Movie Reviews and Celebrity interviews

Following in the footsteps of the Death Wish movies and this year’s earlier Death Sentence, Neil Jordan’s The Brave One tries with every bit of skill and talent it’s got to bring more complexity to the themes of vigilance and revenge. Instead of merely attempting to make the viewers complicit in the enjoyment of watching the wronged protagonists stepping outside the legal system and taking matters into their own hands, it uses a great actress like Jodie Foster to see the conflicted emotions such actions can yield. Ultimately, however, even this story loses its worth as it cowers from examining the real social consequences involved.

Like the first Death Wish, the movie sets itself in New York City where we meet radio personality Erica Bain (Jodie Foster) who happily lives with her fianc

Southland Tales. As in Tales from Southern California, but a different California, where Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is an action star turned prophet, Justin Timberlake is a veteran of Iraq, Sean-William Scott is actually a pair of twins, and Sarah Michelle-Gellar is a porn star named Krysta Now. “No-one rocks the cock like Krysta Now.” Or so we’re told. You never actually see her rocking the cock, and she is more than welcome.

But the film doesn’t try and pander to the type of audience who want to see a flash of tits. Actually, it doesn’t pander to anyone. It is by far and away the most experimental film to come out of Hollywood recently, if you discount David Lynch.

First of all, the film version of Southland Tales is actually chapters four, five and six. Hey if Star Wars did it… The first three chapters are found in the Southland Tales graphic novel, which actually makes more sense in itself and of the film as a whole, explaining the various theories behind the film, whereas the film itself drops the audience in the middle of a world that is far removed from the one we live in.

There is wi-fi energy known as Fluid Karma, a screenplay written while under the influence of drugs that foretells the End Of Days, and some freaky time travelling. So, everything you would expect from the brains behind Donnie Darko.

The film is a mess, but an interesting one. Part of the disconnected plot is concerned with the enigma that is the Book Of Revelations found in the Bible, and you could view this as its modern cinematic counterpart. Some view Revelations as a puzzle to be solved, containing a code to be dissected. Richard Kelly’s film is trying to push this, using the graphic novel and the film’s website to further the story and the puzzling plotlines within, quite literally forcing the audience to actively seek it out, or, as most people did, walk out of the cinema.

While this cross-media, story/puzzle thing is a bold move, the film should stand on its own legs, which, sadly, it does not. It’s weird and wonderful, annoying and infuriating, littered with great performances and godawful ones. It will no doubt follow Darko in becoming a cult film, especially on DVD.

We do not recommend seeing this film, but you need to see it. It is the road less travelled.

“The Polar Express,” Chris Van Allsburg’s beloved children’s book, published by Houghton Mifflin, captures the pure spirit of the holiday season. It is a time of wonder, of enchanting discovery, of boundless fascination.

The inspirational tale will become even larger than life with the theatrical release of “The Polar Express.” The movie, from Warner Bros. Pictures, stars the Academy Award-winning team of Tom Hanks and director Robert Zemeckis. And now, fans of “The Polar Express” can take home a little bit of the story’s magic with exclusive gifts from Hallmark Gold Crown stores.

“‘The Polar Express’ is such a classic Christmas story, it seemed appropriate that Hallmark Gold Crown stores, a traditional holiday destination, serve as ‘The Polar Express’ headquarters,” said Greg Raymond, vice president of license acquisitions at Hallmark. “The one-of-a-kind Hallmark collection truly brings the classic story to life.”

In the movie, a young boy who wants to believe in Santa, no matter what the doubters say, is given an unexpected train ride to the North Pole. When the train reaches its destination, Santa himself materializes and offers the boy whatever his heart desires. In the end, the boy learns that the wonder of life never fades for those who believe.

Fans can feel the excitement of the movie with items from Hallmark’s collection, such as an authentic reproduction of the bell Santa gives the boy as the “first gift of Christmas.”

Also available in the collection are copies of “The Polar Express” book, Keepsake Ornaments, photo frames, gift-wrap, a tea-light holder, stocking holders, greeting cards and partyware. The variety of gifts in the collection will delight even those not so familiar with “The Polar Express” story.

“Hallmark has a long history of celebrating warm holiday traditions and these traditions are perfectly in sync with what ‘The Polar Express’ symbolizes,” said Karen McTier, executive vice president of domestic licensing for Warner Bros. Consumer Products. “Now filmgoers can take a bit of the movie magic and enchantment home with them.”