The Scorecard Review

Quickcard Review I Love You, Man

Directed by: John Hamburg Cast: Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Rashida Jones Running Time: 1 hr 40 mins Rating: R

Plot: Now that Peter (Rudd) is engaged, he realizes he needs a best man. But he really doesn't have any guy friends, so now he's out searching, and along comes someone (Segel) who might be just right, even if his fiancee (Jones) doesn't think so.

Who’s It For? Did you like Segel in Forgetting Sarah Marshall? Well that becomes secondary because this film is a Rudd lovefest. And he proves to be one of the more likeable guys in Hollywood.

OVERALL

They don't rush into it here and they give Rudd time to set up his character of Peter Klaven, plus there's comedians from "Saturday Night Live," Broken Lizard and MTV's "The State" so

Mar 20
Mar 20 Duplicity

DuplicityDirected by: Tony Gilroy Cast: Clive Owen, Julia Roberts, Paul Giamatti, Tom Wilkinson Running Time: 1 hr 50 mins Rating: PG-13

Plot: A couple of romantically involved corporate spies (Owen and Roberts) scheme to screw two battling pharmaceutical companies out of forty million dollars.

Who’s It For? The fun of Duplicity will bode best with people that have longer attention spans and are less than demanding when it comes to action this is in your face. Being a fan of classic con films will be a plus.

Expectations: Writer-director Tony Gilroy impressed with his Oscar-nominated film Michael Clayton. That film proved his smarts, and I expected Duplicity to be a more mainstream continuation of this skill.

SCORECARD (0-10)

Actors: Clive Owen as Ray Koval: Another dapper role that has Owen turning up

Mar 20
Mar 20 I Love You Man

I Love You, Man Directed by: John Hamburg Cast: Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Rashida Jones Running Time: 1 hr 40 mins Rating: R

Plot: A guy, who completely loses male friends when he is involved with women, must find a best man before his wedding.

Who’s It For? The same dating crowd that loves to remember Forgetting Sarah Marshall would be treating themselves to an even funnier experience.

Expectations: Considering its cast, I thought this was going to be another comedy from Judd Apatow (it is not). Seth Rogen is nowhere to be seen, and the film's writers aren't even from the Apatow universe.

SCORECARD (0-10)

Actors:

Paul Rudd as Peter Klaven: Rudd is becoming the best man for romantic comedies. His carefully balanced level of handsomeness makes his attractiveness seemingly attainable to the ladies, yet his characters always seem

Mar 20
Mar 20 Knowing

Chris De Salvo

Knowing Directed by: Alex Proyas Cast: Nicolas Cage, Rose Byrne, Chandler Canterbury Running Time: 2 hrs, 2 minutes Rating: PG-13

Plot: A disillusioned widower/college professor’s son (Cage) attends an elementary school that plans to unveil a time capsule that’s been buried for 50 years. Little does he know that the contents of the letter his son retrieves from the relic contains an alarming amount of answers regarding a half-century’s worth of disasters. The film centers upon a grieving man’s struggle to thwart the inevitable effects of certain disaster.

Who’s It For?: Difficult to peg. Nicholas Cage fans are routinely taken on tangential rides where their favorite actor jumps from exploring think-pieces [Adaptation] to blockbusting fluff [Bangkok Dangerous]. As one of the world’s more relevant movie stars, Cage needed an intelligent, thought-provoking feature to bring his star

Mar 20
Mar 20 The Great Buck Howard

The Great Buck Howard Directed by: Sean McGinly Cast: Colin Hanks, John Malkovich, Emily Blunt, Steve Zahn Running Time: 1 hr 30 mins Rating: R

Plot: Buck Howard used to spend his days on Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show."

Who’s It For? For people who are sick of YouTube making everything "instant entertainment." And if you're obsessed with Malkovich, this let's you see him in a different, but still kooky, light.

Expectations: There wasn't a lot of buzz about this film at Sundance, so I decided not to think "great" just cause it was in the title.

SCORECARD (0-10)

Actors: Colin Hanks as Troy Gabel: A writer. Really? That's the job Troy wants. Not a lawyer like his father expects. His dad looks a lot like his real life dad Tom Hanks. Must be the lighting. Just like in

Mar 19
Mar 19 Transformers Part 3 - release date and Stan Bush news

Some not-so-awesome and some totally awesome news involving the world of the Transformers films. First, the not-so-awesome. Less than three days ago, the highways of the film internets were ablaze with news that the third Transformers film had a set release date of July 4th, 2011.

However, faster than Soundwave can turn into a tape player, director Michael Bay has recently divulged on his website that this is not entirely the case. Rather, the Bay-ster has said that when he agreed to do the film, he meant that it would come out in 2012, not 2011.

"That would mean I would have to start prep in September. No way. My brain needs a break from fighting robots," wrote the director. At the same time, he has broken his fan's hearts, but

Mar 16
Mar 16 Rami wants Dunst for Spider-Man 4, already has Maguire

After Batman and Iron Man dominated our super hero senses ... do we still care about Spider-Man 4? Well, director Sam Rami and star Toby Maguire hope we do by May 6, 2011. The release date has been set, but they still aren't talking villains. Rami is tight lipped on who Spider-Man will be fighting, but the director says he wants Kirsten Dunst back in the Mary Jane Watson role.

