VH Corner

Nationwide Releases

Miami Vice

Michael Mann, creator of the tv series, directs the movie version with Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx as the leads.

RT Score: 49%
RT Consensus: Miami Vice is beautifully shot but the lead characters lack the charisma of their TV series counterparts, and the underdeveloped story is well below the standards of Michael Mann’s better films.

“Full-blooded and fierce, Miami Vice is the antidote for other TV-to-film adaptations.”
– Phil Villarreal
ARIZONA DAILY STAR

“Miami Vice, as entertaining as some of it is, is so cool that it’s almost too cool. It takes the sin, and much of the juice, out of vice.”
– Owen Gleiberman
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

“Routine in some respects, but in others, it delivers everything expected of a summer blockbuster. And it’s gorgeous.”
– Boo Allen
DENTON RECORD CHRONICLE (TX)

“If you’re looking for a crime story that sizzles with action, sex and the visceral jolt of life on the edge, Miami Vice is the one.”
– Peter Travers
ROLLING STONE

“A dark pastiche of murky drug deals and menacing thugs sans the tongue-in-cheek humor and neon nights of television’s crayola-washed classic.”
– Jeanne Aufmuth
PALO ALTO WEEKLY

“Characters gather in really cool places (million-dollar apartments, speedboats, South American warehouses, etc.), look really serious and read expository dialogue in a low murmur.”
– Jeffrey M. Anderson
COMBUSTIBLE CELLULOID

“Gone are the pastels, the pet alligator from this dark, gritty modern-day version of the ’80s TV show. Unfortunately, gone too is some of that fresh style that made the show unique, leaving us with just another dark, gritty crime drama.”
– Kit Bowen
HOLLYWOOD.COM

John Tucker Must Die

Three girls find out that they are dating the same guy so they decide to make him fall for another girl to exact revenge on him.

RT Score: 23%
RT Consensus: This derivitive teen comedy tries to go for cute when it could use more bite.

“… a timid, screamingly unfunny rip-off of Heathers …”
– Peter Travers
ROLLING STONE

“This idiotic teen comedy settles for being silly and cutesy when just a little bit of snarkiness (a la Mean Girls) could have saved it.”
– Jeff Vice
DESERET NEWS, SALT LAKE CITY

“Made for teenagers and they’ll be seeing it no matter what we say. I would too if I was 16 and saw the poster. Wait for the DVD.”
– John Venable
SUPERCALA.COM

“This comedy about four high-school girls getting revenge on a triple-timing jock strikes the poses of a teen sex comedy, but it contains no sex and hardly any comedy.”
– Mike Russell
OREGONIAN

“Don’t die, just go away. … Where’s John Hughes when we need him?”
– Larry Ratliff
SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

The Ant Bully

A boy manages to get shrunk to the size of a ant and sees things from their perspective.

RT Score: 65%
RT Consensus: Sometimes inventive and witty, this animated adventure into an ant-sized world is a pleasant diversion.

“The Ant Bully won’t battle your Pixar collection for DVD shelf space for that matter, neither will Pixar’s latest, Cars — but nor will it have you staring at your watch.”
– Phil Villarreal
ARIZONA DAILY STAR

“An effortlessly clever animated confection directed by Jimmy Neutron creator John A. Davis.”
– Lisa Schwarzbaum
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

“…too many similarities to previous animations like Antz and the recent Over the Hedge often give The Ant Bully the feel of an also-ran.”
Click for Full Review
– Laura Clifford
REELING REVIEWS

“Achieves many surprising pleasures during its run, with its splendid animation bursting with a crispness of imagery that puts most of the stylings this year to shame.”
– Erik Childress
EFILMCRITIC.COM

“The Ant Bully is a sore disappointment to anyone hoping for a turnaround to the recent downward quality spiral of animated films. In fact, this movie may represent a new nadir for 3D animation.”
– James Berardinelli
REELVIEWS

“The Ant Bully is lovely to look at but a headache to listen to.”
– Justin Chang
VARIETY

“The Ant Bully, which was three years in the making, seems fussed over and, occasionally, a little dull.”
– Stephen Cole
GLOBE AND MAIL

Limited Releases

Little Miss Sunshine

A little girl is a finalist in a beauty contest and her entire dysfunctional family makes the road trip to California. Starring Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Greg Kinnear and Alan Arkin.

RT Score: 92%
RT Consensus: A moving satire about a dysfunctional family obsessed with winning, Little Miss Sunshine captivates and convulses with its perfectly-cast ensemble and delightfully funny script.

“A very funny and touching family drama about the wisdom that often comes not with success but with failure.”
– Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
SPIRITUALITY AND PRACTICE

“The characters in the Sundance hit Little Miss Sunshine are so adeptly drawn — and superbly played — that you can easily forgive the film’s sometimes forced kookiness.”
– Glenn Whipp
LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS

“So brilliantly, hysterically perfect that the graceful message beneath it hardly registers: we’re laughing so hard we’ve literally stopped breathing.”
– Rob Vaux
FLIPSIDE MOVIE EMPORIUM

“It’s good for some laughs, though I don’t see it holding up to multiple viewings.”
– Eric D. Snider
ERICDSNIDER.COM

“Sorry, folks, but these are not organic characters; they’re walking, talking catalogs of screenwriter index-card data.”
– Owen Gleiberman
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

13 Tzameti

A young man eavesdrops about a way to make easy money for his poor family, but finds himself involved in a gambling game where bets are placed on human life.

RT Score: 88%
RT Consensus: This starkly minimalist nail-biter of a thriller relentlessly builds up the tension and keeps the audience guessing.

“French art thriller 13 Tzameti has a literal hair-trigger premise, yet it’s so lacking in human dimensions that it creates virtually no suspense.”
– Owen Gleiberman
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

“Astonishingly accomplished debut feature that combines Hitchcockian suspense with a showdown whose unflinching attitude to violence will pin you to the seat.”
– David Parkinson
EMPIRE MAGAZINE [UK]

“You can almost smell the nervous sweat running down these men’s backs. You can almost feel the damp.”
– Stephen Whitty
NEWARK STAR-LEDGER

“The resulting jolts add up to one unforgettably surreal nightmare.”
– Elizabeth Weitzman
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

“An intense and claustrophobic thriller.”
– Frank Scheck
HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Scoop

Scarlett Johansson is an investigative journalist writing the story of her career about a serial killer, who might be the man (Hugh Jackman) she is falling in love with.

RT Score: 39%
RT Consensus: Rehashing old plot lines and characters, Scoop is a tiresome dipper and another disappointing addition to Woody Allen’s repertoire.

