The Mechanic : Jason Statham is the kind of action hero franchises are built on because he can sell the acrobatic sizzle, as well as connect with those hefty dramatic punches. In this surprisingly solid remake of a 1972 Charles Bronson movie, Statham plays a veteran hit man who is forced to reassess his allegiances when his mentor's loyalty becomes questionable.
To bring some sense of moral credibility to his life, he takes on his mentor's son (Ben Foster) as an apprentice -but all heck breaks loose when the good people seem bad, and the bad people start to look good. A decent action ride with some deeper male-bonding moments, The Mechanic revs high and keeps you tethered to your seat without putting a gun to your temple.
The Roommate : Despite one of the creepier trailers and ad campaigns, this thriller about two gals who get a little too close in college corners itself in the shower as it abandons character in favour of cheesy thrills. Because the thrills aren't that chilly, and the dramatic development remains entirely transparent for the duration, neither Leighton Meester nor Minka Kelly find much to do. It all starts to feel a tad cheap, tawdry and forced.
Barry Munday : Men may feel an unstoppable urge to clutch their privates over the course of this Patrick Wilson movie, and no surprise why: This black comedy deals with one man's personal struggle to deal with the loss of his testicles. After a freak encounter with an angry man and his trumpet, Barry Munday's entire life is put on hold.
Doctors could not save his baby-making plumbing, and suddenly, he's lost his life motivation. Ernest Hemingway wrote about such empty barns of manhood, but Wilson finds a way to animate the haunting absence with endless humour. Supporting performances from Chloë Sevigny and Cybill Shepherd only add to the understated theatrics. 3
Vanishing on 7th Street : Spawned from a tradition that includes zombie movies and psychological horror, this Brad Anderson (The Machinist) thriller revolves around the concept of a failing electrical grid and monstrous spirits that suck people right out of their skins when darkness falls.
Hayden Christensen, Thandie Newton and John Leguizamo are some brand name talents who bring some class to this otherwise B-movie concept chiller, but they can't do much to make the film more interesting as it starts to cycle toward cliché.
Modra : Toronto filmmaker Ingrid Veninger takes a personal story of home and turns it into a compelling little drama starring her own daughter. A very simple narrative takes us to Modra, a small town in Slovakia, where Lina (Hallie Switzer) meets her relatives for the first time while her friend Leco (Alexander Gammal) deals with his pent-up feelings of desire. The two teens have an awkward chemistry that fills this movie with the unique reek of sexual frustration, and it proves more successful at setting the mood than any cinematic device up Veninger's resourceful sleeves. Smart, subtle and small-scale.
Daydream Nation : High school sucks. Is there any point denying it While Glee recreates the geography of puberty with a Chiclet smile and bellowing pipes, first-time directors such as Michael Goldbach are stoking a whole new bonfire of vanity. If Daydream Nation is any indication, the whole point of this new take seems to be finding peace with the surreal, ungrounded state called the "teen years" and embracing all its uncertainties. Certainly, that's what Caroline Wexler (Kat Dennings) seems to be doing. A hot young woman with endless sex appeal, Caroline ends up at a new school in the wake of her mother's death with a desire to stir things up.
The Rite : Anthony Hopkins and Michael Caine could start a business for veteran actors: the cliché role clearing house, where no reasonable offer will be refused. In this case, Hopkins takes on the cloth as a priest who starts a boot camp for exorcists. Incredibly, this movie takes its cues from the real Vatican, which recently started a retraining program of their own. The movie finds some decent content, but fails to develop it into anything more meaningful than a tired exchange between believers and skeptics -punctuated by a demonic apparition or two.
The Roommate : Despite one of the creepier trailers and ad campaigns, this thriller about two gals who get a little too close in college corners itself in the shower as it abandons character in favour of cheesy thrills. Because the thrills aren't that chilly, and the dramatic development remains entirely transparent for the duration, neither Leighton Meester nor Minka Kelly find much to do. It all starts to feel a tad cheap, tawdry and forced.
Barry Munday : Men may feel an unstoppable urge to clutch their privates over the course of this Patrick Wilson movie, and no surprise why: This black comedy deals with one man's personal struggle to deal with the loss of his testicles. After a freak encounter with an angry man and his trumpet, Barry Munday's entire life is put on hold.
Doctors could not save his baby-making plumbing, and suddenly, he's lost his life motivation. Ernest Hemingway wrote about such empty barns of manhood, but Wilson finds a way to animate the haunting absence with endless humour. Supporting performances from Chloë Sevigny and Cybill Shepherd only add to the understated theatrics. 3
Vanishing on 7th Street : Spawned from a tradition that includes zombie movies and psychological horror, this Brad Anderson (The Machinist) thriller revolves around the concept of a failing electrical grid and monstrous spirits that suck people right out of their skins when darkness falls.
Hayden Christensen, Thandie Newton and John Leguizamo are some brand name talents who bring some class to this otherwise B-movie concept chiller, but they can't do much to make the film more interesting as it starts to cycle toward cliché.
Modra : Toronto filmmaker Ingrid Veninger takes a personal story of home and turns it into a compelling little drama starring her own daughter. A very simple narrative takes us to Modra, a small town in Slovakia, where Lina (Hallie Switzer) meets her relatives for the first time while her friend Leco (Alexander Gammal) deals with his pent-up feelings of desire. The two teens have an awkward chemistry that fills this movie with the unique reek of sexual frustration, and it proves more successful at setting the mood than any cinematic device up Veninger's resourceful sleeves. Smart, subtle and small-scale.
Daydream Nation : High school sucks. Is there any point denying it While Glee recreates the geography of puberty with a Chiclet smile and bellowing pipes, first-time directors such as Michael Goldbach are stoking a whole new bonfire of vanity. If Daydream Nation is any indication, the whole point of this new take seems to be finding peace with the surreal, ungrounded state called the "teen years" and embracing all its uncertainties. Certainly, that's what Caroline Wexler (Kat Dennings) seems to be doing. A hot young woman with endless sex appeal, Caroline ends up at a new school in the wake of her mother's death with a desire to stir things up.
The Rite : Anthony Hopkins and Michael Caine could start a business for veteran actors: the cliché role clearing house, where no reasonable offer will be refused. In this case, Hopkins takes on the cloth as a priest who starts a boot camp for exorcists. Incredibly, this movie takes its cues from the real Vatican, which recently started a retraining program of their own. The movie finds some decent content, but fails to develop it into anything more meaningful than a tired exchange between believers and skeptics -punctuated by a demonic apparition or two.
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