The Woman in Black (2012)

Starring Daniel Radcliffe

Directed by James Watkins

Release Date(s)- February 3rd, 2012 (US)/ February 10th, 2012 (UK)

Daniel Radcliffe stars as Arthur Kipps, a London lawyer tasked with carrying out the will and property of Alice Drablow, which includes Eel Marsh House. Soon, Kipps is drawn into mystery and fear as a ghastly woman in black continues to haunt him, whose presence results in the death of a child. Arthur must now solve the mystery before his young son comes to visit him and could be in the sights of the woman in black...

First off, I must applaud Daniel Radcliffe for his strong performance so soon after finishing the Harry Potter franchise. Radcliffe does a great job of using body language and his expressive face to showcase his own terror and to make his fear translate to the audience. Also, director James Watkins does a commendable job of injecting a moody atmosphere in the visuals. Most of the time, it's what you only see in shadows or hear that becomes more terrifying rather than when the titular character shows up.

Therefore, the major problem with the film is that it relies too heavily on jump scares. 90% of the scares in the film are when something (or someone) literally jumps in front of the camera and scares the most susceptible to the cheapest of cheap tricks in horror. I know this is a ghost story, but there are actual moments in the film that are chilling, such as when Kipps has dinner with the Dailys or when Kipps has an encounter with a little girl in a fire. Good horror is when the mood and the tension builds to an event, not when a "boogeyman" jumps in front of the camera.

Rating: * * * of  5

The Karate Kid (2010)

Starring Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith

Directed by Harald Zwart

Release Date: June 11th, 2010

He doesn't learn Karate in this movie, he learns Kung fu. The only reason it's called "The Karate Kid" is to capitalize on the name from the original movie starring Pat Morita and Ralph Macchio. Sure, there are a couple of good fight scenes, but the rest of the movie is full of poor dialogue.

Rating: * * 1/2 of 5

Click here to buy The Karate Kid The Karate Kid (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy) (2010)

Let Me In

Starring Chloe Moretz, Kodi Smit-McGee, and Richard Jenkins

Directed by Matt Reeves

Release Date: October 1st, 2010

Good, but not as spectacular as the original Swedish film.


Plot: See my review of Let the Right one In, but replace Oskar with Owen, Elli with Abby, and Sweden with New Mexico.

I was very nervous about this remake, as "Americanization" remakes of European movies are generally not very good; therefore, I felt that Let me in did its' job, but didn't strike me as memorable as the original. Sure, there are a few tweaks, such as Owen's bumbling interest with romance and Now and Laters, and a tad more development into Abby's protector (Jenkins), but not much has changed in the hands of Matt Reeves. Still, the actors are great, the make-up effects are amazing, but just like the original, the use of CGI is obvious and shaky-looking.

Rating: * * * 1/2 of 5

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The Mechanic

Starring Jason Statham, Ben Foster, and Donald Sutherland

Directed by Simon West

Release Date: January 28th, 2011

When you want something done efficiently, you hire a mechanic. When you want the best, hire Arthur Bishop (Statham). Arthur is the one person in the world who can take any assignment, and neutralize the target quietly and without detection. To Henry (Sutherland), his one and only friend, Arthur is more machine than man. Soon, Arthur's company is hiring him out to eliminate Henry due to his ineptitude and betrayal over a previous assignment. After Henry's passing, his son Steven (Foster) is looking for Bishop to teach him how to be a Mechanic....

Based on the original 1972 film starring Charles Bronsen, the remake does a competent job as an action movie, however not a memorable one. As of yet, I have not seen the original; I can say that the remake does have good action sequences, especially a car stunt near the finale. The acting is fairly routine, with Foster being better than Statham as Statham plays the same character in nearly all his films.

If you're an action fan, or a Statham fan, you'll enjoy The Mechanic.

Rating: * * * 1/2 of 5

Click Here to buy The Mechanic (1972)

The Tourist

Starring Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Paul Bettany, Timothy Dalton, and Steven Berkoff

Directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck

Release Date: December 10th, 2010

A tale of espionage, mistaken identities, and romance in this Italian action thriller starring Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, and Paul Bettany as a remake of the 2005 French film, Anthony Zimmer.

Venice, Italy: College Professor Frank (Depp) is looking forward to a nice vacation in Italy, nothing out of the ordinary for him. Suddenly, a mysterious British woman named Elise (Jolie), strikes up a conversation with the meek professor and invites him to stay with her at a fancy hotel posing as her husband. Out of the blue, Italian Interpol agents and Russian mobsters are chasing our American everyman due to his similarity to a British criminal known as Alexander Pierce. What is Elise's connection to Pierce? Will Frank avoid capture and death but still run away with the dashing beauty?

In comparison with more modern spy thrillers like The Bourne trilogy or the 2005 remake of Casino Royale, The Tourist is a more character driven, subdued mystery. The majority of the movie is a game of cat and mouse between Frank and Elise, each trying to play aloof with their motivations and desires. Personally, I enjoyed the nuances of the film, playing off the portrayals of the actors rather than how many car chases and gun fights the characters get into (not that the movie is without action; there's a unique boat chase in the Venitian canals). Finally, the casting for the movie is great, with the A-list actors (Jolie and Depp) having wonderful chemistry and making their characters captivating and interesting. Also, there's a great villainous portrayal by Steven Berkoff as British gangster Reginald Shaw.

For fans of Charade or North by Northwest, The Tourist is an energetic and mystifiying thriller.

Rating: * * * * of 5

Dinner for Schmucks

Starring Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, Zach Galifianakis, Ron Livingston, and Bruce Greenwood

Directed by Jay Roach

Release Date: July 30th, 2010

Based on the French film Le dîner de cons ("The Dinner of Dolts"), Dinner for Schmucks reteams Carell and Rudd with the director of the Austin Powers trilogy. Tim (Rudd) is a mid-level financial executive with big dreams at Fender Financial. Impressed by Tim's ingenuity toward landing a new client, Lance Fender (Greenwood) invites Tim to a special dinner: the dinner is for the employees to bring a loser and then Fender will declare the biggest loser a "winner" with the guest none the wiser. The loser of dinner? They get fired. While Tim wrestles with his guilt over exploiting someone and his girlfriend ashamed of the idea, he meets Barry, quite possibly the strangest person Tim has ever met. Barry is a IRS agent with a hobby of dressing up dead mice in dioramas and 1% awareness of the world around him. With Barry raring and willing to go to dinner, will Tim be a winner, or a loser?

Though I have yet to see the original film, I genuinely enjoyed how wacky and hilarious Dinner for schmucks was. During the opening credits, we get a glimpse into Barry's hobbies...his creepy, creepy hobby of dressing up dead mice including making one appear to be sunbathing topless (that will haunt my dreams for a week). In addition to Tim's misadventures with Barry, we get to meet Kieran (Jermaine Clement), an eccentric painter who works with Tim's girlfriend Julie. Kieran is a hiliarious character, from his reason for why art = love making, to having a meaningful conversation dressed like a faun. Finally, there is the cherry on top of a bizarre sundae, Thurman (Galifianakis), who believes he has mind control powers and gets uber-serious over questions like "Can I eat your pudding?". The dinner is equally hilarious, particularly when Thurman and Barry have a mind-control vs. brain control fight.

Dinner for Schmucks is a goofy, enjoyable comedy.

Rating: * * * * of 5

Click Here to buy Le Diner de Cons (Original French Version with English Subtitles)

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Halloween (2007)

Starring Malcolm McDowell, Sherri Moon Zombie, and Danny Trejo

Directed by Rob Zombie

Release Date: August 31, 2007

For those unfamiiar with Michael Myers, they SHOULD watch the original but would most likely pick this flashy, unnecessary remake. For fans, it's a decent remake that answers all the questions about Michael Myers' mythos (some that probably shouldn't have been explained to keep an air of mystery) and does stray from the original to stand on its' own. Still, if i had to choose between the Original Halloween and this 2008 remake, i'd pick the original.

Rating: * * * of 5

Click here to buy Halloween (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Halloween (Three-Disc Unrated Collector's Edition)