“Maybe Scoop wouldn’t have sunk if Woody the costar were thrown overboard…. What once was a gifted comic’s fluid improvisation is now a doddering old man so embarrassing he’s uncomfortable to watch.”
– Aaron Hillis
PREMIERE MAGAZINE

“Scoop is no more than a beguiling trifle. But in the dog days of summer, it’s a perk to wallow in inspired silliness.”
– Peter Travers
ROLLING STONE

“A companion piece to Match Point that suffers all the more in comparison.”
– Lisa Schwarzbaum
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

“The dead serious Match Point was actually funnier, which should tell you all you need to know about Allen’s latest exercise in laziness.”
– Glenn Whipp
LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS

“This is pretty much a younger, cast-conscious re-do of his 1993 film Manhattan Murder Mystery, which isn’t that fondly remembered.”
– Jeff Vice
DESERET NEWS, SALT LAKE CITY

“Is it a classic? Nah. It’s light as air. But it’s a zippy good time for 90 minutes or so.”
– Eric D. Snider
ERICDSNIDER.COM

Brothers of the Head

Mockumentary about a set of conjoined twins in 1970s England who rise to fame fronting a punk rock group.

RT Score: 69%
RT Consensus: As bizarre as it is, this mockumentary about a pair of conjoined rockers is surprisingly poignant and filled with authentic period details.

“A glumly serious British mock rock doc: You could forgive the paucity of jokes if Brothers of the Head had anything to say, or if the ’70s-verite surface were remotely convincing.”
– Owen Gleiberman
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

“Yes, this is another faux rock documentary, but one so dramatically and visually textured that it reinvents that decidedly worn genre.”
– Chuck Wilson
L.A. WEEKLY

“Is appropriately moody and gets the music right, but becomes as incoherent and messy as the lives of the protagonists in the film’s second half.”
– Boyd van Hoeij
EUROPEANFILMS.NET

“Ever wonder how much more fun/disastrous Oasis would have been if Noel and Liam were attached at the chest? This is your chance to find out how that would play out.”
– Jon Popick
PLANET SICK-BOY

Another Gay Movie

Gay spoof on all the teen sex comedies.

RT Score: 40%

“Why shouldn’t homosexuals have the same loud ’n’ stupid sex comedies that mainstream society expects almost as a birthright? Perhaps, but making a gay film only slightly less intolerable than its straight counterparts isn’t much to be proud of.”
– Tim Grierson
L.A. WEEKLY

“Another Gay Movie strikes a very distinct pose as a queer counterpoint to American Pie but doesn’t trust its gut, overextending itself by performing in Scary Movie drag.”
– Ed Gonzalez
SLANT MAGAZINE

“It’s rude and chaotic and, for the right audience, hilarious.”
– Rich Cline
SHADOWS ON THE WALL

“In its very existence, Another Gay Movie qualifies as a political statement, and Stephens’ sentiment is hugely admirable. But those points don’t make Another Gay Movie good.”
– Peter Canavese
GROUCHO REVIEWS

America: Freedom to Fascism

Tracking how America is becoming a police state from paying income tax, voter fraud, national identity cards and radio frequency identification.

RT Score: 19%

“[Russo] has created such an inflammatory piece of clumsy propaganda it’s hard to take his best arguments seriously.”
– John Anderson
NEWSDAY

“Russo appears to make a good case against the IRS, but he does so sneakily, belligerently, and from a grotesquely unattractive soap box.”
– Ed Gonzalez
SLANT MAGAZINE

“If America: From Freedom to Fascism is right only 10 percent of the time, we’re in big trouble.”
– Robert W. Butler
KANSAS CITY STAR

“Just as the film’s arguments start growing persuasive, Russo (who also narrates the movie) undermines his work by freefalling into a tangled web of all-out conspiracy-mongering.”
– Marjorie Baumgarten
AUSTIN CHRONICLE

“This movie is so humorless that it makes you wax nostalgic for the good old days when Michael Moore was sticking it to the man. “
– Dan Jardine
CINEMANIA

I Like Killing Flies

Documentary about a Greenwich Village restaurant, Shopins, having to move due to financial reasons to a new location and how its customers are devastated by the move.

RT Score: 100%

“Shopsin is a character. He’s loud, lewd and fat, speaks his mind on just about every subject known to man, and is beloved by his regular customers, who follow him to his new digs.”
– Eric Lurio
ENTERTAINMENT INSIDERS

“It is a joy of a movie. But watching it hungry — at least for those of us outside New York, or those New Yorkers who Kenny refuses to serve — only creates an appetite that cannot possibly be satisfied.”
– Pam Grady
REEL.COM

“It’s a rough-hewn film, more interesting, probably, to those who’ve actually made it through a meal there, but fun and maybe even inspiring.”
– John Anderson
NEWSDAY

Darshan - the Embrace

Amma is the Mother Theresa of India. She’s a spiritual guide who gives charitable donations and fights for peace.

RT Score: 44%

“A documentary about Amma, India’s hugging saint, that reveals her large reserves of unconditional love, playfulness, compassion, and service of the poor.”
– Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
SPIRITUALITY AND PRACTICE

“Even if the idea of spiritual gurus and personality cults make you slightly uncomfortable, Jan Kounen’s beautifully filmed portrait of Sri Mata Amritanandamayi offers enough beautiful shots of India to seduce even the least spiritual of travelers.”
– Ken Fox
TV GUIDE’S MOVIE GUIDE

“Without explanatory narration, the impressionistic editing is likely to prove tedious for the uninitiated.”
– Ben Kenigsberg
VILLAGE VOICE

How to Go Out on a Date in Queens

Stan thinks he has dating all figured out and is imparting his wisdom on all his friends.
RT Score: 0%

“There are a lot of stories here, and, perhaps because none of them could sustain an entire film, they all ended up in this one.”
– Stephanie Lysaght, L.A. WEEKLY

Nationwide Releases

Clerks 2 was supposed to come out in August, the same weekend as Snakes on a Plane, but it was moved up since they were afraid it would be crushed in its original weekend.

Clerks

Ten years after working in a convenience store, Dante and Randal are now working at a fast-food chain restaurant, still pissing off customers while contemplating their futures.

RT Score: 66%
RT Consensus: Clerks II dishes up much of the graphic humor and some of the insight that made the 1994 original a cult hit.

“While the first “Clerks” seared with pop culture jabs, the sequel amounts to a satire of itself.”
– Phil Villarreal, ARIZONA DAILY STAR

“Smith’s hyperliterate lead-assed wiseacres deserve their place in indie-movie history, no doubt, but when even the fart jokes fail to pop, it may be time to draw the curtain.”
– Andrew Wright, THE STRANGER (SEATTLE, WA)

“All is well with the Clerks world when these stoners take the screen… and prove that guys can grow old and stay immature forever.”
– Peter Travers, ROLLING STONE

“If you’re a fan of Clerks, the convenience-store slacker comedy made for $27,000 that, in 1994, established Kevin Smith as the who-needs-a-budget-when-you’ve-got-attitude auteur of his generation, then you’ll probably want to see Clerks II.”
– Owen Gleiberman, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

“If you go in simply expecting the movie to be better than Jersey Girl, you’re not likely to be disappointed — but you won’t be blown away, either.”
– Josh Bell, LAS VEGAS WEEKLY

“If Clerks II doesn’t have quite the scabrous kick of its predecessor, the chance to revisit a classic premise must have renewed the writer in Smith, whose banter here often achieves a sharpness and quality.”
– Justin Chang, VARIETY

“Kevin Smith has grown up, even if his films haven’t. That might explain why Clerks II can’t quite decide how old it wants to act.”
– Scott Bowles, USA TODAY

Lady in the Water

Bryce Dallas Howard comes from another world through an apartment pool where Paul Giamatti tries to figure out what is going on and how to stop other scary things from escaping into his world.

