What if everyone told the truth all the time? But – no one knew it was ‘the truth’ because there was no such thing as lying. And what if you were the only one that had the ability, or even knew what it meant, to lie. Think of the power! mwhaha! Think of the stories you could tell! mwhahahaha! That is what director and star Ricky Gervais (The original The Office) brings us in The Invention of Lying. In a world where telling the truth is much funnier than being polite, one man has a new part of his brain begin firing on all cylinders allowing him to be, um, less than honest. And oh the stories he tells!

The start of the movie gives us snapshots of a world where people speak their minds about anything and everything and what life would be life if we all just accepted that was how it is. Awkward blind date introductions are still awkward, but are a lot more fun when you hear what the other person is thinking! Every guy who has married way above his head will identify with the man on the date being told, “she’s way out of your league” and hearing both the guy and girl say at the same time, “I know.” And how great would it be to actually say the truth about how not cute you think that friends baby is instead of be expected to be polite.

What gets all of this going innocently enough is when Gervais’ character, Mark, figures out that he can get some extra money from the bank. Not a lot – just enough to pay his rent. But one thing leads to another, and a Bruce Almighty sequence begins of someone with unlimited power testing it out. And part of what is so funny is just how opposite of that movie this one is. Instead of hearing from God, Mark invents him. I am sure there will be people who will be thoroughly offended by the atheistic message of the movie, but these will be the people Jesus chose not to give a sense of humor to in the first place. In particular, I thought the ten commandments parody was brilliant, and balanced humor with deep pain exceptionally well.

Some of the movie is more crass than I expected, but certainly fit the theme of the subject matter. Sex, media and religion all get treated with the same dose of, ‘oh, I get it’ moments as the act of lying gets explored. This really was a refreshingly clever script brought to life by a great cast. Jennifer Garner plays the shallow love interest, Anna, who is only concerned about finding a good genetic match to make children with. Rob Lowe is the man with the good genes but the off putting confidence in himself. Bit parts by Jonah Hill as a neighbor and Tina Fey leave you wanting more, but are perfect in scope. The movie drags a just a little in the middle of the film, but picks up and finishes well without simply being another romantic comedy.

If you are looking for something that hasn’t been done before, and recognize just how hard that is to find in today’s movie going experience, go see The Invention of Lying this weekend. I’m telling the truth.

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

From the time  Whiteout starts ’til the credits role an hour and a half later, you are reminded of three things: Antarctica is cold. It snows a lot in Antarctica. Antarctica is beautiful and deadly because of the cold and snow in Antarctica. From beautiful snowy landscape to deadly swirling snowy landscape, these three things will stay with you the whole movie. They will wow you. They will mesmerize you. They will make you shiver. You will leave the theater knowing that Antarctica is cold, snowy, beautiful and dangerous. And really, apart from a crime show type plot, there’s just not much more to this movie.

Kate Beckinsale (Underworld) plays U.S. Marshall Carrie Stetko, who chose to come to “the coldest, most isolated land mass on the planet” for reasons that become clearer as the story progresses. Just as she’s ready to leave the cold, snowy, beautiful, and dangerous land mass behind, a real crime is discovered that keeps her around a little longer. Joined by U.N. cop Robert Price (Gabriel Mecht), base Doc John Fury (Tom Skerritt) and her pilot/buddy named Delfy (Columbus Short), she investigates the death of geologist and the surprising find his team makes.

The film attempts to be suspenseful. The trailer, the snow and the question of whether this has to do with aliens or not leads you to believe you’re in for one big suspense fest. And U.S. Marshall Stetko being chased by a parka hooded bad guy gives some suspense the first time it happens. But then it spirals into lunacy as you struggle to figure out which parka hooded snow blind figures are good and which are bad during a two versus one driving snowstorm pick axe attack. It’s more fun to say it, than watch it.

But wait, that’s not all. There’s more lunacy to be found! One moment our heroes are trapped with nothing but lame dialogue to live for, and the next moment they borrow from old MacGyver maneuvers that leave you wondering just how much reality you’re expected to suspend in their escape. One moment we see people frolicking merrily through the snow in their birthday suits, and the next moment we see  people that are dressed that can’t respond to questions because they don’t have coats on. And we see a U.S. Marshall that gets the wool pulled over her eyes in flashbacks,  figure out a crime with the barest hint of clues, and find redemption in getting the wool pulled over her eyes again.

