HOODWINKED

Director: Cory Edwards & Todd Edwards
Stars: Anne Hathaway, Glenn Close, Patrick Warburton, James Belushi, David Ogden Stiers, Andy Dick, Xzibit, Anthony Anderson
Year: 2005
Rating: PG

All is not well in the forest. The Goody Bandit has been going from shop to shop to shop, stealing the recipes of all the local merchants, and with no candies or cookies or cakes to sell, local businesses are having to shutter their doors forever, facing financial ruin.

But the police may have finally found their lead, when a random domestic disturbance call brings them to the mountain home of Granny Puckett, one of the last (and certainly the most famous, locally) of all the goody makers still in business. When the police arrive to find a little girl in a red riding hood, a large wolf dressed in a Granny Puckett costume, an oversized Swedish man wielding a large ax, and Granny herself bound and gagged from head to toe ... it becomes very obvious, very fast, that some crime has been committed - and it's up to Detective Nicky Flippers, a rather long-legged and very urbane frog, to not only sort out the stories of the four suspects, but also figure out if maybe he's found his Goody Bandit at last.

Such begins a real treat from The Weinstein Company - a computer-animated film that's rather raw on animation but very high-grade in terms of script, characterization, and laughs. Anne Hathaway stars as the voice of Red, a simple little girl (or IS she?) in a red riding hood who delivers orders for her Granny Puckett every day on her bicycle. Red sings songs as she rides along, communes with nature, and is in general sweet as sugar ... until she runs up against The Wolf (Patrick Warburton), who wants to see what's in her basket. She manages to escape, but meanwhile The Wolf manages to get ahead of her to the house of Granny Puckett (Glenn Close) - where Red finds him and the two are just about to scuffle ... just as Granny herself falls out of the closet, all tied up and gagged - and a rather large woodsman (James Belushi) crashes through the picture window, screaming and wielding his ax.

THIS is what the viewer sees first, before the police arrive. Afterward, as Nicky Flippers (David Ogden Stiers) goes over their stories, you find out exactly how each character came to where they were when the police found them - and slowly learn a lot that you didn't know about the motivations and machinations of each of the suspects involved, as you also see how their stories intertwine and criss-cross without their even knowing it.

Some of the stories are hilarious, and the quirky songs that go with some of them might even be worth chasing down the soundtrack for ("The Schnitzel Song" alone is truly one of a kind). All the voice actors are excellent - particularly Patrick Warburton and co-director/co-writer Cory Edwards, who voices the most hyperactive squirrel you will ever see or hear, Twitchy. Indeed, if you're like me, after seeing the movie you'll be wishing there were a Twitchy stuffed animal you could buy to sit on your shelf and just smile at; the character is that funny, and that endearing. Andy Dick and especially Benjy Gaither as (respectively) Boingo the bunny and Japeth the Goat both add real dimension and even more humor to the film; "Be Prepared", Japeth's musical number as he helps Red on her journey up the mountain to see if Granny is okay, is another tune that'll have you laughing and humming along.

To say much more would maybe give too much away - there are some funny surprises in store, especially about Granny Puckett - but even though the rough animation sort of turned me off at first, in a short time I really fell under the spell of this fractured little fairy tale. It's a great little movie with more than enough sight gags to entertain the kids, while at the same time it riffs on enough pop culture references to keep adults laughing, too. Sweet, sweet film. And I STILL want a Twitchy! ***1/2 - Reel Cool-Reel Awesome

MAMMA MIA!

Director: Phyllida Lloyd

Stars: Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgard, Julie Walters, Dominic Cooper, Amanda Seyfried, Christine Baranski

Year: 2008

Rating: PG-13

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I was so prepped to dislike this film, mainly because I've been such a HUGE fan of the Swedish band ABBA for over thirty years. There's a guy in my apartment complex who's played the soundtrack of the new film version of Mamma Mia! ever since the film came out in theaters, and I used to cringe every time I heard the music ... only because it wasn't ABBA.

Now, I'd like to get that soundtrack myself.

Mamma Mia! opens with young bride-to-be Sophie Sheridan (Amanda Seyfried) mailing off three letters late one summer evening, to three different men - one of whom is her father. Sophie, you see, lives on a beautiful Greek isle with her ex-hippie mother Donna (Meryl Streep), where she was born and raised, and only recently she found her mother's old diary from twenty years ago. Reading it, Sophie's learned that her true father - whom her mother never speaks of - could be any one of three men her mother "dated" around that time - engaged businessman Sam Carmichael (Pierce Brosnan), who ended up leaving Donna to go back and marry his fiancee; gad-a-bout boater Bill Anderson (Stellan Skarsgard), who never took anything in life seriously, let alone Donna; or Harry Bright (Colin Firth), a way-too-brief fling that never should have happened in the first place. Determined to have her own father walk her down the aisle on her wedding day, Sophie idealistically just knows she'll be able to tell which of the men is her real dad just as soon as they arrive ... but first off, she has to figure out how to tell her mom what she's done.

Enter Donna Sheridan, who owns and runs the hotel villa on the island that she and Sophie have called home for over twenty years. The building is badly in need of major repair work, Donna owes money to all of her vendors and employees - but somehow she manages to scrape by, doing virtually all of the work herself. She's tired and lonely and unsure about her daughter marrying so young ... but finds herself totally revitalized when her two best friends in the world - Tanya (Christine Baranski) and Rosie (Julie Walters) - arrive not only for the wedding, but to also show Donna their support and bring her back out of her shell.

All of the story is, of course, told (partially) through and set to some of ABBA's biggest hits (including "Honey, Honey", "Take a Chance on Me", "Super Trouper", "SOS", "Money, Money, Money", "Voulez-Vous" - my personal favorite, as done in the film - and of course the title track) - and yes, the characters, like in old musicals dating back to the 1930's, simultaneously break into song or dance without notice, starting a new musical number. What's nice is that the songs help the story along nicely; some of the words have been changed here and there to accommodate, but everything fits nicely and really adds to the overall joyousness and spontaneity of the film.

And that's probably the one word that fits best here: "joyous". I've seen that word used as a description in film reviews before, but this is the first time I've actually known what it meant. Mamma Mia! is a damned good feel-good movie, period. The film's taken a lot - sorry, a LOT - of hits for everything from bad cinematography to the less than stellar singing talents of its cast (all of whom do their own work here) ... especially Pierce Brosnan, who actually surprised me with being better than I thought he was going to be. But all is forgiven just because the film's energy is so strong, so revitalizing, and so much ... FUN. It's a movie that will have you smiling, singing along, and marveling at how there doesn't seem to be a damned thing that Meryl Streep can't do in film. She's amazing, yet again, in Mamma Mia! - was the reason I gave into seeing the film at last, and is one of the biggest reasons I asked for and got the DVD for Christmas.

The rest of the cast is right up there - every person in this film seems to be having the time of his or her life making it - and Christine Baranski and Julie Walters in particular shine as Donna's racy little buddies who find their own share of love on the island. The History Boys' Dominic Cooper, as Sophie's bridegroom Sky, isn't given enough light to shine in, but is great in the role - plus he and his buddies in the film provide plenty of eye candy for the women viewers.

