The Truth About "Charlie": Efron is Fantastic

Film: Charlie St Cloud

Starring: Zac Efron (17 Again, High School Musical), Ray Liotta (Goodfellas, Blow), and Amanda Crew (The Haunting in Connecticut, She's the Man)

U.S. Release: 2010 (rated PG-13)

Director: Burr Steers (17 Again)

Genre: Drama

Runtime: 99 minutes


Just last week the reviews started pouring out for Burr Steers and Zac Efron's second collaboration Charlie St Cloud. The general consensus on the film was ... eh, not so good. Most critics described the film as M. Night Shyamalan-esque, and we know the direction that his career is headed. Since I don't have the luxury of seeing a film before its reviews hit the press, I had to do my best to tune out all of the negative critiques I read on the movie. That being said, it was nowhere near as bad the latest crop of Shyamalan films to hit the big screen.

St Cloud takes place in present day New England. Charlie (Efron) is a young, ambitious, and charming man with his future mapped out. His sailing scholarship to Stanford is his ticket to a better life. However, a fatal accident, for which Charlie can't help but feel responsible, ultimately leads to the death of his younger brother, Sam. Unable to cope with the loss, Charlie ditches his scholarship and becomes the local hermit. But Charlie has a deep secret, he can see and hear the spirit of his deceased brother Sam. Both of the siblings refuse to move on from this tragedy, and this posthumous relationship begins to consume Charlie's life.

The difficulty of the film is suspending your belief and allowing yourself to believe Charlie's visions. But once you accept his superhuman ability, Charlie St Cloud is a very moving story. Not only is the flow and storyline of the film adequate, but the acting is stellar as well. Efron has already reached "superstar" status with his teenybopper High School Musical franchise. His first project with St Cloud director Burr Steers was the fun family comedy 17 Again. Despite the film's simplicity, Efron was wonderful in the comedy, and he continued to show his versatility in the duo's latest project. He is only 22 years old, so we should expect many more quality performances from Efron in the future.

All in all, Charlie St Cloud wasn't anything groundbreaking or revolutionary, but in what's obviously been a down year for cinema, the film was a pleasant surprise. I wouldn't recommend the movie to everyone, but to any moviegoer who has a vivid imagination and enjoys a roller coaster ride of emotions, Charlie St Cloud will entertain you.


Watch Charlie St Cloud if you enjoyed: The Sixth Sense. It's less suspenseful than the classic Shyamalan flick, but it's dramatic and clever in its own way.

Stars: 2 out of 4

Christopher Nolan, You're Our Only Hope!

December 31st, 2010. In my lifetime, New Year's Eve has always had its "checklist". I know I'll be celebrating it with close friends. I'll text my mother at midnight. I'll be watching Dick Clark on the tube, and tomorrow will begin a whole new year of cinema. So as the countdown unwinds, 3 ... 2 ... 1... HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Well as it's turned out, there hasn't been too much to be happy about when it comes to movies in 2010. I've seen 17 films released this year and only 1 is worthy of high praise. I'll come back to that thought later though.

Summertime is always blockbuster season. Last year, in the dog days of June, July, and August the movie gods rewarded us with films like The Hangover, District 9, and Sherlock Holmes. I guess sometimes the sun just shines brightly on us. This Summer season though, we've spent our hard earned dollars going to theatres to see lackluster films like The Grown Ups, Get Him to the Greek, and what was a slight glimmer of hope in Iron Man 2. The only positive this year has been a kid's movie that I've waited 15 years for. And believe me, Toy Story 3, we are thankful and we salute you. But where are all the deeply rooted, thought provoking films I long for? How long would I have to wait for a mind blowing cinematic experience?

That all changed one week ago today. Christopher Nolan, the latest phenom in direction, has perhaps shown us a light at the end of the tunnel. Nolan has directed praiseworthy films such as Memento, The Prestige, Batman Begins, and The Dark Knight. That filmography isn't too shabby. But his July 16th release, Inception, had so much buzz and hype surrounding it, I questioned whether or not it could live up to expectations. To my surprise, it seems like I shouldn't worry too much. Inception, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, has been the toast of the town receiving high praises from EVERYONE.

The movie theatre experience is sacred to me. Nothing bothers me more than chit chat or texting during a film. I know every showtime is going to be packed for some time, so I probably won't venture off to see it until it's nearing the end of it's run (hopefully nothing gets spoiled for me). When I do, I will let you know if Inception is the real deal. And if it is, once again, Thank You Christopher Nolan!

