Vanessa V's Reviews

It comes from the same mordant tradition as the best serial killer films but Antibodies is far more than a German Silence of the Lambs. The cat-and-mouse mind games take place between an earnest, righteous small town cop and a sadistic killer who's sicker, realer and therefore so much scarier than Hannibal Lector.

Pedophile killer Gabriel Engle has been caught, but that's just the beginning. In his wake of sadism Engle left a quiet German suburb in turmoil with a dead young girl. Everyone, including police chief Martens, would be happy to let the monstrous Engles take the wrap for this murder as well, but Martens knows for innocence to be protected the truth must come out at any cost.

Certainly Engle knows something about the case, and Martens sets off to interview the killer in hopes of learning the truth. As he scrapes futiley away at the mystery, something dark begins to leach into him from the city, his disturbing encounters with Engle and the doubt that grows more ominous everyday. Martens learns truths about human nature in general and his own nature in particular push him to the edge of reason and righteousness. Rife with Catholic imagery and Biblical symbolism Antibodies still feels modern, seamlessly reconciling the fresh and the archetypical. And the truly, truly creepy.
Review Date: 3/29/2010

After watching 3:10 to Yuma and hearing such good things about this movie I was really excited. However after 20 minutes of nothing happening I started to have my doubts, but figured I give it a bit more time. But after 2 hours nothing still happened! The acting was essentially the actors mumbling their lines. There were endless shots of wheat blowing in the wind. Three hours past and still nothing happened. The movie ended. I was pissed.
Review Date: 6/5/2008

Having read all the bad reviews this movie's been getting, I went in with low expectations and was pleasantly surprised. From seeing Baz Luhrmann's Red Curtain trilogy (Strictly Ballroom, Romeo+Juliet and Moulin Rouge) I knew what to expect as far as visuals, but had no idea what the tone of the story would be.

Luhrmann's Australia was, to me, closer to the romantic adventures of old Hollywood- Red Dust, Mogambo, the African Queen, Lawrence of Arabia, Gone With the Wind- than to his previous works. And that's a good thing. I love the fantastical trippyness of his earlier stuff, but its great to see a director surprise you by breaking out something you didn't know they were capable of.

Yes the main characters are a tad cardboard, but that tends to go with the territory of epic melodrama. And it says something for the acting of Kidman and Jackman, as well as the young child actor, that I cared about their characters despite their cliches.

The film also fleshes out its romantic escapism with the real tragedy of war and racism, and manages to do so without making either element seem out of place. It tells the story of one child of Australia's Stolen Generations and weaves it seamlessly in with the history of war and the fictional story of family, redemption and hope.

The visuals are stunning, and the story is sweeping and stirring. Australia is a movie in love with romance, drama, nostalgia, grandeur, tragedy, joy and life itself.
Review Date: 4/4/2009

If you're looking for good, campy escapist fun with not too much to think about look no further. AVP is hardly original in plot, but if you're in the mood to watch scary creatures fight to the death with some attractive humans running for their lives in the middle, you can't do any better. This is a fun, fast-paced creature feature.
Review Date: 7/4/2008

Guillermo del Toro is a genius. His later, more artsy work not withstanding, it takes a genius to make another action movie sequel about another action hero continuing a battle against another set of baddies more than it needs to be to earn back its budget.

The plot of Blade II is standard fare. Half-human, half-vamp, asskickin' vamp hunter Blade rescues his mentor and is forced into a devil's bargain with his worst enemies to hunt *another* even worst-er enemy. Backs are stabbed, allegiances are formed, bad guys snarl and threaten, Blade makes witty quips, a sidekick is amusing but unhelpful, an indistinguishably attractive actress is attractive. Every action cliche you could want. But... how to put this? Blade II rocks.

Del Toro's action scenes are hypnotic, like ballet on meth. His monsters are gargoyles worthy of Notre Dame Cathedral, and he can splash blood with the skill and enthusiasm of Jackson Pollock. Two memorable scenes (the opening sequenece in a bloodbank, and another at a monster's autopsy) are deliciously creepy. Del Toro's script may not have anything that new or interesting to say, but in this case the delivery makes it worth listening to.
Review Date: 9/16/2009

There's nothing better than a good dramatic, romantic movie with people in fancy old-fashioned clothes and upperclass British accents. Sometimes they can be thought-provoking, sometimes they can be escapist fantasy, either way, they're enjoyable. Brideshead Revisited is neither.

The original story has been not so much adapted as rearranged to fit the stereotype of what the director thinks a Merchant-Ivory movie should be. Everything controversial and interesting in Evelyn Waugh's novel (religion, class, family conflicts, homosexuality, alcoholism, lust, sin) is completely watered down.

The relationship between middle-class atheist Charles Ryder and Lord Sebastian Flyte of the fantastically wealthy Catholic Marchmain family is the center of the original story, but here its delegated to a 3-minute montage of the two handsome collegiates frolicking on the lawn. The focus is then on the romance between Charles and Lady Julia Flyte, which arises without explanation, is completely devoid of any kind of sparks or chemistry, and sputters out without any real emotion from either party.

Emma Thompson is of course, excellent as the rigidly Catholic Lady Marchmain. Michael Gambon is also great in his few scenes as the renegade Lord Marchmain. And Ben Whishaw is believably tragic as the tortured alcoholic, homosexual and perpetually adolescent Sebastian Flyte. But the two romantic leads are about as interesting and romantic as dishwater. And since the moviemakers have in this case chosen to make these two star-crossed jellyfish the focus of the story, the overall quality of the movie follows suit.
Review Date: 2/4/2009

Brian dePalma brings Stephen King's brilliant first novel to life in all its stark and bloody detail. Carrie is the story of a birth in all its gorey glory. Carrie; shy, embarrassed, seemingly helpless, attempts to emerge from the hell of her childhood into a free, bright adulthood, only to be met with the same ridicule and violence from her cruel classmates and fanatical mother. But Carrie has grown up, not into an adult, but into something darker, more vengeful and infinitely more powerful that will repay them blood for blood. Sissy Spacek is perfect as the deer-in-headlights performance she gives as Carrie White, creating a character that is simultaneously horrifying and pitiable.
Review Date: 7/22/2008

I was 14 years old when Cruel Intentions came out, and to my middle-school sensibilities it was absolutely the sexiest, most dramatic, decadent movie I could imagine. Of course now, I can see it for what it is, but I don't really enjoy it any less. Cruel Intentions updates the story of Dangerous Liaisons into a modern Manhattan prep school, and the story translates remarkably well. The youthful cast acquit themselves remarkably well, hitting just the right notes of entitlement and self-doubt. The story is melodramatic, but sharply written, not too long and with just enough mocking self-awareness to keep from being to ridiculousely serious. Cruel Intentions is a teen movie that teeters on the edge of eroticism (i.e. a remarkably chaste lesbian kiss), allowing its target audience to emulate the characters in the way that matters most; by allowing them to play at being grown-ups, while never losing sight of their true immaturity and inexperience.
Review Date: 8/26/2008

Season two of a show that is **not for everyone** comes back stronger and slicker than ever. Dexter Morgan is the nicest serial killer on the block, eating his favorite Cuban sandwiches, bowling with his colleagues, spending time with his lovely girlfriend and her adorable kids.... and dismembering evil doers.

