Movies Dearz

Did you ever have a dish with all the right ingredients that still came out tasting awful? It’s either a bad recipe or a bad cook that’s responsible, and the same maladies bring down Scream 4. Director Wes Craven and writer Kevin Williamson have every cast member who lived through Screams 1 through 3, the same sets, the same Ghostface mask and the same sensibilities as the previous Scream movies... namely a knowing wink at the slasher movie genre. That’s the main problem; with so much sameness, including a really cobbled-together, by-the-numbers script by openly gay Williamson, Scream 4 feels like a nightmare you might have after falling asleep watching the original films, one in which people don’t act like real people, hospitals are completely empty of staff, and families of murder victims still live in the house where their loved ones were slaughtered.

The opening of Scream 4 is the best part, in which an oddly self-aware couple of sisters begin getting crank calls from a familiar prankster. There will be blood spilled, but whose blood, I won’t say. Suffice it to say that Kirsten Bell and Anna Paquin figure into the puzzle before the main feature begins. Williamson is still great with dialogue, having one nubile lass gag at the thought of watching “torture porn” like the Saw movies.


As the film settles in, we’re back in Woodsboro, where Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) is ending her book tour for her self-help guide, "Out of Darkness". Gale and Dewey (Courtney Cox and David Arquette) are not-so-happily married; he’s the Sheriff and she is a creatively-blocked writer unable to escape the shadow of her True Crime books based on the events of Scream. Sidney’s Aunt Kate and Cousin Jill (Mary McDonnell and Emma Roberts) inexplicably live in the Prescott family murder house, but welcome Cousin Sidney back with wary arms, once bodies begin piling up. Jill’s pal even calls Sidney the Angel of Death. Much like Antonia on Top Chef, anyone around Sidney ends up on the chopping block.

Despite more clever dialogue, Scream 4 goes through its very familiar motions, including a new generation of Woodsboro teens clearly handpicked to echo previous victims like Jamie Kennedy’s film geek and Rose McGowan’s garage door-averse sexpot. The twisty ending holds together, but depends on too much implausibility to earn your respect. “The only way to survive a horror movie today is by being gay” is one of the new rules, spoken by someone who has clearly forgotten Single White Female and Copycat. I wish Scream 4 was better; all of the cast members are game (even when sent grocery shopping while a killer is loose) but they don’t behave like actual people. Why should we care? Especially when actual soulless killers from the 9/11 terrorists to Tucson shooter Jared Loughner have shown us what real evil looks like.

UPDATE: Scream 4 is now available on DVD and Blu-rayfrom Amazon.com.

Review by Neil Cohen, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and Phoenix's Echo Magazine.

Seven years later, and Pixar’s superhero epic The Incredibles is still, well, pretty incredible. Now released, for the first time this week, on a high definition Disney Blu-ray, the Academy Award-winning adventure still ranks as one of the best of its genre, even with such newer entrants as The Dark Knight and Iron Man in the mix...

Click here to continue reading my Toon Talk review of The Incredibles Blu-ray at LaughingPlace.com.

The 9th annual Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) opens tonight, with red carpet festivities and five days of screenings taking place at the ArcLight in Hollywood. Among the films being shown are the Los Angeles premiere of the award-winning I Am Kalam and the closing world premiere Sunday of Disney's first Hindi-language production, Zokkomon.

In disappointing news for GLBT filmgoers of all nationalities, the controversial 2010 gay drama Dunno Y? Na Jaane Kyun is not included in the line up. It has been described as "India's answer to Brokeback Mountain" and reportedly includes the first gay kiss in Indian cinema's history. On the plus side, though, two other excellent GLBT-themed films will be shown during IFFLA.


One is the feature-length documentary I Am, which is not to be confused with the similarly-titled I Am... that is also screening during the fest. In Sonali Gulati's searching, partly autobiographical film, 21 GLBT individuals and their families are interviewed about their experiences dealing with homosexuality in conservative Indian society. While parents telling their openly GLBT children "You have shamed us" is a depressingly common refrain, a handful of courageous mothers and fathers have lovingly embraced their often ostracized offspring. As one father wisely asks, "If I don't accept my (gay) son, will that make him any more of a (heterosexual) man?"

Among those featured in the doc are Prince Manvendra, a former member of one of India's royal families who was publicly disowned and disinherited by his parents after he came out as a gay man. Never mind that he had already suffered a nervous breakdown after his heterosexual marriage failed because of his desire for men. Today, though, Manvendra is one of a slowly growing number of happy and respected public faces of homosexuality in India.