I think this could have been a good movie. It had a good premise. A beautiful setting. A sexy lead. And an unusual location. Unfortunately, the whole movie feels like an hour long version of CSI:Antarctica stretched out to 90 minutes to make sure we know how cold, snowy, beautiful and dangerous Antarctica really is.

To say I was hoping for more would be as understated as as saying the the director wants you to think that Antarctica is cold. Antarctica is cold, and snowy and beautiful and dangerous.  And this movie is lacking anything that makes you want to care.

Rating: ★★☆☆☆ 

I was eagerly anticipating this movie as I’m a big fan of Jason Bateman’s understated comedic approach… and Mila Kunis’ understated hotness. And yet, neither could save this film. It was, in my opinion, just plain dumb. While writer and director Mike Judge usually does a great job depicting the humorous banality of everyday life in workplace and family, this script falls flat.

Bateman plays Joel who runs an extract factory (think vanilla extract, root beer extract, etc.) that he is trying to sell. Joel is a great character for Bateman. He looks at everyone around him like they are idiots, yet pulls off this sense of caring that comes straight out of his time on “Arrested Development”. Kunis plays Cindy, who gets hired at the factory and starts causing problems, both at work and at home. Dean (Ben Affleck) is Joel’s bartender buddy who seems as bizarre in this role as the advice he gives. J.K. Simmons (Spider Man’s J. Jonah Jameson) plays the plant foreman, Brian. His role is pretty funny, as is the one of ‘Step’ (Clifton Collins, Jr.) whose hilarious unfortunate accident is a focal point. In fact, if the movie had just been about Joel, Brian and Step’s life at the factory, it could have been comedy at its best. But throw in Joel’s wife Suzie (Kristen Wiig) and her almost funny sweatpants, and airhead ‘pool boy’ Brad (Dustin Milligan), and you have enough ‘plot’ to suck the life out of this endeavor.

Yes, there are some hilarious moments that will make you laugh out loud. But they are scattered among unfunny backdrops of plant worker stereotypes, infidelity and drug use. Even these last two subjects could have been funny (see The Hangover as a case in point), but instead of going all out for laughs, Judge tries to walk the line between making light of the situations and having an undertone of seriousness. And the line between the two ends up being a glass wall that lets you see what the movie could have been – but it never gets there.

Unfortunately, this ends up being a pointless movie with no redeeming qualities. And the ending leaves you wondering what the hell just happened… not only to the girl, but to the last two hours of your life. I can’t even figure out who the movie was geared towards. It seemed the theater was filled with mostly 20s, but the movie was mostly about a couple in their 30s, yet had jokes aimed at teens? Whichever way, I guess I’m just too old to get any of it.

I wouldn’t recommend this movie to anyone of any age. Save your money and watch some of Judge’s quality TV work like ‘King of the Hill’.

Rating: ★½☆☆☆ 

How do you go head to head with one of the summer’s most anticipated blockbuster movies? You do it by crafting a masterpiece on family dynamics that should draw everyone but teenage boys and young adult males. Based on Jodi Picoult’s novel by the same name, My Sister’s Keeper takes you into the family life of a child with cancer. Exploring the boundaries of what is ethical in keeping your child alive, you find yourself wrestling with the choices the family made and wondering what lengths you would go to for your own child.

As Sara (Cameron Diaz) and Brian (Jason Patric) struggle to make the right decisions for their sick child, Kate (Sofia Vassilieva), we see how it affects the other two kids. Older brother Jesse (Evan Ellingson) is the one that gets neglected to the point of basically being invisible. And while younger sister Anna (Abigail Breslin) gets a lot of attention, it isn’t the kind she wants. This leads to the crux of the film as Anna goes to ‘91% successful lawyer’ Campbell Alexander (Alec Baldwin) to sue for medical rights to her own body. It seems Anna is tired of being the living donor keeping her older sister alive.

