Reviews

What's the biggest secret you ever kept? Sneaking out past curfew, smoking pot behind the garage? What if this secret wasn't yours to tell? Do you think that would make it easier or harder to keep?

Jamal Wallace (played by Rob Brown) is a basketball player in the Bronx. When we enter the story, he's recently taken academic assessment tests and, in contrast to his work in class, has scored high enough to gain the attention of the school board. On top of this, it is mentioned that Jamal (Brown) is an exceptional basketball player. One night, after a successful game, he is sharing a meal with friends at a restaurant. They discuss, among other things, a neighborhood resident who is something of an urban legend, referred to simply as "the window" because he never leaves his apartment. A common tradition among the group is for one member to dare another. One of the men dares Jamal to break into "the window's" apartment and return with something from inside. Jamal enters the apartment and sees a letter opener shaped like a knife but, much to his surprise, "the window" catches him, yelling loudly and inspiring Jamal to flee. Until his mother makes him aware of the fact, he never realized that he left his backpack in the apartment. That's set aside, briefly, when he meets with an admissions officer from an expensive private school, as a result of his test scores. When his mother says they couldn't possibly afford the tuition, the school official says that if Jamal were to continue playing basketball with the same skill for his new school, that tuition will not be an issue. In the time since, Jamal's backpack was unceremoniously dropped from "the window's" apartment and the notebooks inside, all containing creative writing of Jamal's, now with editorial comments written with a red pen. Jamal approaches the apartment, this time using the front door, and asks "the window" if he would read more of his writing.

I truly love this movie. Brown as Jamal Wallace is a character you cannot help but like, despite his momentary foray into delinquency. "The Window" who is later identified as a renowned author who became a recluse decades before we're introduced to him. "The Window", played by Sean Connery, is a very sympathetic character and, as he takes on the role of mentor to Brown's character, the audience is given the opportunity to see it change both of their lives for the better. Until recently, I hadn't watched this film for some time. Since watching it again, I have no idea why it took me this long. You should see this movie as soon as you can.

Have you ever been seriously ill? Once you're told that you'll recover, you probably found it boring, more than anything else. What if you weren't going to get better? What would you do?

Jack Kevorkian (played by Al Pacino) was a pathologist but, by the time we join the story he has left his career behind. His friends and colleagues say he's retired but Kevorkian (Pacino) states that retirement means you are no longer preoccupied with your chosen profession and that he is simply unemployed. Being unemployed, he has a great deal of free time and is intrigued by a local news story. A man who is paralyzed from the neck down wishes to end his life while the hospital caring for him is fighting to prevent it. Kevorkian had written several articles on euthanasia for foreign periodicals by that time and was now determined to make practical use of his theories. The hospital learned of his intentions, stopped him, and the patient died of starvation. Nevertheless, our protagonist continued his search for a patient. Assisting him in this quest, the doctor had longtime friend and colleague, Neal Nicol (played by John Goodman) and his loving sister, Margo (played by Brenda Vaccaro). In time, he is approached by a married couple, a woman suffering from Alzheimer's and her husband. This presents Kevorkian with an ethical dilemma, as Alzheimer's is not a fatal disease. Once Margo (Vaccaro) puts the matter in perspective, they begin devising a plan. While searching for a location, Kevorkian approached a member of the Hemlock Society by the name of Janet Good. Good (played by Susan Sarandon) offers the use of her home but later reneges. In spite of that, the plan is carried out and Kevorkian becomes national news.

If you ask most people about the Right to Die movement, they'd probably tell you that reasonable people could disagree on the matter. Personally, I don't understand that, as I am an advocate of personal choice. Likewise, I believe this movie is incredible and cannot comprehend anyone thinking otherwise. Pacino has partnered with HBO on another project Phil Spector, about the renowned music producer. Maybe it's the fact that, deep down, Kevorkian is a sympathetic figure and Spector is not but, the latter film fell flat, at least for me. The story of You Don't Know Jack and supporting cast are incredible and Pacino himself won an Emmy for his performance, as he should've. I'm not sure how you'd find it, but you should absolutely see this film if you can.

What's the difference between winning and victory? Is it semantics, like religious and spiritual? Maybe there isn't one. On the other hand, some would say there's all the difference in the world.

Steve Prefontaine (played by Billy Crudup), was a distance runner in Eugene, Oregon with scholarship offers from Yale, Brown, Villanova, Princeton and Nebraska. The one school he wishes to attend, however, has remained silent. Two distance runners from the school and its assistant coach make a personal visit to his home but Prefontaine (Crudup) is not impressed. In the less-than-three week period between that visit and the date when he must sign his letter of intent, Bill Bowerman, head coach of the University of Oregon track team, sends a genuine plea to young Prefontaine asking him to attend. On his first day, he shows an amazing inability to notice the obvious by asking a female student, Mary Marckx (played by Monica Potter) to direct him to an area that is clearly visible ahead of him. He enters the building and sees a long line of fellow team members who recount tall tales of Bowerman's exploits in the military. He is summoned from another room and, on the floor in front of him, he finds his head coach. Bowerman (played and earlier voiced by Donald Sutherland) is making outlines of his runners' feet on tracing paper for the purposes of making shoes specifically for them, explaining that taking an ounce off a runner's shoe amounts to pounds they won't have to carry during a race. The freshman athlete sarcastically compliments him and that is the end of their first interaction. The next day, during a simple workout, Steve gives one hundred percent, finishes ahead of his teammates, and, according to Bowerman, with a pulse rate north of one hundred and ninety. So begins the struggle that would define their relationship: a coach's desire to instruct and an athlete's desire to put forth his best effort, regardless of the consequences.

Much has been made of the fact that Without Limits and Prefontaine, a Disney film covering the same subject matter from a different perspective, were released within months of each other. The general consensus seems to be that, while Prefontaine is more accurate, Without Limits is the better film. As I have not seen the former from beginning to end, all I can tell you is that Without Limits is a masterpiece. Sutherland is mesmerizing as Bill Bowerman and Crudup, in the first role I ever saw him play, is just as entertaining, if not more so. The conflict between them rings true and while you understand the position of the coach, you root for the runner who seeks to leave the field knowing he's done his best. I have seen this film many times and, if you haven't even seen it once, you should. Now.

How many out there look forward to Thanksgiving? The turkey, the stuffing the time spent with family you haven't seen in months, if not longer? What if, when it finally arrives, you just wish it would end?

