I see dead people

Efron plays the title character, Charlie St. Cloud. He’s a smart, sensitive, fun-loving guy about to head off to Yale on a sailing scholarship. But his plans hit the skids, in a big way, when his younger brother Sam (Charlie Tahan) is killed in a violent car crash, with Charlie at the wheel. Charlie is overcome by guilt and spends the next several years fulfilling a promise to play catch with his brother on a daily basis – even though his brother is dead. And instead of going off to college, Charlie works as a caretaker at the local cemetery. Generally a good place to keep tabs on dead people.

The first half of the movie centers on the bittersweet relationship between the brothers who are both struggling to ‘move on’. The second half is largely devoted to Charlie’s budding romance with a former high school sailing nemesis named Tess (Amanda Crew) who may or may not be dead too.

Efron does an admirable job with the movie, which falls under the ‘not great, but not a total waste of time’ category. The supporting cast is fine, though Kim Basinger and Ray Liotta have surprisingly small roles and consequently very little to showcase in the way of character development. Basinger plays the boys’ single mother, who moves away after the accident. And Liotta is a paramedic who believes that Charlie’s life was spared for a reason.

Zac Efron in Charlie St. Cloud is like Miley Cyrus in The Last Song – two actors on the cusp of adulthood taking on more mature roles in an effort to break out of their Disney shells – if only their fan base would let them. Tweens will want to see this movie even though it’s totally inappropriate. It is, after all, rated PG-13 for a reason. Charlie St. Cloud features some fairly brutal moments on land and at sea, not to mention adult themes about death, guilt, love and redemption. But Zac being Zac… good luck keeping the girls at bay. That hair! Those eyes! Oh my! Okay, I admit it. He is kinda cute. And when the camera zooms in on those Newman-esque baby blues, one thing becomes crystal clear: if his eyes don’t change color, Efron has a real future as a leading man in the chick flick universe.

Ka-Ching!

I just re-read my review of Twilight: New Moon from last November and it’s hard not to be redundant because the same holds true for Eclipse… It is a guilty pleasure for Twilight (book and movie) fans, and a total WTF? for anyone who doesn’t understand the “twihard” phenomenon.

Eclipse picks up where we left off – with angst-ridden, vampire-wannabe Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) swooning over her ‘hot’ cold-blooded immortal soulmate, Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), much to the chagrin of her ‘hot’ hot-blooded, part-time-werewolf pal, Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner). Ya with me so far?

There’s a whole cast of supporting characters including: Bella’s well-meaning dad (and local sheriff) Charlie; the endearing Cullen vampire clan; the evil Volturi; an army of vampire “newborns” who wreak havoc on Seattle before venturing into Forks territory; and a few “normal” high school pals who – I don’t know- are just there to remind us that regular ol’ humans are going about their business, oblivious to the supernatural forces in their midst. But they don’t really matter here…

Eclipse is all about the love triangle between Bella, Jacob and Edward and what happens when the two guys must join forces to protect Bella from a vengeful vampire named Victoria. Jacob and Edward exchange zingers (sometimes telepathically) and brood over Bella’s choices in life (and death). These guys are the heart and soul – and entertaining eye candy- of this installment, right down to Edward’s deep-amber eyes and Jacob’s rock-solid abs.

It’s been about two years since I read the Twilight books by Stephenie Meyer and debated the merits of “Team Jacob” versus “Team Edward” with equally ‘embarrassed-to-admit-we’re-even-talking-about-this’ friends and co-workers. I’d actually forgotten what transpired in Eclipse, though I do recall thinking that its sole purpose was to set up the fourth and final book, Breaking Dawn.

Like the books, the movies will ultimately blend into one giant memory of an inexplicably-absorbing story about a young woman who chooses to become a vampire so she can live happily-ever-forever with her true love. Not to mention, the bizarre happily-ever-after for her best friend/werewolf who felt a ‘love connection’ with Bella for all the wrong reasons. Confused? Then you haven’t read the books. And if you haven’t read the books, but actually liked the movies, it’ll all make sense after Breaking Dawn. Unfortunately, the movie studios are breaking Breaking Dawn into two parts (ka-ching, ka-ching), so it’ll take a bit longer for full enlightenment. Like, sometime in 2012.

Bottom line: Eclipse doesn’t suck, the vampires look rather chic in black leather, and the actors are (for the most part) growing into their characters quite nicely. Twihards will like it – perhaps even love it. And the rest of the mortal world will just to have to live with that.

