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.

If you like the work of writer/director Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight, Memento), then it’s a no-brainer. Go see this movie. If you’re looking for easy, breezy escapist fare, then skip it.

Inception is basically about corporate espionage, with a sci-fi twist. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Dom Cobb, a genius in the art of so-called “extraction”. He knows how to infiltrate a person’s dreams in order to unlock (i.e. steal) secrets buried in their subconscious. It’s a lucrative skill that has cost him dearly in his personal life… a life that he wants to reclaim.

Cobb is offered a chance at redemption if he takes on one last job that requires a bit of reverse engineering. Rather than ‘extract’ information from an unsuspecting man’s subconscious, he must ‘plant’ an idea there. Inception.

What ensues is a mind-bending, complex, bizarre, sometimes even funny ensemble heist flick reminiscent of a dark and twisted Ocean’s Eleven. But in this case, the perfect crime involves a journey into virtual realities as opposed to casino vaults. And like George Clooney in Oceans, DiCaprio is quite captivating as the team leader in this cerebral caper.

Inception features a strong supporting cast that includes Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ken Watanabe, Marion Cotillard, Cillian Murphy, and Ellen Page as Ariadne (which I mention, only ‘cause I couldn’t figure out what the heck her name was supposed to be).

Page plays a “student architect” tasked with designing a dream within a dream within a dream that Cobb and his co-conspirators can infiltrate and manipulate. It all seems dangerous, but oddly doable – until Cobb’s own subconscious threatens to put his whole team, and their mission, in jeopardy.

Inception is certainly a smart and refreshingly unique alternative to the studios’ typical summer offerings. But it does take an inordinate amount of focus and concentration to follow, and it feels as long as it is (two and a half hours!). So if you’re susceptible to nodding off in the theater or need frequent bathroom breaks, you’d better wait for the DVD ‘cause you need to pay attention all the way through the very last frame. Sorry, no spoilers here!

My seven-year-old movie buddy was completely engrossed. He loved this movie and walked out of the theater practicing his “Airbender” moves. For me it was just okay. It had a nice environmental message for the kids and borrowed elements from martial arts and Eastern philosophy. But the performances were not very good and the storyline was disjointed, jumping from scene to scene with little cohesiveness.

The movie takes place in a world with four nations: Air, Water, Fire and Earth. In each of these nations, certain people have the power to manipulate or “bend” an element. But only one individual has the power to “bend” all four elements. That person is the “Avatar.” But he disappeared a century ago just as the fire nation launched a brutal war against the other nations, completely wiping out the Air Nation. At the beginning of the movie, the Avatar reappears after being frozen in a kind of state of suspended animation and it turns out he is a boy from the Air nation – the last Airbender – who doesn’t realize he’s been missing for the last 100 years or so.

As the movie progresses, he begins to accept his responsibility as the Avatar and with the help of a young brother and sister from the Water Nation, sets out to restore balance in the world and avoid being captured by the Fire Nation along the way. But this is going to be a long and difficult journey for the young Avatar and this movie is just the first in a trilogy so don’t expect any resolution at the end – expect it to set up part two.

If you’ve got a young boy who enjoys marital arts and stories about fantasy worlds, or who is a fan of the Nickelodeon animated series, then by all means take him to see it. Otherwise, there’s no reason to go.

Oh and footnote: we saw it in 2D and from what I’ve heard from others who’ve seen it, that’s just fine because it was not originally shot in 3D and was converted after the fact. Apparently, this makes for murky 3D and there have been a lot of complaints about that with this movie.

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.

Ondine Opening: June 4
Starring: Colin Farrell, Alicja Bachleda, Stephen Rea
What It’s About: When Irish fisherman Syracuse (Farrell) finds a mysterious woman named Ondine (Bachleda) in his fishing net, he assumes she is dead before finding out she may in fact be a mermaid. With the help of his disabled daughter, Syracuse falls in love with the possible mythical creature before a series of dark events threaten to overshadow the relationship.