But the three male leads - Brosnan, Skarsgard and Firth - all have both funny and touching moments of comedy. After their characters arrive on the island, things only get worse as Sophie tries to hide them from her mom while simultaneously trying to figure out which one is her dad. None of them even has a clue that Sophie could be his, and when Donna (Streep) finds them all hiding out in the loft of an old barn, the you-know-what hits the fan (complete with musical number) that's worth seeing the film for alone. Man, that Meryl is agile!

The film doesn't seem to hinge so much on whether Sophie and Sky will make it to the altar, as it does who will make it their with them - but the wafer-thin plot unfolds to some of the most exuberant and entertaining dancing, singing and music that's been put onto film of late. Mamma Mia! is, maybe, the ultimate feel-good movie; one that will leave you smiling for hours ... and singing ABBA tunes under your breath for days. It's colorful, vibrant, alive, and well worth seeing; if you're an ABBA fan, well worth owning. **** - Reel Awesome

THE DARK KNIGHT

Director: Christopher Nolan
Stars: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Morgan Freeman, Eric Roberts, Nestor Carbonell
Year: 2008
Rating: PG-13

My goal for 2008 was to see 50 films. Shouldn't have been too difficult to do, but with taking a few months off from seeing films I'm glad to have finally made it. I knew I wanted the 50th to be a "biggie," so made it a film that I had heard over and over was perhaps the best film of the year ... certainly a film that contained maybe the best performance of the year. Also, it happened to be a film that I was very sorry to have missed in theaters, anyway.

The Dark Knight is nothing less than a brilliant piece of filmmaking that finally has the character of Bruce Wayne/Batman realizing his full potential on the big screen. Christian Bale - right down to the gravelly, low-key voice (which is just as vulnerable when he's Bruce Wayne as it is menacing when he's Batman) doesn't just give a performance here ... he creates a full, three-dimensional anti-hero and man with strength, charisma, and definitely his share of flaws. In other words, you won't see Bale - you'll see Batman/Bruce Wayne; such is the chameleon-like wonderment of Christian Bale.

It would be the performance of the film, for sure - if it wasn't only slightly overshadowed by the Oscar-worthy, quite frightening, frenetic and almost otherworldly performance of the late Heath Ledger as The Joker. With all deference put aside to Jack Nicholson's brilliance from 1989's Batman, here Ledger not only matches Bale's ability to lose himself and become the character - he even surpasses it. It's a mind-blowing, creepy and absolutely flawless performance, and when the film industry lost Ledger back in January of this year, it (and the world) lost one of its greatest craftsmen ever.

Things are going fairly well in Gotham. Well, or so it would seem. The new district attorney, Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) has worked with Lt. Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) and local police to bust up and arrest many of the various crime rings that have been terrorizing Gotham City for a long, long time. Because Lt. Gordon trusts Batman, Dent has accepted his help as well ... and things seem to be working, until a new master criminal - one who seems without conscience and without a method to his madness, calling himself The Joker - starts his own reign of terror over the city, first off by eliminate and bullying crime bosses in Gotham City until they agree to pay him half of all their ill-gotten gain ... in exchange for having The Joker murder Batman to finally get him out of their way. Add to this that Harvey Dent's new girlfriend is none other than Bruce Wayne's ex (the one woman he still pines for), Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal, aboard for the sequel after Katie Holmes turned the role down) - and the complications in Bruce Wayne's personal life start to take a toll, as well.

The bulk of the film is built around The Joker's various methods of getting to Batman (as well as killing people and/or destroying Gotham City), even as Batman tries to catch him. The script is amazingly intelligent and well-written, far beyond what you'd expect for a "superhero film". Not one character in The Dark Knight ever comes off as cartoon or caricature; on the contrary, you buy into everything and everyone while watching the film, and the 2-1/2 hours pass very quickly. Ledger, as The Joker, has no rhyme, reason or plan to any of the things he does, because his entire M.O. is simply to create anarchy and kill - in many ways making him the ultimate villain, becuase you never know what he's going to do, nor how to stop him. And with Ledger behind the make-up and that insane laughter and facial ticks, yes even The Joker comes off as very scary and very real in this dark, dark world that he has - in part - created.

But that's not to say that Bale and Ledger are alone. Again, not a single false note is struck by any of the cast - and in fact, Aaron Eckhart really deserves his own place on the Batman mantel by creating a real flesh-and-blood human being in the character of Harvey Dent (for those not familiar with Dent's story and what happens, I won't spoil it here). He holds his own with both Bale and Ledger, and the tragedy that befalls him, as Gotham City's "White Knight" who's come to save the city, will both break your heart and fill it with fear.

No matter what incarnation of Batman you've seen before - from comic to television camp to the Burton legacy that turned into the Schumacher schlock - good God, here is the real deal, at last; fresh, innovative, intelligent, and alive with an energy that leaps off the screen. While maybe not the ultimate superhero film - the caped crusader's story isn't for everyone, after all (and this one's, by the way, definitely too intense for younger children) - this certainly is the ultimate Batman film. An amazing feat ... and if Ledger's name is not on the Oscar ballot this spring, it would be an injustice that even Batman himself couldn't right. ***** - Reel Must-See

VAMPIRE EFFECT

Directors: Dante Lam & Donnie Yen
Stars: Ekin Cheng, Charlene Choi, Gillian Chung, Edison Chen, Anthony Wong Chau-Sang, Jackie Chan, Mickey Hardt
Year: 2003
Rating: R

(in Cantonese w/English subtitles)

A goofy, quite silly, yet very funny (and ultimately entertaining) vampire flick from Hong Kong, Vampire Effect (known, especially overseas, as The Twins Effect because of its two leading actresses - wildly famous Asian pop music stars Charlene Choi and Gillian Chung) stars Ekin Cheng as vampire hunter Reeve - a long-term killer of the undead who works for the "Anti-Vampire Federation". Reeve only wants to work alone, but the Federation keeps insisting on finding him a partner - even though each time he gets one, they seem to get killed - and at last is sent a young, pretty girl named Gypsy (Gillian Chung) who most obviously both reveres and has a crush on the jaded vampire hunter.

Meanwhile, Reeve's sister Helen (Charlene Choi), who lives with Reeve and knows of his job, has just caught her boyfriend cheating on her ... and in the process, meets a handsome, aristocratic young man named Kazaf (Edison Chen) who immediately develops a crush on her. What Helen doesn't know is that Kazaf is not only a vampire ... but the last in a family of vampires that have all been hunted down for their "vampire essence" by one bad-ass European bloodsucker named Duke Dekotes (Mickey Hardt). Duke gets more powerful with each essence he's stolen from Kazaf's father - the vampire king - and each of Kazaf's brothers, and in turn Kazaf and his faithful man-servant Prada (Anthony Wong Chau-Sang) have purchased (of all things) an ancient church to hide out in. If Duke Dekotes can get the final vampire essence by killing Kazaf, it will enable him to gain control of a substance that will enable vampires to walk in daylight - and be more powerful than ever.