Claudia Larson (played by Holly Hunter) is a former artist who now works as a restorer in a Chicago museum. She is summoned to her employer's office during work, but does not know why. Her boss, Peter Arnold (played by Austin Pendleton) informs her that, despite overwhelming enthusiasm for her profession, she is being fired. Claudia protests and mentions coworkers that she believes more worthy of termination, only to find out that, for budgetary reasons, those same coworkers will be fired also. For no apparent reason, she proceeds to kiss her now former boss which ends with her unceremoniously sneezing. He then says, "God I hate the holidays" and that is the last we see of him. With Thanksgiving approaching, Claudia is driven to the airport by her daughter Kitt (played by Claire Danes) and told that she intends to lose her virginity over the holiday, as she will be spending it with her long-time boyfriend and his family. After entering the airport, the hustle and bustle of the season causes her to lose her coat. She calls her brother, Tommy (played by Robert Downey Jr.) from the plane and, getting his answering machine, proceeds to dictate all of these recent developments to a cassette tape. When her plane lands, she is greeted by her parents Adele and Henry Larson. Adele (played by Anne Bancroft) is a housewife and, before actually speaking to her daughter she remarks on her looks. Henry (played by Charles Durning) is a retired airport worker who is called Tubby by his wife and who is simply happy to see his daughter. The drive home and the day before Thanksgiving are fairly uneventful. The occasion itself, anything but.

This is a great movie. There is an obvious difference between "holiday movies" and movies that simply take place during the holidays. While A Christmas Story and the Home Alone series would be the former, Millions, another favorite of mine, and Home for the Holidays would be the latter. Members of the family just don't get along; the holiday itself is more nightmarish than heartwarming and, in spite of that, there is still a tearful goodbye as the family departs at the conclusion of the festivities. This is a movie you can, and should, watch year-round.

Have you ever felt like a disappointment to everyone you know? Someone your parents and peers think of as an anchor dragging the rest of them down or as a mere inconvenience? How do you get past that?

Berk is a small, Viking village located near the Arctic Circle. At least, that's an assumption I made based on the main character's statement that "it snows nine months of the year and hails the other three". That main character, Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel) is the only son of the village chief, Stoick the Vast (voiced by Gerard Butler). The village is under near-constant siege by outside forces. Those outside forces being dragons. Hiccup (Baruchel) is short, slim, and in no way strong. The one trade all villagers learn in their lifetime is the art of hunting and killing dragons. Gobber (Hiccup's employer and the proprietor of the village armory, voiced by Craig Ferguson) suggests that Hiccup stop all of "this" while gesturing to all of him. Gobber (Ferguson) is a man who has lost several limbs over the years, all during encounters with dragons. Hiccup, being seriously lacking in physical strength, designs and constructs a machine to propel the weapons that the other villagers simply throw by hand. Of course, during a trial run in front of Gobber, the machine strikes a villager. Hiccup takes that same apparatus to a mountaintop, fires on one of the few species of dragon that's never been captured or seen and, miraculously, causes that dragon to fall to earth. Overjoyed by this victory, Hiccup shouts in triumph but is soon set upon by a species of dragon that can breathe fire and produce fire throughout its entire body. He's rescued by his father who expresses disappointment in his son and disbelief in Hiccup's claim to have landed a blow against a Night Fury. He treks through the woods the next day, determined to find proof of his accomplishment, but finds something far more significant.

Now, unlike a lot of "adults" I maintain my affection for "children's" movies. This is not to say that I like all, or even most, children's movies. For example, Despicable Me, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and Eight Crazy Nights disappointed me to a degree that I cannot express in words. But, in spite of its flaws or maybe because of them, I loved How to Train Your Dragon. Casting Baruchel as Hiccup was genius. Hiccup's peers, voiced by Kristen Wiig, Jonah Hill, America Ferrara and others, fit the roles they're given perfectly. If you have children who haven't seen this movie, you should take steps to remedy that. If you don't have children but can enjoy movies that are produced for them, like I do, check it out.

What would you do if you suddenly found yourself with an untraceable fortune? No doubt, many among us would simply waste the entire amount on luxury items while a select few would plan on for retirement. What about the more evolved choice?

The story begins on moving day for the recently widowed Ronald Cunningham (played by James Nesbitt) and his two sons Damian (played by Alex Etel) and Anthony (played by Lewis McGibbon). By way of voice-over, Damian (Etel) informs us that countries such as France, Germany, and Portugal have abandoned their respective currencies in favor of the Euro and that England will soon do the same. Damian is still distraught over his mother's death while Anthony (McGibbon) has seen that the mere mention of it will inspire strangers to bestow gifts upon them. During a neighborhood watch meeting for new residents of their housing development, the Cunninghams and their neighbors, some of whom include Latter-day Saint missionaries, are told by a police officer that some houses will be burgled. The meeting concludes and everyone goes home. On his first day of school, the teacher asks the students to name personal heroes. His was Nelson Mandela, Damian's classmates named soccer players on their favorite teams, and Damian himself named Catholic saints, at least until the teacher deemed one story was not age-appropriate. When they met up between classes, Anthony told Damian that continuing to reference his vast knowledge of saints would cause him to be ostracized. After school, Damian takes the many boxes his family used to move into their home and constructs a fort near the railroad tracks that lie behind it. The fort is destroyed, however, with Damian inside after the passing of one such train. Damian emerges, shaken but otherwise uninjured, and finds a duffel bag was the cause of his fort's destruction and that the bag itself is full of money.

This is a wonderful film. Danny Boyle has become a well-known director in recent years thanks to films like Slumdog Millionaire and 127 Hours, but, to date, this is the only film he's directed that wasn't given an R rating. Etel makes the character of Damian one of the most endearing characters I've ever seen on film, despite his eccentricities. His response when he discovers the money's true origins, after initially believing it was a gift from God, is near- heartbreaking. And the imaginary friends who appear throughout the film, all taking the form of Catholic saints that Damian knows as a result of research, bring unexpected surprises and twists to the film. I wish I had seen this film in theaters, but that opportunity was not available to me. I would, however, encourage everyone to watch it at home as soon as they can.

You know "the one that got away"? Everybody has one. For most people, that would refer to a failed romance. For your avid fisherman, it would refer to a fish. To law enforcement professionals, what do you think it means?

The film begins on a ship in San Pedro Bay. One man, Dean Keaton (played by Gabriel Byrne) is sitting down and informs someone who proffers a generic "how you doing, Keaton?" that he can't feel his legs and identifies him as Keyser. Keaton asks the man what time it is and, after answering, the unidentified man shoots him in the head. Said identified man then ignites a trail of gasoline that causes the ship to explode. Cut to a deposition where Roger "Verbal" Kint (played by Kevin Spacey) explains that the events were the ultimate result of a lineup in New York. Dean Keaton (Byrne), a former police officer and a "white whale" of sorts for Special Agent Dave Kujan from the U.S Customs Bureau (played by Chazz Palminteri) is arrested in front of potential investors, thwarting his foray into legitimate business. Another criminal, Michael McManus (played by Stephen Baldwin) is arrested in his bed and doesn't bother to open his eyes, let alone stand up or run, when the police break down his door. His partner, Fred Fenster (played by Benicio del Toro) is arrested on the street and does attempt to evade arrest but the attempt itself is rather feeble. Todd Hockney (played by Kevin Pollak) is working on a car in a garage when he is arrested. The police inform him that he is under arrest and Hockney, not very concerned by the presence of the police, reaches under the car for a rag to wipe his face. The police draw their guns, he wipes his face and asks, "Are you sure you brought enough guys?" We are then shown the lineup and the interrogations that followed. Back in the present, the boat Keaton was on is destroyed and anyone who was on it is dead, or are they?