Splice Opening: June 4
Starring: Adrien Brody, Sarah Polley, Delphine Cheneac
What It’s About: In Vincenzo Natali’s sci-fi thriller, Clive (Brody) and Elsa (Polley) are two scientists who mix human DNA with genetically engineered animal experiments to create Dren, a deformed female infant. Surprisingly, absolutely nothing goes wrong after that. Or Dren becomes a winged half-human monster hellbent on destroying all in her path.

The A-Team Opening: June 11
Starring: Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Quinton Jackson, Sharlto Copley, Jessica Biel
What It’s About: In the big-screen version of TV’s ‘The A-Team’ — the TV show about three wrongly accused escaped military fugitives (and one crazy pilot) — Bradley Cooper plays Face; Liam Neeson is Hannibal, the man who loves it when a plan comes together; and Sharlto Copley brings the crazy as Capt. “Howling Mad” Murdock. Apparently Dirk Benedict, the original Face, approves: He filmed a cameo for the film. Looks like a lot of fun.

Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work Opening: June 11
Starring: Joan Rivers, Don Rickles, Kathy Griffin
What It’s About: This documentary takes a look at the life and work of Joan Rivers, one of the most popular comediennes and television personalities in history. Starting her career in the early ’60s as a stand-up comic — no small feat for a female at the time — Rivers became a ‘Tonight Show’ staple and has hosted several talk shows. Filmmakers Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg followed Rivers for a year as the comedian prepared for an one-woman show in the UK and became a participant on a reality TV show.

The Killer Inside Me Opening: June 18
Starring: Casey Affleck, Jessica Alba, Kate Hudson, Simon Baker, Bill Pullman
What It’s About: Michael Winterbottom (‘24 Hour Party People,’ ‘9 Songs’) directs this neo-noir about small-town Sheriff Lou Ford (Affleck), who leads a double life as a serial killer. When his area becomes inundated with unsolved murders, Ford must deflect any suspicions about him toward other suspects. The film is based on author Jim Thompson’s acclaimed 1952 novel.

Knight and Day Opening: June 25
Starring: Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Peter Sarsgaard, Paul Dano
What It’s About: Diaz plays June, an unsuspecting lonely girl who literally runs into a dangerous secret agent named Milner (Cruise) inside an airport, an encounter that starts the two on a whirlwind chase to avoid capture by a federal agent (Peter Sarsgaard).

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse Opening: June 30
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Bryce Dallas Howard
What It’s About: In the third ‘Twilight’ film, Bella’s targeted by a vengeful vamp. And who — or what — is responsible for a string of mysterious slayings in Seattle? Bella’s still torn between Edward and Jacob, and her choice may be the spark that ignites an epic werewolf vs. vampire war. Plus, she’s got to study for finals: It’s her senior year! You know this will be huge!

The Last Airbender Opening: July 2
Starring: Jackson Rathbone, Dev Patel, Cliff Curtis, Nicola Peltz
What It’s About: M. Night Shyamalan tries his hand at a children’s fantasy flick in this hero’s adventure following young Aang (Noah Ringer), the last in a long line of Avatars, or masters of all four elements. To restore peace to the four nations (Fire, Earth, Water and Air), Aang must fulfill his destiny of defeating the evil Fire Lord (Curtis) and freeing the other elements’ people from his tyrannical rule. Sounds horrid, but let’s hope M. has another The Sixth Sense in him.

The Kids Are All Right Opening: July 7
Starring: Annette Bening, Mark Ruffalo, Julianne Moore, Mia Wasikowska, Josh Hutcherson
What It’s About: Committed couple Nic (Annette Bening) and Jules (Julianne Moore) have raised two teenagers together, but are thrown for a loop when their children want to track down their biological father (Mark Ruffalo) — and they all learn what it really means to be a family.

Cyrus Opening: July 9
Starring: John C. Reilly, Jonah Hill, Marisa Tomei, Catherine Keener
What It’s About: John (Reilly) has been divorced for seven years and has given up on meeting the perfect woman. When his ex-wife (Keener) invites him to a party, he meets Molly (Tomei), a beautiful, fun woman with only one downside: her weird son Cyrus (Hill). A 21-year-old New Age musician, Cyrus enjoys a bond with his mother that’s a bit closer than most, which means his displeasure with mom’s new boyfriend runs fast and deep, and Cyrus and John repeatedly — and comedically — lock horns.

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice Opening: July 16
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel, Monica Bellucci, Alfred Molina
What It’s About: Jerry Bruckheimer’s latest summer action epic is a live-action adaptation of an animated segment in Disney’s ‘Fantasia’ and Goethe’s 18th-century ballad. Baruchel plays the Mickey Mouse character — a college student who winds up the chosen apprentice of a sorcerer (Cage) preparing for a supernatural war. Expect huge explosions, eye-popping special effects and as always, Cage in a crazy hairstyle. Bring the kids!

Inception Opening: July 16
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Marion Cotillard
What It’s About: Does anyone really know? Christopher Nolan, the director of ‘The Dark Knight,’ returns with ‘Inception,’ a film everyone wants to see — though, really, no one has any clue what it’s about. Nolan explains the film as “exploring the idea of people entering a dream space and sharing a dream.” Awesome. Thanks for clearing that up.

Salt Opening: July 23
Starring: Angelina Jolie, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Liev Schreiber
What It’s About: Jolie takes over for Tom Cruise — who declined the role for other commitments — as the title character, Evelyn Salt (we assume the character’s name was not “Evelyn” when Crusie was attached). Salt is a CIA agent who is accused of working for the KGB and has to clear her name. Come to think of it: Cruise already made this film — it was called ‘Mission: Impossible.’

Dinner For Schmucks Opening: July 23
Starring: Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, Stephanie Szostak, Zach Galifianakis, Ron Livingston
What It’s About: Director Jay Roach has stolen Chris Rock’s idea of stealing European comedies and remaking them for American audiences. This adaptation of the French film ‘The Dinner Game’ follows rising executive Tim (Rudd), who must decide whether or not to bring Barry (Carell) as the perfect guest to his boss’s competition of finding the dumbest dinner guest. Carell and Galifianakis have landed the roles they were meant to play — geeks trying out-dweeb each other. The French version was great, but most of these French/American adaptations have been really bad, so I don’t expect much. Surprise me, please.

Beastly Opening: July 30
Starring: Alex Pettyfer, Vanessa Hudgens, Mary-Kate Olsen, Peter Krause, Neil Patrick Harris
What It’s About: Kyle (Alex Pettyfer) has it all — wealth, looks, privilege — until he cruelly picks on the wrong girl, a Goth who casts a spell that transforms him into an unrecognizable freak. The only cure: He must find someone who will love him as he is. Will he find his true love in Lindy (Vanessa Hudgens), an addict’s daughter whose life he saves, or is he doomed to stay a monster forever?

Get Low Opening: July 30
Starring: Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Bill Murray
What It’s About: It’s the true story of Felix “Bush” Breazeale (Duvall) who, in the 1930s, came out of 40 years of seclusion to plan his own funeral party while still alive. “I want everybody to come who’s got a story to tell about me,” says Bush. The event became a national spectacle, with Bush selling lottery tickets to the funeral with his valuable plot of land as the prize. Twelve-thousand mourners reputedly arrived. Murray plays the funeral home owner in charge of arranging the event. Great cast, quirky story. Could be the sleeper hit.

Step Up 3D Opening: August 6
Starring: Rick Malambri, Sharni Vinson, Adam Sevani, Alyson Stoner
What It’s About: The third installment of the ‘Step Up’ series goes international — and 3-D. A tight-knit group of New York street dancers, including Luke (Rick Malambri) and Natalie (Sharni Vinson), team up with an NYU student (Adam Sevani) against the world’s best hip-hop dancers in a high-stakes showdown. Romance and eye-popping dance moves ensue.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Opening: August 13
Starring: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin
What It’s About: ‘Scott Pilgrim’ is a comic-book series about a bass-playing Canadian slacker; and of course, Michael Cera is playing the title role. Scott wants to date Ramona Flowers, but to do this, he must fight and defeat her seven evil exes, who now want to kill him. Think ‘Juno,’ only instead of a pregnancy and a hamburger phone, there are seven super-powered evil villains standing in the way of these two star-crossed lovers.

