Fast & Furious Takes It To The Limit

3 1/2 STARS

Cars. Speed. Action. The high octane series of the Fast and the Furious delivers with its fourth title in the series simply entitled Fast and Furious. As its taglines states, the film has been remodeled but still has all the original parts.

Fugitive & ex-con Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) is back and not under the best of circumstances. With his love, Leticia Ortiz murdered (Michelle Rodriguez), revenge is a must for Toretto who knows no other way. Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker) now hired by the Feds, works to uphold the law, pushing the limits of his boundaries in nearly every way imaginable. Better to work together than apart, the two team up to take down their common enemies; the notorious drug lord, Braga (John Ortiz) and Ortiz's killer, Fenix Rise (Laz Alonso).

The film holds your attention from beginning to end due to the special effects and amazing stunts However, the plot is fairly simple and predictable. Though this kind of film isn't made to be a psychological thriller, you kind of wish for the fourth installment to really blow your mind. The effects come close but the plot and screenplay do not. The movie that's described as a new model with the original parts, may have only just undergone a paint job. (Rating from Rotten Tomatoes)

If cars, speed, and action is your thing, this movie will definitely fulfill your needs. It's a nice way to spend two hours and you don't have to view its past three films to understand this film. If none of this applies to you, don't waste your time. The 1/2 star goes to the special effects :)

Youtube delivers more behind-the-scenes footage on the fast cars and fearless females of this new film.

Check it Out! Future Movie News

Do you remember your favorite childhood stories? Tales of adventure that lulled you to sleep or kept you up wanting more, no matter how many times you've read it or had it read to you? Well, this famous tale may be one of those stories.

From the classic 1963 children's book written by Maurice Sendak comes the film adaptation directed by Spike Jonze; Where The Wild Things Are.

With great CGI, cinematic effects, live action, and animatronics, the land of the Wild Things is born on-screen. With an all-star cast of voice-over actors and actresses, the story of Max unfolds as the little mischievous boy is sent to his room for acting out towards his mother. In his room is where the adventure begins, as his imagination runs wild, and transports him to the land of the Wild Things where his imaginary monsters roam, and where he (naturally, being his world) reigns supreme.

The screenplay will not read like the book completely and is even rumored to have a PG-13 rating. However, considering it is a children's classic, that rating may be revised to suit the viewers it was originally made to entertain. The movie premieres in theaters October 16, 2009.

Tuesday New DVD Releases

Another Tuesday edition of DVD releases for another week! This Tuesday's lineup may be just what you're looking for:


Doubt (Rated R)
Set in 1964, Academy Award winners Meryl Streep and Phillip Seymour Hoffman co-star together as Father Flynn and Sister/Principal Beauvier in Doubt, where the priest is suspected of abusing the first black student to attend the Bronx Catholic school. When Sister James (Amy Adams) tells Sister Beauvier of what she suspects the Father is doing, Beauvier stops it nothing to find the truth. Full of twists and turns, this gritty and gripping film will keep your attention from beginning to end.



The Day The Earth Stood Still (Rated PG-13)
A remake of the classic 1951 film, this all-new version stars Keanu Reeves as Klaatu, an alien who comes to Earth of its upcoming destruction. Doctor Helen Benson (Jennifer Connelly) comes to find out that this warning of danger from the alien who starts out being seen as a friend to the Earth is the very threat that could send the Earth into Armaggeddon.


The Tale of Desperaux (Rated G)
The modern fairy tale of Desperaux is a fun family-friendly flick everyone can enjoy. This little mouse with no fear and big ears is imprisoned for engaging in conversation with a human in the land of Mouseworld. Instead of living his life in fear he seeks a better way. Becoming friends with the kind Princess Pea, he begins to better himself by learning how to read and becoming educated. Especially enjoying books of knights, heroism, and chivalry, his friend Pea is kidnapped and only he can save his Princess, proving that heart and courage can come in the smallest of packages.

