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I stumbled upon this little gem late one night on HBO. I was channel surfing, drinking my tea, TRYING to get tired and go to bed. I ended up watching the entire film. In Good Company is a wonderfully sweet, poignant and heartfelt film about love, loss and appreciating what you have. Dennis Quaid plays Dan who is demoted at his job, after the company he is working for is bought by a competitor. Dan's new boss is Carter (Topher Grace). He is a 26 year old whipper snapper who is inept at everything EXCEPT work. His wife leaves him, he trashes his brand new Porsche 911 before he even gets it out of the parking lot and he is ALWAYS selling EVERYTHING. From how he is doing on a particular day to how much coffee he drinks. Everything is about selling, to him. At his core, Carter is a lonely and unhappy man, no matter how much he tries to sell everybody that he is not. That is until he meets Dan's lovely college attending daughter, Alex played by Scarlett Johansson. She is smitten with him, as well and the only time Carter is a normal human being is when he is with Alex. They make a cute couple. Only problem is Dan does not know the two are seeing each other. The other half of this film is about business and how Dan and Carter start to understand each other;eventually. Of course, Dan is not happy about being replaced with a young kid, half his age. Dan is the seasoned pro, but Carter knows very little but is a good seller. Paul Weitz wrote and directed this film and it is a light but very intelligent film with characters that are written as real as anyone you will see on film. Quaid is usually always good and here, it is no exception. But the real performance I was drawn to was that of Topher Grace. Despite the fact he is a bit of a putz, I still liked him and wanted him to find his happiness. His performance should have been an Oscar contender. It is that good of a performance. Grace and Johansson have wonderful chemistry together and I wanted them to be together. In Good Company deals with love, loss and appreciating what and who you have in life with humor and sadness that is uplifting and positive. It is a well acted, written and directed film that deserved some Oscar talk for the year it came out. I think in reality, it missed the deadline by a day or two for submission. What a shame. This plot may have been done before, but it has rarely been done as well as has been done here.

I watched this film late at night, and was wondering why this did not get a wider release? The Devil's Double is a tour de force in writing, directing and especially with Dominic Cooper playing both Uday and Latif. How difficult that must have been to play the psychotic Uday without making it campy and forced and then to draw it all back in to play the reserved Latif. But Cooper does it in a star making performance with style. Lee Tamahori directs this film with the understanding that Latif was a good man in a bad job and Uduy was a murderous, raping, pedophile who finally got what was coming to him. Not just by the Americans when the killed him in 2003 along with his rat brother but how he lived after Latif escapes his wrath. Since this is based on a true story I was in awe how anyone could make it through what Latif went through. The film starts as Latif is brought to one of Uduy's palaces and is asked to be a double for him to protect this monster. Latif says no but is forced as you will see how. This is a great film. it does not sugar the evil of the Hussein's from the father on down to the sons and it is noble to those who stand up to the evil. Christian Henson's score is top notch and he continues to stand out as a composer to keep an eye on. This is a fascinating and intelligent film and one of the best of 2011. **** out of 4.

Two words.......Emily Mortimer. While this film is loud, abrasive and grating it does have the lovely Emily Mortimer breathe life in to this films saggy underbelly. She is radiant, smart and sexy, sexy, sexy! The other leads do OK but it is Emily Mortimer who saves this film from being total nightmare. It's too bad. With a cast as good as this (Samuel Jackson, Robert Carlysle, Sean Pertwee, and Meatloaf) you would have expected a little more daring and imagination than what we were given. The action is OK, the dialog is sophomoric but there is some energy behind all of this emptiness but in the end Fomula 51 is just that...all formula. We've seen this before in other films and done better. Still, I can think of worse ways to spend an evening. ** out of 4.

I just read that Robert Downey Jr. has dissed some of his own films, Iron Man 2, Air America and Less Than Zero. While I would agree with him that Air America was "Watered Down" Iron Man 2 was a very good sequel at a time when most are awful. Less Than Zero stands out, to me, as a powerhouse of acting and emotion. No matter how many times I watch this movie it always is engrossing and emotionally draining, in a way few movies are. I mean that in a good way, too. Yes, the characters are wealthy kids who have it pretty good, however it does a good job of showing how anyone and everyone can fall to the hypnotic trappings of the drug culture. Andrew McCarthy, Jami Gertz, Downey Jr., and James Spader are solid all the way through this film and Thomas Newman's score is one of the most evocatively straining scores I have ever heard. I mean that in the most positive way, as well. If there was ever a film that truly showed the tragic effects of drug use this is the film to watch. It is not for the squeamish. If Downey Jr. wants to diss some of his films I can give him a few titles; The Pick-Up Artist, and Tuff Turf are 2 that come to mind. I do respect Robert Downey Jr. tremendously. Here is a man who has battled his real life demons and seems to have won. His Career has taken off again and God Bless Him for that. I just respectfully disagree with his choices of his "bad movies". Give me a few minutes and I can come up with a few more. Less Than Zero is NOT one of those films.