My Generation Needs Some Answers

While on a weekend getaway to the illustrious Delaware Beaches (Rehoboth and Dewey to be exact), some interesting debate sparked between a few of my friends. The question was posed, and it was simple, "Who is the best actor of OUR generation"? Now to define "our" is the basis of the whole controversy. Seeing that I'm 27 (going on 22), I had to determine an acceptable age to cap what represents an actor of my generation. So I've decided to draw a line in the sand and mark such generational borders. I've restricted the argument to actors under the age of 42 (15 years older than me). My apologies to George Clooney, Johnny Depp and all other fogey's out there. No matter how young and hip you still TRY to appear, you've already had your shot. So move over and let the next crop of actors take over the reins.


To narrow down my search for this numero uno in hollywood, I began by mass texting friends of mine who have a deep rooted passion for cinema. I asked them to keep feeding me names of their favorite actors who were within the age limit. The responses poured in one after another, and I compiled a list of about 35 names. But then I decided the list wasn't long enough. After spending hours relentlessly scouring through IMDB, I had more names then I knew what to do with.


Next, I mulled through these numerous actors and cut it down to 25 of the best ones that I've had the pleasure of growing up watching. I chose four people whose movie knowledge I absolutely admire. I asked these four friends (along with myself) to be a panel of judges to help decide this important generational question.


Each judge was asked to compile their own personal list of 20 actors. They were to rate them 1 to 20, 1 being the best and so on down the line. I gave them the list of 25 I'd be referencing from, but allowed them to deviate from my suggested names. Then, I assigned to each of the 20 spots on the list a specific point value. From the 5 lists, I summed up each actor's total to generate the final tally. And now the moment you've all been waiting for, here are my generations top 10 actors:

#10) Ewan McGregor 

(Age 39: The new Star Wars franchise, Moulin Rouge and Black Hawk Down)

I will be posting my own top 20 list later, but you may be surprised to NOT see him on my list. I was the only one of the 5 judges to dismiss McGregor. I really enjoyed Moulin Rouge (and I don't care who knows it), but all in all, I find him somewhat mediocre. That being said, I was a minority.

#9) Emile Hirsch 

(Age 25: Into the Wild, Milk, and Alpha Dog)

Hirsch is really just a pup when it comes to his age. He's just started to get his feet wet, and he could quite possibly be one of the top names in the list 5 years from now. He was always a solid actor, but he reached a whole new level with his daring lead role for Into the Wild.

#8) Javier Bardem 

(Age 41: No Country For Old Men and Vicky Cristina Barcelona)

I was concerned that since he's spent most of his acting career making foreign films, it would hinder Bardem's accolades. I was wrong. All five judges justifiably rewarded Bardem for his Oscar winning performance as the villain Anton Chigurh in No Country For Old Men.

#7) Jude Law 

(Age 37: Road to Perdition, Talented Mr Ripley, and Gattaca)

I'll never forget my introduction to Jude Law. I saw it at such a young age, but I remember thinking how fantastic Law was as a paraplegic willing to donate his identity to aid a man in his quest to go to outer space, in the futuristic tale Gattaca.

#6) Will Smith 

(Age 41: Independence Day, I am Legend, and Hancock)

I will always envision Smith as that endearing comic he grew up playing in The Fresh Prince and then on to comedy's like Bad Boys. But his career has reached a point where you can't disregard his superb talent. I felt he was easily top 5 worthy, but a few judges felt differently about him. Nonetheless, his skills cannot be questioned.

#5) Christian Bale 

(Age 36: The Dark Knight franchise, The Prestige, and American Psycho)

Where do I begin? I was one of two judges to leave Bale out of their top 10. I see Bale as one of those actors who plays in fantastic films, but doesn't carry the picture himself. For instance, Jackman in The Prestige, Ledger in The Dark Knight, and Crowe in 3:10 to Yuma. Having a praiseworthy filmography will never hurt, but I always found him to be good, not great.

#4) Heath Ledger

(Deceased: The Dark Knight, The Patriot, and Monster's Ball)

Ledger's role in Brokeback Mountain sparked the rise of his career. However, he'd been doing quality acting much earlier than that. From a depressed, suicidal prison guard in Monster's Ball to a young man fighting for his country in The Patriot, Ledger dazzled audiences. The roles never too big, but the character's crafted so perfectly. Ledger gave us a look into what could have been the future, with his portrayal of the Joker in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight. Hollywood lost a huge talent, but the memory of his work will surely live on.

