Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Opening Friday, April 18)

Rating: 8 out of 10
Cast:
Jason Segel as Peter Bretter
Kristen Bell as Sarah Marshall
Mila Kunis as Rachel Jansen
Russell Brand as Aldous Snow
Bill Hader as Brian Bretter
Liz Cackowski as Liz Bretter
Maria Thayer as Wyoma
Jack McBrayer as Darald
Davon McDonald as Dwayne the Bartender
Steve Landesberg as Dr. Rosenbaum
Jonah Hill as Matthew the Waiter
Paul Rudd as Chuck
Kala Alexander as Greg

Directed by Nicholas Stoller

Summary:
Finding humor in situations we've all been through, and a few that only haunt our worst nightmares, Jason Segel and Nick Stoller make their mark in the Apatow-verse with a very funny date movie.

Story:
Peter Bretter (Jason Segel) is a successful television composer who's been dating hot television star Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell) for five years until she suddenly breaks up with him. Despondent, Peter decides to get away and go to Hawaii, but once he arrives there, he learns that Sarah and her new boyfriend, rock star Aldous Snow (Russell Brand) have also come to Hawaii on vacation. Will Peter ever get over Sarah and might the resort's ultra-cute front desk girl (Mila Kunis) help him?

Analysis:
We've almost reached the point where people might start wondering if Judd Apatow is on some sort of vengeance quest to get back the foolish mortals who cancelled his two television shows "Freaks and Geeks" and "Undeclared," because here we have another member of the cast of those shows receiving a starring vehicle, one from his own script no less. Jason Segel is charming and likeable with a personality somewhere between a young Tom Hanks and Judge Reinhold so making the leap to leading man isn't too big a leap, and working with director Nick Stoller (another "Undeclared" alum), they do a lot with a fairly slim premise.

We first meet Segel's Peter Bretter, a Hollywood composer, when he's ready to take the next step in his relationship with his girlfriend, television star Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell), but she breaks up with him unexpectedly, leaving him a complete mess. Deciding to take some time off, he goes to Hawaii for what will turn out to be the worst vacation ever, as he continuously runs into Sarah and her new boyfriend, a pretentious British rocker. Fortunately, Peter quickly makes friends with Rachel, the cute girl who works the hotel's front desk, played by Mila Kunis from "That '70s Show," and she tries to help him forget how sucky his life has become since being dumped.

Taking a similar approach as "Knocked Up" in taking a real-life situation and mixing in equal parts raunchy humor and true heart-felt sentiment, Segel's first movie turns something we've all experienced, a bad break-up, and turned it into the catalyst for some very funny moments involving a sadsack trying to get over his hot girlfriend with the help of people he meets in an unfamiliar setting.

While the results might not be nearly as laugh-a-minute as previous Apatow productions, Segel and Stoller do a really good job creating an environment that keeps things moving, while Segel himself is never afraid to do whatever it takes to get laughs, often at his own expense. He certainly has little reason to shy away from the amount of full frontal nudity we get from him, although most guys would probably have preferred more naked women. Still, with all the sex and nudity, the movie never goes overboard even as it never pulls punches, and there's plenty of scenes that wouldn't have been nearly as funny if toned down, like an awkward sexual reunion between Pete and Sarah late in the movie that might hit way too close to home with some viewers.

Even so, Kristen Bell is the weaker link in this dysfunctional duo, because other than looking hot in a pink bikini, there's nothing about her character that makes you understand why Peter might be so stuck up on her especially when presented with the adorable Mila Kunis as another option. Russell Brand is also very funny playing Aldous Snow, a stereotypical British rock star with altruistic ideals, kind of a cross between Johnny Depp and Bono, who's everything that Peter is not.

What really keeps the laughs rolling are how Segel and Stoller have surrounded the main quartet with some of the funniest members from the Apatow-verse with Paul Rudd and Jonah Hill taking point as two of the island's wacky inhabitants. These characters end up being far more than mere cameos, both of them making repeat appearances to liven things up whenever the movie needs a quick injection of the funny. Hill is up to his normal standards as the outspoken waiter who's a stalkerish fan of Sarah's new rocker boyfriend, while Rudd is even more spaced-out as the world's highest surfing coach. Bill Hader has a few funny moments as he pops up from time to time to offer some brotherly advice but it's a fairly insubstantial role, allowing the likes of Jack McBrayer to steal the movie as a virginal newlywed on honeymoon and Davon McDonald getting some of the funniest quips with some of the few memorable and repeatable lines. (My favorite one is "Are those sad tissues or happy tissues?")

