February 2010

COUPLES RETREAT (PG-13: m, d, bl, s) Comedy/Romance
Jason (Jason Bateman) and Cynthia (Kristen Bell), on the brink of divorce due to troubles having a baby, decide to go for week of couples’ skill building on an exotic island. In order to afford it, however, they must convince their friends to join them. After intensive nagging and pulling of heartstrings, Dave (Vince Vaughn) and Veronica (Malin Akerman), Joey (Jon Favreau) and Lucy (Kristin Davis), and the recently divorced Shane (Faizon Love) taking his new girlfriend Trudy (Kali Hawk), agree to go. But the West Island of Eden, on which they have their luxurious accommodations, requires they attend marriage counseling. They’re angry about it and prefer the East Island reserved for fun-loving singles, but after seeing the fantastic activities the island has to offer, they agree to stay. The food and massages are great, but the 6 AM counseling, wild yoga sessions, and sharks are not. Perhaps an escape to the East Island will prove to be an unexpected solution to their problems. 113 min. (Slavin)

ZOMBIELAND (R: m, bd, l, gv) Comedy/Horror/Thriller
In the midst of a world affected by an infection which has turned almost everyone into a ravaging zombie, a young nerd (Jesse Eisenberg) has figured out a way to stay alive by establishing a set of thirty-one rules. The first four call for him to stay in shape (cardio), shoot a zombie in the head even if you think it’s already dead (double tap), don’t get caught with your pants down (beware of bathrooms), and always wear your safety belt. Trying to get home to Columbus, he meets a rough character (Woody Harrelson) on his way to Tallahassee. These totally different types decide to stick together when they come across two sisters, (Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin), who con them and steal their stuff. Meeting up again, the four make their way to an amusement park where they must fight off hoards of zombies. It’s a very funny ride with a riotous stopover at the home of a famous movie star. 81 min. (Slavin)

LAW ABIDING CITIZEN (R: m, bd, gl, bs, gv) Suspense/Thriller
One quiet evening, two men broke into his home and killed the wife and daughter of Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler). The killers were caught and brought to trial, but prosecuting attorney Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx), overly protective of his 96 percent conviction rate, insisted on cutting a deal with Clarence Darby (Christian Stolte), in exchange for fingering his partner, Rupert Ames (Josh Stewart). Enraged by this, Shelton waited years for Ames’ execution and Darby’s release from prison to begin his attack on the justice system he felt was severely flawed. After allowing himself to be apprehended by the authorities for his grisly revenge on Ames and Darby, he verbally attacked the judge and ended up in prison… just where he wanted to be in order to continue his mission of punishing everyone involved in the bureaucracy that perpetrated injustice in the name of justice. Frustrated, Rice must stop the crazed Shelton before he and his family became the next victims. With Regina Hall and Viola Davis. 109 min. (Slavin)

THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE (PG-13: bpn, bs) Drama/Romance/Sci-Fi
Based on the best-selling novel by Audrey Niffenegger, this fantasy film introduces us to Henry DeTamble (Eric Bana), a man cursed with a strange genetic anomaly. Whenever stressed, he would disappear into another time frame, leaving all his clothes behind. Naked, he would have to break into places, steal clothes, and avoid the police. One day while he’s working in a Chicago library, Clare Abshire (Rachel McAdams) goes up to him and tells him that they have been meeting for years, beginning when she was only six years old. Having been reintroduced, the two share their love, and eventually marry. She is patient about his continuous disappearances; he is determined not to let it ruin their marriage. But it’s a tough go, because even though Clare has known of Henry’s affliction all along, she begins to yearn for normality. Ron Livingston is featured as the only guy with whom Henry shares his secret, in this beautifully told tale of romance. 107 min. (Slavin)

THE STEPFATHER (PG-13: m, bs, v) Suspense/Thriller
A man exits a home in Salt Lake City, leaving dead bodies behind. He drives to Portland, Oregon, and meets a recently divorced woman in a grocery store. Six months later, David Harris (Dylan Walsh) has impressed Susan Harding (Sela Ward) enough to convince her that he is the guy for her. They’re engaged and living in her home with her two younger children when her oldest son Michael (Penn Badgley) returns home from military school and is distressed by the turn of events. But his girlfriend Kelly (Amber Heard) assures him that David is a nice guy. At first Michael is taken in as well, but soon sees and hears things that seriously raise his suspicions. Michael, along with his biological father (Jon Tenney), and Susan’s friends (Paige Turco and Sherry Stringfield) start to unravel the mystery, but it may be too late. The ending will leave you with mixed emotions. 101 min. (Slavin)
 
