NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST

Director: Peter Sollett

Stars: Michael Cera, Kat Dennings, Aaron Yoo, Rafi Gavron, Ari Graynor, Alexis Dziena, Jonathan B. Wright, Jay Baruchel

Year: 2008

Rating: PG-13

Nick O'Leary (Superbad's Michael Cera) is a high school senior who plays in a punk/grunge band called The Jerk Offs with his best friends Thom (Aaron Yoo) and Dev (Rafi Gavron) - both of whom are gay. He lives either in Jersey or a borough of New York City, and has just been dumped by his girlfriend of six months, Tris (Alexis Dziena), with whom he was madly in love. He still makes mix tapes for Tris, which he sticks in her locker at school, and even leaves phone messages on her cell, just to see how she's doing. None of the attention is returned.

Meanwhile, Norah Silverberg (Kat Dennings) hangs out in Tris' circle of girls, but really can't stand the vapid good-time girl. She's pulled most of Nick's mix tapes out of the garbage, not knowing who he is by sight, and is tripping over the great music he's put together for the ungrateful Tris.

When Nick's band plays at a club one evening, Norah - attracted to Nick without knowing who he is - is stuck in a situation where she has to pretend to Tris that she's got a boyfriend. Walking up to Nick, she asks "Could you be my boyfriend for five minutes?" - and invariably opens up a can of worms that makes Tris jealous and possibly plotting a comeback.

Add to this an extremely popular (almost at a cult level) underground band called Where's Fluffy? -a band who never announces ahead of time where or when they're playing, only giving out clues via radio stations instead - and you have a night in which Norah and her very drunk friend Caroline (played hilariously by Ari Graynor), get caught up with Nick and his friends on a drive into New York City, to try to track down just where Where's Fluffy? is playing. What follows is a funny, romantic and engaging road trip/comedy that has a van full of teenagers on a wild night of adventure, all in the name of music.

Cera and Dennings, as Nick and Norah, have great on-screen chemistry and work really convincingly together as a couple. Aaron Yoo and Rafi Gavron (along with Jonathan B. Wright, who plays a beefy hunk that Gavron's character has picked up for the ride) play gay without the slightest leaning toward parody, stereotyping, or femininity; indeed, they play gay ... straight! The film's story is at times crazy and tender, touching and hilarious, and by the end you think you know where things are going, but there are a few simple, sweet twists on the way there.

I really liked this film, which has a great soundtrack, excellent acting, and a smart, funny script. It's a nice romantic comedy that made me think of something that 80's director John Hughes (Sixteen Candles, Ferris Bueller's Day Off) might have made today. Thoroughly enjoyable. ***1/2 - Reel Cool-Reel Awesome

DAY OF THE DEAD

Director: Steve Miner

Stars: Mena Suvari, Michael Welch, Nick Cannon, Stark Sands, AnnaLynne McCord, Matt Rippy, Ving Rhames

Year: 2008

Rating: R

GREATLY diverging from the storyline of the original 1985 George Romero sequel, this remake of Day of the Dead carries enough decent acting, action and gore to sustain most fans ... yet somehow still manages to maintain a "made-for-DVD" feel that doesn't elevate it anywhere near the brilliant Dawn of the Dead remake that came before.

Mena Suvari stars as Sarah Bowman, a young officer in the U.S. Army helping her fellow soldiers to maintain order in a small quarantined Colorado town that happens to be Sarah's hometown as well. It seems a pretty rancid outbreak of something resembling the flu is going on, and the military has been called in to cordon off the city, allowing no one in or out. All communication lines have been cut as well, and anyone trying to get their sick loved ones out is simply being rerouted back into the local hospital in town - where, the army assures them, specialists are being flown in by the military to help with the outbreak.

Sarah's own mother is home ill, though Sarah and her younger teenaged brother Trevor (Michael Welch) seem to be immune. Sadly, the same can't be said for Trevor's best friend Kyle (Hugh Skinner) - nor, in fact, the vast majority of the town's citizenship, who all seem to be at the hospital, by the time Sarah gets her there along with Trevor and his hopefully-girlfriend Nina (AnnaLynne McCord). Even a cute, dorky new army recruit who's already crushing on Sarah, Bud (Stark Sands, in a stand-out performance here), is along for the ride. At the hospital, Sarah reunites with her unit commander (Ving Rhames) - but before long all of the patients in the hospital begin, one on one (and including Sarah and Trevor's mom), to go into a few moments' of a trancelike state ... before snapping back to attention as full-fledged, flesh-eating zombies that instantly begin attacking and devouring any living human in the entire building. Sarah and Trevor get separated, with Sarah and Bud getting out with the help of a cocky comrade in arms, Salazar (Nick Cannon) - while Trevor and Nina manage to escape the hospital to hole up in the offices of a local radio station, with the help of a DJ who's survived his own attack.

The rest of the film is about Sarah and her fellow soldiers escaping the city - and trying to get Trevor and Nina out at the same time. The action is fast and bloody, the zombies more limber than ever here (not only can they run, they can also leap through the air and crawl up walls like Spider-Man, now!). It all leads to a governmental secret/cover-up, of course, and in the meantime the zombie deaths and such are all pretty cool ... but in short, this just seems too much like territory already covered, and covered better in previous films both past and remade. Day of the Dead isn't a bad film - it's just sort of the same retread of something already done before - not once, but multiple times. Worth seeing if you're a die-hard Dead or zombie movie fun, okay to skip otherwise. **1/2 - Reel Mediocre-Reel Cool

LA BRASSIERE

Director: Hing-Ka Chan & Patrick Leung

Stars: Ching Wan Lau, Louis Koo, Carina Lau, Gigi Leung

Year: 2001

Rating: NR

(in Cantonese w/English subtitles)

Never, ever have I known so much about bras in my life - nor gained more respect for the women who wear them - than I have from watching this very funny Hong Kong romantic comedy, about an all-female bra company who decides to catch up with the times by hiring two male designers (Ching Wan Lau & Louis Koo) to construct the "ultimate bra".

