Kirk, played by Jay Baruchel (Knocked Up, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist), is a twenty something with low self-esteem working security at an airport. As he struggles to get over his ex-girlfriend, who just so happens to still hang out at his house with her new boyfriend, he runs into Molly, played by Alice Eve (Crossing Over). Molly is an event planner that is fed up with dating jerky, muscle-headed guys. Molly decides she needs to date a different type of guy, a safe choice. This is where Kirk comes in.

Molly begins to invite Kirk to some of her events. Initially, Kirk thinks Molly is just being nice but eventually realizes she has an interest in him. As the two begin to date, their friends tell them it won’t work out because they’re just not in the same league. The more Kirk hears his friends doubt him the more he begins to doubt himself. This goes on until we get that typical ending that we all knew was coming.

At some point you expect the jokes to kick in. They don’t. At least not jokes in the plural form. There’s a running bit in the film about guys that drive Neons that made me chuckle, mostly because I myself, drive a Dodge Neon (the Neon driven by Kirk in the movie is actually the Plymouth version though). Other than that, no humor was to be found. The movie had its fair share of awkward moments, but none of them were funny.

The one positive thing I did take from the movie was the performance from Baruchel. I went into this movie doubting he could do well in a lead role. I’ve since changed my mind. I think Baruchel did the best he could with the script he had. Maybe it had to do with the fact that I could relate with the main character, but Baruchel’s portrayal felt real. I’m excited to see what roles he lands in the future.

To me, this movie felt like a generic version of a Judd Apatow film. It seems that’s the audience the film’s writers chose to target, but they ended up missing their mark. With that being said, the movie was better than I had expected, however, I went in not expecting much. If She’s Out of My League were a baseball player, it would be in the minors.

Alice hits in one place where Burton’s 2005 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory missed; it serves as a compendium to the Walt Disney cartoon classic, not a replacement.

Alice’s adventure begins at the age of 19 and marks her return to Wonderland; walking the path she walked years earlier as a young girl in her, would-be, dreams. This time, though, the mystery and delight is beset by the self-doubt and apprehension of a girl on the verge of womanhood.

Burton’s adventure is magically haunting – never frightening, as he crafts an elegant fable complete with all the necessary creatures and characters. Johnny Depp, as the lovable Mad Hatter, shines but never outshines an amazing ensemble cast including Mia Wasikowska (Alice), Helena Bonham Carter (Red Queen), and Anne Hathaway (White Queen).

The true strength of the film lies in its ability to allow the visuals to tell the story and let possibility run the show. The 3-D is elegantly immersive and invites audiences to join Alice (and Burton) on the enchanting ride through Wonderland. It’s a don’t-miss movie for inner children of all ages.

View the trailer below:

Neil Truglio is the writer and director of We Are the Sea, a new film from Modest Films

In typical buddy cop fashion, Willis plays Jimmy Monroe, the straight man to Morgan’s kooky Paul Hodges. The two veteran cops play by nobody’s rules but their own—much to the chagrin of the boss—but always manage to catch the bad guys. When Jimmy’s treasured baseball card is stolen, the two set out to find the card, stumbling into a kidnapping plot along the way.

I’ll admit, the fact that Smith directed the film made me instantly cautious. While Smith’s earlier work (Clerks, Chasing Amy, Dogma) was sharp, clever and entertaining, his recent films would be better described as a self-indulgent trip back to the well of Dante and Randal or Jay and Silent Bob. He was living proof that one person taking on several responsibilities, like acting, directing, producing, and editing can lead to Tommy Wiseau-esque results. In addition to his films, his Evening With Kevin Smith DVDs only escalated his douchiness, with Smith babbling for hours about bowel movements as his devoted flock of followers listened. Smith just kept moving farther away from auteur and closer to being that annoying kid in college who thinks he’s so much smarter than everyone else in class.

Thankfully, Smith did not pen the script for Cop Out. Instead, brothers Mark and Robb Cullen, who come from the TV world, wrote it with Smith taking on the roles of editor and director. Smith even stated that it was not his movie, and let’s be thankful for that.

