Chicken Run

Chicken Run - ***1/2

From directors Peter Lord and Nick Park (Wallace and Gromit), the 2000 film Chicken Run is animated comedy before it became safe and templatic. Mel Gibson leads the cast of relative unknowns, although clearly voice work is not a problem. While it is easy to make connections between this movie and "The Great Escape", the film is full of subtle references to action/adventure movies of the past. The animation is not unlike The Incredibles in that the action sequences are just as visually intriguing as they would be had they been done in live action. It looks good, it sounds good, it is good. Thumbs up.

Ocean's Twelve

Ocean's Twelve - ***

Ocean's Twelve is the Steven Soderbergh directed sequel to the remake of the film that defined a generation of filmmakers. Whereas it's predecessor was almost a serene tribute to the original 1960 picture starring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr (along with the lesser Rat Packers), this film branches out and attempts to be something distinctly unique. The gang is off to Europe this time around, in an attempt to make enough money to pay back their begrudged former victim Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia). Of course, the name indicates that there's someone new on board, and I can only guess that is Julia Roberts' Tess. It might have also been Isabel Lahiri (Catherine Zeta Jones), but I suppose the fact that she's an ex-Lover of Rusty (Brad Pitt)/detective counts her out. Whereas the original was a brightly put together and highly original film that turned corners every step of the way until the final brilliant ending (although not hardly as brilliant as the Rat Pack version), the sequel relies more on humour than inventiveness. Effective examples of this humour include much of Matt Damon's work in this film, as well as the back and forth between the Malloy Brothers (Casey Affleck, Scott Caan). George Clooney's work seems a lot like most of Sinatra's movie work; uninspired. This is not a traditional Soderbergh film in that it doesn't really break any conventions, but the similarities between this and his previous work is that he finds a way to make the efforts come to something. In this, some sadly average directing and unoriginal storytelling are offset by some great humour and a solid cast. A marginal thumbs up.

Ocean's Eleven

Ocean's Eleven - ***1/2

Steven Soderbergh hones in a star studded cast in Ocean's Eleven, a movie which casts off all false conceptions of legitimacy to focus on pure entertainment. With A-list stars such as Matt Damon, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Elliot Gould, Andy Garcia, Bernie Mac and Carl Reiner all on board, it's easy to be intimidated by the blinding star power. However, the real star of this movie is Soderbergh, who's conscious and slick filmmaking brings this film from a likeable yet flawed effort to a popcorn masterpiece. There are several shots that stick with me from this film, including some of the montage camera work, the side to side shot of the group at the end, and the SWAT truck pulling back into the garage. Ted Griffin's screenplay is perfectly sufficient, respecting the "cool" air of the original. While it may not be quite as creative as the original plan, or as captivating as the original ending, Steven Soderbergh's 2001 update is a refreshing, more entertaining movie. Thumbs up.

Ray

Ray - ***1/2

From Taylor Hackford (Proof of Life, The Devils Advocate), Ray is the biopic of legendary vocalist Ray Charles, a man whose influence on the music industry can still be seen today. Jamie Foxx leads the cast as the singer himself, and does a powerful job of bringing this character to the screen. Kerry Washington plays his wife Bea, while Regina King plays Margie Hendricks, backup singer and mistress to Charles. It's this combination of an incredibly powerful cast and perfectly presented music sequences that make this work. I also enjoy the fact that it made no effort to fit in nicely with typical biopics of its day. There was no beatification here; Ray Charles was no angel and Hackford made no attempt to present him as one. The line "nobody's going to feel sorry for you because you're blind" is a perfect representation of the movie's theme. I think the movie may have ran on a bit, I felt as if it was going in circles for about 10 minutes or so in the middle, but all in all this is a very good movie. Thumbs up.