Mao’s Last Dancer Opening: August 6
Starring: Joan Chen, Kyle Maclachlan, Chi Cao, Chengwu Gao
What It’s About: Based on a true story, ‘Mao’s Last Dancer’ looks at the life of Li Cunxin (Cao), a boy who worked his way up from an apprenticeship as a classical dancer in communist China to a heralded star in America. Bruce Beresford’s film explores the cultural and political differences and uncertainties between the two countries and looks into the effects, both positive and negative, of fame and celebrity. ‘Dancer’ was filmed in China, the U.S. and Australia.

The Other Guys Opening: August 6
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Will Ferrell, Samuel L. Jackson, Eva Mendes
What’s it about: Ferrell plays Allen Gamble, a pencil-pushing NYPD detective whose partner, Terry Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg), has been confined to desk work as punishment for being a little too quick on the trigger in the field. When an opportunity arrives that will call for the two of them to step up, hijinks and hilarity appropriately ensue. Sounds typically Ferrell.

Eat, Pray, Love Opening: August 6
Starring: Julia Roberts, Javier Bardem, Richard Jenkins, Billy Crudup, James Franco
What It’s About: After a painful divorce, Liz Gilbert (Julia Roberts) finds her priorities shifting in this adaptation of the best-selling memoir. She sets out to explore the world and find her true destiny. Her travels take her from Italy to India to Bali, and she meets some unforgettable people — including herself — along the way. Lovely travelogue if nothing else.

The Switch Opening: August 20
Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, Jeff Goldbum, Patrick Wilson
What It’s About: Single Kassie (Jennifer Aniston) decides to use the turkey baster method to get pregnant, but doesn’t realize her friend Wally (Jason Bateman) has substituted his own sperm instead of her chosen donor. Seven years later, her son is the spitting image of Wally, and realizes he’s got to admit the truth — and how he really feels about Kassie.

The Tillman Story Opening: August 20
What It’s About: Pat Tillman was a former football player for the Arizona Cardinals before turning down a multi-million dollar contract to enlist in the U.S. Army. While serving in Afghanistan, Tillman was killed by friendly fire and became the center point of an alleged cover-up by the U.S. military and government to conceal the details of his death. Amir Bar-Lev (‘My Kid Could Paint That’) delves into Tillman’s life and investigates the circumstances behind his tragic and controversial death.

Going the Distance Opening: August 27
Starring: Drew Barrymore, Justin Long, Christina Applegate, Ron Livingston
What It’s About: On-again, off-again real-life couple Drew Barrymore and Justin Long star as lovers who find their long-distance relationship wearing thin. Temptation comes for Long in the form of Christina Applegate, who told the Belfast Telegraph, “It’s very dirty,” adding, “I saw a lot of Justin Long over the summer. See the movie and you’ll know why I said that.”

Happythankyoumoreplease Opening: August 27
Starring: Josh Radnor, Malin Akerman, Kate Mara
What It’s About: The winner of the Audience Award at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Josh Radnor’s directorial debut looks at life in New York for a group of late 20s/early 30s people struggling to keep up with the pace of the city. While riding the subway, Sam (Radnor) meets Rasheen, a young boy abandoned by his parents, and subsequently takes him in. Mississippi (Mara) is a bartender trying to make it as a musician. Annie (Akerman) is a pretty girl who suffers from alopecia, a rare condition that leaves the person with no hair. Relationships intersect and lessons, we assume, are learned.

Lebanon Opening: August 13
Starring: Yoav Donat, Itay Taran, Oshri Cohen
What It’s About: Israeli writer/director Samuel Moaz crafts this historical drama set amid the 1982 Israel/Lebanon battle that sees four Israeli soldiers assigned to take part in the first strike on Lebanon. While setting out towards the Lebanese border, the men experience many facets of the war experience before arriving at their destination, a town already bombed by the Israeli Air Force. When a group of Syrian resistance fighters overtake the group, the soldiers find themselves in very dangerous territory. ‘Lebanon’ was an Official Selection at the 2009 Venice International Film Festival.