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>Director: Peter Billingsley

Starring: Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman, Faizon Love, Jon Favreau, Malin Akerman, Kristen Bell, Kristin Davis, Kali Hawk, Tasha Smith, Carlos Ponce, Peter Serafinowicz, Jean Reno

Really, the best thing I can say about Vince Vaughns newest comedy is that he has given us worse films. I just cant think of any right now, but Im sure he has. Minor actor Peter Billingsley is behind the camera here and underutilizes his magnificent location possibilities and never finds the right pacing for this film. Lets not be too hard on him though, because the script (credited to three writers – usually not a good sign) is about two or three re-writes short of a hit. There are too many characters, too few jokes and the result is a plodding work that never gets the viewer to care about the outcome.

The mighty Invincible Vaughn is playing Vince as usual, though his name is Dave this time out and he is the hub of a circle married friends that includes Jason, who is played by Jason Bateman. Can everyone follow that. Jason has come to the conclusion that his sputtering marriage can only be salvaged by a week at a beautiful couples retreat. The catch is he can only afford such an extravagance if he can get the whole group to go and secure a better rate. There is some contrived blah, blah, blah (thats ok, most films, esp comedies do this in the beginning, but it is pretty obvious here and not very funny. Once there the group is subjected to an anal retentive concierage (or whatever he is supposed to be), an overly amorous yoga instructor and a control-obsessed, mysterious relationship genius played by Jean Reno. The couples discover exactly what you think they will discover after alot of lukewarm sexual jokes and hot bikini usage.

Not much to offer here, beyond the obvious. Vaughn fans and particularly easy to please comedy fans will find this one worth renting. I found it to be worth nothing unless one is planning to finish their film studies thesis with a treatise on the most forgetable work of the worlds most mediocre film stars.

Director: Michael Moore

Starring: Michael Moore

Michael Moore is back and using his well-known bombastic style to lambaste the capitalist system in general, and the Wall Street robber barons in particular. Moore’s main gripe this time out is the Washington 700 mil corporate bailout package. He talks about who got it, how they got it, what they did with it, and he has a few impressive points to make about it, though the film would have been better if it had focused a little more narrowly on that area instead of trying to pass judgement on the whole Capitalist system, which is better tackled in a 200 page thesis than a two hour movie..

Using his usual but always entertaining formula, Moore mixes humour with poignant stories of little people being crushed by the economic crisis, along with stories of the faceless grey system villains. Moore stays away from tackling many of these executives by name, perhaps because none of them talked to him or threatened endless legal action if he used any ambush interview footage. These leads to a drawback in this Moore effort. Perhaps as a victim of his own success, the only faces for these villains are those of hapless security guards and low level managers. The big guys know better than to even let him in the door and thus achieve everlasting celluloid infamy. At any rate, all of his leads to a slightly triumphant finish, again in accordance with his Moore formula style.

Not as funny as some of his past projects and a little light on the content, as well, but the Moore formula and style is in clear evidence. Fans will welcome his return and forgive any shortcomings, and those who are not fans, well, I don’t imagine that they will shell out their dough to see and hear the rants of a fat commie pinko anyway.

Writer/Director: Sean Ellis

Starring: Sean Biggerstaff, Emilia Fox, Shaun Evans, Michelle Ryan, Stuart Goodwin, Michael Dixon

What if you Had the ablility stop any moment in time and be able to really see the world for what it is. It’s beauty, it’s chaos. British Writer/Director Sean Ellis explores that exact idea in this indy work and unlike the Adam Sandler effort “Click” that had a somewhat similar premise, Cashback is original, funny and entertaining.