Instead of drawn-out, dialogue-heavy scenes where characters discuss Star Wars for ages, Cop Out tells its story with shoot-em-up action. Practically every scene involves some kind of shooting, which probably merited the R rating far more than any potentially offensive lines.

Essentially, the film boils down to gunfights combined with Morgan’s unique comedic flavor. The opening scene with Paul interrogating a suspect using only famous movie quotes gets laughs solely because of Morgan’s delivery, however the scene has little to do with the rest of the film. Most of the funny dialogue isn’t really related to the plot and, while very amusing, seems better suited for a gag reel as opposed to a cinematic story.

All the comedic work doesn’t fall solely on Morgan’s shoulders and Seann Willam Scott brings the humor with his eagerly optimistic burglar. A scene with Scott in the back of a police car talking to Morgan and Willis is one of the highlights of the film. His character stands out in much the same way as Neil Patrick Harris’s cameo in Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle.

Thankfully, Cop Out was much better than I expected—but in all fairness, I expected Clerks 2 with a badge. I was definitely relieved to see that Smith’s chubby little fingerprints weren’t all over this movie. Morgan and Scott brought the comedy, Willis brought his trademark action, and the Cullen brothers brought a script that didn’t feature Dante and Randal. In the end, Cop Out proves that less Kevin Smith is definitely more.

Shutter Island

Set in 1954, the film tells the story of U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio) and his partner Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) as they investigate the case of escaped inmate Rachel Solando, a multiple murderess, at the Shutter Island mental hospital for the criminally insane. As the story unfolds, Daniels, a sharp and observant investigator, grows suspicious of the doctors at the institution and discovers that nothing is as it seems. As a hurricane bears down on the island, twists involving barbaric experiments and sinister surgeries come to light and Daniels learns he must delve into his own troubled past and traumatic memories to figure out the truth.

DiCaprio has been regarded as one of the seminal actors of his generation and, after seeing his performance in Shutter Island, it’s not hard to see why. He has such control over emotion and facial expression that he can speak volumes without actually uttering a single line. The furrowed-brow intensity he uses in every film always seems to fit, weather it’s William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet, The Departed, or Blood Diamond. His face always reads well and he’s able to convey so much through his eyes. Here, he makes the audience identify with Daniels so deeply that we begin to grow equally paranoid and suspicious as he uncovers more of the tangled web.

Most of DiCaprio’s best performances have come under the direction of Scorsese, whose knowledge and respect for film has translated into some of the best movies of the past several decades. Here he takes the moral ambiguity and unfolding mystery of classic noir films from the 1940s and mixes them with the kind of amped up complexity missing from many of today’s mainstream blockbusters. Quick glimpses into Daniels’ past during WWII and dreams about his deceased wife are just enough to keep audiences intrigued without giving away too much. Nonverbal exchanges between characters build up the mystery. As the plot turns darker, the scenes reflect that theme, feeling more claustrophobic and foreboding.

The film is adapted from the novel of the same name by Dennis Lehane, author of Mystic River and Gone, Baby, Gone among other works. Lehane’s writing contains complex and fascinating plots with moral ambiguity and mystery. With Shutter Island, Scorsese and DiCaprio maintain the intensity needed for this type of story.

Shutter Island is sure to keep audiences enthralled with a mystery that will fascinate even those who have read the book. This psychological thriller is a rewarding change of pace from the simplistic story lines of the average movie today and solidifies the dynamic duo of Scorsese and DiCaprio.

Set in the 1880s The Wolfman tells the story of Talbot as he returns to his father (Anthony Hopkins) at the family estate to help look for his missing brother. Soon, he discovers that his brother has been killed by the same savage creature that has been menacing the local town. The villagers hunt down the creature and Lawrence is attacked in a local gypsy settlement. As he is stitched up by an old gypsy woman, he is warned of the werewolf curse. His brother’s fiancée Gwen Conliffe (Emily Blunt) stays on to take care of him as the two discover that his wounds are healing at an unnatural speed. Soon, a detective from Scotland Yard (Hugo Weaving) arrives to investigate and Lawrence comes to realize the brutal nature of the beast first hand. As the story rolls on, Lawrence and Gwen start to realize what must be done to end the curse.