Corny? Yeah, but it works, thanks to the humor and the fact that the plot never takes itself too seriously. Helen and Gypsy take an instant dislike to each other, and have this amazing fight scene on the rooftop of Reeve's building, with oversized bamboo poles - and the screaming, grinning and mugging kung fu style of the two young women could have come off annoyingly stupid ... and yet doesn't. In their own way, both Charlene Choi and Gillian Chung are a delight to watch; what they lack in acting talent, they make up for in personality. Edison Chen plays a lovable vampire goofball, a worldly prince who genuinely falls for Helen and can't figure out how to tell her he's a vampire. Heck, even Jackie Chan enters the action, in the small role of a bridegroom and ambulance driver who finds himself caught up in the middle of one well-shot, beautifully-choreographed action sequence in which he is forced to battle a pair of vamps, himself.

The fight scenes are really great, especially the "final showdown" - the martial arts, CGI and wirework blending nicely to take viewers on a thrilling ride. Gore is kept to a minimum, though the bloodshed and Buffy-like vampire deaths will surely be eye candy for those who like their violence. Anthony Wong Chau-Sang, brilliant in everything he does, is no less wonderful here, playing his lines straight for minimum effect and laughs - whether he's seducing a young vampiress half his age ... or trying to mix a skin cream that will allow Prince Kazaf to go out into the sun just long enough for a first date with Helen.

A charming movie full of humor, suspense, and kick-ass action sequences - pure popcorn for the eyes and brain - Vampire Effect is just that sort of fun film you're looking for when you can't figure out what kind of film you're in the mood to see. Great fun. *** - Reel Cool

EATING OUT

Director: Q. Allan Brocka
Stars: Scott Lunsford, Jim Verraros, Ryan Carnes, Emily Stiles, Rebekah Kochan
Year: 2004
Rating: NR

I'm getting lucky with the gay films, lately; finding some really good indie stuff out there that doesn't cater to the normal stereotype that many gay-themed indie films do these days (anything from soap opera-style melodrama to weak, softcore excuses to get good-looking guys naked). As with Dog Tags in a previous review, this film - Eating Out - came as both a relief and surprise: a film about gays that's neither tragic nor silly. Well-cast and written with a wry eye for humor, Eating Out is a genuinely funny comedy with a great premise; one that can be viewed and enjoyed by pretty much anyone male or female, gay or straight.

Hunky Scott Lunsford stars as Caleb, a handsome and well-built straight guy who can't seem to find a steady girl. His latest bimbo of the month, Tiffani (a funny, off-the-wall Rebekah Kochan) has kept him waiting for sex, only to turn out to be an extremely odd little nymphette who gets off on playing role games where men are violating her against her will. Their sex scene intros the film, and when neither can get turned on enough to orgasm, Tiffani dumps Caleb as nookie potential, sending the straight buck home ...

To his gay male roommate, college student and jazz musician wannabe, Kyle (former "American Idol" contestant Jim Verraros). Kyle and Caleb have been friends and platonic roommates for some time now, and when Caleb goes home and bemoans his luck at finding a girl - claiming that it would be so nice to be gay, just so he could find somebody - Kyle frustratingly informs Caleb that it's no picnic on the other side of the fence, either. On the contrary, Kyle could probably have his choice of women - gay men being such chick-magnets, due to their sensitivity and sexual harmlessness - yet cannot seem to get even the slightest bit of attention from the man of his dreams, fellow classical music college student Marc Everhard (the sinfully good-looking Ryan Carnes).

The mutual bitch session leads Kyle to prove his point by taking Caleb to a party being thrown at the home of Marc, and his roommate Gwen (Emily Stiles). Gwen and Marc used to be lovers - in fact, it was Marc who took Gwen's cherry - but not only are they now just friends (with Marc coming out of the closet, and all) ... but the hyperactive Gwen, after a series of similar incidents, is now convinced that she turns straight men gay by having sex with them. After chasing one such fem-boy out of her bedroom during the party, Caleb spots Gwen and immediately finds himself attracted to her - prompting Kyle to put his wicked new idea into motion. Kyle informs Gwen that Caleb is gay, making Gwen immediately friendly to Caleb ... thus opening up doors to the really straight Caleb that would otherwise be closed if she thought he were just another straight guy trying to get her into bed.

But what Kyle doesn't count on is when Marc comes on the seen - and is immediately turned on by Caleb, who Gwen pushes onto the unsuspecting straight man, happily thinking she's found a new man for her gay roommate. To keep the peace - and Gwen's affections - Caleb even agrees to go out on a date with Marc, forcing Kyle to revises his plan; now, Caleb will go on one date with Marc, reveal to Marc that he thinks he's straight after all, and in his heartbreak Marc will turn to Kyle's arms for comfort. And heck, Gwen may even get her "truly-straight" man at last.

But things go pretty wrong from the beginning, when Gwen pretty much forces Caleb and Marc to kiss, before leaving on their date, because it turns her on so much ... and later that night, an impromptu phone call from Gwen (who's staying the night out to give Marc and Caleb the apartment to themselves), to the boys at home, ends in a much-confused Caleb (and a much-delighted Marc) both wondering just what the hell happened the next morning.

Things only snowball here, with both Kyle and especially Caleb getting only more deeply entrenched in the deception. A final dinner party, where the roommates are determined that all will be revealed in an open and honest forum, has the unexpected surprise of Caleb's parents and little sister showing up just in time to get caught up in the action, too.

The acting here is a bit uneven (Jim Verraros being the weakest of the group), but in an indie film farce like this it can easily be overlooked in light of the talented and good-looking cast, nicely-written script, and genuinely funny moments - of which this film has many. It's also quite erotic - there's plenty of full frontal male nudity to please the die-hard horndog, and the phone-call scene alone had this reviewer squirming (and confused!) during the entire time it ran (I can't even explain it here; you'd have to see it). Scott Lunsford does an outstanding job with the nuances of Caleb's personality, making him both masculine and a nervous wreck while trying to pull off the deception (and he's very sexy, to boot), and Ryan Carnes is perfect as the "worldly" gay boy Marc, who really has a sensitive heart of gold inside. Jim Verraros, even if in need of more experience or training, still turned in a performance that made you both sympathize with and like Kyle. Emily Stiles, as Gwen, has amazing frenetic energy in the role; at first her character got on my nerves big-time, but pretty soon I really grew to like and embrace both Gwen's humor and insanity.