Samantha (Carina Lau) is the head of the company, who decides that maybe a male perspective can shed some new and exciting light on the industry - even as her subordinate manager Lena (Gigi Leung) even goes so far as to threaten resignation if she's forced to hire men. Samantha stands her ground, however, and Lena grudgingly keeps her job ... and, after some very funny (and a couple rather disturbing) male designers pass through interview after interview with her team, she finally hires a former men's underwear designer named Johnny (Ching Wan Lau), and all-out ladies' man Wayne (Louis Koo). Johnny and Wayne's come to work the first day strutting like roosters in a hen-house; both guys - even though Johnny has a live-in girlfriend at home, who's more in love with him than he is with her - totally expect each of the ladies they meet to fall at their feet, and there are some funny moments at what their imaginations envision happening ... compared to what really happens when they arrive. Both men learn, very quickly, that they don't know squat - not only about bras, but about the construction of a woman's breasts, or how to support ones of various shape and size - and after some big-time floundering, Lena and her staff strap the guys into a couple of over-the-shoulder boulder-holders of their own (complete with weighted fake breasts) to give the guys the workout of their life.

Meanwhile, the womanizers find themselves falling for their bosses - Johnny for Samantha, and Wayne for Lena - and the road to convincing these ladies they are after more than just sex is almost as hard as their torturous journey to becoming the best bra designers in the company.

There are plenty of genuinely funny moments in this sincere, very likable romantic comedy. The four leads are great in their prospective roles, and the guys - Louis Koo as studly leading man and Ching Wan Lau as comedy relief - in particular are very authentic in their performances. The story is original, and even if you can sort of see where things are heading it's still an enjoyable (and very funny) journey getting there. I could have done without the extra-small, rapid-fire subtitles throughout the film, but it didn't mar my enjoyment of this frothy, funny film with one of the more unique settings I've seen in a movie in a long time; one worth going out of your way to see. *** - Reel Cool

RE-CYCLE

Director: Pang Brothers

Stars: Lee Sinje, Yaqi Zeng, Lawrence Chou, Ekin Cheng, Siu-Ming Lau

Year: 2006

Rating: R

(in Cantonese w/English subtitles)

Boy, was I looking forward to this film. The Pang Brothers are the brilliant filmmakers responsible for (among others) one of my favorite horror/suspense flicks ever, The Eye - and this film of theirs, Re-Cycle, even stars two of the main actors from that previous film, Angelica Lee (here, again, billed as Lee Sinje), and Lawrence Chou. So when discovering the film on Netflix, it was a no-brainer to order it in.

Unfortunately, like a caffeine crash about three in the afternoon when you still have two hours to go at work, Re-Cycle was a real letdown. A truly stunning film visually, with lots of green screen and CGI that looks as real as anything you're likely to see in film today - but nevertheless, the characters and story just don't live up to the visuals.

Angelica Lee stars as Tsui Ting-Yin, a famous novelist known for her bestselling romance trilogy - the first of which has just been made into a film. She's been promoting her new romance while at the same time trying to being work on her new novel, this time going far out of her genre (and safety zone) by trying to write a horror novel. She's struggling pretty hard with both protagonist and story, is constantly revising and crumbling up pages of writing to feed to the trash can ... but when odd things start to happen around her house - visions of a tall shape with long hair out the corner of her eye, paper moving by itself on her desk and in the wastebasket, ghostly shapes darting about just outside her peripheral vision - it doesn't take long for Ting-Yin to be pulled into an alternate dimension. A place for all the forgotten things of the world - people, toys, ideas, characters. A place where the forgotten things also seem to be pretty hocked off at being forgotten. There, she eventually meets a little girl with no name who takes Ting-Yin on a quest to find the Transit - the only way that Ting-Yin can take to get back to her own world.

The first problem with this film is that it's billed as a horror movie, and it's not. The first fifteen minutes or so live up to that moniker beautifully - but after that, the story turns more into a fantasy/science fiction tale set in a world that sometimes resembles a videogame. Angelica Lee is very good in the part of Ting-Yin - all the actors are pretty good - but somehow you never wholeheartedly buy into the characters; maybe because you never really get to know them. About 90% of the film is spent only with Ting-Yin, the nameless little girl, and a kindly older gentleman (Siu-Ming Lau) who shows them, via a map, the way to the Transit. The other actors - Chou, Ekin Cheng, etc. - are barely in the film for the first fifteen minutes or so, before Ting-Yin embarks on her journey into the other realm, and that's a bit of a disappointment. Some of the scenes in the film also run on too long, as if the Pangs really want to show you this amazing, visually spectacular world they've created ... when, after awhile, you may well be sitting there thinking, "Okay, I get it - let's move on!"

The ultimate "message" of the film has a lot to do with not forgetting our past - particularly the people we haven't seen or spoken too in a long time, even as we still want them in our lives. It's a great message, and this is a beautiful film - again, truly stunning - but somehow lacking in the very substance the filmmakers intended. ** - Reel Mediocre

THE MOTEL

Director: Michael Kang

Stars: Jeffrey Chyau, Sung Kang, Jade Wu, Samantha Futerman, Alexis Kapp Chang

Year: 2005

Rating: NR

Winner of the Humanitas Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 2005, The Motel is an effective, ultimately touching independent film about a chubby 13-year-old boy (Jeffrey Chyau, in a wonderful, very heartfelt performance) trying to deal with puberty as he finds himself surrounded by people who don't understand him while living at the butt-end of nowhere.

Ernest Chin (Chyau) lives in the back rooms of a sleazy "no-tell" motel with his mom, sister and grandpa - a hotel that rents rooms by the week, day or hour and sits off the main stretch of road in what appears to be a town with absolutely nothing to offer. Whether cleaning the rooms, to manning the front desk while doing his homework, to dodging the bully who lives with his family in one of the rooms, Ernest's only salvation is visiting his good friend Christine (Samantha Futerman) - a pretty Asian girl a little older than Ernest, who works at a nearby restaurant. Ernest just sits outside, talking to Christine on her breaks, and over time the two have become very close friends; so much so, Ernest has even shared his love of writing stories with her, and in fact has just recently submitted one of his short stories to a contest based on Christine's advice.