As with Apatow's "Knocked Up," Segel and Stoller takes the movie on a lot of silly tangents by recreating some of Sarah Marshall's ridiculous knock-off television shows and Peter's dream gig of putting on a Dracula musical with puppets, something that's even funnier when they actually do it. In the end, the inexperience of the creators is evident because the film isn't as strongly executed as "Knocked Up" or "Superbad" possibly because so much of the humor involves vignettes of Peter's interaction with Sarah or the other island inhabitants, but it all takes place within a fairly standard Hollywood rom-com plot structure. Still, when it comes down to it, the movie is funny, very funny, and the film's flimsy structure and weak third act is forgivable, since otherwise, it's a very sweet movie with lots of new and original ideas. While it doesn't quite achieve the comedy perfection of "Superbad," there's enough potential in this first movie by Segel and Stoller that one can certainly look forward to future comedy collaborations from the duo

Chaos Theory (Opening Friday, April 11)

Rating: 8 out of 10
Cast:
Ryan Reynolds as Frank Allen
Emily Mortimer as Susan Allen
Stuart Townsend as Buddy Endrow
Sarah Chalke as Paula Crowe
Mike Erwin as Ed
Constance Zimmer as Peg the Teacher
Matreya Fedor as Jesse Allen (7 years)
Elisabeth Harnois as Jesse Allen
Chris Martin as Damon
Jovanna Huguet as Maid of Honor
Christopher Jacot as Simon / Best Man
Alessandro Juliani as Ken
Lisa Calder as Sherri
Ty Olsson as Evil Ferryman
Jocelyne Loewen as Pregnant Nancy

Directed by Marcos Siega

Summary:
"Chaos Theory" combines dark cynical humor with a moving relationship drama that never goes where you might expect, but is as much a coup for director Marcos Siega as it is for Ryan Reynolds.

Story:
Frank Allen (Ryan Reynolds) is a motional speaker who specializes in efficiency training but when his wife Susan (Emily Mortimer) tries to get him to relax by resetting his clock, she ends up making him late for an important engagement which leads to a series of incidences that threaten to destroy Frank's organized life.

Analysis:
There's something about Marcos Siega that makes you want him to do good, maybe because his first movie "Underclassman" was a work-for-hire that fell victim to the Weinstein's exodus from Miramax after being delayed for years, coming out weeks after his second movie "Pretty Persuasion," which had a better premise but suffered from its negligible budget. It's hard not to think of all those "could have beens" as you watch his third movie "Chaos Theory" but thankfully, Siega has used his previous experiences to find the right balance of style and storytelling to tell a quirky morality tale that shows lots of promise for future endeavors.

It certainly doesn't hurt that Siega's third attempt stars Ryan Reynolds, an extremely underrated actor who has turned his ability for dark cynical humor into a science since we first saw him in "Van Wilder." Frank Allen has a similar cynical attitude, but he wasn't always like that, as we find out when the film flashes back to a New Year's party decades earlier where Allen and his friend Buddy (Stuart Townsend) are competing for the attention of the lovely Susan (Emily Mortimer). The introverted Frank wins out and seven years later, they're married with a seven-year-old daughter, and he's leading a regimented life made up of lists and slogans. In an attempt to loosen her husband up, Susan resets the clocks, making him late for an important seminar he's leading and a downwards spiral as Frank allows himself to be seduced by a gorgeous woman at the conference--Sarah Chalke from "Scrubs" at her sexiest as she strips down to bra and panties. While driving home, he stops to help a stranded pregnant woman, leading to a misunderstanding that ends his marriage. When Frank takes a paternity test to try to clear his name and get Susan back, he finds out that he's been sterile, which means their daughter is not his. Frank starts drinking and losing his mind, turning his efficiency system into a quirk where he writes random things down on file cards and picks one to do.