Even more so, I like that the film didn't give in to stereotypes of gay and straight, even as the zippy one-liners and off-handed sarcasm sometimes did. This is a neat, sexy little comedy with great characters, light on plot but with just enough spice to satisfy without lapsing into parody. A really likable film I could watch over and over again - and probably will. *** - Reel Cool

TROPIC THUNDER

Director: Ben Stiller
Stars: Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, Tom Cruise, Nick Nolte, Brandon T. Jackson, Jay Baruchel, Matthew McConaughey, Steve Coogan, Brandon Soo Hoo
Year: 2008

Rating: R

The opening of this often-hilarious film probably threw a lot of moviegoers off-course when originally seen in theaters (it might, in fact, make even a DVD viewer blink and think twice); via a serious of satirical trailers from various big-name studios, featuring the main actors/characters that inhabit this film, we're first given a first-hand introduction to both the craziness of Tropic Thunder ... and the willingness of Hollywood to beautifully lampoon itself:

First off, there's Tugg Speedman (Ben Stiller) - a Rambo-like action star so buried in his own sequels, he's failed to notice both how bad he is an actor ... or that his star status at the box office is waning. Contrasting the action hero, there's Aussie actor Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey Jr.), a five-time Oscar winner who takes every role he plays so damned seriously ("I don't drop character 'til I done the DVD commentary), he remains in character 100% of the time throughout shooting (Lazarus' trailer, for a Brokeback Mountain-like Catholic priest flick costarring Tobey Maguire, is one of the funniest parts of the entire movie). Then there's Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black), a drug-addicted buffoon who's made a fortune with a serious lowbrow comedies featuring a fat, farting family (in which he plays every family member, a la The Klumps) ... and even a commercial for a vile-sounding drink called Booty Sweat features millionaire rapper/hip hop artist Alpa Chino (Brandon T. Jackson) showing off a small fortune in bling.

Each of these actors, plus newcomer Kevin Sandusky (Jay Baruchel) have all just been flown over to Vietnam to star in the action-packed, big budget, Platoon-esque war drama Tropic Thunder. It's a dream cast headed by a serious British director (Steve Coogan), financed by a big studio, and promises to be THE film event of the year, worthy of all kinds of Oscar buzz as ... especially as it's based on a book written by Vietnam war veteran Four Leaf Tayback (an even-more-grizzled-looking-than-usual Nick Nolte), who's also along for the ride.

Until it becomes very obvious, very early on, that the clash of egos is going to make the shoot anything but easy. In their big dramatic scene together, Tugg Speedman (Stiller) can't cry on cue, and this lack of acting talent both greatly offends and amuses the uber-serious actor-artists Kirk Lazarus (Downey) - an actor so serious about his craft, he's had his caucasian skin surgically altered to play a black man for the film (Downey is seriously brilliant in this movie; truly Oscar nomination-worthy). Their disagreement halts shooting just in time for a series of explosions, set off in the jungles, perfectly lights up the skies, via the special effects department ... and just in time to NOT be caught on camera. Only a week into production, and the film is already behind schedule and well over budget - prompting director Damien Cockburn (Coogan) to get called into a video conference meeting with studio head Les Grossman (a bald, paunchy, foul-mouthed, Diet Coke-guzzling, nearly unrecognizable Tom Cruise). Cockburn gets his abused and threatened at the meeting, both verbally and physically by Grossman (via a crew member whom Grossman has punch the hapless director in the face) - and is given an ultimatum: get your crap and your cast together before the film tanks entirely, or else.

Desperate to get the clash of egos under control, Cockburn is forced to consider the advice of war vet Four Leaf Tayback himself ... who suggests that dropping all five of the lead actors into the real jungle, with real dangers and without their assistants or cell phones, as hidden cameras film everything reality-TV style, might just break the high-spirited movie stars, and bring them back to the real world as a team instead. Cockburn, in pure desperation, goes along with the plan - and about five minutes after a helicopter drops him and his stars off in the jungles of Vietnam, even when Cockburn accidentally steps on an old landmine and is blown to bits, Tugg Speedman still thinks it's all just part of the magic of movie-making ... even as his fellow actors start to realize they are in the middle of some serious, war-like sh*t, indeed. And when a secret enclave of drug-producing smugglers - headed by a mean little pre-teen named Tran (played to perfection by the very talented Brandon Soo Hoo) - get wind of their presence, and set out to get rid of the intruders before they can tell anyone of their operation, everything goes kind of nuts as the actors can't tell what may or may not be real around them, and at first try to stick to the script ... even as the weapons they hold are really only fake props meant for the cameras.

There's something to offend everyone here - the film is, as was well-publicized during its theatrical run, not exactly the most politically correct motion picture ever produced - but there's no denying that there are a lot of laughs to be had here, especially in the second half of the film. Ben Stiller (an actor whose work I've never particularly admired) does a good job as an action hero who might just be losing it mentally, and Jack Black has some very funny moments as the crass Portnoy (not the least of which is when he's slung over a donkey in his underwear). Brandon T. Jackson and Jay Baruchel (especially Jackson) also have some great moments, especially when Alpa Chino is reminding Jack Lazarus (Downey) that he isn't really African-American ...

But it's Robert Downey Jr. that is really the highlight of the film, acting-wise. He, and Tom Cruise - both of them so enmeshed in their characters and the comedy, it's easy to forget who they really are (Downey more so than Cruise, though both do an excellent job) - really light up the screen and get the laughs, every time they're on it. Brandon Soo Hoo, as 12-year-old drug dealer/leader Tran, is also a young actor worth watching; he's already very talented, and honing his craft. Even Matthew McConaughey - in a small role as Tugg's agent, who's determined to get his client TiVo in the jungles of Vietnam - has his own moments of wicked fun here.

But again - Tropic Thunder is not for the easily offended, or politically correct. If that's not you, then there are some seriously hilarious laughs coming your way with this film, and definitely see it. It's an excellent comedy - maybe not, to me, one of the best films of the year (as some critics are touting it to be) ... but a great ride, nonetheless. **** - Reel Awesome

DOG TAGS

Director: Damion Dietz

Stars: Paul Preiss, Bart Fletcher, Candy Clark, Hoyt Richards, Diane Davisson

Year: 2008

Rating: NR

I went into seeing this film with the mindset that I might well be venturing into over-wrought gay waters yet again - via a badly-acted, melodramatic film steeped in tragedy, where two gay men meet, fall in love with (and use) each other ... only to end up alone again in the end.

How great it is, then, that Dog Tags turns out to be a well-written, well-acted (particularly by its two leads) drama that's much more about a young man learning who he really is (and no, it doesn't involve his "coming out") - and the friend who teaches him to find himself.

An impressive Paul Preiss stars as Nate, a small-town boy who's decided he's going nowhere in life. He has a girlfriend who more or less pushes him into joining the marine corps so that the two of them can have some kind of future together, and the opening of the film pretty much sets up the fact that Nate pretty much drifts through life, letting everyone else decide what he's going to do for him. Even his mother (Candy Clark, who does a great job here as well) won't tell him the name of - or allow him to get in contact with - his natural father, who bailed on her and Nate many moon ago. What she doesn't know is that Nate carries around with him, in his pants pocket, a display ad from the phone book that advertises his father's business; turns out he's known his father's name for years, from letters his mother used to write to relatives blasting the guy, and has dug up the man's information ... even though he remains too afraid of the repercussions of using it. Just a couple days from heading off to boot camp, Nate's unsure of what he's doing or where his life is going - and he seems unable to take control of either.

