BOYS LOVE

Director: Kohtaru Terauchi
Stars: Yoshikazu Kotani, Saito Takumi, Matsumoto Hiroya, Kanno Atsumi
Year: 2006
Rating: NR
(in Japanese with English subtitles)

Any film that opens with two young, attractive Japanese men alone in a subway car, holding hands and looking worn out and tired (one of them's even fallen asleep) ... as the camera gets a close-up on their clasped fingers, which are stained a bit with what looks like blood, as the lead character narrates the tale of what went on to bring them to where they are now - well, you know this film is not exactly going to end in a rollicking musical number where everyone lives happily ever after.

And such is Boys Love - a heavily dramatic love story with some light moments that realistically (to a degree) depict "forbidden love" in today's Japan.

Yoshikazu Kotani stars a Mamiya Taishin, an editor with a trendy lifestyles magazine whose first writing assignment is to interview a high school boy who's risen to fame as both a male model and celebrated illustrator/artist. At first the meeting between Mamiya and teenager Kisaragi Noeru (effectively played by the very handsome Saito Takumi) doesn't go so well - Noeru is vain, cocky, and reclusive ... even unwilling to talk about the one painting in his apartment that even he gives any validity to, which Taishin also favors. Still trying to get his interview, Taishin takes the young model/artist to dinner, where Noeru - too underage to drink himself - promptly orders a bottle of Dom Perignon on Taishin's tab, which now Taishin is forced to drink. Later, when Taishin stumbles off to use the men's room, Noeru follows and forces Taishin into a stall, literally seducing and servicing the young reporter right there in the public john.

The next day, at work, Taishin is already frustrated, freaked out and angry when a call comes into the office from Noeru's modeling agency. It seems Noeru has told his agent that the magazine reporter sent to interview him was both too aggressive and offensive, and he is demanding an in-person apology. Confused and angry, Taishin goes to Noeru's apartment that night for an explanation - and finds Noeru nude and entertaining one of what is obviously many tricks that the seductive teenaged model often has in his bed. The trick barely leaves in time for Noeru to hit on Taishin again, dropping his sheet and grabbing Taishin's crotch as he explains that the only reason he said what he said to his agent was to force Taishin to come over so he could see him again. When Noeru is rejected by Taishin, who leaves even more angry and humiliated, it seems to be the first time Noeru has ever been rejected in his life - and his affection for Taishin only grows ...

Even as Taishin finds himself growing more and more attracted to the underage model. Try as he might to push the images and feelings from his mind, and his heart, Taishin becomes more and more curious about what makes Noeru so self-destructive - why he sleeps around so much, with men of all kinds and every age and class. When he meets Chidori (played brilliantly by Matsumoto Hiroya), a classmate of Noeru's whose known the young artist since childhood, Taishin starts to fill in the blanks about what makes Noeru the way he is ... even as he finds himself falling more and more in love with him.

But male/male love in Japan - especially between an underage teenaged boy and an adult - cannot have a happy ending ... and this one surely doesn't, as jealousy and madness and the secret behind Noeru's favorite painting all lead to a heartbreaking but very realistic conclusion.

The film's leads, playing Taishin and Noeru, are excellently cast and genuinely good with their performances. The film itself is interspersed, on-screen, with quotes about love and life throughout the film, usually at the end of a particularly emotional scene, and these quotes do add much dimension to the film as you see the relationship between Taishin and Noeru bloom into a full-on love story. And while there are some nice butt shots and plenty of eye candy in the film, don't be fooled into thinking that this - like many gay films - is anywhere near the softcore porn or sex-for-the-sake-of-showing-nudity that a lot of indie gay films are all about today; no, this is a pure love story, and while you get to see both leads nude from behind (and it ain't a bad sight), there's not even so much as a kiss shared on-screen, between the two.

No, this is a movie about love from the heart - not the crotch. A story about two men who meet, and happen to fall in love. Melodramatic at times, even corny and predictable in a few spots, Boys Love is still a very good film that tells a really simple love story that happens to end tragically. Well-made and well-acted, it's a gay-themed film with a genuine story that unfolds between these two characters you do grow to care about ... and that alone makes it worth seeing. *** - Reel Cool

DORM

Director: Songyos Sugmakanan

Stars: Charlie Trairat, Sirachuch Chienthaworn, Chintara Sukapatana

Year: 2006

Rating: NR

(in Thai with English subtitles)

Wow, is the marketing and even cover art for the DVD of this film misleading. I first spotted the film on Netflix, and by the photo and description shown expected this Thai film to be a creepy little ghost story on the scale of something like Ringu, Ju-on: The Grudge - or maybe even a Thai counterpart like Shutter.

When in reality, Dek hor - or Dorm - is so much more, and actually gets cheated by its own marketing ... which doesn't speak for the sensitive, tender, and emotionally involving ghost story the film truly is. Oh sure, there are a few chills and even semi-eerie moments in Dorm - but that's not what you'll leave this film remembering. What you will remember are the characters, the story, and the heartbeat this terrific ghost story has at its core ... as seen mostly through the eyes of lead actor Charlie Trairat - a child actor whose talent bears more emotional clout than most actors three times his age.

Trairat plays Ton Chatree, a twelve-year-old boy on semester break from his school, when he learns that his father has decided to send him to a different school - a private school - as soon as the current term reconvenes. Unable to even finish the rest of the school year with his friends, Chatree -used to doing what he wants, when he wants - at first finds the rules and constraints of his new, all-boy school very hard to bear ... in particular the chilly, always-frowning and oddly sad headmistress, Ms. Pranee (Chintara Sukapatana). Chatree eats with all the other boys, sleeps in the crowded dorm room on a cot with all the other boys, bathes in a sort of community bathhouse-style "shower" with all the other boys - suddenly his world is on a schedule, with time constraints and all sorts of rules, and Chatree is one unhappy kid ...

... Even before the teasing and name-calling begins, as Chatree is one night treated to series of ghost stories by a small group of boys in the school who all hang out together; stories about a student who drowned in the old pool, one of the cook's daughters who hanged herself when she became pregnant, a ghost that haunts the boys' bathroom at night and makes the dogs all howl in unison, etc. - stories that leave Chatree so afraid to leave his cot at night, he ends up wetting the bed ... making him that much more a target for the other kids.

Then, suddenly, Chatree finds a friend in a funny, kindhearted kid name Vichien (Sirachuch Chienthaworn) - a friend who seems genuinely interested in Chatree's life and world, and in turn shows Chatree not only around the school, but also teaches him how to find/steal geese eggs, or even where to go outside the school's rather stringent boundaries. It's only at the outdoor screening of an old, so-hokey-it's-funny Thai horror film for the boys, on school grounds, that Chatree learns that not everything is always what it seems - and comes to learn, in the end, just how strong the bonds of friendship can be.

