"Diary of the Dead" Tells a Fascinating Story

George A. Romero (Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead) brings us another great horror movie. In this riveting film a group of students from Pittsburgh run from a wide spreading zombie invasion. The cast aren't A-listers but this adds to the credibility of the film. Shawn Roberts (Resident Evil: Afterlife) makes an appearance but the rest of the crew do not seem to be familiar faces  that stand out. The shooting style of this film is what really ties the movie together. Shot in a documentary style with two free hand cameras, we really get to see what people are feeling. This movie did not have to many jump out and scare you moments, but had constant suspense that had me biting my nails and sitting on the edge of my seat. The acting at times did seem a little disjointed. The professor who rode along with them had one of the strangest characters who's acting seemed hit or miss. The ending is very interesting and I'm not going to say much here but it was original and polishes off the movie well. I didn't here much about this film around it's release but if you like horror movies this one is worth the time to watch.

Final Grade: B-

Strange Wilderness, Just Plain Strange

Fred Wolf (Grown Ups, Without A Paddle, Joe Dirt) directed this movie. This movie definitely fits the mold of many of Wolf's his movies and for such makes this more average. In this film starring some familiar faces like Steve Zahn (The Perfect Getaway) who plays a son who try's to go out and film big foot so he can keep his dead fathers show on the air. Before heading out he hires a crew including Superbad actor, Jonah Hill. Another crew member Kevin Hefferman (Super Troopers) joins in to the crazy shenanigans that unfold.  As they go on the journey to find Bigfoot crazy things start to happen. This film was made by Happy Madison studios and we see many of the actors that show up in many of their movies such as Allen Covert (Big Daddy). The humor at times seems pointless and not funny. But at other times it had me laughing hysterically. Many of the gag reels where repetitive but lasted long enough to stay funny. this movie is filled with lots of yelling, profanity, and drug use. If you find these annoying then avoid this one. If not this movie may be worth watching at some point.
 
Final Grade: C+

"Last Air Bender" Steaming Pile of Special Effects

M. Night Shyamalan, who has directed Signs and The Village brings us his take on the semi-successful nickelodeon series. The only really familiar face is Slumdog Millionaire star is Dev Patel. The main characters seem to stick out as they are some of the few white characters.The action seems very slow and choppy. The plot though followable at times was disconnected and the time line was rushed. The special effects where fun to see but weren't enough to hold the movie together. The bending was fun to see but all the fighting seemed to slow. The fighting seemed turn based instead of actual action happening. There were beautiful scenes put forth but the slowness of them made it seem fake and overly acted. I only saw a part of the original cartoon series so I personally don't know the whole extent of the changes. But in watching it with an avid fan of the cartoon, he was left writhing in agony at the plot holes and the changing of the personalities of many of the characters. Nicole Pelts plays Katara, one of the last water benders, her character is quieter and a little more passive in the movie. Patel plays an exile prince of the fire nation. Noah Ringer who is a new actor plays the main character Aang. Aang seemed dampened and more serious than in the series. None of the acting was great but seeing Shyamalan recent films their was not much hope for this movie either. This movie was worth renting to pass the time but not much more than that. If you haven't seen this don't rush to do so now. For those who have seen it or saw it in theaters may still be feeling the pain of another disappointing movie from Shyamalan . Hopefully he can redeem his career soon.

Final Grade: D

"Youth in Revolt" Goes Against the Usual

This was directed by Miguel Arteta, a relatively less known director. In this tale of extreme teen love we see Michael Cera (Superbad, Juno), playing the good boy trying to be bad. He comes up with an alter ego to do his skullduggery. This movie seems to be a spirited version of Fight Club but through a teenager. The movie has some intense language and sexual themes but they do potray the teenage mind quite well at 16. The cast was packed with some familiar faces. Steve Buschemmi from both the Sopranos and Boardwalk empire makes an appearance as Cera's father in the movie. Also in the cast we see Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover) make an appearance, he plays a trailer trash boyfriend to Cera's mother. In any movie Galifianakis he adds a vibrant dynamic and usually a few good laughs. Another famliar face is Cera's father played by Steve Buscemi (Resevoir Dogs , and the voice of Randall in Monsters Inc.)The movie is full of crazy twists and puts a twist on the classic teenage love. We get to see a teenager who after being walked on his whole life he finds a girl he finds worth fighting for and sacrifices his old life to be with her. Overall this movie was a fresh take on an over done genre. At times it seems a little strange how the plot progress especially towards the end but doesn't take much away from the movie. If you have been putting this off, I would suggest renting this soon if you don't mind a quirky film, that pushes what is acceptable in society.