This Tuesday's New DVD Releases

The final Tuesday in March 2009 ended with some solid choices for DVD purchases that you can enjoy at home anytime. Here's the lineup:

Marley & Me
Newlyweds John and Jenny Grogan (Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston) move from Michigan to our very own West Palm Beach, Florida to start a new life with their baby, a puppy named Marley. The twelve pound yellow Labrador, grows into a 100-pound canine that seemingly destroys everything in his path. Similar to a certain Saint Bernard predecessor (Beethoven), he flunks obedience school, chews off dry-wall, takes a bite out of the sofa, overturns garbage cans, steals a Thanksgiving turkey, consumes pillows and flowers, drinks toilet water, and chases the UPS guy. However, in the midst of it all, the couple's life is more enriching with Marley than without him.


Seven Pounds
Overridden with guilt in the newest dramatic film by movie titan Will Smith, this tale of burden, romance, and lost love is a strong performance for Will Smith as he plays Ben Thomas, an IRS agent with a mission to redeem his own soul by significantly changing the lives of seven strangers he chooses.

Slumdog Millionaire
The 8-time Academy Award winning movie dominated Oscar night in 2009 and now seeks DVD glory. Mumbai teenager Jamal Malik grew up in the slums but becomes a contestant on the Indian version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" and is on the verge of winning it all. However, after the end of the show's episode for the day, he is arrested under suspicion of cheating, and while being interrogated, events from his life history are shown which explain why he knows the answers.

Yes Man
Jim Carrey gets back to his comedic roots as Carl Allen, a guy whose life is going nowhere fast and has a nasty habit of saying "no" to everything. How we do solve the problem? Say "yes" to everything! Signing up for a self-help program based on saying "yes" to everything and anything begins to change his life in crazy and fortunate ways, from promotions at work to a new romance. However, he quickly learns that saying "yes" to everything may backfire in his face...or does it?

Movie of the Month: March (Your Top Choice?)

Here we are in the new month of April 2009 as March 2009 has drawn to a close. As usual, we take this time to reflect back on the movies of the past month and you get to vote for your favorite. Voice your #1 choice pick of March along the left sidebar of your screen and see how your vote ranked among others. If your movie title isn't listed, click the Other category, vote, and comment on your favorite movie choice. Here's the list to choose from:

I Love You, Man
Knowing
Duplicity
Watchmen
Race To Witch Mountain
12 Rounds
Monsters vs. Aliens
The Haunting in Connecticut

Knowing is Not Worth Knowing

1 STAR

Well, it looks like the first single star to go on a DMR movie review goes to Knowing. Let me break it down and tell you why you can wait to rent it or don't bother with it at all.

Nicolas Cage, a solid actor, seems to come up short in a film that starts out smart but ends with no panache. After uncovering a elementary school time capsule from 50 years ago, the 1959 artifacts are distributed to the students of the 2009 class. Young Caleb Koestler (Chandler Canterbury) brings his artifact home (a sheet of numbers) discovered by his father, John (Nicolas Cage), an MIT Professor who stumbles on a specific code of numbers detailing the dates, death tolls, and locations of every major disaster within the 50 past years. Sounds interesting. Here's where everything goes north.

The final three disasters said to take place on the sheet have yet to take place and the last one will result in the end of the world. The plot thickens. However, the ending will kill you. There's no imagination, no glimmer of hope, just utter abysmal ruin for all mankind. It's not even that Armageddon is involved, but the lack of vision to throw in some aliens to cheese it up when the majority of this film is grounded in reality.

Personally, I've said too much about this film, and don't want to elaborate on it in case you do go to see this film. However, you have been warned. Knowing is not worth knowing.

Want more on this doomsday flick? Pop Syndicate and Rotten Tomatoes have got the in-depth scoop. You should know though...we all happen to agree in different ways on how we feel about it.

Twilight's "New Moon" Part II

After Tuesday's release of Twilight on DVD, actress Kristen Stewart takes on the next installment in the series, "New Moon". The second of the chronological novels written by Stephanie Meyer.

Entertainment Tonight reports Stewart's thoughts on 'New Moon,' saying she's "really excited," but it's "a big job."

"It's a lot different, also, from the first," she adds. "It's a very different story. A lot happens: [Bella] doesn't have [Edward] anymore, and she's also in a place where she has to step up and kind of become more mature, and to see her deal with life without him is going to be interesting. … It's all very epic and convoluted."

ET Online has a streaming video interview into Stewart's film, "New Moon", and other upcoming projects.