“We put an explosive charge inside your head.”

Now that can only be a good thing if it’s the first line of a movie that you’re sitting in the theater to see. However, if you’re Ethan Hunt in Mission Impossible III, it adds a little stress to your already tense scenario of having a gun pointed at your head and your fiancée bound and gagged in front of you. And that kind of tension just doesn’t wither away.

Thankfully.

Mission: Impossible III is the best mission yet. Action movies tend to be formulaic and sequels obviously even more so, yet M:I III manages to keep the audience guessing, clinching and exclaiming “That’s so cool!” Sure it has the requisite explosions, gadgets and one-liners, but there is a freshness to it. J.J. Abrams might be why.

Each “Mission” has had a different director (Brian De Palma and John Woo respectively,) but after Tom Cruise watched a couple episodes of the television show “Alias,” he knew Abrams was his man for the third installment. With him, success was inevitable. Master of dynamic tempo and delicious intrigue, Abrams knows how to showcase impossible missions.

The rest of the team did well in choosing to accept this risky mission of sequel making. Led by Tom Cruise, the cast is stocked with talent. Say what you want about Cruise, he explodes on the big screen. I don’t know if it’s because he jumps on couches in real life but when he jumps tall buildings in the movies, it seems so feasible. If anybody can get through all of this, it’s Ethan Hunt and his team.

Ving Rhames returns as the ever faithful Luther and injects droll comic relief. Maggie Q dons audacious attire for the Vatican and Jonathan Rhys Meyers flies through windmills to support their team leader. Billy Crudup defends him in the IMF home office while the always stellar Laurence Fishburne harasses him like only a superior can.

Playing Hunt’s fiancée is Michelle Monaghan who bears a resemblance to Katie Holmes that isn’t a little creepy. (She doesn’t curl up only one side of her mouth when she speaks, but otherwise…) But who we’re all really watching is Philip Seymour Hoffman. With his Oscar win, we’re sure to see more of him in roles as awesome as this. Okay, truthfully the role isn’t that extraordinary, what he does with it is.

In between escalating missions that take Hunt and his team to industrial Berlin, downtown Shanghai and the impenetrable Vatican, Hunt is at home with his fiancée trying to create a normal life. The far-reaching plotline, inherent in this cinematic genre, wins credibility with its simple love story. Instead of another whirlwind adventure with the invulnerable adrenaline addict, Ethan Hunt is now an instructor who wants a life and a family. He is now the reluctant agent. That makes his reentry into the field more dramatic and the chases, threats and close calls matter just a little bit more because of it. 

Unlike many action movies that eventually incite you to cry ‘enough with the explosions,’ Abrams seems to have a genuine knack for storytelling and its innate rhythm which makes this film the most pleasurable of the series. With that said, get ready to shake your head in disbelief - especially when Meyers wears jeans into the Vatican. That would just never happen.

Ultimately, the real mission impossible is making a third movie in a franchise original, alive and worth seeing. Somehow J.J. Abrams, Tom Cruise and a stellar cast pull it off big time. They also offer us a fair warning: if you ever get kidnapped by bad guys, don’t let them shoot anything up your nose. This is very, very bad.

If you’re looking for a heart touching film that will provide some great family entertainment, be sure to see the movie Eight Below.

The story is a harrowing tale of eight sled dogs that are left behind when researchers are forced to leave Antarctica because of an incoming storm. The dogs are chained near the research station to keep them safe. The research team plans to return for them in a few days. However, before the guide who owns the dogs can return, winter sets in and all flights to the station are cancelled until spring. What will happen to the dogs? Will they survive the harsh Antarctic winter, or will their owner return to find they’ve all succumbed to the frigid temperatures?

Eight Below is based on a true story. The movie mainly focuses on the dogs. Their owner, played by actor Paul Walker, thinks about them constantly and is determined to rescue them. He falls into a state of depression at the thought of his dogs tethered outside the research station in the glacial temperatures. He appeals to Dr. Davis McClaren, played by Bruce Greenwood, the financier of the expedition, to allow him to return for his dogs. His request is denied. In the meantime, the audience is informed of how long the dogs have been on their own through subtitles.

Director Frank Marshall depicts the dogs as intelligent and respects their basic instincts. When one of the team is badly injured, the other dogs hunt down birds and bring them to their crippled teammate. They work together in order to survive five months in the sub-zero temperatures of Antarctica, without shelter. Their only food source is from the merciless Antarctic tundra.

The film doesn’t have a human villain. The closest it comes to one is in the form of Dr. McClaren, who won’t cooperate in rescuing the dogs in winter, even though they saved his life when he was doing scientific research. I won’t disclose the details of the rescue in order for you to experience it for yourself.

The close-ups of the dogs faces as they struggle through anxiety, danger and yearning, allow us a glimpse into their emotions and intelligence. The eight dogs, two malamutes and a husky, touch the hearts of their audience as they struggle to survive on their own.

Rated: 4 ½ out of 5 stars.

Let me know what you think of this movie by adding your comment below.

Chicken Little is a kids movie, so I wasn’t expecting that much when I saw it. The only reason I saw the thing in the first place was because my little sister wanted me to go with her to the theater. I have to say, even for a kids movie, Chicken Little is pretty mediocre.

The general plot of the film is this: Chicken Little is trying to clean up his reputation after upsetting the townspeople by claiming the sky was falling, when he realizes that the sky actually is falling. He and some of his friends set out to solve this problem without alerting anybody in the town or causing any type of panic.

I don’t know about anybody else, but when I think of a children’s movie, I think of films like The Lion King, Bambi, Aladdin, Toy Story, or stuff like Finding Nemo.

These are films that are made for kids, but still have enough in them that adults can actually watch them without feeling too annoyed. Chicken Little has none of that. The plot is thin and hard to follow, the dialogue is silly, and the way the characters randomly break into classic 70’s and 80’s songs every 20 minutes is really out of place and horribly annoying. It just has no real entertainment value to it, unlike some of the more recent Pixar/Disney films.

While I was in the theater I noticed that it was packed with kids my sister’s age (around 8 years old), and most of them were quite visibly bored. This is really a film that is suitable for toddlers, not children over the age of four. Your kid may possibly like this film, but be prepared to be bored and annoyed out of your mind.

Let me know what you think of this movie by adding your comment below.

Based on C.S. Lewis’ timeless classic, The Chronicles of Narnia tells the tale of four young siblings — Lucy, Edmund, Susan and Peter — during World War II. In an attempt to protect the children from the Nazi bombings in urban England, they are sent to an estate in the countryside to safely ride out the war.

It is within the confines of this house that the children happen upon a wardrobe while playing a game of hide and seek. What they find in this wardrobe is a portal to the magical world of Narnia. The children enter this strange world filled with otherworldly creatures. There they discover what was once a peaceful land that is inhabited by centaurs, dwarfs, and other friendly talking beasts.

But Narnia is under the spell of the evil White Witch, Jadis. Jadis has cursed the land to eternal winter. The children, with the assistance of the noble Lion King, Aslan, work to break the witch’s spell and restore Narnia to the peaceful and enchanting place it once was.

For the most part, Narnia doesn’t disappoint. It stays true to the book in terms of plot and characters. The one problem I do have with movies such as this is that the Narnia you see on screen could probably never live up to the Narnia one has pictured within their own imagination after reading the book. While I felt that emotionally the movie still struck the right cord, it just did not, and could not ever, match the vision I’ve held of Narnia since I first read the book as a child.

The other problem I had with this movie is that, it’s supposed to be geared towards children, yet, quite frankly, I would think twice before bringing children to this movie, as some of the scenes are fairly scary and violent.

On a related note, I must also say that when “blue screen” technology and CGI effects were first seen in movies they seemed cutting edge and awe inspiring. Maybe I’m just becoming jaded, but to me these special effects nowadays just seem to be anti-climactic and overused. Just my two cents.

Overall the performances in this movie were wonderful. Tilda Swinton, (from The Beach), turns in a truly hateful performance as the evil Jadis. Equally good was veteran actor, Liam Neeson, playing the majestic Lion King. The children were also surprisingly good considering their acting experience was fairly limited.

In general, I would recommend this movie as a good holiday outing. Despite some reservations about young children finding the movie too scary, the Chronicles of Narnia should have you leaving the theater feeling satisfied.

Did you find this move as enjoyable as I did? Let me know what you think by adding your comment below.

Zathura is a spin off of Jumanji, but one that will take you on a great adventure.