I love, love, love, this movie. Spacey as Verbal is amazing. This is one of those occasions where I have no problem with the awarding of an Oscar. Baldwin was never this good before and, to my knowledge, hasn't been since. The story requires constant attention and, at the same time, only serves to set up the twist at the end. Palminteri's character is relentless in his pursuit of Keaton and the result of that dogged pursuit is a major moment in American cinematic history. Other critics, among them the late, lamented Roger Ebert, were not fans of this film. While I don't wish to disrespect them, they could not be more wrong. If you haven't seen it, you should. Right now.

Have you ever thought about being someone else? Just leaving behind everything you know and diving headfirst into a new name with new friends and new interests? Would that really erase who you were before?

The story begins with several drug users in the midst of a binge. The narrator, "Danny Parker" (played by Val Kilmer) is also the main character. The drug that he and his companions are and have been consuming for several days is methamphetamine. "Danny" (Kilmer) then gives a brief editorial describing the history of methamphetamine, from its initial invention to the changing profile of the user over the years from kamikaze pilots to housewives to truck drivers and motorcycle gangs. We are then returned to the drug den where one of the users, known as Cujo (played by Adam Goldberg) screams to the entire room that their supply has run out. "Danny" and another addict "Jimmy the Finn" (played by Peter Sarsgaard) leave to buy more from a user and dealer that Jimmy is acquainted with. After "Danny" has returned with the drugs and the binge runs its course, he informs on the dealer to officers Gus Morgan (played by Doug Hutchison) and Al Garcetti (played by Anthony LaPaglia). His dealings with law enforcement are a secret he keeps from his fellow users. Once he's alone and in his own apartment, however, we are shown yet another secret which is kept not only from those he injects methamphetamine with, but also the police he informs to. He sheds his jewelry, washes out the Mohawk he regularly sports, and then states to the empty room that his name is Tom Van Allen and that he's a trumpet player.

This is an amazing movie. Kilmer manages to perfectly portray a loving husband and trumpet player and then seamlessly transform into a derelict drug abuser. LaPaglia and Hutchison, as characters whose true nature and motives are not known at first, put forth performances that are almost as compelling, if not equally so. Deborah Kara Unger as the one character that Kilmer bears his soul to brings an entirely different dimension and resolution to the story. By this point, it should be obvious that this film isn't for everyone. Nonetheless, I highly recommend it.

What were your teen years like? Sleepovers, baseball and paper routes? For a startling many, the teen years are the exact opposite of that. But, when all that stress becomes too much to handle, what do you do?

Craig Gilner (played by Keir Gilchrist) is a sixteen year-old who's contemplated suicide many times. One night, he dreams of riding his bike to the Brooklyn Bridge. In the dream, before he can jump, his mother (played by Lauren Graham), father (played by Jim Gaffigan) and little sister appear on the bridge. After a brief conversation, Craig loses his balance and falls to the water below. He wakes up after that and heads to the nearest emergency room. The admitting nurse, who was on the phone at the time of Craig's arrival, hears him state that he intends to kill himself and simply hands him a clipboard with attached admitting forms. While sitting in the waiting area, a man in scrubs in a lab coat (played by Zach Galifianakis) strikes up a conversation and then leaves abruptly. When he is actually examined, his doctor (played by Aasif Mandvi) does not believe that Craig is a threat to himself but Craig is adamant and, as such, is admitted for evaluation. The part of the hospital usually reserved for mentally ill teens is undergoing renovations so Craig is placed with the adults. His roommate, a middle-aged Egyptian named Muqtada (played by Bernard White) rarely leaves his bed and has not left his room in weeks. The initial shock provokes feelings of "buyer's remorse" in Craig but the hospital staff is not permitted to release him without evaluating him, which will take several days. In that time he becomes acquainted with other patients such as fellow teen, Noelle (played by Emma Roberts) and the man he encountered in the waiting room, Bobby (Galifianakis) who regularly leaves the ward, without permission, dressed in scrubs to avoid being escorted back.

I love this movie. Gilchrist masterfully portrays, in my opinion, a young adult grappling with issues that are far beyond his comprehension who is trying desperately to conceal that at the same time. Graham as the caring, over-emotional mother is someone we feel great sympathy for. Zach Galifianakis, for the first time in his acting career, scales back on the eccentricities we usually see in him and, surprisingly enough, shows talent as an actor. It seems odd that the least eccentric character that he's ever portrayed would be a mental patient, but that doesn't make it any less true. To sum up, It's Kind of a Funny Story is a near-brilliant film and I would advise anyone who found my review intriguing in the slightest to see it at their earliest possible convenience.

What are your passions? Travel, fine food, family and friends? What if you decided to forsake everything else in your life to make a career out of those passions? Looking back, what would you think?

Rob Gordon (played by John Cusack) is a lifelong Chicago resident and owner of his own record store. The store, Championship Vinyl, attracts very few window shoppers and almost as few intentional customers. The staff consists of Rob, Barry (played by Jack Black), and Dick (played by Todd Louiso). Originally hired to work two days a week, Barry (Black) and Dick (Louiso) decided instead to show up every day. Their personalities are complete mirror images of each other, Barry being loud and opinionated (one of many reasons that Jack Black was perfect for the role) and Dick being soft-spoken and deferential. What they and Rob have in common with each other is an almost encyclopedic knowledge of music and a superior attitude as a result. When we join the story, Rob is being dumped by his live-in girlfriend, Laura. Laura (played by Danish actress Iben Hjejle) has chosen to leave in the evening and Rob, vehemently opposed to the idea, elects to shout out the window as Laura drives away. Rob then proceeds to list the five most devastating breakups in his romantic past, purposely excluding Laura from the list. Noticing that all those relationships ended at the urging of the other party, Rob decides that he is doomed to be rejected. He reaches out to his first girlfriend, a girl he kissed for two hours a day for three days before finding her kissing someone else on the fourth day. While he fails to find his middle school love, her sister informs him that the boy Rob saw her kissing on the first day is now her husband and that they live in Australia. In fact, the woman he speaks to is under the impression that her sister's husband was actually her first boyfriend. Rob tries to disabuse her of this notion but the sister, believing him to be delusional, hangs up. Rob, now believing that his circumstances are the result of fate and not any sort of failure on his part, plans to reach out to his other former partners. Penny Hardwick (played by Joelle Carter) who would not allow the intimacy between them to progress past kissing, Charlie Nicholson (played by Catherine Zeta- Jones) who rejected him and began a relationship with a coworker, and Sarah Kendrew (played by Lily Taylor) who found the ideal relationship with each other, both having been rejected and fearing they would never find their true soul mate. Sarah found someone else while still with Rob and ended things with absolutely no warning.