While this is a poignant, tear-inducing movie for any parent (or anyone who has been touched by cancer or a child’s terminal disease), the brilliance behind the story are the uplifting moments of beauty that are celebrated throughout. From a first boyfriend, to a late in life trip to the beach, the snapshots of life show what it means to live everyday to the fullest instead of simply waiting for the inevitable.

And those snapshots come alive with this cast. Diaz is brilliant as a successful lawyer turned unrelenting advocate for her suffering daughter. Understated performances by Baldwin, and Joan Cusack (as the judge who presides over the case) round out a distinguished cast that keeps this from being just another teary chick flick. And while Breslin continues to show acting skills beyond her years as she did in Little Miss Sunshine, Sofia Vassilieva steals the spotlight. Her presence, and her smile, fills the screen with a joy that breaks through the sorrow of the film with a promise that there is more to life than pain.

Readers of the book will be surprised by some major changes in the story, but I believe they’ll see that the spirit of the book has been captured and released on a movie-going public that will cherish this adaptation. And while there will be some disappointment that there couldn’t be more focus on the father and son dynamic or the lawyer’s role from the book, they’ll have to acknowledge that you simply can’t include everything in a movie. What director Nick Cassavates (The Notebook) leaves out from the book, he makes up for in the careful weaving together of the different points of view and story pieces that tie this tour de force together.

They’ll be plenty of loud, action, summer extravaganzas to check out all season long. Take a break from the sensory overload and go with a friend to remember what really matters: doing life together with the ones we love.

Rating: ★★★★★ 

I just don’t understand. Where are the seat belts? People getting thrown all over the main bridge of the ship every time a space torpedo hits. You’d think someone would come up with a space restraint that protects without chafing… The USS Enterprise doesn’t have any space restraints, but director J.J. Abrams does an incredible job of protecting the series without chafing fans by paying homage to Gene Roddenberry’s original vision even as he blows up your father’s Star Trek.

If you loved the original Star Trek, you’re going to love the relaunch of your favorite characters in a fresh perspective. If you’ve never seen any Star Trek before, you’re going to love a summer blockbuster that delivers across the board.

This movie is a two hour, jam packed, epic that doesn’t waste a minute with anything frivolous. When you’ve got the birth of Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) with the childhood of Spock (Zachary Quinto -Heroes) and the back-story of Dr. ‘Bones’ McCoy’s (Karl Urban) sour attitude, on top of a time-traveling space baddy Romulan named Nero (Eric Bana), mixed in with new perspective on the size of the Enterprise, spaceship fighting and black holes – well, you better buckle up! I came out of the theater overstimulated. Between the IMAX screen and the amount of story told so masterfully, you won’t need coffee to keep you awake long into the night talking about your favorite scene.

The majority of the movie focuses in on the destruction of a planet and the attempts by the USS Enterprise to keep the same thing from happening to Earth. Unfortunately, there’s a gigantic Romulan mining ship that’s been retrofitted with enough firepower to take out as much of the fleet as the Federation is willing to throw at them. Nero’s been nursing a grudge against Spock since before this Spock was born and wants his revenge. But James Kirk and company are fresh from the Federation Academy and looking to test the capabilities of their Constitution-class ship. Getting there is going to require friendship to overcome the disdain and antagonism between Spock and Kirk.

This is a giant prequel that gets everything right. The supporting characters are fantastic. From some great action with a not-so-subdued Sulu (John Cho) to a smart and sexy Uhura (Zoe Saldana) and her love interests, engineer Scotty (Simon Pegg) says it all, in his deep Scottish accent, with the line “this ship is excitin!” But – his accent is second fiddle to navigator Chekov’s (Anton Yelchin) hilarious accent woes. Seriously, it gets me laughing every time I think about that scene.

The other character that needs to be mentioned is the future/original Spock played by the erstwhile Leonard Nimoy. This is some great writing that pulls everything together. When you hear his line to the new Spock, “Put aside logic, and do what feels right,” you almost wonder if it’s more of a blessing on this new adaptation than merely wise words to a young protege’.

If there’s anything to pick on at all, for me it was the scenes on Hoth, er, I mean, Delta Vega. That was the only time I felt the movie veered from ‘everything essential’ to ‘we need to add a monster chase scene for the kids.’ It’s not bad. And it sets up the encounter that ties it all together. But, my 13 year old son, who’s never seen Star Trek, looked at me and said, ‘Oh, it’s the old big monster gets eaten by a bigger monster chase scene.’

