The Skeleton Key

Rating: PG-13

Movie Release Date: August 12, 2005

DVD Release Date: November 15, 2005

Plot 411: Nurse Caroline cares for a man in an old Louisiana home filled with secrets and hoodoo.

Review: Caroline (Kate Hudson) takes a position at a plantation home to care for an elderly man named Ben (John Hurt) who has recently had a stroke. His wife Violet (Gena Rowlands) is unable to care for him alone. After her initial hesitation, Caroline is convinced by Ben and Violet's lawyer Luke (Peter Sarsgaard) to take the job. While at the home, Caroline experiences weird occurrences and learns of the folk religion of hoodoo. She believes that Ben's illness can be cured if he can only convince himself he is well. She contacts a witch doctor and learns a spell to help cure him. The weird happenings continue and soon Caroline finds herself wondering whether or not hoodoo is real. I enjoyed this movie a lot and thought Hudson did a pretty good job. Usually she's firmly stuck in the rom com genre, but this time she branched out into a thriller/suspense/horror movie. Well, not really horrror but supernatural. It was a nice change of pace. Rowland does an excellent job in this role. How she transforms into this scary woman from the confused lady in The Notebook is beyond me. Guess that's what great actors can do. This movie had me on the edge of my seat and I liked where the movie led me. The sound design was great and really added to the tension. Without it, the movie wouldn't be half as scary.

Watch It: For the great twist ending.

Skip It: If you're really looking for a supernatural horror movie. This one just kind of threads the line and is more of a thriller.

Garden State

Rating: R

Movie Release Date: July 28, 2004

DVD Release Date: December 28, 2004

Plot 411: A struggling actor returns to New Jersey when his mother dies and learns to feel for the first time in his life.

Review: Andrew Largeman (Zach Braff) has lived in a medicated haze for almost his entire life. These drugs have moderated his emotions. Nothing moves him. When he is called home by his father for his mother's funeral, he leaves his meds behind and for the first time in his life allows himself to feel. He gets reacquainted with friends from high school and meets a girl named Sam (Natalie Portman) while at the doctor's office. Over the next couple of days, he begins to reassess his life and realizes that he has missed out on most of it. Also in this film are Peter Sarsgaard, Jean Smart and Method Man. I decided to rewatch this film because I hadn't seen it in several years. Apparently I wasn't paying much attention to it the first time around because this I didn't remember any of the scenes or even the main plot points. It was like watching it anew. For the most part, I liked how the film seemed to be one of those self-aware, societal commentaries shrouded in hipster music. As Largeman slowly came out of his drug haze, it seemed like his world opened up. In small increments, he became a living person instead of a shadow of a human. Portman is awesome in this movie. She plays a pathological liar and her quirky nature intrigues Largeman. She helps to integrate him into the world one emotion at a time. It's interesting that Largeman is detoxing from his prescribed medications yet there are tons of illegals all around him. The idea that he's finally able to move forward is contrasted by the way his friends have all remained the same. At times, you completely understand why he wanted to live in the medicated haze for so long.

Watch It: For what seemed to be a realistic portrayal of one man's emotional awakening.

Skip It: If you're anti uber-hipster movies. This feels like the grandfather of the current round of hipster flicks.