RT Score: 21%
RT Consensus: A far-fetched story with little suspense and unconvincing scenarios, Lady In The Water feels contrived, pretentious, and rather silly.

“Maybe the theme is that you should try to score some of that stuff Shyamalan must be smoking.”
– Phil Villarreal, ARIZONA DAILY STAR

“The movie is a muddle, burdened with too many characters and a sorry lack of thrills, flair and coherence. Yet Shyamalan’s talent is real.”
– Peter Travers, ROLLING STONE

“For a movie constantly explaining itself, M. Night Shyamalan’s Lady in the Water doesn’t make a drop of sense.”
– Jeffrey Westhoff, NORTHWEST HERALD (CRYSTAL LAKE, IL)

“If moviegoers are willing to go with the movie’s questionable, sometimes painfully self-conscious flow, Shyamalan’s new tale may once again sweep them into his idiosyncratic world.”
– John Wirt, ADVOCATE (BATON ROUGE, LA)

“M. Night Shyamalan doesn’t provide us with a big twist, but he does need a new writer. The movie is silly and funny in the wrong places “
– Willie Waffle, WAFFLEMOVIES.COM

“For weeks the Web has been rich with rumors that Lady in the Water is a dog. The noble truth is that M. Night Shyamalan’s new thriller isn’t half bad. The awful truth is that it’s not really half good, either.”
– Philip Wuntch, DALLAS MORNING NEWS

Monster House

Three kids try to take on the monster house on their block that sucks people inside, never to be seen again.

RT Score: 69%
RT Consensus: Monster House welcomes kids and adults alike into a household full of smart, monstrous fun.

“Acceptable as a kids film only as a punishment tool.”
– Phil Villarreal, ARIZONA DAILY STAR

“Until this animated horrorfest turns shrill, debuting director Gil Kenan delivers enough visual goods to justify the faith of producers Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis.”
– Peter Travers, ROLLING STONE

“Feature first-timer Gil Kenan directs with a zingy sense of kids, comedy, fright, and visual perspective.”
– Lisa Schwarzbaum, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

“With a sensibility that falls somewhere between the Stephen King and Tim Burton, this is a horror movie for kids with bite, heart and a poignant happy ending that is entirely earned and completely rewarding.”
– Sean Axmaker, SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER

“A comedy at heart but potentially a kid’s first horror movie, Monster House is a fine introduction to the young cinephile’s realization that you can have a lark in the dark.”
– Matt Caracappa, BOXOFFICE MAGAZINE

My Super Ex-Girlfriend

Luke Wilson starts dating a brainy, mousy Uma Thurman until she becomes too needy and clingy. He breaks up with her and realizes she’s really a superhero.

RT Score: 48%
RT Consensus: My Super Ex=Girlfriend is an only sporadically amusing spoof on the superhero genre that misses the mark with a nerd-turned-superwoman who embodies sexist clichés.

“If the script for this comic spin on Fatal Attraction were only a tenth as hot as Uma Thurman, director Ivan Reitman might have had something here.”
– Peter Travers, ROLLING STONE

“My Super Ex-Girlfriend is watchable enough but it’s humor for our age of diminished comedic expectations.”
– Shlomo Schwartzberg, BOXOFFICE MAGAZINE

“a bland movie that isn’t quite sure if it is a parody of romantic comedies, a parody of superhero movies or a parody of Uma Thurman.”
– Willie Waffle, WAFFLEMOVIES.COM

“There are certainly worse ideas out there for movie comedies than My Super Ex-Girlfriend. (The Wayans brothers hit Little Man, for example.) However, there aren’t many ideas that are more poorly executed than this one.”
– Jeff Vice, DESERET NEWS, SALT LAKE CITY

“Uma Thurman is quite funny as she channels the anger from her ‘Kill Bill’ character and turns it into hilarious outbursts of superhero rage. “
– Betty Jo Tucker, REELTALK MOVIE REVIEWS

“This sophomoric mix of the supernatural and screwball from Ivan Reitman is diverting, cheesy fun, with Thurman’s G-Girl as a droll combination of Superwoman and Uber Shrew.”
– Carrie Rickey, PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER

Limited Releases

The World According to Shorts

Six short films from around the world, some have been Oscar-nominated or selected for the Cannes Film Festivals in the past.

RT Score: 100%

“The individual components are unusually strong; the best are excellent and the least-distinguished are above average.”
– Maitland McDonagh, TV GUIDE’S MOVIE GUIDE

“Proves that great things often come in small packages.”
– V.A. Musetto, NEW YORK POST

“This year’s Cinema Village program is something of a best-of, compiling six films from past incarnations and pointedly showcasing the series’ range, both geographical and formal.”
– Joshua Land, VILLAGE VOICE

Azumi

In 19th century Japan, ten orphans are raised as assassins. Azumi is one of them that questions her fate when she is out assassinating warlords and sacrificing innocent lives in the process.

RT Score: 43%

“Remains faithful to its highly regarded source with an intelligent script, clever — if often cruel — visual flourishes, and thrillingly staged fight sequences.”
– Ken Fox, TV GUIDE’S MOVIE GUIDE

“It’s the characters that give this story life”
– David Thomas, FILMCRITIC.COM

“Dull characters and dry storytelling are to blame here.”
– Eric Campos, FILM THREAT

“The world seen through the bloodshot eyes of Xbox zombies.”
– Michael Atkinson, VILLAGE VOICE

“For a pure ice-water jolt of action-movie insanity, few things I’ve seen in recent years come close to the sheer splatter-fest spectacle of Azumi.”
– Scott Weinberg, EFILMCRITIC.COM

Shadowboxer

Cuba Gooding Jr. and Helen Mirren are assassins who rethink their career choice when they are sent to kill a pregnant woman. All three of them go on the run.

RT Score: 38%
RT Consensus: With random characters and a preposterous plot, this bizarre thriller might leave you with your mouth hanging open in disbelief.