In a society where homosexual relations have historically been criminalized, doctors tout homeopathic "cures" for homosexuality, and most heterosexual marriages are still arranged, there is all the more pressure on GLBT people to conform. Gulati frames I Am with her own personal story, which includes coming out on an Indian TV talk show and her attempts to reconcile her relationship with her now-deceased mother. She navigates a lot of sexual, emotional and geographic territory in her 75-minute documentary and does so spectacularly.

IFFLA will also present the provocative and very well-made short film Beholder. Set in a frighteningly believable United States of the not-too-distant-future where the map has been re-drawn into conservative and liberal political halves, a pregnant woman married to a right-wing politician is informed that their unborn child will be homosexual. Since homosexuality has been outlawed in "Red Estates," the mother-to-be is legally required to receive a gene-modifying injection that will make the baby straight. If she doesn't, she and her baby will be banished to the liberal states, where life is described in horrific terms.


She finds this an unexpectedly difficult dilemma, and wrestles with it for the short's 25 minutes. Both support and opposition are found coming from surprising sources. Directed by the talented Nisha Ganatra, Beholder is an intelligent, unsettling vision of how literally-divisive an issue we Americans threaten to allow homosexuality to become.

For additional information on the 2011 Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles and the films being shows, please visit the fest's official website.

Preview by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and the Blade California.

Just Go with It (2011) movie trailer

Synopsis
A plastic surgeon, romancing a much younger schoolteacher, enlists his loyal assistant to pretend to be his soon to be ex-wife, in order to cover up a careless lie. When more lies backfire, the assistant's kids become involved, and everyone heads off for a weekend in Hawaii that will change all their lives.

Starring: Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, Nicole Kidman, Nick Swardson, Brooklyn Decker
Directed by: Dennis Dugan
Produced by: Adam Sandler, Heather Parry, Jack Giarraputo
Genres: Comedy | Romance
Release Date: 4 February 2011
Writers: Allan Loeb, Timothy Dowling
Runtime: 117 min

Trailer for movie Just Go with It

Music video for song Back To December performed by Taylor Swift.

"Back to December" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. The song was written by Taylor Swift and produced by Nathan Chapman, and Taylor Swift. It was sent to country radio on November 15, 2010, by Big Machine Records as the second single from Swift's third studio album, Speak Now. According to Taylor Swift, "Back to December" is the first time she ever apologizes to someone in a song. Upon its release as a promotional single, critics speculated that the song is about Taylor Lautner, Swift's ex-boyfriend, although neither Taylor Swift nor Lautner has confirmed nor denied these allegations. "Back to December" is considered an orchestral country pop ballad and its lyrics are a remorseful plea for forgiveness for breaking up with a former lover.

"Back to December" was positively received by critics, who regarded it as one of the highlights of Speak Now. Critics have praised the song for its expressive lyrics, its indelible melody, and Swift's vocal improvement. The song enjoyed commercial success in United States, debuting at number six on the Billboard Hot 100, and at number seven in Canada, and at number three on the Billboard Hot Country Songs. Internationally, the song received moderate success, peaking at number twenty-four in New Zealand, and number twenty-six in Australia.

Taylor Swift - Back To December (Music Video)

Music video for song The Best Thing About Me Is You performed by Ricky Martin.

"The Best Thing About Me Is You" is a Ricky Martin's single featuring Joss Stone, from his album Música + Alma + Sexo. Martin performed this song with Stone for the first time on The Oprah Winfrey Show on November 2, 2010. The song was released to iTunes the same day. The song had earlier premiered on radio's Ryan Seacrest show.

The original English version of the song features singer Joss Stone, while its Spanish version, "Lo Mejor de Mi Vida Eres Tú", replaces Stone's vocals with Natalia Jiménez. Ricky Martin recorded also a Banda Remix of "Lo Mejor de Mi Vida Eres Tú" featuring Jenni Rivera. In Germany and Austria, "The Best Thing About Me Is You" featuring Edita was released.

Ricky Martin - The Best Thing About Me Is You (Music Video)

Music video for song The Last Dance performed by Clare Maguire.

"The Last Dance" is the second single by English singer-songwriter Clare Maguire, released from her debut album Light After Dark. This song was written the day Michael Jackson died in memory of him. It was released in the United Kingdom on 20 February 2011 through Polydor Records.

A music video was made for the single and was uploaded to YouTube on the 8 January 2011. The music video was directed by Alex & Liane.

Clare Maguire - The Last Dance (Music Video)