This is one of those rare comedies that displays truly inspiring performances. Jack Black is, well Jack Black, but he is a valuable addition to the cast and the story. Cusack as Rob plays a character that we lose sympathy for on more than one occasion but ultimately find ourselves rooting for. And, as is typically the case with movies that feature multiple music aficionados as characters, the soundtrack is incredible. Thirteen years have passed since the release of this film and I enjoy it just as much if not more than I did when it was first released. THAT is the mark of true greatness.

How many bad relationships have you had? Relationships that keep you from moving forward for one reason or another? What if someone offered you a simple solution that would only take one evening and cost a nominal fee? Would you take it?

When we first meet Joel Barish (played by Jim Carrey), he's waking up in his home, wearing pajamas he doesn't recognize. It's Valentine's Day and, rather than go to work, he makes a spur of the moment decision to visit Montauk. As is typically the case with beach communities in the off-season, Montauk is deserted. Then, unexpectedly, Joel sees a woman on the beach. He wonders why he "falls in love with every woman" he sees who shows him "the slightest bit of attention". He encounters the same woman when he orders breakfast at a local restaurant and then, one final time, on the train home. The woman (played by Kate Winslet) introduces herself without any prompting. Her name is Clementine and she and Joel are getting off at the same stop. Their initial interaction makes Joel rather uncomfortable, he being the quiet, reserved type while Clementine is very outgoing and gives little thought to other peoples' opinions of her. Additionally, she has great disdain for generic adjectives like "nice", a word Joel uses more than once during their time on the train. When Joel spots Clementine walking home he offers to give her a ride and she accepts. When they arrive at her apartment, Clementine invites Joel up to her place for a drink and, despite the differences between them, or maybe as a result of them, Joel is intrigued. They take a late night trip to see the frozen Charles River and their romance progresses. The following morning, they arrive at Clementine's once again, Joel driving while Clementine slept, and she asks if they can go to his place and sleep there. She enters her apartment to retrieve some personal items and Joel, waiting in the car, is approached by a stranger who inquires as to why Joel is there. The conversation is awkward and short. Then, Clementine returns and they depart. Next, the credits begin rolling and we are shown an obviously distraught Joel. That is when the story really begins.

I go back and forth on the subject of non-linear storytelling. There are some stories that seek to make themselves seem interesting by showing the elements out of order and others that are genuinely enhanced by jumping from one point in time to another. I believe Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind falls in the second category. The creative manner by which they depict those elements of the story that take place within the mind of the main character, the subplots involving the unprincipled technicians performing the procedure add a whole new dimension to an already engrossing tale. Carrey and Winslet are both at the top of their games and, in my opinion, Carrey was never better before and hasn't been since. This is an amazing movie. See it.

If the question were put to you, would you "go gently into that good night"? What if you weren't given the choice and, instead, were left with the more grisly task of balancing the scales? Would you take it?

It's Mischief Night, or Devil's Night as it's referred to in this film, in Detroit and the night before musician Eric Draven (played by Brandon Lee) and Shelley Webster (played by Sofia Shinas) are to be married. Then, thanks to their efforts to fight eviction for themselves and their fellow tenants, their home is broken into. The invaders toss Draven (Lee) through a window and send him plummeting to the ground three stories below and savage his bride-to-be. The first officer on the scene is Sgt. Albrecht (played by Ernie Hudson) and when Shelley asks about her fiancée, he spares her the truth and tells her he's fine. Then, when the latchkey kid that Eric and Shelley have taken under their wing stumbles upon the scene, Albrecht relays the lie once again. The child, Sarah (played by Rochelle Davis who also acts as the film's narrator), sees through the sergeant's reassuring fiction and departs soon after. Flash-forward one year, Sarah is visiting the graveyard where Shelly and Eric have been laid to rest and encounters a crow. After she'd left, the crow begins tapping on Eric's headstone with his beak. Then, that night, Eric emerges from his grave, shaking and traumatized. He returns to the apartment that he and Shelley once shared and finds that it is a ruin of the home he knew. While there, he begins experiencing flashbacks of the night one year before when he lost everything. Seeing the men responsible, who call themselves T-Bird (played by David Patrick Kelly), Tin-Tin (played by Laurence Mason), Funboy (played by Michael Massee), and Skank (played by Angel David). Still reeling from those memories, Eric grabs onto the frame that once held the apartment's only window and swings out and back in. He notices that he's cut himself on remnants on the window but, to his surprise, he heals almost immediately. With this new gift, he dons all black clothes, decorates his face in the style of a harlequin mask that was on the floor of his home, and sets out to seek revenge with the crow as his guide.

I cannot adequately express how much I love this movie. The tone, the cinematography, the soundtrack, the antagonists. Everything about this movie is top-drawer. Fans of the graphic novel of the same name that inspired the film say that the master criminal in the film, known as Top Dollar in the novel and not actually given a name in the film, was far more ordinary than the evil genius Michael Wincott portrayed. Other critics say that the death of Brandon Lee gave this film a legacy it didn't earn, much the same way that critics claim Heath Ledger's death before the release of The Dark Knight added anticipation it wouldn't have gotten otherwise. As I was only ten when the film was first released, I was not aware of the film itself or Lee's death until much later. What I will say is that I cannot watch this film enough. Even so, if you haven't seen The Crow, shame on you.

What can anyone do in the face of true tyranny? When simple criticism is outlawed, what chance does a revolution have? How do you inspire a nation that's been bullied into silence?