To say anything more would be to give away too, too much of the plot of the film - or the several surprises tied into the storylines, which are all revealed by "the end". And maybe that's the key word here - "storylines" - because this film weaves genuine plot and story and character to make it so much more than just a ghost story. Charlie Trairat is nothing short of brilliant as Chatree, especially for such a young actor, and though the film rests almost entirely on his small shoulders, Trairat proves more than ready to bear the weight of Chatree's growth into his first steps into adulthood by the film's end. Sirachuch Chienthaworn is equally moving as Vichien, perfectly complimenting Chatree; indeed, the bond of genuine friendship that grows between these two students never seems fake or forced. Dorm is not a scary movie; it may make you jump in a couple of spots, but there are no long-haired ghosts ratcheting down stairwells like crabs, or little girls thrown into wells to drown.

No, Dorm just happens to be a tale of friendship, love, and the sacrifices you make for both ... that also happens to be a very moving ghost story that left tears in my eyes by "the end". I admit to never having seen The Devil's Backbone, to which this film is constantly compared to for its basic storyline - but am glad I haven't, because in the end Dorm stands alone for its moodiness and story and ultimate message. And for Charlie Trairat, one of the best young actors I've ever seen. Early on in the film, as he eats his dinner with the camera up close on his face, a lone tear trickles down Trairat's cheek that he brusquely wipes away with his arm - and in that one scene alone, with no dialogue, Trairat will endear Chatree and his and Vichien's story to your heart forever. Now that's acting. **** - Reel Awesome

THIS CHRISTMAS

Director: Preston A. Whitmore II
Stars: Delroy Lindo, Loretta Devine, Idris Elba, Regina King, Chris Brown, Sharon Leal, Laz Alonso, Columbus Short, Keith Robinson
Year: 2008
Rating: PG-13

The Whitfield family is coming home for Christmas, and bringing enough baggage with them - both real and emotional - to sink the Titanic. Headed by Ma'Dere (the always-perfect Loretta Devine, who seems unable to do any wrong as an actress) and her long-term boyfriend, Joe (Delroy Lindo) - who more or less stays with Ma'Dere in the family home, except for when the older kids are visiting, to show respect to them and Ma'Dere - the Whitfield children are all grown up and out of the house ... each of them with various levels of resentment and consternation toward each other and their parents, even as they try to get along for the sake of family. Ma'Dere's husband, see, abandoned the family long ago in favor of a career as a jazz musician, and ever since Ma'Dere has been a matriarch who's always been afraid of losing the men in her life to music. Even her eldest son Quentin (Idris Elba) hasn't been home for Christmas in four years, leaving home to move to Chicago where he pursues playing the sax in a jazz club.

But this Christmas is different. These pots have been boiling on their respective stoves for some time, and the time is coming for things to blow. There's the oldest sister, Lisa, who had to skip college to help support the family and her younger siblings (Regina King) - and has now married well, has two kids, lives in San Francisco, and can't help but laud her happiness and strength over everyone ...

To middle sister Kelli (Sharon Leal), college-educated and pursuing a modeling career in New York City, who can't seem to hold onto a relationship or a man ... to Lieutenant-Corporal Claude Whitfield (Columbus Short) of the U.S. Marines, the middle son who arrives with a secret in two that he's terrified of telling Ma'Dere and his siblings about ... compared to the baby sister Melanie (Lauren London), who arrives from college with her latest boyfriend (Keith Robinson) and just seems a bit too flighty for anyone to take too seriously. The youngest son, Michael (singer Chris Brown) - known as 'Baby' - still lives at home but has his own career path chosen and ready to go ... if only he can get the nerve up to tell Ma'Dere and his family what it is. Even Quentin, it's soon learned, is coming home for Christmas this year ... but with a pair of goons right behind him, trying to collect a $25,000 debt.

And as the grown children arrive back home to Joe and Ma'Dere, the layers of infidelity and jealousy and secrets begin to unravel - in an often funny, sometimes surprising, and ultimately heart-tugging way.

This is a sweet film, one that anyone with a large family will easily identify with. Preston A. Whitmore II could not have, conceivably, chosen a better cast for his film - none of whom, even newcomer-to-acting Chris Brown - strike a false note. Loretta Devine, as Ma'Dere, holds it together as best she can, while Delroy Lindo is charming as the moderator of all things Whitfield and Idris Elba turns in a sensitive, heartfelt performance as Quentin. But they only head a really strong cast of talented actors, all brought together for a wonderful holiday film that really comes off feeling more like the family gathering it's about. It will have you thinking about your own family, about how all the arguments and fighting and fear are inconsequential ... when it's family that should pull together for each other in the end; what should keep you going.

Lovingly done, and with just enough holiday smarm to come off as real. A true Christmas-time treat with a valid year-round message. ***1/2 - Reel Cool-Reel Awesome

DANCE OF THE DEAD

Director: Gregg Bishop

Stars: Jared Kusnitz, Greyson Chadwick, Chandler Darby, Carissa Capobianco, Blair Redford, Justin Welborn, Mark Oliver

Year: 2008

Rating: R

I had passed this film by on the DVD rental shelf a couple of times, in favor of other fare, until a good friend suggested that I needed to see it. Now that it's become one of my favorite indie films of all time, this refreshing and very funny zombie horror/comedy hybrid - right up there with Shaun of the Dead in both quality and humor - was so enjoyable, I almost feel the need to send said friend a gift; I'm that grateful.

Populated (for the most part) by a cast or young, relatively unknown actors, the lack of star casting adds even more to the reality of the film, as we open (after a brief - and a bit unsettling - opener with a gravedigger in the local cemetery) on a smallish town whose teenagers are gearing up big-time for the upcoming prom. Jimmy (Jared Kusnitz) is one such teen, the class clown who spends more time in biology cutting up than cutting into his frog. It's just another day for Jimmy, who by the end of it winds up in detention with his friend Steven (Chandler Darby) - a Sci-Fi Club geek not-so-secretly in love with the popular cheerleader beauty in school, Gwen (Carissa Capobianco). As Jimmy suffers through detention, after school, with the unrelenting, military-trained drill sergeant Coach Keel (Mark Oliver), Steven's having his own issues - after learning that Gwen's prom date ate some bad spinach and is sick with food poisoning - with trying to ask Gwen to go to the prom with him. Even with his sci-fi geek buddies egging him on, Steven is unable to bring himself to ask his object of affection to go ... especially after learning it's the long-haired leader of the rock band that was just rejected by the prom board, Nash Rambler (Blair Redford), she now has her eyes on.

