Bad Company
This comedy-thriller (directed by Batman and The Lost Boys' Joel Schumacher) finds Chris Rock recruited by the CIA to replace his dead brother and help retrieve a nuclear bomb. But more importantly, I think I've uncovered a terrorist plot. Terrorists have taken over Hollywood to taunt us with yet another film about exploding a nuclear bomb in an American city (see my review of "Sum of All Fears.") because sitting through this film was torture. At best, I thought I was watching a bad Eddie Murphy film. Chris Rock delivers one-liners so scripted, I expected to hear canned laughter along with the canned humor. Ironically, this film could have actually been a decent thriller had they dropped the lame jokes, let Chris Rock play it straight, and stuck with the espionage. About the only thing making the film legitimate was Anthony Hopkins as the CIA operative who befriends Rock. So be warned, watch for falling clichés and jokes that fizzle and bomb. Schumacher must have been tied up and blind-folded with a gun to his head when he directed this one, but of course, that would imply that there was some direction.

Batman Begins
Director Christopher Nolan (2000's Memento) resurrects the Batman franchise, and this time it's done right. As you've probably guessed, I'm not a fan of the Schumacher and Burton skyless, claustrophobic cartoon cutout renditions. As such, I was worried about going to see another attempt at bringing the Dark Knight to the screen, but almost immediately I knew I was in for a good time. In this version, we meet Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) in a Chinese prison camp and learn through flashbacks about his guilt and wish for revenge over the murders of his parents. But Wayne is soon recruited by a secret organization (Liam Neeson) who wants him to join them in their fight against the world's evil. He accepts their training and soon returns to Gotham City to begin his lone battle against the city's crime and corruption. This version maintains the fact that Batman, although considered a superhero, does not have super powers, but depends on gadgets created in the labs of Wayne Industries (Rutger Hauer) under the supervision of Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman). And it was fun watching the gadgets take shape to become part of the caped crusader's arsenal, especially this new super-cool rendition of the Batmobile. Wayne soon finds allies in officer Jim (not yet Commissioner) Gordon (Gary Oldman), Assistant D.A. Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes) and his loyal servant, Alfred (Michael Caine), but they are outnumbered by the likes of Dr. Jonathan Crane/The Scarecrow (Cilian Murphy) and mob boss Carmine Falcone's (Tom Wilkinson) army of thugs. A great plot, powered by all these seasoned actors, comes together for a non-stop action-packed two hours driven by a Hans Zimmer (Gladiator, Black Hawk Down, Last Samurai) soundtrack that enhances every minute as we travel from the Himalayas to the busy streets and dark back alleys of a living, breathing Gotham City. Batman Begins brings the Dark Knight to the screen the way he was meant to be portrayed as was evident by one memorable scene where Batman stands atop a pinnacle with his cape winding down around him against the backdrop of the Gotham skyline. When Christian Bale said: "I'm Batman," I finally believed it. The ending left this new franchise open to more films and I can only hope it's true. Batman lives!

Battlefield Earth
I couldn't believe this film could be as bad as other critics claimed. It cost me $5.00 to find out.

Beowulf (Digital 3-D)
The oldest piece of English literature gets an all-CGI presentation from director Robert Zemeckis (2004’s Polar Express, 1997’s Contact, and Back to the Future I, II, & III), with help from a screenplay by Neil Gaiman (2007’s Stardust, 2005’s MirrorMask) and Roger Avery (2006’s Silent Hill.) I am an avid PC gamer, so for me, Beowulf was like watching a PC game that I couldn’t play. If you play PC games, you know what I mean. You know those games where the cut-scenes are filled with dialogue and you can’t skip them. That’s what Beowulf was like. I wish I could have fast-forwarded at certain parts to get to the action because that was what I came to see. After all, what was the point of using all-CGI for a drama? I was also skeptical about going to see actors portrayed in an all-CGI film. Would they be real enough? Fortunately, the actors’ scenes, completed with motion-capture technology, were seamless. After a while, I was at ease with the style and Anthony Hopkins as King Hrothgar, John Malkovich as Unferth, and Ray Winstone as Beowulf almost looked real. I did have some problems with Robin Wright Penn and Angelina Jolie at times, however. Still, the action in Beowulf made the film. Crispin Glover did a great job capturing the tortured persona of the demon Grendel and the scenes of Beowulf and his army fighting the dragon were exciting, if only there had been more. I can’t say Beowulf was great, 300 was better, but it might be worth a look-see, especially on DVD rental. One thing that did amuse the entire audience was when Beowulf decides to fight Grendel in the nude, but Zemeckis made sure that smoke, a helmet, a soldier’s sword, or any furniture in the room was strategically placed so as not to reveal our hero in all his glory. It was hysterical. Finally, was it necessary to see the film in 3-D? Not!