THE INFORMANT! (R: l) Comedy/Drama
It’s 1992. Successful executive for a agri-business firm Archer Daniels Midland, Mark Whitaker (Matt Damon) has been a major player in international price fixing schemes initiated by his bosses (Tom Papa, Rick Overton). Encouraged by his wife (Melanie Lynskey), and concerned about become a fall guy should the company be found out, Whitaker decides to work with FBI special agents Brian Shepard (Scott Bakula) and Bob Herndon (Joel McHale) to spill the beans and bring the top executives down. He fully expects that because of his cooperation, he will be able to take over as president of the company. His tactics, however, are clumsy and questionable, and eventually he finds himself in very deep water. Struggling to extract himself from the middle of all the trouble, he only digs himself a bigger hole. Based on actual events, this fascinating film presents a serious situation in a strange and often humorous light. Keep an eye open for Tom and Dick Smothers, who appear in interesting cameos. 108 min. (Slavin)

LOVE HAPPENS (PG-13: bd, bl) Drama/Romance
Widower Burke Ryan (Aaron Eckhart) decided to cope with the death of his wife by writing a motivational book, and now he has come to Seattle to conduct a seminar for people grieving over the loss of a loved one. He believes in making lemonade out of lemons, but he secretly adds vodka to his. He says that happiness is a state of mind, but he seems to be faking it himself. While his agent (Dan Fogler) has him on the fast track to the big time, Burke finds himself attracted to Eloise Chandler (Jennifer Aniston), the hotel florist. Their first date, coming after a fight in the men’s room, is a dull disastrous dinner, but they soon find themselves very much attracted to each other. Eloise soon sees behind Burke’s struggle, and tries to get him to see that he is not practicing what he preaches. Featured are John Carroll Lynch, Martin Sheen, Judy Greer, and Frances Conroy. 109 min. (Slavin)

THE BOX (PG-13: bv) Suspense/Thriller/Sci-Fi
Set in 1976. Less than two weeks before Christmas, Norma and Arthur Lewis (Cameron Diaz and James Marsden) are awakened by their doorbell. At the front door sits a package wrapped in plain brown paper. Inside is a box with a button encased in a locked glass cover. Later that day, a disfigured man announcing himself as Arlington Steward (Frank Langella) comes to the house and tells Norma that if she and/or her husband will push the button, they will receive a million dollars, but that someone they do not know will die. Conscious stricken, but strapped for money, Norma decides to push the button, starting a series of strange and surreal events. No matter what they do, Arlington knows about it, causing the couple to almost reach the breaking point. Gets us thinking about good versus evil, and making the right choices. Directed by Richard Kelly (“Donnie Darko”) from a “Twilight Zone” episode taken from a short story by Richard Matheson. 116 min. (Slavin)

AMELIA (PG) Drama/Adventure
After becoming the first woman to fly across the Atlantic, Amelia Earhart (Hilary Swank) was thrust into a new role as America's sweetheart. In the summer of 1937, Amelia set off on her most daunting mission yet: a solo flight around the world
With her navigator, Fred Noonan (Christopher Eccleston), make their way home after circling the world. But instead of refueling on Howland Island, a speck of land in the middle of the vast Pacific Ocean, they drop radio contact and are never seen again. The biopic chronicles this fateful journey and the years leading up to it, starting with the moment that Earhart meets publisher George Putnam (Richard Gere), who helps create the hype over "Lady Lindy" and whom Earhart later marries. Though they adore each other, Earhart’s attentions are lured elsewhere… by fellow pilot Gene Vidal (Ewan McGregor) and, more intensely, by flight itself. Directed by Mira Nair (“Namesake”) from a screenplay by Ron Bass (“Rain Man”). 111 min.