This is a far cry from his home life - where Ernest's mom (the outstanding Jade Wu) criticizes and puts down Ernest at every turn; either that, or there's his little sister Katie (Alexis Kapp Chang), who's always pestering or tattling on him, either way getting Ernest into trouble. Grandpa is no help, always keeping to himself - and in fact when a letter comes for Ernest, announcing that's he's won Honorable Mention in the writing contest, instead of congratulating him Ernest's mom tells him honorable mention only means he wasn't good enough to win a real prize, and she discourages his writing altogether. Indeed, Ernest is fighting the great fight alone, and not even sure how to handle his growing feelings for Christine...

That is, until a smooth-talking Korean guy named Sam (Sung Kang, in one of his best, most sincere performances) checks in. Sam's heavy into both alcohol and women, often bringing a different hooker to the hotel every chance he gets, but eventually he ends up bonding with Ernest and the two become friends. Ernest sort of sees Sam as a father figure, when in truth Sam pushes Ernest into some truly reckless behavior more resembling an irresponsible best friend his own age ... but the two grow to learn a lot from each other. More importantly, Ernest has someone paying attention to him who really seems to enjoy his company - something he's never seemed to have before. And when Sam decides to take Ernest under his wing, showing him what life and love are all about, some strong realizations take place for both guys ... each of them, perhaps, doing a little growing up at last.

The film's ending is a bit abrupt, but it's also one of the most touching I've seen in a film in a long time. Anyone who's ever felt awkward during their "Twilight Zone"-ish years of puberty (especially if you're a guy) will deeply relate to both Ernest's longings and frustrations, in a film that scores deeply on an emotional level. Jeffrey Chyau is truly to be commended for turning in a performance that never seems to be one, and Sung Kang's Sam is equally humane and warm. Even Jade Wu, as Ernest's mom, is totally convincing in a role that is at turns hilarious and heartbreaking. Director Michael Kang's feature film debut is a sweet slice of life about an ordinary boy who - despite the odds - might just grow up to be an extraordinary man. ***1/2 - Reel Cool-Reel Awesome

RIGHT BY ME

Director: Thanyatorn Siwanukrow

Stars: Jackie, Palat Ananwattanasiri, Pimpong Isarasena na Ayudhya

Year: 2005

Rating: NR

(in Thai w/English subtitles)

I know this is going to make me sound gayer than a picnic basket, but I really fell in love with this film. I read the novel "Rainbow Boys" by Alex Sanchez several years ago, and had no idea it had been made into a movie - much less one in Thailand, where (from what I've read) I believe the book is pretty darned popular. So when I discovered Right by Me (called Rainbow Boy, at least in Thailand) on accident and read its synopsis, I had to give the DVD a try.

The story is about three very different young college boys (high school it was, I believe, in the novel). First you have Nat (Pimpong Isarasena na Ayudhya), a cute and fairly effeminate young gay man who's been physically and verbally abused for being "different" by his peers from his first day at school. Nat's father left the household when he was still young, but Nat's mother has always stuck by and loved her son, no matter what. Now, as a young man barely in college, Nat is incredibly secure with himself, and doesn't care too much about what anyone else thinks...

With the possible exception of his best friend, Tat (Jackie), whom Nat has idolized and secretly crushed on since they were children. Tat is a good-looking nerd type with glasses who's still a virgin and so far has only come out to Nat. There's no way in hell his parents can ever find out he's gay, and Tat is constantly being derided by both his father and the other students at school for hanging out with a "fag" like Nat - but Tat tries his best to ignore both, and has even himself being roughed up at school for defending or siding with Nat. But Tat is a devoted friend, and though he has no idea of Nat's true feelings for him, you couldn't ask for a better friend than Nat so Tat's into things for the long haul; nothing can make him turn on his friend...

Even though, for years now, Tat has had the biggest crush on one of the most popular jocks in high school (now college), Ek (Palat Ananwattanasiri). Ek is an accomplished basketball player with a hot girlfriend and a (seemingly) perfect life. He's tall, dark, handsome and masculine - everything Tat wants in a boyfriend; his ideal. So much so, Tat even keeps a book of loose photos of Ek that he secretly goes when in his room alone at night, wishing for the impossible.

And when Nat and Tat one day attend a meeting of the Bangkok Rainbow Club - a club for gay young people and their struggles with coming out - the boys (especially Tat) are freaked when who should show up but Ek. Ek, very nervous and untalkative, sort of freaks himself upon seeing two guys he knows there, and quickly bolts from the meeting ... but not before igniting both Nat's jealousy, and Tat's hopes that maybe the impossible just might be possible, after all.

The film is shot in a very amateurish style, looking almost like the attempt of a first-year film student at making his own movie ... but as the story went on, I actually found this more of a help than a detriment to the film. Somehow, it made the situations and settings and sometimes-less-than-stellar acting all the more real; documentary-like in style (though again, very amateurish). The three leads are all cute, very different from each other in character, and immensely likable - the story the film has to tell very simple, but not without emotional impact. It's the kind of movie that, afterward, you will think about the characters and their world for some time - and if you're a total wuss like me, you'll even have a tear or two in your eye. It might not be for non-gay or non-gay friendly audiences, but if you fit into either of those categories it'd be hard not to love this love story. Even with its flaws, somehow it all works beautifully. **** - Reel Awesome

MISS PETTIGREW LIVES FOR A DAY

Director: Bharat Nalluri

Stars: Frances McDormand, Amy Adams, Lee Pace, Ciaran Hinds, Shirley Henderson, Tom Payne

Year: 2008

Rating: PG-13

God love any director that pairs brilliance like Frances McDormand and Amy Adams together in the same film. McDormand's been a brilliant light in film since before Fargo, and Amy Adams ... well, let's just say it'll be a dark, dark day for the industry when she decides to retire. Both shine like beacons here, in a romantic comedy set in (barely) pre-World War II London.