“Billed as film noir, but because it lacks any subtlety and accentuates gratuitous violence that is more in-your-face than it is implied, the movie is about as noir-ish as Rocky.”
– Stephen Williams, LOS ANGELES TIMES

“Trained assassins do the right thing and rehash a very bad cliché at the same time.”
– Ron Wilkinson, MONSTERS AND CRITICS

“A layer cake of weird and wild images married to a plot that’s lurid, ludicrous and bizarrely hypnotic.”
– Maitland McDonagh, TV GUIDE’S MOVIE GUIDE

“A film replete with awful acting that glorifies nihilism…in your face movie-making by people with a moral compass badly askew. There’s nothing remotely entertaining about this film.”
– Tony Medley, TONYMEDLEY.COM

“a pleasant surprise”
– Jeffrey Lyles, GAZETTE (MD)

“An envelope-pushing melodrama just this side of ‘Pulp Fiction’ parody.”
– Harvey S. Karten, COMPUSERVE

Been Rich All My Life

Between the ages of 84 and 94, these chorus dancers all started in the 1930s, with Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald at the Apollo Theatre and Cotton Clubs, and they aren’t ready to stop dancing.

RT Score: 71%

“Heather Lyn MacDonald’s TV-grade documentary, a familiar mix of taking-head interviews and archival material, documents the Silver Belles’ determination to stay on their feet but is awfully reticent when it comes to race.”
– Ed Gonzalez, SLANT MAGAZINE

“While it’s enjoyable on it’s own terms, there’s really no reason to go all the way to the film forum and plunk down twelve bucks to see this thing, when you could probably see it on public TV in a year or two.”
– Eric Lurio, GREENWICH VILLAGE GAZETTE

Mad Cowgirl

A woman who may have been infected with mad cow disease deals with her failed marriage, her affair with a televangelist and obsession to be a kung fu master.

RT Score: 14%

“An orgy of red meat and confused filmmaking”
– Brian Mckay, EFILMCRITIC.COM

“This gonzo mashup of romantic comedy, political paranoia, and B-movie adulation is more confounding than thrilling.”
– Ed Gonzalez, SLANT MAGAZINE

“It’s safe to say there will not be another movie this year like Mad Cowgirl. Whether that’s a good or bad thing depends on your tolerance for copious bloodletting, hardcore pornography, and C-SPAN.”
– Matt Singer, VILLAGE VOICE

“There’s a lot happening here, perhaps too much.”
– V.A. Musetto, NEW YORK POST

“Mad Cowgirl is an underground movie with little sense of grounding, and lots of a multicultural weirdness and inchoate meat metaphors.”
– Nathan Lee, NEW YORK TIMES

From the director of Shaolin Soccer, set in 1930’s Hong Kong, a bad guy get caught in the middle of a battle between mobsters and slumlords. It’s filled with over-the-top cartoonish kung-fu fighting.

I had watched the beginning and the end of this movie quite a while ago, but it was after eating a huge dinner and I fell asleep in the middle of it. It wasn’t the movies’ fault though. I would have fallen asleep at anything. I was laughing at it, then I would fall asleep, wake up, laugh, repeat. I really missed what was going on during the middle.

I recently was able to watch the middle of it, so now that I’ve seen it all, I shall review it. It is hilarious and completely fun to watch. It is like watching a live-action cartoon. Everything is over the top. One lady actually starts running in place to build up speed before taking off like Wile E. Coyote. People kick one another and go flying high up into the sky. There are dance sequences out of nowhere with very catchy tunes. People are frightened by goofy sounding fight moves and what look to be out of shape people that could kill you if they wanted.

There is a plot with a little sweet story in there too, but it isn’t as important as the entertainment value of just watching the crazy fight scenes. There are tons of them so if you are up for some goofy fighting and dancing, I recommend this movie.

Rating: A

Nationwide Releases

You, Me and Dupree

Owen Wilson is Dupree, the slacker best friend of Matt Dillon that moves in with him and his new wife, Kate Hudson, when he is thrown out of his apartment and overstays his welcome.

RT Score: 21%
RT Consensus: A rather generic entry into the arrested development subgenre, with themes borrowed from other more successful and funnier films. Dupree wears out its welcome.

“Owen Wilson is either an acquired taste or a comedic force who gathers more momentum and skill as he goes. In any case, he gets funnier and funnier with each film.”
– Phil Villarreal, ARIZONA DAILY STAR

“The joke, of course, is that it’s really Owen Wilson who’s in control. He can’t play the dazed rogue forever, but for now he’s the happy master of that domain.”
– Owen Gleiberman, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

“When your straight man gets more laughs than you, it’s time to modify your act.”
– Jeffrey Westhoff, NORTHWEST HERALD (CRYSTAL LAKE, IL)

“Watching [Wilson] mug wildly in another uneven film short on plot, the audience may start to wish he would go away for awhile and stop turning up in such repetitive comedies.”
– Lisa Rose, NEWARK STAR-LEDGER

“The most clever aspect of You, Me and Dupree is its rhyming title…after that, it’s one long, steep decline into suffering.”
– Nick Schager, SLANT MAGAZINE

Little Man

Marlon Wayans plays a little person who is a jewel thief that has to pretend he’s a baby in order to steal a diamond back from a family that he hid a diamond in the wife’s purse.

RT Score: 17%
RT Consensus: Another gimmicky comedy from the Wayans brothers, Little Man comes with the requisite raunchiness, but forgot to bring the laughs.

“In the search for gags involving inappropriate contact between adults and a supposed child, the film doesn’t overlook an orifice or an excretion.”
– Keith Phipps, ONION AV CLUB

“The latest Wayans brothers head-scratcher, reaches the bar their last film set. Take that as a searing insult.”
– Phil Villarreal, ARIZONA DAILY STAR

“This film is awful in too many ways to count.”
– Jeffrey M. Anderson, COMBUSTIBLE CELLULOID

“Little Man is easily the creepiest movie I’ve seen in my life.”
– Kevin Carr, 7M PICTURES

“Thanks to the wonder of digital technology, Marlon’s head was spliced onto the body of a dwarf actor, thus accomplishing what certainly will go down in history as one of the more profound cinematic achievements of our time.”
– Winda Benedetti, SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER

Limited Releases

Gabrielle

Based on a short story from Joseph Conrad, in turn-of-the-century France, a long-married couple have a breakdown in their marriage.

RT Score: 73%
RT Consensus: Patrice Chéreau’s exquisite rendering of Joseph Conrad’s The Return brings underlying passions to surface in a long-suffering marriage.

“Greggory anchors Gabrielle in manly bewilderment and rage, while Huppert claws the title character’s way to self-awareness.”
– Lisa Schwarzbaum, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

“One of the film’s savage ironies is that his wife’s inevitable betrayal strikes less at his heart than at his all-consuming sense of order.”
– Scott Tobias, ONION AV CLUB

“As a couple, Jean and Gabrielle are a corseted waking nightmare. As co-stars, [Isabelle] Huppert and [Pascal] Greggory make a dream match.”
– Gene Seymour, NEWSDAY

“This film is everything that’s bad about current French cinema.”
– Eric Lurio, GREENWICH VILLAGE GAZETTE

“Based on a short story by Joseph Conrad, here is stylized rendition of a foundering marriage of convenience.”
– Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, SPIRITUALITY AND PRACTICE

The Oh in Ohio

A married couple where the man can’t get enough sex and the wife has never had an orgasm.