When two brothers, Danny and Walter Budwing, ages 6 and 10, are left under the care of their older sister, Lisa, they find themselves bored to death. Lisa isn’t at all vigilant because she prefers spending her time in bed with her iPod. When Danny and Walter get into a fight, Danny hides in the dumb waiter. Walter, thinking it would be great fun to scare the wits out of Danny, sends him to the basement. Once there, Danny, played by Jonah Bobo, comes across an old board game and begs Walter, played by Josh Hutcherson, to play it with him. After much coaxing, Walter agrees.

Zathura is a metal contraption that sparks the boys’ interest. They wind it up, push a button and watch a little car race around the track of the game. When it stops, the game gives out a card that Walter reads to Danny. “Meteor Shower: Take Evasive Action.” As Walter speaks, the meteor shower starts, bursting through the ceiling and plunging through the floor. The boys try to avoid the meteors, but the magic of the film is that the meteors actually avoid the boys. Though the living room is thrashed completely, the boys go unscathed.

Zathura, very similar to Jumanji, is based on the book by Chris Van Allsburg, who also wrote the Polar Express. Zathura is the only board game ever made that can take its players into outer space. The allure of the film is very evident during the meteor shower when Danny and Walter don’t receive as much as a scratch when the living room is totaled. Even when they open the front door and find they’ve been transported to outer space, they are able to breathe without the assistance of oxygen tanks and space suits.

Danny and Walter take turns playing Zathura, just as they would playing any other board game. One card reads, “Shipmate Enters Cryonic Sleep Chamber,” which puts Lisa, who is entering the upstairs bathroom, into a frozen state of immobility. Other cards produce humungous alien lizards, an attack from spaceships, a frightening robot that has glowing red eyes and an unwelcome visit to a black hole.

Zathura is an adventure that will thrill kids of all ages. The boys are faced with real problems that need an almost immediate solution. Danny and Walter are the heroes of the film and do an excellent job entertaining their audience. Zathura is a must see for all those who loved Jumanji. Don’t miss it.

Let me know what you thought about Zathura by adding your comment below.

It’s 2011 and a virus has wiped out almost all of the earth’s population and pretty much all of the movie critics as well. Alright, so this one isn’t really all that bad if you’re a devotee of the animated series that ran on MTV in the 90’s.

The remaining inhabitants are under the auspices of Dr. Goodchild (Marton Csokas) who has found a cure for the virus. They live in the utopian city of Bregna, the last city on earth where, as anyone who lives in any city at any time in this country knows, is a breeding ground for sin and corruption of all manner and type. And of course, rebelling against all this corruption and sin are the holier than anybody else Monicans and their warrior supreme, Aeon Flux. Once our intrepid heroine is ordered to kill Dr. Goodchild, she immerses herself into Bregna and discovers the awesome truth behind the city.

Ok, so half the plots of Star Trek are more complicated and believable than this one. But none of those other movies have Charlize Theron parading around in what looks like 21st Century bondage wear.

I was especially disappointed in the direction of Karyn Kusama who made the wonderfully inventive and heartfelt “Girlfight” in 2000 and I guess it was the lure of the paycheck and the moviemaking on such a level that threw her a curve of monstrous proportions. She literally was in over her head and it remains my firm belief that if the studio had cut her budget in half she would have come up with twice as good a movie. But that could just be me.

I like mindless action adventure fun in my movies and there really doesn’t have to be all that much plot to be satisfying. Take for example “Armageddon”. Really nothing special in the heart and soul and characterization departments but overall it works. And overall this one really doesn’t.

It’s more similar to Vin Diesle’s Chronicles of Riddick than Armageddon – great sets, great costumes, pretty good CGI going on and yet, somehow the whole thing just really doesn’t gel. Charlize is in over her head along with Karyn Kusama but she looks really lovely. Pete Postlethwaite on the other hand looks like an ad for a candy bar rather than a serious actor.

The ultimate error in judgment on the parts of everyone involved with this movie is that they assumed that the audience would be familiar with the story line, the characters and the series in general. This assumption leaves anyone entering the theater who is unfamiliar with the series in a state of wonder trying to figure out what the heck is going on and why people are acting the way that they do. If they wanted to appeal only to the people who had seen the show, they accomplished that. Anyone else will be literally left in the dark.

Please add your comments as to what you thought about the movie. Let me know whether you’ve seen the show.

