Movies

The Happening

By: Lee Rice

Although his new film is about a wave of unexplained mass suicides, M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Happening” thankfully won’t make audiences follow suit.

MY BEST FRIEND’S GIRL

By: Lee Rice

After the release of ‘There’s Something About Mary,’ pretty much every major studio jumped on the romantic comedy bandwagon for a solid slate of releases along the same lines. It also cemented Ben Stiller’s career as one of the reigning kings of romance, leading to the recent ‘Heartbreak Kid,’ one of the most idiotic romance movies of all time.

Well move over, ‘Heartbreak,’ because there’s a new kid in town.

From the very start, I was both optimistic and worried about “Tropic Thunder.” On one hand, it promised a great ensemble cast, including Ben Stiller, Jack Black, and Robert Downey Jr. It also seemed to have a genuinely good concept, something criminally lacking in most films these days. On the other hand, a lot of what I saw in the trailers seemed to be in questionable taste- Downey Jr. in blackface, Stiller waving around prosthetic arm stumps, and Jack Black being… well… Jack Black.

Disney and Pixar studios have given some great family entertainment over the years, including “The Incredibles,” “Toy Story,” and “Finding Nemo.” What most people don’t know about these projects is that all of them supposedly sprang from one gigantic brainstorming session. “WALL-E” is the last of the projects created at that brilliant meeting, and it upholds the high bar set by its predecessors.

HELLBOY II

By: Lee Rice

In the recent deluge of super-hero related films, “Hellboy II” stands apart as possibly the best this summer. Sandwiched between the much anticipated “The Dark Knight” and hot on the heels of the abysmal “Hancock,” “The Golden Army” is a great reminder of what it's like to be floored by a superhero movie.

Quantum of Solace

By: Lee Rice

“Quantum of Solace,” the newest entry in the James Bond franchise, proves that lightning really can strike twice.

The direct sequel to “Casino Royale,” which attempted to re-invent Bond as a more believable character grounded in reality, “Quantum” manages to take all the best qualities of “Royal” while fixing what little was wrong with it. 

By: Lee Rice

Back in the 90’s, The X-Files took the world by storm, creating a fun and interesting world where there was a conspiracy around every corner, an alien in every shadow, and a sinister conspiracy in every coincidence. Now, years after the end of the show, The X-Files is back on the big screen, but even though legions of fans may ‘want to believe,’ chances are that they‘ll find themselves disappointed.

First off, it seems odd that a series so obsessed with image would produce an obese movie.

Although “Sex and the City” is cleverly written and well acted, it does have a single, almost unforgivable flaw: an unacceptable length that threatens to bore and smother the uninitiated. The movie is a labor of love, dedicated to the fans who have invested so much of their lives in following the characters. On that level, it's effective, but newcomers to the series might find themselves suffering from an overdose of prada bags, girl talk, and drama that just won't die.

Although kids will get a kick out of "Kung Fu Panda", anyone over the age of 10 will probably find themselves straining to ignore some of the cheesier elements of this feel-good chop-sockey.

"Kung Fu Panda", the story of an overweight hero who finds himself pegged as the savior of his village, occasionally dips way too far into kiddy-land. I know that a film about a martial arts practicing CGI panda is for the kids, but does it have to be so grating?

The Huli is back and it’s time to face it, we like him when he’s angry.

Ang Lee’s mind-blastingly bad 2003 “Hulk” wisely left the phrase “incredible” out of the title. That gamma-strength box-office bomb caused Marvel to rethink how it presented the franchise, and forced a series reboot after just one film. Perhaps we should all thank Lee, because this new film goes all out to please all the Hulk fans and moviegoers that were insulted by his overly talky tripe.