From there on the movie plays out like a rom com Bourne Identity. Roy is actually being set up by another agent, but you can’t tell if he is or isn’t the bad guy. And poor innocent June is put in the middle of the intrigue by virtue of being on the plane and flirting with him. Before you know it, she is in the crossfire during gun battles, or being chased by really bad people on motorcycles and trains, or speeding the wrong way down the freeway. And frequently she is being fed something that knocks her unconscious only to awaken in a new location. Of course she falls for Roy and he for her. But this is another of the problems with the movie – there just is no chemistry between these two. They might as well be BFFs.

The plot revolves around a super battery that has unlimited power. Roy has run off with it and other people want it for a variety of nefarious reasons. The story takes you around the world hopping from Wichita to Boston to Roy’s private desert island in the Azores to Salzburg to Seville. The scenery is lovely and the action scenes well done, but the script is pure formula and the direction never rises above it.

Knight and Day would probably make a good date movie, but beyond that, I’d wait for the DVD or HBO. Cruise and Diaz have a lot better films in them.

The film begins with Espósito, a retired Federal Justice Agent, deciding to write a book about an unresolved case that has become a life-long obsession. In flashback we meet him on the day that his life changed. He is a bureaucrat who works very hard at not working, but when he is reluctantly sent to the site of a gruesome crime, he is shocked to see the lifeless body of a young woman who was raped and murdered. This sight shakes him out of his complacency, and he becomes passionately engaged in a search for the killer and justice for the dead woman’s loving husband. He is aided in this quest by his lovable drunken assistant, Pablo Sandoval (Guillermo Francella).

At the same time a woman comes into his life — another life-long obsession. Irene Menéndez Hastings (Soledad Villamil) is a beautiful, intelligent judge who he falls instantly in love with but hasn’t the nerve to follow through. Their relationship simmers under the surface of the crime investigation as they work side-by-side, and his decision to write the book brings them together again.

The film adaptation was written, directed, edited and produced by Juan José Campanella with whom Ricardo Darín has made three films. It is a very good pairing. The script is intelligent, with great twists and turns, wonderful dialogue, funny and sad moments, and serious questions about morality and ethics. The camerawork is also worth noting, especially one shot that stood out for me where we begin high over a stadium and zoom in to Benjamín’s face. [VFX but stunning nonetheless.]

What the movie is about ultimately is love: Esposito’s love of Irene and hers for him, the widower’s undying love for his murdered wife, dear Pablo’s love for his friend Esposito, and even the perverse obsessive love that was the impetus for the horrible crime. How each of them expresses their love ultimately shapes their life. It is a brilliant film worth seeing if you can in a theater. If not, grab it when it comes out on DVD. I’m sure I will want to watch it again; it’s that good.

The second Shrek was okay. Not as good as the first, but not bad.

The third Shrek, I never did see. And apparently, I didn’t miss much.

The fourth (and allegedly final) Shrek is – like the second one- just okay.

So it’s definitely time to say good-bye to our favorite ogre (Mike Myers), his wife Fiona (Cameron Diaz), Donkey (Eddie Murphy), Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) et al. Their story – once so refreshing and unique- is now quite stale. Even my 10-year-old companion looked bored. That said, I suspect that the box office will ultimately dictate the future of the franchise, ’cause let’s face it, money talks.  A spin-off perhaps?

The best thing Shrek Forever After has going for it is that there’s nothing else (or better) out there at the moment for young moviegoers. So if it’s an extremely hot or rainy day and you need a 90-minute escape plan for the whole family, then go for it. Just keep your expectations in check. And stick to the 2-D version. I can’t imagine that this particular movie would be any better in 3-D, just more expensive (and thus, perhaps, even more disappointing).

The basic premise for Shrek Forever After is a familiar one – in a Christmas Carol meets It’s a Wonderful Life sort of way. Our “hero” Shrek is living the dream: he’s got an ogre of a wife who adores him, three little ogres, his best friend Donkey, and throngs of admirers in his home kingdom of Far, Far Away. Trouble is, all that bliss kinda goes against an ogre’s nature, and Shrek starts feeling nostalgic for his glory days as a more intimidating creature of the swamp… a time when his mighty roar triggered fear rather than laughter and applause.

In a moment of weakness (i.e. mid-life crisis), Shrek makes a deal with the devil – in this case, an evil little guy named Rumpelstiltskin. Shrek agrees to trade a day from his distant past in exchange for a day of traditional ogre fun. Rumpelstiltskin then robs poor Shrek of his “birth day”, which changes the course of all the lives that Shrek has touched over the years. It’s very “George Bailey”-esque.

And like George Bailey, Shrek ultimately gets his life back, and learns some valuable lessons along the way. The End. Or so we’re told.