Movie : The Uninvited

Movie Info :

Title : The Uninvited
Genres: Suspense/Horror and Remake
Running Time: 1 hr. 27. min.
Release Date: January 30th, 2008 (wide)
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for violent and disturbing images, thematic material, sexual content, language and teen drinking.
Distributors: Paramount Pictures
Production Co.: The Montecito Picture Company, Vertigo Entertainment
Studios: DreamWorks
Filming Locations: Shreveport, Louisiana USA
Produced in: United States
Starring: Elizabeth Banks, David Strathairn, Emily Browning, Arielle Kebbel, Kevin McNulty (II)
Directed by: Thomas Guard, Charles Guard
Produced by: Michael Grillo, Ivan Reitman, Tom Pollock
Official Site : http://www.uninvitedmovie.com/



Synopsis :

Filmmaking duo Thomas and Charles Guard make their feature directorial debuts as the co-directors of this remake of Kim Jee-woon's 2003 Korean film A Tale of Two Sisters. Produced by Asian horror remake king Roy Lee, The Uninvited tells the story of a young girl named Anna (Emily Browning), who was admitted into a mental hospital following the death of her biological mother. Returning home some time later, Anna is shocked to discover that her father (David Strathairn) has recently gotten engaged to Rachel (Elizabeth Banks), her mother's former nurse. Anna's suspicions about Rachel are soon confirmed when her mother reaches out from the beyond to deliver a stark warning, prompting the young girl and her sister (Arielle Kebbel) to try and convince their father that Rachel is not who she appears to be. As the situation in the once-peaceful household rapidly begins to deteriorate, Rachel's true colors finally begin boiling to the surface. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Movie Review :



by Katey Rich

I'm going to be very, very unfair to directors Charles and Thomas Guard and admit that I can't help but wonder what The Uninvited would have been like if Alfred Hitchcock had directed it instead. The movie's concept hints at so many Hitchcockian high notes, from big atmospheric houses to psychologically damaged women, but the Guard brothers stuff it instead with horror movie cliches, including stringy-haired corpses, stone-faced ghost children and creepy hands popping up out of nowhere. Every time The Uninvited steps close to operating on a psychological, genuinely disturbing level, it reverts back into easy scares and scantily clad girls ascending spooky stairs.

10 months after seeing her terminally ill mother died in an accidental explosion, Anna (Emily Browning) has been released from the mental hospital, sent back to live in a jaw-droppingly gorgeous lakeside Maine home with her distant author dad (David Strathairn), sister Alex (Ariel Kebbel) and dad's new girlfriend Rachel (Elizabeth Banks), who also happened to have been mom's caretaker before she died. Given that she's still haunted by dreams in which blood drips from keyholes and crows feast at the dining room table, Anna can only focus on lounging in the sun for so long.

Anna's ex-flame Matt (Jesse Moss) wants to tell her he knows what really happened the night her mom died. Anna's mom, in ghostly form, much more directly points at Rachel and screams "Murder!" And Google, in its infinite wisdom, suggests Rachel may actually be a woman who once cared for a family of kids...until they turned up dead. One of those kids, an appropriately creepy redhead, keeps showing up to glare at Anna. And Anna's also followed around the house by the bell her mom used to call for help from her sick bed, which is both impossible given that the bell blew up in the boat house, and not that scary as far as stalkers go.

All this, plus a strand of pearls that is somehow evidence, points to Rachel being the murderer, and Alex and Anna resolve to solve things one weekend when Dad leaves town. It all devolves to a point that practically invites audience laughter, and though it's to the movie's credit that some of it is nervous laughter, nothing at the end of the movie, including the big twist, feels remotely credible.

Browning, with her big round face and expressive eyes, is pretty good as the terrified naif who must rely on her big sister to do any of the fighting back. But when it comes to the twisty ending, Browning isn't up for it, and the film falls apart where it could have at least taken on a new level of meaning. Banks tries hard but is adrift as Rachel, whose character fails to develop one way or another, and Strathairn probably earned a good paycheck here, given how few scenes he has and how little he has do when he's in them.

