Denzel Washington and Clive Owen deliver first-rate performances in director Spike Lee’s “Inside Man,” a clever, engaging film that’s considerably better than the average heist movie.

(more…)

Zed has only just arrived in the beautiful Paris and already he’s up to no good. Having just slept with a call girl, he spends a night on the town with his dangerous friends. They all decide to rob a bank the following day. There’s only one problem: Zed’s call-girl, Zoe, just happens to work at the bank which is to be robbed! Written by Michael Feller {reb@magna.com.au}

(more…)

200 years after the conclusion of Alien 3, the company is able to resurrect Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) through the process of cloning and the scientists successfully take the Queen Alien out of her. But, Ripley’s DNA gets mixed up with the Queen’s and she begins to develop certain alien characteristics. The scientists begin breeding the aliens, but they later escape. Soon the Xeno-morphs are running amok on the ship, which is on course to earth. The Queen then gives birth to a deadly new breed of alien, which could spell disaster for the entire human race. It’s up to Ripley and a band of space pirates to stop the ship before it reaches earth. Written by Andrew Kasch {akasch@Chattanooga.net}

(more…)

Fact-based story about a disturbed office furniture salesman (Sean Penn) who in 1972 concocted a plot to kill then-President Nixon by hi-jacking a plane to fly over the White House to drop a gas bomb. At the start of the movie, the man is separated from his wife and stressed in his job where he is made the butt of jokes and is an under-performer. Attempts to get his brother’s old tire business resurrected with a black partner is rejected by the banks. When he is officially served with divorce papers, everything comes apart and Richard Nixon’s broken promises comes to represent all the evils that have come down on him. A news story about a pilot that landed a helicopter on the White House lawn gives him the idea for his attack. Bolting onto a Baltimore plane, he attempts the hi-jacking. Written by John Sacksteder {jsackste@bellsouth.net}

The first rumblings from Touchstone Pictures over “The Alamo” centered around how authentic their 2004 cinematic version would be. Historians were used as technical advisors, insuring the accuracy of the events portrayed on screen. Unfortunately, while the filmmakers were worrying about getting the history right, they forgot they were making a movie that needed to flow narratively and work as entertainment for the masses.

(more…)

In Ruggsville, Texas, the police under the command of Sheriff John Quincy Wydell attack the house of the sadistic serial killers Firefly family (a.k.a. The Devil’s Reject) and they arrest mother Firefly, but Otis B. Driftwood and Baby Firefly escape from the siege. Tiny is wandering nearby the house and also escapes. Otis and Baby call their patriarch, the mad clown Captain Spaulding and they schedule to reunite at an isolated motel in the desert. When Otis and Baby arrive, they kidnap two families of singers, using sadism and violence against the harmless persons. Meanwhile, Sheriff Wydell promises to capture and kill the runaways, seeking revenge for the death of his brother, the Deputy George Wydell. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

(more…)

What the hell was Ben Affleck thinking? Seriously. What was he thinking? J-Lo I can understand. But Affleck? It’s sad, so sad – oh and it’s bad, so very, very bad.

At least I can keep this review rather short. “Gigli” had no recognizable plot. There’s something about two hit men (Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez – yeah, right) kidnapping a mentally challenged teenager (Justin Bartha) who is the younger brother of the Federal Prosecutor in charge of bringing Larry Gigli’s (Affleck) boss’ boss to trial. Got that? Don’t worry, you won’t be quizzed later. You can forget the plot, it means absolutely nothing to the film.

(more…)

Written and directed by Eric Forsberg, this unabashedly low-budget sci-fi flick has a young woman being abducted by aliens on a camping trip—and then going through an even harder ordeal when she wakes up in a brutal military hospital for the rehabilitation of abductees.

24 hours in L.A.; it’s raining cats and dogs. Two parallel and intercut stories dramatize men about to die: both are estranged from a grown child, both want to make contact, and neither child wants anything to do with dad. Earl Partridge’s son is a charismatic misogynist; Jimmy Gator’s daughter is a cokehead and waif. A mild and caring nurse intercedes for Earl, reaching the son; a prayerful and upright beat cop meets the daughter, is attracted to her, and leads her toward a new calm. Meanwhile, guilt consumes Earl’s young wife, while two whiz kids, one grown and a loser and the other young and pressured, face their situations. The weather, too, is quirky. Written by {jhailey@hotmail.com}

(more…)

Kevin Costner jumps back in the saddle for “Open Range,” a majestic look at the old west. The “Dances With Wolves” director and “Silverado” and “Wyatt Earp”star, with “Open Range” Costner reconnects with the genre that’s served him well in the past.

“Open Range” is the nostalgic story of grizzled cowboys, the wide-open beauty of a young country, and the fading days of a way of life. “Open Range” is visually stunning and features an easy to follow plot with strictly defined heroes and villains. While the heroes don’t literally wear white hats, there’s never the slightest doubt whom to root for.

(more…)