Despite that hiccup, I think this movie is going to be hard to top this summer. If it does, I guess it will be just another example of one big monster of a movie getting eaten by a bigger monster of a movie. And really, if that happens…we all win.

Rating: ★★★★½ 

The first big summer release of 2009 delivers big action, big special effects and big mutants. Unfortunately it doesn’t address some big questions. How are Wolverine and Sabertooth growing up as kids at the beginning of the film, but ageless after the first 20 minutes? How does adamantium change the shape and look of Wolverine’s claws? How many Twinkies did the Blob have to eat to get that big, that quick? And why, every time I say or hear ‘Wolverine”, do I think of Red Dawn. (Which I just learned is set to be remade next year.)

Wolverine is Sharp

Look, the bottom line is this: if you love comic book movies, you’re going to love Wolverine. If you’re a comic book purist and pick apart every comic book movie, you’re going to be frustrated and complaining about the demise of the franchise. I loved the movie. I thought it was fun and had great pacing to the tension between story and action. It gives you just enough back story to make it worth telling. And it introduced some new (to the movie goer, not the comic reader) characters that were pretty awesome like the well played tough but mysterious Gambit (Taylor Kitsch, Friday Night Lights TV show), an interesting but too quickly disappearing  Wraith (Will Am I of Black Eyed Peas band fame) and the makes-the-movie fun, wise-cracking Wade Wilson/Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds, Adventureland and Van Wilder). But overall it focuses on Wolverine (Hugh Jackman, X-Men 1,2 and 3, and Australia) and his brother/buddy/enemy Sabertooth (Liv Schreiber, Defiance). Here’s hoping that we get to see a future film with a lot more Gambit and Deadpool involved in the story. Wolverine and Sabertooth get top billing and do a great job carrying the movie. But Gambit and Deadpool give it the intrigue that gets a little lost as they focus on one hero.

There are a ton of great action sequences beginning with a fantastic war montage at the beginning of the movie that shows you just how old Wolverine and Sabertooth really are. The fighting continues as you see a special unit of super heroes formed for a secret branch of the military. And then the darkness begins as the true nature of what is being done is revealed. As the gap between the X-Men movies and Wolverine’s story is bridged, there is plenty of brooding, anguish and destruction to keep you from feeling like this is just a fun stroll down memory lane for our hero.

But memory lane is what Wolverine is searching for in his X-Men role. And while Origins provides some clarity to the audience, the answer to Wolverine’s amnesia at the end of the movie is pretty weak. I left wondering how Colonel Stryker is able to shoot so confidently that he can erase Wolverine’s memory of his past, but not impact any other brain functions…So, there are definitely some plot holes. But if you are looking for tight plot lines and deep congruent stories, you probably aren’t a comic book fan in the first place.

Go see this on the big screen. It’s meant to be enjoyed for what it is: an action packed escape from reality.

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

Boom Boom Clap, Boom Dee Clap, Dee Clap. It’s the  hip-hop, hoedown throwdown. (see what I’m talking about here.)

Hip-hop and country. Like the Hannah Montana‘s theme song says, “You get the best of both worlds.” Ten minutes before the movie started, the two rows of what looked to be 14-year-old girls started singing the tv show theme song. Over and over again. The little 6- to 10-year-old girls that filled the rest of the theater were singing along and dancing in their seats. My 16-year-old daughter said with a big smile on her face, ‘Isn’t this fun?’ I said, with as much of a smile as I could muster, ‘A little bit.’

A little bit country. A little bit corny. A little bit touching. A little bit boring. Let’s face it, this movie is going to do really well because Hannah Montana is such a big Disney hit already. And her fans will not be disappointed. All of the show’s familiar faces, problems and hijinks are there. Montana’s brother Jackson (Jason Earles – anyone else think it’s really weird that this 32-year-old is playing an 18-year-old?) gets left out. Check. Trouble with Montana’s best friend Lilly (Emily Osment). Check. Hannah Montana (Miley Cyrus) is having an identity crisis. Check. Montana buddies Rico (Moises Arias) and Oliver (Mitchell Musso) are involved in sight gags. Check. Hannah’s Dad (Billy Ray Cyrus) finds another opportunity to sing with his teen sensation. Check.