McDormand plays Guinevere Pettigrew, a rather plain, conservative and very outspoken governess who's just been fired from her latest job by an employer so anxious to get her out, she even refuses to pay the poor, middle-aged woman her severance. Penniless and desperate for work, things don't get any better when Miss Pettigrew shows up at her agency, only to find out that she's had so many complaints lodged against her that her agency won't even send her out for work anymore. While there, however, Miss Pettigrew overhears of a job opportunity with a young American actress living in London ... and through her sheer desperation shows up at the starlet's home that very morning, pretending to be sent by her hiring agency.

What Miss Pettigrew doesn't count on is the young, beautiful, and tragically ditzy actress, Delysia (Amy Adams), who is now her employer. Delysia's first task for Miss Pettigrew is to get the naked young man - Phil, the son of a theater producer Delysia's trying to land a leading role from - out of her bed, before her boyfriend/benefactor Nick (Mark Strong) gets home. The luxury apartment Delysia lives in does, after all, belong to Nick - and as she can't seem to wake Phil, Delysia frantically implores Miss Pettigrew to help her.

The governess manages to pull it off, all the while shocked at the scandalous behavior of her new mistress - but before long it becomes apparent that Delysia has even a third young man named Michael (Lee Pace of "Pushing Daisies", who's marvelous here) on her party line, as well. Michael is Delysia's accompanist; he plays piano for her when she sings in Nick's club, and is completely head over heels in love with Delysia; in fact, that very morning he announces that he has a new musical engagement aboard an ocean liner bound for New York - a job that starts the very next day, and in fact Michael's bought two one-way tickets so that Delysia may go with him so that the two of them can marry at last.

It's about all Miss Pettigrew can handle, and she tries to resign over the torrid love life of her newest employer ... but instead, she's drawn into a whirlwind of money, high fashion, and the politics of the theater, as the rest of the film details Miss Pettigrew's first day working for Delysia - a day, indeed, in which Miss Pettigrew learns to really live at last.

This film is such a throwback to old-school classic filmmaking of the 1930's; the story is funny and heartwarming, the characters larger than life yet people you can truly care about. Frances McDormand, in particular, is at the top of her game as Miss Pettigrew; she holds the film together, and even if you think you can see where it's all going, the ride is so, so worth it. Amy Adams and Lee Pace head a great supporting cast, in what is a genuine "feel-good" movie that will leave you with a smile on your face by the end; a genuine romantic comedy that's just as much a love story from the filmmakers to those who watch it. ***1/2 - Reel Cool-Reel Awesome

P2

Director: Franck Khalfoun

Stars: Wes Bentley, Rachel Nichols, Simon Reynolds, Philip Akin

Year: 2007

Rating: R

It's Christmas Eve in New York City, and workaholic Angela (Rachel Nichols) is stuck yet again with another late night in her offices in a mid-city highrise. She's determined to get out at a reasonable hour this time, however, because her family's expecting her in Jersey ... and God knows Angela's disappointed her parents and sister enough by no-showing them. As her co-workers and secretary leave, wishing Angela a good holiday, even Mr. Harper (Simon Reynolds) stops by with a red-faced apology; it seems he tried a grope-and-grab with Angela in an elevator recently, while drunk at the office Christmas party. Like everything else in her life, Angela has no time for his contrition, accepting his apology and sending him on his merry way so she can finish her reports and get the hell out of the office.

It's not horribly late when she finally finishes, and Angela's even able to get a ride downstairs in the elevator with security guard Karl (Philip Akin) before he locks them up for the night. In the lobby, she heads for the parking garage elevators, taking one down to level two - P2 - only to find her car won't start. Worse yet, her cell phone can't even get a signal that far down in the garage. In the garage, she also runs into the young, very friendly security guard Thomas (Wes Bentley), who lets her back into the hobby ... and sort of halfheartedly offers her a share of his own Christmas dinner, since she's stranded - but Angela gently turns him down. Now irritated, tired, and loaded down with Christmas gifts (and even a Santa suit for her dad to wear), she heads back up to the lobby, where she calls a cab once her cell phone is working again.

But Karl's nowhere to be found, and when the cab pulls up in front of her building Angela finds herself locked in lobby. Signaling for him to wait, she heads back down to P2 to get the guard to help her - but instead, as the lights flicker off above her, finds herself in total darkness inside the garage. That is, until viewers - in the dim blue glow of her cell phone, spots Thomas behind right behind her. The security guard clamps a cloth tightly over her mouth, Angela struggles but soon passes out...

And thus begins one hell of a bad Christmas Eve for the hardworking woman - now in the hands of the security guard who's obsessed with her.

P2 is really good with pulling out the chills and thrills - not to mention the occasional jump in your seat. Bentley is spot-on as the "nice" security guard who happens to also be a homicidal maniac, and Rachel Nichols plays Angela with just the right mix of strength and vulnerability. I wondered, before going into this film, how much could happen in a parking garage that would keep a feature-length movie suspenseful (or even entertaining) for 90-120 minutes ... but that's exactly what this film does, as the actions of Thomas the security guard grow ever crazier, bloodier, and deadly ... and Angela learns, very fast, what she'll have to do in order to survive.

The film has its flaws (stuffing Nichols' rather ample cleavage into a slip, for obvious gratuitous jollies, is just one of them), and occasionally strains credibility - but damn, from the first scene it also yanks you right into the movie, and doesn't let up in tension until the end. For that alone the film gets high marks, and is pure adrenaline-rushing entertainment to boot.