The Princess Diaries 2

The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement - **

Garry Marshall, expert at laying on the syrup thick, directs "The Princess Diaries 2", the sequel to the not really so surprising hit "The Princess Diaries" of 2001. This time around, Mia Thermopolis (Anne Hathaway) is nearly set to take the throne of Genovia, but it is revealed that in order for a woman to take the throne, she must be married. What's worse, is that she is given 30 days to do so, and if she is unable to another person will be given the throne. That person is Nicholas Deveroux (Chris Pine), who she kind of likes and kind of hates. It's assembly line script writing that makes this film terrible. Other teen films are just predictable, but if you weren't able to see the end coming you might be suffering from some sort of mental disorder. It takes a long time to get going, and once it does get going, it really isn't that good. Julie Andrews is of course good as Queen Clarisse Renaldi, and even sings for the first time on film for decades, but even that is ruined when the song turns into a G-rated pop/hip hop tune. The real saving grace, and what keeps the movie out of the bottom of 2004's scrap heap, is Hathaway, who has made many-a-film redeemable through her accute performances. While seemably every other young actress has had her share of memorable trainwrecks, her films are made watchable by a charm unmatched in any of the current crop. If only she had Lindsay Lohan's taste in scripts. Thumbs down.

Alexander

Alexander - **

When you're Oliver Stone, making a film about the life of one of the world's greatest war heros is never simple. You're going to attempt to get past all of the stories told about your main character and attempt to tell a story that Hollywood hasn't yet done. You're also going to shed no expense at making the action scenes unadulterated. Of course, even if you're Oliver Stone, this can go either way, and unfortunately Alexander goes to the wrong way for nearly three hours. Colin Farrell stars in this historical epic as Alexander the Great (before he was "The Great", mind you), while Angelina Jolie plays his mother Olympias, Jared Leto plays his lover and friend Hephaistion, and Rosario Dawson plays Roxane, his wife. Anthony Hopkins does double duty as both narrator and the older version of Ptolemy. When you think of the influential historical figures who are mentioned in this film (among them Alexander, Olympias, Aristotle, Ptolemy and Antigonas), there is potential for unparallelled cinematic delight. However, in three hours the viewer leaves the theatre feeling no more enlightened than when they came in. Colin Farrell is good, but only good in the lead role, while Angelina Jolie turns in one of her worst performances yet. If I only listen to the film with my eyes closed, Alexander was actually Irish and Olympias was Romanian, but I'll let the accents slip because really, it's not like they were speaking any form of English anyway. The script is completely lost in favour of blunt violence, dull sex and nill characterization. You could say that the cast looked good, but of course they did, they're Angelina Jolie, Rosario Dawson, Jared Leto and Colin Farrell. If you could make a movie just by virtue of looks, you could stick Kelly Clarkson and Britney Spears together and win Oscars. Unfortunately, "From Justin 2 Kelly" and "Crossroads" prove that wrong. Thumbs down.

Blade: Trinity

Blade Trinity - **

David S Goyer, the man who wrote all three films, takes over from Guillermo Del Toro as director, and is met with disastrous results. Blade Trinity is the hopefully final film in the Blade saga, based on the Marvel comic series and starring Wesley Snipes. This time around the vampires have awoken the grand daddy of them all, Dracula. Blade isn't alone this time, though; he is joined by a team of leather clad Gen Y-ers known as the Night Stalkers. The leader of the group is Abigail Whistler (Jessica Biel), the inexplicable daughter of Abraham Whistler (Kris Kristofferson), and is seemed to be assisted the most by Hannibal King (Ryan Reynolds), or as he was probably referred to on the script, Comic Relief. Indeed, the only thing redeeming about this film is the big budget special effects, since both the script and acting performances are awful. Everybody's favorite wrestler Triple H takes on the role of Jarko Grimwood with the tenacity and acting chops of Justin Guarini and Shaquille O'Neil, while Parker Posey is laughable as the film's pseudo villain. Ryan Reynolds gives a good effort of bringing light to a dull script, but his character is so horribly written that it's hard to enjoy his bits. A mass of dull storylines with logic errors, unreal dialogue and uninspired performances make this not the worst, but possibly the most inexplicably made film of the year. Thumbs down; please let this be the last.

