THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT

Plot:

Sara (Madsen) and Peter (Donovan) Campbell are two parents trying to cope with the fact that their teen son Matt (Gallner), has cancer. Sara seeing the toll its taking on the sickly Matt while commuting him outer-state to the hospital in Connecticut, decides it would be best to find a place there while he receives his treatments. She settles for an old Victorian home with a horrific history. The home once served as a funeral parlor and torture chamber for a deranged mortician who also used his son as a medium for the dark-side. Eventually the house becomes inhabited by the souls of the tortured people and they can only be seen by someone terminally ill like Matt and Rev. Popescu (Koteas), a cancer victim who tries to help the family rid the house of it's evil spirits.

Reel Talk:

This film is based on a true story of events that happened in Connecticut, but it doesn't make this film any scarier. On the real, the only thing I was scared of was that some one would hear me occasionally snoring. For horror fans such as myself, this film lacks any type of originality, any type of ump that will give you chills up your spine. And Virginia Madsen plays the worse crying mother, completely tearless and totally whiny. You can try to psych yourself into believing you'll be scared but in the end, especially if you're a die hard horror fan, you'll be disappointed.

Starring: Virginia Madsen, Kyle Gallner, Elias Koteas, Amanda Crew and Martin Donovan
Directed by: Peter Cornwell
Rated: PG -13

I give it 2 corn dogs

By: Corndog - The Reel Hustler

KNOWING

Plot:

A school opening a time capsule that has been buried for 50 years hands out it's contents. When one student opens his package and finds a letter with a lot of numbers configured on it, that was placed inside by a by a girl that recorded the numbers off some subliminal message. The boy sets it aside at his home and his father John Koestler (Cage), a science professor begins to study and dissect the numbers revealing that they are dates, times and location of major disasters that have occurred during the letter's burial and events that are to occur within the near future. Trying to figure a way to prevent the future calamities he sets out to gain the assistance of the girl that wrote the letter's only relatives, her daughter Diana (Bryne) and granddaughter Abby (Robinson), who senses the same eerie subliminal messages that her grandmother did while composing the letter.

Reel Talk:

Knowing is a movie that will pull you into it with anticipation, wondering what might take place next. This film will sorta remind you a lot of the Final Destination series, which is a good thing. But I feel that towards the end of the movie the writers got brain freeze, cause the ending sucks. I was greatly disappointed at how this movie had me revving with anticipation and let me down with such a stupid ending. It will do well at the box office because of our desire for mysteries, but what a waste.

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Rose Bryne, Chandler Canterbury and Lara Robinson
Directed by: Alex Proyas
Rated: PG-13

I give it 3 corn dogs

By: Cornedog - The Reel Hustle

I LOVE YOU, MAN

Plot:

When Peter (Rudd) and Zooey (Jones) Decide to get married, it is soon discovered by Zooey that Peter does not nor has he ever had any male friends. In need of groomsmen and a best man, Peter begins to go on Man-Dates, scouting for possible recruits for his wedding party. After several disappointing dates Peter encounters Sydney Fife (Segel), a free loading, free spirited investment broker who tweaks his interest. Eventually the two bond and begin on an unbalanced journey to becoming best buddies.

Reel Talk:

First - These rolls are always idea for Paul Rudd, you know the quirky, non -chalant and humorless guy. No one plays them better. Jason Segel who had a break out lead performance in Forgetting Sarah Marshall pretty much follows up with the same ingredients for this character.Jon Favreau and Jaime Pressly plays Zooey's married friends Barry and Denise who have a strange but working relationship. Although their scenes are brief, they are funny. Entertaining movie, not a belly buster, but some sprinkled gags that will make you laugh.

Starring: Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Rashida Jones, Jon Favreau and Jaime Pressly
Directed by: John Hamburg
Rated: R

I give it 2 and a half eaten corn dogs

By: Corndog - The reel Hustler

RACE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN

Plot:

When two teen space aliens crash land on Earth so that they can retrieve an object that's needed to save the universe, they must enlist the help of a hulking cab driver named Jack Bruno (Johnson), when they are being stalked by another deadly alien predator who is after the same object. Jack who has no idea what he has gotten himself into then recruits the services of UFO specialist Dr. Alex Friedman (Gugino) who he had met earlier at an convention about outer space. Together the two must help the two space travelers get back to their spaceship while trying to avoid the space hunter and a power-struck government agent named Henry Burke (Hinds) who wants to use them for experimental purposes.

Reel Talk:

I hope that Dwayne Johnson, being the charismatic talented actor that he is, will not diminish his career with continuing to do kiddie movies(remember Vin Diesel with the Pacifier). His first film for Walt Disney Pictures, The Game Plan, was a pretty good movie probably because he had an adorable co-star in Madison Pettis. But in Race To Witch Mountain his second film for Disney, he has no charming little girl to save him, he has to rely on his charm and muscles to make it work but unfortunately they don't work. It helps a little that Carla Gugino (who I happen to think is sexy) co-stars, but other than that the film is sorta flat with a bunch of special effects that they ripped from other films hoping they work for this one. Trust me,you don't have to race to go see this film.

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Carla Gugino, AnnaSophia Robb, Alexander Ludwig and Ciaran Hinds
Directed by: Andy Fickman
Rated: PG

I give it 2 corn dogs

By: Corndog - The Reel Hustler

WATCHMEN

Plot:

In this film adaptation of Alan Moore's graphic DC Marvel comic novel based on a group of superheros called Watchmen, who's mission is to watch over humanity, but leaves to question - who is watching the Watchmen? During the mid 80's, in the midst of the nuclear struggle between the United States and Russia, superheros have been force to retire from crime fighting leaving the cities in a state of chaos. When former superhero Edward Blake/The Comedian (Morgan) is mysteriously killed, Walter Kovacs/Rorshach (Haley)forms an investigation enlisting the help of fellow Watchmen Dan Dreilberg/Nite Owl II (Wilson) and Laurie Jupiter/Silk Spectre II (Akerman) to find out who is out to assassinate retired superheros. With the world in the middle of a nuclear crisis, Silk Spectre II tries to persuade her extraterrestrial lover Dr. Manhattan/Jon Osterman (Crudup) who can prevent any atomic disasters to help save mankind.

Reel Talk:

Being one of the most highly anticipated movies of this year, I gotta say I was excited going into the screening for this film. But let me put it out there that if you have not read the novel like I didn't, you won't know what the heck is going on. I was pretty confused with which direction the film was going. Now that doesn't make for a bad movie, the characters are an exciting and interesting bunch and along with the spectacular visual effects, I would say director Zack Synder (famous for his directing work for 300) does a good job of keeping your attention despite the confusing story. Warning: Although this is a comic book adaptation, Watchmen is not for children. This is probably the most graphically violent and sexually over-toned superhero movie to date. It's a movie worth seeing but you will enjoy it better if you have read the novel.

Starring: Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Patrick Wilson and Carla Gugino
Directed by: Zack Snyder
Rated: R

I give it 3 corn dogs

By: Corndog - The Reel Hustler