Friends With Money is a romantic comedy directed by Nicole Holofcener. The story revolves around the lives of 4 female friends (1 single, 3 married). There is no plot to the movie; instead it focuses on how each friend reacts to their problems.The first woman in the quartet is Olivia (Jennifer Aniston). She is a single woman down in the dumps. She works as a maid, likes to smoke weed, and lets people walk over her (while on a blind date, she allows the guy to chat up another woman, then agrees to go out with him again). It doesn’t help that Olivia’s friends think all her problems would be over if she “got married.” The irony is that their own marriages all have problems.

This is a political thriller directed by Clark Johnson. I went to see this movie because I thought I couldn’t go wrong - it contains a strong cast and the plot was interesting. I was disappointed.

The plot involves former members of the KGB conspiring to assassinate the President. The assassins have a mole within the team of Secret Service agents assigned to protect the President.

Michael Douglas plays veteran agent Pete Garrison. Garrison, who is having an affair with the First Lady, is trapped when he is blackmailed about the affair, and framed for being the mole.

Special agent Breckinridge (Kiefer Sutherland) is put in charge of investigating who the mole is. However, his investigation of Garrison is biassed. Garrison is a former friend whom he longer trusts (he believes Garrison had an affair with his wife).

Good performances by both Sutherland and Douglas. Jill Maren (Eva Longoria) did not give a convincing performance as an agent assigned to protect the President. How effectively can you run after an assassin with 5 inch heels?

During the investigation, it’s business as usual for the President (David Rasche). He is as busy as ever, pays too little attention to his wife, and is constantly surrounded by bodyguards. Meanwhile, First Lady Sarah Ballentine (Kim Basinger) portrays herself as a dutiful woman to the public, but is having an affair with Garrison behind closed doors.

The Sentinel could have been a great movie. However, while the most of actors perform well, the scenes were not powerful enough. Take for example the assassination attempt on the President. This is the focus of the movie, but is a big letdown. The scene seemed rushed, and everything conveniently falls into place at that time. As well, there is not much originality in this much-anticipated scene.

You won’t be missing much if you decide not to see this movie. Let me know your opinion, by adding your comments below.

Inside Man is a hostage thriller directed by Spike Lee. This is better than your average hostage plot.

The movie begins with a team of “industrial painters” robbing the main branch of the Manhattan Trust Bank. By the end of the movie, you find out why the robbers chose this particular disguise.

British actor Clive Owen gives a good performance as Dalton Russell, the leader of the robbers. Dalton is an enigma, and his agenda in the robbery is not clear-cut. The robbers take hostages, and from this point on the movie makes some clever twists and turns.

Detective Keith Frazier (Denzel Washington) is in charge of defusing the hostage situation. Once he arrives on the scene, he receives resistance from Captain John Darius (Willem Dafoe), who does not respect his role as a hostage-negotiator.

Madeliene White (Jodie Foster) enters the movie as an ambitious power broker. Madeliene accepts a special assignment from the president of the Manhattan Trust Bank (Christopher Plummer). You begin to wonder if the bank’s president has a hidden agenda.

Detective Frazier’s skills are put to the test when he negotiates with the hostage-takers. It soon becomes clear to him that many things are not what they first seemed. Police treat hostages as suspects. Police treat suspects as hostages. Confused? Don’t worry, everything becomes clear by the end of the movie.

Inside Man has a nice touch of humour, and the movie’s music is fun. A well-directed movie by Spike Lee. The cast is strong and good performances all round, especially by Denzel Washington and Clive Owen.

I would watch this movie again, just so I can pay more attention to the minor details, which were relevant to piecing together the puzzle.

This movie is definitely worth seeing.

Let me know what you think of Inside Man by adding your comment below.

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.

Transamerica stars Emmy award winning actress Felicity Huffman of Desperate Housewives fame, but this role is quite unlike the one you are used to. In Transamerica, Huffman plays a transsexual male named Bree who is on his way to becoming a woman. But just a few days before his final surgery, Bree realizes that he has a son from one of his early heterosexual relationships, and the two travel across the country on an odd journey of mutual bonding.

Transamerica is the debut film by writer/ director Duncan Tucker, but you honestly would not know it by the quality of the film. The dialogue is superb, the cinematography is great, and the acting, well, the acting is pretty damn good too.

The concept of a female playing a male may sound silly at first, but Huffman pulls it off by deepening her voice in a believable manner, and various steps were taken to make her look a bit less female. While it may not be flattering, Huffman give a very powerful performance, much like the one Charlize Theron gave in Monster, in that she paints a very convincing portrait of something that is rarely explored in american culture, let alone in Hollywood movies. Most definitely an Oscar-worthy performance. Kevin Zegers does a pretty good job too, but Huffman definitely steals the show.