Season two is stronger, funnier, and more thought-provoking than the first. Dexter is struggling to maintain his cover with his co-worker Seargent Doakes tailing him constantly.

His homelife gets complicated when girlfriend Rita, sure that Dexter is hiding something, is convinced that Dexter is a drug addict. In rehab Dexter meets the darkly volatile Lila who just might see the real Dexter.

Things get even worse when his body stash is discovered and Dexter himself is drawn into Miami Metro's investigation of the "Bay Harbor Butcher". With fantastic acting and writing, Dexter continues to be one of the most addicting and exciting shows on TV.
Review Date: 2/1/2009

The fourth season of the no-longer-so-new Doctor Who is the same emotional rollercoaster of glee and heartbreak as the previous seasons; a ride that thrills and elates and makes tragedy worthwhile. After starting on a slightly weaker note with the flimsiest of the Christmas specials, Voyage of the Damned, season four picks up by reuniting the Tenth Doctor with Donna Noble, former runaway bride.

Although Donna's alternately insecure and brassy personality makes her initially less likable than the departed Martha Jones, Captain Jack and Rose Tyler, watching the character change over the season is one of the best story arcs the new Doctor Who has yet presented. Catherine Tate is superb at making Donna believable in all shades of her transformation from lowly temp to "the most important woman in the universe". With David Tennant's continually flawless Tenth Doctor, season four offers some of the best written, most memorable episodes, including the mystery-laden "Silence in the Library", "The Unicorn and the Wasp" a fantasic historical vignette in which the Doctor and Donna meet Agatha Christie, and the brilliant alternate reality of "Turn Left".

And the ending, as always, is a star-spangled punch to the gut with moments of uplifting delight and crashing lows. Earth faces its greatest threat yet, and the Doctor confronts bitter truths about himself and his impact on the humans he meets. Reuniting all of the Doctor's companions in an epic battle that alters the Doctor's path forever, the finale of season four is the kind of rare, riveting television that you enjoy every minute of and hate to see end.
Review Date: 1/9/2010

"Ed Wood" is Tim Burton's love letter to the man no one loved. Johnny Depp as camp horror director Edward D. Wood Jr. is an underdog who lived and died an underdog, a cock-eyed optimist who was never fazed by his own failure, carrying on with blithe good humor. In that way, "Ed Wood" is a tremendously inspirational story for anyone who's ever had something fall through.

And not just an inspirational story, but a highly entertaining one. Ed Wood's Hollywood career was awash with colorful characters among them Criswell, Tor the Wrestler, Vampira and foremost- Ed Wood's muse: Bela Lugosi. Burton depicts Wood and his motley crew in the same heightened-shadows cinematic style of the old Universal horror films, making this biopic more visually interesting than most.

Ed Wood's films may be nigh unwatchable (I sat through sixty-odd minutes of Plan 9 From Outer Space just to say I had) but "Ed Wood" is charming, fresh, nostalic and honest.
Review Date: 1/28/2010

The Fall is one of those rare movies that sucks you in and wrenches you around like a roller coaster- in the best of ways. When its over, it leaves you stunned, amazed and enchanted. I kept asking myself- how had I never heard of this movie, HOW COULD I NEVER HAVE HEARD OF THIS MOVIE?? As a profound lover of fantasy of all kinds, only 2 fantasy films have ever had such a real, lasting, devastating effect on me; Pan's Labyrinth and The Fall.

Its the story of a young girl recovering from a broken arm in a rural hospital. There she meets Roy, a studio stuntman (the film is set in the early days of Hollywood). Roy has just lost his girlfriend to a leading man, and the use of his legs in a stunt gone wrong. His only desire is to end his life. Roy begins entertaining young Alexandria with stories in an effort to gain her trust, so he can manipulate her into unknowingly bringing him enough morphine to commit suicide. But the story he tells her begins to take on a life of its own, and through Alexandria's innocent courage and love, the story will change both their lives.

Its the story of 5 heroes seeking revenge on a common enemy, Governor Odious. The five heroes and their quest come to life in gorgeous color and detail as Alexandria imagines them, complete with her childish mistakes (Roy describes one as an Indian meaning Native American, Alexandria pictures an Indian from India). Perhaps what makes the film's visual beauty so astounding is that none of it is computer generated. Every fantastic landscape is real.

Even as Roy's fantasy world becomes more beautiful and enchanting, it begins encroaching on the real world, and comes perilously close to the pain of reality.

Actress Catinca Untaru gives, hands down, the best performance by a child actor I've ever seen. I've read that she was largely unscripted, so that her responses are genuine. She looks, talks and acts like a real child, making the fairy-tale world so much more believable. The rest of the cast is superb, the story is original and captivating, and the visuals are unforgettable. This is a fairy tale for the mind and heart, a fairy tale about real people as cowards and heroes, a gorgeous heart-wrenching fantasy.
Review Date: 12/8/2008

I have to admit my expectations were not high on this one, and I was pleasantly surprised. Fido is the most charming zombie movie I've ever seen, for those who find zombie movies charming.

Set in a parallel pastel 1950s America, the people of Willard use zombies as gardeners, butlers, cooks, nannies, you name it, thanks to ZomCom- the dream team company that keeps the zombies in check. Zombies are now essential and productive members of society- or are they? When ZomCom's technology goes on the fritz it puts little Timmy Robinson's beloved zombie Fido in serious trouble.

