Inside Man ***½

Inside Man
Directed by Spike Lee. Starring Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster, Christopher Plummer, and Willem Dafoe. Rated R.

Spike Lee has never failed to impress me with his films, and I consider him to be one of America's greatest filmmakers. With his new crime-thriller, Inside Man, he puts a creative twists on a done-to-death story. Denzel Washington, a regular in Lee's films, plays Keith Frazier, a tough and cunning police detective who is called upon to act as hostage negotiator when a New York bank robbery goes out of control. Leading the gang of thieves is Dalton Russell (Clive Owen, in a superb performance), a highly intelligent and unyielding criminal who has planned the entire robbery to perfection. Jodie Foster makes a memorable appearance as Madeline White, a broker with a hidden agenda who complicates the situation even more. Director Lee has made yet another great film, continuing to prove that he can do a great job with other writers' material (like 25th Hour). The three principals do a fantastic job with their roles, especially Clive Owen who plays the character of Dalton very realistically. Inside Man is a smart heist flick, filled with unpredictable twists and turns, and it will surely impress everyone who sees it.

Firewall ***

Firewall
Directed by Richard Loncraine. Starring Harrison Ford, Paul Bettany, Virginia Madsen, Mary Lynn Rajskub, and Robert Forster. Rated PG-13.

Before seeing Firewall, several people had told me how bad it was and to avoid it at all costs. However, despite all the negative comments, I really enjoyed this one. Harrison Ford plays Jack Stanfield, a bank security chief who has designed an impermeable firewall system for the bank's computers. Jack is introduced to a man named Bill Cox, who wants to work with him on a new security project. The tables then turn when Cox pulls a gun on Jack, demanding that he hack into the bank's security system and swipe $100 million dollars or his family will be killed. The only thing I had a problem with in this film was the less-than-perfect performance from Harrison Ford. He's getting up in his years, and he's really not believable in these kinds of roles anymore (which makes me wonder if Indy 4 is a mistake or not). Aside from this simple miscast, Firewall is a good film and I think most people will enjoy it.

Curious George **½

Curious George
Directed by Matthew O'Callaghan. Starring Will Ferrell, Frank Welker, Drew Barrymore, Dick Van Dyke, and David Cross. Rated G.

During cinema's golden age, hand-drawn animation filled the multiplexes, but nowadays it's been made obsolete by the fantastic-looking computer-generated animation being produced. Curious George, a new animated film, uses the old style and proves that it still works. Based on the popular children's books, the film follows the adventures of a mischievous little monkey and his owner, a museum worker called Ted who wears a yellow suit. The museum Ted works for is floundering and, in a last attempt to save it, he volunteers to visit Africa to retrieve the Lost Shrine of Zagawa, which proves to be nothing more than a four-inch trinket. Discouraged, he must return to America...but with a curious monkey named George in cargo! This is a great film for children, and I think adults will enjoy it as well. Scenes featuring George loose in the big city are the best parts, and everyone is sure to get a kick out of it. Overall, this is a clever, sweet film and well worth a watch.

The End of High Rental Value

For the past couple of weeks I've been trying out this weekly High Rental Value post about the best films being released on DVD that week. It was good while it lasted, but I've decided to bring it to a close. There are bigger and better things to talk about.

Failure to Launch **½

Failure to Launch
Directed by Tom Dey. Starring Matthew McConaughey, Sarah Jessica Parker, Zooey Deschanel, Terry Bradshaw, and Kathy Bates. Rated PG-13.

All right, I admit it. I'm a sucker for romantic comedies, but these days it's rare that you'll find a good one. Failure to Launch isn't going to be winning any Oscars, but it's still not a bad way to spend a Saturday evening. Matthew McConaughey stars as Trip, a thirtysomething slacker who, after all these years, still hasn't moved out of his parents' house. Desperately wanting him to ship out, his parents hire a young woman named Paula to form a relationship with Trip so that he might finally get out of the house. It's not the most original story, but it works well enough. Some of the jokes are lame and for some reason people keep getting bitten by small animals! The chemistry between McConaughey and Parker isn't fantastic, but their "relationship" is at least believable. The best performances are given by Terry Bradshaw and Kathy Bates as Trip's parents, Al and Sue. You've seen this movie before, but it's better than most of its kind.

The Shaggy Dog **

The Shaggy Dog
Directed by Brian Robbins. Starring Tim Allen, Kristin Davis, Zena Grey, Spencer Breslin, and Robert Downey Jr. Rated PG.

