Zack and Miri are best friends. They'd do anything for each other, even bang one another on film for a paying masturbating public. That's the premise for the latest from the foul and twisted mind of Kevin Smith (Mallrats, Clerks, Dogma). Zack and Miri Make a Porno follows the story of two cohabiting, down on their luck roommates, who, in a bind, decide making a porno film is the easiest way to snag some cash and solve all of their problems. Sounds pretty funny, basic, and simple, but underneath all the controversy, titties, and drooping ball sacks is a lovingly crafted mature piece of work from our independent sultan of filth, Kevin Smith.

Smith seems to have finally grabbed hold of a full cast of actors that best utilize the kinds of scripts he writes. That's not to say I'm not an Ben Affleck, Jason Mewes, or Jason Lee fan. I am. But the fit of Seth Rogen in a Kevin Smith film is so natural that it's kind of weird. Smith seems to have finally found that bridge he has been so desperately searching for: the bridge to financial success. His films always seem to cater to a very specific audience, and, with Zack and Miri, he seems to be readying himself to crossover. He has fused the sentimentality of Jersey Girl with the vulgarity of Clerks, and it works like a charm. His direction has never been anything to write home about visually, but he really pulls his ensemble together. Rogen, Elizabeth Banks, and longtime cohort Jason Mewes all deliver the funny. As you know we at the Movie Press have a soft spot for Craig Ferguson, and I'd say he steals the entire show if it weren't for how funny Mewes is, or truly legendary turns from the Man of Steel, Brandon Routh and from Justin Long as a gay porn star at Zack and Miri's high school reunion.

It's difficult to review without ruining, so I'll only warn those who are easily offended. (And if you are, chances are you aren't reading this site). This film contains some filthy and foul moments. You will see people get naked, fornicate, and other things that actually made me cover my mouth and slightly avert my eyes. The humor is disgusting, and the heart is twice as big to compensate. There's a difference between fucking and making love, and Kevin Smith clearly loved making this thing.

Review by: Greg MacLennan

Charlie Kaufman is an evil, mad genius. During his time as a screenwriter, he has crafted some of the most wacky and original story ideas and some of the most out there yet still spectacularly sympathetic characters of our time. He's taught us what it would be like to climb inside of John Malkovich, how to adapt the un-adaptable, and why we should cherish each and every memory with a loved one.

With Synecdoche, New York, Kaufman has had the reigns let loose as he takes to the directors chair for the first time with his own material, and the results couldn't be much more...shall we say...Kaufman-esque.

The story kicks off with Caden Cotard (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) on a successful run directing the stage version of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman. Upon his completion of that, he is awarded a MacArthur Genius Grant, and sets out to take on a theatre project so ambitious, it will take him the rest of his life to complete. Caden's wife leaves to pursue her painting career in Europe with their daughter and never returns.  Undeterred, Caden continues on his quest, finds a performance warehouse, and begins recreating a mock up of the city around him within the space, and begins to cast actors in the roles of regular everyday people, including one as himself. Things frequently spiral out of control, and the viewers grip on reality is threatened from the get go.

Synecdoche was a script Kaufman took two years to write, and what he has thrown up on the screen looks like an ambitious piece of overworked genius. Kaufman introduces so many ideas, themes, and feelings to the audience without ever really elaborating or exploring any of them. He seems to have a lot to say about life, art, death, relationships, illness, anonymity, but seems to have overstretched himself with this picture. He has crafted some interesting characters and storylines, and so many scenes are wonderful on their own. Unfortunately, the synergy of his direction and screenwriting never really add up to anything, and many times, it seems like Kaufman is being absurd just for the sake of being absurd. This is the kind of film you want to love, but really end up only loving the conversations trying to analyze the film with friends. It's as though Charlie Kaufman made a movie for Charlie Kaufman in a language only he understands. Kaufman is a master of method in his madness, but with this film it appears as though the madness has won out.  It's overly convoluted and becomes so difficult to follow, the audiences is taken aback and left not caring.

But there is so much to love in this film despite it's story. Kaufman has written some excellent roles and cast phenomenal actors in their shoes. Catherine Keener, Diane Weist, Michelle Williams, Samantha Morton, and Emily Watson all bring wonderful layers to the story, while Phillip Seymour Hoffman holds the weight of the picture around him to keep us interested in Caden until  til the bitter end.  Tom Noonan as Sammy, playing Caden, does such a magnificent job with his character, and it is easily the best performance of this Robocop 2 alum's career.  Jon Brion has again crafted another download-worthy score with some great songs with lyrics written by Charlie Kaufman. The set design and cinematography will humble you with how impressive they are, but, unfortunately in the end, audiences will be left wondering what this film would look like had it been directed by its intended director, Spike Jonze. Kaufman works with directors who understand his stuff, and they then create these amazing movies that are accessible. Kaufman's directors seem to translate his material--or censor parts of Kaufman--in order to create a successful movie, and he certainly lacked this accessible translation in his own direction.