#3) Matt Damon 

(Age 39: Good Will Hunting, The Departed, The Bourne series, and Invictus)

Damon is clearly a superstar. He finished in the top 5 of four judges' lists. He was 2nd place on two of them. With 10 nominations (Oscars, Golden Globes, and Screen Actor's Guild) yet no wins, Damon is sure to bring home a trophy sometime soon. Talent like his cannot be overlooked. Even with his lesser known films like School Ties and The Informant, he finds a way to take control of the screen. He makes his presence known, and for that we recognize him.

#2) Edward Norton 

(Age 40: Primal Fear, American History X, and Fight Club)

Let me be perfectly honest. Norton was hands down my number one choice for best actor of my generation. However, I didn't want this to totally be about me. I valued the opinions of my close friends and allowed the panel to decide the rankings. That being said, I truly feel that Norton's shortcomings can be directly linked to the fact that he's fallen off of late. Most of his flawless portrayals came during the mid and late 90s. He's almost become forgotten. But I will never fall into that trap, because his performances in Primal Fear and American History X are far too transcending. They were so memorable that Norton was the ONLY actor to finish in each judge's top 5. Now I don't know if he's been led astray by bad advice, or if he's just lost the foresight of a great picture, but his resume has been bare lately. He still has many years left to return to the heights he reached over a decade ago. And if he does, there will countless movies to brighten our years to come.

#1) Leonardo DiCaprio 

(Age 36: Blood Diamond, Catch Me If You Can, and The Departed)

The heavy favorite coming into the competition, DiCaprio stood up to the challenge. Along with Norton, he was the only other actor to finish in the top 8 of all 5 judges' lists. But more impressive is the fact that he stood alone at the top of 3 lists. No one would dare dispute Leo's credentials. From his youthful unforgettable role in What's Eating Gilbert Grape up until his present day blockbuster Inception, DiCaprio has ruled hollywood. He was brilliant in The Departed, charming in Catch Me If You Can, and just plain extraordinary in Blood Diamond. Leo will undoubtedly continue to light up our televisions and movie screens. He's a true legend in the making. So congrats to Mr DiCaprio and his well deserved title: "Best Actor of this Generation"

My top 20 list was as follows:

1) Edward Norton 2) Leonardo DiCaprio 3) Will Smith 4) Matt Damon
5) Heath Ledger 6) Ryan Gosling 7) Josh Brolin 8) Ben Foster
9) Jamie Foxx 10) Javier Bardem 11) Emile Hirsch 12) Colin Farrell
13) Jude Law 14) Casey Affleck 15) Christian Bale 16) Daniel Craig
17) Mark Wahlberg 18) Jake Gyllenhaal 19) Sam Rockwell 20) Joseph Gordon Levitt

Updated: DVD Rental Outlook

It's been over a month since my last post, but in all fairness I have still been watching numerous movies. The only problem is most of them have been indescribably boring. On the other hand, March and April are always 2 of the best movie rental months of the year. Shortly after the Oscars air, many of the year's best films make their way to DVD. So I decided to give you a few pointers on which movies you should choose to see and which ones to avoid.

The Good

1) Precious (Rated R) - Personally, Precious was my choice for best film of the year. The acting is superb and the story is emotionally draining, yet eye-opening to say the least. The movie tells of an inner-city teenager's struggle to overcome all forms of abuse, in an effort to lead a better life for herself and her children.

2) An Education (Rated PG-13) - This clever masterpiece revolves around a bright, young teenage girl who has her sights set on attending Oxford and becoming a career woman during the 1960s, However, when she begins a romantic relationship with a charming older man, she begins to question her life's goal of being a self sustaining woman.

3) Up in the Air (Rated R) - George Clooney, Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick all gave noteworthy performances in this depiction of an older man's personal revelation about the meaning of life.

4) The Blind Side (Rated PG 13) - A feel good story about a wealthy, southern white family who take in a drifting African-American teenager and help catapult this young man's life to NFL stardom.

5) The Informant (Rated R) - Steven Soderburgh's fun tale of a babbling idiot's quest to clear his name and take down his company after it illegally conspires to set market prices. He turns out to be a little more than the FBI can handle. It begins to feel slow in the middle, but it resolves very nicely.

6) Sherlock Holmes (Rated PG 13) - There's not much substance to this interesting tale of the legendary detective Sherlock Holmes. However, it's a fun-filled, entertaining picture that is worth the 2 hours you'll invest in it.


The Bad

1) New Moon (Rated PG 13) - At first, I gave in and saw Twilight just to see what all the hype was about. To be honest, I was thoroughly unimpressed. Some avid fans of the series begged me to give New Moon a chance. So I did, and all I can say is it wasn't much better than Twilight. I'm typically a fan of Kristen Stewart but she was unbearable to watch. If you haven't given either film a chance, don't bother.

