Yes Man (2008)

 

 


Carl Allen's life is going nowhere--the operative word being "no"--until he signs up for a self-help program based on one simple covenant: say yes to everything--and anything. Unleashing the power of "YES" begins to transform Carl's life in amazing an unexpected ways, getting him promoted at work and opening the door to a new romance. But his willingness to embrace every opportunity might just become too much of a good thing.

Terminator Salvation (2009)

In the highly anticipated new installment of The Terminator film franchise, set in post-apocalyptic 2018, Christian Bale stars as John Connor, the man fated to lead the human resistance against.

Watchmen (2009)

 

Starring Jackie Earle Haley, Patrick Wilson, Matthew Goode, Billy Crudup, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Malin Akerman, Carla Gugino, Stephen McHattie, and Matt Frewer

Watchmen is set in an alternate 1985 America in which costumed superheroes are part of the fabric of everyday society. When one of his former colleagues is murdered, the outlawed but no less determined masked vigilante Rorschach sets out to uncover a plot to kill and discredit all past and present superheroes. As he reconnects with his former crime-fighting legion--a disbanded group of retired superheroes, only one of whom has true powers--Rorschach glimpses a wide-ranging and disturbing conspiracy with links to their shared past and catastrophic consequences for the future. Their mission is to watch over humanity...but who is watching the Watchmen? (Warner Bros.)

About a Boy (2002)

 

Hugh Grant's latest sure-fire hit is a shrewd, ironically amusing adaptation of Nick Hornby's best-selling novel.

Written and directed by Chris and Paul Weitz - the American film-making duo responsible for "American Pie", it's the perfect star vehicle for Grant, allowing him to finally move away from his usual bumbling, tongue-tied screen persona.

Sporting a wardrobe of designer casual clothes and a stylishly short haircut, he plays Will, a wealthy, single thirtysomething in North London. He doesn't work as such - the royalties from his late father's novelty number one hit provide him with a handsome income - but he's not idle: he buys CDs, watches television, and goes out to lunch ("How do people manage to fit in a full-time job?", he wonders).

Claiming that he has a child in order to make himself more attractive to single mothers, Will meets the troubled 12-year-old Marcus (Hoult), whose own hippy mum Fiona (Collette) has tried to commit suicide...

"About a Boy" may chart its central character's emotional awakening through an unlikely friendship, yet much of its humour derives from Will's profound immaturity: he's a congenital liar who makes inappropriately childish comments in grave situations, with his eyes seemingly glazing over during any "serious" conversation with another adult.

He regards his own life as "the Will Show", not an "ensemble drama", although falling in love with beautiful illustrator Rachel (Weisz) causes him to reassess some of these deeply-held certainties.

Capturing Will's surface charm and inner hollowness, Grant gives an immaculate comic performance, and he's ably supported by Hoult, who resists the easy option of making Marcus overly likable.

The brothers Weitz take few risks in their aesthetic choices: more importantly, they smoothly oversee a procession of humorous scenes, culminating in the improbable sight of Grant rocking out with his electric guitar at the school concert.

Rambo III

 

 

In Rambo III, John (Stallone) finds himself called into duty once again, this time to save his old boss, Colonel Trautman (Richard Crenna), being held hostage in Soviet-controlled Afghanistan. Of course, 15 years later, Rambo's venture into this hostile territory seems almost educational, and in fact, the DVD includes a short film contrasting Rambo III's history lesson with the current-day reality of the area.

Of course, little of this changes the fact that Rambo III is a movie with little more than a body count on its mind. Nice production values and a tendency toward hand-to-hand combat instead of dull gun battles elevate it over its immediate predecessor, but mindless action is still mindless action.