Kudos can only be given for the striking cinematography and Clint Mansell's sparse but effective score. Outside of that, Gerry is an utter waste of time. Watching 2 guys walk in a desert for 100 minutes with a horrible ending makes this one of the worst films I have ever seen. Damon and Affleck are just cashing checks as is Gerry's director Gus Van Zant and otherwise reliable trio of talent wasted as egos are fulfilled. No one had the guts to tell them that this is a pretentious piece of crap. For all the claims this was an existential film....I say so what? I know this is existentialism and it STILL sucks. Watch Good Will Hunting, a ten times better film with rock solid performances all the way through and an intelligently witty and poignant script. For a film in the desert? Watch Canyon Dreams video by Tangerine Dream.

Hollywood HOMICIDE is an utter disaster, considering what Ron Shelton is capable of doing. This film is supposed to be a buddy comedy but it's mystery is a clichéd mess and it's not funny. Ford and Hartnett are both great actors but fail to generate much chemistry and the script is incoherent tripe. If you want to see a much better film by Shelton watch DARK BLUE with Kurt Russell in one his finest performances. Hollywood HOMICIDE is bland, stale, and uninteresting despite valiant efforts by Ford and Hartnett. There are a few fresh moments but ultimitely this film is a waste of time. Hollywood HOMICIDE-** out of 4.

Kurt Wimmer's ULTRAVIOLET is a guilty pleasure, no doubt. More cheese in this movie than an extra large from Papa John's, it is fun to see the colorful visuals and the lovely Milla Jovovich in nice fitting outfits. I liked Nick Chinlund's performance as the Archbishop Daxus, too as well as Klause Badelts awesome score. This film is not going to win any awards and should'nt. but it is a far sight better than BLOOD RYANE. I've seen the British made for television mini-series ULTRAVIOLET and it was boring and pretentious. This version is somewhere in between. Yes, it lacks real substance but it has enough here to keep you interested in what's happening on screen. I would like to see a more substantial version with a little more effort put into the script. But, it is what it is. Take it or leave it. I liked enough of this ULTRAVIOLET to give it a thumbs up. ULTRAVIOLET-*** out of 4.

London is cynical and narcissistic and (as another reviewer has already noticed) most of the characters are unlikable. Syd is such a loser that I was surprised that someone as fine as London would be attracted to him. I could see he was a loser in the first 5 minutes of the movie. Even in the flashbacks I could see he was a gigantic prick and didn't deserve London. For London to work Syd had to be sympathetic and he wasn't. Like most of the other characters in this movie he was shallow, petty, vain, and obnoxiously loud. Only Ms. Biel and Jason Statham's character seemed remotely likable. If they had written a script for those two people London might have been a decent movie. As it stands now London is a waste of time. To expect Ms. Biel to carry this movie all by herself is a lot to ask. She is the best looking actress in Hollywood AND she can act, but......... c'mon. If you want to see a great movie about people and the destructive effects of booze and alcohol watch THE BOOST with James Woods and Sean Young. LONDON-*1/2 out of 4.

KISS,KSS,BANG,BANG is writer and director Shane Black's return to the big screen. We have not heard or seen much from him for a while. He is the writer and creator of Riggs and Murtaugh, the lead characters of the LETHAL WEAPON films. Those films had lots of humor and violence but they had the seemingly tangible characters that seemed real and we cared what happened to them. In this film there's a lot of material thrown at the screen and not much works. You don't really get to know much about the characters, the humor is stale, and the supposed mystery has been done before and much more interesting. When you have two great actors like Val Kilmer and Robert Downey Jr. why waste them on tired material? KISS,KISS,BANG,BANG isn't awful and it has its moments, but ultimately, this film lacks any real energy or wit and just lays there like a gunny sack. Go watch something else. KISS,KISS,BANG,BANG-** OUT OF 4.