Black Christmas (2006)
This remake of the original 1974 Black Christmas gets the special twisted touch of one of my favorite writing/directing teams—Glen Morgan and James Wong. For me, Morgan and Wong came to fame with the X-Files television series, particularly, the oft-banned-from-network-broadcast episode, 1996's "Home"—the one about the inbred murdering Peacock family. Well, fortunately for fans of this duo, or fans of slasher films, Morgan and Wong have added some of their flair to this well-worn genre. Black Christmas is about a sorority house now occupying the home of a former psychopath (Billy, played by Robert Mann) who, some years back, killed his mother (played by Karin Konoval) and step-father on Christmas, after beating and maiming his sister. When the police found him, Billy, who had used cookie cutters to make holiday cookies from his mother's skin, was sitting at the table dunking the cookies in milk. Skip to the present when Billy escapes from the insane asylum to go home to make the sorority sisters (played by 2006's When a Stranger Calls' Katie Cassidy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Dawn, Michele Trachtenberg, and 2000's Final Destination' Kristen Cloke—to name a few) his new family. I went to see this on Christmas evening and, along with a packed audience, enjoyed all the clichés along with all the surprises. The audience jumped and nervously giggled at all the right places. There were enough new elements added to the plot to add some new twists, but still plenty of splattered blood to satiate our warped minds and macabre sense of humor. If you're a fan of slasher films, you'll probably enjoy Black Christmas.

Blade II
When the Vampire Nation needs their arch-nemesis, Blade, to help fight genetically engineered super vampires, he agrees to lead a unit of specially trained vamps against their new foes. I went expecting high energy and hoped to see some new and innovative ways to kill vampires and I got both. While I did get tired of everyone knowing martial arts, I did enjoy plenty of exploding bloodsuckers, CGI enhanced effects, and a cooler than cool Wesley Snipes going mano y mano with some equally cool ghouls. While there is an attempt at a plot with double crosses and hidden agendas, just go for the fun of it and you won't be disappointed.

Blade: Trinity
The Science Fiction/Fantasy veteran director David Goyer (Blade 1 and 2, Dark City, The Crow: City of Angels, The Puppet Masters, Demonic Toys) has no problem completing the Blade Trilogy. This time around, Blade (Wesley Snipes) is joined by a group of self-proclaimed vampire hunters lead by Whistler's daughter, Abigail (Jessica Biel) and her wisecracking sidekick, Hannibal (Ryan Reynolds) as they battle the newest vampire conglomerate (headed by Parker Posey) that has resurrected the original vampire, Dracula himself (Dominic Purcell)—a shape-shifting day walker. Their plan? To put humans on blood farms where they will milk them dry to satisfy their needs. All they need to do first is get rid of Blade. Again, you get what you pay for with another Blade outing—high energy action with vampires that "blowed up good." I still never get tired watching the blood suckers explode into burning ash alone or in twos and threes. Wesley Snipes is still cool as the Vampire Bat-man. Parker Posey is great with her over the top portrayal of the vampire leader. And if Jessica Biel wanted to shed her "7th Heaven" persona, consider it done as she takes on her ass-kicking role like a veteran. At first I was put off by Ryan Reynold's wise cracking, but he grew on me very quickly and I was laughing right along with the rest of the audience and enjoying every wise crack. The action soundtrack offers some variety but most of it is driven by a Mortal Kombat-like riff that works well and doesn't get old. Wrestling fans can look for Triple H as a vampire soldier. Throw in vampire dogs and you have Blade: Trinity—a must for Blade fans, vampire fans, and action fans. Add Blade to your home libraries because like Aliens, Resident Evil, Demon Knight, Evil Dead and Virus, Blade is a film you can watch over and over.

