Bedtime Stories is a fun family film centered around Skeeter Bronson (Adam Sandler) who has to spend time with his nephew and niece (Jonathan Morgan Heit) and (Laura Ann Kelsing), respectively while his sister, Wendy (Courtney Cox), attends a job interview in another state. To assist him, Wendy enlists the aid of her friend, Jill (Keri Russell), to make sure she watches the children while Skeeter is at work…and possibly also to ensure Skeeter wasn’t accidentally drowning the children. Skeeter’s life is changed forever when the bedtime stories he shares with the children mysteriously come to life the next day.

Sandler has been hitting some solid ones with films like Click and Spanglish. While Bedtime Stories was enjoyable, it doesn’t tug on the heartstrings like those two, leaving you with just a lukewarm feeling at the end of the film, much like I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry did. I don’t know whose idea it was for the guinea pig, but it’s constant state of suprise was a neverending source of chuckles for me.

Narrated by (I’m assuming) Jonathon Pryce (Marty Bronson), the story was well told, and I have nothing negative to say about the acting, which was about average. Bedtime Stories is a definate must see for Sandler fans, and will probably be a fixture on family shelves when the dvd’s come out.

A plethora of stars cannot salvage this story.

I’m a sucker for animated movies. So when I saw the trailer for The Tale of Despereaux, I HAD to see it. This, sometimes, leads me to hating trailers. In this particular case, you’ve seen the best and funniest parts of the movie in this trailer. Narrated by Sigourney Weaver (Vantage Point), The Tale of Despereaux never grabbed your interest. Sure the animation was great, but the story wandered too often in lengthy asides on characters no one cared about. Every character that had a knot in the plot was expanded upon unnecessarily, and made the movie drag on needlessly. The story, a simple damsel in distress fare, felt flat and dragged you down in its overbearing melancholy. Despereaux (Mathew Broderick) is the only uplifting character but the burden of carrying the movie was too much for this little mouse…even if he did have big ears.

While the voice acting was loaded with stars (Emma Watson, Dustin Hoffman, Tracey Ullman, Kevin Kline, William H. Macy, Stanley Tucci), the combined shine of their star power couldn’t salvage the poor (if accurate) retelling of the book by Kate DiCamillo. The Tale of Despereaux suffered from insufficient pruning and an unengaging narrator, hampering what could have been a wonderful story with delightful characters.

Revolutionary Road is a period piece, taking place in 1950′s America, and is adapted from the novel by Richard Yates. It should have remained in novel form. The story revolved around a married couple who become disenchanted with suburban life, living the rut called the American Dream. In an attempt to change it up, they decide to move to Paris, but two things stand in their way – a lucrative promotion, and the possibility of a newborn to bring their family to five.

Leonardo DiCaprio (Frank Wheeler) and Kate Winslet (April Wheeler) bring their dynamic chemistry back from their pairing in Titanic. The acting was fantastic. Both actors bring out the subtle nuances of emotions as if they really feel them. And DiCaprio has the market cornered on blind rage. I can’t think of another actor off the top of my head that can do that as powerful as he can.

The only odd thing that stuck out was that April Wheeler, a housewife and mother of two, seemed to be constantly bereft of her children. Their presence was barely felt throughout the movie. You weren’t even aware they HAD children until about the thirty minute mark, and even then (at least for me) you think they’re neighborhood children. I guess it was so we could better focus on the Wheeler adults, but it felt more like the family was a sham. If the kids were going to be nonexistent anyway, Director Sam Mendes should have had them written out of the script altogether.

Unfortunately, good chemistry and great acting can’t do anything for a paltry story. You can’t polish a turd, as they say. Avoid at all costs.

The Yes Covenant

Say “Yes” to everything? That’s a tall order for anyone, but Carl Allen (Jim Carrey) – a loan officer who’s favorite word is “No” – does just that, thanks to the helpful coaxing of his acquaintance Nick (John Michael Higgins) and a bit of persuasion from self help guru, Terrence Bundley (Terence Stamp). With the power of “Yes,” Carl is able to open himself up to a world he only glanced at before. With each “Yes” he opens himself up to better and better things, not to mention gain a new romantic interest in Allison (Zooey Deschanel).

