Genre

Cheesy horror-fests can often be cringe worthy. Take a couple of actors, have a few supporting ones that die and put them in a plot where either they face some giant disgusting creature, a ridiculous serial killer or a lot of little pests. The heroes no matter how bumbling they might be somehow come out with the victory and the rest is cinema magic. We received one such movie with the title: Infestation. Maybe this would be the one that is a little better than the rest?

Cooper (played by Chris Marquette) is a slacker. He goes through life just making from one day to the next. He works at a local call center where he is always late and in the middle of obnoxious games. Today, he is late as usual and tries to make it seem like he is working to no avail. It just so happens he is called into his bosses' office. As the boss, Maureen (played by Deborah Geffner) looks like she is about to fire the young employee, a loud screeching sound is made. People cover their ears and everything goes to black.

A mysterious figure digs up the shattered remains of an android in the desert wastes of a very grim, polluted future. The man brings the head and hand in for barter, and they are picked by Hard Moe Baxter (Dylan McDermott, in a role that nicely deconstructs Mad Max). Moe takes the hardware back to the flat of his artist girlfriend (Stacey Travis), who incorporates the pieces into a sculpture. Unfortunately, these remains are part of the M.A.R.K. 13 military droid, and when Moe absents himself, the robot reactivates and goes on the rampage.

If Santa’s making a list, he won’t have to check it twice when it comes to these cheerful little tykes. Lionsgate brings back their popular Ghost House Underground series from last October. The series title likely borrows a bit from the old Grind House Theater that Quentin Tarantino brought back to fashion in the last couple of years. I assume it is intended to denote a horror film that skirts the art house scene. So, how does The Children fit into that mold?

It’s Christmas time in the English countryside. A family has gathered to share some eggnog and Christmas cheer. It’s the typical normal slightly dysfunctional family, and they’re staying in the nice little house in the woods with the children. They definitely drink a lot as the bottle count climbs higher than the bodies after a chainsaw party in Texas. There’s the uncle who wants to get into the pants of his 15 year old niece. Another guy is trying to con his relatives into joining him in a pyramid scheme to smuggle illegal Chinese medicines into the country. But at least the kids are a cheerful bunch. That is, until they appear to contract some kind of a disease that has them spitting up tons of creamy green mucus. Soon the children begin to exhibit aggressive behavior, and before you know it they’re slicin’ and dicin’ their way through the paper mulch snow.

Written by Adrienne Ambush

Imagination is better than knowledge – Albert Einstein

Written by Adrienne Ambush

Imagination is better than knowledge – Albert Einstein

Written by Alexis Quinn

If Nip/Tuck were in the dictionary, chances are you’d find the word “controversy” somewhere close by.

“What is sacrifice? What does it mean to make a real difference?”

What do Al Gore and horror films have in common? To begin with both have been making money trying to scare the crap out of you. The second is that the plot of The Thaw sounds like it could have been penned by Captain Al himself. Lionsgate brings back their popular Ghost House Underground series from last October. The series title likely borrows a bit from the old Grind House Theater that Quentin Tarantino brought back to fashion in the last couple of years. I assume it is intended to denote a horror film that skirts the art house scene. So, how does The Thaw fit into that mold?

“Its cold outside, There's no kind of atmosphere, I'm all alone, More or less.
Let me fly, Far away from here, Fun, fun, fun, In the sun, sun, sun.

I want to lie, Shipwrecked and comatose, Drinking fresh, Mango juice, Goldfish shoals, Nibbling at my toes, Fun, fun, fun, In the sun, sun, sun…”

Mitch Fatel gained a lot of his credentials in stand up comedy by touring clubs around New York City since he was 15.  His genre of perverted sexual comedy is a guilty pleasure of the late night hosts: Jay Leno, David Letterman and Conan O'Brien have him on regularly to perform and act as a correspondent.  Mitch has released two comedy CD's (Miniskirts and Muffins and Super Retardo) that were very successful prior to this Comedy Central special.  To say that his style of comedy is low-brow is the understatement of the year. However, I found myself laughing at some of his material and needing some time to reflect on myself shortly thereafter.

 

Shrink is an exploration of loss.  Henry Carter (Kevin Spacey) is a celebrity psychiatrist with an A-list clientele.  Henry attempts to juggle his career with his ongoing personal battles and he begins to breakdown.  The loss of his wife to suicide sends him into a downward spiral of alcohol and substance abuse.  It is not until he agrees to his first pro bono case with a young girl (Keke Palmer) that Henry attempts to rebuild his life. 

 Kevin Spacey is a brilliant actor.  His performances are usually always strong and he chooses roles that challenge his acting ability.  However, with this film, he seems to have chosen poorly. There are good moments in his performance that do showcase his range. For example, his monologue at the intervention is very strong. Unfortunately, even Spacey cannot carry the entire workload for this film.  The supporting cast is weak.  Dallas Roberts is not believable as the Entourage inspired super agent and Mark Webber is flat as the struggling writer. However, Keke Palmer shines as the conflicted teenager.  Her performance is understated and audiences will admire her strength.