The Uninvited works better as a Maine travel guide than a horror movie, with all the shots of sun-drenched lakes and misty mountains in the distance. The scares are interspersed in-between these landscape shots, but the film never achieves an actual mood of mystery, and the occasional appearance of ghosts seems more to keep the audience interested than to add to the story. Take away the ghosts and the Freud-lite dreams, and give more time to Banks' tightly coiled creepiness, and The Uninvited could have gotten somewhere. Instead it's another wasted effort from the dry, dry well of Asian horror remakes.

Taken From : http://cinemablend.com


The Uninvited Movie Trailer (2009)






Read more...

Movie : New in Town

Movie Info :

Title : New in Town
Genres: Comedy
Running Time: 1 hr. 36 min.
Release Date: January 30th, 2009 (wide)
MPAA Rating: PG for language and some suggestive material.
Distributors: Lionsgate
Production Co.: Gold Circle Films, Epidemic Pictures and Management, Inc., The Safran Company, Edmonds Entertainment
Studios: Universal Pictures
Financiers: Gold Circle Films
Filming Locations: Miami, Florida USA, Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada
Produced in: United States
Starring: Renee Zellweger, Harry Connick Jr., Frances Conroy, Siobhan Fallon Hogan, Nancy Drake
Directed by: Jonas Elmer
Produced by: Scott Niemeyer, Norm Waitt, Darryl Taja
Official Website : http://www.newintownmovie.com/

Synopsis :

Lucy Hill (Renée Zellweger) is an ambitious, up and coming executive living in Miami. She loves her shoes, she loves her cars and she loves climbing the corporate ladder. When she is offered a temporary assignment - in the middle of nowhere - to restructure a manufacturing plant, she jumps at the opportunity, knowing that a big promotion is close at hand. What begins as a straight forward job assignment becomes a life changing experience as Lucy discovers greater meaning in her life and most unexpectedly, the man of her dreams (Harry Connick, Jr.).

Movie Review :

by Katey Rich

It takes a whole lot of chutzpah, and a real lack of imagination, to make a movie like New In Town in 2009. Director Jonas Elmer uses one of comedy's oldest tropes, the fish out of water, and pairs it with story of a driven, confident career woman who really only needs a man in her life, plus an appreciation for fine home-cooking. I thought we'd left the "punish the career woman" plot behind in the 90s, but then again, a lot of things about New In Town seem stuck in another era.

For starters, the stars. Renee Zellweger and Harry Connick Jr., talented as they may have been in years past, are sadly well-suited to this kind of low-rent rom-com. Zellweger gets to be Lucy, the pinched, no-nonsense corporate type, who's dispatched to a tiny Minnesota town to oversee the company's food-processing plant, and come up with a way to fire enough people to keep it profitable. And Connick Jr. is Ted, the local union leader who, after meeting cute and feisty with Lucy at a dinner party, spars with her over the best way to run the factory and keep the town intact at the same time.

Their romance is facilitated, and sometimes hindered, by a colorful supporting cast with the most extreme Midwestern accents since Fargo. Siobhan Fallon is Blanche Gunderson, Lucy's secretary and self-appointed best friend. Frances Conroy is weirdly blank as neighbor Trudy Van Uuden, but J.K. Simmons lets off a few sparks as Stu, a worker at the plant who's the de facto leader of the employees resentful of Lucy's big-city ways.

Ken Rance and C. Jay Cox's script relies heavily on small town and snow jokes, as you'd expect, but an occasional few original laughs sneak in amongst the "you betchas" and icy pratfalls. The romance plot and the business plot eventually converge when Lucy comes up with a way to save the plant by using good old-fashioned small-town ingenuity, and the film eventually gives up on its meager attempts to pretend Lucy would struggle between leaving her antiseptic Miami life for the hearty goodness of Minnesota.