Cut to Andy (Bart Fletcher), a young and attractive gay male who wears goth-like eyeliner and is still hurting over the breakup of a bad relationship. Andy, you see, made the mistake of falling in love with a marine - a very straight-acting, deep-in-the-closet Marine - and the affair ended. Heartbroken and not really ready for someone new, in his first scenes we see Andy navigating through a very atypical gay party on the outskirts of L.A., where his friend has taken him to meet this great new guy ... but all Andy can see is the casual hook-up/quick sex atmosphere he doesn't want. He bails from the party - and from his only place to sleep, as his "friend" was basically only trying to hook Andy up with someone to get Andy off his couch. Another lost and alone character who can't remember whether something happened "four minutes ago or forty years from now," Andy is the free spirit type who wants to break loose from his famous actress mother and the whole So-Cal mentality to live a life of freedom, exploring the country while he "finds himself."

Nate leaves for boot camp ... and soon we flash-forward to him walking down a dusty road in his fatigues, heading into the town of 29 Palms, where he's heard he can finance an engagement ring for his girlfriend. This trip leads to his meeting a guy who offers him a ride in his car ... and soon Nate finds himself at the guy's house, where the guy turns out to be a sleazy adult film producer who's trying to get Nate - and, it turns out shortly after their arrival, a broke and very nervous Andy - into a "straight Marine/gay sex" porn shoot. Nate excuses himself to the john, freaking out, but keeps his cool as he tells the producer no way and leaves the house ... Andy right behind him.

When Andy's car won't start, and a car-less Nate - something of a mechanic - helps him to get it running before accepting a ride home from Andy, the two form an unlikely friendship that only grows stronger the more they get to know each other. When Nate gets home to a surprise that upsets his entire world, it's Andy who becomes the friend who - at last - pushes Nate to stand up and rely on himself at last, in a way he's never done before ... even as flashbacks from his previous relationship with a marine haunt Andy, and make him more drawn to Nate with each moment they spend together.

That said, do not assume that Dog Tags is a love story, coming-of-age story, or coming out story. If anything, it's a story about how much alike even the two most different of people can be, as both Andy and Nate each finds what's wrong (and right) with himself through the eyes of the other ... and both end up better, stronger men because of it. The performances, from the two leads in particular, are spectacular; never does Paul Preiss strike a false note in his portrayal of the conflicted, confused and ultimately very humane Nate - and Bart Fletcher is perfect in bringing out the passion and compassion that make Andy the fully three-dimensional character he needed to be. Surely without the brilliant performances of both leads, this film would have folded under its own dramatic weight - whereas instead, it's enhanced by the sheer likeability of these two flawed, very real human beings, both of whom are just trying to find their place in the world. If there is any justice in this world (or, for that matter, the entire entertainment industry), both Preiss and Fletcher have deservedly-long careers (and maybe a few awards) ahead of them ... as should writer/director Damion Dietz, who's made one smart, sweet little movie.

And thanks to Preiss, Fletcher and Dietz, this film works. It was genuinely nice to see a "gay film" that was really more about friendship and love - and finally finding your path in the world, once you've been given "a clean slate". It's a great indie film deserving of more attention than it will probably ever get, and one worth seeing just for the story and performances (and the tears welling up in your eyes by the end). Very, very well done. ***1/2 - Reel Cool-Reel Awesome

WANTED

Director: Timur Bekmambetov

Stars: James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, Angelina Jolie, Thomas Kretschmann, Terence Stamp, Common, Chris Pratt

Year: 2008

Rating: R

I really wanted to like this film. BIG fan of James McAvoy (and boy, if you are too will THIS be a departure for you, from him). BIG fan of Morgan Freeman and Thomas Kretschmann and Terence Stamp. Heck, I can even deal with Angelina Jolie in a role like this.

But even an action flick about assassins, complete with guns and gore, eye-bending special effects and an Angelina Jolie butt-shot, should still (in this reviewer's opinion) take the time to at least partially develop a few characters you care about. This is Wanted's biggest weakness, and why the film failed for me, big time.

James McAvoy stars was Wesley Gibson, an accounts manager in a nondescript office in Chicago who is letting life run him, instead of the other way around. In fact, we're treated to so much over-the-top abuse heaped onto the inactive Wesley's slim shoulders - a belittling, verbally-abusive boss, a whiny ex-girlfriend, and a coworker/best friend whose banging Wesley's girlfriend on the side (with Wesley's knowledge), that it's kind of hard to even like a guy who puts up with that much sh*t in his life at once. Wesley lives in a tiny, grungy little apartment near some very loud train tracks, normally can't even get as much as $20 out of the ATM when he needs it, and even has abandonment issues via a father who left home when Wesley was very little.

The film opens with an impressive and violent action sequence, of an assignation by a hired killer that goes wrong when the assassin himself is killed at the end. After our intro to the downtrodden Wesley, the action picks up again when Wesley's in a mom and pop grocery store, and suddenly finds himself confronting a rather severe-looking (and heavily tattooed) Angelina Jolie, who informs Wesley that his father is dead and the guy who killed him is stalking Wesley now. Thinking the woman's crazy, Wesley laughs her off ... just as she pushes him to the ground as the gunfire erupts; the man who killed the hired killer in the opening scene, named Cross (Kretschmann) has indeed been following Wesley, and he and Angelina Jolie's character (named Fox, evidently 'cause she is one) have a massive shootout and chase scene, through the streets of Chicago, that is full of crashes and impossible stunts and some pretty cool special effects.

Fox gets away with a freaked-out Wesley, and ends up taking him back to a textile mill just outside the city - a textile mill that's actually a front for The Fraternity, an elite group of assassins who kills for the sake of righting wrongs in society. There, Wesley's introduced to Sloan (Morgan Freeman), the leader of this branch of The Fraternity, who informs him that Cross is a former Fraternity member who went rogue and is now killing off Fraternity members and trying to dissolve the organization permanently. He killed Wesley's father, and now has Wesley targeted so that he can't be trained as a replacement.

It takes awhile, but soon Wesley has no choice but to believe what he's hearing - and he does, indeed, go through an intensive training that mainly involves getting the crap kicked out of him at every turn, no matter what he does, presumably to make him stronger. His anger level and strength both rise, and he's finally able to quit his job (telling his boss where to go) and leave both his cheating girlfriend and backstabbing best buddy ... deciding to train with the Fraternity until he's ready to take down the man who killed his father.

Of course there is a big, "shocking" twist that turns the film around in a new direction - and in the meantime, viewers are treated to more violence, gore, bloodshed and killing (oh yeah, and Angelina Jolie's naked butt). And yes, more special effects and action designed as eye candy - which, in fact, in some cases it genuinely is.

But my problem is that I didn't give a hoot for Wesley, or Fox or Sloan, or petty much anyone in the picture. I've seen plenty of action films where character development and deep plotting either took a backseat or were practically non-existent at all ... but here, McAvoy's character came off as a whiny, sniveling and spineless jellyfish - so much so, when he's suddenly trained into almost action-hero status, it was completely unbelievable to me. Angelina Jolie has a tragic backstory that's revealed maybe halfway or more into the film, but her character is so glacial that by then I could feel no sympathy for her. Even Morgan Freeman seems to be delivering his lines on automatic pilot, with little of anything you could call a "performance" in his work here.

In short, I just didn't care what happened to these characters - and if you don't buy into at least a couple of the characters in a film emotionally (and yes, even in an action flick - such as Die Hard or Terminator, where you do grow to care about who survives and who doesn't), the film falls flat.

