Superman Returns

** Stars

Superman is back after nineteen years, five directors, and a chunk load of change. The real question: Can he still fly?

Nope.

You can guarantee that the latest Superman flick will top box offices all over the place. But still, after all the hype, Superman Returns, like X-Men: The Last Stand, fails to deliver the goods needed to make a comic book come alive. Director Bryan Singer should have kept his mind on the X-Men franchise.

The Ridiculous Plot: Superman returns to Earth to stop the dangerous and ruthless acts of Lex Luthor, who has been sprung from prison with the specific intent of using Superman's technological secrets for his own personal gain and glory.

Lois Lane, star reporter for the Daily Planet and the love of Superman's life, has moved on since Superman left without a word. She has even won a Pulitzer Prize for her essay, "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman." She is also engaged to the editor's nephew and has a young son to look after.

The special effects are dazzling. The first battle of the movie is a jaw dropping spectacle. But at 154 minutes, the Man of Steel begins to rust. Brandon Routh, who plays the Man of Steel, is as bad as you feared, Kate Bosworth plays Louis Lane as a wicked bitch, and Kevin Spacey is miscast (but he is tolerable) as Lex Luthor, Superman's nemesis. The script however is surprisingly sub par. We never truly see why Superman came back or how his absence has affected his mind. We are seeing the middle of a story with neither an introduction nor satisfactory conclusion. Superman Returns then outstays its welcome. Let's pray Spiderman 3 can deliver where many comic book adaptations lately have failed.

Click

**1/2 Stars

Adam Sandler has grown up. Sandler, who is pushing forty, is too old to play a cocky punk he once represented. In "Click", he refreshes his image as a more mature man who is ready for some serious roles. And we just saw Adam Sandler in Mike Binder's drama Reign Over Me. He can do dramatic movies.

Wait, Click is a drama? From my view, I believe it is. It has the same exact plot as It's a Wonderful Life. Seriously, it's almost the same thing; and while I took that to heart and found it offensive, I admired the film's good intentions.

Sandler plays Workaholic architect Mike Newman. He's an ass to his kid and wife in order to sustain a career. But for any jerk to his kids, there is always a creepy guy with a remote at Bed, Bath, and Beyond to show you a glimpse of your future by using a magical remote. This remote can fast-foward over crappy moments in day, and soon it starts to create its own memory leaving Mike helpless and alone in the future.

In reality, this is a two-star movie. It has nothing new nor inventive and you will be rolling your eyes. But as a Sandler fan, it's nice to see Sandler trying to grow up. Here, he mildly delivers.

Nacho Libre

*1/2
The half star goes to Jack Black for trying his best. But unfortunately, I had to walk out.

Cars

***1/2 Stars

"Cars" is a delight from start to finish. It's skillfully executed scenes of racing and humor is more than just a technical achievement.

Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) is rookie bad-ass in training. On the way to the Piston Cup Championship, his truck drives him off course and finds himself detoured in the sleepy Route 66 town of Radiator Springs. McQueen gets to know the cars of the town and he begins to realize that life can be more than just who crosses the finish line first.

"Cars" is a terrific way to celebrate Pixar's 20th anniversary. All the cars in Radiator Springs reminds me of something Charles Fourier would write. For cars, it feels like a Utopia. It may lack the steam of Finding Nemo and the Toy Story's, but it doesn't cease to amaze. It's a bold contender.

The Omen

1/2 Stars

This frame by frame remake of the 1976 original is a dud- a disappointment from start to finish. I would rather take a trip to the dentist, do the cleaning myself then give my clean teeth to a dog to play with.

An American diplomat named Robert Thorn endures devastating news when his newborn son dies. Although, he doesn't tell his wife Katherine...(um, what?). I guess Thorn knows the news will devastate who had suffered two previous miscarriages. So like any other father, a priest convinces him to take another child born that night and call it his own. They call him Damien, who coincidently is the Anti-Christ. I guess the film needed a reason for it to be scary. And it is scary, the fact that a husband would do this to his wife. If the child gave that dog his teeth to play with (in the picture above), that would have been an interesting premise.

The Break Up

*** Stars

The Break Up is a depressing, frustrating, and painfully realistic. Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn act like they know what there doing. With a $38.1 million dollar opening, these two are on their way to becoming Hollywood's top bankable actors.

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X-Men: The Last Stand

**1/2 Stars
It could've been great...

The Da Vinci Code

*** Stars

The Da Vinci Code, directed by Ron Howard, is a high octane, intelligent thriller, filled with controversy and excitement. It is a summer blockbuster for the book readers and first timers.

Everyone in the world knows this story by now, but let's recap. Famed symbologist Professor Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) has already been through a lot (with the first Dan Brown novel Angels and Demons) and now he's back, being called to the Louvre museum one night where a curator has been murdered. His body has left clues and symbols to let Langdon solve a puzzle that will unveil secrets involving the works of Leonardo Da Vinci. With the help of police cryptologist Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou), the pair set off on a monumental quest through Paris, London and Scotland in search of all the answers. Sir Leigh Teabing (the always fantastic Ian McKellen) who is basically a guru on the subject, joins the dangerous chase.

Now of course Tom Hanks hair looks like a pile of scum found in a sewer, but that is still no reason to bash a film. After all the hype and negative reviews, the movie doesn't let you down. If you are against the ideas of the book written by Dan Brown and then take Howard's advice: "If the movie upsets you, don't see it". The film is really not as bad as you might think.

Poseidon

Well, basically, Poseidon, directed by Wolgang Petersen, just plain sucks.

