More Mini Reviews
Dawn of the Dead 2004 (R)
Zack Snyder's remake falls well short of George Romero's classic. About the only thing that's been improved upon here are the Zombies and their makeup. The original touched on so many poignant issues of the day--blind consumerism, racism, and more--but,aside from the mall, the remake fails to strike the same meaningful cords. Ving Rhames and Mekhi Phifer play up the hood verses cop motif in the beginning of the story but this falls by the wayside when Phifer's girlfriend starts giving birth to... something. The film varies greatly from the original and for the most part these variations are not for the better. In the end, as the credits roll, the story simply reverts to genre cliche, offering us nothing new whatsoever. There were so many plot twists inherent to the story for the filmmakers to arrive at a creative ending but their failure to pounce of the obvious yields nothing but hardcore disappointment. CATV
Diamond Men (R)
In this surprisingly sweet tale of friendship, Robert Forester and Donnie Wahlberg play traveling diamond salesmen. Forester is being forced to retire from the business because a recent hear attack has left him uninsurable to transport the sample case he carries. The value of said case hovers somewhere between $1-2 million bucks at any given time. The company allows Forester to hang onto his job just a little while longer in order to train Wahlberg to take over his route. Eventually the two form a bond as the story builds to a nice resolution. Jasmine Guy joins the cast as the owner of a remote brothel who genuinely cares for both characters. RENTAL
A Cinderella Story (G)
Hilary Duff revisits the fairy tale with a modern spin. She meets her prince online and immediately they make the connection. Both long to go to Princeton but both are trapped in families that are less-than-supportive. The father of this young prince has big plans for his son, living vicariously through him as he pushes his son towards USC and a football scholarship. Meanwhile, Jennifer Coolidge makes for an amusing "wicked step-mother" seeking to keep Duff shackled inside her father's old diner forever and ever. The story has some moments and Duff's charm far exceeds that of most of her Hollywood counterparts which is refreshing. CATV
Zack Snyder's remake falls well short of George Romero's classic. About the only thing that's been improved upon here are the Zombies and their makeup. The original touched on so many poignant issues of the day--blind consumerism, racism, and more--but,aside from the mall, the remake fails to strike the same meaningful cords. Ving Rhames and Mekhi Phifer play up the hood verses cop motif in the beginning of the story but this falls by the wayside when Phifer's girlfriend starts giving birth to... something. The film varies greatly from the original and for the most part these variations are not for the better. In the end, as the credits roll, the story simply reverts to genre cliche, offering us nothing new whatsoever. There were so many plot twists inherent to the story for the filmmakers to arrive at a creative ending but their failure to pounce of the obvious yields nothing but hardcore disappointment. CATV
Diamond Men (R)
In this surprisingly sweet tale of friendship, Robert Forester and Donnie Wahlberg play traveling diamond salesmen. Forester is being forced to retire from the business because a recent hear attack has left him uninsurable to transport the sample case he carries. The value of said case hovers somewhere between $1-2 million bucks at any given time. The company allows Forester to hang onto his job just a little while longer in order to train Wahlberg to take over his route. Eventually the two form a bond as the story builds to a nice resolution. Jasmine Guy joins the cast as the owner of a remote brothel who genuinely cares for both characters. RENTAL
A Cinderella Story (G)
Hilary Duff revisits the fairy tale with a modern spin. She meets her prince online and immediately they make the connection. Both long to go to Princeton but both are trapped in families that are less-than-supportive. The father of this young prince has big plans for his son, living vicariously through him as he pushes his son towards USC and a football scholarship. Meanwhile, Jennifer Coolidge makes for an amusing "wicked step-mother" seeking to keep Duff shackled inside her father's old diner forever and ever. The story has some moments and Duff's charm far exceeds that of most of her Hollywood counterparts which is refreshing. CATV
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