Much of the film, Frank is either moping or raging about how his life has gone to sh*t from one careless attempt at making his life easier, but much of the film's fun comes from watching him do crazy things like starting bar fights in his attempt to "live for the moment." It's ultimately a strange and quirky premise for a film but one that offers many satisfying moments within Reynolds' performance that clearly proves his potential to play Nicholson-level anti-hero roles in a way that you can love him and hate what he does at the same time. While some of the credit has to go to the make-up and hair department, the fact that we readily believe Reynolds as the older and younger more naïve versions of Frank Allen is a testament to his skills as an actor. Emily Mortimer is in similar mode to her work in "Lars and the Real Girl" and Stuart Townsend is also decent as the best friend trying to make right an indiscretion that ruined his friend's marriage.

The film is quite short to the point where it ends abruptly, almost unexpectedly, but considering the dark and snarky nature of much of the film's humor, the ending is surprisingly warm and touching pulling the viewer back from the deep end, and it's a satisfying pay-off for those who've allowed themselves to get pulled into the lives of these characters.

The Bottom Line:
Like some of the best indie comedies, "Chaos Theory" takes an original premise and uses it to showcase a decent script and solid performances, and even after it starts getting too dark and dramatic, it does a return to a place that wins you over by the end. So congratulations to Marcos Siega for finally getting one right!

Smart People (Opening Friday, April 11)

Rating: 8.5 out of 10
Cast:
Dennis Quaid as Lawrence Wetherhold
Sarah Jessica Parker as Janet Hartigan
Thomas Haden Church as Chuck Wetherhold
Ellen Page as Vanessa Wetherhold
Ashton Holmes as James Wetherhold
Christine Lahti as Nancy
Camille Mana as Missy Chin
David Denman as William
Don Wadsworth as Hadley
Robert Haley as Roth
Patrick Sebes as Curtis
Kevin James Doyle as Rodney
Paul Huber as Ben Onufrey

Directed by Noam Murro

(Note: Part of this review was originally posted on the CS Sundance Blog)

Story:
Carnegie-Mellon English professor Lawrence Wetherhold (Dennis Quaid) is a cranky know-it-all hated by his students, faculty and family alike, who ends up in the care of a former student, Dr. Janet Hartigan (Sarah Jessica Parker), after a dumb accident leaves him injured. Having not been with a woman since his wife died years earlier, he decides to pursue Janet, much to the annoyance of his overly ambitious 17-year-old Young Republican daughter Vanessa (Ellen Page), who immediately dislikes the doctor. At the same time, Larry's good-for-nothing adopted brother Chuck (Thomas Haden Church) has decided to move in, making the Wetherhold's already dysfunctional family life even worse.

Analysis:
When you watch a lot of movies, there comes a point where you've seen so many that you know every possible combination and formula, making a perfectly funny, sweet and intelligent movie like this one seem far too familiar, even if the characters and situations are unique. The film's co-producer Michael London has had mainstream success with similar "mainstream indies" including Alexander Payne's "Sideways" and "The Family Stone," so it's not surprising to see some of the players from those movies showing up here.

A romantic dramedy about a widower trying to find new love while trying to keep his family together is somewhat of an overused premise, seen as recently as Peter Hedges' "Dan in Real Life," but screenwriter Mark Poirier has enough of his own voice to make this into a different movie, one that creates an intricate amalgam of dysfunctional family dynamics alongside the usual up and down romantic relationship at the film's core.

This is a very different character for Dennis Quaid who plays down his looks--shabbily dressed with an untrimmed beard and a noticeable paunch--with all sorts of ticks and quirky habits used to deal with the death of his wife. (Like Miles from "Sideways," he's also a failed author whose book has been rejected by every publisher.) It's very much the type of role we might have seen Jack Nicholson play 15 to 20 years ago, and Quaid can certainly do worse for a career trajectory than to follow Jack. Sarah Jessica Parker's character isn't as much of a stretch, although she's an enigmatic woman who has difficulty connecting to men. As much as we want to see the relationship between the two of them work out, he's such a pompous ass most of the time that some may be surprised that Janet gives him a second chance after their disastrous first date. Essentially, this is a man so caught up in his own life and opinions that he doesn't notice the things going on around him, even though it's hard not to sympathize with his inability to get over the loss of his wife. Even so, his son (played by Ashton Holmes) has already sickened of his father's behavior, leaving only Vanessa as her father's biggest cheerleader and fan, imitating his general disdain for people who aren't as smart as them.

Anyone who saw "Sideways" (also produced by London) and "Juno" won't be surprised that Thomas Haden Church and Ellen Page steal the movie whenever they're on screen, as both of them have a way of delivering every line in an inimitable style that makes them instantly funny. (In case you were wondering, Page is indeed as funny in this as she was in "Juno" although this is a very different character.) The scenes with Church and Page together are really the best part of the movie, as their awkward relationship breaks away from the norm when the teenager develops an inappropriate crush on the bad influence step-uncle who gets her stoned and drunk. Their secondary plot is a nice way to break things up rather than focusing merely on the relationship between Quaid and Parker. While Church is able to get laughs merely by his outlandish appearance, sporting a bushy moustache and crazy hair, and once we're used to that, we end up seeing way more of his ass than necessary, even if each time it still warrants laughs. Out of the entire cast, Ashton Holmes' character seems the least relevant and necessary to the story, only there to act as a target for Vanessa's acerbic wit.

For his directorial debut, Noam Murro wisely doesn't go overboard with flashy camerawork or editing, instead allowing the script and the performances by the great cast he's assembled come to the fore, something that's highly commendable. He also makes the mistake of too many first-time directors, falling so in love with the film's soundtrack that he goes overboard by jam-packing every other minute with acoustic-driven tunes. The fact that those songs are written and performed by Nuno Bettencourt, formerly of the Boston hair metal band Extreme, does help the movie break away from the normal indie alt-rock that's become standard.

While the first half of the movie is literally a laugh a minute with lots of great lines and gags, things start to get a bit too serious by the end—again, following the normal trajectory of this type of movie—as Larry starts to realize it's time to move on and make things work with Janet. It's fairly easy to know where things are going if you've seen enough indie films, because there's few other places for things to go.

The Bottom Line:
Despite my cynicism towards indie movies that follow a previously successful formula, "Smart People" has enough funny moments and original ideas within its character dynamics that it's genuinely enjoyable based on the strength of its script and cast alone. Anyone who's ever felt their life was permanently on hold should appreciate what Murro and his talented cast have done with such strong material.

Street Kings (Opening Friday, April 11)

Rating: 7 out of 1
Cast:
Keanu Reeves as Detective Tom Ludlow
Forest Whitaker as Captain Jack Wander
Hugh Laurie as Captain James Biggs
Chris Evans as Detective Paul Diskant
Cedric the Entertainer as Scribble
Jay Mohr as Sgt. Mike Clady
Terry Crews as Detective Terrence Washington
Naomie Harris as Linda Washington
Martha Higareda as Grace Garcia
John Corbett as Detective Dante Demille
Amaury Nolasco as Detective Cosmo Santos
Common as Coates
Cle Shaheed Sloan as Fremont
The Game as Grill

Review:
Tom Ludlow (Keanu Reeves) is the proto-typical Los Angeles street cop; a believer in the ends justifying the means, the means being holding the thin blue line against the people he has determined aren't worthy of their protection anymore. And if he and his partners use their position to take care of themselves, well it's only fair since they're the ones sticking their necks on the line, isn't it?

"Street Kings" is the same old story of the corrupting influence of power and authority, but then, it probably wouldn't be the same old story if it didn't keep happening over and over throughout history, so it's probably best repeated from time to time. Of course, since there's nothing quite so sexy as corruption, the people exploiting that truth are really trying to have their cake and eat it, too, using the inherent appeal of the darker side of human nature to hook the audience. The bargain is the audience gets the entertainment and in return they sit through the creator's lesson on the deeper truths of the human condition; the peril is that the filmmakers just use it as an excuse to appeal to their audience baser instincts like gladiators in an arena. So which one is "Street Kings?"

A little of both, but overall it's not bad, mainly because of the steady hand of a couple of L.A. cop films (which really has become a genre unto itself) behind the camera. Director David Ayer and crime novelist James Ellroy have cooked up a parable of the dangers of corruption that offers up exactly what you would expect from the writer of "Training Day" and "L.A. Confidential." Not surprisingly, it's also deeply cynical about the nature of authority and human institutions, and particularly about the police department.

Violent and unrelenting, Tom Ludlow is 'a missile, you just point him in the direction you want him to go, and release,' according to his boss, Vice Squad Captain Jack Wander (Forest Whitaker), and that about sums him up. He doesn't think about what he's doing to the world, he can't, it's the only way he can do what he does. It's no surprise then that when he finally is forced to confront the consequences of actions – when his ex-partner turned I.A. informant dies in a convenience store hold up gone wrong – the cracks in his world start to appear.

Reeves is actually fine in the role, not great but he gets the job done, scenes where he bewails his recently deceased wife being the hardest to labor through. It helps that Ludlow is such a physical person, that sort of non-speaking physical acting plays to Reeves' strengths, and for the first time some his own natural intelligence and force of personality actually manages to make it to the screen, though that could just be a natural result of age and experience.

In fact, Reeves has been around the block enough now that he cedes the young turk role to "Fantastic Four's" Chris Evans as an up and coming homicide detective and 'gunfighter,' retreating into the role of the cynical older partner and mentor. It's a strange fit for Reeves but he actually pulls it off. It helps that he has some excellent support in the form of Forest Whitaker and Hugh Laurie as opposing Captains, playing tug of war for Tom's soul. It goes without saying that every scene they appear in is a level above the rest of the film. Whitaker in particular often seems to be channeling "Training Day's" Detective Alonzo, but that is more of a symptom of "Street King's" greater problem.

The ground the filmmakers are covering is very old hat to them, which means they bring all the expertise born of familiarity, but it also means there is a lot of cribbing from previous works at play and anyone at all familiar with Ayer and Ellroy's bibliography could get very bored, very fast. There is absolutely nothing new at play in "Street Kings." The problem with familiarity is that it also breeds contempt and while it would be going too far to suggest that is a problem here, it is very difficult to pay attention to what they want to say, when it's been said before and recently. It's one thing to return to important themes in order to keep them current and relevant; it's another to mill them into grist because there are no other tricks in the bag or some sort of myopic single interest.

Still, as corrupt cop films go, "Street Kings" has got its moments, and if nothing else it certainly does entertain. It's a bit pat and has feelings of having been done before, but it is at least expertly done repetition and there is something to be said for that.

Leatherheads (Opening Friday, April 4)

Rating: 7 out of 10
Cast:
George Clooney as Jimmy 'Dodge' Connelly
Renée Zellweger as Lexie Littleton
John Krasinski as Carter Rutherford
Jonathan Pryce as C.C. Frazier
Stephen Root as Suds
Max Casella as Mack Steiner
Malcolm Goodwin as Bakes
Matt Bushell as Curly
Tommy Hinkley as Hardleg
Tim Griffin as Ralph
Robert Baker as Stump
Nick Paonessa as Zoom

Review:
It's hard to imagine that a mere eighty years ago professional sports as we know them didn't exist. How far we've come since those heady days of the mid-'20s when professional football was barely a step above working in a mine or on a farm, and the men who played did it because they loved it, or at least didn't mind it very much. Of course, as soon as some money started to be made all bets were off, and suddenly an adolescent lark had to make way for rules, regulations and civilization.

In reality, these sorts of things happen gradually over time and through the many and varied decisions of dozens, if not hundreds, of individuals each looking after their own self-interest. Sports, however, have always prided itself on its semi-mythological nature – a nature the people involved have done their best to cultivate – and that sort of dry historical treatment just won't do. What's called for is an unlikely yarn filled with ups, downs, laughs, romance, underdogs, World War I trench warfare and maybe even a little football, and that's exactly what director and star George Clooney ("Good Night, And Good Luck.") provides.

Set at the dawn of football, circa 1925, Clooney can't resist making a period film out of his period film and, perhaps influenced a little by his various Coen Brothers collaborations, dives head first into classic screwball comedy territory with his little sports film.

Dodge Connelly is the last of the pro-football believers, several years past his prime and using his own money and gift for gab to keep his dreams of sports glory alive. Just when it seems all hope is lost and the league itself is doomed to go into receivership, the football gods answer with war and football hero Carter Rutherford (John Krasinski), a picture perfect poster boy for the game. Seeing a chance for real glory and, more importantly, a way to keep the team together for just one more day, Dodge cons him into the game, realizing almost immediately that his last minute Hail Mary is going to change the game he loves forever.