Ben Willis is an aspiring artist with no other real marketable trade. After a ugly break up with his girlfriend Suzy, he developes a nasty bout of insomnia. Having a hardtime filling the extra 8 hours a day he decides to start working at a 24 hour grocery store as a stock boy to pass the time. During his tenure of trading time for money, he meets a motley crew of characters that all have their own unique and often very humourous way of passing the time and boredom at work. It is here that he also realizes his undiscovere skill of being able to “freeze time” at any second and explore the world in that exact moment. It allows him to appreciate the true beauty of all things and all people in any frozen moment. The beauty he realizes most often is his co-worker and suspended animation muse Sharon. Ben developes the true depth of his talent for drawing in these captured moments.

Cashback is a refreshing story with a truely unique look at love and beauty. It is filled with clever dialogue and interesting characters and a clear message that the world is filled with beauty at all times, most of us just don’t take the time to see it. As with many good English indy films,the characters are interesting and fun to watch interact. Because of the backdrop of the late night supermarket and the eclectic cast of characters and the introspective lead character, this movie plays like a cross between Career Opportunities, Snatch and Garden State. If you liked any combination of those three you are sure to enjoy this one. If you have not seen those…..it looks like a four movie weekend for you!

Director: Renny Harlin

Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Ed Harris, Eva Mendes, Keke Palmer, Luis Guzman

Director Renny Harlin takes a shot at a cop conspiracy mystery, with mediocre results. The story is engaging but too familiar, and is filled with Hollywood stereotypes. Harlin shows some style with a dark film that could have used a distinctive setting, or more original characters to lift it out of a dusty, obscure spot on the video store shelf.

Samuel L. Jackson is Tom, an ex-cop struggling with past tragedy who now runs a death scene cleaning business, while raising his teenage daughter, played by Keke Palmer (Akeelah and the Bee). Soon, Tom finds himself embroiled in mysterious conspiracy of crooked cops.

The story of The Cleaner plays out like a weaker version of Mystic River or Gone Baby Gone, so fans of those films may find this acceptable as a rental choice, as long as their expectations are not too high.

The Cleaner – movie quotes:
“Most people don’t know this, but when someone dies in your house, and leaves a mess, it’s up to the family to clean it up.”
Movie lines from The Cleaner

Director: Stefan Ruzowitsky

Starring: Karl Markovics, August Diehl, Devid Striesow, Martin Brambach, August Zirner, Veit Stubner, Sebastien Urzendowsky, Andreas Schmidt,

The true story of the largest counterfeiting ring ever is subject of this Austrian sub-titled feature and believe if or not, it wasn’t the mob, the KGB or Danny Ocean and his pack of cool conmen. Nope, it was Adolph and his Berlin boys. Based on the book of Adolf Burger who was one of the participants in this grand scale double cross. Wonderful performances, haunting sets and an absorbing story help director Stefan Ruzowitsky, create a magnificent motion picture that took the Oscar for Best Foreign Language film in 2008.

Karl Markovics is Sally Sorowitsch, a tough and successful Jewish criminal in 1930s Berlin, who makes his money as the premiere counterfeiter in Europe and doesn’t care about the Nazis, until he is arrested by them and sent to a concentration camp. Soon, he is using his artistic talent to please them and stay alive. Soon, however a Nazi officer named Herzog (Devid Striesow) takes Sally to be leader of a squad of specially skilled prisoners whose task it is to successfully counterfeit the British pound for the Nazi’s benefit. At first, things go smoothly, but in time, one of the workers, Adolf Burger (August Diehl) begins to think that they should not aid the Nazi cause.

The Counterfeiters is a strong drama and WWII period piece. The subtitles are worth it to enjoy this film, particularly if you like true stories of people in the most difficult of situations. Imagine Schlinder’s List, if it was set inside a German concentration camp and you will have an idea of what to expect here, although it lacks the emotional impact of the stronger earlier holocaust film.