Man on Fire

Man on Fire - ***1/2

From director Tony Scott, "Man on Fire" is a raw, action packed revenge movie that runs a bit too long, but entertains so well that it's hard to notice. Denzel Washington stars as Creasy, a former Marine who takes on the task of protecting a young girl named Pita, played with such wonderful charm and accuracy by Dakota Fanning. Pita breaks his resolve to solitude and he begins to open up, but when despite his best efforts she is kidnapped, he begins to practise vigilante justice towards anyone who may be involved in the crime. Not only are the two stars superb in their roles, but supporting performances by Christopher Walken, Mark Anthony and Radha Mitchell elevate the film to a whole new level of performance. I also enjoyed the bold directorial style Scott employs, which in this film filled with twists and turns is perfect. As I've said, it's about 10-15 minutes too long, and the plot is bogged down a bit by the overabundance of characters, but the core cast are so talented and Tony Scott is so creative behind the camera, not to mention Brian Helgeland's screenplay, that it's hard to not recommend the movie. This is just a very good film. Thumbs up.

Troy

Troy *1/2

Wolfgang Petersen, director of Das Boot, The Perfect Storm and Air Force One, tackles Homer's "Odyssey" with Troy, the three hour blood soaked historical epic starring Legolas, The Hulk, and Sinbad the Sailor. Yes, in Wolfgang Petersen's ancient Troy, Brad Pitt is Achilles, Orlando Bloom is Paris and Eric Bana is Hector. Of course there are female stars involved too, such as Diane Kruger and Rose Byrne, but in Petersen's ancient Troy, women are meaningless. Oh, and apparently people talked in a mix of mid-nineties basketball trash talk, comic book speak and Shakespeare. Oh, and Achilles talks like he's from Manhattan. Yes, setting aside pretty much everything but the crucial elements, Wolfgang Petersen makes a pleasureless action movie that seems to go on and on forever, along the way telling us nothing and creating nothing but 1 dimensional characters, especially the women. On one side, we have Achilles, the glory obsessed asshole who would sacrifice his own men in order to preserve his legacy. On the other we have Paris, who shares an intelligence with our own Paris, Paris Hilton, by stealing the King of a massive empire's wife, signing away the lives of thousands of his own troops in the process. So who exactly are we to cheer for? Hulk Smash? I think not. I'll give you three tips on Troy, AVOID, AVOID, and AVOID. Thumbs down.

The Royal Tenenbaums

The Royal Tenenbaums - ****

From director Wes Anderson, The Royal Tenenbaums is a story about redemption, love and dysfunction in a gifted family. It stars a host of A-list celebrities, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Ben Stiller, Danny Glover, Bill Murray and the Wilson brothers. More importantly, it employs a format of storytelling and direction so unique and creative that it hides the film's long runtime. Royal Tenenbaum (Gene Hackman), upon hearing that his wife Etheline (Anjelica Huston) is considering an offer of marriage, he attempts to get back in with his family in order to win her back after 23 years of seperation. However, the family he comes back to, including a overcautious businessman (Stiller), a complacent playwright (Paltrow) and a washed up tennis player in love with his adopted sister (Luke Wilson), is apparently not much like the one he left. The family has gone to pieces in his absence, and as the film goes on, he begins to take more accountability on for repairing it. Now as I've already said, what I really like about this film is its creativity. Creativity out of Wes Anderson and his writing partner Luke Wilson won't come at all as a surprise to anyone who has seen his first movie, and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou looks to be much the same. Fantastic performances and a strong creative team make this a very good movie. Thumbs up.