The Blair Witch Project
Spooky not scary. I give them credit for the creativity and causing such a stir. But I wanted more.

Blair Witch 2
The Blair Witch does a good job spoofing itself with a Twilight Zone-style spin.

Bless the Child
Avoid this Vatican training film like the plague.

Blood: The Last Vampire (2009)
Based on the anime character created by Kenji Kamiyama, Blood: The Last Vampire is a live action story about the 400 year-old, half-human, half-vampire, samurai skilled Saya (Gianna Jun), who appears no older than sixteen. In pursuit of a powerful demon named Onigen (Koyuki), Saya is sent undercover to a high school at an American military base in Tokyo by a covert government agency that hunts demons in post-WWII Japan.  Saya seeks revenge against Onigen for killing her human father. At the base, Saya saves a student (Alice (Alison Miller)—the base commander’s daughter) from vampires, forming a bond between the two girls. If you’re looking for a high action, vampire film where the protagonist dispatches her quarry with a samurai sword while doing incredible acrobatics, than this is for you. Okay, the plot isn’t anything special or complex, but the fight scenes are what make this film entertaining and, most of all, fun. Watching Saya running, jumping, flying and fighting through subways and elsewhere was exciting and, at times, funny. Especially of note is director Chris Nahon’s decision to film in a graphic novel style with momentary freeze frames highlighting particular sword moves and bloody stylized violence  My only wish is that he would have done it more. And let's not forget Saya’s Japanese schoolgirl uniform, which rounds out this highly entertaining, live-action, adventure. Blood: The Last Vampire is definitely worth a look.

Blow
This attempt at a nostalgic journey into the life of George Jung, or "How I introduced cocaine into the American mainstream" is yet another addition to the "first-person, I always wanted to be a gangster" genre that barely skims the surface of its characters and tale.

The Bone Collector
When you get into a taxicab, be sure there is a way out. Some solid thrills and chills. Great "rat" scene.

Boogeyman
In a wonderfully creepy teaser, a child, Tim, is trying to fall asleep, but can't. His toys look like monsters and the clothing he left draped on the chair looks like a man sitting there. But the light is on so all's fine. Suddenly the table lamp falls and smashes, snuffing the bulb and in the dark the clothing stands up. Fortunately, Tim's father (Charles Mesure) enters and all is safe once more when the father, as all parents do at least once, goes around the room. "See no monster under the bed. See no monster behind the drapes." Opening the closet, "See, no monster in the—" Swoosh, the father is sucked into the closet never to be seen again. Of course the real story is about the kid growing up (Barry Watson) and (as in so many other films) no one believes him about what really happened assuming the father abandoned his family. You know the rest. He has to go back to the house where it happened to face the demon (Andrew Glover). So after a great three-minute teaser, we wait and wait, and wait, until finally at about seventy minutes we get the final confrontation. The End. And you have about eighteen minutes of film worth watching. I will give credit to the (until this film) TV director, Stephen T. Kay. He does a good job trying to make something out of each and every scene. He is probably the only thing that makes this film worth watching. Watch for him when he gets a good script. So, if you must see Boogeyman, wait for a rental when you can fast forward. Xena fans might get a kick seeing Lucy Lawless as the mother.