Director: Jon Poll

Starring: Anton Yechin, Robert Downey Jr., Hope Davis, Kat Dennings, Tyler Hilton

Director Jon Poll, of Meet The Fockers and Goldmember fame, reigns in his usual crazy comedy style to make Charlie Bartlett, which is a subdued dramedy that looks at teenagers searching for answers and asserting their independence in our pill-popping, therapy-driven society. It starts out comic and pulls more toward drama as the film progresses. The story is good and the characters are fine, particularly Charlie, himself. The acting is solid with the well-traveled Downey shining and backed up by a cast of talented youngsters. The dialog is good, but lacks the snappy one liners of more successful films of this genre.

Charlie Bartlett, played by the seasoned, but little known, Anton Yelchin, is a likable rich kid lacking guidance in a one-parent mansion, when his misplaced creativity and entrepreneurial spirit leads him to set up a printing press to make counterfeit ID at his boarding school. He is expelled, and his mother, played by Hope Davis (who also played Anton’s mother in Hearts in Atlantis, strangely enough) decides to try public school, where poor Charlie initially has some problems fitting in, until he turns into the school therapist, and pill dispenser. Along the way, he crosses paths with the new principal, (Robert Downey Jr.) and his cute daughter, Susan (Kat Dennings), as well as the school bully, Murphy, played by Tyler Hilton (nope, no relation to you-know-who).

Charlie Bartlett starts out with a neat idea and the film is slightly reminiscent of classics like Matthew Broderick’s Day Off, Risky Business and dozens of other lesser known features, the titles of which I’ve forgotten. It is pretty decent entertainment, but doesn’t quite have the zip to make it a real hit and I‘m afraid it is destined to join the dozens of unnamed and forgotten films mentioned above.

Director: Matt Reeves

Starring: Lizzy Caplan, Jessica Lucas, T. J. Miller, Michael Stahl-David, Mike Vogel, Odette Yustman

Writer Drew Goddard, and director Matt Reeves, both of whom have mostly little screen resumes, have come up with what will certainly be the first water-cooler-talk movie of 2008. This ambitious, small budget, (by Tinsel town standards, anyway) film got rung up for around 30 million. These days 30 large (ok, really large) will barely get you an A-list star, and these guys made an entire monster movie with it! Hats off and some applause for them on that! But, what about the end result? Is this movie any good? Well, yes, it is pretty good as well. This is film-making in the true reality TV style. The entire movie is seen through the eyes of a video camera being carried by the characters and takes place in a 24 hour period. It starts slow, but when it picks up speed, it doesn’t slow down. The small cast all have TV backgrounds, except for Mike Vogel, and all were unknowns to me. They do a good job with a script that mostly calls for running and saying ‘Oh my God’ a lot. The characters are not well-developed and that is an area that could have been improved, but I don’t think Reeves wanted to slow down, once he got moving. The story is simple and incomplete, since we only know what the characters see and they don’t know what’s going on, either. The results are effective, and create a mood that is unlike virtually any film I have ever seen.

Rob (Michael Stahl-David) is enjoying his last day in New York with his friend, Beth (Odette Yustman) before heading off to work in Japan. Things move rapidly to an evening surprise party for him, put on by his brother, Jason (Mike Vogel), who is told by his gf Lily to video tape the festivities so Rob has something to take with him. Jason promptly passes the task off to their friend, Hud (T. J. Miller). The story spends longer at this party than needed and still doesn’t let us get to know the characters well enough, but things pick up when their building is rocked by something that feels like an earth tremor. The group takes to the streets where they are soon bombarded with the detached head of the Statue of Liberty. Hmm, that seems unusual. Soon, the small group is fleeing Manhattan (like everyone else, except for incoming military forces), only to try to return when Rob gets a call from Beth, who has been trapped in her apartment.