The story begins with a comment on the power of an individual idea. Additionally, we are given a brief history of a failed rebellion in Great Britain and the man behind it, Guy Fawkes (portrayed by Clive Ashborn). Next, we flash-forward to an unspecified point in the United Kingdom's future. A future in which a man by the name of Lewis Prothero (called The Voice of London and played by Roger Allam) has his own nightly broadcast and uses it to espouse his own political beliefs which always ends with the phrase "good guys win, bad guys lose, and, as always, England prevails". Prothero is shown to the viewer on two different screens being watched by two different people. One of them, Evey Hammond (portrayed by Natalie Portman) is preparing for an evening out and turns off her television as she leaves, saying "That's quite enough of that. Thank you very much." The other viewer is left unidentified. Once Hammond has left her home, a public address system notifies the citizenry that a "yellow coded" curfew is now in effect. Worried that she might face consequences if she is discovered, Hammond suddenly hurries. Unfortunately, she is accosted by two men. Soon after threatening her, they identify themselves as government officials and make it clear that they intend to assault her. All seems lost for Ms. Hammond until a masked man, (voiced by Hugo Weaving) intervenes on her behalf. Our man in the mask subdues Ms Hammond's attackers and then tells her that she may call him V. V claims to be a musician on the way to a concert and asks Evey to join him. V appears delusional to Evey at first, conducting a symphony that she can neither see nor hear, when the same public address system that informed of the curfew begins playing Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. Before the song is finished, she is surprised again by an explosion which destroys the Old Bailey, home of the Central Criminal Court and an iconic piece of London architecture. As V revels in the destruction of the Old Bailey, it becomes clear to Evey that he was responsible and as government officials observe her next to V in the surveillance footage, they incorrectly assume Evey was somehow involved.

When V for Vendetta was first in theaters, it was the source of much debate. Fans of the graphic novel complained that it took liberties with the story. Others worried that it justified terrorism. Having not read the graphic novel, I can't comment on the first part. On the second part, at the time it occurred, people might've seen the Boston Tea Party as terrorism. In a totalitarian state, where dissent is a criminal act in and of itself, terrorism might very well be the best vehicle for change. And it's because of that, an engaging and suspenseful story, and stellar performances from the main and supporting cast that I count V for Vendetta among my favorite movies. I have seen it many times since it was released on DVD and I will, no doubt, watch it many more. If what I've written intrigues you at all and you haven't seen this film yet, you absolutely should. Just one man's opinion.

Have you ever seen someone who you know deserved to rot in jail get away with it? What if they somehow wound up committing the exact same crime? Could you let them get away with that a second time? I doubt it.

When we first join the characters, we find ourselves in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A sniper attack ends the lives of five seemingly random people. With an abundance of evidence against him, the police arrest and charge former Army sharpshooter James Barr (played by Joseph Sikora). Rather than confess and throw himself on the mercy of the court, the way District Attorney Alex Rodin (played by Richard Jenkins) and his lead investigator, Detective Emerson (played by David Oyelowo) would like, he writes "find Jack Reacher" on a piece of paper and that's the last we hear from him for sometime. Jack Reacher (played by Tom Cruise) is a former military police officer who served with distinction and all but vanished from the earth once he left the service. The D.A. and lead investigator ask how they're supposed to find someone like that and just as one of the characters says "you don't find him, he finds you" he shows up at their office. By this time, perhaps as a result of misconduct on the part of police and prison officials, James Barr is in a coma. His lawyer, Helen Rodin (defense attorney and daughter of the District Attorney played by Rosamund Pike) introduces herself to Jack Reacher and asks him to work as her investigator. Reacher tells Rodin how he and Barr first became acquainted. Barr, a sharpshooter who never fired a single shot during a battle scenario, has been trained for a task he was never ordered to attempt. He, out of desperation, kills several men who are completely unknown to him. As it turns out, those men were civilian contractors and Barr killed them as they were concluding a rape rally. Barr was acquitted and Reacher, certain he will commit a similar crime in the future, vowed to be there when he did.

I wouldn't call myself a Tom Cruise fan. I've seen films he was in that I liked (examples include A Few Good Men, the Mission: Impossible series, and Collateral) and I've seen him in movies I hated (Knight and Day, War of the Worlds, Vanilla Sky). I would consider myself a Rosamund Pike fan; however I have only seen two other films in which she appeared (Die Another Day and The Big Year). I wouldn't call Jack Reacher a masterpiece or some sort of reemergence of Cruise's career, but it was very entertaining and I'm glad I saw it. If you're an action fan, you should see it too.

Could you build a new life with mistakes of your past haunting you? What if you had to do it more than once? Everyone has a breaking point. What if you reached yours and had further to go?

Jean Valjean (portrayed by Hugh Jackman) stole bread to feed his starving family and, while serving his sentence, tried to escape. So, nineteen years after his initial incarceration, a guard known simply as Javert informs him that he is free to go. Javert (played by Russell Crowe) believes that Valjean (Jackman) is a born criminal and that he will return to jail eventually. After spending almost twenty years in prison, Valjean is unable to find work and resorts to sleeping on the street. He is taken in by a bishop and spends a night in a church. He steals the church's silver in the night and is arrested but the bishop lies to the authorities, claiming the silver was a gift, thereby facilitating Valjean's release. Valjean breaks parole and is reborn as an honest man but Javert vows to find and arrest him. Eight years after the bishop's kind act, Jean has become a factory owner and the mayor of a small town. One of his workers, Fantine (portrayed by Anne Hathaway), is exposed as an unwed mother and fired by her lecherous foreman. Fantine (Hathaway), with no other options, resorts to prostitution to support herself and send whatever she has left to her daughter Cosette. Seen arguing with a customer by the rigidly moral Javert, who is now police inspector, Fantine seems destined for imprisonment. Luckily, Valjean intervenes and brings Fantine to a hospital. Despite initial suspicions that the mayor is Valjean, Javert arrests another man he believes to be Valjean and offers the mayor his resignation. Valjean declines, exonerates the man believed to be him and goes on the run. Rather than concerning himself solely with his own freedom, Valjean seeks out the daughter of the now-deceased Fantine who is being "cared for" by a pair of unscrupulous innkeepers. Those innkeepers (portrayed by Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter) extort a large sum of money before allowing Valjean to leave with Cosette and then inform the police who are hot on his trail. Nine years later, Cosette (who has, of course, grown and is now portrayed by Amanda Seyfried) is still being cared for by Valjean and, after a chance encounter with a revolutionary, falls in love instantly. That revolutionary (Marius, portrayed by Eddie Redmayne) is the object of a one-sided crush by the daughter of Cosette's former caretakers. Her name is Eponine (played by Samantha Barks) and while she has little or no interest in politics, she joins Marius's revolution almost immediately.

I can go either way where musicals are concerned. I couldn't stand Chicago, but I loved Dreamgirls and eventually bought it on DVD. Also, while I'd heard of it before and knew it was a musical, my first introduction to the story of Les Miserables was a film starring Liam Neeson and Geoffrey Rush which altered the original story and abandoned the musical aspect. I really liked this film. All the actors in this film, to varying degrees, are competent singers. In fact, Anne Hathaway was shockingly good. What I liked better about the Liam Neeson film is that it supplied explanations. Even so, if you can appreciate musicals, you should see Les Miserables.

Imagine yourself on the eve of your first day of high school. If you'd prefer not to, I get it, believe me. What if you'd just been released from the hospital? Do you really think you could rebound from that?

Charlie (played by Logan Lerman), is a quiet, introspective teenager who has recently suffered a setback, the full nature of which we're not informed of, and is about to start his freshman year of high school. The only friend he makes on his first day is his English teacher, Bill Anderson (played by Paul Rudd). Rather than worry his parents, (played by Dylan McDermott and Kate Walsh) Charlie gives the typical, one-syllable description of his first day of high school. Time passes and Charlie becomes friends with step-siblings Sam and Patrick. Sam (played by former Harry Potter actress Emma Watson) is an outgoing senior dating a college guy and her step-brother Patrick (played by Ezra Miller) is a flamboyant underachiever with a great sense of humor. They attend a football game together and follow that with a visit to a diner before driving Charlie home. The next function they attend as a group is a party where Charlie, unknowingly, ingests a pot brownie. It is during this moment of drug-fueled confidence that Charlie reveals to Sam the fact that he lost a friend to suicide one year ago. After quietly relaying that fact to Patrick, he and Sam both decide then and there that Charlie should become a full-fledged member of their group. Moments later, Charlie bears witness to a romantic encounter between Patrick and his closeted boyfriend, star football player Brad (played by Johnny Simmons). They leave the party, go for a drive, and hear a song that inspires Sam to stand in the bed of the pickup truck and stretch out her arms as they drive through a tunnel. This is when Charlie first develops romantic feelings for Sam which she is completely unaware of.

There's a lot to like about this film. Miller and Watson's characters are both very endearing and their decision to adopt fellow outcast Charlie is a moment that brings hope for the character and life in general. There are elements I believe the film could do without. Examples include the one-sided relationship between two of the characters and the references to The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which never resonated with me the way it seems to with others. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it greatly and encourage others to see it at their earliest possible convenience.

What would you do to rescue the woman you love? Fight, maim, kill? What if, after doing all of those things, the one true test left was holding back? Could you? Would you want to?

Less than a decade before the Civil War, Django (a slave portrayed by Jamie Foxx) is being escorted, in chains, by his masters, the Speck brothers. They are traveling through a remote, wooded area when they encounter someone unexpected. Their unexpected company is former dentist, Dr. King Schultz. Schultz (portrayed by Christoph Waltz) is looking for a slave formerly owned by men he wishes to find. The slave, it turns out, is Django. The Specks have no intention of surrendering Django to the doctor and make that point very clear. The doctor then kills one Speck brother and leaves the other alive but seriously wounded. Schultz (Waltz) then informs Django that if he can identify the men he's searching for, whom Schultz is hunting in hopes of securing a bounty, and aid in their capture, Schultz will grant Django his freedom and give him $75 and a horse. Schultz also reveals that he despises slavery as a concept. Once the men Schultz was after are found and dealt with, Schultz tells Django that, as he has never given anyone their freedom before, he feels a certain responsibility. The two men become colleagues, hunting fugitives for money. In addition, the former dentist offers to help Django find the one thing he really wants: his wife Broomhilda. Broomhilda (also a slave, portrayed by Kerry Washington) was named by her original owners who were German, like Schultz. She was left scarred by her owners, who were also Django's, and then the two were auctioned separately. After a few inquiries, they learn that Broomhilda is now in the possession of well-known plantation owner and Francophile Calvin Candie and residing with Candie on the plantation counter-intuitively referred to as Candie Land.

While some people worship Tarantino's body of work, generally speaking, I can take it or leave it. I didn't like Pulp Fiction, or Reservoir Dogs, thought Inglorious Basterds was decent but overrated, but loved Jackie Brown. Jamie Foxx, on the other hand, has proved his skill time and time and again and, while not every film he's appeared in could be considered quality, the fault rarely, if ever, lies with him. As for Waltz, it is refreshing to see him portray a character with redeeming qualities and he does so very well. DiCaprio, contrastingly, tends to play characters that are, or are at least meant to be, likable. Despite being well-mannered, Calvin Candie is anything but. Even so, his performance is masterful. Critics who dislike this film have come at it from both sides. Some take issue with the film for not depicting slavery seriously. Others see the depiction of Caucasians as villains as the continuation of some sort of disturbing trend. Of course, the fact that Christoph Waltz portrays one of the protagonists would seem to contradict that but, why let logic interfere with an argument? As for what I think, those who suffer typically deserve it and slave masters are shown as vicious because, more often than not, they were. I liked this film and I can't imagine why those who can see this film with an apolitical eye wouldn't.

What are the expectations you have for yourself? Successful career, comfortable home, happy family? What if all of that were in jeopardy and had no way to save it? What would you do?

Pete and Debi (who we were first semi-introduced to in the 2007 film Knocked Up and played again by Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann) are married, have two children, and both own their own businesses. Pete (Rudd) has left a major record label to open his own independent label where he can work with musicians he's passionate about. Debi (played by Leslie Mann) owns and operates her own clothing store with two employees. Those employees are Jodi (played by Charlene Yi) who Deb considers a friend and a valued employee, and Desi (played by Megan Fox) who may or may not be stealing from the store but, with the huge influx of male shoppers thanks to her looks, those losses might be inconsequential. Pete is trying to drum up major public interest in a reunion album for a group that has great meaning to Pete personally but who's never been particularly well-known. At the same time, Pete and Debi are both turning 40 within days of each other. Their two daughters, Sadie and Charlotte (played by director Apatow and lead actress Leslie Mann's real-life daughters Maude and Iris Apatow) fight constantly. In addition, Sadie, Pete and Debi's 13 year-old (played by Maude Apatow) has developed an unhealthy obsession with Lost. To add even more fuel to the fire, Pete has been loaning money to his father, Larry (played by Albert Brooks), in secret. In contrast, Debi and her father, Oliver (played by John Lithgow) rarely speak.

I didn't really enjoy This is 40 that much. I have never been a big fan of Apatow's other films. They always seem to go for the gross-out factor and I have a low-tolerance for that type of humor. Also, there seems to be some sort of revelation every half-hour in this movie. "I don't know what we're going to do" and then twenty minutes later "we're all going to be okay". Apatow fans might enjoy this movie, I most definitely did not. I don't recommend This is 40.

How do you come back from the worst experience in your life? Therapy, denial, maybe some substance abuse? What if, after a relatively short amount of time, you're flung back into a very similar circumstance? I don't imagine that would help.