Sadly, that's what happened to me with Wanted - a film I "wanted" so badly to enjoy, but just couldn't. ** - Reel Mediocre

SILVER HAWK

Director: Jingle Ma
Stars: Michelle Yeoh, Richie Jen, Luke Goss, Brandon Chang, Daming Chen, Bingbing Li, Michael Jai White
Year: 2004
Rating: PG-13

A stylish, fun and enjoyable superhero film - with liberal doses of comedy - Silver Hawk stars Michelle Yeoh as an action hero who seems to actually have a whole lot of fun doing her job.

Lulu Wong (Yeoh) is a high end fashion model of independent wealth, who on the side is also a superhero by the name of Silver Hawk. A local celebrity in Hong Kong, Silver Hawk dispatches bad guys and saves the day with stylish kung fu action and an arsenal of James Bond-like gadgets that help her fight crime ... all of which she does with a smile on her face, truly enjoying her work. She drives a cool silver motorcycle, and the film in fact opens with said motorcycle jumping over the Great Wall of China, as Lulu tracks down a truck full of panda poachers.

On her flight back to Hong Kong, Lulu meets Mr. Richman - or Rich Man (Richie Jen) - the new assistant superintendent of police in Hong Kong who is making capturing Silver Hawk his number one priority. During their talk, Lulu realizes she's met Rich Man before; as children, both of them studied martial arts at the same Shaolin Temple, where Lulu excelled so much that she was taken from the temple to train privately with a true kung fu master ... supposedly to never again see the "big brother" she's now met again on the plane. For his part, Rich Man doesn't recognize the glamorous Lulu Wong as his "little sis" from childhood, and asks her out on a date. Lulu gives him a false phone number to call her at - at which time she also manages to bug Rich Man's phone, so she can listen in on what's going on at the police station - and soon the new assistant superintendent is beyond frustrated when it seems Silver Hawk is showing up to crime scenes and capturing the crooks and fleeing again, before he and his men even get there! Even a late night (and quite funny) trick that has Rich Man not only capturing Silver Hawk, but actually handcuffing her to him, goes awry when Silver Hawk easily gets loose, whips Rich Man with some kung fu, and escapes, leaving Rich Man handcuffed to a light post.

But Silver Hawk comes against her greatest challenge when a maniacal scientist named Alexander Wolfe (Luke Goss, severely and perfectly menacing), kidnaps a fellow scientist who's developed a new micro chip that Wolfe can use to gain mind control over people, simply by installing it into a blue-tooth type phone device. Putting his two more-than-capable henchman (Bingbing Li and Michael Jai White, both expert fighters and truly menacing, considering they have one line of dialogue in the entire film, between them) in Silver Hawk's - and the police's - way, Wolfe is determined to get the device into the hands of nearly everyone in Hong Kong ... if Silver Hawk doesn't stop him first. Helped by her biggest fan - the kidnapped professor's assistant, Kit (Brandon Chang, who provides a good portion of the comic relief here) - Silver Hawk and Rich Man and Kit all join forces to stop Alexander Wolfe before he can upload the device into the brains of the most powerful minds in Hong Kong.

The film is stylish, filmed well with beautifully choreographed fights scenes (hockey players on bungee cords, as the first line of defense when Silver Hawk finds the bad guys' hideout? It happens here!) - with Michelle Yeoh, in her early forties when this was made, never looking more beautiful (she does her own stunts in the film, and they are knockouts). The film has a light, almost comedic feel to it, but never comes off as parody or camp; it's a whole lot of fun to watch, simply, and the martial arts/action scenes so well done (the fight scene between her Wolfe, with Wolfe's two titanium steel prosthetic arms, is pretty neat), they're also exhilarating to see. The cast is equally fun, taking their roles just seriously enough to obviously be enjoying themselves, and the film even ends with a satisfying resolution that's only a tiny bit corny.

Actual violence is kept to a minimum, and there's no bloodshed to speak of - making this an almost kid-friendly film that adults can also enjoy. It's a fun fantasy; a great superhero action flick with Michelle Yeoh at her best and most beautiful. Who could ask for more? *** - Reel Cool

DEATH NOTE

Director: Shusuke Kaneko

Stars: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Ken'ichi Matsuyama, Yu Kashii, Asaka Seto, Erika Toda, Shido Nakamura

Year: 2006

Rating: NR

(in Japanese with English subtitles)

I discovered one of my favorite films of 2008 by accident. Through my friend Larry (yes, him again), who is a fan of Japanese actor Tatsuya Fujiwara, I came across Death Note as the first title I found with him in it ... and promptly bumped it up to the top of my Netflix list.

Now, I watched it twice and have every intention of buying it as soon as possible. It's just one of those "well" films - well-made, well-acted, well-written, and even directed well - a truly original story that's engrossing as hell, through two hours and six minutes and right up to a conclusion that ... well, we'll get to that later.

Tatsuya Fujiwara plays Light Yagami, a Japanese college student who's just passed the bar and is well on his way to a career in law. He seems to have everything - good looks, a loving sister and parents ... even a pretty, very smart girlfriend, fellow law student Shiori (Yu Kashii). But Light's problem is, perhaps, that he's a bit too smart; he's basically a loner, very quiet, maybe even a big smug about himself. Worse, he's recently been second-guessing his career choice, after hacking into the protected database of the local police academy and learning just how many murderers, rapists and thieves actually go free on a daily basis, whether it be from lack of evidence or an overturned trial or what have you. Shocked and appalled by the lack of effectiveness of the very laws he's been studying so hard to uphold, Light even goes so far as to track down a freed killer at a local dive of a bar, where he hears the guy bragging out loud about the kid he killed and how he got away with it. Observed listening by the young killer and his thugs, Light is himself threatened - and flees the bar when they let him go, his reverence for justice and the law shattered.

And that's when, while standing in the pouring rain, he finds - simply lying there on the ground - a thin, black notebook with the simple words "Death Note" printed across the front. Inside the slim book is sheet after sheet of blank, lined notebook paper - though the two pages in the front of the Death Note, labeled "How to Use It", tell Light more than he needs to know ... and something he refuses, at first, to believe.

For anyone whose name is written in the Death Note will die. Simply write their name, and within forty seconds that person will die from a heart attack, right on the spot. Write their name and how they will die within six minutes and forty seconds, and that's exactly what will happen. All you need is the person's name ... but you must also know what they look like - have their face envisioned in your mind as you write their name, which prevents anyone from having the same name from dying, as well - otherwise it won't work. As Light reads the instructions, laughing nervously about how ridiculous it all is, a news story breaks on TV about a captured killer. When Light looks up and hears the name and sees the face of the suspect, he jokingly jots it down in the Death Note before going to bed ...

And the next morning, when he sets down to read the paper at breakfast, the first thing he sees is that the man whose name he wrote down died in his jail cell the previous night.

