Nov 6 2009

The Men Who Stare at Goats

Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) is a reporter stationed in the middle east hoping to gain access to and report from Iraq. When Bob stumbles into Lyn Cassady (George Clooney), an amazing news story is dropped into his lap. Lyn is/was one of the best of the best in the U.S. Army’s First Earth Battalion, a unit formed during the cold war that specialized in creating soldiers with psychic abilities. Lead by the hippie-esque and enigmatic Bill Django (Jeff Bridges) the Earth Battalion made headway until a series of unfortunate experiences shut the program down. Years later, Larry Hooper (Kevin Spacey), another former member of the battalion restarts the research and development into some of the darker sides of the group, this time as a private enterprise. But can this dark work be stopped, and what will the public think of the exposed details? men-who-stare-at-goats-poster While not a stretch for any of the actors involved in the project, quality production value and decent enough script make this fun poke at military intelligence come together nicely. Unfortunately though, the end result is rather forgettable with few stand out moments. Still, this might work well as a matinee or a rental. The Men Who Stare at Goats is rated R.


Nov 6 2009

The Fourth Kind

In the distant town of Nome Alaska Dr. Abbey Tyler (Milla Jovovich) is a psychologist who discovers a pattern of similarities in patients having trouble sleeping at night. Upon further investigation it appears extraterrestrial involvement is likely the cause of the sleeplessness. More questions than answers quickly start forming, believers and nonbelievers are pitted against each other but more importantly will Tyler be able to protect herself and family from these close encounters? the_fourth_kind_poster Written and shot to look like a documentary/reenactment of actual events, the film makes for a convincing new brand of pseudo-reality horror. Decent acting lends to this illusion and unconventional editing provides for some good jump in your seat, exorcist scare type moments. Sadly the film loses steam towards the end but does make for good conversation asking the question “what if?” Maybe worth a matinee but feels more like a rental. The Fourth Kind is rated PG-13.


Nov 6 2009

A Christmas Carol

Director Robert Zemeckis makes another attempt to wow audiences with a hybrid of live action and computer animation, this time to the tale of Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol. Among the quality cast lending their voices and motion to the characters are Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman, Carey Elwes, and Robin Wright Penn, all of whom do a fantastic job in their roles. christmas-carol-poster From a technical standpoint the 3D animation and spectacle nature of the film ranks high; unfortunately, there’s not a lot besides the hollow glitz and glimmer to make this production stand out and shine any brighter than any other previous production. Still a good family friendly option for those looking for the festive spirit but best as a matinee or maybe a rental later. A Christmas Carol is rated PG.