Even the most generic romantic comedy can soar when real characters emerge from the contrived set-ups, but New In Town settles for the usual stereotypes, leaving us with blank placeholder characters instead of anyone worth rooting for. Zellweger is as distracted and frantic as she was in her last attempt at comedy, Leatherheads, and clashes badly with Connick Jr.'s relaxed cool, which he uses to pass as character development. The side characters, entertaining as they may be, don't make much of the weak material given to them by the script.

In a time where the headlines are constantly full of news about layoffs and downsizing, the "let's-pull-together-and-save-this-factory" finale of New in Town feels like some weird modern fantasy, or would if the whole conclusion weren't yet another way for Lucy and Ted to come together in a climactic kiss. But truthfully, nothing in New in Town is clever enough to see beyond the mechanics of the simplistic love story, making it a dull romance not even worthy of being a guilty pleasure.

Taken From : http://cinemablend.com/

New In Town Movie Trailer

Read more...

Movie : Underworld: Rise of the Lycans

Movie Info :

Title : Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
Genres: Romance, Suspense/Horror, Thriller and Sequel
Running Time: 1 hr. 32 min.
Release Date: January 23rd, 2009 (wide)
MPAA Rating: R for bloody violence and some sexuality.
Distributors: Sony Pictures Releasing
Production Co.: Sketch Films, Lakeshore Entertainment
Studios: Screen Gems
Filming Locations: Auckland, New Zealand
Produced in: United States
Starring: Michael Sheen, Bill Nighy, Rhona Mitra, Shane Brolly, Kevin Grevioux
Directed by: Patrick Tatopoulos
Produced by: Skip Williamson, Henry Winterstern, James McQuaide
Official Website : http://www.entertheunderworld.com/

Synopsis:

This prequel story traces the origins of the centuries-old blood feud between the aristocratic vampires known as Death Dealers and their onetime slaves, the Lycans. In the Dark Ages, a young Lycan named Lucian emerges as a powerful leader who rallies the werewolves to rise up against Viktor, the cruel vampire king who has enslaved them. Lucian is joined by his secret lover, Sonja, in his battle against the Death Dealer army and his struggle for Lycan freedom. FX artist Patrick Tatopoulos, who developed the creatures for the first two films, is directing.

Movie Review :

By John

Thanks for checking out our Underworld: Rise of the Lycans review.

I was beyond excited when I first heard about the original Underworld movie. I mean come on… werewolves versus vampires! Does a geek need to hear anything else to get his blood pumping? The answer is no. Add on top of that a hot as hell Kate Beckinsale dressed in tight leather fighting the armies of the night. Sign me up! Unfortunately the movie didn’t quite live up to it’s potential. It had fantastic style and a great mythology behind it, but it suffered in its execution. It did introduce us to my all time favorite movie vampire however… Viktor! Then came Underworld 2 and it was… how do I put this? A giant sack of crap. It’s just best that we all treat it like Highlander 2 and just forget it ever existed.

When they first announced that there would be a third Underworld film I was extremely apprehensive (because the second one was so bad and he story seemed to have nowhere left to go), until I found out that it was going to be a prequel. An Underworld movie about the old war. Showing the Vampires in all their glory and the Lycans in all their savagery. This was the Underworld movie I had been waiting to see. Did it deliver on all my hopes and dreams? No… but it was still quite good and without a doubt the best Underworld film to date.

THE GENERAL IDEA

The synopsis for Underworld: Rise of the Lycans looks something like this: “This prequel story traces the origins of the centuries-old blood feud between the aristocratic vampires known as Death Dealers and their onetime slaves, the Lycans. In the Dark Ages, a young Lycan named Lucian emerges as a powerful leader who rallies the werewolves to rise up against Viktor, the cruel vampire king who has enslaved them. Lucian is joined by his secret lover, Sonja, in his battle against the Death Dealer army and his struggle for Lycan freedom. FX artist Patrick Tatopoulos, who developed the creatures for the first two films, is directing.”