Things only get worse when Gwen finally asks Nash to take her to prom - only to find out what a sexist pig he is - even as Jimmy gets his own ego deflated when his own prom date, Lindsey (the beautiful-in-a-quirky-way Greyson Chadwick) finally tires of Jimmy's inability to take anything seriously, and dumps him right in the gym that same afternoon. Jimmy decides to stag the prom, as Lindsey takes up an invitation to go with a boy from the right side of the tracks, Mitch (Jeff Adelman) ... as both Gwen and Steven, individually, decide to forsake the prom altogether - Steven in favor of a ghost-hunting cemetery jaunt with his Sci-Fi Club buddies instead, as Gwen throws on some sweats and an iPod to take a run around her neighborhood.

But all this is bupkis compared to when the dead start coming back to life - and out of the ground, craving brains (seemingly thanks to the highly-toxic nuclear power plant, literally on the outskirts of town). Jimmy - called on his way to prom to deliver a pizza in his pizza-wagon car, barely escapes a family of zombies wanting to chew on him instead ... as Mitch pulls over in the cemetery on the hill, overlooking a sweet view of the city (obscured as it is by the oversized power plant in the distance, as well), and attempts a pre-prom make-out session with Lindsey - that is, until zombies yank him right out of his car. Nash and his bandmates, meanwhile, are jamming in a garage when the dead attack - until, by accident, they find out that music hath charms to soothe the savage dead - as the high school psycho-bully, Kyle Grubbin (Justin Welborn), gets his own savagery knocked down a peg or two, when attacked by the real thing in savagery. Even the sci-fi club, headed by Steven, soon realizes they've bitten off more than they can chew in the graveyard - when the cemetery residents come back to life, wanting to chew on them.

The various prom misfits join forces - first in small groups, until they finally all find each other - to battle the brain- and flesh-eating dead. Even Coach Keel slips into full commando mode to aid them in their quest, as the gang realizes that the zombies are most likely heading for the noisiest, tastiest banquet ever - the senior prom - and head out, armed, to battle the dead and save their classmates.

I went into this film with no expectations, and yet feel it exceeded any expectations I could have had. Done on a small budget, with typical indie-film flaws, any of those flaws can easily be forgiven and forgotten in light of the great cast and storytelling the film has to offer. It works as a zombie film - gory enough to satisfy the blood-lovers, with a few real jump-in-your-seat moments and plenty of action - yet, at the same time, it's funny as hell and still tells an involving story that really makes you like, believe in, and root for the characters. Jared Kusnitz and Chandler Darby, as Jimmy and Steven, are true hero-geeks you'll grow to love, and Greyson Chadwick and Carissa Capobianco - Lindsey and Gwen - prove to be feminine beauties that also in no way need a guy around to help kick zombie butt. Mark Oliver and Justin Welborn even play a couple of off-the-wall nutcases that you grow to care about in the film, as well.

Dance of the Dead is an excellently-cast, funny as hell, suspenseful and bloody zombie flick with both a heart and brains. You couldn't ask for more from a full-budget Hollywood blockbuster - let alone a little indie film that's just a real pleasure to watch.

Thanks for the recommend, Larry; I loved it. ****1/2 - Reel Awesome-Reel Must-See

KUNG FU PANDA

Director: Mark Osborne & John Stevenson
Stars: Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Ian McShane, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, David Cross
Year: 2008
Rating: PG

One of 2008's best films opens with the dream of an overweight, clumsy, adorable - but not altogether bright - panda name Po (voiced flawlessly by Jack Black), who is enjoying his vision of being the kung fu master who save his small village in China from destruction ...

Until Po awakens, and has to get up for work in the noodle shop run by his father, Mr. Ping (a duck - or bird of some kind - voiced by veteran film, stage and television actor James Hong). It's never explained how a bird father got a panda son (though it is almost touched on) in the film, but that's unimportant; the two characters are very much father and son in the film, with Po doing his best to please his proud dad ... all the while harboring his own dreams of greatness - of becoming a kung fu master like the world-renowned Furious Five.

But those dreams seem far away, as Po serves his noodles to grateful customers ... until word comes down from the Jade Palace that the great spiritual leader Oogway (Randall Duk Kim) is finally ready to choose the new Dragon Warrior. As the villagers begin their long climb up the grand staircase to the palace, eager to watch the ceremony (for he or she who becomes the Dragon Warrior also gets access to the secrets held within the dragon scroll), Po finds himself stuck at the noodle shop - until his father decides to send him up to the palace with a portable noodle-making stand, in order to get some business from the gathered crowd.

Po's girth makes the climb a tough one, and even when leaving the noodle cart behind he still finds himself just a hair too late in arriving at the palace; the double gates are locked when he arrives. Several failed (and very hilarious) attempts to get in lead Po to literally falling into the center of the action out of mid-air ... just in time for Oogway, to the crowd's astonishment, to declare none other than Po as the new Dragon Warrior.

A decision that totally hocks off Oogway's second-in-command, the diminutive teacher Shinfu (Dustin Hoffman, also brilliant here in a gruff, husky voice) - a kung fu master himself who has been training the Furious Five in order for one of them to be name Dragon Warrior. The Furious Five - Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Viper (Lucy Liu), Mantis (Seth Rogen), and Crane (David Cross) - are also shocked and dismayed at the choosing of the fat, ungainly Po by Oogway as their new leader. Fearing his master has made a grave mistake, Shinfu and the Furious Five set out to show Po just what it would take for him to become a kung fu master - putting the disadvantaged panda through a series of training sessions designed to make him give up his quest right away.

But late one evening, Master Oogway gives Shinfu the news that he's had a vision - a vision of the great and evil Tai Lung (Ian McShane) escaping from his faraway prison. Tai Lung, you see, is a tiger once thought to be the new Dragon Warrior. Trained by Shinfu from the time he was a cub, Tai Lung worked hard at becoming a master of kung fu his entire life, determined to be given the title of Dragon Warrior. But when the time came, Oogway saw darkness in Tai Lung and refused him the title. Shinfu, even in his disappointment, had to trust and believe in his master Oogway's decision - but the verdict sent Tai Lung into a rage, and he tore through the land committing crimes and tearing apart villages until he had to be imprisoned for his crimes. When Shinfu hears of Oogway's vision that Tai Lung will escape, he immediately dispatches a carrier bird Zeng (Michael Clarke Duncan) to the far-off prison, to warn the guard and warden that extra security is needed for mighty Tai Lung.

But when the warning is disregarded and Tai Lung does indeed flee the prison, Tigress and the rest of the Furious Five set out to meet him head on, before he can make it to the Jade Palace ... even as Shinfu does his best to try and train the hapless and helpless Po - the Dragon Warrior, whom Tai Lung is gunning for - in the intricate art of kung fu.

