Movies

EAGLE EYE

Lee Rice

As its name might imply, ‘Eagle Eye’ is a visual feast that’s high on special effects, but sadly low on brains.

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.

TOWELHEAD

By: Lee Rice

Despite what the main title might have you believe, ‘Towlhead’ isn’t about prejudice. Oh sure, there is one minor subplot about name-calling, but the vast majority of the film concerns a 13 year-old girl dealing with her sexual awakening while living under the roof of her abusive Lebanese father.

RIGHTEOUS KILL
By: Lee Rice

Two screen legends unite in ‘Righteous Kill,’ a film that stars Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino as two police detectives desperately trying to find a serial killer that is targeting the city’s criminal element.

BANGKOK DANGEROUS
By: Lee Rice

Thanks to a slow, dopey plot and an almost unforgivable dearth of action scenes, ‘Bangkok Dangerous’ will try the patience of any viewer who came to the theater looking for excitement.

‘Bangkok Dangerous’ follows Joe, a hitman who has become tired of the game and begins to befriend people that he meets on his latest assignment in Thailand. As with any other movie of this kind, he starts to break his own rules, meets a girl, and runs afoul of his former employers.

There is an old saying: Those that can, do. And those that can’t, teach.

Such is the guiding truth in the life of Dana Marshz (Steve Coogan), a high school drama teacher in Tuscon, Arizona. When Dana learns that his drama class is going to be cancelled due to budget cuts, he suffers a psychotic break that leads him to create his ‘masterpiece,’ a sequel to Shakespear’s ‘Hamlet’ complete with a time machine, group therapy, light sabers, wirework, and a song entitled ‘Rock Me Sexy Jesus.’

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.

PINEAPPLE EXPRESS

By: Lee Rice

Ah, the stoner comedy. Let’s face it, there’s something inherently watchable about a couple of guys blundering their way through comedic situations while baked out of their minds. Sometimes it works, sometimes, it winds up being “Harold & Kumar.” Speaking of “Harold & Kumar,” that’s where I first saw the trailer for “Pineapple Express.” It’s kind of ironic that one of the worst stoner comedies of all time had the trailer for one of the better ones.

THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR
By: Lee Rice

Usually, when a franchise goes underground for a few years, it’s a safe bet that the series is either dead, or that the next installment is going to be a remake. “Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” defies that convention by rising from the dead and delivering a sequel that audiences can get behind.

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.