2) Where the Wild Things Are (Rated PG) - As a fan of the childhood book, I wondered how it would translate to the big screen. It seems good in theory, but the movie was VERY strange and it was awkward hearing Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) as one of the monsters throughout the picture.

3) Planet 51 (Rated PG) - The movie is an interesting concept that was executed poorly. The animated films takes the point of view of an alien civilization as a human makes contact with the planet. There were flashes of fun, but all in all it wasn't very entertaining.

4) The Men Who Stare at Goats (Rated R) - With a cast as highly decorated as it had, the film was very bland. The best scenes in the movie were shown during it's trailer and otherwise, the story is about a whole bunch of nothing. You'll catch yourself laughing periodically, but not enough to warrant the investment. For a runtime just over 90 minutes, the movie definitely feels like it drags on.

5) The Fourth Kind (Rated PG 13) - I love a good horror movie, but The Fourth Kind is so mediocre it's scary. The narration at the beginning of the film lightened the mood if anything, and the switching between real footage and the actors definitely did the movie no justice. When all is said and done, the film could only be described as "blah".


So now that you have a few ideas of what's available, find a night when the Phillies aren't playing, rent yourself a movie and enjoy.

Oscar Predictions 2010

Earlier in the new year I gave what would be my personal picks for the mainstream movie awards. If you haven't checked it out, go to my archives and see what I felt were the best movies, directors, and performances of last year.

Now, in honor of the March 7th airing of the Oscars, I thought I'd throw out my predictions on what the voters will choose. So for the prominent categories here are my thoughts on the winners to be.

First, let's take a closer look at the category Best Animated Film. I haven't seen the Princess and the Frog. I personally disliked Coraline, The Fantastic Mr Fox wasn't too bad, but Up takes the cake. Now I know this post is suppose to not be about me, but I'm also looking at this objectively. For starters, Up is also nominated for Best Picture (which it has no shot winning). Being that the film has found it's way into that tier of movies, you have to assume UP as the winner of Best Animated Film.

Next, let's see what's going on behind the scenes for Best Director. Tarantino and Lee Daniels are the long shots here. Tarantino's film is kind of a farce, and Precious was filled with superb acting, not so much direction. That leaves the newby Jason Reitman (Up in the Air), the underdog Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker), and the highly decorated James Cameron (Avatar). Reitman did a fantastic job and he's just getting his feet wet, so the voters know his time will come. The tough choice is between former husband and wife Bigelow and Cameron. Both movies were very entertaining, but I'm going to give the nod to Cameron. Most people will turn a cold shoulder to a movie with a budget in the hundreds of millions of dollars, but Cameron revolutionized CGI and this will be his reward for it.

Onward we go to Best Supporting Actor and Actress. On the men's side, we can throw out Christopher Plummer (The Last Station) and Woody Harrelson (The Messenger). Neither movie has the buzz to carry either of those actors. Matt Damon was good but not great in Invictus, and I can't see Stanley Tucci winning for The Lovely Bones. By default, that leaves Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds) as the victor for the gentlemen. Now, to the women we go. The hardest part for me in this category is I haven't seen Nine. There's some serious buzz around the film, so that makes Penelope Cruz a real contender. That being said, I'm gonna break down the rest of the field first and get back to Cruz later. Maggie Gyllenhaal (Crazy Heart) was very good, but nowhere near good enough. The two nominees from Up in the Air (Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick) were both great, but they're going to hurt each other's chances in this one. Finally, we can't leave out Mo'Nique (Precious). Her performance was hands down the best in the movie, and most likely the best of any actor or actress all year. The voters may want to give it to Penelope Cruz, but you can't ignore such a groundbreaking character. Hence, Mo'Nique will come away victorious.

Now, let's continue on to Best Actor and Actress. We'll look at the lead women first this time. Sorry to say, but Helen Mirren (The Last Station) is a mouse amongst giants. The other 4 women all have a fighting chance. Gabi Sidibe (Precious) was very convincing, however, most people think she was overshadowed by Mo'Nique (which she was), so I don't see her pulling out the "W". Carey Mulligan (An Education) did a fantastic job (and it was a wonderfully movie) but she doesn't have the pedigree to keep up with Meryl Streep (Julie & Julia) or Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side). Both of these actresses gave glaring performances, but ultimately, the feel good true-story will catapult Sandra Bullock to the trophy. In addition to the women, the men have a competitively intriguing field this year. In all fairness to Colin Firth, I did not see A Single Man. I heard he was excellent in it, and I will offer up my opinion as soon as I view the film. On the contrary, I don't see him having a good chance at winning the award anyway. Morgan Freeman carried Invictus, and Jeremy Renner was stellar in The Hurt locker, yet I see this as a two-horse race. George Clooney was a delight in Up in the Air and Jeff Bridges gave a superb performance this year as well. Throughout his career Bridges has been overlooked, I think this is the year he finally gets rewarded. So expect a fun speech from the Crazy Heart star.