Steven Spielberg's THE EMPIRE OF THE SUN is a powerful film from start to finish. Smartly written by Tom Stoppard, "EMPIRE" tells the story of a rich British boy who is separated from his family when the Japenese invaded Shanghai. He wanders, but is captured by the Japanese who throw him in a POW camp where he meets a group of captured soldiers whom he bonds with. The story is involving and sprawlingly beautiful. Spielberg shows he is at the top of his game and directs this film with style and elegance and the acting is first rate. It deserved more attention at Oscar time but at least it gave Christian Bale his start in Hollywood. John Williams score is terrific as it captures the chaos of war but the beauty of human nature and the will to survive. THE EMPIRE OF THE SUN is one of my all time favorite films. **** stars out of 4.

There are those who hate Sylvester Stallone no matter what he does and/or says. While I have many movies that he has done that are awful, CLIFFHANGER is and an aptly film that is terrific from start to finish. Stallone gives a cautiously measured performance as a rescue climber who seems to have lost his edge after a horrifying accident. When a Federal Treasury plane crash lands in the mountians with a band of ruthless murderers and thieves on board, it is up to the rescuers to do what they do best. They find out about the plane's cargo and it's passengers only too late. Renny Harlin directs CLIFFHANGER with style and energy to burn. Stallone, Michael Rooker, and Janine Turner are the rescuers and John Lithgow leads his band of criminals through the mountians looking for three suitcases filled with untraceable cash. CLIFFHANGER has some incredible scenery and camera work and it's script is literate and intelligent.I do have one curious question? Was it really necessary to have Lithgow speak with an British accent? Never to quibble over technicalities, CLIFFHANGER is a solid action picture; fun, exciting, and well worth 2 hours of you time. CLIFFHANGER-***1/2 out 4.

BROKEBACK MOUNTIAN is a great film and even though it has been made fun of by some (even in the film industry) , it is a heartfelt film from start to finish. It tells the story of 2 sheep herders who have an affair that spans over 20 years. They meet at the place they originally met, Brokeback Mountian, and have their dalliance every so often even though they both marry two attractive girls and settle down with children. The story is simple really, but Ang Lee directs with a softness and tenderness that is both poignant and sad. I felt sad for these two that don't seem to connect with anyone;including their wives. Heath Ledger is especially good as Innis. He's got the walk, talk and mannerisms that I would expect a cowboy to have. Jake Gyllenhall is good, too as Innis' "friend". The film is not boring or dull but a fascinating character study of lonely people in lonely places that few fear to tread. This was a close second to CRASH of the choices that we had. BROKEBACK MOUNTIAN-**** out of 4.

Eli Roth's HOSTEL is a captivating film in it's last 45 miuntes; a frightening and horrifying mix of violence and unrelenting terror. But to get to that point you have to slog through 45 minutes of PORKY'S (so to speak). If the first act of HOSTEL could've been written with a little more intelligence and less of the frat house mentality HOSTEL would have been a real treat of a horror film, instead of a routine, horny, teenager slasherfest. After about 15 minutes of these guys being loud, obnoxious, and rude, I thought to myself, " I got it, OK? Yea, they're young,dumb and full of C**." Why couldn't they have been represented better as smart guys who are over there with a noble purpose? Why is it if they're American all they want is pot and sex? At any rate HOSTEL is an average bloodfest, but, I look for greatness from future projects from Eli Roth. This guy has talent to burn, just not here; and I LIKED CABIN FEVER. HOSTEL-**1/2 out of 4.

While THE LAST DROP is not perfect it has some colorful characters and it's story does have some ambition to it. It has some decent dry humor and its action is competently done. The acting is solid and the direction by Colin Teague is noteworthy because he keeps the film going while the characters grow into people you like or hate. This film was not Shakespeare and it does not pretend to be. Some films are made for different reasons and this is just and entertaining mix of subtle humor and action. I'd sit through this before I'd watch some of the other crap that is out there by A-list directors. CAPOTE, THE CONSTANT GARDENER, GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK come to my mind. THE LAST DROP-*** stars out of 4.

