The Lake House

Rating: PG

Movie Release Date: June 16, 2006

DVD Release Date: September 26, 2006

Plot 411: Two lovers separated by time live in the same space, a glass house by the lake.

Review: Has anyone watched this movie recently? I don't think I've seen it since it first came out and remember being quite baffled by the space/time continuum with which this moving is working. Alex (Keanu Reeves) lives in 2004 and has moved to a run-down house on the lake. He falls in love with it and is determined to renovate it. Upon entering the home, he finds a letter from its previous tenant Kate (Sandra Bullock). Kate, however, lives in the year 2006. The two communicate via letters left in the mailbox and soon develop a long-distance (hardy har har) relationship of sorts. The theory behind this movie is really intriguing even though I'm not quite sure the timeline actually works out. I can't seem to wrap my mind around how two people living in separate times can work. Please, all you sci-fi lovers, explain this one to me. This is the first movie since Speed that stars both Reeves and Bullock. What's weird is that they're not in too many scenes together because they're living in different time periods. Why would they waste such a reunion on a script like this? This movie is full of sentimentality and the idea of destined romances. Some part of me is attracted to that idea (similar to Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers), but I'm not sure it works in this movie. I suppose if you just go with it, you'll be fine.

Watch It: For the love story and just let everything else disappear.

Skip It: If you need to find rhyme and reason behind everything.

Running Scared

Rating: R

Movie Release Date: February 24, 2006

DVD Release Date: June 6, 2006

Plot 411: A gun is stolen and a family's life is threatened.

Review: Joey (Paul Walker) runs with some rough guys. He's in charge of clean up when things go bad. While it's decent money, it's also dangerous. When a gun Joey's holding for insurance goes missing, he knows he's in big trouble. He needs to track the gun down and keep it from resurfacing because this gun has seen things. It's done things. And it's killed a cop. I gotta say that this is Walker's best performance ever. The intensely gritty role gives us a different look at this California surfer dude. It's tough to escape the type casting, especially if your first real role is in something like Meet The Deedles. I had high hopes for this guy to step into the role of the next big action/thriller star. Unfortunately, he's been a disappointment for the most part, but he's still hot. In this movie, he stretched his acting muscles and proved to be both believable and likeable despite toeing the line between good and bad. I also liked the pacing of this film because it always kept you interested. There never seemed to be a dull moment. Also in this movie are Chaz Palminteri, Vera Farmiga, Cameron Bright and Johnny Messner.

Watch It: For some good action sequences.

Skip It: If you're more into Guy Ritchie's style of storytelling.

The Replacements

Rating: PG-13

Movie Release Date: August 11, 2000

DVD Release Date: November 28, 2000

Plot 411: An ex-football player is given a second chance when he is called in as a replacement during a pro football strike.

Review: My favorite quote from this movie: "Pain heals. Chicks dig scars. Glory lasts forever." I like it. It's a good motto by which to live your life. Keanu Reeves plays Shane, a former college stand out who choked during an important game and didn't do well in his one season of pro ball. When the players of the Washington Sentinels strike over salary disputes, their coach (Gene Hackman) must find replacements for the final four games. Only three wins away from post-season, he puts together a mishmash of players, including a soccer player (Rhys Ifans), an inmate (Michael Jace), a cop (Jon Favreau), a sumo wrestler (Ace Yonamine), a deaf guy (David Denman) and a stockboy (Orlando Jones). While not necessarily deep, I still like the message behind a movie like this - that hard work and sacrifice triumphs in the end; that you've got to want it more than the next guy; that you've got to be thankful for the good things in life; and that you've got to believe in yourself. All of these themes are empowering and can be expounded upon and applied to all kinds of situations in life. As unlikely as the outcome of this movie is, I still found it inspiring. Watching this movie was almost like being there because you felt like you were one of these underdogs just trying to live a dream.

Watch It: For Reeves' amazingly bouncy hair. It's almost a character of its own.

Skip It: Because it really does ask you to suspend your disbelief for the entire time.