What a funny, warm, and charming film - one that has many funny moments, but also delivers some breathtaking martial arts fight sequences and one-of-a-kind animation ... not to mention one of the best messages you could ever hope to find in an animated movie: believe in yourself. While this isn't exactly a new theme in film, the beauty of this movie is that it makes the point that Po doesn't have to change himself in order to achieve his dream; by the end of the tale he's still the loveable, overweight, clumsy, kindhearted goof he started out the film as ... even as he's evolved as a character, learning to work hard and get his heart's desire without having to change who he is at heart. The actors voicing the Furious Five, while in very minor supporting voice roles themselves, only add to the rich and varied layers of texture that all the actors give to this brilliant film - all backing up Jack Black at his most silly and huggable self ever as Po, a modern-day everyman (or everypanda) that can still be a hero while being himself. What a terrific, funny, and charming film - one that should be up there with Wall-E come Oscar time. ****1/2 - Reel Awesome-Reel Must-See

LOST BOYS: THE TRIBE

Director: P.J. Pesce
Stars: Tad Hilgenbrink, Autumn Reeser, Angus Sutherland, Corey Feldman, Greyston Holt
Year: 2008
Rating: R

What could have been a serviceable "sequel" to Joel Schumacher's 1987 teen vampire hit ultimately falls in on itself under its own weight, via this direct-to-DVD sequel over twenty years later.

Tad Hilgenbrink stars as Chris Emerson, a celebrated surfer who's more or less trashed his career in the wake of the death of his parents, who were killed in a car wreck. As the film opens, he and his younger, 17-year-old sister Nicole (Autumn Reeser) are broke and next to homeless - so are therefore forced to move to a strange town where their Aunt Jillian (Gabrielle Rose) has an extra place to stay.

From the beginning, Chris and Nicole see things aren't going to be easy. Aunt Jillian's a bit of a nut, one who wants to charge them $650/month to live in the nasty, rundown cottage apartment she has on her property. Also, the town is equally rundown, seemingly unsafe and with no jobs; a creepy little coastal haven that seems to be at the butt-end of the universe.

But soon after settling in, Chris meets Shane Powers (Angus Sutherland - yes, another son of Donald's) - a celebrity surfer as well, who disappeared from the surfing circuit a couple of years before. Chris and Shane hit if off, and Shane invites Chris and his sister Nicole to a party the next night ... where it becomes quite obvious that Shane not only lusts after Nicole, but wants to make her his; he has her drink from his flask of "liquor" that evening - and suddenly, the next day, Nicole is sensitive to sunlight and has this rather unusual taste for blood ...

And a meeting with Edgar Frog (Corey Feldman, reprising his role from the original film) informs Chris of what's really going on - that Nicole has drunk the blood of the head vampire in town ... and if he wants to save her, Chris has to kill Shane before the half-vampire Nicole has a chance to make her first kill; one that will cost her her soul forever.

It's an okay premise, and there's nothing to outright hate in the film. But the direction, at times, is a bit ridiculous - with everything from sound effects to entire scenes being shot so close to what appears in the first film, The Lost Boys, that they come off not so much an homage to the original as they do a desperate attempt to show how much this film is like the original (untrue). The motorcycle racing scene from the original? It's here, only the cops are chasing the vamps now. The love scene between Michael and Star (Jason Patric and Jami Gertz) from the original? It's here, shot in almost the same way with Angus Sutherland and Autumn Reeser - only without any of the sensuality or atmosphere. Heck, even another son of Donald Sutherland plays the leader of the young, hot-boy vampire clan! Even the campfire/vampire scene, where - in the original - the boys are trying to entice Jason Patric's character to make his first kill by slaughtering everyone themselves, is remade here with Shane's tribe of boys devouring their dates of the night in front of Chris - in a much gorier version.

Which is something else the movie does - ups the gore and sex/nudity quotient, big time, possibly to show it's 2008 now ... or to maybe distract the viewer from the film's weaknesses. Even Corey Feldman, as the gravel-voiced Edgar Frog - who pals up with Chris to take out the bloodsuckers - literally finds himself quoting exact lines from the first film, in describing what's going on to Chris ... and even still has the exact same "Vampires!" comic book Corey Haim's character Sam had in the original! Sadly, Feldman is giving Edgar Frog the exact same voice and personality he had 21 years ago; the character hasn't developed a bit, and Feldman tries but Frog just comes off way to two-dimensional here.

But again - it all comes off as a pale, desperate attempt by director P.J. Pesce to virtually give viewers more of an update than a remake - and, mind you, a direct-to-DVD update of what was essentially a great film on its own. The performances of the actors are okay - nothing sensational, though Hilgenbrink and Reeser do what they can with the material - but all the humor and fun and rock-and-roll of the first film is missing here, with none of the characters being particularly memorable or fully drawn.

It's not a godawful movie - but maybe only one worth watching when there's nothing else on, or if you're such a fan of the original (like me) that you just have to see it. A brief - very brief - cameo by Haim, early in the end credits, makes the whole thing worth checking out ... but still, save this one either for when it comes on basic cable, or if you can't think of anything else to put on your Netflix queue . ** - Reel Mediocre

WALL-E

Director: Andrew Stanton

Stars: Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin, Fred Willard

Year: 2008

Rating: G

Truth be known, it's like Pixar can do no wrong (well, hardly) - and this touching, heartwarming comedy/love story about a "Waste Allocation Load Lifter, Earth-Class" (WALL-E) who finds love and saves the world is most definitely one of their best.

The film opens on an earth completely destroyed by pollution and waste. Unlivable for over 700 years, the planet's last inhabitant is a small robot (Wall-E) who, among others, was left behind all those years ago, to begin the task of cleaning up the planet. In those years, Wall-E has adopted some very human habits, and - along with his pal, a hyperactive cockroach - he's okay with his life and job, collecting the occasional odd souvenir from a world long gone, or playing his VHS tape of Hello, Dolly to watch what things like singing and dancing and even falling in love used to be like.

Then, one hot and windy day, Wall-E's life changes when he meets EVE - an Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator sent down occasionally from the mother ship Axiom (a huge, city-like spaceship way out in space, that the human race has been living on since abandoning earth) to seek out any signs of renewed life on the planet. Short, rusty and dusty, old-school Wall-E is immediately smitten by the sleek, sophisticated beauty that is Eve, and after an initial not-so-great start, the two become fast friends and Wall-E takes her back to his place to show her his collection and let her listen to his music.

It's there that Eve finds a small children's boot, in which Wall-E has place a tiny green plant that he's found on one of his clean-up routes. The plant, thriving in its soil, is the one sign of survival on the desolate planet - and Eve's prime directive takes over; she immediately takes the plant and is quickly swooped up again by a ship sent from Axiom to retrieve her, so that she can get the sign of life to the Axiom captain and let the human race know it's okay to come back to Earth at last - that the planet can finally sustain life again.

And now completely smitten by Eve, Wall-E's determined to follow her - to rescue her, if you will - before soon learning that it's actually the human race (now a sluggish, overweight population totally relying on robots and automation to live) that's truly in danger of not surviving.

