“The Nines”

Ryan Reynolds
Hope Davis
Melissa McCarthy
Elle Fanning
David Denham
Octavia Spencer
Dahlia Salem
Ben Falcone

R           99min           2007

The Nines consists of three short films, each featuring the same actors in different – and sometimes overlapping – roles. Together, three stories form a single narrative that explores the relationships between author and character, actor and role, creator and creation. Alternatively funny and unsettling, The Nines is like a riddle where the answer is the question: “How does it all add up?” – from the back cover.

“The Nines”is actually a better film that my preconceptions. This is a film that has it progress it gives you more and more clues which in turn makes it more confusing and interesting. This ensemble of cast connects well with each other. I think that Elle Fanning stands out in this group with her presence in her little amount of screen time.

The clues are at first confused me, as a view. Then as it progressed to the third act everything made sense. Then on a second view I noticed more clues or easter egg that explain major points of the film. You really have to have your eyes open and know what you are looking for.

The cast gels very well; playing many characters that tell and overall tale. “The Nines” is a misleading title that is a clue to the tale. Even though is only about six actors playing several characters, each character is unique. They also connect to each other and the other characters in the film.

The actor that stands out in the film is Elle Fanning. She steals the show in the few minutes that she is on screen. I felt she was under used but also efficiently used in her screen time. She brings emotional weight for such a young actress and character.

There are two commentaries one is with the director John August and Ryan Reynolds and the other is director, editor Douglas Crise, and Melissa McCarthy. It has deleted scenes with optional commentary. There is a script to storyboard to screen comparison featurette. There is also a photo gallery, short film “GOD” by John august, and an alternate ending. The movie previews are for “Dragon Wars”, “Southland Tales”, “Revolver”, “Resident Evil: Extinction”, “Boogeyman 2”, “Gabriel”, “Slipstream”, “Across the Universe”.

I give it 4/5.

“Moving McAllister”

Ben Gourley
Mila Kunis
Jon Heder
Rutger Hauer
Huppel Palmer
Peter Jason
William Mapother
Zack Ward
Patricka Darbo
Joe Unger
Maclain Nelson

PG13           90min           2007

Rick Robinson is a ladder-climbing law intern from Miami with four days until the Bar Exam. Desperate to score points with his boss (McAllister), he commits to a favor he cannot afford. He ends up in a rundown truck headed to L.A. with his boss’s possessions, his Hollywood-bound niece, and her pet pig. Amidst hitchhikers, breakdowns, and assorted local yokels, Rick finds love, life and maybe himself in this trans-American road trip from hell. – from imdb

“Moving McAllister” is not the best romantic comedy but it has it’s moments. For the most, point many of the scenes in this film do not seem believable. You real cannot believe anything that is happening around them but maybe the trivial love story. The thing that hurts this film is Jon Heder.

Everything around this couple seems so over the top that it is unbelievable. There is nothing that registers emotionally. It is life unbelievable and you are watching a borderline boring film. Sometimes even the love story is unbelievable.

The major thing that hurts “Moving McAllister” is Jon Heder. He is again doing his one-man actor. Every character he is ever played is a varying degree of Napoleon Dynamite. It’s situation where he has let himself get typed cast as this character.

“Moving McAllister” is bare on special features. It only has a behind the scenes featurette and some deleted scenes. The movie previews are for “Ira and Abby”, “Weirdsville” and “Great World of Sound”.

I give it 2/5.

“King of California”

Michael Douglas
Evan Rachel Wood
Willis Burks II
Laura Kachergus
Paul Lieber
Kathleen Wilhoite

PG13           93min           2007

After spending several years in a mental institution, Charlie (Michael Douglas) is sent home, reuniting with his teenage daughter, Miranda (Evan Rachel Wood). Charlie becomes obsessed with the notion that a long lost Spanish treasure is buried underneath their local suburban California Costco. Disconnected from reality and his daughter’s life, Charlie’s erratic behavior further strains their relationship and completely disrupts Miranda’s peaceful existence.

Initially skeptical, Miranda soon finds herself joining in Charlie’s questionable antics in an effort to believe in her father and give him one last shot at accomplishing his dreams in this darkly funny, exciting and surprisingly hopeful take on the modern family and the American dream.

“King of California” is a quirky film that has heart. Even through all the chaos of the film at the heart of this film is about a father loving his daughter. Michael Douglas goes a good job of portraying a functioning mental patient on the verge of falling off. Evan Rachel Wood does a great job of portraying a sixteen year old having to take care of herself.