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou - ***1/2

Wes Anderson is the type of director who likes to do more with less. He made The Royal Tenenbaums on $21 million dollars, and judging by the cast, much of that must have gone to salary. Much of the same with "The Life Aquatic", made on $25 million, and with a cast that includes Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Michael Gambon, Anjelica Huston, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum and Cate Blanchett the same can be said for this one. Bill Murray stars as Steve Zissou, a famed oceanographer and documentarist who after losing his friend to a shark, vows to track the creature down and kill it. Before he gets a chance to do this a man who may or may not be his son comes into his life (Luke Wilson). He, Ned Plimpton, and Steve set out with his famed crew and a journalist named Jane Winslett-Richardson (Cate Blanchett) in tow. On the line is more than just revenge, this is Steve's last chance to prove himself to the world that he still has "it" as a filmmaker, and to try to build a relationship with Ned. Wes Anderson has unsurpassed creativity, and shows it in everyone of his films. This is his first work without the writing assistance of Owen Wilson (who is currently occupied as he becomes one of the fastest rising stars in Hollywood), and Noah Baumbach seems to keep the screenplay as sharp as ever. As I've said, the film was made for a pittance, so how good this film looks is insane. Now I'm not saying this is a perfect movie. As the movie went on the jokes seemed to get strained, but another fantastic performance from Bill Murray brought it back from the edge of mediocrity. In the end, The Life with Steve Zissou is a very good movie, worthy of recommendation, even in the midst of a competitive award season. Thumbs up.

Van Helsing

Van Helsing - *1/2

Stephen Sommers' "Van Helsing" is one of those movies that makes you look back at the end and wonder why? Why, for instance, did they make a film over two hours in length if they had barely more than 60 of decent material? Why did they write the vampires to look and sound like the French stereotype? Why, and this one is perhaps the most important, does a movie that cost $160 million to make and included location shots in the Czech Republic look like it was made entirely on a low budget enclosed set? It's questions like these that beg the biggest "why" question, why take a chance on a movie that seemingly turned out so awful? Well apparently the film, starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Beckinsale, turned out to be a chance well taken; the film has grossed $300 million worldwide, but that still doesn't redeem it. Dracula (Richard Roxburgh) reminded me of the comedic version of the character portrayed by Leslie Nielsen in Mel Brooks' "Dracula: Dead and Loving It", and the Frankenstein character is oddly similar to the type of things seen in the "Scooby Doo" sequel. In fact, a lot of this movie is like that particular film. Just a terrible movie. Thumbs down.

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason

Bridget Jones Diary: The Edge of Reason - ***

The sequel to 2001's "The Bridget Jones Diary" is a charm driven film made successful by the sweet performance by Renee Zellweger. With this film, the producers replaced one nobody filmmaker with another, and surprise surprise, it looks no different from the first. It picks up four weeks after the first film, as Bridget is back home at her parent's house for Christmas, only this time she has the joy of a boyfriend in her life. Of course this is not to last too long as she and Mark (Colin Firth) go back and forth before they finally "break-up". Enter Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant), her former boyfriend who seemingly misses her, even though he can't seem to get passed his womanizing ways. The film is once again a triangle with these two men on either side, and Bridget in the middle, only this time it relies a bit too much on gags and sideplots rather than Zellweger's Jones. It's hard to not be disappointed by this film, but I still enjoyed it. This is really Renee Zellwegger's most comfortable character, and she plays it well. Once again the Brits are 1-0 on North American released romantic comedies (unless Shaun of the Dead's romantic element is enough to make it 2-0) this year, although unlike 2003's "Love Actually", this isn't an out of the park smash. Thumbs up.