Carrey is in good comedic form, leaving the crazy faces that made him famous at home. Well, most of them. You feel for Carl, who is at an obvious crossroads in life. He’s despondent, in a comfortable rut, and unwilling to budge from the sanctity of his couch unless its for work. We’ve all been there. Hell, some of us are still there! Stamp, even though his screen time was short, had probably the best running sequence in a movie I’ve seen in a long time. I half expected it to end with him swinging a samurai sword in the end, lopping off the head of some unsuspecting victim. Deschanel is as adorable as ever in her role as Allison. I was surprised to find out she has a pretty decent singing voice.

The message of this movie was pretty clear, at least for me: Stay true to yourself, but don’t be afraid to live. Yes Man is a definite cattle call to all the shut-ins, internet addicts and couch potatoes out there who find comfort in ignoring opportunity’s knocks for the comfort of solitude.  Jim Carrey sums up the message of the movie pretty well himself:

“It’s usually not the things we say yes to that we regret; it’s when we say no that we look back and think, ‘Ah, I could have lived a little bit more.’”

While it wasn’t a laugh riot, Yes Man was funny and engaging enough to keep me entertained. So live a little and head to the theatre this weekend if you haven’t already seen it.

THE READER opens in post-WWII Germany when teenager Michael Berg (David Cross & Ralph Fiennes) becomes ill with scarlet fever and is helped home by Hanna Schmitz (Kate Winslett), a stranger twice his age.  When Michael recovers and seeks out Hanna to thank her, the two are quickly drawn into a passionate but secretive affair that only lasts one summer.

This movie probably touches on many young boy’s fantasies of being seduced by an attractive older woman and being taught all manner of unspeakable sexual acts. The only difference is their fantasies probably wouldn’t include them reading an inordinate amount of books while doing so. The books were the only caveat to Michael’s affair with Hanna. It isn’t until much later, while he’s attending law school and witness to a trial that includes Hanna, does he realize why.

THE READER spends most of the duration in flashbacks, drawing you in with the younger Michael’s affair with Hanna, and the time he spent in law school. It starts to bog down when we are treated to present day glimpses of the older Michael (Fiennes) reliving the mistakes he’s made regarding Hanna. I was rather impressed with the authentic sounding German accents the actors embraced. Unlike The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, the Germans sounded German, not British. Unfortunately, that was the most redeeming quality of the film, as the audience really didn’t have any one to root for. I certainly didn’t care for Hanna’s fate, though I appreciated the turmoil running through Michael’s mind. In the end, I didnt’ care for Michael, who came off more as a coward in the face of doing what is right. While many would believe that he redeemed himself in the end, it was really more of a token gesture than anything.

Unless you want to drool over Winslett’s naked body, I wouldn’t advise watching this anywhere else but from the comfort of your couch.

Read the Director and Studio’s rebuttal to “fringe critics” below:

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If there’s one thing everyone can agree on, it’s that family time isn’t always a walk in the park. Nothing Like the Holidays takes a peek at the Rodriguez family, bringing the wayward siblings to converge at their parent’s home in Chicago to celebrate Christmas as well as rejoice in their youngest brother’s safe return from a military tour overseas.

Nothing Like the Holidays was a fairly straightforward Christmas movie revolving around the family dynamic. Unfortunately, the story fell victim to the typical family subplots that are continuously regurgitated in these types of films. A family member covering up a debilitating illness? Check. A problem that drives a wedge between various members of the family? Check. Jealous siblings sharing a bonding moment? Check. Varying degrees of animosity toward the non-family member? Check.

While there’s really nothing wrong with the film, there really wasn’t anything to make it stand out from the rest of its ilk. Taking The Family Stone and painting a Hispanic coat over it hardly makes a movie worthwhile. Rent it at best, but save your money at the theaters.

Third time’s a charm.

It took Marvel Entertainment three tries – two with Lionsgate – but I think they finally got it right.  Director Lexi Alexander (Hooligans) takes a page from Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” and gives Punisher: War Zone a darkened setting. Fitting, especially for a grim and gritty character based on Garth Ennis’s Punisher Max comic book series through Marvel Comics.

Thankfully, Alexander avoided a detailed retelling of the origin of Frank Castle (the Punisher), instead opting to use the opening credits and brief flashbacks to inform the uninitiated. Ray Stevenson brings a certain gravity to the role of the Punisher, giving the character more life than its previous incarnations (I’m looking at you, Dolph). Dominic West (Jigsaw) does a pretty good job as the villain, being as equally brutal and ruthless as his anti-heroic counterpart.

