Mike Vilensky's Mini-Movie Reviews

The Heartbreak Kid
The Farrelly Brothers and Ben Stiller all try to prove that they're still funny in this re-make about a hesitant newlywed who begins to regret tying the knot with a seemingly perfect woman while, on his honeymoon, he falls in love with a different woman. Well he does not sound like a very good spouse to me. The movie has had some controversy for a crude sense of humor that only helps this middling romantic comedy.

Feel The Noise
A young man from the South Bronx dreams of making it big as a rap star, until a run-in with local thugs forces him to hide in Puerto Rico with the father he never knew. Enough said.

The Kingdom
An elite FBI team sent to find a killer in a hostile country follows a similar theme to many other movies this week, as well as a similar pattern, and adds nothing new but Jamie Foxx and Chris Cooper to the mix, who seem sort of disappointed that Clive Owen took Shoot 'Em Up.

In the Valley of Elah
"Crash" director Paul Haggis is back with a politically complex period peace from all the way back to 2004 when, as he was making Oscar-nominated films, a family lost their son, a soldier in Iraq. As both grief and anger set in, another seemingly unrelated cast of characters connect through life's twists and turns as they try and uncover the truth about a soldier's death. Will probably make you cry.

The Seeker
The dark is rising - The life of young Will Stanton is turned upside down when he learns that he is the last of a group of immortal warriors who have dedicated their lives to fighting the forces of the dark. Just don't go to the movies this week.

The Game Plan
An NFL superstar quarterback living a debaucherous bachelor lifestyle discovers that he has a secret seven year old daughter from a previous hook up! Now this is the stuff of good entertainment, and plausible at that. Finally.

The Hunting Party
Richard Gere and Terrence Howard star in a film about two badboy reporters who attempt to score an interview with one of the world's most dangerous war criminals, a Bosnian fellow based on a real man. As the two risk their lives, it becomes clear that, if nothing else, journalism is a way more exciting profession than is usually depicted on screen.

Back to Contents