Saturday, February 9, 2013
There's a thriller on the loose and a chilling indictment of the nation's pharmaceutical industry.
Regal Arbor Place Stadium 18 10:00am 12:00 2:35 5:10 7:45 10:20 11:50pm Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh is behind this thriller that shows what can happen when prescription medications like antidepressants go haywire in "Side Effects." Rooney Mara plays a woman with a lot going on in her life. Her husband, Channing Tatum, is getting out of prison. She's in a financial crisis and in deep depression. Her psychiatrist, Jude Law, subscribes an experimental new drug at the request of another medical colleague played by Catherine Zeta-Jones. While on the drug, Mara's character sleepwalks her way into a murder, and from there we go on a thriller roller-coaster ride. There is a surprise ending to this film so I will …
Saturday, January 5, 2013
In theaters this week, an impossible journey to the core of the human heart in the true life story of a family swept away in one of the worst natural disasters in our lifetime.
Showtimes This movie is not currently offered at Arbor Place Mall, but try: 3265 NE Expressway Access Rd Chamblee, GA 30341 A family of five begin their winter vacation in Thailand, looking for some fun in the sun. Soon their holiday turns into a nightmare as a giant tsunami rises up from the ocean and sweeps them away in "The Impossible." Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor head up this cast that tells the true story of one family's experience during the devastating 2004 tsunami that devoured Southeast Asia. The acting, though there is very little dialogue, is amazing and the special effects, especially in the first 45 minutes, are mind-boggling. Watts is being considered for an Oscar for her performance but the kids, in my opinion, steal every…
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Director Quentin Tarantino pays tribute to the Spaghetti Western, and it's shoot 'em up, rootin' tootin' fun !
It is funny, offbeat, and brutal. Based in the American South during the times of slavery, Jamie Foxx straps on a six-shooter or two, some cowboys boots and hat in "Django Unchained." Foxx's Django character is taken by a bounty hunter, played by Christoph Waltz. First they set out to get a few outlaws. Then they set their sites on getting Django's wife, Broom Hilda, played by Kerry Washington. But wrangling her tough guy owner, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, isn't so easy. As to be expected the movie has great dialogue, is funny and fine performances are turned in by all. Samuel L. Jackson, who plays a minor role, is a big standout, in my opinion. The film never loses site of the horrors of slavery and even though it uses the "n-word" a few…
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Hold onto your hats, kids; we're heading to Middle Earth again with Peter Jackson and company.
After years and years of waiting it's finally coming to theaters -- Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey." Bilbo Baggins, a kicked-back, happy-go-lucky Hobbit, joins Gandolf the Grey and 13 dwarves on a dangerous quest to reclaim their homeland and their treasure from Smaug the dragon. The film is a staggering 160 minutes. But unlike any of the "Lord of the Rings" films, it takes about an hour for anything to really get going. Once it does, though, game on, with non-stop chase scenes and action sequences. On the journey they run into every kind of creature imaginable. The problem is, most of them are CGI creations. That was a big misstep, I think. In the "Lord of the Rings" films most of the monsters were just guys in makeup…
Saturday, December 8, 2012
The only wide release movie this week is so bad there is a good chance it's on the way to home video by Christmas
Gerard Butler plays a divorced ex-jock who needs to be a father to his kid in the terrible romantic comedy "Playing for Keeps." Jessica Biel plays his ex-wife who just happens to be getting remarried. Uma Thurman and Cahterine Zeta-Jones play a couple of horny housewives who can't resist Butler. Dennis Quaid has a small role as a creepy team soccer dad who loves throwing money around. This may be one of the worst romantic comedies I have ever seen. Butler is a decent actor but this is not his finest hour. He stumbles though the movie as a good-looking, bumbling fool. The notion that no woman in town, even those who have suffered most from his womanizing, can resist this hunky, dim-witted, loser guy is, well, offensive and even …
Saturday, November 17, 2012
The most popular Dracula-Werewolf soap opera franchise in history comes to an end with a big thanks to all its fans.