It'll also make you think twice about ever venturing into a darkened underground parking lot alone again - ever. Whether you're male or female. And that's probably not a bad thing, either. *** - Reel Cool

MEET BILL

Director: Bernie Goldmann & Melisa Wallack

Stars: Aaron Eckhart, Elizabeth Banks, Logan Lerman, Jessica Alba, Timothy Olyphant

Year: 2007

Rating: R

This was, indeed, a happy surprise. I'd never seen Aaron Eckhart in anything comedic before, but after this film I hope to see him in a lot more movies with both heart and humor like Meet Bill (also known as just plain Bill). Here, he stars as the "Executive Vice-President of Human Resources" for a huge bank that his father-in-law just happens to own. Bill hates his job, hates being under the oppressive thumb of his gun-toting, animal-hunting and conservative father-in-law (Holmes Osborne) ... and, worse still, hates suspecting that his beautiful wife Jess (Elizabeth Banks) is cheating on him with a local (and extremely good-looking, and popular) television news reporter (Timothy Olyphant at his most greasy). When he catches proof of the affair on video and confronts Jess, it's just another testament to the type of life Bill has when he's the one who's supposed to feel guilty for "spying on" her.

But things change in the form of a rebellious teenaged boy obsessed with women and ladies lingerie (Logan Lerman, who is terrific here; funny and cute as hell), whom Bill is forced to mentor by his father-in-law as part of an alumni program through Bill's old prep school that the bank is involved with. Everything Bill does to push the kid away only makes the teenager fight harder and harder to spend time with Bill ... and it soon becomes obvious - as Bill gets arrested, loses his wife, and precariously puts his job in jeopardy (among other disasters) - that maybe the kid is exactly what Bill needs to cut loose what binds him so that he can be free to fly at last.

The film is excellently cast - even Jessica Alba is along for the ride, as a salesgirl in a lingerie store the kid is infatuated with - and really beautifully written to be a comedy that doesn't need a lot of slapstick or fart jokes or crude, over the top humor to make you laugh. Aaron Eckhart is so excellent as the beleaguered Bill, but his supporting cast in the film is equally first-rate (particularly Logan Lerman, and the chemistry these two have together on-screen). The second half of the film even feels a bit like a throwback to the old screwball comedies of the 1940's, when character and story outweighed just making jokes. And really, which of us over the age of, say, 35 can't relate to feeling like our lives have spun out of control at some point ... even as we wonder how to get back what we've lost?

This is a charming film with lots of heart, and an ending that may even bring a sentimental tear to your eye. It's one man's journey of finding himself, told with insight and humor; once you've met Bill, you'll be glad you did. ***1/2 - Reel Cool-Reel Awesome

BATTLE ROYALE II: REQUIEM

Director: Kenji Fukasaku & Kenta Fukasaku

Stars: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Ai Maeda, Shugo Oshinari, Riki Takeuchi

Year: 2003

Rating: NR

(in Japanese w/English subtitles)

Wow, has this film garnered a lot of anger from fans. But then, any follow-up to the intense, outstanding, and jaw-dropping Battle Royale was bound to come under some pretty harsh scrutiny; the original, a well-deserved monster hit in Asia and around the world, is nothing short of a brilliant, bloody film that knocked you on your behind with its story, characters, violence ... and social commentary.

(NOTE: one spoiler here, for those who haven't seen the first film - a review of which, by the way, can be found on this blog. Sorry, can't be helped.)

Tatsuya Fujiwara (the Death Note films) reprises his role as Shuya Nanahara. It's been three years since he survived the massacre from the first film, and in that time Shuya has formed a band of terrorists, called the Wild Seven, who have "declared war on all adults" in retaliation of the "Battle Royale Act" that has seen many teens in Japan murdering each other in the name of "discipline". Shuya's small army has been responsible for some major destruction in the country, and to fight back the government has now mandated "Battle Royale II" - and, as the film opens, the first middle-school class of kids is (as in the first film) again drugged, fitted with explosive dog collars, and taken to a military base for disbursement.

The rules are basically the same ... only this time, with no training, the teens are told they must go to war (in fact, the class chosen is a group of rebellious troublemakers thrown into school together for this reason, so the implication is that society loses nothing if they all die). In full fatigues and battle gear, armed with guns, the kids are sent to the island where the Wild Seven are known to be hiding in a well-protected fortress. Their mission? Kill Shuya Nanahara within three days - or die.

The rules of the dog collars are the same as in the first film - and indeed, we see some of the "explosive" results, as in the first film, of those who refuse to go. As an extra bonus, the kids are partnered up against their will, and if one teen goes more than fifty feet from his/her partner, both their collars explode. Further, when one student is killed - say, a boy - the girl with the corresponding student's number's collar will also go off. Evidently this is to encourage the kids to watch out for each other this time - an interesting twist on the first film, where their only goals was to murder each other to stay alive. Add to this that another transfer student, Shiori (Ai Maeda), is added to the group of forty-one kids - and you have another potential plot twist, as Shiori is the daughter of the teacher who started the slaughter in the first film, and she has her own score to settle with Shuya Nanahara.

The students are sent in inflatable boats to the island - and even before they've beached, the slaughter begins. Here, the movie turns into a genuine war film, with jittering cinematography and lots of action, as the kids make their way to the Wild Seven compound, even as their numbers are already starting to decrease dramatically.

To say anything more might be giving the story away - and yes, this is a flawed film compared to the near-perfect original. Shuya Nanahara's character is more complex here, and Fujiwara gives an excellent performance. Ai Maeda is also great as Shiori, and Shugo Oshinari really chews up the screen whenever he's on it, as one of the rebellious teen soldiers who is sort of the equivalent of Shuya's character in the first film. But because, I think, of the war theme here, plus the film's concentration of the kids as a group, the film takes a lot less time on character development; you're only given insight into a few of the forty-two students' lives, so it's a bit harder this time around to buy into the teens emotionally (except for the few lead characters). That said, the performances this time around are all still good, and if anything the film's major weakness is a too-pat ending that's a bit unrealistic ... and a bit of a wet blanket compared to the huge, climactic bang the film leads up to all along.