RT Score: 23%
RT Consensus: A muddled sex-comedy that feels oddly sexless, The Oh in Ohio packs in too many ideas without establishing a clear identity or objective.

“Ultimately, Ohio fails to deliver in the third act, which is kind of ironic for a film about orgasms.”
– Jon Popick, PLANET SICK-BOY

“A silly, amusing trifle.”
– Owen Gleiberman, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

“The sound recording is hollow and muddy, the cinematography underlit and sometimes blurred at the edges, and the whole thing has the dreary feeling of a bottom-of-the-barrel, clammy ’70s sex comedy.”
– Dan Callahan, SLANT MAGAZINE

“How bad does a movie have to be for Heather Graham to remove her name from the credits?”
– Edward Douglas, COMINGSOON.NET

“The sight of Posey, Minnelli, and Graham fondling sexual aids and chattering about orgasms is meant to reduce you to helpless laughter, but it will more likely leave you wondering how many bad choices it takes to destroy a career.”
– Daniel Eagan, FILM JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

“For all of its faults, however, the movie is so nonjudgmental and unashamed about enjoying sex, it can’t help but leave you with a good feeling.”
– Bob Strauss, LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS

Time to Leave

A French young man learns that he is dying. He decides not to tell anyone except his mother and live his last days to the fullest.

RT Score: 81%
RT Consensus: A reflective look at our own mortality through the experience of a middle-aged French man, Time To Leave manages to pull at our heart strings without resorting to cliches, and leaves a lasting impression.

“Moreau’s few ripe scenes are choice, and she spices up the joint with her gravelly voice of je ne regrette rien.”
– Lisa Schwarzbaum, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

“A thoroughly cinematic and honest film that thrives on in-between moments and knows how to make them grand.”
– Boyd van Hoeij, EUROPEANFILMS.NET

“A cinematic tone poem, wafting on wistful tableaus and sad faces….mostly elaborates on how death must ultimately be a personal experience.”
– Peter Canavese, GROUCHO REVIEWS

“Whilst avoiding many of the sentimental clichés that bedevil terminal illness movies, the briskly edited Time To Leave nevertheless lacks the emotional impact of Ozon’s most memorable films.”
– Tom Dawson, BBC

“It’s about a gay man coming to terms with his mortality, and, in a plot twist that’s as contrived as it is ironic, with the biblical injunction to procreate.”
– Joe Morgenstern, WALL STREET JOURNAL

Edmond

William H. Macy’s world starts falling apart after his divorce and he starts spiraling into madness.

RT Score: 42%
RT Consensus: Despite an electrifying performance by William H. Macy, David Mamet’s one-act morality play translates poorly into a film that is overburdened by dialogue.

“Edmond plays like Eyes Wide Shut meets Falling Down with a dash of Fight Club, although Mamet’s original play debuted way back in 1982 before any of those films existed”
– Erik Childress, EFILMCRITIC.COM

“a fussy little movie that wants to be much more controversial and important than it is.”
– Chris Cabin, FILMCRITIC.COM

“Depressing, disgusting, and dated, Edmond is worth braving to experience America’s best-known serious playwright at his most gruesomely undiluted.”
– David Edelstein, NEW YORK MAGAZINE

“The title character, played with bravura by William H. Macy, leads us down the path to hell in an absorbing but ultimately sophomoric drama.”
– Harvey S. Karten, COMPUSERVE

“It plays like a hodgepodge of barely connected short films that all happen to star the same actor.”
– Gary Goldstein, REEL.COM

“Like Paul Haggis’s Crash, the characters speak their minds so fully (or lie about their feelings so transparently) that the stuff which should be bubbling under the surface is constantly rising in fiery tirades.”
– Jeremiah Kipp, SLANT MAGAZINE

Changing Times

Gerad Depardieu is a French engineer working on a new media channel in Tangiers when he runs into Catherine Deneuve, his first love.

RT Score: 57%

“The movie is burdened by several other, far-less compelling subplots that compete for our attention.”
– Ethan Alter, PREMIERE MAGAZINE

“A strange and oddly touching tale about a man’s yearning to reconnect with his first love of 30 years ago.”
– Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, SPIRITUALITY AND PRACTICE

“Considering the possibilities for passion, the pic comes across as arid as the Moroccan desert.”
– Harvey S. Karten, COMPUSERVE

“It’s always enjoyable watching Depardieu and Deneuve, but they deserve better material than they’ve been given by Techine.”
– V.A. Musetto, NEW YORK POST

Mini’s First Time

A teenage daugther despises her gold-digging mother, so she decides to seduce her stepfather and convince him that they don’t need her mother around.

RT Score: 52%

“Mini is too tame for Skina-max and too inane to survive on the art-house circuit. It’s a pretentious erotic thriller that gives honest trash a bad name.”
– James C. Taylor, L.A. WEEKLY

“Mini’s First Time is not about taking an honest look at adolescence. It’s not even really about teens, or high-school life, or upper-class marriages. What it’s about is an unpleasantly pervy adult male view of teenage girls.”
– Stephen Whitty, NEWARK STAR-LEDGER

“Trashy but fun, Mini’s First Time is like one of those paperback books you might take to the beach. You don’t brag about having read it, but you enjoy every page.”
– Scott Nash, THREE MOVIE BUFFS

“Pitch-black and bound to offend anyone who’s not on its wavelength, Nick Guthe’s entertainingly slick debut is a mordantly funny slice of lust, crime and sleaze life set in the world of L.A.’s industry elite.”
– Ken Fox, TV GUIDE’S MOVIE GUIDE

The Groomsmen

As one guy is about to get married, all of his guy friends contemplate their own relationships.

RT Score: 50%

“Burns remains an enigma: After six features, it’s still impossible to tell if he’s a filmmaker with something to say or merely one of the longest-running novelty acts in modern movies.”
– Scott Foundas, VILLAGE VOICE

“What this is, is a typical film about nothing, which is what Burns likes to do best.”
– Eric Lurio, GREENWICH VILLAGE GAZETTE

“The problem with Ed Burns’ films is that the growth of the male characters…has been limited by a strict interpretation of what it means to be man.”
– Tim Cogshell, BOXOFFICE MAGAZINE

“It has been a dozen years since The Brothers McMullen, yet Burns still has no clue how to make movies.”
– Phil Hall, FILM THREAT

“With the exception of the reliably wooden Burns, the ensemble is terrific.”
– Maitland McDonagh, TV GUIDE’S MOVIE GUIDE

If you haven’t ever heard the Bud Light commercials featuring Real Men of Genius or Real American Heroes, you have been missing out. They are the best radio commercials! I was given this link to all of the commercials. It is an excellent time waster. I just spent hours playing them all. Fabulous!

