Smother

Rating: PG-13

Movie Release Date: September 26, 2008

DVD Release Date: May 5, 2009

Plot 411: An neurotic mother moves into her slacker son's home when she suspects her husband of cheating.

Review: Man, it's been a rough movie-watching experience these past couple of films. Diane Keaton plays Marilyn, a 60-year-old mother and wife who suspects her husband Gene (Ken Howard) is having an affair. Marilyn moves herself and a bunch of rescue dogs into her son Noah's (Dax Shepard) home until she sorts things out. However, also living in the home are Noah's wife Clare (Liv Tyler) and her cousin Myron (Mike White). Marilyn is a complete nutcase and lives her life from one crisis (that she creates and invents on her own) to the next. She feels her life is useless, meaningless and that she has not accomplished anything. Keaton plays the overbearing mother quite well - so well that it's utterly annoying. Because of his parents' instability, Noah is afraid to have kids with his wife and tries to sabotage each attempt. Shepard (of MTV fame) doesn't really stretch the acting muscle much in this role. But then again, neither does Tyler. She's still her serene, zen-like self despite scenes that require emotional turmoil.

Watch It: Maybe . . . but only if you like Diane Keaton. I like her a lot and still this movie didn't do much for me.

Skip It: If you fall into the rest of the viewing audience.

Baghead

Rating: R

Movie Release Date: July 25, 2008

DVD Release Date: December 27, 2008

Plot 411: Four frustrated B-movie actors retreat to a cabin in the woods to write their masterpiece but are confronted with a mysterious bagheaded man.

Review: I honestly didn't know what to expect before I popped this one in. It's written and directed by the Duplass brothers (Jay and Mark) who are slowly making it into the mainstream but are primarily indie movie makers. They're a part of a movement called mumblecore (read here for a good article on it from "The New Yorker"). I watched their flick The Puffy Chair a while back and can't really even remember the details of it. I know I didn't really like it. Baghead is way, way better. It still had their style of long, single camera takes. It still made use of very little screen talent (and crew as well). It still had that shaky-handed camera technique and whipped the camera back and forth between people. But, in addition to focusing on character development, it had a decent plot to it. There was a suspense and horror about it that was truly mainstream, even if the techniques they used were minimalist to the point of documentary film making. Even the acting performances are subtle and emotions are conveyed with a look, a sneer or a verbal jab. It was able to capture real, true emotions perfectly. There are some humorous moments and some scary moments, but through it all the reactions of the characters to their situation is very real. I did notice some not-so-smart things that they did, but it didn't really affect my fondness of them. Those little bumps in the plot can be ignored only if you have really believable characters.

Watch It: If you liked The Strangers with Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman. Despite the vast differences in budget, I think Baghead is a lot more effect at getting its message across. The emotions feel more real because the characters could be one of our friends.

Skip It: If you're looking for blood and guts. This one is effective without those extras.

Trailer:

The Strangers

Rated: R

Movie Release Date: May 30, 2008

DVD Release Date: October 21, 2008

Plot 411: A couple is terrorized by three strangers in their isolated family home.

Review: This movie was a decent attempt at a thriller. There were some really creepy, unexpected parts, but overall it was predictable. The acting was so-so. I'm not sure Liv Tyler was the right actress for the role. She has this breathy voice that she uses, which can be nice in some situations (when she played Arwen in "Lord of the Rings"), but it just didn't seem to fit in this genre. For me, the plot unfolded a bit too slowly and there wasn't enough of the good stuff. I mean, you watch this type of movie so you can feel the tension and fear that the characters are going through. You want to be at the edge of your seat the entire ride. It just wasn't like that for this movie. Between all the action there were things the characters did that were so completely stupid that you questioned the belieavability of it all. Can they be that dumb? Why don't they get a weapon? Please go ahead and stand out in the open so these weirdo can have a clear shot right at you.

Watch It: If you like a little suspense with your gore.

Skip It: If you get irritated when the main characters do stupid things that will obviously get them killed, or at least maimed.

Trailer: