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Most Recent Movie Reviews:
review archive: 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008
(click a poster to purchase)
Movie Review of Jumper (2008) [PG-13] 90 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $11.75
Imagine if you could will yourself into creating an instantaneous worm hole to any place on earth anytime you wanted to go anywhere you wanted? What would you do with such an amazing and awesome gift. With all due deference to Steven Gould's novel version of Jumper, the film adaptation with screenplay warmed over by three highly talented screen writers David S. Goyer, Jim Uhls, and Simon Kinberg and directed by Doug Limon, the resulting film is probably the product of two many disparate chefs spoiling the soup so to speak. On the one hand, you have a pretty intriguing concept and a 'newish' super power with immense possibilities, a pretty cool actor to play the lead in Hayden Christensen, and a 'devilishly' perfect actor for your villain in Samuel L. Jackson. Yet, on the other, you have a 'hero' who's not terribly heroic—he's got tremendous comic book super hero knowledge but zero super hero tendencies including little more than promissory note-leaving for vast sums of money he loots from bank vaults; who's not very strong—emotionally and physically, he's pretty weak in all respects; and who's not very bright—he failed high school algebra, cannot figure out what to do with his power other than zip around the world looking for the best waves to surf and girls to bed down, and cannot get to the bottom of his own life story until the last two, sequel-inspiring minutes of the film despite it being blatantly obvious to those not 'synaptically impaired' some 40 minutes into the film. Ah well, guess you cannot blame people for trying.…continued…or read the spoiler points…
Movie Review of The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008) [PG] 97 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $12.75
When it comes to adventure films for kids, the Mark Waters adaptation of Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black's The Spiderwick Chronicles leaps out as one of the strongest since the The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe on many levels. In particular, excellent computer effects and animation along with a lively pace keep the film version racing along while also providing some depth of character development and details of the mythology that help people who've never seen the books make sense of this elaborate, new fantasy interpretation of well-known lore. The idea is that during his lifetime, Arthur Spiderwick (David Strathairn) unlocked the secrets of the long-believed mythical world of the forest where Pixies, Brownies, Ogres, Sprites, Trolls, Goblins, and Hobgoblins along with thousands of other creatures live their lives hidden from most human sight—we see them only when they want us to, or when a hobgoblin spits in our faces—eeewwweeee gross—granting us the sight. He recorded the entire history of everything he learned in a book. When an evil ogre, Mulgarath (Nick Nolte) became aware of the book's power, he vowed to possess it and use its secrets to assume total control of all the earth's creatures. His evil nature allowed him to stop at nothing, killing entire families to try to get at the book's knowledge. To protect his family, Arthur surrounded his home with a protective circle, charmed to repel any of Mulgarath's minions—mostly trolls, but eventually he was spirited away to a neverland of sorts by creatures who felt that his knowledge could be extracted by Mulgararth straight from his brain. Now, some 80 years later, his home has been inherited by his grand niece, Helen Grace (Mary-Louise Parke) and her three children: twins Simon and Jared (both by Freddie Highmore) and Mallory (Sarah Bolger). They arrive in varying degrees resentment for being moved so far away from their friends back in New York City upon the splitting up of their parents. Jared is, by far, the most resentful and attached to their father, Richard (Andrew McCarthy). Simon is more accepting and somewhat intrigued by the turn of events. The oldest, Mallory, strives to keep an even keel and be very supportive of their mother. Shortly after arriving, Jared discovers that house is inhabited by a tiny mouselike-creature called Thimbletack (Martin Short); and, of course, he finds and reads the long-hidden and protected chronicles. Just reading the book is a huge problem because now the information in Jared's head makes him just as valuable to Mulgarath as the book. Jared's curiosity and adventurousness gets him into immediate trouble and attracts the attention of Mulgarath who realizes the book is no longer hidden away.…continued…or read the spoiler points…
Movie Review of Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins (2008) [PG-13] 114 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $13.00
Welcome home Martin Lawrence! As much as Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins is really a Malcolm D. Lee project as writer and director, the film relies almost entirely on the comedic and facial expression talents of comedian / actor Martin Lawrence for this family dramedy to work and it does. Of course, the often hilarious film also benefits from some outstanding comedic performances from Mo'Nique, Mike Eps, and Cedric the Entertainer and warm, personable, and charming performances from the legendary James Earl Jones and Margaret Avery. If all else fails, season things up with a super-sized performance from Michael Clarke Duncan playing out of type as a loveable town sheriff instead of an action superhero and you've got the icing for your red velvet cake. …continued…or read the spoiler points…
Movie Review of Shrooms (2008) [NR] 84 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $7.00
Irish director, Paddy Breathnach's cult horror film, Shrooms, has actually been around for a while but is finally enjoying a limited run in the USA at art house theatres and the like. Featuring a young cast of mostly USAers who travel to Ireland to escape their lives and mental pressures by exploring the famous mushrooms of the countryside. Their guide, local Jake (Jack Huston), picks them up at the airport in his minibus and then transports them to a huge park for camping and 'shroom' harvesting. In explaining the choice of mushrooms to pick, he makes a very big mistake. …continued…or read the spoiler points…
Movie Review of Fool's Gold (2008) [PG-13] 113 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $7.25
You know what happens when you put cotton candy in water? The same thing as when you put Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson in another sugary fluff romance comedy—it / they dissolve(s) into thin air. First off, there's almost no actor in Fool's Gold, with the possible exception of Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who's worthy of this degree of banality or contrived drivel. And, Mr. Warner only because if he was willing to take a ridiculous role like this requiring him to issue the most pathetic, fake Jamaican accent of all time, then, well, he deserves what he got. Second, Mr. McConaughey could be a legendary actor if he'd stick to dramas. It might be fun to hang out on boats, be barefoot and shirtless all the time, but there's literally no comparing the outstanding nature of his role in the highly overlooked We Are Marshall to his role in this film. He really is an incredibly talented actor. He should leave roles like these to Paul Walker—wait…wasn't Paul Walker the guy from Into the Blue about a surfer dude treasure hunter who keeps letting his girl down by getting involved with the wrong types of guys to get loans for equipment to hunt amazing treasure? Déjà Vu? As in Fool's Gold is virtually the same plot only Kate Hudson subs for Jessica Alba. …continued…or read the spoiler points…
Other Recent Reviews:
Wild West Comedy Show (2008) [R] 100 minutes WIP™ Scale: $5.00
The Kite Runner (2007) [PG-13] 122 minutes WIP™ Scale: $13.25
The Eye (2008) [PG-13] 97 minutes WIP™ Scale: $12.00
Teeth (2008) [R] 88 minutes WIP™ Scale: $12.50
Over Her Dead Body (2008) [PG-13] 95 minutes WIP™ Scale: $9.00
Strange Wilderness (2008) [R] 87 minutes WIP™ Scale: $3.00
How She Move (2008) [PG-13] 98 minutes WIP™ Scale: $12.25
U2 3D (2008) [G] 85 minutes WIP™ Scale: $13.75
Rambo (2008) [R] 93 minutes WIP™ Scale: $6.00
Meet the Spartans (2008) [PG-13] 84 minutes WIP™ Scale: $5.75
Untraceable (2008) [R] 100 minutes WIP™ Scale: $9.75
27 Dresses (2008) [PG-13] 107 minutes WIP™ Scale: $9.75
Mad Money (2008) [PG-13] 104 minutes WIP™ Scale: $9.50
Cloverfield (2008) [PG-13] 90 minutes WIP™ Scale: $12.00
In the Name of the King (2008) [PG-13] 124 minutes WIP™ Scale: $8.00
The Bucket List (2007) [PG-13] 97 minutes WIP™ Scale: $13.75
The Orphanage (2007) [R] 100 minutes WIP™ Scale: $13.75
First Sunday (2008) [PG-13] 96 minutes WIP™ Scale: $3.00
There Will Be Blood (2007) [R] 158 minutes WIP™ Scale: $13.75
One Missed Call (2008) [PG-13] 87 minutes WIP™ Scale: $4.00
The Great Debaters (2007) [PG-13] 123 minutes WIP™ Scale: $14.50
Film Premiere and Award Photo Sets
archive:2008 • 2007
Listed in Order of Publication in the mEd database not necessarily chronologically...