As a fantastic zombie Old-Yeller with a perfectly natural kid actor in K'Sun Ray, never to sweet or precocious, and Carrie-Anne Moss as his 50's housewife mom, Fido is fun, winning and gross all at once.
Review Date: 2/1/2009

Jack the Ripper was the first known serial killer, a modern murderer in a Victorian world. In From Hell, the Hughes brothers bring to life the Victorian city and the modern monster that haunted it. From Hell, like all Ripper lore, is based in fact but filled out by fantasy. The characters, the Victorian London, the events that unfold are all an odd combination of popular imagination and history. But in this case the combination works, and neither element overwhelms the other. The movie is darkly frightening and believable in the willing-suspension-of-disbelief way.

Johnny Depp plays Inspector Abberline in a deft, understated performance that fits the setting and skillfully avoids the cliche Scotland Yard caricature. Heather Graham (not my favorite actress) is remarkable sympathetic and realistic in a performance that bends over backwards to avoid being "the hooker with the heart of gold" and usually succeeds.

The gore is present but not gratuitous, considering the subject matter. But to anyone with a weak stomach, there was a reason they called him The Ripper. The mystery unravels deliberately, skillfully making use of all the early embedded clues so that you can almost guess who the Ripper is... perhaps. From Hell gives Jack the Ripper's legend its due; it succeeds in melding the modern and Victorian, the true horror and the myth that Jack the Ripper has become seamlessly.
Review Date: 9/18/2008

Jack the Ripper was the first known serial killer, a modern murderer in a Victorian world. In From Hell, the Hughes brothers bring to life the Victorian city and the modern monster that haunted it. From Hell, like all Ripper lore, is based in fact but filled out by fantasy. The characters, the Victorian London, the events that unfold are all an odd combination of popular imagination and history. But in this case the combination works, and neither element overwhelms the other. The movie is darkly frightening and believable in the willing-suspension-of-disbelief way.

Johnny Depp plays Inspector Abberline in a deft, understated performance that fits the setting and skillfully avoids the cliche Scotland Yard caricature. Heather Graham (not my favorite actress) is remarkable sympathetic and realistic in a performance that bends over backwards to avoid being "the hooker with the heart of gold" and usually succeeds.

The gore is present but not gratuitous, considering the subject matter. But to anyone with a weak stomach, there was a reason they called him The Ripper. The mystery unravels deliberately, skillfully making use of all the early embedded clues so that you can almost guess who the Ripper is... perhaps. From Hell gives Jack the Ripper's legend its due; it succeeds in melding the modern and Victorian, the true horror and the myth that Jack the Ripper has become seamlessly.
Review Date: 9/18/2008

I flippin' hate reviews that dismiss a movie the reviewer disliked because "its a guy movie" or "its a chick-flick" and therefore not relevant to that reviewer because of his or her gender.

The Grey is a deliberate, thoughtful action film. It is bleaker than most and present no easy definition of good or evil (hmmm, maybe that's why its called The Grey...) That may or may not be your cup of tea, but suffice it to say that this female moviegoer admired the acting and screenwriting greatly.
Review Date: 3/11/2013

Planet Terror is magic. Apocalyptic, decaying corpse-filled, gut-spewing, ultracampy, manic, frenetic magic. If you wouldn't care to see a guy turning into a zombie with pustules bursting banana-yellow goo, spare yourself the trauma. If that's your cup of tea, look no further.

The plot, in an extremely cliched nutshell, is that all hell breaks loose in a small southwestern town, when the local military loses control of a deadly virus that turns people into flesh-eating monsters covered in infected sores. A small group of survivors, including a GoGo dancer who's lost a leg to the undead, a mysterious mercenary, the battered wife of the local doctor, and the owner of the local barbeque, band together to fight off the ravening hoard.

Along the way one-liners are cracked, cars are blown up and enough blood is shed that the actors might as well have been given water-guns filled with fake blood and told to reinact the battle of Gettysburg. The whole thing is done in true B-movie style, with a sort mad glee as infectious as the zombie plague. You'll laugh your way through this love-letter to camp horror films, if you can stand to watch.
Review Date: 3/12/2009

Not your run-of-the-mill comic book/superhero movie, Guillermo del Toro's Hellboy has more in common with monster-fantasies like the Mummy, Van Helsing and mythological classics like Clash of the Titans. In this case, those hoping for an X-Men style action flick might find themselves perplexed or even disappointed. But del Toro knows what he's doing, he creates a stunning world of labyrinthine tunnels populated by the most remarkable, fanciful creatures. del Toro's monsters surpass anything dreamed up by M. Night Shyamalan or anyone else in Hollywood these days. Yet the actors who portray them manage to make such alien creatures familiar and sympathetic.

It's rare to find a director with vision so unique, as well as a great story to tell. And the story of Hellboy is a fantastic tale suffused with wry humor and an epic battle between good and evil, choice and destiny, sin and redemption at its core.
Review Date: 8/9/2008

There is a reason some films are classics. They're the best, they're as perfect as film can get, they should not be messed with. Why do something over that you did right 48 years earlier? Gary Cooper's performance in the original High Noon is so mesmerizing, the build-up of tension and desperation so masterful, everything about it is so pitch-perfect. Anything that tries to stand in comparison just shows its own glaring shortcomings. There's nothing really wrong with this average-ish remake, but it has none of the genius of the original. Please, please, please skip this one, even if you don't like old movies or don't like black and white movies, the original is worth it!
Review Date: 7/4/2008

This series is a fascinating look at the tremendous heights of empirical glory and despotism that kicked off the Roman Empire. From the brilliant government of Augustus to the mad and criminal excesses of Caligula the early years of the Roman Empire are brought to life in brilliant detail and color through the eyes of the wretched Claudius. Ignored, ridiculed and despised for his limp and his stutter, he witnesses and records the vast web of power, murder, ambition, intrigue and madness that engulfs Rome's royal family. This series is the perfect meeting of History Channel and tabloid.
Review Date: 7/22/2008

This is not a period drama for people looking for deep, thwarted passions; The Importance of Being Earnest is pure fantasy with its rich, lovable and completely irresponsible heroes & heroines making a tangled mess of their lives & love affairs. But Oscar Wilde makes frivolousness more charming and substantial than anyone else ever has, and he has no better living disciple than Rupert Everett.

Everett perfectly captures the sly, self-indulgent charm that makes Wilde's story such escapist fun and the rest of the cast catches his infectious appeal. Reese Witherspoon and Frances O'Connor strike the perfect balance between romantic naivete and haughtiness. Colin Firth, as Everett's ostensibly more responsible friend, plays off him perfectly. And as always, Dame Judi Dench commands every scene she's in.

