FEATURED ATTRACTION:

POWERHOUSE

Starring: Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Demi Moore, Daniel Radcliffe, Bill Nighy, Christopher Eccleston and Hallie Kate Eisenberg

Director: Gus Van Sant
Screenwriter: Marcus Trax

My Thoughts: POWERHOUSE shows us what is wrong with the world, how fanaticism for a cause, no matter how good your intentions may be, can ultimately cause harm in ways no one even thought.

DANIEL CRAIG plays Sam Plunt, a local worker at a coal-fired power plant… who is just trying to make ends meet. When environmentalists start a “smear campaign”, targeted directly at the workers at the facility, it starts to become personal. People begin to resent the workers, even though, just like them, they are only just trying to make a living and provide for their families.

But, as the environmentalists press harder, Sam Plunt fights back… but in the end, he loses nearly everything, due to the escalating “terror tactics” of the fanatical environmentalists.

In the end, Sam learns what’s important to him… his family. A job, any job, can be replaced but it can never replace… life.

MARCUS TRAX has written what may be considered a good, solid piece of filmmaking. It’s not the “big-budget extravaganza”; it’s just a great-offended “slice of life” film, with a stately British angle. This could happen anywhere in America as well… and I feel it may surprise some moviegoers as to how well you can identify with these characters. I really disagree that it will not have much of an appeal beyond the British Isles… GUS VAN SANT’s direction has almost assured us of this.

All in all, I rate POWERHOUSE like this…

Originality of Screenplay: 4 Stars
Interest of Storyline: 4 Stars
Casting: 4 Stars

It’s a good film, worthy of a trip to the theaters.

NOW AVAILABLE ON DVD, HD-DVD, AND BLU-RAY DISC:

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: THE SHATTERED ORB didn’t receive the “blockbuster numbers” that had been hoped for, but personally, I felt that this incarnation was far better than the original.

I really feel that the true, unsung hero (or perhaps I should say heroine) of this film was by far Judi Dench. Her voice talent as the dragon… this was a magnificent piece of voice-over work. The CGI was spectacular, the story compelling… and with Christopher Lee back as Lord Deravis, he may make a reappearance at the Golden Moon Awards for Best Villain.

This film is a treasure, and a monumental work of fantasy.

My recommendation for the DVD release of DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: THE SHATTERED ORB…

BUY IT!!!

It worth seeing over, and over again… it’s quite the entertainment gem.

ALSO AVAILABLE ON DVD, FROM CRAZY MOON PICTURES…

THREE WOODEN CROSSES was a film that I just loved. It’s too bad that this film just had somehow never seemed to “click” with moviegoers. Personally, I don’t think that they knew what they were missing when they passed up the chance to see this film.

TED FROATS well-crafted screenplay, and in the hands of Director BILLY BOB THORNTON, this film had what I felt was personally a magnificent slice of quality.

Sometimes, the people in the “front office” have no idea how to actually promote a film like this, and perhaps the Marketing Department “dropped the ball” on this one.

If you like a solid, emotion riddled film then THREE WOODEN CROSSES is the film for you. So, considering how much I liked this film, I recommend that you…

BUY IT!!!

Films like this do not come around very often. There are a lot of “intangible factors” that spell the difference between a good film, and a great one. This film has what it takes to make it great.

COMING TO A THEATER NEAR YOU:

AN AMERICAN STROLL

Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kate Winslet, Michelle Pfeiffer, Paul Giamatti, Chris Rock, Tommy Lee Jones, Winona Ryder, Sylvester Stallone

Director: Ang Lee
Screenwriter: James Bradley

My Thoughts: This is Life… as seen from the Les Toulleries Café, a secluded and maybe perhaps almost forgotten eatery about a zillion miles from nowhere, somewhere in Arizona. Somehow, every so often, someone has to do a movie about really eccentric people that just happen to cross paths in some really remote location. AN AMERICAN STROLL is just such a picture.

The characters are about as diverse, and eccentric as they come. Sad to say though, there’s nothing really more than that to these characters. Their stories may be a different as can be, but they are all just players in a storyline concept that has been done quite a bit.

I’m going to keep it short and sweet here, so I’ll just tell you my ratings on this one. Here’s how I rate AN AMERICAN STROLL:

Originality of Screenplay: 1 Star
Interest of Storyline: 2 Stars
Casting: 4 Stars

It’s a good casting job for this film, but the story isn’t compelling enough to warrant such good talent all in one picture.

ALSO COMING TO A THEATER NEAR YOU, FROM CRAZY MOON PICTURES…

CELL MATES

Starring: Johnny Depp, Jack Nicholson, Winona Ryder, Woody Harrelson, Elle Fanning

Director: Joel and Ethan Cohen
Screenwriter: Ted Froats

My Thoughts: CELL MATES seems to be using the formula that was used by QUENTIN TARENTINO, and his films KILL BILL 1 & 2. If the film is too long, break it up into two films, and you can make more money at the box office.

I’m not a big fan of the “drug overtones” of the film, and the marketing of the film to me is… less than responsible. In today’s day and age of “uptight, conservative America”, I’m not really sure that this film is going to receive much favorable press. The story is a good one, but I feel that the “special interest groups” may start making a big fuss about this film, and how it seems to glorify drugs as “holistic medicine”.

People will be ready to probably picket this film, before they actually see it. It’s happened with other films, and it may just happen here as well. Although we are all told the old cliché, “Don’t judge a book by its cover”, many conservative will do just that… and perhaps doom this film, before is sees it’s final chapter closed.

This is how I rate CELL MATES:

Originality of Screenplay: 4 Stars
Interest of Storyline: 3 Stars
Casting. 4 Stars

It’s a pretty good film… but will the conservative moviegoers give it a fighting chance? Only time will tell.

AND NOW, AVAILABLE ON DVD, FROM CRAZY MOON PICTURES:

The story of the West Memphis Three has as many sympathizers and it does opponents. This film, like its subject matter is more than likely no exception.

AMERICAN HEARTLAND is thought provoking, but personally I feel that this film spends far too much time trying to convince moviegoers that these three youths were all indeed innocent, and this was a tremendous “miscarriage of justice”. What could have been a truly great movie, basically became what I feel was nothing more than a “fund raiser” for the defense of the West Memphis Three’s attempt for a retrial, something which seems less likely to happen with the passage of time.

It’s worth a viewing though, so I am going to recommend that you…

RENT IT!!!

It’s worth seeing, but view it with an objective and open mind.

Well everyone… That’s it for this edition of PREVIEWING ATTRACTIONS WITH MISTERBALDY. So, until next time;

Head out to the lobby, go buy yourself a large popcorn, as well as a drink, and…

SEE YOU IN THE MOVIES!!!