Sometime after returning to the relative safety of Los Angeles, Bryan Mills (played by Liam Neeson), his ex-wife Lenore (played by Famke Janssen) and their daughter Kim (played by Maggie Grace) are still rebounding from the trauma they suffered. Bryan (Neeson) arrives at Kim's home to give her a driving lesson only to be informed that she is not even in the house. She's with her boyfriend. A boyfriend Bryan knew nothing about, no less. Simultaneously, in Tropoje, Albania, Murad Hoxha, father of deceased kidnapper and human trafficker Marko Hoxha, is attending a funeral service being conducted for his son and his accomplices. Murad (played by Rade Serbedzija) vows to avenge the deaths of his son and his friends. After hearing that a planned vacation to China is cancelled by Lenore's now estranged husband, Bryan invites both Kim and Lenore to join him on a business trip in Istanbul once he's fulfilled his professional obligations. They arrive sooner than expected and, unbeknownst to them, followed by Murad's henchman. Following a family lunch in the marketplace, Kim returns to the hotel. It's immediately apparent to Bryan and Lenore that their daughter hopes privacy and the exotic locale will rekindle feelings of love in her long-divorced parents. While romance does seem to be in bloom between the couple, it is abruptly halted when Murad and his men make their play for the Mills family.

Now, I was and still am a huge fan of the 2008 film. I believe Neeson took a film that would've seemed dull and uninspired in the hands of Jason Statham, Vin Diesel, or any other contemporary action star and elevated it beyond the material. This film, while entertaining and plausible enough for an action/adventure, is the lesser of the two. Of course, there's the fact that it's more of the same and, therefore, less interesting. In addition, while the original depended on Neeson's estimable talent, this film relies heavily on Maggie Grace. A competent actress, sure, but nowhere near as good as Liam Neeson. I enjoyed it about as much as I expected to. That's it.

You make it your mission to rid your nation of its most shameful human rights violation. While fighting a war to achieve that goal, you're simultaneously trying to pass legislation in furtherance of that goal. What if you fail?

Abraham Lincoln (played by Daniel Day-Lewis) has brought the south to the edge of defeat in The Civil War but has yet to pass the thirteenth amendment which will outlaw slavery and involuntary servitude. He feels that he can't end the war without first passing the amendment. His cabinet, in contrast, feels they will not be able to pass the amendment if they are not trying to end the war. His Secretary of State, William Seward (played by David Strathairn) tells him that peace and the amendment are mutually exclusive. Debates among congressmen rage on the floor on a constant basis with arguments in favor of abolition being voiced by Republican congressman Thaddeus Stevens (played by Tommy Lee Jones) and arguments opposing abolition coming from Fernando Wood (played by Lee Pace) and George H. Pendleton (played by Peter McRobbie). Behind the scenes, operative William N. Bilbo (played by James Spader) is constructing backroom, and in some cases backwoods, deals that will ensure anyone who may vote for the amendment will and anyone who won't will abstain. As far as any struggles Abraham Lincoln is dealing with in his home life, his son, Robert Todd Lincoln (portrayed by Joseph Gordon- Leavitt), has abandoned studies at Harvard to join the Union army. His mother, First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln (portrayed by Sally Field) is foursquare against the idea of her son going to war, as she is still dealing with the loss of two sons. Edward Baker Lincoln who died in 1850 and William Wallace Lincoln who succumbed to typhoid fever one year prior to the Emancipation Proclamation.

I cannot overstate how much I enjoyed this movie. Some actors simply play themselves while answering to different names and others disappear into a role. Where Bruce Willis is the former, Daniel Day-Lewis is most definitely the latter. Makeup or no, this is not an actor's portrayal of Abraham Lincoln, this is a brilliant man transforming himself into the most courageous politician this country's ever known. Likewise, Tommy Lee Jones as Thaddeus Stevens, a man even more devoted to the cause of abolishing slavery but far less concerned with matters such as tact and courtesy steals every scene he is in. There is no justification for foregoing this movie for this long but, if you haven't seen it yet, you should. It is brilliant.

What would you do if you found yourself orphaned, alone and in the middle of the ocean? Drown, surrender, pray? Now imagine you had company in the form of a dangerous predator.

We join the story of Piscine Molitor Patel in adulthood. Piscine, known as Pi (played by Irfan Khan) is an Indian living in Canada. One day, a young novelist comes to his door after being referred by a friend of his. Named after a swimming pool by his parents, Piscine came by his nickname after exhaustive chiding of his given name by classmates in school. His father ran a local zoo and Pi took an intense, and as far as his father was concerned, unhealthy, interest in the zoo's sole tiger. Named Richard Parker as the result of a clerical error, the tiger is fed a live goat while Pi bears witness in an effort by his father to instill an appropriate amount of fear. Though raised as a Hindu, Pi (played as an adolescent by Ayush Tandon) discovers Christianity as the result of a dare from his older brother and, by sheer chance, discovers Islam sometime after. As an adult, he refers to himself as a Catholic Hindu. At 16, Pi's father decides to close the zoo, sell the animals and move the family to Canada. This is a crushing development in the life of our main character as he has just fallen in love for the first time. The family and the animals make their journey west on a Japanese freighter. Woken by a severe storm, Pi goes to the top deck to marvel at the magnitude of the waves, wind, and rain. It is that extremely questionable decision which lands him in a lifeboat while his family and the rest of the crew sink with the ship. All this would make his chances of survival slim enough, but for better or worse, he's not alone in the boat. With him is Richard Parker the tiger, an orangutan he refers to as Orange Juice a zebra and a hyena.

This is an incredible movie. Some would say elements of the story are too fantastic to be believable but, with the first film in The Hobbit trilogy and the alleged final chapter in the Twilight saga currently in theaters, those objections seem hollow, to say the least. The struggle between man and beast and the eventual development of a symbiotic relationship between the two make for an extremely gripping tale. It's made even more so by the trials and tribulations they both encounter in their fight to survive. I thoroughly enjoyed Life of Pi, and wish I'd seen it sooner.

A hard drive containing the names of undercover agents embedded in terrorist organizations is now up for sale and you suffered a near fatal injury trying to stop it. What would it take to send you back into the fray? Money, love, fear?

James Bond (played by Daniel Craig for the third time) and fellow MI6 agent Eve (played by Naomie Harris) have tracked a thief carrying a stolen hard drive with confidential information to a train. After an exhausting chase and an epic amount of destruction, Bond and the thief are locked in a physical struggle. With the thief in her sights, Eve (Harris), on orders from M (played by Judi Dench for the seventh time) takes the shot, misses, and sends 007 plummeting to the water below while the hard drive and the thief are lost. M (Dench) is summoned before a government committee where one member, Gareth Mallory (played by Ralph Fiennes), encourages her to retire. While en route to MI6 headquarters, their servers are breached and, while M watches helplessly in traffic, their offices are destroyed killing several agents. Bond, having taken his fall from the tracks as an opportunity to retire, learns of the attack while watching television in a bar. His return to government service is typically atypical. He breaks into M's home, reports for duty, and asks how he can be of service. Before returning to duty, Bond must submit to both a physical and a psychological exam. Despite failing both, a desperate M puts Bond back in the field, for lack of a better idea.