But I still liked it. Quite a lot, actually. The war idea is a natural follow-up, plotwise, to the original idea - at least, if you wanted to do a sequel, and do it bigger and better than the first. And while Battle Royale II: Requiem (there's also a re-edited "Director's Cut" version out - Battle Royale II: Revenge - but I've yet to find it) is bigger than the first, it's definitely not better. And even if a sequel wasn't needed, this is still more than worth seeing - if for no other reason than because it was the director's last film; sadly, Kenji Fukasaku died during the making of the movie, and it had to be finished by his son Kenta. I think all the anger tossed at this movie is undeserved - though not unexpected, when holding it up to the must-see original. ***1/2 - Reel Cool-Reel Awesome

MAMBO ITALIANO

Director: Emile Gaudreault

Stars: Luke Kirby, Paul Sorvino, Ginette Reno, Claudia Ferri, Peter Miller, Mary Walsh

Year: 2003

Rating: R

A charming, funny, warm and very refreshing comedy set in Canada, Mambo Italiano centers itself around the eccentric (to say the least), typical yet stereotypical - and VERY Italian - Barberini family. Luke Kirby stars as Angelo, the only son of hardworking Italian parents (Ginette Reno and the often-hilarious Paul Sorvino) who moved to Quebec to make a better life for their children. Angelo grew up the typical nerd, bullied and pushed around at school - at least, whenever his best buddy Nino Paventi wasn't around. Nino always took up for the smaller, slighter Angelo, protecting him from any harm ... but when the boys grew into young men and Nino developed into a handsome and muscular young man, his sudden popularity forced Nino to turn his back on Angelo, in order to protect his new reputation as cool.

This abandonment turned Angelo to spending more time with his mother's sister, and Aunt Yolanda - who'd always wanted to be an actress in the movies, prior to her death - taught Angelo his love for the arts, developing his dream to one day become a television writer. When Aunt Yolanda died, it was more than Angelo could bear - his last best friend was gone, and God knows his sister Anna (Claudia Ferri, wonderful here) nor his parents had any real time for him. That's when Angelo really turned to television, to keep his dream alive.

But as if being Italian wasn't difficult enough, Angelo also harbors one other secret: he's gay. Having never been a part of the gay community, or even having been to the gay section of town (nor does he have any interest in doing so), Angelo just knows that he has these feelings inside; that, in fact, he's had these feelings inside him since he was a young boy crushing on his best friend Nino. Those feelings come rushing back when Angelo accidentally meets up with Nino (a hunky Peter Miller) again - Nino, who is now a handsome, rugged police officer - and on a camping trip in the woods one weekend later, the two young men cross the boundaries of friendship and become lovers at last.

They move in together soon afterwards, sharing a two-bedroom apartment for show, even though they share the same bed. To their friends and families, the two are simply roommates - mainly because if the truth got out about their closeted relationship, especially with their respective (and VERY Italian) families, it would make World War II look like a firecracker. But Angelo's frustration over his job, lack of success with his dream, and living a closeted lifestyle with the man he's loved since childhood finally forces him to crack, and he blurts out the true nature of his and Nino's relationship to his parents and sister ... starting a series of events that rather resembles, indeed, World War II - events that may cost him the man he loves; a man all too happy to live in the closet, even if Angelo is not.

This movie is hilarious. A terrific script and one hell of a brilliant and very funny cast make this one of my favorite comedies in some time. Kirby is so great as the put-upon Angelo, Ferri equally good as his totally messed-up sister - one who sees shrink after shrink because she's too embarrassed to ever go to the same one twice ... which is typical of the truly funny over-the-top joy the film has in depicting what it's like to be Italian. Reno and Sorvino, as Angelo's parents, glow in every scene they're in; a genuine dynamic duo of comedy on-screen. Mary Walsh, as Nino's mother (who's determined to find her boy a nice girl to marry, soon as his "phase" is over) also adds so much humor and dimension to the cast, and has some of the funniest lines in the film.

I loved this movie, and am sorry it took me so long to see it. Catch it on DVD if you can (the cable channel Logo runs it over and over, but in edited form), to enjoy every moment spent with the Barberinis - in a film with heart, character, emotion, a few tears, and more laughs than Comedy Central can rustle up in an entire evening. What a sweet and funny - even touching - film that deserves to be seen. **** - Reel Awesome

WITHOUT A PADDLE: NATURE'S CALLING

Director: Ellory Elkayem

Stars: Oliver James, Kristopher Turner, Rik Young, Madison Riley, Amber McDonald

Year: 2009

Rating: PG-13

Ben (Oliver James) and Zach (Kristopher Turner) have been best friends since grade school. A pair or nerds who came into their own (sort of) in high school, Zach's always been the class clown while Ben was the shy brain ... but through it all they've stuck together. As this direct-to-DVD, sort-of sequel to 2004's Without a Paddle opens, the boys (played by young teen actors) have just begun their freshman year of high school, and already Ben has fallen for the school's earth-conscious environmental activist, Heather - having eagerly been the first to sign her petition banning dissection in the school's biology lab. But when Heather is expelled from school a few days later for some radical behavior, Ben is crestfallen - smitten by an unrequited love that's to haunt him for years to come.

Flash-forward to both men in their early-to-mid twenties. Zach is still the same free spirit - a cute, laidback cut-up who works as a CNA in a nursing home for the elderly. He loves his patients, truly interacts with and cares for them - and his patients love him in return. Zach still loves his buddy Ben, too - but now Ben's a young paralegal in an upscale law firm, and has so much work dumped on him he seems to have no time or even desire to hang out with Zach anymore. The two best friends have begun growing apart, something we can all relate to, and though Zach keeps trying Ben just doesn't seem too, too interested.

Until Zach gets an odd request from a dying patient. Old Mrs. Bessler (sweetly portrayed by Ellen Albertini Dow) has a bad heart, and hasn't much time. She's one of Zach's favorite people at the home, and in turn she dotes on Zach a lot; so much so, she makes her last request on earth of him: to go to the woods in rural Portland (Oregon) where her granddaughter disappeared a few years before, and bring her granddaughter back to see her before she dies. It's a strange request - one that Zach doesn't even know how to begin - but he's unable to say no to Mrs. Bessler, who hands him a file folder with all the information she has on where her granddaughter could be.