Cloverfield is packed with tension and has an original style that has really only been seen in the Blair Witch Project previously. Imagine Blair Witch turned into a monster movie with a lot more cash to spend, a far better script, and you will have a pretty good idea of what to expect here. If you have any emotional issues in seeing New York in an authentic state of panic, or have tendencies toward motion sickness, then this may not be the best choice for you, but, besides that, I recommend it if for no other reason, than being a movie that really is different. That is a rare sight, indeed…

Director: Mike Nichols

Starring: Tom Hanks, Amy Adams, Julia Roberts, Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Tom Hanks is Hollywood’s can’t-miss man, and his record is intact after this fascinating true story about a hard partying U.S. congressman, a beautiful, wealthy, right wing Texan and a no-shit, sharp-as-a-razor, CIA pariah, who come together and manage to garner support for Afghan fighters battling the Russians. The rapid fire exchanges between Hanks and Seymour are fantastic and their characters are great. Roberts’ role is not as well-written and never did sell me, but this is still an interesting, and surprisingly funny film.

It’s the early 1980s and Tom Hanks is an easy-going, alcohol-addicted, but Washington-savvy congressman named Charlie Wilson, who is happy just staying elected, keeping his voters happy and enjoying all the perks available to a high-ranking politician. Wilson’s party world is disrupted when a rich supporter and friend, Joanne Herring (Julia Roberts), prevails upon him to visit Afghanistan and see the state of the brave people there, who are suffering horribly in their resistance against the Russian invasion. Charlie comes back, looking to improve their condition. He soon finds a sharp, but disgruntled CIA operative to help him and, against all odds, these three single-handedly engineer a covert change in US policy that would change history.

It’s funny. It’s interesting. It’s hard to believe it’s true. The emotional manipulation gets a little heavy-handed in spots and the overly light view of guerilla warfare is disturbing at times, but the strengths of Charlie Wilson’s War compensate for these weaknesses. The dialog is witty, cool and delivered perfectly by two great actors, playing colorful characters in a story that you will remember for some time. See it. You’ll like it.

Director: Kevin Willmott

What if the Confederacy had won the Civil War and slavery had continued? This wonderful project, dripping with satire and irony, shows us an America that never freed the slaves in great detail. It strives to use variety to hold its viewers, but does run low on steam, although there is no denying its creativity. There is enough tongue-in-cheek humor mixed in and many different methods of delivering the content to keep it from becoming dry, but it is a little repetitive.

This clever and imaginative mockumentry is presented as a British documentary, airing for the first time in America that looks back at the C.S.A.’s history since the Civil War. This program is presented right along with commercials from modern C.S.A., gives a wonderfully imaginative, alternate version of 140 years of American history told through interviews, movie scenes and news clips. There are countless tie-ins with authentic historical events.

This film is a gift to admirers of well-done documentaries, history buffs and aficionados of satirical works. Top-notch writing pays off here and the feature is brimming with humor and imagination. This will be enjoyable by all thinking viewers, with a particularly strong ending.

Director: Harold Ramis

Starring: Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, Ted Knight, Michael O’Keefe
Rodney Dangerfield, Cindy Morgan, Tony Annunzio

Harold Ramis directed this comedy classic that gave us some of the funniest and most memorable scenes from Chase, Murray and Dangerfield. Knight is also standout in one of his only movie roles. Part of the movie is basically an average teen sex comedy, but, it also has some comedy scenes that are among the best ever put on film. Is that going too far? No, I don’t think it is.

The film is set at Bushwood Country Club, where Judge Smails (Knight) rules and has his hands full. Besides dealing with an obnoxious real estate baron (Dangerfield), a promiscuous niece and worrying about gophers destroying the course, he also has to decide who gets the coveted caddy scholarship. Danny (O’Keefe) is after it and seeks the advice of young eccentric millionaire, Ty Webb (Chase). Meanwhile, Bill Murray is sent to war with the gopher. In short, there is a lot going on at Bushwood and a lot of it has nothing to do with golf.

This is one of my favorite comedies (now that I think of it, so is Happy Gilmore. Maybe I just find golf, really funny.) If you are a Bill Murray, Chevy Chase or Rodney Dangerfield fan, and you have somehow let this comedy escape you, tee it up.