The Death And Life Of Bobby Z

Rating: R

Movie Release Date: November 17, 2007 (Japan)

DVD Release Date: June 13, 2007 (Poland) / September 4, 2007 (USA)

Plot 411: A convict is offered a deal that will give him his freedom if he impersonates a drug dealer.

Review: Paul Walker stars as Tim, a con who is serving time after a series of unfortunate circumstances. Gruzsa (Laurence Fishburne), a DEA agent, offers Tim a deal: pretend he is high-flying drug dealer Bobby Z (Jason Lewis) in order to swap places with a DEA agent being held hostage. However, at the exchange site things begin to unravel and alliances are questioned. Tim must continue the charade if he wants to live. But who can he trust? This is a grade B action flick that Walker and Fishburne should've passed on. Maybe times were tough and a gig is a gig? However, I seriously doubt that this movie helped either career. Walker is still toting his surfer boy accent, which is actually getting a bit irritating 10 years after Meet The Deedles. I'm just waiting for him to remake Point Break, which I do believe he would be perfect in. He can't be much worse than Keanu Reeves now can he?

Watch It: If you want to see cameos by some UFC fighters.

Skip It: Because Chuck Liddell is wasted way too fast.

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.

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.

Slither

Rating: R

Movie Release Date: March 31, 2006

DVD Release Date: October 24, 2006

Plot 411: A town becomes overrun with alien slugs that are slowly killing off the human race.

Review: Seriously, if you can't already tell from the Plot 411 that this is a B horror movie . . . well, God help you. It's definitely not as bad as it sounds though, if you're into the B horror movie genre. Lots of gross-out scenes coupled with sarcastic, dry humor make this movie a fun, popcorn-popping time. The movie stars Nathan Fillion as the town sheriff. With Fillion leading the cast, you should pretty much know what to expect. The man only plays one character despite being in several movies and on tv. Yet, he's much more likeable, in my opinion, than Keanu Reeves, Nicholas Cage or Brendan Fraser combined. When a man is infected by the alien slugs, he slowly mutates into a creature who controls all other human-come-zombie people. There's a lot of blood, puss and gore, but that's what you expect out of these horror comedies. With the town crawling with zombies, Fillion and the small group of humans must fight to survive the zombie alien attack.

Watch It: If you're a product of the 1970s/1980s horror flicks because this will be like a blast from the past.

Skip It: If you require thoughtful post-movie conversation, even from a horror film.

The Day The Earth Stood Still

Rating: PG-13

Movie Release Date: December 12, 2008

DVD Release Date: April 7, 2009

Plot 411: An alien comes to Earth to save the planet, but can it be saved?

Review: Right off the bat I'm going to tell you that this movie's CGI sucked ass. I'm not sure if it was supposed to be like that or not, but it has seriously taken backward leaps and bounds rather than forward. So many of the scenes are obviously CGI, even when they don't necessarily have to be. The fact that you can tell what is real and what isn't is awfully irritating in this day and age. It's not like this is the '70s or '80s and we're trying to make an alien film, ya know? Keanu Reeves plays an alien who has come to the planet to save it. I think he is a perfect fit for this role as it doesn't call for much emotion or any sudden movements. The character is an alien, after all, and trying to get used to his human body. Obviously this robotic nature is perfect for Reeves. Jennifer Connelly plays a brilliant scientist who is drafted to help figure out what's going on. I've never seen the original version of this film, but I've got to say that hopefully it was a lot better than this.

Watch It: If you're part of the Keanu Reeves fan club or just like alien invasion flicks.

Skip It: Because your time is valuable.

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