Clooney actually does more than passable screwball, complete with fast-talking no nonsense Hawksian girl Friday Lexie Littleton (Renée Zellweger) to stir up both leading men without ever feeling like just an addition to the plot, though she only gets half of her own story instead of a complete one.

Unfortunately, Clooney never seems to commit completely to the classic screwball tone he seems to want, veering wildly from farcical to earnest; so much so that when the zanier moments occur, even though they're perfectly fine by themselves, they don't really gel with the rest of the film. It doesn't help that Clooney often uses them to break up much more serious story points, which works, but also highlights the disparity in tone.

That being said, it also boasts some fantastic character work. A lot of effort has been made to make the three leads as completely rounded as possible. None of them are completely good, nor are they completely bad. They're very much human, capable of all the heights and lows that means. Clooney never takes the easy route to make one character easily likeable and promotable as 'the hero' at anyone else's expense. The result is a movie that doesn't really have an antagonist, except perhaps Carter's amoral money grubbing agent (Jonathan Pryce), but instead three equally likeable leads who are inextricably at loggerheads. It's far more complex than a movie like this normally is, and Clooney handles it well.

He's done a version, usually a smarter version, of Dodge several times over the years and he's got it down pat. His considerable screen presence doesn't hurt either, and Zellweger's story is much the same. The real find is Krasinski, who gets probably the most complex character in the film and does wonders with it. Carter could be, it almost feels like he should be, mindboggingly obnoxious, but Krasinski keeps him relatable and likeable throughout. For all his abilities and strength of character he's not entirely a good guy, and for all his foibles he's not a bad one. It's remarkably well done on everyone's part.

At the end of the day though, "Leatherheads" is still a light-hearted sports film, too light-hearted to rise above its limitations, and its inability to decide on a tone doesn't help any, but it's too well crafted and thought out to be anything less than good. As sports film go, it's not particularly memorable, but for a Saturday afternoon diversion, it's probably just the ticket.

The Ruins (Opening Friday, April 4)

Rating: 8 out of 10

Cast:
Jonathan Tucker as Jeff
Jena Malone as Amy
Shawn Ashmore as Eric
Laura Ramsey as Stacy
Joe Anderson as Mathias


Directed by Carter Smith

Review:

In his 2006 novel "The Ruins," writer Scott Smith demonstrated that good ol' David Cronenberg-esque bodily invasion can still give you the shivers and that there's still plenty of frights left to mine not involving serial killers, hellish traps, ghoulies and ghosties. He did so through a blunt, brisk prose festering with paranoia and flayed flesh. It distilled horror right down to the grisly basics, furthermore, featured a vivid quartet of fully-realized characters - whether you liked them or not is a different story. Lest we forget Stephen King dribbled kudos all over the book's jacket art ("The Ruins is your basic long scream of horror."). In essence: This baby was primed for the big screen the minute its author set his words to paper. Two years and a production deal with Ben Stiller's Red Hour Films later, the story has snaked its way onto celluloid and, with it, no bone goes unexposed, no drop blood is wasted and none of Smith's original gruesome set pieces are left behind. "The Ruins," a painstakingly faithful adaptation, adds a few wicked surprises and is every bit packed with the concentrated dread that made your skin crawl in the novel.

Veering off-track momentarily - for a scene not in the book - "The Ruins" begins with a young, dirtied woman scared out of her gourd in a darkened cave. Various attempts at calling for rescue via her cell phone are fruitless and, as quickly as we met her, she's violently torn away by something in the dark. It's a modest and jarring introduction to kick-start the film's events, but nowhere on par with the creep-out factor that follows with...

Jeff, Amy, Eric and Stacy - two American couples vacationing in Mexico. Jeff (played with Boy Scout zeal by Tucker) is the headstrong medical student-to-be. He's bidding adieu to his weak-willed, sort've-a-wet rag girlfriend Amy (Malone) as he leaves her behind for college. As a result her head is obviously mixed up about his decision and the rift in their relationship that will come with it. Eric and Stacy (Ashmore and Ramsey, respectively) are a less complicated, sexually frivolous pair touting less baggage.

