The Omen - 666

When a remake of a classic film is done most people expect more than just the retelling of the original story, and unfortunately that is all we get here. The retelling of this story goes as far as copying dialog and scenes straight from the first film. In 1976, when the original Omen came out, the eeriness and the creepiness just bled off the screen, here there just isn't anything that makes the movie frightening.An American ambassador and his wife adopt a newborn child, and unbeknownst to them he is the son of the Devil. I don't usually comment on the added features to DVDs, mainly because they don't have any real effect on the film itself, but I have to say something here. One of the special features is for extended scenes and an alternate ending, the alternate ending isn't what it seems, it's the same ending just with three extra shoots put in, and you still have the same ending. The acting here isn't worth the effort, the child isn't as creepy as the child in the original, at least there you actually thought that he was the Devil's son. At times during the film there are scenes that could have been enhanced by the use of music, to bring out the creepiness, but all you get is dead air and a feeling emptiness. As I've said the scenes and dialog isn't even that original and isn't worth the time to watch.
If you haven't seen the original it's worth finding, you'll enjoy your self more. Seeing film veterans Gregory Peck and Lee Remick as the ambassador and his wife lend more credence to the story and the acting to bring out more in the film. Save your time and save your money here, I'm sure that there will be other uses for it.

The 'Burbs

When it comes to comedy horror, this movie ranks right up there in the top ten. With Tom Hanks leading the cast, everyone involved shows their best comedic acting, from Bruce Dern to Carrie Fisher. Joe Dante heads this little visit into suburbia, and the laughs never stop from the opening credits. It's a dark look at the way we deal with our neighbors on an every day basis, and it also shows that even as adults, peer pressure can be an all powerful force.A small neighborhood is the setting where a strange family has moved into, and the neighbors think that something is sinister is going on. The sight gags and prat falls seem to be as natural in the situations as are the actors themselves. With each turn of events the story seems to get weirder but then you're given a believable explanation and you think that everything is going to all right. Once you see the characters here you begin to realize that there are some of these people living in your own neighborhood, so watch out.
Ultimately this movie points out that maybe the most dangerous people in the neighborhood are not the new residents but the families that are already there. Everyone has been on one or both sides of this issue at one time or another, so before you go digging up your neighbor's basement looking for dead bodies just remember, check for the gas lines before you start.

Over the Hedge

Animation films have come a long way since I was a kid; from the Japanese anime to the modern computer generated these films have entertained and amazed us. In recent years some really good movies have been made for kids and adults, Over the Hedge ranks right up there with the best. The voice over work that is performed here is done some top-notch actors who have fun with their roles. From Bruce Willis' raccoon to Garry Shandling's tortoise to William Shatner's possum to Wanda Sykes' skunk, the acting is superb. After waking up from hibernation a small group of animals discover that their forest has been replaced by suburbia. Some of the observations that are made about the humans are quite funny and quite accurate, some of the statements that are made are harsh but the truth usually is. There are a few instances that harkens back to the days of the old Warner Bros. cartoons, case in point the skunk that is dressed up to look like a cat, and after all these years it's still funny. The underlying theme here is that family comes in all forms and that we shouldn't be to quick to judge an others viewpoint.
This film should go down, as one of the best-animated films; the kids as well as the adults will enjoy it. The reality here though is the stark situation of the animals habitat being encroached on by the humans, this is the honest truth of the movie since we see it in our everyday lives.

The Corpse Bride

This movie harkens back to the times when stop motion photography was the norm for special effects in films, and the story itself seems like it comes right out of Edgar Allen Poe's library. Tim Burton's earlier film, The Nightmare Before Christmas, was sheer genius when it came out and now with the Corpse Bride he shows that lightning can indeed strike twice. The voice acting here is flawless; every performance is top notch and could not be made any better. This is truly a great story, it has all of the elements that it needs, romance, humor, and a murder mystery that is perfect to tie the whole thing together. Victor is nervous about his impending wedding, and while practicing his vows accidentally marries a mysterious dead bride. If the afterlife is as lively as it is portrayed here then people wouldn't mind dying, the music is catchy and the neighbors are relatively quiet. As the story moves you along you get the feeling that there will be a happy ending but with who, the living or the dead, and you find out its both. With the photography playing with the light and shadows it is easy to miss some of the effects that are done so you may have to watch it a few times in order to catch everything.
This movie is an instant classic for the season and is so enjoyable and fun that the kids will fall in love with it. I hope this will not be the end of the stop motion movies that Burton does, he does it so well it's as if Ray Harryhausen, the master of stop motion photography, for those who don't know, himself was working on the project. Just watch out for that little voice you hear in your head, it may not be your conscious it might be the your very own maggot giving you advice.

