fans gruesomely satisfied. That's all there is to it--this film is almost plotless and dialogue is minimal throughout--but as a truly terrifying vision of survival amidst chaos, "28 Weeks Later" honors its origins and qualifies as a solid double-feature with "Children of Men". Could there be another sequel? Thanks to the "chunnel," the answer in this case is definitely oui. --"Jeff Shannon"

Beyond "28 Weeks Later" "28 Weeks Later" on Blu-Ray
"28 Days Later"
More from Fox

Stills from "28 Weeks Later"

Director: David Slade
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Studio: Ghost House Pictures
Rated: R

This is the story of an isolated Alaskan town that is plunged into darkness for a month each year when the sun sinks below the horizon. As the last rays of light fade, the town is attacked by a bloodthirsty gang of vampires bent on an uninterrupted orgy of destruction. Only the small town's husband-and-wife Sheriff team stand between the survivors and certain destruction.

Director: Carl Rinsch
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Studio: Universal Studios
Rated: PG-13

Keanu Reeves stars in the action-adventure epic, 47 Ronin. After a treacherous warlord kills their master and banishes their kind, 47 leaderless samurai vow to seek vengeance and reclaim their honor. This band of ronin must seek help from Kai (Reeves)—an enslaved half-breed they once rejected—in their ultimate fight for redemption in a savage world of mythic and wondrous terrors. Kai becomes their most deadly weapon and the heroic inspiration for these outnumbered warriors to confront their enemy and seize eternity.

Director: Stewart Main
Genre: Drama, TV Movie
Studio: Olive Films
Rated: Unrated

Set in the long hot summer of 1975, 50 Ways of Saying Fabulous is the beguiling story of 12 year-old Billy, who is about to discover that growing up is a lot more confusing than he could have ever imagined. He is a farmer s only son who is out of step with the other boys at his school. They only want to fight and play rugby; Billy tries to be the same, but feels he was never cut out to be a farmer or a rugby player. Instead, he would rather dream about an imaginary life in which a turnip paddock becomes a lunar landscape and a cow s tail a head of beautiful blonde hair which transforms him into Lana the heroine of his favorite TV show. When Roy arrives at Billy s school and Jamie the sexy young farm laborer comes to work on Billy s farm Billy s world is changed forever. As he learns about his sexuality, everything he knows is called into question, including his lifelong friendship with tomboy Louise, whose world is changing alongside his. Set in New Zealand s stunning Central Otago landscape, 50 Ways of Saying Fabulous carries the audience along with Billy as he embarks on life as a teenager.

Director: Jonathan Levine
Genre: Drama, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Studio: Summit Entertainment
Rated: R

Since actor-coproducer Seth Rogen helped to bring "Superbad" to life, "50/50" might also suggest a sex comedy, except Jonathan Levine's film is more like a drama with comedy sequences (some of which involve sex). In a switch from his "Inception" smoothie, Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Adam, a strait-laced 27-year-old who works in Seattle public radio with his hedonistic best friend, Rogen's Kyle. Back pain brings Adam to an oncologist who diagnoses cancer, prescribes chemotherapy, and recommends counseling, which leads him to Katie, a doctoral student (Anna Kendrick) who makes up in compassion what she lacks in experience. If Kyle takes the news with good humor, Adam's girlfriend, Rachael (Kendrick's "Twilight" costar Bryce Dallas Howard), puts on a strained smile, while his mother (Anjelica Huston) goes into freak-out mode. At the hospital, Adam also befriends two cancer patients (Philip Baker Hall and Matt Frewer) who share their foul-mouthed wisdom--along with marijuana-laced macaroons--but Rachael finally cracks, leaving Adam to fend for himself, except that he isn't as defenseless as he thought, which comes in handy when he finds out the chemo isn't working. Will Reiser, who wrote the script, drew from his own experience, and the results ring true, even if he's too hard on Rachael, who sincerely tries to be supportive. In his follow-up to "The Wackness", which centered around a congenial dope dealer, Levine treats the other characters with more respect, and avoids the sentimentality that mars most movies about potentially fatal illnesses--plus, it's a lot funnier. "--Kathleen C. Fennessy"