I've seen bad movies in my 38 years on God's green earth but THE DEVIL'S REJECTS is truly the worst film I have ever seen. Roger Ebert gave a scathing review of a movie called CHAOS. I would say that is the reaction I had watching REJECTS. It is a heartless, mindless, offensive, and cruelly empty film that left me feeling the need to take a shower, afterwards. Here is a film that champions the worst society has to offer in the form of a trio of murderous savages and makes the lawman out to be a lunatic not much different than the killers. If REJECTS director, Rob Zombie, truly wants to make the statement that there is no difference between cops and killers then I feel very sorry for him. THE DEVIL'S REJECTS is a contemptible piece of trash, and I've seen SEED OF CHUCKY. THE DEVIL's REJECTS- no stars.

BLADE: TRINITY is the third and supposedly last film in the BLADE trilogy. I doubt it. Is it as bad as everyone has been saying it is? Not even close. Since the first two were so well done; it would be hard to top them. Yes, some of the humor is juvenile and insipid BUT the film keeps the pace and the energy going just like the first two films. Also, with another strong performance by Wesley Snipes as the title character and a great supporting performance by Jessica Biel BLADE: TRINITY worked well for me. Ryan Reynolds as Hannibal King, however, was miscast and he seems out of place in this film. Dominic Purcell as Dracula is menacing and perhaps the best bit of casting was Parker Posey as Dracula's main hench woman. She chews up every scene she is in. I hope there are more BLADE films and I'm sure they can be better than this one, but, this one by my standards, was a good time. *** out of 4.

THE GENERAL'S DAUGHTER is movie that has been done before. But it knows this and is able to look past it's cliché's and have fun with the genre. A cop(Travolta) is called to an army base to investigate the death of a general's daughter after she has been raped and beat to death and left naked and tied to the ground with tent stakes. It's a ghastly sight and everyone wants him to get to the bottom of it as soon as possible. The problem is that EVERYONE has something to hide or is hiding someone who has something to hide. This has an all-star cast and they are terrific. The story is well written and the cast has some fun with it along the way. Director Simon West knows how to tell the story with a slight tongue and cheek flavor and still maintain the very serious nature of the subject matter. The action sequences are very well choreographed and the climax is pretty intense. So if you are looking for a familiar but really good, intense, and exciting action murder mystery THE GENERAL'S DAUGHTER is well worth seeing. No matter if the critics thumbed their elitist nose's at it. They're loss is our average Joe's gain. ***1/2 out of 4.

ABANDON is the type of movie that SOMEONE should have stopped after test screenings. I'm not sure this thing even HAD any test screenings. After ONE screening I could've told the director what the problem was and why this film falls flat. It tells the story of a bright, intelligent, and very attractive...................OK HOT college girl who has a real problem with her ex-boyfriend. It seems he disappeared without a trace some years before but now seems back to harass and torment the very intelligent, bright and very attractive................OK HOT Katie. The whole movie is played like a low rent thriller. Katie thinks she is being followed and tormented by Adam(Charlie Hunnam). Enter the creepy nemesis classmate(Melanie Lynskey), the hunky cop(Bejamin Bratt), and her fellow cool classmates. The whole film plays like a bad episode of FELICITY, with everybody whispering to one another in a very annoying and pretentious manner. Oh, and don't forget the psychologist(Tony Goldwin). Everyone seems to dote and hang on everything that Katie does. I know it's part of the plot to set up the ending. But, when the end comes, those who have not figured it out end up saying, "Oh, man, you mean that's it?" All of the performances are as good as they can be in a meandering mess like this. The only real bright spot is Clint Mansell's score which combines eerie piano with vocals (by Katie Holmes herself) and some electronic percussion and keyboards. It's part contemporary and part classical and sometimes both. It works real well in this picture. The problem with ABANDON is the story is so underwritten that the characters seem lost in a maze of cheap sets and unlikely situations. There IS a good idea for a film like ABANDON lurking about in the bowels of this film but the script and story just don't work. ** out of 4.

THE NAME OF THE ROSE is a classic who-dunnit with great performances from all and a terrific script based on the 600 page book by Umberto Eco. The book was a tedious read but engrossing never-the-less. The film version focuses on the salient portions of the book. The battle between the rigid and narrow mindedness of the Inquisition and the free spirits who wanted to learn other things outside the church but still focus on these things as a part of the church. Enter William of Baskerville(Sean Connery), a sort of Sherlock Holmes for the 1300's, and his novice Adso of Melk(Christian Slater), a sort of young version of Dr. Watson. The two enter the Abbey at the request of the Abby's leader(Michael Lonsdale) to investigate the strange deaths occurring at the Abbey. What follows is not only a very sharp and crisp mystery but a film about the differences in the church. It asks very good questions about faith, commitment, and love. Is it possible to enjoy things outside the confines of the House Of God and still be a faithful servant of God. The performances are rock solid and the direction is methodically steady and driving. This is accompanied by a positivley gorgeous score by James Horner. This is one of his very best scores he's ever done. It is available (or was) on Virgin of France label. But if you get a chance to see this film........ SEE IT! **** out of 4.