Final Grade: B+

"The Spy Next Door" Needs to Go Into Hiding

One of Kung Fu's greatest Jackie Chan (Rush Hour series) stars in this family and romance film. Directed by Brian Levant, who also directed The Flinstones, Are We There Yet, and Jingle All The Way. Knowing this movie is directed by Levant is hard to believe as most of his films seem to be of this mediocre quality.his film starts off with the revealing of Chan being a secret agent but stepping down to pursue what he hopes to be a normal life. To try and woo his love interest he offers to watch her children during an emergency out of state calls her away. The movie attempts comedy but at times is hard to follow. Chan is usually at his best in action movies and here he stepped out of that role. He does have scenes where he flexes his acrobatic and fighting skills but thy aren't enough to make a great movie. Also making an appearance is George Lopez and Billy Ray Cyrus, both are forgettable roles and don't add much to the film. While he speaks it's hard to understand Chan at times. The three children all seem to have some form of a complex. The oldest is irritatingly disrespectful, the middle child is a lier and socially awkward, and the youngest is rambunctious. These three seem at times intolerable. The villains are supposed to be Russian but just sound abysmal. In a completely expectable way Chan works with them and gets them to gain new respect for their mother an helps to solve some of these problems while having to step back into his agent role to try and save the day. Overall an average movie that is a little below average.
Final Grade: C-

"Resident Evil: Afterlife" Lacks A Pulse

Paul Anderson who also directed Death Race and Pandorum, brings us this fourth film in the series based on Capcom's video game series is a crazy action movie. For this one you need to leave your brain at the door. The action sequences are great but at times look fake and over done. Milla Jovovich renews her role as Alice, a bad-ass with oversized guns who takes no crap from the undead. The supporting cast shows the return of Ali Larter as Claire Redfield. The rest of the cast is changing so fast there isn't anyone who stands out in the survivors. Being a fan of the games seeing Wesker was bittersweet. Wesker is played by Shawn Roberts who had a strong presence and excellent gun skills but his character seems to lack the substance his video game persona has. This could be due to Roberts not playing a role of this caliber before. The story is usually easy to follow but at times the progression is choppy. This movie is nice for fans of the games as it has the most reference to the games to date, extra focus was put in from the fifth game.This movie does fit nicely in the series but seems disappointing for some of it's continuity issues.  Such as the lack of needing to reload ever or guns appearing out of nowhere. But all the technical issues aside this is a fun movie to watch to see some good zombie killing and stunning weapon choreography. The ending seems to point towards another movie in the series, but it doesn't seem to be a good idea after seeing this one. If you have seen the other three this one does work to answer a few questions that where left looming.This may be worth renting if you have a free night and don't mind seeing an average action movie.

Final Grade: C

"Family Guy: It's a Trap" Catches You in Funny

Seth MacFarlane brings this third installment of the Family Guy Star Wars series. The scrolling text really setup what is another good satire. Many jokes point out that this installment seems unnecessary, but do it so its still funny. Early on there are a few repetitive jokes that are funny but grow a little irritating. Great jokes point out some of the flaws in the original series and go places many wouldn't dare tred but they keep it funny enough so as not to really offend even the loyalist fan out there. Many jokes left me reeling and barely able to catch my breath before the next scene. It was fun to see characters from American Dad show up for some funny scenes. Some jokes seemed obscure and only for the true pop culture gurus. Overall though worth the rental. If you have time get this, its well worth the time.

Final Grade: B