In case you don’t want to spend hours listening (even though you should), I have picked out my favorite ones!

Real Men of Genius

• Mr. Athletic Groin Protector Inventor
• Mr. Camouflage Suit Maker
• Mr. Giant Taco Salad Inventor
• Mr. Pro Sports Heckler Guy
• Mr. Silent Killer Gas Passer
• Mr. Supermarket Free Sample Guy
• Mr. Dishonest Cable TV Hooker Upper
• Mr. Fancy Coffee Shop Coffee Pourer
• Mr. In the Car Nose Picker
• Mr. Push Up Bra Inventor
• Mr. Really Stinky Breath Breather Outer
• Mr. Cargo Pants Designer
• Mr. Gasoline BBQ Starter (I almost started crying when I heard this one)
• Mr. 80 SPF Sunblock Wearer
• Mr. King of the Karaoke Mic (in honor of Jim!)
• Mr. Nosebleed Section Ticket Holder Guy
• Mr. Airline Meal Chef
• Mr. Airport Baggage Handler
• Mr. Egg Nog Inventor
• Mr. Boneless Buffalo Wing Inventor
• Mr. Really Loud Cell Phone Talker Guy

Real American Heroes

• Mr. Pro Wrestling Wardrobe Designer
• Mr. Pickled Pigs Feet Eater
• Mr. Bumper Sticker Writer
• Mr. Inspirational Poster Writer
• Mr. Furniture Assembly Manual Writer

Jude Law plays a romantic who believes he is meant to be with a certain woman, much to the dismay of her fiance.

I caught this one weekend morning when I was flipping through cable channels. I wasn’t really awake so I kept it on it since it had Jude Law in it. His character is Danny, who when he was five, helped his dad deliver a baby when they were visiting friends. When he saw the girl, he decided he was going to marry her one day. Okay creepy kid!

He grows up in Italy and other places, but heads back to Los Angeles where he runs into the girl all grown up. Of course, he doesn’t know it is her right away, but is drawn to her. When he meets her family, he recognizes the mom and she remembers him. After that it turns completely predictable and it is completely sappy the entire time.

I watched the entire movie only because I was still slowly waking up or else I would have become bored and turned it off. Jude Law couldn’t save the sappiness and Gretchen Mol is so completely boring, I don’t know why anyone would be interested in her. She can’t act and has stupid hair.
Grade: D

Nationwide Releases

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest

Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley are all back. Jack Sparrow owes a debt to Davy Jones, who happens to be dead, and now he wants his payment.

RT Score: 54%
RT Consensus: Gone is Depp’s unpredictability and much of the humor and originality of the first movie.

“So gather ye a ration and a bottle of rum - or a soda and popcorn, if that be more convenient - and drop anchor with this summer treasure. Aye-aye!”
– Phil Villarreal, ARIZONA DAILY STAR

“It’s the triumphant rogue in Depp that keeps this pirate ship afloat and actually makes the third voyage (coming next summer) a trip worth booking.”
– Peter Travers, ROLLING STONE

“Yes indeed, Pirates 2.0 is a theme ride, if by ride you mean a hellish contraption into which a ticket holder is strapped, overstimulated but unsatisfied, and unable to disengage until the operator releases the restraining harness.”
– Lisa Schwarzbaum, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

“It ought to sink from the weight of the cargo, but it’s buoyed by another high-wire performance from Depp.”
– Joe Williams, ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

“When the scenes work and cook, they’re the essence of summer moviemaking. They shiver your timbers and make you feel like a kid.”
– Glenn Whipp, LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS

“…the fool thing just keeps going and going… and going. (Does a Pirates sequel really need to be five minutes longer than GoodFellas?) The flick should’ve felt like a sugary snack, not a hot-dog eating contest.”
– Sean Burns, PHILADELPHIA WEEKLY

Limited Releases

A Scanner Darkly

Richard Linklater wrote and directed the story by Philip K. Dick’s novel about excessive drug use and government recording everything about everyone. It was shot as a normal film, but has had each cell animated for a really trippy look.

RT Score: 61%
RT Consensus: A faithful adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s novel, A Scanner Darkly takes the viewer on a visual and mind-blowing journey into the author’s conception of a drug-addled and politically unstable world.

“A lot of terrific Dick prose makes it to the screen, and it’s hard to think of a better cast, or at least one whose wide range of well-publicized offscreen drug experiences could give the film more resonance.”
– Keith Phipps, ONION AV CLUB

“If it leaves you with a facial expression as stunned as that of Keanu, you know Linklater and his crew have done their jobs.”
– Phil Villarreal, ARIZONA DAILY STAR

“Embedded in the visionary headtrip of A Scanner Darkly is a hotly political call to arms.”
– Peter Travers, ROLLING STONE

“In A Scanner Darkly, we’re watching other people freak out, but the film is maddening to sit through because their freak-outs never become ours.”
– Owen Gleiberman, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

“Just because the movie is about people on drugs, I shouldn’t feel like I am on drugs while watching it, but it has some amazing acting performances”
– Willie Waffle, WAFFLEMOVIES.COM

“As Dick’s vision matches up with our times, so does director Richard Linklater’s animation technique match the story’s material. A Scanner Darkly is a joyful wedding of medium and message.”
– Bill Muller, ARIZONA REPUBLIC

Heading South

In the 1980s, three females friends realize how poor and dangerous Haiti is while visiting.

RT Score: 61%
RT Consensus: As touching as it is disturbing, Heading South is an unconventional exploration of desire and longing, with superb performances and direction.

“What is surprising is the delicacy with which Rampling and Cantet — himself better known as a chronicler of men — create a character of such potent feminine hunger.”
– Lisa Schwarzbaum, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

“If you ever wondered how the French would interpret When Stella Got Her Groove Back — and who hasn’t? — look no further than the politically self-conscious Heading South.”
– Jim Slotek, JAM! MOVIES

“It’s nice that they’re finally adapting Harlequin romance novels into movies.”
– Edward Douglas, COMINGSOON.NET

“While the film’s focus is hazy and the dialogue sometimes clunky, it’s still worth seeing . . . a melancholy reminder of the myopia in which privileged, self-absorbed whites can wrap themselves while travelling abroad.”
– Brian Gibson, VUE WEEKLY (EDMONTON, CANADA)

Once in a Lifetime

Documentary about the 1977 New York Cosmos soccer club.

RT Score: 87%
RT Consensus: You don’t have to be a soccer fan to enjoy this stylish, breezy slice of 1970s sports history.