Here's another attempt at the Hollywood execs, and producers trying to homoginize a John Woo film. Actually they DID homogonize it. Ben Affleck, who seems miscast as the lead, does the best he can with a script that is, at best, a watered down version of the Phillip Dick story. There are virtually NO Woo trade marks in this movie. No slow motion, no extravagant stunts or action sequences or even flashy gun play. I NEVER thought I would ever say this about a John Woo movie. PAYCHECK is boring!! The only bright spot is Uma Thurman who is radiant and very sexy. The villain is a lame. Aaron Eckhardt, who is a good actor, is also miscast as the bad guy. He reminds me of those loser librarians whose thinks he is hot sh*t at the library and always trying to catch people talking and not studying. Meanwhile, when he's not around everyone mocks him and laughs at him. You know the ones I'm talking about. He's no real threat but a mere annoyance; like a gnat buzzing around your head. I felt that Affleck could beat him with one punch. Affleck, on the other hand, seemed lost or confused through most of the picture. Then there was that guy who plays the gay brother from SIX FEET UNDER who was supposed to be some bad-ass with a gun(which we saw very little). I kept waiting for him to throw down his weapon and say(lisping), "SSSSSSSSTOP you sssilly bitch before I scratch your eyes out!" I didn't get a very threatening or menacing feel from his character at all. I can only surmise that the Hollywood execs and producers kept telling Woo to, "Keep it more cerebral than visceral." Woo can be both when left alone. Let him do what he does best. Look at HARD TARGET, BROKEN ARROW, THE KILLER, FACE/OFF, and HARDBOILED to name a few. And to John Woo, I'm sorry I didn't much care for your film but I suspect your hands were tied and NOT by that guy from SIX FEET UNDER.

While Paranioa 1.o has a darkness and a mood of sublime terror it's script seems to propose questions and never answers any of them. The direction is one note with set-up piece after set-up piece being displayed and it never seems to make any kind of statement. Is Simon really infected? Is he really a victim of a conspiracy to infect the entire building? Or is all his imagination designed to feed his own paranoia to justify his own existence? Instead he buys and drinks a lot of milk which is REALLY over priced. One time he goes to the store and buys a half-gallon of milk with a newspaper and one other item and his total is over $20. The movie LOOKS great and it is very tense throughout but Jeremy Sisto (whom I love as an actor and also co-produced this movie) is miscast as Simon. I felt I was watching and actor acting like he was paranoid not an actor really paranoid. Paranioa 1.0 works on some of the basic levels but is otherwise an empty and convoluted mess. ** out of 4

PEOPLE I KNOW is a pretentious film that most insiders of Hollywood and left wing advocacy groups will watch and applaud. The rest of us film buffs will have to endure this self serving, liberal promotion piece (wrapped as a murder mystery). Al Pacino plays a very liberal public relations man who gets involved in a murder while trying to set up a benefit for another one of his "causes". The victim is a spoiled, pampered TV star who goes to opium parties in skyscrapers at all hours of the night and p***es off the wrong people. Eli (Pacino) is the last man to see her alive in her hotel room and is in possession of a camera that has very damning pictures friends and political figures around New York City. Some of these friends are people that Eli wants to attend his little gathering dealing with wrongful imprisonment of African- Americans. Anyway, the whole film deals with him trying to get the right people to come to this shindig, while the murder mystery is treated as a non-event. The death of this woman is not a concern, only the damn camera. Most.......I'm sorry, ALL of the characters are shallow, petty, vain egomaniacs with the exception of Eli's sister-in-law who lost her husband to suicide and now wants to bed down with Eli.

This reminds me of another left leaning piece of trash that Pacino was in a few years ago called CITY HALL. That film was made in the same vain as PEOPLE I KNOW. Most of the characters in CITY HALL were the same shallow, petty, egomaniacs as in PEOPLE I KNOW; Some of the SAME ACTORS, as well. Yes, this is well acted, but, you can see tons of Pacino films that are miles better than this with real characters you can care about that are even better acted. *1/2 out of 4.