While this film certainly isn't a waste of your time, Synecdoche, New York is a town you will not hurriedly revisit. It's a sprawling piece of ambitious filmmaking, and that alone is difficult to dismiss as a failure, but unfortunately Kaufman has pulled this film too much from his head and not enough from his heart.

Review by: Greg MacLennan

Danny (Paul Rudd) hates life. Wheeler (Sean William Scott) loves it. Danny hates his job and is an asshole to everyone. Wheeler loves his job and...is an asshole to everyone. These two superstars are the center of the latest David Wain (The Ten, Wet Hot American Summer) directed comedy, Role Models.

Danny and Wheeler are reps for Minotaur, an energy drink company where their jobs are to basically go around, drink a ton of Minotaur, and tell kids to keep off the drugs. Sounds simple right? Well, catch these guys over-juiced and on a bad day, and you might find their Minotaur truck on the wrong end of your horse statue. There's no cleverness at play here, these two literally crash their truck into a bronze equine sculpture outside of a school. Danny's girlfriend saves the day and helps them avoid prison time by getting them community service enrolled in a big/little brother program.

The movie may seem like it's setting itself up for a run-of-the-mill, been there/done that kind of story, and guess what? It basically is, except what this film lacks in storytelling creativity, it makes up for with heaping piles of laughs. Scott and Rudd play our two leads with improvisational joy and enthusiasm. Supporting player Jane Lynch throws us her usual curve ball of a wholesome and good woman peppered with a dark and seedy past involving cocaine and body sales. And our two lil's Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Bobb'e Thompson deliver all the humor they promised us from the trailer. David Wain has branched out into mainstream filmmaking by making a significantly less wacky film story-wise, but keeping most of his particular brand of humor intact.

Now I don't want to seem too praising of the picture, because it does suffer its slow parts, and not all the jokes hit the nail on the head. The story is very paint by numbers, but after you get past that, you don't care much and you just enjoy the film for its humor. It's nice to see Wain embracing the studio system and bringing his films to a wider audience, and pretty much anything with Rudd and Scott warrants a watch from this reviewer. So yeah, that's my bias. That and I have a soft spot for small black children who say, "Fuck you, Miss Daisy", to Caucasian grownups. It's the little things that keep you going.

Review by: Greg MacLennan

Impoverished Indian teen Jamal has had a rough life. Just as things finally start to turn a corner for our young protagonist as he gets to the last question on the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire, he is accused of cheating. Jamal is then forced through a grueling interrogation, where we learn how he came upon each answer and what his true motivations are for appearing on the show. I'll leave the synopsis at that, as part of the joy that comes from watching Danny Boyle's (28 Days Later, Trainspotting) latest is watching the story unfold.

Boyle has crafted one of his best films from a truly excellent script from Simon Beaufoy (The Full Monty). As I said, the way we are told of Jamal's past via flashback and seeing how the answers to the questions are hidden throughout his life experiences is one of the many joys found in the film. That, coupled with excellent performances across the board, a heavily M.I.A'ed soundtrack, and some spectacular direction and visuals combine to create one of the best cinematic outings of the year. I'm sure we will be hearing something about Slumdog come awards season o'clock. Now some might argue the film manipulates emotion or plays with your sympathy, and I'd argue that Boyle has such a way of crafting his films that it all comes out organically. You never feel forced to feel, you just do, despite some of the scenes clearly being some of the most depressing shit (pun intended for those in the know) you could think of.

Boyle has managed to reinvent himself many a time by always trying out different genres while, at the same time, nailing each and every one of them. This is the film that almost wasn't, and it definitely warrants your attention. So many studios were afraid of this film, and Boyle has been pretty public of how the festival circuit kept this film alive when he thought it was over and done with. Do yourself a favor and check this one out when it hits a screen near you.

Review by: Greg MacLennan

The IMDb synopsis for Max Payne goes like this:

Coming together to solve a series of murders in New York City are a DEA agent, Max Payne, whose family was slain as part of a conspiracy and an assassin, out to avenge her sister's death. The duo will be hunted by the police, the mob, and a ruthless corporation.

