I’ve come to expect so much more from Director/Writer James Brooks.  The man who brought us ‘As Good As It Gets’ and ‘The Simpsons’ should have been able to weave an enjoyable and progressive romantic comedy – but How Do You Know falls incredibly short. 

The film follows Lisa (Reese Witherspoon – Sweet Home Alabama), an aging Gold medalist softball player with a ‘can-do’ ultra positive way of looking at life who is inexplicably caught in a romance triangle involving George (Paul Rudd – The Shape Of Things), a neurotic young executive recently indicted for fraud which may be a result of his wayward father’s business dealings, and Matty, a self absorbed baseball pitcher.   Lisa haphazardly moves between the two with the same lack of interest and appeal as Brooks’ script.  Matty (Owen Wilson – Cars) provides mild comic relief, and George is boring and nauseating, even Charles, George’s father portrayed by Jack Nicholson (Batman) isn’t enough to save the film.

Sadly, this film is going to open badly from a box office perspective and will fade away relatively quickly.  With $50 million of the budget buried in the salaries of the 4 principals, it will shock you that the true character values are in the supporting roles that probably cost the producers about $100K combined.  Kathyrn Hann (How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days) and Mark Linn Baker (TV’s Perfect Strangers) portray Annie & Ron respectively.  Annie is George’s devoted and very pregnant secretary while Ron serves as the family attorney.    Both execute their supporting roles with heart and believability.

One area of the film that was particularly strange for me was in the production design.  The story takes place in the DC, Virginia and Maryland area, but George’s apartment is a neighborhood in Philadelphia.  Granted, I only know that because I’m from Philadelphia and I know the neighborhood.  I love Philadelphia getting film exposure (Jason Statham’s new film ‘Safe’ coming next year is currently filming in front of my childhood home), but surely there was a DC neighborhood that could have sufficed for the type of apartment they were trying to portray.

You won’t get a solid vibe romcom feeling from this film, what you will get is some moderate Reese eye candy, a few off-needed laughs to fill the dullness, and a general sense of a pointless film that when it reached its climax you’ll just be happy that its over.

1 Stars Out Of Five

How Do You Know is rated PG-13 for sexual content and some strong language. 

Now here is a mix of actors I would never have thought to put together: Sean Penn, Reese Witherspoon, and Robert Pattinson. One of Hollywood’s most intense actors (and 2-time Oscar winner), one of America’s sweethearts (who also won an Oscar), and an up-and-comer who shot to fame for playing a brooding vampire based on a character from a series of teen-focused novels.

As unlikely a combo as this trio may seem, we might just get to see them combine forces in the Fox 2000′s drama Water for Elephants.

The Depression-era film follows a veterinary student who drops out after the death of his parents, and runs off to use his veterinary know-how as the vet for the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show On Earth. Witherspoon has already signed on to play the role of the circus’ equestrian star, with Penn in talks to take on the part of the show’s animal trainer and Witherspoon’s husband. Pattinson would likely fill the role of the veterinary student.

While it’s fairly certain that Pattinson will agree to appear in the film, there is an aura of uncertainty surrounding Penn’s decision. The actor is currently doing humanitarian work in Haiti and has yet to respond to Fox 2000′s offer.

Water for Elephants will be directed by Francis Lawrence, and is looking to start production in June. The film is based on the novel by Sarah Gruen, and will be adapted for the screen by Richard LaGravenese.

Monsters vs. Aliens

Monsters Vs. Aliens, as great as it is, feels like a step backwards for DreamWorks Animation. With Kung Fu Panda the studio made a film that could contend with some of Pixar’s work, which is why it’s kind of painful that their latest effort couldn’t keep pace. It’s not a bad film by any stretch, in fact, for the most part it’s very enjoyable. At the end of the day, that’s really all it needs to be.

Monsters Vs. Aliens begins with Susan (voiced by Reese Witherspoon) ready to get married to Derek (Paul Rudd, surprisingly). Unfortunately she’s hit with an alien asteroid that contains “quantonium” that causes her to grow 50 feet. She’s abducted by the government and informed by General W.R. Monger (Kiefer Sutherland) that monsters have existed since the 50’s but the government has kept them underground in an effort to protect the public. Susan then meets B.O.B (Seth Rogen, a parody of The Blob), Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D. (Hugh Laurie’s take on The Fly), The Missing Link (Will Arnett does The Creature of the Black Lagoon) and Insectosaurus (a parody of the ToHo Monsters.) They’re called upon by the government to be freed to due battle with Gallaxhar (Rainn Wilson) who plans to take over the earth with his clones.