The Flight of the Phoenix

Flight of the Phoenix - **

John Moore directs and Randy Quaid stars in "Flight of the Phoenix", the retelling of a classic 1965 film starring Jimmy Stewart. It tells the story of a group of people who are stranded in the Gobi desert when the plane that is supposed to carry them home crashes. Instead of waiting for a rescue plane that may or may not come, when a man (Giovanni Ribisi) claims he can rebuild the plane, they set out to put his plan into action. It's hard to say too much negative about Flight Of the Phoenix, yet it's impossible to recommend. While it does charm in its performance (most noteably the delightully twisted performance from Ribisi), and the visuals are stunning, there is not a shred of originality in its plot. This may have something to do with the fact that it's pretty much a verbatim retelling of the original, and if the 1998 Gus Van Sant retelling of Psycho tells us anything, it's that remaking classic 1960's films requires a level of retooling for modern success. This film is unable to do so, and reads as an outdated film that fails to build any drama at all, ending on a ridiculously cheesy visual and failing to surprise the audience once. Thumbs down.

The Phantom of the Opera

The Phantom of the Opera - ***1/2

The Phantom of the Opera, directed by Joel Schumacher, is the first Webber adaptation that the famous composer has had a hand in the creative process of. Because of this, it is very much a musical, and over nearly 2 and a half hours, there is likely little more than 30 minutes of spoken dialogue. Schumacher also takes on the monumental task of transforming one of the greatest musicals of all time into a motion picture, despite the fact that, in my honest opinion, it's nearly impossible to improve upon the stage. However, all things considered, Andrew Lloyd Webber's crowning achievement has also proved to be the same for Joel Schumacher, as this film successfully recreates the mood and passions of "Phantom" while making it seem even more grandiose. Leading the cast are Emmy Rossum, who is absolutely haunting as Christine, and Gerard Butler, who thrills although doesn't overwhelm as The Phantom. Rounding the ensemble out are Minnie Driver as Carlotta, Patrick Wilson as Raoul, Miranda Richardson as Madame Giry and Jennifer Ellison as Meg Giry. While this is not a perfect adaptation (to make a good film it shouldn't be) there is enough dedication to Webber's original masterpiece musical to make it a great success. Rossum is a powerhouse, but perhaps the greatest acting chops belong to Gerard Butler, who, while no Colm Wilkinson in the singing department, is so captivating as the tragic hero that he sells the movie on his own merits. Tour de force performances and accute grandiose directing make this perhaps my personal favorite movie of the year, even if it isn't nearly the best. Thumbs up.

Hotel Rwanda

Hotel Rwanda - ***1/2

Terry George ("Some Mother's Son") brought his latest film "Hotel Rwanda" to Toronto for it's premiere in September, mainly because when the Hutu army began massacring Tutsis in Rwanda, it was Canadians like Romeo Dallaire who stood up along with people like Paul Rusesabagina to save thousands of lives. This film tells that story. Don Cheadle stars as Rusesabagina, a man who by all accounts lives a upper middle class life, free of on the level persecution. His life changes, however, when civil war breaks out in his country and a group known as the Hutu's begin to slaughter every member of a group his wife belongs to, the Tutsis. Instead of fleeing or siding with the Hutu's, he turns the hotel he manages into a shelter for fleeing refugees. Of course, as war broke out, nearly everyone who could have put a stop to the situation fled, leaving United Nations officials alone to protect these people. Hotel Rwanda is not merely a war movie, nor is it a tale of murder and genocide, it is a film that speaks volumes about racial discrimination and the shortcomings of a governing body that falls subject to such discriminatory thought. Don Cheadle does well to create a sympathetic hero, although I suppose the context of the story is in itself enough to do that. Nick Nolte is fantastic as the roughly-based-on-Dallaire Colonel Oliver, a commander who stays at Rusesabagina's side at the worst of times. Some scenes felt stretched to me; in fact even at 110 minutes the film runs about 10-15 minutes too long. However, the message of the movie is important, and the film itself is very entertaining. "Hotel Rwanda" is a competently made film from the heart that will shock those who chose to ignore this situation when it first surfaced. Thumbs up.