At the heart of this film is a man trying to do right by his daughter. For the most part Michael Douglas’s character is a disruption in the life of Evan Rachel Wood’s character. Her character has fallen through the crack and has become self sufficient at fifteen. This time around he truly wants to do right by his child and has spent his time trying to figure out how to leave her his legacy.

Michael Douglas does a great job portraying a man with a history of mental instability. Just as in real life there are moments when he seems totally sane and coherent, and other moments when you just know he’s about to fall into the abyss. It is those peaks and valleys in his performance that are believable. It’s also what makes the ending, of “King of California”, so touching.

Evan Rachel Wood does a great job of being a believable teenager. She is a girl barely making it when her father comes out of another stint in the institution. His presence is truly a disruption to her but she still loves her father. It is that love that makes her follow her father on this path of what most would consider a fool’s errand.

There is a making of featurette. There are standard outtakes. There is a audio commentary by writer/director Mike Cahill. The movie preview are for “The Amateurs”, “Day Zero”, “Smiley Faces”, “The Contract”, “10 Items or Less”, “Journey to the End of the Night”, “The Proposition”, “Relative Strangers”, “A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints”, and “Paris Je T’aime”

I give it 3/5.

“Feel the Noise”

Omarion Grandberry
Zulay Henao
James McCaffrey
Kellita Smith
Malik Yoba
Melonie Diaz
Victor Rasuk
Giancarlo Esposito
Rosa Arredondo

PG13           89min           2007

From producer Jennifer Lopez comes a danceable, dynamic story about the unifying power of the music within us all. When life in the South Bronx gets too hot for rapper Rob (Omarion Grandberry, You Got Served), he flees to Puerto Rico and a father he never knew. After half-brother Javi introduces Rob to the seductive rhythms of Reggaeton, the two find that their music – and cultures— have more in common than they ever imagined. – from the back cover

“Feel the Noise” is not so much about the story they were telling than the music they were portraying. For the most part the movie is about the journey of this one song being made with the story taking a secondary nature to that tale. The story is a generic story and could have been told anywhere Reggeaton is huge.

The story is too generic. The film focuses on the Rob, his stepbrother Javi, and Rob’s new girlfriend C.C. as they try to launch their careers in music and dance. For me was the history of the older cast featuring Giancarlo Esposito, Kellita Smith, and Rosa Arredondo. Their story would have been a more interesting back drop and then the kids could have been the sequel.

This DVD is mainly bare. There is a making of featurette. Then there is the featurette highlighting Reggeaton. The movie previews are for “Vantage Point”, “Across the Universe”, “21”, “You Got Served”, “Stomp the Yard”, “Rent”, “Dragon Wars”, “This Christmas”.

I give it 3/5.

“Daddy Day Camp”

Cuba Gooding Jr.
Lochlyn Munro
Richard Gant
Tamala Jones
Paul Rae
Brian Doyle-Murphy
Joshua McLerran
Spencer Bridges

PG           89min           2007

Daddy Day Care pals Charlie and Phil are back in this hilarious, all-new adventure: Daddy Day Camp. When the dads expand their childcare magic to Camp Driftwood – serving up sports, crafts and teaching the kids a thing or two about nature, they discover the camp has everything it needs except a plan to put bullies of rival camp Canola to shame.

“Daddy Day Camp” is your standard sequel. It is inferior to the original film. Doesn’t star any of the original actors and the story felt tired and rehashed.

This film is does not have the magic of the original. It does not have the sincere fun likeability of the first. You can tell that this film was made to capitalize on the “Daddy Day Care” without the “Daddy Day Care” money. They should have left it alone.

Not taking anything away from Cuba Gooding, but this is one of the last movie franchises that Eddie Murphy did right. Having Cuba take his place for the second time is like making him the poor man’s Eddie Murphy. It is not a career path that he wants to go through. Yet, it a clear fact that is in this “Daddy Day Camp”.

This is a bare DVD. There is a making of featurette. The only other special feature is a ‘What I Did at Camp’ Interactive Quiz. There are movie previews for “Water Horse”, “The Final Season”, “The Prince and the Pauper”, “Storm Hawks”, “Are We Done Yet?”, “Daddy Day Care”, and “Surf’s Up”.

I give it 1/5.

“.45″

Milla Jovovich
Angus Macfadyen
Stephen Dorff
Aisha Tyler
Sarah Strange
Vincent Laresca
Dawn Greenhalgh
Nola Augustson




R           97min           2006

Kat (Milla Jovovich) is a bad girl with a passion for guns and danger. Stuck in a life of crime and controlled by her ruthless, drug-dealing boyfriend Big Al ( Macfadyen), she wants more than what he has to offer. When Kat starts making her own deals and Big Al’s sidekick (Dorff) professes his love for her, tensions rise and jealously explodes into a violent rage. Desperate to start a better life, Kat knows revenge is the only answer. Now, with help on her side, she will stop at nothing to take down Big Al once and for all. – from back cover

“.45” is filled with everything but the rock ‘n roll. Millia turns in another performance that plays to her strengths. Good cast of actors supports her. I think this film shows a stark outlook of reality that people face every day.