Freaked out, soon after this Light meets the Shinigami (god of death), called Ryuuk, who was the one responsible for leaving the Death Note in the street for Light to find. The quick-thinking, highly intelligent Light is, at first, sure there is some horrible price to pay for the power behind the Death Note - that perhaps Ryuuk wants his life or soul in exchange for it - Ryuuk not only assures him that there is no "price" for owning the Death Note ... but that in fact Light can give up possession of it to another, any time he wishes - and in fact, if he does so Ryuuk will even erase all memory of the himself and the Death Note from Light's mind. Light does, in fact, keep the Death Note, and Ryuuk (an ugly-as-heck CGI creation with huge batlike wings and about 700 shark's teeth) almost becomes like a companion to Light for the rest of the film (no one can see or hear him unless they've touched the Death Note).

So Light decides to use the Death Note to pick up where the law failed, and one by one - in rapid succession - he begins killing off both incarcerated and at-large criminals and suspects, not only in Japan but all over the world. One by one the guilty (or suspected guilty) fall, and soon an underground movement begins, and people (especially young people) around the world have dubbed him "Kira" and named him the new messiah of justice. Soon Kira discussions are the hottest search topic on the internet, with hundreds of discussions boards and websites going up to both condemn and praise the mysterious messenger of death ... as the crime rate around the world begins to fall.

But power corrupts, and soon Light sees himself as the very savior and messenger of justice that a good deal of the public has made him out - as Kira - to be. But he learns quickly that Kira's followers are not all fans, as even his own little sister and girlfriend see Kira as nothing but a mass murderer who is only keep crime down out of oppression and fear. Even the police, baffled by where to even begin finding Kira to arrest him, eventually seek the aid of a renowned Japanese detective, the mysterious "L" whom no one has ever seen, to aid them in their search for Kira. Speaking only through a laptop, with the help of his elderly servant Watari (Shunji Fujimura), L quickly proves himself to be the intellectual equal of Kira - by immediately tricking Light into revealing that Kira lives within the Tokyo area. As L helps the police to get closer and closer to Light (who can't do a thing about "L", as he doesn't know the guy's real name or what he even looks like), Light continues to learn how to manipulate the Death Note to strike back or protect himself however he must ... even as his God complex grows, and he becomes less and less humane. The tension builds, more than just criminals begin to fall, and the ending finds Light and L meeting face to face, in a quiet scene that sets up a sequel this reviewer didn't know existed ... and had me running to the computer to try and find.

I love this movie. It's got everything going for it, is a tense thriller without the gore that has enough twists and turns in the plot to satisfy a pretzel maker. I'm a full-on fan of Tatsuya Fujiwara's now - and forever a fan of this brilliant film. Yes, the CGI-affect Ryuuk may not seem 100% realistic to many - but that, to me, didn't hurt my getting into the character, or his clever scenes with Light that deftly share some of Light's thoughts and reasoning for the viewer. The cast is top-notch, the film itself very well-directed and made. If I could afford it, I'd buy everyone I know a copy of it on DVD for Christmas - that's how much I liked it - and to me just the originality and cleverness of the story (yes, based on a popular Japanese manga and anime series) are what put the film ahead from the beginning. I can't say enough good about it, and not only love the film's message - that power does indeed corrupt - but also the mental debate it sets up in your mind: is Kira a savior, an angel of justice - or simply a mass murderer, himself deserving death? It's a film that makes you think, and God knows we need more of those in the movie business today. ***** - Reel Must-See

(NOTE: Stay tuned, after the film's end credits, for a trailer of the sequel, Death Note: The Last Name! Also, a USA version of this film is slated to be made and released in 2010 - a huge mistake, as this film is so purely Japanese in tone, story and characterization, it would surely be ruined if turned over to the Hollywood machine. See the original!)

RESIDENT EVIL: EXTINCTION

Director: Russell Mulcahy

Stars: Milla Jovovich, Oded Fehr, Ali Larter, Iain Glen, Ashanti, Christopher Egan, Spencer Locke, Matthew Marsden, Mike Epps

Year: 2005

Rated: R

The third installment in the videogame-inspired Resident Evil franchise finally brings back the quality of the first film (Resident Evil) over the semi-dud of the second (Resident Evil: Apocalypse, which has a CGI-infested ending that drove me batty). Part three takes place about five years after part two ended, and by now the outlook for the human race is grim; the virus created for biological warfare by the Umbrella Corporation has now spread worldwide, effectively turning nearly every living creature into a flesh-eating zombie.

The one hope for humanity is the ass-kicking soldier who's been around from the beginning - Alice (Milla Jovovich), who's now estranged from all her companions in order to keep them safe (the Umbrella Corporation can track her, and she knows it). She travels the country on a motorcycle, trying to find what's left of everything from gas to food to humanity - and the film even opens with a bang-up scene in which Alice is captured by a tribe of inbred hillbillies in the Nevada desert, who lure her in with a radio broadcast may-day ... and her escape from them definitely sets the tone for just how action-packed (and violent) this film is going to be.

Meanwhile, the bad guys at the Umbrella Corporation (whose headquarters, around the world, are so far underground that even the zombies can't get to them) are hard at work. If they can't get Alice, they'll do the next best thing clone her, over and over and over again, and try to find the perfect replica in order to not only combat the undead ... but possibly find a cure for them, as well. Led by the mentally unsound, quite evil Dr. Isaacs, the experimentations just aren't producing the needed results - leading Isaacs to realize he's got to find the real thing ...

As Alice displays some really amazing telekinetic powers, while dreaming in the desert one night - and uses them just in time to save a traveling caravan of survivors led by the equally-tough Claire Redfield (Ali Larter). Alice's old friends, Carlos (Oded Fehr) and L. J. (Mike Epps), are also a part of this caravan - quite possibly the remains of humanity in an undead world - and as a group they all decide to head for what Alice believes (via a homemade journal she's found) is the last spot on earth unaffected by the virus ... Alaska.

But as the group - which has avoided big cities, due to the hordes of zombies that tend to still be in residence there - heads to Las Vegas (their last hope in the area) for food and gasoline ... Dr. Isaacs has already finagled a helicopter and some men, determined at last to find Alice and bring her back "home" at any cost.

This is a kick-butt zombie flick, with awesome CGI effects and action-packed fight scenes that show just how strong and aggressive the undead, infected with the T-virus, have become - as the survivors battle them to try and save what's left of humanity. Jovovich, Larter and Fehr head a strong cast of characters that you'll find yourself rooting for, and to say Iain Glen is rotten to the core in his performance as Dr. Isaacs is an understatement.

In all, nothing to dislike here, and a bang-up job after the disappointing second installment. If you like these kinds of films, and in particular like the Resident Evil story/series, this one won't disappoint. *** - Reel Cool

INITIAL D

Directors: Wai-keung Lau & Siu Fai Mak

Stars: Jay Chou, Edison Chen, Anthony Wong Chau-Sang, Chapman To, Shawn Yue, Anne Suzuki

Year: 2005

Rating: NR

(in Cantonese with English subtitles)

Based on the popular Japanese comic and anime series, Initial D is everything that every Fast and Furious film could only strive to be. Taiwanese pop music star Jay Chou (in his film debut) stars as Takumi Fujiwara, an 18-year-old college student who works at a gas station by day, and delivers "to go" orders for his father's small tofu shop in Japan late into the evening (the two men live alone, Takumi's mother having abandoned the family some years ago). Every night since he was 13, Takumi navigates the long, sharp curves of the road that winds around Mt. Akina - and in the process, unknowingly develops his own skills for "drifting" - a form of amateur street racing that enables the driver to actually have an advantage when the road has a lot of curves and sharp corners. No one knows of Takumi's amazing capabilities, which he's spent so much time perfecting - not his former race car champ father (Anthony Wong Chau-Sang, in a great performance that also gives the film its comedy relief), his best friend Itsuki (Chapman To) - who claims HE is the "racing god" of Mt. Akina - or even the classmate he loves, Natsuki (Anne Suzuki) ... a girl with her own secret to hide. When "discovered" late one night during his run, Takumi is challenged to a race by another street drifter - one he handily wins, suddenly bringing his talents out into the open for everyone to see.