This movie is a romp, pure and simple. With some of the most absurd situations and ridiculous dialogue imaginable, it still catches the fancy and paints a bright pastel world that would be so much fun to visit.
Review Date: 2/26/2009

In a decade of interchangable superhero movies desperately trying to enter the Superhero Pantheon, Iron Man is the only one that succeeds in breaking the wanna-be mold and becomes truly fresh and worthwhile. It mixes just the right amount of real world injustice and superhero magic.

The movie never takes itself to seriously and so never becomes too heavy handed or bogged down in psychology. It never becomes too slapstick, and Downey Jr.'s remarkable performance brings to life both the bitterness that makes Tony Stark a believable human being and the fortitude that leads him to make himself into Iron Man.

Stark doesn't care what anyone thinks of him; he's a playboy/weapons mogul who fights injustice because it offends him personally and follows the rules of no other superhero code. Iron Man, too, follows the rules of no other superhero movie; it leaves the impression that the filmmakers did it solely to please themselves, disregarding what the studio or fanboy expect and "Iron Man movie" to be.

And that's what makes it great. Now if only they could continue to ignore precedent and continue the stellar work in the inevitable sequel.
Review Date: 10/7/2008

In a decade of interchangable superhero movies desperately trying to enter the Superhero Pantheon, Iron Man is the only one that succeeds in breaking the wanna-be mold and becomes truly fresh and worthwhile. It mixes just the right amount of real world injustice and superhero magic.

The movie never takes itself to seriously and so never becomes too heavy handed or bogged down in psychology. It never becomes too slapstick, and Downey Jr.'s remarkable performance brings to life both the bitterness that makes Tony Stark a believable human being and the fortitude that leads him to make himself into Iron Man.

Stark doesn't care what anyone thinks of him; he's a playboy/weapons mogul who fights injustice because it offends him personally and follows the rules of no other superhero code. Iron Man, too, follows the rules of no other superhero movie; it leaves the impression that the filmmakers did it solely to please themselves, disregarding what the studio or fanboy expect and "Iron Man movie" to be.

And that's what makes it great. Now if only they could continue to ignore precedent and continue the stellar work in the inevitable sequel.
Review Date: 10/7/2008

In a decade of interchangable superhero movies desperately trying to enter the Superhero Pantheon, Iron Man is the only one that succeeds in breaking the wanna-be mold and becomes truly fresh and worthwhile. It mixes just the right amount of real world injustice and superhero magic.

The movie never takes itself to seriously and so never becomes too heavy handed or bogged down in psychology. It never becomes too slapstick, and Downey Jr.'s remarkable performance brings to life both the bitterness that makes Tony Stark a believable human being and the fortitude that leads him to make himself into Iron Man.

Stark doesn't care what anyone thinks of him; he's a playboy/weapons mogul who fights injustice because it offends him personally and follows the rules of no other superhero code. Iron Man, too, follows the rules of no other superhero movie; it leaves the impression that the filmmakers did it solely to please themselves, disregarding what the studio or fanboy expect and "Iron Man movie" to be.

And that's what makes it great. Now if only they could continue to ignore precedent and continue the stellar work in the inevitable sequel.
Review Date: 10/7/2008

Journey to the Center of the Earth is directed by an Oscar winning visual effects artist, and it shows. The movie looks amazing. And that's about it. The writing is plodding, predictible and as stale as the air in an underground cave.

The actors do their best to bring charm and freshness to the film, but its like performing CPR on a day-old corpse. The characters say and do things that a baboon with two brain cells to rub together wouldn't do, just to further the abysmal screenwriting and set the movie up for director Eric Brevig's strong point; the visual effects.

And Brevig does a good job with the visuals, the underground terrarium is a sci-fi wonderland, although the dinosaurs look a little lame. But if there's one thing that's been proved over and over, its that gorgeous CGI makes a good video game, but not a good movie.

I couldn't help comparing this to Brendan Fraser's 10-year-old action adventure, The Mummy. The CGI in The Mummy was cutting edge for its time, and it still looks fine. But the writing is witty, the characters are engaging, the whole thing is livelier and more memorable because someone put some effort into the storytelling.

Ultimately, there's more depth in a movie about a reanimated 3000-year-old corpse than in The Journey to the Center of the Earth.
Review Date: 12/29/2008

Journey to the Center of the Earth is directed by an Oscar winning visual effects artist, and it shows. The movie looks amazing. And that's about it. The writing is plodding, predictible and as stale as the air in an underground cave.

The actors do their best to bring charm and freshness to the film, but its like performing CPR on a day-old corpse. The characters say and do things that a baboon with two brain cells to rub together wouldn't do, just to further the abysmal screenwriting and set the movie up for director Eric Brevig's strong point; the visual effects.

And Brevig does a good job with the visuals, the underground terrarium is a sci-fi wonderland, although the dinosaurs look a little lame. But if there's one thing that's been proved over and over, its that gorgeous CGI makes a good video game, but not a good movie.

I couldn't help comparing this to Brendan Fraser's 10-year-old action adventure, The Mummy. The CGI in The Mummy was cutting edge for its time, and it still looks fine. But the writing is witty, the characters are engaging, the whole thing is livelier and more memorable because someone put some effort into the storytelling.

Ultimately, there's more depth in a movie about a reanimated 3000-year-old corpse than in The Journey to the Center of the Earth.
Review Date: 12/29/2008

Let the Right One In has the trappings of some of the worst movie cliches ever; its a vampire movie, a coming-of-age story, a buddy movie- and yet it is completely unlike anything I've ever seen.

It unfolds with a quiet precision, as luminous and mesmerizing as the best of the early silent horror movies. Set in Sweden, the story follows the outcast Oskar, full of rage at the bullying of his peers, and Eli, the mysterious young girl who moves into the apartment next door. The two gradually begin to understand and love each other, accepting even the darkest and most frightening parts of the other's nature.