“…a stylish scramble of evocative footage, groovy music, and crazy-candid reminiscences from key players still proud to score.”
– Lisa Schwarzbaum, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

“Another soccer film? Buy, hey, it’s about a NEW YORK soccer team, glorifying the late Steve Ross, the number one corporate viper! For those who believe the world ends at the Hudson River only.”
– Tony Medley, TONYMEDLEY.COM

“Crowder and Dower wonderfully coax the participants to tell us everything and present it in a very entertaining, engaging and informative way that will have fans and non-fans laughing all the way”
– Willie Waffle, WAFFLEMOVIES.COM

“If nothing else, the energetic documentary Once In A Lifetime proves that an audience once existed for soccer in this country, and could be cultivated again.”
– Scott Tobias, ONION AV CLUB

Beowulf & Grendel

Based on the epic tale, Beowulf deals with the myth surrounding his own hero status while leading troops to fight the monster-like man called Grendel.

RT Score: 55%

“Shot entirely in the outback of Iceland, it’s a gallery of hauntingly beautiful locations, and director Sturla Gunnarsson skillfully uses its bleak otherworldliness to distance us from anything familiar and evoke a lost heroic age.”
– William Arnold, SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER

“This film has constant action, drinking jokes, and a blood-thirsty troll.”
– Marcy Dermansky, ABOUT.COM

“Sturla Gunnarsson’s adaptation… despite some pretty awful special-effects makeup [is] a pretty good — and good-looking — version of the tale.”
– Ken Fox, TV GUIDE’S MOVIE GUIDE

” Unfortunately, there is… jarringly contemporary English dialogue… laced with F-bombs and humor straight out of a Monty Python movie.”
– Lou Lumenick, NEW YORK POST

“Icelandic-shot version of the legendary revenge saga is visually arresting and plausibly retrofitted for modern consumption, but lacks the savage bite that might have given the sixth century-set tale real impact.”
– Todd McCarthy, VARIETY

Kill Your Idols

Documentary about the art-punk scene in New York City.

RT Score: 50%

“Kill Your Idols then takes a misguided swerve into the current downtown New York rock scene, so that it can spend more time preaching about the anarchy of the good old days than it does revealing them.”
– Owen Gleiberman, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

“Crary takes the usual talking- heads- and- archival- footage approach, which isn’t really a problem, though the film’s whirlwind approach is.”
– Keith Phipps, ONION AV CLUB

“The film is well done, capturing a brief, unimportant moment in musical history.”
– Eric Lurio, GREENWICH VILLAGE GAZETTE

“Reminds you that for every Sonic Youth, there’s a hundred bad New York bands that can’t play their own instruments.”
– Edward Douglas, COMINGSOON.NET

“The film’s construction isn’t groundbreaking but the shrill freakshow of talking heads is revealing, conveying how revolutionary spirits can spread their own form of oppressive bile.”
– Ed Gonzalez, SLANT MAGAZINE

Nationwide Releases

Both nationwide releasese were Certified Fresh this week. Some of the limited releases have better scores, but they were not Certified Fresh.

Superman Returns

Superman has been away for five years. Lois is with a new guy and has a five-year-old son. Lex Luthor just got out of prison and he’s pissed.

RT Score: 75%
RT Consensus: Singer’s reverent and visually decadent adaptation gives the Man of Steel welcome emotional complexity. The result: a satisfying stick-to-your-ribs adaptation.

“He remembered the cape, the spandex, the shiny boots and the big red S on his chest, but wait. . . . Where’s the personality?”
– Phil Villarreal, ARIZONA DAILY STAR

“I wish that Superman Returns were more original, and (in its first 45 minutes) better paced, but Singer, after two X-Men films, is now a commanding orchestrator of pop spectacle.”
– Owen Gleiberman, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

“Reverent to the point of stasis.”
– Andrew Wright, THE STRANGER (SEATTLE, WA)

“Retaining the spirit of the comic strip, Superman Returns delivers a larger-than-life hero a sardonic villain, splashy special effects and an emotional heart that reinforces the Man of Steel’s vulnerability.”
– Urban Cinefile Critics, URBAN CINEFILE

“Bryan Singer delivers the beautiful new Superman Returns, an impeccably made film, but with little inside.”
– Jeffrey M. Anderson, COMBUSTIBLE CELLULOID

“Watching two hours of a listless, lost, Superman isn’t exactly fun. Compared to Reeves, Reeve, Newton, Cain, and Welling, Routh is a total lightweight. Not only that, but this movie feels old, dated, and like it’s 25 years too late.”
– Michelle Alexandria, ECLIPSE MAGAZINE

The Devil Wears Prada

Based on the novel with the same name, Meryl Streep is an evil editor-in-chief of a fashion magazine. Anne Hathaway is her new assistant trying to get into journalism.

RT Score: 77%
RT Consensus: A rare film that surpasses the quality of its source novel, this Devil is a witty expose of New York’s fashion scene, with Meryl Streep in top form and Anne Hathaway more than holding her own.

“Dilbert meets Sex and the City. I mean that in a good way.”
– Eric Lurio, GREENWICH VILLAGE GAZETTE

“Underneath the canned dialogue and a predictable career-isn’t-everything social message, “The Devil Wears Prada” beats with an earnest heart.”
– Phil Villarreal, ARIZONA DAILY STAR

“Everyone knows that Meryl Streep is the high priestess of drama, but she never gets enough credit for her comedy skills. That should change with The Devil Wears Prada.”
– Peter Travers, ROLLING STONE

“Funny, bitingly clever, and with a superb turn by Streep.”
– Boo Allen, DENTON RECORD CHRONICLE (TX)

“It’s Streep who pops our flashbulbs.”
– Lisa Schwarzbaum, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

“Devil is pretty lightweight stuff. But the performances are so good they elevate everything else.”
– Robert W. Butler, KANSAS CITY STAR

Limited Releases

Room

A wife and mother of two is barely making ends meet while having delusions of a stark, industrial room. After a car accident, she goes in search of the room.

RT Score: 88%

“Cyndi Williams’s performance in Kyle Henry’s Room is a searing articulation of post-traumatic stress disorder.”
– Ed Gonzalez, SLANT MAGAZINE

“It isn’t an easy film, but the world’s already got plenty of easy and easily digestible films. Nervy and confounding pictures, however, we could use more of.”
– Kimberly Jones, AUSTIN CHRONICLE

“Henry’s film is beautifully shot and extraordinarily well acted by Williams, whose face alone says everything about the plight of working mothers who can no longer make ends meet.”
– Ken Fox, TV GUIDE’S MOVIE GUIDE

“Williams gives a superb performance that recalls Ellen Burstyn’s in Darren Aronfsky’s much-praised Requiem for a Dream.”
– V.A. Musetto, NEW YORK POST

Who Killed the Electric Car?

In 1996, electric cars were driving around California. Ten years later, hardly any can be found. They were trashed and hidden from the public due to oil and car companies not wanting to lose their profits.