Riffing on the plot of the original film, The Wolfman ups the ante with more blood, more action, and more CG transformation scenes. Shots of del Toro becoming the wolf are like a digital version of American Werewolf in London and the full wolf makeup is almost exactly like the 1941 version. The movie also packs lots of quick scares with loud noises or flashes of the wolfman growling menacingly. Still, the spooky estate home covered in cobwebs and characters in the gypsy settlement instantly draw comparison to horror parodies like Mel Brook’s Dracula: Dead and Loving It. A scene of man getting his head ripped off will make you laugh, even if you’re not sure you’re supposed to.

The film struggles with trying to be both a throwback to the original classic and an action-packed modern horror movie at the same time. Is it a funny and amusing B-movie or a big budget re-imagining with a cast of well-known stars? It feels hard to determine how seriously to take the performances when you’re not sure of the real tone of a scene. The common locations (an English pub, the misty moors, a spooky mansion) and archetypal characters (an old gypsy woman, hostile townsfolk, a disbelieving detective) seem like tongue-in-cheek tributes to classic horror films of the past, but are played with sincerity, leading to some confusion with interpretation. If you’re looking for sound effects and action, you’ll get them, and if you’re looking for shout-outs to the original, you’ll get those, but navigating the scenes in between can be tough. The true tone of the film will most likely be determined by each individual depending on experience with the genre and the original film.

Kick-Ass
Director: Matthew Vaughn.
Screenwriters: Jane Goldman and Matthew Vaughn
Cast: Aaron Johnson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Mark Strong, Chloë Grace Moretz and Nicolas Cage.
Plot: A twisted, funny, high-octane adventure, based on the comic written by Mark Millar and John S. Romita, Jr. The film tells the story of average teenager Dave Lizewski, a comic-book fanboy who decides to take his obsession as inspiration to become a real-life superhero. (World Premiere)

At the beginning of 2010, everyone knew that Kick-Ass would appeal to comic book fans. Those unfamiliar with the comic had no idea that the mortal-heroes included a little girl who would much rather get a Beretta than a doll house for her birthday.

A recent announcement was the premiere of MacGruber. It’s a movie that spoofs MacGuyver, and has apparently lead to a lawsuit from the ever-resourceful secret agent. It’s a beloved skit on SNL and has the potential to be a hilarious movie with The Lonely Island’s Jorma Taccone taking on the role of director. As one of the only enjoyable moments in any SNL episode these days, MacGruber shouldn’t disappoint.

MacGruber
Director: Jorma Taccone.
Screenwriters: Will Forte, John Solomon and Jorma Taccone
Cast: Will Forte, Kristen Wiig, Ryan Phillippe, Powers Boothe, Maya Rudolph and Val Kilmer
Plot: Will Forte brings his clueless soldier of fortune to the big screen in the action-comedy MacGruber. (World Premiere)

MacGruber isn’t the only comedy. Cyrus is a film starring John C. Reilly and Jonah Hill, who hopefully aren’t typecast to their typical roles.

Cyrus
Directors: Jay and Mark Duplass
Screenwriters: Jay and Mark Duplass
Cast: John C. Reilly, Jonah Hill, Marisa Tomei, Catherine Keener, Matt Walsh
Plot: With John’s social life at a standstill and his ex-wife about to get remarried, a down on his luck divorcee finally meets the woman of his dreams, only to discover she has another man in her life – her son. Written and directed by Jay and Mark Duplass, the iconoclastic filmmaking team behind The Puffy Chair, Cyrus takes an insightful, funny and sometimes heartbreaking look at love and family in contemporary Los Angeles.

The last movie on the headlining list that will garner much attention because of its star power is The Runaways. Kristen Stewart has shown her range in Adventureland and become a superstar with Twilight, but her portrayal of Joan Jett might help push her career in a different, non-vampire direction. Of course, Dakota Fanning is a proven veteran who will not disappoint as the scribe Cherie Currie. It is a bit odd that the film, based on a book preaching an anti-drug message, includes the casting of Tatum O’Neal — just saying.