** Stars

Mission Impossible III

***1/2 Stars

The summer kicks off with an explosive, heart pounding, experience. Mission Impossible III will be one of the top films to beat come summer's end.

Super-spy Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise at his best) has retired from active duty to train new IMF agents. But he is called back into action to confront the toughest villain he's ever faced. Owen Davian (a fabulous Philip Seymour Hoffman) is an international weapons and information provider to anyone willing to pay. Hunt acquires his old friend Luther Strickell (Ving Rhames), a transportation expert Declan (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), a background operative Zhen (Maggie Q), and a new recruit Lindsey (Keri Russell). Soon, they must work together to protect Hunt's newly wed Julia. The rest you must see for yourself.

The movie sends a jolt that hits you with constant emotional energy. The film has more stunts than most films combined and a match up consisting of Cruise and Hoffman is just so awesome. Its only weakness is its briefness towards Hoffman's character. His character is shown with little history of his past doings and goes little into detail about the Rabbit's Foot, the weapon everyone is after. But it's easy to move on.

The movie is a consistent action packed episode of 24. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Tip of the cap to first time director J.J Abrams who should be welcomed greatly into the film industry. And as for Tom Cruise, well, I never stopped loving him.

United 93

**** Stars

"United 93" is a monumental film. It is a brutally stunning visual that will stand among the crowning achievements of 2006.

We all know what happen on the horrific day five years ago. It was shocking, horrifying, disturbing, and most important...heroic. Director Paul Greengass completely honors the tragic victims of the day the world stop turning. United 93 is a visualized account of the fourth hijacked plane on 9/11. It begins as an ordinary day at an airport. The pilots discuss their flight routes, the attendants discuss their upcoming schedules, and the passenger’s board a routine flight for work, vacation, family visits etc. What happens next is nothing close to ordinary.

Four hijackers take over United 93, along with three other planes. They kill the pilots, hold the plane hostage and change course to a different location. The crew and passengers begin to understand about the World Trade Center and The Pentagon through their cell phones and their families. They realize that their only chance of survival and to prevent another attack is to try to tack back the plane. You know the rest.

Greengrass is a respectable and honorable filmmaker. This is a documentary like film that has no time for Hollywood waste or political garbage. It is simply a tale of heroism and how those in the air and those on the ground made the best decisions possible to prevent more devastation. Families of the victims are encouraging all Americans to see this film. They want us not to mourn those who died, but to celebrate their lives and their acts of true heroism. Shouldn't we honor that? Paul Greengass and the cast and crew of "United 93" sure do. This is a film to remember.

Stick It

** Stars

The Sentinel

*** Stars

Pete Garrison (Michael Douglas, in his first role since 2003's The In Laws) has been a Secret Service agent to the president for as long as he can remember. He's been trying to protect the president from any threat that comes his way, which ironically becomes himself. He is set up to take the fall for an assassination attempt on the president after one his loyal agents and friend is killed. Garrison desperately attempts to prove his innocence by searching for the real criminal behind this operation. While doing this, he is tracked by his former best friend David Breckenridge (24's Kiefer Sutherland)

The performances and script are solid. I can't ever imagine the president going to Toronto for a public speech right after the presidential helicopter is shot down. Still, this is an entertaining and well-crafted thriller.

Friends With Money

*** Stars
Friends with Money gets one thing perfectly right. When you are not with your friends, you talk about them. You mock, question, and discuss their acts with someone else. Very sad, but very true.

Four life-long friends (Olivia, Christine, Jane, and Franny) are all grown, and three of them are married and rich. The other (Olivia played by Jennifer Aniston) is single and scrubbing toilets for a living. Christine, Jane, and Franny begin to realize that their money is slowly tearing away their friendship with Olivia as they all begin to experience the hard-aches and troubles of growing up. This is Jennifer Aniston's best film since The Good Girl. I really hope she turns in an awarding winning performance sometime in the not so distant future. Thankfully, she is one her way with Friends with Money.

Scary Movie 4

*1/2 Star

This is the fourth installment of the Scary Movie Franchise and by far the worst. With an 80 minute or so run-time, it began to struggle from the very beginning. What the hell is Dr. Phil doing in a movie?

Thank You for Smoking

***1/2 Stars This satirical comedy follows the machinations of Big Tobacco's chief spokesman, Nick Naylor (Eackhart), who spins on behalf of cigarettes while trying to remain a role model for his twelve-year-old son. Aaron Eackhart is a smoking hit has Naylor. He is at the top of his game.

The Weather Man

*** Stars
Nicholas Cage is very good at playing down-on-his-luck characters and he ads another credit with The Weather Man. He may be at the top for his professional career, but he is rock bottom with his personal life. He's divorced, he barely knows his kids, and his father is dying from Lymphoma (Michael Caine). He regrets the decisions he made about his marriage and doesn't seem to care that his career has made him famous (even though many people throw fast food at him for wrongly predicting the weather).

This is a depressing and emotional story of one man suffering from his mistakes. Nicholas Cage is dynamite for this role. He covers the plot holes and brings his character into focus. This is a very underrated performance.

The Inside Man

*** Stars

The Libertine

**1/2 Stars

For what it is, it's well done. There is two reasons to see this movie: 1. If you enjoy the study of hedonism and 2. Johnny Depp. His performance is deeply disturbing, yet surprisingly touching. He plays John Wilmot, the second Earl of Rochester, in London of the 17th century. He has a passionate romance with a young actress, Elizabeth Barry, and he writes a rebellious play which lampoons the monarch who commissioned it, Charles II, leading to the Earl's banishment and eventual downfall. It's a total blast to watch Depp, especially in an opening dialogue where he explains that you will not like him throughout the entire film. Well done Johnny.