“Monte Carlo,” starring Disney Channel star Selena Gomez, was released last Saturday along with “Larry Crowne,” and just like “Larry Crowne,” “Monte Carlo” has a less-than-stellar critical performance. It rated at 40% on Rotten Tomatoes; here’s the break-down of what critics thought about it: “…’Monte Carlo’ has its uses. For mothers or grandmothers with a 10-year-old in tow and an afternoon to kill, it’s as safe an outing as a lunch at Schrafft’s used to be, with an order of salisbury steak and a dish of vanilla ice cream after. And it’s no tastier, either.”–Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger “Director and co-writer Thomas Bezucha shows no particular flair for either of…

Title: Happythankyoumoreplease Director: Josh Radnor Starring: Josh Radnor, Malin Ackerman, Kate Mara, Michael Algieri, Zoe Kazan, Pablo Schreiber, Richard Jenkins “Happythankyoumoreplease “ is 2010′s “(500) Days of Summer. “ Which translates to a rewarding and intelligent piece of cinema. We say 2010, for it originally debuted at Sundance in that year, and managed to work its way into select theaters. So it’s kind of strange that the flick is once again being released in a very limited capacity in 2011. Strange because its timely themes are delivered in an award-winning manner. So why the delay for the 2010 Sundance audience award winner? Actor Josh Radnor not only stars in the…

Title: Beastly Director: Daniel Barnz Starring: Alex Pettyfer, Vanessa Hudgens, Neil Patrick Harris, Mary-Kate Olsen, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Peter Krause When you’re going to attempt injecting a modern spin on an overly-told classic tale, you better go for it all the way. This is one of those cases where the people behind the 91 minute “Beastly” had a thought – albeit a borrowed thought – but could not cultivate it to anything special. Or even fresh for that matter. Knowing that, everyone who does venture into the theaters to gaze upon this slacking effort; should laud the powers that be who lured Neil Patrick Harris into this “Beauty and the…

Title: Made in Dagenham Director: Nigel Cole Starring: Sally Hawkins, Daniel Mays, Bob Hoskins, Geraldine James, Nicola Duffet, Lorraine Stanley, Jamie Winstone, Andrea Riseborough, Phil Cornwell, Andrew Lincoln, Rosamund Pike, Miranda Richardson Docu-dramas can usually be interesting no matter what the delivery style chosen by the respective director. All the flick really needs is to introduce the said drama. If the audience isn’t sure about the outcome, the flick is far more intriguing and the characters will resonate more with them. Basically, just live up to your genre labeling and no harm should fall upon thee. Made in Dagenham started to figure this out about two-thirds of the way through….

On the morning of Saturday, December 11, the award-winning feature film The Red Machine will be screened by the Desert Film Society at the Camelot Theatres in Palm Springs (2300 E. Baristo Road, Palm Springs, CA 92262). Doors will open at 9:00 a.m., when complimentary coffee and breakfast pastries will be available, and then the screening will begin at 9:15 a.m. Co-directors Stephanie Argy & Alec Boehm will be attending the Desert Film Society screening, accompanied by members of the cast and crew. They’ll all do a Q&A after the movie and, in keeping with the 1930s setting of The Red Machine, will also do a Depression-era-style raffle giveaway…prizes hand-selected…

Title: The Good Guy Directed By: Julio DePietro Starring: Alexis Bledel, Scott Porter, Bryan Greenberg, Aaron Yoo, Andrew McCarthy, Andrew Stewart-Jones, Anna Chlumsky, Colin Egglesfield, Jeane Fournier, Jessalyn Wanlim, Kate Nauta, Luca Calvani Sometime it’s nice to know exactly what you’re getting into. Even better? When you’re actually given what you expect. You don’t need anything beyond the film’s poster to know that The Good Guy is about two guys fighting for one girl’s heart. Even in the midst of the film, your instincts will keep you one step ahead of the developing plot. There’s nothing wrong with predictability as long as it’s entertaining. Scott Porter is Tommy, an all…

Title: Midgets vs. Mascots Directed by: Ron Carlson (Tom Cool) Starring: Gary Coleman, Jordan Prentice, Jason Mewes and Ron Jeremy Tagline: “Borat meets Jackass” I wasn’t too sure about ‘Midgets vs. Mascots’, mockumentary style comedies are a hit and miss for me. The film stars Gary Coleman, Jason Mewes, “The Hedgehog” Ron Jeremy and a cameo appearance by Scottie Pippen from The Chicago Bulls, how could it not be somewhat amusing? The films official website boasts that ‘Midgets vs. Mascots’ is a “Borat-meets-Jackass shockumentary, five little people and five mascots battle for one million dollars through 30 ridiculous competitions, including how many insults it takes to get punched in a…

Title: Taking of Pelham 123 Starring: Denzel Washington, John Travolta and John Turturro Walter (Denzel Washington) is a New York City subway dispatcher whose normal day is thrown into chaos by an bold crime: the hijacking of a subway train. Ryder (John Travolta), the criminal mastermind behind the hijacking and leader of a highly-armed gang of four, threatens to execute the train’s passengers unless a large ransom is paid within one hour. As the tension mounts beneath his feet, Garber employs his vast knowledge of the subway system in a battle to outwit Ryder and save the hostages. But there’s one riddle Garber can’t solve: even if the thieves get…

Title: Daybreakers Directed by: The Spierig Brothers Starring: Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe, Claudia Karvan, Michael Dorman, Vince Colosimo, Isabel Lucas and Sam Neill. While vampires have been portrayed as sexy and sensitive as they try to recapture their humanity while they form relationships with humans in recent movies and television series, no one has thought what would happen to them if the population they’re trying to emulate suddenly started to dwindle and become extinct. That is, until the Spierig Brothers, two Australian writers and directors, wrote the screenplay for Daybreakers, the new Lionsgate horror/thriller/science-fiction movie starring Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe and Sam Neill. Daybreakers, which is set in 2019, focuses…

Title: Evilution Directed by: Chris Conlee Starring: Starring: Eric Peter-Kaiser, Sandra Ramirez, Tim Colceri and Noel Gugliemi Scores: Technical: 85, Story: 89, Acting: 79, Overall: 85 Evilution… I took one look at the cover art and expected some over the top, b-movie mush that you have playing in the background, while you’re playing Left 4 Dead. But I actually made it through with out being disinterested. Don’t get me wrong, yes, there are plenty of cheesy parts and acting. But all in all it was pretty entertaining. Evilution is a story of an Alien substance that seems to take over the host when injected and, turns them into (YEAH!!!) zombies….