THE GOOD

The term “all killer no filler” comes to mind here. Very little precious screen time is wasted on us puny humans (except as Vampire or Lycan food). Almost every second of this film is spent with either Vampires or Lycans on the screen. Usually pissed off at each other… often killing each other. For a film like Underworld this is a total positive because it seems like the producers are finally starting to clue in to the fact that in a werewolf/vampire movie… we wanna see werewolves fighting vampires. Now if only Michael Bay can learn the same lesson with Transformers… but I digress.

The visual effects for this film… when you really consider how small the production budget was… are amazing. You have to understand that by Hollywood standards the budget on Underworld: Rise of the Lycans was beyond tiny. Oh there are times that the effects look like they came from 2002, but I was very impressed with what they were able to pull off.

One of the big risks and problems with doing sequels is that you can end up doing stuff that is totally inconsistent with the other films. I like to call this the “Phantom Menace Effect” (what the hell do you mean Darth Vader built C3PO? Huh… Obi Wan doesn’t remember R2D2?). But Underworld 3 totally nails the issue of consistency… probably better than I’ve ever seen a prequel done before. Everything fits perfectly and flows seamlessly into the events of the first Underworld film. Not an easy task… but they did it very well.

The battle scenes were done often and well. I won’t say they were mind blowing or anything like that… but there was good quality and quantity in terms of violence for certain… especially the bigger battle scene. The film is guilty of a bit of shaky cam during the fights… but it wasn’t bad enough to detract from the fights overall.

Viktor is still the coolest Vampire ever

THE BAD

Oh dear heavens… this movie has one of the WORST sex/love scenes in the history of werewolf vs. vampire movies. Ok, one of the worst of any kind of films. It just sort of comes out of nowhere… feels awkward as hell… has absolutely zero heat to it and by the end doesn’t even pay you off with so much as a Rhona boob shot.

While Viktor is still the baddest vampire on the block… this movie almost neutered him a little bit. He was not nearly as menacing or “all powerful” as he was in the first Underworld film. This MIGHT be considered a tiny bit of a spoiler… but in the first Underworld film Lucian’s big plan was to create a Half Vampire/Half Werewolf creature that could potentially stand a chance in a fight against Viktor… because no one can stand toe to toe with Viktor and last more than 5 seconds. Not Lucian, not anyone. Viktor was just too powerful. But in this film, Viktor and Lucian go toe to toe and almost seem like equals. It’s a minor point, but one that bothered me nonetheless.

Yes, I already said the quality and quantity of the visual effects in Underworld 3 were extremely impressive considering the budget… but you don’t just get a free pass because of your budget. This is still a Hollywood film and as such we expect a certain level of quality to the movie done with some consistency. So while I have no idea how they pulled off so much with so little… you still have to dig them for how poor (by proper Hollywood standards) some of the visual effects looked.

The movie lacked one of the strong elements of the first Underworld film. STYLE. With all the weaknesses of the first film, you were always taken with it’s pure visual/fanionable/cultural and mythological STYLE… especially of the vampire covens. This film didn’t have any of that. Instead of living in plush decadence, the vampire city seems dreary, cold and as lifeless as their own vampire hearts. Too bad.

OVERALL

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans succeeds in all the areas is needed to in order to deliver a fun time at the movies while failing to deliver what it required to make it really special. The wussing out a bit of Viktor, some bad visual effects and lack of real style are overcome just enough by the pure amount of Vampires fighting Vampires, the effectiveness of the continuity with the first Underworld film and the decent performances by Michael Sheen, Bill Nighy and Rhona Mitra to end up being the best of the franchise so far and worth a trip to the movie theater. Overall I give Underworld: Rise of the Lycans a 7 out of 10.

Taken From : http://www.themovieblog.com

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans Trailer HD





Read more...

Miley Cyrus' 'nervous' mother

Singer and actress Miley Cyrus arrives at the 66th annual Golden Globe awards in Beverly Hills, California January 11, 2009. [Agencies]

Miley Cyrus' mother is a "nervous wreck" when her daughter drives.