Surprisingly, I didn’t notice the serious lack of explosions that usually accompany a solid dick flick until afterwords. This version of the Punisher prefers brute force and total annhiliation with bullets and fisticuffs, resorting to boom tactics where necessary and for comedic affect. Hell, even some of the brutality was hilarious. Followers of the comic book series will no doubt appreciate a nod to one of the more popular Punisher cover artists, Tim Bradstreet, when the stage for the final scene gets set.

If you love brutality in your movies, this ones for you. It’s up there with the new Rambo.

“The lion falls in love with the lamb.”

Director Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen, Lords of Dogtown)  helps bring Twilight to the big screen with Best-selling author Stephenie Meyer, attracting her legion of fans for the best-selling books of the Twilight series. Not having read the books, I felt at slight disadvantage when viewing the film, and consequently, did not enjoy it as much as the rest of my fellow viewers apparently did.

At its root, Twilight is a typical teenage love story. Before you stop there, it gets more interesting as the lovers are a human and a vampire. Like most teen romances, Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) finds herself irrevocably attracted to the exotic and elusive Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson). That’s where the similarity to the genre ends. Bella doesn’t jump through hoops trying to profess her love throughout the film, culminating with one final bid on Edward’s affection at the end. Instead, while trying to confront his odd behavior early on, Edward essentially let’s Bella know that the attraction is mutual, but if she was smart, to leave him alone.

Meyer’s vampires aren’t your run-of-the-mill variety. For starters, they don’t have fangs. They can be active during the day, and direct sunlight does not kill them, making their skin sparkle instead.

It took awhile to get used to the acting in the film. While the humans were normal, the vampires were a little odd, and stiff. If I hadn’t had the opportunity to sit with Laurent (Edi Gathegi) and Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) earlier this week, I would have just chalked it up to poor acting. According to Edi Gathegi, the Cullens had to study humans in order to know what to do, how to think, how to act…all in order to fit in. Twilight took its time to get to the action, but I can’t exactly say it was a horrid wait. It kept my interest, even if just barely. The whole time, the film had the feel of constant preparation, as if this wasn’t the story, but just the introduction. I’m assuming that there will be a sequel or more based on Meyer’s books, so hopefully, like Harry Potter, it just gets better each go round.

I’ve heard from people that Twilight is the Lost Boys of this generation. I don’t know if I agree with that. Surely this film will resonate deeply with many of the readers, but to people that haven’t read Meyer’s books, this movie will have about as much impact as Serenity did for non-Firefly fans. You’re mileage may vary.

And if the Cullens ever break from their non-human diet, Alice is welcome to my blood anytime.

BEYAWESOME!

Disney animation has come a long way from Steamboat Willy, and it’s definately taken another bold step since Toy Story. 3-D animated features have been attempted before, but Bolt in 3-D leaves those red and blue lense days in the dust. The last animated movie I watched in 3-D was Beowulf, and it reminded me of the one thing I hate in 3-D movie…the animator’s desire – no – unquenchable NEED to remind you that the film you are watching isn’t a normal animated movie. It’s as if there’s an unwritten rule in the studio that pleads for them to take the viewer out of the story by making the characters point and jab things at the audience incessantly. Newsflash: We get it. Except for a minor and unintrusive faux pas involving a packing peanut, and one good-natured-tongue-in-cheek jab at the end, Disney gets it too.

Speaking of 3-D animation, Bolt was nothing short of fantastic. The depth of field was shown beautifully. At times, I felt that if I could just squint a little bit harder, I would be able to see deeper into the horizon than what was shown.

The voice acting was well casted. John Travolta voices Bolt who, much like Truman from the Truman Show, is unaware that the life he leads is all part of a hit television series. He lives his life to protect his person, Penny (Miley Cyrus), from the evil Dr. Calico (Malcolm McDowell) and his evil cat (Diedrich Bader) . The difference between Bolt and The Truman Show, however, is that the story happens when he escapes and has to save Penny from the clutches of his arch enemies. Susie Essman lends her voice beautifully as Mittens to help pepper a healthy dose of cynicism throughout as she tries to make Bolt realize he’s just a normal dog, and then there’s Rhino. Mark Walton voices Rhino the hamster, Bolt’s biggest and most excitable fan. Without question, he exuberantly steals each and every scene he is in.

If you only see one animated film this year, skip Madagascar 2 and see Bolt. In 3-D if you can.