A Resurrection

A Resurrection (R) 2012

Directed by Matt Orlando

Starring:  Mischa Barton, Devon Sawa, Michael Clarke Duncan, J. Michael Trautmann, Stuart Stone, Nick Jandl, Matthew Willig, Alanna Janell, Morgan Wolk and Brenden Meers

Here We Go:  Some creepy kid's brother is killed in a hit-and-run and a group of teens are basically herded together as the possessed body of the dead brother comes back to take his revenge.  What a horribly stupid movie.  There are only a handful of people in the film, which may have saved the production company money but it made the credibility of the movie suffer.  You mean to tell me that ONE sheriff does the work of the entire department?  And students can just be held indefinitely by a school psychologist in a classroom, while the one absurd sheriff goes and talks to a witch?  Sure, why not.  And I guess that's why it makes complete sense that when (spoiler alert) Mischa Barton's character finds someone dead she backs out of the room and freaks out because she can't find her cell phone.  After all, why would ANY of the phones in any of the offices be an option for calling out.  I suppose it's because the ENTIRE town seems to consist of 12 people (all featured in the movie) and she needed to access her address book to find an out-of-towner to come save the day.  One last thing - Mischa Barton can't act and she should focus on learning to do something where she might excel, such as factory work or perhaps something in the realm of becoming a minor league baseball mascot.

Bottom Line:   Skip it!

Red Dawn

Red Dawn (PG-13) 2012

Directed by Dan Bradley

Starring:  Chris Hemsworth, Josh Peck, Adrianne Palicki, Josh Hutcherson, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Isabel Lucas, Connor Cruise, Kenneth Choi and Alyssa Diaz

Here We Go:  This is not the film that the 1984 class was.  But, then again, I didn't expect it to be. The plot for all intents and purposes is the same as 1984 but the villain has changed.  My biggest problem with this movie was that Josh Peck was horribly cast.  He just didn't fit the role.  He looked exhausted the entire movie and constantly sounded hoarse as though he had been screaming for days on end.  His acting and casting was so poor that I found myself focusing on him instead of the rest of the movie.  Remove Josh Peck from the movie and its not that bad.  

Bottom Line:  Watch it if you don't mind Josh Peck.  

Rise of the Guardians

Rise of the Guardians (PG) 201

Directed by Peter Ramsey



Starring:  Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Jude Law, Isla Fisher, Hugh Jackman, Dakota Goyo, Khamani Griffin, Kamil McFadden, Georgie Grieve and Emily Nordwind

Here We Go:  Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and the Sandman team up with Jack Frost to stop Pitch Black (the Boogeyman).  How could this not be an awesome movie?  This one will be fun for the whole family as you watch Jack learn how to be a "Guardian" and think of more than just himself.  Santa has tattoo sleeves, the Easter Bunny is hilarious and fights with a boomerang and the Sandman is a the baddest of them all.   Rise of the Guardians will keep you and your kids entertained and will likely be one of those movies that the kids want to watch over, and over, and over (and you might not even object)!  

Bottom Line:  Watch it!

Rock of Ages

Rock of Ages (PG-13) 2012

Directed by Adam Shankman

Starring: Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta, Russell Brand, Paul Giamatti, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Malin Akerman, Mary J. Blige, Alec Baldwin and Tom Cruise

Here We Go:  Rock of Ages takes place in the 1980s where rock is more than a genre it's a lifestyle.  It was an entertaining movie with fun music and good mash-ups (different songs being sung together); however, you can absolutely tell that this music is more for the Broadway stage than the rocker scene at the Bourbon.  The voices were so polished and none of the grit that goes hand-in-hand with rock was really present.  I wasn't sure if I would be able to take listening to Hough's nasally singing voice for the 2 hours it would take to get through the movie, but I made it.  It must be said that Cruise managed to completely take over the persona of a rock legend.  His body language and stage performance could have been mirrored from Axle Rose.  Still, he really wasn't believably cast and neither was Alec Baldwin.  You win some, you lose some.  At the end of the day, this movie is supposed to be more tongue-in-cheek and hokey, which was strangely good and bad.  I mean, it was really the only reason why it made watching such a bizarrely bad movie seem acceptable.

Bottom Line:  Sure, why not... but only if it's free.

Rat Race

Rat Race (2001) PG-13

Directed by Jerry Zucker

Starring:  John Cleese, Rowan Atkinson, Whoopi Goldberg, Cuba Gooding Jr., Seth Green, Jon Lovitz, Breckin Meyer, Amy Smart, Kathy Najimy, and Dean Cain

Here We Go:  A group of people are selected by a wacky rich guy to race each other from Vegas to a train station in New Mexico, and whoever gets there first gets $2 million.  The obstacles that these characters encounter along their way are hysterical.  This movie has everything from Lucille Ball impersonators to a Jewish family riding around in Hitler's car.  Sure, some of the comedy bits are absurd and cheeky, but sometimes it's that light, comedic absurdity that really triggers the funny bone.  Jon Lovitz couldn't have done more to make me laugh - his facial expressions alone are classic.  If you're looking for an easy and light movie that offers plenty of laughs, this is the movie.

Bottom Line:  Watch it!  It's just plain funny.