Edison Chen and Shawn Yue, as (respectively) Ryousuke and Takeshi, are the street racers who discover Takumi, and it's Takeshi that Takumi easily defeats amongst the mountainous roads. Ryousuke and Takeshi, good friends and racing buddies, are in the middle of a bet to see who can win the most races in Japan, working the country from top to bottom - but when they spot Takumi and Takeshi is defeated, it's Ryousuke who challenges Takumi to the race of his life ... just before another, professional driver discovers Takumi as well, and also challenges him to race the hills of Mt. Akina, to see who the ultimate "racing god" is.

Can the beat up, souped-up Toyota AE86 that Takumi delivers tofu in match up to the infinitely more professional racing cars of his competitors, in particular for this extremely dangerous form of street racing? That's essentially the plot, and it's light - but the strained relationship between Takumi and his father, Bunta (Wong Chau-Sang) is very real and a strong part of the story ... as is the budding romance between Takumi and Natsuki.

But it's the racing that's fairly eye-bending here, shot perfectly in multi angles that make each race - even though it's down the same mountain, on the same road- fresh, exciting and a lot of fun to watch. Jay Chou plays Takumi with the perfect mix of serious vulnerability - a kid with his share of baggage already, who finds himself only himself when slicing at 140 mph down the roads of Mt. Akina. The movie hinges on his character, and he comes through. The rest of the cast is exceptional as well, the film shot to spotlight the beauty of the country as well as the amazing racing.

A lot of criticism has been heaped on this film for the cuts that were made in order to turn an entire anime series and manga into a 2-hour feature film. Storylines were dropped, and in some cases two or more characters were melded into one. Having never seen the series (yet) or read the manga, I was able to enjoy the film on its own merits - and those merits are strong, indeed. You don't even have to like racing or car films to get into the story - which at times can be as humorous as it is touching - because the main characters are people you grow to care about.

It's a really, really good film; a total surprise to me, and a film I'm very glad I saw. ***1/2 - Reel Cool-Reel Awesome

THE 24TH DAY

Director: Tony Piccirillo

Stars: James Marsden, Scott Speedman, Sofia Verga

Year: 2004

Rating: R

A tense psychological game played out by its two lead actors, The 24th Day (based on director Tony Piccirillo's play of the same name) stars James Marsden and Scott Speedman as two men who find themselves attracted to each other when they meet in a bar. Dan (Marsden) is there with his best gal pal Isabella (Sofia Verga), but after staring into the handsome, boyish face and green eyes of Tom (Speedman), he can't help but get Tom's assistance in seeing a drunken Isabella back home ... before himself going back to Tom's apartment for a little conversation and fun.

Once there, the verbal games begin as Tom comes off as a very nervous straight man who's never been with a guy before; he asks a ton of questions, and ponders big issues like truth and moral values. Dan's not so comfortable with all the questions about how many guys he's been with, if he's ever been tested for HIV, etc., and all the conversation is definitely killing both his buzz and his horny aspirations ... when he suddenly learns that he and Tom have met before. In a calm, rational voice, Tom informs Dan that the two of them had sex together five years previously - when a drunken Dan came home with Tom, much like he did tonight. After pretending to remember, Dan finally confesses that he can't remember that night at all - though he swears to Tom, 100%, that he did wear a condom that night ... as he does every single time he has sex, even though Tom questions Dan's sincerity because of how drunk Dan was when they were together five years ago.

A frustrated, nearly-angry Dan throws up his hands and apologizes, heading for the door to Tom's apartment - which is locked, and when Tom gives Dan the key it proves unsuccessful. Really ticked now, Dan starts to ask what game Tom is playing - when suddenly Tom jabs him with a vicious punch to the head, knocking Dan nearly unconscious. In his half-in, half-out of it state, Dan is then settled into a chair, where his wrists are tied behind his back, his legs tied to the legs of the chair as Tom produces a syringe and draws some blood from Dan's arm ...

Before Tom tells him that he - Tom - has been diagnosed with HIV ... and that with Dan being the only man he's been with, it's therefore Dan who gave it to him. To prove it, Tom's come up with a simple plan: he'll hold Dan hostage in his apartment, take a blood sample from him and get it tested. If the sample come backs negative, Tom will let Dan go.

If positive, he'll kill him.

The rest of the film is basically the cat and mouse game of Dan and Tom spending the next day - the 24th day since Tom's learned of his disease - together, before Tom picks up the results the following morning and determines Dan's fate. In that time, both men will learn a lot not only about themselves but each other ... as well as what it means to be truly responsible, not only regarding your sex life but in all aspects of life.

From trying to break free to trying to talk Tom out of murder - should he be negative - Dan is a character you're never quite sure you can trust. Is he an expert liar saying whatever he thinks someone will want to hear to save himself - or sleep with someone else - or is he an honest, upfront guy who can be believed about his past? Tom has his own issues, even beyond his testing positive for HIV, and viewers of the film will be equally unsure as to where his mind is at, at all times ... or what he might ultimately do. It's a well-written, powerful struggle these two have throughout the film, highlighted by a strong performance by Scott Speedman as Tom and some of James Marsden's best work as Dan. You WILL be kept wondering, tense and unsure, until the end.

And yet, the film didn't totally work for me. Sure, it feels a bit like a filmed play - with the vast majority of the action taking place between the two main characters, in Tom's apartment - but even that didn't bother me as much as some of the dialogue and nuances of the performances (Speedman in particular, who sometimes just wasn't so convincing for me as Tom). Marsden has speeches about HIV and sexual responsibility and the fact that the lines between "gay" and "straight" for a lot of men are so blurred in society now ... and while he delivers said speeches well, there were a couple of times they came off as just that - speeches - that ran too long, or were trying to drive a point home too stiffly. Speedman is able to keep up with Marsden as an actor, yet at the same time I wanted to feel more sympathy for Tom's situation than I did. The direction is good - the situation builds in tension and stress as it should, with viewers always kept wondering just what the heck is going to happen ...

But in the end, strong as the film is, for some reason it didn't click with me like it should have. Worth seeing - and if you're a sexually promiscuous person, it will have you thinking twice about what you might be doing not only to the person you're bedding ... but how that incident might chain reaction to affect others, as well. A good film to see - I just wish something didn't feel ... "missing" to me, after viewing it. **1/2 - Reel Mediocre-Reel Cool