Scream 4 (2011)

New decade, new rules.

Directed by Wes Craven

Written by Kevin Williamson

Starring Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Courteney Cox, Emma Roberts, Hayden Panatierre, Rory Culkin, Nico Tortorella, Marley Shelton, Adam Brody, Anthony Anderson, Mary McDonnell

11 years after the events of Scream 3, Sidney Prescott (Campbell) returns to her hometown of Woodsboro. There, she reunites with old friends Dewey (Arquette) and Gale (Cox). Her arrival also coincides with the return of a certain Ghostfaced killer.

This has to be the most fun I've had in the theatre all year. I saw it in a theatre packed with die hard Scream fans who have been chomping at the bit for a new installment for the past 10 years. Not unlike myself. Scream 3 was both the first horror, and first R rated movie I'd seen in the theatre. The story was excellent. I loved seeing how these characters that I'd practically grown up with in the first 3 movies had grown in the past decade, and once it got scary, I was on the edge of my seat until the ending credits rolled.

And unless you've been tipped off, you will NEVER guess the identity of Ghostface. My mom, uncle and I were each whispering our guesses to each other, and once that mask came off, you could hear our jaws drop. Best reveal in the whole series.

9/10

Rated R for strong bloody violence, language, and some teen drinking.

Note to parents: There is a LOT of greusome violence in this movie. Two characters are practically gutted. Stab wounds are shown in their full bloody glory, and the whole movie is just intense. Language is frequent, considering the F bomb is Courteney Cox's favorite word in this one. I'd say it's safe for those over 17.

Not on DVD yet, but should be by August.

Black Swan (2010

Embrace your dark side.

Directed by Darren Aronofsky

Written by Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz, and John J. McLaughlin

Starring: Natalie Portman, Vincent Cassel, Mila Kunis, Barbara Hershey, Winnona Ryder

Nina's (Portman) life is consumed by ballet. Her mother (Hershey) is a former ballerina who wants to live her life through her daughter on stage. When her company's director Tomas (Cassel) casts Nina over veteran ballerina Beth (Ryder), and brings in new dancer Lilly (Kunis), Nina finds her life, and sanity unravel as she embraces both the angelic role of the White Swan, and the devilish role of the Black Swan.

This is one of the best movies I've seen all year. Natalie Portman loses herself in her role. The script is both beautiful and disturbing at the same time, and Aronofsky presents everything on screen with an artful eye. Everybody in the film played their parts awesomely. I sat down wanting to see Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis together in a movie, but honestly, I couldn't see the actors. Only their characters. This is one of the best psycho-sexual thrillers to come about since Fatal Attraction or Basic Instinct, and one I will soon never forget.

10/10

Rated R for strong sexual content, disturbing violent images, language and some drug use.

No, this is NOT for children. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone under 18. The violence, when presented is gruesome and graphic. (In one scene a woman stabs herself repeatedly in the face with a nail file.) The sex is also up front and graphic. Especially an extended scene where 2 women make love. No nudity is involved, but you can see all that they do to each other. There is also quite a bit of foul language, and a scene involving drug use. 18+

The DVD contains a 4 part making of featurette and previews of other Fox releases. The Blu Ray (Which I hope to own one day) contains the making of and other featurettes about the costuming and interviews with the stars.

The Wedding Date (2004)

Love doesn't come cheap.

Directed by Claire Kilner

Written by Dana Fox

Starring Debra Messing, Dermot Mulroney, Amy Adams

Kat's (Messing) sister (Adams) is getting married in London, and the best man in the wedding is her ex-boyfriend. In order to show the ex that she's moved on, she's hired Nick (Mulroney); a professional escort, to be her date.

While this isn't the best romantic comedy around, it certainly is entertaining. Funny, believable characters, and a charming story make this one of my new favorites. Debra Messing proves that she's more than capable of playing a character that isn't Grace, and Dermot Mulroney basically plays the same kind of character he did in My Best Friend's Wedding, only this time, he's the main love interest.

Perfect for a rainy day or just when you're in the mood to escape reality for a couple hours.

8/10

Rated PG-13 for sexual content including dialogue.

Not much wrong with this one. There are some sexual jokes and innuendo, and a bit of language and a glimpse of male nudity. 14+

The DVD contains a commentary by Debra Messing, a making of featurette, and a few deleted scenes.

The Human Centipede (2010)

Your flesh is his fantasy.

Written and Directed by Tom Six.

Starring: Dieter Laser, Ashley C. Williams, Ashlynn Yennie

2 American tourists are kidnapped by a German doctor who wishes to sew them together mouth to anus to create a "Human Centipede."