The love triangle between Bella (Kristen Stewart), her husband Edward (Robert Pattinson), and Werewolf Jacob (Taylor Lautner) comes to an exciting conclusion in "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn--Part Two." Bella finally gets what she wants. She's a vampire; she's married to a vampire; now she has a half-vampire, half-human kid. That the child is from a mixed marriage doesn't sit well with some of the vampires, causing a bit of a problem. Be ready for a few surprises as the final act of the movie kicks up the stakes with a few twists and turns where anything could happen. Fans of the series will enjoy the film for its romance, humor, and a sweet ending to a series they love so much. Non-fans? Well, there isn't much going on for you here. …
Saturday, October 6, 2012
It's funny, adventurous, creepy, and even sentimental and with it being in black and white AND 3D, I think it's going to be a hit.
It's part Frankentstein, part Lassie but somehow director Tim Burton makes it work in this stop-motion animation simply called "Frankenweenie." It's the story of a young boy (Frankenstein) who uses all of his talents to bring back his beloved dead dog. There are a lot of references to old horror movies all wrapped up in a heartwarming boy-and-his-dog film the whole family should enjoy. Several celebrities lend their voices to this film that should appeal most to mom and dad. Fans of Boris Karloff will also enjoy this. It's strange in a Tim Burton kind of way but, in my opinion, some of his best work in a long, long time. The characters are all pretty amusing and Victor Frankenstein is a suitable hero for this family-friendly horror film …
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Toss the history books out the window. Hollywood has made Abraham Lincoln a vampire hunter and guess what—it doesn't suck!
Honest Abe wants to stop an army of vampires from taking over the United States in the campy, but action-packed film "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter." Lincoln, played by newcomer Benjamin Walker, swears revenge after seeing his mother killed by a vamp. Time goes by, and he finally learns how to kill the blood suckers, triggering a Civil War between mankind and vampires. It's an absolutely ridiculous premise but plays its subject and humor with a straight face and a surprising amount of historical accuracy ... if you ignore the whole vampire thing. This is not a movie that makes fun of its own ludicrous story, but instead embraces it head-on and turns Abraham Lincoln into an axe-wielding, butt-kicker of epic action proportions. Instead of…
Saturday, June 16, 2012
The rock 'n' roll of the 1980s is in the spotlight this week, and, like a lot of rock from that decade and despite a bunch of A-list actors, it doesn't rock.
Boy meets girl, they rock each other's world, and it's all done to the tune of the 1980s L.A. rock scene in … "Rock of Ages." This rags-to-riches rock 'n' roll musical is set mostly in a music club on Sunset Strip. A lot of the entertainment, with some energetic musical numbers, includes several big names (Tom Cruise, Russell Brand and Alec Baldwin.) The two leads are Diego Boneta, as a bartender, and Julianne Hough, as a naive kid just off the bus from the Midwest. They prove that they too can sing covers of '80s rock classics. Basically the film is a set of songs linked together by a very weak story line (so as not to fool you into thinking you are watching a large-scale cover band concert). Honestly, it's not a good movie, but I think …
Sunday, June 3, 2012
A princess hunted by an evil queen leads a rebellion to reclaim her throne.
Kristen Stewart is Snow White, a warrior princess who launches a battle to reclaim her kingdom from Queen Ravenna (Charlize Theron) in "Snow White and the Huntsman." As in the fairy tale, the queen locks Snow White in a tower prison while plunging the realm into chaos after the computer-generated mirror tells her she is no longer the fairest of them all. The queen then sends out studly huntsman Eric (Chris Hemsworth) to capture Snow White...But he soon declines his mission, opting to protect the princess — and face the queen's wrath. The film is not altogether bad. Its visual fireworks help keep the film afloat, even if Snow White (Stewart) can't get out of "Twilight" mode. A modern-day twist on this 200-year-old fairy tale, the movie is …
Bruce
3:34 pm on Saturday, December 15, 2012
Just read a review of this movie. I'll skip the comments about quality and go to the visual aspects. This movie has 48 frames per second, which is twice the normal number of frames. The reviewer said this gives the movie a phony look, and that the painted sets actually look like painted sets and all the magic is gone because of the high number of frames per second. To all those who have only seen… more ›