88 Minutes is destined to go down as one of the worst choices of Al Pacino’s lengthy career. The plot might have sounded enticing on paper, but the execution is all wrong. If there’s 10 minutes of realistic dialogue in this movie, it must have occurred when I went to stretch my legs and clear my head. There are bizarre twists that don’t add up, improbable set ups, and such an utter disregard for logic that sitting through 88 Minutes is 105 minutes of pure torture. (more…)

n the year 3028 A.D., Earth is being attacked by the Drej, which are aliens made of pure energy! The Drej mothership destroys Earth with an energy beam just as hundreds of space vehicles manage to escape with the last of mankind aboard! One of the escapees is Sam’s young son Cale, who carries with him a ring given to him by his father. Fifteen years later, Cale works on a salvage station, eking out a rough life and hating his father for having disappeared aboard the Titan so long ago. Without a home planet, surviving humans have been reduced to outer space drifters and are constantly bullied and looked down on by other space-faring races. A human captain named Joseph Korso and his pilot Akima seek out Cale and explain that he must help them find the Titan which contains a mechanism that will create a new Earth and therefore unite all of humanity. Meanwhile, the Drej wants to find the Titan so that they can destroy it. With Korso’s help, Cale discovers that the ring his father gave to him contains a genetically encoded map to the Titan, and thus begins his race across the universe with Korso and his ship and crew, including Preed, a wisecracking rat-like humanoid, Gune, an eccentric, green-skinned scientist, and Stith, a tough, hard-as-nails weapons expert who resembles something of a kangaroo. Before long, Cale and Akima finds out that Korso is searching for the Titan in order to hand it over to the Drej. Written by Anthony Pereyra {hypersonic91@yahoo.com}

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The hacker Josh invades the computer of Douglas Ziegler, who is developing a powerful wireless signal and accidentally releases a mysterious force that take the will to live of the human beings, generating a suicide epidemic and increasing the force. His girlfriend and student of psychology Mattie sees each one of their common friends die and the destruction of the modern world, and together with her new acquaintance Dexter, they try to plan a virus developed by Josh in the network to shutdown the system and save mankind. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

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The story of Detective Agustin Rejas, a man clinging to the hope of an impossible love in an impossible world. Tracking Ezequiel, a delusional anarchist who incites the downtrodden masses to join in his brutal revolution against the fascist government in their unnamed Latin American country, Rejas finds solace in his sense of self-respect and the joy that his daughter and wife bring him. Then he meets Yolanda–his daughter’s soulfully beautiful ballet teacher–a woman who sparks his long-forgotten passions and represents all that is good and all that is corrupt in their troubled country. But she, who appears to be a shelter from the storm, may in actuality be the storm’s eye. Ultimately, as the revolution intensifies and the net closes around hunter and hunted alike, the dancer’s truth will prove as elusive as the revolutionary’s cause and the detective’s peace. Written by Sujit R. Varma

[A Totally Spoiler Free Review] Is “Spider-Man 2” the best movie ever made based on a comic book, as some early reviews have proclaimed? I don’t know, that’s a pretty grand statement and one I don’t feel qualified to assess being a non-comic book type of person. I do know the original “Spider-Man” was incredibly fun, a genuine rollercoaster ride of a movie that set the bar tremendously high, much too high for most movies of this subgenre to live up to. I believe this sequel is a better film, though I didn’t find myself feeling as exhilarated during it as I did while watching the original. But that’s not to say this one has a been-there, done-that quality to it. It doesn’t. This sequel stands on its own and in no way feels like recycled material. And judged on its own, I feel safe in declaring it’s one of the best movies we’ll see in theaters this year.

“Spider-Man 2” is darker, more emotionally intense, and features a more serious storyline than the first movie. While the first film had to spend a good portion of its running time introducing the characters and explaining how Spider-Man came to be, this second film of the series doesn’t carry that burden. We know Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) was bitten by a radioactive spider, we know Peter loves MJ (Kirsten Dunst) but will not allow himself to be with her, and we know Peter’s best friend, Harry (James Franco) is out to kill Spider-Man because he believes the webslinger murdered his father. All of this was laid out for us by the end of the first “Spider-Man” movie.