The bottom line is this: Transamerica is a touching film that lays on plenty of emotion, but without being trite or condescending. Quite frankly, I feel this is essential viewing for everyone.

Let me know whether you agree or not by adding your comment below.

Annapolis is directed by Justin Lin (”Better Luck Tomorrow“). This movie is a simple drama about motivation and comradeship. Although the storyline is a cliché (a working-class guy struggling to show the world he can make it), it is still an enjoyable movie to watch.

Since childhood, Jake Huard (James Franco) wanted to join the Naval Academy in Annapolis. His dream comes true when Lt Cmdr Burton (Donnie Wahlberg) delivers the good news in person. Burton is curious: How does a guy with mediocre grades get a recommendation from a congressman to join the Academy? Jake explains he visited the congressman’s office 33 times! And so begins the cliché “How badly do you want it?”

Jake leaves behind his job at the local shipyard, and a strained relationship with his father (Brian Goodman). His father does not encourage Jake’s dream.

Very soon, life at the Academy gets tough for the freshman plebe. Tyrese Gibson gives a solid performance as the formidable Midshipman Lt Cole. He is Jake’s nemesis and superior officer.

One of Jake’s fellow plebes is “Twins” (Vicellous Shannon). He gives a good portrayal of a man constantly trying to live up to his father’s expectations.

Twins gives an interesting analogy during the movie. Jake asks Twins why he has stuck with him (unlike the other plebes). Twins states “You are Mississippi.” He goes on to explain how Mississippi is Arkansas’s best neighbour. Why? Because if it wasn’t for Mississippi, Arkansas would be considered the worst state. Twins is “Arkansas,” and no one is paying attention to its deficiencies because they are concentrating on “Mississippi.”

Jake, who is an amateur boxer, joins the boxing tournament at the Academy. Boxing appeals to him as “everyone is equal in the boxing ring.” It is Jake’s chance to fight off against his nemesis, and to show the world who he is.

Overall the acting was solid. Although Ali (Jordana Brewster) did not give a convincing performance as Jake’s boxing coach.

Expect to hear many clichés during the movie.

A feel-good movie to go and see with your buddies.

The Matador is a hilarious spoof. Nevertheless, it manages to convey some thought-provoking emotions.

The Matador introduces us to the lives of a hitman and a salesman, who meet at a bar in Mexico City. Pierce Brosnan throws off his smooth James Bond image, and gives a fantastic performance as Julian, the crude and rough-around-the-edges hitman. Greg Kinnear plays Danny, the average American businessman.

Although Julian and Danny are complete opposites, they end up sharing a bond. Julian is struggling to cope with his chosen career as a “facilitator of fatalities.” Danny is dealing with the pressures of trying to succeed as a businessman. The unlikely duo strike up a friendship, which leads to a bond between them.

So why is the movie called the Matador? One very strong point in the movie is when Julian and a top bullfighter (the Matador) both demonstrate how they must possess clever skills, and devise certain maneuvers to achieve their respective “missions.”

The movie’s other interesting character is Danny’s wife, played by Hope Davis. Davis gives a good performance as the dutiful wife.

The Matador has neither a complex nor a challenging plot (but does have an interesting twist at the end). Despite the lack of complexity, The Matador is worth seeing for the humor and fine performance by Brosnan.

Let me know if you enjoyed this movie as much as I did by adding your comments below.

I am not very fond of Usher’s music, but I definitely think that he is a talented vocalist. And he is also a pretty decent actor too, when he allows himself be. His performance in Light It Up was rather good, as was his stint in The Faculty. But In The Mix really shows that the singer just doesn’t have what it takes to be a lead actor yet.

Maybe it just happens to be the bad plot and dialogue, but Usher just is not with the program in this flick. He is trying hard to look cool, but he isn’t doing much on the acting front, just looking buff and living up to that Will Smithian “street wise yet nice and hip black guy” archetype. Honestly, there would be nothing wrong with that if it was pulled off right. I actually like Will Smith’s acting. But in this scenario, with Usher doing it, it’s just plain awful.

As said before, Usher is actually able to be a competent actor, and that is why this movie is so annoying. The whole time I was in the the theater absorbing the silly boy meets girl plot I kept thinking “Wow. What happened to this guy?” Usher does actually have talent, but none of it is displayed in this film.