The Runaways
Director: Floria Sigismondi
Screenwriter: Floria Sigismondi
Cast: Kristen Stewart, Dakota Fanning, Scout Taylor-Compton, Michael Shannon, Alia Shawkat, Tatum O’Neal
Plot: The Runaways follows two friends, Joan Jett (Kristen Stewart) and Cherie Currie (Dakota Fanning), as they rise from rebellious Southern California kids to rock stars of the now legendary group that paved the way for future generations of girl bands.

There is no doubt that the 2010 SXSW Film Festival will be a great place to geek out in one of the hipster centrals of the Midwest. Each headlining movie should continue to validate the amazing talent that comes to this festival every year.

For the entire list of films at this year’s SXSW Film Festival check out SXSW.com.

Like NBC’s claims about Leno, the claims about Apple’s iPad seems to fall well short of revolutionary.

Everyone was looking for the next cultural phenomenon from the wizard of Cupertino. Instead of the next big “game changer” like iTunes, the iPod or the iPhone, that would completely change the way be bought and consumed media, we were given a retread. When I first saw Jobs reveal the tablet I thought, “it looks like an over sized iPhone”. When he shared the inner workings of the machine my suspicions were confirmed. Honestly, I’d rather Apple had shown off the technology they used to enlarge an iPhone than what was displayed. At least that technology would make Rick Moranis proud.

If the lack of anything truly unique wasn’t bad enough, they decided to name the thing the iPad. The iPad? That sounds like something that my iPhone has to use once a month, not something that is suppose to save the publishing interest. When Jobs describe the device as ultra thin, I thought the next thing he was going to tell those in attendance was that it also “had wings”.

On top of that, in order to get books, internet, music and movies on the go, iPad owners will have to pay $30 a month for the privilege to access AT&T’s spotty 3G coverage.

I don’t think that’s what The Beatles had in mind when they sang

You say you want a revolution
Well, you know
We all want to change the world

Jay Leno didn’t revolutionize television and the iPad won’t revolutionize media.

Revolutionary things are the ones that happen organically. That are driven by passion and that change the way people act, think and interact. The Beatles were revolutionary. HDTV was revolutionary. Facebook and Twitter were revolutionary. TeamConan was empowering and revolutionary in the media space,

The term revolutionary shouldn’t be a buzz word and it shouldn’t be a cliche. It most certainly isn’t a retread late night host or a re-purposed piece of technology.

I’ve lived in Nashville off and on for ten years now and the above description has pretty much quickly become a weekly event for me. It hurts the soul after a while. In fact the list of friend’s bands I hadn’t seen was more or less down to one–I should be honest, it was down to one.

I’d been putting it off for nearly the entire time I’d been friends with these guys and I’m fairly sure my excuses were getting exponentially more extravagant and ridiculous. Eventually, I was trapped. I was sitting at a bar, with the guitarist and he asked me the right question after just the right amount of beer.

“Want to come to our show tomorrow night? Should be some pretty cute girls.”

Sure. They’re all good looking guys, so it makes sense they’d bring in some pretty good looking girls. How painful could it possibly be? I won a junior student company theater award in college, I can convince anyone I love anything.

The reason I’ve waited this long to mention the name of the band, or identify any of its members, is because I didn’t want this to look like a puff piece. It’s really not, and I certainly never really intended to write an article about these guys, but sometimes you get lucky and hit on a fantastic band at just the right time.

The band is Kissing Robots, and yes, they actually do sound like The Killers. They love playing together, their live shows are surprisingly tight, and the music is actually well written with creative melodies and some incredibly catchy hooks (including one that may, or may not, be the Inspector Gadget theme). They’ve actually got a future. And when I say that, considering the hundreds of friends and friends of friends bands I’ve been forced to endure the past ten years, I really, really mean it.

I won’t turn this into a review of the band or their album. One, that wouldn’t be fair to them because they’re still finding their sound and direction, and two, I’m god awful at writing music critiques. I have three basic opinions: It’s ok, like it, and love it. I marvel at the decision making power of Roger Ebert because I’m too indecisive to even go with thumbs up or thumbs down. It’s just important to note that I really loved these guys and, if you refer back to my rating chart above, that’s the highest rating I give.