And when Zach opens the folder, the first thing he sees is a photo of the young woman - and immediately recognizes her as Heather, the now-grown-up version of the same girl Ben had fallen for in high school. It's the final push he needs to convince Ben to go along with him, and the two - along with Mrs. Bessler's British step-grandson Nigel (played effectively annoying by Rik Young), who has his own agenda for making the trip - rent some gear and set off to find the missing girl ... unaware just how prepared they are for life in the wild.

The film, from here, becomes a buddy film, as Ben and Zach re-bond as friends - and weather everything from Nigel's annoying stories, to a harrowing water-rafting ride, to local yokels who steer them toward Heather (who now, supposedly, calls herself "Earthchild"), to some particularly ferocious and hyperactive squirrels (in one of the funniest sequences in the film - though way too short) ... all of this while unknowingly being watched and stalked through the woods by a pair of sinister guys who may or may not be a pair of ex-con brothers with a particular grudge against Ben.

Oliver James and Kristopher Turner shine in this film - both are in fine form, and Turner in particular is a terrific young actor who's long gone unappreciated in the industry. Rik Young makes for a good third wheel - annoying at first, but the character Nigel eventually does grow on you.

And the film's not bad, it's just not ... anything special. Nothing viewers haven't seen before, and the laughs are more intermittent than they are constant. Without a Paddle: Nature's Calling doesn't suck - it's just not anything too special. Good for an evening's entertainment, and even better than your average direct-to-DVD title ... but beyond James, Turner and Young, it's otherwise forgettable at best. **1/2 - Reel Mediocre-Reel Cool

MAGIC KITCHEN

Director: Chi-Ngai Lee

Stars: Sammi Cheng, Andy Lau, Jerry Yan, Maggie Q, Nicola Cheung, Michael Wong

Year: 2004

Rating: NR

(in Cantonese w/English subtitles)

A sweet, charming romantic dramedy, Magic Kitchen stars two Asian pop sensations - Sammi Cheng and Andy Lau - in a film about food and love and finding your passion in life.

Sammi Cheng plays Yau, a fifth-generation chef in Hong Kong who is descended from a family of women with a true talent for cooking. Problem is, Yau's grandmother's grandmother sort of "stole" her talents from the man who loved her - a man who spiritually transferred his talents to his beloved, only to be betrayed - and since then, all the women of Yau's family are destined to become great chefs ... but have also had a curse put on them that says they will never have luck in romance until they pay back the injustices done to family of the man who gave his talents away for love. True to form, Yau's father left the family before she was even born, leaving Yau's mother even more obsessed with cooking - but soon after opening her own restaurant, Yau's mom fell ill and died, leaving Yau to run things on her own.

And with her mother's brilliant, home-made recipe book, Yau's done just that - but her heart and soul aren't in the cooking. In fact, she rather dislikes being a chef, but feels it's her calling. And as she's turned her mom's restaurant (which more resembles a private home set up with tables, than it does a restaurant) into a financial and critical success (thanks to the recipe book), Yau sort of feels stuck with her lot in life - as well as with her hunky young assistant chef, Ho (Taiwanese pop music star Jerry Yan), who is obviously infatuated with her.

A trip to Tokyo to check into an invitation to appear on an "Iron Chef"-like TV show changes things, however, when - while there scouting out the situation - Yau runs into her first love (and former high school tutor) Chuen Yao (Andy Lau). Chuen Yao's now a highly successful businessman, still athletic and handsome, and Yau has never quite gotten over him - even as she finds out, when back in Hong Kong, that he's now dating (and about to become engaged to) one of her best friends, May (an absolutely stunning Maggie Q). Throw in Yau's other, more sexually free best friend Kwai (Nicola Cheung) and her boyfriend Mook (Michael Wong) - and between all the players, you have a recipe (pun fully intended) for misunderstandings, infidelity, and unrequited love ... as Yau struggles through it all while still trying to decide if she should appear on the "King Chef" show!

The cast makes the film work very well; there's real heart and soul here (though Jerry Yan's obviously still new to the acting thing here, and it occasionally shows). Sammi Cheng is sweet as the put-upon Yau, and Andy Lau (as always) turns in a great performance. Even the supporting cast of Asian celeb actors that includes Daniel Wu, Stephen Fung (in what ends up a hilarious role) and the great Anthony Wong Chau-Sang all contribute greatly to the film.

Magic Kitchen is a sweet comedy/romance that's maybe a bit schmaltzy in the end - but charming and well worth seeing, if nothing else than for the smile it will put on your face. ***1/2 - Reel Cool-Reel Awesome

HAIRSPRAY

Director: Adam Shankman

Stars: John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, Nikki Blonsky, Amanda Bynes, James Marsden, Queen Latifah, Zac Efron, Brittany Snow, Elijah Kelley

Year: 2007

Rating: PG

Another film I fought long and hard NOT to see, Hairspray turns out to be a fun, colorful, and very cool film - a rather "cleaned up," almost Disney-esque version of the original John Waters version (a brilliant film). This Hairspray doesn't have the quirks and edginess of Waters' original (and those who saw this version first - and liked it - probably won't like Waters' version as much, if at all) ... nor does it have Divine, the outspoken and wickedly funny Edna who (along with Ricki Lake) made the first film so much fun. But the 2007 version has a lot going for it, including some excellent musical numbers and one heck of a great cast.

Nikki Blonsky stars as the heavyset teenaged girl Tracy Turnblad - a much gentler, more soft-spoken yet still strong version of the character Ricki played in the original. Here, it's 1962 and Tracy's obsession is the same: every day she races home with her best friend Penny Pingleton (Amanda Bynes, perfect in the part) to watch "The Corny Collins Show" on her local station in Baltimore. Sort of an "American Bandstand" for the high school set, the live broadcast is hosted by hottie Corny Collins (James Marsden, who with each role proves himself more chameleon-like in his craft), and features local high school students who are very attractive, very well-groomed dancers. Tracy wants on the show bad; in fact, she wants to be a regular dancer on the show - and when the opportunity to audition comes up, it's all she can do to beg her overprotective mother (John Travolta, not only in a fat suit but also in drag) to allow her to try out.