But to be fair, he is not the only reason this is a bad film. All the other actors do a poor job as well, and as mentioned, the plot and dialogue is pretty asinine too. Even the title - which oh so cleverly references the bi-racial love affair between the two characters - is dumb. Avoid this movie at all costs, unless of course you enjoy being bored and annoyed for 90 minutes.

Pride and Prejudice is a classic love story that takes place in the 19th century, and is based on a book by legendary novelist Jane Austin.

The story is about the Beet family and their heartfelt yet often humorous struggle to survive in Edwardian England. The family is poor, and the only way to secure the family’s future is for their eldest daughters to marry into a rich family. The story covers the various trials and tribulations that the girls face, especially focusing on Elizabeth, who is played by Keira Knightley in this film adaptation.

There have been other adaptations of the book, but this is the first time that Hollywood has tackled it in a big way. The result is a beautiful heartfelt drama that will stay in your mind for quite some time after you have left the theater.

If you have read the book or seen the 5 hour long miniseries made a decade ago then you are obviously going to compare this film to those versions of the story. The most obvious hindrance that the film has in comparison to the previous versions is the time restriction. While they do a good job of squeezing as much of the story into the film as they can, it just isn’t the type of story you can do in two hours, so they couldn’t be 100 percent faithful to the book in that sense. But that is really the only area where this film is weaker than it’s 1995 counterpart.

Overall I think that this condensed version is actually much more palpable to most people, and the acting this time around is better, as is the cinematography and overall feel in general. The other film simply didn’t have the budget to look this good, and the professionalism of this adaptation really makes the older version look somewhat primitive and made for TV, which it of course it essentially was.

Keira Knightley really shines in this picture as Elizabeth, and it is by far the best performance I’ve seen her give. You really care about her character, and there is real chemistry between her character and Mr Darcy (played by Matthew MacFadyen). If you love a good romantic movie then Pride & Prejudice will not disappoint. Highly recommended.

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The Constant Gardner seems an unlikely title for this movie. The title of the film evokes visions of peaceful afternoons in lush green surroundings, but the series of events are neither calm nor idyllic; they are wrought with turmoil in the midst of the African AIDS crisis.

Don’t be put off by the title, a residual of the book by John Le Carre on which it is based. In fact, while literary tricks are apparent through the visual narrative, the screen adaptation results in a story that unfolds in gripping cinematic fashion.

Fernando Meirelles, the Brazilian director, does a miraculous job of transforming a story for readers into a story for viewers, doing much of the “telling” through choreography, cinematography, and purposefully belated elemental juxtaposition. This may seem like a no-brainer, since this is what directors are supposed to do. But combined with the script and choice of actors, all of the elements come together so seamlessly and realistically, that it is easy to forget that a director was even present to guide them.

Justin Quayle, played by Ralph Fiennes, is a soft-spoken, detached diplomat to Kenya. His wife Tessa (Rachel Weisz) is anything but detached. Her determination to uncover deadly rounds of drug testing on a dependent African community lead to her death . . . and leads Justin to complete the investigation in honor of her dedication to human rights.

It’s about time Ralph Fiennes was given a part worthy of his screen presence. This is the best movie we’ve seen him in since The English Patient. While his character, Justin Quayle, can be at times outwardly sniveling and weak-willed, Fiennes, as diverse an actor as ever there was, pulls it off without a hitch, revealing the character’s psychological strength.

Rachel Weisz as Tessa is a believable free-spirit, admirable in her resolve to see real change in the world. Likewise is their relationship compelling –Justin’s grief over Tessa’s death is as much of a reason for him to abandon the safety of his post as is his growing realization that something gravely unethical is taking place.

As well as Bill Nighy as a corrupt official and Danny Huston as a betraying colleague, it is good to see Pete Postlethwaite on the screen, even though the audience has to wait until the last quarter of the film to encounter his character as a doctor who holds the key to the final question of the drug scandal.

This movie is engrossing from the very beginning, wrenching you in without even a pause for credits. From sweeping, chaotic crowd scenes to extreme close ups of metaphoric detail, the cinematography is beautiful and demands a serious audience.

If that wasn’t enough, a twisting, turning plot paired with convincingly emotional scenes takes The Constant Gardener out of the category of mass-market-paperback movie script and into the realm of realistic drama with a message. The African AIDS plight, the seeming evil disregard of powerful pharmaceutical companies, and the impassioned few who fight against any misconception that life is cheap is almost a call to arms set subtly behind a provocative story, solid characters, and exotic locales.

Add your comments below to let me know what you think of this movie.