Finally, we've reached the climax of the evening. Who will win Best Picture?!? This is the first year the Oscar's placed 10 films in the field. Let's sift through a few of these. The long shots with almost no chance of winning are Up, Inglourious Basterds, and District 9. The next crop of could-be's includes the Coen Brother's fun little film A Serious Man, An Education, The Blind Side, and Precious (unfortunately). So there's a 3 way race left, including Up in the Air, The Hurt Locker, and Avatar. Let's take a close look at each film:

Up in the Air - Jason Reitman is a very talented up-and-coming director (Juno, Thank You For Smoking). This films tells the story of an emotionally unattached man, whose job is to go in and fire people for larger companies. He spends almost all of his 365 days a year on the road, allowing for him to have no dependence on other people. George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, and Anna Kendrick were all noteworthy characters, and the storyline moves very well.

The Hurt Locker - This modern day film shows the reality of war. The movie centers around Jeremy Renner who stars as a bomb defusing unit's highest ranking officer. You see the real life struggles of being a soldier of a country at war. The film was very intense and dramatic, thus giving it the most buzz going into Sunday evening.

Avatar - James Cameron's blockbuster has grossed over a billion dollars world-wide. The film is a sight to see, and everyone should at least watch this movie once. Cameron creates a utopia known as Pandora. There's millions of ways to spin and describe the storyline, but the true beauty lies in the world we visualize on the screen.

Unfortunately for Cameron, we saw last year (The Dark Knight) that grossing an enormous amount of money doesn't win you a best picture award (perhaps a best director one?). So I see The Hurt Locker bringing home the statue. It's a smaller budget film that resonates well with the viewer.

I hope you tune in Sunday night and enjoy the Oscars as much as I will.

Shutter Island is a Snoozer

Film: Shutter Island

Starring: Leonardo Dicaprio (The Departed), Mark Ruffalo (My Sister's Keeper), and Ben Kingsley (War Inc.)

U.S. Release 2010 (rated R)

Director: Martin Scorsese (The Departed, Gangs of New York)

Genre: Thriller

Runtime: 138 minutes


Martin Scorsese finally entered the Oscar's win column for his 2006 masterpiece, The Departed. Despite the long win-less stretch, the renowned director's portfolio speaks for itself. His victory was long overdue, but don't let that deter from the actual movie. Anyone who knows me, knows how highly I regard The Departed. The gangster flick even topped my December blog listing my top 20 movies of the past decade. Couple that with the fact Scorsese was teaming up with Leonardo Dicaprio again, how could Shutter Island disappoint?

The film is set in 1950s Boston. U.S. Marshalls Teddy Daniels (Dicaprio) and Chuck Aule (Ruffalo) visit the remote Shutter Island, which houses an insane asylum. They are investigating the disappearance of a criminally insane patient who has escaped the mental hospital. After receiving very little aid from the asylum's supervisor Dr. Cawley (Kingsley), the two officers begin to suspect that there's something strange going on at Shutter Island.

The premise sounds clever, I know. However, Scorsese's film goes off in all the wrong directions. Shutter Island finds itself unraveling in the same mediocre and typical fashion that plagues many recent thrillers. In an attempt to be clever, Marty's little clues are too obvious and too simple. We should expect more from a director of his stature.

Now, moving onto Leonardo Dicaprio. Much like Scorsese, Leo's brilliant resume needs too be typed in size 8 font because of the number of films he's carried. Despite the lengthy and successful career he's had, Dicaprio really let the audience down with this role. His character was a mirror image of his 2006 portrayal of William Costigan in The Departed. So for 2 hours and 18 minutes I kept wishing for Leo to do something new with Teddy Daniels. Unfortunately, I waited for something that never happened.

Shutter Island will be praised inaccurately by many. I am no Sherlock Holmes, and rarely do I predict endings, but this one stared me right in the face. I kept watching the film in hopes that it wouldn't end in the lame and predictable way in which it did. For two legends of cinema we all should expect much, much more.

Watch Shutter Island if you enjoyed: The Number 23. Yet another mediocre thriller to find yourself disappointed with.

Stars: 1 and a half out of 4.