But the lead female dancer on the show - and currently reigning Miss Hairspray - is Amber Von Tussle (Brittany Snow) ... a mean-spirited Barbie doll with money and a mother (Michelle Pfeiffer, who just chews up the screen here every time she's on it) who happens to be the station manager of the television station Corny Collins' show is broadcast from. Amber wants none of the short, overweight and obviously-from-the-wrong-side-of-the-tracks Tracy, and indeed Tracy's initial audition for the show is pretty much a disaster that leaves the girl leaving with both her hopes and self-esteem crushed.

Which is where Link Larkin (the almost-pretty Zac Efron) - lead male dancer and Amber's boyfriend - steps in. He likes Tracy, loves her talent ... and through a twist of fate, so does Corny Collins, who happens to catch Tracy's moves and puts her on the show. Soon Tracy outshines Amber in popularity - so much so, she even threatens Amber's crown for this years' upcoming Miss Hairspray pageant on the show.

But Tracy has other things on her mind. Corny Collins' show is segregated; Black dancers are restricted to only being able to appear on the show one day out of the month - and even then, are relegated to their own cordoned-off space where they are not allowed to interact in any way with the white cast members. This infuriates Tracy - and it doesn't sit too well on the shoulders of local singer/celebrity Motormouth Maybelle (Queen Latifah), either, whose son Seaweed (Elijah Kelley) dances on the show. In 1962 Baltimore, such things just aren't done - but when Tracy decides to use her fame and stature to try and integrate "The Corny Collins Show" for good, she's in for a fight that results in her being wanted by the police for a trumped-up assault charge.

The film's "message" about integration in the 1960's is generously laced with plenty of humor, and even more music and dance (seriously, I think a number or two could have been cut from the film - or maybe a couple of numbers shortened - and it would have been just as good). The cast is brilliant - even John Travolta, who I was so dreading in the film (just from the still photos, I thought the makeup and such looked fake as hell - but in the film, it pretty much works). Travolta is no Divine, but he puts Edna over well. Very well, and even I have to admit I was impressed. Nikki Blonsky is wonderful - full of life, energy and heart - and she's backed up by a terrific cast and skillful direction that make the film a lot of fun to watch from start to finish.

As long as I can keep it separate in my head from the original Waters' film - and they're just different enough in tone, I think I can - then I can honestly say I liked this version a lot. Maybe not quite as much as the first - but this film is just plain fun, and full of music that is toe-tappingly addictive. A real time. **** - Reel Awesome

MIRRORS

Director: Alexandre Aja

Stars: Kiefer Sutherland, Paula Patton, Amy Smart, Mary Beth Peil

Year: 2008

Rating: R

(NOTE: I saw the "Unrated" version of the film.) The concept of this film - that mirrors (or mirror images) don't reflect us, so much as an entire world beyond us - is a kind of a cool one. As executed (no pun intended) here by Alexandre Aja (The Hills Have Eyes), however, the concept falls a bit flat with a fairly emotionless script that has a few good-sized holes in the plot.

Kiefer Sutherland stars as Ben Carson, a quick-tempered New York City cop currently on probation while the police investigate his accidental shooting of an undercover officer. The incident has taken its toll on Ben, too - he became an alcoholic and lost his wife and two children, now sleeping on his sister's couch - but he's on the mend and off the booze, and has just landed a job he doesn't want as a security guard for the Mayflower Corporation. Trouble is, we the viewers saw - in the first ten minutes of the film - what happened to the guard Ben is replacing ... and know things are going to get bad for Ben again real fast.

The Mayflower was a mammoth department store on 6th Avenue that was torched years earlier by a guy named Terrence Berry. The fire killed several dozen people, wounding many more, and what's left are the scorched, skeletal remains of the great monolith of a store, blocked off by wooden construction fences while the powers that be decide what to do with it. Ben's duty as the night watchman is to patrol the store every couple of hours, to make sure things are okay - but from his first night through the store, Ben soon learns that things inside its great walls are not okay.

There are great walls of mirrors throughout every floor, and over his first nights on the job Ben sees some horrific images in them - including himself on fire, when one evening his mirror image spontaneously bursts into flames and Ben hits the ground screaming, feeling the pain as if it were happening for real. Worse yet, the incidents start happening to him outside the Mayflower as well - in any mirror, or reflecting surface - and when his sister Angela (Amy Smart, fairly wasted here) is visited by the spirits in the mirror - in one hell of a grisly manner - Ben has no choice (especially upon realizing that his wife and kids are next) but to find out what the mirrors want from him ... and why they spell out the name "Esseker" whenever he asks what they seek.

Mirrors isn't a horrible, or even bad movie ... it's just sort of - there. The special effects are very cool, the gore tolerable but still gross enough to please fans of blood and guts (though the body count in this film may be too low for such aficionados), and Kiefer Sutherland (along with his gravelly voice) turns in a solid-if-not-great performance as troubled cop Ben Carson.

But the story has its problems, and occasionally characters act and do things that don't seem realistic in light of their personality or the situation they're in. Mary Beth Peil has an outstanding supporting role in the film as a nun who holds the key to the whole story, and Paula Patton does a great job as Ben's estranged wife Amy. Even the ending has a nice little surprise to cap off the film.

But as whole, Mirrors just ... left a sort of void in me as a viewer. It's like all the parts - or at least, most of them - are there all right, yet somehow it all doesn't seem to come off as well as it should. Kind of like that picture - or mirror - on the wall that you've just hung up: it looks straight, and yet it doesn't ... and no matter what you do to tilt it, to the left and then to the right, it just never seems quite right. **1/2 - Reel Mediocre-Reel Cool