Waist Deep

Movies about parents doing whatever they have too, to get their child or children back have always shown some of the better dramatic acting that any actor has to offer. This film is no different, set in Los Angeles against a completely urban background its Tyrese Gibson that shines through all the negative energy and situations that are presented to him. This falls into that genre of Hip-Hop action films that have been coming out over the past five years or so, and this one has risen to the top.When his son is kidnapped O2 must do what ever he can to get him back, including outsmarting rival gangs and the police. The action sequences that are performed are very well choreographed and keeps the movie going. From the opening scenes to the closing credits this is a highly charged and powerful film, once the story starts you can't look away, it draws you in and never lets go. The music is as strong in this film as the acting and this is a perfect example of the music fitting the movie. The ending is a little predictable and corny but down deep this is trying to be a family film, what would you expect.
Love is the strongest emotion that we experience, and the display of the emotion between father and son in this movie is overpowering. Even though its rated R this is a family film, take away the violence and the harsh language its almost a film that Disney would have put together. So if the kids are old enough, and can understand things in a rated R film I think this is one to sit down with them and watch it together.

Memoirs of a Geisha

This is one of those films that once you start watching it you just can't look away, the artistry within it is amazing. From the sets to the costumes this is a visually stunning film, the effort that was applied here is evident from the opening scenes. Based on the novel by Arthur Golden the world of the Geisha is opened to bear all for the world to see. All of the acting is superb and flawless, as the characters grow in age, as well as wisdom, you are taken on a journey that you will not soon forget.After a nine-year-old girl with stunning beauty is sold to a Kyoto Geisha house, she must endure harsh treatment and a world at war as she blossoms into the Geisha she is destined to become. Some of the punishments that are handed out during the film are a little extreme but for the time frame and the situations that are being played out they work. The sets look like they were taken right from that time in Japanese history, they look so authentic that you would almost believe that they were always there. The love story that this played out here is drawn out through the whole movie, and in true movie magic when the story is completed there is a happy ending.
After watching this movie I noticed in the credits that the film was based on Golden's book and was amazed that so much information about a completely female world, and point of view, was actually written by a man. The massive amount of research that must have gone into this story shows and it is understandable why this was such a well-received movie by the audience and the critics. This is definitely a movie to sit and watch with a loved one, the story is compelling and thought provoking about a life that we, as outsiders, until now knew very little about.

Once Upon a Time in the West

When you talk about great westerns, a large part of the conversation has to wrap around Sergio Leone's contribution to the genre. His most well known pictures are the Man with no Name series, starring Clint Eastwood, A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Where those films set the precedent for westerns to come, this movie, in its own right, shows that the art of filmmaking is beyond just sets and dialog. With two anti-heroes and a villain, this movie grabs you by the collar and never lets go.The railroad is coming to the West and some men will do just about anything to anyone so that they will be the ones on top. The brightest star in this cast is Henry Fonda playing the villain, a ruthless psychopath who is willing to kill small children, and with Jason Robards and Charles Bronson playing the two anti-heroes the chemistry is totally explosive. The movie was completely shot in America, Utah and Arizona, on the local Indian Reservations, so the scenery is as breathtaking as it can be. The gunfights are classic Leone as well as the costumes for each character; you almost forget that your watching a fictional story and not something based on real life. Like in all of Leone's films the music is a major component in the movie and the tempo of the film keeps pace with it, which is no small feat.
The shear brilliance of having Fonda play the blackest character of his career, and pull it off as if it was second nature, totally goes to Leone, for convincing him to do the part. Not that I'm a big Western genre fan, but I do have some favorites, and even though it took me years to finally see a complete version of this film, it ranks right at the top of my list. If you like Westerns, and have never seen this film before, you should find it and watch it, this film just reinforces the idea that Sergio Leone was one of the greatest film makers of our time.