In the second film, we’re allowed more of an opportunity to get to know Peter as a person. We feel his torment as he tries to hide his emotions from MJ. We care about him as he’s pulled between doing the responsible thing as Spider-Man and living a normal life free from the pressure of being a hero. ”Spider-Man 2” lets us look further into the psyche of the boy/man who wears the blue and red suit. And while we’re taken on this emotional journey with Peter, we’re also treated to more time with the central figures of the first “Spider-Man” movie and to a few new characters from world of the “Spider-Man” comic books, foremost of which is this film’s villain, Dr. Otto Octavius (Doc Ock for short). This ultra-cool bad guy is the star of the show when it comes to effects - and acting. Very few movie villains can rival Alfred Molina in character as the man with tentacles (special kudos to Raimi for making sure Doc Ock was played by such a first-rate actor). Doc Ock could have been a campy character, but with Molina in charge, he remains a man tormented by the evil he’s unleashed and overwhelmed by tragic circumstances, rather than a two-dimensional antagonist of the film’s hero.

“Spider-Man 2” has a gentler sense of humor, quirky like the original, yet quieter. Sam Raimi throws in a few recognizable faces in cameo roles who generate a fair share of laughs, and even inserts a scene in which Maguire as Spider-Man injures his back (a nod at Maguire’s real-life back problems, which almost kept him out of this sequel). One of my personal favorite scenes featured Hal Sparks in an elevator with the in-costume Spider-Man. Classic.

We got used to watching Spider-Man fly between buildings and leap from incredible heights in the first movie. The effects which worked so well in “Spider-Man” have been tweaked to such a degree in “Spider-Man 2” it’s nearly impossible to distinguish pure computer-generated graphics from scenes involving actors or stuntmen in front of blue screens. Because all of the effects – from speeding trains to giant fiery orbs – are simply incredible, there’s nothing that jolts you out of the movie, no point in the film where you are jarred from believing your eyes. As far as effects-heavy movies go, “Spider-Man 2” is at the head of the pack.

Comparing the two “Spider-Man” movies is like comparing apples and oranges. They are totally different creations. One’s an exuberant burst of energy contained on film and the other’s a toned down, coming-of-age tale set in the world of superheroes and monstrous villains. Though both movies relied heavily on the CGI effects, Raimi did a terrific job in both films of never forgetting the audience needs to connect with the flesh and blood actors. The reason “Spider-Man” and “Spider-Man 2” work is that both keep that focus in the forefront, with the special effects filling in around the actors and not overwhelming them.

Rebecca Murray
Hollywood Movies Guide

Dr. David Gale, an advocate of eliminating the death penalty, is falsely accused of rape and murder. Once convicted, he ends up on death row in Texas himself, telling his story to a reporter through a series of flashbacks. Written by Jason Smith

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Docu-drama based on the life of Ted Bundy, a serial killer who killed at least 19 young women during the 1970’s (though some sources say as many as 30 to 35 were murdered). Set from his college student years, to his first victims, his capture, escape from prison (twice), his final killing spree to his trial, conviction and execution. Written by Anonymous

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Do blondes have more fun? They may - or they may not - but in “Legally Blonde,” Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) does her best to prove there’s much more to blondes than their hair color. As a lifelong brunette (and proud of it), I have to admit that I’ve always believed there has to be at least some truth behind all the blonde stereotypes. I once had a blonde roommate who thought Truman Capote was a U.S. President, and who mistook her own reflection in our living room window as a peeping tom; the “dumb blonde” stereotype has proven itself to be valid more than once. In “Legally Blonde,” the dumb blonde stereotype is poked fun at, while the film does its best to help dismantle some “blonde” misperceptions.

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Katherine Ann Watson has accepted a position teaching art history at the prestigious Wellesley College. Watson is a very modern woman, particularly for the 1950s, and has a passion not only for art but for her students. For the most part, the students all seem to be biding their time, waiting to find the right man to marry. The students are all very bright and Watsopn feels they are not reaching their potential. Altough a strong bond is formed between teacher and student, Watson’s views are incompatible with the dominant culture of the college. Written by garykmcd

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on Howard and Tom Hanks miss the boat with this uninspired and flat adaptation of Dan Brown’s controversial bestseller, The Da Vinci Code. It’s sad (even disturbing) to admit but those who’ve banned the film may actually have done potential ticket buyers a favor.