The violence and blood in the film is understated, in fact it gives a totally original and stunning meaning to the words "off-screen", but it is nonetheless shocking when it comes. The young actors convey a wonderful combination of solemnity and innocence, they really look and sound like children- but, all puns aside, children of the night.
Review Date: 3/13/2009

I could not disagree more with Lisa. Midnight in Paris is utterly charming and delightful while still having more substance than the typical fluffy romantic comedy. Its about the unsatisfied yearning everyone feels at some point for a way of life that exists only in our own heads and the ultimate realization that in order to be happy we have to find a way to accept reality for what it is and appreciate the magic in real life. If that sounds too pseudo-philosophical, the movie has moment after moment of exuberant comedy and utterly joyous movie magic.
Review Date: 1/9/2013

This was a beautiful and poignant love story, a love story for grown-ups about forgiveness, redemption and learning things about yourself that you never suspected. Fantastic acting, beautiful cinematography, sad but uplifting, this was a truly great movie.
Review Date: 7/4/2008

When your under the influence everything's funny. Really really funny. You don't need an excuse to laugh at anything and everything, hilarity just naturally occurs. So of course, Pineapple Express must be ridiculously funny to watch high. But sober?...not so much.

The problem with Pineapple Express is that the writers seem to have forgotten to put any jokes in. They simply assume that pot equals comedy. Pot can certainly generate comedy (see Animal House) but pot for pot's sake is not comedy.

A lot of comedies take the low road and go for the foulest kind of joke imaginable (see Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay), a lot of comedies use low humor brilliantly (see Blazing Saddles), but Pineapple Express does neither. Along the "mad-cap" adventures of a hapless pair of stoners, nothing funny happens. The writers set their heroes on the path to comedy and then leave them to wander around in circles. Seth Rogen and James Franco do their best to create lovable, doofy, perpetually buzzed heroes, but in the end, the characters have nothing funny to do.
Review Date: 2/25/2009

"You agree it's dead now?"

Beware all those who are squeamish or easily offended. Re-Animator is of the old school B-horror movie class that revels in gore, nudity and all around madness. It is the perfect melding of humor and horror, as madly brilliant medical student Herbert West perfects his procedure of reanimating the dead. Once perfected (on a very put-upon cat) West begins to reanimate all the dead bodies he comes across, and since this is a horror movie, he stumbles across quite a few. Again, because it is a horror movie the path to perfect reanimation does not run smooth, and West must face the dire consequences of his actions.
The special effects in Re-animator are quite good for 1985, and the tongue-in-cheek tone of the movie makes them even better. They were meant to be laughed at, even in 1985. The acting is much better than the average horror movie, particularly Jeffrey Combs, as the monomaniacal West. In plot, acting and effects the movie is just fine; its in the details that the movie goes gleefully off the rails, making it the most fun horror movie of all time.
Review Date: 9/9/2008

My first impression of The Reader was Hugh Jackman's jaunty opening-song at the Oscars..."The Reader- I didn't see The Reader..." I was prepared for another overrated, uber-depressing Oscar drama about miserable people doing miserable things for the sake of being miserable. After that, a surprisingly touching, fast-paced and intrguing drama that raises legitimate questions about guilt, morality and responsibility was a pleasure and an astonishment.

Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes are fascinating and compulsively watchable, even with the most minimalist acting. Winslet is just enough of an enigma as the paradoxically sensual and aloof ex-Nazi. She is as sympathetic as a person who truly deserves to die can possibly be. Fiennes and the brilliant young David Kross together capture the before-during-after loss of innocence, much more emotional than physical, of the young man Winslet clings to in the post war days.

These characters are more honest than many. Their lives raise and acknowledge questions that really matter without any evasion- certainly this ex-Nazi deserves punishement, evil is evil whatever the circumstances that lead to it. But why just this one? Amidst a charged trial that reveals the atrocities Winslet's character was part of, she is one of a team to whom genocide was just a job. Circumstances single Winslet out as the ringleader- whether she was or not- and she shoulders the shared guilt for reasons of her own. Justice is at once served and escaped.

Much has been said of the sexual relationship between the two characters at the beginning. Certainly this is a movie for adults, and opening scenes are as frank and honest about two people's enjoyment of each other and irritations with each other, as the later scenes are about injustices and atrocities. They are frank and explicit, but not unnecessary or gratuitous.

The Reader is a very rare movie, one of the quietest films of the decade but one whose whispers stay with you long after the final credits.
Review Date: 9/16/2009

You don't have to pass an IQ test to be in the Senate.

A diorama with animatronic dinosaurs and children coexisting is physical proof that humans and dinosaurs coexisted.

Dialing a phone on Sabbath is forbidden, dialing a phone with a stylus on Sabbath is allowed.

You will learn all this and more from Bill Maher's hilarious mockumentary, Religulous.

It is not often that a movie is so subversive, funny and educational all at once. Bill Maher certainly has his fair share of ego, but he has the comic chops to support it. In some of his interviews I wish he had gone further, but to do that he would have to have been more serious, less funny and ultimately have made a different movie.

But the movie he makes is brilliant, it shines a spotlight on some of the serious questions and inconsitencies in religion that people allow themselves to ignore. And his ultimate message is one that everyone needs to hear; there are things in this world that are not explained, and that's OK! Not every gap in human knowledge is God-shaped. Doubt is good, doubt makes us ambitious and inquisitive and humble. And that's not a bad way to be.
Review Date: 12/26/2008

I'm a sucker for musicals, I just love it when the characters sing their hearts out about their joys or troubles.

But I couldn't stand this musical. I didn't see the show, but from the movie, I'd have no desire to. All but two of the characters are entirely incredibly self-centered, but we're meant to pity them and their tragic plight? Did I miss something? Why do they think (as they sing in the opening number) that they should be exempt from paying rent like the rest of the world? Why does the heroine think its acceptable for her to cheat on her loving, supportive life-partner at their commitment ceremony? Some of the songs are catchy-ish, but the overall attitude of the characters grated through the whole thing. Yuck. AIDS awareness deserves a better musical.
Review Date: 3/13/2009

For all his talent at bringing to life vivid fantasies, Stephen Spielberg's greatest gift as a filmmaker is his ability to create a window into the most hellish landscapes imaginable and give the audience an inside look. Very few directors mingle tragedy and humanity so seamlessly, and Schindler's List is a tour-de-force example of that.

Spielberg makes brilliant use of black and white film to create both the 1940s-era feel and his stark, fearless depiction of the brutality of the Nazis. The Nazi atrocities are portrayed particularly frighteningly with the camp director Amon Goeth, played with sociopathic intensity by Ralph Fiennes.

But the core strength of the film comes from the portrayal that Spielberg and Liam Neeson create of Oskar Schindler. Neither flinches from Schindler's greed, opportunism, drinking, extravagance and womanizing. Despite his all-too-human failings, Schindler found himself capable of tremendous heroism.