I’ve never really actually discovered cool music before. Sure, I can surprise some of my friends with something new and hip, but I have several friends who are light years ahead of me, most notable is my best friend Megan. I swear there are drum circles in the fucking Congo who’s LP she already owns, and I have never, ever, been able to introduce her to someone worthwhile. But the other night I handed her a burned copy of the Kissing Robots album and told her to give it a listen. It was one of the more satisfying experiences of my life.

Friends bands are really, almost always, 99.9% of the time, an experience to never force on yourself. But sometimes it pays off and you might get to look really cool.

The second point I wanted to make, by the way, is this: never, ever, under any circumstances say “We should start a band.” Your friends will thank you.

The film is set in a world where humans haven’t evolved the gene to lie, so everyone is brutally honest. Out of nowhere, middle-class loser Mark Bellison (Gervais) suddenly discovers that he has the ability to say things that aren’t true and comedy ensues as he uses his newfound power to get money and stick it to people who wronged him. Along the way, he inadvertently creates religion and becomes an icon before learning that the one thing he really wants (Jennifer Garner) can’t be attained through lying. The film is funny, though the unbelievably stellar cast (including Rob Lowe, Louis C.K., Tina Fey, Jonah Hill, Jeffrey Tambour and even appearances by Jason Bateman and Philip Seymour Hoffman) is a bit underutilized. It could have been the funniest movie of the year, but instead it was just another good comedy.

Thankfully, the special features on the DVD and Blu-ray make up for any of the film’s shortcomings. Most entertaining is “Meet Karl Pilkington”, a featurette originally produced for BBC’s The Culture Show, which introduces film audiences to the man Gervais has labeled a “little bald-headed Manc twat.” The featurette also gives a making-of look at a big deleted scene featuring Pilkington as a caveman and explaining the evolution of lying. In addition to this gem, the disc also contains outtakes, deleted scenes, a making-of featurette and a series of video podcasts from Gervais and co-writer Matthew Robinson.

If you were waiting to check out the film, now is the time since you’ll get a slew of amazing features along with it. I’d recommend watching the film first, but feel free to dive right in to the even-funnier extras.

Youth in Revolt

The film, adapted from C.D. Payne’s Youth in Revolt: The Journals of Nick Twisp, stars Cera as a teenage nerd who falls hard for smart and mature Sheeni Saunders (Portia Doubleday) and invents a bad-boy alter ego, François Dillinger, in a plot to lose his virginity to Sheeni. Cera plays both Nick and François with the only real differences between the two being blue contacts and a barely-there moustache.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Cera, but he always seems to play the same lovable nerd who eventually ends up with the girl when she realizes the hot arrogant guy isn’t right for her. Thankfully, the character of François changes up that formula with over-the-top rebellious crimes and an overall disappointment in his other self. He’s exactly the kind of hero a nerdy teenager would invent for himself, puffing on a cigarette and tossing a slick comment at his female target, and Cera manages to play him simultaneously campy and with his own trademark brand of subtlety. My only gripe with the character is that he is introduced too late and would have been able to hold audiences better if he’d entered the plot sooner.

While Cera manages to entertain as François, the rest of the brilliantly funny cast seems underutilized. Zach Galifianakis, one of the best comedians of our time, plays Nick’s mom’s boyfriend, but is only in a few scenes and doesn’t get the chance to unleash his hilarious brand of weirdness. Steve Buscemi, Ray Liotta, and Justin Long are equally underutilized in their small roles, though they do bring comedy in the few scenes they are in.

Youth in Revolt is sure to appeal to the Juno crowd—which probably had a lot to do with why Cera got the lead role in the first place—because it feels like a slightly better version of other “quirky teen indies”. Not loading it up with heartthrob megastars lends believability, allowing audiences to get more into the characters, and there’s really no question that Cera makes a great loveable geek. Still, with the indie music overpowering the background, this one can feel a bit like those “factory-made indies” that are basically just big studio movies with a lower budget.

Youth in Revolt is worth seeing, but if you’re going to make the trip to the movie theater, you’re better off waiting in the enormous line for Avatar because this one could just as easily wait for DVD.