The 'Hannah Montana' star recently passed her driving test, but admits her mom Leticia Finley is still scared to get in a vehicle if she is behind the wheel.

She said: "I'm a good driver but I make my mum a nervous wreck, which makes me nervous."

The 16-year-old star insists she can handle her car and is determined not to let her mother's anxiety get to her.

She said: "I love driving, and I'm pretty good at it - I really am!"

Miley drives a Porsche, but it was recently reported she hates being seen in the luxury motor as it used to belong to her mom.

Explaining she would have preferred a brand new model, Miley said: "I do have a car. I took my mom's old car. I didn't get the one I wanted, but I got the old car which wasn't so bad because it was a Porsche. I suppose it was a pretty good hand me down."

The actress also revealed she found learning to drive hard, not least because she was attacked by a fruit-wielding assailant during one lesson.

She said: "I already had a big Student Driver sign over my head, and someone threw a banana at me!"

Taken From : China Daily


Read more...

Ashlee Simpson's Jessica defence

Ashlee Simpson has blasted critics who attacked her sister Jessica's figure.

The 24-year-old singer has defended her older sibling - who was photographed wearing unflattering high-waisted jeans at a recent Florida concert with a seemingly fuller figure - insisting the comments about Jessica's weight are "embarrassing and belittling".

She wrote on her blog: "I am completely disgusted. Since when did a woman's weight become newsworthy? How can we expect teenage girls to love and respect themselves in an environment where we criticise a size two figure?

"A week after the inauguration of US President Barack Obama and with such a feeling of hope in the air for our country, I find it completely embarrassing and belittling to all women to read about a woman's weight or figure.

"All women come in different shapes, sizes, and forms and just because you're a celebrity, there shouldn't be a different standard."

DJ Scott Simon, who interviewed Jessica during the Florida show on Sunday , has dismissed claims the 28-year-old has lost her good looks.

He said: "People are saying she put on a few pounds. But she looked fabulous. Confident, healthy and happy."

Even her former personal trainer Harley Pasternak has slammed claims that Jessica is fat, saying: "She has curves where a woman needs to have curves. She's still sexy. She's still a beautiful woman. And I have no problem with the way she looks."

Jessica's American football star boyfriend Tony Romo is also a fan of her sexy figure.

A source said: "He thinks Jess is hot no matter what. He wants to date a girl who can have a few beers, ribs, fries and dessert."

Taken From : China Daily

Read more...

Angelina Jolie's 'overdue' baby

Angelina Jolie arrives at the 15th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles January 25, 2009. Jolie is nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for "Changeling." [Agencies]

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are "overdue" another child.

The couple - who have three adopted and three biological kids together - will be adding to their brood in the near future, according to Brad.

He joked: "We average about two a year, so I guess we're overdue, aren't we?"

Angelina - who has recently revealed she is keen to adopt and get pregnant again - confirmed the couple are prepared to extend their family, despite only recently giving birth to twins Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline last July.

She said: "If they come our way, we'd be happy to have them all. We love children."

Meanwhile, Brad has praised his partner's parenting skills.

He said: "She's amazing and a fantastic mother."

Angelina was equally as glowing about her partner, saying: "He's a wonderful man, the person I admire the most in the world. I think he is extraordinary."

The couple are reportedly planning to move to their luxurious home in the south of France for good to give their children a break from the constant media attention.

A source said: "They love France, and the laws targeted at paparazzi make it difficult to photograph the kids."
Taken From : China Daily

Read more...

Kate Moss steps out with her two favourite men

After her epic four days of partying for her 35th birthday last week, it was back to reality for Kate Moss as she returned to work yesterday. The supermodel, escorted by rocker boyfriend Jamie Hince, met up with pal Sir Philip Green at the TopShop headquarters in central London to discuss her next collection for the high street chain. Dressed smartly in a black jumpsuit and matching cardigan, Kate looked like she meant business as she arrived at the Oxford Street offices.