While it’s not as classic as Akira or WALL*E, Monsters Vs. Aliens brings it in spades with entertainment. The plot is very simple and the film really is more concerned about the characters than it is with telling a grandiose story. It still entertains better than any animated flick since robots fell in love. The standout is Insectosaurus, who is on his way to being the “cute, cuddly” character of the picture. Truly, it’s hysterical to watch him – ready to eat everything one minute then struck dumb when a bright light is shined in his eyes. He’s a nice throwback to the ToHo monsters, and that can be said for the rest of the characters as well. The references are really a testament to the filmmakers’ willingness to keep the adults in the audiences interested. The kids won’t get it, but B.O.B.’s introduction has a scene very similar to The Blob. Even The Missing Link’s appearance is what The Creature of the Black Lagoon would look like if Disney got their hands on him. They’re nice little touches that show the filmmakers care for the material they’re taking on, something that can’t be said about a certain vampire phenomenon.

DreamWorks tends to get all-star ensembles for their animated pictures and this is no different. Leading the way is Reese Witherspoon, who unfortunately isn’t very good here. At times she’s tolerable but frequently comes off painfully annoying. She seems like a child actress who just got their first voice acting role and doesn’t hit the right emotional notes. As a supporting character it wouldn’t matter too much but as a lead it hurts the film. Joining her is Stephen Colbert who voices the President. He’s genuinely unfunny, broad, and everything around him that evokes laughter are the gags around him and not what Colbert does with the character. The rest of the cast is great, including Seth Rogen, surprisingly. B.O.B. comes off as the stereotypical goofy character that all these films have but B.O.B. manages to not annoy. It’s half how he’s handled and half how Rogen delivers him, which is well-intentioned but genuinely stupid creature.

The performance that will probably go underrated is Hugh Laurie’s turn as Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D. He’s overconfident and charming, which is almost the polar opposite of how Laurie is on “House, M.D.” He’s not the most badass character (that goes to either The Missing Link or Ginormica) but he’s the most enjoyable of the bunch. Will Arnett would be right behind him with his Missing Link. Part of me wishes these two could have a standalone film where they’re partners. The Missing Link does some of the coolest stuff and has some pretty killer lines. Kiefer Sutherland was a treat as General W.R. Monger. Who better than Jack Bauer to be a 90-year-old running a secret government operation? He’s emulating R. Lee Ermey, sure, but that doesn’t matter since that’s what his character requires.

The animation in this is nothing short of stunning, and it’s dressed to the nines in 3-D. This is where I strongly suggest that to get the full experience you trek out to your IMAX theater and enjoy this in IMAX 3-D. I won’t lie that seeing a ball fly at at me added to my enjoyment of the film. It was filmed in Tru3-D which really immerses you in the world. Many times I was so wrapped up in the film where I felt like I was a part of an animated world. You know it’s bad when you exit the theater and do a double take. I’m of the belief no words are going to do the animation or 3-D justice and that it needs to be seen rather than me babbling on about it. Again, 3-D IMAX is the only way to experience this film and it is worth the voyage.

Which is why it’s disheartening the plot isn’t as good as it could have been. The film is very much a “look at how cool I am” type and yes it does entertain in droves. I’m also glad there’s some simplicity here but Pixar sets the bar high and things seemed to be going in the right direction with Kung Fu Panda. Monsters Vs. Aliens is not as atrocious as Shrek the Third or Ice Age: The Meltdown but it still feels like a step backward. At the end of the day it doesn’t matter, as the film will entertain the kids and still should be enjoyable enough for adults. As a 3-D IMAX experience, I’d give this four out of five stars but as a regular film…

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

Monsters vs. Aliens Review

Dreamworks presents Monsters vs. Aliens, and they truly hit the spot with this one. Kids and adults alike were enjoying this at the 3D IMAX presentation I was invited to. Prior to the start of the movie there was a kids’ contest for the best movie-related costume, which was great in and of itself.