He told MTV news ... “I can’t imagine making a ‘Spider-Man’ movie without Kirsten,” he said, seemingly contemplating the idea in his head with a long pause. “Of course it can be done because Spider Man has existed without the character of Mary-Jane but she’s one of my favorite parts and it would be a shame not to have her in the picture

Mar 15
Mar 15 Race to Witch Mountain

Click here to read Nick Allen's complete scorecard review

Quickcard Review Race to Witch Mountain

Directed by: Andy Fickman Cast: Dwayne Johnson, AnnaSophia Robb, Alexander Ludwig, Carla Gugino Running Time: 1 hr 40 mins Rating: PG

Plot: A Las Vegas cab driver (Johnson) assists two alien teenagers (Robb, Ludwig) in retrieving their space ship which is being guarded deep beneath Witch Mountain.

Who’s It For? I'm not sure what makes this a family film. My niece and nephew saw it opening weekend and said, "It had a lot of action." That's it. That's what made it good. Which continues my theory ... kids will sit through anything in the theater and think it's good.

OVERALL

We used to be able to smell what the rock was cooking. But alas no more. Over the years Dwayne Johnson has put

Mar 15
Mar 15 Box Office Review - March 15, 2009

Box Office

WEEKEND TOP 5 STUDIO ESTIMATES, MARCH 13-15, 2009 Rank. Movie Title - Weekend Gross | Theaters | Total Gross | Week #

1. Race to Witch Mountain - $25.0 million | 3,187 | $25.0 million | 1

2. Watchmen - $18.1 million | 3,611 | $86.0 million | 2

3. The Last House on the Left - $14.7 million | 2,401 | $14.7 million | 1

4. Taken - $6.7 million | 2,858 | $126.8 million | 7

5. Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail - $5.1 million | 2,203 | $83.2 million | 4

Source: boxofficemojo.com

Watchmen is slipping. This was to be expected. All the die-hards saw it the first week. But dang, a 67 percent drop is significant. It now stands the risk of being forgotten.

And it appears parents were content in seeing Dwayne

Mar 13
Mar 13 Race to Witch Mountain

Race to Witch Mountain Directed by: Andy Fickman Cast: Dwayne Johnson, AnnaSophia Robb, Alexander Ludwig, Carla Gugino Running Time: 1 hr 40 mins Rating: PG

Plot: A Las Vegas cab driver (Johnson) assists two alien teenagers (Robb, Ludwig) in retrieving their space ship which is being guarded deep beneath Witch Mountain.

Who’s It For? This film has a few moments that might be too scary or violent for children in the lower single-digits. Disney has crafted this film for its pre-teen audience, and they even throw in a cheap Cheech Marin cameo to keep parents from falling asleep.

Expectations: From its poster and first trailer, it looked like a carefully constructed science fiction adventure movie built for pre-teens still watching Disney. This is another feature length film based on a two-minute amusement park ride, right?

SCORECARD (0-10)

Actors:

Dwayne Johnson

Mar 13
Mar 13 Che Part 1

Che Part 1 Directed by: Steven Soderbergh Cast: Benicio Del Toro, Demián Bichir, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Julia Ormond Running Time: 2 hr 10 min Rating: unrated

Plot: Ernesto "Che" Guevara (Benicio Del Toro) befriends Fidel Castro (Demián Bichir) and follows him to Cuba to fight as revolutionaries against the government. The story of the revolution is told within a framework of flashforwards to 1964 when Che goes to New York to speak to the UN as a delegate from Cuba.

Who's It For? Fans of Steven Soderbergh, Marxist revolutionaries and anyone who has ever worn a Che Guevara t-shirt. Don't let the presence of Benicio Del Toro fool you: the film is almost entirely in Spanish and subtitled. Even Del Toro speaks Spanish, occasionally speaking dialogue while someone else translates over his own voice. It's a

Mar 13
Mar 13 Che Part 2

Che: Part 2 Directed by: Steven Soderbergh Cast: Benicio Del Toro, Franka Potente, Lou Diamond Phillips Running Time: 2 hrs 15 mins Rating: unrated

Plot: After the successful Revolution in Cuba, Che Guevara (Benicio Del Toro) decides to go to Bolivia. There he joins the local Marxists and attempts to lead a local revolution.

Who's It For?: Have you seen Part 1? Then you might as well finish things up.

Expectations: At the end of Part 1, Che says that the revolution is just beginning. I expected Part 2 to pick up from right there and show the evolution of Cuba into the country it is today. I hoped for passionate arguments about applied Marxism and wrecked dreams.

SCORECARD (0-10)

Actors: Benicio Del Toro as Ernesto "Che" Guevara: The second film takes place in a more condensed period of time

Mar 13
Mar 13 Crips and Bloods: Made in America

Crips and Bloods: Made in America Directed by: Stacy Peralta Cast: Forest Whitaker Running Time: 1 hr 30 min Rating: Unrated

Plot: Peralta documents the social conditions in Los Angeles that led to the rise of gang culture. Crips and Bloods also discusses the conditions in LA today and how these two gangs have sliced neighborhoods into a complicated grid of danger zones.

Who’s It For? Anyone who enjoys well researched, entertaining documentaries.

Expectations: I enjoyed Dogtown and Z-Boys and hoped for something similarly interesting from this director.

SCORECARD (0-10)

Actors:

Forest Whitaker as the Narrator: Whitaker lends gravitas as the voice of the film. He's got a nice deep, soft tone that's both soothing and serious. Complements the material nicely. Score: 8

Talking: The filmmakers select really great sots from the various talking heads in

Mar 12
Mar 12 Fanboys

Chris De Salvo

Fanboys Directed by: Kyle Newman Cast: Sam Huntington, Jay Baruchel, Dan Fogler, Chris Marquette, Kristen Bell Running Time: 1 hr, 30 minutes Rating: PG-13

Plot: Four former best friends (one has since disbanded into the “real world”) re-unite for a road trip to seek out the Skywalker Ranch. Their mission: To break into George Lucas’ nerd-kingdom and steal a copy of the elusive Star Wars: Episode I. Don’t let the silly premise fool you, this film is more about the bond between young men (and women) than comic-book capers.

Who’s It For?: Anyone born amidst the years of Star Wars’ release who’s ever had even a waning interest in cinema’s most stories saga. If you’ve ever found yourself attempting to channel “the force” in order to evade bullies, teachers, or creditors, this may be the movie

Mar 12
Mar 12 Fanboys

Fanboys Directed by: Kyle Newman Cast: Sam Huntington, Chris Marquette, Dan Fogler, Jay Baruchel, Kristen Bell Running Time: 1 hr 35 mins Rating: PG-13

Plot: In 1999, a group of Star Wars fans make a cross country journey to George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch to steal a copy of Episode One: The Phantom Menace before it is released in theaters.

Who’s It For? The fun of Fanboys is not limited to its self-titled audience members. Its humor is pure, but some jokes can be appreciated even more by those familiar with Star Wars and other fan-driven franchises. For those who do know such things as the name of the Wookie planet, this is an undeniable treat.

Expectations: Because of its long-overdue arrival to the big screen (it was supposed to come out in 2007), one would definitely hope

Mar 12
Mar 12 Ballerina

Quickcard Review Ballerina

Directed by: Bertrand Normand Cast: Uliana Lopatkina, Evguenya Obraztsova, Diana Vishneva Running Time: 1 hr 20 mins Rating: Unrated

Plot: Follows the stories of five ballerinas with the Kirov Ballet of St. Petersburg to give an overview of the life of a dancer.

Who’s It For? Fans of ballet, and girls who think it would be cool to grow up and be a ballerina.

OVERALL

Who doesn't want to be a Ballerina when they're a child? It's the dream of almost every little girl and some little boys. I always knew it was a lot of work, I've seen Fame. But yeah, being a Russian ballerina's apparently way harder than that. One of the earliest scenes shows a group of 10-year-old girls auditioning for the Kirov school. They're lined up

Mar 11
Mar 11 Mickey Rourke officially in Iron Man 2 with Robert Downey, Jr.

When talking about Mickey Rourke, don't call it a comeback. That's an understatement. Mickey Rourke is devouring movie roles like protein shakes (if those tasted any good). Currently, he has five solid projects (according to IMDB.com) that are set to hit movie theaters in only two years.

His latest confirmed role will be one of his biggest. According to Variety, Rourke is officially signed on to be in Iron Man 2. He will play the Russian villain Ivan/Whiplash in the sequel to Jon Favreau's blockbuster film. He will be joining a cast that already has the following names confirmed: Sam Rockwell, Don Cheadle, Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, and Samuel L. Jackson.

Reportedly, Rourke was originally dancing around a low paycheck of $250,000 to be in the film. However, with the help of

Mar 11
Mar 11 Barrymore or Bayona to direct Twilight sequel Eclipse?

The list of potential directors for the third Twilight film, Eclipse, continues to grow. Earlier, we were thinking actress Drew Barrymore might get the job. Now, a new name has been added to the list.

The new candidate is Juan Antonio Bayona - the man who directed the heavily praised Spanish horror film The Orphanage. He is considered by many movie websites as the "protege of Guillermo Del Toro." Bayona's projects have always been supported by the Pan's Labyrinth director.

Sources have told The Hollywood Reporter that Bayona is actually a finalist in the race to direct Eclipse, but the studio that owns the franchise, Summit, refuses to comment. A representative only said that the studio is looking at a number of candidates. Previously mentioned candidates range from Walk the Line director James

Mar 10
Mar 10 Sean Penn in talks for Cartel (based on La Scorta)

David Pohl