This film works on so many levels. As a love story, you couldn't ask for a more heartfelt, sympathetic character than Wall-E. With virtually no dialogue - Wall-E doesn't even utter a word for nearly the first half-hour of the film - through his actions and gestures and expressive eyes, the little-robot-that-could manages to charm you and capture your heart in no time. His love for Eve is innocent, sweet, and you'll be rooting for him from word one.

As a comedy, the film's also pure genius - from poor Wall-E's attempts to keep track of where Eve is on Axiom, to his unintentional role as leader of a group of rebel misfit robots out to live for who they are. Both kids and adults will laugh at the action and humor here.

And even as an economic message about what we're doing to our planet - and what it could become - the film manages to get its message through without every being preachy or even dour; in fact, it even gives hope that maybe even humans can eventually learn, adapt, and survive.

This is a brilliant, touching, heartwarming and unforgettable film - quite possibly Pixar's best, and an amazing achievement that will easily be a front-runner, come Oscar season. THIS is what moviemaking is all about - a film as easy to fall in love with as the title character behind it. ****1/2 - Reel Awesome-Reel Must-See

THE REBEL

Director: Truc 'Charlie' Nguyen
Stars: Johnny Tri Nguyen, Thanh Van Ngo, Dustin Tri Nguyen, Stephane Gauger
Year: 2006
Rating: R

(in Vietnamese & French with English subtitles)

While this was my first time seeing Johnny Nguyen in a film, it won't be my last; The Rebel is a great movie, filled with an intriguing story, great action scenes that showcase Nguyen's own style of fighting (called Lien Feng Kwon), and a very dramatic storyline set in French-occupied Vietnam of the early 1920's.

Johnny Nguyen plays Cuong, a local cop or government agent who's been trained by the French to help them with not only the takeover of Vietnam - but to also aid them in the overthrowing of any resistance groups that are trying to stop the French in their conquest. Cuong's strongest "partner in crime" is a ruthless, seemingly superhuman and without conscience bad - VERY bad - dude named Sy (Dustin Nguyen of "21 Jump Street" fame, in his first role as a villain) ... and when both men aid in stopping the assassination of the French secretary, Cuong's conscience finally begins to gnaw at him after he's forced to shoot and kill a barely-legal would be assassin.

But first off, there are bigger problems to deal with - Sy and his cronies have captured the mastermind behind the assassination attempt (Thanh Van Ngo), a young woman whose father is the leader of the Vietnamese rebels. Determined to learn the whereabouts of her father, Sy tortures the female resistance leader, finally throwing her into a prison when she isn't forthcoming with the information ... and, that night, Cuong helps the girl to escape - the two of them now fugitives from the law as Cuong helps the young lady to get out of the city and back to her father ... as Sy and his men begin the hunt to bring them both down, as well as to find and kill the girl's father.

As said, the martial arts fights in this film are exciting and full of raw energy - in particular, the all-out brawl at the end. Johnny Nguyen turns in a great performance as the conflicted Cuong - whom you're never quite sure is either a good guy or bad guy - and Dustin Nguyen is nothing short of brilliant as the nasty Sy. Thanh Van Ngo shows off both her acting chops AND her skills as a fighter, holding her own easily with the guys in her fight scenes (particularly so as she was not trained in martial arts prior to this film). The steamy, oppressed and stark darkness of 1922 Vietnam city life is also perfectly displayed in the film - as is its beautiful countryside and forests (shot in Vietnam, the locales and cinematography add real atmosphere to the tale).

If you're a martial arts fan, this film is practically a must-see ... but it also has a dramatic, strong narrative storyline that's hard to resist. Johnny Nguyen also produced and co-wrote the film, and on the commentary it's mentioned that this film was actually his brainchild - something he worked on for years to bring to the screen - but that's evident in the TLC taken in the making of this film, and one can only hope Johnny Nguyen has many more like it to come. ***1/2 - Reel Cool-Reel Awesome

THE LOVE GURU

Director: Marco Schnabel

Stars: Mike Myers, Jessica Alba, Justin Timberlake, Romany Malco, Manu Narayan, Verne Troyer

Year: 2008

Rating: PG-13

Wow, I'm in the minority on this one, but I thought this film had some truly funny, off-the-wall moments that made me laugh out loud. Mike Myers' widely-panned 2008 release is definitely a flawed film - crude, lame in parts, and (in the last half, especially) not particularly funny ... but I can't just totally pan the entire film - or Myers' latest creation, Guru Pitka.

Myers stars as a non-Indian brought up his entire life in India, his spiritual teachings bestowed on him by classmate Deepak Chopra - who, of course, has grown up to be a hugely famous relationship and self-help expert all over the world ... in this country, in particular, after Chopra appeared on Oprah Winfrey's chat show. Pitka, growing up in Chopra's shadow, has always been #2 in the guru business, and as the film opens he's become a very popular "love guru" in Los Angeles, where he lives in his ashram with his faithful servant and sidekick Rajneesh (delightfully and energetically played by Manu Narayan, in one of the best performances in the film) and hires himself out to cure relationships gone bad.

Enter the Toronto Maple Leafs, the professional ice hockey team that's currently owned by Jane Bullard (woodenly and boringly played by Jessica Alba, in hands-down the worst performance of the film). The Bullard family has owned the Leafs for years, and seems to be jinxed because the Leafs have had nothing but bad luck - since Jane took over, especially - but in recent weeks all that was changing because of the Leafs' star player, Darren Roanoke (Romany Malco). But when Roanoke and his wife Prudence (Meagan Good) suddenly split up, and Prudence begins seeing a rival hockey player, Frenchman Jacques "Le Coq" Grande (Justin Timberlake, proving he's got big-time talent as both actor and comedian) Roanoke suddenly goes way, WAY off his game ... and Jane - much against the wishes of Maple Leafs coach Punch Cherkov (Verne Troyer) - hires Guru Pitka to get Darren and Prudence back together in time for the Leafs to win the Stanley Cup. The job appeals to Pitka, as well, in a huge way as well - it's his one shot at finding real fame, getting on "Oprah" himself, and finally beating out Deepak Chopra as the #1 spiritual guru of the world.

It's a silly premise, but you'd expect nothing less than that from Mike Myers. The opening credits and first couple of sequences have a few laugh-out-loud funny moments, and for me Myers set up something fairly charming in the character of Guru Pitka. Myers, on the extras, claims to have a real love for eastern philosophy and practices (as well as the Toronto Maple Leafs) - and it shows here, as in between all the humor and stretches of believability, Guru Pitka's methods and teachings are from the heart. The insult humor, particularly the short jokes aimed unsparingly at Verne Troyer, may grow a little tired after awhile, but a few of them actually come off fresh and funny. And with the exception of Alba, who never seems to fully connect with the rest of the cast on a believable level, all the actors involved do a great job (although whoever told Jim Gaffigan that he was anything less than annoying should be pimp-slapped). Even Telma Hopkins, in a supporting role as Darren Roanoke's stern mother, does a great job.