To begin the 3D experience we are face to face with a scientist (probably a lab rat) who has one of those annoying paddles with the bouncing ball which comes directly into the audience, causing moviegoers to instinctively sit back in their seats. This is a throwback to the old-school 3D that most folks know about. This was actually my second time experiencing 3D; the first was not long ago at Coraline. The 3D experience was excellent. Coupled with IMAX – hard to beat.

The story was pretty crazy, but it is a Monsters vs. Aliens movie, after all. When a meteorite from outer space hits one Susan Murphy (voiced by Reese Witherspoon) and turns her into a giant woman, she is taken to a secret government compound where she meets the ragtag team of monsters: The Missing Link (Will Arnett), Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D., (Hugh Laurie), and of course everyone’s favorite, B.O.B. (Seth Rogen). The source of Susan’s tremendous growth lies in the meteorite, which another being has its eyes on. Gallaxhar (voiced by Rainn Wilson) wants nothing more than this special material, and comes to earth to get it no matter what stands in his way. Under the guidance of General W.R. Monger (Kiefer Sutherland), on a desperate order from the President of the United States (Stephen Colbert), the ragtag crew of monsters is called into action to hit Gallaxhar where it counts and save the world from destruction!

As we have all come to know, most Dreamworks animated films are spectacular in the visual department. This movie is no different. The visuals and attention to detail was phenomenal. From the space scenes to the hair on Dr Cockroach’s chin, it was well done. It’s no wonder these films take so long to make.

The storyline was solid, the laughs were many, but I wondered if it was for kids. I am not one for kids being in any movie that could be over their heads with humor or content, but a lot of the things I laughed at, the hundreds of kids around me didn’t. Was it out of their league? Is my humor now becoming more like my grandfather’s….

Overall, Dreamworks accomplished what they set out to do. Entertain us by providing a visually stimulating environment with laughs aplenty. Families, don’t worry about your kids being scared by this movie, but it may feel a little long for them even though it only weighs in at around 90 minutes.

If you get the chance to see it in 3D and IMAX do NOT miss it! The combination of audio and video on IMAX was fabulous.

Great film, great voice acting by all, and pretty damn funny.

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

Monsters vs. Aliens

A brand new featurette from DreamWorks for their upcoming animated Monsters vs. Aliens has been released. The video is a behind the scenes look at some of the monsters along with how they go about making a gorgeous animated feature like this.

Check out the 5 minutes of Monster goodness below. Don’t forget to tell us what you think.

Susan Murphy aka Ginormica (Reese Witherspoon), is a modern-day California girl who has the bad luck to be hit by a meteor on her wedding day and grows to be 49 feet, 11½ inches tall. Ginormica is taken to a secret government compound where she meets a ragtag group of monsters also rounded up over the years. As a last resort, under the guidance of General W.R. Monger (Kiefer Sutherland), on a desperate order from The President, the motley crew of Monsters is called into action to combat the aliens and save the world from imminent destruction!

Check out the Monsters vs. Aliens: Meet the Monsters featurette below.

Aside from Reese Witherspoon and Sutherland, other actors joining the film include Hugh Laurie (Dr. Cockroach, PhD), Seth Rogen (the jellylike B.O.B.), Will Arnett (the half-ape, half-fish – Missing Link), Stephen Colbert (the president), and finally, Rainn Wilson (the evil alien Gallaxhar).

The animated film is directed by Rob Letterman and Conrad Vernon, of Shark tale and Shrek 2 respectively.

Monsters vs. Aliens will hit the theaters on March 27, 2009.

Dear Santa,

Why is it that no one seems to know how to make a good Christmas movie anymore? The last holiday film that I truly loved was “Love Actually”, which was released back in 2003. Since then, there have been a few that I liked (“The Family Stone” and “Fred Claus”), but being who you are, I think you have the right to protest this slew of lame and awful holiday-themed comedies or at the very least leave giant lumps of coal in the stockings of all these producers. It’s movies like “Four Christmases” that demonstrate how little Hollywood knows about making Christmas movies.