Milla Jovovich has been known for her controversy part and has started to come out into the mainstream. This time around, she plays a part that plays to her strengths. She enigmatic and uses every available weapon at her disposal to get what she wants. Jovovich never falters and plays a character that is trouble the moment she hit the screen, yet no one in this film has even to resist her. It is a part that over her career she has become comfortable playing.

She is support by some good character actors in Aisha Tyler, Stephen Dorff, and Angus Macfadyen. The each play characters with transparent motives. They each play them with capabilities to enhance the character. They each give their characters that make them jump from what was on the script page of “.45”.

I found “.45” to have a reality that is rarely seen in films. The city breeds these people and I have met several real life counterparts to these characters growing up. It the survival of the fittest and they are like the crabs fighting to the top of the barrel. They will rip the limb from the other crabs to be on top.

This DVD on contains an audio commentary with the filmmakers and the theatrical trailer. The movie previews on this DVD are “The Last Confederate”, “Life of the Party”, “Candy” and “Farce of the Penguins”.

I give it 3/5.

“Becasue I Said So”

Diane Keaton
Mandy Moore
Gabriel Macht
Tom Everett Scott
Lauren Graham
Piper Perabo
Stephens Collins

PG13           102min           2007

Academy award- winning actress Diane Keaton with Mandy Moore, Lauren Graham, and Piper Perabo in this heartwarming comedy about mothers, daughters and cutting the apron strings. When it comes to her three free-spirited daughters, Daphne (Keaton) is just your normal over-protective, overbearing, over-the-top mother. Worried that her youngest daughter, Millie (Moore), will end up alone, Daphne meddles in her daughter’s love life until she ends up doing all the wrong things for all the right reasons…and in the name of motherly love. – from the back cover

“Because I Said So” is a chick flick that mothers and daughters should watch together. It’s a film totally about there interaction between one another. When I watched it I felt like a man invading on ‘Women’s World’ and it was a little uncomfortable. It did not fit with my natural rhythms I have with most movies.

Based on the reaction of my mother and sister they both liked it and appraised ti from its representation of mother and daughter’s relationship with one another. So this is not a date chick film, men who are reading this. “Because I Said So” is a film that would be screened at Lillith Fest if it still took place. But you probable will score point for watching it with her.

The ensemble cast is what makes this film work. The women felt like they were a family and they worked with in the specific roles. The men in the film came in and just like planets around the women’s sun rotated and hovered around waiting to be called up. It worked for the film for the story they were telling.

There is a making of featurette highlight the “Wilder” world. There is an pregnancy ad from iVillage. The final special feature is a music video “World Spins Madly On” by the Weepies. The movie previews are for “Breach”, “Knocked Up” and “Curious George”.

I give it 3/5.

“SAW IV”

Tobin Bell
Scott Patterson
Costas Mandylor
Betsy Russell
Lyriq Bent
Justin Louis
Athena Karkanis
Simon Reynolds
Mike Realba
Marty Adams
Sarain Boylan
Billy Otis

Unrated           95min           2007

When SWAT Commander Rigg is abducted and thrust into a game, the last officer untouched by jigsaw has but ninety minutes to overcome a series of demented traps and save an old friend… or face the deadly consequences.

“Saw IV” is the topping on the masterpiece that is SAW. This time around, you finally understand the madness in the mind of the man. Having seen Jigsaw die in the third one you find out how his work will continue. At the end of that statement, raise a multitude of questions.

For this entire series, I always wondered what would make a man create such demented contraption. This time it is more about the character than traps; that still play a major part of the film. There is more revelation revealed in this film than any other film to day in the SAW franchise. This film made it worth all the sicken scenes I had to watch to get to this point.

Jigsaw is dead in this one but is revived through flashback. “Saw IV” takes place during the same period as SAW III. This one shows the other half of Jigsaw’s equation. His work will definitely continue making wonder how many little experiments Jigsaw had running. It also made me wonder how many were successful in ‘appreciating their lives’.

Appreciate this SAW IV for this is the final part of a masterpiece. This is a franchise that was strong throughout; one of the first perfect quadilogies. I have come to appreciate the dementedness and the madness of the man. You understand why Jigsaw does what he does.