High Times Potluck

High Times Potluck - 1/2*

At this point, I find the words just out of my reach. Oh wait, here they are: this was possible the worst movie of all time. Perhaps I'm biased by the fact that I wasn't stoned when I watched it, but I'm not of the persuasion that you have to be in order to judge good cinema from bad. In fact, to call it cinema is hardly accurate, as I strongly doubt this ever made it into theatres. I'd suggest that the movie tried to do too much with too little time, but that hardly covers the movie's problems. I think the main problem is that throughout the entire developmental process of High Times Potluck, everyone involved with the project was sky high. The result is one of the most amateurish, sloppily put together, poorly written and poorly acted films I've ever seen. I've seen home videos of babies and vacations that are better put together. Now I have to go scrub my eyes a la Spongebob Squarepants, a much better icon of stoners. Thumbs down.

Finding Neverland

Finding Neverland - ****

This is a perfect example of a movie in which everything is just right. Combine a cast that includes Johnny Depp, Dustin Hoffman, Kate Winslet, Julie Christie, Mackenzie Crook, and Kelly Macdonald with one of the most fantastic stories ever told, and you have Finding Neverland. Actually, not quite. This is actually, the "Behind the Scenes" of the most fantastic story ever told. Marc Forster's unique direction and Johnny Depp's token powerful performance make this one of the most engaging movies of the year. The end fades from reality a bit, which almost underminds the fact that it is built as a biopic, but that is the nature of the man, and thus it is suitable as the nature of the film. Powerhouse performances combined with an insightful screenplay and impressive storytelling make this one of the best movies of 2004. Thumbs up.

The Incredibles

The Incredibles - ****1/2

35 days, and over 300 million dollars worth of box office revenue after its release, The Incredibles is still the much discussed and praised film it originally was. I personally missed out on it for this amount of time, but in that period of time the only film I believe I caught was Finding Neverland, and I certainly don't regret that. However, this sophomore effort from writer and director Brad Bird (The Iron Giant) both lives up to the reputation of it's much beloved predecessor and surpasses it. Once again utilizing a host of talented actors for voices such as Holly Hunter, Craig T Nelson, Samuel L Jackson and Jason Lee, The Incredibles has that same familiarity which made Shrek so watchable. What Shek didn't have, however, were plausible action scenes that are not made any less astounding by the fact that they happen to be animated. This is a smart, funny action/comedy that entertains throughout. I almost gave it the ***** (or 9), but I felt as if while it is wholly fulfilling and entertaining, it doesn't seem like the movie that will leave a lasting impact. About as well written, directed and performed popcorn gets. Thumbs up

Before Sunset

Before Sunset - ****

Before Sunset, directed by Richard Linklater, is the conclusion to a story left open by the director 9 years ago with Before Sunrise, the story of 2 people who meet on a train in Vienna. In the same style he utilized last time around, Linklater this time tells a much more concise, quick moving story that ultimately drags less. Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke are comfortable in their roles, and they should be; this is the third film in which they've reprised these roles. The camera work once again effectively showcases the lesser shown qualities of its setting; I really love some of the work done in the alleys and gardens. What makes this film slightly better than its predecessor is how effectively it comes together at the end, and how quick the ending turns the plot in a completely different direction. Thumbs way up.

Wimbledon

Wimbledon - **1/2 (5.5/10)

From Richard Loncraine, Wimbledon is a romantic comedy set in the world of tennis; more specifically within the sport's biggest tournament. Some sports romantic comedies (this one included) are hard not to like. They often combine female savvy romance storylines with guy pleasing sports elements effectively enough that they're able to attract a large date audience (a la The Replacements, Bull Durham). They also seem to emphasize sports slightly more than romance, so this movie represents a different perspective of the genre. Indeed, there are a lot of things that work about this movie. I like the performances; Paul Bettany is always good and Kirsten Dunst has always had a lot of charm. The directorial work is interesting too; some of the in-game shots are fantastic, and the "My So Called Life"-esque freeze-frame technique works beautifully. This is, however, a case of style over substance, and where you could pull that off with a big budget and a science fiction theme, it's still just a tennis movie. There were more than a few a-typical romance one liners, and plenty of expected and tired plot twists. Unfortunately for Bettany and Dunst, charm just isn't enough. Thumbs down.

