Jackass: Number Two

*** Stars

The boys are back. Jackass: Number Two is a ridiculous concept. Nonetheless, brilliant. From anal beer bong to terrorist gags, this sequel to the 2002 hit is flot out hilarious if you have the strength to stomach it. It's hard to review a film like this. It's just 92 minutes of grotesque, controversial, and disturbing pranks. I can't recommend this to all viewers. This is a movie for people who enjoy this humor. Do not bring your parents. Do not bring your grandparents. Bring your buddies and get ready to laugh until it hurts.

The Last Kiss

***1/2 Stars

"We all make choices. What's your's?"

The Last Kiss is a painfully honest look at how years of love and sacrifice can be destroyed by 30 seconds of lies and deception. Writer Paul Haggis, who gave us "Crash" and "Million Dollar Baby" explores another important issue about life...relationships.

Michael, (Garden State and Scrub's Zach Braff) a 29 year old architect is struggling to adapt to adulthood. His best friends are still close, his career is blossoming, and his girlfriend Jenna (Jacinda Barrett) is one of kind. She becomes pregnant and soon the two will live hapily ever after...right?

Scared and confused, Michael begins to question whether or not his life is what he wants it to be. He meets this girl Kim (Rachel Bilson), a young college girl who is instantly attracted to Michael. He begins to question whether or not he is ready to grow up. In this case, growing up for Michael will not be easy.

Life is what you make of it. The choice you make at one moment can alter your future. The Last Kiss is a perfect instrument of that. It shows, that in a realistic world, that not all relationships are perfect. Sometimes you have to forgive and forget.

So what's your next best choice? Seeing The Last Kiss.

Little Miss Sunshine

***1/2 Stars

There is nothing better when a movie equals the quality of its title, especially when the movie is called Little Miss Sunshine. It is a true cinematic delight powered by an all star cast.

The Hoover's, a dysfunctional, low-income family embarks on the most important trip of their life. They are determined to get their young daughter, Olive (Abigail Breslin) into the finals of a beauty pageant. They use their big yellow Volks Wagon bus to get there.

Along side Olive is her father Richard, (Greg Kinnear) a failed motivational speaker who tries to sell his idea of a nine step program to success. "There are two kinds of people in this world, winners and losers." Her Uncle Frank (a brilliant Steve Carell) is a gay scholar who has just attempted suicide. Her grandfather (Alan Arkin) is a drug addict who helps coach her for the pageant. Her brother (Paul Dano) has taken a vow of silence until he turns eighteen and joins the military. Her mother (Toni Collette) is a loving, yet chaotic house wife who tries her best to keep the family together. Together, they fight, laugh, cry, and discover who they really are in this quest for the Little Miss Sunshine.

The movie is perfectly cast. Every character is confused and frustrated with one another. But what's important is that they all have their heart in the right place. It reminds us that even a little beauty pageant in California can bring out the best in one another. Little Miss Sunshine is a real winner.

Hollywoodland

*** Stars

"It's a bird! It's a plane! It's....Ben Affleck?"

Yes, it's true. The actor has been given the part to reboot his career. Affleck is the definitive George Reeves, one of television's biggest victims. Felled by a single gunshot wound, George Reeves (TV's Superman) leaves behind a fiancée, a grieving mother, tons of fans, and a hell of an investigation. Louis Simo (a solid performance by Adrien Brody), a private investigator, is hired to investigate Reeve's murder. This movie examines three scenarios. Who killed Superman? The fiance left in the dust, The man who's wife is sleeping with him, or did Reeves's just decide to end the suffering of failure? The investigation was never solved.

Hollywoodland is a conventional, mild, and entertaining history piece. But its purpose is for its knockout performance by Ben Affleck. He's at the top of their game.