If any film can capture humanity's dichotomy, the extremes of good and evil of which we are capable, it is Schindler's List. Its moving, terrifying, heartbreaking and triumphant.
Review Date: 12/5/2008

How had I not heard of this movie sooner? This is a slasher film that belongs, at the very least, in the pantheon of slasher-movie gems. If, like me, you find all slasher movies slightly ridiculous, especially those from the '80s, but love them anyway, you must see Sleepaway Camp.

Slashers are generally not excercises in restrained and pyscholgically building terror, but they can be great slice-and-dice fun and offer some genuine jump-out-of-the-skin moments. Sleepaway Camp does all these things. If you can get past the bad acting and corny dialogue, the movie is tremendous fun as campers and staff alike get picked off one by one. The movie is only 82 minutes long, so the bad acting & writing don't tax the nerves for too long. The situation is stock and the characters are pure slasher archetypes, but it works.

And the ending- by all that is holy- the ending is one for the ages. Just when you think Sleepaway Camp is an endearingly predictable Friday-the-13th knock-off comes a twist of unprecedented creepiness. And the with a closing shot that shocks the mind and sticks with you after the credits roll and you're safe in bed with the covers tucked up to your chin, Sleepaway Camp crowns its standard-slasher good times with a Freudian nightmare big-reveal that, dare I say, elevates the material?
Review Date: 10/31/2008

Sucker Punch was as interesting as watching your brother play Wii for two hours while you wait for your turn.

I'm a fan of Zack Snyder as a director, but as a writer he seems to suffer from M. Night Shyamalanism- that is, he's so enamoured of his own notions that he doesn't stop to ask if they make sense and fit together in a compelling and worthwhile story.

I'm also a fan of cotton candy and other things that are pretty and fun and mostly empty. But even cotton candy can be chewed, and even mindless entertainment is still supposed to be entertaining. I'll wait for Snyder's next effort, I just hope he pairs his remarkable visual aesthetic with a real story.
Review Date: 6/5/2011

Caveat Emptor: If you are looking for a jazzy, upbeat musical, if you're looking for Gene Kelly to tap dance across the screen, if you're looking for lines of chorus girls in sparkly outfits or a plucky, cock-eyed optimist to belt out her troubles, look elsewhere.

Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, a Gothic musical thriller set in 19th Century London, is a tale of revenge, murder, cannibalism, rape, corruption and madness. It's told through Stephen Sondheim's hyper-intelligent, tongue-in-cheek lyrics and Tim Burton's mad-cap and macabre aesthetic. Burton films Sweeney Todd in an over-the-top stylized manner, reminiscent of the German Expressionist horror movies; with mad angles. The London he creates is a bleak, Dickensian cityscape of skeletal buildings and depressing gray skies that rain dark drops of blood. The characters that inhabit such a city are dark and drab to match their surroundings, or brightly flamboyant in colors as lurid as their characters. If such a visual style sounds almost cartoonish, it is; and it works. For a story as dark and morbid as Sweeney Todd, an unworldly aesthetic is needed to keep the world from resembling our own too closely.

The story is simple and dark as a Grimm's fairy tale. Sweeney Todd was banished to prison by a corrupt judge who lusted after Todd's wife. After twenty years, Todd returns to London to find that his wife is dead and the lecherous judge has adopted his daughter. Bent on revenge, Todd returns to his original home and profession, opening a barbershop in the home of his old neighbor, Mrs. Lovett. But the road to revenge is never straight and when more bodies begin to pile up than were expected, Mrs. Lovett comes up with an ingenious plan to dispose of them and improve her failing meat-pie business at the same time. This grisly tale is told through Sondheim's brilliant songs, sometimes haunting, sometimes hilarious, always memorable. Burton and his cast bring the songs to life remarkably well, particularly Johnny Depp. The slight harshness in Depp's voice conveys the utter despair of the character perfectly. Helena Bonham-Carter is the weakest vocally, but her characterization is superb and outweighs her musical shortcomings.

Sweeney Todd nearly defies classification. No other musical is as grim and macabre; no other musical has such gleefully black humor, and no other musical surpasses its "genre" to be such a haunting story of humanity in an inhumane world.
Review Date: 9/9/2008

Caveat Emptor: If you are looking for a jazzy, upbeat musical, if you're looking for Gene Kelly to tap dance across the screen, if you're looking for lines of chorus girls in sparkly outfits or a plucky, cock-eyed optimist to belt out her troubles, look elsewhere.

Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, a Gothic musical thriller set in 19th Century London, is a tale of revenge, murder, cannibalism, rape, corruption and madness. It's told through Stephen Sondheim's hyper-intelligent, tongue-in-cheek lyrics and Tim Burton's mad-cap and macabre aesthetic. Burton films Sweeney Todd in an over-the-top stylized manner, reminiscent of the German Expressionist horror movies; with mad angles. The London he creates is a bleak, Dickensian cityscape of skeletal buildings and depressing gray skies that rain dark drops of blood. The characters that inhabit such a city are dark and drab to match their surroundings, or brightly flamboyant in colors as lurid as their characters. If such a visual style sounds almost cartoonish, it is; and it works. For a story as dark and morbid as Sweeney Todd, an unworldly aesthetic is needed to keep the world from resembling our own too closely.

The story is simple and dark as a Grimm's fairy tale. Sweeney Todd was banished to prison by a corrupt judge who lusted after Todd’s wife. After twenty years, Todd returns to London to find that his wife is dead and the lecherous judge has adopted his daughter. Bent on revenge, Todd returns to his original home and profession, opening a barbershop in the home of his old neighbor, Mrs. Lovett. But the road to revenge is never straight and when more bodies begin to pile up than were expected, Mrs. Lovett comes up with an ingenious plan to dispose of them and improve her failing meat-pie business at the same time. This grisly tale is told through Sondheim's brilliant songs, sometimes haunting, sometimes hilarious, always memorable. Burton and his cast bring the songs to life remarkably well, particularly Johnny Depp. The slight harshness in Depp's voice conveys the utter despair of the character perfectly. Helena Bonham-Carter is the weakest vocally, but her characterization is superb and outweighs her musical shortcomings.