Instead of incorporating good and witty humor into their storylines, much like what I know has to be your personal favorite, “The Santa Clause”, producers these days seem to think audiences won’t come to see Christmas movies unless they’re filled with dumb slapstick humor (not the funny kind like in “Home Alone”) and bathroom humor. “Four Christmases” is filled with that stuff; it has a baby vomiting on a person on more than one occasion, a little girl inadvertently sticking a pregnancy test in her mouth after it’s been used and a man being pummeled by his UFC-trained “cage” wrestling brothers. By now Santa, you’re probably rubbing your forehead in frustration, and I share the sentiment. Obviously, you know that Christmas is better than a bad joke that falls flat on its face in almost every scene; with movies like “Four Christmases”, the good name of Christmas is getting dragged through the melted snow, and I think you should finally take action.

The movie stars Vince Vaughn (you know, that guy you almost had sued last year for using your brother’s name in a movie without your permission) and Reese Witherspoon. Their characters’ names are Brad and Kate, and they are an unmarried couple who are very content that way. Every year at Christmas, they create some elaborate, diabolical minefield of lies to get them out of actually spending time with their families so that they can take vacations to various tropical locations. If you actually delivered coal to adults, this pair would have enough to run their fireplace all winter. Each of Brad and Kate’s parents is divorced, so when their holiday trip to Fiji gets canceled due to major fog, they have no choice but to make the rounds to all four parental figures, hence the title “Four Christmases”. And Santa, if you’re wondering why Brad and Kate couldn’t just invite everyone over to their house, the answer is simply because then there wouldn’t be setups for different fun gags at each residence.

The parents are portrayed by Robert Duvall, Mary Steenburgen, Sissy Spacek and Jon Voight, visited in that order. What follows is a series of failed gags involving Vince Vaughn getting beat up and thrown around, and Reese Witherspoon being spit up on by babies and being attacked by children in a Moonbounce. Man, do I wish you could have come in and worked on this script!

So, I put together a short list for you of suggestions for fixing this and future potential Hollywood Christmas scripts:

1. Jokes that are actually funny. The jokes in this movie especially stink worse than expired eggnog, in particular the ones involving breast-feeding and baby vomit. This brings me to the next suggestion.

2. No babies vomiting, projectile vomiting, peeing on people or excreting any other bodily fluid while a character is within the target area. Putting stuff like that into a movie clearly shows how desperate you’re becoming, and you don’t want that to taint your image.

3. And finally, if you’re gonna have such refined actors in the roles of parents, make sure you actually give them something to do besides reading off perfunctory dialogue specifically written to cut down the actors playing their children. Otherwise, it’s all too clear that they’re in the movie just to dupe their own longtime fans into being robbed of their time and money.

I hope these are helpful suggestions and that I have successfully put you on alert for future bad Christmas movies. Oh, and this year, you can skip the houses of the four, count ‘em, four, writers who penned this screenplay.

I’m making my list of the year’s worst movies and checking it twice to make sure this movie is on it. Just one more question: are there any plans to progress to something worse than coal in stockings?

Rating: 1 star

DreamWorks Studios has let out of the bag the second full-length trailer for their upcoming  Monsters vs. Aliens. From the creative minds behind Kung Fu Panda and Shrek 2 comes a very comedic animated movie that is sure to make us all laugh.

Before checking out the trailer below, make sure you check out our Monster vs. Aliens gallery here.

Paramount gives us  Monsters vs. Aliens in both IMAX 3D and regular theaters on March 27th, 2009 next year. I will be front and center, well not front but center for this one in IMAX.

What do you all think so far about this?

I must say Dreamworks Animation has another sleeper hit on their hands with this one. Monsters vs. Aliens is being dubbed the sleeper hit of 2009 already. Do we have another Wall-E type hit? We shall see.

An invading alien pursues Susan Murphy (REESE WITHERSPOON)—a.k.a. Ginormica, having been clobbered with a meteor full of outer space gunk and growing to 49-feet-11-inches tall—in DreamWorks Animation’s “Monsters vs. Aliens,” which reinvents the classic ‘50s monster movie into an irreverent modern day action comedy.

When a meteorite from outer space hits a young California girl named Susan Murphy and turns her into a giant monster, she is taken to a secret government compound where she meets a ragtag group of monsters also rounded up over the years. As a last resort, under the guidance of General W.R. Monger, on a desperate order from The President, the motley crew of Monsters is called into action to combat the aliens and save the world from imminent destruction!

Monsters vs. Aliens will hit theaters on March 27th of 09. See you there