Bridge to Terabithia
Gabor Csupo, mostly known for producing The Rugrats, takes the role as director to bring the Katherine Paterson young adult novel to the screen. Jesse Aarons (Josh Hutcherson from 2006's RV, 2005 Zathura, and 2005's Kicking and Screaming) is an isolated, bullied fifth grader and the only male in a three-sister family that's barely able to make ends meet. His one escape is to draw. Along comes Jesse's new neighbor, Leslie Burke (AnnaSophia Robb from 2005's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), a vivacious free spirit with an unbridled imagination who becomes Jesse's best friend. Together they go to a small island near their homes where Leslie teaches Jesse to use his imagination to create the fantasy land of Terabithia, a place where "you can do anything." Jesse has a hard time using his imagination at first, but Leslie's association and a traumatic experience finally free him from life's (and school's) chains. Knowing nothing about the book, I went into this film enticed by the fantasy creatures shown in the previews and was surprised to find that they had a very small, although important, part in this film. The story was actually about the trials and tribulations of Middle School where troll-like eighth graders charge a dollar to use the rest room, or where ogre-like boys harass classmates in the hallways. There were many lessons here, but little in the way of entertainment, even for the target audience. My biggest disappointment, and you've heard this complaint from me before, was that the fantasy elements took a back seat to the real life lessons—one of which is the traumatic event that shocked everyone in the theater, leaving us feeling more depressed than uplifted with the ending.

Blood Freak
Herschel (Steve Hawkes), a homeless, Vietnam vet meets Jesus freak, Angel (Heather Hughes) who takes Herschel home where he meets Angel’s sister, Ann (Dana Cullivan), a horny, pot smoker. When Hershel doesn’t pay enough attention to her, Ann laces his pot with something that will hook him immediately. Now hooked on pot, Herschel gets a job at the local turkey farm eating turkeys treated with chemicals so the scientists can see what, if any, side effects occur. And what side effects there are! After smoking more pot and eating a whole turkey, Herschel wanders into the woods and passes out. When he awakens, he has a giant turkey head and now must feed on the blood of drug addicts to survive. Herschel hunts them, catches them, and hangs them upside down before slitting their throats. My initial reaction to this film was “What the hell is this?” This film was unbelievable, especially when a narrator interrupts throughout the film to make cautionary remarks about drugs, chemicals, sex and god, all the time puffing a cigarette. The acting is stiff and unprofessional. The production qualities look homemade. But it’s all of these factors that make this a film to watch. It reminded me of an Ed Wood film because it was so bad it was good. There was an attempt at a message here, which the narrator explains plain enough. Narrator: (Puffing on cigarette) This movie has been a story about the horrors that can occur when we use the human body as a mixing bowl for drugs. *cough* *puff* *cough* *hack* Originally released in 1972, Blood Freak might be difficult to find, but keep your eyes out for it, because you won’t believe your eyes when you watch it.

Brotherhood of the Wolf
Picture perfect locations, Renaissance music wonderfully combined with Eastern rhythms, some of the best French whores to grace a movie screen, and a "monster" idea (I've) never seen before clash with cardboard characters, martial arts that looked more like ballet, and politics replacing thrills to make this a ho-hum experience. Wait for the video, this isn't a French Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

The Brothers Grimm
Terry Gilliam (Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Twelve Monkeys, Brazil, The Fisher King, Time Bandits) adds his unique directing style to an Ehren (Skeleton Key, Ring I and II, Scream 3) Kruger screenplay and takes us back to Napoleonic Europe where the brothers Grimm (Matt Damon, Heath Ledger) are pulling off the greatest con game playing on the superstitions of local people by duping them into believing that the two brothers are ridding their villages of legendary witches and spooks—for a fee of course. But when they are exposed as the cheats and fakes that they are by the commander of a French occupation force, the brothers are forced to investigate the disappearances of little girls from a local village by a real supernatural force. Of course, Jacob Grimm is writing down everything he hears and sees for a book, presumably the one we all end up reading, as we see and meet the inspirations for such fairy tales as Sleeping Beauty, The Ginger Bread Man, Repunzel, Cinderella, Hanzel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood and more . . . and that part was fun. The problem was the decision to add comedy to this story because the comedy was neither needed nor well executed. At best it was simple slapstick that came off strained and usually out of place. On the plus side, being a Gilliam film, the sets were wonderful, straight from the pages of a fairy tale, and after taking almost an hour to actually get started, the second half's story was tight and actually quite riveting. So if you don't mind sitting through an awkward first half for the film to find its footing, you should be happy with a pretty good second half.