Lounging poolside one day, they meet German tourist Mathias (Anderson, sporting a somewhat believable accent) who tells them he'll be joining his brother at a local archeological dig. He offers them the opportunity to tag along, they accept, they party and after a booze-filled night laden with slight temptation, they set off into the jungle. Scott Smith - adapting his own novel, as he had done on Sam Raimi's '98 effort "A Simple Plan" - cuts corners in the character set-up, only allowing any decent quality time with our couples while they separately prepare to leave in their respective hotel rooms. And director Carter Smith dutifully follows, maintaining credibility in his cast and keeping the pace moving along at a vigorous clip.

Ignoring warnings from the locals, our leads - joined by Pablo, a Greek vacationer who has abandoned his pals back at the resort to check out the titular location as well - eventually arrive at the dig, a towering Mayan temple blanketed with vine. Unfriendly, weapon-toting villagers greet them there and, eventually, force the traveling troupe, sans one member, to the top of the temple. There, Jeff, Amy, Eric, Stacy and Mathias soon realize there is no getting off this scenic spot alive. The villagers won't let them leave and it is readily apparent the vine around them has a life of its own. And it craves succulent red meat like Audrey II needed a taste of Steve Martin. Yes, sir, you read that right, this native plant life feasts on human flesh! Not only that, but it has a few wily tricks up its sleeve to capture its prey. With this turn of the narrative screw, a struggle for survival soon succumbs to a man versus nature tussle filled shocking revelations.

And then things get really f'ed up.

Like its source material, "The Ruins" is outlandishly disgusting. Carter turns his lens towards amputation, blown-out brains, child violence (something new not in the book), tendril assault and self surgery with an unflinching, frank approach. And accomplished in broad daylight, the violence takes on an uncomforting stark realism. This is bolstered by the masterful photography of Darius Khondji, here trading in the doom 'n gloom atmosphere of "Se7en" for a more conspicuous, brazen approach. However, with Carter, it's through his expert molding of shadows where his work makes the most out one scene which finds Amy and Stacy descending into the bowels of the temple...where the abundant vine makes morbid use out one of its previous victims.

How this fearsome foliage devours its food is one of the many questions Carter and Scott leave for the viewer to ponder. "The Ruins" isn't so much about answers as it is about the deconstruction of Jeff, Amy, Eric and Stacy's relationships. Like John Carpenter's "The Thing," or to another degree, Eli Roth's "Cabin Fever," it peels back the skin on human nature and explores its fight or flight survival instinct. To an extent, Carter and company relay the group's breakdown efficiently - whether its Stacy's fear that the vine is crawling deep within her body or the occasional power struggle hinted at between Jeff and Eric. The only thing lacking is the sense of urgency. There's something lost in the translation from book to screen.

Carter balances practical and CG vine (mostly the former) judiciously - so don't fret, it doesn't look ridiculous. If you're familiar with the book, and the vine's ability to "mimic" organisms, I'll tell you Carter actually made it work. On the page, I found the device a tad absurd. But I'm a believer now. And Graeme Revell lends the film an ominous growling, synth-y (I believe) soundscape that's more design/FX than score.

Despite a slight alteration to its still bleak conclusion, this writer is happy to report "The Ruins" is a nightmarish spectacle with a fair amount of unpredictability to make you squirm uneasily. It's a true original treat for horror fans sluggishly wading through derivative remake after remake. Not only that, but it will make you reconsider eating that healthy plate of greens you had planned for lunch. One of the first cool theatrical horror films of '08, no doubt.

Shine a Light (Opening Friday, April 1)

Rating: 6 out of 10
Cast:
Mick Jagger
Keith Richards
Charlie Watts
Ronnie Wood
Martin Scorsese
Darryl Jones
Chuck Leavell
Bobby Keys
Bernard Fowler
Lisa Fischer
Blondie Chaplin
Christina Aguilera
Buddy Guy
Jack White III

All as themselves

Directed by Martin Scorsese

Summary:
Stones fans might forgive the musical gaffs and thrill at the film's intimacy, just as film fans will gush by the very presence of Scorsese, but "Shine a Light" is merely an okay concert film rather than something for the time capsule.

Story:
In the fall of 2006, legendary British rock group The Rolling Stones played a two-night engagement at the Beacon Theater in New York and director Martin Scorsese assembled an amazing team to capture the show for the IMAX screen.