After discussing the next Kate Moss collection with Sir Philip, the supermodel appeared to utilise her staff perks by taking home some TopShop clothes. Ever the gentleman, The Kills rocker Jamie, 40, offered to carry Kate's recent acquisitions, leaving her free to carry only her handbag.

Kate has been close friends with Sir Philip since meeting at a charity auction in 2006, where he had paid ?60,000 for a kiss with the model. She said at the time: 'I'm a girl from Croydon, you're a boy from Croydon. Let's do a collection together.'

Sir Philip has previously described her as 'smart and witty', and has regularly expressed his admiration of her business acumen. After the launch of her Topshop line last year, he gushed: 'To give Kate credit, she insisted on personally signing off on every piece.

'The six designers, buyers and merchandisers I assigned to work with her found her ideas totally inspiring.' Kate is regularly spotted on intimate dinners-for-three with Sir Philip and Jamie, who she has been dating for 18 months. For the supermodel's recent birthday, Sir Philip arranged for dozens of flowers, edible treats and champagne to be delivered to her suite at the Dorchester Hotel, where she started her four day bash.

Taken From : China Daily


Read more...

Movie : Possession

Movie Info :

Title : Possession
Genres: Drama, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Thriller and Remake
Running Time: 1 hr. 25 min.
Release Date: January 23rd, 2009 (wide)
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for violence, disturbing images, some sexuality and language.
Distributors: Yari Film Group
Production Co.: Yari Film Group, Spitfire Pictures, Vertigo Entertainment
Filming Locations: Vancouver, British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Produced in: United States
Starring: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Lee Pace, Tuva Novotny, Joel Bergwall, Dhirendra
Directed by: Joel Bergwall, Simon Sandquist
Produced by: Alex Brunner, Sonny Mallhi, Nigel Sinclair
Official Website : http://www.possessionmovie.com/

Synopsis:

POSSESSION stars Sarah Michelle Gellar as Jess, a woman whose life turns surreal after an automobile accident leaves both her husband Ryan (Michael Landes) and her brother-in-law Roman (Lee Pace) in a coma. Things take an even darker turn when Roman wakes believing that he is Ryan. As Jess tries to deal with these increasingly disturbing events, she also struggles with the possibility that either the spirit of her husband has returned to her or that something very sinister is at work.

Movie Review :

Three are such things happen in life that can never imagine and some times that kind of experiences proven the minority of man kind. Hire in the movie Possession (2009) shows the pressure of a women who lot her be loving husband and desperate for that love and assistance and but suddenly got it from the brother in low of her husband with both been in coma after a accident happen. If that happens to you what you will do? There are many issues made, is it fair to the loving husband that she goes to bed with his brother.

Is that the protection she needs, inside of her heart do she in pain. What really going through on her mind was complicated? From the surface we can never understand these things. In the movie Possession (2009) it shows how much a women fell in love with the memories of a man. Even when it comes to head of her and as in the movie she thinks that is him, her be loving husband come back to her with the help of the brother.

Because of her thinking she believes and lives upon it. But when she comes to the society she have to face the world with some kind of stress. Just to satisfy her self because some times even she feels this is wrong. Mystery to solve to find the man she loved.

It was a well made story to belt with. Many more views and angles to fallow on as the movie goes. All in all Possession (2009) is screening as a remake of the Korean movie addiction, directed by Joel Bergwall and Simon Sandquist produced by Alex Brunner, Sonny Mallhi and Nigel Sinclair. Staring Sarah Michelle Gellar (Happily N’Ever After (2007), Lee Pace,and Tuva Novotny to find out who he really is need to go back to time.

Taken From : http://blog.80millionmoviesfree.com

Possession (2009) - Official Movie Trailer




Read more...