But the movie ultimately lags in the last third, as the humor becomes a bit too crude and the story a little too smarmy. While the movie's loose ends tie up satisfactorily, what happens can be seen coming a mile away, and only a really awesome Bollywood film song and dance number at the end brought a real smile.

But overall, not as bad a film as most reviewers would make you believe. It's not total crap, and the first third of the film (which includes some great cameos, and may have you chanting "Mariska Hargitay" yourself!). But it isn't Myers' best work, for sure. **1/2 - Reel Mediocre-Reel Cool

GET SMART

Director: Peter Segal
Stars: Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Dwayne Johnson, Alan Arkin, Terence Stamp, Masi Oka, Nate Torrence
Year: 2008
Rating: PG-13

A big and very pleasant surprise, this film updating and remaking the hit 1960's TV series is a funny, action-filled comedy treat, with Steve Carell more than aptly filling the phone shoes of the late, great Don Adams.

Here, Maxwell Smart is a data analyst at CONTROL, a secret spy organization though long-ago disbanded and defunct. CONTROL operates in secret now, trying to thwart the exploits of its biggest nemesis - KAOS - in the evil organization's constant attempts to take over the world.

But poor Smart only analyzes his data and dreams of passing the exam to be a full field agent - much like his hero and friend, Agent 23 (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, again proving he can do comedy), the James Bond-like superstar of the organization. Even when Smart passes the exam and makes field agent, the Chief of CONTROL (Alan Arkin, in a great, underplayed performance worthy of original "Chief" Edward Platt) informs Max that he's just too valuable in data analysis to be taken out of that department.

But when KAOS super-villain Siegfried (Terence Stamp, who's terrific but not given enough to do here) steals nuclear weapons - and KAOS actually finds and breaks into CONTROL headquarters, gaining access to the true identities of CONTROL's entire agent roster - Chief has no choice but to make Smart Agent 86, as he's not a known agent to KAOS. Smart is then teamed up with Agent 99 (a brilliant and funny Anne Hathaway), whose recently been made over with plastic surgery to alter her appearance for another reason entirely - and together, the savvy Agent 99 and the fairly inept Agent 86 set out to Russia, to stop KAOS and get back the stolen information before it can be used.

This is a great film, one that keeps the heart and soul of the TV series and characters alive and well - yet never boils down to the corniness or slapstick of the series. Carell is channeling a toned-down Don Adams from the show, and is perfect as Maxwell Smart - Anne Hathaway coming across as a sexy spy with a heart in a spot-on performance. The action sequences are both funny and exciting, very realistic and even thrilling at times, and the chemistry between Carell and Hathaway is there all the way through. Even Terry Crews as Agent 91 and David Koechner as Larabee - two bumbling CONTROL agents who seem like they'd cause more harm than good - are hilarious ... as are Masi Oka and Nate Torrence as (respectively) Bruce and Lloyd, the science guys at CONTROL who provide the agents with their gadgets.

Again - a big and very pleasant (not to mention extremely enjoyable) surprise. **** - Reel Awesome

CLOVERFIELD

Director: Matt Reeves
Stars: Michael Stahl-David, Lizzy Caplan, Jessica Lucas, T.J. Miller, Odette Yustman, Mike Vogel
Year: 2008
Rating: PG-13

Producer J.J. Abrams' best-kept secret film (for which various fake titles were released, during filming, just to see how fast they'd get around on the internet) is revealed in all its glory at last - in what first seems to be the makings of a riff on a "Gossip Girl" episode ... though soon everything turns very dark indeed.

Michael Stahl-David stars as Rob Hawkins, a New Yorker who's landed a plum executive position in Japan. It's the night before his departure, and Rob's friends are throwing a surprise party for him in a large midtown loft to say goodbye. His brother Jason (Mike Vogel) decides to break out the video camera, to record goodbye messages from all of Rob's loved ones to be watched on lonely nights in Tokyo, and it hardly seems to matter to Mike - or his and Rob's buddy Hud (T.J. Miller), whom he turns videography over to early on - that the very film being recorded over in the camera is one-of-a-kind footage of Rob with his ex-girlfriend Beth (Odette Yustman).

The various dynamics of the relationships between the characters comes out as Rob shows up and the party moves forward -no more so than when Beth herself shows up with another guy on her arm. A visibly-shaken Rob gets into it with her and Beth and her date leave again - and again, it's all very "Gossip Girl" or grown-up "90210" in style ... until, as the guys are on the fire escape discussing it all, a huge explosion goes off in the city - and the games begin.

From here, Cloverfield turns into a legit monster movie, as it becomes quite apparent - quite quickly - that a Godzilla-like creature is stampeding through Manhattan, destroying everything and everyone in its path. As the partygoers run out into the streets, they are thrown into a world of chaos, left on their own as the military charges forward to fight the creature ... but Rob and a handful of his friends end up heading in the other direction, back into town and all that destruction and the monster causing it, to rescue Beth after Rob learns she's back at her apartment - alone and injured.

The entire film is shot through the eyes (and camera) of Hud, who keeps things going even as they flee the monster, so that some record of what happened may remain in case no humans do. For awhile things are kind of like The Blair Witch Meets Godzilla, between the monster movie plotline and the jarring, jangling bounce of the camera throughout the film - but the action never lets up, and director Matt Reeves only gives you the barest glimpses of the creature throughout the early part of the film, spiking your curiosity BIG-time (and yes, eventually you do get to see it, and it IS worth the wait). The videography does, indeed, give the entire film an immediacy and urgency that makes things very real ... while at the same time, sort of drawing a line that never really makes you connect fully with the characters, or even the film itself.

The actors aboard are all excellent - those mentioned, plus especially Lizzy Caplan as a crush of Hud's sort of dragged along for the ride. Visually, the film is stunning, believable, and very well made; I mean, who wouldn't react to the Statue of Liberty's head rolling down the middle of the street like a bowling ball? The monster is also much more believable and threatening than expected, and both action and suspense will keep you going right up to the film's end. The clips of Beth and Rob's relationship that you also get through the camera, in between the recording stopping, starting or glitching, is also a nice touch - providing at least some backstory for those two characters.

So while not emotionally connecting as it could be, this is still a great monster movie with a lot going for it - including a good cast and one kick-butt monster. For that reason alone, worth seeing ... though, personally, I would buy it instead of just renting. Even the behind-the-scenes extras are way-cool; a real compliment to a damned good monster movie. ***1/2 - Reel Cool-Reel Awesome

THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM

Director: Rob Minkoff

Stars: Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Michael Angarano, Collin Chou, Yifei Liu, Bingbing Li

Year: 2008

Rating: PG-13

Wow - a colorful, action-packed martial arts film starring kung fu Jedi Knights Jackie Chan and Jet Li ... that also happens to be engaging, quite funny (though dangerously close to being "cutesy" at times) in parts, and even family friendly?