Raise Your Voice

Raise Your Voice - *1/2

After "A Cinderella Story", "Cheaper By The Dozen", "The Lizzy McGuire Movie" and "Agent Cody Banks" all within the past 2 years, Hilary Duff serves up her latest steaming pile of crap with director Sean McNamara and generic male lead Oliver James. Having seen both this movie and "First Daughter" in the past day, and having seen a load of horrible teen movies before, it's getting to the point where you can predict the entire plot of the movie before even starting to watch. I can't even begin to count the number of times a misunderstanding has caused a temporary rift between a male and female lead, or the number of misunderstanding fathers who finally come to their senses at the end. The brother dying at the start thing was a nice touch, although Jason Ritter is getting in far too many car crashes. They should really think of something new for the guy. Hilary Duff isn't necessarily the problem in the movie, but she never really is. She's a qualified teen actress with a reasonable palette of emotions, but the scripts she chooses are manufactured and templatic. The music in this movie is every bit as bland; not what you'd expect ouf of a school that is supposed to produce such original and bright musicians. There are several subplots I could have done without. In fact, if you removed all those subplots the movie would have been about 10 minutes long. There are a couple of people in this movie who deserve better, and hopefully they'll find it, because the last thing we need is more nonsense like this. Thumbs down.

Mr. 3000

Mr. 3000 - ***

Mr 3000 is a sports comedy from director Charles Stone III (Drumlime, Paid in Full) and more importantly starring Bernie Mac, an actor who has never really been given a chance to shine as a star before this. In it, Mac plays Stan Ross, a self centred hitsmith who upon reaching the coveted mark of 3000 hits abruptly quits baseball. He is certain that this will ensure him a spot in the hall of fame, although his lack of a relationship with the press repeatedly keeps him out. However, after a statistician reveals that he is in fact 3 hits short of the mark, Ross must come back to the game after nine years of retirement to get back his beloved title of "Mr 3000". Along the way he learns a lesson about selflessness, in both love and baseball. Now while my major source of disenchantment towards Wimbledon is the overemphasis on romance, the opposite could be argued for this film. Mr 3000 is clearly a baseball movie. While the trailers make no ellusion to anything different, it has to tread a line between straightforward and one dimensional. The movie certainly isn't perfect either. We see plenty of "same old, same old" with regards to the plot, and the characters are a bit jaded. However, the performances are strong, the direction is really good, and the overriding message is well presented. Plenty of good laughs and great looking shots here. Thumbs up.

First Daughter

First Daughter - *1/2

It's like deja vu all over again. It's either that, or I already watched this movie in January, when it was called "Chasing Liberty". Seriously, let's go over the specifics. "Chasing Liberty": The daughter of the President feels trapped within the confines of the White House, and goes on a journey of self discovery which is comprimised when she finds out that who she thinks her boyfriend was actually detailed to her as a bodyguard. In the end her father realises the error of his ways, and everyone lives happily ever after. Okay now, "First Daughter": The daughter of the President feels trapped within the confines of the White House, and goes on a journey of self discovery which is comprimised when she finds out that who she thinks her boyfriend was actually detailed to her as a bodyguard. In the end her father realises the error of his ways, and everyone lives happily ever after. BUT WAIT! There's a twist! Whereas the First Daughter goes to University in "First Daughter", that same First Daughter played by a different actress goes to Europe in "Chasing Liberty". Oh and there's one other difference: "Chasing Liberty" didn't suck. At least the male lead had a personality in that movie; the lead this time around could be substituted with any other young male actor in the business without impacting the plot at all. Katie Holmes may have been charming in this film, as well as in "Go" and "Pieces of April", but good is not an adjective I'd attribute to her. Michael Keaton at this point is laughable in any role other than perhaps a Gary Sinise look-a-like competition. The only highlight to this travesty is Matt Dusk's newly recorded material used in one of the scenes. Thumbs down.