All Together Now (2011) - 5 stars out of 10

All Together Now (2011) - 5 stars out of 10

"All Together Now" combines two interesting subject matters into one.  This chronicling of the Cirque du Soleil show "LOVE," based on the music of the Beatles, takes us behind the scenes of one of the most complex productions in the world.  At the same time, it lets us see the reactions of Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr to this unique interpretation of their body of work.  I never liked Ringo before watching this documentary, but it gave me an opportunity to get to know his personality and hear some of his stories from the Beatles' golden age.  Yoko Ono is incredibly annoying and grumpy, constantly complaining that the production staff does not understand John Lennon's music and that they are ruining it.  But nobody likes Yoko so it's easy to tune her out.  If you've never seen a Cirque show, this is a great chance to see what it is all about and be amazed by the acrobatics of this ensemble.  It wasn't the best documentary I've ever seen but if you love the Beatles, you will love to see Paul and Ringo and this new interpretation of their music.

Jacka** 3-D - 3 stars out of 10

Jacka** 3-D - 3 stars out of 10

The 3-D spectacular opening sequence of this movie made me nervous that I would miss out on a lot by watching in 2-D but once the stunts started, it didn’t really matter.  Of the films in this series, this one is definitely the most clever.  They base many of their pranks off of images and music from pop culture, like “You Can’t Rollerskate in a Buffalo Herd” by Roger Miller and the Blown-Away Man from the Maxell ads.  Unfortunately, this film also focuses the most on male body parts.  Whether it is being used as a baseball bat or tied to a toy helicopter, they didn’t always elect to cover it up this time around and honestly, it is disgusting.  It isn’t even necessary when you have hilarious stunts like “The High Five” (which is probably my favorite prank from the entire series) and the stun-gun prison escape.  All of these movies are the same, just filled with different masochistic things to make us laugh.  I can’t claim that this is a “quality” film, but it serves its purpose and thank goodness that none of these guys were killed while making it.

Jacka**: The Movie - 3 stars out of 10

Jacka**: The Movie - 3 stars out of 10

What's more entertaining than a bunch of cheerful masochists beating themselves up for a half hour?  A bunch of cheerful masochists beating themselves up for an hour and a half without censorship!  America's favorite idiots break all of the rules in "Jacka**: The Movie."  Profanity is at a premium throughout the film, though the guys do a pretty good job of showing their man-parts without actually showing them.  Bare butts are a different story - those are quite frequent.  While the guys often go too far, this is better than not going far enough since this film thrives on shock value.  Three-quarters of this film is hilarious, from pranks like "Rent-A-Car Crash-Up Derby" to "Tropical Pole Vaulting" and setting off fireworks in the house and car; however, this humorous stupidity is tainted by sequences that are difficult to watch, particularly all of the things involving pain to the family jewels and the paper cutting sequence (which I had to fast-forward).  Still, it’s worth it for the reactions of the doctor and nurse during “Toy Car Up the Butt” (which is precisely what it sounds like).  Even though it is fun to watch, I can't claim it to be a "quality" film because, let's face it, it is pure stupidity.  "Jacka**: The Movie" is good for a laugh on a bad day but by the end, it's just a bunch of idiots getting beat up so bad that it's no longer fun to watch.

Hitchcock - 9 stars out of 10

Hitchcock - 9 stars out of 10

I have such a deep love and respect for the work of Alfred Hitchcock that this homage to his life and vision is very moving.  WARNING: You must NOT see this film before you see the original “Psycho!”  As this film explores the making of “Psycho,” all of the story's jaw-dropping surprises are revealed and this is essentially the ultimate spoiler for one of the most unpredictable stories in cinematic history.  The script is incredibly well written, interspersing the drama of the production with the drama of Hitchcock's marriage.  The famous scenes come to life in new ways by revealing the controversies and filming challenges to help "Psycho" get past the censors.  Although Anthony Hopkins' make-up isn't perfect, his acting transforms him into the titular character with perfection.  Dark and witty, he carries this entire film on his shoulders as his frustrations and insecurities motivate him to create a masterpiece.  Scarlett Johansson was lovely as Janet Leigh and Danny Huston was perfectly cast as the sneaky Whitfield Cook.  The surprise of the film (though I shouldn't have been surprised) was Helen Mirren as Hitchcock's wife, Alma.  She is always a fantastic actress but her passionate monologue in the middle of the film stole the show.  If anybody deserved an Oscar nomination for this film, it was her.  The chemistry of this cast (Hopkins-Mirren, Hopkins-Johansson, Mirren-Huston) is top notch and the combination of storytelling technique, humor, and incredible acting make this a moment in history that has been captured so that we can watch it over and over again.

Overboard - 7 stars out of 10

Overboard - 7 stars out of 10

What could be better than watching Kurt Russell be mean to Goldie Hawn for an extended period of time?  "Overboard" may sound cheesy and stereotypical (and it is for the first hour), but it is hilarious!  It starts off as a screwball comedy but ends up being an incredibly heartwarming film.  Hawn's emotionless acting at the beginning of this film made me wonder if I would make it to the end, but it was the perfect compliment to her alter ego.  Russell makes such a great instigator and his immaturity eventually makes way for success.  The film was probably a bit too long but the script energizes the story each time that it begins to drag, particularly with some of the dialogue from the kids' mouths (particularly that line about the Brady Bunch) is hysterical.  The film features an uncharacteristic score by Alan Sylvestri, transforming from playful Leave It To Beaver-esque music to stereotypical 80's montage music to a Romanticized theme that rips off the piano part from the end of "Layla" by Cream, and then back again.  Despite a few odd moments (particularly the aforementioned music and all of the acting by Edward Herrmann), "Overboard" is a great family film with plenty of laughs and a predictably perfect ending.

First Knight - 4 stars out of 10

First Knight - 4 stars out of 10

"First Knight" is an interesting telling of the Lancelot legend but, in spite of good acting and an interesting story, something seems to be missing.  No voice is more regal and appropriate for the character of King Arthur than that of Sean Connery.  He was well cast but I did not feel that the chemistry ever developed between him and Julia Ormond.  It is appropriate since Guinevere wants to be with someone else... but in the context of the movie, it just killed several of their scenes together.  That being said, Ormond was lovely and a wonderful choice for Guinevere.  Richard Gere surprisingly makes a very good Lancelot, particularly in his opening swordfight scene and then again in the gauntlet scene (and all of the love scenes).  Maybe the film needed more action, maybe it needed better chemistry, but whatever it is, "First Knight" is an epic story that could've used some of Merlin's magic in post-production.

Control (2004) - 7 stars out of 10

Control (2004) - 7 stars out of 10

"Control" was a pleasant direct-to-video surprise!  With Willem Dafoe and Ray Liotta giving raw, realistic performances, it was easy for this story to develop with intensity and intrigue.  The world of lab testing is unknown to the general populous and this film questions the risks that are likely taken to determine the success of a new medication.  The key to this film is Liotta who is a VERY bad guy but, through his transformation, becomes and instant hero.  Not only will you be pulling for him to succeed, the writers successfully create a lot of frustration when all characters assume that he is up to no good.  The action is great and the story takes some interesting turns, making it hard to believe that this film went straight to video; in fact, it gives this film a pleasant surprise factor because you have to assume the worst with direct-to-video films.