Flight Plan

Flight Plan: Jodie Foster plays Kyle who gets on a plane she helped design and her 6 year old daughter vanishes during the flight. Nobody on board seems to have ever seen the child get on board and Kyle does not have a boarding pass for her daughter. Kyle had just lost her husband very traumatically and was coming back to the states with his casket for the funeral. The thought of the flight captain and the air marshal on board is that she is hallucinating that she even has a daughter. The plot then takes a turn, then a twist, then jumps over the line of believability before turning around so they can wave back at the viewers - thanking them for the cash they just blew on this movie. To top off the already BAD ending to the movie we are treated to one of the most laughable scenes in some time. As Foster gets out of the plane - dramatic smoke all around her, the people on the runway stunned at what they are seeing deliver a very corny line…….this was something out of a cheesy 80’s movie. I am shocked all involved let that scene make it to the final cut. Coming from a big Jodie Foster fan – boooooo

* and a ½

If this movie had Parents they would be: Panic Room and The Forgotten

With a running time of 98 minutes
This film is rated PG-13

Thumbsucker

THUMBSUCKER: An interesting story with fascinating characters, what is there not to like. The central character is Justin Cobb, a senior in high school who still sucks his thumb. On the surface the movie is funny – the story strange, but it really is about so much more….so much deeper. We see the challenges of growing up, in school and in your family. Even deeper we see the struggle to let something go and reach for your dream. The movie has a great cast – Vince Vaughn and Keanu Reeves play his speech teacher and hippie dentist respectfully, both are small but great roles. Tilda Swinton plays his mother and we even get a sighting of Benjamin Bratt as a Hollywood drug addict. The story may take a little time to warm up to, but when Vince Vaughn’s character pops up the ice should be broken. So dive in, because this film gets a Thumbs up…….suck on that!

* * *
If this movie had Parents they would be: Rushmore & Imaginary Heroes

With a run time of 93 minutes
This film is rated R

Lord of War

Lord of War: A look into the world of selling illegal firearms. Nic Cage stars as a gun-runner. He gets into the business very easily and slowly just selling a couple guns to people here in the states. He realizes the big money comes when you deal arms to other countries, especially in Africa. The film uses some dark and sarcastic humor to get it’s point across – mildly funny at best. The drama of the movie was just enough to keep me watching, in the end I really did not care what happened to the characters. The element that saved the film from failure for me was the subject matter and just how big of a problem it is. The film ends telling us it was based on a true story and that makes you think just how real the situation is……..much more real than Nic Cage’s hair.

* *
If this movie had parents they would be: Buffalo Soldiers & Matchstick Men

With a running time of 121 minutes
This film is rated R

Tim Burton's Corpse Bride

Corpse Bride: Computer animation who? Tim Burton returns to his love of Stop Motion Animation to create a truly remarkable and dark world. The film stars Johnny Depp and Helen Bonham Carter who voice Victor and the Corpse Bride. The story is something different as well as we follow Victor (Depp) into the world of the dead when he accidentally practices his wedding vows on a dead bride. The animation is in full gear as we see everything from skeletons to maggots to dead dogs. The music is the other highlight of the film, bringing a richness and liveliness to the story. The Characters and the way they are animated bring humor to the movie, but we are sort of rushed through all the introductions as the film’s length is just over an hour. Short run time indeed, but not short on quality.
* * *
If this movie had parents they would be: The Nightmare Before Christmas and Sleeping Beauty

With a run time of 77 minutes
This film is rated PG

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room: A documentary that takes an inside look at the sham we now know as Enron. The movie is made up mostly of actual footage from hearings, board meeting, and interviews of all the real people involved. The film makers do a good job of explaining all the dealings and all the business (smoke & mirrors) that took place in the Enron scandal. The film supplies some humor as we look back and see what a joke the whole thing was, but I could have used more. Without enough humor it came off as more a special investigation than a motion picture. Granted it is a documentary, but I felt the entertainment value was not that high. Still I felt it was a good watch as I really did not know many details about the subject matter. The more interested you are in the Enron scandal the more you will enjoy.

* * and ½
If this movie had Parents they would be: Wall Street and Roger & Me

With a running time of 110 minutes
This film is rated R