Analysis:
Despite being a life-long Stones fan, it's hard not to be cynical knowing that every over-30 New York critic is going to rave and gush about this movie merely due to Scorsese's involvement in capturing on film one of the most lasting rock bands of the 20th Century performing at a local venue which is smaller than 99% of the places the Rolling Stones have played in the last two decades. It certainly sounds like a promising prospect considering the amazing amount of talent Scorsese assembled to capture the film, including no less than four Oscar winning cinematographers manning the cameras, but it's not the be-all end-all concert movie some might expect or be hoping for, since it's plagued by problems that could only have been created by the number of egos involved in a project of this size.

This is very clear from the beginning of the film, which opens during the planning and preproduction phase for the shows as Scorsese manically tries to figure out what songs the band will be playing at the show, a bit of staged pretension that immediately takes you out of the movie by reminding you up front that this movie is just as much about Scorsese flexing his muscle as a director as it is about the band in concert. We won't see Marty again until the end of the movie in an even sillier bit of pointless cinematic ego.

Opening with standards "Jumping Jack Flash" and "Shattered," the film covers a lot of ground in terms of the band's history and influences with a solid set. Jagger is on fire, still clearly one of the most dynamic rock frontmen performing after all these decades, and he really drives the film as he makes all of the songs pop, which may be why the cameras spend so much time focusing on him. Appearances by Jack White of the White Stripes and bluesman Buddy Guy in the Stones' nod to their musical roots are high points of the concert, as is a duet with Christina Aguilera on "Live With Me," which brings out Jagger's nascent sexuality even more as the two carouse on stage in a way we haven't seen since Jagger performed with Tina Turner. The cover of "Just My Imagination" is an interesting choice, as is the Stones' nod to country "Far Away Eyes."

Otherwise, the band is not at their best with Richards looking like an extra from "Night of the Living Dead"--seriously, my 85 year old father looks better than this guy--as he takes his usual laid-back approach to the extreme, clowning around with Wood and not worrying too much about hitting the right notes. I won't even make the most obvious joke about how Richards may look in IMAX because the show is cleverly overlit to make them look younger on film.

The real feat of the films is the amazing achievement by David Tedeschi in editing all those cameras' footage together, but unlike the far better film experience that is "U2 3D," you never feel as if you're there at the concert. Even with all of the talent behind the cameras, there's a surprising lack of medium and long shots to set the tone of the venue, mainly focusing on the venue's intimacy with lots of close-up shots of Mick and Keith. It's nice to be able to get closer to the band while they're performing and seeing every nod, wink and gesture one might never be able to see at a concert, but the feeling of not being there watching the show will probably be exacerbated when the film is shown in IMAX and those close-ups are blown-up to Godzilla-size proportions. The film just doesn't give one any sense of the enormity of the shows the Stones normally put on when they play stadiums.

For all the time spent on the film's cinematic visuals, it's severely lacking in its sound quality and the mix of the music, which masks the rhythm and horn sections and backing vocals with a barrage of guitars that sadly allows you to hear every single gaff and flub from the Toxic Twosome. Seriously, guys, considering how long you've been playing together, you should be the tightest band on the face of the planet, but this special concert is so sloppy and loose that it's embarrassing, especially Richards' two song vocal set of "You Got the Silver" and "Connection" which should have been edited out of the movie and/or saved for the DVD.

Threatening to be more interesting than the concert footage are the archival interviews with the band from the past forty years talking about the future of the Stones, but even that gets tiresome after we see the same questions being asked and answered by the band. The sad fact is that the movie is just way too long, and even Stones fans might start losing patience with all the tangents in the band's set until it finally returns to some of the known standards like "Sympathy for the Devil," "Start Me Up" and "Brown Sugar." It's more than a little telling that the best songs (and the majority of their set) are over thirty years old.

The Bottom Line:
While "Shine a Light" is noteworthy as an achievement in capturing a legendary band in a rare concert event and there are some clear highlights, it's a shame this movie wasn't made 20 to 30 years ago when Scorsese or the Stones were at their prime. It's also a shame that more attention was spent on the visuals than the quality of the music, since the latter makes it an imperfect concert movie that will be appreciated by diehard Stones fans but few others. In other words, "The Last Waltz" this is not.