Now anyone should be able to gleam at least this much from watching the film. I'm not sure how it happened, or what I was expecting, but between the films apt video game reference via the posters, or the surprisingly visual rich trailers, I half expected something from Max Payne. The video game utilized the bullet time effect seen in movies like the Matrix, and the story of a renegade cop hunting down the people who killed his family seems like an idea beamed straight from the heavens for Jason Statham. But alas, the stars could not align. I'm not sure when, perhaps it was somewhere around minute ten was when I realized I was in for one of the worst films of the year.

You see it's not that it's from The Omen and Flight of the Phoenix director John Moore, although I'm sure he is definitely at least partially to blame. But first time writer Beau Thorne has crafted one of the shallowest, most confusing scripts ever. I think the confusion mainly arises from the lack of any character development or story explanation. The film is basically Max Payne wandering around from place to place, boring you, and then as time rolls on, actually making you giggle. You never care about anyone or anything going in, and even if you did know who these people were or what was going on, I doubt you'd care then either.

The performances don't help much, Mark Walhberg does what he can, but with a supporting cast that include laughable performances from Beau Bridges, Chris O'Donnell, and Mila Kunis, you're left trying to swim with concrete flippers. Also please let this serve as an open letter to Chris "Ludacris" Bridges (No relation to Beau or Jeff), please stop making movies. You were annoying in 2Fast2Furious, you freaked us out in that Vince Vaughn Fred Claus movie, and here you were the first to let the audience know it's okay to laugh at this supposed action drama. Also John Moore, when you have Donal Logue in a movie, please use him.

There are problems beyond all these things, but at this point it's like kicking a dead horse. If you have a morbid curiosity to see just how bad this movie is, don't. Send me $8, and I'll slap you in the face. At least I'll be saving you 100 minutes of your life.

PS - if you stay through the end credits, you get an epilogue that delivers promises of a Max Payne 2, but frankly, that's like making it through a minefield only to be shot in the face by a most pointless bullet.

Review by: Greg MacLennan

The white sickness has struck, and everyone around you is going blind. For some strange reason you have yet to succumb to the sickness. If your significant other were to fall ill, would you play blind to stay with them in a quarantine camp, or would you proclaim your immunity and be free? Such is the case for Julianne Moore in Fernando Meirelles's (City of God, The Constant Gardener) latest, Blindness. There would be no heart wrenching story if she didn't go and that's where our story begins to unfold. The few people at the beginning of this epidemic are separated and put up in an old military compound to fend for themselves. Everyone is blind, they are given minimal supplies on a non-regular basis, their only hope is the one person who can see who refuses to tell anyone about it.

Sounds interesting doesn't it? Sounds like it could be a wonderful setup for spectacular social commentary from one of the best up and coming directors? Well it's not. For lack of a better pun, Blindness lacks vision. If Meirelles was a boxer, he'd be the kind who was constantly winding up but never delivering the one-two combination to actually do anything. The film trudges through the mud of it's story line from one location to the next. Many times we find ourselves stuck in one area for far too long, and the story just lacks focus and cohesion.

Also don't bother looking for any answers or logic, because this film doesn't have them for you. You won't find out why anyone is sick, and you will constantly be frustrated by characters decisions that seem to defy all kinds of logic.

But I'm being a bit harsh aren't I? The film isn't a total waste of time, the microcosm of the people in the quarantine camp is interesting, and though blind people are portrayed like zombie retards (maybe the blind protest for the film is valid), some of the characterization and personal dynamics are interesting. The acting is also pretty top notch, except for the aforementioned ineptitude with which everyone plays blind. Meirelles visuals are as usual pretty spectacular and do add quite a bit to the entire experience of the film. It's just a shame the script wasn't sharper.

Review by: Greg MacLennan

Jerry Shaw is a loser. He's a smooth talker amongst his friends and full of unfulfilled potential according to his parents. He works at Copy Cabana, and is frequently behind on his rent. This is your everyman, played with a maturing skill by Shia LaBeouf, with a dreadful patch of facial hair.

Rachel, Michelle Monaghan, is a single mom dealing with her dead beat ex. She seems to have it relatively together with her priorities clearly in check. How could a hot milf like this get mixed up with our scruffy protagonist? A strange phone call from a mysterious woman. You see Jerry's twin brother has just died, and peculiar things are starting to happen to him. His bank account is full of money, and some seriously crazy shit has just been delivered to his apartment. Is he being set up? Who's behind it all? Well that's part of the fun of watching Eagle Eye now isn't it?