Bubba Ho-tep (DVD and Video)
Writer/Director Don Coscelli (Phantasm I, II, III, IV) distinguishes himself with this surrealistic, campy horror tale based on the Joe R. Lansdale short story. It seems the real Elvis Presley (Bruce Campbell), who we learn had switched lives with an Elvis impersonator, is now living in a convalescent home where he meets JFK (Ossie Davis), who has been dyed black (according to the character) after his assassination attempt and hidden away by the government. The two soon join up to fight a soul-sucking mummy preying on the home's residents. This is a slick film with outstanding performances by the two leads and great dialogue delivered by Campbell with machine-gun timing. You'll see some of Phantasm's influence in the nightmarish sequences, but it is Campbell who shines. As funny and charming as his "Evil Dead" films, Campbell milks the convincingly cynical Elvis persona for all its worth and I loved him. If you missed this in theaters, grab it as a rental without question. While it does start to run out of steam just before the end, it is a guaranteed winner. This was probably the best film I've seen in a long time.

Bug
The legendary William Friedkin (1973's The Exorcist) brings all his directing skill to this tense psychological thriller about a lonely, abused, honky-tonk waitress, Agnes White (Ashley Judd), who befriends a quirky stranger, Peter Evans (Michael Shannon)—a man who seems to be hiding something. As Peter slowly reveals his true self, he sucks Agnes into a world of delusional paranoia centered on the belief that the government spies on people by introducing "bugs" into their bloodstream. Ashley Judd (1997's Kiss the Girls and much more) was outstanding in her portrayal of Agnes. Watching her character degrade was the hook that kept me interested. As impressive was the make-up, which took a rather attractive actress and turned her into the hard, bitter, lonely person she portrayed, all enhanced by Friedkin's dramatic close-ups of tear-filled eyes and dripping noses. Friedkin also added an extra touch of suspense with frequent, eerie, foreboding bird's eye shots of the motel. Written by Tracy Letts (from his original stage play), Bug is like nothing you've seen before. And while it takes a while to get started, once it does, you sit in disbelief at what unfolds on the screen. Also featured is Harry Connick Jr., the great character actor and singer, who portrays Agne's ex-con/ex-husband who captures the screen whenever he enters a scene. This one is different but intriguing. Worth a DVD rental.

The Butterfly Effect
The writer/director team of Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber (2003's Final Destination 2) team up again to bring us The Butterfly Effect, where Evan Treborn (TV and film's Ashton Kutcher) learns he has the ability to return to events in his past. And the past he has to visit includes pedophilia, animal torture, terminal pranks and psychotic children, things that are not pretty to watch. But like passing a traffic accident in the night, you can't help peek. I peeked and was riveted for a powerful first, tension filled, hour. After the untimely death of his childhood sweetheart, Kayleigh Miller (Amy Smart), he decides to go back—and make things right. Well, as most of you know, playing with the past can be tricky and Evan's attempts to make one thing right make other things wrong. Things do slow down slightly when he actually visits the past and lives an alternate life, until we learn what went wrong. Now, any further trips to the past keep our attention as we look for the fluke in his plan. I've never seen an Ashton Kutcher film or television show, but his low key style in this film had me believing his character. Even the recurring supporting characters, which includes Eric Stoltz and some interesting performances by child actors Kevin Schmidt, John Patrick Amedori, Irene Gorovaia and Jesse James, did a good job, especially since they got to play alternate versions of themselves in each relived episode. I found myself rooting for Evan when things seemed to go right, then feeling sorry for him when it blew up in his face. Much of the story is creepy (which kept my attention), and the end might surprise you. I was enthralled enough to recommend this one. If you don't see it in a theater, put in on your rental list.