Sweeney Todd nearly defies classification. No other musical is as grim and macabre; no other musical has such gleefully black humor, and no other musical surpasses its "genre" to be such a haunting story of humanity in an inhumane world.
Review Date: 9/9/2008

Before Fight Club, before Blade Runner, before any of the nihilistic urban-decay movies there was Taxi Driver. I'm not going to lie- there's a lot about Taxi Driver that feels very '70s. But about halfway through the movie, in a scene with practically no dialogue, DeNiro and Scorsese supercede time period and genre to make what can only be described as movie poetry.

DeNiro is perfect as Travis Bickle, a hyper-alienated borderline sociopath, a psycho who never noticed his descent into madness. He rides around the city all night, and as all his attempts at human connection fail, he obsessively looks for purity in a depraved world, first with a young political aid, later a 12-year old prostitute. The prostitute, Iris, is played with remarkable candour by a young Jodie Foster.

Travis is simultaneously at home in the squalor of his city and violently disgusted by it. Does it change him into something human or something monstrous? There are no easy answers. But in the end, we are as taken with Travis as he is with his two loves. Taxi Driver is terrifying and fascinating, at times bizarrely funny, at times chilling, always brilliant.
Review Date: 1/20/2009

This movie will be known as one of the greats, one for the ages. Like other great films; Citizen Kane, 2001: A Space Odyssey etc, it is not for everyone. The pacing is deliberate, the characters complicated, the music bizarre, the moral of the story cloudy. But what a story.

We follow the career of Daniel Plainview- misanthrope, miser, oil-man- as he gains a fortune and loses everything that makes it worth having. Daniel Day-Lewis' performance is astounding, one of the most complete transformations in modern cinema. He perfectly captures the few moments of peace and humanity that Plainview has before rejecting human-kind as imperfect. And Paul Dano as Plainveiw's nemesis, the self-made (or self-deluded) preacher Eli, holds his own against the veteran actor. On one level, There Will Be Blood can be seen as the struggle between religion and capitalism, a clash of the titans with Plainview and Eli locked in a battle from which neither can back down. Very few films create such perfectly crafted characters with such real, moving and dramatic conflict between them. Their battle is at once epic and relatable as they continue to one-up the other in a series of betrayals and humiliations.

With such over-the-top performances, the whole movie could easily have degenerated into a camp-fest, but the restraint and calm of the cinematography and the deliberate pacing balances everything. Under the painstaking direction of Paul Thomas Anderson the film becomes a series of peaks and valleys, with periods of peace and violence as perfect as a Beethoven symphony.

But again, Beethoven isn't for everyone. And if none of the above appeals to you, by all means, please skip it. At nearly three hours it would be a painful experience to anyone who wasn't in the mood for it. I was awed by There Will Be Blood, I think its one of the greatest American films ever made. But its not the movie for a night of relaxing in front of the tv. There's a time for mindless entertainment, and a time for something more. When you want something more- then give There Will Be Blood a try.
Review Date: 9/15/2008

This movie will be known as one of the greats, one for the ages. Like other great films; Citizen Kane, 2001: A Space Odyssey etc, it is not for everyone. The pacing is deliberate, the characters complicated, the music bizarre, the moral of the story cloudy. But what a story.

We follow the career of Daniel Plainview- misanthrope, miser, oil-man- as he gains a fortune and loses everything that makes it worth having. Daniel Day-Lewis' performance is astounding, one of the most complete transformations in modern cinema. He perfectly captures the few moments of peace and humanity that Plainview has before rejecting human-kind as imperfect. And Paul Dano as Plainveiw's nemesis, the self-made (or self-deluded) preacher Eli, holds his own against the veteran actor. On one level, There Will Be Blood can be seen as the struggle between religion and capitalism, a clash of the titans with Plainview and Eli locked in a battle from which neither can back down. Very few films create such perfectly crafted characters with such real, moving and dramatic conflict between them. Their battle is at once epic and relatable as they continue to one-up the other in a series of betrayals and humiliations.

With such over-the-top performances, the whole movie could easily have degenerated into a camp-fest, but the restraint and calm of the cinematography and the deliberate pacing balances everything. Under the painstaking direction of Paul Thomas Anderson the film becomes a series of peaks and valleys, with periods of peace and violence as perfect as a Beethoven symphony.

But again, Beethoven isn't for everyone. And if none of the above appeals to you, by all means, please skip it. At nearly three hours it would be a painful experience to anyone who wasn't in the mood for it. I was awed by There Will Be Blood, I think its one of the greatest American films ever made. But its not the movie for a night of relaxing in front of the tv. There's a time for mindless entertainment, and a time for something more. When you want something more- then give There Will Be Blood a try.
Review Date: 9/15/2008

Reimagining Renaissance history as a soap-opera epic of intrigue and backstabbing, the second season of Showtime's lush period drama is captivating, fun and a vast improvement over the first season.

Season one of The Tudors introduces not just the characters, but the overall tone of sensuality and ruthlessness, and is certainly an above average quality drama. But it is too often wrapped up in unnecessary gratuitous sex scenes between characters we never see again. Season two keeps the requisite lust, but elevates the writing and unites sex and story into a seamless melodrama.

Almost everyone knows the basic historical story, so there aren't too many spoilers in saying that season 2 follows Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn's marraige to its ultimate failure. Henry breaks irrevocably with the Catholic church and steps out on his own, gaining true absolute power in England and trying to assert that absolute power overseas. His intense passion for Anne Boleyn turns to hatred as she fails to provide a son, and the ultimate consequences of his actions are fully felt.

Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Natalie Dormer are excellent as Henry and Anne, and the supporting cast, including Peter O'Toole as Pope Gregory and Jeremy Northam as Sir Thomas More are all that could be hoped for. In its second season The Tudors becomes an epic drama of love, betrayal, lust, faith and power that is well worth following.
Review Date: 1/19/2009

The police procedural thriller- a genre plagued by cliches- has a few gems that redeem all the mediocre knock-offs. The Usual Suspects is one of these gems.

When five shady individuals are brought together for a line up they decide to unite their talents for an easy, fool-proof heist. But things go horribly wrong and the 5 are drawn deeper and deeper into an unimaginable criminal scheme. As the feds try to make sense of the aftermath, it becomes clear that an unknown criminal mastermind has been the puppeteer pulling everyone's strings from the beginning.

The Usual Suspects is brilliantly written, superbly acted and with one of the best twist endings in cinema history it stands out as a movie that transcends genre.
Review Date: 11/7/2008

This movie is just adorable... and it made me start craving pie.

