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contributed by
Brandon Carmichael
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Movie
Judge
Nancy Beaty
Bruce Beaty

Julie and Julia   PG-13
Meryl Streep and Amy Adams star in Nora Ephron’s film adaptation of two true stories.
Ok, so Streep steals the show, nothing new there. You expect it and once again you won’t be disappointed.
The storyline is as inventive and fascinating as the distinguished actress.

Streep plays the towering 6 foot 2, Chef Julia Child during her emergence as a French foodie turned
author during the 1950s. Learning her back-story could be a film in and of itself but Director/Producer co-
writer Ephron doesn’t settle for the ordinary. She couples Child’s story with that of Julie Powell (played by
the ever-perky Amy Adams). Petit Julie is a struggling writer caught in the anguishing throes of writer’s
block while stuck working in a depressing government job post-9-11. Her only saving grace is when she
escapes the doldrums with food, Julie Child and determination by tackling the extraordinary chef’s
Mastering the Art of French Cooking recipe by recipe. She chronicles her progress, victories and defeats
on a daily blog which quickly garners a following.

The parallels between these two women as they experience many of the same barriers, fifty years apart,
make this a delicious film. 4 ½  Gavels NBB
Rating System 1 - 5
Fissure

This thriller/mystery indie takes the viewer into the fractured life of Paul Grunning (James McDonald) a
police detective who is sent to investigate a disturbance. What appears to be reality one moment morphs
into something else, entirely. Is it his mind playing tricks or has his past caught up to him?
Well worth the rental.
James McDonald, who has an extensive television career from CSI, ER, Cold Case and a long list of others,
shines in this straight to DVD production and it might prove to send McDonald’s film career on a straight
line to the top. 3 Gavels NBB


This locally made independent film shows promise of good things to come for the producers.
James McDonald, playing the lead role of Detective Paul Grunning, carries the film, even overcoming a
spotty script. The supporting cast is adequate. The police work aspect is not even close to reality but the
time travel portion of the storyline is a good device. Over all, I enjoyed Fissure. 3 Badges BB
The Hangover (R)

This is a rude, crude and socially unacceptable film about 4 guys who travel to Las Vegas for a bachelor
party. The storyline is not so new to Hollywood but the graphic “boys will be boys” mentality is off the
chart.

There are a few random funny parts and a nice wrap up at story’s end but man, oh, man what happens in
between is raw.

One scene with a baby found in the randy group’s penthouse suite is so very distasteful that I am still
reeling from it.
0 Gavels NB

The title tells it all, this film is rude, crude and socially unacceptable, as Nancy says. However it skirts the
edge of being too vulgar. It has some very funny dialogue and situations.
The really distasteful stuff is shown during the credits at the end of the film, this is except for one scene
involving a baby which is found in the film.

Four friends celebrate a bachelor party in Vegas and meet a Chinese mafia-type, a tiger and Mike Tyson
during their adventures. One of the four partiers, an uptight dentist, mysteriously looses a tooth and ends
up in a wedding chapel marriage.
3 Badges BB
A Perfect Getaway (R)

Loved this thriller! Give me twists and turns, keep me on the edge of my seat and tell me a story I’ve
never heard before and you’ve got a winner. A Perfect Getaway hits a homerun!
Not your typical slasher flick. This piece of work incorporates great cinematography with interesting
formats tossed in for interest.
Stars Steve Zahn (Sunshine Cleaning, Rescue Dawn, That Thing That You Do and You’ve Got Mail),
Timothy Olyphant (Deadwood and Samantha Who), Milla Jovovich (Star of the 3 released Resident Evil
flicks  with the fourth, Resident Evil Afterlife, in pre-production) Kiele Sanchez (Lost and Samantha Who
connection).
4 Gavels NBB

It’s nice to be shocked. What I anticipated to be a formula film, in this case a slasher movie with
attractive people and a killer who won’t die, turned out to surprise me.  

Cliff and Cydney, played by Steve Zahn and Milla Jovovich, are honeymooning in Hawaii when they decide
to hike to an isolated beach. Along the way, they learn that another newlywed couple has been murdered
on the big island. On their continued trek to the remote shore they encounter Nick and Gina, played by
Timothy Olyphant and Kiele Sanchez. Nick, a former drug Special Forces agent seems to be a likeable yet,
kooky guy and Gina can gut a goat like nobody’s business.
See the film to find out what becomes of the happy honeymooners. 4 Badges BB
Transformer Revenge of the Fallen (PG-13)

The much anticipated sequel has arrived and for some it will be better than they imagined. The special effects and action are
dynamite, there is a nice dose of humor and the good guys triumph.