RT Score: 29%

“A documentary about a car may not sound like the most scintillating movie on the planet, but Paine is a skillful storyteller who spins his yarn with surprising humor.”
– Pam Grady, REEL.COM

“The specifics create a sit-up-and-take-notice aura of doom that pervades the narrative much like Al Gore’s impending disaster doc.”
– Jeanne Aufmuth, PALO ALTO WEEKLY

“By the end of the film, you actually come to mourn the passing of the EV1, a well-intentioned soul that was in the right place at the right time, but was surrounded by the wrong people.”
– Ethan Alter, PREMIERE MAGAZINE

“Certainly makes the case that if the electric cars were available today in mass quantities at competitive prices, they would sell like Girls Gone Wild videos.”
– Jack Mathews, NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

“While there’s no denying the film’s left-leaning point of view, Paine goes to painstakingly lengths to make a rational case rather than an emotional one.”
– Wade Major, BOXOFFICE MAGAZINE

Strangers With Candy

Full-length film version of the former Comedy Central show.

RT Score: 52%
RT Consensus: Occasionally funny, but little more than a jumbled, overextended episode of the TV show. Still, Candy devotees won’t be disappointed.

“Did you ever hear a joke that everyone else finds hilarious and you just don’t get?”
– Edward Douglas, COMINGSOON.NET

“If you loved Amy Sedaris before in a golfer-lady wig and inbred chump’s grin, you’ll maybe love her again here, while wishing she had another TV-episode-size venue for her talents.”
– Lisa Schwarzbaum, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

“Certainly the first 30 minutes of this film are among the most hilarious first 30 minutes of any film. Pity it couldn’t last.”
– Eric D. Snider, ERICDSNIDER.COM

“Despite its faithfulness and frequent funniness, Jerri’s big-screen (mis)adventure never provides more laughs than one of Comedy Central’s TV-on-DVD compilations.”
– Nick Schager, FILMCRITIC.COM

“Diehards will rejoice, while haters will probably not be converted.”
– Daniel Wible, FILM THREAT

“Sedaris is scary brilliant at inhabiting Jerri’s lost soul. It’s just that a little Jerri goes a long, long way, and at feature length, that is too long.”
– Pam Grady, REEL.COM

Wednesday, July 5th

Rock Star: Supernova - CBS - 8/7c

The second season features a brand-new group looking for a lead singer with Tommy Lee from Motley Crue, Jason Newsted from Metallica and Gilby Clarke from Guns N’ Roses. Dave Navarro and Brooke Burke are back as shosts.

Hustle - AMC - 10/9c

The BBC series about con artists returns for a third season on a new night. In the first episode, Danny and Mickey argue over who will lead the team, which ends up with them both naked in the middle of London.

Thursday, July 6th

Big Brother: All Stars - CBS - 8/7c Tue/Thu/Sat

The first episode reveals who was voted into the house from past Big Brother episodes. Then it goes to the usual schedule of Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdays, which is just way too much time to watch people living in a house not doing anything besides driving each other crazy.

The Dudesons - SPIKE - 10pm

Stunt TV from Finland where it has been a huge hit over there for four years.

Raising the Roofs - SPIKE - 10:30pm

Unscripted comedy starring supporting actor Michael Roof, Jr. (Dukes of Hazzard movie, Black Hawk Down) who is visited in Hollywood by his father and uncle from a small Florida town decide to make an open-ended visit.

Friday, July 7th

Monk - USA - 9/8c

Monk returns for its fifth season in a new timeslot. This season’s guest stars are Greg Grunberg, Chi McBride and Stanley Tucci as a method actor playing a tv-version of Monk.

Psych - USA - 10/9c, 90-minute premiere

A young man who is highly observant and his police father (Corbin Bernsen) made him hone his skills when he is a kid so that when he gets older he decides to use these skills to act as a psychic for the poice. His disapproving friend (Dule Hill, West Wing) works as his sidekick.

Sunday, July 9th

Chappelle’s Show - COM - 9/8c

The last sketches Dave Chappelle made before he ran off to South Africa for a bit throwing his $50 million contract out the window. The sketches have been put together for three “lost” episodes Instead of Dave introducing the sketches like the first two seasons, it will be Charlie Murphy and Donnell Rawlings.

Brotherhood - SHO - 10pm

In an Irish neighborhood in Providence, Rhode Island, one brother is a politician trying to do what’s right and the other brother is a mob gangster that has shown up after a seven-year absence.

Intervention - A&E - 10/9c

Documentary series following people with addictions around while their friends and family trying to intervene to get them to quit.

Mind of Mencia - COM - 10/9c

Second season summer premiere of Mencia’s part-sketch, part-man-on-the-street interviews about anything pop culture-related, including racial stereotypes and possibly offensive.

Reno 911 - COM - 10:30/9:30c

The “reality” series follows the Reno cops who comes back for a fourth season on a new night. Last season, Trudy’s serial killer boyfriend finally proposed to her, but all his appeals had just run out. She tried to have a quick wedding before his execution.

Wednesday, July 12th

Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King - TNT - 9/8c

Eight short stories from Stephen King shown over four weeks starring William Hurt, William H. Macy, Kim Delaney, Steven Weber, Samantha Mathis, Jeremy Sisto, Ron Livingston, Henrey Thomas, and Tom Berenger.

Project Runway - BRAVO - 10/9c

The third season of Heidi Klum’s reality show that is searching for the best fashion designer out of fifteen hopefuls.

Friday, July 14th

Stargate: SG-1 - SCI-FI - 9/8c

Season 10 makes this the longest running sci-fi series. Claudia Black (Vala), joins as a regular cast member this season. Richard Dean Anderson is also supposed to stop by more often as a recurring character. The show will also hit its 200th episode this season.

Stargate Atlantis - SCI-FI - 10/9c

Back for its third season, Stargate Atlantis is a successful spin-off from Stargate: SG-1 where another team travels to other worlds through the portal, but this crew is far away from home.

Monday, July 17th

Driving Force - A&E - 9/8c

Reality series following Funny Car champion John Force as his three daughters (ages 23, 19 and 17) all want to follow in his footsteps.

Tuesday, July 18th

Eureka - SCI-FI - 9/8c

The government has been moving the world’s geniuses to a small town in the Pacific Northwest. When a U.S. Marshall becomes stranded in Eureka, he finds out that innovation and chaos often collide in this secret city.

The One: Making a Music Star - ABC - 9/8c

Eleven singers compete to learn from music business professionals and win a major recording contract.

Wednesday, July 26th

30 Days - FX - 10pm

Morgan Spurlock returns for a second season where he documents various month-long experiments. This season starts out with a member of the anti-immigration group the Minutemen lives with a family of illegal immigrants for one month.

Thursday, July 27th

Who Wants to Be a Superhero? - SCI-FI - 9/8C

Stan Lee leads this reality series looking for someone that is willing to give up their job to become a real-life superhero 24/7. The winner will be the star of a new comic Stan Lee will create and be featured in one of Sci-Fi’s fabulous Saturday night original movies.