Yep, that's The Forbidden Kingdom - the first-ever pairing of martial arts masters Jackie Chan and Jet Li on screen. Michael Angarano stars Jason, a young American teen in a suburb of Boston whose obsession is kung fu movies. Jason makes frequent trips to Chinatown, to visit the pawn shop of Old Hop (Jackie Chan, in a ton of makeup), who keeps the teenager well-stocked in bootleg copies of nearly every chop-socky movie you can imagine. It's on one of these trips to Old Hop's store that Jason discovers the old man possesses a carved, very ornate and rare staff - one that Jason has never seen before in person, much less expected to see in the hands of an elderly man in Chinatown. When Jason is forced by local gangbangers to help them gain access to and rob Old Hop's store, Hop is injured and places the care of the staff into Jason's hands, telling him it is he (Jason) who is now in charge of getting it into the hands of its rightful owner. A chase on foot with the gang members leads to Jason's falling off a roof ...

And waking up in ancient China - in a dark, magic-filled world run by the evil Jade Warlord (Collin Chou; an actor yet to be given the credit due him for his talent) where only the corrupt prosper - even survive. Thrown out of his own time and place, Jason soon meets the constantly-drunk Lu Yan (Jackie Chan), who informs Jason that he must get the staff back to its owner - the Monkey King - before the Jade Warlord learns of its whereabouts and seeks the power of the staff himself.

A tall order, considering that the Monkey King - an immortal, like the Jade Warlord and even Lu Yan - was tricked in a battle with the Jade Warlord, centuries earlier, and forever imprisoned as a statue in the warlord's palace. Only the staff can bring the Monkey King back, to battle the Jade Warlord again in order to save the kingdom - and 21st-century American teenager Jason is the only one who can do it. With Lu Yan trying to teach him the basics of kung fu, so that he can fight (Jason may have been obsessed with the films, but he's no martial artist), Jason and Lu Yan - teaming up along the way with Golden Sparrow (Yifei Liu), a young, beautiful female warrior with her own score to settle with the Jade Warlord, and the Silent Monk (Jet Li), whose only mission in life seems to be to free the Monkey King himself - the quartet battle the desert, hostile forces, the White-Haired Witch Ni Chang (Bingbing Li) ... and even each other, all on a quest to free the Monkey King and save the world.

The look and feel of the film are first-rate - actually shot in China (even the Boston scenes), just as eye-candy the film is beautiful to watch and sets the mood for the story perfectly. The actions scenes and fight sequences are equally amazing to watch - the fight scene between Jet Li and Jackie Chan alone, when they first meet, worth the purchase price of the film alone (though the multi-layered fighting that ends the film is just brilliant; do NOT let yourself get interrupted for about the last 20 minutes of this film, at least, if watching it on DVD!). Jackie Chan is both charming and endearing in the role of Lu Yan - Jet Li stoic and all-business, yet just as touching, as the Silent Monk who only wants to free his master. The supporting cast rounds out things nicely, convincing and perfect ... and in fact, the only weak link in the chain is Michael Angarano himself; to me, at least, there were scenes when I had a really hard time buying into his performance.

But for a good, rousing, colorful, funny, and exciting time, you can't beat The Forbidden Kingdom. Sure, it's maybe too "kid-friendly" - Disney-esque, if you will (hardly surprising, as director Mikoff was also behind the camera for Disney's Haunted Mansion and The Lion King). But that doesn't negate the heartfelt performances, spectacular action sequences, or a story that just makes you feel good in the end. Very much worth buying over owning, and even the various behind-the-scenes treats on the DVD extras only add to the enjoyment of the film. Very nicely done. **** - Reel Awesome

INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL

Director: Steven Spielberg
Stars: Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett, Shia LaBeouf, Karen Allen, Ray Winstone, John Hurt
Year: 2008
Rating: PG-13

The negative reviews about this movie have been both a surprise, yet also expected. If comparing Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull to any of the first three films in the series (yes, even to the fairly lame Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom), you're bound to be setting yourself up for disappointment. When away from a character and story arc for that long, with filmmakers who've gone on to make many other films and have developed both their style and craft to a different level, you're bound to be unable to recapture the exact same magic you did in the "good old days" (did George Lucas and the Star Wars prequel series teach us nothing?!).

But if you just sit back, chill, and try to enjoy this film as the summer-time popcorn treat of a movie that it's intended to be, there's plenty to enjoy by way of action, humor, and plot (although plot is maybe the weakest of the three Indy elements here).

Harrison Ford - mostly definitely looking older - is back as Henry Jones, Jr. - Indiana Jones, famed archeologist and world explorer. This time, befitting Jones' becoming more curmudgeonly, the setting has jumped ahead to the latter half of the 1950's - where the Cold War was just taking its grip on America and college campuses were often dotted with protestors carrying anti-Communism signs.

The film opens up with a bang, as Indy has been kidnapped by a military Russian group - headed by villainess Col. Dr. Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett, in a performance that ALONE makes the film worth watching) - and is being forced to head to Area 51 in Roswell, New Mexico, to secure for them an artifact called the Crystal Skull. Spalko will stop at nothing to get the skull (and show it throughout the film), which - much like with the Germans in Raiders of the Lost Ark - could eventually help her mother country take over the world.

All of this, while at the same time Indy's being hired by a young greaser kid on a motorcycle named Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf, whose actually pretty great here - contrary to some bitter-sounding reviewers) to find his mother, who's been kidnapped in the Peruvian jungle. When Indy learns his mother is Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) - the woman he's always loved yet can't quite commit to - he has no choice but to help the young Mutt ... and the two storylines collide in some great action sequences that stretch believability (to put it mildly) ... yet never fail to entertain.

Without giving anything away (not really), the reason why Col. Dr. Spalko seeks the Crystal Skull in Area 51 is, yes, for THE obvious reason - and it was a bit of a letdown that Spielberg and Lucas chose to center their main storyline around alien creatures. But that said and done, the film is still a really good action flick, with lots of CGI that remains fun to watch and not overly in the way as special effects. For about the first 20 minutes of so of the film, I thought NO WAY was Ford still going to be young enough to pull off Indy, but soon I was able to settle into the ride, and buy into this 65-year-old man who could still dodge both bullets and boulders (not to mention one hell of a colony of the most evil ants you will ever see in a film!). Cate Blanchett is brilliant in the film, funny and playing her role just over the top enough to fit into the action-film motif, and Karen Allen back along for the ride was a nice revisit to Nostalgia-land, as well.