This being a Bond movie, there is, of course, a great deal more to the story. The moment we are introduced to the true villain, Raoul Silva (played by Javier Bardem) marks the Bond series' return to cinematic greatness. Bardem is truly terrifying and every time you think you've figured out his master plan, he shocks you. The introduction of Ben Whishaw as 007's liaison to Q branch breathes new life into an element of the franchise that I assumed had simply been abandoned with the departure of Pierce Brosnan and the death of the much-beloved Desmond Llewelyn. I understand that many Bond fans saw Quantum of Solace as a failure. Putting aside the fact that I was not one of them, this is easily the best Bond film since Craig assumed the role of lead actor, in my opinion. No fan of the franchise should miss seeing Skyfall in theaters. It is brilliant.

Do you have a plan for your retirement? A condo, maybe? Las Vegas, Miami, Scottsdale? What about India? It's probably not your first choice. But then it wasn't the first choice for most of the characters in this film, and they still ended up there. Wanna know why?

Evelyn Greenside (played by Judi Dench) is a housewife who was recently widowed. In addition to her grief, her husband's death has left her with massive debts. While discussing her husband's account with a representative of her internet service provider, she causes an abrupt change in tone when she informs the person on the other end of the phone, whose Indian accent is easily noticeable, that her husband is dead. We are later introduced to a High Court judge named Graham Dashwood. Dashwood (played by Tom Wilkinson) is on his way to the most recent in what seems to be an endless series of retirement parties. He's dreading the event a great deal and, rather than suffer through the festivities, he simply says, "This is the day" as a way of announcing his own retirement and then leaves the party without another word. Next, we have the Ainslies. Douglas Ainslie (played by Bill Nighy) and his wife Jean (played by Penelope Wilton) are exploring a number of less- than-enticing bungalows where they might spend their golden years. They'd hoped for something grander, but invested a large portion of their savings in their daughter's internet business and have yet to see that business turn a profit. Muriel Donnelly (played by Maggie Smith) is a cantankerous former housekeeper who needs a hip replacement but finds the wait, cost, and personnel at her local hospital unappealing. All these characters are made aware, in varying ways, of a seemingly beautiful retirement community in India named The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel for the Elderly and Beautiful. However, when they arrive, they soon find out that Sonny, the hotel's young and enthusiastic manager (played by Dev Patel), has misrepresented the accommodations at the hotel. He neglected to mention the hotel's shabby appearance, failing plumbing, and non-functioning phone service.

Now I failed to introduce two other characters in the story. They are single by choice and have come to India looking for romance. Without cluing you in to the ending, the film avoids the obvious cliché of the two finding love in each other's arms while still allowing them to find contentment. For that reason and others, I loved this film. There are twists, surprises, happy endings, not-so-happy endings. All that merely punctuates the brilliant portrayals offered by a cast that already has many on their respective. The inexplicably optimistic character played by former Slumdog Millionaire and now supporting actor on HBO's The Newsroom, Dev Patel is a constant source of amusement. See this film.

If you've ever watched a horror movie, you've seen characters headed for their doom after making an obvious mistake and asked yourself, 'how could they be so stupid?' What if your job depended on that very stupidity? Better yet, what if the world as we knew it depended on that stupidity?

Five college students, Dana (played by Kristen Connolly), Curt (played by Thor himself Chris Hemsworth), Jules (played by Anna Hutchison), Marty (played by Fran Kranz) and Holden (played by Grey's Anatomy's Jesse Williams) are all packed and ready for some much needed rest and relaxation in a remote cabin in the woods (I know, the title was no help in predicting that). Separately, two men in a corporate facility whose nature is not fully explained are gearing up for a series of operations taking place worldwide and one happening domestically that determines the future of their employment. While en route to their secluded cabin, our college students stop for gas and are more than moderately spooked by the station attendant who tells them that tragedies have befallen more than one of the previous owners. Still they press on and the attendant, Mordecai (played by Tim de Zarn) relays that to the two men in the corporate facility (played by Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford) while they laugh at the man's ghoulish demeanor which he maintains long after the collegians depart.

There's a good deal more to this story, but to reveal any more would give away too much. What I can tell you is that I enjoyed this movie immensely. The relatively unknown cast members serve their purpose and the more accomplished professionals, namely Whitford, Jenkins, and a largely unseen Sigourney Weaver add an entirely different dimension to a film that might otherwise be cookie-cutter from its inception. If you enjoy horror or enjoy a good parody, you will enjoy The Cabin the Woods.

In your home country, you are all-powerful, worshipped, albeit forcibly, and seen as God come to Earth. Then, you are abandoned in a country where you're despised by the public as a whole and must make a living. What do you do?

Admiral General Hafez Aladeen (played by Sacha Baron Cohen) has been master of all he surveys in the North African Republic of Wadiya for decades. He's immature, anti-Semitic, has such poor judgment, and so little control over his libido that his bodyguards are all female and chosen primarily for their looks. In addition, he spends a fortune of his country's money for the pleasure of Megan Fox's company in the bedroom. Still, all is not perfect in the world of our conceited ruler. He must face the combined challenges of building his struggling nuclear program and keeping U.N. inspectors from discovering it. All while his right hand and uncle, Tamir (played by Ben Kingsley) grows frustrated with working for such a buffoon. Believing that he rightly belongs in the seat of power, Tamir (Kingsley) hires an American mercenary named Clayton (played by John C. Reilly) to kidnap Aladeen so that he can be replaced a look-alike they employ to foil assassination attempts. The look-alike, (also played by Cohen) is a simpleton and will be much easier to manipulate than the real Aladeen who managed to escape his captors, but not before they'd stripped him of his decorated military uniform and cut off his trademark beard. After meeting him outside the U.N., Zoey, an activist and operator of an alternative lifestyle food co-op (played by Anna Faris) offers Aladeen a job, believing he was a refugee from the oppressive regime rather than the covertly ousted oppressor himself.

Now, having not seen Borat or Bruno, perhaps I was unprepared for Cohen's brand of comedy. The director, Larry Charles, was also behind the camera for Cohen's previous efforts but I'm only familiar with his work as an alumnus of the Seinfeld writing staff and as the director of the Bill Maher documentary Religulous. I am a fan of both but comparing The Dictator to Seinfeld is like comparing apples to… well, Seinfeld. And the obvious references to eccentricities exhibited by Saddam Hussein and former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi were funny, but the protagonist himself neither funny nor sympathetic. To me, he was rarely, if ever, interesting. Others might enjoy this film, I didn't.