FRIDAY THE 13TH
*** out of 5 stars
Okay, here’s the deal. On a day like Friday the 13th, there’s nothing quite like another “Friday the 13th” movie. This new one is a reimagining of the classic 1980s slasher flick. The plot is different, borrowing from the first three films.
Jason Voorhees is a deformed man in the woods who dons a hockey mask and cuts through a group of young, good looking folks a-sexin’ and a-drinkin’ in his woods.
There’s nothing spectacular about this flick, but it does deliver on the scares. It’s got blood, sex, drugs and machetes, and as a routine slasher film, it works. But don’t expect high art.
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CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC
*** out of 5 stars
Okay, here’s the deal. While it’s brought to you by the same folks behind “Sex and the City,” “Confessions of a Shopaholic” is a little more wholesome and stars Isla Fisher in her first leading role.
Fisher plays a Manhattan journalist who has a mountain of debt that she tries to hide from her new job as a writer for a money magazine.
Fisher shines in this film, and the strengths lie in the silliness early in the movie. The story unravels a bit near the end as it tries to focus on plot and character. Still, Fisher is the draw, cute as a button and on her way to becoming one of Hollywood’s new leading lady.
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THE INTERNATIONAL
** out of 5 stars
Okay, here’s the deal. We all may be a bit leery of large banks, especially in this political climate, which is the catch to the new film “The International.”
Clive Owen plays an INTERPOL agent who uncovers a conspiracy that involves a huge multi-national bank with its hands in everything from assassinations to weapons dealing.
There are elements of “The International” that work spectacularly, including a rocking shoot-out in the middle of the film. However, too often, the plot suffers from too much complications and general goofiness that makes even the most niave person say, “That doesn’t make sense.”
On the international thriller front, I’d rather see “Taken” again.