There is a word that sends a chill up every film lover's spine. A word so harsh and so brutal that you want to cut off your ears just to avoid hearing it. And that word is remake! That's right, Hollywood has churned out yet another awful remake with Disney's new film, The Shaggy Dog. Tim Allen plays Dave Douglas, a workaholic assistant district attorney who is currently prosecuting an animal rights activist for setting an animal-testing lab on fire. After an encounter with a mysterious sheepdog stolen from the lab, Dave is bitten and gradually starts becoming a sheepdog himself! This film is a mess from the beginning. The first twenty minutes are mind-numbingly boring, only to be followed by an hour of one-note jokes that go nowhere. I think I laughed twice, and only for a moment. Someone needs to give Tim Allen a part in a real movie and get him out of doing ones like this. Toolman, we miss you.

High Rental Value: Ooh-Rah!

Jarhead 5/5
For me, there's only one new DVD release worthy of note, and that is Sam Mendes' fantastic Jarhead. Based on the book by former Marine Anthony Swofford, Jarhead follows "Swoff" from boot camp to his experiences fighting in the Middle East. One thing I especially liked is that Jarhead focuses more on the soldiers than the actual war itself. This was a wise choice because it probably wouldn't have been as good the other way around. Performances are amazing across the board, and I'm surprised Gyllenhaal, Foxx, or Sarsgaard weren't nominated for any Oscars for their work here. Director Sam Mendes has yet another fantastic film to add to his resume, which includes two of my favorites, American Beauty and Road to Perdition. Jarhead was released in three different editions on DVD: single-disc widescreen and fool's screen (you heard me) editions and a two-disc collector's edition (obviously, my choice). I haven't bought the DVD yet, but I can't wait to. I highly recommend this one!

Academy Awards 2006

Well, another Oscar ceremony has gone by us. I did live coverage of it here on the blog tonight, but have since deleted it because it was very sloppily-done. Regardless, I still have some thoughts. As everyone knows, Jon Stewart was this year's host and, just as I expected, he wasn't very good. He had some funny quips, but nothing special. Celebrities like Tom Hanks and Ben Stiller participated in hilarious on-stage gags. It was a night filled with surprises, the biggest one being underdog Crash's Best Picture win over the supposed favorite, Brokeback Mountain. For a full list of the nominees and winners, click here! And for a great thirty-second bunny re-enactment of Brokeback Mountain, click here!

High Rental Value: Heeere's Johnny!

As everyone knows, the Academy Awards ceremony is taking place tonight, so in honor of that I've decided to do another High Rental Value that includes two new films, one that's up for several Oscars tonight and another I feel was snubbed for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Walk the Line 5/5
Holy ring of fire, Batman! Joaquin Pheonix just blew me away with his stunning portrayal of the late Johnny Cash in James Mangold's Oscar-nominated film, Walk the Line. This fantastic biopic follows the legendary country star from when he was young to the time he became a star, and also focuses largely on his relationship with June Carter, who is played by Reese Witherspoon in another great performance. This is by far one of the best films of the year, and I highly recommend that you run out and get it now before the Oscars start!

The Ice Harvest 4.5/5
John Cusack and Billy Bob Thornton team up to pull the perfect crime in Harold Ramis' brilliant new film, The Ice Harvest. A modern noir piece set completely in the icy town of Wichita Falls, this one immediately won me over with fantastic performances from the entire cast and a clever, inspired screenplay with incredibly realistic dialogue. I didn't see this one in theaters, and I'm kicking myself now for missing it. Laughter, suspense and romance abound in this excellent film. Oh, and be sure to watch the "Outtake with Billy Bob Thornton" extra on the DVD, which includes Thornton doing a scene as his character from Sling Blade! Hilarious.

Oscar Time

Well, it's that time again. That's right. Oscar time! The time of red carpets and golden statuettes. The big show is tonight, and I hope everyone will watch to support my favorite awards show! Some have said this will be the lowest-rated Oscar show in history, as most of the nominated films are smaller films like Brokeback Mountain or Crash (the former the favorite for Best Picture; the latter my personal choice for the category). It's on at 8:00 p.m. Eastern on ABC tonight, so be sure to check it out! My prediction? It'll be quite a show.

No Deal for You, Howie

I don't know how everyone else feels about it, but reality TV is really getting to be a nuisance. It always irritates me when people just can't stop talking about "what happened last night on (insert crappy reality TV show title)." So who's to blame for all this? The government, of course! Just kidding. All signs point to game shows, I think. Without them, nobody would have to be subjected to Survivor or American Idol, which is why I'm totally boycotting Howie Mandel's new game show, Deal or No Deal. Not only is it part of the reality TV problem, but it's coming on tonight in place of Four Kings, a much better program! I am outraged.