“Saw IV” is full of special features, many as standard as on the other movie disc and so more. There is an audio commentary with producers and executive producer, the other is with the director and actor Lyriq Bent. There is the standard feature of Darren’s Diary, the traps, and the props. There is a music video IV by X Japan and deleted scenes. The movie previews are for “The Eye”, “Rambo”, “Skinwalkers”, “Boy Eat Girls”, “WAR”, Fearnet.com, Condemned 2: Bloodshot

I give it 3/5.

“SAW III”

Tobin Bell
Shawnee Smith
Angus Macfadyen
Bahar Soomekh
Dina Meyer
Costas Mandylor
Mpho Koaho
Barry Flatman
Debra Lynn McCabe
Niamh Wilson
Lyriq Bent
Alan Van Sprang

Unrated           113min           2006

Along with his new apprentice Amanda (Shawnee Smith), the puppet-master behind the cruel, intricate games that have terrified a community and baffled police has once again eluded capture and vanished. While a city detectives scramble to locate him, Doctor Lynn Denlon (Bahar Soomekh) and Jeff Reinhart (Angus Macfadyen) are unaware that they are about to become the latest pawns on his vicious chessboard.

“Saw III – Director’s Cut” is not what it seems. It plays out as any other Saw with the gruesome traps that are demented and sick. Those contraptions border on the edge of sanity with the ingenuity of an engineer. This film shows just how smart Jigsaw is.

“SAW III” is the continuing saga of Jigsaw, his assistant Amanda, and their work. It is full of the trademark features of the SAW franchise, yet this is the third film, and they are still ingenious in design. They are also some of the most demented contraptions I have ever seen created.

I’m really glad that the creators of this films have this outlet. To think that they didn’t scares me because they are some of the most sick and twisted films on screen. “Saw III – Director’s Cut” means its another year that some does not go off the deep end.

It is a twisted tale that the audience is a fly on the wall for. The doctor is in and he’s seeing patients. When the end comes you, realize that Jigsaw is a complicated man, who trusts no one. I think that is his downfall through this film. He can never put your trust in an caged animal that is rabid.

It has the standard features found on the other DVDs. There are features highlighting the traps and props of Saw III. There is the diary by the director called “Darren’s Diary”. There are a few deleted scenes, theatrical trailer and teasers. There are movie previews for “Crank”, “Saw II”, “The Punisher: Extended Cut”, “The Invincible Ironman”, and “Hostel: Part II”

I give it 3/5.

“The Gameplan”

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
Kyra Segwick
Morris Chestnut
Roselyn Sanchez
Madison Pettis
Gordon Clapp
Paige Turco
Brian White
Hayes MacArthur
Jamal Duff
Kate Nauta
Robert Torti

PG           110min           2007

A superstar with an ego bigger than a football field, Joe Kingman (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) is getting ready for a run at the big championship game when the 8-year-old daughter he never knew existed shows up at this not-so-family-friendly bachelor pad. As the big game gets closer, he begins to realize the most meaningful win he can achieve is the heart of the one little fan who counts the most.

“The Game Plan” is a family film geared to a young audience. It’s a Disney film made with the Disney’s sensibility. Johnson did it for the paycheck and his not the star of this show. It’s a family film that the kids will like and parents can tolerate.

It is a family film. There is not that much adult humor in the film. Some of the stuff that Pettis gets away with should lead to some kind of punishment but its laughed off as children will be children. For the most part she is running this household and has daddy wrapped around her finger from the moment he knows she is his.

“The Game Plan” is a film that “The Rock” had to have done for the paycheck. He tries to do comedy but a man that big is struggling to make it funny. He is still trying to ride the wave of his Saturday Night Live success. Most of his team mates are so much more forgiving than real life. Then to top it off he is not the star of his own top bill film.

Madison Pettis and Kyra Segwick steal the show from him every time they are on the screen. Pettis is the highlight of this film and is just adorable and obnoxious at the same time. Segwick as Johnson’s agent is funny the moment she hits the screen. She created a character with quirks that funny to watch; it shows why she is an underrated talent in Hollywood.

As this is a Disney DVD “The Game Plan” has many specialized special features. It has blooper and deleted with commentary by Marv Albert. There is a fictional ESPN bio piece on Joe King hosted by Stuart Scott. A featurette on Johnson learning the fundamentals of Quarterbacking is one of about four other featurettes. There are movie previews for “101 Dalmations: Special Edition”, “Wall E”, “Enchanted”, “Tinker Bell”, “Snow Buddies”, “The Aristocats”, and “Twitches Too”.

I give it 3/5.