Film-Related Awards, Galas, and Celebrity Event Photo Sets
39th NAACP Image Awards • 2008 British Academy of Film and Television Film Award Winners • 39th NAACP Image Awards Nominee Luncheon • Orange British Academy Film Awards 2008 Photos • 2008 Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year Award - Charlize Theron • 80th Annual Academy Award Nominees Luncheon • George Clooney Holds UN Press Conference • Virtuosos Awards at the SBIFF 2008 • 14th Annual Screen Actors Guild® Award Winners • 60th Annual Directors Guild Award Ceremony • (continued)
Film Premiere Photo Sets
The Other Boleyn Girl • The Accidental Husband Premiere • Filth and Wisdom Premiere • Cherry Blossoms - Hanami Premiere • Elegy Premiere • The Elite Squad Premiere • Fireflies In The Garden Premiere • Gardens Of The Night Premiere • Jumper Premiere • The Counterfeiters Premiere • Shine a Light Premiere • The Hottie & The Nottie Premiere • The Spiderwick Chronicles Premiere • Step Up 2 the Streets Premiere • The Eye Premiere • Fool's Gold Premiere • Over Her Dead Body Premiere • Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins Premiere • CSNY déjà vu Premiere • Definitely, Maybe Premiere • Saving Grace Premiere • Towelhead Premiere • The Year Of Getting To Know Us Premiere • Assassination of a High School President Premiere • Quantum of Solace Premiere • A Raisin in the Sun Premiere • Rambo Premiere • Savage Grace Premiere • The Visitor Premiere • (continued)
Brand New Movie Posters Just In:
New Movie Poster Archive: 2007 / 2008 | TV Posters: 2005 2006 2007
New as of 24-February-08
Recent Movie Star Birthdays:
birthdays: last month / this month / next month / by month / alphabetically
[click star names to see tribute pages]
| 13-Feb | 12-Feb | 11-Feb | ||||||||||||
| Mena Suvari | Christina Ricci | Jennifer Aniston | ||||||||||||
(click photo to purchase) |
| (click photo to purchase) | ||||||||||||
| Also: Josh Brolin | Also: Matthew Lawrence Burt Reynolds | |||||||||||||
| 10-Feb | 9-Feb | 8-Feb | ||||||||||||
| Ziyi Zhang | Nick Nolte | |||||||||||||
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| Also: Joe Pesci | Also: Seth Green Mary Steenburgen | |||||||||||||
| 7-Feb | ||||||||||||||
| Related DVDs | Related DVDs | |||||||||||||
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Movies Now on DVD and Download:
DVD releases: Archive / This Week / Next Week
(click poster to purchase)
30 Days of Night (2007) [R]-- W.I.P. Scale™ Rating: $10.00
Review-lite: Director David Slade adapts the comic book series, 30 Days of Night, into a wickedly chilling film capable of conjuring claustrophobic dread as he directs a clan of wandering vampires, led by Danny Huston's Marlow, to the takeover and mass murder of the entire town of Barrow, Alaska so picked due to the 30 days each winter the town endures without sunlight—the chief nemesis of vampires. Defending the town are Sheriff Eben Oleson (Josh Hartnett), his deputy Billy Kitka (Manu Bennett), and his estranged wife, Stella (Melissa George) who fails to get out of town before the darkness sets in and the airport is closed for a month. Unfortunately, the film is better at setting up terror than concluding it. The climax is less potent than the rest of the film, and the final scene ends things with a whimper. (click for full details and complete review) • (click to purchase 30 Days of Night)
Also This Week:
American Gangster • For the Bible Tells Me So • In The Valley Of Elah • Margot at the Wedding • Michael Clayton • Redacted • Rendition
Previously Announced Available for Pre-Order:
The 11th Hour • Bee Movie • Before The Devil Knows You're Dead • Beowulf • Black Book (Zwartboek) • Borderland • Crazy Eights • Dan In Real Life • The Darjeeling Limited • Death At A Funeral • The Deaths Of Ian Stone • Enchanted • The Final Season • The Golden Compass • Hitman • I Want Someone To Eat Cheese With • Into the Wild • Jimmy Carter Man From Plains • Lake Dead • Lake of Fire • Lions For Lambs • Love In The Time Of Cholera • Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium • Mulberry Street • My Kid Could Paint That • Nancy Drew • Nanking • Nightmare Man • Nina's Heavenly Delights • No Country for Old Men • P2 • Reservation Road • Resurrecting the Champ • Revolver • The Seeker: The Dark is Rising • Shrooms • Silk • Sleuth • Slipstream • Southland Tales • Starting Out In The Evening • Things We Lost In The Fire • Tooth & Nail • Trailer Park Boys: The Movie • The Ultimate Gift • Unearthed • Walk Hard • The Walker • War Dance • What Would Jesus Buy? • Wristcutters: A Love Story
Movies Coming Soon:
Dynamic Calendar Jan 07 - Jun 09 with links to official sites, trailers, and reviews
Plain Calendars: 2006 / 2007 / 2008-09
Friday, 22 February
Be Kind Rewind • Charlie Bartlett • Witless Protection • The Counterfeiters • Vantage Point
in limited release only: The Signal • The Possession
Friday, 29 February
Babylon A.D. • Bonneville • Chicago 10 • Penelope • Semi-Pro • The Other Boleyn Girl
in limited release only: none
Top 10 Hottest-Selling Movie Posters:
(source: our friends at
| #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 |
| The Dark Knight | Harold and Kumar 2 | Rambo | Across the Universe |
| #5 | #6 | #7 | #8 |
| National Treasure: Book of Secrets | Cloverfield | Sweeney Todd | Speed Racer |
| #9 | #10 | ||
| Horton Hears a Who | Step Up 2 |
Movie Poster Extravaganzas:
archive
Here we honor two film series as they began and then merged into one mega film franchise: Aliens and Predators then Aliens vs. Predator with a movie poster extravaganza.
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