D.J. Caruso knows what he's doing. He handled last year's surprisingly enjoyable teen thriller throwaway Disturbia, and helmed the criminally underseen Val Kilmer starrer The Salton Sea. He has a way of elevating material, and doing it with flash and style. Here Caruso is taking his first foray into action/suspense film making and he couldn't seem more at home. Eagle Eye takes exactly fifteen minutes to hit the ground running and from then on it's like a turbo boost of adrenaline that doesn't let up until the final credits roll. The action scenes are inventive, edge of your seat fun, and even if you don't enjoy the film on a whole, it's hard to deny the thrills you can have from simply watching these scenes.

LaBeouf is growing up before our eyes and he seems to be transitioning into his role as leading man quite nicely, he carries the film on his shoulders and he does it very well. Monaghan is very passable in her role, while Rosario Dawson and Michael Chiklis are both severely underutilized. Billy Bob Thornton is the only other standout, besides our schlubby hero, who brings a third dimension to his character with his own personal charm.

The film does have it's problems though, and it's best to enjoy without being too critical. Let's just say there are points in the film where you are either with it or you aren't. If you don't buy into the whole world/situation within the first 20 minutes, you aren't going to enjoy yourself. Things are ridiculous, and I'll be the first to admit it, but when its coupled with such flair and enjoyment it's hard to nitpick. 

This is also one of those films that has politics in it without being political, and, if anyone is so inclined to notice, it does raise some interesting questions. It's difficult to go into without treading into some spoiler territory. Suffice it to say, there's action for the fellas, LaBeouf for the ladies, and some conversation to be had over tea for the oldies. Eagle Eye is fun-time film making that taps into the same vein as Enemy of the State and North by Northwest (that Caruso sure does love to rip off the Hitchcock). It's what Disturbia was to Rear Window; it's more stylized, more action packed, and significantly less intelligent.

Review by: Greg MacLennan

Washington-born and mobile home-raised, Chuck Palahniuk has managed to infuse his truly poetic writings with some of the dinginess of his humble upbringing.

In 1999, Palahniuks second novel Fight Club was adapted into a feature film directed by David Fincher. Fincher captured the Palahniuk universe masterfully and yanked two amazing performances out of two amazing performers in Brad Pitt and Edward Norton. Despite opening at No. 1 during its first weekend, Fight Club was received to lukewarm reviews and financial disappointment. Though upon Fight Club's release on DVD, it developed quite the following and became wildly successful. Two years later, Choke was published and became Palahniuk's first No. 1 on the New York Times Bestseller list. This gave way to future success with his novels Lullaby, Diary, Haunted, and Rant. His latest work, Snuff, was released May 20, 2008, to positive reviews.

While many of Chuck's works are currently in one stage or another of development, his second adaptation premiered early this year at the Sundance Film Festival. Choke tells the story of Victor Mancini (Sam Rockwell), a medical school dropout and current historical re-enactor, who picks up supplementary income by forcing himself to choke at restaurants and allowing himself to be saved. Upon being saved, he finds that he creates a special bond with these good samaritans, and then goes on to send them letters detailing the fictional troubles of his life, to which he receives responses of cash and checks. All this is done to service a single purpose of keeping his ailing mother in a nursing home he clearly cannot afford. Victor's best friend Denny is along on the quest to find out about his father, himself, his sexual addiction, and about the attractive female doctor caring for his mother.

Directed by Clark Gregg, Choke captures much of Palahniuk's flair and lunacy but somewhat leaves feeling like a neutered version of the book. Gregg, who also penned the script, takes the light and the dark, the sad and the funny, and messes with the Chuck formula resulting with an uneven picture. Rockwell, as Mancini, couldn't have done more to nail the essence of Victor's character -- it's hard to imagine Chuck being more satisfied with anyone else playing Victor. Gregg does succeed at recreating the voice over narration for Victor that Rockwell so expertly delivers, leaving fans with reason enough to view the film.

Anjelica Huston dazzles, as always, as Victor's mess of a mother. She goes from playing the younger version of her deluded self to the batshit crazy, older version with absolute ease. The supporting players are hit and miss, and the same can be said for many of the scenes. To create a metaphor with Victor, its all foreplay and no sex. The film captures you enough to make you want to love it, but leaves you feeling unfulfilled and unsatisfied.

For Chuck Palahniuk fans this movie will be an enjoyable companion piece to the novel. While Fight Club was so expertly crafted with its multiple layers and pitch-perfect Palahniuk tone it could serve as a book substitute, Choke works as a wonderful appetizer for a significantly better novel.