It's a movie to have fun with, and on that level it scores. And while it might not satisfy the Indiana Jones-of-old lovers who may just be living too much in the past - as a straight-up, old-fashioned action picture, you won't find many better today. ***1/2 - Reel Cool-Reel Awesome

PROM NIGHT

Director: Nelson McCormick

Stars: Brittany Snow, Scott Porter, Johnathon Schaech, Dana Davis, Collins Pennie, Jessica Stroup, Kelly Blatz, Idris Elba

Year: 2008

Rating: PG-13

One thing that sort of sank this film at the box office was that it was never marketed as not being a remake of the original Prom Night - a low-budget horror classic starring the Scream Queen herself, Jamie Lee Curtis. Even when putting the DVD into the player, I still thought this was at least a partial remake myself - when in reality, instead of a horror remake, it's a suspense/stalker film that just bears the same name.

Brittany Snow stars as high school student Donna Keppel, who two years ago experienced the most traumatic event of her life: the murder of her parents and brother by a stalker intent on having her to himself. The stalker was none other than her biology teacher, Mr. Fenton (Johnathon Schaech), who'd become obsessively in love with her ... and thought that if she had no one but him in her life, she'd go away with him. Witnessing the actual murder of her mother by Fenton, as she laid trembling and unable to utter a sound under her bed, Donna's still on medication and still trying to deal with the tragedy, now living with her uncle and aunt in another part of town. She's begun having nightmares about Mr. Fenton again, seeing him around town in visions that end up not being reality - and when she confesses all of this to her shrink (Ming-Na), Dr. Crowe insists that Donna stay on her meds - and, instead, concentrate on what should be the best night of her life ... the upcoming senior prom.

And as Donna heads off in the limousine with her boyfriend ("Friday Night Lights" star Scott Porter) and other friends in tow, she's determined to forget the past - even if for just that night. But across town, one of the homicide detectives who worked on the Fenton case (Idris Elba), is just learning that Richard Fenton escaped three days ago from his maximum security prison, over 2300 miles away from Donna Keppel. Sure that Fenton is heading her way, Detective Winn heads out to tell her uncle and aunt - and from, he rushes to the prom to keep an eye on Donna, determined to protect her from harm ...

Even as Fenton has learned where the prom is, and is already checking into the hotel where it's being held - on the same floor where Donna and her friends have their suites rented for the night.

From here the film turns into a stalker film, where the thrills and chills are built much more on the tension of where and when and how Fenton is going to strike. Considering you already know who the killer is, and that he's not going to let anyone get in his way of having Donna as his own, you'd think the tension wouldn't be as tight (not in these days or twists and turns and surprise ending in suspense film, where you often don't even know who the bad guy is until the very end) - but, suprisingly, there are a few nailbiting moments when the adrenaline is pretty thick in the air.

That's mostly credited to Johnathon Schaech, who does an outstanding job playing psychotic teacher Richard Fenton. It's a great performance that never goes over the top, and often times with just a look he can get quite chilling here. Brittany Snow, as Donna, is pretty good at conveying the virginal victim, and the rest of the cast of expendable teenaged victims all play their parts well (especially Dana Davis, Collins Pennie, and Kelly Blatz, none of whom ever come off as "acting" - though Blatz, a genuine talent, isn't given enough to do here). The lighting and music and cinematography all go a long way to creating the suspense, and the hotel setting for the prom (no hotel ANY real prom could afford to hire out for the occasional) adds a real gothic feel to the proceedings.

All in all, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this. Sure, it's kind of cliched and not terribly original in concept. Okay, so the acting is mixed and the ending is kind of a given. But for some reason, it worked for me - largely, I think, due to Johnathon Schaech, who makes a wicked psycho. And hopefully, if you go into knowing it's not a remake, a person could enjoy it better for the fun, semi-cheesy thriller it is. *** - Reel Cool

SHUTTER

Director: Masayuki Ochiai

Stars: Joshua Jackson, Rachael Taylor, Megumi Okina, David Denman, John Hensley, James Kyson Lee

Year: 2008

Rating: PG-13

This remake of a 2004 horror film from Thailand - complete with the re-setting of the film's story to Tokyo (probably thanks to the executive producers here, who also produced the Americanized versions of The Grudge and The Ring) - centers around a young pair of American newlyweds (Joshua Jackson and Rachael Taylor) who relocate to Tokyo for his new job, and immediately are thrown into some very weird stuff when a car accident turns into what appears to be some creepy, ghostly revenge.

Photographer Ben Shaw (Jackson) has been hired by a new company in Tokyo that's run by one of his best friends, Bruno (David Denman). His assignment starts immediately, barely giving Ben and his fiancee (Rachael Taylor, doing her Naomi Watts/Ring thing, here) time to get married before they leave America for Japan. After a quick honeymoon with the beautiful Japanese countryside and Mount Fuji as their backdrop, Rachael and Ben are driving to Tokyo on a deserted road, at night - Rachael behind the wheel) - when suddenly a ghostly figure of a woman appears in front of their car. Rachael slams on the brakes, but it's too late; she runs straight over the woman, obviously killing her, then loses control of the car as it veers into a ditch, knocking the newlyweds unconscious.

When they come to, Rachael immediately jumps out to search for the young woman she hit - but of course, there is no body anywhere. Not even a mark on the road that she hit anything, and later even a police search produces not even so much as a scrap of cloth or drop of blood, let alone a body. Ben, who was only half-awake and never saw the figure in the road, is quick to dismiss it as having never happened - but Rachael knows better, and soon she's haunted with visions of the woman figure showing up everywhere. And suddenly, photos that she takes on her digital - or that Ben takes professionally - start to show ghostly wisps of white in their frames; even the occasional presence of someone who, when the photo was taken, wasn't even there. As Ben and Rachael start to get more and more unnerved at the appearances of what appears to be the victim of their road accident, Rachael seeks to investigate the phenomenon of "spirit photography" - and the deaths begin.

Even with a surprise twist at the end that did indeed catch me off-guard, I can't help but call this movie a disappointment. The story is a great one, and the creepy/moody atmosphere of the film - a requirement for Asian horror, which doesn't rely on bloodshed and a high body count to effect its chills - is very well presented by director Ochiai and cinematographer Katsumi Yanagishima. Megumi Okina's performance, as the ghostly victim, is rock-solid.

And yet, the chills never take off beyond the occasional shudder. It's almost as if the film would have been better if made with difference actors in the leading roles - certainly with a better script, as this one carries some of the lamest dialogue and character movtivations ever seen in a film. Joshua Jackson is wooden and not too believable in his performance, and while Rachael Taylor is better ... there's still not something quite right here. As said before, it's like she's doing her version of Naomi Watts in The Ring.

The film's not horrible, it's just not ... great. The revelations at the end are a surprise, but don't make up for the semi-boring journey getting there. While I haven't seen the original, I most definitely now want to; meantime, this one maybe should have been called Shudder instead - because that's about as scary as it gets; it's only worth the occasional shudder, as opposed to being downright scary. ** - Reel Mediocre