Oh. My. Smurf. I'll have to admit that I only watched this because of some morbid curiosity to see what the people on the IMDb horror board was talking about. I've read that this is the most disgusting movie ever made. They were right. I spent most of it recoiling in horror at the graphic surgery scene, and the thought of how the middle link stays alive. (Try not to think about it too hard.) While it is an intense, scary, and disturbing movie, I wouldn't exactly recommend it to anybody.

7/10

Unrated.

This movie contains graphic depictions of surgery, violence, gore, and a very creepy description of how the "HC" feeds.

The DVD contains the trailer, a making of, interview with the director, and an extra scene.

The Runaways (2010)

It's 1975, and they're about to explode.

Directed and written by by Flora Sigismondi

Starring Kristen Stewart, Dakota Fanning, Michael Shannon, Scout Taylor Compton, Stella Maeve, Alia Shawkat, Johnny Lewis, Tatum O'Neil

Cherie Curie (Fanning) and Joan Jett (Stewart) want to create the first all girl rock group. They do this with the help of legendary music producer Kim Fowley (Shannon). After achieving huge success with Lita Ford (Compton) and Sandy West (Maeve) as the rock group The Runaways and their hit "Cherry Bomb," Curie develops a drug and fame addiction that could tear her family and band apart.

This is one of the best music biographies I've seen since Walk the Line. Stewart and Fanning are perfectly cast as Jett and Curie, not just playing them, but becoming them. There were times when I thought that they were using the real Runaways songs, while it was really the actresses singing. The movie gets hard to watch at times. Especially when it deals with Cherie's drug addiction. Fanning plays this part of Curie's life very realistically. I can't recommend this film more.

9/10

Rated R for language, drug use, and sexual content--All involving teens.

This movie is not for children. There is constant foul language, drug use, and a bit of nudity. I'd say 17+

The DVD contains a making of feature, a short promotional casting feature, and trailers for Chloe, Welcome to the Rileys (Starring Kristen Stewart) and The Bounty Hunter.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010)

It all begins with a choice.

Directed by: David Slade
Written by: Melissa Rosenberg based on the novel by Stephanie Meyer
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Peter
Faccinelli, Elizabeth Reeser, Kellan Lutz, Ashley Greene, Nikki Reed, Jackson
Rathbone, Bryce Dallas Howard, Billy Burke

Bella Swan (Stewart) is about to graduate from high school. Soon after
graduation, her boyfriend, the vampire Edard Cullen (Pattinson) will make her
immortal. But first, there are mysterious disappearances in Seattle. They
connect this with a band of newborn vampires, brought together by the evil
Victoria (Howard) to kill Bella. To stop them, the Cullen clan form an uneasy
alliance with the tribe of werewolves. Meanwhile, Bella has to sort out her
feelings for the wolf Jacob (Lautner).

This was the best of the Twilight series. While twisting a few things from
the book, it still got most of the story in. David Slade (Who directed 30 Days
of Night and Hard Candy) knows his action, and provided it well in the battle
sequences. I was on the edge of my seat for the final 40 minutes.

While even heavier on the action than the first 2 movies, this one doesn't
skip on the romance. It even amps up the love triangle between Bella, Edward,
and Jacob in a way that is very believable.

As with the other 2 films in the series, this is an epic blast of romance
and action. You even get some awesome backstory with the characters.

9/10

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence, and for some
sensuality.

This is the most violent of the Twilight films. Many vampires are killed,
and people are hurt. Some sexuality, as Bella wants to sleep with Edward
while she's still human. And quite a few kisses between the
characters. 13+

While not on DVD yet, I'd guess it's going to be out by October or
November.

Kiss the Girls (1997)

A detective is searching for a deadly collector. His only hope is the one who got away.

Directed by: Gary Fleder
Written by: David Klass
Starring: Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Carey Ewles, Tony Goldwyn

Detective Alex Cross is searching for his kidnapped niece. He gets his first real clue when one of the kidnapper's other victims, Dr. Kate McTiernan (Judd) escapes from her captor. She reveals that the man Cross is looking for is named Cassanova, and that he's collecting his captives, killing them when they disobey his rules.

This is one of my favorite mysteries. Based on the novel by James Patterson, the script keeps very true to the book, omitting minor things that the film is better off without. Freeman and Judd are perfectly cast. I say this because as I read the book the first time, I pictured them in the roles. The suspense is very tightly wound, and the scares come at just the right times in the film. A perfect rainy day movie. I also recommend the sequel Along Came a Spider.

9/10

Rated R for terror, violence, and language.

This film isn't that great for younger members of the family. There is intense, albeit not graphic, violence, sexual situations, and quite a bit of language. A woman is nearly raped, and beaten by the killer. You see pictures of mutilated dead bodies in the police station, and hear descriptions of what happened to them. 16+

The sole feature on the DVD is the theatrical trailer.