Then there’s some new stuff too. There’s a new family member – Grandma Ruby (Margo Martindale) who’s tender-hearted but tough, helping Miley walk through what’s important in life, like saving a town and remembering where she’s from. There’s a new boy for Miley to like; a real cowboy named Travis (Lucas Till) who can ride a horse, paint a barn and still have grown up feelings about being tricked by Miley’s alter ego. And then there are, of course,  new songs by Miley. “The Climb” is a decent song, but comes from the hokey “Life is a climb, but the view is great” line that gets said too many times. In fact, even once would have been too many times. The previously mentioned “Hoedown Throwdown” is fun and had dozens of people imitating the dance after the movie outside the theater. “Butterfly Fly Away,” which is done with her Dad, is a touching song that will, like “The Climb”, surely see some time on the charts. In fact, the soundtrack debuted at number 2 on the Billboard charts guaranteeing the Hannah Montana machine is not slowing down.

You also get a couple other songs that were fun additions to the not-quite-a-musical movie. Post-teen sensation Taylor Swift sings, “Crazier”. Billy Ray Cyrus sings his song, “Back to Tennessee”. And country supergroup Rascal Flats does acoustic versions of a couple of their hits: “Bless the Broken Road” and “Backwards”. It remains a mystery through the whole movie why Rascal Flats was at Ruby’s house in the first place singing in her living room and on her porch. It was good – but weird.

And that’s what I left thinking about the whole movie. It was good – but not great. Part musical. Part pre-teen comedy. Part teen angst. Part father-daughter drama. Parts of a lot of stuff that adds up to a movie trying to cover their bases from pre-teen to sixteen and their parents too. If you’ve got girls under the age of 16, you’ve probably already got them making plans to see it. Don’t feel guilty for enjoying it. Just enjoy it for what it is: Disney making you chuckle, and sometimes wince, while you tap your toes and sing along as they squeeze another few dollars out of you.

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

Rating: ★★½☆☆ 

Daniel Craig in Defiance

2008 finished with three WWII films (Miracle at St. Anna, Boy in the Striped Pajamas, and Valkyrie), and 2009 continues the trend with Defiance. Even though Striped Pajamas had the least amount of action, I would say it was by far the strongest of the four films with Defiance coming in a close 2nd. But I wonder where this fad is coming from, and how much more Hollywood thinks they can wring out of us before people stop watching.

I enjoyed Defiance, and the true-story aspect of the film. In fact, if it hadn’t been based on a true story, I don’t think it would have had so great an impact as it did. But the weight of the atrocities of this war, as well as the heroic efforts of those who refused to be mere victims, certainly came through in a story worth being told.

Focusing in on the three Bielski brothers,  Tuvia (Daniel Craig), Zus (Liev Schreiber) and Azael (Jamie Bell), the plot unfolds as the band of brothers hide out in the woods from the Germans who are systematically killing off Jews in the region. The growth of the resistance the real story of the movie. As more and more people take refuge in the area, it begins as a matter of survival for them all to band together. From a means of support and survival to the development of intentional resistance, the leadership in the brothers’ lives is mirrored in the larger group – growing, straining, coming undone and finding redemption.

There are certainly other bit players in the film, but they merely orbit the stars. And while it’s a powerful story, it does seem to try to stretch itself onto more film than was needed. Half an hour less would have sufficed and still been true to the plot and characters. Much of the time spent in the forest seemed like filler and could have been cut. And while that time may have been included to bring into sharper focus the harsh and bleak conditions, it never seems that bleak. Yes, we see a scarcity of food, and people beginning to fight among themselves, but then it moves on to other things. You never really feel that bleakness in your gut.

You do feel, however, the evil that prompts the story. And as long as we deal with evil in our world, movies like this need to be made. Attempted genocide must not be forgotten or turned away from. Remembering it in films like this and Hotel Rwanda serve to honor the fallen and to prompt good people to live out what’s right. Celebrating what was right about the Bielski brothers is worth your time.

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