Disappointment #1 – Not as family friendly as I had hoped! There’s a lot of crass humor, with a constant theme referring to
the male anatomy. The little kiddos who play with the Transformer toys today,
shouldn’t see this film due to the violence, language and sexually suggestive scenes. Leaves them out of the movie marketing
mix but the target audience seems to be the kids who played with the original Hasbro Transformer toys in the early 80s and
are now in their 20s.

Disappointment #2 – The film is 150 minutes in length – that’s 2.5 hours, folks. About 20 minutes too long. Storyline could
have been trimmed and had a better lasting memory.
Disappointment #3 – At times I had difficulty understanding the bots dialogue making it difficult to follow along.
Shia LaBeouf has great acting chops and carries this film, having matured in the talent area since the first Transformer flick.
Megan Fox plays his beautiful girlfriend but has little to offer the film other than sexual tension – evidenced from her
opening scene until the film’s end.
John Turturro plays Agent Simmons and offers the funniest lines. Too bad many of them were a bit off color.
Bottom line: See this film without the kids, don’t buy the big drink – there’s no intermission, clean the wax out of your ears
and definitely be prepared for robot action overdrive. 3 Gavels NB

Spielberg and Michael Bay have a winner on their hands. Transformer Revenge of the Fallen has fantastic computer
generated effects and the plot is much more involved than its prequel.

Shia LaBeouf does a great job and Megan Fox is beautiful, however the real stars are the special effects. The transformers are
awesome and the desert scenes at the Egyptian ruins are convincingly realistic.

The only low point was the language and crude humor which grated on the sensibilities.
This sequel is better than its predecessor maybe because we are familiar with the characters and plot line. Optimus Prime
(voiced by Peter Cullen) is the real star of this film. 4 Badges BB
MOON (R)
opens July 3, 2009
Moon, directed by Duncan  Jones – son of rocker David Bowie, is a futuristic SCI-FY with heart.
Astronaut Sam Bell, played brilliantly by Sam Rockwell, is stationed alone on the moon, with only a robot
named Gerty (voiced by Kevin Spacey) to keep him company. Under a three-year contract to extract
Earth's crucial source of energy, Helium-3, Sam is two weeks away from going home to his loving wife and
daughter when things begin to go awry. Sam's health starts to deteriorate and then he stumbles upon a
secret.
Moon has it all; suspense, compassion, love, humor and volatility tossed in with great special effects and a
storyline that will touch both men and women. Sam Rockwell does a phenomenal job with this role. Not
often does an actor snag a role where he is offered the opportunity to act out such vastly different
persona, at so many different emotional levels, and Rockwell nails every challenge.
This film was premiered at the Sundance Film Festival where it was picked up by Sony Picture Classics
4 Gavels NB (97 minutes)

The title is as sparse as the movie. Not in a bad way. It’s a good minimalist movie.
Sam Rockwell stars in this SCI-FY picture which takes place in the future when helium is being mined on
the moon. This is a great film about some of today’s ethical quandaries about genetics and human
engineering. Sam Rockwell turns in a stellar performance. The special effects are simple but well done
and add depth to the film.
A must see movie. 4 Badges BB
THE PROPOSAL (PG-13)
TOUCHSTONE PICTURES

This is a fun summer chick flick that the guys won’t mind going to see.

Margaret (SANDRA BULLOCK), the Cruella DeVille of book editors, is looking deportation right in the face until
she talks her much-maligned assistant, Andrew, (RYAN REYNOLDS) into a quickie marriage with the promise of
an equally quick divorce.
When the couple travels to Alaska to meet Ryan’s family (MARY STEENBURGEN, CRAIG T. NELSON and
BETTY WHITE) the really funny scenes begin. Sure you can guess the ending, it is predictable but the journey to
story’s end is funny and sweet.
Rated PG-13 due to Sexual content, nudity and language. Amazing what they think 13 year olds can witness in the
nudity category. Sandra Bullock bares nearly all, with a few strategically placed bath amenities. Check out http:
//myspace.com/ProposalMovie for sneaks and bloopers.
3 Gavels NB