Director: Jon Avnet
Genre: Drama
Studio: Sony Pictures
Rated: R

Al Pacino looks startled through much of "88 Minutes", as though taken by surprise at being cast in a thriller that must've first passed across the desks of Clint Eastwood and Harrison Ford. Still, Pacino brings his usual oomph to the role of a Seattle forensic psychiatrist, whose testimony secured the death sentence for a crazy serial killer (Neal McDonough). Wouldn't you know it, the very day the killer is sentenced to die, a copycat "Seattle Slayer" is on the loose, and Pacino starts getting ominous phone calls telling him the exact time of his own death. Tick tock: it's 88 minutes away. The film then serves up more red herrings than a Stalingrad fish fry, as possible culprits pop up every five minutes or so (among them an attractive group of med-school students played by Alicia Witt, Leelee Sobieski, and Benjamin McKenzie). Lapses in logic abound, but if you hunker down and zone in on Pacino's weary-eyed, poufy-haired professionalism, you can enjoy the goings-on. (They even make him run up flights of stairs, which one would have thought beyond him now.) Seattle's frequent stunt double, Vancouver, B.C., stands in as a location, and Jon Avnet supplies the slick direction. The cast is talented (including Amy Brenneman), leading you to guess that a lot of people will do anything just to work with Al Pacino. And you've got to admire Pacino's chutzpah at sharing the screen with statuesque actresses such as Brenneman and Sobieski; they tower over him, but he still holds his own. --"Robert Horton"

Stills from "88 Minutes" (click for larger image)

Director: Robin Campillo
Genre: Drama
Studio: Les Films de Pierre

Early 1990s. With AIDS having already claimed countless lives for nearly ten years, Act up-Paris activists multiply actions to fight general indifference. Nathan, a newcomer to the group, has his world shaken up by Sean, a radical militant, who throws his last bits of strength into the struggle.

Director: Danny Boyle
Genre: Adventure, Biography, Drama, Thriller
Studio: Fox Searchlight
Rated: R

From Academy Award®-winning director Danny Boyle ("Slumdog Millionaire") comes the powerfully uplifting true story of one man’s struggle to survive against mountainous odds. Aron Ralston (James Franco) has a passion for all things outdoors. But when a falling boulder traps him in a remote Utah canyon, a thrill-seeker’s adventure becomes the challenge of a lifetime. Over the next five days, Ralston embarks on a remarkable personal journey in which he relies on the memories of family and friends--as well as his own courage and ingenuity--to turn adversity into triumph!

Director: Mikael Håfström
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Studio: Dimension Films
Rated: PG-13

The cynical and skeptical writer Mike Enslin writes books evaluating supernatural phenomena in hotels, graveyards and other haunted places, usually debunking the mystery. While writing his last book, he travels from Los Angeles to New York to spend one night in the evil room 1408 of the Dolphin Hotel, which is permanently unavailable for guests. The reluctant manager Mr. Gerald Olin objects to his request and offers an upgrade, expensive booze and finally the reports relating the death of more than fifty guests along decades in the cursed room. However, Mike threatens Mr. Oiln, promising to sue the hotel, and finally checks in the room. Along the night, he finds that guests of room 1408 can check out when they like, but they can never leave the room alive.

Director: Tim Sullivan
Genre: Comedy
Studio: Lions Gate
Rated: R

I'm a huge fan of the original Two Thousand Maniacs by HGL so I was a little nervous about the remake. I am happy to report that the new version actually IMPROVES on the original. This movie has a nice pedigree, with John Landis, HGL, David Friedman, and Eli Roth all having involvement in the making of the film. As far as the movie itself, it takes the same plot, sexes it up quite a bit with a liberal amount of toplessness on people you'd actually want to see nekkid, and amps up the gore from the already classic level of gore. It's absolutely disgusting, tasteless, and has very little redeemable value to the local PTA. In other words, you'll love it. There's a couple of missteps, such as an over-reliance on sheep sex jokes and a few over-acting southerners (HickiBilly, for instance). Overall, however, this is a MUST RENT for any fan of gore flicks, campy horror, or just plain fun.

Director: Stanley Kubrick
Genre: Adventure, Sci-Fi
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
Rated: G

"2001" is a story of evolution. Sometime in the distant past, someone or something nudged evolution by placing a monolith on Earth (presumably elsewhere throughout the universe as well). Evolution then enabled humankind to reach the moon's surface, where yet another monolith is found, one that signals the monolith placers that humankind has evolved that far. Now a race begins between computers (HAL) and human (Bowman) to reach the monolith placers. The winner will achieve the next step in evolution, whatever that may be.