Movie : Inkheart

Movie Info :

Title : Inkheart
Genres: Action/Adventure, Kids/Family, Science Fiction/Fantasy and Adaptation
Running Time: 1 hr. 43 min.
Release Date: January 23rd, 2009 (wide)
MPAA Rating: PG for fantasy adventure action, some scary moments and brief language.
Distributors: Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution
Production Co.: Chicken House Publishing Ltd
Studios: New Line Cinema
Filming Locations: Italy, Shepperton, United Kingdom
Produced in: Germany
Starring: Helen Mirren, Brendan Fraser, Paul Bettany, Jim Broadbent, Andy Serkis
Directed by: Iain Softley
Produced by: Mark Ordesky, Toby Emmerich, Ileen Maisel
Official website : www.inkheartmovie.com/

Synopsis :

Mortimer "Mo" Folchart and his 12-year-old daughter, Meggie, share an extraordinary gift for bringing characters from books to life when they read aloud. But there is a danger: when a character is brought to life from a book, a real person disappears into its pages. On one of their trips to a secondhand book shop, Mo locates a book he's been searching for since Meggie was three years old, when her mother, Resa, vanished into its mystical world. But Mo's plan to use the book to find and rescue Resa is thwarted when Capricorn, the evil villain of "Inkheart," kidnaps Meggie and, discovering she has inherited her father's gift, demands that she bring to life his most powerful ally, the Shadow. Determined to rescue his daughter and send the fictional characters back where they belong, Mo assembles a small group of friends and family--some from the real world, some from the pages of books--and embarks on a daring and perilous journey to set things right.

Movie Review :

BY: Brad Brevet

Once upon a time a man named Mo (Brendan Fraser) had an unfortunate curse. Every time he read a book aloud the characters from that world came into the real world and sent someone from the real world back into the book. This is how Mo came to lose his wife and is now raising his daughter (Eliza Bennett) on his own. The two travel the world, scouring bookstores looking for the book his wife is now trapped in, in hopes of reading her back out.

You may already be poking holes in the logic of everything I have just written, and logically Inkheart is a torture storm. If you worry yourself with the whys and hows of this tale your head will be spinning. Like how a group of fairy tale bad guys manage to buy a mountainside castle or what exactly happens in the “Wizard of Oz” once the tornado, Dorothy’s house and Toto are “read out” of the story? It’s a conundrum for sure, but it also seems like anyone smart enough to ask such questions is probably not the target audience.

Yup, Inkheart is another January release for the kids, but make sure they aren’t too young or you are going to be shushing away the characters from your bedtime stories for months to come. The violence is slim and the film’s biggest baddie is a black smoke cloud, hardly threatening. Paul Bettany plays a man named Dustfinger and he can control fire while Andy Serkis is the film’s biggest human baddie and he just struts around and talks loud while others do his bidding for some unknown reason.

Inkheart is based on the Cornelia Funke novel of the same name and I have no idea how that reads considering I had never heard of the book before the movie, but I hope it isn’t as sloppy, choppy and needless as this film is. Inkheart seems to come out of the Hollywood need to continue to find a fantasy franchise that brings in Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter bucks. Unfortunately they all feel like carbon copies save a few notable exceptions such as Stardust and Pan’s Labyrinth.

Iain Softley directs and just like his previous film, Skeleton Key, this one brings nothing new to the table and it feels lazy doing it. I know I said this film is for kids, but it seems fruitless to make a movie for children and not even try to tell a compelling story. As much as I appreciated his attempt to instantly thrust the audience into the story I was just as quickly left with an empty feeling once I realized there wasn’t much more to tell.

Perhaps the strangest thing about it all is the way Mo’s ability is considered a “gift”. You will notice I used the word “curse” in the opening sentence of this review because that’s all this really is. At what time would it be fun or even useful to bring fictional characters out of books while sending real world characters into them? Sure, maybe sentence your personal nemesis to an existence trapped within the pages of a Stephen King novel, but just what exactly are you going to bring out? Perhaps if the film had taken that approach to the story as opposed to a softball lob this film would have been more interesting, but as it stands it is just another effects film that does very little to service the audience.

GRADE: D+
Taken From : http://www.ropeofsilicon.com

Inkheart (2009) movie trailer HD (with Brendan Fraser)

Read more...