Movie Reviews

Young People Fucking
The biggest problem with the delightful iYoung People Fuckingi is its title. Perhaps filmmakers Martin Gero and Aaron Abrams thought that dropping an expletive connoting the sexual act into mix would draw more folks into the theater, but in reality it just makes the public at large think that this charming, dialogue-driven relationship comedy is nothing but cheap Canadian porn.

Traitor
ITraitorI is not excessively dumb or bloodthirsty, and in its own awkward way wants to say something about the way we define good and bad in this modern war on terror. First-time director Jeffrey Nachmanoff handles things competently enough, and anyone whos worn out on Tom Clancy novels could probably do worse.

The House Bunny
Karen Lutz and Kristen Smiths script takes the standard college nerds make good formula, and replaces the usual slate of disgusting male dorks with girls who dont use deodorant. Its IRevenge of the NerdsI meets ILegally BlondeI, only without most of the things that made either of those movies fun.

Hamlet 2
IHamlet 2I has the kind of generic, boilerplate premise that the most brilliant comedies can come from. Depressed, failed actor Dana Marschz Steve Coogan has become a depressed, failed drama teacher in the town of Tuscon, Arizona, which nearly all of its residents regard as the place where hope goes to die.

The Longshots
Its not hard to make a sports movie; the basic elements have surrounded us ever since Gene Hackman was a coach in Indiana. Or is that since Sean Astin played for Notre Dame? Either way, everyone knows what it takes. A ragtag team, a coach with personal problems and a stubborn attitude, a community hesitant at first but eventually willing to support the team; and...

Death Race
Paul W.S. Andersons IDeath RaceI is based, in name at least, on the Roger Corman cult classic IDeath Race 2000I. Because the original is something of an underground favorite, fans have been quick to cry sacrilege on the new version, but I cant help thinking that if theres any man worthy of remaking a Corman movie it has to be Paul W.S. Anderson.

Mirrors
Like hitting up the carnival fun house with a belly full of mushrooms ready to turn ugly, theres just something inherently goofy, buffoonish, and maybe even wrong about paying to see Jack Bauer scream at his own reflection for an hour and a half. Unfortunately, that kooky premise and a vaguely M.C. Escher-esque title sequence are pretty much all that separate IMirrorsI from every tired...

Henry Poole Is Here
What is a miracle? Ask six different people and youre bound to get six different answers. One person might call it a supernatural divine intervention. Another might say its a coincidental event that happens at an opportune time. Yet another might suggest there is no such thing, its just something people make for themselves out of sheer will to survive or to help them cling to their faith.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Its taken 30 years, but George Lucas has finally gotten around to showing fans the epic, long-dreamed of Clone Wars first talked about back in 1977. We started fantasizing about high-octane space battles for the first time in the deserts of Tatooine, when Obi Wan Kenobi told Luke Skywalker of a time long ago when he and Anakin Skywalker fought side by side in an expansive war.

Fly Me to the Moon 3D
More like a Nickelodeon cartoon than anything intended for the big screen, IFly MeI is a lazily made turd that thinks it will be polished by 3D gimmickry. Relying on undiscerning parentsor perhaps napping onesand kids who are hankering for even more space adventures after ISpace ChimpsI and IWall-EI, the movie is little more than an excuse to take advantage of the theaters air conditioning.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona
All but the truest Woody Allen fanatics are invited to be skeptical of the premise behind IVicky Cristina BarcelonaI, a premise shared by many a soft core porn. Vicky Rebecca Hall and Cristina Scarlett Johansson, beautiful young best friends with vastly different views on life, become experienced in love thanks to the guiding, sexy presence of painter Juan Antonio...

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2
From an ideological perspective, theres a lot to like about ISisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2I, a shiny, buoyant movie about young women that gives them actual personalities and brains. Blessed with four talented actresses returning for the sequel, as well as a fiercely loyal fanbase, the movie didnt have to do much to satisfy its audience.

Pineapple Express
The script for IPineapple ExpressI, by ISuperbadI writers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, takes a little bit of IHarold and KumarI and mixes it with a little bit of ILethal WeaponI to come up with a movie thats both a drug comedy and a high-octane action flick. But it never comes together as a full on action comedy really, the movies action scenes never quite seem to fit together with its comedy scenes.

Baghead
Minimalist to a fault and almost painfully awkward to watch iBagheadi is the type of film that will most likely only be enjoyed by the kind of people it portrays: young, urban, good looking read: White girls and boys with artistic aspirations, but who really only devote their creative energy to figuring out whos hooking up with who, when, and where.

Tropic Thunder
ITropic ThunderI is a full frontal, comedy assault. It doesnt just present jokes on the screen and then wait for you to laugh, it shoves comedy dynamite up your nose and then giggles while it lights the fuse. Ben Stiller has created a wicked satirical attack on Hollywood, one that pulls no punches and takes a weirdly dark journey deep into the heart of blockbuster filmmaking.