CIRQUE DU FREAK: THE VAMPIRE'S ASSISTANT (PG-13: bl, v) Comedy/Horror
Darren (Chris Massoglia) is a normal, well-behaved high school kid, with a fascination with spiders. His best pal, Steve (Josh Hutcherson), a bit of a rebel, is a vampire fan. Against the advice of their teacher, the two of them decide to attend a late night freak show, where they watch the ringmaster, Mr. Tall (Ken Watanabe) introduce such characters as the bearded lady (Salma Hayak), Alexander Ribs (Orlando Jones), the snake boy (Patrick Fugit), and Rhamus Twobellies (Frankie Faison). But the star of the show is Larten Crepsley (John C. Reilly), a kindhearted vampire who takes an interest in Darren. When Steve’s life is threatened by a bite from Creplsey’s spider, the vampire makes Darren an offer he cannot refuse. In step the villains, Mr. Tiny (Michael Cerveris) and Murlaugh (Ray Stevenson), who live for the friction they can cause. Willem Dafoe and Jane Krakowski are featured as a couple more of the members of this strange congregation. 108 min. (Slavin)

SORORITY ROW (R: m, gd, gl, n, bs, gv) Horror/Suspense/Thriller
Theta Pi Sorority sisters stick together no matter what. So when they found out that Megan’s boyfriend Garrett (Matt O’Leary) had cheated on her, they decided to teach him a lesson. The leader of the sorority, arrogant Jessica (Leah Pipes) gave some pills to Garrett, telling him they were roofies which would cause Megan to offer no resistance to his advances. Then when Megan (Audrina Patridge) faked convulsions and pretended she was dead, the girls pushed the joke even further when they took her body to a deserted field to bury her. But distraught Garrett took a tire iron and really killed her. Now Jessica, Cassidy (Briana Evigan), Ellie (Rumer Willis), Claire (Jamie Chung), and Chugs (Margo Harshman) had to throw her down a mine shaft and keep it secret from everyone. Eight months later at graduation, someone in a hooded robe began to take revenge, slaughtering some of the girls as well as their boyfriends. It’s a scary whodunnit. 101 min. (Slavin)

EVERYBODY’S FINE (PG-13: bd) Drama/Comedy
Widowed and retired from his blue collar job, Frank Goode (Robert DeNiro) misses his four grown children, who always had a closer relationship with their mother. When his invitation for them to visit him one weekend is met with four regrets, he decides to surprise them by going to them. First to New York to see his artist son, David. But David is nowhere to be found. Then to Chicago to the plush home of his successful advertising executive daughter Amy (Kate Beckinslale), who is too busy to allow him to stay more than overnight. She puts him on a train to Denver, where musician Robert (Sam Rockwell) lives… and calls both him and youngest sibling Rosie (Drew Barrymore) to tell them that he’s on his way, but to say nothing about David’s situation. After seeing Rosie in Las Vegas, it becomes apparent to Frank that they are all hiding things from him. One of those secrets could be life threatening. 100 min. (Slavin)

A SERIOUS MAN (R: m, bgd, l, bs, bv) Comedy/Drama
This dark comedy set in 1967 Minneapolis is the quirky story of Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg), a Jewish college professor whose life seems to be cursed due to an unfortunate event caused by his ancestors. His students don’t respect him, his children take advantage of him, and his wife Judith (Sari Lennick) wants a divorce in order to marry their long-time friend Sy Ableman (Fred Melamed). On top of everything, his brother Arthur (Richard Kind) not only won’t move out of their home, but keeps getting in trouble with the law. Larry’s ability to get tenure is seriously jeopardized by anonymously written letters as well as a blackmail attempt from a student. He seeks advice and counsel from his rabbis as well as his attorney (Adam Arkin), but those sessions seem only to confuse him further. With his son’s bar mitzvah, things begin to turn around, but the curious ending makes you wonder. It’s a clever, fresh and funny film. 105 min. (Slavin)

GOOD HAIR (PG-13: bd, bl, bpn) Documentary/Comedy
Comedian Chris Rock was inspired by his young daughter asking "How come I don't have good hair?" He sets out to examine her question by exploring the many societal, financial, and emotional implications surrounding African-American women's desire to have straighter tresses. Through interviews with celebrities, hair stylists, hair-product manufacturers, and academics, Rock sheds light on why African-American women (and some men, like the Reverend Al Sharpton and Ice-T) go to such lengths… risking everything from chemical straightener burns to outrageous cost of weaves… to change their hair's texture. The multi-billion dollar hair care industry is aimed squarely at them. Interviews include ordinary people, industry insiders and famous faces such as Kerry Washington, Eve, Meagan Good, Sarah Jones, Nia Long, Salt n Pepa, Raven-Symoné, Maya Angelou. All of which leads to the annual and lucrative Bronner Brothers Hair Show in Atlanta where contestants compete in the Hair Battle Royale Competition. 95 min.