Keri Russell is pitch-perfect as the unhappily married, unhappily pregnant waitress who just wants to bake delicious pies and get far away from her obnoxious, abusive husband. Its very seldom that a movie can be "uplifting" and "heartwarming" and still show genuine people living their lives making believable mistakes and celebrating their little victories.
Never too sweet, never too cloying, just the right mix of warm and realistic with just a pinch of fairy-tale ending.
Review Date: 7/11/2008

At the risk of sounding like a nerd, I have to say that Wanted's biggest failure is its deviation from the original comic. The movie's cleverest and most exciting parts are those drawn from the comic; where corporate drone Wesley is plucked from his life of apathetic misery and whipped, or rather pounded, into shape as an elite assassin. As an assassin Wesley joins the ranks of the secret Fraternity, and the movie takes a drastic and ill-advised turn.

The comic-book Fraternity is an organization of supervillains who murder, rape and pillage the world with total impunity. The movie Fraternity is a sort of DaVinci-Code guild that takes their orders from a magical loom? I can understand the screenwriters desire to make the characters somewhat redeemable, instead of leaving them as an organized band of droogs a-la A Clockwork Orange. But seriously, a magical loom?

There's some moderately impressive CGI, but nothing stunning enough to distract from the film's stupidity. Angelina Jolie tries to mellow her bad-assness with a hint of traumatic childhood, but comes across as implausible as the rest of the plot. Morgan Freeman sounds good but has absolutely no conviction. James McAvoy actually does a remarkable job as Wesley, accurately capturing the insecurity and rage. But nothing in the acting elevates the film above its inanity.

The source material is nihilistic, dark and morally ambiguous. But at least its original. Wanted the movie tries to clean up that moral ambiguity into a more mainstream superhero movie. How ironic, in the process of making the story more palatable, they made it nauseatingly bland.
Review Date: 12/15/2008

At the risk of sounding like a nerd, I have to say that Wanted's biggest failure is its deviation from the original comic. The movie's cleverest and most exciting parts are those drawn from the comic; where corporate drone Wesley is plucked from his life of apathetic misery and whipped, or rather pounded, into shape as an elite assassin. As an assassin Wesley joins the ranks of the secret Fraternity, and the movie takes a drastic and ill-advised turn.

The comic-book Fraternity is an organization of supervillains who murder, rape and pillage the world with total impunity. The movie Fraternity is a sort of DaVinci-Code guild that takes their orders from a magical loom? I can understand the screenwriters desire to make the characters somewhat redeemable, instead of leaving them as an organized band of droogs a-la A Clockwork Orange. But seriously, a magical loom?

There's some moderately impressive CGI, but nothing stunning enough to distract from the film's stupidity. Angelina Jolie tries to mellow her bad-assness with a hint of traumatic childhood, but comes across as implausible as the rest of the plot. Morgan Freeman sounds good but has absolutely no conviction. James McAvoy actually does a remarkable job as Wesley, accurately capturing the insecurity and rage. But nothing in the acting elevates the film above its inanity.

The source material is nihilistic, dark and morally ambiguous. But at least its original. Wanted the movie tries to clean up that moral ambiguity into a more mainstream superhero movie. How ironic, in the process of making the story more palatable, they made it nauseatingly bland.
Review Date: 12/15/2008

At the risk of sounding like a nerd, I have to say that Wanted's biggest failure is its deviation from the original comic. The movie's cleverest and most exciting parts are those drawn from the comic; where corporate drone Wesley is plucked from his life of apathetic misery and whipped, or rather pounded, into shape as an elite assassin. As an assassin Wesley joins the ranks of the secret Fraternity, and the movie takes a drastic and ill-advised turn.

The comic-book Fraternity is an organization of supervillains who murder, rape and pillage the world with total impunity. The movie Fraternity is a sort of DaVinci-Code guild that takes their orders from a magical loom? I can understand the screenwriters desire to make the characters somewhat redeemable, instead of leaving them as an organized band of droogs a-la A Clockwork Orange. But seriously, a magical loom?

There's some moderately impressive CGI, but nothing stunning enough to distract from the film's stupidity. Angelina Jolie tries to mellow her bad-assness with a hint of traumatic childhood, but comes across as implausible as the rest of the plot. Morgan Freeman sounds good but has absolutely no conviction. James McAvoy actually does a remarkable job as Wesley, accurately capturing the insecurity and rage. But nothing in the acting elevates the film above its inanity.

The source material is nihilistic, dark and morally ambiguous. But at least its original. Wanted the movie tries to clean up that moral ambiguity into a more mainstream superhero movie. How ironic, in the process of making the story more palatable, they made it nauseatingly bland.
Review Date: 12/15/2008

As a hardcore fan of the graphic novel I was terrified that the movie version would divert all the original Watchmen brilliance into cookie-cutter Hollywood dreck. The mere fact that that didn't happen would be enough to get a stellar review out of me, but Watchmen the movie holds its own as a solid movie adaptation of a complex, haunting story.

Zack Snyder's directing is visually impressive without being distractingly oppressive, as it tends to be in his other comic-book movie 300. The script changes grate on a purist like myself, but I can see how they would be necessary for wider audiences. The acting is fantastic, particularly Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach and Jeffrey Dean Morgan as the Comedian. With such a large cast of characters, the Director's Cut offers additional time to the development of each, bringing them closer to the three-dimensional, flawed, messy, morally ambiguous human beings they are in the source material.

While the movie never reaches the genius of the comic, its failings are due to the limitations of film as a medium. Alan Moore's objection to the film adaptations is largely that Watchmen was never intended to be a movie, that things were done in comic-form that could only be done in comic-form. I'm inclined to disagree- some things were done that don't translate, but the rest translates into a great movie that's both compelling and entertaining.
Review Date: 7/24/2009

Sign me up for the Zombie Apocalypse! In the newest entry into the zom-com genre, four vastly different but resourceful survivors band together to seek life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness in the new United States of Zombieland.

Jesse Eisenberg is a nerdy college student who survives by assidously following a set of rules. Woody Harrelson is a rambunctious redneck who pulverizes all the rules and leaves them quivering in the dust behind his bright yellow Hummer. This odd-couple works because both actors treat their characters with genuine affection and sincerity, cliches and all. Aptly paired with Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin as a clever, capable sister act, Zombieland indulges in gorey humor with surprising sweetness. It's about joie de vivre in the land of the undead.
Review Date: 2/6/2010

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