Review by: Greg MacLennan

Osborne Cox (John Malcovich) has been a CIA analyst for forever, however, it appears as though the people at his work aren't appreciating him as much anymore due to his "drinking problem." So Osborne flies the coop and begins to write his memoirs with all the dirty secrets of his job intact. So where's the snag? His wife (Tilda Swinton) is in the midst of some intensive research to prepare for a divorce so she can be with her lover (George Clooney). Hangup after that? It appears Cox's wife, Katie, picked an attorney with a clumsy secretary, and Katie's research, including Osborne's memoirs, gets left behind in a gym. A gym, I might add, which is host to a gang of bumbling idiots (Brad Pitt and Frances McDormand) who stumble onto said research and then attempt to blackmail Osborne. Still with me? Okay. That's the gist, there's some more interconnectedness, but I'll spare you the spoilers of who ends up having sex with whom and who ends up dying.

This is the Coen Brothers first offering since their Oscar-winning No Country for Old Men. It's hard to say it's not good, because the film is enjoyable and should keep you laughing for its brisk 93 minute run time, but it just isn't all the Coen's are capable of doing. The direction is solid, the dialogue wacky, and the cast of characters are everything you'd expect from a Coen comedy, however, it just didn't add up to anything truly special. Sometimes the dark comedy gets a little too dark while still attempting to maintain the humor, and that's when things feel slightly off and clunky.

Although, Brad Pitt makes a hilarious turn as Chad Feldheimer, the dimwitted personal trainer who finds the information and attempts to extort money for its safe return. Clooney also takes a page out of his funny book and delivers a memorable performance as a sex-addicted Marshall's Office employee who is convinced he is being followed by the CIA. Malkovich also proves to have some comedy chops and I'm sure will be remember for his repetition of the line "What the fuck?" throughout the entire film.

And perhaps that's best how to sum up the film, what the fuck? It's a film about idiots and nothingness and that's the point. The Coens didn't fail by any means, and when things end up in a neat bundle by the end of the film, you're left strangely unsatisfied. It's one of their lesser works, but not one of their lesser lesser works. (I'm talking to you, Ladykillers) Intelligence is relative and this could be one of the more intelligent films about unintelligent people made by intelligent people in an attempt to show the world its reflection and ask, what the fuck?


Review by: Greg MacLennan

Dana Marschz sucks. At everything he does. He's a complete failure as an actor outside of some herpes commercials and film stand-in roles. He can't teach, except two over-achieving brown-nosers who show plenty of enthusiasm but next to no talent. And he's a miserable playwright, at least when it comes to adapting successful Hollywood films into stage versions for a high school cast of two. That is, until all the arts programs are shut down, providing him with a larger talent pool but also threatening his last stand as a theatre enthusiast. What's he got left to do? Make his staggering work of genius happen before the end of the semester and save the drama department, of course. 

This may sound like your generic inspirational-teacher-saves-some-sort-of-cause type film, but it's far from it. Hamlet 2 ends up being everything you wanted and more.

Writer/Director Andrew Fleming (Nancy Drew, The Craft) has reached into his well of creativity and pulled this out with the aid of co-writer, Pam Brady (Team America, South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut). It’s witty, it’s clever, and it’s potentially offensive. But, as opposed to most comedies churning out of the system these days, this one has a point.  It’s almost a spoof/satire, but it teeters on that edge and walks this very careful line that equaled a very successful comedy. 

Steve Coogan stars as Dana Marschz, and every time I see this guy in film I wonder why he isn’t a bigger star.  Already a hit in his native England, Coogan has been slowly and steadily earning street cred in indie films like Coffee and Cigarettes, Tristram Shandy, Happy Endings, and 24-Hour Party People. Here Coogan gives himself completely over to the character and never shows fear in embarrassing himself or damaging his image.  He owns it, and I think if the movie is a success it owes a great deal to the talents of Mr. Coogan. There’s seldom a scene without him, and rarely a scene he doesn’t have you burst out laughing with some little intricacy he has imbued into his character.

Catherine Keener seems to be enjoying every moment as Dana’s wife, Brie. She is so laid back and at the same time completely cruel to Dana, you can’t help but laugh. David Arquette turns in one of his most tolerable performances as the Marschz’s roommate/live-in mute. The rest of the cast is plenty solid with a host of relative new comers.

Where there have been big films coming out whose sole purpose was to make you laugh but failed, it’s truly an inspiring sight to see a film like Hamlet 2.  Sure it’s here to make us laugh, but I’m sure it never planned on being one of the funniest films of the year.

Review by: Greg MacLennan