If you want to see a magnificent movie, be sure to take in King Kong. It is far superior to the previous versions (1933 and 1976,) and takes us into a world where beast and human bond with a passion that will touch your heart.

Director Peter Jackson, of Lord of the Rings fame, wisely follows the example of producers of Jaws. He doesn’t show Kong or any of the other creatures for over an hour into the film. In the meantime, the audience views soup kitchens and bread lines that remind us of the Dirty Thirties era.

The heroine, Ann Darrow, played by Naomi Watts and Jack Driscoll, played by Adrien Brody, find themselves aboard a tramp streamer that’s set a course for the South Seas. Driscoll is a playwright who’s accompanying a director who feels that Skull Island is the perfect setting for a blockbuster movie. Ann and Jack form a close friendship on the steamer, but not so close that it undermines the bond that is later formed between ape and human.

The next portion of the movie takes place on Skull Island and combines two storylines; that of Ann and Kong and another between the humans and other creatures. Amazing special effects draw us into the jungle where prehistoric creatures pursue humans over log bridges and gaping chasms. It is here that Kong snatches Ann and takes her to his lair high in the mountains.

Once there, Kong sets Ann down, roars, bares his teeth and pounds his chest. Instead of cowering in fright, Ann realizes that Kong is acting out the part of an alpha male. Though she doesn’t know how a female gorilla would react, she goes through a series of vaudeville stage routines, which impresses the huge gorilla.

From that moment on, Kong thinks of Ann as his and instinctively knows that it is his job to protect her. A defining moment in the film is when Kong and Ann silently share a magnificent sunset. The viewer instantly realizes that the two have formed a special bond and that Ann trusts Kong explicitly.

Ann’s friend, Jack Driscoll, climbs the mountain to rescue her. When he arrives at Kong’s lair, he finds Ann sitting comfortably in Kong’s giant palm. The movie progresses with Ann and Kong being pursued by giant bats, dinosaurs and other horrifying creatures, as well as the Army Air Corps. Kong is determined to protect Ann at all costs from the creatures and humans alike.

King Kong follows the storyline of both the 1933 and 1976 versions of the movie. However, Peter Jackson has made an adjustment in the relationship between Ann and Kong. The closeness of the two touches the hearts of the audience and gives us a glimpse of the bond that can exist between animal and human.

When Kong climbs the Empire State Building, Ann screams, not out of fear of the ape, but for the fear that her friend will be killed by a society that misunderstands him. King Kong is a magnificent movie with spectacular effects. It’s great entertainment that will remain a classic for years to come. Don’t miss it!

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There are times in a suspense flick when we have a hunch as to what is going on, but that is not the case with Flightplan. In fact, you question if the main character, Kyle Pratt (Jodie Foster) is a reliable source and wonder if she isn’t making the whole thing up! The point is you never really know who to believe, which makes for on-the-edge-of-your-seat suspense movie.

When the movie opens we learn that Kyle Pratt’s (Jodie Foster) husband has died, but the purposely choppy flashbacks make it difficult to decipher if he was murdered or committed suicide. Throughout the movie, but especially at the beginning, the scenes shot during cold, cloudy and gray weather adding to the somber mood and depression of Pratt. Pratt and her husband worked as engineers in Berlin, so to transport her husband back to New York, she must take a flight on a state-of-the-art double-decker plan that Pratt and her husband designed. The plane seems to be a painful reminder to Pratt and her six-year old daughter who is equally upset, but also afraid to be outside of their house. To comfort her, Pratt keeps her daughter isolated to create a feeling of protection. Before the flight takes off, they sneak away to empty seats in the back of the plane to take a nap. When Pratt wakes up, her daughter has disappeared.

Where did she go? Did she ever exist?

Pratt’s search of the two floors of the plan is unsuccessful, so she frantically requests that the crew search the plan. Later, the crew learns that things are not what they seem with Pratt. The crew including Captain Rich (Sean Bean) and Air Marshall Carson (Peter Sarsgaard) sympathize with Pratt’s loss and try to be understanding about the difficulty she is dealing with it, but soon things get out of hand.

Where is her daughter? Did she ever exist? Was she kidnapped as Pratt accuses? If so, do you know who could be in on it? Are you sure? Now, are you sure the daughter really existed? This psychological thriller was directed by Robert Schwentke who does a great job of keeping us on our toes until the end. You never really know who to believe or how it will end, but of course when it does it is dramatic and emotional.

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